"If Heaven and Hell decide
That they both are satisfied
Illuminate the "no's" on their vacancy signs
If there's no one beside you
When your soul embarks
Then I'll follow you into the dark"
"Ichigo are you ready?" Ulquiorra's calm voice cooed over his heightened nerves.
"Yeah, let's do this." emerald eyes solemnly pressed shut upon hearing the Shinigami's shaky words.
"Listen to me. Don't lose your concentration for even one moment; underestimating anyone under this roof will end your life before you know it." his tone, generally coated in indifference became extremely severe.
"I get it! I'll be careful!" his legs uncrossed as he pushed himself off the hard, unforgiving floor. Ulquiorra inclined his head toward the now-lofty man, hovering over his body.
"Come on, we don't have all day." Ichigo extended an open palm to the seated Arrancar. The ivory skinned man sighed upon feeling the eager power pulsing from Ichigo's fingertips—he sincerely hoped the Shinigami didn't plan on getting too caught up in the moment. He waved away at the gesture as he stared into the deep brown pools, vastly full of emotion.
He turned on his heels commanding the door to rise with his fingertips gracefully grazing against chalky walls. Ulquiorra whirled his head toward Ichigo a final time; a limp wrist pointed at the tanned-skinned man. Ichigo slanted his head to the side awaiting Ulquiorra's final words before the pending battle began.
"Stay close to me." an odd shiver reverberated down the teen's spine. Perhaps he was deflating the true capabilities of the Espada. Ulquiorra would have the most accurate information regarding their powers and the repetitive warnings slipping from his thin lips only dulled his courageous, high-and-mighty spirits.
Ichigo's dark pools, riveting on the floor uplifted to meet the pale-magic of Ulquiorra's face; the corner of his lips twitched upward as he fought a frown.
"I don't need a babysitter, I'll be fine."
"We will see." Ulquiorra casually called over his shoulder as he stared down the empty hall. The crimson strobe lights seeped into the open closet bringing the dark room to life with its liveliness. Ichigo's body tensed as Ulquiorra speedily took off without warning; his tattered coat tail lightly swayed, requesting a dance with the air.
"H-Hey, wait up! I thought this was a group effort—"Ichigo's lower lip dropped momentarily then his mouth closed.
"Get off of me you bastard!" a husky voice demanded through uneven grunts. "I already told you, I don't know anything!"
Grimmjow's hand inconspicuously glided to his katana but was ceased in its tracks with an abrupt snap. Ear-piercing screams and curses spewed with malice from his pain-distorted lips; he cradled his shattered wrist with his adjacent hand and hatefully glared into the shadowy jade eyes capable of any horrid deed. Ulquiorra's free hand harshly rose to the man's gullet, quickly winding around his thick neck while the Espada's complexion turned a berry blue.
"Trash, don't play dumb, I'm certain you know something that could be of some use." his voice was deathful melody.
"I don't!" he hacked convulsively; his fingers twitched under Ulquiorra's steely hold.
"Then you will die where you stand." his eyes blared up in warning. Ichigo awkwardly gawked at the unraveling scenario. Grimmjow struggled for his last breaths; his deadening eyes momentarily flickered to the Shinigami. Ichigo stood frozen; he had already been sucked in Ulquiorra's stark orbit and could only follow along.
"Okay!" Grimmjow cried out. Ulquiorra's fingers swiftly released from his throat; the sixth Espada gauchely fell to his knees as he took in greedy gulps of air. A rejuvenated flame sputtered in his electric orbs. His gaze alternated between the two bodies and finally laid on the slender Arrancar who so easily overwhelmed him.
"I'm waiting." Ulquiorra distantly stated with his arms crossing.
Grimmjow scowled as he examined his deformed, almost flattened wrist; he grimaced as the bones splintered off and ruthlessly poked at his flesh from the inside.
"I overheard Gin and Tousen talking. They said they would leave it to Szayel to seal the swords." his words came out in choppy syllables, often interrupted by coughs or grunts.
"The lab!" Ichigo interrupted with excitement.
