Side notes: Takes place during the Fullbring arc after the war. Don't own Bleach. No pairings since I can't seem to think of any I could jam into this story... :/ I've had this idea in my head for a while and finally decided to go for it. Just another story to update, but it's worth it. Reveiw! I really want to know if I should continue this or not!

It's not true it's not true it's not true it's not true!

She didn't know she could move this fast, given the fact she was the best of the Special Forces. The quick tempo of her feet landing silently on the rooftops matched rhythmically to her heartbeats, the throbbing organ slamming into the cage of her chest. It may have been hard to admit to herself but she was downright terrified, her mind's barriers on the brink of shattering.

It's not true it's not true it's not true it's not true!

There were multiple shouts from behind her, the voices of her pursuers only urging her on. Her torso thrust her forward despite the cramping in her legs, Suzumebachi's chain rattled to an uneven beat against the resisting wind.

It's not true it's not true it's not true it's not true!

Her instinct—or perhaps bad judgment—led her out into the center of a clearing in the forest. Multiple figures dropped from the branches and encircled her, blocking off every exit she went for.

It's not true it's not true it's not true it's not true!

Those multiple shadows were all Yoruichi, her mentor, her friend... They closed in like lions on the hunt, speaking out to her with their voices echoing in unison. "I left you because you were useless. I left you behind because I didn't want you anymore. You were weak, you're still weak, you will never be me; you will never be anything like me. Soifon, you are worthless. Weak. Pathetic. A failure. I can't believe I took you under my wing! You're a disgrace to your family's name!"

Make it stop make it stop make it stop make it stop!

"Stop!" Soifon exclaimed, her spirit energy surging as she tried for Shunko. The white reiatsu wasn't flowing in its usual circular pattern, but instead it was broken, like lightning, and just as unstable. "Go away! It's not true!"

The Yoruichi clones started to laugh in chorus, waves of mocking chuckles like an ocean of torment. "You're weak! So weak and pathetic! You betrayed Soul Society! You obtained the powers of a Hollow and now you deserve to die like one!"

"It was an accident!" Soifon exclaimed. She punched at one Yoruichi as she advanced, but the cat-woman jumped back. A second one dodged Suzumebachi's stinger when it was swung in her direction. "Stop tormenting me!" She was on the verge of screeching, like her cries just weren't loud enough. "Stop!" Her reiatsu exploded and she clutched at her head as it began to spin. "I SAID STOP!"

Now her body felt like flipping inside out as the energy raged out of control. The Yoruichi army shielded themselves from the blast, almost blown off their feet from the sudden eruption. Soifon didn't even realize she was screaming through a newly formed Hollow mask until her reiatsu turned black and red. The burst obliterated the ground within a ten-foot radius of her, leaving a crater deep enough to put a meteor strike to shame.

"SOIFON!" Two larger than normal hands landed on her shoulders, "SOIFON! LISTEN TO MY VOICE!"

It wasn't Yoruichi... so who...? "K-Komamura..." Soifon noticed her voice was gurgling at strange intervals, tainted with a livid emotion. The fear clawed its way into her chest, earning another pulse of power. "STOP! Stop tormenting me, please!"

"Soifon!" Komamura reiterated, "Calm down! You need to listen to my voice! No one is going to hurt you! I'm going to help you, just trust me!" His eyes widened in fear as a mass of white spilled from her mask and dripped down her back in rivulets. The mass lurched, sprouting outwards into a pair of armored wings positioned perfectly on her back. She was turning again, and this time it was worse. "No, Soifon! Listen to me! You need to control it! Fight, Soifon, fight!"

"I..." The mass wrapped around her arms like thin threads and covered both hands in plated armor, stretching into claws. "...CAN'T!" Suzumebachi was engulfed as well, the whiteness replicating her basic form on the other hand. "KILL ME!"

"NO!" Komamura reared his arm back and nailed a solid punch to her face, knocking off half the barely detailed mask. It shattered as soon as it made impact with the deepest part of the crater.

