Disappearances in Soul Society

Disappearances in Soul Society

Prelude
Nine years after Kisuke Urahara was promoted to captain of the Twelfth Division, in the Rukongai there are three souls who are contorting in agony, spewing a mysteriously white substance from their mouths as they hold onto their necks, choking all the while.

The pressure on their bodies becomes too much and they explode, completely turned into the white substance which lands on a nearby umbrella that is shielding three observers. One of them concludes that an ordinary soul cannot be kept a prototype in their experiment as their body breaks down too easily and his comrade asks if they should quit due to this but the first person insists they will continue with their actions.

In the Seireitei, Shinji Hirako is out walking with his Lieutenant Sōsuke Aizen when he spots Kisuke Urahara with his Lieutenant Hiyori Sarugaki and 3rd seated officer Mayuri Kurotsuchi coming from the opposite direction. Shinji cheerfully delivers a greeting which Urahara returns with equal enthusiasm. However, Shinji is soon bemused by Urahara's refusal to use his fist name instead of speaking so formally. He then greets Kurotsuchi cheerfully by using his first name which the officer takes offense to, insisting he address him formally rather than informally. Even more bemused, Shinji takes back his words, asserting he's the pain rather than Urahara.

Changing the subject, Shinji asks them have they heard the latest news that is spreading around the Seireitei. Urahara asks what he is referring to but before Shinji can continue he is interrupted by Hiyori. The small Lieutenant delivers a hard kick to Shinji's lower back causing the captain to fall to the ground in pain. Stunned, he demands to know why she attacks him so ferociously and she asserts that she is still waiting for him to greet her along with her fellow comrades.

Shinji inquires as to why he should greet her at all and an angered Hiyori insists that he always leaves her out but it is customary to greet someone when meeting them on the street. Shinji strongly disagrees with this assertions maintaining that since he is a captain and she is not he can greet whoever he wants without requiring her approval. The rest of his words are cut off as Hiyori begins to hit him and Shinji is forced to defend himself and the two begin to scuffle on the groun while Urahara smiles awkwardly at the situation.

As the two of them continue to wrestle on the ground, Aizen turns to Urahara and continues the conversation Shinji had begun before Hiyori's angry interruption. He asks the captain if he has had any news of the gossip but it is clear that Urahara has not as he asks Aizen what the word on the street is. Aizen informs him that there have been mysterious deaths occurring in the Rukongai. Behind him, having to hold Hiyori down, Shinji angrily declares that he wanted to tell Urahara and sardonically thanks his subordinate for ruining his fun on the matter.

Curious and stunned, Urahara asks what they mean by strange deaths. Shinji elaborates that for the last month residents in the Rukongai have been disappearing and nobody can tell why. Confused, Urahara asks if they have simply run off but Shinji insults him, asserting that he didn't say that they were missing. Shinji maintains that when he says disappearing he means that they have actually been disappearing leaving behind their clothes with no other evidence. Instead of their clothes turning into spirit particles too when they die, they think their human form is somehow being annihilated while they are still alive causing them to vanish.

This serious news greatly puzzles Urahara who wonders how a soul can completely lose control in maintaining their human form before dying. Turning away from him, Shinji apologizes for confusing him about the situation. He elaborates that he was informed of the theory from Retsu Unohana. He is also quite adamant that, even though he's just explained it to Urahara, he really doesn't understand the possibilities either. He asserts that it has been decided that more evidence needs to be gathered and that the task has been assigned to the Ninth Division.

The 9th Division Investigates
A team of Shinigami have been dispatched into the Rukongai to investigate the area in which the disappearances have been occurring. Their job is to find more evidence so that the reasons for these vanishings can properly be concluded as the current theories have no supporting evidence other than the clothes that are being left behind by those who are disappearing. The high ranking members of the Ninth Division march through the Rukongai, the team includes Captain Kensei Muguruma; Lieutenant Mashiro Kuna; 3rd Seat Heizō Kasaki; 4th Seat Shinobu Eishima; 5th Seat Kaname Tōsen; and 6th Seat Izaemon Tōdō.

From the rear of the group, Mashiro demands to know what exactly Kensei means when he says that he doesn't know what they are dealing with in the investigation. Agitated, Kensei tells her to quit whining because when he says he doesn't know he means just that, they have no idea what they are dealing with. Mashiro insists that, having sent out a ten-man team of Shinigami in advance they should wait at the barracks for their report. Getting more angry, Kensei asserts that the lack of any report is the reason they are venturing out to investigate themselves.

Mashiro continues to insist that this isn't the job for a captain, claiming that Kensei is just bored and impatient, wanting to go out when they should have waited for reports. Her voice takes on a whining note to it and Tōsen asks that she calm down but she says she doesn't want to. Kensei's impatience with his lieutenant's antics heightens until the tension in him snaps. He angrily turns to attack Mashiro but is grabbed and held back by several of his subordinates as Eishima reminds him that that Mashiro is always trying to get a reaction of out of him with her antics.

