Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or Touhou
Cherry petals should have fallen like snowflakes…
Yet it was still silver with snow.
Ulquiorra's eyes fluttered open.
As he awoke, he took in his surroundings. He was in a familiar room, laying in a futon as the red glow of the morning sun shone through the shoji doors. He wandered why everything seemed so familiar to him.
Then, yesterday's events came back to him.
That's right. He wasn't in Hueco Mundo or anywhere near his world anymore. He was in the Netherworld, a place connected to another place called Gensokyo, a paradise for monsters of myth and lore. No matter how much he wanted to believe that what happened was just a dream, like the nightmares that frequently plagued his sleep in Hueco Mundo, he knew for a fact that this was reality.
For a split second, a pang of sadness entered his newfound heart.
This feeling was quickly crushed by Ulquiorra. There was no reason for him to long for his old life anymore. He had to face forward, put his past behind him, and move on. He had to adapt to what life threw at him, or else he would end up dead.
Yesterday was a rather eventful day. After accepting Yuyuko's offer, Ulquiorra was educated on the duties that were expected of him while he was staying in this estate. There wasn't much, he just had to help Youmu out with her every day duties and to do odd jobs that Yuyuko might give him now and then. It was clearly outlined by Yuyuko, however, that one of his most important duties was to continue making the "drink of the gods" for them, apparently referring to the tea he had made.
As Ulquiorra's thoughts went to the cheerful ghost princess of Hakugyokurou, he couldn't help but wonder about her behavior. Her carefree demeanor made her quite easy to get along with, which was a feat considering what kind of person Ulquiorra is. However, her actions were illogical, if not quite childish to him. At first, he had wished to refer to her as "Saigyouji-sama" as an acceptance to becoming one of her subordinate, only to be met with heavy opposition in the form of a pout and a demand to be called "Yuyuko-chan." In the end, Ulquiorra settled with calling her "Yuyuko-sama," the same way that Youmu addresses her. She begrudgingly accepted, believing that was the best that she could get from someone like him.
As for Youmu, she had earned some respect from him from the time that they worked together. When it came time for him to learn the job, she was the one who provided him with instructions. While working in the garden, she would give him very precise directions on how to handle flowers and how to take care of the trees. When it came to household chores, she taught him how to do the laundry and clean around the shine, as he had absolutely no experience in doing them at all. She seemed very committed to her duties, and did every job as perfectly as she can. This apparent, as when she would leave him to do her job, Ulquiorra could sense that she would occasionally come back and watch him from afar, seemingly to see if he was doing his job properly. She would comment now and then on how she thought Ulquiorra learned very quickly, and on how he diligent he was when he worked. He wondered, however, why she would blush now and then when he looked at her.
When nighttime came, things started slowing down. Ulquiorra helped Youmu prepare dinner with the limited knowledge of cooking that he had. Hollows didn't need to eat, so eating was considered a luxury amongst his kind. Still, he tried to learn as much as he can from Youmu, so that he can be more of help to her in the future. He wondered why they needed that much food though, there were only three of them but Youmu prepared enough food to feed an entire army. When the meal was done, along with Ulquiorra's tea, they finally sat together in the dining room to have their meal.
It was there that Ulquiorra bore witness to Yuyuko's "excessive" eating habits for the first time. For a while, Ulquiorra just sat there with a bowl of rice in his left hand and a pair of chopsticks in his right, staring in disbelief at her as she consumed helping after helping of food. He had seen heavy eating before, as Yammy got stronger by eating and sleeping frequently, but that was as nowhere close to what he saw then. It was like her stomach was a void and her mouth was a vacuum. Youmu sweat-dropped and gave him a knowing smile, obliviously used to her antics.
After their meal was done, Ulquiorra helped clean the dishes, which took quite a while con. Later, he was informed that he was to stay in the room that he had been resting in, and was given a green jinbei to wear to bed and directed to the bathhouse. In the end, he found himself in the same room where his eyes first opened into this world. With nothing else that he could do that day, he promptly fell asleep thinking over his current situation.
Ulquiorra looked to the left of his futon, spotting the familiar form of his zanpakuto resting next to him. It was returned to him shortly after his acceptance into the Hakugyokurou household, with Youmu apologizing for striping a swordsman of precious his weapon. Ulquiorra brushed the matter aside; it made sense to disarm a potential threat. Besides that, he was just glad that in this alien world he is able to hold something familiar again. Something that defined him as who he is, an important part of himself that made him hole again. He could still feel his link to it now, a connection that was always present since the day he had been turned into an Arrancar.
Though that got him thinking, if this connection was still there, then does that mean he still had all of his powers? True, though a bit weaker than it's supposed to be, he could still feel the presence of his power coursing through him. But, now that he was no longer a hollow, would any of his abilities change? In a world populated by creatures of immense strength and magic, it would be wise to be prepared to defend himself against potential enemies.
Thinking that he would look into this matter after he was done with today's work, Ulquiorra moved to rise from his futon. However, he found that he could not, as he was weighed down by something. He wondered what it was, as it couldn't have been the sheets. Quickly, Ulquiorra's senses alerted him of something that he did not notice before, apparently since he was so engrossed by his thoughts.
Shifting his sheets down a bit, Ulquiorra was surprised to find the sleeping form of the princess of Hakugyokurou attached to the right side his torso, with her head on his chest and right arm and leg draped across of him. Her mob cap was lying to the right of his futon, and he could see the entirely of her head for the first time.
Ulquiorra was kept calm, but was still a bit alarmed. How did she get near him without alerting his senses, let alone even crawl under his sheets and slept on his chest? Such a large reiatsu signature should not be able to get under his radar. And why was she sleeping here? Did she mistake this room for her own? If so, did she not see his sleeping form under the futon? Why did she decide to sleep on him?
Making a mental note to have a look at his senses later, Ulquiorra tried to awaken Yuyuko and get out of his current predicament.
"Yuyuko-sama, please wake up." Ulquiorra said as he gently shook her.
"Mwaaaa~ I can't eat anymore~" was the only response he got as Yuyuko continues laying on him. She even began drooling a bit on his jinbei, as her mouth was still open.
