A/N: As I begin to type this… I don't know what I want to write a chapter for yet. Actually… How about some PtS? Okay! I've got most of this chapter written out, anyways! *ties a Hachimaki on her head* Let's do this!
On another note, no Moira and Mags in this chappy, but there is lots of Szayel. Speaking of Szayel, while writing this, I had my adorable little Szayel Shimeji-ee crawling around the screen. He's so adorable yet so disturbing.
Also, please remember that Cordelia is relatively promiscuous (at least compared to everyone else in Seireitei) and has promiscuous thoughts. In certain situations, her logic is reduced to a pile of primordial goop.
Disclaimer: And kiddies, don't try to make thermite at home unless you know what you're doing and have sufficient adult supervision. Thermite burns at 2000 degrees Celsius and can melt through concrete, and it makes a very bright light. I don't want anyone burning down his or her house or going blind, okay?
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PreludeToSadness: Aozora's Story
Chapter Nine: Clash
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-Cordelia Tucker-
"So…" I began, "Any reason why you ordered Moira to make me so many outfits?" I asked, handling a beaker of hydrochloric acid. I didn't know the molarity of it so I handled it with caution. If I spilled any of it on me, the outcome could range anywhere from a strange tingling sensation to me not having any skin.
Szayel gave me a sidelong glance as dumped a somewhat large container of iron oxide into the bucket of shredded aluminum. "Why not?" he shrugged.
I would pursue the topic further, but another issue was a bit more pressing. "Szayel, one, why the hell are you making thermite, and, two, you do realize I could do that? You just need some rust, aluminum foil, a blender, and a sparkler for a good home-made reaction."
"Security purposes, Cordelia," he snipped, "Please put the hydrochloric acid into this bucket," he ordered emotionlessly.
"What? No! Are you trying to kill me?" I exclaimed, "What's the molarity of this crap, anyways?"
He sighed. "Six molar. They don't react with each other. Nothing will happen. Besides, termite is a stable explosive."
I looked between the beaker, the bucket, and Szayel, trying to decide if I wanted to risk my life on his stupid thermite. Finally, I swallowed my heart and walked up to the bucket, bracing myself as I poured the HCl over the contents. I let out a sigh of relief when it didn't explode in my face.
My bravery was rewarded with a pat on the back. "Good job," he said sarcastically, "While you're not the best lab assistant I've ever had, you're at least competent."
I raised an eyebrow at this. "Who is better, Verona or Lumina?" I asked with a chuckle.
He suddenly got very quiet, and the warning flags in my mind shot up. I tried to think back on what I'd known about Szayel from the series. For the life of me, I could not remember Szayel having any other fracciones than his genetically engineered, edible ones. His silence was tense, the panic of it heightening as he mixed the termite. My eyes widened in a vague form of apprehension. "Szayel, what is the thermite for?" I asked firmly.
The door slammed open. "GRANZ!" roared the intruder
Szayel's eyes widened in panic. "Shit!" he grabbed for the container, frantically trying to prepare the mixture before he abandoned it completely, bracing himself against the counter and going for his Zanpakuto. I stepped to the side only to be lifted up by the collar of my shirt and thrown harshly aside, my back whamming into the metal shelves of glass flasks and beakers. A handful of them fell from the shelf and shattered around me, surrounding me with shards of broken glass. My vision blurred and darkened from the rough handling, but through my stupor I could easily make out the voices.
I heard Szayel let out a grunt of protest. "Unhand me…!" he strained, still keeping up his proud façade.
As my head lolled to the side, I cracked open my eyelids, just making out a tall figure with a large bulbous hood. "You goddamned liar!" Nnoitra raged. The sounds of Nnoitra's abuse of the scientist filled the room. Glass shattered, shelves tumbled. "You piece of shit!" Nnoitra threw him, his limp body slamming into the wall.
"I had no choice!" Szayel managed to yell, "It was me or her!"
