There was a refinement to the kind of cruelty Aizen imposed. Will alone made the Arrancar subservient, Rukia noted as many didn't glance again as Ulquiorra lead her down a specially built training area in his Palace.
She was reminded albeit briefly of the dark prison lacking light of Aaroniero's so-called palace; she shivered, attempting to present a determined face.
He caught it anyway. "Has your temperature fallen?"
She wondered how he had noticed. "No.." then after a long moment of gazing at his slender back, the flutter of the coattails a subtle elegance she found hard to withstand the appealing the picture he made, the emotion thickening her throat was humiliating.
"I'm fine." she replied, snappishly. She was touched secretly, if the word could be applied to any part of her-their situation. His few words had struck a chord in her, one she refused to show. "So, how much farther?" she jogged to keep up, cursing silently his longer stride and her short legs. The attire she had been given consisted of a plain sleeveless tunic that went down to her knees, a half-moon was cut above the small rise of her breasts. Black Hakama and sandals with black socks finished the look.
She despised it and everything it stood for. But, isn't that hypocrisy, dear? Questioned a snide voice deep inside. Rukia didn't like to listen to it, she had noticed its development sometime during her captivity; it always had a nasty habit of speaking up as it were, in times such as this. When they were alone together.
'Who says I'm a hypocrite?' she thought back with an inner sneer.
You are, replied the voice. I am me and you are me. If the white deadness of annihilation that is Aizen Sosuke's banner did not exist, then where would that leave...him?
She despised its simple logic. Glancing to the stony profile presented to her, a sudden new thought struck her. "What were you..." she realized somewhat too late, how it sounded. "Before." Rukia chose in a small voice, not missing the slight dip in his step and the glance from behind a dark curtain of emerald eyes.
He didn't answer, at least not right away.
"I mean-before this!" Rukia elaborated, trying to elicit even a simple answer from his tightly compressed lips. Ulquiorra had not spoken a single word to her since before leaving Szayel's lab, when he had first explained to her of the training exercises she was to undergo. Something had been off then, she had sensed it and the feeling had only intensified the further they descended into the bowels of Las Noches.
The silence at once profound after her last uttered sentence had died away, was broken again by his quiet voice.
"My existence prior to this is of no concern to yourself."
Rukia came to a dead stop. Planting her feet soundly down, she glowered heavily at his back. Watching him walk on several feet down the corridor. "Well?" she called loudly, placing her hands on her hips. "Aren't you going to force me to go with you?"
He hesitated momentarily; Rukia wished she could see his face as he spoke. "No. My word is not law. Either follow, Rukia Kuchiki, or you will be discarded like basura."
Her mouth opened and closed in outrage, "you-you! How dare-"
His steps preceded her broken sentence.
She couldn't believe it; he was walking away from her. Pride demanded she stay where she was, even attempt to get some sort of layout in case of escape suggested the rational part. But, something else, something quietly stronger forced her legs to move, made her catch up to him if only to see his glance to the side, her expression ingratiatingly sweet.
"You aren't going to get rid of me so easily." she affirmed with a smugness that barely seemed to affect him. Neither said anything more until the doors loomed ahead.
"Prepare yourself." He said quietly, never looking at her once. "I won't show mercy on you now."
Unsurprised Rukia smirked, staring openly at him. "Good. 'Cause I didn't expect you would."
...Seireitei...
Eyes.
Covert.
Toshiro never thought they would go this far- they, no, she. He deflected Kurosaki's wide strike, aiming low. The boy grunted with the tip of Hyorin-Maru just inches from piercing his torso. Amusement burned in the amber eyes as well as chagrin at defeat; Toshiro knew he shouldn't have been so surprised that the Shinigami sub had failed to notice the Shinobi.
They were well-trained after all to blend into the shadows..
"Another round, Toshiro?" Kurosaki asked, stepping back, setting the tip of his blade down into the stone of the training floor. Toshiro neatly slid his sword back into his scabbard, pretension affected in his casual manner.
"No. I think that's enough for now." He rarely smiled, but this time he did. Alone they were save for the tightened ring of Shinobi hovering at the edges, but the smile held some genuine warmth to it. "You've done well, I must say...I'm almost impressed with how you've handled learning our techniques and fighting styles."
Kurosaki grinned, compliments were rare from the frigid Tenth Captain. "Thanks...but, almost? What's that supposed to mean?"
He turned his back on the sub, "exactly how it sounds, Kurosaki. Or need I define the word for you?"
A good amount of genial spluttering followed, but it was out of habit than true annoyance. Toshiro listened for the sake of it as they walked across the deserted training grounds behind the Thirteenth Division. For once Ukitake hadn't ventured out, and Toshiro thought about sending a messenger around later on to inquire about the frail Captain's health.
"..Toshiro, didn't you hear what I just said?"
He shrugged, "no, not in particular."
"Why, you little-"
"Just calm down, Kurosaki. Up for an all-nighter of paperwork?"
