A/N: The chapter's a bit short compared to normal; only about half of what I usually write per chapter, but I figured that the end was as good as any. Took me long enough, didn't it? Also, everything in this story has meaning, and things are rarely what they seem. A lot of the imagery and nomenclature is based off of Greek and Mayan mythology. Unbetaed.

Disclaimer: I own neither Bleach nor Harry Potter. Bleach ©Kubo Tite and HP ©JK Rowling.

"Normal speech."

'Thoughts.'

"Parseltongue."

Chapter 1:

Iris ran through the park, not daring to glance behind her in case she tripped and her pursuers caught up to her. Numerous scrapes and bruises were scattered across the bare skin of her arms and legs, caused by the group of playground bullies who were led by none other than her older cousin, Dudley. Now, they were playing their favorite game. Biting her lip, Iris fought the urge to cry, tears welling up in her eyes. It just wasn't fair!

She made it to a small copse of trees at one end of the park, and darted in, quickly making her way to a tree she knew how to climb easily, having used it before in similar circumstances. Not even slowing down, she took a running leap at the lowest branch of the tree, the bark scraping the skin of her palms as her hands took a strong grip on it. Then, using the rest of her momentum, she brought her legs up, hooking her knees onto the branch and hoisting herself the rest of the way up. Once there, she began to climb further into the foliage, where she could hide until they gave up.

They came into view below her, prowling about like pseudo-predators on the hunt. She watched them mill about for a handful of minutes, before their short attention spans gave out and they began to leave. Iris stood up on the branch she had been sitting on, preparing to climb down as soon as they were out of sight, but a slight noise from behind her caught her attention. She turned to see what was the noise was, but when she looked, her eyes went wide and her foot slipped on the branch.

She fell with a soul rending scream.

Amaya's eyes snapped open, staring up at the dark sky uncomprehendingly. 'What was that? My death?' she thought groggily. She could hardly remember now, as her life began to blur and fade away after having been dead for twenty years- nearly three times as long as she had lived. However, she was not sad to see the memories go; her life had been barren and loveless while she was in the care of her relatives.

Frowning, she looked up at the sky once more, the black void starless and empty except for a large, deep blue crescent moon that hung mysteriously in the sky. She stared at it curiously, feeling comforted. Amaya tried to sit up, a surging ache in her body making itself known at the action. With a groan, she managed to climb unsteadily to her feet, and she took a moment to take in her surroundings.

She stood on a white stone road, heading on a straight path in either direction. It was bordered on both sides by dense jungle, though she did not hear any noises coming from within their dark depths. Turning around to see where the road led to behind her, she found in the distance a large, ancient, abandoned city; white spires of temples rose high into the air, majestic and eerie under the light of the blue moon. The sight was beautiful, but she did not have the urge to go there just yet.

Instead, Amaya felt a pull toward the direction in which she had been facing. In that direction, the white road wandered a long distance and she could not see where it ended. Following the pull, she forced her aching muscles to move one step at a time. Everything was eerily silent. As time passed, she noticed that the pain began to recede the further she traveled and soon, she was able to break into a light jog. Had the road not been such a striking color, she might have missed where it ended, but she slowed as she came to the precipice where the road led.(1)

Opening up in the ground was a large, limestone well, water tranquil in the bottom of the natural reservoir. Built off to one side was another, smaller temple; condition pristine despite the empty quality of its aura. Taking a few steps closer to the edge, she peered into the water, seeing it reflect a brilliantly starry sky and a full, luminescent white moon. Amaya frowned slightly at the sight, confused.

"The road to greater power requires great sacrifice."

Amaya spun around quickly at the sibilant voice behind her, to suddenly come face to face with a tall man. He looked young but he had long white hair, tied back at the nape of his neck, with dark skin. His features were unusual, in that his eyes were a shining silver with reptilian slits for pupils, and tiny, glittering scales ran down his skin, along the edge of his hairline. His clothes were nondescript and just as white as his hair, the only color on him, besides his dark skin, being the long, fiercely blue-green feathers(2) that were woven into his hair.

"Who are you? Where am I?" She asked before her hands flew up to her mouth, shocked to find herself speaking the same soft language.

"This place is your inner self," he replied, bringing one hand up to wave toward their surroundings. "As for who I am… It is not yet time for you to know that." He finished, with a gentle smile. "In fact, it is time for you to wake up."

And she did.

Amaya squinted, the warm red-orange light of the setting sun coming in through the window blinding her temporarily. A soft exclamation at her side caught her attention, and she turned her head slightly to look, squinting a what appeared to be the fuzzy form of Hanatarou sitting by the side of her bed.

"Oh, Amaya-chan, you're awake!" he exclaimed, a relieved and happy smile on his face. "You've been out for a few days, Taichou was so worried. How are you feeling?"

She opened her mouth to reply, but found her throat to be dry and so was unable to respond. Clearing her throat gently, she replied in a raspy voice, "Thirsty."

"Well, give me a moment and I'll get you some water, then I need to go and inform Unohana-taichou that you've awoken." He began to fuss around her, helping her to sit up, propping a few pillows behind her back, and to put on her glasses. Amaya smiled softly at the actions of one of her few close friends.

When he finished, Hanatarou handed her a glass of water and then left to find their Captain.

Sipping gingerly at the glass, Amaya looked out the window. She felt… strange. Different. Like someone had gone and rearranged all of her bones and organs, though the changes couldn't be seen on the outside. But, before she could really determine what was different, the sound of the screen caught her attention.

"Good Evening," Unohana greeted warmly as she entered the room, her typical maternal smile on her lips.

"Taichou," Amaya replied, bowing her head toward her superior.

"How are you feeling?" the matron asked as she sat next to the bed, taking the young woman's vitals. "Are you in any pain or discomfort?"

"No, no pain at all. But…" she trailed off, trying to articulate her thoughts in a way that the older woman would understand. Unohana just watched her patiently, her soft expression helping to encourage the other to speak. "I feel…" Amaya finally began again, "I feel as though I'm not myself… or, at least, not entirely myself."

"Well, that seems strange, because you are also giving off unusual energy readings." The Fourth Division Captain seemed puzzled. "A Second Division member found you a few days ago, unconscious near the Third Division compound. Do you remember what happened? That might help us find out what is wrong."

Casting her mind back, Amaya tried to figure out what the last thing she remembered was, but try as she might, her most recent memories were nothing but blurs. Her clearest memory was from weeks ago. Feeling a little disoriented and frightened, she shakily replied, "No, I don't- I can't really remember anything after a few weeks back."

Unohana clasped the young woman's hand, rubbing soothing circles onto the back with her thumb. "Don't worry, Amaya. The memories will likely return in a few days." Gently setting the hand down on the covers, she stood to leave. "In the mean time, I want to keep you here for a few days for observations. We want to make sure that whatever has happened is not detrimental to your health."

"Of course, taichou." Amaya replied with a weak smile, and with that, the older woman left.

(1) Based off of the Mayan city of Chichén Itzá, and the Great Cenoté (i.e. the natural limestone well).

(2) Quetzal feathers.

For those wondering; Amaya means 'night's rain' (her black hair), Inazuma means 'lightning' (after her scar). I just figured, since Bleach characters are occasionally named after physical characteristics. Her English name is Iris, after the Greek goddess.