Szayel frowned playfully, "Such a serious face. Don't worry. I can't do too much to you…at least, not as much as I'd like. Aizen-sama would be angry if I caused you irreparable harm," he griped. He shared Ulquiorra's discomfort regarding their master's distaste for the latest social development of, what he often referred to as, his children.

Those reassurances only served to put him even more on edge. Ulquiorra's scowl deepened but he didn't say anything as the researcher took out his thermometer.

"Say aaah," Szayel coaxed as though he were speaking to a child.liabel

Ulquiorra kept his lips firmly shut.

"You know, there are other places I can put this," he threatened while tracing the fourth's pale lips with the bulb end. The look he received said, 'You wouldn't dare' but his subject refused to open his mouth so he made his way to the espada's lower half, trailing the glass instrument down the center of his body. "Fine, be that way," he smiled playfully, obviously enjoying his control over the creature four ranks above him. "You're only making this harder on yourself…I find that difficult subjects are the ones I get the most out of so you're really only doing me a favor by behaving his way."

Ulquiorra winced when he felt Szayel's clinical touch on his inner thighs, leading the thermometer toward his rectum.

"Aaaah," he finally gave in.

Szayel giggled and but didn't relent. "You had your chance," he informed as he slid the instrument inside his subject. He smirked at the way Ulquiorra squirmed as he wiggled it around inside.

The fourth was more compliant when the scientist began taking his blood pressure and several hair and tissue samples from various parts of his body. This was humiliating and his skin was beginning to portray that feeling by turning a slight shade of pink. Szayel noticed but didn't say anything.

Ulquiorra breathed a sigh of relief when the researcher began to withdraw the thermometer but was dismayed once again when his assailant made an interested 'Hmmm,' sound before pushing it back inside. Then, he turned to record his results.

"Fascinating," Szayel marveled. "Were you aware that you vital signs are well below survivable norms? Your temperature as well as your heart rate and blood pressure are about half of what they should be. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Just by looking at you one can tell the you are as cold physically as you are emotionally."
The analysis did little to ease Ulquiorra aside from providing a moment of relief from the eighth's examination. This did not last for very long and his breath caught in his throat when the pink-haired espada returned with a large needle.

"Now, I need a blood sample and we'll be just about finished." Szayel informed and he watched with glee as the fourth espada instinctively recoiled at the sight. He managed not to smile but his reddish-golden eyes danced with delight.

"Don't even think about sticking me with that," Ulquiorra growled threateningly, though much of the effect was lost due to his situation.

"I need a blood sample," Szayel reminded.

"Then get it the right way," he snarled.

The researcher smiled. "The right way? I was unaware that there was a wrong way to make someone bleed."

"Some ways are better than others," Ulquiorra informed.

"Well, if you insist," Szayel feigned reluctance as he traded his needle for a vile. He returned to his subject and after a moment of thought, leaned over his table to sink his teeth into his comrade's chest, opposite the large black four, just above his nipple. The fourth's skin was tougher than he'd anticipated and he actually had to put forth significant effort to cause even the slightest tear. He knew he had though when he was rewarded with the metallic taste of blood on his tongue and a throaty groan that rang in his ears. After another few moments of tearing and tasting, he withdrew in favor of expressing the blood with his hand, digging his nails into the wound when the bleeding would slow. It wasn't because he didn't enjoy the taste of the fourth's cool and oddly sweet blood on his lips. He wanted to see the face that accompanied the little sounds that Ulquiorra couldn't suppress. It was an exquisite mixture of pain and pleasure that was very poorly hidden.

The green-eyed espada couldn't believe the mewl the poured from his lips when Szayel removed the vile, now full, and replaced it with his tongue, lapping up the stray trails of blood that now decorated his porcelain skin, occasionally tracing over the already erect nipple that was nearby. Once satisfied, he withdrew and once again licked his lips.

