Author's Note: I'm really sorry I've taken so long to update. I've gone through a bout of uninspired procrastination. Im truly working on that issue, hopefully, I can get through it. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter, and thank you to everyone who reads, it means a lot to me.
Side Note: I'm also going through my other chapters to fix minor issues, like grammar, spelling, and little inconstancies that kinda mess with the continuity of the story. You don't have to go back and reread them.
A flash of blue sparks zapped through the air, barely grazing the brawny arm of Ulquiorra's target. His brow furrowed, frustrated with his lack of skill while using one of the more basic Kido spells. Then again, what more could he expect from a simple—and tedious—morning session of training that amounted to him hanging a lightly singed clock back on his wall. He assumed that since the Arrancar is far larger, it would have made his inaccurate aim matter less. His fist tightened around the fabric in his pocket, annoyed that he couldn't simply destroy the pest with a Cero or Bala as it'd be more efficient.
The Arrancar swatted the orange-haired Soul Reaper away as if he were an insect before peering behind him to the now blazing tree. "Huh? How did…" his dark eyes rested on the Espada as he rubbed the minor, red burn on his arm. "Another Soul Reaper? When'd you even get here?" he questioned, finally turning his whole body towards Ulquiorra. "No matter, I'll just kill you too—"
Blood spurted from the Arrancar's arm. "The hell you will! Your fight is with me, Hollow!" Ichigo shouted, flash stepping between Ulquiorra and the Arrancar, his zanpakuto at the ready. He quickly glanced behind him, taking in the presence of Ulquiorra in the black robe. His baffled eyes blinked as he turned back to his opponent. Ichigo's confusion confirmed his belief that he couldn't detect minuscule amounts of spiritual pressure. Ulquiorra suppressed most of his, but enough remained to where Ichigo should have felt it. He is certain the Quincy did, considering his brief interrogation with him at the café.
"Oh, is that so," the Arrancar smirked as he cracked his fingers. "Don't call me Hollow then. My name is Adan Esteban, normally I kill my prey too fast, so I don't get to introduce myself. You're the first in a long time."
Ulquiorra listened as Ichigo pointlessly introduced himself before glancing back at him for a second time. "I have questions for you, but I'll ask later. Just stay a distance away, so you're not in the crossfire," Ichigo warned before charging at Adan, who quickly blocked his incoming attack with his arm. How long will this last? Ulquiorra pondered regarding the violent fluctuation of Ichigo's spiritual pressure as he fought. At this rate, he'll tire himself out and lose.
Ichigo jumped over the Arrancar, managing to crack part of his mask with a swift blow from his sword. However, he didn't notice the fist that came from the right and smashed into his ribcage. His body rolled to a stop a few feet from Ulquiorra, blood seeping from his mouth.
The boy sat up shakily, attempting to get back to his feet. "Is that really all you got, kid? You had more spunk to you when you first popped up," Adan taunted before flying over to the wounded boy, his fist at the ready.
In a blur, Ulquiorra drew Murciélago, effectively blocking the Arrancar's attack. "Huh? This ain't your fight! Back off, Soul Reaper—"
Ulquiorra pressed his finger against Adan's chest, murmuring, "Hadō number four, Byakurai." The blue bolt shot clean through the Arrancar, leaving behind a small, smoking hole in his right pectoral. He screamed, staggering several paces backward.
Ulquiorra kicked through the chipping mask, shattering it. At least in close quarters, aiming isn't quite as important when using this Kido spell. He glanced back at Ichigo, who hunched over his zanpakuto, breathing heavily. Surely this isn't the extent of his capabilities; otherwise, Aizen wouldn't be interested in him at all.
"Why you, bastard!" Ulquiorra braced himself for a second attack as the Arrancar climbed to his feet, wiping away the blood that dripped down his now exposed forehead. "I'll show you what happens when people mess with my fights!" His large foot smashed the dirt, creating a dusty wave through the ground, rushing towards Ulquiorra.
The Espada jumped to the side, effectively dodging the attack. However, just before he landed, the Arrancar released a massive breath far stronger than any of the other ones prior, shooting Ulquiorra through the air in a disorienting spin.
