Chapter 28... I think you know I don't own Bleach.
Yawn.
Open eyes.
Look at surroundings.
Those were the first three things Katsue did when she woke up. She looked around her room. Not noticing her own displacement at first.
"Weird. I don't remember even lying down to fall asleep." She muttered as she looked at herself in the mirror. Her clothes were wrinkled and her hair was a mess. It seems she hadn't even changed her clothes or brushed her hair, two things in her before-bed nightly ritual.
She changed into crisp clothes and brushed through her hair. The girl felt especially rested for some reason. Usually she slept better after a story. Like a child.
'A story...' Katsue thought idley. The words were wringing something familier in her mind. But she couldn't place her finger on it. She shrugged it off, telling herself it was only morning and er mind wouldn't be working that great for the next few minutes.
The pale girl strode into the hallway, each joint making a cracking sound as she moved them. She even placed her hands on her lower back and leaned back. That created the loudest crack yet.
"Jeez. You must of slept curled up in a ball if your bones are cracking like that." Harribel chuckled. Katsue smiled at the other girl who walked by.
Katsue then looked out the window. Sand doing a delicate dance as it flew through the wind.
"The sand!" Katsue slapped her forehead. "The story! The dark! The hollow! Ulquiorra! I am SO slow!"
"I think we all know that." Nnoitra scowled as he came from the opposite direction of Harribel. His sword placed over his shoulder, like he was going somewhere.
"Where are you going?" Katsue asked curiously, disreguarding what he said.
"On a mission. Because a man is much more important on a mission because we can stay fo-" He started ranting.
"Where's the mission?" She cut him off. She only heard the words 'On a mission'.
Surprisingly, Nnoitra decided to answer, despite the fact she interupted him. "None of your business." Maybe it wasn't a great answer though.
Katsue frowned. "Well... I hope you suck at what you're 'sposed to do."
Nnoitra's head almost exploded. It was the simplicity and childish demeanor of the insult that nearly decapitated him. It was such a lame comeback! But so effective on bothering someone.
"Well I... I hope you suck at what you're doing!" He yelled back at the girl, who had started walking away. Katsue turned around, walking backwards, and raised an eyebrow.
"I'm doing nothing. Therefore you imply that you hope I suck at nothing. So thank you." She said and turned back around. Nnoitra just glared at the retreating figure, muttered some nasty words, and opened a garganta.
"Well that was out of character." A voice said from in front of Katsue. Katsue, who had been watching her feet, looked up. A small expression of surprise on her face.
"Ulquiorra!" Katsue gasped in surprise. A light blush floated over her cheeks and she pursed her lips. The boy just raised an eyebrow, so she took a deep breath. "Umm... do you remember last night?"
"Yes." He said flatly. But he looked down, and Katsue could have sworn she saw him blushing. But he looked up quickly with a stern look on his face. "And we will not speak of it to anyone. Katsue had assumed he'd say something like that, and she thought she wouldn't mind, but she did. The hostility in his voice sent a small arrow of hurt through the girl's heart.
Yet Katsue smiled and rubbed the back of her head. "Yeah! Of course. I'd expect nothing else."
"Good." Ulquiorra muttered, surprised that the girl didn't ask any questions like she usually did. He couldn't help but spare a glance at her, glad she was looking somewhere else, he studied her features. And it seemed as if he noticed more than he ever had before.
Ulquiorra saw that the girl's skin couldn't be compared to cold ivory, but more like smooth buttermilk. And saying her her hair was ash black would be an insult, it was more like the shadows of soft feathers. And her eyes, the white iris wasn't the same white as the cornea it was a bit darker, like the first cumulus cloud after a rainstorm with silver rays of sunlight.
As he saw her eyes coming back, he looked away again, not to alert her of his staring. He could of sworn he felt a swift thumping in his chest for a moment. A quick pounding. But he dismissed it and said "By the way. Aizen wants to see us all now."
"Oh. Okay." Katsue said awkwardly. "Do you mind if I walk with you or would you rather I not?"
"I... don't mind if you do." Ulquiorra answered. The response surprised them both for a moment, before Katsue trotted up to him and they began walking.
Without the other noticing, they would steal the occasianal glance at them. Both of them wondering what had aroused these new feelings. They both wondered where the emotions came from, but one knew what it was, while the other didn't.
Katsue slowly accepted the fact she was possibly starting to feel some affection for Ulquiorra, maybe she always had and just didn't notice. She just wondered if he felt it too.
But Ulquiorra stayed firm in his belief that there was no such thing as love. And that kept him close-minded to the fact that it was possible he may feel affection. He just wondered if she felt the same strange feeling he was.
As they made there way down the hall, a silence fell over them. And their own footsteps seemed to be the only sounds possible.
But, without realizing it, they had been walking closer to each other than either of them ever allowed someone to come. So close in fact, their hands brushed each other.
Both pairs of eyes darted to look at the other person's face to see if they had noticed. White and green eyes returned to the floor in embaressment. Even though only one of the Espada would show emotion, both felt the same.
But they had distanced themselves right after the contact between the two.
"You're both late." Barraggan yelled at them before they could even step in the room.
"My apologize Lord Aizen." Ulquiorra said at once, ignoring the viking like man, and bowing to the leader of the esteemed group. Though it was small at the moment, consisting of Aizen, Harribel, Baraggan, Starkk, and now the two Espada that entered late.
"It's okay. Just come on in." Aizen smiled.
"Where's Grimmjow?" Katsue asked a bit absent-mindedly.
"His arm is still healing, so he can't make it for a while." Aizen answered her. She nodded and sat down, looking around at the empty table.
"Well you should all know, the Espada in this very room, except for Grimmjow who is being healed, are the only Espada left." Aizen said calmly.
Katsue seemed to be the only one surprised. Starkk and Harribel had already known, Baraggan also knew and was angered obviously, and Ulquiorra didn't show any emotion. Since no one spoke, Aizen continued.
"So we are putting our plan into action now. This will be the last time we see Ichigo Kurosaki alive."
Whoo! Sorry about it being kind of short and fluffy. My friend was THREATENING TO KILL ME, if I didn't put it up tonight. So next chapter I will make up for it and make it super actiony! Later!
