Author's notes: This story is partially AU. If you have any questions about the plot line, send me a pm and I'll try to help you out as much as I can. Of course, I wouldn't spoil anything though.

Warnings: mild language and violence (I blame Grimmy (for the most of it at least) :P)

Disclaimer: Bleach and all its characters belong to Tite Kubo.

Hounoku no Ai (Love of the Magnolia/ A Magnolia's Love)

Chapter 11

And the eleventh petal falls

I didn't need to see the figure in the clearing before I drew my zanpakuto out of the sheath. I brought it down upon my target putting all of my airborne weight into the blow. As the metal connected with some part of his body, dust rose in storming clouds. I knew it wasn't enough and quickly back flipped away from him. It wasn't until then that I noticed Ichigo (who was pouring out spirit energy as usual) was irked that I had attacked his opponent. It didn't bother me though, so I ignored him.

The dust cleared at an incredibly slow rate and for every second that passed, my heart raced faster until I couldn't take it anymore and I yelled at him, "I know you're not dead yet, so come out!"

A fat figure began to outline itself in the smoke, but then it morphed into a tall being and then into something unrecognizable. Anticipation was getting the best of me as I began imagining all sorts of shapes in the clouds of dust. I hated how easily my mind was becoming confused. I could hardly separate the form of evil my imagination had associated with him from reality. Slowly, a more distinct figure began to outline itself in the midst of the clearing. I was finally sure I could faintly make out a horn and a human-like figure. I gripped the sword ready to defend if he should make any sudden movements. Slowly the figure took a step forward and I took a step back to maintain my defensive and offensive position.

"Stand back," I commanded Ichigo.

The night cloaked both his and my figure until the last of the moonlight-obstructing dust dissipated.

"I was sure that I had masked my presence perfectly, yet you were still able to find me. You have become quite a formidable opponent, haven't you?" His voice rang out causing shivers to run down my spine and my chest to grow cold, but nothing rang louder than my heartbeat in my ears.

"Cut the small talk. I'd rather not be complimented by an enemy. No matter how much you hide your presence, I will always be able to find you…"

The cloud that covered the moon passed and the clear moonlight illuminated the land enough for detailed sight.

"Ulquiorra."

--

In comparison to the short grizzly abomination my imagination had created of his corrupted soul, he looked rather similar to how he used to except for a few major differences. His skin was so pale it seemed almost pasty; it was as white as the moon. Green streaks extended from the bottom of his eye to the bottom of his face. A half helmet like appendage attached itself to the side of his head. A hollow hole no larger than the size of a fist lay at the base of his throat. His green eyes were dark and overwhelming. They seemed so dead and indifferent that they seemed to draw anyone who looked into them into a dark pit of despair. I felt that I couldn't stare him in the eyes for too long without flinching away. His lips and nose were set in an eerily still and unchanging manner on his face much like that of a doll's. His dark hair lie slightly tousled but not messy.

"My, how many years has it been A-?"

"13th division 6th seat shinigami, Tsujiame Asako, I'd rather not make familiar those whom I'm about to kill."

"Ah, I see, Shinigami," he said with mockery laced in his words.

"Don't you dare insult us!" I glowered. "How are you still alive? Why aren't you dead! How can you stand before me again without flinching? How can you look me in the eye like nothing has happened? Have you no guilt!"

I paused to catch my breath before continuing in a more solemn tone before. "Do you still remember that night?" I stopped and laughed coldly. "It doesn't matter if you do or don't. Regardless, I swore that I'd kill you for everything you've done and I will keep that vow. That vow that I made the night you killed them and the night you killed me."

"Such a thing did not-"

"Don't you dare deny it, Ulquiorra!" My breath trembled and my body shook from that single memory. "You'll die by my hand, and then I'll finally be able to atone for my mistake." I said.

I set my mind to it and I attacked. I appeared instantly before him and swung my zanpakuto down with an almost blurring speed but he instantly parried it with his left hand! I was shocked for a moment that he could block my zanpakuto with his non-dominant left hand. It frustrated me but not enough to distract me from noticing his other hand come jabbing straight out towards my stomach like a knife. I jumped away and attacked from another angle but each time I pulled back and plunged forward, he would neither move nor use his dominant hand against me. I glowered at how much he looked down upon me and I wasn't willing to let him have his way any longer.

