Chapter 1: Enter the Failed Experiment
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-Roughly 200 years ago-
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The pale moon wearily cast its wan light upon the white sands, cold and desolate in the dark heavens. Bitter winds raced across the ground, forming small tornadoes that dispersed almost as soon as they were formed, scattering everywhere in various patterns upon the land. Hueco Mundo stretched on and on, seemingly empty, but filled with predators that lurked in unexpected corners, biding their time...
A humanoid form could be made out hiding behind one of the hundreds of sand dunes, crouching low and panting heavily. Luminous amethyst eyes quickly scanned the surroundings before pulling the gray cloak tighter and disappearing with a soft buzz.
Reappearing a short distance away from its previous hiding spot, the figure cursed briefly before vanishing with another soft sonic sound. Not a second too soon, as the spot where it just occupied immediately became riddled with sharp spikes.
"You cannot escape me!"
A Hollow greatly resembling a lizard of some sort could be seen tearing across the sands, swiftly gaining upon the smaller cloaked person. Its back was completely filled with iron spikes as was its long tail, which streamed behind it wildly as it was utterly focused upon gaining on its prey.
Roaring loudly, the Hollow skidded to a sudden halt, swinging its tail forward.
"YOU WILL DIE!"
Another set of gleaming spikes were promptly dislodged from its tail, aimed directly at its target. The deadly projectiles whistled through the air without any resistance, intent on impaling the cloaked prey.
A sharp scream of pain rang out, and the Hollow rushed forward greedily to collect the fallen form of its prize.
"You've caused me a lot of trouble, but everything is going to end right here and now." he sneered, towering over the...
He blinked in confusion.
... discarded cloak pinned to the sands by his missiles?
"Bala."
Too late did the Hollow notice the presence behind him, and the "prey" watched dispassionately as its hunter was engulfed by the violet lights, shrieking in agony as its body was literally torn apart by the reiatsu orbs.
"TH-this isn't over! A-Aizen will m-make that y-you're deAAAAAAAD!"
The soft moonlight illuminated the delicate, human features of the girl as she staggered, sinking to the ground as she felt her reiatsu levels swoop dangerously low with that last-ditch effort. Thank goodness that this was one of the weaker Hollows gathered by Aizen…
Somehow managing to curl her fingers around the tattered cloak, she tugged the remains of the cloth to herself, wrapping it around her body as she shivered. Amethyst eyes surveyed the desert landscape for any sign of incoming danger before she allowed herself to visibly relax for a moment.
"Aizen won't bother with me, Adjuchas. I am no longer of any value to him." she said in a low voice.
Another icy gust of wind washed over, tousling her short hair and threatening to rip away the leftover rags of cloth that hardly clung to her bare body. The scarlet streaks running through her silken raven strands stood out brightly, perfectly accenting the crimson-tipped black feather of a strange hair ornament that seemed to be made of a bone-like material.
She idly fingered an earring shaped into the form of a long talon on her left ear… another remnant of her Hollow mask. A similar, smaller talon was situated on her right ear, shining an eerie white under the moonlight.
"How far the mighty hast fallen..." she whispered to herself, chuckling darkly.
A former Vasto Lorde, reduced to nothing but a virtually powerless, weak girl. Aizen Sousuke, the bastard Shinigami, had lied to her.
He promised her power and a purpose, in exchange for her loyalty.
He failed to uphold his end of the bargain.
After all she had done... gathering powerful Hollows, seeking out and convincing other Vasto Lordes, helping oversee Los Noches... He broke the deal they agreed upon.
His Hogyoku replacement didn't hold enough power to transform a Vasto Lorde into an Arrancar. It only completed the process halfway, giving her a human appearance and taking away the constant hunger for souls. However, there wasn't enough power to manifest a Zanpakuto.
In other terms...
The replacement screwed up royally on her power balance. Roughly eighty percent of her reiatsu was sealed away. Without a Zanpakuto, there was no way for her to 'unlock' the power, so to say. She was reduced to a fifth of her reiatsu permanently.
