My gosh... how long has it been? I'm so sorry everyone. My classes were kicking my butt this semester. I'm so excited for summer to finally come!
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you to all my readers and followers. I'm incredibly pleased to have gained new readers since I last updated. The reviews were very enjoyable to read, as well! Ok, one last time, thank you!
Now on to my responses about some of the comments that were made:
- I didn't want to make the kiss too heated, because that drunk moment was not supposed to be "the moment." Besides, Sayuri didn't even know what she was doing, so it would be unfair to her and Ulquiorra if the big moment was something she couldn't even remember the next day.
- I am giving myself a pat on the back knowing that most of you think that I have not made Ulquiorra out of character last chapter. You guys have no idea how worried I was about that simple kiss scene, but it seems that I managed to pull it off!
- The number 4595 on my screen name actually has something to do with my real name. That's the first time anyone has ever asked about it, so good job.
- How did I make Grimmjow hate worthy? This made me sad.
- Now, what made me sad the most was that my story is being considered as Twilight-ish, apparently. My first thought was "Noooo!" when I read this comment. However, when I looked back on some of my chapters... it started to seem that way. This made me super, duper, infinitely sad. Ulquiorra is muuuch cooler than Edward and Jacob I tell you!
- I can't combine chapters, because if I do, the readers following me will not get updates on new chapters. I've actually already tried combining the first and second chapters, and while it made the story more compact, my readers suffered. Believe me, the structure of the first half of this story bothers me a lot!
- I like how everyone is trying to figure out who Grimmjow's blue-eyed girl is. Only future chapters will tell. Hehe.
Sorry about the delay. I hadn't expected to have so many things to respond to. I hope this clarifies things for those of you who were confused about certain facts last chapter. Feel free to message or review me if you have further questions. I will do my best to answer without ruining the story!
Now, on with the chapter!
-O-
Chapter 29:
Engulfed
Red was everywhere. The warmth, which should have been a welcoming respite from the snowy ground, gathering just beneath hugged her in a suffocating embrace. She thought of his cool touch and wished that she could feel it- to save her from this growing heat. Her eyes looked heavenwards at the overcast skies as snow slowly danced downwards. She noted that everything was white, too. Unconsciously, she tried searching for the darkness that reminded her so much of him. As if granting her desire, all the blanc color slightly blurred and darkness began to creep from the edges of her vision. She stared persistently at the heavy clouds as she tried to refocus her eyes. She knew that if she fell asleep, she may never see him or Shin or the others again. Yet, she felt all her senses dull. She could no longer sense the world around her- not the snow landing on her skin, the tears that had dried on her face, or the pain in her torso.
"Tsk." Colorless lips grimaced as he looked at the figure lying at his feet. "One of you, get that woman with the healing powers."
"But my lord, what of the boy?"
Bright crimson eyes glared at the smaller male. "He was merely a tool to get this woman. She's far more important. Without her, we have no bargaining chip. Now get that healer before I decide to kill you!"
"Y-Yes sir!" The subordinate immediately left the vicinity.
"And you!" he turned to the remaining female, "Make sure she stays alive until then. If she dies, you die."
The young hollow paled at her commander's threat before scrambling towards the human woman. She removed her jacket and pressed it tightly to the black-haired teen's body. Red was everywhere. It would not stop. She gulped at the inevitability of this outcome but kept her mouth shut. If she spoke, she may very well forfeit her life then and there.
The lanky mass of the leader crouched beside the pool gradually inching towards him. He sneered. "I'm not gonna let you get away that easily. I'll use you to make that Espada suffer. You will be my ticket to power."
-O-
A little boy ran towards the city where he could slightly sense several strong presences. He was thankful for his gift, for without it, he knew there was nothing he could do to help her. His still growing legs sank into the half foot tall carpet of snow covering the entire landscape. Salty liquid gathered at the edges of his sight but refused to fall as though they had been frozen over along with the land. He gasped for air as he continued to sprint as quickly as he could towards help.
He heard loud crashes and echoes and felt mild tremors long before he saw anything. Just as he passed a seven story building, he saw a body plummet onto the cement just several blocks ahead of him. The concrete cracked and large chunks of it were sent several meters into the sky like it had been hit with the force of a rocket. A dark blur dashed into the center of the crater with enough speed to clear the area of the resulting whirl of dust. He squinted his eyes as a gleam of light sparkled amidst the still falling debris.
Ulquiorra looked into the distance. He had felt a familiar presence steadily drawing nearer during his fight. He removed his blade from where it had pierced the head of a lowly arrancar, whose body was still in the process of deteriorating. He knew something was wrong when his superior vision allowed him to catch the bountiful tears cascading down the young male's stained cheeks. He sheathed Murciélago and sonidod to him. Just as he was about to halt, the sound of something cutting the air made its way to his ears. He secured the young boy and relocated a minor distance away. Another hollow shattered into nothing at the place where Shin had once stood. Ulquiorra set the still boy in his arms down.
However, as soon as the adolescent's foot touched the ground, he threw himself onto Ulquirra's torso.
"Y-Y-Y-Y-You h-have to go to h-h-her!" he exclaimed, barely coherent as sobs rocked his frame.