"No, that's impossible." Ulquiorra titled his head to the snowy ceiling as if seeking guidance from the plastered structure. "I already looked."
Ichigo sneered upon recalling when he tenderly stroked his inky hair in desperate thoughts that his ally was barely holding on to the entity of life. That was a cruel move on his part; Ulquiorra could have at least given him some sort of signal that he was okay when he visited the lab with Aizen.
"Okay, then what do you propose?" the red-haired Shinigami brought a hand to his hip and leveraged his body to the right.
"We need to keep moving." a bright crimson graced Ichigo's face realizing that they actually had no sturdy plan to enable their escape. Of course with his cursed luck nothing would go smoothly.
"W-What! And you said I was going to get us killed?" his arms crossed under his tone chest as he shook his head fervently.
"Shut up." Ichigo took a step back from the punitive words. Ulquiorra lowered to one knee and proceeded to slide Grimmjow's weapon from his pant loop. "Here, take it." the sheathed sword soared through the air; Ichigo effortlessly caught it and stared in skepticism.
"You bastard—"the blue-haired man spat clustered blood as a sharp foot planted in his stomach. A noticeable dent materialized in the pious wall as Grimmjow crashed to the ground now unsure of which wound to clutch at.
"What am I supposed to do with this?" Ichigo rested the stolen weapon his shoulder.
"It's better than nothing. Let's go." wide coffee orbs glued to the man's white back in awe. Feeling the feverish heat of his stare, Ulquiorra promptly rotated around. "What are you waiting for?"
"N-Nothing, I'm coming." Ichigo gave an almost pitiful look to the wounded man caught in the crossfire. He shook away the useless feeling (or at least he knew Ulquiorra would say that); his grasp tightened around the sword as he avidly followed after his ally's quick sonido. The only thing audible was the breathy whisper of their footsteps, madly echoing through the hallway without the slightest intention of remaining stealthy.
King, I hope you know you're walking into a death trap. You are never going to get out of this alive.
Ichigo's footsteps came to a sudden halt. Suddenly feeling faint, he threw a hand over his forehead while using a local wall for support.
"What's the matter?" Ulquiorra whirled around and took several small steps toward the troubled teen.
"Don't worry about it. I just haven't had anything to eat in a while." emerald eyes narrowed; he studied his heaving chest and unsteady composure seeming ready to crack from the smallest provocation.
"Do you need to be carried?" Ichigo's teeth sunk into his lower lip. Feeling his face burn hot, he jerked his head from the concerning stare.
"Don't be ridiculous." he frowned as he started ahead of Ulquiorra. The pale-man readily caught up as he ran alongside the Soul Reaper. His breath hitched as the demonic demo of his voice failed to wane.
Why don'tcha' let me take over for a bit? You're just going to fuck us all over.
Ichigo squinted one eye shut attempting to block out the sinful tone.
"Why are we going this way?" he inquired upon recalling this was the direction of Aizen's personal room, luckily his breath-crushing spiritual pressure wasn't detectable at all. Despite the faint joy, his other half continued to coax him to the other side—despite himself, the side he scorned so much that it was beyond words. His brick wall reinforced with a cocky attitude and near-arrogance was instantly sent crumbling by the wretched voice.
"I'm sure at a time like this Aizen has brought it upon himself to guard the zanpaktou." Ulquiorra stopped as if suddenly realizing something important.
"Wait. Shinigami have direct connections with their zanpaktou, correct?" he brought a hand to his face feeling invincibly stupid for not realizing that crucial fact earlier. He awkwardly sighed and let his gaze fall on Ichigo who stood off in a stupor.
"I suppose that's true, but I really suck at that kind of stuff." Ichigo hung his head, slightly embarrassed.
"Ichigo, you have to figure it out quick." his breath sucked from his lungs.
Coming closer to Zangetsu would merely awaken his hollow's destructing urges even further—of course he would never think to tell Ulquiorra that at the very moment he was struggling just to maintain consciousness over his own body.
"Are you listening to me? It's your soul; you should be able to detect it."
