Let's keep this train rolling!

Blood

Chapter Eleven

The bastard got away.

Jacián cursed himself for a moment, but at least the idiot knew he shouldn't fight him again. Even damaged, Jacián wasn't easily taken down, it was half the reason he was allowed to stay. The fact that people thought him easy pray now was infuriating.

His vision blurred, his figure wobbling a bit before using a bloody hand to keep himself from falling. The teen gritted his teeth, this was even more infuriating. He got blind-sided and now some of his old injuries bled, on top of new ones. His muscles were torn again, and his skin burned. He was a mess and he knew it. With any luck, Ulquiorra had left for his rounds at this point. He still had to tell the Cuatro what happened, but at least his injuries would be patched up by then.

There was another thing that bothered him. He didn't trust Ulquiorra even knowing about his physical health anymore, but as distasteful as it was, this time he'd have to know. If only so he knew why the teen shouldn't move too much.

Jacián sighed as he limped his way back to the domain, leaning up against the wall and his feet falling heavily onto the floor, even stumbling at times. His eyes hurt to be open and his entire being just wanted to collapse. By the time he reached the domain, that thought was tempting, up until a surge of pain came from his head. "Dammit," he thought, moving upstairs. He had forgotten to take a pill this morning, just perfect. Hopefully he could clean himself up before he collapsed.

The boy stumbled into the bathroom and closed the door. He got undressed as quickly as he could manage before running a cold shower. His skin felt like fire at the touch of the water, but it soon began to cool. The pain got worse, but he forced himself to stand. With all his strength, he was determined not to fall.

Ulquiorra was finishing up with some of the files from the old room, determining what could be sent to storage, what could be destroyed, and what he would have to file in the cabinets at the desk in his room. Aizen had permitted this so things could be cleared out and organized, he wasn't aware that Jacián would be getting his own room. No, Ulquiorra wanted Jacián to learn of what he was doing first. That was better, he felt.

He heard the door close downstairs and heard the teen climb up the stairs. Typical bathroom break before making his own breakfast, as he's been doing for the last few weeks. The Cuatro's head perked up when he heard the shower running instead. "What is he doing? He showered earlier," he thought.

Ulquiorra put the file down listening intently. "He's injured," he concluded aloud, putting the file he had back on his desk before standing. "Enough of this," he sighed out, leaving his room for the closet next door. He had gotten an extra first aid kit yesterday, just in case he required one for Jacián. The boy was going through the other one rather quickly, though he'd never admit it.

A loud thud and a groan interrupted his train of thought, eyes widening slightly before racing to the bathroom door. Ulquiorra knocked first, banging the door loudly. "Jacián," he called. He waited for an answer but received none. His hand pounded on the door again. "Jacián!" He yelled. A low moan followed, barely audible because of the running water.

The Cuatro flung the door open, walking straight to the shower and pulling back the curtain. Jacián was on the floor of the tub, barely holding himself up with one hand. His body was bruised and burned everywhere, the areas around his eyes swollen, the left had a slit that cut almost completely through it. His torso was cut in many areas, with gashes - some new, some just reopened. At least one of his ankles was twisted, and to top it off, the teen was having another migraine while under cold water, which now was making the boy shiver.

Ulquiorra turned off the water, grabbing fresh towels before moving Jacián so he was laying on his back, outside of the tub and began patting him dry. As he got to work on the injuries, Jacián's teeth gritted together, trying to muffle any cries of pain. The boy opened his eyes a few moments after. He could barely see, but he recognized Ulquiorra and tried to move again, only to be held in place by a firm grip. "Don't move," Ulquiorra told him, his monotone somewhat gone and replaced with something else, "did you take your medicine earlier?"

Jacián found it hard to form words for a few minutes, but when he could, a raspy "forgot" escaped his lips. Ulquiorra only nodded, having finished patching up the gashes before resting the teen against the tub. He grabbed the pill bottle and a glass of water before returning to him. He fed Jacián the pill and gave him the water, the boy's hand limply grabbing his wrist so he could drink the entire glass.

The boy breathed heavily, his hand still on Ulquiorra's wrist as the cup was removed. He didn't even realize how much his throat hurt, he felt pathetic. That damn arrancar, the stupid lord of this place, and his father...

"Jacián," the boy looked up. Now wasn't a time to be thinking about his pride or the Cuatro's dumb mistake from last month. "I need you to keep your head up." It was then that Jacián noticed that the man was holding him up against his chest, and that he had practically buried his face into the fabric of Ulquiorra's coat. The boy stared for a few minutes before nodding and lift his head up.

Ulquiorra put a compress over his left eye. At first it stung because of the burns, making Jacián force down whimpers, but a cooling relief soon came with it. The Cuatro repeated the process with his right eye, and although it didn't take away the pain, it certainly felt better. Especially now that his pills were beginning to take effect. The migraine was going away, but Jacián now felt tired.

He forced himself awake though, moving when Ulquiorra asked him to so he patch up his ankle and the major burns that were left over. The last Jacián recalled was something warm being put over his shoulders before knocking out in the Cuatro's arms.

Ulquiorra starred at his unconscious son as he adjusted the coat he put on the boy. The Cuatro's coat. He didn't have a blanket on him, and as much as Jacián felt his burns, he had started shivering more than a bit, and now the teen was snuggling up against his father's now-bare-chest. He needed new clothes, and he needed to be put in bed.

Not on the sofa, in bed. Jacián's pride had taken enough blows, no one should walk into his home and see him like this. Since the boy's bed wasn't ready yet, he would have to be put in Ulquiorra's room. That would do, at least this way the teen couldn't sneak out while the Cuatro was sleeping. No, the elder Cifer had just about enough of that.

So, making sure the trench coat covered him as much as it could, Ulquiorra picked Jacián up and brought him into his bedroom, putting him down on the green comforter. He left to grab the boy his pajamas and a fresh pair of underwear. All left in bag, not hung up anywhere. It was a wonder Jacián felt welcome here for even a brief period of time, even the strange computer didn't have a home.

Ulquiorra stared at it for a few moments before shaking his head and going back upstairs. "Wondering won't change the current situation," he kept telling himself, even as he dressed Jacián and put him under the covers. Jacián's breathing had become even and his face had calmed somewhat. Szayel would have to come and look at him as well, but the Cuatro didn't want undesired attention at his domain.

His son was no fool in that regard, the other arrancar would be looking to see where the boy was and how he was handling himself, they had to see that he was far stronger than they thought he was. The trash responsible with this recent attack would have to be put in place. With tact, of course. The threat against the younger would never be fully dealt with if people merely saw Ulquiorra as the threat. This issue would require a more creative solution.

The teen groaned again, bringing Ulquiorra out of his train of thought. First thing's first, he had to bring Szayel here.

Well, another chapter. New one in progress, right now.

~ K. Fang-sama