Chapter II

Beneath the Light of the Sliver Moon

Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.

-Anton Chekhov


Time had no meaning, and Inoue awoke an unnamable number of hours later to the view of the moon beyond her window, the same view she was to see for the rest of her days.

Rubbing her eyes slightly, she realized she had fallen asleep against the couch on the floor.

Sitting upright but a moment, Inoue made her way over to the center of the rug and then lied down beneath the light streaming through the window. She turned on her back and allowed one arm to rest above her head and the other across her stomach.

Her eyes were wide and awake as she let the silver glow drift through her sight and into the recesses of her mind. Its light fanned across her entire figure, making her feel as if she were glowing. 'I wish I were a fairy,' she thought, 'then I would be small and I could have wings and fly away from here.'

Shaking her head she then reasoned that if she could fly she would at least be able to explore the world beyond her window, for she had no idea how to get back to her world. 'That would be exciting; it would be like an adventure. Sneaking out while everyone's asleep and returning before they wake to find me gone.'

'Do Espada sleep?' She wondered al l the sudden. It seemed reasonable that they might, though she had no idea as to whether they were required to. 'I could ask Ulquiorra,' she thought before recalling his petrifying gaze and deciding that asking something like that would only make him angry.

Allowing her thoughts to hang suspended above the darker and more depressing ones that threatened to rise, Inoue instead focused on what type of world this seemed to be.

It appeared a lonely world, one where no one was ever happy and certainly where no smiles could be found. Why was such a world created in the first place? It was such a sad place, without the sun or summer, or color or music.

A light gust of wind entered her cell, drifting above her and just lightly touching her skin. It seemed to be searching for something, something to perhaps grant it some sense of meaning.

Inoue rolled over onto her stomach, folded her arms in front of her and then rested her chin atop them. She absently swung her feet back and forth and hummed softly. Music was something else she missed. She wondered if anyone in Hueco Mundo had ever heard of music.

Continuing to hum the theme of one of her favorite television shows, Inoue closed her eyes and pictured the happy characters, dancing in unison to the uplifting tune.

She sometimes wished she could be a cartoon character. The world was always bright and everyone always cared for one another.

The sound of the door opening caused Inoue to immediately sit up, her hands folded nervously in her lap and her emotions bracing for whatever onslaught awaited.

Ulquiorra entered and walked towards her, his movements as always purposeful and calculated. Inoue looked to his arm where he had draped a white garment and furrowed her brows slightly.

Stopping in front of her he motioned for her to rise and she slowly obeyed.

"I've brought you something more suitable to wear."

Glancing down at the attire he held out to her, Inoue carefully reached towards it, avoiding his gaze as she grasped the smooth fabric.

He released his hold as she lifted the dress slightly to get a better view. She inhaled sharply as she recognized it as akin to the garb that everyone in Las Noches wore. She knew that wearing it would only fulfill another move at their claim to owning her.

Lowering her hand, she looked to Ulquiorra, who was simply regarding her as he always seemed to; distant and calculating.

Somehow though, his eyes seemed not so cutting in comparison to their previous encounter and Inoue found herself questioning why she had felt so immobilized under the influence of his gaze before.

Perhaps her resolve had simply strengthened enough to be able to withstand his presence?

"I will return shortly with your meal, I'll expect you to have already changed by then," he said as he turned and left the room.

Inoue had forgotten all about how hungry she was and, now that he had mentioned a meal she wondered how long it had been since her last taste of food.

With a resigned sigh she lifted the dress and held it up to her, gazing down at the splay of monochromatic garment.

She found she liked the design well enough but the mere fact that it was just another ploy at tightening her chains was enough to make her detest the outfit.

However, she had no choice, and she certainly did not want to wait and discover what her captor might do if he should return and find that she had not obeyed his command.

Hesitating as she lifted her sweater, she felt a wave of sadness as she realized that her uniform was one of her only connections to the world she loved. She sighed and lifted it over her head, the familiar scent of her favorite laundry detergent still lingering within the fabric.

Removing the rest of her clothing she slipped on the dress and adjusted the zipper before looking down at herself with a forlorn expression.

