Shh, don't tell anyone, I'm a closet Szayel fan! Words in italics are Nemu's thoughts/Nemu's POV, by the way. I'm not a fan of 1st person normally, so this only constitues some sections. There are also a few sections written in Mayuri's POV (sections from his diary/records). Yes, this story involves some lovely torture, be warned. Also, in this story, Szayel has his hollow hole in his stomach, Grimmjow style, and his tattoo on his shoulder. I know they are not really there, although not a clue where they really are! Anything remotely scientific sounding is made-up nonsense, and I apologise to anyone who knows anything about science in advance! I just picked up a few sciencey sounding words from my boyfriend who IS a scientist, unlike me!

"I think you might enjoy this one", the 11th division group leader said, gesturing to the rest of the team to carry the limp man into the room, dumping his body on one of the metal tables that littered Kurotsuchi's lab.

The 12th division taichou's eyes widened with interest. He surveyed the body in front of him. Lean and athletic with pink hair and glasses, dressed in a torn, white uniform. But what drew Mayuri's attention was not the man's unusual sense of style, but rather the neat, round hole in his stomach, and the number 8 tattooed on his right shoulder. An espada. The scientist smiled to himself. "Yes, this specimen looks to be most satisfactory", he said, licking his lips slightly with anticipation.

-

Szayel woke up and immediately wished that he hadn't. The environment was familiar. Bright metal implements gleamed in the cold light, clinically clean steel operating tables stood in neat rows, and a selection of vials, glasses, syringes and various bottled chemicals lined the shelves and surfaces. What was rather less familiar was his position within this envrionment. The octava espada was somewhat more accustomed to being the one standing over the dissection table than being the one lying on it.

"Oh, so you're awake I see".

Szayel looked up to see the grinning face of the strangely made-up shinigami scientist looking down at him. He struggled to remember what had happened and how he had gotten here. He didn't have much time to deliberate, however. He quickly noticed that the shinigami above him was holiding a rather terrifyingly sharp scalpel.

"Now my research has told me all about your hierro", Mayuri commented, matter of factly, "but fortunately for us, all my tools are enhanced with kidou, so I should have no trouble whatsoever in cutting through you." An evil smile spread across the scientist's lips, revealing his somewhat terrifying gold plated teeth. "Now, this will hurt", he said, gleefully. "Rather a lot. But then, you're only an espada, so no one cares how much I make you suffer. That's nice, isn't it".

Szayel winced involuntarily. He had conducted enough of his own "experiments" to be painfully aware of the irony of the situation. He hadn't thought much about carving up the bodies of his subjects, dead or alive, conscious or not, and he shouldn't really have expected any different treatment from this shinigami.

Kurotsuchi cut into Szayel without any sort of anaesthetic whatsoever. The pain was even worse than the octava had imagined. He gritted his teeth, clenched his fists and panted with the pain. Sweat poured down the pale espada's chest and face.

"Oh?", Kurotsuchi mused, "not enjoying this, espada?"

Szayel couldn't form any coherent words. He merely turned his head away so he didn't have to look at what Mayuri was doing to him. He tried his hardest to put up with the shinigami's ministrations, but the pain was too much for him to stand. He writhed and thrashed, desperately trying to break free of the bonds that were holding him in place.

"Hmm", Mayuri muttered in annoyance, "now, we can't have you squirming about like that, you'll ruin my examination. If you move any more I will have to give you a special drug that will stop you moving. Won't stop you feeling every little cut I make in your body though", he said, gleefully. Szayel let out what could best be described as a whimper. He was breathing hard, his heart pounding, his vision blurring, agony flooding through his whole body. Kurotsuchi just smiled and hummed to himself as he carried on cutting into the espada's body.

The screams that came from Kurotsuchi-taichou's lab were nothing new. Since these particular screams happened to be coming from an espada, sympathy levels were even lower than usual. Szayel wasn't even aware of the fact he was screaming, but he was. Unfortunately for him, espada don't really pass out from pain, so no matter what the taichou did to him, he was still completely conscious of every cut.