After a few more tries, Ulquiorra gave a sigh of defeat as he was thoroughly convinced that she would not wake up without anything short of a point blank Cero. And when he tried to get out of her grasp, he found that she was stuck to him like glue, and when he tried to pry her limbs away, she would promptly clamp them back to their original place.
Running out of options and getting a bit uncomfortable, Ulquiorra was forced to try using the only thing that he thought could get him out of her grip.
He tried using Sonido.
Bracing himself in case that something goes wrong when he was using this technique, he began gathering reiatsu on the soles of his feet and the palm of his hands. Suddenly, with a slight sound of static, Ulquiorra's form flickered from under his futon and appeared next to it, standing fully straight.
Satisfied that one of his best techniques was still functional, Ulquiorra looked at the sleeping from of Yuyuko in his futon and found that she was grasping for something in front of her with her face making an annoyed look. Quickly realizing what was happening, Ulquiorra searched for a solution. Getting an idea, he went into the closet in his room and pulled out an extra pillow. Walking back to the futon, he placed the pillow in front of her and watched as she grabbed the pillow and snuggled into it, accepting it as his replacement.
Ulquiorra watched as a smile again adjourned the ghost princess, that unfamiliar feeling welling up in his chest again. He had felt something similar yesterday after he had accepted Yuyuko's proposition. It was like a sort of comfortable warmth had settled in his heart. He couldn't quite put a finger on it, as he had never felt this way before in his life.
Lifting her head a bit, he slid his pillow under her head to make her feel more comfortable. It wouldn't do to displease the mistress of the place that he is living in. He would have to question her about her actions later, though.
Then, he notices the rather large drool stain she left on his jinbei. Narrowing his eyes at it, he made another mental note to get it cleaned before he went to bed today.
A bit later, after having a quick bath, Ulquiorra found himself walking towards the kitchen wearing his kimono without the formal jacket over it. As he was walking, he could sense Youmu's reiatsu signature moving around in the kitchen. She was probably cooking breakfast for their mistress if his calculations from her actions yesterday were correct. And judging from the time that he woke today, he would've made it there before her too if it weren't for a certain meddling ghost princess. Let it be known that if Ulquiorra was to work for someone, he was going to work to the best of his abilities.
He slid the door leading to the kitchen aside and was treated with the view of Youmu wearing an apron over her uniform while tasting the soup that she was making. Her ghost half was floating over a boiling pot, somehow using a ladle to stir its contents despite its form.
"Eh?!" she said, apparently a bit surprised by his entrance "Oh! Ohayou, Ulquiorra-san."
"Ohayou gozaimasu, Konpaku-san" he greeted back, his face retaining its usual stoic expression as he bowed a bit in greeting.
Upon noticing his presence, Youmu's ghost half stopped its actions. Quickly, it dropped the ladle and shot towards Ulquiorra. He watched curiously as the ghost flew towards his chest, crashing against it as he caught the ghost with both of his hands. Once there, the ghost began snuggling against him, its "face" developing two blotches of red as if it was blushing.
"Wawawawa! Don't do that!" Youmu said frantically, a blush covering her face in full force "Sorry Ulquiorra-san."
"It is fine, Konpaku-san" Ulquiorra said. Looking at the large ghost in his hand, he began to stroke its head. Youmu's ghost half adopted a look content "I do not mind"
"R-Really? Then, um, you don't have to be formal with me all the time, Ulquiorra-san" said Youmu, her cheeks reddening even more "I-I mean, now that we're co-workers, I wouldn't mind if you just call me Youmu…"
"…very well" Ulquiorra said "If that is what you wish, then I shall oblige, Youmu-san"
Youmu's blush intensified, though she was a bit disappointed that he added the "san" to her name. Noticing this, Ulquiorra wondered what was wrong with her.
"Youmu-san, is something the matter?" he questioned as he walked up to her. He let go of Youmu's ghost half, seeming pouted at the loss of contact.
"Ah! I-I…uh…um…" she stuttered out as he walked up to her and lowered his head to her height. She couldn't say anything as he moved closer to her, blushing even harder as his right hand reached for her face, the space separating them progressively decreasing at every passing moment.
When Ulquiorra's face was but mere inches from her own, his hand made contact with her forehead. Youmu squeezed her eyes shut and let out a barely audible squeak as she felt the palm of Ulquiorra's hand, her blush reaching its apex intensity.
"You do not seem to have a fever" Ulquiorra stated as he checked her temperature with his hand.
"I-I'm fine, Ulquiorra-san!" she said quickly, waving her hands side to side in front of her "Really!"
"…If you insist" Ulquiorra said, though still a bit skeptical. He took his hand off of Youmu's forehead, much to her disappointment "If you were to come down with something, inform me. I will do my best complete all of our duties by myself so you could rest. It would not be wise to overexert yourself if you are ill."
"H-Hai…" Youmu responded, looking at him with a small amount of red still on her face "thank you Ulquiorra-san. You don't have to worry though. I'm only half human, so I don't get sick that easily."
"I see" Ulquiorra said as he rose to his full height "Now then, what can I do?"
"Oh! Please wait a second." She said as she hurried out of the kitchen, her ghost half following closely behind. Moments later, she returned with a bundle of white cloth in her hands.
"You should put this on before you start" Youmu said, offering him the bundle "it wouldn't do if you got your clothes dirty while helping out."
Ulquiorra accepted the bundle and unraveled it, revealing a white apron with a pocket in front of it. He stared at it, his brow furrowing a bit as he took in its simplistic design. For some unfathomable reason, he felt distain at the prospect of draping such a piece of clothing in front of him. Brushing the feeling aside as irrelevant, he looped it over his head and tied it to his waist.
"Please start by cutting those radishes over there, Ulquiorra-san" she instructed as she busied herself with peeling some potatoes. Her ghost half flew back to the pot and continued stirring. "We should hurry. Yuyuko-sama should be waking up in a few minutes."
"Oh? Are you sure?" he said quizzically as he began slicing the daikon radish into pieces "She seems to be a very heavy sleeper."
