Disclaimer: I do not hold ownership over Bleach or Touhou

Dead bodies are buried under the cherry trees! You have to believe it. Otherwise, you couldn't possibly explain the beauty of the cherry blossoms. I was restless, lately, because I couldn't believe in this beauty. But I have now finally understood: dead bodies are buried under the cherry trees! You have to believe it.

Morning graces the Netherworld once again. The sun was barely showing its face above the horizon, bathing the sea of with its amber glow. The trees swayed lazily as usual, occasionally shedding a petal as the wind blew through their branches.

At a certain clearing surrounded by boulders in the forest of cherry blossoms, a lone figure can be seen in the center. Standing straight and tall, the pale-skinned individual was dressed in a white jinbei with a katana strapped to his left hip. His eyes were closed, he expression the epitome of calm as he waited patiently for something. His right hand was on the hilt of his sword and his left on the scabbard, seemingly preparing to draw it on a short notice.

Ulquiorra remained still, his grip on his sword's hilt relaxed. No matter how long it takes, he will wait for it. After all, patience was a virtue that he was not without. He knew that eventually what he is waiting for will come to him.

His patience paid off as what he was waiting for finally arrived. On one of the trees that surrounded the clearing, a single sakura petal broke off of. Carried by the wind, the pedal flew slowly into the clearing. As its pink form nears Ulquiorra, he knew that what was promised had arrived.

His grip in his katana tightened in an instant. His draw was smooth and precise, his blade a blur as he swung it in front of him. As quickly as it came out of his scabbard, the blade returned back into it.

For a second, nothing visible happened, the petal continued on its path set by the wind. Then, the sakura petal split cleanly in half, cut straight through the center as its pieces continued into the wind. All of this happened in the blink of an eye. To a person observing him, it was as if he never drew his blade at all and that the petal just spontaneously split on its own accord. Any swordsman worth his salt would know that it would take an inhuman amount skill to actually be able to slice a single sakura petal in midflight, let alone do it completely blinded.

Ulquiorra let out a satisfied breath as he opened his eyes and watch the result of his morning practice. Lifting his right hand up in front of his face, he clenched and unclenched it, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly.

He still wasn't as strong as he had been. He could feel it in him, that small chunk of power that he had wasn't there anymore, and it bothered him. After spending his life wondering Hueco Mundo as a Vasto Lorde after his comrades refused to accept him, he had learned that strength was everything. If you were weak, you would be eaten by multitudes of hollows that roam its deserted wasteland, always looking for a meal so that they could grow in power and evolve. With this in mind, Ulquiorra is determined to regain what strength he had lost. Besides, who knows what Gensokyo had in store for him?

Speaking of practice, that was the 20th petal this morning. He had woken up hours earlier, even before the sun was up. As you look around, you will also see that the boulders surrounding the clearing are littered with huge craters with fist marks at the centers of every one of them. If you look longer, you can even figure out that some of the smaller boulders were actually part of a bigger boulder, which had been destroyed by the same crater-creating force. Ulquiorra hadn't only been working on his swordplay since morning after all.

When they did not have any free time yesterday, Ulquiorra found out that it was not guaranteed that he would have time to train if he were to wait out the rest of the day. The chores that he had to perform could take the entire day even with Youmu's help. It may seem that having extra hands would make things faster, but all it seemed to do was gave Youmu an excuse to do more work each day. She said that with his help she could do things that she would not be able to finish in one day, adding even more work to their repertoire.

It had been a day since Yuyuko had decided to throw a party for him since he had created his first Spell Card and Danmaku bullets. Honestly, he didn't even know why she did it. It's not like he did anything special, it was what he did on a daily basis in the past. Even when he told her this, she still insisted that they celebrated. Judging from the way that she caused a mountain of food to suddenly disappear during the party, he was starting to think that it was just her excuse to eat more.

As Ulquiorra's thoughts wondered to the ghost princess again, he let out a sigh. That morning, when he had woken up, he found that she had decided to sleep in his bed again. She didn't do so yesterday, so he just brushed it aside as a one-time thing. But there she was, sleeping with her head on his chest again. He couldn't figure out why she kept doing that, as her less-than adequate explanation from the day before didn't tell him anything. Was it because of his futon? Maybe it was more comfortable than hers. She did say that his futon "looked really comfortable" before she promptly slid in bed with him. He should ask her about it again, though he is starting to think that he might never get the answer.

Looking towards the rising sun, Ulquiorra figures that it's about time he headed back. Youmu should be waking soon, so he should get a head start on making breakfast.

Kicking off the ground, Ulquiorra shot towards Hakugyokurou. Since he had figured out that his abilities were still useable, he has taken to utilizing them more often. Flying was normal in Gensokyo, as he found out, and it would be to his disadvantage if he didn't.

Ever since the day before, his curiosity about the rest of Gensokyo never wavered. He still wanted to see what kind of place this world is and what kind of people live in it. He had many questions that he wanted answers to, and he believed that a good portion of them could be found if he were to see the entirety of Gensokyo for himself. And, deep down, something told him that he should go. A nagging feeling in his chest seemed to urge him to see what's outside of the Netherworld, and it wasn't because of his curiosity. Perhaps it was trying to tell him something, but whatever it was still eludes him.

In the end, he resolved to go. Hollows were creatures of instinct, and if his instinct told him to go, then he felt obligated to. Even though he was technically not a hollow anymore (?), a part of him couldn't let go of the feeling that he was somehow still related to them. He still had his hollow powers, after all.

So the problem as to how exactly he was supposed to go came up. He had explored the entirety of the Netherworld already. It wasn't a huge place, but it still spanned a couple hundred or so acres. Besides Hakugyokurou in the center, the entire place was mostly filled with sakura trees, with the occasional river here and there, along with that giant bare tree that sat in a hill higher than the rest of the Sakura trees. Coming out of the ghost shrine was a path untouched by the trees which went on for a bit before it reached a long and large set of stairs that led down, lit by rows of lanterns that seemed to burn infinitely. Following the stairs, he came upon another barrier that made it seem like the stairs suddenly ended. He gathered that this was the exit of the Netherworld, and that he would need to cross this barrier to access the rest of Gensokyo.

