Who wants to fight? No, seriously. I won't go easy. (semi-open)

After having spent several long days in the lab, Ryouta decided that it was time for him to go out and get some fresh air. More specifically, he felt it necessary to do some sparring- after all, he had not done so in quite some time and thought that it was important to keep in shape. Unfortunately, it was often difficult to get around the busy schedules of the other Captains to arrange sparring matches. Still, he could always try...where would be the best place to do this? Ryouta snapped his fingers. Of course! The best place to go would be the 11th Division; after all, weren't they famous for this kind of thing? Hmm...but few 11th Division members would be foolhardy enough to fight a Captain.

Ryouta thought on this dilemma for a moment before brightening. He removed his hat, his coat, and his haori so that he appeared as a standard Shinigami. With his disguise complete, Ryouta headed over to the 11th Division training grounds and sat down right in the center of it, obstructing he was sure, members of the 11th Division's favorite activity. Even if his "disguise" didn't work, he was sure that Kaiyo would be wondering why in the heck he was sitting in her barracks without his standard attire.

It was driving him insane, the feeling Kaoseu had for a good spar. Now, however, unless he was fighting a Hollow, it seemed as if there were none of any good standard, and those that were, were already busy. With a grin, he was struck with the idea to head down to his old favorite hangout; the 11th Squad. As far as he knew, none of the others in the squad knew of his recent transition to Vice Captain, so they should be well off enough to at least try to have a go at him.

He set off to the barracks, suppressing his Spiritual Pressure as he arrived, and found people practicing, but they all looked agitated. He soon found out why when he spotted the stranger sitting in the center of the grounds. He walked on and moved to within about 5 feet of the man.


"Oi! What're you doin' sittin' in the middle of ev'ryone's drills? Gonna haffta get up. Sparrin' grounds is fer sparrin'." he said. As he said it, he positioned himself innhis normal stance; arms behind the head, body relaxed, back slightly arched, and on the balls of his feet. He grinned as he awaited a reply from the Shinigami, hoping he'd be bothered enough to battle. Anyone with the gall to sit in the center and disturb the inhabitants of the 11th squad Sparring Grounds had to have at least enough power to take on a few Shinigami at once, so would hopefully give Kaoseu a run for his money.

"Sparring is precisely what I am here for," replied Ryouta as he stood calmly. "Although I hope you won't be too offended by my Zanpakuto. You see, I am not of this squad, so my Zanpakuto is a kido-type." He paused a moment, and then continued. "However, I think you will find me a difficult opponent even with my sealed Zanpakuto."

Ryouta stepped back a few paces and drew his weapon. He let his reiatsu level increase to show that he was no pushover, even if his Zanpakuto was a kido type. "Here I go." Ryouta flash stepped in a classic 2nd Squad maneuver, something he hadn't done since his Vice-Captain days. The flash step would carry him past and behind his sparring partner. As he went past, his blade flicked out twice. If he had been trying to be lethal, the strikes would have been aimed at the spiritual chain; but since he was not, the strikes were aimed between both shoulder blades to sever the tendons, which, although not fatal, were crippling blows.

Impish grin on an equally fiendish face, the Vice Captain let the flared Reiatsu wash over him. It felt smooth, but at the same time rough, as well as sharp and dull at the same time. It gave Kaoseu a bit of feeling as himself, what with such contradictions taking place within a single form. The red dusted ground of the sparring arena swirled as the Reiatsu disturbed it, and Kaoseu, not being one to be outdone, flared his as well. As he did so, the realization that the opponents Reiatsu level was on par with his hit him, just as he Flash Stepped.

The mysterious sparring partner was faster than him,but not enough that Kaoseu couldn't follow the enhanced speed. The tactic was a familiar one, a basic technique used in the second squad. Having been previously distracted by his thoughts and realizations, all he had time to do was move away from the brunt of the attack, ducking and moving left slightly, so that each of the blows hit the holes already located in his shoulders, slicing each open.