"Eh? How did you know?" Youmu questioned back. She doubted he had seen Yuyuko's sleeping habits yet, as he had only been here for a day and had gone to sleep before Yuyuko.
"I found her asleep in my bed when I woke up this morning" Ulquiorra said, with the same tone that one would use to comment on the weather "No matter what I tried, she did not wake up"
Youmu froze. The potato the she had been peeling fell out of her hand as she stared at Ulquiorra openmouthed with a look of pure unadulterated shock. Even her ghost half stopped its actions and turned its face towards him, the ladle that it had falling out of its grasp and clanking against the pot.
"S-She slept with you?!" she shouted.
"Apparently so" Ulquiorra said as he looked farther into the situation "For some reason, she was able to elude my senses and in bed with me. I still cannot figure out why she did so. "
Youmu just continued staring at him.
"…I assume from your reaction that this is not a regular occurrence" Ulquiorra said as he stared curiously back at Youmu.
Snapping out of her shock, Youmu and her ghost half quickly shook their heads together "No, she never did something like this before."
"I see" Ulquiorra said, going back to slicing the daikon "I will have to question her about her actions later"
Nodding her head slowly, Youmu and her ghost half went back to their jobs. Just realizing that she hand dropped her potato, she let out small "Wa!" before retrieving the half-peeled vegetable.
For a while, they worked in peace, preparing food for their mistress as the sun continued to rise up from the east. However, during that time, Ulquiorra noticed that when she thought he wasn't looking, Youmu would steal glances at him for some reason. His curiosity on the matter peaked when she would blush when her gaze on him was longer than usual. Finally, Ulquiorra decided to question her actions.
"What is wrong, Youmu-san?" Ulquiorra questioned as they were finishing the meal.
"Wawawa!" Youmu exclaimed, having been caught in the act. She and her ghost half had been balancing some dishes in their hands/heads, and once Ulquiorra suddenly voiced his awareness of her actions she began fumbling around with them in her hands. To her horror, some of the dishes fell out of her grasp. With no way for her and her ghost half to catch them in time, they could only watch as they flew forward and began dropping toward the floor.
Then, to her astonishment, Ulquiorra flickered into existence out of nowhere in the dishes' trajectory, accompanied by a brief sound of static. Quickly, as if everything was in slow motion, he bent and caught all of the plates with one swoop of his hand. When he straightened, he was holding the dishes all stacked neatly in one hand.
Again, Youmu watched openmouthed as Ulquiorra walked over to her and handed the dishes back to her.
"Please be more careful next time, Youmu-san. It would be unfortunate if the expensive china is broken" Ulquiorra said.
"H-Hai, Ulquiorra-san" she stammered as she accepted the dishes.
"Now, might I again ask what is bothering you?" Ulquiorra asked.
"Uh…well…" she began. She lowered her head a bit and a blushed "Did you…with Yuyuko-sama…"
"Did I do what with Yuyuko-sama?" he pushed the matter.
"Um…you know…while you were sleeping together…" Youmu said as she became increasingly embarrassed.
"If I know, I would not ask you, Youmu-san" Ulquiorra stated, a bit irritated at not getting his answer.
"Ah…uh...um" she stuttered, not having the will to say it "N-Never mind, Ulquiorra-san. It's nothing."
"…Are you sure?" he asked doubtfully.
"Hai…" Youmu said as she nodded her head.
"Very well" Ulquiorra said, dropping the matter. They had other things that need their immediate attention right now, if what his sense was telling his is right. "We should hurry, Yuyuko-sama seems to be waking up."
Now, was Youmu's turn to ask Ulquiorra questions "Eh? How do you know?"
"I have the ability to sense individual's spiritual power around me" he said as he began carrying the exceptionally large bowls of food to the dining room. "She is currently moving around in my room and is heading towards the door."
"Wow, that's an incredibly useful ability." Youmu said as she contemplated the implications of having such an ability in a place like Gensokyo. Then, Ulquiorra's word finally hit her. "Wait, then that means we should really hurry!"
"Indeed" Ulquiorra said as he walked out of the kitchen.
Catching herself, Youmu and her ghost half hurried after Ulquiorra into the dining room to set up the dishes that they had been carrying.
Moments later, they finally finished filling the rather large dining table with all of the food they had prepared. The main courses were centered on the table, consisting of things like miso soup, tamagoyaki, grilled fish, and various pickles. Three sets of empty bowls and chopsticks where arranged around the main courses, with an extra-large tub of rice to the side of the table.
The two looked at their handiwork, both satisfied with the results. They finished in the nick of time too, as the screen door to the dining room slid open, revealing a sleepy ghost princess.
"Mwah~ Ohayou, Youmu-chan and Ulqi-kun" Yuyuko said as she walked into the room, her kimono looking a little disheveled. She brought a sleeved hand up to her mouth and yawned, closing her eyes in process.
"Ohayou gozaimasu, Yuyuko-sama" Youmu and Ulquiorra said at the same time as they stood side-by-side, both bowing respectfully toward their mistress.
Yuyuko continued to walk toward the table with a sleepy look. She reached her spot in the table and she sat down on the cushion. Taking it as their cue, both of the standing subordinates took their seats. While floating in the air, Youmu's ghost half decided to land on Ulquiorra's lap and got comfortable there. Though Youmu was still embarrsed about its actions, Ulquiorra quickly calmed her and told her that he did not mind. Finally, when everyone was seated, everyone brought their hands together.
"Itadakimasu!" all three individuals said together, signifying that the meal can begin.
For the entire time, however, it was less "everyone enjoying the meal together" and more like "Ulquiorra and Youmu fighting together to get their fill of food before the endless abyss that is Yuyuko's stomach claims it all." Ulquiorra himself realizes that, though he didn't need to before, his current body must be sustained with nutrients like that of a human, and that if he were to relinquish all of the food to his benefactor, he would end up starving and weak.
