A Means to an End ((private))

Nikitio arrived in the Soul Society. The gate would be open long enough for the students and Adam to get in. Any other captain would have checked on his subordinate. They would have rushed to the 4th Division. They would have cared. Nikitio didn't. He wasn't other captains. He wasn't one to care. Hayashi brought about his own doom. He would suffer the consequences now and later. Nikitio was going to make sure of that. It was not even a question. There was no doubt in his mind. He was going to make Hayashi pay. He left in a fight. He was injured, yes. That is no excuse though. There was a medic on the field. He was in the middle of a fight. If you are fighting, you fight to the death. You will go down taking as many enemies as you can with you. Hayashi would learn this one way or another.

His face was emotionless as he walked through the Seireitei. He had stopped bleeding. Several 4th Division Shinigami approached him though. They asked him if he wanted to see his Lieutenant. Nikitio said no. They would ask again. He would say no. They would ask why. And he would say because. Eventually they left him again. They came back again later on. They asked if he needed assistance. He said no. They asked if he was sure. He said yes. They said fine. Nikitio said whatever. He was in no mood for them. He would see their barracks later on. Nikitio had some place to be.

His eyes were glossed over with apathy. His motions were relaxed. His voice was flat. You wouldn't ever know something was wrong. This was how he always was. This was Nikitio. He was who he was. On the outside this was him. He was cold. He was heartless. He was insensitive. He was cruel. He was apathetic. He was a 2nd Division Captain. On the inside there wasn't much of a change. There was just him. There was just Nikitio. He was who he was. He didn't feel he owed anyone an explanation. He didn't need to explain anything. Nikitio wasn't as prideful as most though. He was not cocky. He was not someone who saw himself as a god. He saw himself as a human. He was capable of making mistakes. He was not perfect. He was human. He was a human who had powers. That was all he was. He believed in himself though to an extent.

Something was not right. That small part of Adam. It just wasn't right. It was off. He needed to know something. He continued walking. While he walked he checked himself. He knew physically he was fine. It was his reiatsu he checked. It was his reiatsu he was worried about. He looked himself over. He looked up and down it. He couldn't find it. He seemed fine. He was moving though. When you were moving it was harder to sense things in others. It was harder still to find them in yourself. Especially if it was this small. Nikitio sighed inwardly. Outwardly he just walked in his barracks. He was greeted by a few of his squad members. They welcomed him back. He nodded his thanks. They knew better than to ask foolish questions. What is a foolish question? Questions like: "Are you okay?" or "What happened?" Both questions were obvious. He was clearly fine. He was walking. He was alive. He was breathing. He wasn't at the 4th Division. There was a Hollow attack. Duh.

Nikitio walked into his office. He changed out of his clothes and looked at himself naked in the mirror. He could see his battle wounds. He had a small claw mark on his chest. Across his stomach was a single lined mark from one of the Vasto Lordes. It wasn't deep at all. It was actually pretty shallow. Nikitio could see the exit wound from the Espada's sword. He frowned at it. It was annoying. He turned around. Save a few scars from his past life, he only had one battle wound. The entry point of the blade. Nikitio scowled at it. He grabbed his haori from the mirror. He put it on, and a pair of pure black pants. That was all he wore. His Zanpakutos were on his wrists as well, hidden as usual. Nikitio went out into his main office area. He sat down at his desk. He reached into his desk. His hand came out wielding some documents. These documents were kept in a black folder with red writing. The writing said "Hollowfication". His mind drifted back to when he first uncovered these documents.