"Calm yourself," the Cuatro spoke, "Then tell me where she is." Something had happed to the woman, that much he had already deduce as he had felt the adolescent approach where the battles were taking place. Shin needed to collect himself. The better he is able to communicate what had happened, the sooner he finds out where she is, and the faster he can get to her. Had he not left a note telling her not to leave? Did she not care at all for her own well-being? He mentally retracted the last question. It was not because she was an imbecile who continuously sought to make trouble for others, or more specifically, for him. It was due to the irrefutable truth that she cared more for others than she does for herself. As such, it becomes a fact that she would sacrifice herself for the sake of another.
With no disturbances present, emerald depths easily absorbed the young human's appearance. Shin stood before him with his frigid hands furiously rubbing at his cheeks, smearing the dirt that had caked on it. Cuts and bruises dotted his face, legs, and arms. He had dried blood on the side of his lips. From what he could gather, those bastards must have used Shin to blackmail her to coming to them. They had not taken very good care of the little boy either.
He did not feel angry or annoyed at her actions. Instead, he just felt an uncontrollable unease. What was her current state? Is she being tortured? Who dared touch her? Was she... even still alive? He silenced the questions overloading his mind.
'No. That woman is too stubborn to die so easily,' he concluded.
Still, that burning in his chest fanned. It had not given him a single second of respite since her rather bold action at the inn. It had quieted over the course of the night, but it was still there, lingering.
The ashen man watched as Shin stood back, as if trying to contain himself so that he can speak clearly. Yet, the tears persisted.
"She's at the park. At the meadow," Shin managed to say after taking a deep breath. "She's d-dyi-" his voice cracked.
"Hey, sorry about that!" Ichigo landed next to them with a sheepish grin. "Didn't mean to send a hunk of flying meat at you, Shin."
The Soul Reaper paused when he processed the distraught boy and the shadow that blanketed most of the Espada's face. The murderous look in Ulquiorra's normally collected orbs reflected no compassion or sympathy but a promise, a bloodlust. From the dark shine, Ichigo knew that someone was going to die a painful death.
"Kurosaki, get Orihime, and meet me at the park. Tell Grimmjow to deal with the arrancars here," the ashen man ordered, his flat tone sending a shiver up the strawberry lad's spine. "I need to deal with pests."
"What happe-" Before the human male could even get the question out, Ulquiorra had sonidod with Shin. "Shit."
Ichigo used shunpo to move towards the two hollows fighting by the Eastern border of Hitamura to relay the Cuatro's message. Grimmjow was probably just toying with the poor bastard, anyway. He needed to get Orihime to Sayuri as soon as possible. Even though he was not as analytical as Ulquiorra, he could tell that the eldest Kimura was in danger. Shin was distraught, and Ulquiorra... That malicious aura had blossomed- unrestrained- from the bat's figure. It was a sure sign that someone had managed to thoroughly piss off the usually collected Espada. From experience, such a thing only occurred when the human girl with azure windows was involved. She was essentially the lever that controlled his emotions, regardless of his consent and awareness. Whoever it was that had harmed the lily woman had just earned themselves a quick ticket to hell.
"Hell would probably seem like paradise after Ulquiorra would be through with them," Ichigo muttered silently to himself.
-O-
"Tell me everything that happened," he said as he made his way to the park with the Kimura child riding on his back.
"She s-s-shielded me," Shin explained, "I was supposed to die. But she p-protected me." His arms tightened their hold around Ulquiorra's neck at the memory.
The snow crunched steadily and repeatedly, progressively growing louder. It was obvious that the owner of those footsteps did not care that their arrival was easily detected.
Shin stood rigid and still. There were no bindings that held his wrist or ankles. The heavy hand on his left shoulder was enough to keep him from running away. He tried to keep the shiver racking his body at bay, but it was no use. His instincts told him that one squeeze of that hand would be the end of him.
When the figure of his elder sister took shape amongst the shadow of the trees, the tension within his body coiled almost to the breaking point.
'Has she lost her mind!' he screamed mentally. 'She should be able to feel how dangerous this place is.'
"Sa-" he unconsciously called out but halted himself at the sight of her calm smile towards him.
His heartbeat, which he had managed to finally slow after being kidnapped in the middle of the night, increased again. The look on her face told him that she was fully aware of the situation. He had prayed that it would be Ulquiorra that showed up- not her, not his sister. As he watched her progress towards his captors, his insides curled tighter. He had been relieved that his parents had been spared since his room had been the closest. He knew that Sayuri was their target all along when he realized too late that there were hollows in her room. From the look in her eyes, he could tell that she knew it too.
At the center of the park where a large stretch of grass usually laid during the spring, she stood merely a few feet away from them.
He noticed her usually docile orbs harden once she had inspected him. He did not blame her. His kidnappers had not exactly been gentle. The stings from the cuts in his appendages due to being roughly dragged and pushed by the monster behind him was incessant. The bruises were not enjoyable either.
She spoke coldly, "I'm here. Now, let him go."
Shin could practically feel the monstrous grin etched on the pale man holding him captive. He could imagine his blood-colored eyes glinting in near hysteria.
"Fine by me," he cackled.
Without any warning, Shin felt himself being shoved forcefully to the side. The power of the push was enough to send him tumbling face forward on the ground, unable to catch himself fast enough with his hands. It was guaranteed that he now had new injuries to sport. He immediately turned around to sit on his bottom. His instincts told him not to lose sight of the three beasts standing nearby.
Sayuri's gaze softened as she looked at him. "Go to Ichigo's apartment, Shin, and stay there until I get you, ok?"
Regardless of her kind smile, he could sense the steeliness of her words. She did not want him to argue, and he knew better than to. Both of them could get killed should he say the wrong thing.
