Chapter 5

ULQUIORRA POV

We were alone again, it was becoming a regular thing as of late. Oh well, why was it even important? Though I suppose now I could observe the girl more. Try and figure out if the old me is truly dead, or if there was something salvageable within the emptiness of my soul. I didn't have to look twice to know that I had no heart, it was clearly gone. But did that really mean that nothing was left? I never did have a problem with being alone, but this girl, if she stayed...would she be able find something within the void? Would the difference between being alone and being with her start to mean something? It surely had in my old life, that was obvious enough.

I was snapped out of my thoughts when something took hold of my hand, it was the girl. She looked up at me with wide blue eyes, I couldn't tell if she was sad or happy, but did it matter? Since when did I even have such thoughts? Ashyah started to pull me deeper into the woods, seemingly taking me somewhere. "Where are we going?" I stated, the question in my voice only just barely legible.

"I don't know…" she replied simply, continuing on through the maze of trees.

What have I gotten myself into?, I thought hopelessly. Though in a way I didn't really mind, there was nothing of me anyway. Just a corpse being dragged away to nowhere, but for some reason it didn't feel as though death were dragging me away, but bright being that promised something within the nothingness.

GRIMMJOW POV

I was pissed, and just a little bit curious but pissed all the same! Why was I pissed? Who. Freaking. Knew.

I don't think anyone could make me so royally pissed without me wanting to kill them. But what did that mean? As we walked through the town's streets, I couldn't help but notice these things, as well as the way the light breeze rustled that black abyss of Azumi's hair. The way she walked in a semi graceful and klutzy way, the way her clothes clung- Ok stopping there! What the hell was wrong with my head today? The smallest of heats crept into my face, and I was pretty sure that it wasn't the sun.

Before I knew it we had reached the bar, it was somewhere around noon by the position of the sun. As we walked into the bar, I had a feeling of deja vu. It was a strange feeling that was accompanied by another unusual feeling. The same feeling that came when I fought in battle, but this time I had no urge to kill.

"I'm assuming you don't have any money?" she asked, glancing at me from the corner of her eye. I shook my head in the negative, she sighed,"That's what I thought, but it doesn't hurt to hope every once in awhile right?," though it wasn't really a question, just a useless statement thrown out there for the sake of preventing an awkward silence. Even so, it struck something in me. Though I wasn't sure what it was, and quite frankly I wasn't in the mood to think it over. So I yet it go, for now. Once she ordered us two sake's at the bar things started to get quiet again between us. She had a somber expression on her face, like something that had been troubling her for awhile resurfaced once again.

"I'm sorry." she said quietly looking down into her drink.

I gave her a questioning look, until it dawned on me what she was talking about. Kasen.

"I just…" I paused thinking of the words to use, "I just don't understand why. If anything I'd think that you would want to keep him close to you. If it were me, or at least the old me, I don't think I would have been able to let him out of my sight much less out of my life…" I stopped there, looking down into my drink now as well.

"I-" her voice cracked, and I could tell she was trying to hold back the pain in her voice and most likely the tears in her eyes. I allowed her to recover, she seemed like the kind of girl who didn't cry in front of others, and hid it from the world. Like the very notion of them doing such a thing was eyes hardened, then she downed the sake, asked for another and glared at the wall. I was impressed, because she drank like a pro; more like an alcoholic.

"I just couldn't stand the pain. And I would rather him not know a mother and hate me then loving me back and me not being able to look my own son in the eye. Besides, I think that he found a better family and I wanted to forget you so I could protect Ashyah and not be distracted by the pain of the past." She glared at the wall. Again, she downed a glass.

The bell of the pub's front entrance chimed. Azumi's eyes slid into a side glance before turning her gaze away in a non-caring gesture. Though I was having a hard time from not looking at the carrot top that had walked in. I wanted to pick a fight so bad...I would beat that asshole even if it killed me damnit! Ichigo on the other hand, didn't even seem to notice us. Damn asshole…

But then the entrance chimed again, and I almost spit out my drink. A boy, seemingly the same age as Ichigo walked in, he had sharp cyan blue eyes but midnight black hair. It couldn't be…

Taking closer observation, I noticed that his spiritual pressure was strange, strange enough for me to know that he certainly wasn't a regular human. Actually, I wasn't sure what exactly he was. It seemed to be a mix of soul reaper, hollow, and human. He walked up to Ichigo, they seemed to be friends.

"Hey, Kasen…"

That was all I heard as my eyes widened in surprise, everything seemed to go dead silent as my mind tried to catch up with the sudden realization. I slowly glanced to the side at Azumi. Had she noticed?