His body crashed through the glass window of a building, skidding to a stop atop the window's shattered fragments, several slicing deep into his face and arms. Ulquiorra stood up, wiping his cheek free of blood, only for it to quickly be replaced with more. This body is so fragile compared to his normal one. An attack of this caliber wouldn't have phased him in the slightest if he wasn't trapped in this faux body. It is shameful having obtained wounds to such a degree from a mere Números being that he is an Espada. The grip on his sword tightened as his frustration grew. He blinked, and in an instant, he used his speed to reach the Arrancar.
Ulquiorra noticed that Adan's focus turned back to Ichigo, who parried his attacks. He must have forgotten about him, a fatal mistake on Adan's part.
The fourth appeared at the Arrancar's side, and with a single swipe of his zanpakuto, the entire length of his left arm fell to the ground, twitching as blood spewed from it. "What the—AHHHH!" he screamed, clutching his gushing wound with his hand.
Ulquiorra went in for the kill; however, a powerful charge of energy from the boy encased the area. He stopped briefly, noticing Ichigo raising his sword, shouting, "Getsuga Tenshou!"
With ease, Ulquiorra sonidoed to a safe distance, narrowly avoiding the massive crescent of black and red spirit energy that crashed down on the Arrancar. He blinked, processing the technique the boy just demonstrated. It reminded him of the Cero Oscuras he can use in his released form. Perhaps he wishes to gain more power by incorporating Hollow techniques, though he doubts Ichigo has ever seen this skill performed. Therefore, the boy's attack wouldn't be based on a Hollow. This requires further investigation.
Ulquiorra peered at the boy as the dust cloud obstructing him dissipated. He'd fallen to his knees, holding onto his sword just to keep himself upright. He radiated exhaustion as he took deep yet labored breaths. It's as if that single attack drained nearly all his remaining energy. Ulquiorra gripped his sword, feeling the boy's spiritual pressure become darker and more violent, slowly consuming him. What the hell is going on?
Before his thoughts could wander any further, a gurgled gasp and the crunch of dirt alerted him. Ulquiorra stood with his sword raised, preparing for whatever trick the Arrancar may use. As he crawled up from the crater, a pained gasp echoed through the air. "You, you bastard! I can still defeat you before I die!" he gurgled, spitting blood from his mouth, and rose to his knee, eye level with Ulquiorra. He lifted his arm palm out as specs of red energy circled around his hand. "C-cer—AHH!"
Without hesitation, Ulquiorra severed Adan's hand, causing the cero to wither and die. "Before I end your miserable existence, you will tell me why you are here," he stated calmly, walking just arm's length away.
Adan spits at Ulquiorra's feet. "Like hell, I'm gonna tell some good-for-nothing Soul Reaper anything."
Disgusting. Ulquiorra rose the tip of his blade to the Arrancar's neck, forcing him to meet his eyes. "I will not ask again," the Espada threatened.
"Oh, screw you, you self-righteous…wait…" his eyes slowly widened, and he gasped in fear, throwing himself backward. "I-I…you… you're…" he shivered as tears ran down his face. He rolled onto his belly, poorly attempting to escape by inching away. How pathetic. "No! I'm…I'm sorry…."
All Números know who the current Espada are, so Ulquiorra isn't surprised that he eventually recognized him, even disguised as a Soul Reaper. He glanced at Ichigo, noticing that he finally regained some control of his spiritual pressure. If Adan says anything regarding his place in Aizen's army, his entire mission will be compromised, especially with his main target being so close. He raised his sword again, aiming to slice through and end him.
CLANG
A girl in a white dress and black sash parried him. Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes the slightest amount when he met her familiar venomous red ones. His initial intuition was correct; she is the one trying to sabotage his mission.
"Master Celosia—"
"Oh, Adan, you look like you've had a real run for your money today," she teased, pushing Ulquiorra backward with her strength. He took a step back before she thrust forwards, shoving him a fair distance away. That successful action alone will give her an unneeded boost to her pride. "Really? You lost both of your arms? That's just pathetic, and here I am, graciously coming to save your hide because you didn't want to listen to Lord Aizen's orders." She shook her head, sheathing her daggers as she helped her counterpart to his feet.
