Hey! I added a small monologue at the end of this chapter so check it out. Edited for style as well!

7th Squad Captain's Room

Enkimura felt it! That spike of reiatsu from Minji-taicho. He left quickly without hesitation. This is reconnaissance! A chance to witness my enemy's strength. He lied to himself. He was much more interested in looking upon Minji Yuki than gathering data on her abilities.

10th Squad en route to Yuki

Yuki, don't let them provoke you! Hitsugaya shunpo'd toward her. His mind kept flashing to the girl trapped in a cage. Over hundreds of years she had been kept there, experimented on; yet she never cried when she had been freed. She didn't seem to feel anything for the longest time. In those times, she only really seemed alive when she was in combat.

"Taicho!" Matsumoto pointed to the gold-colored explosions, "Cero?!"

"Yuki!" Hitsugaya ran faster.

5th Squad: Rip Site

Yuki took out all but the talkative three. Her Cero was special and could be bent to follow whatever path she chose. The lowly hollow were defeated in mere seconds. "Now then, " she walked toward the three survivors, "what will be your punishment?"

They fell to their knees to grovel while apologizing.

"What fraccion are you?" Yuki's hollow voice was both deep and shrill.

They looked at each other hesitantly until 36 spoke, "S-s-Szyal Apporo-sama," a hatred boiled inside of her that would never be quelled. Yuki grabbed 36's throat and ripped it apart before he could even scream.

"You remember the vengeance I harbor toward that wretched man" 27 backed away from Yuki as she spoke.

"Please, I never had anything to do with what he did!"

"I know..." there was a speck of hope in the arrancar's eyes, "but you served him loyally and that's punishable enough," she pointed her hand out to him and a cero started to take shape at the tip of her middle finger.

"Yuki! NOOOO!" Hitsugaya couldn't believe the sight before him. Yuki's hollowfication was substantially more advanced than the vizards but just below the level of the Espada's resurrection. She was armored in the hollow skin from head to toe with only her hair and the brand on her leg being visible; her zanpaktou was sealed away by the hollow shell. Her mask was terrifying. It had three rows of oppressing sharp teeth that were stacked on top of one another in a seemingly random fashion. She was the epitome of fear. Her arm was outstretched toward the cowering arrancar; there was a gold cero taking shape just in front of her finger tip.

"Yuki!" he wasn't going to make it. He was too late to stop her.

"Howl, Zabimaru!" Yuki's attack was halted as a sword came toward her. She deflected Renji's attack with a single flick of her arm.

"Abarai!" Hitsugaya called with both a lightness and dread in his voice. Taking his opportunity, he defeated the hollow and turned his attention to the rip that allowed the hollow through. It's always Abarai Renji...

Renji knew that Yuki's hollow form was still unstable, he knew that all he had to do was put a crack in the mask part. Not that it would be an easy task, but it was easier knowing where to attack. Yuki had gotten stronger than the last time she used her.

As they fought Renji realized that she was stronger than him! Hitsugaya caught Yuki's ankle with the chain attached to Hyorinmaru to make a small opening for Renji to strike. It was lucky that he did. Her mask was cracked and she was frozen as the cracks started to spread Renji spoke, "I'll take her to Kurostuchi-taicho. Will you pick up any pieces that fall?"

Hitsugaya felt a deep resentment toward Renji. He was always the one who saved Yuki from herself; even when it could have Hitsugaya.

The girl was attacking Hitsugaya. She had looked at him with those eyes filled with sadness and attacked the very next second with her sword sheathed. Her attacks were strong; much stronger than what she looked like she could produce. He couldn't hit back. He couldn't convince himself that this girl was going to kill him. He couldn't believe that this girl could go from desperately trying to reach her sword, to attacking him with it. How could he? He just wanted to save her.

"Taicho!" it was at that moment that Renji ran in. He had no idea of the situation. All Renji could see was a girl in Hitsugaya's Haori attacking him.

Hitsugaya was certain that Renji would attack the girl and opened his mouth to stop him, but Renji had already moved. He wrapped his arms around the girl gently yet firmly and whispered in her ear, "He won't be coming back. You're free from him captivity. We're here to save you!"

The girl didn't move, she only blinked as she listened to him speak.

"Aizen-sama…"

"Is gone. You don't need to fear him. He's gone,"

The girl nodded solemnly as if she had always expected that it would happen, "Gr- Espada?"

"Gone. You needn't fear. I'll protect you from harm" her hands wrapped around her stomach as if she were hugging herself softly. Renji said 'I'; he would protect her. Not 'we' but 'he'. That was the first time Hitsugaya had ever felt enraged at someone. But It certainly wouldn't be the last.

Enkimura arrived just in time to see the espada-looking monster. Abarai Renji cracked the face of the monster and Enkimura began to see the mask crumble away. Who is it? Who is it beneath there, causing so much of a mess? Who holds so much power?

Enkimura was so engrossed with watching that he paid no attention to sweet smell that was approaching him. And that was the last memory before he awoke several hours later-a smell.

Yuki was rushed to the 12th squad where Kurostuchi immediately locked her in a testing room. "Ooooh she's advanced her transformation…excellent!"

Renji waited outside the room for her. A brother could not leave his sister all on her own after all.

I'm falling.

Where am I going?

Yuki, Yuki! My queen The voice was soothing, it was safe,

yuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuki

The voice of fear, it was high and low, it sent shivers everywhere.

When will I stop falling?