He nodded fervently. When Ichigo, Orihime, and Grimmjow had visited their house a couple days ago, they had told him that they had recently moved to Hitamura and now lived in an apartment complex nearby. They had even invited him to come over to eat sometime.
The young boy was thankful that he had paid attention closely enough that day to still remember the location of the apartment.
He pushed himself off the ground and hesitantly turned around to get himself quickly out of the area. He will need to get help first before going to the apartment complex.
As he took his first shaking steps, the silence became filled with crazed laughter.
"I didn't say I'll let him go alive," he heard the wild voice behind him roar.
Shin felt his joints lock as his mind moved slowly to process the statement. His eyes widened as he felt the air behind him shift, sending a mild gust of wind flying towards him. He turned his head, black windows still wide with fear, and caught sight of the enormous white lance aimed at him.
A ragged gasp escaped his lips as a sudden figure entered his field of view. The sure stings of tears rimmed his vision but did not fall.
"Sa-S-S-Sai," he breathed out as he stared at her back.
She whirled her head to face him as she maintained her iron hold on the weapon to keep the red-eyed man from going after him.
"Run Shin!" she yelled, blood running down the corners of her mouth.
"Run!" she screamed- pleaded- for him to hear her.
And so he did. Shin stumbled forward, clumsily avoiding roots and nearly tripping on the ice covering parts of frozen ground.
The liquid in his eyes gathered all the more at the image of Sayuri with the pointed end of the lance piercing straight through her abdomen. In slow motion, he had seen her blood roll down the large weapon towards the tip before dripping morbidly to paint the fresh snow with carmine.
The last image he had of her was the lance being pulled from the tight grip she had on it and finally out of her body, a perfectly circular hole left where the weapon had once been.
Ulquiorra closed his eyes momentarily at the picture Shin had painted. Someone will pay.
"We're a-almost there," the little boy warned, "At this speed we s-should get there in less than a mi-m-minute."
The ashen man paused and removed Shin from his back. He could sense the spiritual pressure arrogantly flared up ahead. At this distance, he deduced that the weakling arrancar would be unable to detect Shin's spiritual energy much less his own concealed spiritual pressure.
"Do as your sister said. Go to the apartment and wait there. I will go get her alone."
Shin looked at him straight in the face. "Promise?"
Ulquiorra nodded, before using sonido at his fastest speed to reach her faster. Within seconds, he caught sight of a tall, boney male standing with a clueless smirk on his face while playing with a lance stained in red. The fool still had not sensed him. By the strength of his spiritual energy, this arrancar was substantially weaker than Grimmjow, who was weak enough as it is. This arrancar was likely to have ranked in the fifties. Beside him was a childlike hollow who appeared to be trying to stop the pool of blood underneath them from growing any larger. It was her blood.
She laid on the ground, unmoving. Her ebony locks bathed in the puddle of her own life liquid.
Verdant orbs slanted into a furious glare. It had been such a long time since pure hate coursed through him. His sonido increased in speed, surpassing his own limits, as adrenaline, anger, and a sadistic thrill flowed endlessly within him.
The simmer of electricity he felt at the tips of his fingers was beyond his control. With a tightly curled fist, he speed towards the lanky arrancar.
Only when his fist was about to make contact with the pompous face did the Cuatro finally flare his spiritual energy. He could no longer contain himself. In the few milliseconds as his fist drew closer to ruin the wide smirk on the pale facade, the ashen man could see the surprise within widened crimson orbs at the unexpected and unseen attack. Terror was there to, easily overpowering the other emotions. Less than a millisecond later and the tall arrancar was sent hurdling head first into the surrounding forest, his body hitting and splitting each tree it came into contact with.
Ulquiorra smoothly landed on his toes, and set his fist back to his side. He had used nearly his full strength. At the last millisecond, he had been able to control himself. Had he utilized his full power, the fool would have likely died. That was not an option. The arrogant creature first needed to be punished, tortured, and then killed for everything he had done. Mentally, Ulquiorra swore to teach the weakling what true hell was like.
He deduced that the idiot would continue running a trail of broken trees and dust at least a mile long until the force of the punch would dwindle. By the time his body finally stops, the Cuatro knew that he would be incapacitated for a short duration.
The ashen man turned his attention towards the still body laying in what appeared to be a bed of melted roses. He quickly scanned and assessed her condition. His emerald jewels nearly flickered uncontrollably at the sight of the three inch diameter of the hole on her torso. The perfect circle practically resembled a hollow's hole were it not for the blood flowing out of it.
The hollow beside her had immediately removed her hands from the wound. She fearfully backed away from the woman, but in her rush, only managed to trip on her own legs. Sitting dumbly on her bottom, she shook as he stared at Ulquiorra's advancing form.
The Fourth, however, did not sense any mal-intent radiating from the this hollow. She was an arrancar who took the form of a child that appeared to be a little younger than the Kimura son. From her spiritual energy, she ranked just under one hundred. It was more than likely that she had been forced to serve that foolish hollow in order to survive. Ulquiorra could understand such a situation. Those with power ruled Hueco Mundo, and everyone else was forced to obey. However, since Aizen's defeat, it would appear that the quality of power within the world of the hollows had abated in quality. It was shameful.
"Put your hands back to where they were. Slow the bleeding," he ordered the tiny arrancar as he himself kneeled before the fallen woman.