"You shouldn't have let me do that. It's a taste I'm liabel to crave," Szayel nearly giggled, placing the vile on a small wooden rack with the one he'd collected earlier before turning back. "We're nearly finished and it looks like you're already ready for the next part." Szayel's grin was absolutely wicked as he sauntered back and leaned his elbows on the side of the table, next to his subject.

Where Szayel's instruments made him uneasy before, he felt even more uneasy now that he had none but before he could say anything about it, he felt the eighth's nimble fingers begin to stroke his side.

Ulquiorra flinched at the tickling touches and squeezed his eyes shut in a futile attempt to ignore the lovely feeling of his comrade's fingers. "What are you doing?"

"I'm getting a semen sample," he informed as though it should have been obvious.

Ulquiorra chuckled just a bit, "I thought I already gave you one."

"That one you gave me while in the fever. I need another, now that you're over it, for comparison," Szayel informed in a matter-of-fact tone.

Ulquiorra groaned in frustration. This situation was nothing if not frustrating for him. Not only was his captivity infuriating but he was becoming increasingly sexually frustrated. "Just get your 'sample', if that's what you're after, and let me go," Ulquiorra demanded but it sounded disturbingly like a plea.

"I'm glad you've become so…shall I say, accommodating," he wanted to use the word 'submissive' but decided against it, "but I have other things in mind."

"Like?" Ulquiorra grumbled, trying not to lean into those teasing hands even though his restraints wouldn't allow that anyway.

Szayel simply smiled and continued his touches, seeming to seek out the most sensitive spots on the fourth espada's fair form. "As I'm sure you've figured out, I never intended to bring either of you here." After the look of skepticism he received, he felt he should continue. "I was asked to keep an eye on Grimmjaw to…help him manage himself a little better. I've been keeping track of him for some time now and when I knew his fever was getting close, I went to warn him. It seems I waited a little too long. I should have said something to him last night but there's just something about waking him up that I really enjoy."

Ulquiorra was never really a fan of the eighth espada's penchent for unnecessary expository information but this time he would make an exception because it was enough to give him some distraction from the way his body was so eagerly responding to the attention it was receiving.

"I ended up having to rearrange the corridors to bring him here. You, however, have been gone so much lately that I haven't had the opportunity to observe you." He paused for a moment as he ran his fingers along the outer edge of the soul chain hole at the base of the fourth espada's throat and watched the breath catch. "I must admit that you're arrival was purely accidental but quite serendipitous." He stopped speaking again to watch the reaction he received in response to toying with one of his subject's nipples.

At first Ulquiorra just tensed up when he felt the scientist's fingers brush across them and begin rubbing them in soft, sensual circles but when he began to pinch and twist and pull, he couldn't hold back his more intense reactions.

Pinch.

Gasp.

Smirk. Twist.

"Nnnngh-ah…"

Grin. Pull.

"Eeaaah…"

Giggle. "You are just too much fun," Szayel raved as he hopped up onto the table once again, this time kneeling between Ulquiorra's legs instead of straddling them.

"What are you doing?" he demanded. Szayel's bloodied-amber eyes gleamed down at him in maniacal glee and he felt his stomach turn, making his skin forsake the slight flush that had developed. Again his question when unanswered.

The eighth espada simply leaned over his subject and began teasing his nipples with his mouth as well as his fingers. This elicited another uncontrollable verbal response, a rather heated sigh at the feeling of that warm tongue lapping at the overly sensitive nubs of flesh. Szayel looked up at the incapacitated espada through hooded lashes. Ulquiorra had his neck craned in an attempt to see what was being done to him. He thought that if maybe he could see the attentions they wouldn't effect him, at least not as much. This tactic failed miserably as watching that very long and very evil tongue dance along his skin only made him harder.

"I fail to see how tormenting me like this has any value to your research," Ulquiorra argued through gritted teeth.

"Torment? I'm not trying to torment you," Szayel feigned innocence. "I'm simply trying to figure out what makes you tick…though, I guess I shouldn't be surprised to find that you see it that way. You should just relax, I almost guarantee you'll enjoy yourself."