Yuyuko just kept eating away with a happy expression, the rice in her bowl needing to be refilled frequently by either Youmu or Ulquiorra once it depletes. Eventually, all of the food in the table was devoured, with Youmu and Ulquiorra barely getting their share of it. All that's left was a huge pile of dirty dishes and an empty rice tub.
"Gochisou-sama deshita" they all said together at the end.
"Ahhhhh~" Yuyuko let out. The two subordinates sweat dropped as they watch their mistress lay back with a satisfied face, her stomach bulging as she let out a sigh of content. Ulquiorra turned his head towards Youmu, catching her attention.
"I must give respect to you, Youmu-san, for being able to handle this for as long as you have" Ulquiorra said as he began stroking her ghost half that was on his lap.
"Eheheh…" She said with a sheepish look, her left hand scratching behind her head "You'll get used to it eventually."
"…I see" He said doubtfully.
Looking back at Yuyuko, Ulquiorra found that Yuyuko seems to be falling back asleep again. Quickly, Ulquiorra remembered what he wanted to ask her.
"Yuyuko-sama, may I ask you something?"
"Hmmm?" Yuyuko answered, straightening a bit "What is it?"
"Why where you in bed with me?" he asked.
"Oh, that!" she said. She then assumed a thinking position, with her right hand on her chin and her left hand on her right arm "Well, I wanted to check up on Ulqi-kun to see if he was handling things well, so I snuck into his room so I can surprise him!"
"…You wanted to see how I was doing by catching me of guard?" Ulquiorra said in confusion. How does ambushing someone count as checking on their wellbeing?
"Yep!" Yuyuko said with a smile on her face, completely defying logic again "But when I went into your room, you were already asleep. It was no fun anymore, so I was going to go back to my room. But then, I suddenly felt really tired, and Ulqi-kun's futon looked very comfortable. So I just got in with you and slept there!"
A moment of complete silence followed Yuyuko's explanation. Both subordinates stared at their mistress, a look of disbelief plastered on their faces. Ulquiorra was perplexed. She's fine with sleeping in the same bed as someone she barely knew? That is indeed a dangerous habit. One would have to be a fool or completely confident about their capabilities to partake in such actions. He would like to that his mistress was the latter, but her air headed behavior leads him to think otherwise.
"Yuyuko-sama, it is not wise to sleep in a bed with a total stranger" Ulquiorra pointed out, with Youmu shaking her head in agreement. "You do not know what that person might do to you when you are asleep. He or she might take advantage of you and harm you in some way."
"But I wasn't sleeping with a stranger. I was sleeping with Ulqi-kun" she said cheerfully. "I'm sure that Ulqi-kun would never do anything to me!"
Ulquiorra didn't know what to think. To place that much trust on him when he had been there for barely a day. Even though he had no intention to harm her in any way, he couldn't help but question if she really is a fool or that she is an extremely good judge of character. Either way, if she saw fit to put that much trust in him, then he would try his best to live up to her image of him.
"…Unless if Ulqi-kun really did want to do something to me while we were sharing a futon" Yuyuko said with a flirtatious smile. Instantly, her fan was in her hand and covering the lower part of her face again. "If he really wanted to, then I probably wouldn't mind at all…"
At this, Youmu's face went beet red. Youmu's ghost half suddenly became a bit agitated, and seemed to angrily vibrate in his lap. As for Ulquiorra, for some reason, he felt an unknown chill travel through his back. Shaking off such a feeling, he calmed the ghost down as they resumed their discussion.
"…You do not need to worry yourself about that Yuyuko-sama" Ulquiorra said. "You have my word that I would never bring any kind of harm towards you."
"Oh boo. You're no fun, Ulqi-kun" Yuyuko said with a pouting face.
Letting out a breath, Ulquiorra rose from his seat, gesturing for Youmu's ghost half to move. "We should wash the dishes so we can begin doing the rest of the chores, Youmu-san."
"Right!" she said as she too rose from her seat. "Excuse us, Yuyuko-sama!"
"Don't mind me" she said with a smile. Then, she suddenly adopted a look of realization as she quickly turned towards Ulquiorra "Wait a second. Ulqi-kun, you forgot to make your heavenly tea for us today!"
"I did not forget, Yuyuko-sama" he said, his voice calm despite the implications. "I merely chose not to do so since we only have about three servings of tea left in stock."
"Already?" Yuyuko asked. "Youmu-chan, did you forget to pick up more when you went shopping yesterday?"
"No, Yuyuko-sama" she quickly denied, shaking her head. "I picked up quite a few bags last time that I went out. It's just that since Ulquiorra has made you the tea, you have been requesting it so much that our supplies have dwindled to such levels."
"Oh" Yuyuko said with an embarrassed smile. "Ehehe~ so it's my fault then."
"Indeed" Ulquiorra said bluntly. With that, black clouds of depression began forming above Yuyuko's head as her shoulders stooped, her eyes becoming downcast from the coldness of Ulquiorra's affirmation. "Thus, to make sure our tea supplies last as long as possible until we restock again, I have decided to make only one batch a day. That way, you should be able to still enjoy tea every day until we procure more."
"Wow, that's really smart thinking Ulqi-kun" Yuyuko said in amazement, apparently already recovering from her depression.
"Thank you, Yuyuko-sama" Ulquiorra said, bowing towards her a little. He then bent down and picked up a stack of dishes. "Now, if you'll excuse us."
"Oh, sure go ahead!" Yuyuko said, gesturing for them to carry on. "I'll find something to amuse myself with."
Nodding his head, he continued carrying the dishes back into the kitchen to be washed, with Youmu and her ghost half closely behind him with their stacks of dishes.
Later, Ulquiorra found himself sweeping the courtyard of Hakugyokurou with his zanpakuto strapped to his waist. Though the sakura petals that are constantly present in the Netherworld were a beautiful sight, they tend to accumulate in the courtyard of the shrine and become a nuisance. As he swept the grounds, some of the small ghosts that were always present in the Netherworld floated around him, occasionally rubbing against him as we worked. He didn't mind their presence really. Over time, he actually came to enjoy their presence, feeling right at home among the spirits of the deceased. It was like hanging around them brought some comfort to him, and they were always attracted to him if he is nearby, so he was used to it.
