Chapter 3 - Bells, Carosels, and Time

ptchawoke up, or at least she assumed she had re-attained consciousness. All she could see was black. And it greatly troubled her that shecouldn’t hear anything or touch anything. The only thing sheseemed to be able to do was think. Everything else seemed tounresponsive. She thought she had her eyes open though, but shecouldn’t tell. She tried to curl up in a ball, and she didn’tknow if she had succeeded. She was scared. She wanted to be back inAizen’s care, but Kiptcha knew that shewas doing him a favor as she did this.
Wasshe even alive? Because this could well be what death felt like. She mentally shuddered.
Deathseemed boring, if this was it.
Anotherthing occurred to her. Was she breathing? She couldn’t tell. Shecouldn’t even tell if her body existed, which would explain whethershe was breathing or not. Body = breathing, because of the thoughtprocesses. No body = no breathing, and total confusion. But, withthese thoughts came terror, Kiptcha was totally unused to this newfeeling. Did she exist? Non-existence scared her.
Shecontinued to try to determine if she had a body, but she lapsed intomentally cursing and alternatively pleading Aizen to help her. Shewas lost. Completely lost. She got the idea in her brain that asshe tried to move it would hurt her. But she didn’t even know ifshe existed anymore. Mental tears streamed. Mental screams echoed.
Hermind finally came to the conclusion that this was the doing of theshinigami, and they were the ones to blame. Kiptcha knew she had tomake it through this so she could return and tell Aizen of theirattempts to make her talk. This was interrogation, wasn’t it?
Shesnarled at nothing after a while, except her own helplessness. Butthen it hit her. One of her senses wasn’t taken away. She coulduse her reiatsu to give her mind a crystal clear picture of what wasaround her, since she could still feel it as a presence in her mind. Along with that came Iten, her full hollow form.
Reiatsuburst from her body, and she calculated and she was able to pulleverything into clear focus. She swore mentally, but now that sheknew that thing existed, she could move them if she thought about it.
╞═╡♥ ♥⌠Fuyu⌡♥♥ ╘═══╣‡╞╦═╧╩╤╦╛ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥⌠no⌡♥♥ ♥ ♥ ╘╦╤╩╧═╦╡‡╠═══╛♥ ♥⌠Hanabi⌡♥♥ ╞═╡
Isredellooked sadly at the spectacle set before him. Kiptcha was suspendedin a cylindrical tank filled with a clear, deceiving liquid. Onedrop on any part of your skin could make you believe that thecontaminated area didn’t exist. You couldn’t feel it, and youcouldn’t look at it without averting your eyes away. So beingsuspended in a tank of it meant that all senses were suspended. Atotal vacuum for the mind in every possible way.
Asensory deprivation chamber.
Hefound it disgusting, but slightly amusing at the same time. Kiptchalooked helpless, and panicked. Mayuri had been able to identify thather eyes changed with emotions, and based on heart rate and amount ofthe chemicals in her body, he had identified some of the colorsalready.
Shehad needles and wires connected to her body, all over. This was formonitoring purposes. Chemical levels hinted at emotions that shouldbe present with that level of chemicals, and Mayuri wasn’t wastingthis chance to write down all the colors and record possibilities forlater testing.
Afeather light sigh escaped from Kiptcha’s lips and Isredel turnedagain to watch. Her mouth opened and closed, as if trying to formwords.
“Bastardshinigami. Aizen-sama will be glad to learn of this. Must return .. .”
Isredelstiffened, having a feeling that the shinigami mentioned was himself. He walked closer carefully, eying Kiptcha’s limp body. Her Espadauniform now gently floated in the liquid, and her hair as well. Herexpression was of sadness, and her eyes had flashed to a differentcolor.
“Mayuri,can you identify this color?” Isredel was hopeful, seeing as hethought he might have seen it before.
“Asfar as I can figure, this would appear to be affection, or love. Ihave to clue what has prompted this. Perhaps . . .” He did not endup finishing the statement, however.
Isredelnodded and walked even closer to touch the glass. Kiptcha’s bodyspasmodically twitched, and she seemed to try and reach out.