Then, the tornado of red and black vanished, her reiatsu's zealous outburst diminishing on spot. She was heaving now, trying to regain control. Her claws hooked into the break of the mask, tearing it off with ease. Cracks raced up her wings and armor, forming spider webs. The particles fell away, dispersing with the startled breeze that was attempting to settle. Her golden irises faded to gray, the shadows receding from her eyes like scared children. Finally she stared around, realizing the Yoruichi clones really were just the Captains of the Gotei 13. "Oh, no! Not again...!"

"Soifon," Komamura uttered, "It's alright, you're in control for now..."

"What did I do?" Soifon asked abruptly, swaying, "P...Please tell me I didn't... I didn't hurt... anyone..." She collapsed into his open arms, unconscious. He brought her up bridal style, shooting an uneasy stare in the Head Captain's direction.

"What do we do now?" Komamura questioned as he leapt over the crater, landing with a loud thump beside Byakuya.

"This has gotten out of control," Yamamoto seethed, glaring in Mayuri's direction, "You said you would handle this! Either you separate them at once or we'll have to put an end to her!"

Mayuri sighed, "But sir, I need more time!"

"We don't have time, Kurosutchi-Taiichou!" Yamamoto snapped furiously. "You'll just have to make time! Another incident like this and Soifon won't be Soifon anymore! Am I clear?"

"Crystal," Mayuri avowed, quirking an eyebrow at the girl unconscious in Sajin's arms.

If only she hadn't taken that mission… none of this would have happened.

~* Descending Into Darkness *~

Chapter 1: Descent

Second Division Headquarters, Five Days Earlier

"Yoruichi-sama?" Soifon reached out to the presence, "Yoruichi-sama, please… I promise I'll get stronger!"

"Why bother?" Yoruichi hissed, turning away from her, "You were always weak. I'm done with you, Soifon. You were never worth my time. I don't know what I saw in you but I deeply regret it now!"

"N-No, you don't mean that!" Soifon reached for her again, but she was walking away, her hand entwined with a shadow's…

Yoruichi paused, "I meant every word…" and then she was gone.

Soifon jolted upright, tears streaking her face. She glanced at her clock across the room and realized she had fallen asleep at her desk, to her relief only for an hour. Thinking quickly she wiped the wetness away with the backs of her hands just as little Hanatarou Yamada entered. He was carrying blank paperwork in his arms, a stack far too heavy for his small stature. "Good morning Taiichou! I have some paperwork of yours that was mixed up with Unohana-Taiichou's!"

She waved her hand at him, "Just add it to the pile…"

He examined the built up over-due towers of paperwork already balanced skillfully on her desk top, "Which one?"

"I don't know just pick one!" She hadn't meant to snap. This kid was so innocent, loyal, taking orders from everyone regardless of superiority. With this role-model exterior came a sensitive interior, and she flinched in unison with his whimper. "I'm sorry, just place it down there." She gestured to the smallest stack. He placed the papers upon it carefully; she also remembered he was the biggest klutz in Soul Society—his talents matched by only Yachiru—and wasn't surprised when the tower collapsed on him.

He squeaked as he was buried, "Oh, no!" and then instantly got to work picking it all up. "Ah, what do you mean these aren't numbered?"

She sighed, "Seventh seat Hanatarou…"

"Y-Yes, Taiichou?"

"Leave it alone, I'll clean it up."

"Oh, I couldn't possibly let you do that! It's my fault so I sh—"

"Hanatarou?"

"Y-Yes?"

"That was an order."

He stood shakily, beat red with embarrassment. His fingers clutched the hem of his robe, fingering the stitching carelessly, "M-My apologizes, Taiichou, I'll leave right away… b-but can I ask you something before I go?"

His squeaky voice was a little too cute, so she couldn't say no. "Just don't expect an answer."

"O-OK… Why are you crying?"

