Disclaimer: This is silly. We all know that if I owned Bleach, it'd be very different. It would probably also be unsafe for human consumption, so it's undoubtedly better off in Tite Kubo's hands. Even if he did kill Ulquiorra… *mutters darkly*
Oh well, enjoy the show.
Listening to: Lykke Li – 'I'm Good, I'm Gone.'
R/R. Please? *pouts in a Shunsui-like fashion*
Chapter 9
He was actually nervous. That in itself was alarming, but it was going to have to be considered a necessary evil.
I just need to spend enough time with Neliel to become desensitised to her presence, and then this feeling will have passed. I can put up with it in the interim. Hell, if I have avoided killing Grimmjow thus far I can withstand any annoyance.
His hand on Murcielago's hilt, he paced in the office, which was now back to its cramped proportions as he'dreturned his desk to its original position, and then stopped as further thought occurred to him.
What if she was seriously upset by my unavailability these past few weeks? She does not seem like the type to hold a grudge, but I have not exactly spent enough time around her to be sure of this. If she did, I wouldn't be able to spend enough time with her for this to take effect. I could be stuck like this…
Worse, this could not work at all. Orihime did not mention if she knew any other ways to deal with my problem, and I -
I am panicking. I am better than this. I am going to sit down and do something more productive than pacing across the room and staring at her desk.
I am better than this.
xXx
Nel arrived at the division to find her ninth seat walking around with an expression on her face that indicated that, if she had been physically capable of doing so, she would have been permanently rolling her eyes. She stopped when she spotted her captain, and handed her a stack of forms.
"Files from the last mission. And be warned, your lieutenant's back."
"I knew that already", Nel replied, slightly puzzled. "Why the warning?"
The tall, dryly sarcastic woman pointed toward her closed office and the large group of women (and a few men) gathered outside, giggling and trying to peer in.
"What the - "
"He's got a bit of a fan club."
"No shit. How the hell do I get into my office?"
"Pull rank. I'm just glad he stayed away the last few weeks. We'd never have been able to get the new recruits to pay any attention if he'd been on the field."
"Mmm, this year's graduates are predominantly women", Nel murmured absent-mindedly, staring at her door. "I, uh, suppose he is attractive, in a cold sort of way", she added as nonchalantly as she possibly could.
The ninth seat gave her a look of disbelief. "Honey, I don't even swing that way and I can why they're hanging out for him. You're either blind or in denial."
"Or, oh, I don't know, his superior officer?" Please, Kami, don't let me be blushing.
"Che, whatever. You think that stops anyone? Look me in the eye and tell me that the captain and lieutenant of the Eighth haven't been together for years."
Ah, touché. "Well, I'm not Nanao."
"Actually, I think you'd be Captain Kyoraku in this equation."
"Ha ha bloody ha. I'm not him either."
"Alright, I get you. Well, go tell the fan girls and boys to quit slacking. There's plenty that needs doing."
"Damn straight." She sighed. "Time to get to work."
xXx
Five minutes later, having dispelled the crowd to their various duties, Nel walked into her office and faced the man who had been wreaking havoc with her mind for the last few months, with an intelligent and gracious speech planned to welcome him back and thank him for getting her home last night. What came out, on the other hand...
"Uh, for the record, I only had half a beer. I wasn't passed out or anything. I mean, not that it hasn't happened, but not on a weeknight. And not that it's a regular occurrence! I mean, it might have happened once or twice, but that's a side effect of being friends with Ran, and - "
"Neliel, I know that you were not drunk. You barely smelled of alcohol. I would, in fact, wager that there was more alcohol merely floating in Lieutenant Matsumoto's breath than there was in your entire body."
Now she just felt like an idiot. Not that that's anything new here. "What can I say? Ran has a gift."
He suppressed a smirk. "She does." He paused there, and sighed. "Anyway, you do not need to explain yourself to me. It is very clear that you have been working far too hard over the past few weeks, and now that we are up to date in all things administrative it is time I joined you in training our squad."
Wow. I've gone from babbling mess to enjoying how good 'our squad' sounds in less than a minute. I need help. Serious help.
