"Run! Get out of here! Don't just stand there!" Fear and urgency filled shouting lips as gunshots blasted through the glass windows and into the dark room."No! I wanna stay by your side! I can't leave you!" The girl screams with tears running down her swollen face, holding onto his body-
"Everybody, wake up, out of bed now! Move it!"
The warden ordered.
Ulquiorra's sleepy eyes awoke from the same nightmare that haunted him every night after the fateful event that brought him here. The memories replayed in his mind like a broken record. He hated it. And while Ulquiorra could waste time thinking about the same nightmares he had, he chose not to. He needed to get out of bed anyway.
The sirens began to ring throughout the corridors made up of white cement walls and rusty bar cells. Little to no sunlight came through the area, making the space feel even smaller and almost dehumanizing. If there was one thing Ulquorria detested the most, it was hearing the god-awful voice of the warden Soi-Fon, as soon as his eyes opened. Ulquiorra rose from the uncomfortable bed as he stretched his sore arms.
His eyes fought the urge to fall right back to sleep. It was moments like this that served as a painful reminder of how badly he could not wait to be out of this hell hole. Even a peaceful morning Ulquiorra felt robbed of. He regretted taking something as small as a few more minutes of shut-eye for granted. Ulquiorra proceeded with removing his earplugs made from toilet paper- yes, toilet paper. The noises you would hear in prison during the night could only be described as unbearable. He then tossed the used tissue into the small tin trash can in the corner of the eight-by-ten cell. A small groan of discomfort escaped his lips. The brick he called a bed always left him with a sore back and aching muscles.
"Rise and shine!" Soi-Fon taunted the inmates as she walked past each of the cells. Members of the stealth force followed Soi-Fon as they made their routine rounds down the corridor. The stealth force is a group of highly trained officers given the task of guarding the bottom floor of the prison. The stealth force also had the job of following these specific inmates wherever they went. The criminals deemed the most dangerous occupied the bottom area, better known as the maggots nest. That was exactly what this place was... a complete maggots nest, a dreaded place filled with madmen, deranged killers, and vile beings. Not that he was any better than the rest of them, but even he had his limits.
Even with all the barbaric beings locked away here, the warden was the most ruthless one of all. She enjoyed intentionally tormenting the inmates who occupied the massive building.
"You will either wake up, or I will force you out of bed!" Soi-Fon demanded a snoring Grimmjow. That was another noise Ulquorria could not stand. Oh no, it was not her yelling. It was Grimmjow's erupting snores. The loud sound echoed from across the hall.
"How the hell can he sleep through sirens every morning?"
Ulquiorra thought to himself. It baffled him how Grimmjow could sleep through the sirens like it was nothing every morning.
Grimmjow let out a grumpy growl as he opened his still heavy eyelids.
"Is there a problem here?" Soi-Fon mocked as she watched Grimmjow get up from his bed.
Grimmjow said nothing. Instead, he looked away- Grimmjow never believed in laying a hand on a woman; The warden, however, she was his exception. Grimmjow despised the woman with every ounce of his being. Grimmjow ignored her stare, continuing to look at the ground.
"If you do not use your words, I will not hesitate to rip your vocal cords from inside of you." Soi-Fon spat. Her words were cruel and demanding.
As much as he struggled and held back the urge to lash out at the woman, Grimmjow knew the consequence of talking back to the warden.
"No." Grimmjow grumbled under his breath as he slowly got up from the cheap mattress, turning his back on her.
"Look at me when I'm speaking to you! Don't forget who your speaking to!" Soi-Fon ordered again.
Grimmjow used every ounce of restrain within his body not to spew profanities at the warden.
"No." Grimmjow answered under his breath, turning his body to face her.
Soi-Fon said nothing back. Instead, she gave him a disgusted glare. Then, she continued to make her way down the hallway to provide a friendly greeting to each inmate.
Ulquiorra ignored what was taking place a few cells down. He had his own tasks that needed to be done. He did not feel like getting scolded for not making his bed. Ulquiorra quickly made his bed. The only things on the bed were a worn-out pillow and a blanket that did not cover his entire body. Ulquiorra's sock-covered feet slid into the white slippers under his bed. He waited for his cell to be open so he could carry on with getting ready for another long day ahead of him.
"Gentlemen, please form a single file line. Hands behind your back!"
The warden commanded everyone as the cell doors began to open one by one. Each inmate stepped out of their cells one at a time. The inmates all ranged in different ages, some around Ulquiorra's age, some younger, and some older. Ulquiorra stood there for what felt centuries, fighting the urge to piss.