Mayuri grinned manically with delight. Espada were one of the most fascinating species he had had the pleasure of conducting research into. One of the first things he had wondered about was their hollow holes. What he could do to them and how they would react. As it turned out, hollow holes were very sensitive. Every cut Mayuri made in the skin around it would cause the pink haired espada to moan aloud with pain, biting the back of his hand, sweat pouring down his face.

-

I first caught sight of the pink haired espada when I was on the way to bring my father some papers he had requested from the records department. He was being kept in a small cell just off the main lab in the 12th division headquarters. Same as any prisoner or research subject. I remembered seeing him a few weeks before, in Hueco Mundo, fighting against the quincy boy, Ishida. His fighting style was graceful and controlled, but lacking in some of the pure strength and aggression that I have observed in the other espada. Notably the blue haired one, and the one with the eyepatch. Perhaps they don't think as much about how they fight, it just comes down to raw aggression and instinct. They fight for fun and for the simple pleasure of proving their superiority over an opponent.

But now he no longer has any of that feline grace and strength. He is curled up on the floor of the cell, his arms wrapped around his body, lying in the fetal position. He has been stripped to the waist, as is usual with research subjects and I can see the many scars across his skin. I don't know what my father wants from him. Perhaps just to find out more about the anatomy of these elite hollow. It is not my place to ask my father questions, he surely knows far better than I ever could, and he certainly has his own plans and intentions, which I probably couldn't understand.

Mayuri was in his office. Like all the captains of the thirteen divisions, he had a small office, just off the main research department. He was sat at his desk, poring intently over a large stack of papers and documents, cross referencing them with a large pile of various books. He didn't even notice when Nemu pushed open the door and walked in, carrying the papers he had asked her to bring, he was so immersed in his research. He muttered something to himself under his breath, making notes and entering data into the computer which stood on the desk next to him.

"Father...", Nemu said quietly, tentatively.

Mayuri jumped slightly before looking up at her with marked annoyance. "Didn't I tell you to knock before you just barge in here, you stupid girl. I am in the middle of an important project, get out of my way."

"Yes father", the fukutaichou replied, politely, "I have just come to bring you the experimental records you requested". She handed over the file, bowing her head respectfully, then turned to leave the office.

Mayuri's eyebrows raised again, his interest piqued. He had forgotten about this particular file. It detailed certain experiments which had been conducted by his predecessor. Experiments which had been rather carefully concealed from the rest of the Gotei 13. This would provide the additional detail which he needed in order to carry out his current project.

Meanwhile, Nemu walked quietly back to her quarters. She was a good girl, almost blindly obedient to her father. She certainly would never have intentionally looked at his private files or documents. It had just so happened that while she was searching for the file, she had looked at the front page, just to check she was picking up the right file. She hadn't spent any time looking at it, or reading it, but she had caught sight of the words "reverse hollowification", and skimmed her eyes across details of past experiments, and the data relating to this. But what had caught her eye had in fact been the pictures accompanying the data. Various hollows, in various stages of dissection, others who appeared to have been successfully or at least semi successfully converted back into their human form. However, none of them had survived. Perhaps her father was trying to repeat these experiments. Perhaps he could even improve on them, successfully turn a hollow back into its human form.

Mayuri read and reread the document. He pondered the experiments for hours on end. None of the previous experimental subjects had survived. This didn't bother him at all, if a few or even a few hundred hollows were mutilated and killed, it was no loss to him. The same applied to his current test subject. This pink espada meant nothing to him. He could use it in any way he wished and terminate it's life whenever he tired of experimenting on it. However, espada were not easy to come by. In fact, this would almost certainly be the only one he ever had the pleasure of researching. So, it would be a shame to kill it so early on. There were still a good dozen or so tests he wished to carry out. However, none were quite as interesting to him as this particular project. Perhaps it could be possible to revert hollows to their original form, stop them from killing and turn them back into the people they once were. However, there was no altruistic motivation behind Mayuri's interest in the project. It was purely a scientific project to him, although the more difficult and ground breaking the research was, the more he was determined to be able to be the one to complete it. Of course he didn't care how much pain and suffering he caused to this espada, but it would be a shame if he wasted it. Nonetheless, his hopes of carrying out the experiment successfully were perhaps increased by the fact that this was an espada, an elite hollow, part of Aizen's army. If anyone had a chance of surviving the experiements, it would be him, Mayuri mused to himself.