Her eyes were open but blank, like a canvas where a once colorful painting was slowly being erased. Her pupils were dilated. The once sparkling sapphire jewels had been nearly reduced to nothing. It reminded him of how she had looked after the traitorous acts of her former friends. She had appeared dead back then. However, at that time, it was only on an emotional level. This time... This time it was physically. If she crossed the boundary, she would be out of his reach and beyond his means.
He could barely hear the near silent rhythm of her heart.
One of his palms cupped her face, feeling the coldness of her cheeks piercing through his own frigid skin. Her eyes took on a dull shine at his touch, as if a part of her consciousness had returned from the boundary of the conscious world and the unconscious realm.
"Woman," he found himself speaking softly, nearly in a whisper. He could feel the foreign but strong hope surfacing within him - the hope that he was enough to further drive her away from the boundary and back to him.
He needed to keep her alive until Inoue arrived. It would be too dangerous to move her with the gaping hole on her stomach. He had given his word that he would bring her back. He had a duty to keep her safe.
Then, realization dawned on him. When exactly had he gained the job of protecting her?
No one had forced the duty onto him. He had initially protected her as payment for her aid during his recovery. However, it was now long passed that. He did not have to protect her. Yet, he did... and even now, he is still striving to keep her safe.
He ignored the dozens of questions that surfaced. He can cogitate on such thoughts later. For now, he needed to focus on her rapidly declining life.
She was not allowed to die.
-O-
She felt so light and heavy at the same time. Light because it seemed as if her body was floating, even though she could tell that she was steadily falling. Heavy because she could not move anything.
White... white surrounded her on all sides. Although she could not really focus on anything, it burned her eyes.
The light made the entire place look so empty because you could see that nothing was there. At least darkness made everything look full, or at least allowed you to fill up the space with thoughts and imagination. Darkness gave you the option to be ignorant, to dream, and to hope. Light shatters everything and shoves the truth at you without any sense of remorse or gentleness.
...If that makes any sense. Her thoughts were jumbled and growing more incoherent by the second.
Yet, she knew one thing to be true: she longed for the night that she had once feared. She wanted it to return, and wrap her in its secure embrace. She wanted it so that she did not feel so empty or broken.
"Woman..."
The word echoed around her, bouncing from one invisible wall to another.
She relished the sound. If she could move, she would have breathed a sigh of relief.
As the echo faded, something strange occurred. Like shattering glass, the whiteness right above her began to break off into tiny pieces. Gradually, more of the alabaster color shattered away, allowing her to see the picture on the other side.
It was white.
She huffed mentally. More white.
"Woman, you better not die... I will drag you out of the afterlife myself if I have to."
As the sentences were spoken, the blac color metamorphosed into a gloomy gray. They were clouds.
She rolled her gaze to find the source of the sounds. The darkness that had crept around her vision had receded and only remained at the corners. She smiled mentally at the beautiful sight beside her.
His eyes widened slightly as oceanic jewels gained the familiar luster they once held, except it was much weaker.
She looked at him.
"Shin is safe," he spoke to her. His tone did not sound as monotone as it once was. There was something there that was barely concealed.
Sayuri willed her lips to move and for her voice to speak but found that it was beyond her ability. There was that metallic taste in her mouth and the feeling of liquid gathering in her throat. She noted that her breathing was shallow, but ignored it. She was euphoric to see him.
She wanted to say so many things to him.
The young maiden relished the feeling of his cool hands on her skin. It contrasted with the burning inside her body. However, unlike the snow, his touch was secure; it does not melt. The lily child held onto the stability that he provided.
But she still wanted to say so many things to him.
Sayuri tested the muscles of her hands and arm. It twitched, but only slightly. Still, she sighed mentally. At least it was responsive. Concentrating all her focus on her left hand, she ordered it to rise. What she could not say, she will communicate by touch.
She prayed that some of her thoughts would pass to him.
The Kimura woman was only able to lift her hand less than half a foot off the ground before it plummeted downwards as her muscles gave way. Ulquiorra's free appendage caught it, while the other remained on her cheek, still silently comforting her.
With the last of her strength, Sayuri squeezed his hand gently.
'Please...' she begged in her thoughts, 'Please...'
She was unable to finish as her thoughts began to scatter without her consent. Before everything left her, she saw it.
Ulquiorra smiled.
It was tiny, but it was still there.
With that last image, she willingly succumbed to the nothingness.
The darkness at the corner of her eyes came quickly, and she sensed her consciousness submerge into the unknown. A second later, she was back in that blanc realm. She fell faster this time, and she knew that she would not be able to go back.
But that was fine.
His smile was enough.
Ulquiorra felt her hand go limp in his. The radiance of her sapphire windows was completely gone. With nearly unfocused eyes, he watched her loose hair stand and float on a passing wind. When it landed on her face, he unconsciously swept the dark lock to the side of her cheeks. He found that he could only stare at her. For the first time since he had evolved, his mind was blank- sluggish and unresponsive.
Yet even in his haze, he felt the spiritual pressure behind him long before a furious roar reached his ears. His honed skills automatically took over even without the control of his mind. He allowed his bloodlust to take reign. Before the lance could even touch him, the Cuatro Espada had unsheathed Murciélago and had sliced the body as many times as he could within one second before kneeling back down to face her.
The foolish creature was not worth his time. She was more important.
