Thank you for the reviews! Special for Eternal Love's Eclipse, thanks a lot for the correction. Since English isn't my native language, it can't be helped (and forgive my stubbornness for not getting any beta for my stories… -_-). I want to finish this story first, and then I will continue the others. Right now, I'm under pressure to get a job…haha…
Sorry for the long, long delay of posting this story (and the others as well). Honestly, I just think that I've become lazy, sloppy or something…somehow I lost my passion for BLEACH after chapter 423 or so—it was so anticlimactic! Dang…
And the new chapters and characters…I think they suck. I mean; there are humans with powers now (aside from Orihime, Chad, and Uryuu, of course)? Really…Tite Kubo has lost his taste and just followed the flow. Sorry for the ranting…no offense though.
Sigh…on to the story…*exhausted*
#37: Finalé – Part 2 – Reunion
One hallway… an intersection… two hallways…
He could feel the other man's reiatsu—though faintly.
Ichigo's eyes narrowed. Ulquiorra was always good at obscuring his reiatsu. But now, as they often sparred against each other in many, many practice sessions in the academy's background, Ichigo had become quite adept in sensing his reiatsu and his only.
Ulquiorra… no, Uriya's reiatsu.
Slowing his dashing in the middle of the umpteenth intersection he had ever reached, Ichigo tried to focus more at the most sought after, yet quite faint aura. Dimly, he sensed other reiatsus as well—the ones that he was also kind of familiar, somehow…
His heels made a screeching sound on the pristine white marble floor as Ichigo abruptly halted in his shock. He couldn't help but gape as he finally registered the familiar presences nearby Ulquiorra's faint one. They were of Koheita and the others…
"…Shit…What the hell are they doing in this place?"
He moves towards me, Ulquiorra silently mused. As if he comes after sensing my presence…doesn't him?
He glanced at the group nearby. Somehow, they seemed to know that person and were glad that he was coming here. They were busy chattering and cheering by now; as they merrily waited for their rescuer to come fetch them. Ulquiorra almost snorted. Pathetic…
"…This Kurosaki," he muttered, gaining attention towards his person as Kanzaki and the others stopped dead in their chattering and eventually looked at him; fear latched within their eyes. Though there was something other than just fear it made Ulquiorra wonder…
He coldly banished the thought.
"…Is he your acquaintance?"
Kanzaki couldn't help but shoot back. "Don't you remember? Uriya-san, Ichigo-sama is—was your roommate at the academy back then. He is your friend! Our friend! Just like you are…"
Ulquiorra felt that nagging feeling again. He frowned ever so slightly, somehow annoyed by the feeling. "…Nonsense. I am an arrancar, Aizen-sama's Fourth Espada, Ulquiorra Schiffer. I don't have any…friend, roommate, or something trashy like that. Nor do I have any other name than this name, this…Ulquiorra Schiffer."
Kanzaki and the others stared at the emerald eyed man in utter shock.
"N—no, you can't be forgetting all of those! I mean, we are sure that you are our friend, Shizu Uriya! You're supposed to be a plus, a soul like us and you come to the academy with us and Kurosaki Ichigo-sama! You can't forget that important fact! You shouldn't!" Koheita yelled at him, bewildered. Ulquiorra, however, didn't even flinch as his face remained impassive.
"…Trash. I've said I don't even have any scrap of those…memories, because it is not mine. Nor I'm the person you've mentioned before…that…Shizu Uriya." Ulquiorra paused. "I am not him. That person either doesn't exist or is dead by now."
"NO! You must be him! Aizen Sousuke recently made an appearance at our academy and abducted you!" This little bit of information made Ulquiorra's eyes slightly widen in shock—though he didn't make any other significant reaction. Masamura, however, continued his rattling.
"Your appearances are all the same! Those green eyes, pale skin, raven hair…you are just like him! No, you are him—!" Masamura's panicked shout was cut by the Quatro's cold inquiry.