He winced internally at the pain, but whirled around, drawing his blades as he Flash Stepped in in front of his well-versed sparring partner. He stayed low to the ground and when he arrived close to his target, he nimbly switched his right hand blade to a reverse grip and lengthened his left leg out into a lunge, then shot upwards, loosening his grip on his right hand blade enough that he still held it, but it spun, as he did. He held his left blade at his hip, facing out, bladed edge facing the target. He had basically turned himself into a spinning uppercut with a bite. As he rose in the air, he was drawing his right knee close to his chest and arched his back ever so slightly.

As Ryouta's flickering blade bit into the holes in his opponent's shoulders, he watched his opponent's reactions carefully. Little reaction, if any, at all to the pain. Not to be unexpected, after all, this was the 11th Division and they were known to be rather stoic in the face of pain. And then his opponent was spinning and rising, his sword spinning up in a deadly arc.

Ryouta stepped back and tilted his head (in order to flip backward and away) but his opponent's uppercut swing grazed his forehead, slicing a thin red line across it and also removing a section of Ryouta's messy bangs. Despite this injury however, Ryouta was still able to complete his flip and land facing his opponent, blade held at the ready, and a little blood flowing down his face.

"Oh dear, it seems I underestimated you...I shan't be doing that again," Ryouta complimented his opponent. "Round two?" Ryouta threw himself at his opponent, thrusting at his sparring partner, then making a side cut, which, when dodged, led to a backhand side slice. Spinning, he quickly turned the cut into an overhand strike, and which quickly became in an overhead backhand. Here came the crucial moment; traditional kendo practices dictated that his opponent would raise his katana in a standard parry to block the overhead cut.

At the last possible moment, Ryouta reversed his attack and launched a devastating backhand side cut at his ribs, hopefully too fast for his opponent to be able to bring his blade down for.

The grin on his face seemed as if it might never come off. He continued his action of arching his back and drawing his knee to his chest to execute a back flip that carried him a bit away from the Shinigami.

"Heh, I could say the same of you. So, do you have a name?" he asked, abandoning the facade of being just another 11th Squad Meat-head. After the offer for a second round, the Shinigami rushed him. Kaoseu watched as the blade was thrusted, and then several things seemed to happen at once. The blade altered course several times as Kaoseu raised his own blade. Finally, the blade was ending in a deadly arc towards his ribs. Kaoseu was just raising his left blade up, and only the tip would be able to block the incoming attack, unless he acted.

On instinct, he took a step forward, causing his wrist to bend more and faster, raising and straightening the blade in a block as he pressed off his left foot, turning his hips to the left and aiming a kick with his right foot at the attacker's head while at the same time he was aiming a quick over-handed jab at his right shoulder from the back.

"I do have a name," said Ryouta. "I have several, actually. For now...you can call me..." the fight was causing blood to rush throughout his body faster than normal. It was calling the battlelust. It was calling..."Stein." For a word, Ryouta's voice was changed- it was alter ego, his Hollow self, Stein. Ryouta fought to keep his mind his own; so far, he was succeeding.

Anyway, as soon as his blade met his opponent's blade, Ryouta spun away, his feet going around, carrying him away from his opponent's kick. At the same time, his blade flicked up; the tip connected with the blade of his opponent's during the jab, knocking it away. Ryouta followed this flick up with a slash diagonally across, from shoulder to hip.

Kaoseu's eyes narrowed slightly at the odd inflection "Stein's" voice took for a mere second as he said his name. His mind flashed to his Hollow counterpart, but it was gone in a second as he saw him spin away from his kick. He could feel his gut stirring as he watched his sword be effortlessly parried and then a counter attack launched; a slice from his right shoulder to his left hip. With no way out and not wanting to Flash Step in this fight as of yet, he arched his back as much as he could, though he still knew he'd take damage.