It was a dark night outside. They had all just come back from a large Hollow battle. Everyone was at a bar celebrating, as Nikitio had ordered. He was a hard captain to deal with at times. He was not illogical though. And he did have a heart. Nikitio wasn't one for drinking. He also wasn't one for parties. He would much rather spend time alone reading a book. As usual he was checking up on his history. Nikitio was a firm believer in knowledge is power. Every little thing you knew helped. Even if it seemed unimportant. It was still one thing you knew, that someone else didn't. One thing you could use that someone else couldn't. Nikitio followed this belief to the letter. Tonight he was laying on his bed. His stomach touched the soft silk sheets. His legs were in the air. There were three piles of folders surrounding him. He was reading the History of the Soul Society, and the battle of Captain Aizen and one Ichigo Kurosaki. Not much was there on Kurosaki, however.

Nikitio was no fool. He knew that there was plenty on this man. So why wasn't it there? Simple. Central 46 didn't want anyone to know. What were they hiding? There had to be something. Central 46 was good. They were really good. 46 people making a cover-up. That meant that there were not a lot of times you'd find something they would miss. They didn't count on someone like him though. Nikitio was a snoop. He loved to know things. He loved to be informed. In the Rukongai, he was a trafficker of information. He could tell you what was going on in the district twenty districts down, or twenty up. He knew more than he should have. But he knew all the same. He would find out what was missing here. Things just didn't add up. He seemed to have so much power. Why was that? There was no given reason for it. It was just there. Nikitio was perplexed. He took down every enemy. He pushed through every wall. How? What was his secret? What was the Soul Society's secret?

Ichigo Kurosaki was a unique individual. There were many many reasons for his uniqueness. His main thing is that his father was a rather important captain. A Captain who joined Division 0. That Division was built up of all Captains. The best of the best went there. Nikitio couldn't care less about going there though. He enjoyed his 2nd Division position. Besides, Division 0 saw no action. The second unique feature about this Shinigami was that he was a Substitute Shinigami. That was against the law, but this Rukia woman was allowed to live. The final most interesting thing was that he had a constant release type this hinted a lot at his reiatsu levels. Constant release types belonged to those with too much reiatsu to control. Nikitio's zanpakuto was rare as well. The story behind it was different though.

He flipped through the reports of Ichigo. None of this added up. He was like a one man army. But how? He had no formal training. He was just a man. He was of incredibly strength and will though. Nikitio sighed and suffered from a muscle spasm in his arm. This caused him to knock over some folders. Nikitio swore and reached down. "What the..." He frowned. He missed one. He picked them all up. He held a black one in his hand though. He had never seen this before. Certainly it was misplaced here. The archive of the Soul Society is incredibly large though. Nikitio just grabbed a few files. He looked at it closely. There was red writing on it. It was written in a cypher though. Nikitio spent an hour decoding it. After it was said and done it spelled one word. Hollowfication.

Nikitio had never heard of this. He had no idea what Hollowfication was, or what it did. He opened the file and placed it on top of the Ichigo file. He flipped through it all. His eyes widened at it. He was amazed at everything he saw. This was incredible. He had never imagined it was truly possible for Shinigami to gain Hollow powers. It is forbidden of course, but he thought it was just precautions. He looked up. He felt someone was here. "So...I see you have found a rather dark secret of the Shinigami. Yes. It is quiet possible for you or any Shinigami to gain Hollow powers. Doing such would vastly increase your strength. Can you fit the pieces together now?" Karasu stood before Nikitio. He wore his standard outfit. Black shirt. Black pants. Black boots. Chains on his wrists. Chains on his ankles. Chain on his waist. Chain on his neck. There was an X on his cheek. There were two more on his hands. "You knew about this?"

Karasu shrugged. "I knew not of this Kurosaki. I knew of Hollowfication though. I know that it is possible. And I know how to do it. Tell you how, I will not. Do not ask." Karasu faded from view. Nikitio sighed and rolled his eyes. That was Karasu for you. Just a well of information. Nikitio went back to the folder. It spoke of masks. It spoke of power. It spoke of the dual energy they possessed. It told of how come they are so much more powerful than normal Shinigami. Nikitio was interested in this. He now knew this was how Ichigo did it. Nikitio sighed and closed the folders. He knew enough for now.

