Thanks to my Beta MCrind :D
Betrayal
Chapter Three; Menial Tasks
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Two weeks passed uneventfully, as they did in Las Noches: meetings regarding strategy and the abilities of the Shinigami they would face in the near future were held as per usual. The celebration dinner was all but forgotten in the minds of most…
In a section of the castle not far from Aizen's own personal living quarters, a dark haired arrancar sat completing the day's paperwork. He sat in absolute silence, his body and mind unwavering to the task which he knew took the other Espada three times as long to accomplish, his perfect script finalizing the last page with his signature and rank. Ulquiorra Schiffer, 4 th.
It seemed that as soon as his last stroke fell, a black moth came waveringly to his hand. Aizen-sama was summoning him, not unusual for Ulquiorra; he knew that Aizen saw him as the most dependable of his Espada. If he wanted something done right, he could rely on him to get it done. Ulquiorra was always happy to serve his lord and couldn't help feeling superior to the others for the obvious favor of his master.
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Ulquiorra bowed as the enormous doors to Aizen's throne room closed behind him. "Aizen-sama, you requested my presence?"
Aizen sat in the centre of the room, upon a throne so high Ulquiorra needed to tilt his head to meet the man's gaze. He smiled falsely down at his most devoted Espada, leaning to one side of the chair, with his chin rested in the palm of a hand.
"I have something I'd like you to do for me Ulquiorra" He asked as if it would be a favor between friends, instead of the order they both knew it was.
"Anything you wish, Aizen-sama." Uquiorra's straight posture matched the empty expression of his face and emotionless tone of his voice.
"You remember Mori Shinrai, do you not?" Aizen gestured down to the right of his enormous throne.
Ulquiorra's gaze followed his master's signal down the path of the huge throne, to the right of the very bottom step. Standing in the shadow of Aizen's towering throne, stood the small figure of the arrancar his master was referring to. Having registered her presence, Ulquiorra returned his focus to Aizen.
"Yes you introduced her to the Espada at the formal banquet two weeks ago."
"I'm afraid I've been keeping Shinrai so busy, that she has seen nothing of Las Noches. Would you ensure that she knows her way around?" Aizen watched for any reaction that might suggest his Fourth was irritated by being given such a menial chore. However, Ulquiorra's expression remained as empty, and obedient, as ever.
"I am happy to serve you, my lord."
"Shinrai, I leave you in the capable hands of my Fourth, I am sure he will make you feel… welcome."
Ulquiorra watched as the woman stepped from the shadows before him. She seemed smaller than how he remembered her, not that he had given her any real notice at the time. She walked quietly with her head down, to stand a few meters in front of him. His emerald eyes were intent and unreadable as he studied the entity before him.
Her body was skeletal, a light layer of skin pulled over bone. Her attire was in a similarly retched state; her once white kimono, torn and spattered in old brown blood… Slowly, her gaze rose to meet his; her cheekbones pulled at the flesh of her face, but that was not what caught him. It was her eyes; they were white, the irises of her eyes were white, thought the outer circumference was a deep black. The color of her eyes was made even more prominent by the large black bruises surrounding them, and the sick, gray color of her skin. Dry blood cracked down her face, flaking off her cheeks and around the corners of her eyes.
Slowly the white, glazed-over eyes fell from his own to the ground beside him; allowing him to notice the deep nail mark that trailed down the left side of her face. Not far behind it, was her hollow hole, running temple to temple.
For a split second, the question of how this woman came to this state flashed through Ulquiorra's mind, only to be quickly dismissed. The woman's appearance, combined with her pitiful reiatsu, confirmed in his mind what she was: trash.
Satisfied that his orders were complete, he gave a bow to his master. Turning on his heal without looking at the ghostlike woman, he headed toward the door.
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"Isn't it a lil' cruel?" The insincere male voice came from a shaded corner of the large throne room.
"She'll be fine." Aizen stood and began descending the large staircase.
"But I thought ya said she weren't ready yet?" Gin's grin remained as he cocked his head to the side, looking up as his lover descended toward him.
"It can't be helped, we can't wait any longer. Besides, the girl's ability has been refined greatly over the past few days… Perhaps this early exposure will… encourage… her growth."