Not cute enough to get an answer, especially to that question. "It's nothing." She dabbed at her puffy eyes with her sleeve, "Just please leave." He shrugged and started for the door. "Oh, and Hanatarou one more thing…" He glanced over his shoulder at her. "Tell anyone you saw me crying and I will nuke you. Am I clear?"

His face lost color. "Y-Yes, Taiichou…" Then he was gone, fleeing before she could even think about shooting him with anything.

She shuddered against the silence, moving to pick up the mess he had made.

"Soifon-Taiichou!" came that terribly obnoxious voice. She was now meditating on her desk, ignoring the stacks of paperwork that towered a good ten inches above her head, circling around her still form. "SOIFON-TAIICHOU!" Her eyebrow twitched as her blank train of thought was interrupted. WHAM! The door to her office slammed open. "TAIICH—WAH!"

Omaeda Marechiyo swiftly dodged the four knives thrown in his direction. Three impaled the hard-wood of the doorframe but the fourth struck Renji Abarai (who was innocently passing by) in the shoulder. He cried out and dropped to the floor, cringing. "What do you want, Omaeda?"

"Soifon-Taiichou!" Omaeda reiterated, bouncing up to her. He was on the verge of tears himself. "I was casually strolling down the road minding my own business when the squad attacked me! They said you signed me up for a session! What session?"

"The one that keep you on your toes," She answered matter-of-factly, "I do it sometimes, too. I tell the members to spend three weeks randomly popping up and attacking me so I can counter and keep my mind fresh. So, I did the same thing to you."

"Oh..." He seemed to ease up a little, "I get it... Wait, THREE WEEKS?" His plump hands collided with the desk top, scattering papers everywhere, "But Taiichou that's almost a month!"

"Your point?"

Just then a Jigokuchō fluttered in through the open door, landing on Soifon's out-stretched finger. "Good day Soifon, Taiichou of the second division Court Guard Squad and Commander-in-Chief of the Onmitsukidō. Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto-Taiichou has requested that you attend the emergency meeting immediately."

"Will do," Soifon complied. The butterfly detached itself and flapped back out the way it had come in, passing over the fallen Abarai. "I have to go. This mess had better be organized before I get back or I will extend your session for an additional three weeks!" She didn't receive any complaints from the lieutenant and smirked on her trek out the door, stepping carefully over Renji. "Get up, Abarai, you look like an idiot."

"G-Good day, Taiichou!" He muttered, clutching at the blade still wedged in his shoulder.

She ignored him and ventured hastily towards the main tower where she found all the captains except for one already in attendance. It's too early for this, she told herself, taking into consideration she has only slept four hours in the past week (which was a new record, given her past missions that had lasted months), I hope I can get back to meditating soon, otherwise I might pass out from exhaustion.

The final missing member Toshiro Hitsugaya appeared, bowing to the Head Captain. He didn't move to take his spot in line, perking Soifon's interest. "Hitsugaya-Taiichou," Yamamoto boomed, irritating Soifon's ears more than usual, "Report."

"I assigned my lieutenant Rangiku Matsumoto with seven other squad members to scout out the area in Karakura Town that had unusual Hollow activity." Toshiro had a way with explaining things that made them seem very unimportant and highly uninteresting. Soifon yawned quietly behind her hand. "Upon arrival they dealt with one particularly powerful Adjuchas, resulting in five casualties. Matsumoto successfully destroyed it, but then she encountered another Adjuchas, which was much stronger than the first. She retreated after loosing the rest of her team."

"These Hollows must be drawn to an enormous soul," Yamamoto concluded, "That's the only likely excuse for their sudden outbreak in powerful numbers."

"Enormous how?" Juushiro Ukitake questioned, raising his hand slightly for an added 'good student' effect. Soifon rolled her eyes, folding her arms back against her chest. She was tired; her vision was slightly blurred... or crossed? Oh, crap, she couldn't even tell anymore.

"Let's just say…" Yamamoto thought for a moment, "If that soul turns into a Hollow, then a Vasto Lorde, Aizen would bow to its power. This is just a given example, of course. So, I suggest one of you lead a team to take out this Hollow."

