"Whoa, this a light 'un!"
The urchin winced as he felt the bag he was in being tossed around, but stayed as still and quiet as possible. Any error now would result in his discovery and capture for sure. He was set down eventually, and he heard heavy door close and footsteps as they walked away from him. He waited a while before wriggling out of the bag and looking around.
It seems that his bag was mistaken for a bag of food - perhaps potatoes - for he appeared to be in a vast pantry. He was sitting on top of sacks of grains and oats and wheels of cheese and other food items were on the shelves. Spices and herbs hung from the ceiling filling the room with a pleasant yet heady scent. The urchin scooted away from the sacks and tried the door, finding it to be locked. He sighed and looked around again, his deadpan expression never faltering as he found somewhere to hide until he was able to escape.
The young boy had been looking over the few bruises he had, they stood out against his ghostly pallor, when the door was unlocked and opened letting in a castle maid. As she surveyed the pantry, looking for what she needed, the urchin crept out on quiet feet in search of the kitchen and a place nearby to use as his hiding spot.
Sniff sniff
It wasn't hard to find the kitchen, he just followed his nose. His mouth watered and his stomach growled loudly as he drew closer. How long had it been since he'd last eaten? Far, far too long...
The kitchen was nigh empty with only a few cooks in their fancy yet functional garb, flitting about the hot magic ovens and cool stone counters. The urchins eyes, however, were locked on the table in the kitchen's center where there were platters of food. Roast chickens surrounded by potatoes and carrots, spiced fish dishes, and small meat pies, sliced loaves of dark bread and dumplings and many other mouth-watering varieties. The urchin looked around carefully studying each person who roamed around, before carefully making his way to the table. He remained watchful as he snagged the middle most slice of bread, the one that would be noticed the least, as well as a few vegetables and nothing more; he didn't want the absence of food to be noticed so soon. As carefully as he came, he left for his hidey-hole, and enjoyed his much needed meal.
x~x
Something was off. Really and truly off.
Things were going missing. Small items though they were, a blanket, some food, other little odds and ends of little or no value, they were still turning up missing and the incidents had been happening for nearly two weeks now. The advisers and caretakers were frightened, and whispers of spies and traitors floated about his throne room. He thought they were paranoid... then again, they had every reason to be; he was the king after all. He, Murcielago Schiffer the II, King of Elyssya, however, was not worried but he had a food taster on hand just to calm his frazzled staff.
It bugged him though, having a "ghost" in his castle, harmless though it seemed. Was there a chink in the defenses that they might have gotten through? Were they powerful enough to sneak through undetected by the wards he and his Head Mage and his most skilled apprentice put up?
He wandered around his castle one night, deep in thought over the matter. His silk sleeping robes whispered as they ran along the cold stone brick floor and his feet made no sound in their soft hide slippers. He stopped by an open window and gazed at the full moon through the bars. All windows in the castle had protective and highly decorated bars over them and shutters that maids had to us hooked poles to close. With it being the dead of summer, however, all windows were opened to let the air in lest the castle become stuffy and unbearably hot. As if on cue, a warm breeze blew through, catching his long dark locks and making them dance around his head.
"Your Majesty?"
He turned to see a guard kneeling a few feet away from him, his head bowed in respect. He was partially obscured by shadows, but the faint glow of the runes on his armour made him easier to see. "Do not mind me, I am only strolling." He went back to gazing at the moon and mulling over the ghost, but sighed when he sensed a tense air about the still kneeling guardsman. "What ails you, knight?" he asked, though he was sure he had already figured out the answer.
"Might I be so bold as to request that you return to your chambers, sir? Or perhaps call upon a personal guard to watch you during your strolls? With the rumours of someone hiding away at the castle..." he trailed off as if nerves had gotten ahold of him and he lifted his head slightly. "The kingdom would surely suffer if we were to lose you," he finished.
Murcielago had to admit that he was a bit annoyed with the request, but a made a small smile anyway. "Worry not. I do not wish to wander anymore; I will return to my resting chamber."
The tense aura around the guard dissipated at the announcement, and he rose to his feet and followed the king back to his rooms.
Murcielago said his farewells at his door, and locked it. He was feeling weary as he slipped out of his outer robe and slippers and headed for his plush bed. He pushed the shear burgundy curtain aside and let his body fall gracefully onto the mattress. He wanted to sleep, but he needed to try something again. The monarch crossed his hands over his stomach and breathed deeply as he meditated, mumbling a short chant under his breath. "Concede mihi spiritum eius sine putamine ambulare ..." (1)
Eventually there was an uncomfortable tugging sensation, and he opened his eyes to see his body resting on the bed as he'd left it. His spirit floated away and exited through the wall.
This was the second time he'd done this, Spirit Trekking, the first being when the ghost rumor had started. The king was sensitive to the individual auras people had around them, and had been able to sense them since he was a child. Each person had a unique mesh of one to three colors and a pattern around them that fluctuated and changed with every emotion and physical state they were experiencing. He looked around seeing the dim auras of people sleeping, recognizing all of them though, for most, not by name. He smiled when he noticed the pastel pink and teal aura of one of the scullery maids flit by, no doubt to visit the stable hand she'd been meeting with, in secret, for the past year. The smile brightened when he noticed a spot of light, a yellow and green one, at the very center of the maid's aura. Perhaps, he'd take her aside tomorrow and tell her the news?
He spent nearly an hour in his spirit body, but found nothing out-of-place. No new auras, no breaks in any wards, and no ghost. He cocked his head in thought; did ghost have auras? They're technically dead, and the dead had no aura, but on the other hand ghosts were spirits, and he should be able to see such things. That then raised the question of why a ghost would need food and blankets.
He shook his head, throwing away the conflicting series of thoughts. With a sigh, he floated back towards his body. He'd be falling asleep in his throne the next day if he kept trekking any longer.
There was a sudden surge of power that startled him and left him breathless, and he whipped his head around to face it. There..! He flew towards it and gasped.
A foreign white aura flared as it slowly walked down a hall nearest the servant's quarters. Green flecks shot from where the being's heart would be and made a starburst pattern across its chest. The king's eyebrow perked when the strange aura suddenly shrank to a small shape the size of a child before flaring again and then shrinking once more.
It's unstable, or perhaps... untrained magic? Murcielago thought. Intrigued, he flew closer and landed next to the being and was surprised that he had to look down. It wasn't that the aura had shrank to the size of a child, but the aura's owner was a child and its body couldn't contain the power within it. He reach out a hand as if to pet the child - the child just barely reached the king's mid-thigh - and snatched his hand away when the aura flared and stabilized as the child froze, probably looking around.
The stabilized aura remind the Elyssyan King of his Head Mage's when he was preparing a magic based attack. He crouched near the child.
"Can you sense my presence, 'ghost child'?" he murmured, his voice echoed slightly. He gently poked the aura and it flared again as it skittered towards the wall and flattened against it. "You're sensitive to spirits and auras too, it seems." The aura fluctuated with apprehension and the king backed off, wanting to see where the child could be going at this time of night.