"Why the fuck do these men move so god-damn slow."
He cursed under his morning voice. Mornings like this, he really hated waiting. Then, finally, his cell door opened. Ulquiorra did the same thing he did every morning of being here. He got in line and waited for the other inmates to do the same.
" I don't fucking know why I'm not allowed to sleep an extra five minutes. I've been here long enough."
Grimmjow spat in a whisper from behind Ulquiorra. It was true. They'd already spent most of their adult life here. He, Ulquorria, and Szayelaporro were all trailed as adults. All of them would spend the first half of their adult lives stripped away of freedom and forced to live surrounded by brick walls and barbed-wire fences. We'll delve deeper into what brought them all here as our story continues.
"Be quiet, or else you'll get us in trouble."
Ulquiorra whispered. The sirens still blared across the halls waking each of the sleeping inmates.
"Good morning, boys!"
Szayelaporro spoke to his older and younger brother as he walked out of his cell and stood in line beside his youngest brother.
"Warden, you look ravishing. You should smile more!" Szayelaporro greeted sarcastically.
"Quit the ass-kissing, it didn't get you out of here the first time, and it won't this time." Soi-Fon spat, not making eye contact with him.
Szayelaporro only shrugged his arms in a pretend defeat. He knew he'd be out of here one day. He just had to play his cards right.
Soi-Fon and members of the stealth force finished gathering everybody from their cells. Finally, the metal door at the end of the hall opened. All the inmates began to do the routine walk to the bathroom. Naturally, majority of the line was still half asleep, resulting in the line moving slowly.
"C'mon, move it! Move!" One of the stealth force members besides Ulquiorra yelled. Ulquiorra, at this point, had grown used to the yells and screams of the staff. It had little to no effect on him. The line began to pick up its pace.
Ulquiorra stared blankly at the hall ahead of him. His feet dragged across the cement ground. Finally, the line came to a halt when everyone reached the men's bathroom. By this time, Ulquorria really needed to go. Ulquiorra walked into the steam-filled bathroom, looking for the first available stall. Finding one took a few seconds; however, it felt like a millennium for him. Nearly running into the stall, he swung the door behind him shut and locked it. Ulquiorra quickly pulled down his white sweatpants and relieved himself. His face soured in disgust at the sounds of heavy breathing and mumbled curse words in the stall next to him. It was Grimmjow jerking off.
"How vulgar."
Ulquiorra hissed under his breath. This was nothing new, unfortunately. To Ulquiorra's displeasure, hearing men release themself of sexual frustration was something very common and part of his day. He couldn't blame them though you have to do what you have to. He just wished his jackass of a brother and the other men did a better job at hiding it.
He pulled his black boxers and sweatpants back up and flushed. He made his way to the sink and began to wash his hands. With his hands still being wet, he grabbed the packaged toothbrush, Ulquorria opened it. He added some of the toothpaste and brushed his teeth.
The mirror was not an actual mirror. It was a piece of metal mound to the wall. He could barely see his reflection. He then rinsed the toothpaste from his mouth, and with that, Ulquiorra made his way to the showers.
He headed to the tall basket of clean towels. Ulquiorra grabbed the fuzzy towel and proceeded to the cleanest shower he could find. Ulquiorra reached into the shower and turned on the hot water. He stripped himself of his clothing and stepped into the white tile shower, pulling the shower curtain across the rail. The water was never hot, but the lukewarm water did a decent job at bringing some relief to his aching body. He let out a soft groan as the gentle pressure of the water hit his body. Ulquiorra began to wash his body with the 3-in-1 soap supplied in the showers. He proceeded with washing his hair. He stood there for a few minutes allowing the water and minty scent of the soap to wake him up. The warm water felt nice running down his body. Ulquiorra finished his shower. He grabbed the towel and wrapped it around his waist. The towel hung loosely around his waist, the muscle definition on his torso showed beautifully. Ulquiorra began to get dressed in his usual attire, an orange jumpsuit that was too big on him. He stepped into a clean pair of boxers and then the jumpsuit. He buttoned the jumpsuit almost all the way, leaving one button loose. Ulquiorra tossed his clothes from the night before into the laundry basket before heading back into the line that formed across the sinks.
"Alright! Time's up, everyone! Out the bathrooms now!"
A stealth force member ordered from the hallway.
"Fuck! I wasn't finished brushing my teeth!" Grimmjow mumbled in frustration, his mouth filled with foamy toothpaste. He quickly spat out the foam.
"Out now! Or else you will be dragged out by the neck!" Soi-Fon screamed from outside the bathroom.