"Shut it already! I'm trying to concentrate." Ulquiorra's fingers curled into a loose ball, unappreciative off Ichigo's testy tone. Ichigo wiped at his forehead, glistened with a sheet of sweat.
Come on King, don't act like you couldn't use my help. What's the problem? It seems like you have already started to embrace what you hate most. Take a look at Ulquiorra—he's exactly what you're afraid to become.
Unable to suppress the powerful entity, his dark iris transformed into a citrus ring of gold. He brought a hand to his face and summoned his mask in an attempt to hold his hollow over.
You are such a fool! Fine, I will wait just because I'm anxious to see what your idiot brain has come up with. But when I do creep to the surface you will regret it.
"This way." he pointed to a neighboring wall in a gurgling tenor.
"Very well." Ulquiorra stepped back, taking in Ichigo's new form in its entirety. He had never seen it so close before; it was quite obvious that the Shinigami was reluctant in using that technique but desperate times called for desperate measures. A slender finger pin-pointed to the wall as a lively lime cero penetrated layer upon layer of wall.
Both men leapt through the crusted, hastily-made exits as they sped toward their destination.
"We're getting closer." Ichigo assured as he dodged Ulquiorra's simultaneous doom blasts.
At last, an elongated blade silhouetted against the darkness and the powdered debris of the shattered barriers. Ichigo couldn't help but let a large smile play behind his veneer. With a flick of his wrist, the mask dissipated into air. He dashed to his weapon and ran a delicate hand over its edge.
"Be careful, it could be a trap." Ulquiorra warned as he eyed the olive casing of his own weapon. Refusing to heed the warning, he snatched the sword into his longing grasp. In a way he felt that he had betrayed Zangetsu in agreeing to use Grimmjow's katana if a dangerous situation presented itself, but once again, their situation was marginal. The massive energy throbbing from handle displayed its high eagerness for battle. It was almost as if Zangetsu wanted the coppery tang of blood to touch his lips; the feeling was foreign to Ichigo, but he was exhilarated that his zanpaktou spirit hadn't lost hope in him yet.
"What are you waiting for? Pick it up." Ichigo dropped Pantera with a loud clang as it wobbled across the floor.
"Right." Ulquiorra guided the slick case into his nearly destroyed sash and sighed. "Let's make our way outside." more wreckage crashed to the ground and several strata's later, the gleaming crescent moon doused them with its stagnant elegance which could easily satisfy an artist. Particles of sand washed into the air almost seeming like departed souls.
"Isn't it odd," Ichigo angled his head to the obscured blackness. "that we haven't run into any Espada yet?"
"It is. That's why we're going to hide underground for now." Ichigo nodded his head in agreement. He wouldn't consider taking refuge in the world of the living or even in Soul Society. He would only be dragging his friends into an unwinnable firefight.
"I'm quite surprised that you two have gotten this far." a bragging voice caroled through the wind. The crystallized trees swayed in an ominous melody, telling a sore tale of the many souls annihilated by Aizen's ruthless wrath.
"Aizen," Ichigo growled under his breath; he blinked toward Ulquiorra to make sure he was close.
"My quatro, I never imagined you go to such extents to rescue your "friend". After everything I have given you? Without my assistance, you will simply rot like all the other worthless hollows." Ulquiorra straightened his posture but quickly realized he wasn't the one being addressed. Ichigo's feet felt like they were stapled to the ground. Ulquiorra's pale complexion had whitened even further as the feeling of being replaced finally sunk in.
"I'm not your quatro." his tone was barely audible over his trembling chords. Ulquiorra stepped before Ichigo offering him his protection. He took in a large breath while finally having the opportunity to face Aizen. That damned man had been his master for so long, yet it felt almost reprehensible to insult even the soil under his feet.
"This doesn't have to end in bloodshed Aizen. Ulquiorra is returning to the world of the living with me. The hogyokou won't recognize him if he's residing in a different universe." Ichigo meandered around the pale-man, subtly fighting for dominance. He felt slightly ashamed for resulting to a compromise with the bastard but in his current condition, it was only a matter of time before he was consumed by his alter.