Nikitio shook his head. He looked at the door. He closed the folder. It was there for Adam. Not to give to him. It was for them to speak about. He closed his eyes for a moment. He checked his reiatsu over again. This time was very much different. He opened his eyes. His face was glossed over with apathy. Nikitio waited for Adam to come see him.

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Adam was walking back towards his barracks. He had something he needed to do. Something he had to talk about. Well what his captain wanted to talk. Adam didn't care though. He was just following orders. Adam didn't know why his captain wanted to talk. He was a little confused. His captain seemed a little worried. It wasn't the first time he'd heard his captain a little worried. It did bother him. He was worried about something else. It wasn't Adam's well being. He couldn't care less about that. It was something more. It was something that hollow did. The one that stabbed him. It was all too weird to him. He didn't know what was happening. Adam didn't even want to. He'd would rather stay where he is now. But there was something inside of him. Something that was pushing him. It was truly bothersome. Adam didn't show any of this though. He just kept his emotionless face. Which was normal. He'd only ever change around the two students he had met during their battle. That battle. It was hell. They were all so close to death. It was amazing how hard they fought though. They were up against millions of hollows. They most likely killed a million. It looked that way anyways. It even felt that way. Adam shook his head. He quickly removed all these questions.

Adam soon arrived at his distination. It was his captains office. Once again he was summoned. He was needed. Or was he. What did his captain want. Did he want to point out all his failure. Was it because of how many times he was injured. Adam knew he was just following orders. Adam felt so bad. He didn't show this though. Only his emotionless and uncaring face was showing. It told anyone who was looking at it to piss off. He didn't need anyone reading his mind. He didn't even want his captain to. He had just to many things to worry about. He didn't need to worry about what Adam was thinking. Adam closed his eyes. He then knocked twice on the door. His eyes remained closed until he heard a reply. Each knock was loud enough to be heard inside the room. Adam hoped it would be ok if he remained in his Bankai state. If he didn't. Well Adam would most likely black out. Adam knew he was allowed in. He was told to after all. Once Adam had entered the room he closed the door behind him. He then took a seat in front of his captain's desk. But before doing so he bowed saying. "Captain forgive my entrance." He then focused on his captain.

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Nikitio looked at the man as he entered. He didn't care that he had just walked in. Nikitio had told him to meet him here after all. He acknowledged his apology with a nod of his head though. He didn't care that he was in his Bankai state. That was most likely his worse experience with Hollow. It was quite possible that it was his only one to date as well. Nikitio's blue eyes followed his every movement. He was wearing his mask of apathy. He waited for Adam to sit down. When he did, he closed his eyes. Where was he to start? He didn't even know. This was not a little thing. This was huge. This was incredibly large. Larger than both of them, and it would change them forever. Whether this was good or bad had yet to be determined. He settled on a question for the male. "How do you feel?"

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Adam looked at his captain as he asked him how he felt. Adam shrugged. He didn't really know. He felt fine as of right now. He just didn't know if he would be ok in the long run. When he is done with Bankai. For now Adam was not to worried. "I'm feeling fine. I have to ask. Why was I summoned?" Adam asked. His face still emotionless. He didn't know the answer that would come. He only hoped it would be good. He didn't need more bad news like before. He was really quite tired. He had fought off a good couple million hollow. He was also stabbed. Twice. Not once. Twice. Adam knew he'd be ok. In the mean time however he was focusing on here. He wanted to know why he was summoned. He didn't care what the answer was. As long as he got one.

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"In due time. How do you feel? Really think about it. Has anything unusual happened to you since the attack? Or do you feel unusual?" Nikitio wasn't going to speak any information aloud until he was positive that he knew everything he could about Adam's current state. Such a thing was not to be toyed with. He wanted to make sure that he was giving out vital information. He didn't want to give out false fear. He didn't want to list trivial information. Few things could be trivial here. Like the ways this event can occur. Nikitio's face remained stoic. He was, as usual, unreadable.

