Prologue: Childhood p1
Being born into nobility was hard, there were always expectations to live up to, people to constantly please and rules to follow that separated a noble from commoners or those of lower standards in the English matriarch. So being born into the royal Schiffer family was considered both a blessing and a curse in disguise, sure there was the lavish lifestyle, the servants that attended to your every need but little Ulquiorra wasn't one for being stuck in a big palace, only let out to attend balls and politics, no, Ulquiorra Schiffer was always a curious child, calculating and observant to the point of it being unnatural. He was a very gifted child too and Mr and Mrs Schiffer were more than proud to show their son off to every ambassador, duchess,duke and politician in England.
when the pianist played a piece of Mozart's symphony in G minor to entertain the group of his mothers friends in the room,Ulquiorra was mesmerized by the sounds echoing out of the wooden instrument, so attentive even at the age of four, little Ulquiorra waited till the room was bare and began mimicking the exact keys he had seen earlier on that day. The next day he had walked up to his beautiful mother and stated in a calm voice that he had something to show her and once he played the symphony on the piano forte , Mrs Schiffer burst into tears and exclaimed that her son was a musical prodigy.
News went out through the grapevine his mother started that the little Schiffer heir was musically blessed and so thus began Ulquiorra's fame as the little royal genius. After a year of tutoring in the piano , Ulquiorra was sent out to play in front of banquets and balls at the age of five. Everyone exclaimed what a beautiful child he was, unusual too as he would stare at them with cold eyes then state his 'thank you' as a sign of appreciation in a monotone so unfit for a child. They would admire him more, saying that all the geniuses were unique and different and no one could deny that Ulquiorra was indeed different. He was still unhappy, restrained and contained despite his praised gifts and royal heritage.
Attending the best private school at the age of six, Ulquiorra finally felt a bit of freedom, a loosening of the leash around his pale neck. It was short lived as he soon found out that children his age tended to avoid him and that older children did not like 'Royal Brats' either. Ulquiorra then spend his primary school years in loneliness and hostility towards the older kids who beat him up on a regular bases. A six year old Ulquiorra , not showing any signs of pain even as his pale stomach was flawed with harsh bruises, trudged up the grand stairs to his elegant room and began cleaning the cuts by himself, not even a hint of emotion shown on his porcelain face. At the age of six, after months of enduring ruthless beatings and being so warped into his own mind with loneliness and aggression, Ulquiorra began to hate everyone; he hated his mother for putting him on display to the world, like a tourist attraction. She never asked his likes, Dislikes, How was your day? No, when he saw his mother the first thing that came out of her mouth, while he was bruised and bleeding on the inside of his uniform was not of his day, or the school subjects.
"Did you practice on your piano today?"
Ulquiorra stared blankly as his mother and a piece of him crumbled, dissolved in the inner animosity towards them all.
'yes my day was okay for the most mother. My teacher said I placed perfect scores once again but that only gives them more of a reason to beat me up, no one talks to me in school, the older kids hate me and at this moment while you ask of your concern with my music talent, I am covered in cuts and bruises'
Ulquiorra thought irritatingly to himself and continued to stare at his mother before nodding silently and walking away. he kept silent even though a part of him wished for his mom to kiss his forehead goodnight or hold him in her arms and say how strong he was but he didn't speak up, he wouldn't.
His mother was too vain, cold and beautiful, she was the most beautiful lady Ulquiorra had seen with her long black hair, grey eyes and flawless pale skin. He looked a lot like his mother, except for the emerald eyes inherited from his father, he used to love his mother and when Ulquiorra was a bit younger than the age he is now, he wanted nothing more than to gain his mothers affections and he did in a way, but not for him but his talent and the thrill she got from basking in his fame as the woman who gave birth to the prodigy.
His father was never there too, Ulquiorra could only recall seeing father twice in the past three months and so Ulquiorra hated him too for not being there.
The servants, those wretched ladies that called themselves mothers 'friends', the teachers, students, people who watched him play and stared at him in fascination. They were all now regarded in the child's cold eyes as nothing more then Trash...