The child remained frozen before finally chancing a step away from the wall. Seeming confident that the king was not there anymore, though he had moved to float against the high ceiling of the hall, he continued walking. Eventually he entered the kitchen and Murcielago laughed.
"Midnight snack, eh?"
The child reached up to pluck an apple from a bowl on the counter before darting off. The king turned to try to follow, but eventually lost it; the had child rushed out of his range. With a sigh and an idea, the king headed back to his body.
x~x
Murcielago had to admit that the shocked expression he earned from his cooks as he entered the kitchen were highly amusing, but the sentiment did not show in his expression which was stern and calm. The head cook stepped forward and bowed deeply at the waist before his king.
"Your Majesty! What brings you here; were you unhappy with your morning meal?" he asked.
Murcielago asked for him to lift from his bow and told him not to worry and to continue his duties. The cook hesitantly did as he was instructed, all the while looking over his shoulder as the king crouched near the threshold of the kitchen and pulled out a thin wooden box from within the folds of his robes. The box held different colored magicked chalks and what looked like a simple needle. He pulled out the green and the white chalk and set to work drawing and minimalistic depiction of the boy's aura. It didn't have to be too detailed, as there was no one in the castle with an aura similar to the child's. He pricked his finger with the needle and it sucked up the bit of blood it produced and with it, he inscribed runes around it while murmuring, "Et dormies, hunc aura usque ad armigerum sanguinem aliter putat... a somno augurium projeci ..."(2) The runes and the depiction glowed before disappearing.
He stood and was provided a damp towel to clean the chalk from his head. "Come get me immediately when you find a little gift in the threshold," he ordered, receiving many a confused look. "And I must speak with one of the scullery maids."
The cooked nodded and pulled three four women, all around the ages of 16 and 17, from a back room where they were cleaning the pots and vegetables for later meals. The king closed his eyes to call upon the auras and let their colors dance on the inside of his eyelids and chose the girl with the pink and teal aura and yellow and green dot. He led her outside and told her the news.
The inhabitants of the kitchen and anyone nearby rushed to see what was wrong when the high-pitched scream of a woman rang through the air. They discovered a scullery maid passed out in the king's arms.
x~x
The urchin was more than a bit annoyed. A random woman screamed quite loudly, and it'd woken him hours before he usually rose. He had a sort of schedule now: he woke around when lunch was being served and grabbed something small from the serving plates before hiding again until the castle was dark and most of the workers had turned in to come out and scavenge his dinner before going to sleep when the sun rose. He didn't do much else really. He'd already explored the castle within the first week, staying clear of the king's quarters and the knight barracks of course, and he'd never been the type of child who played games.
The boy worried his lip with a finger as he thought about the weird presence he'd felt the night before. He sensed no malice from it, but it had still startled him since he'd felt nothing like that before. He shrugged the worry away. If it had no malice then it wasn't a threat.
He brought his attention back to his surroundings and sneaked towards the kitchen on his toes. As per usual there were very little people patrolling the halls, which was just fine for him. He cracked the door and peeked inside seeing only a few workers inside. Once he saw a clear path to the central table he stepped inside.
What? He stumbled as his vision spun and blurred. He tried to slip back out of the kitchen, believing that a smell was causing the severe dizziness, but it had clicked shut behind him and his strength failed him and he slid to the floor. His eyes slammed shut and he fell unconscious.
x~x
"Furthermore, my liege, it is in my humble belief that..."
Murcielago listened in feigned interest at the noble politely rambling before him. He knew what the man wanted, and didn't care in the least. He wanted the king to lower the taxes to what they were before he'd come into power, 2% instead of 10%, because "reasons". Murcielago wouldn't vent his frustrations out at the greedy noble, and kept his expression calm.
All money taken from taxes went to not only funding his servants wages, but also to fixing the mess of the city his late father had left him. When his father died, the cities' streets was populated heavily with homeless and orphaned children, and those lucky enough to have a home could barely eat and starved with all the others if disease didn't take them. Since coming into power, the cities were cleaner, more people could afford homes, small though they were, and could eat, and orphans stayed in government-funded orphanages. Most were still deep into poverty and the some still lived in the slums, but it'd be a while before those issues were completely fixed, he knew.
Until he was happy with the state of his cities the taxes on the wealthy would remain raised.
His eyes lifted when the large ornate doors opened revealing a wide-eye kitchen servant entered. He raised a hand, ending the noble's rant and gestured for the woman to speak up.
She bowed. "We... we've found your gift, sire," she said her voice shaking with shock.
"Lead the way." He lifted from his throne and walked down the few stairs the stone daïs had.
"But sir, my request," the noble said.
Murcielago gazed at him over his shoulder, having already passed by the man. "This matter is much more important than your living expenses, Lord Aaronniero. We will pick this up some other time..." He left as the noble stammered, aghast.
They made it to the kitchen where a small crowd had formed. It parted when they noticed the king's regal presence allowing him into the center where the "ghost" laid.
It was a very small, naked boy with a very pale skin tone and messy black hair covering his face. He was curled up on his side and he could see his ribs and the ridges of his spine poking through his translucent skin. Murcielago moved the boy's hair and saw the runes of the sleeping enchantment marring his otherwise clean face.
"Do you know who this boy is, sire?" someone asked.
"This would be the ghost and the spy that had everyone so nervous," he murmured, humor hinting in his voice. As gasps and murmurs erupted around his he reached to pick the tiny boy up.
"No no, sire!" someone shouted and new hands plucked the boy up from the floor. "Allow me to handle this child; who knows where he's been."
Within the castle, he thought dryly, but didn't fight the servant. "Take him to my study, then. I will deal with him at a more convenient time."
x~x
"Excita..." (3)
The boy moaned softly after the king murmured the simple counter spell. The servant who had taken him had been nice enough to set him on one of the couches in his study with a small towel over him to shield his bare body. The runes glowed and disappeared and he stretched his little body out before slowly opening his eyes. They widened when they landed on the king.
Murcielago was sitting nearby in a comfy chair. He had his long billowy sleeves pushed back as he handled a teacup and sipped the warm milky tea while studying the boy a little more.
He figured that the boy was an orphan, but he seemed to pale and frail to have been living on the streets, or at least not for long. His black hair touched his shoulders and was in need of a good brushing and perhaps a wash. His eyes were a beautiful emerald-green but seemed oddly... dead, like he'd never been amused in his entire life or as if he'd never experienced emotions. The monarch felt a deep sadness as he stared into them.
An uncomfortable silence hung in the air as the inhabitants continued to stare, but eventually the boy's eyes strayed and landed on the plate on the table next to the king. The authority figure chuckled lowly. "Are you hungry, child?" The boy nodded and Murcielago grasped the plate and held it out for him to take a finger sandwich from. The child scooted off of the soft maroon couch and stepped forward to grab one. He was surprised to see no apprehension in the child's movements; he was very calm despite his predicament. The king put the plate back as the boy went back to the couch and seated himself before taking a bite with his surprisingly small mouth. "What's your name, boy? How old are you?"
He swallowed the morsel and wiped his mouth before speaking. "Ulquiorra; I'm eight... I think."