Trying to calm himself a little, Kensei shrugs off his officers, informing Mashiro that he does not recalls even asking her to come along on the mission anyway. He tells her that she shouldn't have come and advises her to return to their barracks and get some sleep or do whatever she wants to do. Mashiro pouts at this suggestion, calling Kensei a dummy for not remembering that Lieutenants must follow their Captains during missions. She insults his intelligence several times before his temper snaps again. By that time Mashiro has entered a tantrum and is rolling around on the ground crying about how hungry she is.

Suddenly a ominous wail catches the attention of the Shinigami who turn away from the scene being caused by Mashiro. They spot several young souls fleeing from a very large Hollow with a long neck. Initially they are stunned by the size of the creature with Kasaki commenting on the sheer size of the monster. Undisturbed, Kensei withdraws his Zanpakutō and orders his subordinates to attack the Hollow and save the children. His officers obediently comply without any hesitation, all four of them drawing their own blades and attacking the Hollow as one.

One of the young souls is flung away by the persistent Hollow when it screams out from the attack. The child, Shūhei Hisagi, looks up and notices the approach of the dominating presence of Kensei standing over him as the captain moves on the offensive. Kensei releases his Zanpakutō, Tachikaze, and uses its special ability to defeat the Hollow by cutting it apart at various points of its large body. The Hollow falls to the ground as Kensei calmly looks on at the chaos.

The captain glances around as his subordinates assemble about him and asks if everybody is alright. When they confirm that they are he notices Hisagi kneeling on the ground, sobbing and loudly demands to know why he is doing so. He maintains that since he survived the attack the child should be happy and smile. Kensei then produces a smile of his own for the child to prove as an example but the result is quite terrifying. Bemused, Eishima informs his captain that his attempt to cheer the child is pointless as he is scaring him.

Kensei rejects this theory while he pulls the young soul to his feet and asks him his name, becoming more demanding when the boy hesitates. Hisagi manages to stutter several times before providing his name nervously. Kensei tells Hisagi that his name is a strong one and orders him to stop crying. However, still quite frightened due to the recent attack, Hisagi continues to sob and cry much to Kensei's displeasure as he continues to try and dissuade him from doing so. He sighs after a while and asserts that the situation is quite a pain.

When Kuna reappears, Kensei demands to know where she was during the fight. She cuts him off by saying she found ten Shihakusho in the nearby bushes.

Muguruma realizes that the ten shihakusho belonged to the ten advance guards he sent out and they were not taken off, but rather the wearer had vanished. He orders Eishima to inform Central 46 that they have their first Shinigami victims in the disappearing soul case. He tells Izaemon Tōdō that there might be a pathogen causing the souls to break down, and to request a researcher be sent by the 12th Division. Muguruma instructs Kasaki have the Division send a tent, as they will be camping there tonight, as he intends to prevent any threat from reaching Seireitei. His Fifth Seat asks what he should do, and Kensei tells him to search the area with him. Muguruma tells the children to go home before the sun sets, and Hisagi notices the number 69 tattooed on Kensei's chest before he leaves.

Call Forth the S.R.D.I.
In a laboratory of the Shinigami Research and Development Institute, Mayuri and Hiyori argue about who has their ranks in the Twelfth Division and the Institute. Hiyori then yells for Kisuke, demanding that he do something about Kurotsuchi. Urahara tell her about his prototype for a new Gigai that he has developed in a bid to stabilize the souls that have been disappearing. Tōdō arrives at the laboratory, requesting an audience with Urahara. After being updated about the situation, Urahara promises to send someone that evening and instructs Tōdō to return to Muguruma. Kisuke asks Hiyori to go, but she refuses, demanding that someone of lower rank be sent instead, pointing at Akon, who retorts that she is always complaining and should quit if her job is so bad. Hiyori tries to kick him, but he dodges her. Urahara tells Hiyori that she is the only one he can trust with acquiring a sample from the scene.

Fall of the 9th Division
Tōdō arrives back at the Ninth Division's camp ground, only to be told he is late. He explains that he went to the Twelfth Division's headquarters by himself and asks to switch places with the Fifth Seat, whom he tells to get some sleep. Eishima explains that only one of the seated officers is to rest at a time, with the other three standing guard. Inside the tent, Kensei, Kuna and Kasaki are resting. Mashiro begins talking in her sleep, annoying her captain. Muguruma hears a noise outside and, along with Kasaki, rushes to investigate. He finds two of the blood-soaked officers lying on the ground, with Tōdō standing nearby. When Tōdō collapses moments later, Kensei tells Kasaki to be ready, as the enemy is still nearby. Muguruma calls for Mashiro, but as he turns his back, Kasaki's neck is cut. Kensei is shrouded in darkness and stabbed through the back. As the darkness recedes, he turns to see his attacker.

Aftermath
An alarm sounds across Seireitei as all captains are summoned to the First Division headquarters for an emergency meeting. Upon hearing that the Reiatsu of Kensei and Mashiro has vanished, Urahara rushes into the laboratory and asks a researcher where Hiyori is. When she tells him that Hiyori has already left, Kisuke rushes off, thinking to himself that he should have went himself.