I take the needle in my hand, and kneel down next to the limp body of the espada. I am a little surprised that father has entrusted any part of his beloved project to me, but the drug needs to be administered at frequent intervals and father does not have time to administer every dose himself. The espada was groggy and only semi conscious when I came into the room. He offers little to no resistance as I take the needle to the crook of his arm at the inner side of his elbow and inject the drug. However I was not prepared for his reaction. Moments after the drug was injected, the espada bends double, moaning out loud with pain. He wraps his arms around his stomach, clutching at his hollow hole as if it is causing him extreme pain. For a few moments I feel somewhat sorry for him. Yes he is essentially evil, and not human, but there is a part of me that hates to see any sort of creature in such pain. That said, my father's wishes are far more important than the welfare of a hollow, so I don't dwell on the thought for long. Nonetheless, I remain in the cell for another 20 minutes, watching the creature writhe and groan. I wonder what effect the drug is having on his body to cause such effects. Father has not even officially told me what the drug is for, but I know what he is trying to do. I wonder for a moment whether or not it is cruel to conduct such experiments, but nonetheless, I am interested to see the results.

Szayel had no idea what they were injecting him with, but he did know that it was incredibly painful. Most of the pain seemed to centre around his hollow hole, it burned as if he had had acid thrown over his skin, but the pain radiated throughout the whole of his abdomen, causing him to bend over, clutching his stomach with both hands, sweat pouring down his face and chest, a low, guttural moan of agony emanating from deep within him, a moan that was almost like the howl of a wounded animal.

Three days after Nemu had first injected Szayel with the drug, she noticed that now, when she came into the room holding a needle, the espada would cringe away from her in terror. By now he was looking seriously ill. He had lost weight since he had been captured, his skin was pale and tinged with grey, his hair lank and his eyes glazed and half closed. The espada gasped helplessly as she injected the next dose of the drug. He was no longer screaming with pain, merely curling up in the fetal position, panting slightly, silent tears trickling down his face. However, the second thing she noticed, after the state that the hollow was in, was the fact that the hole in his stomach was noticably smaller than it was last time. It was shrinking, closing up as if it were a wound.

The drug must be working. I am half fascinated by the results of this experiment, but for some reason, seeing the hollow's helplessness and fear affects me a little. I know I should do as father does, and see these creatures merely as test subjects, but sometimes I can't help feeling a strange sense of empathy and even pity. I sit with the creature for a good half hour, trying to comfort it. I don't really have much knowledge of how to comfort someone, but I try to say some soothing words and tell it that things will be ok. I don't know if my words had any effect, but perhaps my voice was comforting to it. Of course, things probably won't be ok, but isn't that what people do? They lie to make other people feel better. I have never understood it, but it seems like the right thing to do in this sort of situation.

Mayuri sat at his desk, entering some of the new data into his computer. He looked down at his diary and continued to to write: October 27th: The drug appears to be working well. So far, all the readings follow the same pattern as in the data from the past experiments. The heart rate and blood pressure are dropping, there is a 15% reduction in levels of adrenaline and ATP, 22% reduction in neurotransmitter activity. I need to run a series of blood tests to measure the change in other chemicals in the bloodstream. The hollow hole has closed up significantly, which is an interesting development. Presumably there will be some significant internal changes, which I will only be able to ascertain by dissecting the hollow after the experiment is complete. At this stage it is uncertain whether or not the subject will survive the procedure. I will continue to record all data possible on the hollow's statistics and condition. Within a few days it should become clear whether or not the project has been successful.