At eight years old, Ulquiorra had become antisocial and only spoke when he deemed it necessary. His fame as the prodigy child pianist grew even bigger than what it was before, people would travel all the way from other countries just to see the genius perform a complicated symphony in the opera. Once the show was over, the influential people would flock around him and exclaim to his mother that he was a rare talent, Mozart's reincarnation.
The young heir later looked up a book on Mozart in the huge library, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a musical prodigy from a young age too and Ulquiorra wondered if they shared the same burden of loneliness and despair as with their talent.
It was soon discovered that very year that Ulquiorra had a knack for art too. It was during his first art class that they were required to do a painting ,In all the three years of school, art was just a simple coloring of picture books but it was now the third grade and they had moved on to water paints and canvases. With his observant eyes, Ulquiorra created something that left his new art teacher in a state of awe as well as slight concern. There, etched on the canvas was a beautiful demon that resembled an older version of himself ; pale snowy skin, a lean yet toned bare chest with a gaping hole dripping blood right in the middle where his heart should have been, black wings unfurled out into the night sky, sharp glinting talons on his hands and feet and long white horns protruding out of his skull. black tear marks, yellow eyes and long untamed dark hair. It was a horrifyingly magnificent piece, Mrs Inoue was awed at the royal heir who calmly ignored her and continued making precise strokes with the paintbrush. It was an artwork almost good enough to pass for a high school student and with practice, Ulquiorra could become immensely talented but Inoue Emiko frowned at how dark the painting was, dark and twisted and filled with -
despair
"Ulquiorra Sama?" He had everything, but Emiko didn't see a child,she saw a hollow soul. Emiko watched how the children avoided the royal heir and even noticed some of her older students glaring at him from afar, he was friendless and so cold, like a porcelain doll. Her youngest child was only two years younger than this boy and it saddened her to see the stark difference between her child and this strange child before her. Royalty or not, every child deserves to be happy and carefree. She looked at him kindly with bright grey eyes, even though this was not Japan , his royal heritage made her feel obliged to add the proper suffix to his name.
"Sa..ma?", The pale boy rolled the word around ,testing it in a blank voice. He knew his teacher was a foreigner so he assumed it was a word from her language. The bell rang signalling the end of the lesson and Ulquiorra began to slowly pack his bag, ignoring the foreign teacher. He slung the bag over his shoulder and woke up to leave but a gentle hand was placed on his shoulder. Ulquiorra glanced at the woman with the wide doe grey eyes and straight cut bangs questioningly.
"You are very talented Ulquiorra Sama", she glanced at his painting and then smiled kindly at him,-"If you would like, I would be happy to offer guidance, art is beautiful and you can express yourself and every emotion on a canvas. You hold a lot of potential!", she exclaimed delightfully, much like his mother but this was different, she was genuinely proud of his work, and kindness radiated off her.
Emiko walked up to her desk and scribbled a short letter on a piece of paper, she folded it neatly and tucked it in Ulquiorra's hand.
"Give this to your parents", she smiled with mirth and Ulquiorra looked at her with a hint of curiosity. Emiko ruffled his hair affectionately, " Your car is probably outside by now, Go along Ulquiorra Sama", she gently pushed him and Ulquiorra silently exited the art room.
The chauffeur greeted him and held open the door to the limousine. Ulquiorra sat down in the back , laying his head against the cool leather, he took out the piece of paper and opened it.
Dear Mr and Mrs Schiffer
I am pleased to say that your son has a lot of talent , excellent grades and musically gifted, It is an honor to teach him.
He has shown talent in art too and even though it is not fit enough to be a masterpiece, I believe that with practice , Ulquiorra could create amazing art.
I am writing this letter because I would like to offer extra lessens after school each Monday and Friday.
Please consider the offer, It would be a blessing to help Ulquiorra perfect his art skills.
