Chapter Nine: The Art of the Espada
It had been over two months since Ulquiorra started at Yokai Academy. Class had just ended for the Espada who began putting all of his work in his bag.
"Hey Ulquiorra, so sorry to intrude but we have a newspaper to publish." Gin said to the Espada, who then simply look at him he then got up from his seat.
Gin then walk towards Moka was still reading her book. "Hello Moka! What's this? An Art Book? Becoming an artist, are you?" He asked her in a surprise tone, with a bright smile on his face.
Moka had been so distracted from reading her book, when she heard Gin's voice and saw that he was right in front of her desk caught her completely off guard. "N-No! It's just...um..." She stuttered as hide the book from her club president.
"Well looking quite beautiful today Moka. You really ought to go out with me." He said to her with a thumbs up and with a cool looking expression.
"After all...I love you!" He said to her, with a small bouquet of red roses, which surprise. While that happen Ulquiorra sweat drop as he watch as Gin kept chasing Moka around the classroom trying to give her the bouquet of red roses. Then he heard the classroom door suddenly open, he then turn and saw it was Kurumu.
"Oh, Ulquiorra! She called out in happiness. She then ran to Ulquiorra and pressed herself against him. "I'm still so glad we're in this Newspaper Club together! After all...I love you!" She said as she kept on pressing herself against him.
"Stop right there!" Shouted a voice, then suddenly a dustpan landed on Kurumu's head while a desk landed on Gin's head, this surprise both Ulquiorra and Moka they then turn and saw it was Yukari who had used her magic wand and was standing on a desk. "Anyone who harrasses or assaults Ulquiorra or Moka...Must face my magic!" She declared with a smile. "After all...I love them!"
Once the Newspaper Club was finish for today, Moka and Ulquiorra were seen walking outside of the Academy.
"See you later Ulquiorra! I'm going this way today." Moka said to Ulquiorra.
"Yes, your schoolmates! All turned into statues." The art teacher stated to Moka.
"Why the change all of a sudden Moka?" Ulquiorra asked the pink haired Vampire. "You always want me to walk you back to the dorms."
"Yeah...You see I kinda have this appointment..." She stated, as she then brought out the book she had in class. "See, the art teacher asked me to model...But only for a week or so..." She explained.
"I see." Ulquiorra simply replied.
"Don't worry, though! I'm still committed to the Newspaper!" Moka said with a bright cheerful expression.
"That's nice to hear that, Moka." He said in his usual tone. "See you later then." He said, as he began to walk away from Moka.
"Ulquiorra...Wait!" Moka quickly called out to the Espada who stop walking and turn to look at Moka. "Can I drink your blood?" She asked with a bright expression and with a small blush on her face.
This made Ulquiorra to have a slight surprise expression. "Where did that come from?" He asked the pink haired Vampire.
"Well...It's just that...whenever we say goodbye...I feel so lonely." Moka replied in a nervous tone with a shy, blush expression.
This left Ulquiorra to be slightly surprise by this. "Moka..."
Moka then got closer to Ulquiorra, she then placed her hands on Ulquiorra's chest. "Ulquiorra..." She whispered. "Oh, thank you!" She said in joy, as she then wrap her arms and hands around Ulquiorra's back, she then sunk her teeth into his neck and started to suck his blood. Moka began to blush as she drank Ulquiorra's blood.
Unknowing to them, a mysterious person was watching them from a far distance.
The Next day in the Newspaper Club Room
"Listen up guys, we have a story! Seven girls have disappeared!" Gin stated to the members, as he wrote disappearing girls on the board.
This surprises the other club members, mainly the girls. "Wait, from our school?" Kurumu asked in a surprise tone.
"Yes. In just this month alone, seven of our female classmates...have vanished." Gin replied still with a serious expression. "And every one one of them was last seen on school grounds!"
"Your assignment is to gather information about the missing students." Gin told them, as he handed out posters of the seven missing girls. "We will solve this mystery!"
