CHAPTER 4 - GENESIS
Flashback
The artificial moon. It has always looked like real one except that this one doesn't really shine. It glows, it sadly glows just like a bulb that receives too little electricity. Orihime Inoue had been kept in prison for as long as she could remember. It was exactly 3 months since she left Karakura Town and joined Aizen's army of arrancars, their use for her, she still isn't certain except for the fact that she will be the one to deal with the Hogyoku stone. She tossed and turned at the large couch that served as her bed, her seat and her table, for weeks now, she cannot sleep easily, it was as if a bad omen was warning her that death could be right around the corner. She got off from the couch and shrug off any sleepiness that she feels and decided that it would be okay if she roams around the halls of Las Noches, besides, Aizen has permitted her to make use of the white palace as her home. Since that day, the arrancars that stood as guards to her room were removed, she was given full freedom inside the castle.
"Let's see... where should I go." Orihime whispered to herself as she kept on walking and walking forward, getting tired of all the white walls, white ceilings, white pillars and white floor tiles. She was able to stumble upon a few arrancars who lowered there heads for her and she also bowed to them in reply. She snickered and skipped across the halls, realizing her freedom in the palace was acknowledged by everyone. Her feet took her by surprise, turning randomly at every fork in the hall, going left or right without a pattern. For the first time in 3 months, she was able to enjoy herself even for a bit. Orihime awed at the structure of the palace, despite the fact that it was plain, she marveled at how large the place is. She hasn't found a same area and with this, she was sure that she isn't just going in circles. A few minutes or so, Orihime felt a rather strong cramp on her leg which made her lose a step and crash her back into the nearby wall, a meter away from her.
"Ouch." she thought, rubbing her shoulder which pillowed the impact. Suddenly, she heard a small chattering in the nearby door. Her mind processed it for a but until her eyes grew wide, realizing it was no other than Aizen's voice. Urging herself to leave the area at once, their conversation seemed to lure her and drive her near towards the door.
"Of course I do have plans. Her service to us won't be simply a short term. I have a great plan in store." Orihime assured that the voice she heard was Aizen's. She continued to listen to the conversation, hoping to get even just a tiny bit of information from Aizen's true plans.
"What do you have in mind?" a voice, higher pitched belonged to no other than Ichimaru Gin's. "More sake'?" He chuckled.
"Inoue-san is sweet, innocent and pure. I am very much aware that she has no kill counts yet. However, wouldn't it be amusing to see her use her godly powers to increase her records? I do believe she can increase her abilities' strengths to the fullest of their capabilities if she is able to kill."
Orihime gulped. 'Kill count'. Never in her waking existence has she thought of killing anyone, in fact she even spared hollows, letting her friends do the killing. Despite her horror, she still listened to the dreadful conversation.
"You lost me there." Gin replied with a frown, confused with Aizen's intentions.
"Say, we put Orihime in the throne as the queen of Arrancars. We shall convert Shun Shun Rikka into a dark piece of weapon, then her pathetic friends will be the pawns from the otherside. Wouldn't it be fun seeing the queen roam the chess board?" Aizen remarked. It was obvious that his remark was followed by a devilish smirk.
"I see you are really interested in that pet of yours, Aizen-sama."
"Who wouldn't want to take a girl who can reject time and circumstances as their bride? For all I know, my Espadas are all interested in taking her as well. You might even be thinking of the same thing, Gin."
"Me? Hahaha! I'd rather see that girl dead. If the lowly shinigamis outsmart us in this war and retrieve the girl, they'd gain a valuable advantage. If we just kill that girl, there's no threat whatsoever."
"Fair point. However, I wouldn't let her powers go to waste. And that body..."
With Aizen's final remark, Orihime couldn't stand it anymore. Her mind was so frightened, she did not want to be the one to kill her friends.