“Isredel? You’ve got to release the taboo on the information before I cantell you anything. Got to — ” Kiptcha seemed to be panting atthe effort it took to do this, and Isredel vaguely wondered at howshe could do it at all.
“Kiptcha? Can you hear me at all?” No response came. Isredel took this asa negative answer. He felt the amount of reiatsu she was giving off,and a sudden realization hit him. That was how she had calculatedhis movements without seeing them in her fight.
“Isredel. . . has to be a certain shinigami,” she whispered, the soft partsincomprehensible, “ . . . you’re a candidate . . . you must — ”
Shewas cut off sharply with a scream of pain and rage, and she startedcoughing. Blood quickly tainted the liquid red, and Isredel drewback. This was unprecedented.
╞═╡♥ ♥⌠Fuyu⌡♥♥ ╘═══╣‡╞╦═╧╩╤╦╛ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥⌠no⌡♥♥ ♥ ♥ ╘╦╤╩╧═╦╡‡╠═══╛♥ ♥⌠Hanabi⌡♥♥ ╞═╡
Kiptchahad been taken out of the chamber, but she had lost consciousness. However, she had also been strapped to a metal table tightly, and areiatsu limiting collar strapped around her thin neck. She was notgoing to be allowed to try to burst through the bindings.
Thechemical was hard to get off, and they had tried, but the shinigamihad replaced her clothing, as her uniform had absorbed it quite well. She was dressed in a shinigami uniform, and Isredel had wanted tolaugh when he saw it. It was like a puzzle piece that was totallywrong.
Kiptchamoaned lowly, trying to curl. The bindings stopped her easily. Hereyes opened slowly, and she blinked rapidly in the light. She endedup just shutting her eyes again. Needles still poked into her skinand liquids flowed through them into her.
“You’reevil.”
Isredelturned to look at her. “But I’m the only one in Seiretei thatholds even the slightest bit of compassion for you.”
“Hownice,” Kiptcha attempted to snarl, but it came out choked andraspy. She cursed. A whimper followed that, and she lapsed intosilence.
“What’swrong with you? You started coughing up blood earlier.”
“Funnyyou don’t mention that I was in a damn cylindrical fish tank,”she breathed.
Isredelmade no reply concerning hers, and instead, he followed up with a nonsequitur. “I’ll return when you can talk better. I can’t doan interrogation when you can barely talk at all.”
╞═╡♥ ♥⌠Fuyu⌡♥♥ ╘═══╣‡╞╦═╧╩╤╦╛ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥⌠no⌡♥♥ ♥ ♥ ╘╦╤╩╧═╦╡‡╠═══╛♥ ♥⌠Hanabi⌡♥♥ ╞═╡
Naofollowed the grim procession to Grantz’ laboratory. The human wasasleep, but soon enough that would change. She would be screaming. Nao took out her fan and absentmindedly fiddled with it, earningherself a deep cut from one of the embedded blades. She stuck herfinger in her mouth and sowed the fan away. The blood tasteddistinctly coppery, and she found it quite to her liking, likealways.
Theprocession reached its destination, and Nao followed them in. Shedidn’t want to watch it, but she knew that no human would beallowed to keep their powers and life, not after last time, whenOrihime was the center of the problem. Aizen wasn’t going to makethe same mistake twice. She would be molded into a fine, obedientarrancar afterwards.
╞═╡♥ ♥⌠Fuyu⌡♥♥ ╘═══╣‡╞╦═╧╩╤╦╛ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥⌠no⌡♥♥ ♥ ♥ ╘╦╤╩╧═╦╡‡╠═══╛♥ ♥⌠Hanabi⌡♥♥ ╞═╡
Naohad been forced out during the process, and with her two largefelines. She had been confused until she had been told that theywere Kiptcha’s and she was to take them to the proper quarters.
Asmall kitten leapt up suddenly, surprising her. All three hadremnants of masks, but they were all different. And as to why theywere feline in form, Nao had no clue.
