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The 11th squad barracks came into view relatively soon. I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat and started making my way forward.

Sajin placed a firm hand on my shoulder and said, "You don't have to go through with this; if I talk to the Captain-commander, Kenpachi will have to leave you alone."

I smiled. "What, you don't have faith in me? I'm hurt," I said, pretending to wipe away a stray tear.

"This is serious; Kenpachi has critically injured people before, just for entertainment," Sajin said; but despite his best efforts, a small smirk formed on his lips. "You know I have faith in you, 3rd seat Osamu," Sajin said.

"Why the sudden cold shoulder?" I asked, smiling.

"I thought it would agitate you," Sajin said simply.

"Ass," I hissed. At that moment, a member of squad 11 came out of the barracks.

The man was completely and totally bald except for his eyebrows. He had red makeup over his eyelids that gave him creepy cat eyes, and he carried himself like an overconfident, cocky bastard.

"I'm Ikkaku Madarame, 3rd seat of squad 11; I am here to escort Captain Komamura and recruit Hiroshi Osamu to the arena." He looked at me from the corner of his eye. "Is this runt Osamu? If so, I have to say I'm kind of happy that we have a squad 4 technician standing by at the moment. He won't last two seconds," Ikkaku said simply, as if he couldn't care less.

Sajin looked like he was ready to say something, but I interrupted.

"Yes, I'm Hiroshi Osamu, 3rd seat of squad 7; and who are you calling runt, chrome dome?" I replied.

"Th-third seat?" Ikkaku stuttered to Sajin, not believing what he heard.

"Yes, Hiroshi Osamu was officially made 3rd seat this morning after his combat evaluation," Sajin said evenly.

Ikkaku looked shocked but nodded his head anyway; then he seemed to remember something, and his face turned a violent shade of red. "WHO ARE YOU CALLING CHROME DOME?!?!?!" he yelled as the insult finally sunk in.

I burst out laughing at that point, which probably wasn't a good idea, considering the circumstances. Ikkaku whipped his Zanpakutõ out and would have given me a nasty cut if I hadn't drawn in time.

Ikkaku smiled then and sheathed his sword. "Good reflexes; that will probably help you out in your fight. You could make a promising fighter for squad 11." Sajin let out a low, almost inaudible growl. Ikkaku seemed to notice, though, and started damage control. "But you are already part of a squad, so I guess we will have to make do without you. We've wasted enough time; we should probably go now. Follow me." Without another word he was off, leaving me and Sajin following him closely.

"I still think we should have just ignored Zaraki," Sajin grumbled beneath his breath.

"Pessimist," I grumbled back.

Sajin decided to ignore the jab and went into his own land of thought.

I shrugged my shoulders and started to observe the barracks. They weren't much different from the Squad 7 barracks, excepting the occasional blood stain on the walls or ground. I tried to ignore those as best I could. Ikkaku kept quiet for the most part, occasionally pointing out things here and there he thought were important.

We finally reached the arena and stopped at the center, where Captain Kenpachi was waiting.

He looked over to us with a murderous grin on his face. "So you came?" he said nonchalantly, standing and dusting off the bottom of his uniform.

"I didn't really have a choice. Not to mention I already said I would, so. . . . ." I trailed off, seeing that he wasn't even really paying attention. "I guess you really don't care, so long as I showed up; do you?" I asked.

He grinned, "Ding-ding, correct. So, the 4th squad is here as you requested, now can we get on with it? I've been waiting for a few days now." Zaraki rasped out the last bit, trying to contain some of his excitement; but failing.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Fair enough, I guess I have kept you waiting." I drew my sword as the final words faded from hearing. I placed my fingers against the blade. "Since you're a captain, I guess holding back would be insulting. Mimic and control, Heiwa-Tekina Kagami!" My fingers ran down the length of the blade as it started to glow copper.

When the glow faded, I was left standing with a sword in either hand. I watched as Sajin walked away, muttering about how he wished I would have just stayed away and let him talk to the Captain-commander.