His voice was monotone and lacked the childish slur most eight year olds had. The only thing to indicate that he was young was the high tone of prepubescence that his voice carried.
"Last name?" Murcielago asked.
"...Doesn't matter..."
The king nodded knowing just what he meant by that. "When did you become orphaned?" he asked softly.
"I'm a bastard and mother died last year," he said easily.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be... she was sick and medicine is expensive; it was bound to happen."
He was taken aback by his blunt uncaring tone. "Nonetheless, I am sorry for your loss, Ulquiorra." He sipped his tea. "Also, you should've been taken to the nearest orphanage."
"I didn't want to go... kids are annoying."
Murcielago chuckled. "How amusing. Why?"
"They're unnecessary... they can't do anything and they're happy about that. I don't understand." He shoved the last little bit of sandwich in his mouth and gladly took another when offered. The king stared at the boy again and decided to change the subject.
"You're awfully pale to have been living on the streets."
"I don't tan, I burn... and peel." He absent-mindedly scratched his hand as if remembering. "It's uncomfortable."
I would think so, the king thought. With the boy having no clothes, he shuddered to think what a full-bodied sunburn would feel like.
"Are you going to kill me?"
That sudden morbid question jolted the king out of his musings. "What? Why would I do that?"
"I'm trespassing," he said matter-of-factly yet still monotone. "I snuck into your castle and committed many thefts as well as unrest in your workers. I wouldn't be surprised if you had me executed."
He shook his head in bemusment. "Just pointing out all of your crimes? You'd do well to keep them to yourself, child. I don't intend on punishing you; you intrigue me greatly. I've never met a child of your caliber. One daring and clever enough to hide away in a castle undetected for two weeks."
"Two months."
"Excuse me?"
"I've been here for two months. The only reason you finally noticed me was because I got cold and needed to take a blanket."
It'd been a while since the monarch had been struck dumb, but Ulquiorra had succeeded in doing so. He merely stared at the boy, eyebrows raised and a hand covering his mouth. The auras of children regularly slip my notice, but not for two entire months! He shook his head and remained mum as he set his tea to the side and headed to the door across the room. He opened it and regarded one of the knights posted outside the door. "Call for a nursemaid," was all he said before closing the door and returning to his seat. He noticed the boy staring steadily at him. "No, I'm not sending for an executioner, child."
Ulquiorra nodded and went back slowly eating the sandwich.
"You're quite morbid and depressing for a child."
"...I get that alot..."
The nursemaid, Santa Maria, came and took Ulquiorra away sometime later, and in that time the boy had eaten four more finger sandwiches. The nurse had been Murcielago's when he'd been a lad, and had been his chaperone until the age of eighteen. He was twenty now but he'd kept her around for when he finally had kids of his own, though at this rate it was going to be a while before that idea became a reality. By then she might be old and having to train younger women to be nursemaids.
Maria was still rather young now though, only just reaching her middle ages, and hair grayed slightly only because the king had been such a handful in his youth. She was still thin as a whip with long hair and an odd smile, and she smiled sweetly now, but Murcielago knew how much of a demon she could be when he'd been naughty.
When the king was alone, he found his desk and mulled over the papers resting there awaiting his approval and signatures until someone came to tell him that Ulquiorra was dressed and ready to be seen a couple of hours later.
He was led to the old nursery by a guard. It was quite barren, the only items still in there being a bed, a wardrobe, and a rocking chair next to the gated fireplace. Rugs covered the floor to protect little feet from the cold stone in the harsh winters Elyssya experienced, and the walls were painted a soft yellow. Ulquiorra sat on the bed, his face as emotionless as before, clothed in dark, floral finery that made him seem smaller than he already was. When the monarch was noticed, Maria urged him to stand on the floor where he noticed that the sleeves of the robes he wore had been extended, quite nicely with extra pleated cream-colored cloth, so that they covered his hands and nearly touched the floor along with the hems of his rich purple hakama. His hair had been washed and neatly combed and his bangs tied back, away from his face with a purple ribbon.
"You look quite presentable now, though why were the sleeves made so long, Santa Maria?" Murcielago asked.
"To deter sticky fingers."
The king had to smile at the woman's hindsight, it's what made her such an amazing nurse.
Ulquiorra's question cut through the air like a poisoned blade. "Are you going to have your way with me?"
Satan Maria spoke before the king could form words. "Ulquiorra! What in the Gods' name makes you think the king would do such a thing!?"
"What other reason would a king keep an orphaned child for?" he asked plainly.
"Certainly not that!" She composed herself with a deep breath. "Honestly, a child shouldn't speak of, let alone know, of such adult things."
"I lived in the slums around harlots, cut-throats, and thieves; there is very little that I'm not aware of..."
Murcielago's heart felt cold at that, though he was no stranger to the state of the lower cities; it's what he was working so hard to fix. Though, to think that children lived in such conditions... such a sad revelation. He kneeled to Ulquiorra's level and placed a hand on the boy's head. "You won't have to worry about such folk from now on, and hopefully soon, other's won't either." He rose to his full height and looked to the nurse. "I'll have a maid bring his dinner, but for now keep him here. Have someone sent to me if there are any problems."
"Yes, sir."
He headed for the door.
"You never told me why you're keeping me."
"You will be made privy of that information tomorrow, child," was all he said as the door clicked shut behind him. Instead of heading back to his study he ventured to the mages' wing of the castle. He had a job for the Head Mage.
x~x
"I surely doubt that an eight year old would have any notable level of magic," the king's Head Mage, and long time friend, complained as they walked to the training grounds where lads and lasses around the age of fifteen were trained to harness and use their latent magical abilities. It was far away from the knight's training grounds, facing the dense forest behind the castle with magical wards to protect the grounds from errant magical blasts. Santa Maria was already waiting for them there with Ulquiorra standing unamused next to her in the same finery as the previous night though his sleeve extensions had been pinned back.
"You're ability to use magic is phenomenal, Sir Urahara , but my ability to sense auras and latent magicks tops yours. I'm sure that Ulquiorra has a powerful talent for magic."
"Very well, I'll test him." He regarded the small child with a quirked blond eyebrow. "Are you really eight, boy? You look about six."
"I've heard that before," Ulquiorra said, his tone decidedly bored. "What are we doing?"
"Impatient aren't you?" He huffed. "I will be gauging you magic levels, if you have any at all." He made the boy turn to look at some targets that were on the edge of the treeline. "His Majesty is convinced that you have a high amount of magic within you, so I will have you try a mid level spell. Do as I do." He closed his eyes and breathed before holding out a palm towards one of the targets. He peeked to see that Ulquiorra was following his example precisely. "Imagine that your palm is heating up with a ball of light floating in front of it. Try to repel it away from you as you say: In renibus meis filias Metam solidum jubar lucis... (4)." He opened his eyes as a yellow beam shot from his hand and blew a sizable hole in the stone target. The hole glowed before the damage was mended. "See? Now you try."
