Ulquiorra gave a soft 'tsk' with a quick flick of his tongue. It had been almost two weeks since Kagome's run-in with Nnorita. He had taken a few minutes to go and have a very 'polite' and informed conversation with the Fifth Espada. It was done in one of the open common spaces with Zommari and Szayelaporro. So his message had been delivered to them as well.
Of course, Gin bore witness and reported to Lord Aizen. That had been a dressing down, as well as a spoken warning. He did encourage competition, if not discord, between the Espada. And Ulquiorra knew he had failed when Kagome had been assaulted. He hadn't done that much damage A hole in the wall, a few cracks in the floor from exerting just his reishi. On top of all the furniture being destroyed from slamming Norita through each piece, he could see.
Ulquiorra turned his gaze towards his room's other occupant. She had been withdrawn, cautious to the point of paranoia. He had been content, even amused at first. But now it was annoying since she jumped at a moving shadow. Something had to change, and he would make that happen today.
"Kagome."
Ulquiorra watched as she stiffened and spun to face him. Her eyes were wide as she gave a half-hearted smile. He wouldn't admit it, but that smile bothered him deeply. When her head tilted to the side in silent question, Ulquiorra stood and walked out of the room. He didn't look back, knowing his ward was following him. He had a goal today and a change of scenery for his Fraccion.
Frowning as the sun beat down on him and his Fraccion. Ulquiorra felt as if he had hit a wall. He knew he could push further than the release of Murcielago. Some time ago, he'd discovered a larger well of power hidden deep inside of him. After a lot of self-training and battling against the other, Espada to maintain his rank had helped open the path to the well of power. Yet Ulquiorra couldn't seem to access it for some reason. It was just out of reach, as if on the other side of an invisible wall.
Leaning back against the dead tree, Ulquiorra let himself get lost in his thoughts. Or at least he did until a small hand was placed on his arm. Blinking slowly, Ulquiorra looked down at his Fraccion. The intent stare she was giving him was as if she was assessing him? Her lips pulled into a frown.
"What?" He asked blithely, knowing she probably had something to say, so he waited.
Soon enough, his patience was rewarded when Kagome pulled out her pad of paper and pencil. He watched as Kagome wrote quickly, pausing every so often to decide on her word choice. When Kagome finished, she thrust the pad of paper at him. Ulquiorra stared blankly at her as he took it and read it.
'You look angry. You are training. I can tell there is a power you're trying to access. May I try to help you? No, I want to help you! Please, let me be useful; I have talent.'
A large part of him felt a little skeptical. But yet Ulquiorra had a feeling that Kagome wasn't leading him on. And he knew there was something about her if Lord Aizen was interested in her. The mystery surrounding his little Fraccion was annoying and intriguing at the same time. And he logically couldn't find a reason to doubt her. More so if he got to learn more about Kagome.
"Kagome," He said. Slowly enunciating each syllable of her name, making sure he had her undivided attention. "You have no reiatsu or reishi. No special skills or abilities that I have seen or heard about. In fact, your hollow hole, if I were to look right now, isn't there. So, if I allow you to do what you are offering, will you trade me honest answers to a few of my questions about you?"
He easily noted the minute changes in Kagomes breathing. How Kagome's eyes fluttered slightly as her pupil contracted and dilated under his stare. When she sucked her bottom lip between her teeth and started to nibble on it, Ulquiorra reached out adn flicked her left cheek sharply. Yet a part of him already knew her answer as Kagome hissed, raising her hand to cover the now red spot on her face as she glared at him. After a few minutes of self-soothing, she picked up the pad of paper and pencil and began to write again.
He didn't have to wait long this time, as she knew exactly what she wanted to say.
'Yes! That is a fair trade, Ulquiorra. You deserve to know a bit of my truth.'
00000
Ulquiorra felt foolish as he sat cross-legged and topless, hand resting on his knees. His thumb and middle finger are touching lightly. Though his eyes were closed, he heard Kagome rip sheets of paper from her pad as the fishy, coppery tang of blood hung in the air. It had been a bit odd what she had told him to do while she picked up five medium-sized rocks and placed them in a circle around him, before feeling shocked as she bit her thumb hard and drew blood, before drawing a symbol followed by a word on each rock.
