Opening my eyes, I turned to the side... and was stunned to see Ulquiorra and Nnoitra. They weren't doing anything... just sitting there. Nnoitra was scowling at something and muttering swearwords under his breath. Ulquiorra sat slightly turned away from us, staring at a clock on the wall. It was basically all I could hear, bar the swearing from Nnoitra.

'Um... Ulquiorra-sama? Nnoitra-sama? What's going on?'

When they both realised I'd woken up, they stood up and looked at each other, then at me. Nnoitra offered me his hand and pulled me to my feet.

'Something... someone has told Aizen about us.'

Nnoitra looked strangely worried. I'd never seen him worried before. He was still holding onto my hand, even though I was already standing up.

Is it just me... or is his hand shaking?

Ulquiorra turned to face me again. He had a poker face on; totally emotionless on the outside, but his eyes looked troubled.

'Who? Who told him about us?'

'Loly and Menoly. It seems that they...'

Ulquiorra tailed off.

Feeling brave, I reached out and grabbed his shoulder as he tried to walk off.

'It seems that they what?'

He shook my hand off his shoulder, appearing to be agitated.

'It seems... that they overheard my conversation with Szayel a few days ago. They decided to tell Aizen-sama.'

Nnoitra burst into a fit of rage, swinging his fist out towards Ulquiorra's unprotected face, screaming at him.

'You stupid fuckin' bastard! What right do you have to tell other people about what I do in MY spare time!? I'll fuckin' kill you!'

Nnoitra pushed me back down onto the sofa, urging me to keep back as he knew it could get messy. Well. Only if Ulquiorra responded, that is.

However Ulquiorra did not respond violently, simply raising his arm to block the punch. He did this a few more times, looking almost bored with the lack of effort needed to block Nnoitra's attacks.

'The fuck are ya doin!? Aren't ya gonna fight back, pussy?'

'There is no time for that. Aizen-sama needs to see you. Both of you.'

'W...What the fuck for?'

'Don't ask me.'

For a second, Nnoitra stood there, fist mid-air from hitting Ulquiorra. It was me who took the first steps, waiting for Ulquiorra to carry on and lead us to Aizen.

'Wait... we can't seriously go to this thing.'

Nnoitra still hadn't moved; it was obvious he had some sort of fear of Aizen. Then again, who wouldn't? He was an unpredictable man, with weird ideas up his sleeve... someone you couldn't trust. It spooked me out the way he just seemed to sit on that chair and smirk for eternity, barely moving an inch apart from meetings and drinking tea.

I tugged gently on Nnoitra's hand.

'We've gotta go, Nnoitra-sama. You know we've gotta go, we haven't got any other choice!'

Ulquiorra hadn't stopped walking, and by now, he was halfway down the long white corridor. When he realised they weren't behind him, he stopped, leaning casually against the wall and staring at us with an irritated look.

Finally, we appeared, and Ulquiorra began walking again.

Nnoitra walked slowly and cautiously behind me, whose steps were long and confident. I was actually surprising myself with my boldness. After the complete useless wreck I'd been the last few weeks, how is it that when facing my own possible death, I wasn't afraid?

All three of us snaking down the never-ending hallways, turning right and left off into little corridors, then into bigger ones again.

Nnoitra moaned it was taking too long.

'How the hell d'ya remember how ta' get ta' Aizen's place, huh?'

Ulquiorra stopped, and turned round to face him.

'I use my brain, Nnoitra.'

Nnoitra did a double take... did Ulquiorra just make a sarcastic statement?

Ulquiorra carried on walking, pushing open a pair of huge white doors opening out onto a vast hall. He walked over the sky-blue tiles, dodging through the various pillars, hands in pockets.

Nnoitra and I stopped at the doors, waiting for some sort of confirmation that we were allowed to enter. I heard Ulquiorra's melancholy voice call to Aizen.

'Aizen-sama. I have brought both Nnoitra Jiruga and Adoriana Hertz to you.'

'Bring them in.'

'Yes sir.'