Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to Kubo. I own a little Ichigo figurine.
Chapter Seven:
"Gin-chan!" Himeko called out as she stomped up the stairs with a displeased frown on her face, Uriya silently following behind. Her brother had skipped school again. She had been unable to find him during lunch and eventually found out from Hiroyuki that he had simply gotten up and walked out in the middle of morning classes. He was supposed to have a history exam today! If he skipped just to avoid it, she was prepared to be really mad.
Turning the door knob, the orange-haired girl entered her brother's room and…her built up steam suddenly dissipated. Ginjo was sitting in a chair beside the bed while an unconscious Nel was lying on said bed. "Is Nel-chan all right?" she asked, suddenly concerned.
"Yeah," he said with a bored sigh.
"What happened?"
"I punched her lights out," he replied flatly.
"EH?!!"
"It's fine," he assured with slight irritation. "Don't worry about it."
"What do you mean it's fine?!" she asked, completely baffled. "You can't do that to a girl!" Especially if you want to make a good impression!!
Ginjo grumbled. "She was about to do something stupid. What was I supposed to do?"
Himeko placed a hand on her forehead and heaved an exasperated breath. "I can't believe you!"
The blue-haired teen ignored her while Uriya simply observed, tactfully staying out of it.
"She remembers who she is now, by the way," Ginjo mentioned offhandedly.
That caught Uriya's attention, and he began to listen with more interest.
Himeko perked up. "Really?! That's great!"
At this point, Nel began to stir, blinking her eyes open.
Ginjo returned his attention to the green-haired arrancar. "Hey," he began, his tone dull. "How ya feeling?"
She placed a hand to her forehead, still feeling disoriented as she tried to remember what happened. Then it all came back to her when she felt the ache in her abdomen.
"Gin-chan!" Himeko said to her brother in a strained whisper. "Apologize!"
Ginjo rolled his eyes at his sister then turned back to Nel. "Are ya done being stupid, yet?"
Himeko smacked her palm to her forehead and kicked him. When he turned to scowl at her, she returned with a small disapproving frown. He was definitely in need of learning a thing or two about how to treat girls. She flashed Nel a smile. "Why don't you rest a bit more, Nel-chan? We'll get out." Then she grabbed onto Ginjo's arm and began tugging him out of the chair.
"Hey! This is my room, princess!" he protested.
"Just come!" she insisted, pulling harder.
As the three were about to leave, Nel spoke up. "Ulquiorra…"
The trio paused.
"May I speak with you for a moment?" Though the word 'alone' was left unsaid, the implication was obvious.
Ginjo and Uriya exchanged a glance, both wearing equally unreadable expressions. Ginjo took another look at Nel, then he let Himeko drag him out as Uriya closed the door.
The raven-haired youth sat at the edge of the bed, his eyes on the floor. "It was Nnoitora, wasn't it?" he inquired impassively. "The reason you disappeared from Las Noches all those years ago."
"Mm," she voiced with a slight nod, confirming his suspicions.
He turned his head to face her. "What happened?"
"It was a surprise attack, and Nnoitora cast us out of Las Noches afterwards," she explained. "I suffered a severe head injury that somehow reverted me into a child and made me forget my identity. Pesche and Dondochakka took it upon themselves to take care of me ever since."
Uriya closed his eyes with a quiet sigh. "I warned you about him, didn't I?"
(Thirty plus years ago in Hueco Mundo, just outside Las Noches)
It was the end of yet another duel, and Nnoitora found himself lying with his face in the sand once again. He propped himself up on his elbows, his fingers clawing into the sand with frustration as he watched Nel sheathe her blade wordlessly and walk away from him. "I said finish the job, damn it!" he hollered.
She stopped. "How many times do I have to tell you?" she asked calmly, her back still to him. "I won't do it."
"Stop pissing me off!!" he exclaimed, his voice filled with rage and wounded pride. "Are you looking down on me?!"
