A/N: And here is the newest chapter everyone. Hope you all enjoy it. Prepare for drama, action, romance, and the mysterious nature of Kiki's birth. On with the show.

Warning as of 3/2/13: This chapter has been almost completely re-written! Also this story as a whole is somewhat alternate universe when it comes to the story-line.

Disclaimer: I have no claim to Bleach.

Chapter 7

The Wages of Sin

Kiki P.O.V.

My mind has been blank from the moment Captain Yamamoto revealed to me that Souske Aizen, a rouge Soul Reaper, was my long lost father. For so long, my father had been nothing more than a face that haunted my nightmares ever since the Arrancars attacked my home all those years ago. Even now, I can still hear Hilary's screams echoing in my mind as my mother attempted to sheild her. However, with one swing of a blade, my sister...

"What did you say?" I asked the head captain, sipping at my tea again in order to distract my mind. This information was becoming increasingly more difficult to process. The tailspin of changes are happening far too rapidly. Keeping up is simply impossible for me to do, especially in this mental state.

"Souske Aizen fell in love during his time in Hueco Mundo," Yamamoto repeated. "At the time, I did not know of this, for he was skillful at hiding the truth."

"Then how did you find out?"

"After the initial trip to Hueco Mundo, he continued to travel there, stating that the more Hollows they killed the less they'd attack the World of the Living," the old man replied. "This was unlike him. He was normally one that simply followed orders or dished out his own after immense calculation. He was not one to follow basic instinct. Instead he always opted to act cautiously, appearing to have no emotions whatsoever.

I nodded, slowly beginning to understand what kind of man my father was. "So, what happened?"

Yamamoto smirked. "Only recently have I learned the whole story. It happened like this Uzumaki. On his first trip to Hueco Mundo, he encountered the number one Espada at the time, Himmiko Uzumaki, and lost in his battle with her. Most battles with Espada end in death, but your mother was no ordinary warrior. She only killed when she felt it neccessary. When it came to Aizen, at the time his power paled in comparison to that of any Espada, especially the leader. However, Aizen, your father, is a prideful man. He could not accept a defeat, especially from a woman."

"So he was a sexist." I stated blandly.

The old man chuckled. "You amuse me Kikelia." He raised his own cup of tea to his lips. Once he was finished he set the cup back down. "I believe your mother was just as amusing, which is why she intrigued your father so much. As prideful as he was, he never backed down from a challenge and continued to fight battles with your mother. I suppose from there, their rivalry grew into respect and eventually love."

I wanted to roll my eyes. Apparently love stories are what's making my life so complicated these days. First with my zanpakto, the Ryumaru, and now this load of bull. Great, just great!

"So what happened next?" I asked, resisting the urge to roll my eyes.

"Well, I don't know if that part of the story is appropriate for such a young lady…"

"Head Captain!" I exclaimed.

He chuckled. "Sorry, sorry, I could not resist messing with you."

Somehow I found that out of character for him. After all, the Head Captain of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads didn't strike me as the type to crack jokes often...if he ever did at all.

"So the two of them got together and my mom ended up pregnant with me," I stated, filling in the blanks as he continued to chuckle. "Then what happened?"

The Head Captain was all business again as he spoke. "The rest is history Kikelia. Himmiko Uzumaki disappeared, apparently to the World of the Living, and your father was crushed. He began experimenting on Hollowfication with squad captains and lieutenants and pinned it on Kisuke Urahara."

"Urahara?" I wondered. "Sounds familiar."

"Is that name familiar to you Kikelia?"

Kiki shrugged. "I guess so, but I can't figure out why. I wonder if maybe I met him recently…"

That was when it came back to me. It was after that stupid dance at the school. Urahara was the freaky blonde dude who owned that shop Ichigo brought me to when I passed out.

"Well, I'm not surprised," Yamamoto replied. "He fled to the World of the Living after being framed by your father."

"What about Hollowfication?" I questioned. "What exactly is that?"