“Whereis our mistress?” The black one asked, calming interrupting Nao’sthoughts. She hadn’t known that they could speak at all.
“She’s. . . currently in a bit of trouble.”
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╞═╡♥ ♥⌠Fuyu⌡♥♥ ╘═══╣‡╞╦═╧╩╤╦╛ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥⌠no⌡♥♥ ♥ ♥ ╘╦╤╩╧═╦╡‡╠═══╛♥ ♥⌠Hanabi⌡♥♥ ╞═╡
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Isredelhad returned. Kiptcha’s brain had registered that much, but nomore. She dimly realized that being out of Hueco Mundo for extendedperiods of time could do this to her. Isredel was getting closer. Kiptcha wanted to snarl, but she decided against it. Instead sheopened her eyes to glare at the approaching shinigami.
Isredelstopped and returned the glare. “I’m not here to be a comfort orfriend you know. But it could help. And it would make it a bit lesspainful perhaps.”
“Ifyou accomplish what you came here for, I will hurt. If I manage tostave you off, you will hurt. There is no middle path that wouldsave us both,” Kiptcha said lowly, closing her eyes again. Theroom was tilting. And she felt horrible.
“Wellthen. I’ll have to say that I’m not going to allow the latter.” Isredel smiled inwardly. His victim was already feeling on edge,and that might give him just the opening he was looking for. Hepulled a chair up to the side of the metal table and sat down, withintouching distance.
“Tooclose,” Kiptcha snapped.
Isredelignored the comment. “How did you get your zampaku-to to take theform of a scythe?” he questioned amiably, as if he were commentingon the weather.
Kiptchadid her best to shrug, knowing that if she answered any of hisquestions at all, Aizen’s taboo would kick in again. The copperytaste of blood still resided in her mouth, and she didn’t wantanymore of it. Blood wasn’t the problem. It was pain. Kiptchadespised pain more than losing. More than shinigami.
Thehand that delicately brushed her neck snapped Kiptcha back intofocus. Her eyes opened, and she was shocked to find that Isredel wasactually looking bemusedly down at her. The cold fingertips brushedthe hollow of her throat, and she tensed. Her eyes would be changingcolors, she knew. And she didn’t care. Let Isredel read heremotions if he could.
“You’realarmed.” It was a statement that brought no questions, andshocked Kiptcha enough to make her open her mouth in horror. “ButI’m not going to do anything, unless you refuse to answer me.”
“How—?”
Isredelcut her off with gentle pressure to the side of her neck, activatingthe nerve there and sending shock waves of pain to her brain. “I’llask questions, and you’ll give answers. Understood?”
Kiptchanodded mutely. But she wouldn’t give any answers. Because thatwould bring pain.
“Whywon’t you answer direct questions?”
Kiptchathought about it for a split second before giving an equallyambiguous reply. “Aizen-sama.”
“Whatdoes Aizen have to do with this?”
“Pain.”
Isredelthought about the response he had just gotten. He had unwittinglyplaced her in a position where either outcome would be pain. “Ataboo on anything you say about how things work.” He received anod. He then changed the positioning of his hand slightly, lightlyrubbing the nerve he’d just aggravated. Her response was to relaxslightly, and her eye color changed again. A navy blue color thistime. Isredel didn’t understand however, so he kept quiet.
“Can’tspeak about anything of relevance. This holds true unless – ah –on home soil or — ” Kiptcha was interrupted by a wave of theexcruciating pain she had dreaded. Her head rolled to the side, awayfrom his hand, and blood dripped from the corner of her mouth. Consciousness faded from her eyes quickly.
╞═╡♥ ♥⌠Fuyu⌡♥♥ ╘═══╣‡╞╦═╧╩╤╦╛ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥⌠no⌡♥♥ ♥ ♥ ╘╦╤╩╧═╦╡‡╠═══╛♥ ♥⌠Hanabi⌡♥♥ ╞═╡
WhenKiptcha came to again, she was alone, but in a different situation. She now seemed to be in a white room with no windows or doors. Ontop of that, she was free to move around as she wished, with only thelimiting collar at her neck and a pair of handcuffs chaining her armstogether behind her. They were regular metal though, and she couldfeel them bend ever so slightly when she pulled at them.
