"Just a warning to the reader, this is a fan-fiction and is a tad AU. This takes place before Orihime's capture, but after the Espada first enter the world of the living. Also, I do not claim any ownership to the TV show or manga series 'Bleach' and this story was written manly for enjoyment and because I was bored."
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Who Are You?
It was strange to say the least. In fact, it was strange the first time Ulquiorra and Yamy were sent the world of the living. Why send two Espada to check out a strong reiatsu when you could just as easily send a Hollow, or even an Arrancar? Boredom, maybe. Or maybe just to see the look on those two Espada's faces when they were told that they both had to go to the human world again for a seemingly ridicules reason.
But for whatever reason, they were ordered to go, and so go they did. Though to be honest, even though both of the Espada would rather stay inside Hueco Mundo, each had a reason to look forward to the trip, if only just slightly. For Ulquiorra, it was to find more data on what made these irrational humans "tick", so to speak. As for Yamy, it was mainly to see if he could find "that rat-bustard who cut off my damn arm and pay him back for all the trouble he's caused me."
Both are quite charming characters as you can see. Anyway, as the portal between Hueco Mundo closed behind them the two Espada were greeted by the very strong and very strange reiatsu they were sent there to investigate, but none other.
"Arg, let just get this over with, Ulquiorra, since that orange-haired punk isn't here." Yamy said in his booming voice that matched his huge body greatly.
"Agreed." Said his stoic partner Ulquiorra who was finding that since that strange girl with the even stranger powers apparently wasn't around he had become less interested in finding out what drove the average human.
Having nothing else to say—Yamy could be the talkative type if he was in a good mood, but Ulquiorra never was so the pair usually carried out their missions together with as little talking as possible—the pair of Espada roamed the park in silence. As they wove through the trees toward the area where the reiatsu was coming from, they started to hear the strangest music.
Not that either of them knew a lot about music—there was none in Hueco Mundo—but this music seemed different than the music that poured out of the stores, cell-phones, and other electronic items in Katakora Town. It didn't seem to use the same notes or much of the same instruments native to the country of Japan. [In Japan and other countries in the eastern hemisphere, they tend to use a sort-of different scale for their music and their instruments sort-of have a twang-y sound to them unlike western music—which the song I'm using in this story is from the western hemisphere, hence why I'm bringing this all up. And I'm pretty sure that's true because that what I was taught last year, but it was last year and my memory is a little fuzzy so I could be wrong about the music scale thing. Sorry if I am. ;)]
Though you could tell that the song was written to have more than one instrument playing, a harp's sound rang loud and clear through the park. But that wasn't the only sound. Along with the harp was the voice of what sounded like a young girl singing. [And I'm getting the lyrics from a video on YouTube so if their wrong blame the video, not me. But I think this is an exhalant song; it's called "The Islander" by a band called Nightwish—all one word. So if you're interested in the song, go on YouTube and you should be able to find it.]
Slowly, the words of the song reached the Espadas' ears, "An old man by the seashore at the end of the day. Gazes the horizons with sea-winds in his face. Tempest-tossed island. Seasons all the same. Anchorage unpainted and a ship without a name."
What was this strange song they were hearing? But before the Espada could even glance at each other the girl continued to sing. The Espadas stayed still so that the singing girl wouldn't get startled and stop the song.
"Sea without a shore for the banished one unheard. He lightens the beacon, light at the end of the world. Showing the way, lighting hope in their hearts. The ones on their travels going home from afar."
The tune was strange but intoxicating and neither Ulquiorra nor Yamy could bring themselves to end it.
"This is for long forgotten light at the end of the world. Horizon crying the tears he left behind long ago."
Next came a short solo from the harp, though judging by the sound, it was not the instrument first chosen by whoever had written the song. Yamy and Ulquiorra took the time when they were not trapped by the girl's voice's spell to move slightly forward towards the reiatsu, all the time making sure the owner didn't know they were approaching. [Quite a feat for Yamy if you ask me!] But soon they had to stop as they were once again stuck to the spot by the young girl's voice.
