Chapter Four

Regret or Just Complications

"I choose Shimigami," Izumi stated, sending a glare at Nnaitra.

"Good, now you'll pay for what you did to me." he smirked at her.

"Want to be embarrassed again; I won't mind laying you out again. In front of the whole school too." Izumi returned his smirk.

"Nnaitra now is not the time for this," Szayel said to his friend.

"Classes are going to start soon," Rukia told Izumi.

"Fine." Izumi turned and started towards the art room for her first class.

~TS~

Izumi sat down at one of the six tables in the room hoping no one would sit next to her. The first bell rang and people filed into the room. Izumi heard the chair next to her be pulled out and someone sit in it. Izumi turned her head slightly and caught sight of midnight hair and emerald eyes. Izumi's head snapped to the side and sure enough it was Ulquiorra, her new enemy.

"Don't get the wrong idea I'm sitting here because all the other seats are taken," he said once he noticed her stare.

"Oh," was all she could utter.

"Good morning class," the teacher greeted, "it so nice to see so many returning faces and new ones too."

'This teacher is going to get annoying,' Izumi thought.

"Today, I'll hand out the syllabus and run through it before everyone can just free draw today. We'll start the first project tomorrow," she continued to talk to the class.

As the teacher babbled on about nothing really, Izumi's thoughts started to drift to the male sitting next to her.

'It's a strange feeling, this boy sitting by me…why does he make me feel this…this warmth that flows over me. I've never felt it before. This isn't right! He's my enemy now, how can I feel anything towards him?' Izumi observed in her mind.

Izumi continued to be lost in her thoughts unaware that the male beside her continuously glanced at her.

'It's strange. This girl causes something inside me to stir. She's different than most women around here. She's beautiful, but she denies it. She's not afraid to be aggressive when someone insults her, or her friends. She won't back down form a challenge. She's definitely different. I'll keep an eye on her and see what I can discover,' Ulquiorra thought.

"You may now free draw," the teacher announced.

"Oh goodie," Izumi commented.

'I could use this time to finish one of my drawings I've been working on,' Izumi thought as she reached into her art bag and pulled out her small canvas and pastels.

"You carry pastels in your bag?" Ulquiorra asked.

"Yeah, it's not like it's all that strange. I am an artist after all. It's good to be prepared if you're inspired by something randomly," Izumi explained.

Ulquiorra just gave her a blank stare.

"Why do I even bother to explain this to you?" Izumi commented more to herself.

"It's natural to answer when a question is asked," Ulquiorra answered.

Izumi, in turn, gave him a blank stare. Her brow knotted with confusion as to why he answered her. Ulquiorra smirked a little at Izumi's cute, confused expression.

"Why are you smirking?" She questioned.

"No reason," Ulquiorra replied turning back to his syllabus.

'He's weird,' Izumi thought.

"You may free draw for the rest of the period," the teacher announced.

Izumi carefully sketched the finishing touches to her, only one day old, drawing. Then she carefully chose the colors she deemed necessary for this piece of abstract art.

Ulquiorra watched her carefully, observing every little motion she made. Every stroke she made on the paper, every precise motion of the pastel. He didn't know why he just stared at her. It puzzled him greatly.

'He's so weird! Why is he staring at me?' Izumi stressed as she tried to focus on her work.

"Why are you staring?" Izumi snipped after ten minutes of being watched like a hawk.

"Because it annoys you," Ulquiorra quickly lied.

Izumi glared while Ulquiorra smirked, only slightly.

'Maybe this year's art class will be interesting,' Ulquiorra thought.

~TS~

"Rukia, I'm not kidding. I have him in every one of my classes!" Izumi stressed, flopping down on her bed.

"That sucks," Rukia replied, sitting gracefully on her bed.

"And he sits next to me in all of them. He uses the excuse 'there's no other seats'!" Izumi explained.

"Hmmmm, very strange," Rukia said writing a few things on her notebook.

"Let me guess you're going to turn this into one of your weird sessions?"

Izumi was not amused with the aspect of going through this all over again.

"Yep." Rukia smiled attempting to look cure.

"Grrr!" Izumi rolled off the bed and grabbed her bag before exiting the room.

'I don't want to deal with that again,' Izumi thought.

"Oh look what the cat drug in," a cold voice hissed from the shadows of the hallway.

"Shit," Izumi hissed under her breathe.

An evil chuckle erupted throughout the hallway. Izumi's eyes narrowed at the dark haired mail in front of her.

"I'm not in a good mood right now and I don't want to deal with you on top of it," Izumi snipped.

"Too bad." Nnaitra stepped into the light smiling like an idiot.

"Go away before I deck you again and this time you won't be getting up so soon," Izumi threatened.

"I expected you to say that, so I took a few precautions."

His smile grew as figures emerged from the shadows behind Izumi as she glared at Nnaitra. Strong hands grabbed Izumi's arms holding her in place. All her strength was useless compared to the two men that held her.

"Now what to do? What to do?" Nnaitra asked, his smile turning perverted.

"Why don't you destroy this? That should teach her," Szayel asked holding out the abstract painting Izumi had been perfecting throughout the whole day.

"That would work," Nnaitra replied.

Izumi struggled to escape the confides she was held in to save her precious drawing.

"This drawing means a lot to you don't it?" Nnaitra asked.

Izumi's glare intensified.

"It is quite a beautiful piece, but I rather teach you a lesson."

Nnaitra was about to break the small canvas when a pair of pale hands stopped him.

"As another artist I can't allow you to do that." Ulquiorra's eyes narrowed.

"Come on Ulquiorra! Are you getting soft?" Nnaitra yelled.

"I won't allow you to destroy a piece like this."

"You and your art," Nnaitra huffed before turning away.

Grimmjaw and Szayel, the two holding Izumi, released her and fallowed after Nnaitra after receiving a glare from Ulquiorra.

"Why?" Izumi asked when Ulquiorra handed her, her art.

"Because."

He walked away without a second glance.