Awarm blanket had been thrown over her, and her wounds had beenhealed. Her throat felt better, and with her head. She sat up, thelight blanket that had been thrown over her sliding down a bit. Sheleaned against the wall that the cot was next to, enjoying thefeeling again. She relaxed enough to drift into a fitful sleep,butshe was soon disturbed from it when a door opened in the wall, whereKiptcha had previously thought there to be nothing.
Isredelentered calmly, looking over at Kiptcha evenly. Something stirredinside her, and she looked away, as if she could show normal emotionsso easily. However, the room was dark, and Isredel would have had ahard time figuring out which color her eyes had shifted to.
“Areyou feeling okay, arrancar?” The tone was flat, and devoid of anycompassion.
Kiptchadidn't even bother to look up. She tried to get the blanket backaround her, but without much affect. She sighed in frustration andgave up on the chains that bound her arms. “We're already back toname calling again, are we, Isredel?”
Theshinigami flinched at the use of his name by the enemy, just as shehad suspected he might.
“Whatright do you have to call me by that name, arrancar?”
“AmI not allowed to simply because we're not on even terms right now?”
Asilent stare greeted her comment, but no awkwardness seemed to spreadthough the air. It was more like the weight of guilt that flowedthickly in cold tendrils. “You're going to be in pain no matterwhat, huh?” Isredel asked calmly, trying to break the ice betweenthem on the topic of his interrogation. “You were talking about asecond way to release it — the taboo . . . Could you finish thatstatement?”
Theanswer that came was short and direct. “No.”
Isredelwas shocked at this response, but he didn't move, and instead he saton the bed opposite her own and sighed heavily. “There are ways,aren't there?”
“Yes,but you would have to be out of your mind to actually use them. Theclosest you will get is simply releasing me, as I can be on no use toyou in this state,” Kiptcha said, a resigned chord ringing in hervoice. She slunk back into the black shadows and leaned against thewall.
“Furthermore,I would rather die than betray Aizen-sama.”
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╞═╡♥ ♥⌠Fuyu⌡♥♥ ╘═══╣‡╞╦═╧╩╤╦╛ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥⌠no⌡♥♥ ♥ ♥ ╘╦╤╩╧═╦╡‡╠═══╛♥ ♥⌠Hanabi⌡♥♥ ╞═╡
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Naohad been invited into the throne room for the finalization of thearrancar, but she was already regretting it. And the screams thathad echoed up the silent halls of Las Noches had disturbed hergreatly. The image of a arrancar chained to the floor in front ofAizen did not assuage her doubts about the whole thing.
╞═╡♥ ♥⌠Fuyu⌡♥♥ ╘═══╣‡╞╦═╧╩╤╦╛ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥⌠no⌡♥♥ ♥ ♥ ╘╦╤╩╧═╦╡‡╠═══╛♥ ♥⌠Hanabi⌡♥♥ ╞═╡
Anew arrancar, who had readily claimed the name of 'Katya' now stoodbefore Nao, ready for training. This was an arrancar that would beextremely useful. As was Kiptcha, with her tactics and battle plans. She was very good at estimating others reactions, and she often didwith frightening ability. She also had a tenancy to be overlylogical, and that in itself was dangerous. Then you could go intoher physical abilities, such as being able to sense the out lines ofthings simply by how things reflected her reiatsu.
ButNao wasn't that bad herself. Like Kiptcha, she was extremely strongwilled, as she had to be to be a survivor in the Espada. Her weaponswere fans, one large and the other small. The both had poisonedblades, but the smaller one was capable of launching these thindaggers. They were extremely deadly, because of the poison and heraccuracy. Her release was seldom used, which was commendable, but asKiptcha was feline, Nao was some sort of spiky thing. It was oftenconsidered as a general opinion that Nao was indeed more dangerousthan Kiptcha, just because of a shorter temperament and less analysisof risk. Kiptcha was a safer bet in some ways, just because you knewthat she would leave your head firmly attached unless she had a goodreason otherwise.
