It was dark. Not that darkness was that unusual. In fact, complete darkness seemed to be the only familiar thing anymore. Complete darkness was devoid of sight, sound, and feeling, creating an amazing sense of bliss.

Yet…why does it feel so painful?

Glass shattered. Ulquiorra slowly opened his eyes as he stepped onto the cold stone floor. The only lights in this place were a strange turquoise luminescence, coming from what looked like large tubes lines up against the wall. Liquid gushed from behind him, spilling this glowing substance beneath him. He had broken free from one of these tubes, where he had been suspended naked.

Where am I? How am I here? I thought I was-

His thoughts were interrupted by his lungs emptying themselves of the liquid, him coughing and sputtering. He clung to the broken edge of the glass tube for balance.

Once he was able to breathe, he pulled his hand from the broken glass. His palm was split open, blood rushing from the gash and down his pale white arm. The cut soon began to heal with his regeneration.

Ulquiorra wandered down this eerie dark hallway full of the tubes. The farther he walked, the more the scenery changed. There were boxes and tables filled with various unidentifiable objects, to which puzzled him. What is their purpose? He thought, picking up a rather sharp looking contraption and examining it. What is the purpose of this place?

He finally came across another room in this strange place. There was simply a wooden desk and chair in this room, a futon against the far wall, and above it hung several pictures of the same person, all with pins or other sharp objects stabbed into the face. Everything was covered in a thick layer of dust. There were no windows in the room, which made Ulquiorra come to the conclusion he was underground somewhere.

Ulquiorra approached the futon and the wall full of pictures. He carefully pulled one of the least maimed photos off of the wall to try and grasp the identity of the person in them. It was a man with messy blonde hair, and a large grin on his face. Ulquiorra tried to remember where he had seen him before, but his brain felt fuzzy…and tired.

He was cold. Every muscle in his body ached with a deep suffering pain. His head throbbed, and his vision was beginning to blur. All he wanted to do was curl up and sleep. The futon seemed so inviting and warm. Against his better judgement, fully succumbing to his weakness, he curled up in the futon and fell asleep.


Kisuke Urahara was quite the wildcard for the Soul Society. He was branded wrongfully as a traitor, alongside others who deserved a better fate, and hid from their watchful eyes for well over a century. He had every reason to be angry with them. But, he did everything in his power to help the Soul Society when they needed it most, and often would be hospitable to Soul Reapers in need. The Soul Society kept wracking up its debts to Kisuke, and some people within it became increasingly worried with every favor they asked of him.

"My question is, Head captain, why did we bring in Urahara for this? Why not me? I am more than capable!" said the Captain of Squad 12, Kurotsuchi.

Kisuke, who had been summoned to a meeting with the 13 court guard squad captains, tried to contain his laugh at the "mad scientist" before him. He covered his face with the hand fan he carried around with him and peered over at Head Captain Yamamoto.

"Because Kisuke Urahara created the hogyoku and understands details of Aizen's work the best," Yamamoto stated.

"Aw you flatter me," Kisuke said with a grin. "But I only created half the hogyoku. Although, I really don't think it would be that much trouble for me to figure out his work for myself."

"The man knows what he's doing, I can vouch for that," came the voice of Squad 5 captain Shinji Hirako.

"We should just end the problem instead of putting our trust in him!" said SoiFon, Captain of Squad 2.

Yamamoto raised his voice. "You will trust in Urahara's decisions and actions regarding this issue, regardless of your personal feelings. We will not have more issues caused by Sosuke Aizen plague the Soul Society, so we must tread cautiously! You are dismissed!"

Kisuke sure didn't miss those meetings. Come to think of it, wasn't he late for the first one he ever went to? He smiled and laughed to himself. At the end of it all, he didn't really miss being a captain all that much. Of course, he regretted leaving the Research and Development department in the hands of Kurotsuchi, but one can't have everything they want in life could they? At least now he was free to experiment and create what he wanted, when he wanted now, and act on his own terms. No need to wait for orders or a bunch of laws or paperwork to be done to take the course of action he deemed best.

His walk to Squad 2 was a lengthy one, but he preferred to take his time. He liked to relish the fact that he was allowed in the Soul Society again. His charges had been lifted, of course, not only due to the exposure of Aizen, but also due to central 46 having been brutally slaughtered by the aforementioned individual.


Squad 2 had hardly, if at all, changed. They immediately let him inside once he was recognized, and he headed for a very familiar place…

Squad 2's containment, the Maggot's Nest.

Deep within the prison, behind several layers of kido, contraptions, and sekiseki, was a single prisoner. This prisoner was bound tightly to the wall, unable to move. Yet, they did not resist. They only hung there, the life gone from their eyes, as if they had given up the will to live.

Kisuke took it all in for a moment, before cautiously stepping into the cell with this prisoner.

