A/N: Aiming for another 5-10 reveiws, because you know by now I love hearing from you guys! This won't only focus on Soifon by the way; I'm going to include plenty of Baraggan and his Fraccion (obviously), Starrk, Harribel, and Aizen (duh, can't have the end of Karakura and SS without him). I also wasn't very sure how to end this... so I just threw in a random Starribel scene. -nods-

"OW!"

"Will you stop complaining? It's your own fault for being so weak." Soifon dabbed at the slice in Findorr's exposed chest with the bloodied cloth, its fabric soaked in vermillion liquid and some kind of peroxide alcohol solution. All she knew was that the mixture was concocted by some guy named Szayel Aporro Granz, and it was so powerful she could practically hear it sizzle on his wound. "At least I didn't aim for your Achilles Tendons."

"My what?"

"Never mind…" Soifon had to admit, she even amazed herself at remembering something so miniscule. Now if she could recall her previous affiliation she would be getting somewhere. She glanced at Ggio who was stitching the slice in Poww's upper arm; after studying his movements she attempted to do the same with Findorr's own injury, patching him up with a needle and thin string. "So, a Fraccion is an underling of, and chosen by, an Espada?"

"You got it," Baraggan replied from where he sat upon his throne composed of a various assortment of bones, studying them with a feigned interest.

Soifon's lips pressed into a thin line, "What does that make me?"

"My Seventh Fraccion… by force, but only for the time being. Taking into consideration your current fighting capabilities I may keep you," he stroked his thick mustache thoughtfully, "You will make a worthy asset to my army once I kill Aizen."

Soifon hesitated, taken aback, "Kill him? Why would you want to do that?"

Baraggan scoffed, "Why wouldn't I? Girl, you don't know what he's done to me. Las Noches was my castle!" He stood abruptly, gesturing his arms out dramatically as his voice rose in pitch, "the sky itself was my ceiling! I was feared, respected, worshiped by all!" Well, except by Starrk and Harribel those damn imbeciles. "Adjuchas quaked at the very mention of my name! I was so powerful no one would even think of standing up to me, let alone my own army! But then… Aizen came along and destroyed everything!"

The Fraccion stared at him dismally.

The ancient Espada rubbed his brow as if to rid himself of an oncoming headache. "Trust him all you want, Girl, but do not admire. Prepare to be stabbed in your back time and time again." He sat down slowly, his stern expression ebbing into a look of both exasperation and exhaustion.

Soifon focused back on fixing Findorr's wound, "I have no choice but to put all my faith in him. He's the only one who knows who I am…"

"So you never bothered to check with his lap dogs Kaname and Ichimaru?"

"Who and who?"

"Don't even get him started with those two," Abirama remarked from where he sat cross-legged on the floor beside Nirgge, both sporting bandages on their chests. "If Aizen tells them to jump they'll jump, no questions asked, no second thoughts."

Soifon peered over at him, but said nothing. I should see what these two know about me. Maybe they have the key to my past…

Baraggan stood again as realization dawned on him, "I believe it's time for dinner!"

How do you possibly tell time in this place? Soifon briskly dismissed the thought. That was a question best asked later when everything else had been answered.

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~* Fallen Skies *~

Thoughts derail themselves.
Bones fracture, spirits shatter.
Look up, look up and see the azure sky painted with vermillion!
Do you see the beauty?
Look up, look up and witness the rays of light igniting the clouds like fire!
Do not be afraid.
At dusk the night will descend…
And at dawn the sky will fall.

Chapter 1: Expectations Well Defined

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The table was rather extensive, which Soifon figured was to accommodate to the superlative room and set number of Fraccion. A massive chair occupied the head of the table, which was where Baraggan most likely sat. Several other chairs scattered around the piece of oak furniture hidden beneath an offset white sheet. Plates had been carefully placed before each seat. Across the center of the tabletop rested exquisite foods on light refracted silverware—one particular item of which Soifon figured was taken straight out of a Sci-Fi movie—of many kinds, mostly meat from what she assumed.

She quirked an eyebrow as a fish twitched, its startled gaze swerving in her direction. "I think that one's still alive."

"Nah," Nirgge nudged her towards the first chair closest to Baraggan's, "That's just nerves. Ggio's the only one who eats fish. You're lucky there's an extra chair by the way, seeing as you joined us on such short notice."

"She didn't have a choice," Baraggan mentioned as if he hadn't several times already, passing by them. Findorr and Poww pulled out Baraggan's seat and in the same fluid motion pushed him towards the table. They had thought three steps ahead—all of his favorite foods already cast onto the plate before him.

Nirgge followed the same example left by the other two Fraccion to help Soifon get seated… closest to the not-quite-thoroughly-cooked salmon of some sorts. Ggio slipped into his chair beside her, smirking slightly. He reached over to the fish, dumping it onto his plate. There was a quiet splat as it hit the plate, tail flexing. She winced, pitying it a little. It never even had a chance.

Ggio noticed her staring from the corner of his eye, "Don't be shy; help yourself."

Soifon remarked impassively, "I don't remember what I like or dislike—what if I'm allergic to something?"

"You worry too much," Findorr, across the table from her, admonished. He jabbed his fork at her, although whatever he was eating seemed just as alive as the fish, "Just shove it down and pray you don't choke."

That's not reassuring, she thought bitterly. She served herself a small portion of twisted… uh, vegetables, maybe? The small chunk of meat the landed before her tasted disdainful, which brought about a flash of memories—"I don't like meat."

The comment earned only Ggio's attention. Everyone else ignored her and continued eating.

"You don't?"

"No."

Ggio realized the only thing closest to a fish was the thing still shifting around on his plate. He sliced off its head, split the body down the middle; then passed a portion onto her plate. "Try it." She stared at him like he had three heads. "What?"

"It just had a pulse. Is that really sanitary?"

"Will you shut up and eat it?"

She finally gave in and spent the rest of the meal in silence, gradually picking away at the pitiful remains of the creature before her. That, surprisingly, was all she really ate given the fact she wasn't actually hungry to begin with. Two Arrancar entered later on to clear the table; as they collected the dirty dishes Baraggan stared at his Fraccion slouched over their chairs, once again regretting indulging in such a large buffet. "Show the girl to your quarters. You are all dismissed for the night."

If it hadn't been Baraggan's orders Soifon figured that they wouldn't move again—but still they managed to lug down the hall and into their room. It was large enough to hold six separate beds with three against either wall, but besides a metal-rimmed mirror suspended beside one bed and massive, asylum white dressers against the farthest wall it was plain. The crescent moon hung outside the window, pale white light spilling onto the sheets.

"That's weird," Abirama remarked, scratching the back of his head quizzically, "There's another bed. Must've been moved in by Aizen for Abeja."

Soifon wanted to confront them about why they gave her such a strange nickname but was subsequently hoisted into the air by her collar by Poww, "No standing in the doorway, Abeja. We're all tired." He set her down beside her bed then trekked over to his own, collapsing face-down. The springs strained under his weight.

Nirgge's bed screeched like it was going to collapse at any minute. He rid himself of his shirt before sliding under his sheet, which could have easily pulled off to be a napkin compared to his size. Abirama pat his bulging stomach, unleashing a belch loud enough to rattle the walls. "Ah, man, I'm stuffed!"

"That's simply disgusting," Charlotte hissed, shoving the bird-man aside, "I prefer to sleep in a clean room, thank you very much!"

Redder mimicked him sarcastically before shooting up his middle finger. He and Findorr dropped down under their sheets, Findorr pulling his up and over his head. "Good night!" A chorus of replies echoed around the room—all was silent again.

Soifon frowned to herself, watching them curiously. After what seemed like hours, which Soifon figured could as well only be a few minutes, Abirama's obnoxious snoring shattered the quiet of the room; Ggio groaned a complaint and jammed his head under his pillow. Soifon shed her vest and gloves, dropping them at the foot of her bed. She crawled under her sheet, pressing into the fluffy comforter and headrest.

Finally, tugging the covers up to her chin, she rolled over to the wall and cried herself to sleep.

Elsewhere, Aizen sat at the end of the meeting table. Three of his Espada had been summoned to address a critical issue—"Soifon? The new Arrancar under Baraggan?" Aizen sipped his tea, which had unfortunately cooled down so all the enriched flavors weren't brought out. His gaze landed on the Espada speaking to him so advertently. "Why are we discussing about her?"

"She's just a normal Arrancar," the other Espada agreed.

Aizen stared at the silent Espada before responding, "She's… special. Not as normal as you would think. It has come to your attention by now that Soifon has lost her memories; as such, she cannot yet utilize her full capabilities."

In turn the silent one asked, as stoically as always, "So why are you having this conversation with us? Should this not be a matter debated with Baraggan himself?"

Aizen shook his head, "I'm afraid if Baraggan knows even the slightest leak of information he may disrupt her recovery process—or worse, her growth process. I shall now share with you three the secret of Soifon—and I do not want any of this to reach Baraggan's ears, his Fraccions' ears, nor Soifon. If it does this will be disastrous. Am I clear? This is to stay locked away within your minds, never hinted, never mentioned again until our next gathering."

They leaned forward, eager to hear what he had to say.

Aizen inhaled sharply, "You all swear an oath to abide by the rules or so help me I will end you. Am. I. Clear?"

"Yes," they uttered in unison.

"Good. Now, let's begin."

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When Soifon awoke she realized it may as well have been nighttime still—seeing as the moon hadn't lowered from its apparent permanent place in the obsidian sky—but she also noticed the room seemed much… lighter. Her mind struggled to recall previous events: Aizen, fighting, healing, Baraggan, dinner, bed. When the situation settled in and the harsh reality came crashing down around her she finally dared to open her weary eyes.

Bad idea.

The only Arrancar in the room was Ggio, shuffling through a lower drawer. He was—only—in fitting black briefs, which unfortunately knew how to shape him well. Her face blossomed red like a wild fire, earning a startled gasp. Ggio's sensitive ears picked up on her hitched breath, but he didn't face her, "Glad you're up finally. We're taking our baths—I just finished mine—and I would ask you if you want to join the others, but a woman needs her privacy."

Soifon pretended he didn't exist, burying her face in her lap as she sat up to avoid sub-consciously staring at him. A moment later something landed on her lap. Her bright gray gaze dared to peek up at the clothes that had been dropped on her like a burden, more than relieved to find something else to focus on other than the mostly-naked Fraccion next to her.

"Here's your change of clothes. Harribel will be here in a few minutes to escort you to the women's baths."

"Wh-who's Harribel?"

"You'll see," he answered; winked, crossing the room again.

Moments later, when he had dressed and bid her adieu before trekking out the door, Soifon leapt out of bed. It was only a matter of time before the other Arrancar returned—she was in no mood to see another bare chest as long as she still had her vision—and she had to make a break for it before she regretted it later.

She gathered her clothes in her arms, bolting outside into the hall—

WHAM!

Soifon bounced back to the floor, landing on her back. "Easy there; watch where you're going."

She jolted to her feet, picking up her bundle of clothes all over again, "I'm terribly sorry! I'm just in a bit of a rush!" Soifon admired the woman's frame briefly—dark caramel skin, crystallizing emerald gaze, spiked blonde hair, revealing shirt that also seemed to conceal something more—before making an attempt to pass again. She paused, realizing her own stupidity, "Do you know an Arrancar named Harribel?"

"Harribel?" The woman scratched the side of her temple in thought, "Tier Harribel, tres Espada?"

"Tres?" Soifon echoed, "What do numbers have to do with anything anyway?"

"The strongest Arrancar in Aizen-sama's army are those ranked in the top ten. I do believe you are Soifon, serving under the Segunda Espada Baraggan, correct?"

Soifon nodded, "So, back on topic, do you know Tier Harribel?"

"I know her like the back of my hand," She studied her sleeve, "Given the fact I'm wearing gloves…"

Soifon cocked her head, "Do you know where she is?"

"Of course. You're looking at her." A beat. Harribel almost seemed disappointed in Soifon's lack of an expression, "What? No reaction? Well, you're no fun. The last time I decided to beat-around-the-bush with someone he looked like he witnessed his worst nightmare brought to life before his eyes."

Sighing softly, Soifon remarked, "I apologize, I'm apparently not one for taking jokes."

Harribel shrugged it off, "It's fine; come now, I'll show you to the baths."

They traversed the halls to the private women's bathing area—the room was cloaked in a creeping steam that erupted from the several hot spring pools in the floor. Soifon noticed there were only two girls currently in the middle pit, a slender one with flowing green hair, and the other more muscularly built with chocolate brown tresses that fell out like drapes when she dipped her head in Harribel's direction.

"Hello, Harribel-sama. Won't you come in? The water is simply wonderful!"

Harribel slapped Soifon playfully between the shoulder blades, "Girls, this is Soifon, newest Arrancar under Old Man Baraggan."

"Soifon's a weird name," remarked a third girl as she emerged from a thick curtain of mist. Her eyes were two different shades of color, her body exposed to the open air. "Don't you have a more suitable name?"

Harribel rolled her eyes skyward, "Ignore her. That's Emilou Apacci. The other two are Cyan Sung-Sun"—the girl with the green hair waved politely—"and Fransescka Mila Rose"—the muscular one frowned slightly—"and together they make my Fraccion. To answer your question from before, Mila Rose, of course I'll join you. I'll return in a few minutes." She turned sharply on her heel and exited with grace, practically gliding across the tiled floors.

Soifon swallowed the rock in her throat, glancing nervously at the trio of Arrancar females. They simply stared back, expressions ranging from disinterest to even deeper disinterest to deepest disinterest. "Uh… Hi. I'm Soifon… and for some reason everyone's been calling me Abeja."

Apacci wafted her hand, "There we go! A more suitable name! Just toss your clothes in the corner and jump in before the water gets cold."

"These waters don't get cold, Idiot," Sung-Sun hissed, sinking up to neck height.

"It was a figure of speech Smart-Ass," Apacci snapped back, slipping into the bath, "Lighten up before I shave off your hair while you sleep!"

Soifon wondered if it would be a better idea to slink off into her own bath hole, but upon Mila Rose insisting she join them she shed her clothes and strode back over to their pit. Reluctantly she slipped in, finding her footing on the underwater step. She was engulfed beneath the surface, her tense muscles uncoiling.

Finally, all of her worries melted into the water.

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Harribel felt a little sick inside—first of all, she was trusted with keeping her mouth shut about Soifon. The girl seemed so innocent… Would this experiment really work? If she went rogue, would she be a threat to Aizen-sama? Aizen may have told them everything, but it clearly wasn't enough. Ulquiorra wouldn't ask a question about anything—literally—he would just follow through and pray the plan worked. Starrk, on the other hand, didn't do anything, so he didn't need to worry about anything.

She groaned and massaged her throbbing temples.

"Frustrated?"

Wondering why she hadn't heard him, Harribel whirled around. Starrk was leant against the doorframe, arms folded back against his chest. One eyebrow was raised along with the adjacent corner of his lips, forming his trademark smug expression.

"A little," she raked her fingers through her spiked blonde hair, "Starrk, what's going to happen to her?"

He shook his head, "I don't know; honestly, I don't really care either. She's Baraggan's concern, not mine. Aizen trusted us with this information to study her, but the truth of the matter is I have better things I could be doing."

Harribel rolled her eyes skyward, "Like what?"

"Sleeping," He smirked gamely, strolling up to her with a little swagger in his hips, "Or you."

She slapped his shoulder, "Back off, Perv!"

Starrk grabbed her by her waist, throwing the Espada onto her bed. "It's not like you have anywhere to be!" He pinned her by her wrists, pressing his forehead against hers, "Or are you hiding something from me?"

"Starrk," her brow furrowed, "I don't lie. I keep secrets, but I don't lie."

"Exactly. What are you hiding?"

"Nothing," she dead-panned.

"OK, I believe you." He released her to remove his gloves, "Wait, I get it… you've been missing me, and you don't want to admit it!"

"Don't be so full of yourself! I saw you just yes—!" She was cut off when he stroked her exposed sides, earning a short cry followed by a suppressed moan. Contrary to popular belief she was sensitive, and this damn Espada knew exactly how and where to touch her. It was downhill spiral, really: from acquaintances to friends to this. It was wrong to admit that it was all Starrk's fault; he was a charmer—oh how those Arrancar fell head-over-heels for him—but Harribel, resistant to such infatuation, still wound up in this masochistic affair.

She simply couldn't help herself.

Still, Starrk managed to bring doubt to the darkest corners of her mind. Does he really care about me, or am I just a toy for playing with? What will happen when he gets bored of me? What if my Fraccion find out?

"Bel?" His voice slammed her back down to Earth. "You were staring off into space."

"Oh, sorry," she brushed a strand of dark hair from his face, locking her crystallizing emerald eyes onto his own ice-blue pools, "I'm distracted today."

He pressed a soft kiss against her brow, entwining his fingers with hers. "Then let me take your mind off things… even if only for a little while."

"Starrk I—"

"Ssh…" His fingers closed around her shirt zipper, "Just relax… just…" the material fell open, revealing that intimidating shark-like mask of hers, "relax…"

Next chapter preview: 'He wasn't anything like the Fraccion she was used to fighting; he was stronger, faster, and would actually kill her. Blood splattered to the floor, staining her vest vermillion...'