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Adam was a little taken back. He hadn't expected his captain to ask it. Adam felt the area he was stabbed in. He began to remember the feeling he got when he was stabbed. It wasn't the pain. It was something different. Something he hadn't felt before. It felt as if something was place into him. Something like this was a bit funny. He wondered it he would be considered a bit not right in the head. Adam ignored his feelings. "I felt odd... I still feel odd. It was as if something had entered me. Not the blade. But that Espada's power. A fraction of it though. I didn't think anything of it. Should I worry captain?" Adam explained. He was telling the truth. Plus he could still feel it. Even though it was a small fraction. Nothing more. So far he hadn't really worried about it.

Adam closed his eyes then rested his head against the chair. This was his first time actually getting some rest. He'd been fighting those hollow for a good few hours. He was also wounded. He'd need to go to 4th division after to get healed up. He was going to need it. Even though he didn't want it. Adam soon re-opened his eyes then focused on his captain. He was now waiting for his answer.

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Nikitio opened the black folder on his desk. He took out a pen and jotted down some quick notes as Adam spoke. Afterwards he remained quiet. He didn't look at Adam. His eyes were focused on the paper on his desk. What was to be done? What could he do? How do you tell someone so new to the game that they might have already lost? Nikitio looked back up at Adam. He eyes were a pale blue. They were so soft, and adorable. The one trait many men have made fun of him for. His eyes were, from their perspective, too feminine. Nikitio adored his eyes though. It was just one more lie that was spoken to others. The feminine look of his eyes made him seem weak. Nobody was alive to tell you he was weak though. "You have just achieved Bankai. Congratulations are in order. First for your work on the field. You did exceptionally well. Try to hold back that anger and blood lust I saw in the beginning though. Other than that you did wonderful. I couldn't have asked for better. And do not worry about getting stabbed. I was not disappointed as you may have thought. 2nd Division is known for it's agility, speed, and stealth. All of which will grow with time. This was, I am assuming, your first Hollow attack. It was an incredibly nasty one at that. Usually we will have upwards of three squads to handle such a thing. We are not gods though. We can bleed. And wounds will occur in the field. The best thing you can do is to ignore the pain. As my Zanjutsu teacher told me: Pain is the ultimate enemy."

He sighed and looked at Adam again. "What if I told you you had a shot at more power? At power beyond your wildest dreams."

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Adam looked at his captain as he spoke. He was a bit uneasy with things. Those things being what he was saying. It was wierd. Another way to get power? Could there be such a way? No. Even if how? All these questions floated around in his head. Adam continued to listen. He was unsure of what to say. He was more so stunned. It first started out with him getting praised for his efforts. His prowess on in the battle. That and his newly acquired power. Bankai. Bankai was something he wasn't really expecting to get. Not him anyways. He thought the two students would has achived this before he did. Guess not. He did want more power. He needed it. At least thats what he thought. He believed he needed it. He wanted to protect the two students. He was even willing to give his life. So long as they were safe.

Adam quickly removed all those thoughts from his head. He began to focus more on now. He was interested with what his captain had to say. It sounded as if he could get more power. To protect. He wanted nothing more. He needed to protect the ones he loved. He didn't want to see anything bad happen. Not again. He saw to much already. He watched his family. His friends. Plus someone who was like a father to him die. It would rip Adam apart. If one more person he cared about died. He'd most likely blame it on himself. He needed to be strong. He wanted to. He was done. He was done being the weak one. He needed power. No matter what. He would get it. He was no longer going to rely on anyone else. He was going to make it the other way round. He was going to become stronger. One way or another. Even if it meant losing part of his humanity. It was needed. Everone he cared for needed it. They needed his help. For now they did. He wanted to end their sufferings. He wanted to see them live. He wanted them to smile. No matter what he was going to see them smile. Even if it meant him dying. He was going to protect everyone. He was going to. With or without their consent. He needed to. He felt it was his duty. Even if they said it wasn't. He still believed it was.