"You are the only one who can prevent bloodshed Ichigo; you do not have to worry, I will not take your life. I understand this was a mere lapse in judgment. You have been blinded by Ulquiorra's manipulations. He cannot help you like I can.."
"Come here," Aizen motioned to Ichigo with his hand held out.
"Now." The voice was terrifying and sent waves of miniature spasms down his spine, the sensation never completely faded even as the seconds continued to elapse.
"I refuse." Ichigo bleakly stated.
A dark aura swirled around Aizen, suddenly the air became more thick and humid, nearly crushing the shaken teen with its fierceness. Aizen's mahogany eyes narrowed to the point that his pupils were barely visible. He took in a prolonged breath.
"Ichigo, I have much planned for you—more power than you can even comprehend."
Ichigo's hands rested against each side of his thighs. He intently listened to each word that slipped from Aizen's tongue. For a brief moment, his gaze assembled solely on Ulquiorra as he attempted to read his expressionless face.
Aizen continued, with his voice slowly rising.
"Now listen to me closely. If I kill you where you stand, it would simply mean I wasted my time bringing you here in the first place. Do you understand what I'm saying? I made you into an Espada, I am granting you power. You will never evolve yourself into anything better without my help. You belong to me, and you will not leave this place. You're too valuable to the me. I'm giving you one more chance to come back willingly."
This time Ulquiorra's emerald eyes bonded to Ichigo; he could practically hear his anxious blood rushing though his contracting veins as he sorted his words.
"If you refuse, expect to be captured and treated as a prisoner. You will be dragged back to Los Noches by me personally, in chains." The threat painfully resonated in Ichigo's mind. Hard lines creviced over Aizen's brow, tainting the stark features of his face.
Ulquiorra rested a hand on the hilt of his zanpaktou, his timeless eyes blackening in detest. Ichigo smirked; there was an indescribable sense of scornful solidarity between Ulquiorra and himself, against them all—if he died fighting alongside with Ulquiorra, then he could accept that.
"Fuck you Aizen, I'd like to see you try." the blood thirsty metal of his sword gleamed with deaths intent against the radiating moonlight. Aizen's frown deepened although the Shinigami's reaction wasn't unexpected. Ulquiorra followed suit and angled his elbow into a large 'l' as his sword vibrated with the same objective. Two blades concurrently pointed at Aizen while strong faces refused to back down.
"That's just wonderful, but I won't be your opponent. My blade will not be sullied with that of a traitor and a piece of garbage." Ulquiorra's teeth clasp together in wrath, outlining his defined jaw bone.
"Starrk, Barragan, Halibel." three figures separated a few yards apart, flashed to the desert. A small dust cloud fluttered in the air from their sudden appearance.
Ichigo's hazel-nut pools nearly went cross-eyed as they sputtered between each Espada. He was clueless regarding their abilities but one thing was for certain—these were the top three. It was going to take a miracle and a half to save them both.
Ichigo backpedaled to Ulquiorra's side, nearly tripping over his own feet in the process.
"Bankai!" a gigantic mist of uplifted sand whirled around his body, cloaking him and Ulquiorra from the absorbed eyes. A death-plagued blade stretched from the sand-papered cloud; with a diagonal slash, the dust lowered to the ground.
"Ichigo you truly are a fool. What part of you honestly believes you can defeat my best warriors?" the Shinigami glared past the Espada in irascibility.
"I allowed you two to find your zanpaktou just so this wouldn't end miserably." he paused. "For Ulquiorra that is; I will at least grant you a death on the battle field while you are swinging your sword until your eyes fade and existence leaves your lifeless body." his hate-filled eyes glowered after hearing the empty proposal.
"I thought I've said this before, we're both making it out alive." Ichigo confidently announced.
"I see. Well I am eager to witness how you plan to do that."
"Getsuga Tensho!" a blast of cerise-colored pressure chased after the enemies. "Unngh." a sturdy blade pressing against his own momentarily caused him to lose his footing. Endless green eyes sunk into his own; Ichigo couldn't help but be lost as they instantly revealed her tragic, sacrificing past.