The problem wasn't that he couldn't cross it, as his hand slid through easily enough even when he could tell the barrier was particularly powerful. The problem was that he couldn't find a reason to skip his duties for the sole benefit of satisfying his curiosity. He had agreed to work for Yuyuko and aid Youmu, and it would seem like he was finding an excuse to skip his duties if he were to just ask to leave and explore. He could tell that Youmu was beginning to rely on him more, and he did not want to break the trust that she had in him. No, he needed a legitimate reason to leave.

As he neared Hakugyokurou, Ulquiorra came to a conclusion. He would have to wait until their next free day to ask to go outside. It was the most cost-effective solution, even though it was not as fast as he preferred.

He landed on the courtyard and continued to walk towards the kitchen. It seems like he had beaten Youmu to the job today, as he could sense that she was still in her room. Yet another benefit to waking up abnormally early.

Setting his zanpakuto to the side, Ulquiorra went to put on his apron. As he saw the form of his apron hanging on a hook next to Youmu's apron. For some reason, the longer he looked at it, the more dislike he seemed to feel for it. He didn't know why, but the multitude of flowers adjourning the piece of clothing seemed to irk him.

Sighing in defeat, Ulquiorra proceeded to looping it around his neck. Beggars can't be choosers, and his jinbei would be a mess without it.

With preparation done, Ulquiorra began pondering about what to make that morning. Though Yuyuko would probably eat anything that you put in front of her, it would be quite boring to eat the same thing every day. Perhaps he could make something that he had seen before once when he and been in Karakura town. What did the humans call it again? Ramen? It seemed simple enough to make, just mold some kind of flour dough into strings, boil them, add meat and vegetables, and serve it in a broth. A majority of the meal is made of water too, so it might be able to fill Yuyuko up without making much of a dent in their food supplies.

Though he only had three days' worth of cooking experience, he felt confident enough to try making something for once. One cannot get far by just watching others do things, after all. Sometimes, you just have to experience it yourself. He didn't get good at making tea by sitting around after all.

With his mind set on making the dish, Ulquiorra remembered about the book of recipes that Youmu kept on the counter. Over the years of cooking for Yuyuko Youmu has amassed quite the amount of recipes for food that she had tried to make, all of it compiled into a large book. Walking to the book and opening it, Ulquiorra began looking through it and noting all the different foods that there was. Apparently she had the same idea that he did, as the variety of the foods available was quite high. Flipping through the book, he search for the food that he wanted to make, finding it somewhere in the middle. Reading the recipe, Ulquiorra found that they had enough ingredients to make it. And judging by the time it would take to prepare it, he should be done just in time for Yuyuko to wake up.

Leaving the book open, Ulquiorra began gathering the ingredients. As he went through the cabinets, his eyes narrowed. They were running extremely low on food. In fact, it seems like they had just enough to get through the rest of the day.

Ulquiorra sighed. It seems that his party took a huge chunk out of the food stores. They would need to resupply today of they were to continue to feed Yuyuko's insatiable hunger.

And then, it hit him. Realization dawned on his face as he began to formulate a plan.

Perhaps he would get to see Gensokyo today after all…

Youmu yawned as she walked towards the kitchen, her ghost half following her lazily. Even after the bath she took, she was still tired. Yesterday was harsh, and it was only out of habit that she woke up at the same time that she did every day. She sighed at the prospect of still having to cook for her mistress. Maybe she really should cut back on the chores she keeps putting on herself.

As she neared the kitchen, Youmu's nose was assaulted by the sweet smell of food. Her eyes went wide as she heard the sound of pounding reverberating throughout the kitchen on a regular interval.

Quickly, she analyzed the situation. Did someone break into the shrine? It was a bit unlikely, seeing as that there was no one else in the Netherworld besides Yuyuko, Ulquiorra, and herself, and that there was a barrier separating this place and the rest of Gensokyo. And besides, why would they be in the kitchen? Wouldn't it make since for them to try to steal something valuable, rather than use their kitchen to cook?

Slowly, she crept closer to the kitchen door. Her ghost half flew closer to her, apparently on alert as well. Making as little noise as possible, she approached the screen door and reached for the edge.

Sliding the screen open, Youmu was amazed to find Ulquiorra pounding what appears to be some kind of dough rigorously. Each time his fist landed on the dough, the force was enough to send a loud bang throughout the entire kitchen, causing the items on the countertop to jump. Looking around Youmu also noticed that some pots were also on the stove, boiling away while letting out a sweet aroma.

"Ohayou gozaimasu, Youmu-san" Ulquiorra said without turning to face her, his attention solely on the piece that he is working on.

"Ah!" Youmu exclaimed in surprise, turning quickly towards Ulquiorra. "O-Ohayou, Ulquiorra-san."

Finally grasping the situation, she became a little miffed that someone managed to beat her to making breakfast, even when no one usually does. That feeling, however, was overshadowed by her curiosity. When she had taught Ulquiorra how to cook the past few days, she was surprised that he had actually caught on pretty quickly. Though it was kind of hinted when he could actually produce such delicious tea, she didn't know that that kind of skill would carry over to actual cooking. So if Ulquiorra decided to cook by himself, she was pretty sure that she didn't have to worry about him failing.

Well, maybe just a bit.

"Umm…what are you making, Ulquiorra-san?" Youmu questioned.

Without taking his attention away from the dough he was kneading, he lifted a hand and pointed towards Youmu's open cookbook on the countertop.

Understanding the gesture, Youmu walked towards the open book. Meanwhile, her ghost half separated from her and flew toward Ulquiorra. It then decided to get comfortable on his head, a position that it seems to like as evidenced by the shade red that it has on its "face". Ulquiorra himself didn't mind, and was getting used to the blob's antics, much to Youmu's embarrassment.

