Future

Chapter 1

Life with Neliel basically guaranteed a life of confusion, so when Nnoitra woke up from what should have been fatal wounds with Neliel perched on a rock nearby, he wasn't surprised that he had no idea what was going on. He sat up slowly, just in case, but sure enough he was fully healed even if his clothes were torn all to hell from the fight with captain Zaraki; he glared over at Neliel who was watching him carefully as if to make sure he wasn't still injured somewhere and he snorted and looked away from her

"You're kidding yourself if you think I'm gonna thank you for saving me," he growled and when Neliel didn't respond he glanced over at her to see that she had turned to watch a bunch of hollows flying by as if she hadn't a care in the world, but he could see the pain in her eyes and he looked away from her as he got to his feet "What the hell's going on anyway?"

"Aizen was defeated," Neliel said calmly as Nnoitra looked at her in disbelief "Ichigo and Orihime are in las noches now along with a small army of soul reapers that are even stronger than the other captains that are left now, Aizen gave them power against their will and now they have become a stronger subspecies of soul reaper that has been sent here to heal hollows," Nnoitra gritted his teeth and grabbed his sword before stalking away and after about a day of travel he stood within a week of las noches' main entrance where he could see a trail of hollows flying, crawling and walking in that direction

"So what, exactly, are they here to heal us of? Do they think we have some sort of disease or something, or are they just here to kill us?" he asked and felt Neliel move closer, she'd stayed back a ways but he'd had a feeling that she'd been following him

"I've seen hollows leave las noches from a distance, so whatever it is they aren't killing them in there," Nnoitra clenched his hand around the hilt of his sword with a growl

"Or those weaklings have just accepted their fate, whatever the hell that is," Neliel moved closer and said with a sure voice

"Ichigo is in there and he is kind, the woman Orihime is even more so; I don't think they'd be here on a mission to lure us all to our deaths," Nnoitra turned and snapped at her

"I didn't ask your opinion, bitch!" Neliel didn't respond, something she was quite good at and another reason Nnoitra hated her; she never rose to the bait and fought him like she meant it, and the one time he'd found someone strong enough to kill him in glorious battle she'd dared to bring him back. He looked around and realized that half the reason he was even talking to her was that he was alone, and he glared back at Neliel who was watching the passing hollows again as if those weaklings had a great interest to her "Where's Tesra, did you see where he went?"

"When you died, he slit his own throat," she said without looking at him and Nnoitra grabbed her shoulder and growled in her face

"Why the hell didn't you bring him back then?" Neliel gave him the same blank look as usual and admitted

"I hated him for being so weak, at least you claimed your death in battle," that gave him pause, he'd never known Neliel to hate anyone let alone to the point where she'd allow them to die and stay dead

"Where is he?" he asked a bit warily, not sure she'd answer, but she very promptly reported

"I buried him, but it took me a week to get enough of my power back to heal you so he wasn't exactly pretty anymore," Nnoitra's eyes narrowed

"You thought Tesra was pretty?" he asked and Neliel rolled her eyes and looked away without answering, and for some reason that only pissed Nnoitra off even more. He grabbed her jaw and forced her to look up at him and he immediately saw the sparkle in her eyes caused by his rough treatment which took him aback, he'd have never guessed Neliel was into pain "Why did you bring me back?" he asked in a low voice and Neliel admitted

"Because I don't want you to hate me; I want to show you what I'm really like," she blinked away tears "a-and maybe someday we can be friends?" the last part was put hesitantly and Nnoitra resisted the instinctive urge to laugh, curious despite his earlier declaration of hatred

"Why?" he prodded and Neliel closed her eyes causing several tears to escape as she whispered

"Because I fear that we might be the only two espada left,"

They camped up against a large sand dune that night with a little fire between the two of them and Nnoitra spent most of the night just watching Neliel sleep as he pondered over her earlier words

'So the rest of the espada are all dead?' he wouldn't be surprised to learn that the privaron espada were dead, after all they'd been weak, but Stark, Baraggan, and Halibel… And what about Ulquiorra and Grimmjow, had they been killed too? He sighed and glanced down at his sword which he'd sealed for the night as he pointed his finger to the ground and tried to pick up on an energy signature that he recognized, but as before he only felt the giant mass of power in the middle of las noches that could have been one or many people from this distance as well as the trail of weaklings making their way to las noches.

Well, them and Neliel.

