"So you're the new student, huh?" Ulquiorra looked up, surfacing from his train of thought. A bus had pulled up to idle at the front of Urahara Shoten.
He nodded. "Transfer student to Yokai Academy." He handed the note Urahara had told him to give to the bus driver.
"Transfer student…" The bus driver grinned, amused. "Transfers are kind of unusual for a school like Yokai." He read the letter and laughed. "Ah, I see. The meddlesome mad scientist is up to his usual." He gestured for Ulquiorra to board and the Espada complied, pausing to sling his backpack over his shoulder.
"Rebellious, aren't you? Not wearing the school's uniform and all."
"I didn't have the time to get one…" There hadn't even been enough time to build a gigai for him. Not that he needed one, Urahara had assured him, since apparently these monsters can see him regardless.
He took in his attire, bemused. A white hoodie that clung tightly to him over a black v neck, slim black jeans and tennis shoes. He had no idea where his hollow mask had disappeared off to. No doubt Urahara had it removed when he was resting. The shopkeeper had also convinced him to wrap his chest with bandages to hide the hollow hole. He took a seat in the back and stared at his reflection in the window. If one disregarded his deathly pale complexion, he could have passed himself off as a teenager. Maybe.
He looked back at the dingy shop as the bus drove off and saw Urahara peering through the shutters, grinning. His eyes narrowed.
While making all the proper arrangements, the man had let him stay at his little shop for the time being. He had a week to prepare himself for this Academy and in that time the shopkeeper had gone over the plan. He'd be staying at that school for as long as he needed to take back his sword. While there, he wasn't allowed to kill anyone except Fairy Tale. He couldn't reveal to anyone the existence of Soul Society or anything that had to do with his world. And he couldn't make contact with anyone in Hueco Mundo.
That was all fine by him. He preferred to stay low anyway. Once Murcielago was back in his hands, he would leave immediately. Away from this World of the Living. Back to the quiet, lonely deserts of his world, with the other Espada.
What bothered him though was the constant nagging feeling that Urahara Kisuke was hiding something from him. There was definitely something going on behind the scenes. He closed his eyes, annoyed. Never mind that. As long as he was able to find Murcielago, he would put up with the shopkeeper's games.
"Hey, kid." The bus driver spoke, staring at the rear view mirror. "We're here. It might take some time getting used to, seeing as you're joining us in the middle of the first semester. If you don't know it already, this place isn't exactly normal." His smile wasn't exactly pleasant as he added. "I have a feeling things are going to get a lot more interesting than they already have with you around."
Ulquiorra blinked and nodded. A strange man…or monster.
Taking a look around, he realized he had been dropped off in the middle of nowhere. A scarecrow hung limply to one side, its back to a steep drop that led to the red lake below. He looked over at the forests further on and could barely see the top of a medieval castle rising from the skeleton of branches a ways off. He glanced over questioningly at the bus driver. The man was a source of uneasiness in itself. His eyes glowed under his driver's cap.
"Someone should be here any moment now to take you to the headmaster's office. Well, good luck." He laughed as he drove off.
Looking over at the blood red lake again, Ulquiorra wondered for the umpteenth time what kind of place this was. He looked over at the discolored skies. The clouds overhead moved in irregular patterns. The shades of the heavens swirled about and changed like a kaleidoscope. He noticed countless ravens perched on trees staring at him in silence, their red eyes glowing in the fading light. It was eerily quiet. The birds didn't caw. The wind didn't wail. The trees didn't creak as those dry winds blew through them. The expected noise of the crashing waves from the lake didn't reach his ears. He couldn't quite place it but it left him uneasy.
"Cero." A huge beam of light blasted the lake, sending huge waves crashing about. Birds fluttered from their high roost. Sound returned to the world. Ulquiorra stood there, silently watching. This place had no effect on his power. He sliced a tree in half with his bare hands as he walked toward the castle. He had nothing to worry about.
There was the crackle of dry leaves being trampled under foot. Ulquiorra paused. He heard footsteps come to a stop. The forest in front of him rustled and a girl stepped out from the forest. "Sorry for the wait…I'm here to escort you to the headmaster." Icy eyes met emerald. "Mizore Shirayuki, pleased to meet you." She stretched out her hand.
