RONIN

"You're kidding!" Nelliel gaped, standing with Furrion on a rooftop near Karakura Highschool.

The pale-haired Arrancar shook his head, "Nay. When I overheard Szayel and Nnoitra, I knew that no other Arrancar was safe. Every Espada ranked higher than him that wasn't a Vasto Lorde was at risk of being targeted. When my turn came, he made this excuse...that if he could beat an Espada ranked higher than himself, they didn't deserve to be Espada at all."

"He used to say the same about other sorts of people." Nelliel said, clasping her arms over her chest, "But he never quite grasped the idea that practically poisoning his enemies wasn't the same as defeating them. Attacking Pesche and Dondochakka was, for me, that very poison. Ripping their masks off sent me into a rage where I couldn't focus...and he didn't waste any time posturing."

"With me, he just made sure I couldn't get to my zanpakuto." Furrion noted, "He had Tesla go into the weaponry and take it while I was in the palace."

"Aizen's attempt at making everyone be so formal never made sense to me."

"It worked out later on, but only after we were allowed to keep our swords in our personal chambers. But, that was long after Nnoitra had effectively exiled me from the ranks of the Espada." Furrion recalled the day bitterly, "It took Nnoitra going into his released state to finally finish me. If not for retaining some of my regenerative abilities upon becoming an Arrancar, I would have certainly died. It was years before I finally got my zanpakuto back...by then, the other Espada had already become so powerful, it was pointless to try and retake my rank. I accepted my place as a Numeros and became a watcher. But I saw Nnoitra's final fate. His corpse, and Grimmjow, were taken to Soul Society in the end."

Nelliel's eyes twitched at the mention of the Sexta's name, "Grimmjow..."

"Nell-sama." Furrion started, changing the subject suddenly. The green-haired Arrancar lifted her head, and looked in the direction being pointed out by her comrade. Beyond them, and staring straight back, was a figure in ninja-like garb. "I think Soul Society is stalking us."

"Shall we?"

"Let's."

. . .

The Onmitsukidou ninja was quick and elusive. Furrion slashed with both axes, never landing a single blow. The slender female figure was masterful at eluding even the double-team as Nelliel joined the fray.

Furrion got a lucky break and managed to catch the ninja's foot between the lower spokes on his axe, bringing them together to lock her limb in place. Nelliel was quick to get her arms behind her back and twist them so she would be off balance.

"I'd ask why you were spying on us, but I doubt that's a question that would garner an unexpected answer." Nelliel started, "So I'll simply tell you this... Tell your masters that the Arrancar in this realm aren't here to perpetuate the war."

"But at the same time," Furrion continued, suddenly breaking the ninja's ankle between his blades, something his cohort frowned at, "We are not going to let Soul Society give us grief. Be and let be. Do not meddle in our affairs."

He suddenly felled the woman from his grasp, and the two Arrancar stood intimidating until the smoke bomb was dropped and the figure disappeared. Nelliel looked at the man next to her and sighed, "Was breaking her ankle really necessary?"

"How many times have we let our enemies get off scott free, only to have them immediately turn on us?" Furrion countered, "Treat every one of them as though they play dirty like Nnoitra. Expect every one of them to let you walk past, only to stab you in the back while you're turned away."

"Not everyone is like him."

"No, but I'm tired of being the one whose blood that has to be spilt in the process of finding out. Let someone else shed a tear for once." Furrion replaced the axes on his hips, "Come on, then. We should report to Ulquiorra-sama."

. . .

Leaning against one of the walls at the entrance of the school, Ulquiorra waited patiently for the bell to release the students within. Within moments of it ringing, his attention was grabbed by the classic sounds of two Sonido just behind the wall. Knowing only a tiny handful of students were spiritually aware, Ulquiorra didn't look back to the pair as he spoke.

"Something must have happened if you would present yourselves here."

"Yessir." Furrion answered, "We encountered an Onmitsukidou agent spying on us. No doubt, Soul Society is keeping an eye on us."

"It's to be expected. The war is fresh in everyone's mind." Ulquiorra whispered, students starting to move past him, "What did you do with this agent?"

"We warned her not to interfere and sent her on her way." Nelliel answered, "Killing her would have sent the wrong message."

"Agreed." The dark-haired Espada answered, "See if any of the others have reports of anything similar. The Onmitsukidou aren't known for being caught. This might have been on purpose, to let us know the Gotei 13 are still breathing down our necks."

"Should we double up the perimeter?" Nelliel asked.

"No, not yet." Ulquiorra answered quickly, raising his hand to signal to Orihime where he was as she came out of the school with the usual gaggle of friends, "This is something of a game. If we exert too much force here in a small amount of time, Soul Society may think we're up to something. I want to know what they're up to first. I'm still getting information about who defeated whom...but I've heard that the leader of the Onmitsukidou lost an arm while fighting Barragan. It's possible that she alone is behind this observation. She is cool and cunning, but far too easily flustered over key topics. Spying on we Arrancar might be her way of piecing back together her pride."

"And if all of Soul Society is involved?"

"Then we'll deal with it. For now, just do as I already said. See if anyone else has run into these spies." Ulquiorra finalized, right as Orihime was in earshot.

When she finally arrived and lunged at her partner, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, the two other Arrancar were already gone. Ishida and Sado came up a moment later, and the group left the school grounds, Orihime suggesting they all go get iced cream.

"Is that normal? She's human." Furrion asked, watching them go. The two were now standing in the sky, watching.

Nelliel shrugged, "Think of it as though Ulquiorra-sama has taken the girl as his fraccion. The other two don't mean anything to him. They are something like ox-peckers...present but unaccounted for in his mind."

"I see." Furrion hummed, "He certainly is affectionate with her."

"Hallibel-sama valued the lives of her subordinates over her own. I care about mine like family. Ulquiorra-sama is just another one of that sort that sees his fraccion more like a companion than not. Didn't you have one once?"

"Yes." Furrion muttered, looking rather dour suddenly, "Szayel and Tesla killed him."