Yamamoto was silent for a moment. "To put it into basic terms, your father turned Soul Reapers into Hollows, which are the monsters that devour souls in the World of the Living as well as here in the Soul Society. By pinning it on Urahara, he bought himself some time to continue in his experiments."

I narrowed my gaze at him. "But why experiment on it in the first place?"

"I believe he may have done it for revenge," Yamamoto answered before taking another sip of his tea.

My eyebrows furrowed as I tried to understand his words. "Revenge?" I paused, still thinking it over, but not getting anywhere. "For what?"

"Back then if his secret had been discovered, our only choice would have been to execute him and your mother. He figured that was the reason why Himmiko fled to the World of the Living, to escape her eventual fate."

"And now?" I asked, ignoring his last few words. "He's searching for me isn't he? I have some kind of hidden power right? So then…why not kill me now?"

Yamamoto stood, a sigh falling from his lips as he walked toward the sliding doors behind. I stood also, wanting to stop him so that he'd answer my questions. I'm tired of being left in the dark about things that directly affect me. Even if I understand the reason for it, I don't like it at all. Everything surrounding my existence shouldn't be a freaking mystery!

"Captain!" I demanded, my voice shaky. "Answer my question!"

"Do not make demands of me child," Yamamoto replied calmly as he continued to walk toward the sliding door. He touched the door's edge, stopping to gaze back at me with his wise eyes. "You are the carrier of the ancient sword Ryumaru. That makes you the reincarnation of the great Princess Yumiko." He turned his sharp gaze back at me. "I couldn't kill you if I tried. The spirit in your zanpakuto would not let me."

"But I haven't been able to tap into my powers at all as of late," I told him. "I may be wearing the shikigami robes, but I'm not in my spiritual form. I'm useless as I am now. Whatever power you think I have…"

"Believe me Kikelia," he cut in, "you have greater power than you know. That is why Aizen wants you." He turned away. "Power is everything to that man. If you didn't have power then you would be useless to him. He would have killed you long ago."

"Killed me?" I questioned inwardly. "But I'm his daughter…wouldn't that mean anything to him?"

"Just ask Kurosaki," Yamamoto stated, opening the door. "He will tell you from his own experiences just how heartless your father is."

I blinked. "Ichigo?"

"You cannot understand the damage that your father caused yet Captain Uzumaki," Yamamoto began. "Even if I tell you all that he has done, you will not be able to comprehend how monstrous your father is. However, your friend may be able to convince you of the evil nature of Aizen. If he can't then you'll be forced to learn the hard way."

I stood in silence as the Head Captain left the room. The only sound I could hear afterward was the loud thrumming of my heartbeat. My body felt stiff and cold. My shoulders were heavy with an invisible weight that threatened to overwhelm me. My hands shook and no breaths came from my mouth. Every fiber of my being had frozen in place, locked in invisible chains.

Yamamoto's words had been so hateful. He called my father a monster, an evil being, a person without a heart. I had only seen my father once in my life and that instance alone was enough to confuse me on what really occurred back then. My father's expression in my dreams has always been a mix. Sometimes it's a sinister smile, one that convinces me that Yamamoto's words are true, but in the others...I see regret, I see sorrow, and I see the love he must have for me. I am his daughter after all, he couldn't possibly want me just for power. If power were the case, then why not make himself a Hollow and join my mother. I probably could have learned to love Hueco Mundo if I had lived there with both of my parents and even though Hilary wouldn't have been born, I probably would have had other siblings to replace her in my heart...

Anger boiled within me then. How could I even think such a thing? No one could ever replace Hilary. She was my sister and I loved her. Even though we had different fathers, we still shared a really strong bond. That bond is what makes me who I am. To entertain fantasies of what life could have been with both my parents is utterly pointless. Nothing good can come from it, so why bother? Why bother with an aimless wish?

I found myself running out of Yamamoto's office after that, vainly trying to collect my emotions as I traveled into the main hall where all the captains had met thirty minutes prior. My footsteps echoed off the wooden floor as my emotions began to take contro, forcing me to realize that everything about my life before was a mix of lies and betrayals.

