Disclaimer: Ok, seriously? Not mine. Duh.

Listening to: The Vines – 'Homesick'. I'd recommend you check the video out because Craig Nichols looking smexy in an overcoat is pretty much how I picture Ulquiorra (Only with black hair and green eyes, obviously). And also less stoned. Other than that, hotness. Pure, unadulterated hotness.

R and R people. Uh, Please?

Chapter 12

It had been a fairly uneventful couple of weeks, with the exception of a re-seating tournament, until a captain's meeting was called with a suddenness that had Nel looking slightly alarmed. Covering her shock with a hasty smile, she briskly left Ulquiorra alone in the office, sorting through the training rosters and his own thoughts as they centred themselves on their favourite topic, his captain.

He had not expected what he'd felt to last. It had alarmed him because of the sheer wrongness of a hollow actually feeling, and had only continued to bother him when it showed no sign of dissipating. But Orihime's blunt questioning (why shouldn't he feel, after all?) and the way what he felt had strengthened had him reconsidering his position. This wasn't going away any time soon, that much was all too clear. More curiously, he found he didn't even seem to mind.

It is time I faced up to it. As Orihime told me that night – I like Neliel. I like her. I like her laugh, and her smile, and the way her eyes light up, and the way she's careful to consider everyone's feelings, and her quick wit. I even like the things I shouldn't, like her complete inability to do paperwork or the way she teases me. The simple fact of the matter is – I like Neliel.

So what the fuck do I do now?

Pinching the bridge of his nose, he was interrupted by the arrival of the ex-ninth seat (now third seat), Maiko. A quizzical expression on her face, she regarded him. "You ok there? I can never tell if you're in pain or having a 'deep thought' moment."

Grimacing, he turned to her. "I'm fine, Third Seat Yukaya. I take it you have last week's budget?"

Sauntering into the room she placed it on his desk and sat down across from him. "Sure do. How goes it? Nel out?"

"Hmmm? Oh yes, Neliel has been called to a captain's meeting."

"Really? That's odd, it isn't the day for it. Anyway, you still calling her Neliel? I thought you two were friends an' all?"

He and Neliel had been spending a lot of time together, although he had been cautious to do this when other people were around. It was becoming too much of a temptation to be around her when they were on their own, even when it was within the confines of the office. His imagination, which ran riot at the best of times these days, seemed to go into overdrive, and all he could think of was what it would be like to kiss her and find out how she tasted, to bite at that beautiful, pale throat, to throw her on the desk and –

"Oi, Lieutenant? You still with me?"

"Yes!" He replied far too abruptly. "Ah, what were you saying?"

With an expression on her face that was far too smug for comfort, Maiko repeated, "Why do you call her Neliel?"

Now that was a good question. It had been a matter of respect at first, but he really had no cause to do that now that they had become close. There was a second reason, but whether he wanted to divulge it…

"No particular reason."

"Uh huh."

Ulquiorra raised an eyebrow at her tone. "I didn't think it was possible to load so much sarcasm on such a small noise."

"What can I say? I have mastered the art of saying 'bullshit' without actually saying it. Plus I practiced in the hall before I came in. So, come on. Real answer. It won't go any further than here."

He starting to feel flustered, of all things. "Ignoring this question will only lead to you forming your own insane theories, won't it?" He'd spent enough time with her to get an idea of what he was in for.

"Hells to the yeah!" She replied with a rabid grin. "C'mon, what's the big deal?"

He sighed. "Nothing. I just think that it's a beautiful name. It suits her."

Maiko raised an eyebrow as her smile widened. "Riiiight. And it suits her because she's beautiful herself?"

His face felt far too hot. "You are putting words into my mouth."

"And you're blushing. Somehow I don't think I'm deviating from the truth."

He fixed her with a stern glare. "You tell anyone - "

"Yeah, yeah. Death will be too good for me. Or it that just a Grimmjow threat?"

"Does this conversation have a point?"

"Kind of. I'm trying to figure out which speech I should give you – the 'hurt her and I'll kill you' one, or the 'tell her how you feel, you moron' one."

"Well, you can rest assured in the knowledge that neither situation is on the cards. Now, out. I have paperwork to do."

Grinning, she slipped out of the chair and headed toward the door, shaking her head as she went. "Kami, you're both completely oblivious. You really are perfect for each other."

"Out."

"Going." Shutting the door behind her, she left Ulquiorra with the paperwork, desperately trying to not think about what she had said.

It is very clear that she thinks I should pursue some sort of relationship with Neliel, but how would I even start? I have absolutely no idea how I would conduct myself in such a relationship, and only a vague inkling of what one actually entails. I just… I don't know. I want to be there beside her, but I don't know how to get there, let alone if she would even want me around. She seems to enjoy my company, but I'm her lieutenant. She's stuck with me.