Wide and blood colored eyes stared down at Ulquiorra's back. He had been in charge of throwing the Fourth into the human world and had been the one who had given the order, as was assigned by Aizen. He had seen the Espada fall limply and had watched without a single bit of pity. He should have eaten him when he had been nothing more than a bloody body barely holding onto life. He should have killed him then, but his pride had prevented him from taking the Cuatro rank from a near corpse.
In nearly two months, he had held control over most of Hueco Mundo. With his new status, he had deemed it fitting to kill the strongest Espada left alive and formally gain the title. His plan had been so perfect. That woman was the perfect tool to defeat the Cuatro. From all the reports he had received from his subordinates, he learned that the once apathetic hollow had developed a sort of twisted attachment to the human. With her life in his hands, the Espada would have easily surrendered. He had not expected Ulquiorra to have fully regained his strength so soon after the war, but that should not have mattered. The woman was all he had needed to kill the bat. He had not taken into account that the human wench would be stupid enough to sacrifice herself. Human emotion had been his downfall.
His lips curled into a snarl, but just as he was about to let out a scream of anger and frustration, he lost connection with his body. It had only been half a second since he saw the quick flashes of Ulquiorra's sword slicing his body as though it was air. Before his body could fall into the many pieces that it was sliced to, he withered into nothing. His bright and furious eyes were the last the go. His reconciliation prize was that he had at least managed to wound the Espada in the place where it was hardest to heal.
The childlike hollow did not spare her master a single glance. The taste of freedom was bittersweet. Given the circumstances, she was unsure if she would be allowed to live long enough to enjoy it. She closed her silver eyes and returned her bloody hands to her lap. The human female was dead. She had half expected the Cuatro to pierce her chest with his fingers just like what the rumors in Las Noches used to say.
Yet, when she opened her eyes, the bat like Espada remained kneeling in front of the corpse, a light hunch in his usually perfect posture.
Ulquiorra Cifer still held a blank facade.
The solemn calmness radiating from the dark-haired hollow became unnerving. Regardless of the calm pretense, the arrancar could practically feel the anger hidden beneath the stiff form. Her instincts told her to remain still and silent. Besides, there is nothing except time that can heal a mourning soul.
She watched as Ulquiorra closed the human's still open but now empty spheres. He wiped the blood that had trailed down her chin. He gathered her bloody hair and tucked it behind her ears.
He found that he could not halt the urge to touch her. His hands caressed her cheeks in feather light touches as if she would break if he was not careful. He glided his hands to secure the back of her neck and head. Gently, he lifted her upper body to meet him. He placed her head against his shoulders, and closing his eyes, he buried his face into the crook of her neck. Her body - this empty shell - was all that was left of her existence. Though her body was cold and her heart was no longer beating, the sweet, enticing, and floral aroma that had clung onto her person was still there. Tenderly, he held onto her.
Orihime would revive her soon, so he needed to care of her until then. He had failed her in her life, but he refused to fail her in her death. He had to protect her.
His embrace tightened slightly.
However, his eyes snapped open and his body became rigid when the sound of opening doors rung in the air. Numerous spiritual pressures immediately saturated and electrified the environment. He had not expected them to come so soon. If anything, he had predicted that they would have shown up at Hitamura. Ulquiorra deduced that the spiritual energy he had momentarily released had bothered them more than Grimmjow's own power. They were trying to get rid of the more dangerous threat...
Still, he held onto her, shielding her from the piercing gazes.
He will not let her go.
He will protect her.
Thirteen pairs of battle-hardened eyes scrutinized the scene just below them. A few could not conceal their surprise at the sight of a hollow hugging a dead human girl.
"I came expecting a battle," a brown haired captain spoke, freeing his hands from the pink kimono draped on his shoulder to scratch his neck in mild confusion. "This was the last thing I expected to see."
"Don't be quick to conclude anything Captain Kyoraku. I've dissected many hollows, and I guarantee that every single one of them had no heart or any semblance of it. Judging from the spiritual pressure detected in this area several minutes ago, I can also guarantee that what we have now is a surviving Espada. I doubt that this creature, who had broken the mask that had been created from his heart, could care for a human," the masked captain spoke matter-of-factly. His grin large and gruesome.
"It doesn't seem like he wants to fight," the youngest captain interrupted, his brows low as he attempted to analyze the scene below him.
A strong, sharp feminine voice spoke next, "I don't think we should let our guards down so easily simply because he's hugging a dead human."
"We cannot exclude the possibility that he had been the one responsible for that human's death," the fox captain added.
Ulquiorra could hear them all even if they were several stories above him. It was not as though they were attempting to keep their conversation a secret anyway. He could name each captain based on their voices. Aizen has shown him videos of the heads of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads just before the Winter War.
The last statement, however, he agreed with. He had been responsible for her death. He had not been there to save her. He had come too late.
He heard a woman's soft voice state, "A hollow would not hold a human like that if he was heartless. Perhaps it is because we expect battle that we fail to see the truth that is clearly presented to us. It is possible that our own bias is distorting that truth."
"I don't care what's the truth. If he wants to fight, I'll take him on." The words came out rough and arrogant and was followed by the faintest tintinnabulation.
"Silence." The command could not be denied. No more words were exchanged amongst the captains.
Ulquiorra felt all eyes return to him, but he thought nothing of it.
The same commanding voice spoke, "Espada, for the crimes you have committed under the command of Sosuke Aizen, you are hereby put intro trial under the Thirteen Court Guard Squad Captains. We can proceed in a calm manner or with violence. The choice is entirely yours."