"I can do it by myself," Soifon remarked, biting back another yawn.

"I admire your spirit, Soifon-Taiichou," He acceded, "but unfortunately I cannot trust you to get the job done with bags under your eyes. When was the last time you had any rest?"

She ignored the stares of the other Captains and shrugged impassively, "Death in two strikes, remember? It won't matter if I'm tired or not."

"That still does not answer my question."

"Yamamoto-Taiichou I'll be fine," She pressed, "If worse comes to worst I'll just nuke the sucker."

The elder Captain sighed, "We are trying to keep a low profile, Soifon-Taiichou. It is essential we do not obliterate half the town." She gave up finally, bowing her head in submission. "All though, I do see where you are coming from… very well, so long as you do not 'nuke' this Hollow feel free to carry out your assassination as you wish. You are to leave immediately; take Hitsugaya-Taiichou with you. Dismissed."

Soifon was the last one out the door as she always was, meeting Toshiro outside. He had waited patiently for her, a ghost of a smile gracing his lips, "Need some time to prepare?"

"An Assassin is already prepared for anything, Hitsugaya," She dead-panned, "and why so cheery this morning? After your report I'd expect you to be crying in the corner like most kids do."

He snorted, "I'll ignore that last part. I'm not happy, Soifon—in fact, I'm quite pissed off. That Adjuchas is causing far too many problems, and I want it gone more than anything. On a side note, Hinamori is feeling better, especially after…" His voice faltered, "N-Never mind. You probably don't care."

On a normal occasion Soifon would have basely denied this and made a comment to finish his rant, not that she would listen, but this time she wasn't in the mood to make such an effort. "I don't."

"Figures." The Butterfly that had bothered Soifon before appeared, circling around them before flapping off. "Guess that's our cue to leave," He figured, chasing after the insect.

Soifon grunted and followed. So much for getting back to meditating.

Karakura Town, One Hour Later

"I still don't see any sign of it! How about you, Hitsugaya?"

"It's Hitsugaya-Taiichou!"

"What?"

"No! I don't see it!" Toshiro exhaled a sigh of frustration. This was a waste of their time—what if the Hollow was gone already? Then they would have to stay here until it came back. He had no intentions to stick around, especially now that the War was finally over. In the forgotten corner of his mind he wondered how the Kurosaki kid was doing, then shook his head to clear the misty thought. "What do you think we should do?" He called to Soifon standing three buildings away, scanning the town over.

"We could lure it out!" She proposed, jumping over to him. Her footfalls were almost too quiet when she landed, reminding Toshiro that she was an Assassin—if she had a plan it would most likely work, no matter how farfetched it turned out to be. "You distract it, I'll stab it twice and we can go home."

"Uh…" He pondered for a moment, "I don't like the idea of being bait, but I guess we have no choice… So where do we find it?" Soifon's lips pressed into a thin line. "Yeah, I have no clue either."

Like an answered prayer the sky split open to reveal a portal of rippling darkness. A Hollow emerged from the blackness front legs first, followed by a head and then the rest of its torso and abdomen. It resembled a Wasp, its stripes zigzagged and its collar coated in fur; where it lacked yellow it made up for with tainted shades of gray. Its compound eyes gazed upon the town below it, and then its head reared up, unleashing a terrible roar that was unlined with a disembodied scream. Reiatsu crushed down on them, almost bringing Soifon to her knees.

"I guess we found it," She said flatly, unsheathing her sword. "Sting all enemies to death, Suzumebachi!" As her Zanpakuto took form on her hand, she glanced at Hitsugaya preparing Hyorinmaru. "Distract it and I'll go around!"

He nodded once—that was when everything went downhill. First the Hollow spotted them and shrieked, almost disappearing as it sped towards the duo below it. Soifon couldn't even track its movements; it slammed down on Hitsugaya, pinning him with all six legs. She was frozen for a moment, trying to absorb what just happened. It twisted its head in her direction, heated voids burning with lust for promised blood.