"…Impudent." He muttered coldly as he flared his reiatsu a little. Kanzaki, Koheita, and the group gasped as they were oppressed by a suddenly heavy reiatsu, suffocating them. "…I am not the person you regard me. Trashes like you…just die already."
"Stop. Ulquiorra."
Blinking, Ulquiorra didn't even seem surprised as he turned around and regarded the newcomer. Indeed, it was that person—whose reiatsu as significant as a shinigami taichou could be. Ulquiorra knew that one of the five new intruders was a taichou, regarding his reiatsu—but the taichou's reiatsu itself was somehow obscured by this man's own reiatsu. This Kurosaki Ichigo's reiatsu.
"…Kurosaki Ichigo-sama…" The group's slow murmurs betrayed their relief.
Ichigo could feel his temple's veins twitch in annoyance. Somehow enraged, he stomped his way towards the group and Ulquiorra—though he purposefully ignored the latter. As he menacingly stood before the stunned group, Ichigo glared at them and began his tirade.
"You…what the hell are you doing here?"
Kanzaki and the others visibly flinched at the orange head's harsh yells. Cowering, they frightfully looked at the said man only to lower their sight again from the furious glower straightly directed at them.
"Um, Kurosaki-sama, we were kind of, well, brought here…" Masamura stuttered. The others nodded. "In curt statement, we were abducted."
Ichigo, still scowling viciously, blinked. "What the hell do you mean by that? Don't tell me that this…" he glanced at Ulquiorra before looked fully back at the cowering group, "…Espada here was the one who did it."
Kanzaki and Koheita comically shook their heads.
"Some…female human-shaped hollows did it."
"Arrancars, Kanzaki. They are called arrancars."
"Oh…right. Arrancars, yes."
Ichigo sighed heavily. "This is really annoying." Waving the mumbles of 'sorry' from the pathetic group away, the substitute shinigami continued dismissively, "In this case, you should stand away and keep yourself safe. I don't want all of you get hurt due to my upcoming battle."
Kanzaki and the others were startled. The puppy eyed man let his eyes wander to the stoic, silent Espada standing not far away from them; before settled back to the carrot top. "Ichigo-sama, you—you will fight him…?"
Ichigo turned around and looked at the Espada. His amber eyes almost immediately sobered as his mood became somber. For some moment, he didn't retort Kanzaki's inquiry.
When he finally replied, his words came out in mere wistful whisper, "…Yeah. I will fight him." Even if I don't want to…
"Kurosaki Ichigo-sama…"
"Just stay behind." Stay safe.
Ichigo kept his eyes at the emerald eyed Espada before him, silently analyzing him. Still the same old Ulquiorra, huh? Those deadpan green eyes, straight posture, unexpressive visage…yet, this was the same soul as the man whom Shizu Uriya was. Ichigo suddenly felt an urge to chuckle mirthlessly at the irony of this occurrence. What a twisted fate…
"Yo."
Ulquiorra's eyes narrowed. "…You are…"
"Kurosaki Ichigo, at your service." Ichigo paused, before smirked as he cast his eyes downward. His vibrant bangs obscured his eyes. "…I can't believe I will say things like that…it's more like something Renji would say in this kind of situation. Or maybe Ishida…"
"…You know who I am…" It wasn't a question. Ichigo's smirk faded as his scowl was back.
"…Yeah."
"…We never met before…"
"…" They were silent as they glared at each other. Kanzaki and the others gulped when they felt the tension around the two increased tenfold.
Ulquiorra's eyes narrowed. "…Intruder like you must die…Aizen-sama's order—"
"Aizen's bullshit!" Ichigo snapped hotly. The group slightly jumped in shock, staring wide-eye at the enraged man. Ulquiorra blinked. "I won't buy your craps anymore, Ulquiorra—no…Uriya…"
There were simultaneous gasps coming from the group behind Ulquiorra. The aforementioned person, however, ignored them as he kept his eyes on the orange haired young man.
"…What…did you call me with…?"