The Fourth exhaled slowly and gently lifted her up into his arms. A he sauntered to the edge of the clearing, he sensed the tension in the atmosphere augment. Calculating eyes watched his every step. He did not care. He settled her on a wooden bench, unzipping his long jacket afterwards. Taking it off, he placed it snuggly against her form. He doubted that she would have enjoyed having others see her in such a state. At his action, the air lightened somewhat and was replaced by uncertainty and confusion. The captains looked at each other.
Ulquiorra turned around then, his upper body bare and displaying his tattoo to those above him. The hole that marked him as a hollow lied just beneath his collar bone.
"Your answer Espada." It was not a question but an order spoken by the old man gazing down at him.
"I will willingly undergo trial only if you accept my conditions," he stated cleanly, not emoting anything in his face, eyes, or voice. However, his hands remained tightly clenched.
The captain of the First Division said, "Speak them."
"You will revive and heal her. Afterwards, she is to be exempt from any trial and must therefore not be taken into custody or imprisoned in the Soul Society. She will be given free reign of her fate."
"I take it that she had indeed played a role in the recent increase in the hollow activity within Hitamura," the head captain stated.
"Indirectly, yes. She did so without any mal-intent."
"Explain."
Ulquiorra spoke plainly, "She had rescued me under the belief that I was some dying creature. Some of my spiritual pressure had attached to her during the time of my recovery, attracting many hollows to the area. She had meant no one any hard."
His tone remained flat, but his shoulders gradually began to tense. He needed to get her revived soon. Her soul will formally leave her body and take form within an hour. The limits of Orihime's powers were still unknown. Would she be able to call back a life after a long period has passed since the death? She had indeed recreated his body and returned his soul to it, but that was shortly after he had died. It would be too risky to prolong the woman's revival for too long. Now, with the Thirteen Court Guard Squads present, the chances of Inoue being given permission to revive her was slim to none. However, he knew that the captain of Squad Four was adept at healing and was even renowned as the best healer of the Soul Society. That woman was his best hope of pulling her back from the boundary.
Slanted and wise orbs turned to the small arrancar still sitting paralyzed at the center of the clearing. "And what of that hollow? And the other Espada that is reported to be fighting in Hitamura as we speak?"
"They should be exempt, as well."
"Oh? You think that crimes should be easily forgotten, boy?"
The Cuatro kept his face neutral as he turned to the female arrancar. She gazed back at him with fearful eyes, aware that the situation was grim. "She had no choice but to follow the arrancar that had ordered the attack on Hitamura. Had she not obeyed, she would have lost her life. Under such circumstances, she should not be punished for crimes that were forced upon her."
Then, he set his steady gaze directly on the elderly man's penetrating stare, fearlessly meeting it head on. "As for the other Espada, he had just saved the lives of the hundreds of thousands of humans living within Hitamura from numerous arrancars. He had indeed committed heinous crimes that involved eating hundreds and possibly thousands of souls. However, in just a matter of hours, he has saved more souls than he had ever killed. You have no right to punish just actions."
"Mm... he does have a point," Captain Ukitake commented. A few of the other captains lightly nodded their heads but most kept their opinions a secret.
"And what if we do not grant these request?" Captain Yamamoto challenged.
"I will fight, and I will ensure that I will kill at least half of you before I die," Ulquiorra promised.
Zaraki grinned, beginning to unsheathe his sword. "Now that's more like it."
"I suggest you put your sword away. Fighting is not the best course of action in this case," Captain Unohana announced. She smiled at the spiky haired captain, but her eyes were threatening - daring him to go against her.
"I agree. It's unnecessary to turn the human world into a battle field if it could be avoided with diplomacy," the Kuchiki head stated.
"I do not care much for that human woman or that weakling arrancar, but I do not support the idea of allowing that Espada in Hitamura go free," the masked captain inputted.
Captain Soifon glared at the sadistic Soul Reaper. "You just want to dissect him."
"I think we should agree to his stipulations. Besides, we can assign Ichigo Kurosaki to keep the other Espada in check if the need arose," the leader of the Thirteenth Squad intervened.
"I agree," the boy genius seconded.
"Me as well," Captain Kyoraku said.
"I propose a vote Head Captain," Unohana spoke.
Closed eyes opened again to scan the faces of his subordinates after silently listening to the discussion. "That is unnecessary. I believe the choice is unanimous."
His attention shifted to the human woman's face and settled back onto verdant spheres. "What is your name, Fourth Espada?"
"Ulquiorra Cifer."
"Ulquiorra Cifer, your crimes are punishable only by death. Do you still wish to proceed?"
"Only if you agree to my stipulations."
"So you are willing die then to save that woman and your fellow arrancars?"
Without pausing, or even thinking, the answer surfaced from his dark lips. "Yes."
Again, the captains could not hide their surprise.
"We agree to your conditions."
"I will only allow you to kill me once a formal document is written and signed stating that all of my aforementioned conditions are met and once the human woman is revived."
"Very well." Looking at Unohana, he ordered, "Go heal and revive the human." Then to Captain Ukitake, he said, "Write the agreement and bring it to be once it is consummated."
"Yes, Head Captain," they replied simultaneously.
Just as Ulquiorra was about to watch the healer begin to repair the damage done to the woman's body, three new presences ran out of the forest and into the clearing.
"Well, aren't we late for the party." Light blue eyes swept across the sky, absorbing the sight of the captains. By the hole barely above his waist, they knew that he, too, was a monster.
Ichigo glared at them. "What the hell is going on here?"