Ulquiorra dropped his hand. "The spells too long... I think I have a better one." He pointed. "Cero." What started as a green dot at the tip of the boy's finger became a magnificent beam of energy, double his height, that hurtled towards the target and obliterated it before tearing through the barrier that protected the trees. The shock waves and gusts of wind created blew the Head Mage's hat from his head, and tore Murcielago's hair from its braid. Debris flew into their faces making them cover them.
"My... word," came Santa Maria who had been blown to the ground. The others opened their eyes and shared the sentiment.
Everything that had been in the beam's path was gone, and there was a deep scar left in the earth. Not even the target was reforming, and those with the gift could see a large hole in the barrier made to hold magic within it.
"Such raw power... and that spell he used. I've never heard anything like it," Urahara murmured as he retrieved his hat and fixed his wind-blown hair before putting it on. "I'll have to search my books. Maybe even the archives." He looked to the king who was still looking at the damage. "This a truly interesting boy you've found, sire."
There was a small whimper and the nurse gasped. "Ulquiorra?"
The monarch looked to see that the boy had crumpled to the ground after his amazing display of power. His eyes had rolled upwards in their sockets and a trickle of crimson blood flowed from his nose and down his alabaster cheek. Maria pulled the limp body into her arms, took out a handkerchief and cleaned up the blood.
"He's breathing normally..." she sighed with relief. "I think he just exhausted himself." She gently made his eyes close completely and snuggled him securely into her small bosom. "Shall I retire him to his rooms?"
Murcielago nodded. "That would probably be best." Santa Maria bobbed her head and took her leave as he regarded the damage once more. "The gardeners are going to faint when they see this." He turned and headed back to the castle as the mage laughed heartily.
x~x
"Your Majesty?"
It was quite late, but Murcielago had retired to his study instead of his sleeping chambers to enjoy a good book while he was still awake. He lifted his head as his mage entered and spoke. His black eyebrows came together when he noticed the man's state. His hat was missing and his hair was disheveled as if he'd been pulling it. His arms were burdened with a couple of books and some papers. "What ails you?" he asked and gestured at the couch. Instead of sitting the man set the books and papers down and paced a bit.
"I think I have discovered something amazing! Or rather you did, and I researched it..." He stopped in front of the dark fireplace and scratched his head. "I still can't truly believe it, but there's no other explanation!"
"Urahara," Murcielago said, foregoing the title since they were in private. "What is it?"
"I think your new charge may have ancestors within the Espada race."
"Espada? Hm, I know that, where have I heard that name from?"
"Oh, I'm surprised you've heard of it, sire," Urahara murmured. "One of your great great great great grandfathers destroyed them and their small kingdom hundreds of years ago. In cold blood I might add."
"Genocide? But why?"
"You witnessed it earlier; anyone in that race with an affinity for magic could grow to become invincible mages."
"Then," Murcielago closed his book and set it aside, "my grandfather saw them as a threat?"
"That's why I believe they were killed in cold blood. Anything I found on them described them as," he picked up a book and flipped a few pages, "'...peaceable folk who prefer to live quietly,' and," he grabbed the second book, "'...never attack first, but when they fight they prefer to fight at the level of their challenger(s) hoping to subdue instead of kill.'" He shut the book and dropped it in favor of a scroll he'd found. He carefully rolled it out and held it up for the king to see. "I even found this depiction of them. Don't they look quite familiar?"
Murcielago looked closely. It was an old oil painting of a large village with people milling about. The people all had a range of colorful hair with wide-brimmed hats covering their heads, but their skin was dead white and all though some smiled and laughed there were a few others that carried the same apathetic look as Ulquiorra.
"Future magic users could be identified by their token deadpan façade. They believed that they were born like that because their bodies got rid of emotions in favor of greater control and understanding of their abilities."
The king shook his head in disbelief. "So much information. You'd think that the king of the time would get rid of such incriminating evidence of his crimes..."
Urahara rolled the painting back up and set it down. "All of this stuff was hidden, quite cleverly, by transformation charms. The moment I found a book detailing the young life of a prince that never existed I broke the charm and then had my apprentices tear the archives apart in search of more... we have a lot of cleaning ahead of us." The last part came out in a weary and dread filled sigh. "That still begs the question of how young Ulquiorra knew that spell. We found a copy of an Espada spellbook but from what we found only the schools and families with a long line of powerful mages had them, and all fifty copies of it were destroyed."
"Why would it be so hard to believe that more copies were made?"
"It seems that all spell books were hand copied by their version of monks and the copies were each documented to tell whether they went to the school or a family." He plucked yet another paper from a file. "And I found this disguised as a wedding invitation."
The king took it, recognizing it a magicked parchment that allowed changes even after the ink dried, and looked it over. It was a list of names and those denoting families had a small drawing of a coat of arms next to them. The names of the families were scribbled out, probably to tell that the book was found and destroyed, but some could still be read with enough concentration. He read it:
Official Account of Spell Books and their Caretakers
Total Books ~ 50
Books given to the academy ~ 37
Books given to Zulpo family ~ 2
Books given to ******** family ~ 1
Books given to Ulloa family ~ 2
Books given to Quisenberry family ~ 1
Books given to ***** family ~ 2
Books given to **** family ~ 1
Books given to Haas family ~ 1
Books given to ********* family ~ 1
Books given to ******** family ~ 2
And at the bottom was scrawled, "Original captured," so that crushed the king's idea that Ulquiorra's ancestor had somehow taken it. He handed it back and asked about the original.
"I found the 'Cero' spell in it that Ulquiorra used in the spellbook we found, and I can only surmise that it is the original. I've also devised a way to get rid of the defacement on this document so that we may read the other names, but I wanted to show you first before I potentially destroyed it."
The king nodded; the mage was well-known for his failures as much as his successes. "We will have to ask him about his knowledge, I suppose. Though, tomorrow. Nurse Maria says that the child is still very much unconscious."
Urahara looked distressed at that. "Is he alright?"
"Yes, she says he's just asleep and I looked in on his aura and it's quite stable. Why do you seem so worried?"
"Well, another book, I left it in the archives, says that the higher the magical power the more... er delicate the Espada mage. They seem to suffer horrible damage from most physical duties, farming, fighting and the like, and cave under stress. It's more than likely that Ulquiorra's Espada blood is diluted from hundreds of years of non Espada parents, but it's best not to push it."
"Ah, then it would be in our best interest not to stress him too much, lest we potentially kill off the last of a race unwittingly."
Urahara gathered the materials. "I'm going to try to uncover the rest of the names and hopefully well be able to read them tomorrow. By any chance do you know his last name?"
"He wouldn't tell me... that could mean something but then again it might not since many orphans drop their last name." He shook his head. "We can figure this out tomorrow."
"Definitely. Restful night, you Majesty."
"And to you, Head Mage Urahara."
x~x
Urahara's treatment had worked and they could now read the five unreadable names. With that along with the original Espada spell book in hand they went to visit the boy for questioning.
Santa Maria had been adamant that they leave Ulquiorra alone, and Murcielago kept the mage from arguing knowing that the nurse knew best. It wasn't until late in the evening that she allowed the men to visit the ghostly boy. He was tucked in to his chin with blankets and his cheeks slightly pink with fever. His bangs stuck to his sweaty forehead while the rest created a dark halo around his head. Despite his panting breaths and fever he still showed no emotion or even discomfort.