She simply could not understand him. "Nnoitora…I may wield a zanpakutou and possess powers of a shinigami. However, I am not a shinigami. If I strike you down with my blade, your soul will not be purified. If you die by my hands, you will not be reincarnated. Your cycle will end here for good."
Nnoitora stared at her, unaffected by her words. "Yeah. Your point?"
Nel looked over her shoulder at him with disbelief. "Do you value your existence so little?"
He snorted. "I just don't see the point in coming back and doing this crap over and over again. The living world's a shit hole, boring as hell. And here…this is hell. Didn't I say this already? There ain't no salvation for us…with or without Aizen."
She didn't respond, electing to keep walking instead.
He glowered with infuriation. "I'll keep coming at ya!"
She halted once more. "Do as you like. The outcome will not change."
As Nel got closer to Las Noches, she realized that there had in fact been a single spectator.
Ulquiorra stood watching her silently with steady but dispassionate eyes.
When she walked past him, she came to a stop, her eyes trained on the sand. "Do you disapprove?"
"What you choose to do or not do is none of my concern," he stated, matter of fact. "I merely can not understand your reasons. If I were in your place, I would have cut him down a long time ago."
"And yet…Grimmjow is still very much alive," she retorted. Ulquiorra's relationship with Grimmjow was a lot like Nel's relationship with Nnoitora. They both knew that.
Ulquiorra placed his hands in his pockets. "It is not the same. I have yet to comply with Grimmjow's demands for a fight. You, however, have indulged your challenger by fighting with him time after time. Yet, you always stop short of delivering the finishing blow. In so doing, are you not simply wasting your time?"
There was a pregnant pause before she gave her reply. "Nnoitora may be a beast, but…he can still evolve."
He raised a slight questioning brow. "Evolve?"
"Even if not in this lifetime, then for sure in the next," she continued. "Our souls evolve as we go through the cycle. We experience different things in every life that we live, and we take that knowledge with us when we are reborn. Even if we may not consciously know it, our bodies remember. We learn from it, grow from it. In that way, we improve upon ourselves." She turned to look at him. "That is what I believe. If I kill him, his evolution will stop."
Ulquiorra closed his eyes. "Neliel…you are idealistic and naïve. Fools like that do not change. Not Nnoitora…not Grimmjow."
Nel didn't want to believe that. If they did not change and evolve in the process, then the cycle of birth and rebirth would lose its meaning. There would be no purpose to it, and they would be merely going around in circles, just as Nnoitora said.
"As you say, Nnoitora is a beast," Ulquiorra added. "Beasts can be unpredictable when they are enraged. You should beware."
The young Quincy recalled the time when Nel was still a member of the Espada. She had a kind and gentle nature that made her easy to manipulate. Aizen would always speak eloquently in front of her, making his plans for domination sound like an ambitious yet selfless struggle for unity, ultimately making it possible to establish a sense of order and peace even in a savage wasteland such as Hueco Mundo. That was the future Aizen had dangled in front of her to easily maintain her loyalty by appealing to her sense of righteousness.
Uriya had always thought her to be naïve. Nonetheless, she was also strong, levelheaded, intelligent, and she followed orders. She was probably the only one he had been able to hold an actual conversation with, even though she would usually be the one to initiate it. Basically, they got along, despite a certain…personality quirk of hers. He didn't mind her, which he supposed…by the standards of his former self…would pretty much equate to 'he liked her'. "I should have realized sooner that the child arrancar was you," he finally stated.
Still lying in bed, Nel blinked with surprise. That was basically an apology, however vague and roundabout. There really wasn't a need for him to apologize. It was illogical after all for her to show up before him so many years later in a form so much younger than when he had known her. And she definitely did not expect an apology from him. The Ulquiorra she knew never apologized for anything. She studied him with a pensive expression. "Ulquiorra, what happened to you and Grimmjow? You're…different, yet…so much the same."