He studied her for a minute before taking it. "Ulquiorra Schiffer." Purple hair, skin as pale as snow, no uniform, a sucker in her mouth. She looked almost like an ordinary rebellious teenage girl. Almost. Except for those eyes. They were strange. A myriad of silvery colors. He couldn't read them. Her hand was cold. Much colder than a humans. He didn't like her. Those eyes…
They were persistent.
She led him down a twisting dirt path. At one point they had to cut across heavy foliage and thickets of thorns. She glided through them with ease. He sliced his way past. The gates to the school soon came into sight, the path changed from dirt to cobblestones. The Espada stared up at the huge structure, blankly.
"This way…" Mizore gestured and he followed.
They ascended the steps into the main building, strode through countless corridors and wide halls, and finally came to a stop at the double oak doors of the headmaster's office. The girl knocked. "Enter." Came the muffled reply.
Ulquiorra stepped in, Mizore hurrying behind him. "I've brought the new transfer student."
The office was dimly lit, the only source of light was from the window and the oil lamp at the desk. They cast long shadows across the walls and floors. Portraits hung from the walls, faces half covered in darkness. A man in a priest's attire stood, with his back to the wall, beside the lamp.
"Ah, thank you, Ms. Shirayuki, for bringing our new recruit." The headmaster turned to greet them, looking up from the letter in his hands.
"I guess I'll be going then…?"
"Please stay. You'll need to show him around once I'm finished." He turned to Ulquiorra. "So, welcome to Yokai Academy. Urahara sent you to help us in the war, right?" He offered a seat for him and the girl as he made his way back to his desk. "To be honest, I really didn't want to do this. Kisuke's help always comes with a price." He sighed. "But the situation doesn't really allow me room for comfort." He paused, glancing over at Ulquiorra. The Espada remained silent.
"Not the talkative type, are you?" The headmaster chuckled. "Well, I hope I can trust in your abilities. For Urahara to send only one person to us…" His eyes glowed under his priest's garb. "You must be one hell of a monster."
He could feel Mizore's gaze shift between him and the man at the desk. "He's our reinforcement, headmaster?" There was an edge of unease in her tone. "He's going to be helping us in the fight against Fairy Tale?"
"Yes." He replied, amused. "In fact, he'll be training you all for the coming battle." Both Ulquiorra and Mizore looked at the man in surprise. "That's what was written in the letter." He pointed to the piece of paper on his desk.
Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes. Urahara Kisuke had set him up for more than what they had planned for. What was going on in that mind of his?
Mizore looked over at the new student, as if sizing him up. But didn't say anything.
"The new training grounds have been built for your use. Feel free to use it whenever. You can start instructing them as soon as you've settled down." The headmaster continued, crossing over to look out the window. "We haven't much time left…" He trailed off. "This brief silence will soon become a cacophony of screams." He looked over his shoulders. "I don't mean to pressure you but we are expecting a lot from you, Ulquiorra Schiffer. Well, you are the only reinforcements we have after all…"
The Espada took that as his dismissal.
"Understood." Ulquiorra rose, and headed for the doors. He was already in this deep. There wasn't any point in backing out now. He'll play along with these people's games for now. Judging by the headmaster's words, it was only a matter of time before Fairy Tale launched an attack. And that would be the end. The end of them. And this mission.
"You'll be in Nekomine's class." He heard the priest-garbed head of the school say over his shoulder. "Might as well get yourself acquainted with the group that you'll be training with. Mizore, please show him to your classroom."
"Right." They left the dark room.
For the next few minutes, the two walked in silence, Mizore leading him through halls and stairs. Then, "So, you'll be training us, huh?" She glanced lazily over her shoulders. "I hope you can handle it. We can be really…difficult sometimes." She unwrapped another sucker and put it in her mouth. "Just a warning."
Ulquiorra nodded. Unlike others, he had never trained in his life. And he didn't have much experience in training others either. None of his fellow Espadas ever needed it. They were strong after all. That was all there was to it. However, he did remember the hell that they had all been through as Vasto Lordes before Aizen came. The restlessness of everyday battle. The feast of thousands of hollow souls, crushed underfoot. The constant fear of attack. The endless swarm of enemies. Everyday was a battle. Their life was a war.