"Back off!" he growled with a robust thrust. Her blonde hair carelessly pirouetted with the wind. Ichigo felt an immediate assault on his senses as the callous clashing of blades sounded in the distance. Starrk half-heartedly swung his blade at Ulquiorra who dodged in a stylish manner, although it appeared that the Espada's blade merely missed him a millimeter each time.
"Ulquiorra—!"
"I'm your opponent, it would be unwise to take your eyes off me." she spoke in a husky yet suave tone.
"Damn you,"
"I will not waste my time and commend you for your choice. Aizen has simply ordered me to capture you."
"Shut up—" his brow twitched. "Getsuga—"
"Ola Azul!" golden spiritual pressure gathered at the tip of her blade, instantly outmatching his crimson glow. Ichigo gasped as the lemony light concealed his vision. Battered head on, Ichigo gawkily rolled across the sand until a gemstoned tree halted him in his tracks. He sluggishly elevated himself with shaky elbow as Halibel used sonido appearing before him with her undaunted strata.
"I wasn't expecting that." he professed while wiping at a thin trail of blood skirmishing under his lower lip. He couldn't help but let his eyes hover toward the elderly man quietly standing far across the plains of sand. If he wasn't fighting then what was he doing here? Backup maybe? It made the hair on his neck stand up in eeriness; regardless of aged appearance he was estimated to be of the strongest.
"I suppose you are as dumb as you look." she scowled as her hand wandered to the zipper of her blouse. Ichigo's breath was whacked from his lungs as a certain coyness fell over his face. One tooth at a time, the larger fragment of her hollow remains became visible through the thin cloth. A bolded three grappled Ichigo's direct attention.
"T-Three?" Ichigo inquired.
"Don't act as if you have hit some sort of jackpot." she replied, obviously offended by Ichigo's reaction.
"I don't think that. If you're ranked above Ulquiorra then you must be strong."
Her head gravely lowered to the sand; her messy blonde hair fell into her face, cloaking the skeletal portion of her mouth. "Flattery is nice, but this ends now."
Ichigo braced his hands around the hilt of his sword.
"W-Wha—?" Unable to register her colossal speed, the body of his weapon was caught inescapably between her double-bladed katana. His shoulders desperately shifted as he struggled to release himself from the hold.
"Barragan, now." she demanded.
"Rot, Arrogante." Ichigo biceps loosened as a child based nightmare came to life before his eyes—although the sight was far more disturbing than a typical skeleton which droopily hung out in the local biology room in his high school. In his boney hands, a large scythe rested limply. Ichigo's mouth gawked open, unsure how the huge weapon was supported with his fleshless limbs. He was certain, this had to be the primera Espada; never before had he ever been frozen in fear from a spectacle alone.
"Come on Barragan, we don't have all day." Starrk tiredly called from his battle.
"Respira," a purplish whisky cloud radiated outward from all directions. Ichigo whispered something incoherent after realizing everything the death breath touched transformed into nothingness, dispelling in the air before it touched the ground. Starrk shied away from the attack realizing that even he couldn't avoid the assault.
"Ulquiorra!" Ichigo dropped his weapon and flash-stepped past Halibel's extended grasp. "Come on!"
"You fool." Ulquiorra stared in awe at the fast-approaching cloud. "Why didn't you stay behind?"
"Because you're my friend! I would never leave one of my friends behind!" Ichigo wailed.
"Enclose, Murcielago!" Ichigo was left in a haze as a hand meandered under his stomach, anchoring him close to Ulquiorra's trim, wiry body. His eyes defiantly compressed shut as a merciless wind whipped his face. It felt like they were flying? Ichigo slowly let his lids retract upward.
"Oww," Ichigo flinched as something sharp penetrated the skin on his abdomen.
"Sorry." his grasp slightly relaxed but the hold was still sore.
"But my sword," he shifted and attempted to flex his arms but they were tightly pinned to his body. He pursed his lips in thought already knowing they couldn't return for his weapon.