The blade bit in a few centimeters and sliced down about three inches before reaching the point he had made a hollow in his body, then continued again, grazing his hip for a brief moment. The blood it drew seemed to draw something else out, something he was trying to suppress, especially in a place like this. Kaoseu landed awkwardly a few feet away from "Stein" and grinned, but not his normal grin. This one was more of a masochistic grin. He chuckled in a voice he hated to recognize and battled it back.

"Well, Stein, pleasure to meet you. The name's..." Kaoseu was struggling. He could feel his Inner Hollow pushing itself to the surface, but he kept fighting. He slipped for a moment, and his counterpart finished his sentence before he had a chance to stop it, "Heiwa."

Kaoseu made one final effort to push the Hollow back down, and felt it detach itself slightly. He took that opportunity to speak, then launch his attack, trying to finish this.

"We may well need to move this fight... Stein" he managed, slipping slightly again.

He took a long step forward with his right foot, slightly stepping outwards, doubling in on himself as he pushed off up and forward. He Flash Stepped multiple times in the air, placing both blades facing his opponent, one close to his head, the other close to his feet. The Flash Steps caused him to rotate, and he did several more quick ones in a small area, as before, and then launched himself at "Stein" with a quick succession of three more, turning himself into basically a saw blade that was aimed directly at him.

How strange, thought Ryouta. His voice...it altered. Like mine...could it be? I don't have enough information to tell...perhaps I can force it out, if it exists... He raised his sword to a ready position. If you let me do some of the work, he'll come- if he's one of us. Oh he'll come, Stein's voice echoed in his head. Let me try my way first, Ryouta thought back. I don't want to draw attention- to either of us.

"Bakudo#8: Seki," Ryouta's left hand went up, shielded by the Bakudo spell to deflect Heiwa's blade just enough to avoid it hitting his head. His right hand, which held his sword, flicked down to swat Heiwa's other blade away toward the ground. To the experienced observer, Ryouta was demonstrating quite an interesting amalgamation of 2nd Squad and 12th Squad fighting techniques. He moved with the precision and the quickness of a 2nd Squad member, but his defense was as minimal and planned out as a 12th Squad member. That is to say, all of Ryouta's movements were small and subtle; if a blow came at his head, either his shield or his blade would ever so slightly flick it away from him, even just a hair-breadth away.

Of course, this type of defense required a lot of space, because Ryouta was giving up ground in order to be able to step into just the right advantageous position. "What's the matter? That's the best you can do? A series of similar, predictable attacks? Puh-lease..." Ryouta was of course, only being rude to force out Heiwa's inner Hollow if he had one. He didn't mind being on the defensive- on the contrary, it was helping him to keep his wits about him. Better to let the other Shinigami reveal his secret. Then Ryouta could offer aid. He doubted that if he were to reveal himself, this Shinigami would be able to provide the protection and security Ryouta could.

The rotation ceased almost immediately after Kaoseu's first blade hit it. As He was rotating again, he could feel his second blade blocked and sent to the ground easily. This left Kaoseu with little option but to continue with inertia, as he pushed out his legs, effectively flipping over Stein's head and twisting in the air to land facing him. Now Heiwa was coming back up, with more force than before. In any normal time, Kaoseu would have merely brushed the comment of his tactical abilities aside and continued, but he wasn't in control of himself, and knew he was about to lose to Heiwa.

"Hope like Hell you know Shikai..." He murmured, keeping his voice low in case it broke into Heiwa's again. "Shine in the shadows...and hide in the light... Shirokuro!" At the worst possible moment, but also, possibly the best Heiwa broke through to the surface. Kaoseu felt his mask upon his face and the power coursing through as the column of black and white speckled light erupted around him. He used this as a cover to manipulate the light waves around his face to appear as if the mask were invisible. He also remembered to do a bit of trickery with his eyes, which had yellowed around the pupil and blackened within the whites, to where they appeared slightly normal.