Adam looked down for a second. He then closed his eyes. He needed to think. "How can I achive more power? If I can, I know what I'll use it for. I want more power. I have to protect. I don't care if it means me losing part of my humanity. I just don't want anyone else being like me. Not again..." Adam replied. He then raised his head to face his captain. Then he opened this eyes. "Captain. I'm ready for anything. I'm ready to fight. I don't want to stand by anymore. Things need to change." Adam said. He was ready now. He was ready for what his captain was going to throw at him. He knew a question would be asked. Adam just wanted to say the answer now. No more. No more waiting. He was going to follow his captain. He was ready for anything now. More than ever was he. Adam just hoped this was the answer. The answer both he and his captain was looking for.

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Nikitio sighed. Adam was still so young. He wished to protect people. Such was the way of the Shinigami. Nikitio didn't want Adam to desire to protect people. From such a desire, disappointment or a sense of failure is born. From such a desire, you can fight for the wrong reasons. Vengeance can become revenge. Helping can become mindless killing. Nikitio wanted Adam to fight to save himself first, and others second. The onmitsukido was the last division to join if you wanted to run around saving lives. He didn't mention that though. He merely slid the Hollowfication file to Adam. "For the record. You have never seen this file. You will never speak of it. You won't even think about it.


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Things were starting to get a bit better. Adam knew it. He felt it. Just there was something out of place. Adam looked at his captain. He looked like he was thinking about something. Something about him. Something he had to know. No. He didn't need to know. He wouldn't need that knowledge. He would find out later. He didn't need to worry. Not about that. Not now. Not yet. Not until he was sure. Sure he needed to know. Even if he wasn't certain. He would get it. He had a funny feeling. Adam was guessing it was about his division choice. He may have joined the wrong division. No. That wasn't the case. He knew he could do things if he was with 2nd. There were things he could only do in 2nd. Powers he could only get with 2nd. All the other divisions were weak. In his eyes anyways. He needed to be with second. Even if his captain didn't think so. He did. He didn't care what his captain though. Not anymore. Well not about the division choice anyways. He just wanted to put that at rest. He didn't need to know. It wasn't needed. He knew everything. Everything about what he was going to get himself into. He wasn't going to follow some other path. Only his own. He would follow his own. Even if it lead to his death. He didn't care. He wouldn't let anything stop him. He was needed. He was loved. Once again he was. He had three people he considered to be his family. The captain was one of them. He was like a brother to Adam. In a sense he had just taught him what he needed. What he needed to survive. Survive in battle. Adam already knew he didn't need feelings. He would let his feeling get in the way. Not again. He was going to keep a cool head. He didn't need to worry. Not anymore.

Once his captain slid the file over to Adam, he picked it up. Adam opened it. He then began to read the contents. It opened his eyes. That much was for sure. Adam continued to read the file. It had different kinds of information. Vizards? That word stood out. It was weird. They were not really shinigami. They also were not Hollows. They were inbetween. This file gave an example of their power. It truly did give Adam a weird feeling. It had a lot of information about one man. Ichigo. Adam didn't know a lot of this. Just bits and pieces. Which he heard outside in the city of SS. Adam continued to read the file. It was all interesting. It gave a lot of detail. Sadly in some parts it didn't. There was a lot that seemed. Well, as if someone had erased it. It wasn't much of a shock to him though. He knew there was a lot of things that were hidden. More than he knew. Things he wished he could see. Even if it was for a minute. Soon Adam was done reading it. All of it. Once he had closed it he placed it on his captains desk. Adam then slid it back to his captain. "What file? I don't remember ever seeing anything like a file." Adam finished. He knew what would happen if he talked about this. He also knew this would cost him his life. Even his captains. Adam would just act like he would. Adam then faced his captain. "Is there anything else I'm to know?" Adam asked. Adam kept his emotionless face on the whole time.