They had already finished most of the day's work. The laundry (including Ulquiorra's jinbei) was taken care of, the gardens had been attended to, and the shrine was as clean as they could make it. All that left was for Ulquiorra to finish this job and he would be free to spend the rest of the day as he chooses.
Ulquiorra was glad for this. He wanted to have time to test his abilities, to see if they were still usable and if so to what extent. If his theory was right, then he should still have all the powers that he had when he was an Arrancar, if this morning's trial with Sonido told him anything. If this was true, then he should also be able to return his power to its usual level simply by training.
As he continued sweeping, Ulquiorra's gaze fell on the Saigyou Ayakashi, the largest sakura tree in the Netherworld. His eyes narrowed as he watched its form from afar, its bare branches poking out of the canopy of the rest of the sakura trees, covering the trees underneath it like an umbrella. Ever since he was acquainted with the tree, he could feel a sense of danger emanate from it. Yesterday, when he was introduced to the tree by Youmu, its odd energy signature caused Ulquiorra to analyze it further with his Pesquisa. The result was a tree with a massive amount of power, one that radiated malevolence and spite, threating to bring swift death to those who dared approach it. This power, however, was kept dormant by what Ulquiorra determined to be a seal of great power. What caught his curiosity was that the seal itself had the same reiatsu signature as Yuyuko. So does that mean Yuyuko was the one who was responsible for the seal itself, or was does it mean something else entirely? He has kept this fact to himself, and made a note to confront Yuyuko about it later.
Eventually, the final pedal was swept from the courtyard. Looking at his handiwork, Ulquiorra was satisfied with how things turned out. Though more will gather later on, at least it was clear for now. He walked towards the shrine shed, planning to put the instrument away then using his free time to evaluate his abilities. He had found a small clearing in the forest of sakura trees that was partially surrounded by boulders, a formation that was perfect for his training purposes. The boulders effectively blocked attacks and would prevent the surrounding area from being damaged. He did not want to deface any part of Hakugyokurou, and destroying sakura trees with a misfired Cero was a definite no.
After placing the broom in the shed, he made the trek toward the scouted location. Walking out of Hakugyokurou, Ulquiorra made his way towards the forest of sakura trees. As he plunged deeper into the thicket, he could feel a kind of peace befall upon him as the sakura trees created a serene atmosphere around the area. He had felt the same way when he first set his eyes the trees of the Netherworld, as their beauty was enough to capture his attention for an indefinite amount of time. Halfway to his destination, however, he found out through his senses that he was not the only one who thought the clearing was the perfect place to train.
The trees began to thin out a bit as he approached the clearing. Once they gave way, Ulquiorra was able to set his eyes on the lone form of the gardener of Hakugyokurou at the center of the clearing. Her eyes were closed, her expression calm as she held her katana in front of her. Her shorter sword is strapped to her back, along with the scabbard for her katana. Her posture was befitting that of a swordswoman, her balance perfect and her sword grip strong. Her ghost half was floating near her, staying as still as its human half as if waiting for something.
Ulquiorra watched silently as Youmu stood there, seemingly doing nothing but holding her stance. He knew better though. He could sense her manipulating her power, channeling it to certain parts of her body and the blade in her hands. Perhaps she was going to use a technique? He has seen similar use of energy when shinigami and hollow prepare to use a certain technique. If so, he would get a chance to see what kind of ability Youmu has and be able to gage her strength.
Suddenly, Youmu's eyes snapped open. She crouched low, her blade turned horizontal to the ground. Then, with speed that made her form a blur to the untrained eye, she took a step forward. Her glowing blade left a large blue streak as she sliced it through the air, hitting the imaginary foe that she had projected in her mind. When she came to a stop, it was like she had disappeared from one spot and reappeared in another, her sword in its forward position as it finished its arc.
What may have been impossible to follow with the naked eye was entirely visible to Ulquiorra's all-seeing gaze. He saw everything about her technique, every twitch of her muscle and every step that she took. He saw the blade become empowered with energy as her speed increased enormously, allowing her to make a slash at an impossible speed that would've been overkill to any normal human. Though nowhere near as fast as Ulquiorra and his Sonido, it was significant enough to catch his attention.
Youmu's stance relaxed as she let out a breath, one that she had been holding since the start of the technique. Her ghost half caught up to her, now floating lazily next to her head again.
"That was quite impressive, Youmu-san"
Youmu let out an "Eep!" as she jumped, startled by Ulquiorra's voice. She turns towards him and finally notices his presence.
"Did I startle you?" he asked rhetorically as he walked slowly toward her.
"H-Hai, Ulquiorra-san" she said embarrassedly as she rubbed the back of her head with her left hand. "Um, what are you doing here?"
"I saw this place when you put me to work with the sakura trees yesterday" Ulquiorra said. "I thought it was a suitable place for training purposes, so I was going to spend my free time here."
"Oh…so it's not just me how thinks that" Youmu said as she clutched her sword behind her, like she was guilty for doing something bad. "Ano…how much did you see, Ulquiorra-san?"
"Since you started using that technique." Ulquiorra answered, stopping a few feet in front of her.
"R-Really?" she said as she blushed. "I'm not that good, am I?"
"Lying to yourself serves no purpose." Ulquiorra said, trademark stoic face still fully displayed. "From what I observed, you have more skill than most swordsmen. Humans would kill to gain that kind of talent, Youmu-san."
"R-Really?" she said again, her expression brightening a bit. "Well, it's one of my spell cards, so it's not like I can do it all the time… "
"Spell card?" Ulquiorra questioned, unfamiliar to the terminology.
"Eh? Oh, that's right!" Youmu exclaimed. "We never told you about Gensokyo's battling system!"
"There is a system for conflict in Gensokyo?" Ulquiorra asked curiously, though it did make sense. From what he was told, Gensokyo's human and youkai community was a bit under tension. So it would make sense to create some kind of system for conflict between the races. "Can you elaborate?"
"Of course, I was planning to in the first place." Youmu said as she settled down for a long explanation. "We can't have you walking around Gensokyo without knowing something so important!"
