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CHAPTER 17
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Orihime stared down at the sleeping man beside her with wide, concerned eyes. The cool air chilled her naked skin, shielded only by her long hair cascading over her shoulder. She watched in open distress as the body next to her jerked and twitched in its slumber. His lashes fluttered, moving like ghosts over his cheeks as his eyes shifted beneath their lids and tracked invisible enemies.
Orihime reached out, but she hesitated to touch his face.
Her head tilted softly, wondering what it was he was seeing.
Too afraid to wake him, she withdrew her hand at the last second. Careful of her touch, she ever so faintly brushed her fingers through his hair.
Laying her head on his chest, Orihime ignored the repetitive spasms of the muscles under her cheek. She would at least make sure to watch over him until he settled back down again.
He didn't make a single noise, not even when his fingers began to gently clench as if destroying an unseen adversary. He would exhale a bit harder in those moments, yet remain eerily quiet in others.
Resting her hand over the void in his chest, Orihime kept a silent vigil.
It was only a short time later that he suddenly stilled, his body finally seeming to find peace.
When his green eyes unexpectedly slid open, Orihime made sure to keep hers closed, feigning sleep. As he slid out from under her she found it surprisingly difficult not to reach out and ask him to stay - especially when the sheets where he had lain felt so cold against her cheek.
Peering through the darkness, she stared at his pale back while he sat at the edge of the bed. Just as her fingers moved to touch him, he stood and walked away. For one dismal moment Orihime feared he had done so deliberately.
Too worn out to follow after him, her exhausted body decided remaining in bed was the higher priority. It took a few minutes for her troubled mind to settle down again, but eventually Orihime dozed off once more, not even bothering to fight the sleep that overtook her.
It was with a dreamy sigh that Orihime awoke the next morning. With a wonderful stretch, her toes curled in delight.
Orihime pushed aside any rising disappointment that wanted to well up inside her when she remembered her bed partner had already left. After all, she couldn't have expected him to stay. Even if he had wanted to, she knew he always had business to attend. She doubted he would have been very inclined to laze around in bed with her all day, he didn't seem the cuddling type. It really hadn't surprised her that he'd left to go who knows where and likely wouldn't return for some time.
Lying on her belly, Orihime writhed around in the sheets for a minute, enjoying the delightful after morning aches. She yawned long and hard, pushing herself up enough to rest back on her knees.
Orihime frowned as the sleep slowly faded from her eyes. She was quite certain that she had already overslept. Determined not to waste the day in bed, she started to roll out of its warm embrace. Her eyes slinked over to the bathroom. She had spotted a big, welcoming tub in there the previous night. She would indeed enjoy a nice hot soaking to relieve some of the lingering discomfort of the night before. It sounded absolutely wonderful.
Blushing hotly, Orihime bit her lip as she dared to glance down at her body. Curiously, she ran her fingers over a few little love marks decorating her breasts and collar bone. Each one was small and blue-ish and, strangely enough, left her embarrassed to see upon her bosom. Though, she doubted they would last the day. Just like her warden…she could easily imagine Ulquiorra had already dismissed whatever thoughts and feelings she'd stirred in him last night. No doubt he would find some painfully annoying and logical excuse for the way his body had shuddered against hers every time she called his name. But Orihime knew even if he buried those things someplace deep inside, far away from any light, it would always remain inside him. Their hearts had connected as completely as their bodies…and that would never leave either of them.
How could she ever regret such a thing?
Grabbing a sheet from the bed, she pressed it to her chest and made for the bathroom. But when Orihime walked into the room, she felt all her previous sentimental thoughts run cold.
Blood.
It was all over the place.
She gasped in alarm at the sight of so much red painting the white room, realizing that this time it wasn't likely to be one of Aizen's illusions. It was very real. The color was everywhere, smearing across the floor. In the center of the room a pile of bloodied clothes lay discarded. A set of crimson footprints led from the boots to the shower. It utterly covered the inside of the bathing area where, diluted by water, a light pink stain had been left behind on the tiles directly under one of the showerheads. Staring at the red smudges across the nozzles, Orihime covered her mouth in horror and took a step back.
"Is there a problem?" Her back bumped into the familiar cold chest of her warden, startling her even further.
Jumping slightly from the shock, she whipped around to look at him with wide, disturbed eyes.
She was uncertain what she should say. She was almost too afraid to ask.
Orihime tightened her grip on the sheet pressed to her breast. Quickly, she glanced at the horror show behind her and then back to her warden.
"Wh-what is that?" she asked. She was uncomfortably aware of how he hadn't missed the accusation in her voice.
