Switching Sides

By: Rèîán§hitsü

Clouds painted the sky a light gray. A storm was on the horizon. Thunder filled the air as a cold breeze blew through the empty field Ulquiorra walked through. It was a few town away from Karakura town where he was, hiding his reiatsu. He was thinking hard because he was very confused.

Aizen had dismissed everyone to do whatever they wanted. He had left Hueco Muendo to go get something important to their cause. Tousen and Gin had gone with him. Aizen had left Harribel in charge, a strange unexpected move, but Ulquiorra was silently grateful. He had wanted to get away and think for a little. He really wanted to know why he felt how he did.

The previous week he and Yammy had come to Karakura town again, to dig up a body Aizen had sent them to fetch. It was a rather pointless cause, but it was orders and he followed them. Expecting to be headed off by Ichigo and his friends, Ulquiorra was slightly surprised when he ran into Urahara and Yoruichi instead.

They had already pulled the body out when they showed up. Urahara started to fight with Yammy as Yoruichi ran at him. Ulquiorra fought her for a little soon knocking her out, that's when she showed up. Ulquiorra had left the cemetery, standing just slightly in some trees beside a slit leading to Hueco Muendo. Yammy and Urahara were fighting as the woman fought off hollows that showed up, drawn to the spiritual energy.

Ulquiorra had watched her fight, seen her strength. At first he thought he was just impressed… but he was starting to believe it was more. He had taken an interest in this woman and he wanted to know why. What was it about her that made her so interesting? Why did he suddenly care whether he saw her again or not?

She had not noticed him that day, or if she did she had paid no attention. He was curious why she didn't. He wanted to know why… why he wanted her to look at him.

A raindrop fell against Ulquiorra's cheek, making him look up at the dark sky. Lightning flashed in the distance as another raindrop hit him, then another. One by one, it started to rain. Ulquiorra made no chance in direction or in speed to get out of the storm. He cared not how wet he got. He continued walking as more thoughts, more questions, poured into his mind like the rain did the empty field.

A few moments later he realized the rain had let up. He looked around and saw that he was wrong. The rain still beat down as hard as ever, but he had wandered into a small section of trees, that held back some of the rain. He glanced up thinking of how the trees offered protection from the rain. How the soul reapers protected the humans, like the trees. Why? Why do the trees care whether or not he gets wet? Why do the shinigami care if the humans die? Was there some purpose in protecting those who cannot protect themselves that he didn't know? If Aizen was a soul reaper… what did he protect? What is he protecting now?

What am I protecting? ... Aizen? ….. Or his cause?

Ulquiorra looked down at the trees around him. He wondered if he was protecting Aizen, why did he? What did he care about Aizen? Was he that important? Aren't there better things to protect out there?

A picture of the girl flashed into his mind, lingering for only a second. Her black hair flowing in the wind, her brown eyes looking at him… The image left his mind as he turned and looked back at the empty field. The rain came down continually.

He watched it, letting more and more inquiries fill his head. The rain nurtured and fed the grass, it helped it to grow. But it hurt it so much to do that. The rain taught the grass to grow and to stand up even after it was beat beyond relief.

Did the soul reapers do that? Did they teach others with force to stand up when knocked down? Or did they just kill hollows and close people's eyes to the danger? Did they teach them anything? Or did they just protect them? Shield them from danger and cover their eyes so they cannot see what could kill them?

The trees kept Ulquiorra from getting hit with rain, but the grass had to keep fighting the rain. The grass blossomed after the shower, it always did. It was pounded and beaten, but it stood back up, stronger and more beautiful then before.

Did Aizen teach the arrancar? Did he use force to make them better? Or did he just control them? Did he send them on useless errands to fight for his cause? When he was done, when he owned the world, when he had destroyed all of the soul reapers, would he throw them away like trash? Would someone truly teach him what he should do, would someone ever make him better?

Suddenly the picture of the woman passed through his mind again, her voice calling out to him.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Ulquiorra looked out to the field where the Captain of the second squad stood, Soi Fong. She started to draw her sword when he turned and started walking past the trees.

"You're walking away?" Soi Fong wondered aloud.

Ulquiorra kept walking, getting out from under the trees. The rain poured down once again on him. Behind him, he heard Soi Fong run up a few feet behind him. He turned and looked at her.

"I am not here to fight you," Ulquiorra told her.

"Then what are you here for," Soi Fong asked a little aggregately. She was on edge, watching the espada across from her closely.

"I was trying to find answers to questions," Ulquiorra answered calmly, not changing the emotion on his face.

Soi Fong sneered then let go of her hilt.

"Whatever," she stated before turning to walk away from him.

"What is your name?"

She stopped and looked back at him.

"Why do you care?" She asked, staring at him like an enemy.

"I don't know," he paused. "That's a question I'd like an answer to."

Soi Fong did not reply for a few minutes, as rain beat down on them and on the grass. Thunder rang and lightning flashed many times, intensifying the atmosphere between them.

"Captain of the Second Squad, Soi Fong."

Ulquiorra looked at her slightly tilting his head to the side.

"I have no more answers for you, I should kill you," Soi Fong admitted.

"Then why haven't you?"

Soi Fong's eyes opened wide as she stared at the pale arrancar standing a little ways away from her. He stood there looking back with a seemingly blank face. She realized that if you look close enough, his eyes weren't blank… they were curious. He had so many superficial questions it was ridiculous. But some of his questions… had deep meaning.

She pulled out her sword, composing herself. She pointed at him before disappearing. She reappeared behind him and swung her sword at his side. He caught the blade as he turned around to look at her. She let go of her sword's hilt jumping back. The rain started coming down harder now, as the sky grew even darker.