He glanced across the fire again where she was sleeping on her side with her arm curled under her head, wondering for not the first time where she'd gotten that very human looking outfit of blue pants and a green sleeveless top, but even as he watched he saw a shudder go through her and he realized that she was shivering. He frowned and rose to his feet, going over to her and picking her up into his arms before returning to his seat, and as he settled her head against his chest and lifted a knee to keep the wind off of her he felt her snuggle closer and sigh happily

"Thank you, Nnoitra," she murmured and he snorted and looked back into the fire, his mind wandering for the better part of the night, and towards morning he glanced down at Neliel only to find that she hadn't moved a single inch since she'd fallen asleep. He straightened his knee and she murmured a protest and curled up a little tighter in his lap so that she could continue to sleep, Nnoitra sighed in defeat and stood with her cradled in his arms and after sheathing his sword and walking for a couple of hours he heard Neliel's breathing change. He glanced down at her and was a bit startled to see that the pink mark that usually graced her cheeks and nose had faded away and her skin was a pale color that he didn't recognize, he knelt to set her butt on his knee and lightly patted her cheek with his freed hand. He didn't get a response and, recalling earlier, he drew back and slapped her; her eyes flew open with a gasp and she blinked several times before finding Nnoitra with her gaze and she took a few small breaths before admitting "I think… I over did it," then she passed out and Nnoitra frowned and sighed before picking her up again and continuing on towards los noches

"You're such a pain in the ass," he muttered but, predictably, got no response.

Neliel woke up in a strange bed naked and alone but she was too weak to even sit up, she twitched her fingers towards the door and whimpered and a moment later it opened revealing Orihime and Nnoitra. Orihime rushed forward and touched Neliel's cheek which immediately made her start to feel better but Neliel's eyes found Nnoitra who was leaning against the wall watching over them with hard eyes. She swallowed with difficulty; that look in his eyes was one she'd seen too many time in the past to forget but she had hoped that she'd never see it again

"I'm sorry Nel," Orihime said "when Nnoitra brought you here I didn't know what else to do, you were barely breathing and we weren't sure you'd make it unless I healed you. I really wanted to wait to ask you if you were okay with it but we couldn't get you to open your eyes," Neliel frowned in confusion and Nnoitra stepped forward and smacked her left breast, much to Orihime's outrage, but when Neliel looked down she gasped when she saw that her hole was gone. It had been above where her heart was supposed to be, but now it was gone

"So, that's what you're healing here?" Neliel asked and Orihime looked away from Nnoitra who she had evidently been chastising to give Neliel a worried look

"Yes, with your holes healed you won't need to eat human souls anymore and the world of the living will be safe," Nnoitra snorted and she glared at him "and I'm not done with you, Nnoitra, that was uncalled for not to mention rude!"

"Don't worry about it so much, Orihime; Nel is a masochist," Neliel glanced up and she smiled when she saw Ichigo's shoulder and the back of his head through the doorway, clearly he'd been ordered not come in since Neliel was naked, and Neliel blinked in surprise when Nnoitra moved in front of her before sitting on the bed as if to guard her even going so far as to reach behind him and rest a hand on her bare thigh which of course made Orihime flutter about like a nervous mother hen

"Nnoitra, she's naked!" Orihime protested and Nnoitra gave her a hard look that could have easily sliced her neck open of looks could kill

"You've hurt her enough, bitch, now back the fuck off," Ichigo immediately turned the corner with a growl and suddenly and without warning Ulquiorra appeared between Nnoitra and Orihime, guiding Orihime back towards Ichigo as Nnoitra straightened with surprise

"Easy, Nnoitra, mother was only doing what she felt she must," Ulquiorra said with a glance back at him and Nnoitra stood with a glare to face down the smaller but stronger former espada

"You have no idea what-" he broke off when Ulquiorra turned to face him and Ulquiorra nodded once and reached up to trace his fingertips over his own unblemished chest

"I know it hurt, but it is done and she is safer for it," Ulquiorra said, keeping the cadence of his voice slow and soothing as if talking down a rabid beast "she will never be hunted by soul reapers again, she is safe," he repeated the last bit with more emphasis and Neliel was in shock as she watched the aggression drain from Nnoitra before he returned to sit in front of her with a dark look on his face "I know it wasn't easy to watch," Ulquiorra added and Nnoitra snorted before sitting up again when Grimmjow turned the corner, dressed as he was in his normal pants and vest it was easy to see that the hole in his gut had been healed as well. He sauntered up to Ulquiorra and wrapped an arm around his waist, keeping his eyes locked on Nnoitra as he bent his head and pressed a kiss to Ulquiorra's cheek

"Everything alright in here? I heard screaming," he directed towards the former number 4

"Mother healed Neliel," Ulquiorra explained "and Nnoitra didn't take it very well," Neliel blinked in surprise and lightly touched Nnoitra's shoulder to gain his attention

"You screamed?" she asked in a low voice and he shrugged off her touch to turn and glare back at her