"Kurosaki, idiot, they mean no harm." Ulquiorra told them. Then, he set his gaze on the orange haired female, "Inoue, help with the revival of the woman."
Immediately, three pairs of eyes landed on the pale form of Sayuri. Their eyes widened at the sight of the gaping hole. Captain Unohana had already busied herself with removing the cloth that had stuck onto the wound. Orihime immediately ran to the bench, while calling out her fairies.
Both Ichigo and Grimmjow glared at the floating figures. "Did you bastards do this?" they shouted in harmony, fury evident in their features.
"You know that woman, Ichigo?" Ukitake asked, dumbfounded.
"Of course he does," Soifon answered, "He had snuck her out of the Soul Society, remember?"
"Aaah, that's right," the white-haired captain laughed in embarrassment. "Wait, do you know those Espadas, too, then Ichigo?"
"Yes," the strawberry lad responded, "They're my friends."
"Well, well, isn't today full of surprises," Kenpachi commented.
Many of the captains silently agreed.
"Unfortunately, the decision has already been agreed upon."
Ichigo turned to the voice. "What do you mean Toshiro?"
"In exchange for saving that human and sparing that blue-haired Espada and that female arrancar, he had agreed to be executed for his crimes," he explained, nodding towards Ulquiorra.
Orihime's healing shield broke at the sudden shock that overcame her. "What!"
Grimmjow ran to the bat and held him on the shoulder. "Have you lost your mind!? Why would you agree to do that!? What do you suggest we tell Sayuri when she wakes up, huh?" the panther roared.
The Cuatro calmly answered, "It was the only way."
"Don't use that excuse," the Seis spat, "There's always another way."
Tan hands held onto Grimmjow's arm. "Let him go, Grimmjow."
"Are you agreeing with this?" Cerulean spheres focused on Ichigo's unusually calm face.
"Do you want to die? For that matter, do you want to risk Sayuri dying? Or that little kid over there being killed?" Kurosaki retorted, pointing to the former and the latter consecutively.
"One life to save three..." they heard Orihime whisper. She had once more called out her fairies and was proceeding with healing Sayuri. Her body needed to be healed before her soul was firmly reattached. However, they could see her shoulder shaking.
Grimmjow stared wide eyed at Ulquiorra. He allowed his grip to slacken, and gradually, he dropped his hands back to his sides.
With a burning gaze, he looked up at the Captains. "And you call us monsters."
"One life to save three, my ass," he muttered to himself, but everyone heard regardless.
There was no response. A solemn silence hung in the air. No words were said for the next quarter of an hour. No one dared to speak.
Ulquiorra remained like a statue guarding and observing behind Inoue and the female captain. Grimmjow had taken to leaning against a nearby tree, his body tense and stiff while simultaneously trying to watch the hole on Sayuri's stomach gradually close and remaining alert. As a hollow who had past run-ins with Soul Reapers, it was difficult to believe that the pompous pricks standing above acting like gods would make a deal with an Espada. It was too contradictory to his past experiences. Ichigo, on the other hand, sat at the base of the tree beside the panther. He, too, was balancing the need to be ready for a fight while making sure that Sayuri would be alright.
Once a sharp, shaky gasp sounded in the air, all three males stiffened before dashing towards the source. They all exhaled as they watched the dark-haired woman take uneven breaths, nearly choking on the air, as a light blush began to repaint her cheeks.
"Is she fully healed?" the monotonic voice inquired, but everyone could tell that he was uncharacteristically impatient.
"Mostly," the dark-haired captain answered.
The Seis Espada gave her an incredulous look. "What the hell does that suppose to mean?"
Orihime was the one who explained next. "So far we've only healed her to the point where we can safely revive her without the risk of her dying again. I didn't want to risk reviving her too late..."
"Are her wounds still grievous then?" the bat asked again.
Grimmjow smirked. "You seem very invested in Sayuri all of a sudden, Ulquiorra," he remarked. However, when he was effectively ignored by the hollow in question, he opted to simply mutter something unsavory under his breath.
"Answer, Inoue," the ashen man commanded.
"Ah, Sayuri is still in serious condition, but her life isn't in any real jeopardy anymore."
The strawberry male entered the conversation. "That's a relief... It was... scary... watching her lie so still..."
The panther added morosely, "Yeah..."
Several sets of eyes turned to the woman in question. Seeing her chest move up and down, a sign that she was alive, gave them relief.
Ulquiorra took several quiet steps back and observed the scene. Their friend was going to be alright. Then, purposefully, he placed himself just behind the rambunctious duo.
"When do you think she'll wake u-" Ichigo began, but his chocolate orbs rolled to the back of his head at the same moment as Grimmjow's.
The young siren sat agape as the two bodies fell forward after being struck behind the neck.
"Why d-did you do that?" she muttered, gray spheres bulging at the looming figure before her.
Ulquiorra sonidod behind her, and struck her as well. He caught and carried her to the edge of the surrounding forest, depositing her behind some trees. The captains watched without interfering as he made the same journey with Ichigo and Grimmjow dangling at each arm. Finally, when he returned, he turned to the Soul Reaper healer.
"May I move her?"
Unohana smiled and nodded. "That shouldn't irritate her wound much. I can heal the rest afterwards."
With more care than he had shown with the others, the Cuatro lifted the weakened and fragile body. He placed her some minute distance from the trio to give the Fourth Division Captain room to perform the healing kido. With one hand, he set the jacket he removed earlier on the snowy ground as a make-shift bed. As he lowered her, he whispered something in her ears. It was unlikely that she had heard anyway.
