All afternoon you slaved over manuals and read through scroll after scroll of soul society fighting styles. You could see why Lord Aizen required his arrancar, and especially the Espada, to be knowledgeable about the soul reapers ways. A warrior that goes into battle without knowledge about his opponent was no true warrior.
Finishing the last of your reading for the night you closed your books and sighed a breath of relief.
You closed your eyes and rubbed your temples to prevent a serious headache, and you suddenly thought about that girl from before.
She boldly approached you, so close you could see your green eyes in her blue, deep blue, eyes.
No one, not even the member of the Espada would approach you in such a manner, this girl, she was either really brave or really stupid.
In your head you heard her name and the sound escaped your lips Zoephina Fon Eudenclaire.
Just then a silhouette danced past your doorway, curious, you decided to follow the shadow.
Tracking soundless footsteps down the long corridor of Las Noches, it took you a long time to catch the one you were looking for.
Her long hair made waves as she walked, her hands held each other neatly behind her back. Her graceful small frame and slender long legs were made even more alluring by her fair milky skin.
When you realize your train of thoughts, you stopped yourself. "Were you the one sneaking outside of my reading room?"
She looked over her shoulder at you "I was not sneaking."
"Then you were eavesdropping."
"I was not eavesdropping either, I happened to walk by when you said my name." She threw a smile over her shoulder at you
"Were they good thoughts of me?" She must have grasped the mortified look on your face
"I was just kidding, I guess people around here don t joke around too much."
She continued walking and you continued following her. "Where are you going?" you asked.
"Tesra" she said.
Once again you were confused to everything she said and everything she did.
"Tesra Lindocruz, he is Numero fifty and my friend. I want to go see him."
"How do you know where he is? Las Noches is so large, it would take you three days to go around the entire fortress."
"I already found him though. I know where Tesra is, I can sense him."
"How? There is no spiritual pressure anywhere." She laughed at you
"Do you always look at things in black and white? I sense his essence, his heart. I just have a feeling he is this way."
"And what if you are wrong?"
She shrugged "Then I am wrong and I'll try again."
But she was right, the sound of swords clashing and blood splattering confirmed it. Without realizing, you had wandered into Nnoitra s palace, his training room, right in the middle of a match between him and his new Fraccion, the blonde haired boy from the morning.
"Tesra" Zoe whispered as she watched Nnoitra discipline him in front of the other Numeros.
"Is that the best you got Tesra? You piece of worthless weakling, get up! We're not done yet Tesra!" But the blonde boy did not. Nnoitra s face turned from angry to killer.
He raised his blade in the air over the Fraccione's head "If you won't get up, then you will die where you lay".
Nnoitra lowered his sword, but instead of meeting a grisly death, Tesra Lindocruz was saved by the a blade of a girl s sword and her fast sonido.
Before you could even look over, Zoe had thrown herself into Nnoitra's battle.
A fool's move.
"What the hell, who are you?" Nnoitra demanded as he tried to bear down on Zoe.
"Numero forty, Zoephina Fon Eudenclaire, nice to meet you."
"Don't act so smug with me you damn Numero!" he slammed his sword down, before it hit her, Zoe used a Cero. It was strong, crimson red in color, so bright you had to cover your eyes.
Without waiting for the smoke to clear, you knew Nnoitra was not down or hurt, he had the toughest skin of all the Espada, a Cero would not do him damage.
"You thought that Cero was something, you little-" before he could finish, Zoe was behind him, he turned, in time to meet her sword.
Although it was not enough to cut him, he was stunned and he laid facedown for quite some time.
The other Numeros looked at their comrade with some newfound admiration, and you could not help but feel it too.
Zoe sheathed her sword and turned her back to Nnoitra, her concern on Tesra in a bloody heap.
Before she could take one step closer to her friend, Nnoitra raised and slashed a deep cut into her back. She did not scream, but only grabbed her sword and faced her opponent, your respect for her grew yet again.
"Its funny how you can't cut me, but I can cut you." Nnoitra laughed.
She smirked "Well I promise, that big ugly sword won't cut me again."
And it didn't. For a little while, you thought Zoe would stand a chance, but then Nnoitra pulled a dirty trick, he realized that nothing against her would work, so he targeted Tesra, his own Fraccion, with a pure Cero.
When the damage was done, it was clear that Tesra was no more hurt then he was before, but Zoe was on her knees. Nnoitra raised her chin with his sword and laughed at her face.
"Now you bow down to your Espada, little girl."
"And if I played a dirty trick like that, you would be the one down here." Nnoitra's last nerve snapped and he yelled in anger, his hand tightened on his sword and aimed all his strength at Zoe.
Enough was enough, with a sonido you had come between Nnoitra and Zoe, with a flick of your hand you had knocked his sword and impaled it into a pillar halfway across the room.
"Ulquiorra! Get out of the way of my kill, right now." he fumed.
"This fight is over." you stated.
"And who let you decide this fight was over?" He demanded.
"I decide whether my Fraccion lives or dies." Nnoitra s face changed, he glowered at Zoe then he turned to you
"Get your trash out of my sight." On Zoe's face, you read defiance and forcibly you pulled her up by her collar and dragged her from Nnoitra's chamber.
Once the gates of the Espada s palace closed, you released her and she sank down on the ground, her injuries from battle greater then she let on.
"Are you going to die now?" you asked.
She smiled "I think I might just live till tomorrow."
"How can you smile like that, you re bleeding all over the hallway, get up now." she obeyed but soon her strength failed her and she began to sway on her feet.
You took her on your back and began walking back to your palace. For a while you thought she was asleep, it was so quiet. But then she spoke
"Why did you stop that fight?"
"Did you want to die?"
"I chose my battle, and I lost. Complying with the rules of battle, I deserved it. Battles need to be finished with honor."
"Not all battles need to be won or lost. Battles are over as soon as their messages are made clear."
"What message is that?" she asked.
"You are by far the biggest fool I have ever met." She laughed
"Anything else?" she pressed "And you're the most annoying person too."
She contented herself and rested her head on your back again.
Then she asked "What you said back there, did you really mean it?"
"Mean what?"
"To be your Fraccion."
"I mean things I say. You will be my Fraccion and now I am your master, understand?"
"Tell me your name." she asked, her voice barely a whispered.
Cuatro Espada, Ulquiorra Cifer. Maybe she heard it and maybe she didn't, her breathing became peaceful, her heartbeat settling into slumber.