Naowasn't known for being so logical and agreeing. She was known forbeing a dangerously moody one to avoid, unless she liked you a bit.
Andright now she was pissed. Because this arrancar, who was clearlybelow her level was daring enough to be cheeky with her, and say thatshe couldn't command her. This one would soon learn.
Naodrew out her smaller fan and she snapped it out, starting to fanherself demurely. “Do you know what happens to those who challengetheir superiors, Katya?”she asked, not ceasing in making the fan seem completely normal andharmless.
“Youwouldn't kill me though, because I'm special to Aizen-sama.”
“Doyou want to try that theory? I'd be more than willing to oblige,”Nao commented dryly, knowing that the genetic mutation that allowedthe power was safely stored away in Grantz' laboratory, just in casesomething happened to this one, and a new one needed to be made.
Katyashivered. “I dare you,” she snidely commented, trying her luck.
Naohad already guessed that this was how it was going to go, and she hadreplaced the poison with a pain inducing neurotoxin, but it wasn'tstrong enough to kill. She flipped her fan closed, lining up thepaper thin blades and arrangement of needles. With a flip of herwrits, she sent one of the small daggers housed inside the fan flyingout.
Bloodbeaded up and rolled down Katya's neck from the wound. Her handflashed up and she removed it. “What is this supposed to do?”she spat vehemently. “Is is supposed to kill me? Because itfailed at that.”
Naosmiled, and she watched silently as light dawned in the youngarrancar's eyes. The pain started at a dull ache, graduallycrescendoing to a searing burn.
“No. I'm not going to kill you. No, not yet. Because we're alreadyhaving so much fun, aren't we?” Nao laughed sadistically. Katyafell to her knees, whimpering.
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╞═╡♥ ♥⌠Fuyu⌡♥♥ ╘═══╣‡╞╦═╧╩╤╦╛ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥⌠no⌡♥♥ ♥ ♥ ╘╦╤╩╧═╦╡‡╠═══╛♥ ♥⌠Hanabi⌡♥♥ ╞═╡
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Kiptchawasn't surprised at Isredel's anger. And the punch that caught herjaw and set it a bit out of joint didn't surprise her in the least. She set her jaw back in place and curled up into a ball, bringing herlegs to her chest.
“You'renot getting anywhere with that way, you do know. Please keep that inmind.” Kiptcha's voice was soft, and she was obviously tired ofhaving to put up with an interrogation. She was still calculatingwhat she should do in this situation, but nothing came to mind.
Isredelsnarled something incomprehensible. “Why did you bother letting mecapture you in the first place?!”
Kiptchalooked calmly at him. “Because I wanted to. And you amused megreatly.”
“Soyou're sitting there just because you want to stare at me?” Isredelasked, his yelling subsiding to the quiet whisper that usually hintedat bad things to come.
“I'manalyzing. Because you are Aizen-sama's successor. And you areinteresting as an individual.”
Isredelstared blankly at Kiptcha as she rose, stretching her legs carefully. She walked a bit closer to him, and she smiled. She was a master ofmasks, but her eye color tended to get in the way of such things.
“Youdon't mean it, so you don't have to smile,” Isredel remarked.
Kiptcha'sface fell quickly, a glare replacing it. “You have no right tosimply come in here and interrogate me though,” she commented inthe same soft, deadly voice. “Because I came to youwith every intention to be captured. And now, since you seem tothink that you're in control here, I'll teach you something.”
Thechains that were wrapped around her hands shattered and dropped tothe ground around her.╞═╡♥ ♥⌠Fuyu⌡♥♥ ╘═══╣‡╞╦═╧╩╤╦╛ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥⌠no⌡♥♥ ♥ ♥ ╘╦╤╩╧═╦╡‡╠═══╛♥ ♥⌠Hanabi⌡♥♥ ╞═╡

Endof Chapter three, entitled “Bells, Carousels, and Time”
Allcredit belongs to Kiptcha, 'cept the whole Bleach thing . . . yeah. Reaad and review please! :D

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