"Perhaps, if you weren't toying with your dick for the 3 out of the 5 minutes you were given, you could have been done by now." Ulquiorra remarked as he walked past him.
"You fucking heard me, you sicko, you're fucked up for listening!" Grimmjow lashed out, trying to conceal his embarrassment as he made his way to the line, standing behind his older brother.
"Sadly, I did hear you. How bold of you to insinuate that I'd enjoy listening to you relieve yourself of your sexual frustration." Ulquiorra countered, rolling his eyes at his younger brother's remark.
"I did too!" Szayelaporro teased from a few spots in front of both of them.
"You both are fucking disgusting and weird!" Grimmjow protested, his cheeks now red.
"Says the one who openly jerks it in a prison bathroom." Ulquiorra countered as the line began to move.
"I couldn't hold it in! I've been hard for three fucking days!" Grimmjow argued. Some things would never change. Grimmjow would still be the whinny and easily angered little boy he was many years ago. Ulquiorra did what he always did in conversations like this. He ignored Grimmjows stupidity and walked with the moving line.
"Keep it moving, everyone! No talking! Back to the cells!" Soi-Fon directed as she led the line. No one answered back. It was too early, and it was not wise to talk back to the warden anyways.
Everyone walked out of the restrooms and back to the cells.
The sun still was not up, which meant breakfast was not being served yet.
Ulquiorra was good with the breakfast. He had worked in the kitchen long enough to know how grotesque most of the food was. He usually would live off the "vegetarian" breakfast options, the options being, on most days, just toast, sometimes if the chefs felt generous enough, a bowl of oatmeal. He would also buy different snacks from the canteen and conserve what he had.
Ulquiorra and the other inmates made their way back into their tiny cells. About an hour had passed the bright sun finally in the sky. Once again, the guards continued making their rounds and asking the inmates if they cared to join breakfast.
While Ulquorria did not intend to eat breakfast, he was in desperate need of a hot cup of coffee.
"Everyone who plans on joining for breakfast out of your cells and in line!"
Soi-Fon announced as the cell doors slid open again.
Once more, Ulquorria and the others joined the line. The metal door opened again, but this time on the opposite end of the room. The door opened to concrete stairs that led to the first floor of the compound. The lack of ac made the empty and dark room feel humid. The line finally finished going up the third flight of stairs.
The moving line paused as a stealth force member opened the door.
The group walked past another hallway filled with inmates who all joined the line. The quiet walk continued a few minutes more. Finally, the line came to one last stop before two big doors that led to the cafeteria opened. The closed-off room was filled with more stealth force members.
Not to mention, it was scorching in the room too. The guards who stood beside the line made their way to their assigned spots.
The line made its way to the serving tables. Ulquiorra grabbed one of the many stacked trays and walked along the moving line. As always, nothing looked very appetizing. Of course, he was not hungry this early anyways.
"This all looks like shit." Grimmjow hissed under his breath, his face souring at the cooks' options in the sliver-serving trays.
"For once, I find myself agreeing with you, Grimmjow." Ulquiorra remarked, eyeing the runny scrambled eggs and the almost raw strips of what looked to be bacon. The only promising option was the stale toasted bread.
The cooks plated the dishes sloppily. The eggs made a wet noise that only made Ulquiorra cringe in disgust. A familiar voice a few spots back grinned devilishly at the sound.
"That's what good pussy sounds like."
Nnoitra joked with a dirty grin. Being stuck around his idiotic brothers was terrible enough, but being stuck with this even bigger idiot was worst.
"How the fuck would it sound like that!?" Grimmjow answered in front of both of them as he and the others moved with the rest of the line.
"Now, that is just disgusting! I am afraid I've lost my appetite." Szayelaporro answered, pretending to gag.
"Language!" A stealth force member at the opposite end of the room warned. Nnoitra's facial expression only showed disinterest in what was said.
"Good morning, Nnoitra. I can see you are your usual perverted self."
Ulquiorra answered quietly with a sigh.
"I can see you are your usual stick-in-the-ass self." Nnoitra taunted, grabbing a carton of orange juice from the cooler.
"I am not sure which is worst. Being locked away and never seeing the light of day, or being locked away and never seeing the light of day with all three of you idiots."
Ulquiorra answered as he grabbed the hot styrofoam cup filled with just black coffee. Usually, that is how Ulquiorra drank his coffee anyways. Unfortunately, the coffee here tasted terrible. Sometimes, he missed going to his favorite coffee shop and ordering his favorite caffeinated beverage, an espresso nitro cold brew. Mornings like this, he could go for one. But, for now this bland and watery stuff would have to do.