He closed his eyes. "I'll manage."
The ice girl looked over at him, head tilted to the side. She looked as if she was deep in thought as she played with a stay lock of hair.
"Is this the class?" He asked, walking up to the classroom door she had just stopped by.
"Uh, yeah." She said, slightly flustered. She hurried through. "Um, Ms. Nekomine…? I brought the transfer student." Ulquiorra stepped in, feeling the eyes of the whole room on him.
The teacher, Nekomine, smiled and waved Ulquiorra over to stand at the podium. "Ah, and here he is! Why don't you introduce yourself to the class, Mr. transfer student?"
"Ulquiorra Schiffer, nice to meet you."
…
"Hi, Ulquiorra, I'm Tsukune. Mizore told me you were going to train us." The boy smiled, scratching the back of his head. "We'll be in your care. Sorry in advance if things get out of hand."
"…?"
"Some of my friends don't really get along…" He was cut off when a white-haired girl with red eyes came up behind him.
"Hi, Tsukune!" She bit into his neck, making him cry out in surprise.
"Oh, Moka…It's you…"
"Hey, stop drinking his blood! You'll end up killing him!" A blur of blue flashed through Ulquiorra's peripheral vision. The source tackled the boy to the ground, shielding him from the first girl's touch. "He's mine!"
"Oh no, he's not!" screamed a little girl. "He's Moka's and mine!" A gold frying pan slammed into the head of the blue-haired girl. "And get off him, he can't breathe under your chest!"
"Hey, you-!"
"That's what I mean…" The boy muttered, jerking his thumb over his shoulder at the scene that was beginning to unfold.
Mizore came up from behind the boy. "What do you mean…?" he jumped, letting out a yelp.
"Hey, snow woman, get over here. You're not having my Tsukune all to yourself."
Ulquiorra watched them for a moment, unamused. Then looked out the window, thinking. When would Fairy Tale attack…? The sooner the better but if they were tactical about it, there would be some time before they made a move. Maybe a few hits here and there but nothing big.
Another question that had come to his mind was what would Fairy Tale do with his sword. There wasn't an easy way of drawing out its power. It wasn't some sentient being like that of a zanpaktou but the essence of a Vasto Lorde's power. It had no will. It couldn't answer to just anyone. Which lead to the question: Could this group of monsters actually come up with a way of extracting his power…?
If they could, things wouldn't be as easy as he initially thought. A monster imbued with the power of Murcielago still wouldn't come close to the power that Ulquiorra would possess at his release state. But it was more than enough to fight on par with him as he was now.
There wasn't much time left, the headmaster had said. And now that the Espada had come to think of it, he could be right.
He didn't know how the monsters had got a hold of his sword. He didn't know how they were going to take his power. Even if by some chance Fairy Tale could use Murcielago, the end result would be the same. His fingers spun a pencil like a top as he contemplated this.
"We'll start training today after school…" He heard himself say as he stared up at the artificial skies of the monster realm. It was going to start raining. Dark clouds covered the sun. There was a sound of thunder in the distance. He turned to see everyone stop what they were doing.
"Don't you have to settle down…?" Tsukune asked, he was in the middle of a tug of war between the blue-hair and the little one.
Ulquiorra stood up and headed out, not listening.
"Hey, wait." He turned to glance sidelong at the ice girl who had caught up with him outside the classroom. "Can I come with you…?"
"Do whatever you want." He started down the stairs, heading outside. As he stepped outside, he felt the first drops of rain as the skies let loose. How much longer…until this peace breaks? He looked over at the girl. She was studying him again.
What was the situation back at Las Noches, he wondered. Had Halibel consolidated the control over the Citadel? He wondered if she and the others were fighting yet another power insurrection. The thirst for power ran deep in the veins of Hollows. It boiled under every Arrancars' skin. Constantly reminding them to destroy. Only in the face of absolute strength could such flames die. Ulquiorra knew that all too well. The resentment of the 2nd strongest Arrancar under Aizen's reign was common knowledge among the Espadas.