"We can't go back." Ulquiorra's black hair swayed back and forth as he convulsively glanced over his shoulder; the destructing particles crept closer by the second. Ichigo winked an eye in discomfort as Ulquiorra clinged Ichigo closer to his body like a bashful child.
King, I keep explaining the same thing over and over again. Just face it, you need my help.
"Shut up." he buried his head toward Ulquiorra's squeezing arms.
"Who are you talking to?"
If you won't accept it, then I'll just have to show you. In Hueco Mundo we're on my turf. Sorry to inform ya', but you can't subdue me any longer.
"No—"he let his head oscillate as his tangerine hair fell in a smooth sheet over his weakening eyes.
"Ichigo, who are you talking to?" he inquired more firmly.
"P-Put me down," the Shinigami's breath was languishing and an irksome buzzing sound resonated in his eardrums. Ulquiorra gave a regarding glance to his ally who was rocking within his hold. "NOW!—Unngh." his head trashed rapidly and he cried out in jarring agony.
"What's wrong?" he craned his neck down; a foreign, thick liquid gradually leaked from the teen's chest, freefalling to the sand below. Ulquiorra felt something in his chest sink from the disturbing dripping noises escaping from Ichigo's heart.
"Impossible." Ulquiorra muttered as he dreadfully stared into the hellish black eyes manifesting toward him.
"Ichigo! You really are a hopeless case!" The pale-man gasped as the hollowfied soul managed to slither from his full-bodied grasp. A vigorous force crashed into Ulquiorra's rib; the demon slowly pulled his blood-soaked hand from the Arrancar's abdomen. In shock, Ulquiorra released the man from his hold. He quickly turned to retrieve his ally but noticed that Barragan's attack had ceased its pursuit.
"Interesting, I didn't consider the process would ensue so quickly." Barragan scratched the bottom of his chin as the demon shadowed after the skeletal figure.
"Yo!" Ulquiorra's eyes augmented realizing that the clear, almost mucus-looking fluid had hardened on the Soul Reaper's skin, showing little intent of detaching. The crescent moon glimmered through the new void in Ichigo's chest.
"Greetings." Barragan called as he perched his scythe upon his frail shoulder; he narrowed an eye after analyzing the cocky, crocodile smile spreading over the hollow's face. Not even a small slither of mercy shone through the mounds of his perfectly crafted teeth.
"It appears I'll have a good time with you." Hichigo scanned the figure once more and grinned with sick delight.
"I see." the boney man glanced toward Aizen, thinly requesting how to handle the unexpected situation.
"I still want him captured." he nodded at the hollow.
"Yes, Aizen-sama." Barragan bowed slightly.
"You? Capture me? Unlikely." he rocked on his heels, cackling loudly. "This is just fantastic. You see, it's not too often I get to let lose like this." his tongue tantalizingly unfolded.
"How laughable," Barragan smirked. "it appears that you have been preceded by your own ignorance."
"Che—"he became a large, chalky blur; with an unforeseen kick, Halibel was sent flying across the palatial fields of Hueco Mundo. She snarled loudly as she quickly regained balanced on a single knee. Hichigo snatched his zanpaktou and began to effortlessly swing the blade by the elongated chain.
"That's fine. I'll kill everyone here." he declared with cheerful condescension; nicotine-stained eyes angled toward a mortified Ulquiorra who was modestly covering the recently-inflicted puncture wound; rubicund liquid seeped between his slender fingertips, sharply smoldering against his ghastly pale complexion.
"Everyone." he repeated in an abrasive tone as his malicious smile jerked at both corners of his lips.
A/N: Questions, comments or concerns?—leave a review, I definitely like to hear what my readers think. I hope everyone enjoyed. Once again, I will attempt to update as soon as I can.
Oh, for anyone that likes RenjiXRukia I am gearing up to create a new fic surrounded by them. I think they're adorable and I'm pretty excited about it. So just keep a look out for that for the next couple of weeks if interested. Much love, Metroidgirly(: