"Kana!" I awoke to loud banging on my door. "Kanari, wake up!" It was Taicho! I rushed out of bed and threw on my shinigami kimono, leaving my hair unusually down and uncombed but opened the door anyway. "Good morning Kuchiki-taicho. Did I sleep in?" He seemed slightly startled at my unkempt appearance but recovered immediately. His expression was unreadable, and nerves were starting to sink into my stomach. Something was up.

"Not at all. Abarai and I would like to speak with you." It had been a week since we found Abarai, and he was recovering quickly. Taicho did not wait for me to respond, instead he began walking towards the Captain's Quarters. As I followed, I pulled my loose dark hair into my usual ponytail with the band I had around my wrist.

"Kana, have a seat." Abarai instructed when we arrived. I sat in the chair in front of the Captain's desk and my Zanpakutou Haru flew in through the open window in the form of a bird and landed on my shoulder. He had materialization abilities. I looked from Abarai to Taicho and the looks on their faces frightened me deeply. "What's going on? What's this all about?" Abarai and Taicho looked from each other to me. "I'm a third seat, for christ's sake! I can handle whatever it is you have to tell me. Don't treat me like a child!" I exclaimed, jumping up with agitation and unease, causing Haru to fly around before landing back on my should again.

'Take it easy, Nari-chan.' I could hear Haru's voice in my head and I relaxed. 'You can handle whatever it is, so take it easy. You have no need to worry. I'm here with you.' I swallowed my unease and looked at Abarai and Taicho. 'Thanks.' I thought to Kuru. "Sorry." I said, sitting back down and taking a deep breath. "Now, what is it you need to tell me?" I asked in as relaxed a voice as I could muster. It fooled neither of them. They knew me too well.

They looked from one another to me once more, then Abarai sighed. He walked over to me and knelt down in front of me, putting his hands on my shoulders in a comforting way. He looked me straight in the eyes, and in his I could see an immense amount of remorse. I suddenly felt all the unease and fear I swallowed moments before come busting back up and hit me as if I had been hit by a shockwave.

"Kana...It's your father...He's dead."

Dead? Yeah right. One could only wish. The bastard was standing right in front of me. He went through all the trouble of faking his own death; and for what? To kill his own Lieutenant and a Captain and to betray Soul Society. I looked from my father, to Ichimaru-Taicho, and lastly to Touzen-Taicho; all of them filthy traitors.

"So." I said, glaring at my father. "When were you planning on telling me you weren't actually dead?" The countless soul reapers behind me were sizing up the situation, trying to decide if I actually was out of the know, or putting on an act to fool them. If they were smart, they believed the later. We were trained to go with the well-being of Soul Society before our own judgement.

"Kanari." My father said as if I was losing my mind. "You knew very well that I was alive. You've known everything I was planning all along." For a split second I froze, not believing what had just left his mouth. Fury took over as if I had been shot out of a rocket. "LIES!" I screamed with agony and pure anger, taking a few steps towards him. "Just STOP with the lies! I am NOTHING like you!" I put my hand on the hilt of my Zanpakutou.

"Gin. Do you have it?" My father turned his back to me, and I took the chance to attack. I drew my zanpakutou and leaped at him. "Of course I have it." Gin pulled out a syringe with a black liquid in it. Faster than I could anticipate, Gin was in front of me and grabbing my arm. In the next second he ejected the liquid into my arm and returned to my father's side.

Suddenly, i fell to my knees and hit the ground. A screech of pure agony escaped my lips and my blood felt as if it were aflame. My vision went completely blank, but I could still hear what was happening.

"Before I faked my death, I gave my daughter what I told her was a drink to give her more energy. That drink was, in actuality, a mixture filled with micro-organisms that would lay dormant until she was injected with a special chemical called Artemine. Unfortunately for you, that just so happens to be what Gin shot into her just now. The Artemine activates the micro-organisms and causes a painful transformation. Whether she wants to or not, Kanari will turn against you all and become a weapon of my influence. It's already much too late to save her."

I felt my bones pop and re-form as wave after wave of pain shocked through my body. Finally, the pain subsided completely and I was able to stand. What I had not anticipated was standing on all fours. The shinigami to my right backed away from me and the traitors to my left took a few steps towards me.

"Go, Kanari. Attack them!" My father ordered, pointing with an outstretched arm towards the shinigami who now had their zanpakutou drawn and pointed at me. They looked from one to another in apprehension. Did he really think I would obey him? If i had my normal body, I would have laughed. Time seemed to slow and move by in trickles as I stared him down. Suddenly, time sped up and taking him by surprise I lunged at him and clamped onto is outstretched arm; locking my jaw and refusing to let go. He looked back at Gin. "Didn't she drink all of the substance I gave her?" Gin looked from me to me father. "I was almost certain she did."

Wrong! I was suddenly very grateful that I hadn't drank it all. The container had fallen off the shelf where I had placed it and spilled what I had saved. It had ultimately saved my life. "YEAH!" "GET HIM!" Cheers rang up from the crowd of shinigami as I hung from my father's bleeding arm. He shock his arm around trying to get me off, but I stayed secure. From the corner of my eye I saw Gin's zanpakutou extend towards me. I saw it but still I held on, focusing all my energy and concentration on not letting go as his blade pierced my side. I almost lost my grip with each shockwave of pain. Almost.

"Foolish." My father sneered. He swung his arm to the side and I flew off like a rocket from the immense force. I was thrown through tree after tree until I finally hit the ground unconscious.