A/N: I am SO sorry it took me so long to update! I was busy with school and other crap. However, I finally found the time to do Chapter 1 tonight (although it's past 1:30 in the morning right now) and I finally finished said chapter. Anyway, I will try to update more often, and like I said, I have been busy these last couple of months. Forgive me!

But anyway, I know this chapter is only like half as long as the prologue, but it should still be good, so please enjoy and so I don't have to put this at the end of the chapter, where people are probably going to overlook it, I will say this now: when you finish, PLEASE REVIEW. I like hearing people's opinions and I'm an artist; I draw. I am not as good at writing as I am with drawing, so your reviews can help me grow as a writer of fanfiction.

Anyway, again, I hope you enjoy this chapter.


Tsukihane walked through the vast hallways of Las Noches. She looked like she could use a good night's rest. Then again, when was that ever truly possible when it was always night in Hueco Mundo?

She had done various tasks, ranging from having her battle skills tested to training the numeros. But something made it all worthwhile. She was allowed to choose her fraccion; she chose to have seventeen. A select few of the numeros thought Tsukihane's decision was a display of cowardice, although they would never say it to her face at the risk of being brutally massacred. She chose seventeen as a way of remembering the age she died.

As she was lost in her thoughts, an already-familiar tall, lanky, and lean figure walked up behind her.

"Hey! Onee-chan!"

Tsukihane turned on her heel and saw who it was behind her. "Nnoitra!" she said excitedly and tackled him to the ground. "It's nice to see you again too, Onee-chan." Nnoitra laughed as he patted her head. "Anyway, Aizen called for a meeting. It's gonna start in a couple of minutes."

"Thanks, Nee-san." Tsukihane said smiling. She then hugged him, got off of Nnoitra, and ran in the hallway to reach Aizen's throne room.

However, soon after she started her sprint, she bumped into someone and fell backwards onto the cold stone floor. "Hey! Watch where you're going!" she growled, but regretted her words soon after as warm chocolate met cold mint. "Sorry…" she muttered as a small blush crept onto her face. Ulquiorra rose from the ground, brushing his uniform off, his only response to Tsukihane's apology being a small grunt. "So, umm…" she said, grasping at words and trying to start a conversation with the cuarta Espada, who was well known for showing little emotion, "Whatcha doin'…?"

"I need to speak with Aizen-sama."

"Well, well. Speak of the devil!"

Ulquiorra made a gesture similar to quirking an eyebrow. "I need to speak with him too." Tsukihane clarified. Ulquiorra nodded and began walking towards the throne room. Tsukihane fell into step beside him. "Well," she began, feeling a little more confident, "Sometimes I get this feeling that I met you before…" Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes ever so slightly. Truth be told, so do I, but I'm not about to tell you that.

Tsukihane was starting to get annoyed with the silence; she knew she met Ulquiorra before, but she couldn't put her finger on when and where. However, her thoughts were brought to an abrupt end when she crashed smack into the tall double-doors. "Fuck!" she wailed with her words muffled by her hands, which were surrounding her nose. Ulquiorra's lips twitched slightly in the slightest suggestion of a smile. "You think this is funny, cuarta?!" Tsukihane made sure that that last word was dripping with venom. "I find nothing about this situation to be humorous." Ulquiorra replied, his face completely devoid of all emotion once more. Tsukihane glared at him for a moment, trying to penetrate the mask of emotional indifference he wore. He never shows his emotions… It's not that he can't, it's that he just doesn't want to and whenever his mask starts to crack, he patches it and continues to wear it… Why, Ulquiorra? Why hide your emotions…?

It's only a matter of time before your mask entirely falls apart…

As Tsukihane thought that, her expression had made a complete transformation from annoyance to sorrow.

Sorrow for the eternally crying Espada.

She looked into his eyes which one would assume to be unreadable. What she saw saddened her even further.

She saw despair.

She saw disappointment.

But most of all, she could see loneliness.

Ulquiorra…

Suddenly, she faced Ulquiorra with tears steadily streaming from her eyes and a look of sadness. Then she wrapped her arms around him and nestled her head against his chest. Ulquiorra tried to push her away, but the tercera Espada's fierce determination kept him from prying her arms from his waist.

"Please…"

Ulquiorra finally stopped struggling upon hearing the pained whisper. But he wasn't struggling because the act disgusted him. It was because he liked it, and that truly frightened him. Not only that, but he started to panic. She looked into his eyes and she saw something, something that he had been hiding for centuries.

Something he didn't want anyone to see.

"Please… don't hurt yourself like this…"

Ulquiorra hesitantly surrounded Tsukihane with his arms.

Could she really see through me…?

It was then that Aizen had opened the doors to search for the tercera and cuarta Espada. He really didn't enjoy doing things himself, but when he saw the two embracing, he forgot all about how irritated he was and was shocked, to say the least.

Not only him, but also the rest of the Espada were watching them intently.

"Ahem!"

Ulquiorra and Tsukihane looked in the direction of Aizen and the other Espada. A not-so-subtle blush crept across Tsukihane's face while Ulquiorra averted his gaze and looked at his feet awkwardly.

"Perhaps… the two of you should go to your rooms and rest… We'll continue the meeting without you. I shall excuse your tardiness this time, but please do your best to assure it doesn't happen again." Aizen said, carefully selecting his words.

Tsukihane and Ulquiorra, both realizing that they were still holding each other, quickly let go of the other and looked in the opposite direction.

Then they just nodded meekly and began to walk back to their respective rooms together.

For just a moment, they inwardly cursed the fact that their rooms were situated right next to each other. They both lay on their own beds for several moments before the darkness of slumber surrounded them.

But not before one final thought.

Who are you…?