Sincerely
Mrs Inoue
Ulquiorra gave a small smile, he liked his art teacher, she was a bit strange but so close to the mother he always wanted. tucking the letter in his blazer, Ulquiorra looked out the window and watched the scenery before him. It was calm and peaceful, Ulquiorra always did find observing to be relaxing.
The car halted to a stop in front of a grand palace and the driver opened the door for the little heir to get off. Ulquiorra entered the castle and made his way to his mothers room.
"Emily, what if he finds out?"
"shhhh"
"We cant keep doing this anymore, Alexander is a good friend of mines, he's helped me through so much and here I am sleeping with his wife!"
"Lower your voice Anton!"
Ulquiorra stilled at the door, anger taking over him.
mother was sleeping with fathers best friend.
mother is a whore.
Trash.
He hated his mother even more now, was she just with father for the money? did she not care for him?
It was sickening and Ulquiorra made his way down the stairs, away from the woman he once admired so much.
xxx
Dinner that day was a solemn affair, father was home and he ate in silence.
"Darling how was school today? Your professor tells me your an excellent student"
"Hn", he replied, "- my art teacher sent you a note", he took out the folded paper and passed it to his mother. "That Japanese lady? why, how a common foreigner managed to get a job at such a prestigious school baffles me!", Emily unfolded the letter and skimmed over the contents while Ulquiorra looked on in dismay.
"I wont send you", his mother stated and Ulquiorra glared at her.
"Let me see the letter?", His father took the letter and smiled fondly after reading it, " Emily, I don't see why not, My son has shown skills in art and this teacher only wants to help him", He smiled at Ulquiorra with the same green eyes as his son, "You may go"
Ulquiorra felt his heart beam at his father, "Thank you sir"
"Hmph!"Emily scowled, " The oysters taste off, take them away!", she motioned for a servant who hurriedly took the dish away and apologized deeply.
Alexander was a good man, he had striking blonde hair and pale flawless skin as with everyone in their family and Ulquiorra felt sad that his fathers wife was cheating on him, sad and angry at his mother but he wouldn't tell the secret, as much as he wanted to, he would not.
The next day was Friday and Ulquiorra , for the first time, was looking forward to school. Once the tie was done , crisp white shirt tucked in and black blazer put on, He made his way downstairs , eating the porridge a maid had prepared before running out to meet the driver.
Ulquiorra sat in anxious wait the entire day, maths, English and history passing by in a dull blur. The students ignored him today which was a nice change from the usual taunts and jeers. He supposed they got tired of his lack of response and he preferred being ignored and left alone.
There was no art today so as soon as school was over, the little heir walked to the art room and waited until Mrs Inoue packed her bag and locked up. She smiled warmly at him by the door, "I'm glad you could make it Ulquiorra Sama!", Emiko frowned,-"for a moment I thought your mother wouldn never have allowed it, at the parents meeting she didn't seem to like me"
"She did not want to send me but father said I could go", Ulquiorra looked up at his teacher. At each parent teacher meeting, Mother showed her dislike to every female teacher he had. She told him that they would sponge off his genius and Ulquiorra couldn't help but think she was the only one sponging off his talents.
"That's good, you know in the biography of your father, it said he was a talented artist too"
"Really?" Ulquiorra stared in interest as they walked to his teachers car. "Yes", Emiko smiled.
They reached an old red van and Emiko rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly, "Ano..this is the car, its old and rusted but still good!", she opened the passenger seat and helped Ulquiorra climb up. He didn't mind the car, the ride was nice even if the engine made a lot of noise and the radio was tuned to something called 'J-Pop'. it was different but not unpleasant.
Emiko hummed to the upbeat tune the entire drive, until they arrived at a small school, in front of a play ground. The Japanese lady got out of the car and waved to a little girl sitting on the swings.
"OKAA SAN!" , The little girl with flowing red hair ran to his art teacher and engulfed her in a hug around her waist. Ulquiorra analyzed the girls profile, she was short, obviously, she looked a bit younger than him and judging from a pre school play ground, she was five or six years old.
