A/N: I've made a draft of the succeeding chapters. To my estimation, this shit may stretch up to four chapters more. That's a warning because 30 chappies would wear anyone's patience. so you're welcome to stop at this point.

Chapter XXVI: Nutshell

I can remember too well how calm they were when she walked out the door, never to return in any time ahead—never again. I remember relating the entire scene to some sort of a customary incident which would time and again remind everyone involved that life wasn't as monotonic as one feared it would. I remember Szayel rearing up ahead of us to stalk his mother's heels, silently, grimly, desolately, only to stop upon learning she had retreated deeper than where his voice could reach her— or anyone's for that matter. I was thinking, she could've stayed an hour longer, in which case she would grant an hour in her children's lives devoid of the knowledge that she would die- an hour of better times.

Halibel Aizen's body was never recovered. When the news was received, I was in the forest with Ulquiorra, who had been ignoring his thirst for a week. He said, or hinted, his appetite had dwindled to such a point where none of the other creatures, including me, could push it back to recovery. With that, I decided to play the role of a good counselor you'd never wanna miss out on, especially when you're in a pinch. Among many things I could observe, he was very hungry. And more than that, his appearance spoke so loud of it, so much that his pupils were growing redder, much redder in contrast with how I remembered them. Finally, as the word 'simple' was not to be a part of the equation, we heard a snap from behind. Without raising any hostile thoughts, the silent intruder piled out to approach Ulquiorra.

"Come with me, child, for something grave has fallen." Someone said, hinting on something horrid. His tone alone could've done the job, and further adding to the moroseness of the situation was his expression.

"And who might you be?" Ulquiorra asked.

"They call me Jyuushiro Ukitake in this land. Come, young one."

The name hardly suited him, frankly. I was expecting something which sounded very Latin or Greek, but since he made it clear it was only some sort of a screen name his case was made clearer somehow.

"I've heard that name before. They call you 'White King of the West'. To what do I owe the honor of having someone like you seek me?" Ulquiorra inquired.

"A message of great importance, I daresay. Now if you please…"

"Say it now, mighty one, and prolong this no longer."

I stood where I was, not knowing whether to turn away or nose around. The creature-for if he was human then my name wasn't Kurosaki Ichigo- started to peruse Ulquiorra, who was beginning to show a losing struggle against his thirst, what with his veins becoming more visible on his temples and neck as he moved. Nevertheless, Jyuushiro Ukitake, whose face seemed to me inhumanly beautiful, spoke,

"Halibel Aizen is dead."

It sounded like a profanation of a name one couldn't have written down in connection with anything as human as death. Perversely, the mutual unpleasantness dawned on Ulquiorra without as much as a twitch on his brow, his emotions not betraying him by so much as a blink, as if this was something he had expected to hear long before now.

"And what of her remains?"

"She was torn to shreds along with five other dampeals and vampires. We cremated her, and her ashes arrived at your doorstep early this morning."

"Is that all?"

"No, I'm afraid. Moving on, from here your brother, the strong one, shall take over what your parents left behind, which is the same as saying many responsibilities are to be delegated to him and to his lot. You know too well where this leads us; we need your power."

I found that scarcely a minute passed by without my heart skipping a beat, and, aside from that, nothing was clearly going well. I could hear Ulquiorra's teeth making strange sounds, apparently calling for blood.

"Don't flatter yourself that your formidability's worth any price you choose to ask, White King. Are we just pawns to you? Do you think tragedy exists to flavor lives? My parents are dead, sir, and you know why." Ulquiorra was hissing the words.

Jyuushiro, whose views seemed to be most unwelcome at this time, grew grim.

"I do not deny my lot holds the greater part of the blame. Yes, your parents are dead because of us, and soon many others may follow them. For this exact same reason we have to prevent this evil from stretching. Will you come, Ulquiorra Scheiffer?"

His voice rang calm, so unlike the restless swaying of the forest elements around us, yet somehow there appeared to be nothing more urgent than what he was asking for.

"I cannot leave as of now, but as sure as the rivers reach the sea, my powers are yours."

"I am indebted to you, and so are my people."

With a courteous, royal nod the White King disappeared into the gloom, taking away the chilly wind with him. When I turned to Ulquiorra he was stooping low like a wounded soldier, as if his back was paining him.

He was snickering.

"To be frank, I missed the funny part. What's the matter, Ulquiorra?"