"I guess Gin actually takes being a journalist seriously." Ulquiorra thought to himself.
Gin then walked to the Club room's window. "As you can see from the photos, all the seven missing girls are good looking. Someone might be abducting them. If so, I have to save them." He said to himself, as he looked out at the window. "Then Moka's bound to fall for me!" He said with a grin, as he tighten his left hand confidently.
"So that's what this is about?" Ulquiorra thought with a slight annoyed expression.
During his lunch break. Ulquiorra was walking outside for a bit and had reach to a slight hill . "Thanks for waiting sensei!" said a female voice, which made Ulquiorra stop walking as he knew that voice was Moka. He then turn and saw Moka talking to someone at the bottom of the hill.
"No problem. Glad you could make it Moka." Said the person who was talking Moka, it was in fact a women who was either in her early 30's or late 20's with a hourglass figure, she had braided hair. She was wearing a tube top, slim jeans, pumps, a golden necklace and a long trench coat which had paint stains on it.
It was in fact Hitomi Ishigami, the art teacher. "You're so pretty. Just looking at you makes me want to create art." She told Moka, with a smile. "But nothing I create will ever compare to your beauty."
"I'm really looking forward to modeling this week!" Moka said, as she bow to the art teacher.
"I'm so glad to hear that." Ishigami said with a smile.
"So she was telling the truth about modeling." Ulquiorra thought to himself, as he started to head back to the Academy.
The next lesson was in the art room with Hitomi Ishigami. In the art room she wrote What's matters most, on the board. "Now then let's get started. Were going to be continuing our theme from last week. I want you to draw "What matters most to you." She told her students in a proud tone. "Whatever is important to you lives in your heart. If you draw that it will be art!"
"What matters to me." He thought to himself, he then looked at Moka who was concentrated on painting something in her sketch book. For a second he thought that he should draw Moka, but he then decided not to as he didn't want to boather her and started to think of something else to draw.
He then saw a group of girls hanging around Hitomi Ishigami telling her how cool and beautiful she is. Suddenly he heard a girl's voice at the window.
"Hey Ms Ishigami. I skipped gym to hang out in the art room!" The girl, at the window said to Hitomi Ishigami in a happy tone.
"That's nice of you." Ms Ishigami reply in a happy tone. She then walk to the window to talk to the girl more.
After a moment had pasted Ulquiorra had decided what he wanted to paint, he then grab two paint colours which were white and gray.
Hitomi Ishigami started to look at her students work and telling that she was please how well they were doing on their drawings. She then walked over to Ulquiorra and was slightly surprise to see what the Espada was drawing. Which turn out to be a massive fortress which consists of a main building with a domed center surrounded by several large towers and smaller buildings, Atop the dome are five smaller towers which the whole thing was coloured in white. The massive fortress was surrounded by grey desert, with a multitude of dunes, littered with boulders and with a moon on the opposite lunar phase in the grey sky. Ulquiorra was in fact drawing the fortress of Las Noches from Hueco Mundo.
"Ah, that's really good and very creative, I can definitely see inspiration here." Ms Ishigami said in a prasing tone with a smile. "Once again Ulquiorra you're drawings are very well done." To which Ulquiorra reply with a nod as he continune on colouring his drawing. Ulquiorra had to admit, when he was outside of Las Noches he thought the fortress did look amazing.
"Um Sensei, would you help me...?" Moka called out to the art teacher. To which Hitomi Ishigami started to walk to Moka to help her with problem.
"Oh, This is..." Ms Ishigami explained to Moka, who listen with a serious expression.
Once the lesson was over Ulquiorra ask Moka if she would like to walk with him, to which the pink haired Vampire agreed. However when they turn around the corner someone bump into Ulquiorra, which turn out to be Kurumu who now landed on the floor.
"Oh! Ulquiorra!" Kurumu exclaimed in surprise and with a blush as she quickly place her hands over her skirt to avoid Ulquiorra seeing her panties.
