The next morning, and every morning from then on, you woke not to grey skies or white ceilings or bleak darkness, but rather blue.
Blue eyes with no comparisons in Hueco Mundo, Zoe s eyes.
"Good morning Master Ulquiorra." she said as she tried her best to do a polite bow, it wasn t the best, but acceptable for someone with so much free-will and spirit.
"What will we do today?" she asked.
"We're not doing anything. I have a meeting with Lord Aizen this morning and you will go find something to keep yourself busy."
You didn't wait for her to answer and you swept out of the room for your meeting.
As usual, the meetings were long and irritating. Closing your eyes as always, you pretended to listen, but you were secretly fighting a coming headache and also avoiding looking at Grimmjow seated across the table at you.
Even through closed eyes, you felt his ever present dislike burning into you.
The meeting ended uneventful, Lord Aizen s orders were to bring him a Vasto Lorde as always, but none had turned up, and you began to wonder if they existed. But you never doubted or disobeyed anything Lord Aizen said.
After the meeting was dismissed, Nelliel came up to you. "Greetings Ulquiorra, are you alright? You were making that face again during the meeting."
"Nel, I always make that face." She laughed
"That s true. I heard that you got yourself a new Fraccion."
"I fear I have already made a mistake." you confided in Nel. She was the only other Espada you had any respect for, less blockheaded.
"Do you know who made a mistake? Nnoitra when he tried to fight that girl." She also had a way of knowing everything that Nel.
"You shouldn't say that." you said, although you mostly agreed with her.
She shrugged and patted you on the cheek "She'll do you good this girl, listen to her, she has some sense in her. More so then all the Espada combined."
Nel left to play some games with her Fraccion and you also went to find yours.
It wasn't much of a task, because she found you instead. Hiding behind a pillar, she had tried to ambush you, but she didn't know that you didn't get frightened or surprised easily.
And seeing her pouting disappointed face almost made you laugh.
Your good mood was easily crushed when Grimmjow raised his voice in the hallway.
Alright gang lets roll out before that Nnoitra beats us to finding that Vasto Lorde.
his Fraccion preceded him, then the Espada himself showed up.
For a moment you two shared a look without words, a look of hatred, and a look that wanted to kill.
"I am going to find that Vasto Lorde for Lord Aizen before you do. And when I do he will move me up and I will exceed you as an Espada."
"Even if you find a hundred Vasto Lordes, your strength will almost be inferior to mine, lets go now Zoe."
At the mention of her name, Grimmjow s eyes fell on her and they locked. The way he looked at her was the look of a wolf on a prey, it read in his eyes, he wanted her and he craved her.
His hand lashed out and grabbed her shoulder as she tried to walk past him, a crooked smirk on his face
"Hey beautiful, why listen to that boring Ulquiorra? Come with me, my Fraccion and I are going hunting, I guarantee it will be more fun than whatever that Ulquiorra plans to do."
She looked to you for help and she tried to release his crushing grip on her shoulder "I'm sorry, I can t do that. Please let me go."
She managed to unlatch her shoulder from him, but he grabbed hold of her wrist and held it tightly.
"You have a pretty face, but your attitude can use some work. I can tell Ulquiorra hasn't tamed you well enough yet, but I ll fix that." Zoe was getting annoyed, she was getting the same look in her eyes as you saw yesterday when she was fighting Nnoitra.
"What part of let me go did you not understand?" she asked. Grimmjow threw his head back in laughter but nonetheless released her.
"I think you and I will get along just fine." He gave you a scary look
"Keep a good eye on her, because I might just take her away from you." He bumped Zoe s shoulder roughly as he walked past.
Back at your palace you had begun a vigorous research on the Hogyoku, assigned to you by Lord Aizen. You were on the breaking point of your research when the manual in your hand was taken away by Zoe.
She hid it behind her back and smiled at you "No wonder you re getting frown lines on your face, reading something so boring for so long can't be good for you."
You placed your hands on the table and tolerated her "I can manage with frown lines on my face, but I can't manage failing Lord Aizen on his important matter."
At the mention of his name, she tossed the book across the room.
She sat on the edge of the table and leaned back until she was close to you.
"How well do you even know this Aizen character?" you were taken aback by her question, she had directly insulted Lord Aizen, but in some ways it was true, that you didn't know much about this man.
"I don't need to know anything from him other than that he is strong and he is a good leader, so I will follow him."
She made a face at you for a long time then looked away, disappointed in your answer.
"I know that wasn't the answer you were seeking, but think of it like this. I follow Lord Aizen the same reason you follow me, because I m stronger than you."
She sat on the table with her legs facing you, knees pointing at your chest. "Wrong again."
You were a little confused at her answer, but a lot dazed at her long fair limbs so close to your own body.
"I can see you're thinking hard about this, but its not hard at all. Its simply because I love you."
You turned away from her and closed your eyes so she wouldnt see the look you had on her face, it was the kind of expression she might have found laughable.
"So now that I've told you why I've chosen you as my master, why did you pick me as your Fraccion?" she asked.
Its because the moment I saw you, I knew you would be able to make my days more enjoyable, to make me happy, to make me feel loved, someone as interesting as you would make my life something. I didn't want anyone else having someone as special as you.
But of course you didn't say that, instead "Its because I knew you were strong and if I didn't take you in, surely another Espada would have taken you in and abused your powers."
"So if there was another Fraccion at your door right now, who was stronger than me, would you take them to be your Fraccion and dismiss me?" She wanted only one answer, but it was the only one you wouldn't give her."
"That's a stupid question, when the time truly comes for such an occasion, I will tell you the answer then."
"I knew you would say something like that. In that case I'll just keep telling myself you wouldn't replace me no matter what, and you would protect me even if Sosuke Aizen told you not to."
"You really shouldn't call Lord Aizen by his first name, its disrespectful." you said.
"I have nothing but disrespect for that shady guy."
"Are you not scared of dying?" you asked.
She smiled "I've died once already haven't I? I m not scared to die again."
"Then its no wonder you re not scared of Lord Aizen, or anyone else for that matter."
"Are you afraid to die?" she asked leaning closer.
"I suppose I am, we all are, that's why we obey and we fight, to keep on living under Lord Aizen peacefully."
She scoffed "If you call this peace, then I would hate to see battle." You tipped your head to one side to get a better look at her.
"You are the strangest arrancar I have ever met. You don t even have a hollow hole. Its like you re not an arrancar at all."
She leaned back "I promise you, I haven't lied about what I am." then she started to unbutton the top of her dress.
You looked away and glanced back occasionally to see if she had stopped. "What are you doing?" you asked, trying to keep your voice steady.
She laughed "You can look, I m not trying to tease you or anything."
You looked and saw that her hollow hole was right over her heart, edged with a rugged scar.
"Do you believe me?"
You looked away from her bare skin "You didn't need to do that to prove your point."
"I don't mind showing you, you're my Master. I'll do anything for you."
At that moment Coyote showed up at the door with his melancholy look.
"Ulquiorra and Fraccion, there is something that needs to be taken care of at the South gate. Aizen's order, go handle it." Then he left.
You turned to Zoe, her look was unreadable, you got out of your chair.
"Well you heard him, let's go." For a moment she just stared, but without a word, she followed you.