Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from the show. Those belong to the animators.

AN: There are some words in here you may not recognize. After each chapter there will be a list of the words, what language they are, what they mean and how they are pronounced.

Ch1.

"Hold on Kestrel," Rose said holding her sister's hand tightly.

Kestrel heard the baby crying and looked up at Running Deer. He smiled and stroked her hair.

"It's a boy," Bouncing Rabbit pronounced holding up the blood covered infant.

Kestrel felt weak. She could feel her spirit leaving her body. She glanced at the young medicine woman holding her son and turned her attention back to Running Deer and Rose.

"Keep him safe. Don't let him near that man. Running Deer be kind to our son. My death must not be blamed on him," she rasped.

"Èéhe Kestrel. I promise. Wait for me on the other side. I will seek you when it is my time to go there too," Running Deer answered understandingly.

Kestrel smiled at him and closed her eyes. The last sound she heard in her life was her sister, Rose, begging her not to go.

-!-

Kestrel awoke with a start. She had fallen asleep in her Tootà's lab. Why did the memories of her life as a mortal still torment her? She wasn't supposed to be able to remember this stuff. Or was she? Technically she was only half hollow. A vizored, Lord Aizen had called her. A soul that had gone through some extent of the hollowfication process but still maintained the thoughts and feelings of a whole. Did those thoughts include memory?

"Are you alright Mistress Kestrel," a crackly familiar voice asked.

"Èéhe Serva. It was just a memory. Where is Tootà," Kestrel looked questioningly at the short creature that her Tootà had ordered to protect her.

"He is in the midst of battle. Are you sure you're alright? Your skin is leaking," Serva observed.

Kestrel looked at a machine and saw her reflection in the glass that made up the incubation chamber she had once been kept in. Her flesh was lined with a thin layer of cold smelly liquid. Her long blue-black hair was soaked and plastered to her skin wherever it touched.

"It's sweat Serva. It results from stress or energy exertion," she crossed the lab to the closet and grabbed a fresh set of clothes.

"I use energy in training all the time and that never happened," Serva retorted.

"Tootà modified you for stronger endurance. You're designed to maintain such a high internal body temperature that you don't really use your cooling systems much. I maintain a body temperature of only about 97.2 degrees. It doesn't take much for my cooling systems to kick in," Kestrel entered the bathroom.

"Why would Master Szayel-Aporro make us so different," Serva asked outside of the door.

"He's a scientist. That's what scientists do. They experiment with different settings. Depending on those settings each of his experiments react differently to the same stimulus," Kestrel removed her clothes and stepped into the shower.

"I'm confused. Stimulus," Serva was trying to make sense of the new word.

"It means a factor in the environment that causes a specific reaction. It can be as simple as the temperature of the air or as complicated as the events going on around us," Kestrel worked with the soap to clean the sweat form her skin.

Serva seemed satisfied with today's little science lesson as he did not speak again after that. Kestrel finished her shower, dried her skin with a towel and dressed. As she brushed her hair the door behind her opened.

"Ulquiorra I told you never to sneak in here. What if my Tootà catches…" her voice broke off as she turned to face the intruder.

She didn't recognize this man. He wore a strange head dress and enough make-up to dress the faces of six geisha.

"Who are you," she asked fearfully.

" I must say you are an interesting specimen. Your spiritual pressure is not quite hollow but similar to that of a quincy," he acted as though he had not heard her.

Her eyes narrowed, "Who are you," she asked again in an annoyed tone, feeling the hollow within her stir defensively. Even her Tootà never called her a specimen as he did his other creations.

"You don't seem to be an arrancar. A creation of the espada's perhaps," though his words were meant to be spoken to another person he seemed to be mostly talking to himself.

She suppressed the urge to become hostile and settled for a loud angry tone of voice, "I asked you a question. Who are you?"

"My, my, there's no need to get testy. Now why don't you come with me and all will be revealed soon," he held out a hand to her.

Her hollow half screamed 'dangerous food' while the half of her that was still whole knew by instinct that this man was her enemy. She backed up trying to put more distance between her and him. She wasn't as strong as any of the arrancar here and if she could get this far into the espada's lair unharmed she would stand no chance.

"I see your master has taught you to be cautious. Am I to assume you don't trust me," he cocked his head to the side.

She nodded. She wanted to yell at him about how stupid that question was but she knew that might provoke him.

"Nemu come here," he said.

A small woman appeared next to him. Her hair was long and dark and her clothes showed a lot of skin.

"Yes Master Kurotsuchi," she said to the man.

Kestrel's eyes widened. She knew that name. Mayuri Kurotsuchi was the captain of squad 12 in the soul society and a very powerful soul reaper. Desperately she looked for an escape route though she knew none existed.

"What do you suppose that is," he pointed at Kestrel and continued to stare at her with curious eyes.

"I don't know captain. A vizored perhaps? Though I've never seen one with the spiritual signature of a quincy," the woman replied after a moment.

Kestrel started to think about her profile. Quincy powers would serve no use. She did not have her bow. Hollow powers? No. He was staring right at her. A duplicate wouldn't fool him. Unless… Could it work? Worth a shot if her opponent was weaker but with him it seemed better to play it safe for now.

"The espada must have created her before the battle," he seemed to like pointing out the obvious.

Had he seen her Tootà? Now she was curious, "If I tell you my name will you answer my next question?"

"Of course. After all your file will need a name on it when I study you," he took a step towards her.

She mirrored him by stepping back. His words frightened her. There was no way to escape. She had no choice, "My name is Kestrel Granz. My question is what was the final outcome of the battle you just mentioned?"

Mayuri chuckled, "I killed him," he looked her up and down.

Now she was angry. Trying to show no outward signs of what she was doing she concentrated on her memories. Finally after a few long silent moments, a perfect image of her sister appeared. The sight was almost painful.

"Kestrel, what are you doing? You'll make him mad," the image said.

Mayuri turned to see this girl who had managed to get so close undetected. The image looked up suddenly afraid, screamed, and ran away. Kestrel held control forcing the part about Papá chasing after her in a rage to stay inside her head. Mayuri chuckled and returned his gaze to Kestrel. She gasped at his knowing glance.

"My, my, that is an interesting talent you have there. You are certainly a rare specimen indeed," he stated.

Kestrel backed against the wall as tears rolled down her cheeks. She was trapped with no way out. Was this finally the end?

TBC…

Words you may not know:

Èéhe: Nez Perce: yes, that's right: AA-heh

Tootà: Nez Perce: Father: TOH-tah

Papá: Spanish: Father: pa-pAH