"Almost?" Ulquiorra barely managed to not to stutter the word.

"Well, if I get bored or side-tracked, I can't make any promises…but for right now I want to find out what you like and, more specifically, what makes you cry out with ecstasy."

Ulquiorra gave him a look of utter disbelief until his comrade began to gently suckle his right nipple, then his eyes rolled back and he moaned. He felt the arancar at his chest give a satisfied hum before pulling back.

"I'm a little surprised that you're giving into me so easily…but I suppose you are smart enough to know when it's useless to fight. Others are not so easily convinced. I've had to drug some to get such honest reactions…not that it made things any less interesting for me."

The idea of being drugged had not crossed Ulquiorra's mind but he was suddenly glad that his instincts allowed him to let got of himself enough to avoid such a thing.

"Actually…with Grimmjaw, I had to drug him to get him onto my table in the first place. It was all very inconvenient. If he'd just listened to me in the first place, it wouldn't have had to happen that way." He explained while trailing his hands up and down the torso beneath him, watching the ever-changing expressions of the normally stoic and expressionless espada. His lips were moist and parted, letting the mewls of pleasure that bubbled up from him escape with relative ease.

"Well," Ulquiorra didn't realize how heavy his breathing had become until he tried to speak, "I'm glad it hasn't come to that," he tried to sound sarcastic but he was genuinely grateful. Actually, now that it was brought to his attention, his chest was nearly heaving and he'd hardly received any attention…it was a little embarrassing but the espada above him didn't seem to mind.

"Me too. I much prefer my subjects with their sense intact. It makes gauging their reactions much easier…that is, unless I'm testing the effect of the drug on an individual…" he trailed off, bored with that train of discussion, as he leaned down once again to lap at the newest trails of blood that seeped from the bite wound on his chest. Once it was clean, he couldn't help reopening it.

Ulquiorra winced a little at the pain of the eight digging into him once again, his blunt teeth tearing at the skin and the muscle beneath, then moaned again when that wicked tongue dove into the wound to taste as much as it could. This time, he couldn't stop his back from arching off the hard metal table as much as it could which, due to his bindings, wasn't very much.

This was something that did not go unnoticed by the scientist who returned to the nipple just below the wound and gave it a sharp bite.

"AAAagh!" Ulquiorra cried in spite of himself. He could feel his mind fogging over. "Is this how you usually get your samples?"

"Only when my subject is so handsome," Szayel complemented.

To his surprise, Ulquiorra felt the compliment go straight to his groin. He felt and Szayel watched his cock twitch.

"Interesting," Szayel thought before returning to nibbling on the stronger espada's chest. He wanted to stay there longer but it appeared his comrade was growing accustomed that variety of attention so, he moved upward. This allowed him to continued receiving the intense reactions that he craved as his tongue danced along the outer edge of the fourth's soul chain hole. Ulquiorra's eyes fluttered, his body trembled, and neither of them could believe the strangled whine that seemed to echo through the emasculate facility.

After that, Szayel had to pull away to take in the sight of the arancar beneath him. His temperature had certainly risen, he could tell just by looking at him but he wanted to see how much. So, he reached between Ulquiorra's legs and withdrew the thermometer once again. This time, he didn't have to pull it out as far to see. He laughed a little.

"What?" Ulquiorra barely asked between heated breaths.

"According to this, you almost appear healthy now…"

The fourth espada looked up at his captor, lust and anger fueling the fire behind his bright green eyes.

"However, just by looking at you…that doesn't appear to be the case," he pushed the thin glass tube back in. Then, he dismounted and began scribbling on his clipboard.

"What are you doing?" Ulquiorra asked incredulously.

"I'm recording my findings."

The arancar on the table groaned in frustration. He was already painfully erect and it looked like the scientist was only getting started.

"You're already really close again, aren't you?" Szayel asked as he moved back to the table, clipboard and pen in hand.