She opened her mouth and began.
[Girls are explaining….]
"…and that's what the Spell Card System is." Youmu said, finishing a part of her speech.
"I see" Ulquiorra said with a contemplating look while Youmu's ghost half rested on his head, having made its way there unnoticed by Youmu during the discussion to join the smaller ghosts that hung around him.
This "Spell Card System" was larger than he had first thought it was. When Youmu said battling system, he had presumed that it was just something that is agreed upon between the two races. It was, however, some kind of rule that encompasses all of Gensokyo, affecting every person living within this realm. It stops all kind of physical damage and prevented unnecessary death while providing a kind of conflict resolution, with the "winner take all" rule applying to every match. What interested Ulquiorra more, however, was the amount of energy that would be needed create such a reality-bending rule. Ulquiorra had met no one that had that kind of power before, and he wondered where it had all come from. And more importantly, how did they event accomplish it?
The other thing that made Ulquiorra raise an eyebrow was the existence magic. It was implied in the last information session, but he never understood that it really meant. Sure, where he came from people were doing all sorts of supernatural things, and the shinigami's Kido came to Ulquiorra's mind when Youmu first mentioned spells. But never in any instance was the term "magic" invoked. What is at work here in Gensokyo, however, seem to be genuine magic, which can be used to do many impossible things like flying and causing miracles to happen. It is also an immense source of destructive power, if the scale of the Spell Card battles that Youmu described were true. This again caused Ulquiorra to question the strength of the individuals in Gensokyo.
"Now then, on to the specifics of a Spell Card battle" Youmu continued. "In a match, opponents would usually shoot Danmaku bullets at each other while trying to hurt each other in any way possible."
"Danmaku bullets?" Ulquiorra asked.
"Here, let me show you" she said as she got up.
She then unsheathed her sword and faced a particular rock formation on the edge of the clearing. Raising her sword above her head, she quickly gathered some magical energy into the sword. Then, she swung the sword down, forming four greenish blue energy bullets that travel at a relatively fast speed towards the rock. When they hit, the bullets took chucks out of the rock while leaving several scorch marks as they dissipated.
"Danmaku bullets are different from person to person, and the rate at which they are fired are also depends on the person's power." She said, turning back towards Ulquiorra. "A person could also fire other things during battle, like beams of energy or other potent energy projectiles."
"Understood" Ulquiorra said. "What of physical attacks like sword strikes?"
"They are also allowed, but they also do not do lethal damage to the opponent" Youmu answered. "The System prevents lethal damage of any kind, but does not get rid of the pain that comes with attacks."
"What of the Spell Cards?"
"Spells Cards are ways that you can use some of your most powerful techniques in battle." Youmu answered. "The move that I used before was also a Spell Card, this one to be exact."
She reached into her skirt pocket and pulled out a card. She handed to Ulquiorra, who studied the card with interest.
"Human Sign [Slash of Present]?" He asked.
"Yep! Each Spell card has its own unique name to represent it essence." Youmu said. "Spell Cards can range to really good physical attacks to really large Danmaku barrages with more powerful projectiles."
"How is one made?"
"Hey usually form when you develop an attack that is considered Spell Card level by the system" she said.
"And how are battles won?" Ulquiorra questioned further.
"When the opponents are knocked out from the pain, of course!" she said with a smile.
"I see…" he said as he absorbed the new information. It was easy to understand. Opponents would fight each other with their magical abilities, and use spell card when they think it would be most effective. What concerned him the most was how his abilities, if he still had them, would work in a world like this. Did his techniques have any ties to this world? Are they considered "magic"? If he still had his Hierro, would these bullets be able to damage him? What of his Cero? What would happen if he were to use it? As his thoughts were full of questions, Youmu decided to speak up.
"Well, to survive in Gensokyo, you should definitely consider developing your own Danmaku and Spell Cards, Ulquiorra-san" Youmu urged him. "Don't worry, you probably would be able to so easily if the amount of power Yuyuko and I sense in you is as large as it is."
This alarmed him a bit. So they do have some kind of spiritual sense, or magical sense if you were to go by local standards. It's a good thing that he was not at full power and that he subconsciously suppresses his power, or else it might've been a cause for alarm to his two acquaintances. He would have to be careful, if they suspect too much it might blow this cover too soon. He does not want his true nature to be revealed this early for it might hinder his plans to learn more about the heart.
Plus, there was something inside of him, something that told him it would be bad if they were to learn about his past. It was like every time that he thought about them finding out about his past, a sharp pain could be felt coming from his newfound heart.
"…I understand" Ulquiorra said as he stood up. Sitting and theorizing would do him little good. It was time he did what he came here to do: train. "I shall get started immediately."
"It usually takes some time to develop Spell Cards and magical projectiles though" Youmu pointed out. "Even with someone of your potential, it could take a while before you could perform magic."
Ulquiorra stayed silent as he stared at his hand. He did not know any magic, nor does he understand how it works. So many possibilities right before him, yet he does not know how to harness it. Perhaps he could seek out an instructor, or find a source of knowledge on the matter somewhere in Gensokyo. For now, however, he would have to see about his abilities.
"I can try to teach you about magic, but I'm sorry that I won't be much help" she said apologetically as she too stood up. "I don't know much about it except the techniques that I use. I'm actually still learning myself."
"It's fine" Ulquiorra answered. He did not know anything about Danmaku bullets and any other projectiles that are used in Gensokyo. But if it was bullets, then he had something.
The small ghosts that hung around him scattered along with Youmu's ghost half, seemingly anticipating his actions. He pointed his right hand towards the rock that Youmu had used to demonstrate and channeled his power. If this worked, then it would prove his theory.
He is going to try using Bala.
His right hand became engulfed in red energy as he concentrated, shaping the reiatsu into the bullets that Arrancars used. Encouraged by the positive reaction, Ulquiorra took the final step in the move: he released the energy.