"Sado-kun, Rukia-san, Uryu-kun... Kurosaki-kun..." she thought, her hands tightly clenched in a fist, her eyes wide and open and her teeth uncontrollably gritted in disgust, her mind picturing a scenario where she would be standing on the lifeless bodies of her friends, regretting the time she did not tell them that she was threatened to leave the land of the living for Hueco Mundo. With her eyes starting to haze from fighting away the tears that fell, Orihime managed to force her feet to run, run away from the dreadful room. She blamed herself from even eavesdropping at the conversation that wasn't meant for her, it was better not knowing anything. It took her a few turns to finally give up and admit she was lost but her heart was so heavy that it began to tighten. She grasped her chest and prayed that she find her room right away.
From a distance, she heard footsteps, a lot of them to be exact and a thunderous chattering emerged. Her burdens grew heavier realizing that the group approaching included Nnoitra Gilga, the notorious Espada who threatened to rape her a lot of times, a lot more than she could remember. At this point, Orihime began to panic. Her mind was screaming for mercy as her heart pounded fast and hard. She was going to collapse under the stress she was going through. She ran and ran and took a turn to a dark hallway in Las Noches. The steps were becoming closer and to her horror, someone spotted her.
"Hey, isn't that pet-sama?" a voice from a distant made Orihime shiver. Without thinking of the slightest thought and reason, she pushed open a door and hid inside, praying and hoping the Sexta Espada leave her alone. Orihime sat still behind the door, anticipating a sly knock from the tall Espada but a few minutes have passed and no disturbances have occurred. She then took in a deep breath and exhaled deeply. She looked at the room around her, it was hard figuring out what room she was in since there were no lights, the only source of light was the fake moon's illuminated glow that passed through the high window to the floor. She sighed, comparing herself to the dark room. If her heart would someday grow black and evil, she'd rather kill herself than to let herself kill the ones she loved.
"I must get out of here immediately." she whispered. She stood up and decided to take a peek at the window. Maybe if she sees the scenery outside, she could calculate her present location and she'd be able to find her room immediately. As she paced herself through the dark room, trying to avoid any obstacle she could tumble over, her luck seems to be asleep. With a big thud, she found herself lying on the floor, face down and aching. She turned around to see what she tripped over to see nothing so she spread her hands and did her best to navigate her way. Her hand hit something hard, cold and a bit moisty and as she hit the alien object, it rolled down the floor and into the area where the fake glows met the cold pavement.
Two eyes that opened wide, with mouths open, blood stained skin and a bodiless carcass of a familiar man greeted her in the greatest horrid sight she could ever see. It was the head of one of her escorts before she was brought to Hueco Mundo. It was as if her heart stopped, the hands and feet rendered useless, her mind had been blank and her eyes saw through the dead and empty eyes before her. Her shriek was loud and full of fright and it echoed through the room. She kept on screaming, she couldn't take the pain and the stress any longer. At this point, she feared death, she feared pain, she feared everything. The room's door swung open with arrancars talking and speculating what the situatuon was yet Orihime did not care, she huddled into a fetal position, not looking up and continued crying hard. Enough is enough, just when she decided to open up to Las Noches and give them a chance, hoping that arrancars are simply misunderstood, she discovers their true natures. Their horrific natures, the hollow's nature to kill or be killed.
Her heart was bursting in pain until two warm arms from out of nowhere gave her a rather tight embrace, looking up, her gray eyes met jade ones, illuminating jade eyes in contrast to a very pale skin. She tried to push him away, her hands sunk into his hard chiseled chest but he wouldn't budge. "Leave me alone!" she cried on top of her lungs. The man in front of her looked at her in confusion. "Please, please don't touch me!"
Signalling the other arrancars to leave and close the door, the Cuatro Espada shook the girl in his arms into her senses. "Woman, why are you crying? And why are you here? You are given orders to stay in your room. You are making my duties to Aizen-sama more difficult than it should be." he stated monotonously.
"Head... a head. There's a decapitated head on the floor!" Orihime continued to cry. Her words were unclear from sobbing and sniffing, her tears uncontrollably flowed from her grey eyes like raging rivers. Ulquiorra could sense her distress in her spiritual pressure and from her shaking.
"Do not be absurd, woman. There is no decapitated head in here." he stated as a matter of fact and pointed towards to what seemed to be a pillow in the floor.