I put my blades in an 'X' defensive position in front of me. Zaraki drew his blade with a manic grin and muttered something over his shoulder. Yachiru's pink head popped up from nowhere and she skipped over to where Sajin was sitting and smiled at him before sitting down next to him, doing her stone-faced imitation of him.

I laughed a little to myself and then jumped out just in time to avoid being sliced in half by Zaraki's blade. I brought my blades back up and focused on him, inside of the crater from his first attack.

"You should probably pay attention! It won't be much fun if you clock out just because you were distracted," Zaraki laughed, already having fun.

I didn't answer and just put my swords back up. I focused on all of his movements: the way his muscles moved when he dug his sword from the ground, the way his whole body reacted to the added weight of the blade to his body, and the way he walked and balanced himself.

I jumped when I felt my muscles prickling and burning; I looked down and saw my skin rippling like water's surface when someone throws a pebble in.

"What the hell?" I gasped. The sensation stopped just as Zaraki leaped again.

"I said to pay attention!" Zaraki yelled.

Before my mind could really process what was happening, my arm shot up and blocked his strike in mid-air. He looked confused and cocked his head to the side; I saw my chance and attacked. I used my other arm, and I slashed across his left shoulder; nothing happened. My blade just glanced across his skin like it was made of paper.

He laughed and then jumped away. "I'm impressed, you were able to stop my attack with one arm, but that doesn't mean shit if you can't cut me!" Zaraki screamed. "This is going to be very interesting. Don't let up now kid!"

He launched at me again, and just like before, my arm shot up and blocked him before I understood what was happening. This time, the prickling came back and intensified in my arms. I slashed again and this time used more strength. I was rewarded with a small cut down the length of his torso.

Zaraki grunted then jumped to the other side of the arena. "What the hell was that!?" Zaraki laughed.

My body moved on its own accord into a defensive stance. "I don't know," I whispered, awed by the sudden change. Then it hit me like a sack of bricks. I looked at Sajin and his eyes were as wide as mine.

"Upon analysis, we have figured out that his reiryoku is able to change. . ." I said as I remembered the first time that I woke up and had overheard the discussion between Captain Unohana and Sajin.

"So. . ." Yachiru said, biting her finger while thinking. "Hiro can adapt to any environmental or physiological stimuli and use it to enhance his body through hormonal and chemical acceleration."

Sajin and I just stared open mouthed at her; THIS KID WAS A GENIUS!!!!!

She saw me looking and then smiled. "Kenny's still gonna beat you to a pulp though!"

I chuckled awkwardly and then turned my attention back to Zaraki, who was grinning like a madman. What else was new?

"I knew this was going to be entertaining, but now. . ." Zaraki started, reaching for his eye patch, "I can finally cut loose!" He yelled the last bit and ripped off his eye patch and all hell broke loose.

A yellow tidal wave of Reiatsu flooded the arena and then went skyward.

"Launch!" I exclaimed. The black sphere materialized; and soon, the star in the middle shined as bright as the sun. I started freaking out. The sphere couldn't hold anymore, and this guy was still gushing like someone had cut a major artery. I crossed my fingers. "Launch! Launch!" I screamed. Two more black spheres materialized and I felt woozy and light-headed.

The remaining Reiatsu washed over me harmlessly. I breathed a sigh of relief and then pointed at one of the spheres. "Replenish," I whispered, barely holding onto consciousness. A soft line of white light leaked from the sphere and flowed down my blade into my body.

Zaraki stood there and watched. "What the hell is that?" he asked Yachiru.

"Shiny lights!" she cheered.

I was able to stand up now. "That was Heiwa-Tekina Kagami's ability. She took some of your Reiatsu and gave it to me to re-energize me. She has another ability too, you know; she can gather Reiatsu and use it to turn an attack against the person who used it in the first place."

"Sounds boring to be honest," He said.

