Disclaimer: I, in no way own bleach or its characters, they are intellectual property of Tite Kubo.

Footnotes

Test : Narration.

Test : Author notes.

"Test" : Hollow/Zanpaktu/Hollowfied voice.

"Test" : Normal talking.

"Test" : Thoughts.


Chapter 1 : Desolation

"Tell me trash... What is this "heart" you people keep talking about? Will I be able to see it if I cut open your chest now?" Ulquiorra taunted clearly exhausted Vizard.

Ichigo was nearing on his limit... This was tough, this woman wasn't giving him an inch, he was always in his guard. She was faster, powerful and dare he say more clever than him. He has never met an opponent who's movement he couldn't predict, save for this pale woman in front of him. She moved between his strikes like water, as if she knew he was going to do that and Ichigo, for the life of him couldn't figure out her strike pattern! It's like she didn't have any pattern at all! But he knew that was impossible, you gotta have a pattern when you're a warrior of this level. Wiping down sweat that formed on his forehead he sneered at the woman,

"Why don't you try and find out? Even if i told you, It's not like someone like you could ever understand the meaning or importance of heart!" Ichigo spat.

Ulquiorra was annoyed how this low level pest is taunting him like he's the superior here, should she swat him like the pest he is? No, she should try and get as much information from him as possible, this could be valuable to Aizen-sama. So she took another approach,

"That woman, the one came here willingly, was also taking about some nonsense like you're taking now. Aizen-sama killed her already..." She trailed off purposefully to see his reaction.

Ichigo was absolutely livid and was also felling horrid, she was lying right? Yes. Yes, that's right, she was lying, there's no way Inoue is dead, that sentence just didn't sound right, Inoue was so gentle and naive... No she was lying... That's... Right.

No matter what he did, he couldn't shake the feeling that the woman in front of him wasn't lying, there's no way to look for deceit in her behavior. She always says everything in that same emotionless manner, with that poker face. It's impossible to detect anything. The rage he was feeling at the Quarto Espada was overwhelming, even for him. He charged without a second thought.

Ulquiorra saw this and actually sighed in her mind, "Humans... So fickle and so predictable.." She caught his Zanpaktu with her bare hand and with her other hand she took his face and and brought it close to her own and then in a almost mocking tone, she said,

"You humans are so easy to figure out... All I had to do is to give you a small nudge and you came charging here like the trash you are, handing your life to me. I can snap your neck like a twig now, do you wish to die, trash?" Ulquiorra asked, genuinely interested in his answer.

Ichigo was squirming against her hold, for a slender woman she sure has monstrous strength. Ichigo was about to pass out, he was holding onto his consciousness, but barely. Suddenly the woman let him go and let him catch his breath, he was looking at her cautiously and trying to put up a guard, but it was useless, if the Espada wanted him dead right now, he would be dead. He was in her mercy now.

"Do you love that woman?" The Quarto Espada suddenly asked.

Ichigo's eyes almost bulged out of their socket from the sheer absurdity of that question, what was she thinking!? Asking him something like that in the middle of a battle? He started sputtering nonsense and she did not look bemused.

"No need to get all fidgety, I simply asked you a question, I'm aware humans have an emotion called "love", it causes them to act irrational and stupid most of the time, like of what you're doing right now. So I'm asking again, do you love that woman or not?" Ulquiorra sounded quite displeased with the harebrained trash.

"What's it to you? Why do you care?" Ichigo asked back almost defensively.

"I do not, I merely had a curiosity about the situation, which seems to be out of your brain's capability, so for now let it go." Ulquiorra said with a poker face.

Ichigo was grinding his teeth so loudly out was audible, he was looking enraged at the woman. She captured Inoue, she's won't let him rescue Inoue and on top of that she had the gall to mock him? No he had enough. He picked himself up with Tensa Zangetsu firmly in right hand, he put his left hand over his face and swiped down and in that instant his swirling reatsu took black color with red wisp igniting its end, his face was covered by his hollow mask and his eye took pure golden color with black sclera. He looked at woman with ease in his breath, as if all his worries has been washed away, he called out to the woman,

"If you do not want to die, let me pass" he said in a deadly calm voice with his hollow nature seeping through.

Ulquiorra looked unimpressed but took out her Zanpaktu from its sheath and swiped it in a semi-circle arc, thus destroying the roof of the building they were fighting on. And said,

"Follow me trash and I'll show you, your worth" she said unimpressed from the sheer malice emanating from the Vizard's reatsu.

Ichigo looked at her apathetically and brought up his Zanpaktu is his right side, away from his body, ready to slash her in a moment's notice and looked at her one last time. In a soft swish he disappeared from that woman's eye and two words were heard,

"Getsuga..." Ulquiorra was looking as calm as she was in the morning, drinking her tea and looking at the horizon, she didn't reach out even flinch at the growling.

"Tenshou!" The Vizard called out from behind her with a crescent shape lunar fang made its way out of his his Zanpaktu and rushed toward the apathetic Quarto Espada.

She saw the energy beam coming towards her and sheathed her Zanpaktu in a swift motion and reached out her hand to catch the lunar fang, she caught it with her bare hand and tore through it like it was made out of paper and looked at the, now gasping, Vizard.

Ichigo really couldn't believe his eyes... His strongest technique, and she tore through that like it was paper, like it took led effort than swatting a fly. He looked horrified behind his horrifying hollow mask and tried to croak out something but his face was suddenly smashed into the beam and his mask vanished. He fell to the ground and panted. But the Quarto Espada wouldn't let him breath now. She hoisted him up by his hair and said in her calm but menacing voice,

"Trash like you should learn their place, you're no match for me. I'll show you despair."

And then with a soft static of Sonido she vanished with the Vizard in tow, held by his hair. They were headed for the rooftop.


A/N: Well... That concludes the first chapter, its underwhelming, i know. But i just couldn't get the idea out of my head! I'm writing this in hope that this'll get this story out of my head!

Syborg signing out.