There was nothing inside her head. Minako knew the darkness within her mind would mean that she could think of nothing. Absolutely nothing.

No, that's not exactly true. There was Minako herself and…someone else.

It was a horned creature, looking as though it blended in the background for its body was entirely black. However, its face…

Minako lifted her hand to reach for it, a familiar thrill in her veins. Its energy was stronger here than it had ever been. Her fingers were mere inches from its face when it raised its arm—shaped like a blade—suddenly cracked, baring a pure white arm as fingers wrapped tightly around her wrist. She gasped as the rest of the black skin cracked and fell away, bit by bit, until the face fell away.

The breath was knocked out of her. "White…"

"You stupid, stupid girl," he growled, his grip on her arm tightening, cutting off her circulation to her fingers. "What the hell were you thinking, getting taken like that?"

Minako had expected a possessive fury, even a blow to the face, from him, but that wasn't what she felt. The anger was there, plenty of it, but there was something else, something unfamiliar…

"I did it to protect Orihime," she whispered, lowering her eyes.

His grip on her wrist was bruising and she tried not to wince in pain. "You should have left that to the King! Protecting his friends is his job, not yours!" he snapped viciously. She bit her lip. He didn't understand…

"Ichigo wasn't there for her, White," she mumbled. "I was. I was in that Dangai place with Orihime, on our way home, before we got ambushed. I wasn't just going to take the coward's way out by begging to be spared and leave her there alone!" Minako panted softly from her outburst, feeling her eyes water even as she spoke what was on her mind. If Ichigo was big on protecting his friends, as White claimed, he should have been the one to be by Orihime's side. "Ichigo wasn't there to protect her...so I'm going to do it."

Silence passed between them for the briefest of seconds before Minako felt herself get pushed back. She stumbled, falling on her back, and her eyes clashed with gold. Heat rose in her cheeks as her eyes widened. "W-White! What did you just-"

"Shut up," he bit out shortly, staring her down. "You're just like the King with that type of bullshit. You're protecting someone you barely know and for what? You think they won't hesitate to rip the meat off your bones? They don't need you, princess."

"Are you asking me to abandon Orihime? Let those…Arrancar…do what they will to me before rounding on her?"

She jumped when White slammed a palm down on the other side of her head, clamping her eyes shut. He didn't say anything for a moment, but she sensed the tension radiating off of him.

Then she felt his hand against her face, felt his thumb gently graze her skin. Stunned, she opened her eyes to look at him. This display of gentleness was unlike him and it confused her.

"Tell me where they're keeping you, princess," he breathed, moving his face to hers, their lips centimeters apart. Her heart began to bang in her chest, the sound deafening. "Where did they lock you away?"

"Deep in Las Noches," she whispered past the noise. "How did you get inside my head anyway…?"

He smirked, his hand moving from her face, fingers trailing down her skin. "We've been bonded good and tight, princess. I'm always going to find you," he said, his fingers resting underneath her collarbone, where she was sure he could feel her heart pounding. "I won't let you get away from me."

"Minako-chan?" Orihime's voice broke through Minako's reverie. Minako opened her eyes and looked at Orihime. Her eyes were alight with concern and wonder. "Where did you go, Minako-chan?" she asked.

"In my head," answered Minako, her voice soft. She knew that if White could get that close to her without her going inside Ichigo's soul, then that would mean Ichigo was in Hueco Mundo. She took Orihime by the hand and let the snippets of Orihime's past flow in her mind. Orihime was aware of Minako seeing memories through touch, but allowed the contact. Minako wasn't going to unveil what she saw; she would wait until Orihime trusted her enough to tell her those things when she was ready.

They both jumped when they heard the door to their room open before turning in that direction. Ulquiorra walked in briskly, his demeanor so cold, it was surprising the air didn't freeze. His eyes fell on Minako, who glared at him. "You, girl," he said coldly. "Aizen-sama wishes to have a word with you."

Minako wanted to tell him to go jump in a pool of tar mixed with quicksand, but it would violate their agreement since he only gave her an order that didn't require a response. Aizen had already had two female Arrancar bring Orihime to him not too long ago. Instead, she silently pushed herself to her feet, releasing Orihime's hand, and walked resolutely to Ulquiorra. He turned to lead the way, not showing any form of interest. She wondered if he had the emotional range of an amoeba, as she could barely feel any emotion from him aside from complete loyalty.

The halls stretched endlessly, and Minako could feel nothing but cold energy. Evil was everywhere, corruption everywhere, even in the air. It was suffocating. How could anyone breathe in this place?

Finally, they arrived in the large room where she and Orihime were to "impress" the other Arrancar. Looking at Ulquiorra, whom that one guard in the Dangai called an Arrancar, she wondered what made him so different from a Hollow. A question for another time…she thought.