"Ah, so that's what you're making" Youmu said. "But wait, making the noodles usually takes a long time. Combined with making the broth and the other sides, it usually takes over an hour to make. We didn't even have any noodles prepared beforehand."

"That is correct." Ulquiorra said while swinging the stretched dough up and down.

"So…when did you wake up, Ulquiorra-san?"

"About four hours ago"

"…"

Youmu stood there open-mouthed. Four hours? The sun still wasn't up by then!

"Aren't you tired?" she asked.

"No, I usually don't sleep very much" Ulquiorra said while. It was not a lie. Though he does sleep now and then, it was but a very rare luxury for him. Even the fortified walls of Las Noches gave him little comfort. That combined with the awkward fact that Yuyuko was attached to his side again made staying in bed less desirable.

Accepting the explanation, Youmu followed the sweet aroma to the boiling pot of broth. Looking inside, Youmu was able to recognize most of the ingredients in it. However, some of the things Ulquiorra put in the broth weren't what she specified in her book.

"Ano…Ulquiorra-san" Youmu spoke. "These weren't the ingredients I wrote in the book for the broth."

"No, they are not" Ulquiorra said as the stretched the dough in between his fingers, the final step in making the noodles. "I made a few adjustments when I finished your recipe. I believed that I could improve it, so it added a few things."

True to his words, Youmu saw a few things like a whole skinned tomato and onions floating. At this, Youmu became skeptical.

"Eh? Are you sure this is going to work, Ulquiorra-san?" Youmu asked. "I mean, I don't want to offend you or anything but…"

"I understand" Ulquiorra said abruptly. In his hands were the finished noodles, all stretched into thin long strings characteristic of all ramen noodles. Cutting them up into desirable lengths, Ulquiorra then carried them over to a waiting pot and deposited them. He then walked over to the pot of broth, took up a ladle, and gestured for Youmu to come closer.

Nodding slowly, Youmu moved towards him. As she stopped a few inches away from him, Ulquiorra spooned a bit of broth from the pot and carried the ladle towards her. As she stopped in front of Ulquiorra, Youmu moved to take the ladle off of his hand. Ulquiorra, however, just stood there holding the ladle towards her, not responding to her gesture. Before Youmu could question him about his actions, Ulquiorra provided her with a simple answer.

"Open your mouth."

"…EH?!" Youmu exclaimed, the color on her face approaching that of a tomato. Quickly contemplating why he asked her to do that, Youmu came up with an answer that make her even more embarrassed than she was. "Y-You don't h-have to do that Ulquiorra-san. I-I can do it myself."

Even after saying that Ulquiorra refused to budge. Apparently, he refused to trust the pride of his work with her. He just continued to stand there and give her an expectant look. Under the pressure of his gaze, Youmu grew even redder. Finally, looking to the side, she managed to stutter something out.

"W-Well…if you i-insist…"

Gathering her courage, Youmu closed her eyes and faced Ulquiorra. She shakily opened her mouth just a tiny bit, barely enough to drink something out of a ladle.

Receiving the signal of approval, Ulquiorra moved the ladle towards her mouth. Gently touching her lips with the ladle's edge, Ulquiorra tipped the ladle towards Youmu, feeding her the broth that he considered to be his most recent crowning achievement. As the last of the liquid entered her lips Ulquiorra moved the ladle back and watched her reaction.

Youmu, for her part, was reacting in the most logical way when faced with a situation such as this: slack-jawed and glassy eyed with a look of pure ecstasy. With her heart racing at a mile a minute, she had consumed a liquid that was comparable to the nectar of the gods. It was salty yet sweet with the right proportions, with a million other flavors that were all combined at just the right amount to complement each other and create the most exquisite broth that had ever graced her tongue. Though it pained her a bit, Youmu could definitely say that the ramen she had made in the past could never compare to this.

Ulquiorra could not disconcert this from her expression, however. Tilting his head to the side in a slight show of confusion, Ulquiorra asked Youmu. "Youmu-san? What is wrong?"

Alas, he would get not answer, as Youmu was still in a cationic state as she basked in heavenly feeling that she had received from consuming the broth that he had created. Curiously, Ulquiorra waved a hand in front of her face to try to get a reaction out of her. When he got none, Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes. Walking back towards the simmering pot, Ulquiorra used the same ladle to spoon up the broth to taste-test it himself. While doing this, it just so happens that his lips touched the same exact spot that Youmu's lips had touched while she had been the one using it, a fact that somehow did not escape the paralyzed state of Youmu's senses.

And thus, when Ulquiorra finished confirming that there was nothing wrong with his creation and turned towards Youmu again, he beheld a sight of Youmu pushing her index fingers together with her head bowed down. The skin on her entire head seemed to have traded places with a tomato's, as it was so red that it seemed like it would burn you if you touched it. While thinking this, Ulquiorra could also feel like the area on his head was also heating up. Looking up, Ulquiorra saw that Youmu's ghost half also mimicked the color of her human half's face.

"Youmu-san? Are you unwell?" he said with narrowed eyes, a look that could pass as concern.

"Ah..AH!" Youmu said, snapping out of her stupor. Quickly waving her hands in front of her comically, she answered with haste. "I-It's nothing! I'm fine Ulquiorra-san!"

"Are you sure? What about what happened a moment ago?" Ulquiorra asked quizzically.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine" she replied. "It's just that…it was so good Ulquiorra-san! I've never tasted ramen stock that was that good before! It was so good that it stunned me for a bit you see…"

"Oh? Is that so?"

Meanwhile, elsewhere in Gensokyo…

In a familiar dark forest, we come to see a small boy lost amongst the trees. His face moist with tears, he fearfully glanced around him as he walked towards a single directions. As with everyone back in the village, he knew the consequences of getting lost in this particular forest.

