sharks don't speak

It's here, in the shadows, where she feels most comfortable. She doesn't want to speak. She doesn't want to tell people why she is hollow inside. No pun intended, she thinks dryly.

Perhaps she is the only one who still remembers the days that went by before she died. No, not perhaps. It is definite. Surely they wouldn't follow Aizen-sama so willingly, like trained dogs, if they remembered their lives.

Once she was a vulnerable, weak Hollow. But only vulnerable and weak because every kill made her cringe, reminded her of her life, that somehow she, of all people, had remembered.

She follows Aizen-sama only because he has given her this new life. It is a chance to redeem herself, to release her sorrow. When she fights, she lets out all her grief.

Apache, Sun-Sun, Mila-Rose. They remind her of her daughters. That is why she doesn't mind their bickering or their fighting. It makes her feel as if she was alive again, sitting with her daughters in her living room and reading Jane Austen while they quarreled about nonsensical idiocy.

She smiles, hearing them chatter. Memories float idly through her mind. She welcomes them.

People ask her why she wears such a revealing uniform. It is, of course, to show her indifference. Grimmjow and Nnoitra, occasionally Gin, catcall at her as she walks through the halls. She pays them no mind, proudly displaying her assets and hiding a smile behind her uniform's collar. Such stupidity should be ignored, and if it can be ignored with dignity, that is how she shall go about it.

She doesn't speak because if she began to talk about things that mattered (the only things worth talking about) then she fears she would keep talking forever and eventually just break into tears. And she will not allow herself the luxury of crying.

No, she shall stay in the shadows of silence. Just as she vowed, the night after she became an arrancar. She would speak as little as possible if only to keep herself from tears.

Besides, Tia Halibel thinks, staring into space semi-mournfully, sharks don't speak.

A/N: I loooove the Espadas. This came to me a bit randomly but I hope it's enjoyed anyway. Review please!