Chapter Text
How long has it been? This darkness that envelops you. It's raging deep within your soul, threatening to spill out and take control.
Strapped against the wall, your eyes shoot open. You try to move, but the restraints on your wrists and ankles refrain you from escaping. The Kido used on the seal was of high grade. You hummed, taking in your surroundings. A few feet to your right, your zanpakuto floated in all its glory. Of course they had separated you from your weapon. How wise, you note. Besides that, everything was pitch black. The floor, the walls, the ceiling. Nothing but the light of the restraints illuminated the dark void of oblivion you stood in.
You bite back a growl. The memories of before flooding your vision.
Without haste, you slowly released a tiny portion of your spiritual pressure. Sure enough, it had done well to break the seal. “Pathetic.” You mutter, voice hoarse, throat dry and aching for but a drop of water. They put no effort into actually sealing you. You wonder if they’d done it on purpose.
Dropping slowly onto the dark floor, your knees shook beneath you as you straightened to walk. Having sensed your spiritual pressure, your zanpakuto flew into your hands. You flex your arm, stretching it outward to greet its hilt, relishing the sensation of the familiar material. Quickly, you slip it into the obi of your shihakusho as you venture further.
You hissed, taking the soreness of your body as you flash stepped into the opposite part of the room. There stood a subtle, yet noticeable silhouette of two massive doors, presumably the only way in and out. You drag your hand along its surface, feeling the presence of guards stationed on the other side.
The doors were thick and heavy. Flash stepping outside of it wouldn’t be possible, but breaking it down would alert the entirety of the Seireitei. Having no other choice, you release a larger portion of your spiritual pressure, drawing your zanpakuto and slashing the doors open with one strike. For a moment, the guards were utterly bamboozled. The sight of you standing before them made them fall under your spiritual pressure. You did not have time to fight them.
And so, you flash stepped. Speeding through the guards like the furious blow of wind. If it wasn’t for your overwhelmingly sharp spiritual pressure, you could have escaped without anyone noticing. You ran and ran, navigating through Muken’s long corridors, searching for a way out. But of course, as soon as you escape, a flurry of shinigami swarms you. It shouldn’t have surprised you, but you were already having trouble staying upright that it would be worrisome for you to engage in combat.
“Freeze!” One of the shinigami says, pointing their sword at you. You hiss as they surround you, but you know all too well that they’re afraid to approach further. They were trembling in your presence. Obviously, your spiritual pressure could take them all out if you wanted to, but it is not a fight that you seek.
Standing upright, you grip on your sword’s hilt. “I do not want any trouble. If you lead me to the exit, you will all remain unscathed.” You propose, forcing a glare to those around you.
“Nonsense! You are a criminal!” Someone says behind you.
“Don’t be so full of yourself!” Another follows up.
You sigh. Criminal, they say, but you’ve done not a single crime. At least, not when you had control over your own body. What information were they feeding these lowly shinigami, anyways? They were but to underestimate your capabilities. Despite having slept for 200 years, your spiritual pressure only grew. If anything, they should be thankful for your consideration regarding their lives.
Truly, they cannot be serious.
“You will guide me to the exit. If not, it is off with your heads.” An empty threat. You knew you weren’t capable of killing for the sake of killing. A moment passed by and you grew irritated at the lack of response. Huffing in annoyance, they all stilled as a powerful wave of spiritual pressure spilled out of you. Seriously, even the slightest hint of irritation causes your spiritual pressure to slip.
With yet another sigh, you take their freezing states as an opportunity to flash step away from your current predicament. Slowly, but surely, they started running back towards you. But you were way too fast for their reach. And so, you lost them.
You fled through streams of stairs, running through Muken’s long corridors, and crashing into endless amounts of doors. Soon enough, you found your way to the top.
You pushed the doors aside with a thud. You wince as you hear the hinge creak. Outside, you were greeted by the strong, blinding rays of sun, high up in the blue sky of the Soul Society. The relief that washed over you was brief as the glares and worrisome faces of what seemed like the Gotei 13 captains stood before you.
You gulped, gripping your zanpakuto tight. You were in no condition to fight. Especially when your legs threaten to dip.