"Okaa-san….*sob*"

The boy let out more tears, scared out of his wits and wondering when he would lose his life in such an ominous place. Little did he know that he was being followed.

"Hehehe…"

The one following the boy let out a chuckle that could not be heard by him, a familiar blonde haired child a red ribbon in her hair. For quite some time now, she had been shadowing the boy. She had been toying with her meal, as she took pleasure in such a morbid action. Finally, she decide that it was time to end it and collect her meal. She prepared to pounce.

"At long last, a decent meal. Now, I'll finally…ah…Ah…AHCHOO!"

The resulting sneeze was so thunderous that it startled the birds resting in nearby trees, causing them to fly away noisily. Faced with such a force, the girl could do nothing but close her eyes while she set it out. As she recovered, she quickly looked towards to her prey, only to find that the little boy she had set her eyes on was no longer there. It would take her another half an hour to give up looking for him.

"*sob*…WAAAH! I'M HUNGRY! *sob*"

"Yeah…" Youmu said shyly.

"I'm glad it is up to your standards." Ulquiorra said with his usual stoic face. "This is the first time I have tried my hand at culinary creations, and I was unsure if it would be edible or not. The most I have been doing in the past was tea."

"Really?" Youmu said. So he really wasn't faking it when he asked to learn to cook from her the past few days. She was now a little more miffed at his inherent talent. It took her a few years to be able to cook as well as she could now, while it only took him a few days to cook even better than her. While on this train of thought, another question popped in her head. "Wait, if you weren't sure if you could do it, then why did you try to experiment on something so big?"

Though Youmu had only known him for a few days, she had a feeling that Ulquiorra wasn't one to do something as reckless as this. His actions were always calculated, and he never tries to do anything without being sure. By cooking something without being sure is it would turn out good or not, it ran against this very idea.

"Indeed, I had planned to follow your instructions to the letter" Ulquiorra said. "However, when I had tasted the broth for the first time, I did not believe that the taste was right and that I had made an amateur mistake. Thus, I tried get the taste right. Eventually, when I had deemed that the taste was up to standards, I had found out that the things I put into the broth deviated from the original recipe so much that it would be considered less of a correction and more of an original creation."

Youmu just sweat-dropped. He actually tried improving upon the recipe without noticing? And the resulting product of said experiment was actually way more delicious than the original? It took true talent, no, a natural gift to actually to something like that on one's first try. And though she tried not to, she couldn't help but become a little depressed when she compared her skill to that of his.

Then, as if noticing what was going on in her head, Ulquiorra spoke up.

"I apologize if my actions offended you in any way, Youmu-san" he said as he bowed his head towards her.

"Oh no, you didn't do anything like that, Ulquiorra-san! Please raise your head." Youmu quickly said, shaking her hands in front of herself. "In fact, I'm happy that Yuyuko-sama and I will be able to eat something this delicious today."

"I see" Ulquiorra said while picking up his head. "If it is any consolation, I would've never been able to make something like this without the guidance of your cookbook. I simply just adjusted your original recipe, since I never knew how to make ramen in the first place."

"R-Really?" Youmu asked timidly. Though she didn't want to admit it, his small attempt to make her feel better actually worked more than it's supposed to.

"That is correct" Ulquiorra said as he headed back to the pot. "Now, we should hurry. By my calculations, Yuyuko-sama should be waking up soon, and there are still a few things that must be completed before the ramen can be served."

"Oh, you're right!" Youmu said as she looked out the window, noticing that the sun is almost fully showing its face in the netherworld. "What else is there to do, Ulquiorra-san?"

"We must wait for the noodles to finish" Ulquiorra said without looking at her. Youmu's ghost half had left his head and floated expectantly in front of him. Apparently, Ulquiorra had understood its motive and is now spooning more broth for it to try too. "Other than that, we must finish slicing the toppings that I have made."

"Alright! Where should I start?" Youmu said, quickly grabbing her apron and slipping it on.

"The naruto is on the counter with the eggs and pork. Please start with that."

"Leave it to me!"

And thus, for the rest of the time they had, the two subordinates of the princess of the Netherworld worked diligently together to make a meal for their black hole of a superior.

"This is amazing!" Yuyuko said with a feverous look on her face as she devoured, no, annihilated the bowl of ramen in front of her, her eyes crazed and swirling as much as the swirl in the naruto that was in her bowl. "What is this?! It tastes too good to be simple ramen!"

Ulquiorra could never cease to be amazed by the appetite that his benefactor has. It was truly a frightening sight, watching a woman of otherworldly beauty down entire bowls of ramen, noodle, broth, and toppings included, in one go as if they were shot glasses instead the moment that they were set in front of her. Where does it all go? Did she expend a large amount of reiatsu each day? People living in soul society only need to eat if they had spiritual energy and used it for combat or spells and such, and would live indefinitely if they did not use or had no ability to use reiatsu. If this world follows that rule, then Yuyuko must be expending a large amount of reiatsu each day. But then again, he had reason to believe that this was not the world he hand come from, so that argument might be invalid.

Looking towards the food that he and Youmu had prepared beforehand, Ulquiorra was starting to become worried. The proportions that he had prepared was made according to the calculations that he made based on the observations of Yuyuko's everyday eating habits. To not waste anything but still satisfy his mistress's needs, he made enough food, or so he believes, to feed Yuyuko, Youmu, and himself without leaving any room for leftovers. What resulted were three-foot tall tubs of noodles and toppings with two tubs of broth, enough to feed a third world village for months. Now, however, he was finding that at the rate at which Yuyuko was eating there would be no food left over for Youmu and himself except for what was already in their bowl, unless she also decides to take those too. Perhaps he had made a slight miscalculation when he did not consider what the taste of the food would do to Yuyuko's appetite.