The line broke up as everyone looked for seating. The cafeteria was packed with most of the inmates who occupied the massive prison. Finding seats was never easy it was reminiscent of Ulquiorras days in high school. Ulquiorra attempted to spilt up from the pestering group he somehow was in. Finally, just as he was about to sit at an empty table, the three followed. He gave an annoyed glare and let out a sigh as he sat down.
"Why can't the three of you leave me alone?" Ulquiorra asked bitterly, setting down his coffee and tray.
"Well, douchebag, there's nowhere else to sit, deal with it!" Grimmjow argued while he and the others sat down. Ulquiorra said nothing. Instead, he took a sip from his hot and watery coffee.
Grimmjow, Nnoitra, and Szayelaporro had their usual morning talks; their talks mainly consisted of how badly they hated being locked away. It also included things that most prison guys talked about, women (men in Szayelaporro's case), and what they wanted to do when getting out.
"It's been too long, being locked away here." Szayelaporro groaned, resting his elbow on the table.
"I cannot wait for ten years to be up." Szayelaporro exhaled as he fantasized about his freedom. It was crazy to him how an entire decade had already passed.
"You've got ten. I'm still waiting fifteen." Nnoitra added on, throwing his used napkin on the tray of barley-touch food.
Ulquiorra didn't care to be a part of whatever they talked about. He grew sick and tired of dreaming about getting released. Right now, being locked away was his reality. He did not want to waste time living for the future. He preferred to focus on what was in front of him.
"Your unusually quiet this morning, not that is anything new. But how come?" Szayelaporro asked, putting down his cup of now-cold tea.
"Because it is useless to keep pining about being released." Ulquiorra answered, finishing the last of his coffee.
The group stood silent for a bit until the ice was broken.
"So uh, did anyone receive letters back from that stupid pen-pal thing yet?" Nnoitra asked awkwardly, trying to break the ice.
"No, I didn't yet. And, I'm not sure why! Who wouldn't want to write to someone like me!" Szayelaporro cried out, Nnintora regretted asking the question.
"Tch, I got some, but nothing that great."
Grimmjow added, pushing the tray of untouched food away from him. Ulquiorra had forgotten about the pen-pal project the prisons psychiatrist Retsu Unohanna had given the members of the maggots nest. The intent of the project was to give prisoners the chance to communicate with people from the outside world in hopes it would have a positive influence on the inmates, mentally and emotionally. Ulquiorra thought it was ridiculous, but he took part in it in hopes it would add to his good behavior.
"Check this out." Nnoitra snickered, reaching into his pocket and grabbing a folded piece of what appeared to be paper. Szayelaporro's and Grimmjow's eyebrows raised in curiosity.
"WHAT!-" Grimmjow was cut off by Nnoitra, quickly shushing him.
Nnoitra lowered his hands, keeping them hidden from any of the guards. He unfolded the wrinkled paper under the table. It was a printed photo of a woman dressed in barely anything and posing seductively at the camera.
"How did you get this?" Grimmjow gasped quickly, snatching the photo from Nnoitra's grip.
"How I got this," Nnintora spoke as he grabbed the photo back.
"Me and this girl have been writing for a few weeks now. A few nice words and this bitch was stupid enough to send me this." Nnoitra boasted, wearing his usual grin.
"Good for you. Glad you're getting some, and I'm not." Grimmjow said with sarcasm.
"This letter thing is fucking amazing! Women are so fucking desperate and stupid!" Nnoitra finished handing the photo to Ulquiorra, who only looked away in disinterest.
Ulquiorra found it both immature and shameful how grown men still had the mindset of prepubescent boys. Ulquiorra was never the kind to only use a woman for personal advantages. Dating and relationships were something he never found genuine interest in. Ulquiorra did not need validation from another person.
"Don't you care to see?" Nnoitra asked Ulquiorra with a puzzled expression. Ulquiorra only shook his head.
"No, I do not. I am sure that the woman in that photo did not send this with the intent of it being shown to other men so carelessly."
Ulquiorra answered with his usual cold look. He never understood what grown men got out of using an innocent woman to fulfill their selfish sexual desires. For him, it was an embarrassment seeing how badly other men needed a woman to stroke their delicate egos.
Nnoitra only let out a cocky laugh.
"That's gotta be satire! When did you become such a fucking feminist, Ulquiorra?"
Nnoitra responded, giving Ulquiorra a look of disgust.
"The point is not becoming a feminist. I don't care to look at some random, nearly naked woman. That is all." Ulquiorra replied as he began to get up from the table with his tray in his hands. He did not care to argue his point. The last thing he needed was to make a scene.
