Illegal
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Enjoy the chapter.
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach
January 1924
I went back to the bar that Hiro worked at. It's near the border between Las Noches and Karakura Town. The owner denied knowing who started to shooting spree. That is until I pulled a gun on him. He spilled his guts like a five year old.
Apparently a man came in and shot at a customer at the bar. They had a shoot out for a while. People hid behind overturned tables. Hiro was behind the bar, but saw someone, a woman, out in the open. He lept over the counter and managed to get to her without getting hit. He had her take cover under a table. That's when he got hit. A stray bullet hit him in the back of his head.
The owner said that he didn't really know whose gun the bullet came from, but he suspected it was from the man who had come into the store. He could only tell me that the man was one of Sosuke Aizen's men and that he had blue hair.
This job will be a lot harder than I thought. Aizen is a dangerous man, but I'm going to get in. I have to if I want the avenge Hiro's death. The blue haired man will die...no I'll bring down the source of my pain. I'll bring down Aizen even if it kills me.
February 1924
It seems that he has been watching me from the beginning. Well, he only knows me by my work, but that's something. A man, he called himself Kaname Tosen, came up to me. He offered me a job. He said that if I accept the job and succeed, Aizen would allow me admittance into his elite group, the Espada.
Of course I took the offer. He handed me a box that once closed can't be open without the master key. I'm crazy to think that I can steal the Hogyoku from a high security museum. I think my sanity went out the window the day Hiro died.
I'll have to call my special contacts. There's no time limit on this mission, but I want to get it done soon. Once I do, I can get close enough to kill Aizen and the blue haired man. I know the risks of killing him. I may not like death, but I'm willing to face it once I get what I want.
March 1924
I saw...I'm not sure what I saw. Perhaps it's a figment of my imagination. Though, I'm sure what I saw was real. I'll have to do some more investigating.
No new updates on my mission yet.
April 1924
She comes in the store every day. I work the counter as one of the pastry servers at Sweet Sweets. My name is June and I'm blond. She's very friendly with laughter in her eyes. No pain, no grief, no hatred, no spite. Pure. Can such a pure and innocent person really exist in this world? No matter, that innocence will be destroyed when she gets older. I'm never there to serve her anyways. She is not important.
June 1924
I may be crazy of coming up with an idea. I'm afraid of what might happen. So far the Hogyoku is still in the museum. Aizen would most likely see through my deceit. Tosen is blind, so I can lie with my voice. Aizen would see through me like glass.
...maybe this will work.
Orihime sighed as she stared at her soggy sandwich. Since going to Kuro Market, Ulquiorra had been sent on a mission for Aizen. He hadn't been back for three days so far. Aizen had given her the option to have Nel as her guard if she wanted to shop or go out to eat. The orange haired woman found herself missing the man. Though he didn't talk much, he always listened to her ramblings with keen interest.
After reading Himeko's notebook, Orihime knew two facts. One, the blue haired man was definitely Grimmjow. Two, Himeko had a plan before she met Aizen. What disturbed Orihime the most was that she use to go to the pastry shop Himeko had mentioned. Perhaps, that was why her name was in the notebook.
Grimmjow had killed a man by accident. A man who was supposed to be related to Himeko. The man that Himeko loved. Yet, if she wanted revenge on Grimmjow and Aizen, why did she kill herself? It wasn't like Orihime was going to kill them for her. Grimmjow was sometimes rude, loud, obnoxious, and crass. Yet, he could be caring, to Nel at least, and had a sense of humor when it wasn't sexual. Orihime considered Grimmjow someone she could come to like under different circumstances.
"Hime, you've been staring at your food for the past ten minuets," Nel pointed out. Orihime jerked her head up in surprise. She hadn't heard the green haired woman come in.
"H-hello, Nel," she greeted. Orihime sighed again and picked up her lunch. She threw it out, not feeling hungry anymore. Nel watched as she moved slowly through the kitchen to sit back down.