"I know what you're doing, Ulquiorra." I said pushing my zanpakuto harder against his hand. He had his dominant hand placed neatly in his pocket and his face still seemed unfazed. "I'll force you to fight me with all of your strength. I'll force you to move!" I declared and began streaming my spirit energy into my zanpakuto so that it glowed white.

Immediately he noticed that something was strange and pushed my sword and me away. I used the trunk of a tree to stop my backwards momentum and launched myself off of it directly at Ulquiorra.

I brought my zanpakuto down from over my shoulder as I soared towards him.

For a moment he attempted to catch it, but I wouldn't let him. I forced more of my energy into my zanpakuto and in an earth shaking eruption, it had connected with the ground where he had stood creating a large crater.

It didn't hit him. Only I could have seen and only I watched as the world seemed to enter slow motion as he moved backwards, but shifted his weight enough to make an angled kick at my head. I wrenched my zanpakuto out of the ground and blocked his kick with the flat side of my blade before pushing it into the ground again and using it as leverage to launch me towards him. I reached forward and grabbed a hold of his shirt so I could get close enough to gouge his eyes out. But just as I began to pull him closer, he pointed a finger at me and a green cero formed at his finger tip. I was shaken by the power of the cero and felt that unlike the ceros of Gillian and Adjuchas Menos, it might actually be able to dissolve my body in an instance if I didn't avoid. But I was stuck, there was nothing I could use as leverage since we were both airborne. I cursed mentally and put my hands together. "Hado 58: Tenran!" A large vortex shot out and negated the effects of the cero. I used the force of the collision to once again put distance between us. Even though I had failed to gouge out his eyes, both he and I saw that the cloth of his pant leg was ripped and the skin beneath it looked lightly dis-colored. I grabbed my zanpakuto and paused but stayed on guard to catch my breath. The collision of the two forces wasn't harmless against me and kido took more energy than a cero did. Arrancars could fire ceros indefinitely (almost) but shinigami could not fire higher level kido too often.

"My, you should have used #88, you might have inflicted a greater wound on me if you had. It seems that you're still the same as you used to be. I thank you for holding back though, it seems that our time together wasn't for nothing after all seeing as you're willing to go easy on me."

"Don't be disgusting. I wasn't going easy on you. I was afraid that if I had used 88 you would die too quickly and that would be too good of a reward for you. I'll make sure to pay you back for everything. I'll make this slow and painful, just for you." I said trying to put up a sneer.

"Tsujiame-san!" I looked behind and saw Urahara and Ichigo running up. I had completely forgotten that they were there until just that moment. Ichigo came running wildly as usual and I wondered if something new had happened.

"Ichigo?" I only then realized that I had forgotten my manners I called him by his given name and forgotten to add a proper suffix. I quickly began to speak "-sa—" I was cut off violently by the shaking of the ground beneath my feet and the sudden heaviness in the atmosphere. The ground a few feet between Ichigo and I split. The entire clearing and perhaps the entire forest suddenly split leaving a large 20 foot wide trench. But that wasn't the worse part, hollows, hundreds of them began rising from these trenches and formed an impenetrable wall between the rest of them and I. It was obvious who the offender was, only he could have done such a thing. No one else in the vicinity had the power. I stepped a few feet away from the wall of hollows and then spun to demand an explanation but when I did, I realized that Ulquiorra's energy seemed to express that he was serious. That or he was just pissed.

"This fight is between me and this shinigami, outsiders should not interfere," Ulquiorra said in a dangerous tone. "I thought better of you. I didn't think you'd call back up to our fight," he added mockingly to me.

I glowered. "I didn't call him. He's not my teammate anyways. I will be the one to kill you, Ulquiorra, don't even think that you'll get away." I glared.

"Let's see you try," he said still in his mocking tone. That mockery pissed me off more than anything.

I pulled the white sheath of my zanpakuto out of my sash. I held my sheath pointed perpendicular to the floor in my left hand. I held the sword in my right hand parallel to the floor with the blade pointed towards him and created a cross with the two pieces of one weapon.

"Tint the world with moonlight, Seiitsu no Isshi,"

So... I got really confused when I was moving the chapters around so if there's a gaping hole or a repeating section, please tell me. If not, please consider dropping by the reviews section and saying that everything is a-okay. Help me out if I made errors as usual. Thanks!

-Aisumi