"I- I could've sworn it was a head..." she whispered, still huddled into her knees, sinking her head into her arms. After all these stress and sorrows, she must be going insane, she thought.
"Woman, why are you outside of your room?" Ulquiorra sternly asked, showing a bit of annoyance with the girl.
"I decided to take a walk but Aizen-sama... I heard him with Gin, their plans. And so I ran and ran... Until I got into this room."
"You should be thankful, the room you entered does not belong to the foolish Espadas or lower arrancars. It's mine."
"Y-Your room?!" Orihime was able to stop her crying, feeling very much embarrassed with her actions that led from one disaster to another. "I'm really sorry, Ulquiorra." she sobbed.
"It does not matter, woman. Now go back to your room, I shall take you." Ulquiorra monotonously stated as he stood up, removing his arms from Orihime.
"Wait. Ulquiorra, I don't think I can. I don't think I can stay alone by myself." Orihime whispered as she grabbed on to Ulquiorra's wrist. Softly but firmly.
Ulquiorra raised a brow, curious with the woman's actions.
"I'm afraid." Orihime whispered.
"What are you afraid of? If there are arrancars who threaten you and even if the other Espadas do, I shall immediately report this as insubordination to Aizen-sama for your health and well-being must be protected."
"No, that's not it. I'm afraid of dying alone or dying as an evil person." she lifted her eyes to meet his. With the soft glow from the artificial moon that hung above Hueco Mundo, Ulquiorra could sense fear in her reiatsu.
"Pathetic." he spat out "We all die alone. Friendship, relationships and commitments, as you say are merely illusions. They walk with you as you live and breathe but the moment you're in death, none will want to join you. That is why, hoping that you will not die alone is a wish written on water."
"How can you be so heartless, Ulquiorra?" Orihime snapped, her sorrow turned into anger.
"Your friends, you think they can help you? Their reason to charge into Hueco Mundo is so futile. What are you to them? In the end they will all die a vain death from the hands of my allies. You speak so much of your heart, friendship, relationships, are you that desperate to create an illusion just to appease yourself that there will be someone to protect the likes of you? This must be the strategy of those who are weak. Pathetic."
Orihime's hand clenched, she cannot take any more of his words. Even if she was weak, it would not be the reason that she wanted to put her friends in danger. Her mind went blank once more and with a jolt of adrenaline to her leg, she launched herself at him and her hand took in the momentum at the side only to stop inches away from his cheek. She panted. She was dizzy. She was tired. If she wasn't gonna die from being hack and slashed by hollows, she'd probably die from all the burden Hueco Mundo has to offer.
"Why didn't you proceed?" Ulquiorra bluntly stated as his eyes pierced hers, not taking them away from her. Her hand was still in the air, and she can feel tiny pricks in her palm from the reiatsu he was emitting. She continued to pant. "Just as I thought." he added. "Even you can't touch me." His eyes pierced hers, making Orihime uncomfortable and somehow puzzled with Ulquiorra's words.
"I can't do it." Orihime whispered as she pulled back her hand but before she could do so, Ulquiorra immediately snatched her by the wrist and pulled it forcefully towards him. Orihime's body skipped and now she was in a dangerous distance with the Espada, too close for comfort. Tears have rolled from her forehead, traveling all the way to her jaws before dropping to the floor. Ulquiorra was still grasping her wrist firmly and watched Orihime struggle.
"Are you afraid of me, woman?"
Orihime looked at him in the eye, at first, she thought she was threatening her but as seconds flew like minutes, the auburn-haired girl realized there was no hatred in his jade eyes. The emptiness of it was overwhelming that it was not frightening because of Ulquiorra's hidden motives but frightening because it was the first time she saw a pair of eyes that seemed to scream to be released from despair. Without thinking, Orihime raised her free hand and carelessly placed it in Ulquiorra's cheek. Ulquiora's eyes grew a fraction wide, surprised with her action in reply to his question.
"I am not. I am not afraid of you, Ulquiorra."
"I see."