As a child, I often had visions about my mother's past, but back then and even after I had regained that memory my mind had dismissed the visions as dreams. Dreams about events couldn't be anything more than figments of my imagination. However, after everything I heard today, I can no longer deny the truth. My mother, if she's still alive today, is an Arrancar, a former Espada, and my father, Souske Aizen, is a rouge Soul Reaper.

Were all of my memories lies? I saw my mother as a woman with grace and charm. She was a warm hearted person. She made sure that my sister and I always had food to eat, even if it meant that she starved every once in a while.

But an Arrancar? That's nothing more than a sophisticated and smarter version of a Hollow. My mother...she was a monster.

And if what Yamamoto said was true? My father...is he just as monstrous. I may not know the ins and outs what Hollowfication is, but I had enough sense to know that the experiments caused pain to people. Obviously it was something the Soul Society frowned upon as a whole, not just the head captain.

Ichigo has become another part of this elaborate puzzle. I don't know what he had to do with any of this, but deep down in my heart I know that my father must have caused pain to Ichigo as well. That might be the reason why I felt that dark presence inside of him. Maybe Ichigo is just angry. Even so, what can I do about it? I can't tap into my powers anymore and I'm totally failing in my job as a captain. Without my powers I can't do much of anything and with them I do nothing more than put people's lives at risk.

Ichigo's friends; Rukia, Orihime, Uruyu, and Chad. All of them are fighting my father right now, aren't they? They're fighting against the Arrancars.

Toshiro and Soi Fan, the two captains that had pitied me were fighting out there as well. Knowing Toshiro, he had probably taken Rangiku too, which meant that she was fighting as well.

All of these people. I barely know any of them and yet…

Eventually I found myself outside my office door. I slid the door open, the sight of Ichigo eating a bowl of Ramen immediately meeting my eyes. He was grumbling to himself too, trying in vain to understand the paperwork that laid on my desk.

His brown eyes glanced up at me as I entered. "Kiki? Where have you been? I've been sitting here for fifteen minutes trying to figure out these stupid documents and…" he trailed off.

"What?" I asked, my voice croaking out in a weird way. I blinked my eyes and finally noted that they were moist. Darn it! I've been crying all this time, haven't I? Ugh, my life is totally sucking right now.

"I heard there was a Captain's meeting," he stated, serious now. "It ended thirty minutes ago though. Did one of those captains pick a fight with you or something?"

"No," I replied solemnly, feeling utterly defeated as more tears rolled down my cheeks. "Tell me Ichigo…what did Aizen do to you?"

Ichigo's eyebrows contorted, his expression turned to one of anger. "Why would you ask about him?" Rising to his feet, he narrowed his gaze on me, brown eyes blazing. "What happened in that meeting?"

"I just found out that…" I stopped myself so I could recollect my thoughts. "Souske Aizen...is my father."

Ichigo didn't move.

"I don't know of all the things he has done but…I know that he's attacking Karakura town right now," I told him, sniffling as tears rained down my face. "I know he's working with Arrancars…the monsters that attacked my mother and sister. I think that maybe…he might have been working with them when those monsters attacked too. If so then…the only reason I'm alive now is because of my powers. My father wants them for himself. And now…because of me…your friends are fighting and there's nothing I can do to stop it. I'm just like them…both of my parents. I'm a monster."

The tears blurred my vision and the sobs I'd held in for so long finally began to escape from the recesses of my soul. "It's not fair that others have to suffer because of me. I should be the one in the World of the Living now and I should be the one fighting against my father. I don't care if he's after me or whatever powers I may have." I cleched my fists, staring down at the ground. This is my burden. None of you should be involved..."

Out of nowhere I feel strong arms wrap around me. The sound of a beating heart suddenly right next to my ear. The world seemed to fade away from me and the only thing I could feel was Ichigo's warm embrace and the genuine sympathy that emanated from deep within his soul. The darkness I felt when I met him faded away, replaced by goodness and light.