"You mean why do we remember our past lives even though we have been reborn," he said, rephrasing her question. "I suppose we have been given a second chance of sorts," he replied, his eyes briefly glazing over with thought. "However, that is of no importance at this moment," he said, turning the conversation back to her. "When Ginjo found you, you were injured and even more of your memories had been lost. Was it also Nnoitora's doing this time?"
She gave a solemn nod. "I don't understand why he left me here in the living world," she said with slight confusion in her voice. "But…he's waiting for me. He's holding Pesche and Dondochakka hostage." She watched as Uriya tried to digest the information she had just divulged. "Ulquiorra, have you told Grimmjow anything about my past with Nnoitora?"
"I have said nothing."
"Then can I ask you just one favor?" When he raised his brows expectantly, she continued. "Please don't tell him anything about what's going on."
"You do not want him to get involved." It was a statement, not a question.
"I need to do things my own way." Nel pretty much knew Uriya would figure out Nnoitora was behind all this. But since Ginjo didn't know much, if anything, about her relationship with Nnoitora, he shouldn't be able to piece it together. In order for her to keep her personal promise to Ichigo about keeping Ginjo out of it, he absolutely can not know the truth.
Uriya gave a small smirk as he resisted the urge to shake his head. "Neliel…you are naïve as always. By asking to speak with me alone, do you not think that it has already raised suspicions?"
She opened her mouth to retort, but the words wouldn't come. She had been so worried about making sure that Uriya would keep her secret that she hadn't even thought about what Ginjo might think.
"Ginjo may seem dimwitted because he is brash and reckless," he said, "but, surprisingly…he is not."
Nel gave a slight frown, averting her eyes with embarrassment about her oversight. "Just don't say anything," she muttered.
He was rather amused. "Very well. I will do as you have asked. But he will figure it out soon enough." …if he hasn't already.
In response, Nel jumped up and threw her arms around his neck from behind, gratefully relieved. "Thank you, Ulqui! You're a sweetheart!"
The boy did not react outwardly, but he heaved an inward sigh. Ah, yes…it was this personality quirk… The former third Espada had a tendency to throw herself on people when she got emotional, though this was the first time he had actually fallen victim to the act. Her fraccions were the only ones he'd ever seen her 'attack'. "It would seem the time you've spent as a child has lowered your guard."
"Hmm? You think so?" Sure, playing Eternal Tag for decades nonstop probably had some effect on her. However… "But you know, Ulquiorra," she said with a childlike grin. "I've always wanted to do this back when we were in Las Noches. You just looked so gloomy all the time." In the back of her mind, she had always thought of him as Las Noches's little walking raincloud.
"I see," he noted apathetically. "What stopped you?"
"The horn on your mask looked like it might poke my eye out," she answered honestly.
"Ah," he replied, his tone still conveying indifference. "So, that had been my source of protection."
She laughed lightly in response as she finally released him from her hold. At least it seemed he had managed to cultivate something like a sense of humor this life.
Uriya got to his feet and took his leave. As he stepped out of the room, he found Ginjo sitting in the hallway, waiting. They eyed each other wordlessly for a while until, eventually, Ginjo gave in.
"So? What did she say?" the vizard asked with a bit of impatience.
"Are you that interested?" Uriya inquired.
"Heck, no," Ginjo replied reflexively.
Uriya smirked at Ginjo's predictability. "Then don't ask." That said, he walked away with his hands in his pockets.
Ginjo grumbled, taking a moment to glare at Uriya's back before getting up and entering his room so he could glare at Nel instead.
Still sitting in bed, Nel smiled uncomfortably at him.
"You still owe me an explanation," he said without preamble. "So? What was this important thing you had to rush back to Hueco Mundo for?"
She looked away with uncertainty. "I…"
"You were going to look for Nnoitora, right?" he asked, sounding too sure for it to really be a question.
Her eyes widened with surprise. Sure, Uriya said he'd figure it out 'soon enough', but this was way too soon! "How did you…?"
"You talk in your sleep," he supplied dryly. Although, last night was the only time she had actually mentioned Nnoitora's name.