He looked toward Youmu, wondering what her reaction is. Apparently, this level of consumption on Yuyuko's part is also new to Youmu, as she was sitting there open-mouthed with her chopsticks halfway to her mouth. As for her ghost half, it was laying on Ulquiorra's lap as it usually does when they eat, flopping there like it had no care in the world.

"You really went all out today, Youmu-chan! This must be your best work yet! I don't think I've eaten something this good made by you before!" said Yuyuko happily between bowls.

At this misunderstanding, Ulquiorra looked towards Youmu again to see what she would say. What he saw were dark clouds of depression raining on her bowed head, whose upper half was covered with dark lines of depression. Shakily, she managed to get something out.

"T-The meal today w-wasn't made by m-me. Ulquiorra-san w-woke up early i-in the morning to make i-it." she said with a depressed tone, which reflected how she felt about herself at the moment.

"Really? Ulqi-kun made this?" said Yuyuko, who actually stopped eating in amazement to look between Ulquiorra and the bowl she had in her hands. "I wouldn't have guessed!"

Quickly, Ulquiorra intervened. "Though the dish itself was really my creation, Youmu-san also played a large role in making it. Without her instructions and assistance, I doubt I would've been able to make something like this and finish it in time to be able serve you right now."

After hearing this, Youmu stared at Ulquiorra with a look of shock. Why did he say that when the credit should rightfully be his. Was it to make her feel better after she say the way she acted? Unbeknownst to her, a fine color of red dusted her pale cheeks as she looked towards Ulquiorra, who still faced Yuyuko after he spoke.

As for Ulquiorra himself, he was wondering why he decided to say such a thing. If it was him a few days ago, he would never even think of saying that the credit for something that he had created was actually shared with someone else. He would've just stayed silent and ignored Youmu, who was heavily expressing her feelings a few seconds ago. So why did he do it now? It was a question that he began pondering in the back of his mind.

Witnessing this, Yuyuko gained a mischievous look on her face.

"Ara?...ufufufu, so that's how it is" she said in a sly tone as she covered her smiling face with her face, though amusement still can be seen in her eyes.

"That is correct" Ulquiorra said while still maintaining his usual poker face, completely missing the point.

"Well then, who knew Ulqi-kun could cook as well as he could make tea!" Yuyuko said cheerfully and went back to attacking her food, seemingly as if forgetting about Youmu's behavior. Little did she know that she was actually filing it away as blackmailing material in the future. "You should really cook more often Ulqi-kun! I can't get enough of this stuff."

"I'm glad that you enjoyed it, Yuyuko-sama" Ulquiorra said, making a mental note to cook the least possible in the future if it were to result in something like this again. He then realized that the amount of full bowls in front of Yuyuko was reaching critically low levels again. Sighing to himself, he made eye contact with Youmu and nodded his head a bit, signaling that he was going to reload the ammunition. Youmu, who had regained her composure a few minutes ago, nodded back in understanding.

Youmu's ghost half flew off of his lap and floated to rest on his head, knowing beforehand that he was going to move. The rest of meal went on like this, with both subordinates switching the job of reloading the empty bowls made by their mistress until she was satisfied…

…Which she wasn't.

"Awwww…there's no more?" Yuyuko asked with a sad face.

"I am afraid that was all that I prepared, Yuyuko-sama" Ulquiorra said as he cleaned up the dining area. Everything he had prepared beforehand was all gone, devoured into the infinite abyss that is Yuyuko's stomach. As he had predicted before, it seem that there was nothing left over for him and Youmu, meaning that all they had to eat that morning was what they had in their respective bowls. At this point, he was beginning to worry about his and Youmu's health.

Youmu herself was also cleaning up the table, handing the empty bowls and utensils to Ulquiorra so he could bring them to the kitchen for cleaning.

After Ulquiorra and Youmu disappeared into the kitchen for a while, they returned with Ulquiorra holding a tray of his signature tea, with one cup for everyone there, including a small one for Youmu's ghost half since he discovered that it could actually eat things this morning.

"Arigato, Ulquiorra-san" Youmu said as she accepted the cup timidly, her ghost half bobbing in the air in front of its cup happily.

"Ehehehe…my favorite part of a meal!" Yuyuko said as she reached for the still hot cup of green tea in front of her. "Arigato, Ulqi-kun!"

"Please wait, Yuyuko-sama" Ulquiorra said as he stopped her from grabbing the cup of tea, catching everyone's attention with the seriousness of his voice.

"Hm? What is it, Ulqi-kun?" Yuyuko asked him as she tilted her head slightly to the side in confusion.

"I would like to discuss an urgent matter that has come up this morning with you" Ulquiorra said, his face conveying a more intense seriousness than the one it usually does.

At this, the two girls tensed a bit. In the days that Ulquiorra had stayed with them, they had at the very least deducted that Ulquiorra was very serious person, even more so than Youmu (much to Yuyuko's dismay). So, when his face displayed more seriousness than it usually does, they knew that this could possibly be an urgent matter. As the suspense built up, both of them leaned a bit towards Ulquiorra in expectation.

Sitting down, Ulquiorra face both the girls as he finally revealed the troubling matter "…it seems that we are running critically low on food again."

At this, all of the built-up suspense dissipated immediately as both Yuyuko and Youmu fell backwards in their seat, hitting the ground with a loud thud. Ulquiorra tilted his head sideways slightly, bemused at their actions any why his statement seemed to have caused it. Youmu's ghost half, which had taken residence on Ulquiorra's lap, gained a sweat drop in its 'face'.

"Was what I said wrong?" Ulquiorra questioned, trying to get an explanation. Unless if his eyes were tricking his, which was impossible due to their nature, he had observed that the cabinets and the storeroom in the kitchen were almost bare, save for a few vegetables and what was left at the bottom of the sacks of rice and flour.

"It's not that Ulquiorra-san" Youmu was the first to replay as she got up in her seat. Patting the dust from her clothes and hair, Youmu regained her composure and answered his question. "It's just that such a situation is not something that is that surprising here."