The prisoner, unaccustomed to visitors, looked up. The eyes were deep, green, and held a suffocating sadness, as if they were in constant suffering and pain. The marks running down his face, appearing like tear stains, weren't helping. He looked almost like a sad puppy, Kisuke decided.

Kisuke put on a smile. "Hello there. I'm Kisuke Urahara."

The prisoner blinked, then spoke. "I recognize you."

"I don't think we ever fought, Ulquiorra, but I've heard quite a bit about you," Kisuke replied.

Ulquiorra's expression remained unchanged. "From whom? That boy Kurosaki?"

Kisuke detected the slightest bit of malice in his voice, so he made a note to avoid the Ichigo subject. "Oh no. Different source. But anyway, I came here to-"

"Was it…Orihime?"

Kisuke raised his eyebrows. Neither Orihime or Ichigo had mentioned Ulquiorra having a soft spot for the red headed girl. Ulquiorra's voice had made a sudden, subtle soft change when he mentioned her name. "So...what if it was?" Kisuke tested.

"What…did she say?" Ulquiorra asked.

Kisuke kneeled down on the floor in an attempt to get comfortable. He was going to be there a while. He smiled mischeviously. "Why do you wanna know?"

Ulquiorra glared at him.

Kisuke waved his hand dismissively. "We've gotten off the subject anyway. I came here with a little proposition for you."

Ulquiorra said nothing.

Kisuke sighed. "My first question is: do you have any idea what happened in the past few months?"

Ulquiorra shook his head slowly, his brows slightly furrowed showing a bit of confusion.

"Well, here goes…" Kisuke said, launching into the shortest possible summary of the war with Aizen he could muster, without leaving out crucial information that would perhaps confuse the poor arrancar even more. Of course, he neglected to mention Ichigo's total loss of power, or Ichigo's heroic prowess, despite Kisuke himself bursting with pride over the latter fact. Ulquiorra's expression remained unchanged through the entire monologue, not once interrupting. It was only when Kisuke finally finished speaking did he show any kind of response.

"So…Lord Aizen was defeated." Ulquiorra's gaze was empty, fixed on Kisuke, but it was as if he was looking at something incredibly far away.

"How does this make you feel, Espada number four?" Kisuke asked, the tiniest of smirks creeping up on the corners of his mouth.

"Nothing. With his loss he is no longer our leader. I expect whoever is the strongest left in Las Noches will be the arrancar's commander…" he paused. "…that is if there are any still alive." He closed his eyes. "The Espada were of Aizen's invention. I am no longer in his service, and therefore hold no such title. The number rankings are now deemed worthless."

"Well, what are you gonna do now Mr. Arrancar?" Kisuke asked. "You were quick to drop 'Lord' from Aizen's name, weren't you?"

"Rot for eternity in this prison," said Ulquiorra. "I am still a hollow, and a Soul Reaper's enemy."

"Well technically I'm not really a Soul Reaper anymore," Kisuke grinned. "Which is why I came to see you." He stood up and shook out his legs. The floor was uncomfortable and had caused his shins to go numb.

"How'd you like a second chance, Mr. Ulquiorra Cifer?"


Ulquiorra had been listening without much investment to Urahara's story, or discussion. In reality, he had given up. The longer he had hung there in that prison, the less and less he even cared. His loyalty to Aizen? Shattered as far as he was concerned. He had served his purpose up until his death, and had failed to protect Las Noches. He had failed his former master, unable to fulfill his duty. He was disgraced. Yet, upon hearing of Aizen's defeat, Ulquiorra was almost relieved, if not a tiny bit unsettled.

Ulquiorra blinked at Urahara's last comment. "E-excuse me?" He asked.

"I said, 'do you want a second chance?'" Urahara restated.

"Second chance? For what? What does a Soul Reaper want with an arrancar?" Ulquiorra inquired.

Urahara sighed and placed a hand on his striped hat. "Probably a hard concept for you to understand but...I wanna help you guys out. I feel…almost responsible for you."

Ulquiorra had no reason to object. The prison cell he was in was far from his idea of perfect nothingness. There was just enough stimulation in this dismal cell that this had been nothing but torment for him. He had no rights, nor did he really desire any. He had never had any sort of the thing under Aizen. He was simply a tool, made to follow orders. Ulquiorra was all right with this arrangement, as it had given him a sense of purpose, even though he could find none for himself.

"You would become my new master?" Ulquiorra asked.

Urahara laughed. "Well...I don't really wanna think of it that way, but if it's what you wanna call it, sure." He walked a few steps closer to the sealed Ulquiorra. "So, are you in?"

"I don't have a choice," Ulquiorra said quietly.

Urahara placed his hands on the cell wall and began to unseal the arrancar from his bonds.

"Nope."