"The albatross is flying, making him daydream. The time before he became one of the world's unseen. Princess in the tower; children in the fields. Life gave him it all. An is and of the universe. Now his love's a memory; a ghost in the fog. He sets the sail one last time, saying farewell to the world. Anchor to the water, seabed far below. Grass still in his feet and a smile beneath his brow."
Then what Ulquiorra guessed was the chorus flowed out of the young girl's throat.
"This is for long forgotten light at the end of the world. Horizon crying the tears he left behind long ago."
Again, another beautiful solo was played by the harp, and again, Ulquiorra and Yamy crept forward to the reiatsu when the girl's now mournful voice echoed, "So long ago…"
Expecting another verse, the Espada stilled for about half a second. Instead they were greeted with another harp solo and another mournful, "So long ago…"
Not wanting to take the chance of being found out, the two Espada went still, waiting for another strange verse. They heard the chorus again after yet another harp solo.
"This is for long forgotten light at the end of the world. Horizon crying tears he left behind so long ago…So long ago…"
There was a pause as the last of the song was played by the harp. Once the music had stopped, the two Espada moved closer toward the now moving reiatsu, all the while still moving as stealthily as they had when the song was still playing as not to make the owner of the reiatsu try to run away. It wasn't as if they could catch it, it was just that having to do that would require unnecessary effort.
Silently the two Espada emerged from the trees and into a clearing just in time to see their prey, a girl no older than fourteen with black hair all the way down to the middle of her back carrying a miniature –about two feet in height and width—golden harp, take a well-used trail at the other side of the clearing going into another grove of trees. [And by that I mean that the trail was so worn by so many people walking it so much that it was basically a road without pavement.] They quickened their pace as to catch up to her, not minding the insignificant humans that couldn't see them.
As Ulquiorra and Yamy got closer to the girl they saw more details about her, such as what she was wearing: A light mint-green hoodie—it was late fall after all and the air was starting to get a chill in it—and a pair of ripped black jeans so long they went over her high-top sneakers. Though the jeans were so worn that they looked more like a dark gray than black. [Wow, I'm putting a lot of worn stuff in this story, huh?] Also, she was wearing a head-band made of what looked like light brown leather to hold her charcoal locks back away from her face.
Seeing no harm in it, Ulquiorra used sonido get in front of the girl just over a head shorter than him. "We need to talk." He said emotionlessly, thinking it would be easier to intimidate the girl into telling them how she got her power—for she could not have such a strong reiatsu without some kind of power—what it did, and how she could use it than watching her all day, and perhaps longer, hoping to see her use it and have to figure it out himself.
The plan was simple enough. Get her to acknowledge his existence, show her either his of Yamy's cero to scare her into submission, and ask her those questions whose answers were easier to through questions instead of observations. Simple, right? Wrong.
Instead of answering him like anyone in Hueco Mundo would, this girl simply looked him the eye for a few moments, looked down, and kept on walking as if he wasn't there. Only she knew he was there, and he knew that she knew. There were two pieces of evidence: 1.) She stopped and looked at him in the eye even though she had to tilt her head upward to do so. 2.) Instead of walking though him, like someone who didn't see him would do, she walked around him to keep walking.
So it wasn't that she didn't know he was there; she was just ignoring him. That simple fact made Ulquiorra angrier than he could even remember feeling. No one, not even the human scum who could see him, had ever ignored him. Ever. Out of the corner of his eye Ulquiorra could see Yamy just standing there in shock, his mouth aghast.
Ulquiorra whipped around to use sonido again and confront the girl, but was stopped when he saw her left a notebook out of the crook of the arm that wasn't carrying the harp that he didn't even see she had. The notebook was a plain black with a cheap blue pen tucked in the spiral. The girl went to the side of the trail, set the harp on the ground, sat down next to it and flipped the notebook open to a blank page.
The two Espada watched, dumbstruck, as the girl took out the pen and started to draw something, not once faltering and humming to herself in her beautiful voice the whole time. Once she was finished, the girl capped the pen in her hand in watched, along with Ulquiorra and Yamy, as the small sparrow she had drawn lift itself from the paper, flap its wings, and start to fly towards the Espada.