"You've been depressed since Ulquiorra left for his mission. Do you miss him?" she inquired. Orihime's cheeks reddened and she ducked her head down.
"O-of course not. I-I just have nothing interesting to do today," she answered lamely. Nel smiled knowingly before patting the younger woman's head.
Trying to sound reassuring, she said, "Don't worry, he'll be back tonight."
Orihime nodded, seeming to brighten a little. Getting up, she said her farewells to Nel and headed to the library. Since Ulquiorra was away, Orihime was always alone in the library at night to early morning. She had become used to reading her stories out loud or just reading with him in the room. The library felt empty whenever she went. She couldn't wait for him to come back. She had just finished a great mystery romance novel and wanted to share it.
Orihime walked passed her chair and to the fiction section. Picking out a turquoise cover, she settled herself into her chair. Orihime smiled at the smell of parchment and ink. The books, unlike the ones at the public library, didn't smell like dust and mold. Opening the cover, she started to read.
She read until it was eight. Then nine o'clock passed. Then, ten. The blue book slipped onto the floor with a muffled thud. Orihime shifted in her chair and rested her cheek against the armrest. She mumbled incoherent words and sighed in her sleep. The sun had shone its last rays as the time went by. A half crescent moon hung over the city.
Nelliel knocked on Orihime's door. "Hime?" No answer.
Frowning, she went to check in the kitchen. No one was in there. She went to the library and peeked inside. A small smile bloomed on her face when she saw the sleeping figure. Orihime had tried to stay up until Ulquiorra came back; Nel knew how that felt. She had done that many times when Grimmjow left for a mission.
Nel used to fret every day until she saw the whites of his eyes. She would drive Tier crazy with her constant bugging and pacing. Nnoitra use to try to keep her mind off of her worry, but lost patients when she couldn't keep focus on a simple game of cards. When she heard he would be coming back that night, she would stay up in his room. Most of the time, she fell asleep; Grimmjow would return at the crack of dawn and find her sprawled on his bed.
Closing the door, she headed to her room. She paused when she saw a familiar dark haired figure. Smiling wider, she jogged over to Ulquiorra. The man looked the same; though his clothes were slightly rumpled and his hair a little messier. He held his jacket in one hand. Nel's eyes widened when she saw blood on his white shirt.
"Ulquiorra, what happened?" Nel asked. She started to inspect the wound on his right shoulder. The man waved her away with a sigh.
"Shinji Hirako is deadlier with a knife than reported. He got away, but I did retrieve the photos he had. Aizen-sama will be relieved to know that no evidence of his actions are in the wrong hands," he answered. His voice sounded tired and, perhaps, strained.
Nel frowned at his dismissal. "Well, I'm glad you're back. Hime has been worried about you since you left. She's been waiting."
Ulquiorra paused, then nodded to Nel before he made his way to the medical wing.
Szayel doubled as a doctor for the injured as well. After stitching Ulquiorra's wound, he wrapped bandages around it and gave him some pills.
"Take these with water and you should just be sore tomorrow," he ordered. Ulquiorra left and went to Aizen's study. Knocking once, he let himself in. The man was sitting in his chair holding a glass of red wine. The fireplace glinted off the glass at odd angles. It threw dark shadows around him.
"Ulquiorra, you're back. How was the mission?" he asked politely. Ulquiorra pulled out a manila envelope from his jacket. Handing it to him, Aizen pulled out the photos and inspected them.
"Hirako seems to have someone watching the docks. He got away, but I burned down the warehouse he was staying in," he informed.
Aizen placed the photos back in the envelope and tossed it in the fire. The flames greedily ate the paper. He swirled his wine around and took a sip. The photos contained incriminating evidence against him. If Hirako had given it to the police of Karakura Town, Aizen would be a dead man. Aizen had sent Ulquiorra to check on Shinji Hirako because he wanted to make sure that his ex-business partner was keeping his nose out of his business.