"But why Schiffer first?" The ex-Third captain asked, eye-brows coming together with the question.
"Ulquiorra is an obedient creature… an easy first task."
Aizen's wicked smile grew as he reached the silver haired man's level. A glint flashed through his eyes; one that Gin knew all too well, and one that sent shivers up and down the former Third captain's spine.
"Come, Gin…" The brown haired man ordered as he turned toward the exit that would lead them to his private chambers…
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In the west communal room, sprawled across one of the over-sized white lounges, lay the First Espada. His arms crossed behind his head, dozing happily, paying no attention to the ruckus occurring just meters in front of him.
"Aarrh, what the-! Get off ya crazy bitch!"
"Give it to me! I SAID it was mine! Give it, uh, stupid. Arse-hole!"
"Arh! I'm gunna rip ya to pieces! I swear Stark! If ya don't get this lil' bitch off- Arrhhh!"
Grimmjow screamed as Lilynette bit down on his neck. Lilynette clinging to his back; as the pair tumbled to the floor; a stream of tangled limbs as they both tripped over each other scrambling to get up. Grimmjow being the first to rise from the mess deliberately knocked the small girl back with his knee.
"You dipshit! Now look, ya squashed it!" The blonde scrambled to her feet and stood with her hands on her hips, disregarding the fierce killing intent in the reiatsu pulsing from the blue haired man.
"Ya do realize that was the last namagash don't cha!" She glared at him, fearless.
Grimmjow stood, growling deep in his throat, but stopped when he glanced down and realized that the red jelly candy was half flattened on his jacket. He smirked at her, taunting her by slowly pulling his jacket up to his mouth to chew the remaining candy from the material.
Lilynette's eyes narrowed to slits as the Sexta Espada's untamed grin mocked her. He turned toward the door, laughing madly.
"You feral PUSSY! I'm gunna need a flee-rinse after this!" She called after him. His only response was to throw an index finger over his shoulder as he left before laughing even more hysterically.
Grimmjow chuckled to himself as he wandered through the white corridors toward his section of the castle. He was gunna have to change his jacket, but it was worth it to see the look on that stupid bitch's face. He woulda ripped her a new one if the Primera hadn't been there. Not that he was scared of that lazy bastard, but he wasn't stupid either.
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Ulquiorra walked silently through the halls of Las Noches, wondering why his master had delegated this task to him. Perhaps this was a test of his devotion; like with the human girl. At least this one was quiet...
Shinrai walked several meters behind the Espada who was to be her first real assignment. Aizen had told her he would be the easiest to decipher given his simplistic views of the world. She knew Aizen was displeased with her improvement; being thrown in with the Espada like this might not be such an intimidating task if she was at full strength, but… even the blind could see the impact the last fortnight's training had had on her physical condition. Strength: the word sounded ridiculous when connected to her, even before these past two weeks, her appearance, her reiatsu; they were nothing. She was nothing.
Now her actions brought her lower than she thought possible: she was betraying her own species. If she failed Aizen completely by not realizing the potential he claimed she had, he would surely kill her. But if the Espada found out about her treachery, her death was guaranteed. They would certainly find an excruciating way to end her life… though after the past two weeks, she doubted any of them could better the torture she had learnt to endure.
A light breeze swept down the hallway, barely ruffling the Espada's white cloak, but it sent a shiver through Shinrai's petite body. She wrapped her thin arms around herself as her eyes slowly traced the small pattern-like imperfections on the bright white walls. Bright. Everything was so bright now that she was out in the open, her eyes finding every detail even in the bland corridors.
It felt like they had been walking for a long time, the exertion and cool air was beginning to make her feel weak. She hoped the Fourth would just show her to her new room, and forget about the "tour". As the thought passed through her mind, a sudden warmth touched her hip. The unexpected heat against her cold skin sent a jolt through her body. It shouldn't have…she knew this heat… it was a warning from her sword that it had registered the nearing of another.
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"Shit, not that kill-joy, arse-licker."The blue haired man scoffed to himself as he noticed the approaching Fourth Espada down the long hallway.
Shinrai noticed the small change of demeanor in the slight man she was following, and assumed it was because of the ostentatious- looking teal-haired Espada.