Ulquiorra bit his lip but didn't give any other response. Fortunately, or otherwise, that seemed to be enough of an answer.

"I see. Well…" he set his findings down next to his subject before retreating from view. He returned moments later, with a metal ring.

The sight of the metallic object made Ulquiorra's stomach turn again. It looked familiar but it was much smaller than the ones he'd seen before. "What the fuck is that?"

"Oh this?" he feigned innocence, "it's just a cock ring, nothing special."

Even just the authoritative, clinical touches he received while it was being fastened around the base of his erection made his heart jump into his throat, making his breath catch and his vision blur.

"I just don't want you finishing before I'm done with you," the researcher grinned hysterically.

Up until then, Ulquiorra had started to think that there was the possibility that Szayel would just play with him until he came and collect his sample. Now, the gravity of the situation really began to weigh on him, making it difficult to breathe. Anxiety overtook his senses and he could feel the air that he had to gather in forceful gasps burn in his lungs.

Szayel marveled at the panicked look in his superior's eyes. "Most intriguing," he thought.

However, as much as he would like to watch Ulquiorra have a panic attack, he had other things in mind. So, he slapped the fourth espada on the cheek hard enough for force his head to turn. "Settle down!" he commanded and much to surprise, it was rather effective.

Ulquiorra's eyes grew wide with the shock of the sudden assault but it did cause him enough pause to catch his breath as well as his bearings. He blinked a few times before closing his eyes, giving a soft sigh of resignation. "Thank you."

"Any time. Just think of it this way. At least I didn't do this while you were feverish. Imagine how terrible that would have been for you…not that I didn't want to," Szayel practically drooled at the thought, "but, as I said, no irreparable harm and that would certainly have an effect on your sanity that could potentially be permanent."

Ulquiorra didn't like the idea either way but if he had a choice, which it was obvious he did not, he would have quickly chosen this over what the scientist really wanted to put him through because he was right. That experiment would be impossibly traumatic for any hollow, not that this was much better. He simply waited in silence for the scientist to make his next move.

"That's much better, now…where was I?" he began using his fingers to toy with the hole at the base of the fourth espada's throat. To his surprise, the top and bottom of the hole seemed to be more sensitive, or at least elicited more of a response, than either side and that the outer rim was even more so, regardless of front or back. "Have you ever put anything in here?" The look he received in response to his query was one of incredulity and disgust. He sighed. "I figured as much. Oh well," he shrugged.

Much to Ulquiorra's surprise, Szayel didn't immediately start shoving things through his throat. No, he just continued to play with it using his disturbingly soft fingers.

When he started to scratch lightly on the more sensitive areas, the fair espada shivered. This made his smile widen before he really dug his nails in. This was rewarded by a throaty groan that he could feel through the thin layer of delicate skin. "You seem to like it when I hurt you," Szayel commented offhandedly while continuing his experimental administrations.

Ulquiorra smirked, remembering that he'd said a very similar thing to Grimmjaw once. "You're not hurting me," he replied a-matter-of-factly.

Szayel looked a little irked by his superior's admission and his nearly bragging tone.

"Oh, I'm sorry…was that what you were going for?" Ulquiorra taunted. Deep down he knew that wasn't really his best move but he just couldn't help himself. Not that it really mattered. Szayel seemed intent on doing whatever he wanted regardless of what Ulquiorra said or tried to do and he knew that the researcher was wise enough not to go against Aizen's wishes when it came to not harming his other subordinates.

"I see," the corner of his right eye twitched almost unnoticeably as he began to use some of his real strength on his subject, grinning with delight at the way Ulquiorra tried not to wiggle beneath him. He got the distinct impression that even if he were to cause the fourth espada pain, at this point, it would only fuel his growing desire. So, he shrugged it off and leaned down to capture those pale lips in a soft, sensual kiss.