Youmu watched openmouthed as the energy around Ulquiorra's hand was released, forming an incredibly fast red bullet that sped toward the rock. On impact, the single bullet took a huge chunk out of the rock formation, causing dust and small rocks to explode form the impact area. When the dust settled down, a large blackened hole could be seen on the rock formation, dwarfing the smaller holes that Youmu made with her bullets.
"…A….Ah…" Youmu stuttered out. She couldn't believe it. On his first try, he was able to create such a powerful bullet. Without any instructions to boot!
Ulquiorra's had sparked with the red energy that he had released. He clenched and unclenched his right hand. That Bala was a bit slower and less powerful than the one he was used to. Perhaps it had to do with his weaker state. He would have to train to regain his full power if that was the case.
So now it was proven that his abilities were still useable even in his new state. Does that mean he was still a hollow? He still did not know that answer, as he could definitely feel that he had changed in some way since he died by the hands of Kurosaki Ichigo. Had something caused him to change, or was this something natural that happened to all who suffered the same fate as he did? He did not have enough information to answer those questions right now, and he was beginning to wonder if he ever will.
Putting that matter aside, there was one more thing that he wanted to try, one more thing do to prove to himself that he still had this powers. Pointing a finger towards the sky, as he does not want to damage anything on the ground, he began collecting energy at the tip of his index finger.
Youmu continued watching as green energy began collecting into a small ball at the tip of Ulquiorra's finger. At first it started out about twice the size of this fingertip, with energy going towards it in lines from the surroundings. Then, it got smaller, the ball of energy consolidating into a more potent form as it stopped taking in more energy.
The ghosts that flew in the heavens scattered, anticipating that something big was coming their way. Finally, as his Cero was ready, Ulquiorra released the energy that he stored. The small ball of energy then exploded into an extremely large green beam of energy, one that grew to a certain size as it traveled farther from him. The beam of energy tore through the atmosphere, bathing its surroundings with an ethereal glow as it travels into the sky. As it passed through the clouds, it caused them to scatter in every direction away from the beam, forming a hole amongst its ranks. Rings of green energy pulsated from where the beam originated, making its strength noticeable to all within the immediate vicinity.
As the last of the energy was released, Ulquiorra was mentally satisfied that one of his most powerful attacks was still usable. As he lowered his right hand a bright light came into existence in front of him. Ulquiorra instinctively closed his eyes, opening them only after the brightness receded. There, rotating in midair in front of him, was a glowing card. Curiously, Ulquiorra reach his free hand towards it and grabbed it out of the air. As his hand made contact with the card, its glow dissipated, revealing a card much like the Spell Card that Youmu showed him.
At the top of the card was an inscription that said "Hollow Sign [Cero]." Below it was a picture of him performing said cero, pointing it in front of him while he was standing straight. Below the picture is a description of the attack, which was quite accurate according to Ulquiorra.
So this was how a Spell Card was made. He noted that the power of his Cero was considered strong enough to be considered a Spell Card. That means that there is a certain magnitude of destructive force that the attack had to reach before it was considered Spell Card worthy. He filed this information away in case he wanted to create more spell cards.
"T-That was amazing, Ulquiorra-san!" Youmu exclaimed, her face filled with awe as she witnessed the Ulquiorra's strength. To be able to make such a powerful Spell Card moments after it was explained to him. Just how much power and talent did he have? "That was an extremely strong Spell Card! You're good at this!"
"It is nothing special" Ulquiorra said to her. "This is a regular occurrence to me."
"Eh? You've done something like this before?" Youmu asked, curious about what he said.
"Where I came from, people like me are able to do the same things that I did" he answered as ambiguously as possible, avoiding giving away his past.
"Really? Wow…" she said as she continued staring at him. She was a bit jealous at him for being able to do so much in such a short time while she had to work hard for her strength. If his people were able to do such things at will, then they must be really powerful. "So you were born with all of your abilities?"
"Not entirely" he answered, not oblivious to her distress. "I had to learn swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat by myself. The Bala and Cero, however, are native to my people."
"Bala and Cero?" she asked, a bit satisfied that at least his skill with the sword was earned through work.
"Bala is the name those bullets that I shot out. You could say that they are our Danmaku bullets, though they are a bit different" Ulquiorra said. "Cero is the name of the beam of energy I shot."
Ulquiorra handed Youmu the Spell Card for he to examine. She took it and read through the description. As she did so, her ghost half decided that it was safe enough to return to Ulquiorra's head and use it as a resting place again.
"Perhaps the techniques were somehow adjusted to the rules of this place when I first entered it" Ulquiorra said, more or less thinking out loud as he contemplated the change of the nature of his abilities. "They certainly do fit into some of the aspects of the Spell Card System perfectly."
"That would make a bit of sense" Youmu handed the Spell Card back to Ulquiorra. "Though it allows for a lot of leeway when it comes to the nature of spell card battles, the system does tend to enforce its order upon the inhabitants of Gensokyo so that fights can be fair."
"I see" Ulquiorra said. He then decided to change the subject before it got any deeper into his personal life. "Can I ask you something, Youmu-san?"
"Huh? What is it?" she replied.
"I wish to get stronger than I am right now" Ulquiorra said, his voice full of conviction. "Though it might inconvenience you, might I also use his place for my training purposes?"
"Oh, it's no trouble at all!" Youmu quickly said with a smile as she waved her hands in front of her. "You can use this place as much as you want, Ulquiorra-san! It's not like I own it or anything."
"Would it also be a bother if I ask for to spar with you now and then?"
"I would love to spar with you, Ulquiorra-san!" she said immediately. She had wanted to pit her skills against another swordsman for some time now, to see how good she was as a swordswoman. She also wanted to see how skilled Ulquiorra was with the sword too. "If both of us have free time in the future, then I would gladly cross swords with you!"
"I see, thank you Youmu-san" he said as he bowed a bit, with Youmu's ghost half still clinging to his head.
"Oh, you don't need to thank me, Ulquiorra-san" she said as she blushed a bit, her left hand finding its way behind her head again as a goofy grin appeared on her face.
"Ara ara, what's this?"