“It seems that you have awakened.” A soft voice breaks the silence. You turn your head, the voice all too familiar as your heart drops. At the farthest side, you spot the same white locks you admired, the same smile that welcomed you, the same person that guided you. “Juushirou?!” You call out, voice cracking as you cough. Struggling to stand, you lean on the wall behind you for support. Your throat was so dry, and speaking was becoming a difficulty.
“Hey now, I’m here too.” A deep voice interjects, standing beside Ukitake as they approach you.
You freeze in place. Their gazes are soft, almost too soft for compliance. Their heights towered over you, basking you in shade. Surely, they had grown tall in comparison to you.
“Welcome back, _____-san.” Ukitake smiles, extending his own hand outward to help you steady yourself.
This got you confused. How come they aren’t attacking you?
You sheathe your blade as Kyouraku hums behind Ukitake. “It has been a while since our last encounter, but your appearance hasn’t changed a single bit.” He points out, earning a chuckle from Ukitake. “She was frozen with those binds, I guess it only makes sense for her to stop aging.” Ukitake inputs as he offers you a cup of water brought by two shinigami with troubled faces.
As you down the cup entirely, you wonder how long it has actually been. The men in front of you looked different from their past selves, and there were captains at the back who you did not recognize.
“How… How long have I been asleep?” You break out, standing upright as you take in the scenery around you.
“You were asleep for 200 years, _____-san. Your body is in terrible condition, and yet you still managed to escape.” A calm female voice stretched through, and you recognized that pitch immediately. “U-Unohana-san…” You waver. “Stay still.” She instructs as a tall girl with white hair stands behind her. Hastily, she runs toward you, raising her hands as a familiar glow of green erupted from her palms. Healing Kido—you recognize.
“Wait, wait, wait! Why are you guys tending me?” You stand back as the green glow faded. Confusion and irritation clouding your thoughts. They all just stared at you. Kyouraku snuck a glance towards Ukitake as he nodded.
“We further analyzed your situation after you were sealed in Muken. It seemed as if you were under the influence of something we could not quite point out. After you had merged with your zanpakuto, Squad Zero mentioned a change in your behaviour. Your eyes would lose their humanity, and you would go feral. Your spiritual pressure changed, a clear intent to kill radiating off of you.
“After those… episodes, you would pass out, forgetting the events that occurred while you were under the influence.” Ukitake explains, pacing through every word.
I already know about that. You can’t help but mutter to yourself.
“When we found you not guilty and responsible for the damage you had caused, it had already been too late. You were already put to sleep. So, we had no choice but to wait for you to awaken.” Kyouraku shrugged, crossing his arms as he dipped his straw hat.
Unohana clears her throat, “ _____-san, if that is alright with you, we would like to examine your condition.” Her voice was low and hesitant, as if asking a sensitive question.
You eye her expectedly. You were bound to receive this question. The way they spoke was apparent, a clear hint of hesitancy dancing through their words. But you knew the Fourth wasn’t capable of doing the needed tests. You wondered how they plan to ‘examine’ you.
“Examine my condition? Since when was the Gotei 13 capable of such tests?” You questioned.
“Since me.” An unfamiliar voice rang. You looked behind Unohana to find a strange looking individual approaching. He had a grin plastered on his white and black face, blue hair in a weird hairstyle, golden… rings(?) covering his ears. He almost looked… robotic, to say the least. Amusing.
“There he is.” Kyouraku exhales, turning to face the approaching captain.
Ukitake hums. “_____-san, this is Captain Kurotsuchi. He is the captain of the 12th division and the president of the Shinigami Research and Development Institute.”
Shinigami Research and Development Institute? A new department under the Gotei 13, you presume. As Kurotsuchi stands before you, you open your mouth to greet him, but before the words escape your lips, he dips over you, eyeing you closely. You swallow. “Pleasure… to meet you?” Weirdo, you thought. He was all over your personal space. His eyes wide as he meets your gaze before clicking his tongue and retreating.
“Skip the formalities.” He says, tapping his long fingers against the hilt of his zanpakuto. “I am here to experiment on you.”