He pulsed Reiatsu through his blades and the bandages unraveled and then re-wrapped around his hands, wrists, and forearms in a way he hadn't used them in a while, so that if thrown, in mid-flight, he could drastically alter the blade' course. All this took place within about three seconds, and the column of Reiatsu had yet to dissipate. Using this to his advantage, the Hollowfied Kaoseu launched his right blade through the mass of Reiatsu, scattering it, and quickly followed in a Flash Step, his left blade held with about a foot of bandage between the hilt and his hand, swinging it in a sideways motion from his opposite shoulder as he appeared above to slightly to Stein's left. He remembered a little too late to watch his speed, as it was increased, as well as his fighting ability. If he wasn't careful, things could get messy. The only thing he had to focus on was not letting Heiwa speak, otherwise, he was damned.


((PS: All my stats, Bankai and Visored enhanced included, are in the spoiler, in case you need to see em.))

There we go, thought Ryouta to himself in satisfaction. He's done it. What was interesting though...the mask didn't seem to appear, except for a slight discoloration of the eyes. The only possible explanation that Ryouta could think of was that Heiwa, as he called himself, that Heiwa's Zanpakuto controlled light to an unknown extent. Fascinating. Of course, Heiwa was giving himself away by projecting Hollow reiatsu all over the place.

Ryouta would have to act fast - he could not allow this individual to be discovered. Not yet, anyway. Not until Ryouta's plans were complete. Unfortunately, Heiwa chose this moment to attack, flash stepping to Ryouta's left and swinging down at him. Ryouta's blade came up and around to block the swing with an iron guard- he noticed that the blow was much harder and forceful than previous strikes he had parried. With a grunt of effort, Ryouta forced him away. "You're insane," he called to his opponent.

"Weep, Reifujin Arashi," he directed a torrent of water from the hilt of Zanpakuto directly toward Heiwa. "Kyuugeki Kasumi." The torrent of water was only a distraction- the sudden appearance of mist was also a secondary one. However, it was no ordinary mist, instead it was a mist infused with Ryouta's reiatsu, making his position nearly impossible to determine, and probably impossible to determine instantly. Even so, he'd have to act fast.

Ryouta reached up and pulled down his Hollow mask, and in the same movement, Sonido'd behind Heiwa. With a gesture, he opened a Garganta, grabbed Heiwa by the collar, and dragged him in, taking the mist, and all traces of their spar with them. The Garganta opened inside Experimental Chamber #1, a room only he and his Vice-Captain typically were allowed to see.

Impatiently, Ryouta let go of Heiwa and at the same time removed his mask. "Are you insane?!" he asked again. "Don't you realize that releasing Hollow reiatsu like that is a liability? I had to take us down here so you wouldn't get yourself arrested and then exiled, or more probably, executed!" Here Ryouta paused for breath to see if any of his words were having an impact on his opponent.

Kaoseu felt his blade parried. This guy's reflexes were amazing, and matched with his wit, it was lethal. As Stein forced him away with a grunt and activated his own Shikai, Kaoseu was just about to launch into another round of attacks when he was attacked with the last thing he expected; a powerful torrent of water, one with the better equivalent of probably several fire hoses. As the water pelted into him, he noticed a suppressing fog materializing, and could almost feel the suffocating effect of the Reiatsu mixed with it. As soon as the water stopped for half a second, Kaoseu was leaning forward prepared to get rid of the pesky mist when suddenly he felt a similar presence to his own behind him. He had enough time for his eyes to widen before he felt a Garganta open and a strong force yank him backwards.

As the Garganta closed, Kaoseu was expecting to be attacked by Hollow at the same time, and whirled around, only to find himself face to face with Stein, and not anywhere near Hueco Mundo. His eyes narrowed beneath his mask, and he realized that Heiwa was no longer pushing within him. Quickly, he dispelled his mask in a carefully calculated action, making it look like he was scratching his head and then moving a strand of hair that had fallen across his face. He figured he was in the clear until Stein spoke in a frustrated tone, as if what he had done was stupid. It wasn't for another moment that his words actually hit Kaoseu.