She seemed a little preoccupied, he decided, but not upset. That must be positive, mustn't it? I just wish she would stop staring at her feet and look at me. Her shoes cannot possibly be this interesting, and it is starting to get awkward.
She looked up at him and smiled, and he felt something inside him twitch.
This will pass. Just let it play out and it will fade. Orihime said so.
Then again, she did also say that feelings didn't just go away, didn't she?
Shit.
"Well, thank you for getting me home last night and for the coffee." Her voice cut through his internal monologue, and he was grateful for the distraction.
"I'm glad you liked it, but it was nothing. I've been doing so little for you lately, I'm glad to make it up to you. Anyway, I believe we have a training session to attend to. According to the roster, we're assisting our squad with their shunpo." He stopped there and a crease appeared between his brows as he looked up to her for confirmation. "That would be the shinigami equivalent of sonido, wouldn't it?"
"Yep." She nodded. "The beauty of it is that the only difference between the two techniques is where the power to use them comes from. Essentially they both work the same way, which means I can give them the same tips to improve as I would to a fellow arrancar."
"I see. And how have they been performing in this respect?"
She grinned. "We've seen serious improvements since the introduction of the weekly division-wide game of tag."
He stared at her. "That's some sort of human children's game, isn't it? You are joking, are you not?"
Her grin widened. "Nope. Trust me, it works. The new recruits think it's fun, and to the division members who made it through the war it's a more light-hearted way of motivating them to train."
He raised an eyebrow. "And here I was thinking that the word tag on the rosters was an acronym."
"Hey, don't knock it 'til you've tried it. Speaking of which, guess what today's session is?"
His eyes widened. "Oh."
"Trust me, it's fun. I'll even let you be 'it'." She gave what she hoped was an encouraging smile. "Would I lie to you?"
Something stirred in his eyes and the corner of his lips twitched. "Of course not. A noble and upstanding captain, such as yourself, would never lead a subordinate astray in such a manner." He stood up and opened the door. "Shall we?"
Things to do – one, stop staring at his lips. Even if he does look really sexy when he does that almost-smile thing. Two – stop dwelling on any potential double entendre in what he just said. I'm getting as bad as Ran. Three – actually respond when he talks rather than gazing at him stupidly. Like, say, now?
She stood up hurriedly. "Of course. Wouldn't want to keep the troops waiting." She brushed past him as she walked out the door and tried desperately to ignore the way her body tingled when it made contact with his.
He could smell apples again. She only needed to be that close for a second, and suddenly it was as though all logical thought had stopped.
This will pass.
Right?
He followed her out.
"Ah, Neliel?"
"Yes?"
"What's 'it'?"
xXx
After the brief walk to the training grounds and an explanation of the finer points of tag, Ulquiorra found himself being stared at by the entirety of the squad, who had lined up in anticipation of this exercise.
This is… odd. Wait - did he just wink at me?
The tenth seat, who had been staring at him most intently, followed this action up with a little wave.
I am officially disturbed.
"Oh yeah", Neliel whispered, a wicked smile on her face, "I probably should have mentioned this beforehand. You have a few admirers."
"A few." He intoned blankly, noting at least five other winks, some additional waves, one or two very expressive smiles and the ninth seat finally giving in to her eye-rolling urge. "Thank you, Neliel", he added in a voice that simply oozed sarcasm, "I do so appreciate being warned ahead of time and given the opportunity to prepare myself. Remind me to pay you back for this kindness."
Her eyes shone with sheer amusement. "Anytime. Also, it has occurred to me that you probably shouldn't be 'it' today. I think the majority of these people want to be caught, and that's hardly the point of the exercise."
He allowed himself an infinitesimal smile at this. "You just want to be 'it' yourself."
She smiled gleefully. "Damn straight."
"Very well, I will go join the ranks of the chased. Who am I safe with?"
"Our ninth seat, Maiko Yukaya."
"You are sure?"
"Very. You're not her type."
"Oh? And her type is?"
"Not male." She tilted her head to the side. "You almost sound disappointed."
"No, just trying to ensure my personal safety. Enjoy being 'it', Neliel."
He walked off to stand next to the Ninth, all the while very deliberately avoiding eye contact with the Tenth. She smiled briefly at him, before turning to address the rest of the division.