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Nikitio took the file. He opened it and sighed. He was slightly annoyed. He had spent days decoding this file. All of it was in a cypher. It was all in code. Nobody wanted him to know this. They didn't want ANYONE to know about this. He looked at Adam. They were starting this path together. They would be enemies to the Soul Society now. Nikitio clipped the folder shut. He wrapped a cord around the folder. It was a fairly thin cord. He would destroy it later. The Seki stone of the Soul Society prevented him from casting any kido. He looked at Adam as he questioned him about there being anything about a file. "Don't know what you are talking about, Adam. I never mentioned a file." He thought about the second question. What was there to talk about? How do you explain to someone that they are a potential enemy to their homeland? "You may be infected. When you walk around people, keep your spiritual pressure low. As long as you are who you are now, a Shinigami, the Hollow reiatsu will not be stronger. As time goes on, it will be stronger and less noticeable. Even now I can sense it in you as it grows. It grows as we speak, and at quite an amazing rate. I never thought it could have. I will have to do more research on this. I will call upon you when I sufficient information. There is something I read a few days ago, I wish to look into more. After I do, you and I will take a little trip. Until then do as I have said. Keep your reiatsu low. Avoid all fights. And most importantly, keep your emotions under control. The more wild they go, the quicker this process becomes. You may or may not come out of this alive, as you just read."

Nikitio looked at the clock and sighed. It was getting fairly late. He had one more thing to do before he began to study up on an ex-division member. He looked at Adam. "I must tend to Vice-Captain Hayashi. You are welcome to join if you wish. I can promise you it won't be pretty though." He put the Vizard file away in a secret compartment in his desk drawer. He waited for Adam to say if he was going to accompany him or not before he left.

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Adam watched as his captain began to think. Adam knew what he was getting into. He knew the risks involved. He was ready. Even if no one thought so. He knew. It was his own path. No one elses. It was his to travel alone. He was doing this for the sake of his new friends. His family. He was ready for anything, and anyone. "Don't worry Captain. I'll keep low. I'll avoid fights. I will also continue to act as a shinigami." Adam replied.

Adam then looked to the ground. Then back up at his captain. "I needed to go to 4th anyways. Sure I'll come along... I'll leave first." Adam said as he got up from his seat. Once at the door, he opened it. After he was outside he waited for his captain.


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"Very well." Nikitio stood. He walked past the full body mirror and glanced at himself for a moment. He sighed on the inside. What was going to happen to him and Adam? No. He could not think about such things. Important things were about to happen. Things that would affect many lives, and might make him an enemy or two. Such was not a worry. You'd always have enemies. Nikitio walked out of his office and looked at Adam. "You've proven yourself a worthy member of this division. We're alike in many many ways, Adam. We are both without families. We are both cold as a winter blizzard. And yet we are still able to feel. Showing emotions is not an option for us. You're like a brother to me. And like brothers we shall live. And like brothers we shall die. If you watch my back, I'll watch yours." He whispered all of this in a hushed tone that only he would hear. Nikitio flashed a rare warm smile at Adam and used shunpo.

::EXIT::
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Adam looked at his captain. Once he was out Adam felt a sense of relief. He had someone else who was in his situation. Adam knew the two of them would have to work together. It would be the only way to achive anything. If they didn't SS would kill them. No mercy would be given to them. It wasn't needed. Once Adam was about to head towards 4th he heard his captains words. A brother? Yes that was what Adam thought of him as well. He was right. On many things. They were alike in many ways. They are both without families. They are both cold as a winter blizzard. And yet they could still have the ability to feel. Showing emotions is not an option for them, that was true. If they did. Well then they'd soon die. Adam knew emotion would only lead to weakness. He only had feelings for the two students and his captain who was like a brother to him. Adam would supress this however. He'd not let anyone know. His captain already knew. Adam also saw the smile. It was the first kind one he'd ever seen. Adam nodded his head. Soon he followed his captain. They were going to pay 4th a visit.

Exit------4th division

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