I raised my left blade at Zaraki. "Daburufurea!"

Two beams of concentrated yellow Reiatsu blasted toward Zaraki. They hit him at the same time, creating a crater around him and a large pillar of light, which flashed up into the sky.

A huge smoke cloud went up; and when it finally went down, I saw Zaraki standing in the middle, eyes closed and murderous smile intact.

His shirt and haori were a pile of ash around him. He was covered in lacerations and burns from head to foot; but he stood there like a rock, then he laughed.

"Damn, kid! I haven't had this much fun since that spiky-haired brat with orange hair came to visit the first time!" He opened his eyes and glared at me menacingly, "How about we finish this now?"

I smiled, ready for anything when I heard a scream. My face lost all color as I recognized the soft echo of Heiwa-Tekina Kagami's voice.

"Hiroshi, I can't stop him!!! I am so sorry," her voice echoed in my head.

I forgot that only I could hear her. "What the hell are you talking about?" I yelled, panicked by the fear in her voice.

"Who are you talking to kid, no one said anything." Zaraki said.

"I'm sorry Hiroshi, he's past me now I'm so," - she was cut off mid sentence.

I listened for a bit, completely forgetting my fight with Zaraki.

A deep, echoing laughter sprung up from the depths of my soul, along with an image; an image of a white mask with blue lines in the shape of cat's face.

"Remember me kid?" a voice like nails on chalkboard asked. "I think I'm going to take control now; see ya later."

I managed to get across one word before I was removed from consciousness; I looked at Sajin with tears in my eyes. "RUN!" I shouted. I crumpled and passed out. The last thing I saw was the look of worry and confusion on Sajin's face.

***Change of View***

Sajin stared in horror as Hiroshi doubled over in pain. The last thing he said still ringing in his ears.

Run. . . Run. . . Run. . . Run like a bad record with a scratch on it.

The member of the fourth squad ran toward Hiroshi, medical kit at the ready. he was halfway there when an echoing laughter filled the arena.

Sajin's ears perked up, and even Zaraki's smile faltered. Every single shinigami knew that sound, most had nightmares about it for years. It was, unmistakably, the mirthless, crazed laughter of a hollow.

The member of the fourth division stopped where he was and stared as Hiroshi started to stand.

Hiroshi kept his head down and faced Zaraki; he raised one of his swords in question.

Zaraki smiled and shrugged, "Let's go!"

He charged and leapt into the air, aiming directly at Hiroshi's head.

Keeping his head down, Hiroshi lifted his blade and caught Zaraki's strike an inch from his face.

Sajin knew something wasn't right; Hiroshi's entire demeanor had changed. He was a lot more predatory and feral.

"You little ant, you think you can touch me!?!" Hiroshi said; only, his voice was different: more distorted, volatile, and overall just plain WRONG!

Zaraki looked at him, slightly put off by the change in attitude. "What, no more honorable titles?"

Hiroshi finally looked up. "Not for shit like you!" he sneered.

Yachiru screamed as she saw the mangled mess of his face. A pulsing, white mass had seeped from his eyes and mouth. His golden eyes had changed into a sickly, yellow hue that spread throughout the entire eye.

Instinctively, Sajin's hand went to Tenken's hilt; reflexively getting ready to slice a hollow in half. He had to remind himself that this was not a mindless beast. This was Hiroshi; HIS Hiroshi.

Sajin stepped up and ran toward the boy. He intercepted an attack coming from the body of his young lover.

"Hiroshi! Stop this foolishness!" Sajin yelled, hoping to get through.

The mask had spread to cover half of Hiroshi's face. Sajin realized that the mask was the same as the hollow from three years ago, the one that had started this whole ordeal.

Hiroshi faltered, his whole body seized up and he was still, as if in stasis.

A crack sounded out over the arena, and suddenly a portion of the mask turned to dust. Hiroshi's eyes returned to normal, and he went limp.

Sajin caught him and stared. Just then Hiroshi started to stir.