"It's not as bad as it seems," Santa Maria assured them.
"How are you feeling, Ulquiorra?" the king asked.
"... Fine... I guess..."
"Have you ever done something like that before or rather, used your powers at all in the past?"
"No... mother said not to..."
"But you knew that you had powers?"
"Yes... mother told me so... She said I had the face for it..."
So she was well aware of her heritage? He perched on the edge of the mattress near Ulquiorra. "Your mother, would you mind describing her to us? And do you know if she could use magic?"
"She looked like me... but her eyes were purple... and she said she didn't have the face for magic, that she smiled too much. She made me learn to smile... saying that it would be smarter if I did..."
Urahara stepped forward and held out the thick leather bound book for the boy to see. "Does this look familiar?"
Murcielago saw a flash of suspicion in Ulquiorra's eyes but it quickly disappeared as he pushed the blankets away and sat up so that he could grab the book. He opened it and flipped through a little. Murcielago wondered if he was actually reading it or not; was the boy even literate? "Mother had one... but it was green and had a coat of arms on it... she told me not to touch it until I was older. I did anyway."
"Do you have the book with you? Or could you describe the coat of arms?" Urahara asked a tad eagerly.
Ulquiorra flipped a page and studied a pentagram draw on it. "No."
"Could you draw it then?"
"No."
"Oh that's a shame..."
"... you never asked if I knew where the book was..." Ulquiorra finally looked up from the old - probably ancient - tome. "I do after all."
"Well then, where is it, child?"
"Near the slums..." He looked back to the book. "In the forest... by a pond... under a tree." He pushed the book away and laid back down and his nurse came forward to tuck him back in. "In a box..."
Urahara shook his head. "That was all very vague child."
"I know... but it's the truth." He shut his eyes with a sigh and Murielago had to hold back a chuckle; the boy's sighs even sounded monotone. "Are we done? I feel tired..."
The king reached up and patted his head. "Just one more thing: will you tell us your last name?"
"..." He opened his eyes and gave each adult in the room a look before diverting them. "... mother... said not to tell someone like you..."
"Me?" Murcielago asked, deeply confused. "But why?"
"She said... that you'd probably kill me... was she right?"
The king reached over and placed a heavy hand on the boy's chest, drawing his bland emerald gaze. "I would never kill you, child," he said with finality. "If it makes you feel better, you can keep your name secret until you trust me. Okay?"
Ulquiorra stared into the king's golden eyes steadily, searching for any sign of a lie. He eventually nodded.
Murcielago nodded, pleased, and lifted from the bed. "We'll leave you to rest now," was all he said and he and Urahara headed for the door. The mage held the door open for him to exit.
"... Cifer..."
He turned in surprise and looked to the boy. "... You trust me?" was all he could ask.
The blankets moved as he shrugged. "You didn't kill me when you found out that I had infiltrated your home... why would you do it now? And because of a name no less? Seems illogical to me." He turned over to face a wall. "Good night."
The monarch nodded and stepped out as Urahara shut the door behind them. They headed down the hall. "So?"
"That name is on the list," the mage announced. "I hope that I'll find some stuff on the different families in the books that we've found so far. Would you perhaps like to have some tea with me in my rooms? You could look over some of the books as well."
"Hm, I don't believe that I have any prior engagements. That would be a good way to spend the rest of my evening."
Hours later, the pair was comfortably settled in the study of the mage tower. It was a finely crafted structure both inside and out, made of the same materials as the castle though it was separated with only a stone covered bridge high in the air to connect it to the golden and ebony stone castle. Stairs of a dark wood spiraled to the top where the study resided. Urahara was at his desk deciphering and unenchanting yet another tome his pupils had brought him, pulling at his hair all the while, and the king was in one of the other seats reading one of the unencrypted books for the mage. This one turned out to be a children's book of fairy tales; quite a fanciful read. The one about a sea maiden who sold her voice for legs so that she could be with a human was quite nice, though it was sad that she died in the end.
Both nearly jumped out of their skins when the door slammed open to reveal a panting fiery-haired youth in the traditional uniform of a mage in training. "Ma- pant! -Master Ura...hara! Wheeze! There's- there's somethi- hack! Why're there pant! so many stairs?!"
Urahara grabbed his cooled cup of tea and went to the boy's side. "Drink this and then tell me what's wrong Jinta ."
The lad took it gratefully and took a long swig. He coughed one more time when he finished and let out a relieve exhale. "Ahem, there's a secret room in the archives! We think the Great Mage Yamamoto left it! There was an unsigned scroll within."
"A secret room?" Urahara mused. "Huh, and here I thought I'd discovered every secret in that dusty place! Lead the way."
Jinta groaned at the thought of more stairs, but ultimately going down stairs was less painful than up, so he started the trek down. Urahara and Murcielago followed and as they passed by the guards stationed on the bridge (Urahara forbade the clumsy oafs from being anywhere nearer to his study) they followed as well.
All eyebrows but those of Jinta's and Urahara's skyrocketed at the sight of the disaster the usually tidy archives was in. Books were in haphazard piles on the tables chairs and floors, shelves were barren but for the areas where some students were slowly replacing the strewn books. The king turned furious eyes onto the Head Mage who only shrugged. "I told you we had a lot of cleaning ahead of us."
"This way," Ginta told them and nimbly and quickly stepped around the large piles towards the back and turned a corner. Urahara followed just as easily, but with his long traditional robes, the king had a harder time with it. Eventually some students climbed down from the shelves and cleared a path for him. For that he was very grateful.
"Jinta! What have you done?" he heard Urahara shout as he rounded the corner. He shared the thought when he saw what he was talking about.
The piles of books everywhere was one thing, but an entire fifteen by ten foot shelf had been toppled and it seemed that most of the books had still been on it when the shelf was felled. Though behind it was an opening with portal like edging.
The trainee scratched his short hair. "What? Taking all the books off was taking too long, so I pushed the girls outta the way and knocked it over. We're going to put it back..."
Urahara growled in irritation. "Lux corporis poenam: Codices certa volabant." (5)
Jinta's eyes widened as a few sturdier books lifted from the mess around them and lobbed themselves at the teenager. Thunk! "Ow!" he shouted as they hit home and he ran away, protecting his head with his arms as they continued to follow and beat him.
Urahara shook his head disapprovingly as he watched the punishment unfold. "Honestly, that boy sometimes." He sighed and looked to the king. "You know I could teach you that spell for if Little Ulqui ever gets outta hand, your Majesty."
Murcielago laughed at the thought of Ulquiorra's unamused face as he was hit over and over by books. "No, no. I don't believe that would go well..."
"Master Urahara?" a quiet voice behind them uttered. They turned to see a smaller, dark-haired girl behind them with a face like Ulquiorra's, though her's was more perpetual calm then forever emotionless. She held up a scroll for Urahara to take. "We found this in the room back there."
"Ah, thank you, Ururu," he said and took it. "How were you able to find that room anyway?"
