Prelude

Running through the forest, the wind in my hair, that is what I would have liked to think about. I was running from another captain, a fellow soul reaper, but he has lost his mind. Performing hollowfications on those captains and lieutenants why did I have to see it? There was a sharp pain in my back and in my chest growing around my neck, I can't breathe. I stopped running and hid in a brush and tried to cloak my spiritual pressure as best as I could while taking in deep breaths.

"What is going on? Why can't I breathe?" I asked myself stunned.

"It is because the hollow is taking over." A very eerie voice said.

I froze instantly at the sound of the voice. It was that of Lieutenant Aizen from the 5th Squad of the 13 court guard squads.

"You seem surprised Captain Uzuki, I knew that you had been suspecting me of something for a while but you just couldn't put your finger on it could you?"

"Lieutenant Aizen there is only one question I want to ask you and that is why did you do this to us?"

"Every scientist needs his experiments they just happened to be the first of the batch. But you however, were a different story as I have almost perfected the transformation and when I do well I suppose if you live through this you will find out."

"If I was strong enough I would kill you right now!"

"Oh, but you aren't so you can't but that is alright I'm sure you will get another chance. Now let me take you to the fourth squad's barracks where you can get fixed up."

"Why?" I asked.

"Because I want them all to see what you have become and I want to watch them cast you out of Soul Society." He replied with an evil smile.

As he picked me up, I threw up something white. This white substance I new was the hollow trying to form on the outside. Then a section of this hollow substance latched onto my face and started to harden. By the time I was in the fourth squad's barracks half of my face was covered and I was finding it really hard to breathe. Aizen put me down and then shouted for assistance and just left me there. With the hollow on my face slowly growing I was trying to keep calm as I recall him telling the others it grows faster as you get angrier.

I slowly turned my head to see a group of squad four's healers coming my way, but they stopped and stared at me when they got close enough to see what was growing on my face. Then one of them called for the Captain, thinking that she would know what to do with me. She arrived quite fast which is to be expected of her, she came and knelt down beside me and started to examine my face.

"How did this happen?" She asked calmly.

"Ai… Aizen," was all I could say in return.

"Aizen?" She replied stunned.

"Quick get me a stretcher," she said to one of the soul reapers standing behind her.

"Yes captain." One of them replied.

"Minako, do you know what is happening to you?" She asked me quietly.

"Y…Yes, my body is being fused with a hollow's." I replied.

"If that is true, I don't know what I will be able to do." She said quietly.

"I didn't ex…expect anything to be done, however if I can learn to sup… suppress the hollow may…maybe," I said softly, "Arrrrgggghhhhh!" I screamed.

Just then the stretcher arrived; the four soul reapers picked me up and put me on the stretcher and wheeled me inside as quickly as they could. I couldn't remember if Captain Unohana followed or if she went somewhere else, but at that moment I didn't really care.

I don't remember much over the next couple of hours, I kind of faded in and out of consciousness amongst screams of pain. I remember waking up at one particular time though, when my lieutenant was talking to the fourth squad lieutenant. They seemed to be discussing my case, my lieutenant kept asking how they could change me back, would I live through this and questions like that. Personally I thought I would live through this, I would just have to be careful if I ever got mad, so as to not let the hollow take control.

The next time I woke up, it was mid afternoon and my lieutenant was sitting in the chair next to my bed reading something.

"What … are you reading?" I asked softly.

"Oh! You're awake. I'm glad; I thought we lost you there for a second." She replied.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"You almost died. Captain Unohana said it might happen because your body was fighting the hollow that was trying to come out and if you died the hollow would have taken over, then we would have had to kill you. But you are alive so you are yourself again to an extent," she replied.

"Well that's great, but what do you mean to an extent?"

"Well, I don't really know your better off asking Captain Unohana that question."

"Okay thanks. You had better go and attend your duties send one of the others over if you wish. Oh and can you ask Captain Unohana to come in."

"Yes, I hope you get better soon Captain"

With that she stood up and walked gracefully out of the room just as Captain Unohana walked into the room.

"Your lieutenant asked me to come see you, I suppose it has to do with the question are you still yourself?"

"Yes. Am I still myself or have I changed?"

"You have changed whatever Aizen has done to you made you stronger than a normal soul reaper captain."

"More power, I don't think I really need it," I said "what does the head captain want to do with me?"

"He wants to exile your squad and make them a back up force if anything were to happen to soul society."

"I see. What does this entail?"

"Your squad lives separate from the rest of soul society, you are to have no connection with the other squads the only person you are able to talk to is the head captain."

"Do I get the choice of where to live?"

"Yes, but it has to be practical."

"I guess I will have to think about it. How long do we have until we have to move the entire barracks?"

"Yes you will and you only have a couple of weeks."

"Great."

I sat up then, kind of frustrated that the entire barracks had to move all because of what Aizen did. But somehow I think that was his plan all along to get rid of one of the strongest barracks and their captain. He was planning something and I had a long time to figure out what it was.

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