Chapter 12

The arrival at the prison was not a pretty one. The gate had dropped the new captain off a good 18 kilometers off of where the prison was and therefore he had to be escorted by the subordinates to the actual location itself. The gates did indeed need a large amount of reiatsu to open which left Renji drained and slightly breathless before they swung open. Preparing for combat, the shinigami drew their zanpakutos and prepared for the conflict that was to come. However, they found the gloom to be deafening, and the hall abandoned. The hollows that had been here, had apparently left days before they're arrival. Orders were barked through the crew as they began to explore the new territory.

Renji was prepared for the gasps and retching that followed. What he had not been prepared for, was the massive scale that the prison entailed. Everywhere, stacked from wall to wall were cages holding dead of dying hollows. It was disgusting, the putrid stench of torture and death hung through the air. The new 6th division captain was beginning to feel dizzy before a shout brought him slamming back to earth.

"ABARAI-TAICHO!!" A young recruitment came barreling through the hallway, grabbing onto Renji's haori, too out of it to realize that it was disrespectful to a Captain not that Renji cared, and began to drag him running to the end of a huge white hallway. At the end, there was one solid white door with another heavy reiatsu seal on it. Renji grimaced before taking a deep breath and telling the other member to quickly run and fetch two fourth squad members on hand. The run recruit took off running again and returned with three. A smile of thanks to the mousy man, he nodded before placing his hands once more on the door. The draining effect was immediate and Renji felt the room swirl around him. He collapsed onto his knees, panting and immediately the fourth squad was there, restoring even just a little bit of his reiatsu. The red head nodded to the small team that had now assembled, ready to go into the room and the door was kicked open. The squad stormed into the room, but the smell hit them first, causing everyone to reel back.

"Oh god," Brown eyes blinked to meet the horrified gaze of a healer. Gathering his wits, and forcing himself to his feet, the tattooed red head stumbled into the room, haori covering his nose, blanching visibly at smell.

"Is there anyone in here?" There was no reply.

"Is there anyone here at all?" A slight rattling came from the back corner. Renji whirled and headed towards that direction again.

"Are you there?"

A soft choke came from the corner again, followed by more rattling. "Hado no san jyuu ichi, Shakkaho," Renji muttered, allowing the red blast to form in his hands, but keeping his already weak energy at stable level so the cannon acted more as a light. Thank the captain requirements pushing to get him to master Kidou a lot better than he had at the academy.

"Is anyone there?" The light shown onto the floor and the site nearly made the captain reel back. The floor was coated with blood, some still fresh while others had dried and caked themselves to the floor.

"It's too bright," came a whispered voice from the same corner. The red head followed the light, forced laughing that now echoed through the empty room.

"Abari-taicho?" a fourth division girl had entered in as well but a quickly held up head, stopped her in her tracks.

"It's not beautiful to intrude, even if you have visiting rights." Blank purple eyes started through long, matted, blue violet hair.

"Oh god."

Chains crisscrossing bare, pale flesh that now, was coated with grime, blood, and a substance that Renji had to bite back bile as he stepped forward. One think black collar encircled the delicate neck as the captain lifted the chin of the victim.

"Captain does suit you, Renji."

"Yumichika."

"Long time no see right?" With that, the entire prison erupted in activity.

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How much longer does he have to stay here? There was pain, god, was there so much pain. He wanted it to end, wished it would end, but he would still not scream. Part of it was because he couldn't. The other part was that, he's screamed so much, he probably wouldn't even have a voice for screaming anymore. The barbaric grunts were in front of him and behind him. He couldn't breath. How much longer? How much longer would be have to be here?

"God I'm going to miss him." A snarl seethed. He whimpered. No more, no more, what had he done to deserve this? The rattling was too loud, the pain was too much. He let the hand and the red hair to once more take him to peace.