"Oh?"

"Yes, unfortunately that is the way it is." Youmu continued as she crossed her arms above her chest, her eye closed as she let out a sigh. "I'm not proud to say it, but Hakugyokurou goes through food supplies in a week at best. Nothing I've tried before has been able to extend it longer than that."

"I see." Ulquiorra said as he thought over this fact. Since he personally made sure that he helped at every meal in the day, he knew where all of the food that was in the previously filled storage went. It just somehow slipped his mind that this happened on such a regular basis, not that anyone can blame him. Seeing a woman consume well over ten times her estimated body mass every single day is not something you would expect.

"If only a certain someone could hold back on how much she eats," Youmu says as she lets out another sigh, still expressing her worry/defeat on the matter "then maybe our supplies would last much longer than this, and we would be saving so much money too."

"Indeed that is true" said Ulquiorra, though it was quite obvious in his opinion. It was also quite obvious that Youmu was admonishing Yuyuko for her eating behavior, ambient in a more indirect way. And if it would discourage his benefactor from literally eating them out of house and home, he would gladly join in. "It would save much time as well."

"Uuuuuuuu… you guys!" exclaimed Yuyuko, who had pretty much been ignored for the duration of their conversation. Her face was sporting a full blown pout, with her hands balled up into fists at her sides as she shook angrily while looking in their general direction. All in all, an expression that made her look more cute than scary. "Stop talking about someone as if they aren't there!"

"Eh? What are you mad about, Yuyuko-sama?" Youmu said with a completely innocent expression. "We're just talking about the person who eats way too much, does not know how to hold back, and thinks about nothing but food around here. Why should you be mad?"

With each fault pointed out, a figurative arrow appeared and pierced Yuyuko through the chest, sinking Yuyuko further into depression each time. Ulquiorra watch this little scene with a small amount of amusement, still stroking Youmu's ghost half on his lap.

"*sniff* Uuuuuuuuuuu…" Yuyuko said as she cried streams of tears from her eyes. She then launched herself at Ulquiorra and grabbed his left arm in a tight hug, burying her face into his arm. "Ulqi-kun, Youmu is being mean to me!"

"Airhead, lazy, glutton" was Ulquiorra's reply to Yuyuko's exclamation. As a result of this, Yuyuko was now faced down on the table with black clouds of depression hanging above her head, making it rain down on her head in a very accurate representation of her current emotional status.

While this is happening, Youmu was just sitting in her seat with a pleasant smile on her face. Coupling with Yuyuko's sobbing from, Ulquiorra couldn't help but think that although Youmu might be shy and timid most of the time that he saw her, she has the potential to be quite evil when she wanted to be.

Another thing that Ulquiorra noticed was that when Yuyuko grabbed his arm, although his face never shows it, he felt something. Sure there was the uncomfortableness, but then there was also something else that he felt. An emotion that he couldn't quite place as he had never felt it before. It was the same feeling that he has when he finds out in the morning that Yuyuko had slept in his bed. If he were to describe it, it would be like a sudden rush of heat. Though he could suppress it in mere milliseconds, he could feel his newly acquired heart beating ever so slightly faster than it usually does. Knowing this, he wonders what it means. Was his heart trying to tell him something? Perhaps he would look into it later.

Bringing a fist up to his mouth, Ulquiorra cleared his throat. "Nevertheless, the problem still stands. If we do not replenish our food supplies, we will barely have enough to get through dinner tonight."

At this, Yuyuko immediately snaps out of her depression. "Wa! This is bad! We have to go shopping quick!"

"I'll prepare to leave" Youmu said as she sighed at her mistress's enthusiasm at this subject. As she moves to get up, Ulquiorra decided that this was the right moment to bring up his portion of this matter.

"Yuyuko-sama, might I make a request?" Ulquiorra asked Yuyuko, causing Youmu to stop rising from her seat halfway in curiosity. Never once had Ulquiorra make a personal request since he started living with them, so this was a first for both of them.

"Eh? What is it, Ulqi-kun?" Yuyuko said with a curious look.

"If it is possible, might I accompany Youmu-san?" Ulquiorra asked, finally conveying his desire in a simple request. At this, Yuyuko's curious look turned into one of bemusement.

"Huh? Why are you asking that, Ulqi-kun?" Yuyuko asked him in return. At this, Ulquiorra assumed the worse. It made sense, really. If there were two subordinates, why have both of them go and leave the superior unattended? Youmu probably only did it because she was the only one serving Yuyuko until recently. Berating himself slightly for even making such a mistake, Ulquiorra addressed Yuyuko again.

"Forgive me, Yuyuko-sama. I should have given it more thought before bothering you with such a trivial matter." Ulquiorra said to Yuyuko, somehow managing to convey a tiny sense of resignation even when his facial features never changed from their usual stoic ones. Standing up from his seat with Youmu's ghost half flying out of his lap, Ulquiorra faced Youmu, who was looking at him bewilderedly. "Please leave all of the chores to me, Youmu-san. I shall finish them before you return."

Just Ulquiorra was about to excuse himself, Yuyuko chose this moment to voice her thoughts.

"Wait, Ulqi-kun! That's not what I meant!" Yuyuko said frantically as she gestured for him to stop with her right hand.

"Nani?" Ulquiorra said as he stopped in his tracks at Yuyuko's elimination.

"What I meant was that why are you even asking that?" Yuyuko said with a smiling face.

"What do you mean, Yuyuko-sama?" Ulquiorra asked as he tilted his head to the side slightly in confusion, still bewildered at to what she was trying to say.

"I mean, you don't have ask that at all!" Yuyuko says while still smiling. "Of course you are going with Youmu-chan! I expected you to in the first place!"

Raising an eyebrow slightly, Ulquiorra was a bit surprised at what she was saying. She wanted him to go in the first place? For what purpose? Just moments ago, Ulquiorra had admitted that it was illogical to let him go in the first place, and that he was a fool to actually think that Yuyuko would let him go. And here she was, saying she expected him to go. Why? Isn't it more beneficial for him to say and attend to her and finish the daily chores?