Nnoitra's Zanpakuto smashed against the wall, the twin edges on either side of Szayel's head.
Motivated by the urge to save Szayel's ass, I pushed my bruised, aching back away from the shelf, shards of glass becoming embedded in the palms of my hands. I staggered towards the bucket of termite on the counter, my bloodied hands grasping the table to hold myself up. I grabbed what looked like some sort of over-sized trowel and scooped a hefty amount of thermite and flinging it in Nnoitra's general direction. He looked back at me for a moment before completely disregarding both me and the seemingly harmless substance at his feet.
He turned back to Szayel and began yelling again, "You had no fucking right to do that, you bastard!"
Szayel shouted in return, "I had no choice, Quinta!"
I went for an incantation bypass, extending my arms out in front of me. "Hado number thirty-one, Shakkahou!"
Just as I was calling out the spell, Nnoitra screamed something at Szayel that made me regret my interference. "SHE WAS MY MATE!"
Unfortunately for Nnoitra, the thermite at his feet ignited.
If I recalled correctly, thermite burned at over two-thousand degrees Celsius.
There was a flash of light, similar to those in fireworks, followed by a slew of curses. It only burned for a few seconds, but thankfully, I looked like Nnoitra's Heirro had saved him from any permanent damage. The air was filled with the smell of burning rubber, though, as the Espada's boots had been completely melted off his feet. The three of us would likely reek of it after this.
"You-" Nnoitra – now on his knees, examining his damaged feet – managed to snarl at me before Szayel came up behind him and knocked him out with the pommel of Fornicaras.
Szayel looked down at me, our eyes briefly looked as his golden eyes filled with guilt. I wondered to myself whether I'd done the right thing. Sure, Nnoitra was going to beat the scientist to a bloody pulp, but would he have deserved it? Had Szayel done something unforgivable?
He seemed to hear my unspoken queries and sighed. "Go take a shower and wash out your injuries. You seem to have a few chemical burns. I'll help you get the glass out of your hands."
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Arturo Plateado
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It had been a long time since such instinctual emotions had coursed through me, back when I had been a fresh hollow had been the only other time. The urge to protect that which was mine gnawed at the back of my mind. It wasn't too unfamiliar a feeling, but it had been so long, and never had it been towards another sentient being. I had never had the opportunity for a companion before, thus there had been object for such territorial emotions.
I knocked on the door to Cordelia's quarters. My eyes narrowed in suspicion, as there was no response. An unfamiliar scent lingered in the air, putting me on edge. I entered the vacant room when the scent finally registered. Szayel. Aporro. Granz.
He had been in Cordelia's bedroom. How DARE he?
My vision became clouded in red. What insolence! Without a moment's hesitation, I found myself Sonido'ing to the Octavo's palace. I ignored the busted door, entering anyways. I spotted the scientist immediately, the dilute, lingering scent near confirming my suspicions.
"Plateado?" He looked up from his work and adjusted his glasses. He already looked like he'd sustained a bit of beating, but I couldn't care less. "What brings you here?"
"Where is she?" I demanded angrily, "What have you done with her?"
He quirked an eyebrow. "Cordelia-san? She's in the shower," he answered plainly.
I growled. "Why? What did you do to her?"
A smug smirk briefly reached his face, enraging me further. "Calm down, Plateado," he dead-panned, "Nnoitra went on a rampage and threw her into a shelf. She had shards of glass in her hands and a few chemical burns. She needs to wash up before I can treat her wounds."
I frowned, my anger towards Szayel fading and an annoyance towards Gilga rising. Either Cordelia had been taken by surprise or she wasn't powerful enough to defend herself.
"She also nearly burned his feet off by setting off a thermite reaction with a Kido," he added with a slight grin.