"Actually, I still have most of this one," he commented and waved the bloody stub in front of her. And he is proud of that? Trash. Ulquiorra's stance relaxed slightly as Celosia coddled the quivering Arrancar, seemingly paying no mind to him. What is her ploy? Ulquiorra refused to believe that Celosia's subordinate came here, to The World of The Living, without any form of influence from her. She constantly boasts that her Fracciónes are the most obedient and well-behaved, to the point that they remained loyal to her even after her fall. Therefore, this act of disobedience from someone who serves her is out of character and suspicious.
"Ulquiorra!" He turned his stone gaze towards Ichigo, who darted to him. "Did you…did you finish—" his eyes widened when he first saw Celosia tending to the deathly wounded Arrancar. "What? Dammit! Where'd she come from?" He widened his stance, pointing his zanpakuto in her direction.
"Such a pointless question," Ulquiorra commented. "Are you visually impaired to the point you cannot see the hole in her chest?" He ignored Ichigo's glare, noting how the boy wheezed between each of his breaths. He's barely standing at this point; if he continues about, he'll faint. Perhaps that'd be a blessing. He wouldn't have to answer any more stupid questions.
The boy narrowed his eyes at him before glancing back at Celosia, who wrapped bandages around the gaping wounds on the other Arrancar, shushing him as he cried in pain. Pathetic. "Who are you?!"
She turned towards Ichigo and smiled. "Oh, you're the one whose spiritual pressure's been going nuts," she remarked, placing the last bandage on Adan's arm, and walked over to him. "I'm Celosia Sola. It's a pleasure to meet you," she greeted cheerfully.
Ichigo stared at her, his mouth agape. "You're a hollow!?"
She laughed, stepping into his personal space with her hands clasped behind her back. "Yep, and you're a Soul Reaper, right?" Ichigo's face turned red as he took several steps away from her.
Ichigo somewhat composed himself, pointing his sword at the smiling girl. "What are you doing here?" he demanded.
"Oh, you look about as frightening as a cornered kitten," she cooed, pushing Ichigo's Zanpakuto downwards towards the ground. "I'm here to save my friend from certain death. I mean, wouldn't you do the same if one of your friends wandered into something stupid and dangerous?" She asked, taking a step forward.
"Since when do Hollows care about other Hollows? Or anything?" Celosia frowned, shaking her head as she turned back towards the wounded Arrancar. "Hey! Where do you think you're going?" Ichigo shouted.
Ulquiorra stared at the boy. What is he doing? Provoking a battle with her is absurd. It would be nigh impossible to miss the spiritual pressure she produced. What point is he trying to prove? Ulquiorra's Posture stiffened fully alert, waiting for something to happen as he stared between Ichigo and Celosia.
"I have to go back home. I'm not here to start a fight like my counterpart did. It would be against Lord Aizen's specific orders."
"Aizen? You work for Aizen?" the boy asked. Another obvious question. Had he not considered that Aizen would have procured other allies aside from the two Soul Reaper captains he brought with him?
She nodded her head. "I do, and according to his orders, me and my trouble-making friend need to leave. For whatever reason—" she rolled her eyes, briefly glancing to Ulquiorra— "he's restricted travel to The World of The Living until further notice," she finished, tapping around the space next to her.
"Like hell you are!" Ichigo shouted as he lunged at her just before she entered the Garganta.
Foolish boy, the Espada regarded as Celosia caught his wrist, twisting it awkwardly. "Sorry, I don't have time to play with you right now, Soul Reaper. Now—" she kicked Ichigo a fair distance away— "just stay put, right there. You'll get your fight in the future, don't you worry."
A pained groan sounded in the distance as the boy stood back to his feet. Ichigo's persistence is annoying. Doesn't he understand that he is weaker than she is? She could easily kill him if she wanted to. Ulquiorra peered at Celosia, managing to catch her eyes that narrowed in response.
Ichigo charged again.