"Is that so?" Ulquiorra asked. "But then who would attend to you, Yuyuko-sama?"

"Oh please, Ulqi-kun" Yuyuko said as she made the usual hand gesture that accompanied that phrase. "Before you were here, Youmu-chan left me by myself every time that she needed to go out for supplies or run errands. It's not like I can't take care of myself, I'm a big girl!"

At this, both Youmu and Ulquiorra sweat dropped as Yuyuko held her head up haughtily. Having both experienced her usual antics, they had more than enough evidence to prove this statement false.

"Besides," Yuyuko says as she produced a fan out of nowhere covered the lover part of her face while again producing that mischievous glint in her eyes. "I know that you were curious about Gensokyo, aren't you?"

Hearing this, Ulquiorra became a bit alarmed. He had been found out? But how? Was he that easily readable? He knew that it was in his nature to not express his thoughts and it showed in his expression and body language, which were usually stoic and wasted no excess movements. He had honed this even further as quarto espada, and he was sure that he would not voluntarily carry himself in such a way that what was on his mind could be seen through as though he was an open book. So how was it that Yuyuko was able to seemingly his discern motives? Was it a coincidence, and she was just guessing? Or did she really know just by looking at him?

"Don't worry, who wouldn't want to explore a bit?" Yuyuko continued as she closed her fan with a snap and smiled widely with her arms extended in a display of excitement. "If I were you, I couldn't wait to be able to see what kind of mystical place Gensokyo is! Just having it described to me wouldn't be enough, I would be itching to get out of my seat and go out and see the world!"

…Perhaps it was the former. He doubt he would ever describe himself as "itching to get out of his seat" to explore. He wouldn't be able to live himself if he ever lowered himself to such a level. After hearing what Yuyuko had to say, Ulquiorra concluded that it was most likely just Yuyuko's assumption born from her antics that happened to match his desires. Even if this was true, however, it didn't change the fact that this situation caught Ulquiorra a bit off guard somehow. This either meant that he was losing his edge, or that he had become too lax. Both are reasons for him to be concerned. This never happened before, so why what he experiencing this now? Was I because of his newfound heart? Or was it that his new home was so much different from his previous one? Perhaps it's the fact that he doesn't have to spend every waking moment fighting amongst his own kind as to now lose himself in the world of Hueco Mundo. He would admit that living like he had been doing for the past few days here in the Netherworld would be quite disarming.

With this in mind, Ulquiorra resolved to be more aware of his surroundings and once again hone his senses. It wouldn't do to become too lax in such a place, even when there seems to be little need for such alertness. Besides, from what he was heard, Gensokyo has powerful individuals within its confines. Who could say they wouldn't cause trouble for them here? No, would not let that happen. Not to his new home, and especially not to those who gave him a place to even remotely call home. That is what his heart was telling him, and he chose to follow its suggestions this time.

"And now that I think about it, I can just let Youmu go around carrying all those supplies by herself " Yuyuko said as she tapped her shin with her folded fan in thought. "Not when there is a man here who can take care of that."

"Yuyuko-sama, its fine" Youmu said as she waved her hands in front of herself. For some reason, the thought that she would be alone with Ulquiorra while they go about getting supplies sent butterflies to her stomach. Her nervousness increased as Yuyuko assured Ulquiorra that he would be accompanying her, and as such she tried to avert such a situation. "I've been doing for some time now, so it's ok if he doesn't come with me."

"Nonsense! Even though you're used to it, that doesn't mean that you shouldn't accept help when it is available" Yuyuko said, shooting down Youmu's half-hearted attempt to not bring Ulquiorra. "Besides, it's a gentlemen's duty to help ladies in need!"

"R-really?" Youmu asked nervously.

"Yep! Definitely!" Yuyuko says as she scooted closer to Youmu. "Besides, you can use this chance, Youmu-chan."

Finishing her sentence with a wink, Yuyuko donned a teasing expression as Youmu stared at her. Realizing what she was implying, Youmu's face gained a red tint as she comically beats on Yuyuko with her balled up fists. "Y-Yuyuko-sama!"

"Hehe!" Yuyuko says with her face still in its teasing shape.

"Youmu-san" Ulquiorra calls out, making the girls stop what they were looking and look towards him. He then bows his head slightly and stares into her eyes.

"If you would have me, I would like to accompany you and help you in any way I can."

"Eh!" Youmu says as she snapped out of her previous state. "W-well, if Ulquiorra-san want to come, then it's not like I mind, really!"

"Understood" Ulquiorra says as he faces the kitchen again. "Arigato, Youmu-san, Yuyuko-sama. I will prepare to go out after I finish taking care of the dishes."

"Ah! Let me help you, Ulquiorra-san." Youmu says as she quickly got up and rushes towards the kitchen, passing by Ulquiorra with her ghost half.

"Ulqi-kun, just a minute." Yuyuko gestures towards him.

Wondering what she wanted, he moved slightly closer to her. "Yes, Yuyuko-sama?"

"You know, you don't have to find an excuse when you want to do something outside of your job" Yuyuko says with a smile on her face.

The only thing that betrayed Ulquiorra's shock at this was a minute widening of his eyes. There she was again, stating what he had been trying to do by bringing up the matter of supplies. So, it was the former and not the latter after all.

"If you're wondering how it knew about it, it's because I have seen this situation before." Yuyuko says with a pleasant smile still on her face. "Youmu-chan used to be just like that when she was younger, putting work before all else at such a naive age."

"Is that so?" Ulquiorra asked with a bit of curiosity in his voice.

"Yep! She acted just like you a few moments ago, so it was easily noticeable even with the way you hold yourself." Yuyuko says, now donning an expression that could be described as motherly. "Well, what I'm saying is, you don't have to be so strict with yourself Ulquiorra. If you want to have some fun sometimes, just ask me! I would be happy to let you!"