Was she really one of them? Inoue wondered, for they certainly didn't seem to think of her as an equal.

Folding her uniform, she then hugged it close and inhaled, her mind memorizing all the feelings the different scents instilled.

She sincerely doubted her captor intended on allowing her to keep such a comforting trinket of her previous life.

Several moments later, Ulquiorra opened the door and walked into the room. He paused a moment to observe how tightly she was clutching her uniform before holding a hand out to signify that she was to hand it over.

Inoue gazed at his hand silently a moment before stepping forward and handing over the garb. He calmly draped it over his arm and then stepped aside to allow the Arrancar behind him to bring her meal into the room.

Once the cart had been brought in, Ulquiorra motioned for him to leave, while also holding out Inoue's previous attire. The Arrancar bowed, received the garment and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Turning towards her, the Espada took note of her appearance before seeming to nod in approval, "that suits you, surprisingly."

Inoue did not know how to respond to that and so she simply nodded in return before looking to the food on the cart. It looked edible enough, though she hardly trusted the outer appearance of anything.

"Eat," Ulquiorra ordered before taking his seat on the sofa, one leg crossed over the other and his hand propped under his chin.

Inoue felt instantly uncomfortable, having never liked being watched as she ate.

She knew she could not ask him to leave, however, and so she reluctantly approached the plate that had been prepared for her.

Glancing up at him once, she carried the plate over to the small table and sat in the chair before picking up her fork and taking a bite of food.

The taste was rather bland but at the moment she didn't care, her hunger overpowered her more selective senses.

Silence ensued as she chewed in which the Espada seemed to be lost in thought as his gaze drifted to the door, where it stayed for the remainder of her meal.

After a rather awkward collection of moments, Inoue gently pushed aside her plate and lifted the mug of tea that had finally cooled enough for consumption.

Upon tasting it she fought the urge to grimace at the bitter taste. She always sweetened her tea with at least 3 tablespoons of sugar.

"Is it to your liking?"

Inoue's eyes widened and she looked up to see that though his face remained turned, Ulquiorra's glance had slithered to her.

"Oh," Inoue replied, looking to her tea before meeting his eyes and meekly replying, "Yes, thank you."

He said nothing, simply allowed his eyes to wander to the door once more.

Inoue sighed and looked to the hot beverage she held in her hands, it was warm at least, and that in itself was something she could hardly complain about.

She saw the moon's reflection within the liquid and smiled as she pondered that it somehow brought her a sense of comfort.

'The Moon,' she thought, 'it must understand me. No one notices it during the day time and at night everyone sleeps and so it just stares down at them sadly, wishing someone would enjoy its company.'

Inoue sighed and then lifted her gaze to look upon the real object of her thoughts. It glimmered within her eyes, beckoning to her heart. She wondered if Ichigo and the others were looking upon the same moon.

"In Hueco Mundo, the moon is on the opposite lunar phase of that in the Human World."

Widening her eyes, Inoue looked to the Espada curiously, and saw that his gaze had drifted to her again.

"Really?" Inoue asked, somewhat interested in that, "That's a little bit strange, though I suppose it makes sense in its own way."

"Does it?" He replied flatly.

"Well," Inoue lifted a hand to her head and laughed uneasily, "It just seems sort of like this world is opposite to mine, its dead where the other is alive. However, since life and death seem to walk hand in hand, our two worlds are like two different sides of the same thing."

Perhaps that was why the sad world had been created, because there was an opposite to everything. Inoue smiled at her discovery, it made it seem so much more meaningful. Hueco Mundo was a part of something greater, and did not stand on its own.

Ulquiorra's eyes gave absolutely nothing away as to his thoughts concerning what she'd just said. He simply stood and walked over to where the light shone through the window and looked briefly upon the thin sliver of light.

"The same thing, huh?" he replied, though more to himself than to her, "that's wrong…"

Turning, he walked past her and towards the entrance. He paused and looked back to her as he opened the door and eyed her passively, "What you just said is wrong, for you no longer belong to that world."

Thus saying, he departed from the room, leaving Inoue to stare after him as his last words hung within the air.