"Hey, ass-licker. Whata' ya doing so far from Aizen's bed?" The Sixth Espada stood blocking Ulquiorra's path; his mockery and disrespect surprised Shinrai. She knew the Espada's ranks, and knew this man "Grimmjow Jeagerjaques" was two seats below her guide.
"It does-" Ulquiorra was cut off.
"Shit! What the fuck ya been doin to this chick Ulquiorra?" Grimmjow, just noticing Shinrai, leant in and around the smaller man to stare at her.
Shinrai recoiled slightly behind the man she now deemed the lesser of two evils; the Sixth's wild eyes and crushing reiatsu reaffirming what she had learnt about his soul in the past two weeks. She turned her face away from his so that she didn't have to look into those crazed, vivid blue eyes.
Grimmjow, forgetting his proximity to the Espada he loathed the most, measured the female arrancar in front of him… She looked like a messed up, walking corpse. His upper lip rose in repugnance at her appearance, standing as her faced turned, revealing the hole in her head that reminded him of a gunshot wound.
"Ya even more fucked-up than I thought Schiffer." He spat with acidity.
"It does not concern you, Trash." Ulquoirra's tone was unwavering and apparently untouched by the other's words.
Shinrai slowly allowed her gaze to return to the Sexta Espada while he was distracted from her. Damn, Sex-ta was right… his tall, broad body was chiseled from jaw to exposed abs, and she knew it wouldn't have stopped there…
She sighed internally and looked away again; it wasn't fair for him to have incredible power and looks.
Grimmjow didn't look at her again as he deliberately knocked Ulquiorra's shoulder with his own to get past him. "Whatever, bitch." He said cuttingly as he continued on his way.
A tremor coursed through Shinrai's body as his untamed reiatsu swept past her; the weight of it temperately inhibited her ability to breathe. She looked up at her guide with wide eyes; she now realized just how much this man must be withholding his reiatsu. She realized the naiveté of the fear that had swept through her when she felt the Sixth's feral power, considering her guide was two ranks above him…
Ulquiorra glanced down at the woman behind him, who immediately averted her eyes.
He didn't say anything to her as he reinitiated their path, his white uniform flapping with the turning of his body.
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"Stupid Ulquiorra, fucker thinks he's better than me." Grimmjow muttered to himself as he passed through the halls of Las Noches. He'd been particularly agitated these past two weeks, ever since that night Aizen made them eat with him. The bastard loved putting on a show. After his run-in with Nnoitra, he'd decided to put an end to their meetings, but after two weeks without any release, it didn't seem like the best idea anymore. His balls felt like they must be matching his pubes by now…He'd have to get one of the lower arrancar to do something about it. It pissed him off; he hated having those weak fucks touch him.
He turned into the corridor that began his wing and almost ran into the tall man he'd been trying to avoid. His footsteps faltered, and a small growl escaped his lips; now he was really pissed. He looked up at the ridiculously lanky man and equally stupid uniform.
"The fuck ya doin in my wing Nnoitra?"
Nnoitra glared down at him. It wasn't like he had a thing for the Sixth Espada, he just loved dominating the uncontrollable man. Nnoitra knew Grimmjow had been brushing him, and it made livid. If the thing between them was going to end, it would be when he said so, and that bitch had better not think otherwise.
"Shut ya goddamn trap! If ya hadn't noticed, moron, ya still in my section!"
A shattering resonance echoed down the hall; as Nnoitra grabbed Grimmjow by the throat, lifting him off his feet, and smashing him into the ground. Grimmjow's hands clawed at the fingers around his throat; clenching his jaw in an attempt to deny any gasps from exiting his mouth, some of the gasps escaping his nose instead. Nnotria knelt with one knee on his chest and the other to the floor, Grimmjow's body thrashing violently beneath him.
The dark haired Espada leant in and ran his long tongue up Grimmjow's mask and along his ear before whispering to him. "This ain't over until I say it is…"
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Okay, I'm debating on whether I should put a full lemon here with Grimmjow and Nnoitra. What do you guys think?
Seriously, I would prefur to know if I'm just wasting my time with this story?