Chapter Title: Perfect by Nature

I know it's been a long time, but i hope this update is welcome. Again this is more serious then the first 16 chapters. And that is because I'm an adult now, married and more mature. And it's hard to write like a high school girl. I did though attempt to pump this baby with a dosage of humor. Its not a lot, cause this is a serious arc of the story. But i'll try my best to include more humor. This is of course a humor based story. I need to inject more of it. Ha Ha!

"I REJECT!"

Rubble burst into a pale grey hall within Las Noches. Dust, stone, and energy, it all settled and revealed a decent sized hole, where a door once stood.

"Yes!" Orihime cried in elation. She did a victory dance, dancing giddily out the opening, cheering herself that her powers had been strong enough to break the barrier spell on the door. "By ceiling Aizen's honor, I will find you Ulquiorra." The dancing caused her unkempt hair to dance around her shoulders like joyful fire.

The noise of the destruction had drawn the attention of an arrancar, and with a sudden application of sonido, it appeared in the hall that Orihime had just escaped into. Orihime didn't recognize this arrancar, it wasn't one that had attended to her, or even crossed paths with her until now. His spirit pressure was stifling, as piercing and menacing as his eyes. His eyes were wolf-like, but not feral, sophisticated. He had groomed facial hair, most of it very short scruff and stubble. His hair cascaded from the top of his head in waves of chocolaty brown. Like all arrancar he was clothed in white and black. Reverse what a soul reaper would adorn. and lastly he was tall, and just like his stature all his features seemed long and tall as well.

"You must be Ulquiorra's pet. In all this chaos... its clever of him, to have whisked you away here. No one even noticed your absence in the cell block." A deep bored chuckle escaped his throat.

"Where's Ulquiorra?" Orihime decided to be brave. She couldn't run, or hide, no sense in showing her tremoring fear. It was best just to summon up her well controlled bravery. She was brave.. wasn't she?

"He went to engage the Soul Reapers." The tall shadowed arrancar yawned. He started down the hall toward Orihime, but showed no sign of coming after her, his steps were light, and lazy. As if he had no care in the whole world.

"Where are you going? Can you take me to him?" Orhime foolishly reached her bony fingers out and grasped the cold stiff fabric of his uniform.

The arrancar who's eyes had been half shut and ignoring her, turned his head and fixed her with a hollow stare. "Do I look loyal to you?"

Orihime was shocked, words were unable to spill from her lips and instead stayed clumped in her throat in a squabble of confusion. "ummm..."

"Your elaborate vocabulary knows no bounds, young lady." A grin alighted his face. "Do you know any other eloquent adjectives to describe your perception of me?" And then as if conversing her had been to great a task, he slumped forward and continued down the hall.

"Where are you going?"

"To the desert! to commit many terrible and unadulterated acts of desertion."

"Well... I'm coming with you!" Orihime hurried after the lazy arrancar. "If you aren't my enemy then you surely have nothing against me joining your... Dessert!"

The lazy stoic arrancar slowed his step, in surprise, before rolling his eyes, deciding not to care if Ulquiorra's fuck toy followed or not.

Tump tump tump

His footfall's were louder due to the little burden on his back. burden... He had promised himself she wouldn't be a burden, that he would leave her behind, because he had a mission and her tagging along was not an aid. She was only there to strike him down when all his power had been spent, and when he was finally weak enough for her pathetic strength to overcome him. Fool, i'm the fool.

He reached out his senses in an attempt to feel her spirit energy level. But his own was so powerful and overwhelming it rendered her own, invisible and non-existent in comparison. Maybe this was for the best. He would be the only presence noticed here. And that would keep her safe. He felt her arms loosen from around his neck, and her body felt cold against him. Taking her any farther would put them both in danger.

Arturo slowed to a stop and pulled away into a room. The hallways in this place were constructed like a huge mass of mazes, with rooms and hallways littered left and right, so easy it was to lose your sense of direction. But Arturo was not lost, he just wanted time to gain control of his conflicted emotions before engaging in battle once more. His grip loosened and the girl on his back slipped down onto the floor. When he knew she was resting on stable ground he stepped away but refused to face her. He was not about to let her deceptive features and eyes, pull any sway in him.

"You are a burden to me little reaper." Atruro slowed his breathing, waiting to hear the small woman's answer. Quiet stagnant moments passed, and he received not even a whisper in answer. Against his better judgement he turned to let his gaze fall upon her. That's when he realized she was unconscious.