"It's not like I could help it! I'm pretty damn new to this whole... Curse! That's what it basically is, in my case. So I apologize that I lack proper control over it as of yet. But I have several questions for you; First, What all and how the Hell did you know?! Second, though it's more of a statement, you're no normal level Shinigami. From the looks of it, I'd say you were 12th Squad Captain. Third... Why are you trying to help me...?" He asked. Again, realization hit him slightly late, as he put two and two together, based on the Garganta, and no other presence but he and Stein within the lab, which is what Kaoseu suspected it was. "You're one, too... Aren't you...?" the white-haired Shinigami half stated, half asked.

Ryouta closed his eyes and rubbed his temples in frustration. He had thought that he was the only Shinigami with Hollow powers; evidently not. Ryouta of course wanted to know how this Shinigami had obtained his power- Ryouta doubted that the Shinigami had done so in the same way as Ryouta. "I knew because you began giving off sinister reiatsu at about the same time your eyes became slightly discolored- from that I garnered that you are a Shinigami with Hollow powers- and that your Zanpakuto controls light, though I do not know to what extent it does so."

"You are right, of course, I am a Captain, and yes, the 12th Division one. Though I fear not for very much longer if I am revealed as a Shinigami with Hollow powers. I have dubbed the condition being a 'Visored,'" Ryouta said further. "I am interested to know your real name, as well. And also, how you came to obtain your Hollow powers. As I said previously, I am the 12th Division Captain, Ayame Ryouta."

Kaoseu was astounded. He had completely forgotten that his Reiatsu wouldn't be the same when he went Visored, as Ayame,- which was apparently the real name of the man he was facing,- had called the process.

"My name is Kaoseu Enjel... I'm Vice Captain of the 7th Squad... Pleasure to meet you, though the circumstance isn't quite so... And you're only half right about my Zanpakutou. The two are a contradictory pair; one manipulates light waves, the other, shadow. As for how I obtained my Hollow abilities..." at this point, Kaoseu reached into a pocket of his outfit and produced his Soul Crystal, with it's bi-colored hues.

"It's called a Soul Crystal. Apparently, according to a book I found, each sentient being within Hell, Soul Society, and Hueco Mundo possesses one to their own personal selves, though most aren't ever found, as the occurrence of them is rare, and their existence is highly doubted. Basically, within a Shinigami's Soul Crystal is contained their Hollow Essence. To explain this for a moment. according to the text, each person is born not with one doppelganger, but two, creating a total of three separate, identical entities, thus the three Soul Crystals. When a being, going back to the Shinigami, for instance, is in contact with their Soul Crystal, the two sync, and the Hollow Essence contained within the Shinigami's Soul Crystal becomes integrated with the Shinigami's own essence. Thus, resulting in the formation of an Inner Hollow, which in turn leads to becoming of a Visored. Basically, that's as extensive as the process gets." Kaoseu said, answering the indirect question as best he could. He set one of his blades, now sheathed, point first to the floor, leaning onto it, slightly weakened after his tussle with both Heiwa and Ayame, and looked at the man, awaiting his interpretation, and still offering the firsthand observation of the Soul Crystal.

Soul Crystals?!?! Ryouta was flabbergasted. He had never heard of such a thing, and he was certain that he had combed every text that Seireitei had to offer. He doubted the book this Shinigami had read was a recent addition; perhaps, through some sheer coincidence, Kaoseu had had the book the precise time Ryouta had reached that book on his reading list, where he, unaware of its existence, moved on.

"That's...incredible...can I ask you if you felt pain when Hollowfying for the first time?" Ryouta asked. "Actually, I'm getting ahead of myself; I need time to process." He reached up to knead his forehead in concentration. Now that's interesting, Ryouta- I wonder what would happen if we got our crystal...or if we got all 3? Stein's voice echoed in his head.