"Kazuya-san." The voice echoed throughout the room, and Minako raised her eyes to look up at Aizen. He was too high up for her to feel his energy directly from his soul, but he was close enough that she could feel as though she was being drained. "I hope the accommodations for you and Inoue-san are comfortable."

"Yes." Minako didn't dare move, didn't dare show any fear. Although why should she be afraid of this man? "More than I expected for someone who is keeping two teenage girls prisoner, in fact."

"You should watch your tone," Ulquiorra told her but Aizen held up a hand. "It's all right, Ulquiorra. I'm sure Kazuya-san understands the condition of which she was brought here. All things considered, however…"

"However?" Minako asked.

"Your power, Kazuya-san. How long have you had the ability?"

"Since birth."

"And you were aware that you could become a parasite within another's soul?"

Parasite. What a harsh word to use, but so accurate in a way that she couldn't refute. "No, I wasn't. What does that have anything to do with why you have Orihime here?" she snapped.

"It has nothing to do with Inoue-san," Aizen replied calmly, gazing imperiously down at her. "I'm surprised. The Soul Society had made quite sure that those with the Tamashī no Tankyū-Sha were eliminated, as they posed a threat to the peace."

"You sound like you know all about the Soul Society." Minako pushed her energy high to where Aizen sat, trying to be discreet about the barest trace of her power being used. The minute her energy made contact with his, she tried not to recoil. "…You're a Soul Reaper," she answered for herself.

"Smart girl," Aizen murmured. "Yes, I am a Soul Reaper. However, do not think that I am like the other Soul Reapers you've met."

"I've only met at least four Soul Reapers, yourself not counted," Minako replied. "And I can agree with you; you are very different from those Soul Reapers."

Aizen studied her, his expression indifferent. She didn't like being unable to tell even a slight gist of what he could be thinking. It made it that much harder for her to protect Orihime.

"What do you know about the Soul Society, Kazuya-san?" asked Aizen.

Minako bit her tongue before answering. "Not much."

"No one has told you anything before you went with Orihime Inoue?"

"I don't expect them to tell me anything."

"What do you expect, then?"

"Letting Orihime return home would suffice, but seeing as we won't be getting our way."

"Shall I discipline her?" Ulquiorra asked.

"No, Ulquiorra," said Aizen. "The young lady has a right to speak her mind. Take her back to her room."

When Ulquiorra took Minako from Aizen's presence, Aizen rested his chin against his hand. "To think not too long ago, a Soul Reaper with the same power was executed," he murmured.

Ichigo was sure that it couldn't possibly get any more crazy when he, Chad, and Uryu came to Hueco Mundo to be nearly killed by a Hollow who controlled sand and saved by Rukia and Renji and now followed by three Hollows—one of them a tiny Arrancar. But now, it was time to part ways in Las Noches to cover more ground to find Minako and Orihime and he was stuck with Nel. He had already encountered the Privarron Espada, using his Hollow power for only a second, carrying Nel through the halls of Las Noches. Using the power was exhausting for him, something he'd hope to avoid until he reached the Espada to take them down. That's when he felt it. Rukia was in her own battle and he could feel it. She had lost. Rukia…!

"Focus, King! There's a reason we're here."

Shut up!

"Not until you get your head screwed back into place or I'll do it for you."

Ichigo was annoyed with his Hollow. There was only one reason it was being vocal on getting Ichigo's focus back on track. However, Ichigo's concern was to make sure he and his friends are together to return back to the world of the living safely.

In the Soul Society, the captains were gathered. Head Captain Yamamoto grip on his staff was tight. Ukitake was standing forward, his expression solemn. He had explained when the advance team was ordered to return that Minako had gone with Orihime in the Dangai. It left the unanswered question on why a ryoka with no power had even come to the Soul Society.

"Kazuya-san does have a power. My subordinate, Rukia Kuchiki, has told me that Kazuya-san is able to see into souls of other beings, able to even see into their memories," Ukitake reported. "I did not report this at the time due to the fact that we all were concerned on where Orihime Inoue was."

"Do you mean to tell me," boomed Yamamoto, "that the girl has the Tamashī no Tankyū-Sha?"

Ukitake nodded. "Yes, sir."

Yamamoto raised his staff and slammed it onto the floor with a deafening sound. "This is an order for when we infiltrate Hueco Mundo. That girl's power is a threat. She must be executed."

"Head Captain!" Ukitake exclaimed. "She is just a child! She can't control her power!"

"Do you not recall the last Soul Reaper who had the same power as the girl? The Tamashi no Tankyu-Sha had been linked with his zanpakuto. Every battle he fought has caused him to use his power until his mind was lost. He killed his comrades with no regard for his actions, ready to use his power to annihilate the entire Soul Society. He was tried for his crimes and executed." Yamamoto's voice was firm. "Minako Kazuya must be executed."