AN: Trying to pick up the pace a little bit...A little short but it was a good place to stop.
CHAPTER 2: REFLECTION
Upon their arrival back in Hueco Mundo, Ulquiorra walked toward the throne room with Yammy in tow. Ulquiorra would have preferred to go to his quarters and analyze the odd encounter in the World of the Living, but he knew his lord was well aware he had returned and would expect an update without delay. He opened the heavy stone doors easily and proceeded inside. The room was packed with his Arrancar brethren, gathered to hear the report. Ulquiorra ignored them as he walked past towards the foot of the throne which sat high on a dais. Yammy kneeled in deference as Ulquiorra addressed their lord who lounged serenely on the throne.
We have returned Aizen-sama.
Sosuke Aizen gazed down at his most favorite Espada. He smiled warmly but it didn't reach his eyes. Welcome back. Now, let me have your report, here in front of your brothers and sisters. Show us Ulquiorra…show us everything you saw and sensed in the real world.
Hai. Ulquiorra reached up and plucked his left eye from its socket. There was only a slight sting as he detached the organ from the various nerves and tissue that connected it to his brain. He then dispassionately crushed the orb into dust in his hand. As the dust swirled and an image began to emerge in the minds of his comrades, he briefly wondered how his thoughts towards the woman would be perceived. His eyes saw all, and that would be relayed through his solita vista, but his emotions would also be exposed as well. Ulquiorra had known no emotions throughout his existence save perhaps for annoyance at the trash he was forced to be around. So he had no way to gauge how obvious his interest in the girl would be to the audience. Aizen closed his eyes as he watched the replay from Ulquiorra's point of view. He seemed to agree with Ulquiorra's decision to spare Ichigo Kurosaki as Ulquiorra a threat was not apparent.
However, from across the room boomed a loud voice. Bullshit! That's stupid. I would have slaughtered that punk with my first attack.
Even though Ulquiorra recognized the brash tone, he turned his head to the right to seek out the speaker. Seated on the floor was a handsome man with wild hair the same color as his intense blue eyes. His mask remnant was a jawbone on the right side of his face. He was smirking at Ulquiorra. Grimmjow.. Ulquiorra mentally sighed. The blue haired Arrancar pressed further.
If your orders say to kill, you're supposed to kill.
There were murmurs of assent throughout the crowd.
So you got your ass kicked huh Yammy? Grimmjow continued to sneer.
Maybe it's more like you couldn't kill him, rather than him not being worth killing…
As Grimmjow continued to taunt Yammy, Ulquiorra sighed and stepped in. He hated explaining things to trash like Grimmjow but he needed to assert his place.
Don't you understand Grimmjow? Lord Aizen was concerned about the boy's potential not his current level. He does have some latent ability but I am sure he will destroy himself in the process of obtaining it or perhaps even become a tool in our plan.
Grimmjow sneered and dared to question him further.
And if he doesn't? What if he becomes strong enough to destroy us all?
Aizen smiled serenely at his Espada as he awaited Ulquiorra's response. In a monotone voice as he stared down Grimmjow, Ulquiorra replied
Then I'll simply finish him.
Aizen seemed pleased with the response and decreed that the matter be left in Ulquiorra's hands.
Arigato Aizen-sama. Ulquiorra bowed deeply to his lord while Grimmjow fumed. Fucking emospada kiss-ass. You and I will have our day Ulquiorra….
As the meeting concluded Aizen requested that Ulquiorra remain for a private audience.
I was intrigued by something else you saw Ulquiorra…that girl. Orihime Inoue. I remember her from the Soul Society, however I never gave much notice to her. I desire her company here in Hueco Mundo. When the time is right, I shall send you to fetch her for me. Only you can be trusted to do this for me Ulquiorra. I'll leave the details up to you.