Szayel had hoped the pain would lessen with time, but unfortunately for him, every injection brought with it fresh waves of intolerable agony. What was even worse for him, was the fact that with each coming day he had slightly less of a grip on reality. He was beginning to have visions and flashbacks, his thoughts were blurred and incoherent, his memories were fading and his ability to process what was going on around him was gradually lessening. He had totally lost track of how long Kurotsuchi had been keeping him in his lab, and of how long he had been undergoing this particular treatment. He had no idea whatsoever what Kurotsuchi was trying to do to him. Whether there was an objective, or whether the sadistic captain merely wished to invent new and more potent ways of making him suffer. He sometimes wondered to himself whether Kurotsuchi was simply searching for his weak points, trying to make him crack and beg for mercy. But hang on, that couldn't be it. He had already begged for mercy, countless times in his pain-induced delirium. One thing was for certain, he wasn't getting out of there. The shinigami captain seemed to be using methods of torture aimed specifically at hollows, that much was certain. This puzzled Szayel. Despite his pain, disorientation and exhaustion, he still had a curious, scientific mind, which was trying to figure out the rationale of what the scientist was doing. What would he be doing in Mayuri's place? He couldn't answer that question, because the only thing he could think of was that he wanted to find some way to cause the shinigami the same level of agony that he had caused him.

However, Szayel didn't have very much more time at all to ponder such questions. With every passing day, his memories, thoughts and awareness became dimmer and dimmer. Soon, the hollow, Szayel Aporro Grantz's consciousness was simply erased forever.

The hollow is lying on the floor of the cell. The hole in his stomach has closed up completely by now. This raises the question of whether or not he even is a hollow any more. That isn't important right now though. What is important at this moment is simply seeing whether or not the espada is still alive. I poke him gently with my foot. A groan emanates from the thin body. So he is alive then. Perhaps this means that my father's experiment is a success? What could this even mean? I am suddenly somewhat frightened to touch the creature. However, I need to find out what state he is in. I kneel down next to him and turn him onto his back.

"Can you hear me?", Nemu asked, simply. The espada groaned again. "Hello? Wake up."

The espada opened his eyes and looked up at the fukutaichou with fear in his eyes. "Who are you?", he stammered.

"I am Kurotsuchi Nemu, 12th division fukutaichou, daughter of Kurotsuchi Mayuri, 12th division taichou and head of this research department", she stated. "Pleased to meet you", she added, as an incongrous afterthought.

The pink haired man looked as though none of this made any sense to him.

"Research department? Where am I? What happened? D-do you work for Stalin? Are you going to kill me?"

"Yes, research department, we have been conducting experiments on you, and I wish to observe the results. I don't know who this Stalin is, but as I said, the research department is run by Kurotsuchi-taichou and myself. We work for the Gotei-13, the 13 Protection Squads."

Szayel moaned. He had either gone mad or he had been captured by Stalin's men and they were attempting to send him mad by talking nonsense to him. At this point, a strange looking man came running into the room. He was wearing long white robes with an unknown symbol on them, and his face was painted white with various strange ornaments attached to his head. Yes, he had been correct, he had simply gone mad. Some chemical must have poisoned him and turned him insane.

"So the hollow is awake!", he said, with excitement and delight, "what has he said? How is he? Has it worked?", the taichou excitedly babbled off questions that made little sense to the prostrate scientist. He had no idea what a hollow was, maybe a code word for an enemy. If only he knew how he had gotten here, maybe he would have some clue what was going on. His last memory involved the nuclear project he had been working on, there had been an explosion. He remembered a huge bang, a terrifying white flash, an unbearable amount of pain and then his whole mind had gone blank. There must have been something in between, but he had no memory of it whatsoever.

Mayuri was almost beside himself with excitement. What, exactly, he was going to do with his new-found discovery was another matter, but that wasn't important to him at that moment, he was merely overjoyed that he had suceeded in doing the as-yet scientifically impossible. He wished to interrogate and test the espada, to ascertain whether or not his condition was stable and what changes had occured both mentally and physiologically. As usual, he was in a rush to get out the scalpel and cut Szayel back open, but that would, unfortunately, have to wait until he had run a series of blood tests, not to mention questioning the espada.