"Uriya. Shizu Uriya. Because that is your current name…Ulquiorra." Ichigo grinned.
Pointing at the stoic Espada, he stated confidently, "And I come here to take you back with me…along with this bunch of hoots."
"….Nonsense." Ulquiorra grunted. This was becoming more and more confusing than before. How come that intruder—that Kurosaki Ichigo, that—that …trash said that they had met before? That his current name was Shizu Uriya? And how come he didn't even remember a slightest part of those memories? How come he didn't remember everything before he became Espada?
"No 'nonsense', Ulquiorra." Ichigo replied, his voice solemn. "…I see that Aizen's simply playing with your mind. Well, he has that kind of power, though."
"…You imply that Aizen-sama manipulated my memory? How utterly foolish…"
"I'm not implying, I'm stating the truth, goddammit!" Ichigo snapped hotly as he stomped forward, narrowing the gap between them. "The truth is…we have met before. Three years ago, remember? You, as yourself right now, Ulquiorra Schiffer, the Quatro Espada, kidnapped one of my friends from Karakura Town, Inoue Orihime. Do you remember Inoue?"
Ulquiorra was silent. The name somehow struck a spark of reminiscence to him, but he couldn't pull it together what. The Quatro frowned as he kept his eyes on the insolent orange haired young man babbling before him.
"You were Inoue's keeper, her caretaker as long as she was kept within this godforsaken white fortress. You were Aizen's loyal lapdog…carrying his every order almost without fail." Ichigo's voice trailed off as he looked at Ulquiorra. Amber eyes met green ones.
"…The only failure you had when carrying Aizen's order…it was when you were ordered to keep an eye to this fortress and kill every intruder—to kill me. You failed to do so. I was the one who killed you instead…" Ulquiorra's eyes widen in shock.
Kanzaki and the others stared at both Ichigo and Ulquiorra in turns. They were confused, but somehow they managed to keep silent.
"…I…unintentionally killed you, Ulquiorra. In the end, you just…shattered. You turned into ash after you stretched your hand towards Inoue…asking about something…"
…No…stop…
"You asked her…"
Stop…
"...something about the heart."
...No...
"… you asked her whether she was afraid of you or not."
Are you afraid of me, woman?
"Don't tell me that you've forgotten those words too, Ulquiorra."
…No…I'm not afraid…
…I see…
No! Ulquiorra felt a bitter pang within his chest, something he was thoroughly bewildered at. He didn't feel sadness, did he? He couldn't feel; he was a hollow. But what was this bitter emotion? What was this memory?
…He could still feel the slight warmth on his cold, numb fingers as the woman's fingers touched his eventually shattered ones. He could still see her saddened eyes, those big, teary silver eyes. Her sadness…was pointed at him. She was sad for him, for his death. She didn't even hate him after all that had happened until that fateful day, even though she had every right to hate him. But she didn't. Yes, the woman was that kind of soul, innocent, gentle, kind…she let her heart lead her way. Thing that he didn't understand, the concept he didn't fully grasp within his normally logical, rational mind. He just couldn't.
What is heart?
Where can I find this heart?
If I crack your skull open, will I find this heart?
If I tear your chest apart, will I find this heart?
What is heart?
Where is this heart exactly?
Tell me…about this heart…
Tell me…
What is heart?
Ichigo observed as Ulquiorra's green eyes became wide in shock. He wondered if the other man had eventually remembered everything. Probably not, not right away. Aizen's mind influence, not to mention Hougyoku's power in manipulating things, was almost absolute. He, on the other hand, could only resort of this way.
He was desperate, he knew that. He didn't want to fight Uriya—no, Ulquiorra again. He didn't want to replay those horrible scenes…he became a hollowfied monster and tore open Ulquiorra's chest and limbs. He even went as far as almost impaled Ishida right there and then. Oh, yes, he had come to term with his hollow, thanks to the special training from Reina-san…but still…who knew? He just didn't want to replay those terrifying scenes once more…
He didn't want ended by killing Ulquiorra once more…