Reunion with Yoruichi  

In the World of the Living, a spatial distortion usually meant one thing: a Hollow tearing open a Garganta from Hueco Mundo.

Ailin's senses had barely registered the fluctuation when a black fissure ripped through the sky above Karakura Town. A small Hollow squeezed through the opening.

Unable to maintain its form with reishi, the creature plummeted to the ground, crashing with a resounding boom that created a sizable crater.

"What was that?"

"Something just fell! It made a huge hole in the ground!"

The Hollow, over two meters tall and weighing several hundred pounds, had made quite an impact. The sound of its fall drew the attention of nearby humans, who gathered around the crater, curious to see what had caused it.

But lacking spiritual awareness, they couldn't see the Hollow.

Ailin and Haruko Kuchiki, however, watched as the Hollow let out a triumphant roar.

Compared to the barren wasteland of Hueco Mundo, the World of the Living was a feast. The scent of countless souls made the creature's mouth water.

Haruko tugged at Ailin's sleeve, her eyes fixed on the oblivious humans surrounding the Hollow. She knew that unless someone intervened, the Hollow would likely kill before the local Shinigami arrived to purify it.

Ailin, sensing Haruko's unspoken plea, shrugged. It was just a small Hollow. He was about to act when he sensed a familiar spiritual pressure approaching rapidly.

"Bakudō #4: Hainawa!"

A yellow rope materialized, wrapping around the Hollow, binding it tightly in seconds. The Hollow, now resembling a giant caterpillar, thrashed in confusion. It couldn't understand why, after a single roar, it was suddenly immobilized. Its instincts, however, still drove it to crawl towards the nearby humans.

Haruko giggled at the sight. "Ailin, what are you doing?" She was puzzled. Why not simply kill it?

"The local Shinigami is on his way," Ailin explained. "He's already sensed the Hollow. If he arrives and finds nothing, he'll report an anomaly to the Soul Society. I'd rather not have Yamamoto calling me back from vacation."

He added, "Besides, the Shinigami will recognize the Kidō."

Perhaps. If it were a regular Shinigami, they would certainly recognize the binding spell. But the one approaching was Ichigo Kurosaki, the Substitute Shinigami.

Unlike Kugo Ginjo, another Substitute Shinigami whom Ailin had mentored in all four Shinigami arts, Ichigo's training had been limited primarily to swordsmanship and Shunpo.

Even his spirit energy attacks were limited to a single technique: Getsuga Tenshō.

It seemed that both his Hollow and Quincy mentors believed that mastering one technique was more effective than learning many.

As long as Ichigo's spiritual pressure was strong enough, Getsuga Tenshō would be the ultimate attack.

…

Later that evening, a black cat darted through the night, scaling the side of a luxury hotel with effortless grace. Reaching a window on an upper floor, it tapped on the glass with a paw.

Haruko, hearing the sound, opened the curtains and recognized the black cat instantly. As a Kuchiki, she was familiar with Yoruichi Shihōin's feline form.

"Yoruichi! Come in!" She opened the window, allowing the cat to jump inside.

"Haruko, it's good to see you," Yoruichi spoke in masculine rumble. "I'm relieved to see you doing so well."

"Thank you for your concern, Yoruichi. Ever since Ailin gave me Avalon, my health has been perfect."

"That's wonderful news."

Yoruichi's visit had two purposes: to check on Haruko and to inquire about Ailin. She trusted Kisuke Urahara implicitly, and he had warned her that Ailin was far more dangerous than Aizen.

Unlike Aizen, however, Ailin had deep ties to the Soul Society, particularly to Haruko. If anything happened to her, Ailin would become a force of nature, and no one could predict the consequences.

In Urahara's mind, protecting Haruko was even more important than dealing with Aizen. He knew that Ailin would crush any threat to her, no matter how small.

The fact that Ailin hadn't reacted to Aizen's betrayal suggested that he didn't consider Aizen a threat to Haruko. Or perhaps he was confident he could protect her, even from a Hōgyoku-enhanced Aizen.

Urahara knew Ailin wasn't one to take risks. Either scenario suggested an alarming level of confidence.

"Yoruichi, it's good to see you looking so well," Ailin said, entering the balcony with a smile.

"I'd call it 'busy' rather than 'well'," Yoruichi quipped.

Ailin placed a cup of coffee in front of her and sat down. "What brings you here, Yoruichi?"

Yoruichi lapped at the coffee, appreciating the gesture. Despite his immense power, Ailin treated her with respect. While Urahara's warnings had made her wary, she couldn't deny a certain fondness for him.

"This afternoon, Ichigo Kurosaki encountered a Hollow bound by strange ropes. He thought it was some new type of Hollow and brought it to Urahara's shop."

Ailin blinked, then laughed. "If you're referring to the Hollow near the shopping district, I was the one who bound it with Kidō. Does the new Substitute Shinigami not even recognize Kidō?" He feigned surprise. "I mentored a Substitute Shinigami myself. While I didn't teach Ginjo Kidō, I certainly explained the basics. Is the Soul Society so wary of Substitute Shinigami now that they're withholding even basic knowledge?"

Yoruichi coughed, embarrassed. The Soul Society's first Substitute Shinigami had indeed been Ailin's disciple. Compared to Ginjo, Ichigo's lack of knowledge was glaring.

"Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses," she said, trying to deflect the awkwardness.

Ailin nodded. Ichigo's talent clearly lay in swordsmanship. In a matter of days, he had surpassed Ikkaku Madarame, a Shinigami with centuries of experience. But when it came to Kidō, he was clueless.

"Ailin, have you made any discoveries during your time in the World of the Living?" Yoruichi asked, changing the subject.

Ailin knew she was deflecting, but he didn't press the issue. He knew more about Ichigo than Urahara did. He suspected that, in their eyes, Ichigo was not only a weapon against Aizen, but also a potential countermeasure against him.

He had no desire to interfere with Ichigo's development. Urahara, or rather, his Hollow and Quincy mentors, were doing a fine job. However, Ichigo was still unaware of the true nature of his powers, still resisting and fearing his inner Hollow.

"Didn't Captain Yamamoto tell you?" Ailin asked, feigning surprise. He then relayed the information he had reported to the Soul Society.

Yoruichi's expression turned grave. "The Bount?"

"Indeed. I sensed Gin Ichimaru's reiatsu and found him talking to a Bount. Gin confirmed that Aizen needs six months to fuse with the Hōgyoku. He's put several contingency plans in motion to keep the Soul Society occupied. The Bount are just one of them."

"I see. There's been a recent increase in unexplained deaths in Karakura Town. It seems the Bount are gathering here. Like Hollows, they feed on souls, but they can absorb them directly, without killing.

Urahara has been working on a device to detect soul absorption. We call it the 'Soul Hunter Detector.'

It seems we underestimated the Bount.

Thank you, Ailin. This information is invaluable."

Yoruichi rose abruptly and opened the window. "You've been a great help."

"Don't mention it. But as you know, I'm on vacation. I'd rather not work, so while I'm here, I'm just a tourist."

"Of course," Yoruichi said with a nod.

As Yoruichi left, Haruko joined Ailin at the window. "Is this… a serious problem?"

Ailin was surprised by her interest.

"It's not a matter of 'serious' or 'not serious'," he said, deciding to explain. "The Bount's origins date back a thousand years…"

Ailin recounted the Bount's tragic history: their creation, their persecution, their dependence on the Quincy, and their near extinction during the Quincy massacre.