Ulquiorra could hardly believe that he reacted just as strongly to this as he had the rougher, cruder attention he'd received moments before, if not more so. He found himself kissing back without a second thought, or a first. His mind was swimming with pent up desire. He felt as though he was slowly succumbing to the fever once again, though he knew that was impossible. Perhaps some of the effects of the fever lingered after it was 'taken care of'. The very idea would have greatly disturbed Ulquiorra had there not been a very dexterous tongue invading every detail of his mouth while he tried his best to keep pace with his assailant even though his restraints made that rather difficult. He quickly decided that would be something better considered after the fact and probably was something that Szayel was already contemplating as well.

It didn't take long for Szayel to have his captive moaning against his lips and nearly whimpering when he pulled away. "Grimmjaw's right, you're a really good kisser," he commented while licking his lips. He felt the other espada's erection give the slightest response, "and a really good fuck," he added, feeling another reaction, this one slightly more intense. "I bet you give really good head…that ryoka boy is very lucky." Another reaction. "I see how you are. You don't like to talk but you don't seem to mind when others do. Does Grimmjaw talk dirty to you?"

Ulquiorra glared as best he could but the lust that clouded his vision made that very difficult.

"I didn't think so," he assumed. "Just so you know, he doesn't because he doesn't want to deal with your snarky come-backs…and I don't blame him. A scathing tongue is hardly something one wants in their bed chamber, wouldn't you agree?"

"How about in their laboratory?" Ulquiorra managed.

Szayel smiled, "I'm not going to stop you from speaking your mind. I rather enjoy it when you do. It's usually very…telling. But you're already aware of that. It's why you keep your words to a necessary minimum."

It was unnerving to know that Szayel had him so totally figured out, or at least it seemed that way. Perhaps it would be different if he weren't bound, if his options weren't so totally limited, but as it were, he felt very mentally violated. "This is ridiculous! What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm proving a point…but you're getting impatient, aren't you?" he leaned down so that much of his weight rested on his superior's throbbing erection.

Before the fourth espada could answer, two of Szayel's idiotic faccion came bursting into the facility. "Szayel-sama! Szayel-sama!"

Szayel rolled his eyes. "Can't you see I'm busy?"

"Apologies, Szayel-sama but we have a message from Aizen-sama."

He was suddenly much more interested. "And?"

"He wants to know if you are done rearranging the corridors. He says that the new arrangement is rather annoying and would like for you to change it back as soon as possible."

Szayel felt his heart skip a beat. "Aizen-sama is annoyed?" he repeated nervously.

They nodded.

The scientist leapt off the table and headed for the door.

"Hey, let me go first!" Ulquiorra complained.

"Weren't you listening? I have to fix this right now. I'll just be a minute. If you get lonely while I'm gone, I'm sure these two will be more than happy to entertain you." He was so flustered that his words ran together.

Ulquiorra groaned and smacked his head against the table in frustration until he remembered the underlings that were still present. "Let me go!" he ordered.

"I'm sorry Ulquiorra-sama, we can't do that," the one on the left shook its head.

"I'll make this easy for you. Let me go or I will kill you."

"Then you're going to kill us," the one on the right informed.

Ulquiorra gave them a look of incredulity.

"If it were anything else, we would obey you but we don't want to end up like Kaibo," the left one motioned to a small tank on the far side of the room.

Ulquiorra had to crane his neck to see but he got a good enough of a look to understand their decision. It contained another one of his faccion, writhing silently in pain in some strangely murky liquid.

"He's the only one to ever release one of Szayel-sama's subjects. He's been like that for months now. All he wants is death," the right one continued.

"I see," Ulquiorra was slightly impressed with just how sadistic his comrade had the capacity to be. "I have no choice then."

The two faccion felt the espada's raitsu raise dramatically and begin to press in around them. Moments later they were life heaps on the floor and he was no closer to freedom but at least he was alone.

That was certainly fun, wasn't it? I hope Ulquiorra wasn't to OOC. I think I'll finish this up in one more chapter and then put this story to bed. I have a lot of other ideas floating around in my head to continue it further and I think I've just about exhausted the possibilities for this theme (but who knows, right?).