Human Anatomy
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach – the characters are merely borrowed for the purposes of this non-profit yet hopefully entertaining story. This applies to all chapters published forthwith.
Author's Notes: Well, it's not the first time it's been done but I thought I would try my hand at the Ulquiorra/Orihime pair and write myself a series of drabbles. These can be taken independently or they can be linked together to form some sort of cohesive 'plot'. I have eight chapters planned for now, but I may insert more as more of the series becomes available (and also depending on my mood). I plan to update this story weekly.
Comments would be greatly appreciated!
I. Curiosity
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When she had first stepped into their world she gasped for air. Ulquiorra found this act both strange and slightly irritating, as it reminded him far too much of birth in the sense of which no Arrancar had ever known. Aside from that sound when they first arrived, she was silent and nothing but silent in her first days of entrapment. He had been too naïve in human ways back then, believing that her silence could last forever.
Akin to a child she began to question him about the most trivial of things.
"Ulquiorra-san, does Aizen-sama not like the daylight?"
"What makes you ask such a question?"
"It's always dark here."
"There are places of daylight in some of the outer compartments."
"Indoors?" Her face held a look of disbelief.
"Yes."
"Isn't it supposed to be the other way around?"
When she finally donned her new clothes, her sombreness grew. They complimented and contrasted her in strange ways, these garments of fear and servitude. He almost felt a sense of loss at the disposal of her former self. It was a diminishment of power.
He didn't know if it was a good sign or not that they don't bring an end to her questions.
"Ulquiorra-san."
Her meal was only half-eaten as usual. He noted mentally that she was beginning to look haggard.
"If souls are already dead, why do they bleed?"
It was not his job to humour her, but he did it nonetheless. "Aizen-sama created us to be this way."
"I don't just mean the Espada, Ulquiorra-san," she said quietly. "Shinigami bleed, too."
He pondered her words for a moment before leaving her to her thoughts. Curiously, he had no answer.