She most definitely had. Her eyes were widened in shock, hands clenched so tight around her glass I was surprised that it didn't break. She suddenly hopped down from her bar stool pulling a good amount of cash out and laying it out on the counter. Either she was leaving a really good tip or she was just getting out enough to pay the check without counting. She quickly but quietly made her way towards the back exit of the pub. I almost couldn't believe it. She was running away again? Now was her freaking chance! Glancing back one last time at our son, I ran after her before we lost him again. I caught up to her in the side ally of the pub, running to catch up I grabbed her arm and forcefully turned her towards me. I was surprised she didn't hit me for grabbing her. In fact she didn't do anything. Not even a protest. She just looked at the ground, eyes seemingly dead to the world. I had to slap some sense into her, before she could regret this, "What the hell are you doing!?"

"Leaving, isn't that obvious?" she stated monotonously.

"Why? Why are you doing this to yourself? The Azumi I knew in the past would have never run away like this! Making excuses! Like a coward!" I shouted, getting more and more frustrated by the moment. Though I honestly didn't know why I cared. Feelings from the past perhaps?

Azumi yanked her arm out of my grasp, "How could you possibly know me? You DIED 500 years ago!"

I just looked at her, "Is that how you feel? That I'm dead to you?"

Her head snapped up, eyes wide, "No-"

"Well that's fine!" I interrupted, "I couldn't give less of a damn of what you feel about me. But that boy in there is your son. And if you don't own up to your past mistakes, it'll only haunt you!"

I passed her on my way out of the ally, shoving my hands in my pockets, "I can't imagine how Kasen must feel, being abandoned and then ignored…" I mumbled out loud to myself, though I was sure that she too had heard it. I left her there, and I really couldn't give a damn about how it made me look. I was freaking pissed...she had the chance to be his mother still, while I was chained to Aizen's army. If I were to go up to Kasen now, Aizen would probably kill him, or worse order me to kill him. The sick bastard would probably enjoy giving out an order like that.

AZUMI POV

Kasen...was still alive? How? Was it my blood?

What am I going to do? Walk up to him and go 'hey I'm the mother that abandoned you! How's life treated ya? You must have been pretty shocked when you never grew old within 500 years! I sure the hell am!'

Oh god…

If he never grew up…

Then did that mean when that old lady I gave him to died…

That he was all alone?

And then there was the fact that he was with that soul reaper, could it be that Kasen was now the enemy? That he had fallen into their hands, and worse, could be working with them to hunt Ashyah and I down?

Holy hell I screwed up…

I turned back towards the entrance of the ally, I needed to find Grimmjow and tell him about my assumptions, I was going to need help if I was going to find out whether or not I was correct.

I suppose I could always get Ashyah, but God knows where she is, and I doubt she'd give me a clear answer anyway.

ASHYAH POV

Everything was peaceful, quiet, Ulqui was back and I was finally happy.

But then came the vision…

Blood splattered the once white flowers of the large field. There was arguing, crying, and the smell of death. There were some blurry figures fighting off in the distance, corpses of disfigured people scattered about, there were even a couple limbs hanging lifelessly in the trees. But the one thing that I could see clearly, the back of a boy, drenched in blood. It dripped from the dagger he held in his left hand. He was turning to face me but before I could even look at his face, he had flash-stepped towards me. Lips next to my ear he whispered, I'm going to have to kill you…

The stars were very beautiful, there was no moon, it was dark…

The forest was back, and so was Ulquiorra. He looked at me, a curious expression on his face, though to anyone else it would look bored. But I saw the ever so slight widening of his eyes, the small tilt of the head.

I took his sleeve and continued walking, wondering how long there was left.

I felt kinda sick…

ICHIGO POV

I took Kasen to get a job interview at the local pub. He was kinda strange, there was just something about his spiritual pressure…

There was also the fact that he was pretty creepy. He almost never spoke, not even when you asked him a question. I wondered if he was deaf sometimes, when you called his name, he didn't so much as glance at you. It was as if there was no one there with the way he reacted. And when you made eye contact, it was as if he wasn't actually seeing you. Like his eyes were dead or something. I haven't known him long, but I can tell he doesn't smile much, if at all.

But if the old man said he had a job to do in the world of the living, the guy had to eat somehow. And I sure as hell wasn't going to take in any more soul reapers.

Though I had to wonder, without a zanpakuto what kind of job was he here for?

A/N: Sorry it took so long to update! Please leave a review if there is anything wrong with the grammar and such. Or just tell me what you think so far^-^ (lol, motivation! We authors live off that stuff).