He does not learn from past failures. Ulquiorra reluctantly grabbed the back of the impulsive Soul Reaper's shihakusho, keeping him from attacking Celosia.
"Huh?" Ichigo peered back at him, his brow scrunched together as he attempted to pry off Ulquiorra's hand. "What are you doing? She's gonna escape!" He growled, frantically yanking in several directions, trying to free himself.
The Espada closed his eyes, his grip never faltering. Part of his mission entailed keeping Ichigo alive—for the time being at least—and he will do just that regardless of his protests.
"Looks like your entourage approaches," she said, placing her hand on her hip.
Ulquiorra regarded the spiritual pressures of Ichigo's friends encroaching upon them, followed by several panicked cries from Orihime. Mostly centered around both his and Ichigo's wellbeing.
"Don't worry, you'll see me again, Soul Reaper," Celosia smiled after she collected Adan's severed arm and hand. Then with a wave, she stepped through the black portal, quickly followed by the wounded Arrancar.
The portal disappeared, and the Espada's hand dropped from Ichigo's collar, finding its way back into his pocket. The Soul Reaper is lucky she did not oblige his request in a fight, for death would have been the inevitable outcome. Ulquiorra clenched his hidden fist, knowing that in his current pathetic form, he'd have little control had she decided to indulge him.
"WHY'D YOU—" Ichigo spun to face him, grabbing the front of his shihakusho— "LET THEM GO?! THEY ARE WITH AIZEN!" Ulquiorra ignored the gasps and questions from the boy's comrades, watching Ichigo's temper rise instead. "Now, since we didn't defeat them here, they'll only get stronger and pose a bigger threat later on—you don't even know the situation, do you? Or about—"
"I am aware of the war between Aizen and the Soul Society," Ulquiorra muttered, his cold eyes never moving. "You are obviously inapt at gauging an opponent's strength." He grabbed the boy's wrist. Ichigo winced as Ulquiorra's iron-like grip constricted, trying to prove his point. "Had you engaged with the Hollow, you would be dead now, especially in your current condition." He pushed away his arm before his hand slithered back to its home.
Ichigo's face darkened, his eyes moving to a spot on a nearby tree. "I would have won, no matter what," he declared as he rubbed his wrist.
Ulquiorra exhaled softly. The first Arrancar was nothing more than trash compared to Celosia, and Ichigo was unsuccessful in slaying him. How could he expect to win against someone far superior to him? His apparent delusions are illogical and unattainable…at least currently. Perhaps the future of this boy is what Aizen is truly interested in. He shows potential growth and could, in turn, be useful in the end. "Enlighten me, Ichigo Kurosaki," Ulquiorra began as the boy regarded him with a glare. "How would you have won when all odds are against you? When the opponent clearly surpasses you in all forms, how are you to succeed?"
"I can't back down just because someone is stronger than me or because the situation looks bad—" Ichigo sheathed his zanpakuto— "I have people to fight for, to protect." He glanced towards the group of three standing several feet away as if to make his statement more powerful. "So, no matter how outmatched I may be, I will fight, and I will always find a way to win."
Ulquiorra failed to understand why he seemed to care more about protecting his friends rather than preserving his own life. It's incomprehensible. His wondering eyes turned to Chad, Uryu, and Orihime, searching for some form of clarification, but none was there. What point is there in protecting weaker beings in the first place? The strong consume the weak. That is as true here, in the Living World, as it is in Hueco Mundo.
He peered back at Ichigo as he put away Murciélago, the boy's eyes filled with determination. "Such a naive and unrealistic notion you believe in. Regardless of your determination or the power of your will, there'll always be someone you cannot defeat or an outcome you cannot control."
Ichigo snorted, crossing his arms over his chest as a familiar golden dome encased him. "Huh? Oh, thanks, Orihime."
The woman's cheeks turned a light shade of red as she smiled, averting her eyes away from the Soul Reaper. "You're welcome."