"Kurumu?" Ulquiorra said in a slight surprise tone.
Kurumu then quickly got back up, "Looks like destiny has thrown us together again!" She exclaimed happily, as she then embraces the Espada and pressed her breasts in Ulquiorra's face, "It must be fate!" This caused Moka to be irritated by this.
"Sorry, Ulquiorra. I'm in a hurry." Moka said in an annoyed tone with also an annoyed expression and started to walk away from the Espada and Succubus.
Ulquiorra was about to call out to Moka but she was already go. Several days had past and Ulquiorra and Moka still hadn't hang out and even when they did it was interrupted by Kurumu, Yukari and even Gin.
Ulquiorra decided to go to the art room to visit Moka. Once he reach there he open the door and saw there was nobody in. "I'll just wait until Moka shows up." He thought to himself. Then suddenly his Pesquisa began to deact a presence in the room, he turn and saw it was coming from the locker behind, he also started to hear crys of sorrow in the locker.
Ulquiorra then open the locker's door, and what he saw in the looker was quite surprising as it was a statue of a girl. "A statue?" Ulquiorra thought to himself, but then what he saw next really surprise him as the girl statue started to shed tears.
"A statue that cries, how strange." He thought to himself, he then saw something about the girl statue that caught his attention. "That statue's hair semes familiar..." He thoughts were interupted as his Pesquisa began to deact a presence heading to the art room, he then quickly shut the locker's door just in time.
"What...are you doing in my art room?" Said a sinister voice behind the Espada. Ulquiorra then turn and saw it was Hitomi Ishigami who had a sinister expression, but then turn to a more happy one. "Oh yes! Ulquiorra, right?" She said with a smile.
To which the Espada only replied with a nod. "She looked so different for a moment." He thought, as Ishigami walked near the locker.
"You must've come to walk Moka back to the dorm." Ishigami said still stood by the locker, "I guess it's your only hope of talking to her since she started modeling."
"How do you know that, Ms Ishigami?" Ulquiorra ask the art teacher.
Hitomi Ishigami was about to answer him, when someone else entered the art room.
"Ulquiorra?!" Exclaimed a voice which caught Ulquiorra and Ishigami attention, as it turn out to be Moka.
"What...are you doing here?" The pink haired vampire asked the Espada.
"Moka, well..." Ulquiorra began explaining to Moka, which made Ishigami to have a slight serious expression, and Moka to have a nervious and blushful expression. "You see I only came to se—"
"Get out." Moka exclaimed, interrupting the Espada, she then quickly to Ulquiorra's back. "I can't let you see! Go away!" She said, as she started to shove Ulquiorra who had a slight confuse expression, out of the art room.
"Moka, just listen I need to tell you something about the art room." Ulquiorra said to the Vampire.
"I don't have time Ulquiorra, what I do there is none of your business! Just go!" Moka shouted, which surprised Ulquiorra.
"Is that so Moka?" Ulquiorra said in a calm tone, which confuse Moka. "If that's how you feel about me, then I'll go."
"Ulquiorra?!" Moka exclaimed in surprise, as the Espada began to walk away. "Ulquiorra wait..." She then tried to catch up to the Espada, when suddenly someone grabbed her by the arm.
"M...Ms Ishigami...? Moka slightly stuttered as she saw it was the art teacher that had grab her arm.
"I'm sorry. I can't let you go." Ms Ishigami said with a slight sinister smile.
Back at the Newspaper Club room, Yukari was looking at her crystal ball on the table.
"Most peculiar. A dread energy clings to Moka and Ulquiorra." She said to herself, as she still look at her crystal ball.
"Whatcha doin', Yukari?" Kurumu asked the little Witch.
" Looking at my crystal ball." Yukari answer. "I forsee a great danger closing in on the both of them." She stated as her crystal ball started to show a large shadow of snakes. "And my predictions are usually correct. If I only knew where they..."