The woman with braided hair followed suit momentarily. Unohana handed him the document. He read through it quickly before giving his approval and tucking it inside Kurosaki's fist.
Then, walking at the very center, he spoke to the young child that had remained glued to the same spot. The hollow looked utterly petrified.
"Go over there with the others," he ordered, "Ichigo has a document that secures your life. If they touch you, they will be going against the contract."
The skinny hollow stood stiffly but quickly. "Th-Thank you!"
She bowed deeply.
"Go."
With a nod, she ran towards the forest.
Vibrant verdant spheres met with wise earthy orbs.
"Ulquiorra Cifer, for the transgressions you have committed against the Soul Society and the human world, you are hereby punished by execution," he announced, "Do you have anything left to say, Espada?"
He did not completely trust these Soul Reapers. What hollow would? The document had been meant as a first line of defense. There are ways of bypassing it, but it would take some time. He simply prolonged something that was likely to happen; it was up to the rest to see it through and arrive at a plan of action. With his time rapidly passing, it was all he could do.
"Just keep your word, Soul Reaper," he replied, almost venomously.
-O-
"...I told you I would drag you out..."
It was that sentence that made her realize that she was aware again. It kept bouncing around her in a soothing rhythm. She knew she had died. Everything had gone blank soon after feeling her body rapidly plummeting in that white world. This time, on the other hand, everything was black.
"...I told you I would drag you out, woman..."
The sentence kept softly echoing about her. Eventually, the echoes harmonized with each other to form the most calming lullaby.
She found his words amusing. He did say that he would drag her out of the afterlife himself if he had to.
'And dragged me out, he did,' she thought.
She lifted her hands to her mouth as a giggle slipped out.
"I can move..." she noted, inspecting the hands that she could not see in such darkness.
Though it felt like she had only seen him moments ago, she knew that that was not the case. She could have been dead for some time. The uncertainty of how much time had passed made her anxious. She wondered if she could will herself back to the conscious world now that she knew she had been revived. She concentrated on her eyes.
'Open!' she chanted, 'Open...'
The young teen held her breath as she focused solely on her line of sight. At last, she felt something move. A slight sliver of very bright light pierced through the tiny crack she had managed to wedge open. It was incredibly hot, too. She could feel her skin burn simply from the touch of the air.
Sayuri scrunched her eyes shut before quickly and forcefully trying to open it again. It was so heavy. In agonizingly slow motion, her eye-lids fluttered. Her vision, initially blurry, came to recognize the same cloudy sky hidden behind the barren branches of trees. She blinked repeatedly to clear the intense fogginess in her sight.
The first thing she noticed when the blurriness receded was that the heat was growing fiercer.
And... Ulquiorra was no longer there beside her.
At the realization, she sat up quickly and regretted it. A sharp shot of pain originated from her bandaged-covered abdomen. The hole was no longer there. She was not sitting on any blood, either. Instead, she found herself on top of a very familiar white long-sleeve that practically blended with the snow in the dawn light.
Her attention quickly wandered forward as the shadows around her grew longer at an alarming rate. The sharp light also increased in intensity, and her eyes could only see bright spots as it attempted to grow accustomed to it.
She jumped up, startled, when a loud whistle-like shrill vibrated the air. The heat, the light, the shadows... all of them grew. She squinted her eyes and realized that there was a Soul Reaper standing before her. Her attention quickly shifted to the single dark figure bathed in light much further ahead. The whistle had metamorphosed into a furious roar. Immediately, oceanic orbs swiveled her head to find the noise.
She felt her heart stop. She felt herself die all over again.
Without even feeling the complaint of pain from her body or the smothering heat that was closely descending on the clearing, she ran. She sprinted past the Soul Reaper, out of the forest, into the clearing, and towards him.
The light was coming much closer.
Since she had stirred herself awake, only less than half a minute had passed.
"Ulquiorra!" she screamed, but it was unnecessary. The moment she had left the forest, his eyes had instantaneously landed on her. Still, she said his name because there was nothing else to do but to say it and run to him.
There was no time to ask him why he was not moving- why he was just standing there as it came closer and closer.
She kept sprinting even as she caught sight, through her peripheral vision, of the massive thing now looming as some sort of unstoppable giant. Her skin felt as though it was about to spontaneously dry and combust.
Blue orbs gazed forward steadily, never straying from the figure of the ashen man. He, too, kept his emerald jewels fixed on her even as he finally began to move.
He dashed towards her.
In his eyes, she saw fear for the first time.
And for the third time that day, night came and embraced her.
-O-
Believe it or not you guys, this story is almost done. It won't be over quite so quickly, but it will be over within the next year and a half... I think. It depends if I get new inspiration or get lazy. Ultimately, I do promise to finish this story in some way, shape, or form.
I have also been thinking a lot recently. The following events may or may not happen:
- Grimmjow's blue-eyed girl shows up as a hollow, and turns out to be Sayuri's ancestor.
- Ulquiorra goes on a date with a female hollow that confesses to him or goes out with Mai.
- Shin starts to date a hollow.
- Sayuri is killed and becomes a hollow.
- Sayuri agrees to date Ichigo.
- The story will end with Sayuri and Ulquiorra getting married, but her eventually dying from age.
Can anyone guess which ones are likely to come true? Haha.
See you all next time!