Huffing, my shoulders sagged, anger replaced with exasperation. Never mind. She was a resilient girl. She could easily hold her own in fight – when not emotionally compromised. I recalled my own fights with the Soul Reaper. The first had been brief, but it did not fail to leave an impression. Catching me off-guard with the binding spell had been impressive, but if I hadn't been able to escape in that last moment, it was quite likely I would have been injured. The second time, I only won because I hadn't been caught off-guard and she had been so infuriated that she wasn't thinking straight.
"Hey, Szayel…?" Cordelia called tentatively from further in the compound. "Where'd you put my clothes?"
He narrowed his eyes at a pile of folded clothes on the counter. "Erm," he swiped it up, "I have your clothes out here."
She gave a sound of mock disgust. "Ew… perv. I'm not going out there," she complained with the hint of a friendly tone.
I wrenched the bundle from Szayel's hands. He was shocked for a moment, if not a little indignant, but he lifted his hands in a gesture of reluctant surrender and backed-off.
Grumbling, I marched towards where I thought her voice had come from. I opened the door without announcing myself to see Cordelia wrapped only in towel, leaning over the sink while trying to untangle a brush from her lion's mane of hair. She stared at me, blue eyes wide and lips parted in surprise as a blush painted her cheeks. "Arturo… w-what…" she noticed the clothes, "Oh. Thanks. Um." She wrung her hands before placing one on the towel that covered her.
I set down the bundle on the sink, stepped behind her, and tugged at the brush stuck in her hair. She let out a sound of protest. "How'd you manage this, girl?"
She crossed her arms. "My hair is thick and I have a lot of it. I go through about three hair brushes a month because of stuff like this," she gestured to the brush. She dug into a drawer and pulled out small pair of silver-colored scissors. She placed it firmly in my hand. "Do me a favor and chop it off."
I blinked. The brush was entangled near the nape of her neck. Her hair fell about halfway down her back. I didn't know why this bothered me so much. With only the slightest hesitation, I began removing the brush. Once I got the brush out, I tried my best to even it out, leaving her hair so short that it barely covered the top of her ears. She ran a hand through her newly butchered hair as she examined it in the mirror and then she… grinned like a madwoman. Of course. "I like it!" she exclaimed.
She pumped her fists, causing her towel to fall slightly. She squealed and grabbed it before anything was revealed. "Th-thank you, Arturo," she stuttered happily.
I narrowed my eyes. "Why have you been spending so much time around Octavo?" I demanded.
She blinked and tilted her head. "To the point, aren't we?" she let out an exasperated sigh and returned to fluffing her hair. "I've been bored off my ass. Although, after today I think I'll start training again."
"I also hear you've been hanging out with the spider and her pet," I accused.
Cordelia turned and put a hand on her hip. "Excuse me, but I can chose my own friends, thank you very much," she snapped.
A growl escaped my lips. "These people are not your friends," I snapped back, "To them, you are a thing to be owned. Not even the spider has completely broken that mold, and you certainly won't either."
She narrowed her eyes at me. "Oh yeah?" she taunted, her anger rising, "If everyone is so territorial and evil, Arturo, then what am I to you, huh?"
That did it. My hands dug into the counter on either side of her. I watched her eyes widen in fear as apprehension dawned on her. We had been in each other's personal space before, but now it was beyond that. If I leaned down even the littlest bit more, I'd be practically on top of her. She seemed so small, so fragile in comparison to my tall, muscular form. She was enticing when she was terrified. However, she'd never hear that from me. I scowled. "You've forgotten your place," I snarled.
She trembled, the expression on her face shifting from fear to vague confusion. "Arturo, what-"
I leaned in closer. She was so small that if I had been standing straight, her chin would have only reached my hollow hole. I got a good look at her. Her back was still covered in scrapes and her hand were lacerated. I was nearly shaking in infuriation. "Desmarais thinks you're her little dress up doll and Granz wants to keep you as his favorite little test subject, but you're neither of those things, and you never will be," my fingers dug into the counter, the paint chipping under my hands. "Not while I'm still around," it all gushed out of me like an open wound. "Cordelia Tucker, you are mine."
