"Captain Hitsugaya!" "How's it going?" "Kyoraku..." "Ukitake..." "It's been a while." "Did something happen today?" "just here to make a regular report." "I got grilled on the cleansing progress within the Tenkaiketchu zone." "that should be done as early as today." "What?" "!" "I got a report from Nanao." "Damn that Matsumoto." "That was our squad's responsibility." "That slacker!" "Sorry." "Would you mind reporting that?" "He seems pretty upset." "It's a good thing." "Being able get angry or laugh about ordinary things is a sign that peaceful times have returned." "True." "I'm done here." "That completes our share of the cleansing." "I'm beat." "Never thought we'd end up having to erect barriers over such a wide area." "Can't do anything about it." "It was to be expected after something as extraordinary as swapping part of the Soul Society with Karakura Town." "But I didn't expect to be doing this sort of tedious work for an entire month." "huh?" "Rangiku..." "Are you all right?" "Of course." "Nanao. what do you say the two of us reward ourselves?" "What?" "Nothing." "Just thinking you're back to your old self." "Really?" "I've been—" "Been really depressed!" "Matsumoto here." "you idiot!" "Do you have any idea how many times I tried to call you?" "!" "What's the big idea with not making a regular report?" "!" "Sir!" "I was working the entire time. so Nanao and I were about to go out for some—" "Get back here immediately!" "Sir!" "There's nothing wrong with having a little fun!" "We can't spare the time!" "It's always like this!" "Let's not fight it." "Why do you do this to me every single time?" "!" "Everyone is waiting for us." "Jeez..." "What's up with this passageway?" "It's giving me the creeps." "I agree." "But this is the designated path." "Nanao..." "What is it?" "Did you sense anything strange just now?" "Strange?" "You don't mean a..." "What's going on?" "!" "We're back." "Sis!" "Kon!" "Bug off!" "You're not stopping me from giving Sis her daily hug!" "Hug?" "!" "Damn right!" "The feeling of Sis's kick squeezing my cotton stuffing... is a moment of ecstasy!" "You could never under..." "I wouldn't!" "Hollow." "Hollow." "they keep popping up day after day." "Let it go." "Hey!" "Sis and I aren't done—" "We'll be gone a bit." "Kon." "Chappy." "Sir!" "Ichigo!" "What am I to you anyway?" "Why bring that up now?" "You're always using me when it's convenient for you!" "you know!" "What're you talking about?" "!" "Ichigo!" "We have to hurry!" "Right!" "watch the place while we're gone!" "Hey!" "Tsk!" "don't you feel like saying something to..." "Pyon!" "Jeez..." "Ichigo!" "A Senkaimon opened nearby." "Does it have something to do with Hollows?" "No." "Then that comes later!" "Kurosaki!" "Kuchiki!" "Need help?" "We'll manage!" "Looks like Kurosaki hasn't experienced any changes since that one time." "Yeah. so Ichigo hasn't had to use more Spirit Energy than necessary." "you say?" "Yes." "I haven't been able to contact them since their last message yesterday evening saying they were returning." "I would like to check and see if there are any records of them passing through the Precipice World." "No problem." "Give me a minute." "Inaba!" "Bring me the record of traffic through the Precipice World." "Sir." "But it does seem strange that you haven't heard from both of them." "Excuse me." "Well?" "correct?" "we have no confirmation that they returned from the World of the Living." "Perhaps they haven't passed through the Precipice World." "What?" "This is becoming very strange." "It was around here...that I sensed something odd." "There's nothing here." "I should find me a beautiful babe." "What the—?" "!" "Huh?" "What's a girl doing here all...n-n-naked?" "never mind that." "Is she alive?" "Hey you!" "Huh?" "What do you think you're doing?" "!" "I was just...nothing!" "Lecher!" "Pervert!" "Somebody!" "Police!" "You're making a mistake!" "You've got it all wrong!" "quickly!" "lady!" "I understand the situation." "Captain Kurotsuchi? they must still be in the World of the Living." "It's hard for me to believe that those two would remain in the World of the Living without contacting us." "Then could they have been involved in some sort of accident in the Precipice World?" "The Department of Research and Development monitors the Precipice World 24 hours a day." "Are you suggesting we missed them?" "Yes." "What?" "!" "You're going to blame your subordinates' lack of training on me?" "now... I'd like to confirm that the two of them are safe." "I have news to report." "Lieutenants Rangiku Matsumoto and Nanao Ise have just returned." "What?" "!" "what the hell were you doing until now?" "!" "Huh?" "What are you talking about?" "my..." "This sure turned out to be quite a farce." "Where did you two go off to on your way back?" "Umm..." "We came straight back after completing our mission." "That's right!" "Captain!" "A short while ago?" "Yes..." "About three hours ago." "Which means the time axis is out of sync?" "It does seem something has gone wrong in