Could there be more to him, this substitute Soul Reaper called Ichigo Kurosaki?

"Kiki, there's no reason to carry any burden alone," he stated gently. "You have friends that want to help you now."

I blinked in confusion, breathing slowly as Ichigo's grip barely tightened around me.

"Believe me, I understand what you're going through," he continued. "I know what it means to hate yourself for something you couldn't control."

"How could you know something like that?' I asked, unsure if I should pull away from his grip or not.

His hand weaved through my hair as he pulled me closer to him. "Kiki, it doesn't matter that Aizen is your dad. Who he is has nothing to do with you and the same goes for your mother. You are your own person which means you get to choose who you want to be." He paused for a moment, pulling away a bit so he could look in my eyes. "If it's any consolation to you, I don't think you're a monster. Monsters hold no concern for others and they certainly don't worry about burdening people."

I stared back into his chocolate brown eyes, seeing the kindness in them. It almost made me smile, but the reality of the situation is inescapable.

"I still caused this Ichigo. I just can't stand that there's nothing I can do to help. Still..." I gently pulled away from his grip, still meeting his gaze. There's nothing I can do to stop the attack on Karakura Town and I can't defend it either, but there was someone who could and he was standing in front of me.

"Ichigo Kurosaki, as your captain I command you go to the World of the Living and help your friends."

He smiled. "What about the paperwork?"

"I've been ordered to stay here," I replied, passing by him to take a seat at my desk. "So I'll finish it up."

"Not one to break the rules huh?"

"It's not like I can do anything to help," I told him sternly, glaring back at him. "I haven't been able to tap into my powers since we've arrived."

"What if he begins attacking the Soul Society?"

"I'll manage somehow," I answered, a small smile tugging at the corners of my lips. "After all, since you've been getting to know everyone on the squad and building trust, I'll have something to fall back on, hopefully. The Head Captain is looking out for me too. Go help your friends. They need you right now."

"So do you."

Ichigo sure knew how to be stubborn at the worst of times. Still, it was nice knowing he cared about me to some degree.

"I'll be fine. Please, go and help them Lieutenant Kurosaki."

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever." He turned away then, starting toward the door. "Just try not to get captured. I don't want to have to explain anything to the old man. And don't cry, it's not a good look for you."

I laughed at him. "Are you always this sensitive?"

"Only when I'm in a good mood."

Lifting my gaze I stared at him again. He was smiling as well but I saw that there was concern for me in those eyes of his. He was reluctant to leave my side after my embarrassing display. With a sigh I gestured with my eyes for him to get lost and after a final bit of hesitance he left.

No matter how upset I am right now, my duty as a Soul Reaper comes first. Even if I'm useless to my comrades, I can at least send someone who can help out.

I'm not sure of how strong Ichigo may be, but I have confidence in him. I hope that will be enough.

In Karakura town

"Shiten Koushun!"

As the words were spoken, sparks came out from Orihime Inoue's hairclips. In an instant, an orange, triangular force field stood in front of her, shielding her from the oncoming Arrancar's attack.

The young woman wasn't used to fighting, but after being captured and taken to Hueco Mundo eight months earlier, she'd adapted her ability so that it could use offensive attacks as well as defensive ones. The incantation she had spoken moments ago shielded her, but it also sent out an explosion as it was struck by a zanpakto.

The Arrancar who struck was none other than Esmeralda. She was once a Soul Reaper but her soul had been devoured by a Hollow during a routine attack on Hueco Mundo. Later on though, her soul broke away from the Hollow's. With time she reverted back to her old self except for the half mask she wore on the left side on her face. Her eyes were a crimson red with wavy raven locks that framed her face flowing in the rushing wind. She wore a white t-shirt underneath an emerald green motorcycle jacket and white skinny jeans with white pumps. Most Arrancars and Espada are under a strict 'white only' dress code, but Esmeralda liked to bend the rules by wearing a splash of color.