Blinking, he turned his thoughts away from the past and looked over at the snow girl. She was looking up at the sky, crystalline eyes gazing up at the clouds. The water from the rain that fell around her froze into icy droplets the ground around her a frozen sheet of ice. The power of a monster. He held no awe at the sight. It was nothing. Nothing in comparison…
"Why do you fight…?" He thought aloud.
The question came without even thinking. It was somewhat similar to that time he had asked of the heart. How strange…
"To protect what's important to me…and to stand as an equal against Moka." Mizore replied after some thought.
He turned to stare in the direction of the bus stop. "I see…"
There was silence, except for the patter of rain.
"Why are you helping us? You don't seem interested in any of this."
He looked over at her, his expression flat. "You're right. I have absolutely no interest in Fairy Tale or this school."
"Then why…?"
His hand brushed his side, where his sword used to be. "To take back what is mine." Why was he talking to this woman? All of this seemed pointless...
"Oh." There was a pause. "What do you think of our group…?" She looked a little embarrassed at the question. He didn't understand.
"Weak."
Mizore stared at him for a moment. "You're not trying to insult us…" She commented, crossing her legs. "You believe that to be the truth…"
Ulquiorra looked up at the school. He could see Tsukune and the others gazing down at them through the windows on the second floor. He turned his gaze away dismissively. "It is…" He took out a map of the school that Mizore had given to him after class, and began to make his way to the boy's dorms.
He felt someone tug at his sleeve and stiffened.
"You're wrong…" He paused and looked back at the ice girl. Her bangs covered her eyes. There was a slight tremor in her voice.
"Oh…?"
"We're not weak." She retorted, determinedly. It almost seemed like she was trying to convince herself. "We've already fought Fairy Tale a number of times. And we've survived. We've been getting stronger every time…" She looked up at him, her gaze firm.
Those same eyes. Eyes that wouldn't give up…He hated those eyes. He hated that persistence. But also…he couldn't understand it…What was the meaning behind those words? What was the light behind those eyes? Why did they refuse to give up? It was something he couldn't fathom. And yet he had witnessed the strength of such persistence. He had experienced impossible power behind that determination…once upon a time.
He looked up. It was beginning to pour. But the girl still stood there. As if waiting for an answer.
"Maybe." The Espada began to walk away. Then stopped. A sudden thought came over him. He pointed at the dense trees. Green light swirled together at the tip of his index finger. Cero. Green light engulfed the entire area, lighting the sky like northern lights. The beam of light blasted through the place in the direction he had pointed, tearing branches apart, ripping the roots of trees from the very earth. The smoke cleared to reveal a clear path into the heart of the forest.
Glancing over his shoulders, he watched the snow woman's reaction. She looked shaken. Her features read fear and confusion but she regained her composure in a heartbeat, hunching her shoulders and clenching her fists as she returned his stare. Such persistence…
He left her there, to stare at the destruction he had caused so effortlessly. The others stared in awe from the second floor. He left them all there to witness the shaking throne of their confidence.
He couldn't understand what drove her. Just like he couldn't understand what drove Ichigo Kurosaki to such limits. The nature of Hollows was simple. The strong reign, the weak serve. The strong get stronger, the weak are crushed underfoot. There was no in between. His world was all in black and white. The night sky and the lonely desert did not mix.
Mizore was still standing out there in the rain when he looked out of his dorm window. He saw her carefully pick her way through the path of carnage he had left in his wake. She stood there, bangs covering her eyes. There was a sense of loneliness to her, he noted, offhandedly. Something similar to that of Arrancars. So similar…yet different. He couldn't quite comprehend it. But it was definitely different. For a long time she just stood there, staring. Staring at the area of the forest ripped apart by his power. Then finally she started to make her way back to class.
Closing the curtains, he crossed over to his bed. He had gotten permission to skip his afternoon classes to unpack things. Not that there was much to unpack. So he took the time to think. His mind ran through everything. His sword. Urahara's scheming. This weird place. And that girl...Why was he so interested…?
He couldn't get those eyes of hers out of his mind. Eyes that wouldn't give up. The determination that he despised. A part of him couldn't help but admire that resiliency though. It was almost like pride. He understood pride.
Ulquiorra lay there, staring at the ceiling. 'You're wrong.' Whispers in the dark. 'We're not weak.' It's haunting somewhat…
"Weak, huh…?"