"…I see" Ulquiorra says as she contemplated what she told him. Such a lax way of thinking. Was she always that carefree? It could lead to problems in the future. But then again, he has never seen such kindness towards a subordinate before. It was…different to sat least. Not that he didn't appreciate it. No, it actually enforced his earlier line of thought. To show him this much kindness is more than enough for him. He would make sure that he protect this place and its inhabitants. His honor demanded that from him, that much was what his heart was telling him.

"Anyways, run along!" Yuyuko says as she makes a shooing motion with her hands. "Don't keep Youmu-chan waiting too long."

"Understood." Ulquiorra says as he walked towards the kitchen again. However, he stop when he is just at the doorway.

"Arigato, Yuyuko-sama."

Smiling again, Yuyuko spreads her fan and holds it over her face while fanning herself.

"You're welcome…!"

Hearing this Ulquiorra continued into the kitchen, leaving Yuyuko alone in the dining room.

"…Ulqi-kun" Yuyuko says as, behind her fan, the tiniest amount red somehow found its way to her face.

Ulquiorra was currently in his room, donning the set of clothes he was given the day he arrived. When he was working in Hakugyokurou and around its premises, he usually only wears the white inner layer as to offer him more freedom of movement. Now, however, he would be going outside, specifically to the rest of the mysterious world of Gensokyo. As such, it would be logically as to make oneself more presentable.

Finally tying the obi, Ulquiorra makes a final check. Seeing nothing wrong, he retrieves Murcielago and attaches it to his waist. After closing the door to his room, he makes his way to the front entrance of the ghost shrine, where Youmu said that she would be waiting for him.

Approaching the entrance, Ulquiorra sees Yuyuko standing over Youmu, who had her back to them while bent over to tie her shoes. Noticing him, Yuyuko turns towards his direction.

"Ah! Here he is Youmu" Yuyuko says, getting Youmu's attention. Hearing this, Youmu finishes tying her shoes and faces him as well.

"Oh! Ulquiorra-san. Are you ready to leave?" Youmu asked.

"Yes. I do not have much to bring except for the cloths on my back and my sword." Ulquiorra replied as he nodded with his eyes closed.

"I see. Well then we should be off. It would be the best if we can get back by lunch. Usually it takes quite longer and I would have to prepare a lunch for Yuyuko-sama before I left. But now that you're here to help it should take less time, no?" Youmu said with a smile on her face.

"Very well" Ulquiorra said, stepping out of Hakugyokurou. He then bowed towards Yuyuko. "We'll be going now, Yuyuko-sama."

"Alright! Take care now!" Yuyuko said as she waved at them. "Try not to get into too much trouble now!"

Nodding back, Ulquiorra joins the waiting Youmu.

"I'll lead the way, Ulquiorra-san" says Youmu.

"Please do" replied Ulquiorra.

At this, they both kicked off the ground and flew along the path that led towards the barrier. As they flew, curiosity and anticipation again enters Ulquiorra. What would it be like, this world of fantasy? Would it be like it was described to him? Filled with dangers and yet lacks the seriousness that comes them, with wonders that he has yet been able to set his eyes upon? Or is there more than meets the eye? Well, no matter. He will judge it when he sees it with his own two eyes.

After all, nothing escapes these eyes of his.

Author's notes:

I am sorry.

It has been so long since I last updated. Six months, was it? I have been putting off this chapter for far too long than I should have. I will offer no excuses, as I have none. All that time I have spent playing Tekkit, reading other Fics, or reading Visual Novels could have been spent on this fic, and I know it.

If I have lost a couple of supporters, then it's understandable. I have just become the type of author I dislike on FanFiction, after all. Again, sorry.

Well, what to say? I actually started this chapter way back in January, right after I uploaded chapter 4. And then, I don't know what happened. Maybe it was writer's block, or just a loss of interest. I don't really know anymore. Well, I could say that I was too busy working on my Senior Project for high school, but that was about 4 months ago, so no.

On a side note: I graduated! Hurray! This freedom is amazing! That is, until I get to college. And then, it's more studying for me! Aint that just fan-fucking-tastic.

About this chapter, I wasn't feeling it in the middle part for some reason. If you notice a drop in quality, then that's probably where it felt kind of shitty to me. I find it hard trying to describe Ulquiorra's thoughts and emotions in this chapter. Well, maybe it's just me. Also, I didn't read over this chapter at all, so if you see a noticeable drop in grammar, then please tell me and I'll fix it as soon as possible.

I also took a little detour and made another Bleach x Touhou fic before I finished this. If you want to check it out, go ahead. I know of at least two of you who have, so thank you.

Well then, next you guys will actually see Gensokyo as it is envisioned in the mind of this second rate author. Oh I just know I well have a fucking swell time trying to do so. Wehlp, to the Touhou wiki! Also, I just realized that I've turned Youmu into a love-struck high school girl O.O . Well, I like her this way though. Don't worry, she usually only acts this way around Ulquiorra.

Anyways, I would like to give a shout out to the various circles and groups that made the songs that helped me finish his chapter. EXO, BAP, VIXX, EastNewSound, FELT, and various other doujin circles and K-pop bands that provided wonderful music for me to listen to while I grind out his chapter for the wonderful people of this site, I would like to thank you. You guys should listen them too .

Well, that's about all I have. I wish I could tell you when the next chapter would be out, but I wouldn't want to give out misleading information. So, it'll be out when it comes out.

Again, I would like to see more people populating this crossover section too. It has way to much potential to be ignored, at least to me. If you have a Bleach x Touhou idea, get it out! I'm getting kind of lonely here by myself! I want to read other people's ideas too.

Well, that is all. Leave me a review or something, it would make me really happy. All of you have a wonderful day, and thank you for picking up this little piece to spend your time reading.