Hey guys, sorry that it took so long to update, but school has been hectic, and unfortunately for the next two weeks we're doing standardized testing. Hopefully I can update faster this time…

Enjoy!

Chapter two: Act disinterested

When the shinigami and Arrancar left the park the two of them headed in completely opposite directions. Ulquiorra shared that he was planning on going to a temple.

"They are the best place for a spirit to regain energy, even if they are trapped in human bodies of sorts," he explained.

"Well, I'm going to try to find a way out of this body," Hitsugaya shrugged as he walked off. "And the next time we meet we'll be enemies again!"

"Agreed trash,"

***

Ulquiorra waited a while before he began walking aimlessly. He knew that he could not go to a temple, it was too holy there. In fact if he tried he probably would get sent to Hell or worse, purified.

The Cuarta felt ashamed that he knew nothing except his job as an Espada. He was supposedly one of the smartest, yet he surmised that even Szayel probably understood things better.

Knowing and understanding are two different things, he reasoned gingerly.

Moving aimlessly through the night he wondered how long it would take for Lord Aizen to realize that he was needed in Las Noches and that it was a bad idea for him to be out and alone, powerless in a town full of the spiritually aware.

Also how was he going to mystically learn the ways of teenager-dom? It made more sense for Grimmjow to bring the so-called morale of the Espada up. Ulquiorra found his stupidity very amusing, and frankly thought that the others did too.

Apparently not.

Ulquiorra felt the Void that normally was kept at bay inside of him growing. It was cold as nonexistence, and he prayed that it would take him over when he heard a voice.

"So, do you need a place to stay?"

Ulquiorra opened his eyes to see Kisuke Urahara leaning against a wall with the woman, Yoruichi Shihoin, and she was balancing on a fence.

"What do you want?" Ulquiorra asked, the dark rage of the Void seeping into his voice.

"Whoa, whoa buddy boy we just want to get a dangerous-"

"Yet somehow powerless," Yoruichi interrupted.

"…being off the streets by welcoming him into my home," Urahara beamed. "I mean you looked kind of lonely…"

Ulquiorra said nothing. Lessons learned from the other Espada held true for this moment. One thing you have to do when being offered something is to act disinterested. That way you'll get what you want at a lower "price" be it monetary or favors.

"What makes you think that I am 'lonely' as you so phrase it?" Ulquiorra asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You were walking around aimlessly," Yoruichi pointed out; leaping down from the fence she was balancing on to be inches away from the arrancar's face. "We don't have time for your games, so are you staying with us or not?"

Ulquiorra nodded. He couldn't help but be honest in the face of someone who was actually powerful enough to take him out. In fact it seemed to Ulquiorra that she was actually looking for an excuse of any kind to kill him.

That fact actually depressed him even more than being relieved of his rank. And the fact that he was depressed over that depressed him even more, but being him he just held his usual blasé expression.

"Lead the way then," Ulquiorra grumbled, holding out his wrists in surreneder.

***

"Okay, so the first rule is to act disinterested," Kurosaki explained.

Hitsugaya was kicking himself on the inside. After he left the park with Ulquiorra he started again on his journey to find Urahara's store the substitute shinigami found him.

It would have been different if he had been at full power, but instead he had not only a double inhibitor on him, but also a gigai that restricted his physical ability to that of your average twelve or thirteen year old.

This was a fact that Ichigo Kurosaki used to his advantage in carrying him home. Their size difference was obvious, and Ichigo had no problem carrying the miniscule shinigami over his shoulder as he had done for Karin several times before

"Disinterested about what?" Hitsugaya sighed, playing along so his host wouldn't feel insulted by his silence.

"My dad," Kurosaki frowned. "He's a good guy, but he acts kinda weird…"

"Weird how?"

"Weird as in he's over affectionate and he attacks you at random and he's an idiot!" Ichigo said in one breath.

"Sounds a lot like my former captain," Hitsugaya shrugged.

"Your last captain?" Ichigo asked. "What happened to–"

"Were there any other rules you needed me to know?" Hitsugaya interrupted, feeling uncomfortable with the way the conversation was going. One thing he hated talking about more than his childhood was his former captain, especially his gristly fate.

Luckily Ichigo took the bait and listed a few other things that he thought the shinigami should know like to stay out of his sister's way when she was on the warpath, or not brushing teeth = not being allowed to eat dinner, and the he needed to come up with some kind of sad back-story to why he was going to be staying.

"it doesn't have to be complicated since my family will believe anything," Ichigo shrugged.

They finally came up to the Kurosaki home/clinic and went in.

"YOU'RE LATE ICHIGOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!" shouted a voice that sounded so incredibly familiar to Hitsugaya's ears. It couldn't be who he thought it was, that person was dead. Deader than dead in fact, he had seen that person die. He was the one to have to deliver his last words. He was the one who had to take over in his captain's absence.

Hitsugaya looked over his shoulder to see the face behind the voice, and he had to resist the urge to shout "You!" or something to that effect.

Instead he was going to follow Ichigo's first rule and act disinterested.