It stopped not even five inches away from Ulquiorra's face and say in a tinkling voice , "I'm sorry, but m' Lady does not wish to talk at the moment and would appreciate it if both of you would so kind as to leave her alone." [I wrote the sparrow's voice in a different fount because the voice sounds different than a normal human—or Espada—voice, same as when the girl was singing. And, yes, I got the inspiration for the girl's "power" from Sai from the show "Naruto". ;)] The blue sparrow stayed where it was, apparently waiting for a response.
Though while the sparrow the girl had created was patient enough to wait for an answer, the girl herself was not. The girl placed the pen back into the notebook spiral and tucked the notebook itself back into the crook of her arm while picking up her harp with her free hand and started to walk away again.
Before either of the Espadas could get angry again, the girl held her harp in front of her again and sang in her haunting voice, "They came for him one winter's night. Arrested, he was bound. They said there'd been a robbery, his pistol had been found."
Another solo from her harp, beautiful even though it seemed that this song too had not been meant to be played by the harp. It seemed that even the sparrow the girl had created was listening in on her creator's song.
"They marched him to the station house, he waited for the dawn. And as they lead him to the dock, he knew that he'd been wronged. 'You stand accused of robbery,' he heard the bailiff say. He knew without an alibi, tomorrow's light would mourn his freedom."
Next, based on the meaning and drama the girl put behind the words she sang, Ulquiorra guessed, was the chorus, "Over the hills and far away, for ten long years he'll count the days. Over the mountains and the seas, a prisoner's life for him there'll be."
Another hauntingly beautiful solo from her golden harp. Neither Yamy nor Ulquiorra knew she sang, but this melody was even more…they weren't sure. The song seemed impossible to describe, but Ulquiorra could tell that it wouldn't be leaving his mind for some time.
"He knew that it would cost him dear, but yet he dare not say. Where he had been that fateful night, a secret it must stay. He had to fight the tears of rage. His heart beat like a drum. For with the wife of his best friend, he spent his night of freedom. Over the hills and far away, he swears he will return one day. Far from the mountains and the seas, back in her arms is where he'll be. Over the hills and far awaaaaay."
The girl stretched the last word, as if to show its significant meaning. That probably was the reason. Still, Ulquiorra didn't move and himself be sucked away into the girls strange melody and another harp solo.
"Over the hills and, over the hills and, over the hills and far away."
The girl played another solo, longer than normal as her left hand plucked the strings on the harp effortlessly.
"Each night within his prison cell, he looks out through the bars. He reads the letters that she wrote. One day he'll know the taste of freedom. Over the hills and far away, she prays he will return one day. As sure as the rivers reach the seas, back in his arms she swears she'll be. Over the hills and far away, he swears he will return one day. Far from the mountains and the seas, back in her arms is where he'll be. Over the hills and far away, she prays he will return one day. As sure as the rivers reach the seas, back in his arms is where she'll be. Over the hills, over the hills and far away. Over the hills, over the hills and far away." She sang as her harp once again finished the song with its striking chords. [That song was "Over the Hills and Far Away", another song by Nightwish. Once again, by Nightwish, not me. Also, I got the lyrics from another video on YouTube, so if they're wrong, don't blame me! Plus, the actual song isn't played on the harp, but you get the idea. Don't sue me!]
"A-hem…"The sparrow said, having recovered from the enchanting song first, "M' Lady would like to know your answers. She only sings to relieve tension. Will you leave us alone?"
"My answer's gonna' be the same as Ulquiorra's." Yamy said gruffly.
The sparrow bobbed her head in what Ulquiorra supposed was suppose to be a nod. He took his time to think up his answer before he said anything as to get as much information out of her—or the sparrow she had crated—without making the girl get suspicious or try to runaway. Again, it wouldn't do her much good even if she did those things, but it would require more energy from Ulquiorra if she did, so he decided to think carefully about his answer. First off, if she only sings to relieve tension, then what tension was the tension before they arrived? Were the Shinigami after her too? Was whoever who was raising her getting wise to her abilities? And on that note, what were her abilities anyway? He knew she could create thing by drawing them, but what about her singing? Did she just own a beautiful voice to "relieve tension" like the bird had said, or was there more to it? And back to the drawing thing, was the size of the page as big as she could make her creations, or could they get bigger, and if so, how big? He didn't even know this girl's name! He definitely needed more information, but this girl could see him so it would be as simple as just following her around for a few days to observe her more. Now was probably the best chance he would get to learn more about her without actually fighting her.