"Are you hurting?" Orihime asked. Ulquiorra let go of her hand and pushed away the one on his cheek.
"I do not understand your question, woman."
"I'm sorry for asking Ulquiorra." Orihime shrugged her thoughts aside and simply gave him a smile. "I am sorry for the inconveniences that I have given you today." she bowed. Ulquiorra placed his hands inside the pockets of his arrancar uniform and stared silently at the girl in front of him, pondering the sudden change of moods and emotions at a short period of time. The Espada was lost in his own curiosity yet his cunning nature gave him a way to test his curiosities about human emotions and how they think.
As Orihime was wiping her tears, her peripheral vision caught something flying towards her and with swift reflexes, she was able to catch it. In her hands was a green-sheathed sword, Ulquiorra's very own Murcielago. Orihime looked at the object, wondering why Ulquiorra gave her the custody of his most treasured item.
"Ulquiorra, I..."
"Woman, I will give you instructions, now do as you are told."
Orihime was still confused but nodded her head. She gulped and waited for Ulquiorra's commands.
"Unsheathe Murcielago." he said. Orihime blinked twice before holding the sword firmly to remove the scabbard. The sword was light and she was surprised she could actually hold it in just one hand. She slowly pushed the scabbard until it fell from the top. The two of them had their attention towards the blade. The girl marveled at the sword in her hands, it had no dents or scratches and just by looking at it, one could tell it was really sharp. Unlike the other Espadas' blades who kept stains of the blood of their victims, Ulquiorra's sword magnificently gleamed under the moonlight.
"Hold it firmly." Ulquiorra's brief statements worried Orihime. She held it firmly and pointed it towards Ulquiorra's direction. 'Does Ulquiorra know what Aizen-sama plans to do with me?' she asked herself.
"Cero." Orihime's eyes widened in shock to see a green light illuminating from Ulquiorra's finger which was pointed towards her. She was sure that Ulquiorra wouldn't miss firing that shot and she was done for. Orihime bit her lip and braced herself, holding Murcielago tight. Everything went through slow motion as Ulquiorra's cero left his finger, Orihime closed her eyes and concentrated on her energy to release a barrier at the right moment but her resistance would be futile. Ulquiorra's cero could shatter her shield easily. She decided not to raise the barrier and accept Ulquiorra's course of action. This was what she wanted earlier, to die. Tis was better to die than to be the one to cause harm to her friends. This is the end.
"Cero oscuras." the green light traveled from Ulquiorra's finger to Orihime's direction but to her dismay and to her surprise, Murcielago absorbed the cero, inches away from her body. She was dumbstruck.
"Point Murcielago to me."
"Ulquiorra, what are you planning?"
"Woman, this is your chance, I have missed my chance to finish you off. With Murcielago in your hands, you can repel all my cero and can easily cut through my skin. Do it now and take Murcielago with you, you can escape this prison as you wish."
"Why are you doing this?" Orihime yelled. Confusion overfills her.
"Do not mistake my intentions, woman. I am not doing this to help you. Take this as a challenge. If you fail to kill me, I shall kill you without hesitation."
Orihime backed away and lowered the sword. "I can't kill you, Ulquiorra."
"I see."
Ulquiorra sonidoed towards Orihime and held Murcielago's tip to his throat. "Do it while I'm giving you a chance, woman."
"Why do you wish to die, Ulquiorra?" Orihime whispered, her head held low.
"Do not be absurd, woman. As an Espada, the thrill of death fuels our will to fight. We anticipate death every time we draw our swords in front of our enemies. So of course, I wish myself death every second that I live."
Orihime gulped. She was not accustomed to shedding blood with her own hands. She looked at Ulquiorra, the 4th Espada, with much concern, wanting to pry more about his being. There was something more why he wished death upon himself and Orihime was not convinced it was only because of the nature of an arrancar. She found herself staring at his chest. His hollow hole, hidden beneath the white uniform he wore. Unlike the Grimmjow Jaggerjacques, he shows his hollow hole only to a few. She haven't seen it too and she pondered that seeing the hole might give her some answers.