the Precipice World." "I'm calling an immediate Captains' Meeting." "report." "After a detailed study of the data I discovered a time gap has formed between the World of the Living and the Soul Society." "And this gap is continuing to expand." "we will no longer be able to intervene in the World of the Living within the next day or so." "is there any way to stop it?" "Of course there is! but I'm more worried about the cause." "I'd like to do a detailed survey of the Precipice World first." "Very well. in charge of the survey. to provide security within the Precipice World." "What?" "Tsk!" "Why do I have to do such a troublesome task?" "You should talk!" "Can a barbarian like you provide security?" "You might trigger a catastrophe instead." "What?" "!" "Shall I start with you?" "!" "Enough!" "That's an order! and Lieutenant Renji Abarai to assist Captain Kurotsuchi." "Dismissed!" "So..." "Who is this? and it's a problem." "then why is she sleeping here?" "!" "How should I put it?" "It just happened that way." "Things never "just happen"!" "Not the blanket!" "What've you done?" "!" "nothing!" "I haven't done anything!" "She was lying unconscious looking just like that!" "Ichigo..." "What is it?" "I don't sense anything from this girl." "Huh? I would sense something if she's human." "But this girl..." "I don't even sense her existence." "Kon!" "Where did you find this girl?" "!" "In the parking lot at third street." "Just as I suspected." "That's where the Senkaimon opened earlier." "Then is she a gigai?" "I don't know." "I'll report this to the Soul Society." "Hmm?" "Akon." "We got an inquiry from Rukia Kuchiki of Squad 13." "Ignore it!" "No time for that right now." "But take a look at it." "Huh?" "What is this?" "Excuse me." "Inaba." "Captain Kuchiki and the others are about to enter the Precipice World to conduct a survey." "Would you mind showing them the way?" "Sir." "I have communications with Captain Kurotsuchi." "What took you so long?" "!" "I apologize." "I had trouble adjusting it." "How does it look?" "Did you learn anything?" "the cause was man-made." "Kenny!" "This is fun!" "Huh?" "are Byakuya Kuchiki and the others not ready yet?" "See?" "sir." "They're about to enter now." "Move out the way." "Go!" "Go!" "Stop it! the Restrictive Current would still reacts to Spirit Bodies. but I won't allow you to interfere with my survey." "eh?" "Try me!" "It appears you're too stupid to understand words." "Master Mayuri!" "Something's coming!" "You're safe!" "What's wrong? and a state of emergency was declared!" "What about Kurotsuchi and Zaraki?" "We...still haven't..." "Where are you going?" "To Squad 1." "We found something important in the Precipice World." "You're saying you haven't met up with Captain Kurotsuchi and the others?" "That's right." "What is the important item?" "We found it near the area where we were supposed to rendezvous with Captain Kurotsuchi's group." "I don't know what connection it might have to the incident." "This is!" "But I believe it warrants investigation." "With Kurosaki?" "Yes." "I received orders from the Department of Research and Development to appear before them with the Substitute Soul Reaper. so I tried to confirm it." "Then communication failed." "doesn't it?" "how's that girl doing?" "She's still asleep." "but..." "I don't know." "I'm thinking of going to the Soul Society." "I wouldn't recommend it." "Yoruichi went there a few days ago. but we haven't heard from her." "It's not wise to go there in your current condition." "right?" "I have to go." "I suppose I have no choice." "Kurosaki... but it will gradually decrease." "Yeah. the sooner the day will come when you lose your Spirit Energy." "Please keep that firmly in mind." "I know." "both of you." "What's the matter?" "Something's not right." "Not right?" "You haven't noticed?" "There's no trace of Spiritual Pressure." "Trace?" "Many Soul Reapers come and go through here every day." "Yet... that Cleaner thingie comes and cleans it up." "That's impossible." "Aizen destroyed it a month ago." "Oh...that's right." "let's get out of here quickly." "Right." "Rukia." "What?" "It's coming." "What's coming?" "!" "What's with that?" "!" "I thought you said it was gone?" "!" "I never thought it would regenerate so quickly." "How quickly does it regenerate normally?" "!" "That I don't know." "What?" "!" "Why you..." "My Combat Pass!" "Never mind that!" "Hurry!" "Bankai!" "Ichigo!" "Are you all right?" "!" "Yeah...this is nothing..." "Ichigo!" "What's wrong?" "!" "Ichigo!" "the sooner the day will come when you lose your Spirit Energy." "Crap..." "Damn it!" "Hey!" "Toshiro!" "Have you seen Rukia?" "She should be around—" "Don't move!" "Kurosaki!" "What?" "Why do I..." "I'm arresting you as a material witness!" "Don't resist!" "Material witness?" "!" "What're you talking about?" "!" "Byakuya!" "Nothing personal." "We're not doing this because we want to either." "Ichigo Kurosaki..." "We're placing you in confinement." "Thank you for waiting." "Shall we go then?"