Youmu jumped a bit as she was startled, letting out an "eep!" in the process. Both turned towards the source of the voice, finding Yuyuko walking slowly towards their position as she fanned herself lazily with her usual fold-up fan.
"Y-Yuyuko-sama!" Youmu said. "What are you doing here?"
"Well, I was relaxing on the veranda when I saw a huge beam of energy fire straight into the sky from somewhere in the sakura trees" Yuyuko said as she stop a few feet from them, a teasing look plastered all over her face. "I wondered what was going on so I flew over here to find out. And when I got closer guess what I found? My gardener getting friendly with my tea-maker!"
Youmu blushed as what her mistress implied, becoming a stuttering mess as she stood there pushing her index fingers together in front of her. Ulquiorra just sweat dropped at being called a tea-maker. So that was what he was to her?
"N-Nothing like that happened, Yuyuko-sama!" Youmu stuttered out as she frantically waved her hands in front of her, her blush at full intensity. If one were to take a look at her ghost half that is resting on Ulquiorra's head, one would see that it was also blushing, probably in agreement with its human half.
"Oh? Then why where you blushing when I got here, Youmu-chan?" she said why a sly look.
"U-Uh…well…umm" she stammered, having a hard time defending herself due to her embarrassment.
"We did not do anything of that sort, Yuyuko-sama" Ulquiorra spoke up, defending their stance in Youmu's stead since she seemed to be incompacitated right now. "Youmu-san was just explaining to me about Gensokyo's Spell Card System."
"Oh? Is that so?" Yuyuko said, her fan covering the lower part of her face as usual.
"That is so" Ulquiorra replied.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in Gensokyo
"H-Help!" said a man in his forties as he ran through a dark forest as fast as he could. Flying closely behind him is what appears to be a blond child wearing dark clothing with a red ribbon in her hair. She was smiling insanely as she chased the man through the forest.
"Haha! You can't run forever, human! I'll catch up to you and then…a…ah…AHCHOO!"
The girl sneezed, causing her eyes to close involuntarily. And because her eyes were closed, she could not see the tree that she was on a direct crush course with.
BAM!
"OWOWOWOWOW!" She said as she landed on the ground with a sizable bump on her head. Tears were falling out of her eyes like waterfalls as she cried. "WAAAA! That hurts!"
The man couldn't believe his luck.
"I-I'm saved! Thank the gods!" he said as he sped out of the forest, seeking the safety of his village.
"Okay! I believe you, Ulqi-kun!" she said with a smile. "But then what really happened?"
"Oh, Ulquiorra managed to create his own Spell Card and Danmaku bullets!" Youmu said, snapping out of her reverie. "All only moments after the concept was explained to him too!"
"Really? That's fantastic!" Yuyuko said with a look of astonishment. "You must be really talented, Ulqi-kun!"
"Thank you, Yuyuko-sama" Ulquiorra said as he bowed towards her. "I do not deserve such compliments."
"Nonsense!" Yuyuko said. Then, her expression turned into a cheerful one as she spread her arms apart "I know! An achievement like this deserves a celebration!"
"E-Eh?!" Youmu said. She had a nagging feeling that this would lead to undesired on her part. "How are we going to do that?"
"A feast of course!" Yuyuko said, as if stating the obvious. "A big feast, one fit for a king!"
"B-But Yuyuko-sama! You just had lunch!" Youmu said pleadingly, in hopes that she would reconsider.
"Ah, but it's almost evening already Youmu-chan!" she said, pointing out the time of the day.
Youmu realized that what she said was true, as the sun was slowly on its way towards the ground. Finally, she drooped her head as she accepted her fate, with Yuyuko smiling happily as if in victory.
"Let's go, Ulqi-kun, Youmu-chan!" Yuyuko said as she dragged Ulquiorra, who still had Youmu's ghost half on his head, with her towards Hakugyokurou. "We're going to have lots of fun!"
Youmu, who had just noticed them leaving without her, suddenly straightened from her drooping position. "Ah! Wait for me!"
Throughout all of this, Ulquiorra was thinking to himself. There were still many things that he did not understand about Gensokyo and its inhabitants. He was curious about all of it, about Gensokyo's history, about the kind of individuals who inhabit it, and about what magic is. Sadly, he was starting to believe that he would not be able to find much here in the Netherworld. Thus, there was only one way he would be able to satisfy his need for knowledge.
Perhaps it was time that he saw the rest of Gensokyo himself.
Author's Notes:
Well, that was the third chapter for you. Sorry it took so long, give me a break. I'm a high school senior on the last legs of his primary school education experience. There are latterly SHITLOADS of crap that I have to do. Here's some good news though. Since I just finished all of my online classes, I would have more free time to write than usual. So rejoice.
I wasn't feeling my best when I was writing the last of this chapter, so sorry if it came out as a bit shitty. I was having problem thinking with all the things that was going on with my life. That, and my parents keep nagging about studying when I'm practically studying ninety percent of my life, with the other ten percent being allocated to sleeping and eating. Having Asian parents can sometimes be a bit of a drag.
A little bit more about the direction that this story is taking. Let me make it clear to all of you that this WILL be a harem fic. No amount of whining will cause me to change my mind. I have it all planned out in my head, so there is no room modifications on this matter. If you don't like it, don't read it. I'm just writing this fic because I wanted to write something besides college application essays all the time anyways. Still debating whether if I should add lemons though.
As for other matters, one of my reviewers asked me about the time period as which this fic is taking place. Well, my plan is to have Ulquiorra play through the entire Touhou franchise starting with Perfect Cherry Blossom. Yes, Ulquiorra will play a part in every game that came after PCB. For those fans of ESD, don't fret. I planned involve the girls of SDM in a filler arc. Can't have a Touhou without my precious Flandre anyways.
To make a correction from the last author's notes, I have realized that Hisoutensoku really didn't have any fight in the air at all. So I'm going make a correction and say that the fighting system will have more fights in the air that that of Hisoutensoku. So think Touhou Sky Area combined with Hisoutensoku.
Anyways, that's all. Please leave me a review so that I would be motivated to keep writing. Flames will again be ignored as usual, so don't even try. Have a nice day.