A Birth Within Darkness

It was dark here. Ishida Uryuu was getting quite sick of it; he could hear his slightly heavy breathing, feel the coolness of the concrete floor beneath him, and smell his very own blood and sweat in the room, along with another unwelcome odor, but could not see a fucking thing. It seemed like forever since he'd gazed at something, anything. He had been locked away from the light for a while, so long now that he was beginning to forget why he was there in the first place. His mind continually raced, wondering what he could do to escape. There was no answer awaiting him within his exhausted brain.

"Aw, no more?" a malevolent voice whispered harshly into his ear.

Ishida felt his face contort into a scowl; it was still there. He didn't know why he thought, prayed, it had left. The Quincy remembered being thrown into this room, into the dark, and been fighting off the thing currently chuckling in his ear.

"…fuck off," he finally replied, tone hoarse and tired.

It chuckled again. "Finally running low on energy, huh? You lasted for a while…Uryuu."

Ishida shivered violently for a moment, feeling the creature's accursed breath brush over his cheek. An uneasy feeling rippled through him as he felt the being press firmly against his abused and tired body. He could feel himself trying to curl into a more defensive position, but only managing to shift a tiny amount. The Quincy's mind spun, wondering briefly that, while the being pressing against him was certainly creepy, he was even more unnerved by the fact that the creature's voice was eerily familiar….

"Easy, Uryuu," it still breathed into his ear, "don't get too excited. I can't have you dying…yet."

A pathetic whimper slipped free from his lips as strong hands grasped Ishida's shoulders to hold him firmly to the floor. He was able to bring his arm up enough to cover his face; whatever this place was, the Quincy was pretty sure the being on top of him could see in the complete darkness, or at least have extreme senses to give it the upper hand. It was just the tiniest bit comforting to be able to hide in his arm; Ishida had a feeling he wasn't going to like what happened next.

"Don't be afraid," the creature continued with that damn familiar voice the Quincy couldn't place, "I promise it won't hurt. In fact, you'll like it, Uryuu. Want to know why?"

Ishida moved his head slightly in the negative, tensing his sore muscles when the being shifted.

"It's because…you won't even remember what hit you."

He couldn't breathe. Every time he tried to inhale, his restricted diaphragm would protest and set off a long line of pain throughout his body. It was almost as if he was in some kind of frozen coffin; his body was locked into place but his mind was very much aware of the helpless feeling cascading through it.

It was only the small voice telling him it was almost over that kept him in check.

Days may have passed before it finally came to fruition.

A large surge of power entered his body and he could feel his muscles react, immediately pulling against whatever was keeping him bound in place. He tore free, ripping his arms loose and grabbing at what felt like bandage wrappings around his face, shredding them and inhaling sharply.

He fell forward, pulling his legs free of the wraps and greatly enjoying the taste of spirit particles on his tongue as he panted.

"It seems ta have worked," a gentle voice said.

For the first time in what felt like years, he slowly parted his eyelids to gaze at the world around him. It took a few moments for him to focus, but he was able to see his hands as they kept him upright on the floor. The soft lighting of the room fell around him, making him realize he was nude, but also realizing he didn't care about it. A figure in white stepped up to him and he raised his gaze to see a man with brown hair slicked back and piercing eyes looking down at him.

He raised an eyebrow at the man as he kneeled in front of him. "Welcome," the man said, tone gentle yet stern. "I am Aizen Sousuke, the one who made you who you are. I don't suppose you could tell me your name?"

A scowl touched his face. Name? He had one? He looked back into his mind, but all he could recall was a never ending darkness…one he could not escape.

Aizen smiled a little at the silence he received. Standing again, he gave the one on the ground a leering gaze as he spoke, "It's all right if you don't remember. What you need to know is that you are an Arrancar…Ishida Uryuu."

A/N: Yeah… not sure where this came from, or where exactly I'd like to go with it, but reviews will be what keep it going. Please leave one! Thank you!