Nel gave herself a mental slap. Why does Ulquiorra always have to be right? She heaved a sigh of resignation. "I have to go to him in order to retrieve the two people most important to me."
Ginjo snorted mockingly as he plopped himself onto the bed, facing her. "And? What were you thinking of doing when you get there, squirt? When you fought me, you weren't even able to break this thing," he said as he placed a hand against the side of her neck, fingering the crystal she wore with his thumb. "You know what that means? It means you suck."
Her hand flew up to touch the red strap around her neck. She was so distracted by everything else that she had completely forgotten about Soul Society's monitor. Nevertheless, she felt somewhat indignant about being told that she 'sucked' so directly, so she tried to argue. "You knocked me out before I had the chance to really use my powers."
He raised a brow. "Riiiight. Doesn't that also means you suck?"
Nel opened her mouth to retort but, once again, was able to come up with nothing. She definitely was not on a winning streak today. Huffing a breath, she looked away.
If she really thought about it, she had been out of action for decades. She probably needed to build up her strength in order to get back to where she was before. And that alone wouldn't be enough, because Nnoitora must have grown stronger during this period of time. Even Halibel had told her so.
After mulling it over, she came to a decision. "Grimmjow…will you train me?"
He cocked a questioning brow. "What? You want me to teach you how to roll over and shit like that?"
She punched his arm with a small frown. "I'm serious."
Ginjo smirked to himself. It seemed like he was finally getting somewhere. Truth was, deep down an excitement had been brewing ever since he found out she was Neliel. He wanted to fight her. Not as she was now, but since she was the former third Espada, he knew she had potential. Once she got back up to speed, she could give him a really good fight. However, before that, there was one other thing he needed to take care of first.
He leaned in closer. "Listen, squirt. I don't like doing favors. If I help ya train, there's gotta be something in it for me."
She held his gaze calmly without backing away. "What do you want?"
A grin spread across his features. "I want in on the action. When you're ready, I'm going to Hueco Mundo with you."
She faltered, feeling conflicted.
"Do we have a deal?" he prompted.
She took a deep breath. "Fine," she said at last with a determined look. "It's a deal."
His grin widened, satisfied. Then he remembered something else. "Oh, and…make more of this stuff." He reached over to the nightstand where there was a rather huge plate with just one muffin on it, picking up the muffin. He had been surprised and amused when he came home to find that Nel had actually made muffins before she tried to quietly disappear. "But seriously…she didn't teach you how to make this, did she?" he asked, referring to Rukia. …cuz it tastes way better than usual.
Nel didn't respond but looked to the now empty plate with a gasp. "You ate all of it?!"
He shrugged as he took a bite out of the muffin. "I ain't got anything better to do while you were passed out."
She was in shock, not only because he was able to consume that mountain of muffins all on his own, but also because no one else, including herself, had had one yet. Dissatisfied, she grabbed his wrist and took a bite out of the muffin herself…a tactic she learned from him during their omelet struggle that morning.
With a roll of his eyes, Ginjo relinquished the muffin without a fight this time. He did eat about two dozen already out of sheer boredom after all. "In any case," he said, getting back to business. "Before we do anything else…we gotta do something about this leash." He looked down to her neck, his hand reaching up to touch the red strap once again.
A/N: Here's something else I haven't quite figured out. How long ago was it when Nel was cast out of Las Noches? Just from the way the story's told, it seems to suggest a good while ago…like, years. But didn't Aizen only relatively recently acquired the hougyoku and the ability to create these fully developed arrancars in perfect human form? I can't seem to get the "history of Las Noches" and the "recently acquired hougyoku" to align in my brain. Heh.
As it is uncertain whether Ulqui and Grimm were even there when Nel was, I'm not going to give them a ranking/position. But Ulqui ranks higher than Grimm, of course. That's a given. Haha. Ah, Ulquiorra in his original form and with his original attitude. It was only a brief scene, but his appearance made me happy. LOL!
Thanks for reading! Reviews appreciated!
