It had been some time since Matsumoto Rangiku escaped Hueco Mundo, and Neliel Tu had been banished from Las Noches. Everything else seemed peaceful. Aizen would allow for no one to defy him, and those that did, paid the price. Unfortunately for Nel, she not only paid the price for her own actions, but those of Gin's as well. Lord Aizen would not so thoroughly punish one of his own commanders. That is why Pesche and Dondochakka helped Neliel Tu carry the punishment of both her, and Commander Ichimaru.
Ulquiorra walked down the silent halls of Las Noches, lost in thought. He passed by the part of the castle that once belonged to Neliel, and that now belonged to someone else. See, the Espada never went without a member for very long. With Lord Aizen's continuous work on evolving the Hollows, someone was always there to take another's place.
They were easily expendable. Luckily, Ulquiorra felt safe. With Neliel Tu's banishment, he was even promoted. Of course, his movement through the Espada ranks could be for better, or for worse.
"Well, well... What do we have here?" said a gruff, snarling voice followed by a mocking laugh.
Ulquiorra looked up. "Grimmjow."
"What's up, Ulquiorra!? Come to fight? Or mourn the loss of that shinigami?" A wide smirk played on Grimmjow's face as he leaned against the wall, his arms folded over his open vest. With him, as always, was his band of Fraccion.
"Can you not go anywhere without this trash following you?" Ulquiorra asked without acknowledging their existence except for that one statement. Grimmjow unfolded his arms and stood up to Ulquiorra, a growl deep in his throat.
"So what if I take them with me? They're my Fraccion to do as I wish!"
The shorter Arrancar closed his eyes, sighing. "Don't flaunt your power so readily. I still outrank you." This was all he said as he walked calmly away, leaving Grimmjow steaming. When he was out of sight of Grimmjow, he passed by the room that was once occupied by their prisoner. He did not stop, nor did he give any outward sign of acknowledging it, but several thoughts ran through his mind.
Most of them being the last image he saw of her, being held by Gin during their moment of weakness, of goodbye. "What rubbish," he said as he continued walking. Suddenly, though, an image of the human girl from the World of the Living flashed across his mind as well. He stopped, staring at the ground. "Why did she appear in my mind?"
"Somethin' troublin' ya?" A voice said from behind him. Ulquiorra looked up and turned around.
"Commander Ichimaru," he said.
Gin smiled and walked up to him. "You seem a bit..distracted, Ulquiorra."
"I seem to remember Aizen-sama telling you not to be caught in this area again."
Shrugging, Gin continued to smile. "He won' find out... right, Ulquiorra?"
Ulquiorra closed his eyes and turned around. "It does not benefit me to say anything to Lord Aizen. If he finds out it is because he is watching you - and me - very closely."
"Aizen wouldn' keep so tight a leash on you, his favorite pet," Gin said. Then he looked at the door. "You miss her too, don'tcha, Ulquiorra?"
"It is not within my rights or allowance to miss or even feel compassion. I feel the loss of a prisoner as nothing more than an inconvenience for Aizen-sama's plans."
Gin wanted nothing more than to strangle Ulquiorra. The Hollow was so damn infuriating! Oh well, better not continue. Ulquiorra was right. No matter his personal feelings, Rangiku leaving was not something Gin could mourn. In mutual silence, the two left, Ulquiorra heading back to his own quarters.
"Matsumoto was not mine to mourn or miss," Ulquiorra said. "What use would I have for such feelings, and why would I care about such a trifling matter." It was true- Ulquiorra could not have cared less for Rangiku's leaving, if only her leaving left him with more questions than he had when he first met her. That is what frustrated him so damn much.
Not too long after Ulquiorra and Yammy arrived back in Hueco Mundo, Ulquiorra found himself wanting to go back. He was.. curious.. about the humans. More so than he was about the shinigami. The shinigami were not much different than he was- spirits, souls, with powers and abilities far beyond that of humans. Yet there seemed to be humans who possessed similar abilities. This intrigued him.
Suddenly his mind returned to his encounter with Grimmjow. It did not seem to be a chance meeting- and also, what would Grimmjow be doing with his Fraccion? Surely Aizen-sama had not sent them on a mission?
"Alright, let's go," Grimmjow said. "We'll finish what that wimp Ulquiorra started!" Grimmjow stood inside of Las Noches, surrounded by his Fraccion. "I'll go first, make sure you ain't followed! Last thing I want is that ridiculous Ulquiorra finding out!" With that, Grimmjow opened a portal that would take him to the World of the Living.
AN: I know it's short, but here we have the first part of Heart! Kind of like the prologue, it's a continuation of Wherever You Will Go's epilogue. Who will take center stage in this production? Well, continue reading to find out!
I just wanted to say thank you to all of you who read and reviewed Wherever You Will Go. Thanks for the kind words, and I hope you enjoy Heart as much as you did WYWG!
A lot of you were concerned I strayed too far from Ulquiorra's character. While it's true I played a bit more with his character than the others, I did try to not change his personality too much. I always perceived Ulquiorra as having no emotion, but after reading the part with him and Orihime in the manga, during Ulquiorra's fight with Ichigo, he seemed very curious about Orihime. It made me think that even if he cannot seem, or is not willing, to feel emotions, he does feel curiosity and frustration at not being able to know any other emotion. That's why I had the scene with Ulquiorra and Rangiku. It's not that he felt anything for her, but the fact that he did not made him frustrated, and he was curious to know what it felt like. It is for this reason, and my perception of Ulquiorra, that prompted me to write that chapter.
There were, I'm sure, plenty of ways to bring out that part of Ulquiorra, but it seemed to fit his character that he'd do it at the expense of someone else's pain.
I hope that clears some things up, and once again, thank you for the critique and reviews! Please keep them coming, and I hope you continue to read Heart!