"No, you did!" he snarled and she was surprised both by his reaction and the fear she could see in his eye as he pointed back towards Ichigo and the others "She was hurting you and those bastards wouldn't even let me-" he cut himself off with a growl and looked away from her and Neliel blinked in surprise then slowly smiled and rose up to drape her arms over Nnoitra's shoulders, hugging him close as she heard Grimmjow chuckle and evidently he and Ulquiorra shooed everyone out of the room because the door closed a few moments later leaving them with the light of the moon coming through the window behind them to see by and nothing else. Neliel remained quiet, sensing that Nnoitra was struggling, then he slowly lifted his hand and placed it over her arms where he let it rest for several minutes before asking in a gruff voice "Are you alright now?" she nodded against his back

"I'm just hungry," she admitted and he glanced back at her

"I thought you didn't eat souls after you got your hole plugged up," she laughed softly at his phrasing and was pleased to see a light blush dust his cheeks

"Actually I kinda feel like biting you, as weird as that sounds," he frowned and turned to face her more fully

"So you still eat other hollows?" he asked a bit warily and she shook her head

"I don't want your flesh, I just want your blood," she said and sat up a little straighter to nuzzle his neck, delighting in the shudder than ran through his body as he hesitantly wrapped his arms around her and gathered her closer

"Yeah, well, don't make a mess or anything," he muttered gruffly and Neliel smiled and snuggled close to him before lifting her lips to his and he went still, he even stopped breathing, before shuddering and kissing her back as he ran his hands up and down her back slowly as if to reassure himself that she really was alright. She kissed from his lips to his neck and Nnoitra threaded his fingers through her hair and pressed a kiss to the side of her head then sucked in a startled breath when she sank her fangs deep; being mostly a pacifist meant that Neliel hadn't had much occasion to taste blood, but Nnoitra's tasted dark and musky as well as the obvious copper taste that she'd expected and when she moaned softly she felt Nnoitra cup her ass and drag her against his body where her bare pussy settled over the bulge in his pants. She rocked her hips into his as she drank deeply, luxuriating in the friction and the sounds of Nnoitra's heavy breathing, and suddenly with a growl Nnoitra pulled her hips away enough to free his cock and when he lifted her Neliel trembled with anticipation then moaned as he impaled her on his cock. The tight fit was deliciously borderline painful and as he massaged her ass and pressed a finger against her puckered entrance he panted in her ear "hurry up and finish so I can fuck you right, woman,"

Neliel withdrew her fangs and licked the wounds to help them heal and a moment later Nnoitra had her on her back with his large frame towering over her and her arms pinned above her head, his darkened eye took in her form and he smirked before swatting her breasts which bounced and stung as she whimpered "such pretty pink tits," he growled and leaned down to suck a nipple as he started thrusting, and Neliel arched against him with a moan as she rocked her hips in time with his. It had been far too long since she'd had a lover, and she'd have never thought Nnoitra of all people would be fucking her so roughly right now but as she wrapped her legs around his hips she knew that she wouldn't let him go now that she had him. He reached beneath her and pressed two dry fingers into her ass and Neliel arched her back and came with a scream, feeling Nnoitra's hips grind against hers before he came inside her with a growl and held her tight with his free arm as he shuddered against her. She felt him press his lips to her neck which coaxed another shudder of delight from her and when he pulled his fingers from her ass she mewed softly earning a husky chuckle as his cock throbbed inside of her, releasing another hot rope of cum. He kissed her as he held her pinned to the bed and as she sighed happily and kissed him back she felt him tangle their fingers together, warming her inside.

Neliel was sitting in Nnoitra's lap when there was a knock on the door that announced supper was ready, and she looked up to see that Nnoitra was dozing with his back against the headboard of the bed. She squirmed from his lap and set her feet on the ground and a moment later Nnoitra grabbed her and hauled her back into his lap with a growl

"The fuck you think you're going?" he grumbled and she nuzzled his neck

"You need to eat," she said and he tilted her head up with a smirk

"Maybe I'll eat you later," he said and Neliel squirmed and pushed at his chest

"I meant dinner is ready, Nnoitra," she protested and he pressed a soft kiss to her lips as he squeezed her hip

"I'm not hungry," he assured her and gave her a serious look that made her wonder what was going through his head as he used his free hand to lightly brush his fingertips over her marking on her face, trailing them from the pink mark that stretched to either side of her nose up to the scar that he'd caused a lifetime ago that rose into her hairline "I was kinda hoping that by 'healing' that the woman would actually heal you," he admitted and she blinked in surprise and realized that the look he had in his eye almost looked like guilt, she leaned up and pressed a soft kiss to his jaw and murmured

"I'm healed enough that I won't have to worry about danger anymore, I think that is enough to be happy about," she trailed her fingers down his chest "and now I have you too, I never thought I'd ever have so much," he captured her hand and brought it to his lips, holding her fingers there for a moment before kissing them and standing. He laid her on the bed and bent over her long enough to steal a kiss before pulling the covers over her

"I'll be back in a little while, rest up cuz when I get back I'm gonna mess you up," she smiled and cupped his cheek

"I'll be waiting,"