Ulquiorra had read the Kanji before having Kagome huff at him for not disrobing and sitting as he was now. His mind couldn't understand why she had used her blood to write: Wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. Along with their corresponding color: Green, red, yellow, gray, and black.
Still, he had made a deal with Fraccion for answers. Ulquiorra began to slow, deep breathing for meditation as the sounds of ripping paper stopped, allowing his mind to empty and his body to relax. Well, except for the image Kagome had suggested he focus on after she had asked him a series of pointed questions. That she grasped how he viewed his reiatsu and the wall between them so easily was uncomfortable.
When his nose twitched as it smelt that fishy, coppery tang of blood in the air, he knew Kagome had bitten herself again. But for this time, Ulquiorra couldn't tell due to not opening his eyes due to meditating. After a few seconds, he stiffened when something wet was stuck to his back between his shoulder blades after a few seconds. This happened four more times, creating a small, tight circle on his back using what Ulquiorra presumed was the paper from her notepad. It took a lot of self-control not to pull away as he felt Kagome trace lines between the pieces of paper in the shape of a star.
Each line seemed to feel as if it was burned into his flesh. He recalled Kagome explaining that this was a possible outcome. Ulquiorra placed his mental hand on the now visible and glowing pentacle on the wall separating him from his power. Keeping his breathing as even as possible, bracing himself for more pain when Kagome's small hand was laid flat in the middle of the back and strips of paper. It hit him hard and fast. A small, cold trickle is how it started, burning like the lines she traced, as power seeped into him where her hand was pressed. It was similar to reiatsu, yet it was vastly different. There was no way but to describe it as pure.
Ulquiorra felt his instinct start blaring in warning. This power was a threat, and through sheer force of will, Ulquiorra pushed it down. Soon his mental hand began to glow green-black with his reishi, mixed with the silver-lilac. It was an odd combination that was at odds and yet worked well together.
Though it wasn't much power, Ulquiorra knew it was immense as cracks began to spread out from where his hand was placed across the wall. The sharp gasp he heard from Kagome let him know she was startled, yet she didn't break her focus or stop feeding this strange power of her's into him.
As the cracks spread further, Ulquiorra began to exert more of his reiatsu, forcing the two powers to blend further. It was a small rush accompanied by pain that made him feel like he was burning from the inside out. Deciding to add that pain to his reiatsu, he watched as the cracks deepened before the wall shattered under his hand. He faintly heard a sharp, slightly strangled cry as his body felt like it was being torn apart by the power he just acquired. And the last time Ulquiorra felt this level of pain was when he evolved from hollow to Espada.
00000
After the burst of power resulting from the breakthrough, Ulquiorra looked around himself when he came to. The rocks that had been placed were charred and noticeably smaller. He was now standing in a small crater. Slowly Ulquiorra lifted his hand as his tail swished and snapped around his legs while his new wings flexed against his back. The air smelt of raw power, burnt paper, flesh, and blood.
Pausing, Uliquorra felt his eyes go wide at the dark fur-like hair on his arms. His mind chose that moment to catch up, and he looked down at his new appendage, a tail. Lifting his hand to touch his face, he once more was in a daze as he didn't feel the part of his hollow mask on his head. No, instead, horns were protruding from his shaggy hair. Quickly Uliquorra shifted his body (faster than he intended) and scanned the ground. His eyes took in the fact his feet were similar to a bird's claws and covered in that black fur-like hair.
Giving a short shake of his head, Ulquiorra continued to scan the ground until he spotted Kagome. She was lying on her side a few feet from him. Her clothes and flesh were burned badly as blood flowed from her nose and mouth. Feeling something foreign, Ulquiorra started to kneel, only to have his vision blur as the world tilted. His body felt drained from the breakthrough, leaving him in a weakened state. Yet the explosion of power would have gotten Lord Aizen's attention, so he hoped Gin or Kaname would soon come to investigate instead of one of the Espada. Because he knew he wouldn't be able to defend both himself and Kagome.
TBC!