"Did you see that, Kurosaki? How he was talking like he could just walk in on us and act as though he meant the best for everyone? The bastard has got to be insane." He continued to laugh with a sort of mirth Judas could be proud of. On top of that, it was anything but sincere. But he had just received the news saying he had officially become an orphan, which was something to lose your head about, if only for a few minutes. I didn't know what to say to him nor did I bother to determine what I should do. Instead I stood there watching him, pity simmering beneath me.

"Maybe you should take a drink."

"Yes, maybe I should, but, really, why would a damn Vampire be deserving of the leadership of the greatest coven in the world? And to think he has Dampeals for henchmen, he must be the slickest bastard out there."

That explained why Jyuushiro Ukitake, in our first meeting, looked less of a human as Ulquiorra. Amidst all this, nothing explained why Ulquiorra was behaving like he never had. It was without a doubt a grave ending for his parents, and yet he couldn't stop laughing.

"Ulquiorra-"

"-no, wait for it, Kurosaki. Don't you think it's strange, that there's quite a number of Halflings out there? I'll tell you what I think; he manufactures them. Bastards like him prowl in the dark, waiting for pregnant women, to contaminate the children in their-"

"-enough, dammit. What the hell is wrong with you?"

At that time I sure had complete immunity against darkness and whatever supernatural things it brings with it. Despite that, I couldn't help feeling the chill running through me.

"Can I get a taste of you?"

"…"

"Will you let me, Kurosaki? I can endure this no longer than I should keep laughing."

"…"

"Just to end this torment, can I drink from you?"

"If this is a joke, I ain't laughing."

In fact I fancied the news of his mother's death funnier than this.

"If you let me, we would never be sundered. Your blood would stay with me, in my veins."

"I can tell you're hungry, but, damn, go get your teeth set on a damn squirrel or something."

"Listen, I'm done for. This strolling in solitude with you is over. Watching you sleep every night has come to an end. If this is to be the last we would see of each other, I'd like to take a part of you with me."

Watching me sleep is something I've always known he does consistently. But when I heard it straight from his mouth it seemed so long ago to matter, like I was facing something so ultimate that nothing else around us should count as anything of value. Furthermore, I knew that the discomfort coursing through me was not from the forest chill.

"So it ends like this, doesn't it? It's as easy as asking me to think your existence was never brought to my attention. I thought I'd receive some shit better than this." I said.

It looked to me as though he was lined with pain in every square inch of his body, which was precisely what I was feeling.

"Let me drink from you. If you let me, we'll find each other no matter where we roam afterwards. It's possible, if you wait for me."

"How?"

"I'm not making you one of us, but if your blood is in mine we'll never part. We must never be apart."

He sounded strange, far away, and frenzied. I couldn't entirely agree with what he was implying, much less with what he was proposing, considering all the absurdities it came along with. But I didn't want him to go, so the only option I had was to believe him. Aside from that, I wasn't sure what I was feeling. And subsequently I couldn't clarify what was only a feeling. All I knew was, I perhaps wouldn't wanna live if he'd be gone for the remainder of my life.

"Yes, Ulquiorra, we must never be apart, so I'll wait for you, but don't be too late… at least be in time for my funeral."

He scurried beside me, so fast I didn't have time to catch my breath, and with enough gracefulness to suggest I was fragile he kissed me on the neck. His breath was cold.

"Don't talk of funerals now. I won't be too late; I'll follow you anywhere you go."

"Keep your promise, bastard."

My throat was tightening so fast I was scared I wouldn't accomplish real words in the seconds to follow.

"I'll come back for you, even from death. Do you love me, Kurosaki?"

"…"

"Alright, you don't have to answer that."

"I-I do… always have, maybe."

"That's good enough for me."

He sank his fangs in my neck, sending a sensation so hard to describe and much harder to define. I thought a pain like that could wake bodies from the dead. In the succeeding seconds I was sure quite an amount of blood was being hauled off my veins one after the other. Amidst the horror, complacency never left me, because Ulquiorra Scheiffer wouldn't do anything to hurt me.

...

When I woke up I was in my bed. I must have passed out before Ulquiorra finished drinking from me. I stared out the window to find the sun shining brighter than it ever did, and with that I knew that Ulquiorra had left to pursue his doom- whether to return or not, I wouldn't have the scantest means of knowing.

TBC