She bucked up and straightened the sword. Ulquiorra raised a brow, somehow amused that the woman was preparing to strike him with Murcielago. Orihime firmly held the sword and with all her concentration, she sliced through the fabric that ran from his neck to the base of his chest. Taking a sharp inhale, Orihime saw the sight of the void that seemed to suck her in. His hollow hole. The blackness that is surrounded by well-built ivory chest has made Orihime take a step back but this is what she wanted. She wanted to see the emptiness that causes Ulquiorra to act this way.
'CLANG!'
The sound of the sword hitting the ground echoed through the room and Orihime made a step forward to get a closer look. One step and another, nearing and nearing to the void in his chest. Orihime continued to walk and Ulquiorra said nothing, watching her pace herself carelessly at his space. Orihime did not realize such dangerous proximity she was with the Espada who can shoot her a cero anytime he wishes but all fright and confusion was put aside, for now, her attention belonged to the insignia of his hollow being.
She took a hand and raised it to his chest and she felt Ulquiorra flinch just a little, maybe surprised that she made contact. As soon as her fingertips landed on soft and warm skin, she felt an odd sensation ran through her body, she looked up and looked deeply in the emotionless Espada's eyes who watched her actions quietly. Her palm rested on the nothingness, anchored by her fingers and Orihime's curiosity painted her face.
"This is my hollow hole, woman." Ulquiorra broke the unsettling silence.
Orihime bit her lip. The chunk of flesh missing from his chest made her emotionally weak. She pictured herself losing a part of her just like as Ulquiorra lost that part of him. "When did this disappear?" she asked, barely a whisper.
"I do not know nor have I known if such part existed. I believe that is where all human emotions are kept. That area disintegrates day by day so I cannot tell what had been there or what occupied that space, all I am certain is that whatever is missing will no longer be restored."
"I can try." Orihime replied and a soft golden glow escaped her hand. After a couple of minutes without talking, Orihime achieved nothing and the glow disappeared. Orihime lowered her head in dismay and started to cry. She really can't explain the overwhelming feeling and the need to recover what was lost in Ulquiorra's hollow hole. She sunk her head in his chest and sobbed.
"I'm sorry." she whispered. "I figured out that my fear of death isn't really death itself. I fear that one day something will be taken away from me. My ability to be happy, my ability to cry, to laugh, to enjoy things in life so... so I thought, I wanted to return that to you. I don't want anything that makes me complete taken away from me, my friends, my love ones, my feelings..." her words were inaudible in between sobs but Ulquiorra heard everything clearly. He placed a hand on top of her head and he raised his head to look at the white ceiling. He was surprised at the girl's confidence and strength to take Murcielago and slice his uniform to reveal his hollow hole. He was surprised that she did not run away when he shot the cero and he was surprised that she touched him, unafraid of what he is capable of doing when agitated. He realized her feelings are luxury, he felt envious of what he did not posses and he realized this all through a test of courage.
"Why do you bewitch me with such strange feelings woman." Ulquiorra exclaimed, tipping Orihime's face to meet her eyes. "Why do you flood me with uncertainties existing in this world?" Her eyes gleamed under the moonlight caused by tears that left stains on her cheek. Both of them stared at each other for a while and with an unspoken agreement, Ulquiorra dove in and closed the gap on their lips. Orihime closed her eyes and parted her lips a little, giving Ulquiorra entry to deepen the kiss. His hand shuffled on her hair as he grew hungrier and hungrier, wanting for more. Orihime grasped the cloth of his arrancar uniform, tiptoed to meet his lips. It was wrong, it was a taboo and clearly a betrayal to her friends and Soul Society but Orihime did not care. For once she left the ground to think only about herself and the man in front of her. Ulquiorra forcefully pushed Orihime back, making her take steps backward until her back fell flat on a soft bed. They broke apart for air and Ulquiorra fully unzipped his torn arrancar uniform and tossed it aside. Orihime's hair sprawled all over the white bed, her hair in contrast to the bland sheets. Ulquiorra hovered over her, his toned muscles gave seductive silhouettes for Orihime's eyes to feast on. Orihime's breathing was ragged, anticipating something more to come from the Espada on top of her.