She pointed at the toppled shelf. "There was an inscription in the wood behind the books. Nanao was trying to draw it while the rest of us pulled the books down, but Jinta got impatient and pushed it over before she finished." She said the last part with a slightly annoyed tone.
"Hm, I'll have to look at the inscription later." He unrolled the scroll and began to read it, mumbling a few words and sentences here and there. "... massacres of His Majesty's reign seem unending... innocent races being felled left and right... trying to preserve the books of the peoples... such a sad time..." He paused and read it a few more time. "Races? Plural? More than the Espada race was wiped out!?"
"In the room there's a bunch of boxes with books in them and on the boxes are different names. Espada, Kuchiki, Kurosaki, Kyoraku... a lot of them are K races or clans actually."
Interest piqued even more they headed in to find just what the girl had described. Most of the named boxes had been opened to reveal their innumerous books, scrolls, and parchments. The mage plucked a book at random from an Espada box and his eyes widened. "A book of their laws and customs!" He grabbed another. "This one document their weather patterns over the years. And this one," he turned. "This one tells about the Haas family; one of the families from the list. This is the discovery of the century!" He looked around the room with an almost perverted gleam. "Oh, I have a lot of reading ahead of me~!"
The king could only shake his head. He was well aware of this state his friend entered sometimes. When his aura pulsed with excitement and glee at the prospect of new discoveries and promises of more. There was no getting him out of the state of mind until the research was done no matter how frustrating the research might prove to be. "I'll have guards help you get these to the tower." He wasn't surprised when he received no reply.
After that, Urahara confined himself to his tower, leaving his top apprentice, Tessai, to teach the lessons for the moment.
Murcielago managed to get better directions out of his charge and was able to send men out to locate the book he'd buried and as he'd said, it was in a box, under a tree, near a pond, in the forest near the slums. The boy took the spell book, and the rest of the books within, a journal from the Espada survivor, a cookbook with traditional meals, and a yellowed sketchbook, were to be taken to Urahara with the promise that they'd be returned later.
To avoid having to get dressed in the big garment, more clothing was being prepared for him, but it was taking some time since he was so small, he confined himself to his room, or snuck into the king's study much to the man's chagrin. Walking into his study to find a naked little boy was surprising as well as questionable. Sometimes the boy expertly snuck in while the king was working and the man wouldn't notice until Ulquiorra dropped a book. Probably on purpose.
It turned out that the boy could read quite well despite his age and background. "My mother taught me, and she was taught by her father... so on and so forth. I had to learn because it made our family useful... and safe..."
"How so?"
"The people of the slums didn't want to hurt the only residents able to read the daily news to them off the bulletin board."
When new clothes were prepared, they were still rather formal with the extended sleeves his nurse insisted on, he was forced to wear them whether he stayed in private rooms or not. He wasn't pleased, but he hadn't made the fact very obvious.
It was like a silent temper tantrum. He'd quietly walk around and knock items over. A sturdy chair, a stack of books, a pile of clothes, dirty or clean. They went unnoticed for a while, but when the adults finally took notice they merely ignored him. He stopped when he realized that he wouldn't be getting his way in that field, so he instead devoted his time, when he wasn't reading, to trying to escape Santa Maria's watchful eyes. He succeeded many times.
"The peasants will revolt! With more wealth going unto them they will begin to believe that they hold some sort of... of power," Glotoneria, brother to Aaroniero, scoffed.
The Lords and Ladies of his kingdom had asked to call a conference and he regretfully agreed believing that the matter was something of importance. It turned out that it was about the tax once more, but he took solace knowing that at least half of the nobles sitting at that heavy oval table was there to support the taxes.
"I'd rather not have my money go into funding those undeserving heathens," he finished.
"It's bad to be so greedy..." a voice said. "And stupid..."
The man shouted in fear and vacated his seat much faster than Murcielago thought the portly man could ever move. He nearly knocked his chair over as he stumbled a few feet away from the table. "Something touched me!"
Murcielago was already well aware of the culprit. "Come from under there, Ulquiorra." The pale boy revealed himself easily, he was short enough that he could stand erect under the tall legged table, and walked to the king's side. "What are you doing under there?"
Ulquiorra lifted his hands and things clattered onto the table under the cover of his extended gray sleeves. "Seeing how many wallets, pocket watches, and leg jewelry I could get without being found." He lifted his hands revealing the stolen goods. "I got them all." He pulled out one more pocket watch and held it up by its long gold chain. "Yours too."
The king checked his folds and hid a smirk behind his wide sleeve as the nobles began checking themselves to find that their belongs were indeed in the pile the ashen boy had produced. He sent a glare at him though he still found the whole situation very amusing.
Ulquiorra noticed the glare. "I was going to give them back..."
"Do so now then."
He gathered the valuables into his arms once more, and slowly walked around the tables allowing the nobles to claim their items. He had the owners of each item memorized and didn't allow anyone to take what wasn't theirs.
"So when were you going to tell us, your Majesty?" a woman asked as she placed her coin purse and anklets in an inner pocket near her ample bosom where they would be safe from future swipes.
"Tell you what?"
"That you had an adorable, although very odd, heir!" Her almond-shaped eyes tracked the boy as he rounded the table. "And how were you able to keep him secret for so long?" She gasped dramatically and placed a hand over her heart. "Were you worried that one of us would try for his life? Do we seem that way to you?"
Murcielago shook his head in disbelief. "He is not my heir, Lady Fornicaras..."
She blinked in a slow sultry way, previous drama all but gone. "Mm hm. Sure, sire. I have to say that I am quite jealous of the woman who managed to catch the eye of the Loveless King."
"Will there be a ball to formally introduce her and the heir?" Glotoneria asked having returned to his seat.
He sighed as murmurs erupted, excited at the thought of a ball as well as an introduction to the nonexistent queen. He hated the name, Loveless King, but it was tradition that denoted that people could make a name for the king such as that. His father had been the Uncaring King, for example. "I'm not lying to you all; Ulquiorra is not my son nor my heir. I am merely caring for him."
"It's true..." Ulquiorra murmured as he made it back to the king's side. "I'm an orphan..."
The monarch automatically reached down to pet his head, the boy's aura curling familiarly around his hand telling him that his charge indeed liked to be shown such affection though it did not show on his face. He was half-tempted to pull him into his lap, but such an action would surely cement the idea that Ulquiorra was his son.
There was still suspicion in the air and auras of the nobles. "And why would you suddenly start taking care of an 'orphan', sire."
He took his hand away and folded them in in his lap. "I have my reasons. Those reasons may or may not be announced to you at a later time depending on how important they turn out to be, but I assure you Ulquiorra isn't my heir." His words seemed to only serve to deepen the nobles' suspicions, so he sighed and told Ulquiorra to return to Santa Maria.
"...I don't want to..." Ulquiorra murmured. He crouched and crawled back under the table, fixing the tablecloth so that he was concealed properly. "...I want to stay... I'll be quiet; don't mind me." The sound of shuffling papers was heard: he'd brought a book.