Ulquiorra nodded his assent and left the throne room. As he wandered the halls back to his quarters, looking to all the world as stoic and apathetic as usual, his thoughts were actually in a snarl. Dammit. I don't want to bring that girl here. Did Aizen notice my unusual attraction to her and is toying with me? Or do her powers really intrigue him that much? I must proceed cautiously. I will bring the girl to him, then stay as far away from her as I can.
He continued down the white halls to a black door, marked only with a four in gothic script. As he walked into his living area he heard high pitched giggles coming from the right where his bedroom was. Already annoyed he sighed and walked into the room.
Ullllllquuuiiooora-saama! A female sitting barely clothed on his bed purred at him. She was sitting on her knees, legs spread wearing only small panties and a black and white strip of cloth that went behind her back and wrapped around to barely cover her nipples and then stopped leaving her cleavage bare to him. She wore her dark hair in two pigtails with bangs coming to cover the remnants of her hollow mask that encased her left eye. Her right eye was purple. She twirled one of her pigtails around her finger and smiled seductively at Ulquiorra.
We've missed you so much Ulquiorra and we wanted to welcome you home properly.
The dark haired girl's sister leaned over her shoulder. She had short blonde hair and her hollow mask was just like the first girl's only on her right eye. She wore a sleeveless shirt with a deep v that went her navel and flared below it to reveal that she also wore only panties underneath.
Loly. Menoly. Why are you in my room? Ulquiorra questioned, his tone frosty.
The blonde Menoly shrank back from his icy demeanor but Loly was undeterred. She leaned over and slowly crawled to the edge of the bed on her hands and knees.
Come play with us Ulquiorra. She slowly licked her lips in a manner she obviously believed to be sexy.
Remove yourself from my quarters, trash. I do not have the time or the desire to play with you. Ulquiorra turned sharply, his coattails making a sharp snap with his sudden movement, and he strode out of the bedroom.
Loly's eyes widened in surprise. Trash? How dare you, you fucking bastard! Don't you walk away from us. You're not better than we are. I was going to fuck you but now I think we will just fucking kill you she spat at Ulquiorra's back.
Suddenly both girls were rendered speechless as Ulquiorra allowed a small part of his reiatsu to release. He turned slightly to watch the two girls begin to choke as the pressure became too much for them to handle. Just as their lives were about to be extinguished he sighed, closed his eyes and suppressed his reiatsu again. The girls coughed and sputtered as they tried to breathe again.
Aizen-sama has forbade us from killing each other so I will spare you this once. If you come near me again however, I will not be so lenient. In reality, your lives mean nothing to Lord Aizen nor to me, so I suggest you do not test my patience. Now remove yourselves.
The girls stumbled from the room and fled out his door into the hallway. Ensuring that his quarters were indeed empty now, he stepped into the bathroom and started the shower. As the water warmed he undressed and looked at himself in the mirror. The same face that had always been there looked back at him. Bone helmet covering the left side of his head. Messy dark hair with locks that fell between his eyes. Pale, flawless white skin. Dark eyebrows over large emerald green eyes with slit pupils. Emerald tear tracks that traced down his cheeks. Black upper lip and white lower one. He lifted one pale finger and used his black fingernail to trace down the tear marks on his reflection's image. No. He was the same. His brilliant stare was still as empty as ever. Relieved, he entered the shower and began to wash of the stench of the world of living.
As the days went by, Ulquiorra was able to forget the unsettling feeling the woman had caused, but he was unable to forget his upcoming mission. He mulled over how to accomplish his task. A visit to Espada octava's lab, found him in possession of a small circlet of metal that would be important to remaining undiscovered during the mission. The bracelet suppressed one's reiatsu signature making them invisible to shinigami and humans. Ulquiorra had no need of such contraption as he could suppress his reiatsu at will, but the girl, the girl had a very strong reiatsu that she seemed to be unable to control. In fact, her spiritual signal was so loud, he could find her anywhere she went by focusing his pesquisa. She was, at this moment, in Soul Society. A plan began to form in his mind.