"Eh, whatever." Nnoitra finished, rolling his eyes as he put the photo back in his pocket.
With breakfast over, it was time to head outside and work the grounds.
The half-a-mile walk from the main building to the back prison yard began. Ulquiorra was dreading spending another long day out in the heat.
With everyone finally outside, Ulquiorra headed to the shed to grab his tool of choice.
"Hmm, what to choose?" Szayelaporro said as he, Grimmjow, and Nnoitra snuck up from behind.
"Must the three of you always follow me wherever I go?" Ulquiorra asked, his tone filled with annoyance as he grabbed a rusty old rake from the shed.
"Relax! Who pissed in your coffee this morning!" Nnoitra mocked, using the handle of the hoe to poke his arm. Ulquiorra gave him a nasty look.
"C'mon boys! Let's get to work!" Szayelaporro announced with a sing-song voice as he rolled the wheelbarrow and headed towards the grounds.
"I cannot wait until I'm free and far away from all of you." Ulquiorra answered, giving in. He knew it would not be possible to get a few minutes away alone.
The long and tiresome day was slowly coming to an end. Finally, the scorching summer sun began its descent.
"That took forever. How is it so fucking hot still in the middle of February?" Grimmjow said to everyone as he made his way back to the shed.
"Perhaps, it is because we live closer to the equator? Did you bother paying attention in science class?" Ulquiorra mocked, wiping away the tiny droplets of sweat from his forehead.
"Fuck off, you smartass!" Grimmjow argued as he and the others put the used tools back in their designated spots.
Later on, the group was back in their cells. Ulquiorra zoned out the small talk was made between the other inmates in the attempt to fall back asleep. Ulquiorra was about to doze off until a stealth force member stood before his cell. Ulquiorra gave the masked man a confused glare.
"Ulquiorra Cifer, There is a letter addressed to you." He ordered from the other side of the metal bars. Ulquiorra was unsure who would write to him but did not give it much thought. Ulquiorra got up from his bed, making his way to the cell bars. A guard opened the cell door, Ulquiorra followed the guards as he was escorted to the prison's common area.
Upon entering the dimly lit and empty room, Ulquiorra sat at the nearest table. "You got 10 minutes." the guard ordered. He watched as another guard from the other end of the room brought him the sealed envelope.
He watched both masked men then exit the now locked room.
His eyes raised at the butterfly stamp. He assumed it could be someone much younger than him. Before he could toss the letter in the trash can beside him, the elegantly written words drawn in pink ink caught his eyes, the envelope read.
Orihime Inoue
111 Carnelian Lane
Aventurine, NY
22200
While Ulquiorra had exceptional penmanship, this was unlike anything he had seen before. There was no way someone young was able to write this finely. He decided to open the sealed letter. His fingers gently tore the paper. He pulled the neatly folded paper from inside.
His brows furrowed as he began to read.
"Hi! My name is Orihime Inoue. I'm a 24-year-old social media influencer. I'm a Virgo. My birthstone is a sapphire. I love astronomy too! I also love baking, animals, and I hope to adopt a puppy soon!"
Ulquiorra continued reading the short letter. Normally he found happy and go-lucky people insufferable. However, he could not identify exactly what gave him a sudden interest in the strange woman. While she appeared only to be an average and perhaps childish woman, something about that short but sweet paragraph made him want to know more about the mysterious girl.
I noticed you are into astronomy, just like me! May I ask, what got you into it? What is your favorite planet? And what is your favorite thing about space? What got me into astronomy was reading a book about it for a school project. I've fallen in love with it ever since!
My favorite thing about it is that there is still so much we have yet to discover. There's so much strange stuff up in the sky we have yet to see,
and I think that's super cool! My favorite planet... really it's a star, is the sun! It's also my favorite tarot card! Although, I'm not sure if you are into that sort of thing.
Anyways, it was nice getting to write to you! , Orihime
She had a similar passion for astronomy as he did. While she may come off to be a bit of a ditz, she seemed to have a genuine desire for learning more about the things she was passionate about. She was right. There was still so much that was not yet discovered. While Ulquiorra was unsure how to answer her questions, he knew he felt an unexplainable pull to this woman. Perhaps, it was just the lack of female interaction. He is locked away in an all-men's prison, after all. Whatever it may be, one thing was certain Ulquiorra wanted to learn more about her.
Ulquiorra reached for the sheet of paper given to him and the black ball-point pen. He took a moment to reflect on her questions. Then, he began to write, not knowing where this one sheet of paper would lead him.