He was about to calmly berate the boy, but the Lords and Ladies urged him to let Ulquiorra stick around seeing no harm in letting him do so. The king dropped the matter, and continued with the tax conference. He took little notice of Fornicaras pulling a sweet treat from her bag and enticing Ulquiorra over to take it. She let out a light chuckle when she succeeded. It seemed that even the emotionless Espada boy was helpless to the lure of sweets.
The ghostly boy was a common sight around the castle now, and the maids cooed over how cute and strange he was. They thought that he was a good little boy since he was so young yet so quiet, but his silence and knack for being in places he shouldn't without the king noticing was proving to be troublesome.
As a rather new addition to his duties, one that he'd made for him on his own, he allowed peasants access to the throne room to personally report major problems as well as suggest ideas. Precautions were set up to address as well as prevent problems of course. Special sentries were posted in different parts of the cities for the peasants to visit and get a pass, that had a specific date on it, so that they could gain passage into the king's throne room.
The man before him was some sort of up and coming inventor nobles like the Arururie's feared: smart, insightful, and ambitious. He was proposing that trenches or canals be made to bring water from the Reishi River to the farmlands. The water would even bring new fertile soil and nutrients from elsewhere that the lands needed. The man in patchwork clothing was quite animated about the whole thing reminding the king of Urahara (who was still reading through all the ancient books discovered in the archives). His eyes were directed upwards to the clouds his head was stuck in as he described how helpful canals would be, how it would be possible to have surpluses, and how it could be built without being too expensive as well as provide jobs for maintaining them properly.
The male brought his focus back to the king. His eyes brightened with curiosity and his posture went from animated to timid. "Permission to speak of another matter, sire?" He twiddled his fingers when he was given permission, wisely thinking before speaking. "I'd hate to start a rumor so it'd probably be best if I asked first." He lifted his eyes, peeking at the Queen's Throne set a little lower next to the King's Throne. "Would that child happen to be your own? Therefore, the heir?"
Giggles from knowing advisors and handlers in the room filled the air, confusing the peasant man, as the king looked over into the lower seat. Clothed in his restrictive clothing but lacking shoes or socks, Ulquiorra was seated cross-legged there with his spell book open in his lap as he studied the spells intently. "How long have you been sitting there?" was all the weary monarch could ask.
"The entire time," he murmured, flipping a page and continuing his studying. "The canals are a good idea... You should do it."
A bell... this child needs a bell... He looked back to the peasant. "No, no he is not my heir nor is he my son. Erase such thoughts from your mind at once."
He bowed deeply. "Yes, of course, sire."
Murcielago cleared his throat. "I agree with my silent charge here; your idea would greatly help the city and its inhabitants. It will of course take some time to have the proper documents and plans made out for them, but I'm sure this idea will come to fruition, and you will be rewarded if this idea succeeds."
He bowed again, smile having returned to his face. "Thank you very much, sire."
With a gesture, guards came and led him from the room, marking the last of the peasant requests he'd be hearing for the day. He looked back to Ulquiorra who had yet to look up from the tome. It was bothersome that the boy was constantly confused for his heir or even a lovechild, but they simply looked too much alike: long black hair, vibrant green eyes, extremely light skin (Ulquiorra's much more extreme by several degrees) and calm-demeanors. The truth was known by his staff, though many were still in the dark with his origins and purpose, so there was no problem there, but outsiders like peasants and the nobles did not and he was sure rumors were already forming if not spreading.
He gestured for a guard's attention once more. "Find Nurse Santa Maria; who knows where's she gone, and how much of her hair she's pulled out, in attempt to find Ulquiorra..."
Laughter formed once more as a guard hurried away to find the frustrated nursemaid.
Santa Maria punished him accordingly, a slap on the cheek and confinement in his room without his books, and the king only saw the boy during dinner in the smaller dining hall for the next few days, but he was back to ghosting about once his leash was severed.
As king he was required to rise rather early so that he could fulfil his duties. Breakfast was enjoyed at a table in his bed chamber, before maids came to bathe him, brush his hair, and dress him in the complicated, six-layered, garment he wore. He put on his underwear, and the silk two piece layer himself, but he was helped with the last four layers. A solid white robe with a sashinuki hakama of a deep black atop it, was the next layer. Then two more thin robes, one red with a tiny starburst pattern on the sleeves and the other a light gray with a white floral pattern, secured closed on his torso with a wide solid black sash, and then a final heavily embroidered robe with very wide sleeves that stopped at his wrists; it was left open. The inner robes changed everyday, but the last one was worn everyday during the warm months - there was a thicker one for cooler months and an even thicker one for winter - and had been passed down for many generations.
His hair was left to hang freely and he was helped into his boots, before they rounded the partition.
"Yaah!" a maid yelped before composing herself and shielding her reddening face with a hand in embarrassment.
Murcielago hadn't even been fazed by either sudden occurrences. "Why are you up so early, Ulquiorra?"
They boy was still dressed in his nightgown having escaped his room before his nurse would be sent to rouse him. His hair was cutely disheveled and his eyes squinted slightly as he wasn't fully awake. He spoke as the king stooped with ease and plucked him from the floor. "I want to show you something."
He pushed the curtain aside, set the boy on the edge of the bed and went to his side table to find something, he was sure he'd left it there. "What is it?" Ah, here it is. He produced a small box and closed the drawer.
"A spell," Ulquiorra murmured as he rubbed his eyes and yawned; the actions made him seem more childlike. "I learned it the day the canal man was here, but I wasn't able to show you because I was on punishment..." He stared as his foot was grasped and a brace was fixed around his ankle. "What is this?"
"A hollow ankle brace with bells within it."
Ulquiorra kicked his foot and it jangled loudly. He held out his foot to the monarch. "I don't like it... take it off..."
Murcielago noticed a slight petulant tone to the command and attributed it to his sleepiness. "No, it stays on. I can't have you sneaking about any longer."
"I don't sneak... people just don't pay attention." He grasped the brace and pulled.
"It's magicked, child," he told him. "Now what spell did you wish to show me?"
He may have dropped the subject but he knew that it was far from over, the boy's aura said so. He'd have to warn the staff of tumbling chairs and books for sure...
"... We'll have to go to the training grounds from before..."
"Is it as destructive as your Cero?" The gardeners were still cleaning up the mess that incident had made.
Ulquiorra shrugged.
That possibly didn't bode well. "And I suppose you wish to show me now?"
Ulquiorra held out his arms in response and the king picked him up and left for the mages' training grounds, telling someone to pry Urahara from his studies as he left.
There was a light breeze outside, and the sun had yet to peek over the treeline casting great shadows over the training ground. Murcielago carried Ulquiorra there to protect his bare feet from the dirt and stones. He set the boy down across from a target far from the wreckage and awaited Urahara who arrived five minutes later looking less disheveled than what the king had expected. He announced that he had something to tell the king and then fell quiet as they watched the Espada boy.
Ulquiorra stood still as he thought about the spell, having to say it from memory since he didn't have his book. His aura flared and stabilized as he called upon his power, creating a magical breeze that blew his hair. "Luz de la Luna." Green energy javelins appeared around him, all pointing threateningly at the target meters away. Without moving an inch Ulquiorra sent them hurdling at the stone bull's-eye, piercing its middle rings and knocking it over before disappearing. The target righted itself and mended as he turned to face the adults. "It's suppose to be stronger when the moon's out..." he told them.
