A/N: Ok, I lied. Grimmjow's not here yet. I'll try to fit him in next chapter, though.
Ulquiorra thought for a few agonizingly long minutes, staring silently at the table as he considered his options. If I say no, they will turn me over to Soul Society or leave me on my own for Aizen to find, both of which will certainly mean my death in this state. Yes, though, means I am bowing my head to my former enemies—perhaps not former in Kurosaki-san's case—and that is the way of the coward… it has been a long time since I felt uncertainty, he thought, almost smiling at the last bit.
Coming to a decision, Ulquiorra looked up, meeting Urahara's eyes. "My answer is…no, Urahara Kisuke," he began. Urahara sighed. "I see… I was hoping you'd see sense, but…" "I did not say I would be your enemy," Ulquiorra said, raising a pale hand to cut Urahara off. "I will not join your ranks, but yes, I will fight for your side, to the best of my ability. Even in this state, I am not the least of the arrancar."
Urahara smiled cheerfully, and replied, "Excellent! I was hoping you'd say that! Now then, one question, if I may." Ulquiorra nodded his consent, and Urahara continued. "You said you were 'Cuatro Espada', am I right? What is an Espada, Ulquiorra-san, and how many are there?"
"The Espada… There are, no, were, ten of us. We are the elite of Aizen's army, the ten strongest of all the arrancar in Hueco Mundo. Each of us has a number inscribed somewhere on our bodies, marking our rank, with one as the absolute strongest. The large fool, Yammy, who was with me when we invaded your world not long ago, was rank ten, the weakest of us, but still formidable to one unprepared. As for me, I am—was," he pulled aside the left side of his shirt, revealing a gothic-script number 4 on his pale chest, "rank four, fourth strongest of all the Espada."
Urahara nodded, considering this. "So, if Aizen does not have you on his side, he has lost quite a lot of firepower, am I right?" Ulquiorra nodded silently. "Well, then, it's settled!" Urahara said confidently. "Ulquiorra-san, you may stay here while you recover. If you wish, I might find alternate lodging for you later. In the meantime, we could use your help and extensive knowledge to help us prepare for the coming war. Are you willing to assist us in training once you are fully healed?" Again, Ulquiorra nodded, but warned, "I will not assist Soul Reapers in training. While we may fight together, they are still my enemies and I will treat them as such."
Ichigo made to rise, hand on sword hilt, but Orihime stepped in quickly and asked, "Does that mean you're going to fight them?" "No, not unless I am attacked first." Ulquiorra replied, not looking at her, but looking off over her shoulder as if in a slight daze. "He'd better not or he'll have my sword to answer to!" Ichigo exclaimed, glaring at the arrancar, who continued to watch the wall, unfazed.
"Alright, alright, Kurosaki-san! Please stop threatening my guest. Right, then, Inoue-san and Kurosaki-san, if you two would leave, I'd like a private word with Ulquiorra-san," Urahara said. Waiting until the humans left, the ex-shinigami turned to Ulquiorra, his expression vaguely reminding Ulquiorra of Grimmjow's crazed battle-grin. "I am a businessman, Ulquiorra-san, so I'm afraid I can't let you stay here for free. We need to discuss your room and board." Ulquiorra stared at the crazy storekeeper, confounded. "Wh-…I have no money, Urahara-san. I will be unable to pay you…" "Oh, I think we can solve that problem," said Urahara, his cheerful smile scaring Ulquiorra more than the twenty arrancars had.
A/N: Please don't kill me for not updating, I'm trying my hardest (nose growing longer) but I don't have time for all the things I'm trying to do in life. I'll try to get the next update out within the next two months, but no promises.