"Sajin, what the hell is happening?" Hiroshi whispered in horror, tears running down the half of his face the mask hadn't covered.

Sajin's heart squeezed. Hiroshi was in agony and terrified, and he had no idea what to do. He started to rub the back of Hiroshi's head gently, as if he were a newborn.

"I don't know how to help you. This isn't something I can help you with; you have to fight. Fight tooth and nail and don't let go!" Sajin growled the last bit, terrified that he would be alone again. "You can't let go." Sajin repeated the last four words multiple times, like a mantra. He was shaking as he watched Hiroshi's eyes shift from molten gold to a puss-like yellow. He had never felt that kind of emotion. He had always made sure to be calm and poised. He couldn't let people's assumptions of him being an animal be right, but this was different, this was like someone pulling at every individual heartstring he had.

Hiroshi closed his eyes as he started to shake with panic and rage. "Get away from me!" He yelled as he began clawing and ripping the mask away. His nails cracked and blood ran down his fingers as he pulled the mask away chip by chip. With a flash of dark light the mask evaporated in a black mist. Hiroshi slumped forward, unconscious.

***Change of view***

I opened my eyes and saw Sajin staring down at me.

I was about to ask what happened when I remembered.

Tears started to fill my eyes, and I cried, burying my face in Sajin's chest.

He held me close to him and whispered in my ear, "It'll be okay now; you're safe now."

I looked up at him, trying not to start crying again. He cupped my cheek and gently kissed me, not caring that Zaraki was only a few feet away.

"I promise everything will be okay now," Sajin said after breaking the kiss.

"Well, that's not something you see every day," Zaraki piped up.

Sajin whirled around and picked up Zaraki with one hand, using the other to hold Tenken at his throat. "If you dare speak about this to anyone, i will rip you limb from limb; starting with that tongue you love to use so much," Sajin growled in Zaraki's face, murder in his eyes.

Zaraki wasn't even fazed, "I have no interest in your love affairs, bastard wolf. I only care about the rush of good fighting; this isn't even worth remembering," he said, looking bored.

Sajin put him down on the ground and came back to me.

Zaraki and Yachiru started walking off. "Thank you!" I called after Zaraki. He just shrugged and kept on going.

Sajin scooped me up in his arms and rushed me to the fourth division's barracks. We made it there in record time; and Sajin burst in, Calling for Captain Unohana.

She came immediately and saw me, the easy smile now gone from her face as she went straight to business. She asked what had happened in full detail. Once Sajin got to the part of the mask spewing from my mouth, she stopped him and took us to her office.

Ten minutes later, I was sitting next to Sajin as Captain Unohana finished her analysis. She took a tissue sample and sent it to the 12th division for further diagnosis.

When all that was done, she took a deep breath and began an explanation. "You both are aware that there are two ways to become a hollow, correct?" she asked.

Sajin nodded, but I shook my head no. "I thought only those eaten by hollows became hollows themselves."

She smiled and nodded. "That is normally the case, yes; but there is a second process by which in can occur. This process is called Encroachment." She looked at me to make sure I was following. "Encroachment begins when the chain of fate is severed and a person dies. Depending on the concentration of their reiryoku and reiatsu, it can be as fast as 72 hours before the process is complete or it can take months or even years to complete. Encroachment is when the soul starts feeding on its own reserves in order to sustain itself in the world of the living, since there is next to no atmospheric reiatsu. When this process is complete, a soul becomes a hollow, no different from any other. I believe a slightly altered version of that same process is taking place within you." Despite the sweet smile of sympathy I received from her, I still felt sick.

"I'm turning into a hollow?" I asked, breathless.

Sajin gripped my hand firmly in his for support.