Ulquiorra watched as Ichigo's bloodied scrapes and torn clothing mended together as if nothing had happened at all. Her powers continued to intrigue him even though he's watched them twice now. It is incredible that a human possesses such extraordinary abilities, but what he doesn't understand is how she gained them in the first place. He blinked, recalling the soothing warmth she left behind on him. Is that what all beings feel when she heals them? Perhaps he'll inquire more later.
The golden dome disappeared as Ichigo stretched his arms and legs, his body fully restored. The woman met Ulquiorra's eyes, and with a timid smile, she spoke, "I can heal your injuries too…well, you know that already." She rubbed her head, taking several steps towards him.
"I do not require your patronage, woman." She stopped in her tracks, staring at him with a baffled expression. Yes, her powers are convenient and would ease the annoying wounds on his body. However, he refused to be reliant on this human every time he was injured.
"Oh, I don't mind, really—"
"You are by no means obliged to heal my wounds," the fourth stated flatly, leaving no room for negotiation or objection from the woman. She nodded her head as her fingers wove through the lock of hair that fell over her shoulder.
"You might want to take her up on her offer," the Quincy commented, stepping forth. "You look pretty banged up yourself."
Ulquiorra stared at him. As remarkable as her abilities are, help from a human is beneath him. She'd already used her powers once for his benefit and helped him locate his residence. He'd rather the woman simply fuss over her friends and leave him be. "No."
"Have it your way then." The Quincy shrugged. "Anyhow, the question of the hour is what kind of Hollow those two were. I have never felt spiritual pressure like theirs before, and the one from that girl especially was immense. Good thing he—" Uryu shot a quick look Ulquiorra's direction— "stopped you from fighting with her. It wouldn't have been a pleasant outcome."
"Wha—Who's side are you on, Uryu?! You make it sound like my chances of winning were absolute zero!" Ichigo complained, walking towards his friend.
"Exactly," Uryu retorted, glaring at the Soul Reaper as he approached.
Ulquiorra closed his eyes. How much of this childish bickering will this mission entail? It obviously isn't resolving any issues with the current situation, so why bother arguing? He should be used to this, considering most Arrancar don't get along with each other in the first place. Grimmjow is the first to surface in his mind, considering that he is one of the primary instigators. On several occasions, Aizen sent him to break up physical altercations between Grimmjow and someone else because they threatened the structural integrity of Las Noches.
"We don't know what would have happened because the fight never took place," the woman said as she clutched her hands together. Her words seem to soothe the pair to an extent but didn't stop the subtle glares they gave to each other when she turned her back. "Uryu did bring up a good point, though. We don't know what type of Hollow they are; I think we should go see Mr. Urahara and tell him about them. I'm sure he'll help us," Orihime explained before looking at the Espada and gasping.
"Orihime, what's wrong?" Chad questioned, finally speaking up.
"Ulquiorra's never met Mr. Urahara." He knew he'd encounter the creator of the Hogyoku eventually, suppose now would be as good a time as any other. However, knowing what he does about Kisuke Urahara, he must be cautious around him and avoid saying or doing anything that may trigger any suspicion. In truth, his mere presence might be enough to cause said suspicion. "He's really nice and helped us get to the Soul Society to save our friend Rukia," she began. Oh no. "We had to go through the Dangai. It's really scary and dark inside. And then this giant uh…purple monster-thing with a big light on its face came out of nowhere and chased us." She briefly ran in place before pointing to the Quincy. "Oh, and Uryu almost got sucked up and eaten by it because of his cape! I was so worried about him, but Chad—"
"Orihime!" The Quincy exclaimed, his face turning a light red, followed by several poorly controlled laughs from the orange-haired boy next to him. Even Chad made a few subdued sounds. "You don't need to tell him all of that!"
She turned her attention to her friend. "Oh, sorry! You must have been kinda embarrassed because Chad had to carry you out after he saved you from being eaten alive." She made strange groaning noises and stretched her arms out in front of her towards Uryu…walking in place?
"We were chased by an overfed street-sweeper, not zombies," Ichigo stated, grinning at Orihime. The fourth blinked. She is certainly an oddity. Even her friends seemed to not understand her sometimes when she fell into a state of unending prattle. Or they do and choose to simply accept her strange mannerisms. "We should get our bodies and head to Urahara's shop." Ulquiorra agreed, hoping the soul in his body hadn't done anything too outrageous since he'd been away from him.
