Upon returning to the Soul Society, the gravity of the situation demanded an immediate response. Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto promptly called for an emergency Captain's meeting at the First Division headquarters, summoning the full Gotei 13 leadership.
Before departing for the assembly, Byakuya Kuchiki turned to his sister, Rukia, and her companion, Amamiya Miyako. His expression was as impassive as ever, but his words held a subtle weight. "My orders were to retrieve you and bring you back to Soul Society. What actions you choose to undertake thereafter… are beyond the scope of my mandate."
Tōshirō Hitsugaya, standing nearby, heard this and understood perfectly. He gave a slight, almost imperceptible nod. "My orders are identical. Captain Kuchiki and I are responsible for your return. Your subsequent decisions are your own concern." As the one who knew of Ichigo's connection to his former Captain, Isshin Shiba, Hitsugaya felt a personal, if unspoken, obligation. If even the rigid Byakuya was showing flexibility, he would not stand in the way.
"Brother? Captain Hitsugaya? What do you mean?" Rukia asked, bewildered.
In response, Byakuya simply removed his own white Captain's haori and tossed it to her. He was aware of Hueco Mundo's harsh, arid environment; the heavy fabric would offer some small measure of comfort. Without another word, he met Amamiya's gaze, gave a single, meaningful nod, and turned to leave.
Amamiya understood the unspoken message perfectly: 'Watch over her.'
Rukia stared at the haori in her hands, utterly confused.
"Come on, Rukia." Amamiya took her hand, pulling her away from the gathering point.
"Huh? Wait, Miyako, what's going on?"
"It's simple. Their orders ended at 'bring them back.' Whether we decide to go to the Human World next, or… somewhere else… is no longer their responsibility." He spelled it out for her as they walked.
Realization dawned on Rukia's face. "So that's it… Brother and Captain Hitsugaya would actually do that…"
"Your brother has a heart beneath all that ice. Ichigo helped thaw it, after all," Amamiya said with a faint smile. "As for Captain Hitsugaya… you know his reasons."
"Ichigo's father…" Rukia murmured. She was continually surprised by the web of connections Ichigo had woven within the Soul Society, often without even knowing it.
"Do you have anything to prepare, Rukia? While the Senkaimon authorization is still active, we should head straight to the Human World and find Urahara. He'll have the means to reach Hueco Mundo."
"No. There's no time to waste. Ichigo and the others must have already left. We can't fall behind." Rukia's expression firmed with determination.
Without further delay, the two of them turned and stepped back through the still-gleaming gate of the Senkaimon, their path set not for safety, but for the enemy's desolate domain.
…
Meanwhile, in the Human World, beneath Karakura General Hospital, Ishida Ryūken entered his private, Reishi-dense training basement. It was empty. His son, Uryū, was gone.
On the floor nearby lay a small, folded note. Ryūken didn't bother to pick it up. He already knew what it said. Instead, he silently lit a cigarette, the flame illuminating his grim features. He had anticipated this. Uryū was precisely the sort of fool who would rush headlong into a fight for his friends. To mitigate that foolishness somewhat, Ryūken had left the Ishida family's unique close-combat Quincy weapon in the training room days prior and had drilled Uryū in its basics.
A small, pathetic attempt to ease a father's worry.
"Is this really alright? Just letting him go like that?" a familiar voice asked from the shadows.
Ryūken didn't turn, merely taking a drag from his cigarette. "Kurosaki. How did you get in here?" His tone was more annoyed than surprised. First Urahara, now Isshin. His secure basement was becoming a public thoroughfare. 'I'll need to upgrade the barriers… again.'
Kurosaki Isshin stepped into the light, his usual goofy demeanor absent, replaced by a seriousness that matched the situation. "Given our long acquaintance, I'll get straight to the point. What is Amamiya Miyako's true identity?"
At the mention of that name, Ryūken's hand, holding the cigarette, stilled for a fraction of a second.
"You've recovered your Shinigami powers. Investigate your own kind yourself," Ryūken deflected coolly.
"The situation has changed, Ishida," Isshin pressed, his voice low. "You know about Aizen. The thing Aizen wants most—the Hōgyoku—is currently inside Amamiya Miyako. And Urahara tells me you were the first to find his soul. What do you know?"
Ryūken was silent for a long moment, the smoke from his cigarette curling in the sterile air. "Kurosaki. Your original surname was Shiba, correct?"
Isshin's eyes narrowed. "Shiba was my name in Soul Society. What of it?"
"As a former noble of one of the five great houses, you would have had access to the historical archives. The history of Soul Society… from one thousand years ago."
"…Why would you know about the Shiba's status?" Isshin's voice grew guarded.
"Answer some of my questions," Ryūken countered, his gaze sharp behind his glasses, "and I will tell you what I know of Amamiya Miyako's origins."
Isshin weighed the offer. Urahara had explicitly asked him to investigate Amamiya, the living vessel for the volatile Hōgyoku. Understanding the boy's past was crucial to assessing the risk.
"…The Shiba Clan did preserve histories. I have seen records of the major events from a millennium past. What is it you wish to know?" As the former head of a Shiba branch family, Isshin had indeed had such access, though the deepest secrets concerning the Soul King itself were restricted.
"Auswahlen. Have you heard this term?" Ryūken needed final, irrefutable confirmation. He trusted Isshin more than most, but Amamiya's claims still required a second source.
The color drained from Isshin's face. "Auswahlen… You can't mean—!"
"Answer me!" Ryūken's composure cracked, his voice a sharp command.
"Auswahlen," Isshin began, his own voice grim with memory, "is recorded as a technique of the Quincy King, Yhwach, from the war a thousand years ago. It is the method by which he reclaims power from Quincies he deems 'impure,' absorbing their strength into himself."
The answer matched Amamiya's testimony perfectly. For Ryūken, it was the final, horrific confirmation. The truth he had dreaded was now undeniable.
With a violent motion, he snapped the cigarette in his hand and drove his fist into the reinforced wall beside him, leaving a web of cracks in the concrete.
Seeing his reaction, the pieces clicked together for Isshin. His own expression turned to stone. "Masaki… and your wife, Kanae… It was because of the Auswahlen? So Masaki was killed by a Hollow that day because she had lost her power…?" He had always blamed a unique, engineered Hollow created by Aizen. The reality was even more cruel—his wife had been rendered defenseless by a distant, ancient evil.
"On that day," Ryūken growled, his head bowed, "the Auswahlen activated, stripping the power from every Gemischt Quincy across the world. It led to their gradual deaths. Kanae did not die instantly… she fell into a coma, but eventually…" He couldn't finish.
He took a shuddering breath, forcing the words out. "And Amamiya Miyako… is the only one whose soul persisted after dying from the Auswahlen's theft."
"That's impossible!" Isshin recoiled, his historical knowledge contradicting the claim. "The records state Yhwach's Auswahlen doesn't even leave the souls of his own subordinates intact! Your wife's soul…"
"Then why?!" Ryūken's shout echoed in the confined space, filled with years of pent-up grief and fury. "Why is Amamiya Miyako the sole exception? What makes him different?!" The question hung in the air, the core of the unsolved mystery that now tied the fate of a Vice-Captain, a stolen artifact, and an ancient king's return into one tangled, dangerous knot.