Captain Unohana took note of this but didn't say anything. Instead, she answered my question. "Yes and no. Normally, you should turn into a hollow; but recently, with the winter war, a new fact came to light. Some shinigami were able to stop the progression. They called themselves visored, though they required the aid of the H?gyoku created by Urahara. Your abilities probably let you adapt to Hollowfication before it can destroy you, but there is still a hollow inside of you. It will take control unless you can conquer it." Unohana finished explaining.

"So. . ." I started out, thinking carefully, "I'm turning into a hollow, only not completely yet. There is a hollow inside of me that is trying to take control and complete the Hollowfication, but killing me would kill it as well. I need to somehow conquer it or extract it from myself." I finished, letting out a cliche sigh of exasperation. "So basically, I'm royally fucked," I whispered under my breath, not knowing if the others could hear me.

Sajin gripped my hand again and smiled weakly at me. "It will be fine. We will find a way to get you through this," he said gently.

"I find that hard to believe at the moment," I said.

"Don't be a pessimist," he joked somberly.

I couldn't help but smile. "I'm not, I'm being realistic." I replied, chuckling lightly at the role reversal. He chuckled as well.

"Actually, I may know a way that you can deal with the hollow," Unohana piped up.

I jumped at the chance, "Really?"

"Yes, there was a young man who was in a similar, if not exactly the same, situation you are in. I was able to talk to him, and he informed me of a particular training he did to negate his hollow influence," Unohana informed.

"Are you referring to Ichigo Kurosaki?" Sajin asked.

"I am. He told me that he spent time with the visored and took care of his hollow side. Unfortunately, there is a very good chance that Hiroshi may die if this happens," Unohana said, the gentle smile gone from her features now.

I felt a pit form in my stomach. "What would I have to do?" I asked, fighting the bile rising in my throat.

"Hiroshi, you don't have to do this. We could find another way," Sajin said, squeezing my hand even tighter.

I looked down at my now purple fingers and wanted to cry. "I need to get it out as soon as possible; you don't understand," I looked up at Sajin. "It's like being a prisoner in your own body. I was going to keep going until I killed him, and after that I would have just kept going and going until someone would kill me. I don't want to ever feel like that again." I jumped as something hit me, "That was exactly the way I felt when I was fighting Shinta."

I started to shake as I remembered what I had done and finally made the connection. This thing inside of me had a lot more influence than I knew. I thought back to the night of the party and remembered how I almost ripped that girl's arm off.

"We need to start right away," I said, on the verge of a panic attack.

Captain Unohana looked understanding, but confused.

"This thing has already taken control at least two other times," I explained, "every time, its influence gets stronger and more violent. Next time, I will kill someone. I know it." I finished the last bit with an undying certainty.

"Very well then, we will begin it in a week; that will give me the time to gather who I will need," Unohana said, already making a list of whom to inform.

"Make sure you put Captain Kurotsuchi's name on that list," I whispered.

Captain Unohana nodded once and added another name before sending for a hell butterfly.

Sajin looked at me quizzically.

"As much as I hate the guy, he will probably be able to give us a more informed observation; not to mention, he would have no problem killing me if I were to lose control again," I told him.

Sajin looked concerned but said nothing as Captain Unohana gave me and him the all-clear to leave, with specific instructions for me not to be near any stressful situations.

We nodded our thanks and started walking back to the seventh division's barracks.

***Change of View***

The hollow Hiroshi had heard the entire conversation and was now laughing to himself in the peaceful little world of Hiroshi's soul.

The little runt was going to come and play with him. "This could be fun!" he said to no one in particular.

"Who are you?" The woman asked again for the millionth time. He despised her, and he already promised himself she would be one of the first to go after he obliterated Hiroshi Osamu.

"I told you before, I am Hiroshi; his better part anyway," The hollow version replied to the unanswered question.

The woman let out a sigh and then retreated into the recesses of her little dwellings.

One week, he thought to himself, and then it would all be over.

He started laughing again, throwing his voice skyward in hope that the real Hiroshi would hear it.

"Don't keep me waiting too long," he said as he too vanished into the darkness that had begun to pool in the young man's soul.