The little girl turned around to face him with shimmering grey eyes that left Ulquiorra in awe for a moment.
and she was cute.
"Orihime chan", she steered the girl towards the van," this is Ulquiorra Sama". The girl called Orihime chan waved shyly before she was lifted up to sit next to him.
"Hello", he spoke in his usual voice and Orihime blushed brightly, her eyes widening, " Okaa san! he sounds just like Sasuke!"
...Sasuke?
"ehhh , hime chan, you watch way too much anime" Emiko stated.
"Okaa san can we keep him? we have to watch over him 24\7 in case Orochimaru shows up and gives him the cursed mark! that would be very bad", Orihime stared determined at Ulquiorra and moved closer before whispering in his ear as if revealing a big secret, "Orochimaru is evil..."
Emiko sweat dropped, "Gomen Ulquiorra Sama, Orihime is a bit..-
"I WONT LET YOU TAKE SASUKE KUN!" Orihime screamed to the group of older kids passing by who walked on quicker than before.
-"strange..." Emiko finished with a sigh.
Ulquiorra nodded, definitely agreeing but a bit confused at everything going on and then he asked the question that he was most confused about.
"Who is Sasuke?"
They were now at his art teachers home, it was small but cozy and nice in Ulquiorra's opinion. Emiko and Orihime had taken of their shoes before entering and so he did the same.
"Tadaima", both Emiko and Orihime spoke out to the seemingly empty house and Ulquiorra followed behind, Orihime grabbing onto his hand. Ulquiorra couldn't help but blush at the contact, all of this was so unusual, he had been so used to a life of isolation that it had rendered him, socially awkward. "where are we going?", the pale prince asked as Orihime led him by the hand up the stairs. She stopped and let go of his hand to open the door and Ulquiorra found himself missing the warmth of human contact.
"WELCOME TO MY ROOM!"Orihime exclaimed excitedly, -"where we are going to watch anime", she finished of with a serious expression.
"..."
Ulquiorra sighed and took his time to observe the pink colored room while the bubbly red head looked through her collection of anime. There was...a lot of posters of anime, manga and doujinshi littered the floor. Of course, Ulquiorra had no idea what the Japanese writing stood for but judging by the covers of the books and the many many posters. he could clearly see that Orihime 'Chan' was obsessed with 'anime'.
"GOT IT!", she pulled out a thick box case and patted the seat next to her. Ulquiorra reluctantly sat down and curiously waited for the series to start.
Naruto Shippuden, truthfully it wasn't bad at all. At first Ulquiorra expected some fluffy , girly Japanese cartoon judging from this unique girls personality but the series was good.
really good...
Ulquiorra actually felt a hint of pride being compared to Uchiha Sasuke.
Seventy episodes later and Orihime turned the TV off, facing him with those bright sparkly grey eyes that made him tense. She really was cute, the type of classic beauty he felt the urge to portray on a canvas. "So how was it?!"
"Unexpected but good", he spoke honestly. He didn't expect this adorable girl to like somewhat violent anime but the series was surprisingly interesting. she smiled happily in response and her grey eyes creased closed in mirth.
"I'm glad! Naruto is the only anime I have that's English dubbed, I was just waiting for a friend I could watch it together with, so that's why ...I'm so happy your my first friend here!", Orihime sprang and hugged the frozen Ulquiorra tightly around his waist.
'Friend'
...
When Ulquiorra first met this bright haired Japanese girl, he found her suffocatingly cheerful strange and annoyingly clingy, full of light and happiness, a striking contrast against himself, but, he liked her. she was different.
she was his first true friend.
and with that he lightly hugged her back, breathing in the strawberry scent of her long red hair and his shoulders loosened as she looked up and smiled once more.
"You're my first friend too hime"
"H-Hime !", she blushed brightly and hid her head in Ulquiorra's chest. she knew it was a shortening of her name but still,
'He called me Princess'
Don't know if this is a good start , but anyway, please review and let me know! ^.^