The Fon Estate

After a day's journey, the group finally reached Bamboo Creek Plain as night fell. True to its name, the area consisted of bamboo groves and streams. Bamboo had grown more plentiful from the moment they entered the region, and by the time they reached its center, where the souls lived, the rustling of bamboo leaves and the babbling of streams filled their ears, lending the stillness a distinct sense of movement. At the center of the settlement stood the Fon Clan's estate.

The estate's main buildings were several interconnected, Japanese-style residences. The bricks and tiles of their outer walls and roofs were dark shades of gray, navy blue, and deep green, giving them a somber, stately appearance.

The estate gates opened, and Fon Shaoling stepped down from the carriage. The guards took the carriage and the captives elsewhere, while Fon Shaoling led the young man inside and showed him around the place where he would be staying for the time being. Finally, she took him to a guest room.

"This is where you will rest tonight. There are clothes in the wardrobe for overnight guests; you may change into them after bathing in the bathhouse. If you need a meal, please tell one of the servants. I have some clan matters to attend to, so I will take my leave."

After the young man agreed, Fon Shaoling went to a study and slipped out of her kimono, revealing a close-fitting, backless outfit beneath. Apart from her loose hair, she looked no different from Soi Fon in the anime. Fon Shaoling sat down at a low desk, where a stack of documents promptly appeared, and began attending to official business. "What did you find?"

A voice came from the shadows before Fon Shaoling. "These bandits all came from Zaraki District. After you ordered the Fon Clan to investigate the unusual disappearances of souls across the various districts, their leader traveled for half a month solely to kill the investigators the Fon Clan had sent out."

"They traveled all the way from District 80 to District 2. I can understand the higher-numbered districts, where public order is chaotic, but why didn't any of the Soul Reapers stationed in the lower-numbered districts report them?"

"They bypassed them all. The bandit leader seemed to know the Soul Reapers' deployment very well and completely avoided their posts. Several of the more capable Soul Reapers were even distracted by troublesome public-order incidents."

"What do Marechiyo Ōmaeda and the others think?"

"Judging from the current situation, the lieutenant believes that at least one lower noble house and several Seated Officers with access to information on Soul Reaper deployments were involved. As for the officers' identities, judging by their duties, those most likely to have access to such information belong to the Third Division, which handles support, or the Tenth Division, which maintains public order. The Twelfth Division is next, followed by the Sixth Division. They are now examining administrative records to identify the relevant suspects."

"All right, dismissed." Fon Shaoling pushed the processed documents toward the shadows. "Also, tell Marechiyo Ōmaeda to make inquiries into Central 46 as well, apart from the investigation on the surface. If necessary, ask the First Division for the names of the relevant Central 46 members. Oh, and prepare a Reishi detection device for me, and request an Asauchi from Shin'ō Academy."

A hand reached out from the shadows and accepted the documents. After saying, "As you command," the figure fell silent.

Fon Shaoling tidied the desk, put on her kimono, and headed for her room, thinking that this incident was extremely similar to the events that had preceded the collective Hollowfication of several Soul Reapers a century ago.

Fon Shaoling began recalling the files she had read:

(Four captains subjected to Hollowfication—

Shinji Hirako—former Fifth Division Captain.

Kensei Muguruma—former Captain of the Ninth Division.

Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi—former Third Division Captain.

Love Aikawa—former Captain of the Seventh Division.

Three lieutenants—

Hiyori Sarugaki—former lieutenant of the Twelfth Division.

Lisa Yadōmaru—former lieutenant of the Eighth Division.

Mashiro Kuna—former lieutenant of the Ninth Division.

Kidō Corps—

Hachigen Ushōda—former vice chief of the Kidō Corps.

Sequence of events:

It began when Kensei Muguruma, then Captain of the Ninth Division, his lieutenant Mashiro Kuna, and Hiyori Sarugaki, lieutenant of the Twelfth Division, were ordered to investigate the "disappearing souls case" on the outskirts of Rukongai. Contact with them was subsequently lost.

To support them, Fifth Division Captain Shinji Hirako, Third Division Captain Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi, Captain of the Seventh Division Love Aikawa, Eighth Division lieutenant Lisa Yadōmaru, vice chief of the Kidō Corps Hachigen Ushōda, and Kisuke Urahara went to the scene in succession. Afterward, all except Kisuke Urahara began undergoing Hollowfication, one after another.