She then stop as she heard the club room door open, to which the other club members saw it was Ulquiorra.
"Ulquiorra!" Kurumu exclaimed happily "I was getting so worried about you."
"Hmph. You're late Ulquiorra." Gin said in a board tone and with a board expression. "While you were wasting time, another student disappeared. That makes eight!" Gin stated, holding a poster of the next student gone missing.
Ulquiorra then look at the poster of the missing student, he then quickly grab it out of Gin's hands which surprise him. Ulquiorra then looked at the poster and saw it was a girl with long brown hair with a braids in it.
"What's with you?" Gin asked with an annoyed expression.
"Those braids are just like the ones the crying statue." The Espada thought. "Those were on the girl who skipped gym to hang out with Ms Ishigami. She's the one who disappeared?" He then remembered how Ms Ishigami look when he was in her art room. "Then this must mean Moka is next!" He then quickly headed out of the club room.
"Ulquiorra?!" Kurumu called out to the Espada but didn't reply back.
Back at the art room, Moka let out a terrified scream and leaned against a door.
"Sensei...Wh-What's happening to you?!" Moka asked the art teacher, slightly stuttering in fear. "Your hair is moving like...snakes..."
As Ms Ishigami kept heading to Moka slowly, and Moka was right as Ishigami's hair started to move like snakes.
"Sadley Ulquiorra saw something that he shouldn't have." Ms Ishigami said with a calm smile. "So now our time together must come to an end." She said, now with a more cold sinister smile.
"So sorry." She said, as one of her snake hairs charge at Moka, which then bite Moka's hand and sending her into a unknown room.
After that Moka was free from Ms Ishigami's snake hair, but was surrounded by smoke.
"NH...Where am I...?" Moka wondered, as she started to slightly cough from the smoke. She then heard crys of sorrow in front of her, once the smoke was gone what Moka saw left her completely shock as she saw several more girls in a statue state and even a couple of cats. The statues still kept on sobbing.
"WH-WHAT...? WHAT ARE THESE THINGS?!" Moka shouted in disbelief. Suddenly she felt her hand starting to hurt, she then look at her hand which was now in a stone silver colour and had some small cracks.
"My...My hand is turning to...stone...?" She said in shock, still looking at her hand.
"Such is Medusa. Any living thing bitten by my hair of snakes...Turns to stone, just like these girls." Ms Ishigami stated in a cold tone.
This shock Moka after hearing that, "Then...you mean...These statues are actually—"
"Yes, your schoolmates! All turned into statues." the art teacher stated to Moka. "Into works of art. Now the most beautiful girl of all...will join my collection." She said with a more sinister smile, and now had mottled lines under her eyes which were now much more colder.
Then several of her snakes hair charge at Moka, each one of them wrapped around her body from her arms, legs and her body. This caused Moka to be terrified by this.
"You should consider yourself lucky Moka. I'm preserving your beauty or the ages." Ms Ishigami told her.
"Sensei...How could you do this to these girls?" Moka asked the art teacher in a worried tone and with a terrified expression.
Hearing that cause Ms Ishigami to slightly laugh at this. She then headed to one of the crying statue's and place her hands on the statue's head. "Look at them. Turned to stone...but still alive." She said in delight, "Nothing left to them. But sorrow and despair. They can't move. They can't die, they can only weep."
She then let out a small sign. "How beautiful they are! This...is art." She said, as she look at the crying statue with a sinister expression.
This caused Moka to be in complete fear after hearing that.
"Now...let's finish you off." Ms Ishigami said, as her snake hair started to look at Moka sinisterly, it then began to charge at her.
"NOOO!" Moka screamed in fear.
However something block Ms Ishigami snake hair. Then Moka felt someone behind her trying to take the snake hair off her body. She then turn to see who it was and was surprise. "ULQUIORRA?!"