Ryouta had to admit, the thought was intriguing. "Did the book say what would happen if a person was to gather all 3 crystals?" he asked nonchalantly.

Kaoseu grinned. He had the 12th Division captain, a genius, thinking hard. The questions followed after, as he figured they would. The first was cast aside as Ryouta kneaded his forehead in thought. Then , he asked a question Kaoseu was slightly wary of answering. Though, he felt he had an obligation. He felt he could trust Ayame, so he pulled the notes he had taken out of his pocket, as well as the book. He found a surface and spread the notes out. There were sections he had highlighted and underlined in his notes, as well as numerous tabs marking points in the book. He found his information on the syncing of Soul Crystals, and the sectioning mentioning the myth of the union of the three.

"Well, according to this legend, there's only ever been one person to sync with all three crystals... And that person.. became the Soul King. It goes on to say that the reason for this occurrence is that it was such a surmountable amount of power given to him, that all three of his selves fused into one being... And that's all it has." Kaoseu divulged. In truth, he didn't know how much of this was true, but after his syncing with his own Soul Crystal, he had almost no doubt. He looked to Ayame to see his reaction and listen for his response, in case another question was asked.

"Incredible," said Ryouta aloud. That seems a worthy goal of our talents, eh Ryouta? Stein's voice said in his head. Ryouta's head nodded almost imperceptibly in agreement. That was certainly a tempting thought. Imagine what sort of information could be gained by becoming on par with the Soul King. Imagine what knowledge could be used to benefit...Ryouta was getting ahead of himself again.

"Thank you for trusting me with this information," he said to Kaoseu. "I think it would be wise to keep this information from the higher ups, as it might spawn a search for people like us, and we cannot risk that. What we can do, however, is prevent people from becoming outcast like us...does the book give instruction on how to find these crystals?"

Kaoseu smiled forlornly, having looked up this exact thing.

"There is no way to determine the location of a Soul Crystal. Every one of them that's been found has been happened upon by chance, though I don't think anyone would go out searching for such a thing, or if they did, they didn't make it back. I happened upon mine on accident, and I didn't even realize it was mine until it was too late. The way you can tell a Soul Crystal is your is, it's like a feeling when you're around it. You can feel it pulsing, trying to sync with your heartbeat. When it's synced, that's when it happens; The Soul Crystal and your soul are one." He said.

He leaned against his blades and looked at Ayame closely, examining him.

"So... How did you become a Visored, then...?" he asked.

Ryouta nodded thoughtfully. Just because the book made no mention of how to find one's own Crystal did not mean that there was no way of doing so. "Before I answer your question, I have two final questions regarding the crystals. First, coming into contact with someone else's crystal does nothing, correct? And second, if the answer to the first question is 'no,' may I borrow yours for examination?" Ryouta hoped that if he examined the crystal to every extent that he could, he could perhaps discover a way to detect his own.

"Now, in answer to your question...I have been conducting Hollowfication experiments for months. I have looked at the way Hollow DNA affects the phenotype, and how Shinigami DNA affects the phenotype. Long story short, I merely spliced our two DNA's. It was...a painful process, to be honest. And I am not sure of the stability of the transformation. Sometimes...Stein can be difficult to ignore." Like now...said Stein in his head.

Kaoseu had to ponder this for a moment. Truth be told he didn't know what would happen, especially not if another Visored came into contact with another of the like's Soul Crystal. For all he knew, he'd pretty much be baring his soul. He shook the thoughts from his head and looked to the shrunken crystal he held in his hands. He turned it over, and for a moment, thought he saw the distinct image of an ominous figure, wearing his Visored mask. He blinked and it was gone, then he shook his head.

"I can't say I know anything for sure will happen... But I don't see any harm in it at the moment." Kaoseu said. He'd stay to watch over the crystal as Ayame examined it, a little anxious about letting the thing out of his sight. He set the crystal on the table he'd spread the papers out on as well, and then straightened back up.

"I would imagine it's painful for anyone. It definitely was for me. And I know the feeling of being difficult to ignore. Heiwa is just as much of an untamed animal as I am. I still don't have complete control over him."

"Thank you," said Ryouta as he bent over to look at the crystal more closely. His brow furrowed in thought as he observed it. It was certainly emanating something, he could feel it, causing the hairs on the back of his neck to raise, as if there was some unseen threat. It wasn't reiatsu though, or at least, not solely reiatsu. There was something else, something beyond the sinister feel of Hollow.

"Computer?" He said aloud.

"Yes, Captain?" A computerized voice answered him. It was eerily cool, soft, and high, like a woman's voice.

"Are there any ambient sources of energy in this room besides reiatsu, that are unaccounted for?"

"Scanning... ... ... ... done. Result: Abnormal electromagnetic force from source one foot to your front. Abnormal frequency of 13 Hz from source one foot to your front. End of analysis."

"...Thank you. Well that was enlightening. I believe I know of a way to track down other crystals," said Ryouta. In a rare show of playfulness, he did not elaborate, instead waiting for Kao to ask him what exactly his brilliant method would be.

Kaoseu was absorbed, watching Ayame pore over the crystal. He could see him look at it in slight wonderment, like Kaoseu himself had done when he first found out about it, though deep inside himself, he felt his inner Hollow bucking about at the close proximity of another, though it was over as Ayame straightened back up. Then, he watched in silence as he spoke to the computer. The reply was mildly surprising, though the Ayame's was equally so. Kaoseu was waiting for the captain to finish his statement, as he left it open in the air. Piquing his interest, he finally asked.

"And that specific way would be?" he desperately wanted to know. Truth be told, if push came to shove, this could be a bargaining chip.

Ryouta's eyebrows raised. He would have thought such a conclusion would be obvious, especially given his computer's response to his inquiry. Ah well- he supposed it was a bit much for him to expect much deductive power from someone outside the 12th Division. "The crystal appears to be emitting an unusual electromagnetic force. And also, a frequency of 13 Hz," said Ryouta.

"It is interesting that the frequency is 13 Hz. It is an infrasound frequency- a frequency outside the normal human range that gives humans feelings of unease or awe. That combined with the electromagnetic force should prove enough to locate others," Ryouta explained further.

A thin frown found its way upon Kaoseu's lips, though not one of any negative demeanor, but rather, of a more joking sense. He had heard the automated voice clearly, as well as Ayame's resulting explanation, and already knew what it meant, but what he had wanted to know was how he planned to go about such a thing.

"Haha, I heard as much," he began, picking back up his crystal and tucking it back inside his robes, feeling the cold press against his skin, "but i meant more as in, how do you plan to go about finding such a thing? I know there are devices that can determine the frequency of a sound, but there are many things capable of producing such a frequency, and it would be a bit difficult to differentiate between them and the same frequency as a crystal. Not only that, but that may only be the case for an active crystal. As far as I could tell, most don't vibrate so fast."

"I didn't say it would be exactly easy," said Ryouta. "The point is, there will be a finite amount of things that fit the parameters we are looking for, and from then on it's only a process of elimination. And I have plenty of manpower to help me with this searching. Not my squad members of course, or any Shinigami. I don't want any of them to undergo an accidental Hollowfication - but I believe Mod Souls would be able to do so safely."

Ryouta began pacing back and forth across the polished floor. "So I'm going to need to create detectors of some kind, yes..." He picked the crystal up and looked at it at eye level. "Interesting, even though it's not mine, I can still feel some strange power within. Not wholly reiatsu, but something different- perhaps it's just the infrasound, but I can't shake the feeling."

"The search for these will take some time. I best get started right away. Have you any more questions?"