I can't believe I'm actually considering this. Me, of all people. Oh well, Orihime did once say that love makes people do strange things.

He froze, as he realised the word he had just used unintentionally.

Oh no. No. No, no and hell no. It had NOT gone that far. It hasn't. I am not in – No. I like her. That is it. 'Like' is less concrete, less certain. 'Like' will probably go away once it is clear she is not interested. That is all this is.

He turned back to the documents on his desk, determined to lose himself in something that was simultaneously less confusing and far lass alarming.

xXx

Outside, Maiko was met by a buxom strawberry blonde and a very conspicuous figure with blue hair who turned to her and asked with a smirk, "So, how'd it go?"

"Yeah, did you get to talk to him?" Rangiku jumped up and down with excitement as Maiko and Grimmjow tried not to stare.

"Guys, calm down", Maiko grinned, "operation 'plant the seed' is complete. You now owe me three bottles of sake."

Grimmjow looked at Ran. "C'mon, pay up."

"I still don't see why it all had to come out of my stash", she grumbled as she handed the bottles over.

Maiko took the sake with a smile. "Cheers. Pleasure doing business with you. Do keep me in mind if you require further assistance, I could always use an extra drink."

"Who could use an extra drink?" They all sprang apart and turned to Nel, who stood behind them looking amused at first, and then a little concerned and suspicious. "Well, you've all mastered the art of looking like you're up to something. Care to share?"

All three of them looked simultaneously guilty and smug. This was never a good combination. "Right, you won't talk. But since it involves you, you and – dear Kami – you", Nel drawled as she pointed to Maiko, Grimmjow and Rangiku in turn, "I'm guessing the apocalypse is probably nigh, or some such. Just so you know, I'll be keeping an eye on all of you. Especially you, Ran."

At this, Rangiku pouted. "Awww, you still haven't forgiven me for the tape measure incident, have you?"

Nel's eyes narrowed. "Not even a little. To use Ulquiorra's favourite line – death is too good for you. I'll let you know when I think up an alternative. Now, speaking of Ulquiorra, has he left yet? I need to run something by him."

"Is that what kids are calling it these days?" Ran said with a grin.

A sudden surge in reiatsu and a very stern glare, both from Nel, shut Ran up. "Maiko, is he in?"

"Yep, I left him in the office about five minutes ago. What's up?"

"Just a mission they proposed during the captain's meeting. Ran, you probably want to head back in case Toushiro wants to talk to you about it."

"It's Captain Hitsugaya, damn it!"

"You do that imitation far too well. It's kinda scary." Grimmjow added, shaking his head.

"Years of practice." Ran tossed her head. "Fine, I guess I'd better be going."

"Good", muttered Nel, "I'll be watching you."

"Yeah, yeah." With a wave of her hand Ran walked off. Nel scowled at her back before turning to the other two. "I'll be watching you, too", she muttered as she strode inside.

Grimmjow let out as sigh as Maiko turned to follow her captain. "Damn. For a few seconds there I was hoping to witness a girl fight. That woulda been awesome."

Maiko patted his arm sympathetically. "I hear you man. I hear you."

xXx

Ulquiorra looked up to find Neliel standing at the doorway of the office, leaning on the frame with her eyes closed, and found that he couldn't keep the concern from his voice. "Are you alright?"

She opened her eyes and smiled back. "Mmm, I'm fine. Just a little sleepy. It was an interesting captain's meeting, so I couldn't nap through it like I normally do."

"And what a dreadful loss that must have been. Do go on", Ulquiorra drawled as she walked in and took a seat at her desk.

"It's about Karakura, Ichigo's hometown. You would have been there once or twice. Well, there have been reports that big nasties have been moving in now that he's crossed over to full-time soul reaper work."

Ulquiorra raised an eyebrow. "Big nasties?"

"A general influx of hollows, a few menos, an adjucas or two. What's really getting to them, though, is the rumour of a vasto lorde. The officers on patrol are hardly up for that."

"Big nasties indeed." Ulquiorra looked thoughtful. "So, what is the plan? Do we even have one?"

Nel smiled. "They want to send a captain and lieutenant pair into the living world to take up temporary stations and assess what's happening. I was wondering if you'd be up for it?"

He looked at her, and half-smiled. "You want to go."

She smiled ruefully. "Well, yeah. I like the living world. It's good fun. Plus I want to get out there and take on… I don't know, something. The closest I get to fighting someone on my own level is playing tag with you. The division is well and truly back on its feet and I guess I just want to try something new. But I don't want to force you along if you don't want to go. Then again, I also didn't want to tell you how much I wanted to go so you'd end up feeling bad and going along with it." She sighed, and stared at the floor.

He stood up and walked over to her, placing two fingers under her chin and lifting it so that she faced him. Their eyes met as a true smile crept across his face and Nel felt her breath catch.

I was right about how good his smile would look.

