XVIII

The Grey

It took a week before the "doc" certified me healed enough to leave his annoying care. I spent that time being lazy and abstractily restricted to my room. The first part was great, the second part, not so much. Nobody said: "don't leave your room" but I took the million silent comings and goings as an engraved invitation not to. Technically, I was "the enemy". It gave me a ton of time to sort things out.

Aizen was a jerk. He tossed me out like trash, but unlike being labeled trash, I took offense. It took a bit to realize it, but the guy had never done anything for me that had turned out great for me and badly for him. He blinded the Arrancar with his head honchoness of being godly. He was no god. He wasn't even a shinigami anymore.

Why Ulquiorra did what he did for me was a mystery. I would never know the answer either. I was never going to see him again. I was human and he remained Arrancar.

Don't get me wrong, he still stabbed me willingly with a sword.

I started writing soon after that. Compiling everything I knew about Aizen and his plan didn't take every long. I didn't know much. Every scrawny line of text reminded me of Ulquiorra's obsessive writing. All that seemed so far away. Betraying Aizen was easy, but somehow, turning that Espada's world upside down...hurt.

My five sheets said everything: floor plans, weaknesses, a secret entrance, the Espada, their numbering, and even the basic schedule of the day. The sheets shook with information as I held them. With this, the Winter War wouldn't even be much for the record books. There was an issue. I couldn't admit it back then, but slowly I got a tiny bit of respect for Ulquiorra because of his training and persistence. My skill improved. I owed him that much.

Logic chased me around in circles. I waited till the last second to make a decision. My door was knocked on for the fourth time as I threw the papers out the window. The gutter grabbed the white sheets and colored them gray, then a car ran over them, spewing mush everywhere. I wasn't sure how to feel.

I watched the stratus clouds. Huh. Loyalty could transcend death. Wait hold it a second, me? Loyal? Nah, I just didn't want him to come kill me again.

"Sola?" I turned to see Urahara in the doorway, "Are you coming?"

"Where to?"

"Home, of course!" His smile grew big, "Don't tell me you have enough money to rent an apartment."

I was cynical, "…And why would you do that?"

"Would you rather be out on the street instead?"

"No."

"Then come on," The shinigami swooped in and wrapped his arm around my shoulder, "I even got you an interview at a coffee shop in two hours. We've got to get you cleaned up!"

"What's an interview?"

"A lifetime supply of potential!" He waved his hand in front of us.

"Oh, that."

"So, eh…Sola Kiri, what would make you a unique, important asset to our team?" The human pencil asked again.

"I would be a great asset to your staff because I am a diligent and hard worker who is great with people," I recited to her face. I smiled and twitched my foot in my new annoying shoe. Don't even get me started on the dress.

Ms. Lipstick frowned, "That's what everybody says and look what I have, a newly fired employee. What makes you special?"

I come from a long line of killing, bloodthirsty, insane people who have no souls and are dead.

That's what I wanted to say, anyways.

"I have been working for people my whole life and eh, I'm good at…cleaning things?" came the gracefully intelligent reply.

"Ah. I see. Why did you leave your last position at…'Las Foches'?" She looked at my fake resume and I blinked at the similarity of words. Somewhere, Urahara was laughing that stupid hat off. Scratched at the scarf around my neck, I tried to think of something.

"I left…" I tried to remember, I couldn't, that's because it never happened. This was stupid. "I quit actually."

"Oh? And why was that?"

I was flying here by the seat of my pants, "Yeah, I quit because I…moved here. I wanted to be closer to my cousin."

A perfectly plucked into oblivion eyebrow raised itself, "You moved across 1/3rd of the planet to be with your cousin? That's commitment."

"Yes," I forgot about that I was from America, oops. I needed to read The History Of Me more often.

"Impressive… Say, how do you make coffee?" She shot at me like a bullet.

I tried to keep my eye from crossing, "…with coffee beans?"

"How about Espresso?"

"Espresso beans?"

"A Chi latte?"

"Milk and chi?" Did I know what chi was? No.

"Iced tea?"

"Tea plus ice and…stuff?"

"Fine," Slapping the clipboard to the desk, she pointed at a dotted line, "Sign here."

I looked at Ms. Lipstick, this wasn't a negation. I printed my name and shoved the paper right back at her.

"You're hired. Be here tomorrow at 5:30 AM," She read my scrawl.

I almost jumped from the chair in enthusiasm, "You mean that I'm good enough to be hired?"

"No. I'm sick of looking," She rose and I wilted, "Do I even want to ask why there is '#81' after your name?"

Old habits die hard.

"No, you don't."

"5:30 AM. Don't be late."

I smiled again, I had successful become human…ish.

Now, I just had to figure out to make coffee, espresso, chi lattes, and iced teas.

It couldn't be that hard, right?

"Sola! The coffee! Now!" My coffee partner screamed in my direction. Fumbling around with the pot, I dumped the black mixture into cups and with a flick of a wrist added cream. The cups of caffeinated goodness flew to the counter.

I pushed the pot back to the heater and moved to start on some order of tea.

A month.

That's all it took for my former life to seem like a misty dream. 30 days. My hand hovered over the glass containers, I felt completely human and I was lovin' it. I snatched the earl grey. Why Urahara saved me, I had no idea. He never asked me about anything relating to my old life.

"Here or to go?" I called from the back. Living with the shinigami turned out to be easier than I thought, I picked up a few things around the house and in return I stayed under his protection. Well, that part was easy, the constant jokes and various madhouse types of living were a bit more difficult. Aizen strangely, hadn't made his move yet, freeing me from completely taking a side.

"Here," Came the reply.

I shoved the tea in a mug and it sputtered under the hot water. I still didn't understand my heart. I guessed that some things just took time. I took the tea and plopped it down. I didn't even bother to look at the shop long line.

I checked the register and went to make an espresso. Yes, my life had died, but a great one had rose from the ashes.

"I did not order this," the served customer commented.

"Oh yeah?" I turned, the machine spitting espresso under me, "What…oh."

I froze. Millions of different curses ran through my head.

"I'll...I'll make you a different tea here- agh-um, sir."

I retreated to the back and grabbed the black rose tea. Good bye went my lazy days.

Thanks to Nizuna Fujieda & metsfan101 for reviewing! The cool The Sin Is Red favorited this story, thank you! In other news, Vheeri The Succubus favorited me which is, in my books, a huge recognition. Thank you!

As always, thanks to Rose202 for all the hard work and effort that she puts into making sure that I don't do silly things. You're awesome!

Boy, alot has happened in this chapter. Sola gets used to human life and finds out how to make coffee. But most importantly, guess who's back? What in the world could he want now? Theories! I'm interested to hear what you think going to go down in the next chapter.

Also, in fun news, Sola has broken out of this story and make a cameo in another story. It's that cool? "Speedy Things Go In (.net/s/7452023/1/Speedy_Thing_Goes_In)" by Vheeri The Succubus is a very good fanfiction with another well done, spunky OC that I have been watching for quite a few weeks. It's great to see this sort of stuff and I was grinning/laughing the whole time I was reading it. Just for reference, Sola appears in the newest chapter, which is chapter 13.

I have a poll up on my profile about this story, I would really love it if you would vote. I am interested for the results.

-Quin

My wish is close to coming true! We are seven reviews away from SDtI having forty of them. It would blow my mind if this would happen.

Bleach, Ulquiorra and co. do not belong to me but to the awesome Tite Kubo. Sola is my own creation, therefore copyrighted to me (she is still plotting her revenge, but I have a feeling it's going to come into effect soon).