Ulquiorra looked up at the girl to study her and noticed that she was fidgeting nervously, though from either impatient or actual nervousness, he wasn't sure. After a few moments he knew what he was going to say.
"I cannot say for certain that I will leave you and your creator be forever, but if you answer a few simple questions I can leave with my companion for now." Ulquiorra said evenly, proud of his answer though he would never show it.
The sparrow turned to the girl who was looking at him warily now with eyes the color of dark gold and humming again, possibly getting ready to sing another song, for moment before looking back at Ulquiorra. "Very well," The female sparrow said to him, "M' Lady will listen to your questions and will decide upon hearing them if she will answer or summon a monster much more ferocious than I to devour you."
Ulquiorra doubted that. But still, just that little sentence was full meaning. Even though the two Espadas were suppressing their reiatsu, this girl could definitely tell that they were very powerful and if this girl thought that she could "summon" a monster big and powerful enough to devour him that meant that she could "summon" some pretty dangerous stuff. Though Ulquiorra wasn't sure that when the little bird had said "summon" she actually meant that word, or if she was simply using it in place of the word "create". Also, it showed that either the girl was willing to cooperate to a certain extent, or, despite her calm exterior, she really was intimidated by them like he wanted in the first place. But it also showed that if "push came to shove", like some humans said, this girl would not simply bow down but would fight with all her strength and a cool head. No matter how weak an enemy was, if they kept those characteristics in battle, they could be a formidable foe.
Ulquiorra inwardly grimaced at this, not wanting to waste any effort keeping a lowly human in line, but kept his expression perfectly blank as he turned toward the girl and said. "Agreed. Firstly, what is your name? Second, what is this power you possess? Third, have you been in contact with Shinigami, and, if so, what was their name? Fourth, dose your voice hold a special power similar to your drawings? That is all I will ask for now; you may answer."
The girl's right eye-brow twitched at the "you may answer" in Ulquiorra's series of questions, not liking how he made it sound she was a dog he was getting orders to. But sill, she considered his questions, all of them at least somewhat reasonable. She decided to answer, despite the lack of enjoyment she felt while being questioned. "Alright. My name is Yanagi. I know little about my power other than it is to create things from drawing them and then to repress those same things I have drawn by containing them back into the paper from which they were born. Yes, I have been in contact with a Shinigami, though I do not know his name, but he had short orange hair—," Both Ulquiorra and Yamy tensed at that. She had been in contact with Ichigo? What had he told her? Apparently not enough because this girl, Yanagi, was talking to them. "—and finally, no, my voice holds no special power, it just calms people down for some reason. Plus I'm thinking of singing another song right not 'cause the tension just rose, like, 50% around here. It wouldn't have anything to do with the Shinigami I've been talking to, would it?" Yanagi asked with narrowed eyes. She was getting suspicious.
"It might." Ulquiorra said the half-truth without even thinking, and he was glad he did. It was bad to lie to this girl—Yanagi, he reminded himself—he could tell. She had the kind of eyes that could cut through lies like paper and get straight to the truth. She would've known he had lied and if they ever reproached her in the future about joining Aizen-sama's army, she would immediately be on guard and that would only cause trouble. A half-truth was best because it kept her from possibly knowing too much, but still kept her comfortable enough to talk to them. Yanagi hesitated a moment before nodding her agreement, saying that the answer was good enough for her…for now, at least.