The only thing that remained from her old life was the zanpakuto in her hands.

"Slice Ravana!" The woman shouted, flinging her sword downward as Orihime put up another shield. The sword itself was made of black steel, it's hilt crimson. On it hung a small Hello Kitty key chain. Though Esmeralda remembered nothing of her old life, she kept the charm on the sword simply because the thought the little kitty was cute. Orihime noted the charm and thought it was adorable too, but she wasn't about to compliment someone who was threatening to kill her.

Upon her command, the Ravana glowed in crimson light, sending out thousands of daggers that went straight for Orihime's shield. The young woman fended off the daggers as best she could, but the Ravana had the keen ability to cut through shields at will no matter how powerful.

When one dagger finally cut through Orihime's shield, the girl had been forced to dunk in order to avoid one that had been aimed at her head.

"Shiten Koushun!" she shouted, trying once again to shield herself, but those daggers kept coming and Orihime could only do so much to defend against them.

Another sharp knife stabbed through her shield and sliced Orihime's cheek. She sunk to her knees for a moment, realizing quickly that her shields were useless against Esmeralda's attacks. She needed another plan of action and fast.

"You were very entertaining," Esmeralda stated, calling off the daggers. They disappeared and the Ravana ceased to glow as the Arrancar sped forward, raising her sword up high.

Orihime had one last trick up her sleeve but she didn't get the chance to use it. A blindingly bright arrow shot through the air at that exact moment, knocking Esmeralda's zanpakuto out of her hands.

"Ouch!" Esmeralda screeched, waving her hand up and down as a bit of steam rose from it. "That was hot!"

A slim figure stepped away from the shadow of a tall building across the street from where Orihime stood. He had short bluish black hair and wore glasses. Behind those glasses were cobalt blue eyes that were angrily peering at Esmeralda. He wore a white suit and carried with him a bow that was in the shape of a spider web.

Orihime sighed in relief. "I'm really glad to see him." She rose up from the ground. "Thanks Uruyu."

"Orihime, you need to be more careful," Uruyu chided, pushing up his glasses to the bridge of his nose. "Don't let your guard down so easily."

"Right," she replied, patting out the wrinkles in her grey skirt. "Sorry."

Esmeralda was still waving her hand from the pain of getting burned by Uruyu's arrow. "That wasn't very nice of your friend little girl. My hand got all burnt up!"

"I'm not going to apologize for it," Uruyu replied, preparing himself to fire more arrows. "Orihime, be sure to keep your guard up."

She nodded and prepared herself as well.

Unfortunately for the two of them, Esmeralda was a bit of a scatterbrain and had somewhat forgotten about them since she was still waving her hand about. A pout was on her face, almost as if she were on the verge of bursting into tears.

"Why won't it stop hurting," she wailed aimlessly. "How am I supposed to have fun when I've got an injury distracting me?"

Both Orihime and Uruyu were a little taken aback. They exchanged a glace and decided they'd both attack while they could.

Uruyu started, shooting out a hundred arrows from his bow. Orihime chanted and then sent out an attack of her own.

Esmeralda sidestepped and jumped into the air in response despite being distracted. With a howl she lunged for Uruyu, grabbing at his collar before she began to slap him around. Uruyu wasn't fantastic when it came to close combat, so he was at a bit of a loss as the crazy Arrancar started beating the crap out of him.

"Why do you insist on being a pest," she shouted as she slapped him across the face. In the next second her hands balled up into fists and she hit him over the head. After that she kicked the poor guy where it really hurts.

Orihime could do little but stare at the madness in front of her with a deadpanned expression. Seconds earlier he had been berating her about keeping her guard up and now he was the one getting beat over the head.

In seconds, Esmeralda had Uruyu pinned on the ground.

"Get off me!" he shouted angrily. "This is undignified!"

Esmeralda gritted her teeth. "Aplogize for your insolence mortal!"

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND!"

"AT LEAST I'M NOT A MEANIE!"