Life sucks.
As a 'failed experiment', there was only one thing to do with her: Eradication.
By erasing all evidence, removing all risky traces of his 'research', he would guarantee that no one would know of his doings within Hueco Mundo.
His dark dealings would be buried for a long time yet, until he deemed it appropriate to show his true colors.
The bitter chill of the night matched her silent resentment and cold anger perfectly.
"I swear..." a dangerous glint came into her formerly dull eyes as her features hardened into a mask of hate and determination.
"I swear that I will find a way to regain my powers... and when I do...
I will find a way to kill you, Aizen Sousuke. Just you wait."
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Present Time
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Summers were bright and warm in Karakura Town, and everything seemed to radiate a cheery mood. Puffy white clouds lazed about in the azure sky, hardly budging from their comfortable spots. The pleasant golden rays emanating from the sun only served to further add to the feeling of idyllic peace represented by the small town.
Of course, that was only looking at the surface of things. Karakura was hardly your average little town. Far from it, in fact.
"So this is the infamous Karakura Town, hm?"
A small girl strolled down the streets, bright red highlights running through her dark, raven hair attracting some strange looks. Her short hair was pulled up into a high ponytail, which swayed slightly in synch with her brisk steps.
Amethyst eyes gleamed in interest as the girl glanced around, situating herself in the new environment.
"Aisa, are you sure it was wise to base your gigai's hair upon your own? People seem to be glancing at you oddly."
She shrugged, jamming her hands into the pockets of her grey shorts casually much like a guy would.
"Hey, I'm not the one with pink hair."
Her invisible companion sputtered incoherently for a few moments, which caused her to smirk.
"S'ok, Szayel. I don't really mind that much. After all, I can always ignore them."
The Arrancar sighed, adjusting his glasses, "That's not what I'm concerned about. If you attract the attention of the Shinigami-"
"That's exactly what I'm here for, yes?"
The scientist cast her an annoyed look. "…I hate it when you make sense. Why am I bringing you here again?"
Aisa grinned, smoothing out her black sleeveless turtleneck as she did so. "Because you owe me a favor. That, and I threatened to destroy your lab."
The duo stopped as they reached their destination, a rather small, modest-looking house next to a clinic.
The girl arched an eyebrow, "Isn't this a little overkill, Szayel? I mean, an apartment or something would've been good enough…"
"Well, the owners of this place are leaving for a year to go on some type of world tour, so they were desperate to find someone to take care of the house in their absence. It was really cheap, if that's what you're wondering…"
Aisa rolled her eyes as Szayel pulled out a key to unlock the door, "…Why am I not surprised?" she muttered under her breath.
The scientist led her into the house, "Try to keep a low profile while you're here, alright? I don't need Aizen suddenly finding out about this and having me executed. I'm repaying my debt. As far as I'm concerned, we're even now, got it?"
The girl mock-saluted him, "Aye, aye, cap'n."
"Just so you know, you'll be starting the next school season along with the spiritually aware humans Aizen is interested in. I would appreciate it if you don't get involved too much right off the bat so I can live a little longer, but I'm probably wasting my breath on this..."
"Yes, you are"
Szayel sighed. "Be careful, alright?"
"Aww, if I didn't know any better I'd say that you're worried about me." Aisa winked, "Don't worry. I've been waiting a long time for a chance like this. I won't mess up. I can't afford to wait any longer. I really appreciate this though, Szayel. I know that it's a dangerous risk for you to help me right now, especially with Aizen beginning to make his move."
"…I suppose this is the closest to a thanks I'll get?"
She smiled.
"Maybe…"
-Chapter 1: End—
This is my first attempt at a Bleach fanfic , so I'd appreciate some feedback! Szayel is kinda uncharacteristic, but that will be explained later on in the story.
^^ Please let me know what you think!