"M' Lady is done talking and it is time for you two to leave, like you said you would, if you don't mind." The sparrow said, reminding the two Espada that Yanagi's little creation was still there. Yanagi again nodded her agreement. It appeared that that she preferred not to talk and instead let her creations do it for her. Ulquiorra was starting to like her already. Yamy just grunted his response and turned to leave, but before they could do more than turn, Yanagi had lifted her harp once more and began to pluck the stings, and caught Yamy and Ulquiorra once again in the rhythm of both the song and her voice…
"Finally the hills are without eyes. They are tired of painting a dead man's face red with their own blood. He used to love having so much to lose. Blink your eyes just once and see everything in ruins…" Then, in a more rough and angry voice Yanagi sang, "Did you ever hear what I told you? Did you ever read what I wrote you? Did you ever listen to what we played? Did you ever let in what the world said? Did we get this far just to feel your hate? Did we play to become more pawns in the game? How blind can you be? Don't you see? You've chose the long road, but we'll be waiting." The next line Yanagi seemed more to scream than to sing, "Bye bye Beautiful! Bye bye Beautiful!"
Another one of Yanagi's harp solos though, again, it was clear this song was not written for the harp. But it was beautiful, all the same. Then again she sang in a less angry voice, "Jacob's ghost for the girl in white. Blindfold for the blind. Dead siblings walking the dying earth. Noose around a choking heart. Eternity torn apart. Slow toll now the funeral bells." And once again in the angry voice, "I need to die to feel alive! Did you ever hear what I told you? Did you ever read what I wrote you? Did you ever listen to what we played? Did you ever let in what the world said? Did we get this far just to feel your hate? Did we play to become more pawns in the game? How blind can you be? Don't you see? You've chose the long road, but we'll be waiting." And again Yanagi screamed, "Bye bye Beautiful! Bye bye Beautiful! Bye bye Beautiful!"
Yanagi entered another harp solo as both Ulquiorra and Yamy were struck by the force behind the song. Again she sang in the angry voice, "It's not the tree that forsakes the flower, but the flower that forsakes the tree. Someday I'll learn to love these scars, still fresh from the red hot blade of your words. How blind can you be? Don't you see? How blind can you be? Don't you see? That the gambler lost all he does not have. Did you ever hear what I told you? Did you ever read what I wrote you? Did you ever listen to what we played? Did you ever let in what the world said? Did we get this far just to feel your hate? Did we play to become more pawns in the game? How blind can you be? Don't you see? You've chose the long road, but we'll be waiting." And once again the screaming, "Bye bye Beautiful! Bye bye Beautiful! Bye bye Beautiful!" And once again Yanagi was silent as her harp finished the song. [That was "Bye Bye Beautiful", also by Nightwish. Same drill with the lyrics. They're an awesome band and I think whoever reads this story should listen to their stuff. Seriously. I even made my character a big fan.]
Once the song had died down Ulquiorra took another step away from Yanagi, but was assaulted with the desire to hear more music. One look at Yamy's face told him that Yamy was feeling the same thing. It was understandable, really. There was no music at all in Hueco Mundo, and here stood a girl who could play beautiful music on her harp and sing with an even more beautiful voice. When were they going to get the chance to hear music again? Surely it couldn't hurt to ask for one more song, could it? Well, Aizen-sama and the other Espada would when they had to report the result of their mission by smashing Ulquiorra's eye-ball. [Ew. That sounds gross, doesn't it?]
Ulquiorra hesitated until he heard Yanagi's footsteps start to go the other way before deciding that there was no real harm in asking and that the music was diffidently worth it. Yanagi must have heard him turn because she too had turned to face the two Espada once again. She had a slight trace of a smirk on her mouth but Ulquiorra ignored it.
Instead, he straightened his back to make himself even more to make him seem even more intimidating and scary. (Just who was the Espada here?) He also straightened his shoulders to make himself appear broader and bigger while he asked, "Would you mind singing another song, Yanagi?" He had tried to keep the whole "asking" tone out of his voice while he asked her to sing. He hated the idea of asking a human for anything.