"You're really insane, Ishigami. You're not going to turn Moka to stone." Ulquiorra said in a cold but serious tone.
"Heh...Get out of my way." Ms Ishigami said angrily at the Espada.
"No, Ulquiorra! You have to run!" Moka shouted out worridly. "Or you'll..." She was then interrupted when two of Ms Ishigami snake hair started to bite at her left leg which made Moka to scream in agony, it also cause her left leg to started to slowly turn to stone.
To which then Ulquiorra took off the ring on his index finger, which then cause black smoke and violet sparks started to surround Ulquiorra's hand.
After the smoke finally died down Ms Ishigami was surprise to see Ulquiorra was holding his Zanpakutō. He then swing his Zanpakutō at the two snake hair by Moka's left leg freeing her from the pain.
This cause Ms Ishigami to be in a small amount of pain after her two snake hair were cut. "Damn it." Ms Ishigami muttered in angry.
"Please, Ulquiorra you gotta get out of here!" Moka shouted desperately to the Espada.
"No, I won't do that Moka." Ulquiorra said, as he began trying to pull the snake hair around Moka. "Even if you don't want me involved in your business. I'm not going to lose you Moka." He said, as he slash several more of Ms Ishigami snake hair.
"You're really starting to annoy me!" Ms Ishigami said in a irritated tone, she made several more of her snake hair at the Espada. He was able to cut some of them but then one of the bite his left arm.
"Impossible! Her snakes are able to pierce through my hierro!" Ulquiorra thought in disbelief. More of Ms Ishigami snake hair charge at him, he tried to fight them off but some were able to bite his legs, his other arm, his neck and even his face which surprise the Espada.
"ULQUIORRA!" Moka exclaimed worridly with tears in her eyes.
"HAHAHAHA!" Ms Ishigami began to laugh as Ulquiorra to slowly fall down. "It's a shame Ulquiorra, I always enjoyed looking at your art!" She said with a smile. "However you'll become stone! Suffering, Immobile, for eternity! AHA HA HA HA!"
Then suddenly a large bright light emitted from Moka which surprise Ms Ishigami. "Wha...What?! What's happening?!" She exclaimed as she covered her eyes from the bright light.
"Moka's power is unleashed when the Rosario is removed from around her neck." Ulquiorra stated as his body started to turn into stone, he then open out his right hand revealing that he had taken off Moka's Rosario.
Ms Ishigami look back and saw Inner Moka and looked on in shock. "I've never experienced such power...My hair...can't take it!" She exclaimed worridly as she saw the snake hair around Inner Moka started to slowly tear apart. "EEYAAA! THIS TEARING PAIN!" She exclaimed in agony, as her hair began to completely tear apart and spewed out blood.
Once Inner Moka broke free, she then jump high in the air.
"GYAAAA! MY HAIR!" Ms Ishigami screamed in agony. "You...Little...Savage! You know nothing of art, turn to stone!" She screamed in anger, she then sent her remaining snake hair at Inner Moka, who then spuned in the air and kicked them away.
Ms Ishigami stood in shock as she saw Inner Moka heading towards her. Then Inner Moka then delivered a rotating heel drop kick onto Ishigami's head. Which caused Ms Ishigami head to slightly spew out blood and left her completely stunned
"How does it feel to be kicked with a leg of stone?!" Inner Moka asked, showing that the leg she had use was completely made of stone, she then move her foot away from Ishigami which then made her drop to the floor.
After that Inner Moka walked over to Ulquiorra who layed on the floor and his whole face was completely turn to stone.
"You were able to fight your way through that mass of snakes...to save me." Moka thought to herself, as she then rested by Ulquiorra. "Ulquiorra...What a guy!" With a small smile.
...
Ulquiorra slowly open his eyes and notices that he was laying on a bed, he slowly got up and saw that he was in a infirmary room.
"Huh? Where am I?" The Espada thought to himself. Then suddenly he felt someone around him, he look and saw it wa Moka who had her arms around him.
