He really didn't see it coming.
Ishida Uruyuu was sitting at his desk with his head slightly bowed while his right hand constantly repeated the same action in a rather swift, but very precise motion.
Pierce, up, down, pierce, up, down, pierce...
The modest room of his apartment was so quiet he could hear his slow breathing, as well as the faintest sound the needle made while piercing the cloth he held in his left hand.
It was a hot summer night in Karakura town. So hot that despite the open window, not a breeze got in to cool down the busy Quincy.
But even as the heat pressed down like a big weight, the raven-haired Quincy wore pants. He felt that he always needed to look at least somewhat dignifying, no matter how hot it was, and for that reason shorts were never among his clothes. A T-shirt, however, was acceptable under the circumstances.
The fluorescent digits on the clock on a small table next to his bed read 23:07.
The curtains moved slightly, which made Ishida look towards the window. The room seemed just as quiet as it was a moment ago, but his Quincy senses alerted him that something was different. Setting aside the robe he was working on, Ishida stood and slowly approached the window, pretending to stretch a bit.
Despite his sharp senses, he didn't have time to react when someone very quickly grabbed him from behind and placed a cold needle next to his neck,
"There is no point in resisting", an emotionless voice whispered in his ear.
Before he could match the oddly familiar voice to its owner, the needle pierced his skin, he only saw darkness.
When Ishida opened his eyes, he saw he was still in his room. The strange feeling in his arms made him realize he was now tied to his bed in a sitting position.
The fluorescent digits of his clock read 23:18.
His eyes were drawn to the pale skin of long slender legs and a very short hem of a black robe of the person standing beside his bed, behind the small table where the clock was.
He knew who it was, even before his gaze met the folded hands, the braided black hair and finally, the somewhat blank stare of emerald green eyes.
"Kurotsuchi...san!" Ishida stuttered in surprise and looked around the room, half expecting Mayuri to pop out too.
That bastard Kurotsuchi must be behind this. She always acts on his orders only. Ishida concluded.
"Have you come to take me prisoner?" he asked.
"No", she quite softly replied.
The first time he met her, he was fighting to the death with her captain and creator, and she ended up saving his life. The second time they met, she attacked him, then gave him a way to restore his lost Quincy powers. The third time, she almost died when the Espada Syazel Apporo used her body to revive himself. So Ishida wasn't expecting this encounter to be a normal one, either.
"Why are you here then?" he asked again. He moved his right hand to push his glasses up, but the cloth binding his wrist prevented it.
Not giving him an answer, she timidly moved from where she had been standing and sat down on his bed. The already short hem of her robe rode up a bit when she sat down, allowing Ishida's eyes to involuntary catch a glimpse of red… Lace.
He smacked himself mentally and quickly directed his eyes to her face, which was a much safer area for him to look at.
She met his eyes and Ishida couldn't help but notice how her usual blank stare was now completely gone. A warm expression, very much like the one she had when she had given him the antidote and thanked him for not killing her Mayuri-sama, was radiating from her green eyes.
Except this time… there was also an unusual spark present in her gaze.
Since she still hadn't answered him, he asked again. "What do you want with me?"
"I came because of my desire for you, Quincy-sama", was her blunt reply.
"Whaaa?!" was all Ishida was capable of saying as he felt his blood drain from his face in shock even as a wave of heat came over him at the same time.
He REALLY didn't see that coming.