The boy groaned, the shinobi crept farther into the shadows.
"Do I look like a busty blonde to you?"
"Thank the Gods no." Toshiro muttered tonelessly. His senses picked up a far tighter security line following them to Tenth's office. Did Kurosaki's friends Ishida and Yasutora have the same strictness imposed on them? It seemed likely that Soi Fong had spoken ill or Kurosaki had been less than careful though were he to gauge the sub's actions, Toshiro was more than willing to bet that Soi Fong's steel tongue had slipped suspicion into Genryusai's ear.
As Ichigo goodnaturedly complained all the way back; Toshiro barely listened, his thoughts on the more imposing task ahead. How to deflect Second Division's attentions when the time came?
...Las Noches...
Her back collided with the circular hardness of a column, one of many lining the room. Rukia gasped, the air knocked from her lungs, her body by instinct alone, curling in on itself as Ulquiorra launched a vicious offensive, a Balas blasting away cleanly the top half. Dust and stone chips pelted her, Rukia kicked off a sizable chunk, somersaulting across the tiled floor. Flipping her heels over her head, she skated back finally, her eyes darting around for any sign of movement.
From out the rising cloud, the sound of a sword being drawn was heard. Ulquiorra himself appeared seconds later, bearing his blade in one hand, the other slipped indolently into his pocket. Rukia despised the easiness of his swing, how it took every ounce of strength she had to counter it. It was the disparity in their powers that angered her the most.
"You have some skill."
She had flung him back, wrapping both hands around the hilt of her sword. His calculating eyes watched her; Rukia felt it was a slight compliment, smirking in response. "Of course. I am a member of the Thirteen Court Guard squads. I'm not completely useless!"
"Yet you remained unseated." He remarked gazing upon her with those eyes that she felt saw something beyond her. "My existence prior to this is of no concern to yourself!" Flustered, she hastily charged forward, kicking off the broken pillar and somersaulting through the air to deliver a clashing of sparks as their blades met again.
It felt good spitting his words back in his face. Not that she could see any change in his demeanor. No anger or any sort of emotion clouded his apathetic expression. Did anything pass through his mind other than on how to serve Aizen so perfectly? And...how...how could she still want to know everything about him when every time she tried, he shut her out..?
Suddenly angered blindly, she ducked around his guard and aimed for his throat.
I think I...
Moisture gathered in the corners of her eyes. The sword pierced through the collar. encountering little resistance.
I love you.
For moments, time seemed to stand still. No blood dripped past her blade. At length he spoke, "I did not think you would attempt such a foolish move." His hand lifted and grasped Sode no Shirayuki's tang. Rukia watched, unable to take her eyes from the sound of the ripping cloth and the pale skin it exposed. Her sword had pierced his empty chain of fate.
"I-you-"
"You said it yourself." He flung Sode no Shirayuki side, tearing the sword from her hands then vanishing in a burst of Sonido. Her eyes darted around feeling the whisper of sharp movement behind her.
"I am your enemy." Ulquiorra whispered as he drew Murcielago across her body. "Do not ever drop your guard before your enemy."
She felt the searing pain rip across her torso, blood droplets erupted into the air then she was falling back into a cloud of darkness. Surprisingly from faraway she heard a sword being sheathed then someone's arms caught her.
"You must learn..."
Rukia struggled to keep her head above the swimming blackness, her eyes fluttered open to see his face over her.
"...do not drop your guard before anyone else."
She felt herself nod weakly then let the blackness overtake her.
...
Szayel said nothing at her state. Only compressed lips and a shake of his hair. Szayel didn't need words to berate a superior on the state of a prisoner. Rukia's well-being, while seemingly of the least importance in the scheme of Aizen's ambitions, was on the whole…of importance to him.
Ulquiorra would not let that strangeness show.
For it was an oddity, an almost deformation of character to think that the tiny woman had gotten beneath his skin. That he- Ulquiorra Schiffer had an attachment to any living thing…
He was careful in settling down his burden. Doing a cursory check of her wounds once more. A furrow deepened his brow a moment later. As he'd previously thought, they'd require more immediate care provided by the Octava. While he was loath to allow the scientist work on rare Shinigami tissue, he knew it was necessary for her survival.
Coming to that assumption, he began to turn on his heel to call the Octava's assistance, when a slight murmur caused an unfathomable sensation to blossom in the cold regions of his sternum.
It was a murmur.
"Ichi…go."
Eyes of a deep viridian hue widened, a flicker of malevolence laced the irises. Impassive though his countenance remained, Ulquiorra's step took him far from the sterile confines of the room. In passing, he left Szayel to attend to Rukia's wounds, some vague undefined part of him refused to stay in her unconscious presence any longer.
At present, he decided it best to remain in his palace if not needed for missions.
Had he been able to define the sensation- ne understand its trigger, he'd have known what it was like to feel jealousy for the human boy.
-TBC
AN: am trying to get the flow back for the story. x.x
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