"Ok, people! Our new lieutenant, Ulquiorra Schiffer, is joining us for today's game, so look lively and play nice. Remember, rules for this one are - if the person who's 'it', in this case, me, tags you and marks you with white chalk, you are out! Stay in and be one of the last five caught and we will pay your bar tab for the weekend! Are you ready?"
Ulquiorra was nearly deafened by the response.
"Alright, 3, 2, 1 – GO!"
He didn't hang around. Flitting to the opposite end of the field, he watched as she gave chase to her division as they all flashed around the grounds. At first he wondered how someone with her spiritual pressure could move so slowly, until he spotted her hesitate and avoid tagging one of the younger members.
Of course. She holds back in order to give them as much of a work out as possible. She does it well, too. If I hadn't been watching I would not have picked up on it. Still, I cannot help but wish I could see her in action… On the field. Strictly on the field. Damn it, I have been spending too much time with Grimmjow; his perverted mind is catching.
He looked back out, only to see her heading down his side of the grounds.
It would be interesting to take her on as an equal… I suppose I'll just have to continue playing and see if she takes things up a notch.
A tiny smile spreading across his face, he disappeared in a burst of sonido.
Kami, he was fast, Nel decided as she saw him disappear yet again. They'd been playing now for over two hours, and were down to the last four players, including Ulquiorra, and while she could see the others beginning to lag, there was no evidence that he was even ruffled by the game.
Time to get serious.
She smirked, and launched herself after two seated officers in a corner, neatly tagging them both, before pursuing the third.
In his own corner, Ulquiorra's eyes widened. I had trouble following that little manoeuvre. It would appear that she's upped her game…
Nel leapt across the field, tagging the last seated officer and turned to face her final opponent.
Ulquiorra…
They stared across the training grounds, neither moving a muscle, their eyes fixed on each other waiting for whoever would move first.
Damn, she has such arresting eyes. I am being distracted, I need to foc –
Shit, she moved.
Using sonido he slipped away an instant before she appeared where he had been. She grinned, and turned to give chase. He hurtled across the field, varying his direction, doubling back, but nothing seemed to shake her. In fact, it looked as though she was gaining.
I am actually enjoying this. I have not been truly challenged since I left Hueco Mundo… That was close.
He dodged as she kicked back off the wall of the barracks and almost caught him. He sped away, and looked up at the roof of the offices, before turning back to her with a glint in his eyes. Nel's own eyes widened.
He wouldn't…
He would. He had leapt onto the roof. Grinning she gave followed, ignoring the cheers of her division as they enjoyed the show.
Now this is fun.
She was still getting closer and looking far too good doing it. He could sympathise with the people who had wanted to be caught – it was starting to become a surprisingly appealing notion. He'd heard about her release form, and it seemed very apt for someone who moved with the inherent grace and speed that she seemed to possess. It was also very overwhelming, and made it far too hard to pay attention to the task at hand. There was only one way to finish this, he decided, as he scaled the highest building in the division grounds, before turning back to his captain.
He had that look again, that one that said he was up to something, and one of his half-smiles. The combination was…
Shit, that's sexy. No wonder he has an army of admirers, and that's just this division. Now, what's he trying to do…
He turned back and, before Nel could do anything, launched himself off the building and into empty space, drawing his sword as he did so.
"Bind, Murcielago!"
There was a blinding light that cleared to reveal Ulquiorra in midair, held aloft by a pair of enormous bat-like wings, a very definite smirk in his eyes, if not on his face. She stood there on the roof, shock clear on her face, before starting to laugh.
"That's cheating," she got out between giggles.
The smirk had spread to his voice. "On the contrary, Neliel. It is important for the division to understand that it can be necessary to use any power they have at their disposal to flee a foe. I am merely demonstrating that point."
"You just didn't want to lose!"
He mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like "Damn straight" and started to descend. "So, did I lose after all?"
"Judging from the way our audience went off, I think you almost won for sheer entertainment value, but let's call it a draw."
"You just don't want to lose." He countered.
"Damn straight."
"Indeed." He pondered this. "Does that mean I can be 'it' next time?"
She raised an eyebrow and returned his smirk. "You've already got your free drinks. Don't push your luck."