She raised her hand and caressed his arrancar remains and trailed her fingers to his teal marks. She stopped and frowned when she reached the end of the marks on his jaw.
"Woman, what is wrong?"
"I've always wondered what these are."
Ulquiorra gave no response and simply gave her hand a small squeeze. She continued the trail to his Number 4 tattoo to his hollow hole, tracing the edges, seemingly disturbed by the absence of whatever resides in that area.
"What is it that you want woman."
"This. I want to see this filled up. I want to be the one to fill it. I want to see what was lost. I want to see you live a normal life just like normal people in a normal home living a regular life on the real world. Without having to answer to commands, without killing..." she paused for a moment before continuing. "Without having to wish for death."
"You request deems to be impossible, woman. We hollows will always live a life of blood shed. We were born with something that urges us to kill and be killed that is why I cannot give you my word on that. However, I can compensate you with something that could grant what you desire."
"A gift?"
Ulquiorra pulled Orihime to sit up. As soon she was settled, he place his hand on his left chest and a soft glow emitted from his tattoo. Slowly, Ulquiorra pulled a green glowing orb in his hand. "Life force. It is something we hollows possess though only a few number of us knows its existence and can materialize such entity."
Orihime reached for it and felt its warm glow in her hands. Ulquiorra continued; "This may be able to grant you your wish upon its maturity, for it to do so, it will feed on your emotions. This life force is in its basic condition, it is starved from being inside my body, so it is useless for me to possess such force. Those who have fully matured theirs, being hollows by nature, have wished for power and thus turned into Vasto Lordes. Upon doing so, their ability to reason and think are long gone. Now, will you accept it, woman?"
"Will it bring you no harm if removed from your body, Ulquiorra?"
"There will be no changes whatsoever. Your emotions prove worthy of my life force."
Orihime smiled and nodded. She watched Ulquiorra push the orb in her stomach and bit by bit, the orb dissolves and she can feel a fluttering feeling through her veins, as if her body was refreshed and charged with a new power. When he was done, Ulquiorra leaned in to engage another kiss and on cue, Orihime closed her eyes only to be interrupted by a sudden surge of reiatsu in Hueco Mundo. Both their eyes appeared surprised and Orihime was both confused and excited knowing her friends have finally come and save her. The sudden appearance of the reiatsu was followed up by a knock on the door.
"Schiffer-sama."
Ulquiorra stood up and proceeded to open the door. The lower arrancar bowed and relayed the message he carried.
"Lord Aizen wishes your presence for a meeting, Schiffer-sama. There will be a ten-minute grace period before the meeting starts."
The lower arrancar bowed once more and immediately dismissed himself. Ulquiorra ran his hand through his raven hair. He turned around and closed the door. Picking up his Murcielago on the floor and pulling an arrancar uniform top from a table at the edge of the room, Ulquiorra glanced at the woman in his bed who anticipated for him to speak. But no words could escape Orihime's mouth. She was happy that her friends finally came but she was scared that Ulquiorra will be tasked to kill them.
"Come, I will walk you to your room."
The two walked across the hallways, footsteps echoing. Breathing was the only music to pace with each step. Orihime was troubled and confused and Ulquiorra returned to his usual self, walking past Orihime with his hands in his pockets. Not one word was uttered. When they reached her room, she looked back at the Espada who immediately left to attend to his summon. Ulquiorra did not say good bye nor reminded her of the actions that they've done earlier. His coattails dancing behind him. It was the last time she saw Ulquiorra in the palace. It marked the start of blood shed and terror. The next time she had the chance to see him was atop of the pillar in Las Noches, with him slowly fading into the air, his arms stretched to reach hers but to no avail.
A/N: Okay! So 4th chapter is up! And as you can see, this chapter is a flashback. I hope this answered a few questions now. I'm excited to start the 5th chapter so I hope you enjoy reading this one. It's quite fun writing this chapter and I unintentionally made it too long.
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Thank you for the warm comments and PMs!