There was a stranger staring out of the mirror in Ulquiorra Cifer's room, looking right back at Orihime.
She was a very pretty stranger, familiar, but not the reflection that Orihime was used to.
This woman had hair that fell to her hips. Long, strait, silk like cinnamon hair. Not quite red, not quiet brown, and not quiet orange. A very nice shade of hair, if she did say so herself, and it was as it had been when Orihime had been a normal human. Well, as close to normal as she had ever been.
She liked it, though.
Around her eyes was a thin lining of this orange shade, a bit brighter than her hair. It was very similar to eyeliner, a little bit thicker, and it didn't look half bad.
She liked it, too.
The place where she assumed her hollow hole was supposed to be looked like it had been patched up. This was most likely the result of her Shun Shun Rika, whom would have healed it before it would have even become known to her. It didn't look too bad.
Her fine white dress she had grown to like. It did remind her of her days imprisoned in Los Noches, but so did everything else around her. She knew she would just have to get used to that.
Her nails were very evenly cut, pretty and glossy, though she had a feeling they would scratch a little deeper than her human nails. She liked them, too, because they looked so wonderful.
Most of all, though, she liked the crown of bone on the sides of her head; the true evidence that she was now one of the arrancar. They were shaped mostly like her Shun Shun Rika, but the petals now waved back away from her ears so that they did not poke her. Each petal of the bones was outlined in the blue color that her hairpins had been.
She liked that as well.
"Woman."
She turned around, smiling lightly.
Ulquiorra had been gone when she had waken from her unexpected nap. She couldn't tell how long she had been asleep, as there was no clock or window in the room. Though, even if there had been a window she wouldn't have known what time it was. In Heuco Mundo there was no real time.
"Ulquiorra. Is this your room? It's very nice." She turned back to the mirror, looking in again, trying to wrap her mind around the fact that she was now, technically, the enemy.
It didn't bother her as much as she knew it should have.
"Grimmjow is quite adamant in seeing you."
She turned back to him, surprised. He was blank faced as always, but she was taken aback. "Grimmjow?"
Ulquiorra nodded slightly, silently, studying her for her reaction.
"He's still alive?"
"Ichigo Kuroaski failed to completely kill him before moving on."
"That's true… But I didn't think he could survive with those wounds…"
"He is an arrancar." Ulquiorra deadpanned. "It is not so easy to rid the world of our species."
"Oh." The she smiled. "I'll see him!"
Ulquiorra may have been surprised. She couldn't tell, he was very good at guarding his expressions. "Come with me."
She followed him out into his small living area and out the door, into the main halls of Los Noches. The night before the halls had been empty, but now there was smaller level arrancar walking around, busy as usual, some loudly arguing as they went.
"Wow." Was all she could manage.
"When I was gone, Halibell Tia took over the palace, as she was the strongest arrancar to come back to Los Noches."
"But didn't captain Hitsu-"
"Kill her?" He looked over at her, letting her know he had finished her sentence, not asked a question. "As I said before," He went on. "Arrancar are very hard to completely finish off."
"Wow." It was all Orihime could manage through her amazement. "It's like everything has changed."
It was true. The once dark halls were still pure white, but the shadows didn't seem to cling to her feet, holding her down, making everything so much heavier. That atmosphere wasn't exactly a happy one; the arrancar parted like the red sea for Mosses as Ulquiorra walked down the hall, fringing away from him in fear, and they still waltzed around with menacing grins and glares, weapons out in the open, and death threats and cuss words were still thrown about like comments about the weather, but… it wasn't that bad.
As they walked through the halls, Orihime couldn't help the song that went through her head. Just some idle tune that she had once heard on the radio and liked. The words came tumbling back into her mind, lighting up the word around her, and suddenly she realized that she was… happy.
The windows are barred here.
The arrancar continued to talk around her, some stopping to look at her. Where humans would have whispered, chattered, gossiped, they just looked and then moved on, making up their own assumptions. What was the point of gossip when you cared only for your own opinion?
And the people are scarred here.
They turned a corner, Ulquiorra glancing over at her to make sure she was still beside him. She smiled back at him, stepping a little closer to his side so that he would know she was there.
It's true.
They started up a stairwell, the area well lit, though it the floors and walls were black now.
But I think that it's home.