"I'd hate to see that attack on a battlefield," Urahara murmured thoughtfully. "Or your Cero for that matter. Have you learned any more?"
"Escudo luna," he said simply and a spherical barrier of white light surrounded him. He let it dissipate and then murmured, "Falta de gravedad," and slowly lifted a few feet from the ground. The spell wore off suddenly, but the king caught him before he could fall and hurt himself.
"And I'm guessing they're all supposedly stronger when used under the moon?" Ulquiorra nodded and the mage scratched his chin. "That seems to be the running theme for most Espada spells, that and 'nothingness'. It seems that night is their true element; that actually explains their skin in a way. The name of their kingdom was even called 'Las Noches' or 'The Nights'." He followed the king as he headed back to the castle with Ulquiorra still in his arms.
"Did you find out anything about the Cifer family?" Ulquiorra asked as they walked.
"Yes, there was a book on each of the families as well as some who didn't receive spell books. I have a few questions though; I want to see how closely you follow the Cifer characteristics." Urahara explained, slapping his hand down on his hat when a strong gust blew through. "Like yourself, magic bearing Espada show no emotion, however they are still well aware of what emotions are, do you know what emotions are?"
"... Happiness... anger... sadness-"
"I'm sorry, let me rephrase. Do you understand emotions?" He received a blank look. "Have you ever felt happy, Ulqui?" he asked using the childish shortening of his name.
"... I don't know... what does that feel like?"
Urahara bit his lip in thought. "It's... a warm feeling guess. Children usually laugh and play when they're happy."
"I've never laughed... I don't play either..."
"What about sadness? Have you ever cried?" His voice to a soft tone. "What did you feel when your mother died?"
"Nothing..." he murmured in the same blunt and uncaring tone he'd used when he first spoke to the king about his mother.
"Nothing? Nothing at all?"
"What was there to... 'feel'? I didn't want her to die, but she did. There was nothing I could've done..."
Murcielago unconsciously tightened the embrace he had on the little boy, feeling sad for him since Ulqui could not.
"Were you scared when you were captured and exposed those few months ago?"
"No... I was prepared for death. I had no purpose, there was no reason for me to live anymore..."
That comment earned collective stares from the mage, the king and even the guards escorting them.
He grunted. "...You're crushing me..."
The king loosened his tight hug as he murmured an apology. The guards opened the door and they entered the castle.
"Well you fit the Cifer family to a T. They were described as lacking empathy and looked down on things they deemed to not have a purpose." He dug in his pocket and pulled out a metal syringe. "I'd like to take a sample of your blood to study."
"Why?"
"There's a lot of things I still don't understand about the Espada, I'm hoping anything I find in you will shed a bit of light on them."
Ulquiorra held out his arm and Urahara uncapped the implement. He didn't flinch as his skin was pierced and his blood was pulled into the shiny tube. The mage and researcher pulled a cloth from his pocket and applied pressure to the tiny wound. The boy pulled away and looked at the pockmark as a bruise formed around it. The bruise didn't worry him like it did the adults.
Santa Maria appeared to scold him for running around in his nightgown and sneaking out of his room, but the new addition of the bell brace made her quite happy again. He was then taken away to be fed and dressed.
Later that evening, when the sun had set, and the king was freed from his duties, he went to visit Ulquiorra in his room. A smile crossed his face when he saw the boy.
He was in front of the unlit fireplace, crouching, almost into a ball, over a book. With his back mostly to the monarch, Ulqui didn't notice him enter. He studied a picture in the book for quite a while before standing straight and tall, and slowly easing himself into a laughable pose. It looked like a loose arabesque with his hands in the mayura position. He chuckled and the boy's head whipped around.
He lowered his legs and arms and turned to face Murcielago. "... How long have you been standing there?"
The man shook his head. "Not long. Do you like dancing?"
Ulquiorra looked back at the book on the floor. "Is that what this is? ...It's different from the dancing I've seen in bars."
He was almost afraid to ask. "What were you doing in a bar?"
"Pickpocketing drunkards..."
Murcielago shook his head and neared the boy. "Do that pose again." Ulquiorra did so, and the king fixed him. "Straighten this leg, and bend your arms like this. Now lift onto your toes. There." He stepped back from his charge and studied him, admiring his balance and how the pose seemed so natural on him. "I think you'd be a good dancer."
"How so?"
"You just look like..." he struggled for a word. "You have what I see as a dancer's body. Dancing and posing just look natural on them. Hm... would you like to learn to dance?"
Ulquiorra was still in the pose, and had yet to falter, but the king made him relax. "Should I?" He cocked his head. "Would you like me to?"
The king scratched his chin. "It'd keep you out of trouble, and give you something to do since it seems that you don't need help learning the spells from your book."
"Urahara says that I am a prodigy," he piped up.
Murcielago chuckled. "Yes, I think dancing would be good for you. And then you can perform for me when you master it."
"I'll do it then... I will have more to do... and more purpose."
Spell Book: (Latin)(*NOTE*I put them in order by when they were used, I hope it's not confusing...)
(1) Concede mihi spiritum eius sine putamine ambulare ...:
"Allow my spirit to walk without its shell..."
An advanced spell that requires the caster to have a sixth sense for spirits. If one was to attempt
this spell without that skill then their souls would be lost to the spirit plain.
Bleach/Kido Equivalent: Using a Soul Reaper badge
(2) Et dormies, hunc aura usque ad armigerum sanguinem aliter putat... a somno augurium projeci ... :
"The owner of this aura shalt sleep until the bearer of the blood deems otherwise... a sleep enchantment I cast..."
An advanced spell that forces an aura, and in turn the person, into a dormant state. The addition of blood
makes the spell nigh impossible to break by other magical folk.
Bleach/Kido Equivalent: None
(3) Excita...:
"Awaken..."
The counterspell for most sleeping enchantments.
Bleach/Kido Equivalent: None
(4) In renibus meis filias Metam solidum jubar lucis. :
Pierce my target with a beam of solid light.
An offensive, mid-level, ranged attack spell that concentrates magic into a beam of light and fires it. The intensity and
range depends on the power level of the caster
Bleach/Kido Equivalent: Cero
(5) Lux corporis poenam: Codices certa volabant. :
"Light physical punishment: Let books fly."
A low-level spell that causes very little harm to those it is used upon (Note: "Books" may be replaced with any other
convenient, non-lethal item.
Bleach/Kido Equivalent: None
As you can probably tell, I had about as much fun with the spell book as I did with the actual story *laughs* XD. I wrote this when I was supposed to be working on other stories, so if there are any of you out there who read this and is wondering why it's taking so long for other chapters of other stories to come out, here's my reason, but can you honestly be mad at me? *big eyes* Can you?
I plan for this to have one or two more chapters so be on the look out for that! Anyway thanks for reading this enormous story, and I really hope you enjoyed! Pretty please leave a review and maybe even vote on the poll in my profile, and have a wonderful day! =^w^=