The walk was quick as the small group—apart from Ulquiorra—talked about different theories revolving around the Arrancar encounter. Most of them were plausible. For instance, when Uryu offered that Aizen somehow harnessed power and created them to defeat the Soul Society. That in itself is correct. He is mildly impressed by the Quincy's intuition and problem-solving skills used to create his theory so quickly. They asked the fourth a few questions, most he didn't feel the need to answer, or simply said something vague so they'd return to their chatter and leave him alone.
Ulquiorra found his gigai standing near a bench, scratching his head sheepishly as he stared at a small mob of humans gathered around it. "Hey, you—" Ichigo pointed at the soul in Ulquiorra's body— "where's my body?"
The soul visibly jumped before looking at the Soul Reaper. "I tried to get rid of them, but I think I made the matter worse," he admitted, finally noticing Ulquiorra and gave him a wave as a coy smile crept on his face. What nonsensical situation did he create?
"What problems have you caused?" Ulquiorra questioned monotonously as Ichigo tried shoving his way through the crowd.
"They all—they all kept poking and kicking him with their feet, so I moved Ichigo's body to the bench, and," he peered away nervously as the Espada motioned for him to continue. "I found a piece of paper and borrowed a pen from a passerby and wrote, Inebriated, will attack if disturbed, and pinned it to him." The soul twiddled his thumbs, unable to hold eye contact with the Espada at all. "Then the white flashes came! Followed by moms telling their kids not to be like this bum on the—"
"You made a sign telling the world I was drunk!" Ichigo howled from the bench. "AND THEY TOOK PICTURES TOO!"
Screams echoed through the area, and the small crowd around the boy vanished in a multitude of directions. Sure enough, the sign remained stuck on his chest, and that wasn't the only thing. His cheeks and nose were poorly scribbled red too. So, this is what his soul is like when unsupervised. Annoying. "You drew on him also?" Ulquiorra blinked, staring back at the soul who quivered under his gaze.
"I had to—I had to make it look authentic right…heh heh—"
"WHAT?!" Ichigo shouted, running to the closest reflective surface, his anger only increasing the second he saw his reflection. "Why you!" Ichigo grabbed the collar of the soul's shirt, making him cower even more so.
"Ichigo, do not inflict damage on my body," Ulquiorra interrupted.
"Thank you for protecting me."
The fourth's eyes locked onto his gigai's, watching as fear washed over his body. "Is that what you think I'm doing? Protecting you?" The soul's eyes widened in fear, and the cowardly smile he dawned vanished in seconds. "No, I simply do not wish to deal with the consequences of your actions. If you were in another body, I wouldn't interfere."
"Another body, you say," the orange-haired boy repeated with a menacing grin and released the soul from his grip. "Wait here one second, I'll be right back," he commanded, quickly darting into a nearby shop after he tore the paper from his chest.
Ulquiorra disregarded his statement as he slipped back into his body with ease before placing the bead back where it belonged. At least it isn't as uncomfortable as the first time he put it on, yet the fourth doubted that he'd ever be completely used to the gigai and its irritating limitations.
The dull, annoying pain from his wounds surfaced as he situated himself, followed by the bruises, cuts, and scrapes appearing along his arms and face. He sighed, wishing he still had access to his high-speed regeneration as he stared at his mangled arms.
"You know I still don't mind healing you," the woman stated.
Ulquiorra slipped his hands back in his pockets, turning to her. "No."
Her smile lessened slightly. "Alright, but if you change your mind, let me know." She stepped back into a more neutral position where she could see everyone better. Why does she care so much about the state of his being? He is barely more than a stranger to her. Any injuries he obtains shouldn't be her concern. "I know Ichigo's really mad about everything right now, but he looked so funny with the pen marks all over his face," Orihime commented aloud, stifling a few giggles with her hand.