She watched as two girl arrancar past them, mirror reflections of each other except for hair color. Both had freckles, a hole displayed in between their ribs, barely over their stomachs, and hair held up in high pig tails. One had magenta hair, the other bright fruit orange. They argued as they passed, both talking about who was the better fighter.
I mean it's all that I know.
They passed the girls, who both stopped to look back at Orhime and Ulquiorra only once, shrugging to one another, before going back to arguing and heading off to wherever it was they were going.
And I love it, too.
Orihime giggled, looking back over her shoulder at the two girls as they ran off. She looked back up at Ulquiorra, who was staring at her in asking.
Now the people are scarred here. And everything hurts me if it doesn't hurt you.
She just smiled, shrugging, and let him lead on.
But what hurts me the most as I feel like a ghost without you.
They went down another hall, stepping back into an area where everything was white. There was a group of people building a wall back up. They were all rather quiet, intent on doing their job right, picking up chunks of the fallen building as they slowly built it back up.
So scream. Oh, what a wonderful dream.
Orihime waved at a child arrancar, one who had a hollow hole right through the center of his forhead, bone going up over his head and around the hole like a Mohawk over his navy blue hair. A scar went over his throat, as if someone had once tried to cut his head off.
We fight and we growl, every shadow prowls,
The child took a thumb out of his mouth, tentatively waving back as he stared in wonder.
Oh, but it's home.
Ulquiorra looked down at her, disapproving, but didn't do anything when she just beamed right back at him, linking her hands behind her back. He looked like he was about to say something, but then stopped, having decided he would take her uncharacteristic silence when he got it.
And some times we die here.
Yeah, that's real sad.
And sometimes I cry here.
But it's not really all bad.
Orihime looked ahead to where two huge double doors stood, the ones she knew led to Aizen's throne room, and felt herself tense a little.
But I love all that they are.
And I can forget these old scars.
She set herself in determination, running after Ulquiorra, who hadn't noticed her pause.
Because this place is just who they are.
She caught up with him as he placed a hand on one door. He looked back at her when she almost tripped in her haste to get back to his side, his face almost surprised.
And here. It's almost better than that old good safe place.
She watched as he just shook his head, muttering about how odd she was. She laughed, agreeing that she was strange, even for a human. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye, regarding her, as if to messure whether or not she was ready.
Yeah it's better I'm sure.
She hoped he didn't think she was too weak to re-visit a place that had once made her break out in a cold sweat she was so frightened. She knew she was strong. She knew she could handle it. A memory was just that- a thing from the past. She could move on.
Because here I'm not deterred.
By those who think me their own.
He nodded to her, seeming to read her thoughts, silently telling her he knew she was strong. He pushed open the door, letting her walk into the throne room before him, still not saying anything.
Here there's not many, yet I'm not so alone.
She looked up at the throne Aizen had once sat at, surprised to see Halibel instructing a group of arrancar as they worked on tearing the thing down, her three fracoìn at behind her.
These bloody walls are so open, the bars are all gone.
She watched as Halibel turned to them, her eyes narrowed as always, hands crossed over her bare ribs. "Welcome back." She said to Orihime, not asking why the woman was there.
Here I'm me and it's me they all know.
We're strong and we're fierce.
Yeah we may fight a lot.
But in our hearts-
She looked up over at Ulquiorra, and again down at his hand.
-we're all just searching for a spot.
And we may kill and bring harm.
Please do not raise the alarm.
It's our troop, we're all here.
With all we hold dear.
And hell. This is our home.
.
So. That was a chapter filled with purely walking. How great of a draw-er-out-er of time am I? Yeah, I know, I'm amazing. (Someone in the back yells, "You sit on a throne of lies, Darksknight!" I, of course, nod at this person, whispering "I know. Shhhh!") So, anyway, I own the song. Yeah. Made that thing up for another one of my many stories, and decided I might as well use it again.
Anywho! Sorry for being so late today. I had a meting at 7:30 freaking am. So I had to get up at 5:30. And I had to dress nice, and put on makeup, and find some gum so I wouldn't scare people with my morning breath, because brushing my teeth just wasn't cutting it. Yeah. So, review (PLEASE!), because yours truly had a bad morning. And because you can? And because I'm a sucker for review? *starts to cry a little bit* And because I'm hopeless? Yeah... Hope everyone enjoyed!