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Cordelia Tucker
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The intensity of Arturo's words caused them to crawl through me and send a chill through my limbs. My mind raced, struggling to process the input but at the same time understanding it completely.
He was so close. Oh so close. It distracted me from his words until one simple phrase rang through my head, repeating like a church bell. You are mine.
I steadied my breath, trying to ignore both the pain in my back and the sting on my hands while I thought. From what I gathered, he was over-protective and perhaps a bit jealous. Arturo did seem like the kind of guy that would confuse his feelings. He just needed a little push in the right direction. Lust was a weird thing like that. If you didn't have any experience with it, you wouldn't know what to make of it.
I have him a demure smile. "Arturo," I said softly, "Then prove it." Welp. Off the cliff I go… no going back. I wondered if an Arrancar was as unstoppable as Soifon was when aroused. Huh. Kinky sex in Szayel's bathroom. Okay. I was up for it.
Arturo regarded me with an amount of confusion, as if he was trying to understand what I'd said, then it clicked. His expression turned to one of mild disdain. "No," he said firmly, "I don't need to prove anything to you," he stepped away, but I held him firmly at forearm's length.
I made a sound reminiscent of a woman scolding a pet. "Hey! Come on, I'm boooooooored!" I whined.
He wrenched his arms from my grasp. "This is the kind of thing you do to alleviate your boredom?" he asked incredulously, walking out the door.
I pouted. "Normally I go for women but I've got nothing against guys and all the women here scare me!" I exclaimed as I began to pull on my clothes. I managed to get my underarmor top and shorts on before following after him, hopping as I tried to pull on my hakama. "You're not just going to leave me here?" I cried, "After all that build up?" I nearly tripped over my pants. "You're wasting a perfectly good opportunity here!"
Arturo didn't stop. "You're very odd, Soul Reaper," he said ponderously.
"I know! It's what makes me so sexy!" I shouted as we entered the main lab.
I heard Szayel go "Oomph."
I grabbed the closest hard object and chucked it at him. His face said 'oh shit'. "NO!" I blurted. He ducked.
My attention quickly turned back to the fleeing Arrancar. "Arturo…!"
He ignored me and left silently.
The energy that had fueled me the past few moments drained from me completely. The ache of utter rejection lingered like a disease. I despised the feeling. I'd felt it several times before. The first time had been during my many early attempts to get into Gin's pants, he had resisted to the point where it became infuriating and never cracked even the littlest bit, but it had never resulted the cold, empty ache I bore now. The other time… I couldn't remember. Just trying to think about it made my head hurt. I plopped down in a random chair and decided not to think about it.
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A/N: Our first real signs of Arturo x Cordelia. Arturo is in love (or as close to love as an Arrancar can get), even if he doesn't know it, but Cordelia… is currently only motivated by her boredom. Lol NOPE.
Also, readers, this is important because I really can't work on this until I get feedback from you guys. The mate that Nnoitra was referring to… should I introduce another OC or do an ass-pull and make it some canon character? I actually have an OC all set and ready, but I feel like another OC couple might be too much to add to the plot. It already got distracted by Moira and co, and I'm not sure if I really want to introduce Yuukiu two-point-oh (If you've read my fic Yearning for Truth, you'd know the character), as I'd have to explain her existence and it would distract from the main plot so much that I wouldn't even know what to do with it. I doubt Cordelia or Arturo would even be involved in the whole ordeal beyond Cordelia making friends with Yuukiu. So… should I leave Nnoitra as he is and leave the entire subplot untouched, or should I do my best to weave it into the already existing plot? I can't stress this enough but I cannot work on the next chapter until I get your answer.
Your feedback is always appreciated. FFn made reviews easier, too. I don't care if it's just an inane comment, but feedback is ALWAYS WELCOME. ^.^