Soifon didn't think—she just acted. She appeared above it, launching her arm down in hopes of striking the Hollow's back. Instead it vibrated its wings, a horrible ear-splitting sound like shredding metal on a chalkboard. The captain cried out with white hot pain, covering her ears as she hit the floor. Warmth trickled through her fingers in harmony with the ringing in her head, her screams barely audible.

The buzzing stopped long enough for her to recover her senses. She shot up reflexively, scarcely dodging a cero fired from the beast.

Incapable of hearing now, she lunged for the Hollow with Suzumebachi out stretched. The Hollow was gone again—"SHUNKO!"—and appeared behind her. Raging with energy Soifon was able to track its movements now, rolling to avoid getting jabbed by the monster's stinger. She jumped, spun, and round-house kicked it in the face, sending it sailing into the side of the building across the street.

She kneeled down beside Toshiro, "Get up."

He groaned, struggling to his knees, "Ow… That thing freaking body slammed me!"

A deep red cero was blasted in their direction; Soifon jumped in front of the beam and forced it back with an equally powerful burst from Shunko. The Wasp sped at them again, its wings creating another ear-piercing noise that Soifon was able to ignore, but left Toshiro screaming on the floor. She used Shun-Po to avoid its charge and then decked it in the face with a sucker punch. This time it swerved into the hit, spiraling towards the pavement below. Its wings tilted into the wind current, lifting itself effortlessly into the sky; Soifon wasted no time in making the first move.

She appeared beside the wasp, sinking Suzumebachi's first strike into its chest. It shrieked and swatted her away, slamming her into the rooftop. With a flash of blood the crest spread itself across the beast's chest, waiting for the final blow.

Hitsugaya, head rattling like a child's play thing, slashed at the Hollow but to no avail as it swiftly dodged. He was scratched at, the claw striking his blade and forcing him backwards. He found his footing, preparing to activate Ban Kai—

A shadow zipped right by him in a blur of black and orange, blade flashing under the evening light. Toshiro recognized the figure all too well, yet at the same time he couldn't tell if it was the right person. Ichigo Kurosaki was wearing something weird, like a one-piece uniform with overlapping segments, and he had his sword back… no, not a sword, a knife maybe. Whatever the case, Toshiro was left absolutely bewildered.

"K-Kurosaki!" Toshiro exclaimed in sheer disbelief.

Ichigo brought the blade down on the Hollow's head; he was rejected by its hard-as-steel front legs. When the Hollow moved Ichigo was with it—matching its speed perfectly, maybe even better. Each stroke of his weapon was blocked but came closer to inflicting actual damage on the creature.

Soifon leapt up to Toshiro's height, "Is that Kurosaki?"

"I… don't know…"

The Hollow was being herded back in their direction. Another man rushed by them, pausing only briefly to say, "I'm terribly sorry about him! He just gets ahead of himself!" He tapped his necklace, summoning forth a massive sword. Toshiro and Soifon didn't know how to react. He raced off and joined in the tag-team session with his friend, blocking back attacks instead of really dishing them out for the sake of talking some sense into Ichigo.

"Ichigo you can't just run off in the middle of training!"

"I can do whatever I want to!"

"Oh, don't be so stubborn!"

Ichigo released an orb of dark energy at the Hollow; it was swiftly dodged. "Damn this thing is fast!"

Soifon twitched, "I don't even…" she gave in to the oddness of the situation, since she had faced worse before, charging into the action. In union Ichigo and his friend brought their blades down upon the Hollow, only to have their attacks deflected, but this left a wide enough opening for Soifon to sink Suzumebachi's second strike into her crest.

The Hollow shrieked and forced them back, its body fading into particles. With a quick reaction even Soifon hadn't seen coming the stinger was sunk into her gut. Some kind of energy pulsed through her veins, threatening to shred apart her skin and flip her guts inside out. She didn't scream—she couldn't—she simply watched as the Hollow faded into nothing…

…and then her whole world went—

"SOIFON!"

—black.