"Damn you reaper." He scooped her small body off the floor and deposited her onto a nearby bed. His hands pulled away from her quickly, and he sniffed and he crossed them across his chest. "I don't like you," he said to himself. Eons in his tormented cell of blackness had cause dementia to onset in his brain. And when he felt alone he would carry conversations with no one but himself. "Really, I don't. And you can look at me anyway you like, it makes no difference." He turned and gazed at the wall instead of her.

That's when the realization washed over him. This room was unlike any of the others they had seen along the way. Marring the surface of almost every wall were strange and horrible markings. Some of them almost looked like people... or arrancars. But they were so horribly rendered and goofy that it made it hard for him to place. A quick glance at the ceiling told him just how far the invaded this room's surfaces. The drawings were EVERYWHERE! Was a crazy person kept in here? After analyzing the walls for several moments, the threat of pulsing moving spiritual pressures forced Arturo to draw his attention back to the reality around him.

"I can't take you with me, small one. It'll be too dangerous, you'll get hurt." He coughed, and cleared his throat. "Not that i care at all, mind you! You can rot and die in acid for all I care..." He walked away towards the door, glanced at her form again. her petite frame so at peace and limp on that bed. Her hair falling over her face and shielding her closed eyes. Lids that hid those pure glittering amethyst hued eyes of her's. Flicker, flutter. his heartbeat skipped, and he darted out the door.

"...just don't die" I'm coming back for you, to kill you myself!

Ulquiorra sensed the foreign Spirit power escape into familiar halls. He knew where the enemy was, and his hunting instincts booted up, and he became feral inside. He would kill these intruders. They ruined and disturbed EVERYTHING. The gap was closing, and it would not be long before he could engage with them.

Emotions coursed through Schiffer's body like rivers of lave in his veins. It burned inside his being, and preyed upon his damned condemned soul. These were feeling that should have vanished with his heart long ago. Since when can a heartless demon feel such raw emotion. Longing. Love. Something that crazy insane woman did, it opened something inside me. Its like she conjured a key to a chest locked deep away inside him. And he was being flooded and drowned, slowly. I can't feel these things.

The back of the 4th Espada's mind was filled with the passion and love making that had taken place only hours before. Already he missed Orihime's touch. He craved to feel her skin again. And his insides trembled with pleasure and the thought of her running those delightful cream colored fingers along the edges of his hueco. He closed his eyes and imagined her face, and naked body. Absently his own had reached up and touched the void between his collar bones. It just didn't have the same effect, and even though deep inside he knew he probably wouldn't make it back to her... the space where his heart had been hoped... hoped that he would.

His rushed feet halted as he rounded a corner. His feral green eyes opened, and glowed with an ominous aura, and his spirit pressure spiked. HERE.

At the end of the hall, stood his prey. The unknown arrancar exited Orhime's cell, where she had been kept prisoner these past weeks. And unbridled anger swept through Ulquiorra, as if this arrancar had defiled something sacred with his presence alone. The Espada vowed there and now, that he would see this intruder's guts shredded upon this very ground, put there by the 4th's hands alone.

It took milliseconds for the other arrancar to sense Ulquiorra's presence and when they locked eyes. The heat of battle ignited between them both. It was a flash of white hot lightning that filled them both with the adrenaline and lust for sweet sweet violent massacre.

But deep inside them both, they knew for some reason or another, this battle was more then just conquest and bloodshed. More then revenge and duty. They both yearned deep deep down where their heart's once dwelled, to protect... her/her.

"Rukia, God Dammit!" Howled Ichigo angrily. "Where the hell did she go, Renji?!"

"How the hell should I know, idiot!" Renji hollered in reply. Both men were face to face now yelling and squabbling with their foreheads smashed up against the other.

"Your bickering is never gonna get us anywhere, why is it you guys always resolve your differences in unproductive behavior?" Uryu stood watching them with an exasperated expression behind his glasses. At this rate Rukia could be anywhere, with all the time they wasted. "We've only just entered the complex and you guys are more interested in each other then the mission."

The two reapers, both substitute and legitimate, had taken their brawl past the verbal level and were now rolling across the floor like children, trying to bite each other.

"Guys!" Uryu tried to call their attention. And as he did and flare of spirit pressure spiked nearby. "guys..." he said again but trailed off warily.

"Guiz..." Nel said as well, her eyes were also turned towards the dark corridors of Las Noches. "its, coming..."

I've been waiting for this, Ichigo!

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So there you have it. Ch. 18. It's been awhile but at least i updated before a year had passed. God, so much has happened. Getting married, losing my job, just stuff. It's crazy crazy. I hope you like this chapter. R&R feedback is inspiring. And Caio until next time.