"What is your name?", he demanded of the pink-haired man.

"S-szayel Aporro Grantz", the pink-haired espada replied nervously.

"I see. And what is your occupation?"

"I-I I don't know if I should answer to you", the espada muttered, obviously worried about giving away information to the enemy.

"Don't play stupid with me, espada, answer the questions, or I will be forced to use less pleasant methods to get the information from you."

The pink haired man had no idea what the word espada meant, except that it sounded spanish to him and he didn't understand why the shinigami would be using such terms to address him. Nonetheless, he had no reason to doubt his threats, so he became more cooperative with the answering of questions.

"I'm a research scientist. I'm w-working on a nuclear project f-for the soviet government"

Mayuri drew a blank. Soviet? Didn't that have something to do with Russia in the 1900s? The shinigami scientist's eyes widened. Perhaps these were memories from the espada's life before he became a hollow! Yes, he must have lost all his memories from his time as a hollow and as an espada, and simply reverted back to whatever situation he had been in before he died. Well, sitting around and discussing Szayel's life story was of very little interest to Mayuri. It was time for the needles!

November 13th: I have run all the blood tests that I can think of, and it appears that the experiment has been a total success! The applications for this technology could be very useful and important to the Soul Society. The hollow has no memories of anything beyond his death, and does not even know what a hollow is, let alone remember anything from his life as an espada or before that. It appears that he must have died at some point during the Cold War in Soviet Russia. Since he makes continual references to Stalin, it can be presumed he must have died at some point while he was still in power, so it is likely to have been during the 1940s. I gather that he was working as some kind of double agent, researching for the soviet government, whilst also passing information to the US. I am still intrigued to carry out a full physical examination, which I will carry out in a few days time once I am finished with the observation and data collection period.

After a few days, it became clear that the hollow had no memories whatsoever of his time as a hollow. I have spent several days talking to him and trying to find out about him and his life, also trying to find out how and why he became a hollow. I question what father is going to do with him now that he has suceeded in achieving reverse hollowification. Of course this research is very significant, and I am sure that all of Soul Society will be interested to hear of it. But since this man is no longer a hollow, he is no longer evil. I am therefore unsure of whether or not it is ok for us to be keeping him here as a prisoner and experimenting on him. But of course I strongly doubt that father has plans to let him go and live as a normal human again!

"Nemu! What have you been doing all this time with the test subject?", Mayuri demanded angrily. "Haven't you been getting on with the lab reports that I asked you to do?"

"I am sorry father, I thought that you would be happy for me to continue questioning the espada. I have found out many details about his life."

"That does not concern me, I have ascertained that the procedure was successful, my main interest now is in dissecting the specimen."

Nemu's eyes widened a little. "But surely you aren't going to kill him now that you have achieved such groundbreaking work."

"Don't be foolish, Nemu, I have no use for an ex-espada, I do however, have use for his internal organs, in my laboratory."

"But father, he is human again now, you can't simply kill him like that!"

"I can do what I like you stupid child, he was a hollow, we are allowed to do whatever we want with hollows. Besides, this research is in the interests of both Soul Society and the human world, one useless life is unimportant! Now leave me to my work!"

November 18th: I have carried out a full and thorough autopsy on the subject, and I can confirm the success of the experiment. The hollow's physiology had fully reverted to that of a human. There was nothing to be gained from keeping the espada alive, and I gained a lot of useful data from his body. Of course, we will have to repeat the experiments on other hollows, but I am extremely pleased with the set of results and data that I have obtained from this specimen.

Well, I think that story had potential. Sadly, I think the potential got buried under a heap of shit. Anyway, if anyone happens to get through it, please review. Maybe you could tell me what is wrong with it and maybe I could edit it a bit? Thankoo. I have a bit of an obsession with the Soviet Union and the cold war and stuff, its the perfect thing to throw into a Bleach story, of course! At least its unique, even if thats all there is to say for it.