Yanagi's tiny smirk grew—just a tad—in size as she lifted her harp again and began to pluck the strings…[Alright, I'm breaking the pattern here, but the song is called "Pirate Lullabye" by The Whiskey Bards—another awesome band. This time I'm writing down the lyrics by listening to the song on YouTube, so don't judge if the words come out wrong, okay? Here we go…]
"Sleep, Bonnie, pirate laddie while the waves they roar. Sleep, Bonnie, pirate laddie while ocean breezes blow. Feel the ship rock to and fro. Hear wind through riggings sigh. A gentle ocean sounds below, a pirate's lullaby. Storms rise upon the seas, as clouds darken up high. See the sails begin the stretch as winds fall from the skies. Waves roll and toss the ship. Rock me from side to siiiiiide." Yanagi stretched out the last word, "Taste the salt upon your lips from the fury of the tide. Grab the hatchets, bags, and down as waves, they crest the bow. Main sailors secure the deck else every man might drown. Drop the anchor, ride the storm, and pray with all your might. Hear thunder-clap and racing heart as you struggle for your life.
"Sleep, Bonnie, pirate laddie, while the waves, they roll. Sleep, Bonnie, pirate laddie, ocean breezes blow. Feel the ship rock to and fro, hear wind through riggings sigh. A gentle ocean sounds below, a pirate's lullaby. Stone that way and fade away as clouds drift off with sighs. See on high, the ashier hue of gentle soft blue skies. Waves fall and can't go slow, the sea the likely rose. Taste the tang of sea and sweat, as salt winds gently blow. Grasp the ropes and hoist the sails, its back to port, you're bound. The main sail bellows large and full, soon you'll be on dried ground. Weigh the anchor; spin the wheel, this day ought nature win. Feel spray of sea, the ocean's kiss. You're on your way again.
"Sleep, Bonnie, pirate laddie, while the waves they roll. Sleep, bonnie, pirate laddie, as ocean breezes blow. Feel the ship rock to and fro, hear wind through riggings sigh. A gentle ocean sounds below, a pirate's lulllabyyy." As Yanagi stretched out the last word to the song, Ulquiorra had to fight to keep from swaying with the music. [It's that good a song.]
Instead, he simply nodded and started to leave, saying a clipped, "Let's go, Yamy." and nothing more. Until, at least, he and Yamy got to the entrance of the trail. Ulquiorra turned his head so that he could see Yanagi, who was still standing where she had played the last song, and huge smirk now plastered to her face along with a raised eye-brow, as if to say, "What do you think about that, Pretty-Boy?"
"We will see you in the future." Ulquiorra said in the same clipped tone he had used with Yamy. Yanagi did nothing other than lower her eye-brow, turn her smirk into a smile, spin on her heel opposite the two Espada, and start singing and playing "Another Irish Drinking Song" by The Whiskey Bards [You guys need to listen to that song too.] while leaving. Her little blue and white sparrow following her the whole way.
Yamy shook his head, bemused at the strange girl's ways. Ulquiorra silently agreed with him as he snapped his fingers to open the portal between the world of the living and Hueco Mundo. At least one of the songs Yanagi had played echoed through the two Espada's heads as they traveled back to their home and to Aizen-sama's throne room.
Both the Espadas entered the great throne room of Hueco Mundo and stood directly in front of Aizen-sama as he watched them with his demented smile firmly in place. "Show us what you have seen, Ulquiorra." He said in his false charming voice. A few of the lower level Arrancar shifting slightly, not liking the idea of inhaling Ulquiorra's eye-ball.
Without any further instruction, Ulquiorra placed his fingers around the socket of his left eye, and successfully pulled out the object within. He held the eye straight in front of him as he closed the fist surrounding the eye tighter and tighter until the eye was reduced to a fine, glittering powder that drifted through the air and into all who were in the throne room's mouths.
A vision accompanied with full sound effects of what had just happened played across everyone's head. Aizen-sama was the first to open his eyes—though Ulquiorra and Yamy had never closed theirs since they already knew.
"Interesting…" Aizen-sama drawled, an evil glint in his eyes, "Yamy, Ulquiorra, return to the world of the living in seven days. I would like to meet this girl…"
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"Alright, what do you think? Please send in reviews and comments; I'm always open for suggestions. And please help me if I got the lyrics to any of the songs wrong! I might make another chapter of this story if you guys send in enough reviews, so do it!"