Aizen, who was still a lieutenant at the time, was ordered to find evidence, and everything he found pointed to Kisuke Urahara having conducted the Hollowfication Experiment. Central 46 subsequently issued an order to execute everyone involved, but in the end, Yoruichi took them all and fled to the World of the Living.

At that moment, Fon Shaoling also recalled something Aizen had said as she left the meeting room after accepting this investigation:

"Captain Soi Fon, Central 46 acted with great decisiveness back then. At the time, I thought they were simply trying to cover up the Hollowfication scandal quickly, but the more I thought about it afterward, the more something felt wrong. Whether it was the speed at which the orders were given, the speed at which I obtained the evidence, or Central 46's subsequent response, everything happened too quickly. It was almost as if it had all been arranged in advance... And as someone acquainted with Captain Yoruichi and Captain Urahara, do you really think a person like Captain Urahara would conduct such an inhumane experiment? Would Captain Yoruichi really shield the true culprit?"

No! They wouldn't! Urahara couldn't have done such a thing, and Yoruichi wouldn't shield someone guilty of such terrible crimes. There must be more to this. Now the same thing has happened again, and Urahara is no longer in Soul Society. If I can resolve this, could Yoruichi come back...?

As Fon Shaoling pondered this, she passed the courtyard and saw the young man beneath the moonlight, looking down into a pond.

"Is this me?"

The young man stared at his reflection in the pond, his face full of confusion. In the reflection, his black hair was swept back, his brows were drawn slightly together, and his silver eyes were exceptionally bright. Just then, another face appeared in the water beside his, with deep purple hair and a pair of wide golden eyes.

"What are you looking at?"

The young man jumped and hurriedly stepped back. "N-nothing..."

"Really? Nothing at all?"

"Really, it's nothing."

"You've only just arrived in Soul Society. There must be quite a few things you feel uncertain or uneasy about. I'll be happy to answer anything I can."

"It's really nothing..." The young man glanced toward the pond. "It's just that I only saw what I look like now a moment ago, and it made me realize I really am not who I used to be. I feel a little sad."

"Has your appearance changed as well?"

"Yes. My hair was black before too, but my eyes weren't silver. I also had bags under my eyes from staying up late for so long, my skin wasn't very good because of my irregular schedule, and I had stubble all over my face. When I saw my reflection in the water just now, I could hardly believe it was me."

"When souls enter Soul Society, they usually retain the appearance they had in life. This is generally believed to be because a soul in its complete state continually records its own appearance. Some other power fused with your soul, so perhaps the appearance recorded by your soul was distorted. But I think the way you look after being distorted is quite handsome." Fon Shaoling smiled. "I wouldn't want the hero who saved me to be someone with a stubbly face, acne all over, and heavy dark circles under his eyes."

The young man's face reddened slightly at her words, and he looked away. "Um... thanks... But I didn't have acne all over my face before. My skin was just a little sallow."

"Is that so? How rude of me."

"No, no, I didn't mean you should apologize. It's getting late, so I'll go back to my room and rest. Good night."

"Good night." Fon Shaoling watched the young man hurry away, then looked toward the pond. "Did that man discover the Onmitsukidō training grounds?"

A figure emerged from the pond. "Reporting! No!"

"Report his movements after he left my sight, and the results of the investigation."

"After you left, the young man went to the bathhouse to wash. Afterward, he ate in his room, consuming roughly three times the amount an ordinary Onmitsukidō member eats in one meal, with no signs of having eaten too much. He wasn't sleepy afterward, so he walked to the courtyard. Along the way, his spiritual pressure surged several times. Analysis of the Reishi fluctuations showed that they basically matched those of academy students during Zanjutsu meditation. We can confirm that his Zanpakutō spirit has been born. After checking the Thirteenth Division's records of Soul Reaper escorts and today's records of souls entering Soul Society, we confirmed one additional entry. A comparison of spiritual pressure confirmed that it was this man. Nothing contradicts the information you obtained from questioning him."

"Dismissed." After hearing the report, Fon Shaoling continued toward her room. "His Zanpakutō spirit was born on his first day in Soul Society, and he can even speak with it. His talent is the real thing. In that case, there's something to look forward to after he's given a name tomorrow."