Bleached: Ep. 4

Disclaimer: We don't own Bleach. Airi and Zezuri are our characters though.

Note: Don't get used to a chapter a day... this is only happening until I've caught up to what I have typed already... but don't worry, the fact that this is written means writer's block won't have as big of an effect. -Airi

They ran until they came to separate hallways, and without time to stop and think, they ran down different hallways, splitting

They ran until they came to separate hallways, and without time to stop and think, they ran down different hallways, splitting up. "Ah! Now we're separated!" Airi thought. Airi was running down the right hall while Zezuri went left.

Zezuri kept running and passed Ulquiorra on the way, who just watched her pass and sighed, probably knowing that they would pull something like this. Ulquiorra pressed a button on the wall, sounding the alarm. The loud, screeching alarm, frightened Zezuri more, that she ran into a den of hollows. She stopped in her tracks, making herself trip. The hollows grouped around with a hungry appetite for a fresh soul. They lunged for her as she coiled herself on the ground.

There was a sudden blast of energy that engulfed the room in light. "Tch, you're more trouble than you're worth…" complained a voice in an irritated, harsh tone. Zezuri looked up through her hands at a large figure with blue hair. She was suddenly hoisted up by her shirt collar, as her face was quickly brought to his, "Stupid woman! You actually thought you'd escape?" he harshly dropped her and she fell on her bottom. "C'mon! Time to get back to your cell." He mumbled, walking ahead.

"Grimmjow!" one of the hollows that survived his blast, rose from the wreckage. "Espada or not, how dare you interrupt our feast!" the rouge hollow rushed at Grimmjow, but Grimmjow grabbed the hollow by the face and performed a cero at point-blank range, blasting the hollow so that nothing remained.

"Aizen's orders, can't eat the guest!" he shouted to the others, "Weak, weak, weak! C'mon stupid, let's go." With that he lead Zezuri from the room.

Meanwhile, Airi ran unhindered through the dark hallway. "Odd" she thought to herself, "no one's here". Suddenly a loud alarm echoed through the halls. Startled, she almost tripped, but managed to regain her balance and kept going. She continued running wondering why no one had managed to catch her yet and also if Zezuri had been caught. Suddenly, the hallway ended with a door. Hesitantly, she grasped the handle and opened the door, while glancing behind her at the same time. The hallway remained empty; no white uniformed figure was in sight. Turning back to the open door, Airi stepped outside into the endless night of Hueco Mundo and stared running. Just as it had appeared from her window, the white sand dunes seemed to go on for eternity. A series of thoughts stormed her mind, where was she going, what happened to Zezuri, and what should she do? Her feet kept her moving farther away from the gray castle/building/prison of two days. Part of her mind was screaming at her to go find Zezuri, wherever she might be, while another part was convinced this was all just a bad dream and she would wake up soon. By now the last of the castle was slipping over the horizon behind her. A white cloud loomed on top of a dune in front of Airi, moving fast and straight at her. "What is that?" she wondered aloud, stopping because she couldn't run anymore. Airi stood there panting, more physically exhausted than she'd ever been in her short 17-year life. As the cloud thing got closer, Airi came to the painful realization that it was a sandstorm and a really large one at that. Summoning up what little energy she had left, Airi ran back the way she had come, but the sandstorm was faster and overtook her in seconds. White sand flew everywhere, tearing clothing, skin and hair alike. This violent display of nature finally made Airi realize; this was no dream. This was reality.

Grimmjow dragged Zezuri back to her cell by the wrist. Emotionally in tears because she was scared, lost Airi, and her wrist hurt, she obediently followed Grimmjow. She wouldn't dare try to run again. He roughly pushed her back in her room. "And stay there!" he growled before walking away.

"You naughtily little girl." Luppi said, poking her on the head, "and your little friend is lost in the desert. Honestly, I don't know why Aizen-sama bothers with trouble-making humans like you." He scoffed, placing his hands on his hips and gazing out the window.

Somewhere on the other side of the sand dunes Zezuri was now looking at, Airi lay bleeding (not to death) from the many cuts on her face, hands, and wherever else the sand and wind had managed to penetrate. As she laid there, she hoped that there were no giant sandworms going to suddenly pop up and eat her like they did in that one book she had read for her English class, now what seemed like eons ago. Airi's thoughts drifted, as she looked up into the sky, unable to move from all that had happened. A white cloud flashed over, or so she thought, until her mind realized that one: it wasn't a cloud, two: It was the really tall minion of Aizen's with black hair and eyes greener than her own, and three: she had never been happier to see him.

"Get up, we're going back now." He said plainly. He looked at her again before crouching down and examining her condition a bit more. He dusted some of the sand from her hair and clothes and helped her to her feet. "Zezuri has already been confined. She did not get as far as you." Ulquiorra stated.
"That's a relief…" Airi sighed.

"Come. I'm taking you back now." He began to walk ahead.

Airi looked around as if to say "Yeah, good riddance to this desert." But she just nodded and followed him.

Luppi looked back at Zezuri, the sighed in disappointment, confusing Zezuri so she tilted her head. "Honestly, those tacky human clothes make me sick. They smell like human and have human written everywhere, it's like having a total newb among veterans. I'm going to have to find you something more adaptable, then maybe I can stand the sight of you without burning my eyes." He said.

"There will be no need for such a search, Luppi," a voice came from the doorway. Both the feminine arrancar and Zezuri turned to see the figure was Aizen. "We have brought you some clothes." He handed Zezuri a neatly folded, personal arrancar uniform. "It should fit you." He said with a smile. For a moment as Zezuri obediently took the uniform, she saw a different Aizen, the same Aizen but with a kinder smile and calming eyes. She looked at him with awe as she stepped back, then Luppi nudged her into the bathroom to change.

To be continued...

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