Ulquiorra removed his hand from her skin and she wished she could make him put it back, until his next words forced her to attend to the matter at hand.

"Tell them we're in." He stepped back and left the office, his supposedly non-existent heart beating wildly as Nel stood there and watched him go a smile spreading over her features.

xXx

Two weeks later, as Ulquiorra emerged from an Urahara Shoten now run by two teenagers, he couldn't help but wonder if he would have said yes if he'd known what he was getting into. His experience with the living world had been strictly limited to missions under Aizen (ie. Going there to kill things and terrorize the general populace), and he wasn't quite sure how he was going to blend in. The gigai, however uncomfortable, was helpful but he felt strange without his tattoos and mask. The loss of the green tear tracks on his face wasn't off-putting, but it was odd to go without the gothic four on his chest that had defined him for so long, and similarly unusual to be able to feel the wind blowing through all of his hair. It was also a little bizarre seeing Neliel without her own helmet and marks and he watched her curiously as she kicked her way through the snow with her over-large boots, grimacing when the semi-frozen slush splashed up onto her jeans and huddling into her bulky grey wool coat. Her attention was currently on the map that Ururu had drawn her, as she navigated the path from the shop to the apartment that Jinta had hired for them on behalf of the Gotei 13, a slight frown on her face.

That was another thing he had not expected – the cold. Every feeling seemed to be magnified in the gigai, and he found himself very grateful for the long black overcoat the two young people had given him as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his black jeans, trying to navigate the slippery snow-covered pavement. Dusk was starting to fall and he had a feeling that the cold would only intensify as it got darker, making the search for the apartment a little more urgent. He gazed at his surroundings, looking for any changes to the world he had last seen when he was one of the Espada and was surprised to find none.

It seems strange that I could have changed so, and yet the world around me stays static. For creatures as long-lived as we are, should it not be the other way around?

He found his gaze caught by a group of young humans sitting outside a café, all of whom had the same too-pale skin and messy dark hair as he did. One of them nodded to him in some sort of recognition. Confused, he caught up to Neliel and asked her who they were. She took one look, and started laughing hysterically. Looking at her balefully, Ulquiorra queried, "Are you going to enlighten me or, at the very least, share the joke?"

Between bursts of laughter she got out the question, "Do you remember when I said I'd show you what emo kids were when we went to the living world?"

A small crease appeared between his brows as he tried to recall. "Vaguely."

She grinned, her laughter under control. "Well, you found them."

He turned to look back at the group only to find that they were watching him with interest, the females of the gathering slightly more than the others.

Nel let out another giggle. "You seem to get a fan club wherever you go, don't you?"

"I assure you, it is not intentional." He observed them until he and Neliel turned a corner and they were out of sight. It was then he felt he should point out what he felt was obvious. "Neliel?"

"Mmm?" She replied vaguely, her attention mostly given to the map.

"I am not a whiny adolescent in tight pants."

She smiled. "Take it up with Yachiru. She came up with the nickname, not me. Anyway, we're here."

He looked up to the towering apartment block. "Which floor?"

"Thirteenth. Should be a nice view - " She stopped as a pale flake fell from the sky to nestle in her hair. "Oh, it's starting to snow!" Her eyes lit up as she took in the clouds above them.

He delicately pulled the snowflake from her hair and held it in the palm of his gloved hand. "Indeed." He looked up as the heavens seemed to open, and hundreds of similar little flakes descended upon them both. He turned to her, only to see her standing there, face upturned and blissful with eyes closed as the snow brushed her face on its way to earth. His heart seemed to stop.

I don't think I've ever seen anything more… beautiful.

Nel smiled as she felt the snow across her face. She'd missed this. The past year had been far too busy for her to take the time to enjoy winter, with the war and the division to take care of, but now…

I'm free…

She was broken out of her trance by someone taking her hand, and opened her eyes to find Ulquiorra staring at her, a small smile on his face and his hair speckled with the falling snow flakes. "We should go inside and get settled in before it gets too cold."

She sighed, knowing he was right, and turned to go in as he added, "You know, this place does have a balcony. As soon as we get checked in and up there you can continue communing with nature."

Her smile returned as she removed her hand from his to playfully smack him over the head, dislodging some of the snow that had made its home there. "Ha sodding ha. Fine then, lead the way."

"But of course", he replied, the mischief still evident in his eyes, if not his face, "whatever you wish Neliel."

"Damn straight. Now, let's roll, we have a new home to explore."

With a smile she walked past him into the building as he stared after her briefly, a faint smile on his face, until he shook his head and strode forward to catch up with her.

xXx

Hey there all. Sorry if the chapters have been a little uneventful, but I can at least assure that the next few are anything but. Unfortunately, this means they take longer to write and, therefore, I will take longer to update, so please bear with me.

Anyway, hope you're all enjoying the story so far.

Pip pip!