"He should be used to the humiliation by now. Rukia's drawn on his face on multiple occasions, and every time he deserved it." Uryu folded his arms over his chest. "Maybe now he'll bring Kon along more often; that way, things like this don't happen anymore—"
"As if!" Everyone turned to look at the orange-haired boy running towards them. "That fuzzball wrecks my body every time I do use him! I rather use my combat pass." Ichigo stopped just a few feet from Ulquiorra. He panted briefly, holding a small object in one hand. "Ulquiorra," he started, "can I have your Gikongan?" The boy outstretched his hand to him, waiting.
Ulquiorra pulled it back out, holding the pill between his fingers, unsure what the boy would do with it. It's the only way he's able to leave his gigai; without it, he'd be trapped as a human individual. Curiosity getting the better of him, he dropped the pill in Ichigo's open hand, watching him closely.
"Alright, here we go," he said, smirking maniacally as he placed the pill in the small plush toy's mouth, vanishing completely.
A few seconds passed, and the toy gasped to life. Ulquiorra blinked. How interesting. He was unaware that artificial souls could be placed in inanimate objects such as children's toys. "Huh?" the soul blinked, staring up at Ichigo. "How did you get so big?" he asked.
Ichigo grinned, dropping him on the ground with a soft squeak. "AHHH!" the soul screamed as Ichigo's shoe smashed his cylindrical body, cursing at him in a variety of ways. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Why was he given such a miserable excuse of a soul? He'd been told that this soul would mimic his behavior so nothing would go awry when he is out of his gigai. He seemed to do just that the first couple of times. However, Ulquiorra had always been near to watch him.
"Ichigo?" the dark-skinned boy started quietly.
"Yeah, Chad?" Ichigo smushed the toy again, earning another pathetic sob.
"You should probably stop."
"Why? He deserves it—" he froze mid-stomp, looking around to see many sets of strangers' eyes staring at him. He turned red—matching the scribbles still on his face—stomping on the toy one final time before facing away from the intruding eyes.
Ulquiorra kneeled and picked the smashed black and white toy up by its orange webbed foot. "I was never aware of this phenomenon." The toy spun in his hand, incoherently sobbing. Perhaps he was programmed like this to mock his usual appearance. "Enough," the Espada commanded, standing back up as the toy grew silent.
"Ooh, let me see, let me see!" The woman begged, quickly taking the toy from Ulquiorra without giving him a chance to answer. "What a cute little penguin you are, aren't you!" she cooed as she crushed the toy in her chest, swaying back and forth rhythmically. Its round arms flailed in panic the harder she squeezed, muffling his frightened cries in the process. "Ulquiorra!" her brown eyes locked with his as she bounded in front of him. "Can I please carry him to Mr. Urahara's?"
Ulquiorra stared at her, confused as to why she shows so much interest in a small children's toy. Is this another one of this girl's oddities? He glanced between the three males noting that Uryu and Chad held little interest, if any at all, and Ichigo only wanted it to exact a form of revenge. Perhaps the fondness of plush toys is linked explicitly to female humans. "Do as you wish, but do not lose it," he murmured quietly, watching as her smile broadened considerably.
"I won't, thank you!" she nuzzled the toy to her cheek, completely enthralled by it. "Okay, let's go to Mr. Urahara's shop," she declared, wandering off in a random direction, singing about sweets and the donut pastries she enjoys as she inadvertently choked Ulquiorra's artificial soul.
"Umm, Orihime," Uryu said, effectively gaining her attention.
"Yes, Uryu?" she answered happily.
The Quincy pointed in the opposite direction she strolled in. "His shop is this way."
The woman's face reddened. "Oh yeah, I forgot that I'm not by my house." She quickly turned on her heel running to catch up with the rest of them. "Now, let's go."
Ulquiorra watched her momentarily as she fell in step with him behind her three other counterparts. With such threat looming over her world, how is she able to simply smile as she does? He doesn't understand how such a trivial thing like letting her hold the toy contented her. Humans are much more complex than he first believed, and he intends to unravel the mystery that lies tangled around them.
Author's Note: I hope you liked it. I'm still not the greatest with fights, but eventually, I'll get there. Have a great day/night!