"That will be all Ulquiorra. Why not go clean up and get some rest?" It was more an order than a suggestion. Ulquiorra bowed once and left the study. His shoulder ached from the knife wound.
Usually, he was much more careful. Ulquiorra was specially trained in hand-to-hand combat. Yet, the fact that Hirako pulled out a sword threw him off. He had narrowly gotten his whole arm amputated. Of course, Hirako didn't leave without a scratch either. A bullet wound to the right lung would slow him down for a few weeks. Ulquiorra would've had him, if not for a short, blond woman. She had driven her car out of nowhere and drove off with his target.
Ulquiorra passed Himeko's room. He paused at the door and wondered if she was awake. If he did knock and if she did answer, what was he supposed to say? Deciding against knocking, he went to his room. He needed a shower from not being able to access cleaning facilities for the past three days.
His room was very plain. A king sized bed with gray sheets took up most of the space. A small desk with a chair adorned the far corner. He had a dresser for his shirts, socks, ties and underclothes. A closet held his suits and plain clothes. Another door led to his bathroom; which had a large, round tub, toilet, sink and necessary cleaning supplies.
Pulling off the damaged shirt, he tossed it in the trash bucket near the door. Ulquiorra carefully pulled off his clothes. Any movement caused the wound to throb. Taking a shower was tricky. He had to keep his right shoulder out of the water while trying to bathe. After the bath, he pulled on a pair of black pajama pants and a white wife beater. His hair clung to his neck as it was still wet. Ulquiorra tossed his towel on his spare chair.
Leaving his room, he decided to visit the library. He wouldn't say it out loud, but he missed hearing the woman's voice as she read. He had found himself thinking about her during the mission. He had wondered if she stayed in or if she found one of the other Espadas to take her out. The last thought made his stomach clench uncomfortably.
Opening the door he missed the dark lump in the chair. He passed by his usual table and nearly jumped when he heard someone sigh. His eyes slowly adjusted to the dark room. He blinked as he saw Orihime curled up in her chair. A book lay forgotten on the floor. Creeping closer, he saw that her brows were furrowed in worry.
"U-Ulquiorra..." she mumbled. Said man pulled back and stared at her. A miniscule smile formed on his face. She had waited for him to come back. Nel had said that she had been worried about him since he had left. The thought made his spirits soar a little.
Orihime pouted in her sleep and tried to snuggle into the chair more. Sighing again, a small smile formed on her face. "...Kurosaki-kun..."
Ulquiorra froze and his spirits fell flat. He felt his heart thud loudly. A painful ache formed and then dulled. His mouth turned into a frown and his eyes grew distant. Pulling away from the woman in the chair, he stalked out of the library. The doors banged loudly behind him.
Orihime's eyes snapped open. She looked around the dark room confusingly. Seeing no one there, she stretched and yawned. Picking up her book, she placed it back in its rightful place. Orihime rubbed her head and headed out of the library.
She had been having a nice dream. She was back in Karakura Town with her friends. Ichigo was talking to her. She was introducing Ulquiorra to him. The two seemed to get along perfectly. Nel and Grimmjow were with Rukia, Renji, and Tatsuki and they were all laughing. It was a nice dream and she had wished it was real.
Orihime made her way to Ulquiorra's room. She hesitated and then knocked. Silence greeted her. She frowned and knocked again. Nel had said that he was supposed to be back tonight. She had hoped to see him before she went to bed.
"Ulquiorra?" she called. No answer. Chewing her lip, she ceased her knocking and left. She trudged slowly back to her room.
Ulquiorra gripped the door handle. When he had heard the knock, he had almost answered it. He gripped the knob until his knuckles turned a chalky white. He let it go and placed his head against the cool wood.
Why?
So, how do you think I'm doing? Do you like how it's moving? Am I going too slow or too fast? Or just right?
Kitkat d(^.^)b