#//exact timeline of this is up the air but its post-blood war. maybe just after the events of cfyow

[doomxdriven]

DRABBLE: The Diamond Dust Incident

Within the compound of Central 46, a great commotion unfolds-- the numerous judges and wise men flood into the Underground Assembly Hall with great haste, one of them not even bothering to take their seat  before they turn and yell at the man standing on the platform beneath them in the center of the room, a masked, hooded individual who's attire bore the mark of the Kido Corps-- Bansui. "What do you mean it was stolen!?"

Bansui, lazily hunched over while he cants his head just enough to gaze at the judge speaking to him, says in his usual calm, low, and haphazard tone,"it.... appears, that is the... case. The Ōin has been... taken." 

That's when the uproar really started, as one by one, numerous members of Central 46 began yelling at Bansui, some angry, others scared.

"Do you know what this entails? The King's Seal? Stolen!?" 

"Who did this? How did they outmaneuver a contingent of your best men and a Captain of the Gotei 13?"

"Why weren't you there!"

"How did you not see this coming ?!"

"This is unacceptable! "

"You don't know the peril we could all be in now, you fool!"

Bansui simply stands there for a minute or two, silent, listening to the chorus of angry, or otherwise emotional voices descend upon him from every direction. "........." Though silent, Bansui was not pleased by the words being thrown at him, nor the sheer, almost ear drum bursting level of noise all these judges and wise men were creating, and that's why at some point, they are all forced into silence, with many brought to their knees on account of Bansui suddenly releasing his Reiatsu. It's a very brief release of Bansui's Reiatsu, not enough to really hurt anyone, but enough for all the yelling to stop, finally giving him time to explain.

"You!... You will remember your place, Bansui," one of the judges manages to call out, after climbing back to their feet, "we could have you executed for such borderline treachery!" 

Bansui slowly shakes his head at that judge, "My... good lords, and ladies, please, I cannot... give the answers thy seek with such.... unruly behavior afoot. Thou... left me, no choice, truly." 

 Many other members of Central 46 grumble and whisper among themselves, some still shaken by the release of Bansui's Reiatsu, but one finally clears their throat and says, with no small amount of contempt, "speak then, tell us what happened."

Bansui, putting some effort in to stand up straight and face the members of Central 46, begins, "After reviewing the... data, of the incident, I can say that it is... as thou heard, the procession harboring the... Ōin, was ambushed by an... unknown Shinigami, and three.... unusual, Arrancar."

Bansui holds out one of his palms, and from it, an orb of dark energy begins to gather. Some judges are scared by Bansui's action, and some were about ready to call for the Onmitsukido, but they relent once that energy morphs into a large, spherical screen, that, after levitating upward, begins to replay pieces of the incident that has occurred with the Ōin.

"I was... immersed, in other matters when the... ambush, took place-- more specifically, I was... in, the World of the Living, trying to gather more.. information, on the beings encountered by the... Thirteenth Division's Lieutenant two months prior." The matter of the Bounts was an intriguing one, and Bansui had apparently been busy with it for some time now, almost too busy. "Had I... suspected, the Ōin's procession would be... obstructed, I would have... personally, seen to it's... relocation, along with Captain Hitsugaya, but alas.... we were all wholly, blindsided."

Upon the spherical screen, images of the Tenth Divisions Captain clashing with a masked Shinigami and three strange Arrancar can be seen. The members of Central 46 look on with concern, but are taken aback when they witness the masked Shinigami release an attack that's identical to one of Captain Hitsugaya's Zanpakuto, Hyorinmaru.

"What just happened there?" One member of Central 46 asked.

"Ahhhhhh, yes... their identity is .. yet unknown, but it appears the... main assailant, in this matter, possesses the same Zanpakuto as... Captain Hitsugaya-- intriguing, is it not?"

While shocked, a number of the judges in the room scoff at what Bansui said, despite clearly seeing his words vindicated by the recording. "No two Shinigami can possess the same Zanpakuto, this is known. "

Bansui let’s out a low chuckle, “Thou are not wrong… according to, all we know, it is indeed, impossible, for… two Shinigami to possess, the same Zanpakuto Spirit, but what we… see here, cannot be denied.” 

Bansui waves a hand, rolling back the recording upon that spherical screen, pausing on a brief moment where the masked Shinigami holds the Ōin in clear view for all present to see.

“I trust all here are… aware, of the Ōin’s capabilities?” Bansui assumed so anyway, though it wouldn’t surprise him if no one here knew at all about the thing they were fussing over.  “My theory is… that the Ōin is somehow responsible for this, it is… the only way, to make sense of this, lunacy.”

The members of Central 46 talk among themselves, many still in disbelief about what they were hearing and seeing but none being able to really question or provide any better explanations themselves. Soon enough,one of the judges addresses Bansui again, their eyes narrowed, "... please continue."

"As is the case with.... the main assailant, none of their accomplices are... identifiable." Waving his hand at the spherical screen again, the recording flashes forward to close up shots of three mysterious Arrancar. "These three have.... never been seen before, and the samples of their... Reiryoku, that were left behind are... puzzling. They are all indeed... Arrancar, but the... signatures, of their, Reiryoku suggest they are... artificial creations, similar to the workings of the.... Hogyoku." 

That revelation stirs many members of Central 46 to gasp, with one frantically asking, "Are you saying this individual possesses the Hogyoku and the Ōin? How is this possible?! I thought Aizen was in possession of the only one!"

Bansui holds his hands up at the speaking member of Central 46, gesturing for them to calm down, "While it is.... not impossible, for someone to ... create another Hogyoku, I do not....  believe, that one is responsible here." Bansui spoke with great confidence in that factor, maybe too much confidence for someone who claimed they were just as in the dark about this whole matter as everyone was, but the members of Central 46 seem to take him at his word, despite still being on edge. 

"Not all..... is lost, however. The identities of these... thieves, is yet unknown, but we.... know, where they went-- to Las Noches, Hueco Mundo." Bansui grins widely beneath his mask. "It would be.... wise, for thou all to... dispatch patrols, posthaste. We may well locate the... Ōin, before these thieves have a... chance, to truly use it."

Some members of Central 46 grumble at Bansui for not having led with that information, but they get ready to deploy Jigokuchō with the necessary information. 

"In the meantime, myself and.... assistants, from the SRDI, shall continue to... study,  all aspects of this... incident, and we shall report any new... details, as they are discovered." Turning away from the members of Central 46, Bansui begins his departure from the chambers, but not before un-summoning that spherical screen, and cryptically adding, "I would also... advise, thou all to, question, Captain Hitsugaya, in light of him being present for this... incident. When I... spoke to him, the young lad seemed... troubled, in a way that suggests he is... hiding something."

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Meanwhile, as Central 46 wastes their time with Hueco Mundo and to a lesser extent, the Tenth Division's Captain, a group of people congregate in mansion on the outskirts of Karakura Town.

"It would seem the information you and your Arrancar friend had was correct, and to boot, you actually retrieved that seal, bravo." Jin Kariya reclines in his seat, sporting a pleased smirk on his face as he looks in the direction of a masked individual, the same one who had stolen the Ōin. Standing at Jin's side are two of his more trusted subordinates, a dark haired man dressed in Shinigami garbs and a blonde, bespectacled woman with orange-esque eyes-- both seem equal parts concerned as they are in awe, looking on with Jin at the golden, glowing item held by that masked individual. 

"You're damn right." the masked individual replies, practically dangling the Oin in front of Jin and his subordinates, before removing his mask and declaring, in a downright vicious manner, 

"Now we can really kick this plan of ours into action. The Shinigami won't know what hit 'em."