He dropped her sword as thunder rolled just above them. He started to walk toward her when she disappeared again. This time, he reached out and caught her wrist as she ran past him. She looked at him in shock that he could see her, much less catch her when she ran by. He was standing just in front of her, holding her wrist and looking at her.

What was it with him? Why hadn't he done anything to her yet? They're enemies! Thoughts ran through Soi Fong's mind now as fast as the flashing of lightning in the distance. Suddenly lightning flashed horizontally in the sky just a few hundred feet above them. They both looked up stunned by is closeness. When it was gone he looked back at her. Her gaze focused on the sky above them, she seemed not even to be aware of his hold on her wrist.

She looked at him instantly after that, glaring at him. She was fixing to jerk her wrist out of his grasp when he pulled her into a kiss. Soi Fong's eyes went wider then ever before as her body froze against her will. She tried to move away from him, she tried to get away from his grasp, but her arms and legs would not move. Her muscles were frozen solid as ice.

Emotions fluttered up from the pit of her stomach to her lips, and she found herself kissing back. Her mind screamed at her that this was wrong, this was BAD! He is an espada, a strong enemy. But at this moment in time, she had no control over her body. Her legs went limp and she leaned against him. She wanted to kill him, to rip his throat out, to kill herself for even letting him get this close.

She closed her eyes, trying to force her way away from him. She fought for a few more seconds before her mind went blank. She couldn't fight anymore. She'd lost. And she knew she would pay for it later.

He kissed her a little longer before pulling back. He let go of her wrist watching her.

"… Wh-why… why did you… kiss me?" Soi Fong softly muttered, barely able to talk without her lips shaking and slurring her words.

"… You interest me."

She slowly opened her eyes, realizing she was still leaning against the hollow's chest. She jumped back quickly, trying to get far away from him. She thought of running, but she had already been made to look like a fool, that would only make it worse.

"Why? Why me?" She yelled at him.

"… I love you."

Her heart skipped a beat as her eyes started to shake. She stared at him in deep confusion. What was he thinking? How could he? Why would he? Everything Soi Fong thought she knew was falling apart before her eyes. This pale espada, a short distance away from her, was claiming to love her. No one had ever said that before. No one had ever believed that before. Soi Fong was a strong, independent woman. She never thought she needed a man. She never thought she wanted one. And up until now, she believed no one loved her, no one wanted her. How could she believe anything now? Everything she thought she knew… was she wrong?

"That is my conclusion," Ulquiorra said, answering his question, one of his questions, at least.

He disappeared leaving Soi Fong to think her own questions now. She stared at where he had been standing for a few moments, questions screaming at her in her mind. She soon fell to her knees. She looked down at the grass as the rain started to lighten up to a sprinkle.

She looked down at the green grass in front of her eyes. The thunder was in the distance with its company, lightning. The clouds above her followed after them, or at least the darker of them. The sky was again painted gray, but the grass didn't look the same. The raindrop left on it made it shine. Much like the water did to people's hair.

…The grass needs the rain doesn't it?…

….Do I need him?...

"What's going on?" Soi Fong demanded an answer from Captain Hitsugaya, who was standing near her.

They had been pulled into a battle first thing in the morning when Aizen and a few of his espada had invaded the skies above Karakura town. Harribel was fighting with Captain Ukitake in the distance, while Aizen monologued to the Captain-Commander. Tousen and Komomura were both in a deadly fight, where Komomura had killed Tousen but had nearly died in the process. He was with Captain Unohana being healed at the moment.

Most of the vice-captain's had been defending against arrancars of higher strength on various fronts. Both Aizen and the soul reapers had lost a lot. Captain Hitsugaya and Captain Soi Fong were both out of range to see Aizen and the Captain-Commander, but they had both just felt something strange. They soon felt Aizen and his espada's reiatsu leave.

They stood there looking at each other, wondering what was going on, for what amounted to five minutes. Soon, Captain Ukitake appeared behind them, a little cut up from his fight with Harribel. He seemed to be in a pretty good mood for the situation they were in.

"You'll never believe this," he stated.

"What just happened?" Hitsugaya asked a little surprised.

"Aizen just got a hole through his chest, and not a small one," Ukitake commented.

"Did Kurosaki finally show up?" Hitsugaya asked, relaxing his arm a little.

"No Aizen got caught off guard," Ukitake paused. "One of his own hit him."

Soi Fong and Hitsugaya glanced at each other before looking back at Ukitake, curious who would turn on Aizen, who would catch him so off guard to almost kill him.

"Ulquiorra," Ukitake answered their unasked question.

Soi Fong's eyes went wide.

Why did he…?

"Then he just disappeared and Aizen retreated."

Ukitake's words and Hitsugaya's replies faded out into the background. Soi Fong couldn't hear them over her own thoughts. She disappeared a few seconds after, running back to the field a few towns over. Hoping… for reasons she didn't know, that Ulquiorra would be there.

When she got there, she saw him sitting against a tree, looking at the grass.

"You see? It is more beautiful now…" He spoke softly, running his fingers across the grass that stood up tall and bright after last nights storm.

She slowly walked over closer to him. He looked up at her, face still coming off as blank, but his eyes seemed to show something a little different then curiosity. Was he happy to see her?

"Why did you turn on Aizen?" Soi Fong asked.

"I found my answers," Ulquiorra replied.

"…What are they?"

"You," Ulquiorra answered, watching as she still seemed shocked.

Thoughts slowly passed through Soi Fong's head, as she sat down beside him.

"We're supposed to be enemies, but…" Soi Fong paused, trying to say what was on her mind.

… Ulquiorra…

…I love you too…