"Ulquiorra! You're awake!" Moka exclaimed in joy with tears in her eyes.
"Moka? What happen, I thought I got turn into stone?" He asked the pink haired Vampire.
"Well you see, when we defeated Ms Ishigami, the spell broke. Everyone turned back to normal." Moka explained with a smile. "But you didn't wake up for a whole day, I was so worried."
"A whole day?" Ulquiorra thought to himself.
"Ulquiorra...Look!" Moka said, which snap Ulquiorra out of his train of thoughts. Which made Ulquiorra turn his attention to Moka.
"TA-DA!" She said in a cheerful tone, as she then pull a sheet of a strange object which turn out to be a well done painting of the Espada.
"A picture?" Ulquiorra thought with a slight surprise expression.
"It's a present!" Moka said, which made Ulquiorra to have a slight confuse expression. "The theme was What matters most to me...So I drew you, Ulquiorra!" She said with a blush. This surprise Ulquiorra even more.
"I kept it a secret. I was getting drawing lessons from Ms Ishigami so I could draw this...In exchange for modeling." She explained.
"So that's why she was modeling for Ms Ishigami." The Espada thought to himself.
"I'm so glad that you're okay, Ulquiorra. You mean so much to me!" Moka said happily with a bright happy expression, this made Ulquiorra even more surprise by this.
"Thank you for the present Moka. You mean a lot to me too." Ulquiorra said in a calm tone to the pink haired Vampire, who then blush after hearing that.
Moka then move closer to the Espada. "I'm so happy, to hear you say that Ulquiorra." She whispered, as she move closer to the Espada's face, "Because...I lov—"
But before Moka could finish her sentence, when suddenly when the infirmary's door suddenly burst open which turn out to be Kurumu and the other club members, to which then Moka quickly move away from Ulquiorra.
"Ulquiorra! You're awake!" Kurumu exclaimed in joy.
"Moka told us you were in the infirmary. So I brought you a year's supply of my homemade cookies to make you feel better!" Kurumu said in a happy tone, while holding a large bag of cookies.
"And I brought you a voodoo doll!" Yukari said in a happy tone, while holding a small voodoo doll in her hands.
"I hope we didn't interrupt anything." Gin asked the two in a nonchalant tone. To which neither one of them replied.
"Oh! Er, n-no not at all." Moka replied with a slight stutter and with a small blush on her face. "Well anyway..."
"WERE SO GLAD YOU'LL OKAY ULQUIORRA!" The girls yelled in happiness.
A new paper was release from the Newspaper Club which read Art Teacher Abducts Students: All Restored To Life. On the left side of the poster had a picture of Ms Ishigami, and underneath it said Hitomi Ishigami Fired.
Omake:Yokai Academy encyclopedia
"Today were going to be discussing about Hitomi Ishigami." Silverking619 Stated with a smile. He then turned on the large tv screen and began showing video footage of Hitomi Ishigami. "Ms Ishigami is what know as a Gorgon. Known from the myths of ancient Greece, a being with the of living snakes and a terrifying visage." He began explaining as the video footage change to showing Ms Ishigami in her true form. "Her main abilty is her snake hair's bite which can instantly turn her victims into stone." The the video footage change to showing Ms Ishigami using her snake hair to attack Moka and Ulquiorra.
"Also some say all it takes is a glimpse of her face to be turned to stone." Silverking619 Stated.
Then suddenly Hitomi Ishigami appeared through a mysterious door, which surprise Silverking619.
"When I think about all the interesting art statues I have in my art room, I'm always bless with looking at such beautiful art!" Ms Ishigami said in a proud tone and proud expression.
"How would you like to come see it sometime?" She asked, as she turn to look at Silverking619 with a sinister smile.
"No thanks, There probably some freaky stuff!" Silverking619 replied in a unease tone, while looking away from the art teacher with a disturb expression.