Orihime really couldn't believe that the epic fight scene had been reduced to an argument that was clearly pointless.

Fortunately the crazy moment was interrupted by a blast that came from the palm of the number four Espada, Ulquiorra Schiffer.

Upon seeing the blast headed in their general direction, Uruyu kicked Esmeralda off of him and sprinted out of the way. The blast missed the both of them by mere inches and ended up hitting one of the buildings a few feet away, causing it collapse and burst into flames on impact.

The grey eyes of Orihime Inoue widened in shock as she turned her gaze from where the blast had come from. When she caught sight of Ulquiorra she nearly fell to the ground in surprise. She couldn't understand fathom how he could be standing there. He had died in his battle with Ichigo. She'd watched Ulquiorra disappear in the wind without any trace.

But now he stood a yard away, his palm outstretched and that same stoic expression plastered on his face.

"How…" Orihime wondered, her breathing erratic as worries began to fill her mind.

"Master Ulquiorra!" Esmeralda shouted suddenly, shaking Orihime out of her dazed stupor. "Why did you do that? I was about to nail the Quincy."

Ulquiorra shrugged. "They are of no challenge to us Esmeralda. There's no need to fight them."

Esmeralda pouted and crossed her arms over her chest. "But sir," she drawled, "the Quincy burned me. I can't tolerate insolence like that."

Ulquiorra sighed. "Don't be petty. If you want to beat up the Quincy it'll have to wait until later."

"But I want to get him now!"

"Don't argue with me about it Esmeralda. We have business to attend to."

Uruyu walked over to Orihime's side. "Inoue, I think now is our opportunity to strike. You take on the girl and I'll get Ulquiorra."

Orihime simply nodded and concentrated on an offensive strategy to initiate. Her powers were mostly for defensive measures so attacking was relatively new for her. Even so, she felt prepared enough to take on Esmeralda.

"I don't know how Ulquiorra's alive," she thought. "It doesn't really matter though. Uruyu and I have to stop him regardless. I just hope that Chad and Rukia are faring better than we are. I wish Ichigo were here to help, but he's with Kiki...no, I can't start down that road. The two of them just met. There's no way he could fall in love with her right off the bat. After all, it took him years to realize that he loved Rukia not that it matters now. Clearly she's in love with Renji...oh no...this is not the time to be thinking on matters of the heart. I have to focus on the task of hand and defeat Esmeralda and Ulquiorra whether Ichigo shows up or not."

With that last thought in mind, Orihime rushed toward Esmeralda with no other strategy but to take her down.

"Lord Aizen."

Souske Aizen looked over the inhabitants of Karakura town. He heard the screams of the people as his Arrancars ruthlessly annihilated the mortals. Soon after, many of them became Hollows due to the success of so many of Aizen's Hollowfication experiments. Those same Hollows then rushed to do his bidding by attacking more humans in order to increase their army of Hollows.

As for Aizen himself, he stood atop a skyscraper that overlooked the entire city. Behind him stood one of his subordinates, the former captain of squad nine Kaname Tōsen.

"What is it now Tōsen?"

"We have been unable to track Kikelia Uzumaki," the blind man stated. "It would appear that she is no longer in this town."

Aizen smiled, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Perhaps Urahara intervened. I know that I felt her spiritual pressure here."

Tōsen didn't utter a word.

"We must find her," Aizen continued. "After all, it is because of her powers that any of us are alive now. If we don't apprehend her soon the spell will break and we'll all perish once again." Aizen turned toward his subordinate. "You and I still have things to do and if we manage to get my daughter's power we'll be invincible, immortal."

"Yes sir," Tōsen replied. "Shall I seek out Urahara?"

Aizen's smile widened. "No, I'll be the one to face him. After all, I've been wanting to settle the score with him for quite some time."

A/N: And that's the end of this chapter. Now again, I haven't seen all the episodes of Bleach so some things may differ from the actual storyline. Then again…this is fan fiction so who cares as long as the story is entertaining right? Well, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Please review.