"I was injured last night en mission," he supplied steadily, his voice utterly unwavering. "The wounds were surprisingly deep."
Her brow furrowed in suspicion. She'd had her hands all over him the night before, touching and memorizing any place that she could reach. She would have felt any damage. Had she been so distracted that she hadn't even seen the injuries?
"Injured?" She stepped closer to him. "I didn't see anything last night. What happened?"
"Do not concern yourself with it," he replied. "The matter has been settled. There is nothing to discuss."
"But…I didn't notice-" Still skeptical, Orihime's hand paused half-way in reaching for his arm when he cut her off.
"I heal remarkably fast," he answered plainly, easily predicting what she was about to ask next.
"But-"
"It is of no consequence, woman. As you can see, I am fine. Now cease your questioning at once."
Orihime dropped her eyes to his chest in defeat. Though she vaguely recalled someone once mentioning Ulquiorra's unusual regenerative abilities, she didn't particularly know enough about it to believe him or not.
"I'm sorry. I could have done something to help if you had just asked." Taking into account the amount of blood she had seen in there, she couldn't even imagine the extent his 'injuries' must have been to leave behind such a mess.
Whether she believed him or not, Ulquiorra could still see the concern in her eyes. "There is no need to apologize. You have done nothing wrong. As I said…" His eyes trailed down to her chest, taking notice of a small love mark there. "It is of no consequence."
With a resigned sigh, Orihime decided to let it go.
"There is a meeting in several hours." His soft, listless voice settled any remaining doubts, though she blushed when she noticed where he was staring. "Lord Aizen has requested your attendance. You should get ready."
"Oh." Suddenly feeling very nervous, she tried to hide her embarrassment behind her smile. "You're right. I guess I should hurry." She tried to chuckle, but the sound only came out as air. Unconsciously, she fiddled with the thin, see-through sheet wrapped around her, pulling it closer and wringing it around her fingers to try and divert her attention away from the aching of her pounding heart. The fabric did little to conceal her modesty. Most particularly so with the pretty pink coloring of her nipples showing through in perfect clarity and the tiny, hard buds straining against the material as if begging to be sucked upon. For a short moment, Ulquiorra found himself curious to see if she would allow him to pull that blanket down and taste her again.
"I suppose I did sleep in this morning. And it's getting late."
It wouldn't take him long to get her wet…
"And getting to the conference room takes such a long time."
Then he could just go straight to…
Ulquiorra looked away, dismissing the thoughts.
"I've already brought you a clean uniform. I suggest you get changed as soon as you're done," he stated as he turned. Even if she let him, there wasn't any time for it. "My apologies for the disorder of the washroom. Leave the mess as it is, I will have it cleaned later."
She didn't say anything as he walked to the door. After he left, Orihime did well to ignore the twinges in her chest. If she was being honest with herself, she hadn't exactly thought things through very well and prepared for the morning after. Or the fact that she had given her first time to, of all people, Ulquiorra. Although she wasn't naïve enough to believe sex equated to love, it was still new territory for her and each step was just as precarious as the last. She did care for him, perhaps even loved, but that love was still small and fragile. It hadn't had the chance to grow yet. She'd hate for it to be squashed before it could bloom into something beautiful.
She'd definitely have to stay on her toes. But the whole prisoner/warden thing certainly wasn't helping.
In order to keep her mind from running away with her thoughts, Orihime quickly went about bathing. She didn't rightly feel comfortable around all that blood, nor did she feel like she could actually get clean when every surface she touched was covered with the crimson liquid. So instead of the showers, she diverted to the tub. She doubted it had seen a day of use in its life, but it was certainly the lesser of the two evils.
When Orihime sank down into the bath she began to wonder about how things had played out, and how they might continue. Ulquiorra had become strangely important to her during her stay. She needed to make sure she got through to him before the war really took off.
Later, at the sound of the bedroom door opening, Orihime glanced back to see Ulquiorra's shadow slide back into the room. Sucking her bottom lip between her teeth, she quickly pulled the plug on the tub and exited the water.
With a towel wrapped around her, the young woman made her way over to the bed where a pile of fresh clothes lay.
When she got to the bed, Orihime began blotting the ends of her hair dry with the edge of her towel. She tried to hide any lingering embarrassment, but the ache inside her was still very much present. Particularly that empty throbbing between her legs that just kept pulsing and pounding and…
Orihime pressed her thighs together. There was some kind of newly awakened primal urge lurking inside her brain that was telling her he had exactly what she needed to fix it. It was also getting more and more difficult to push aside the memory of him thrusting so deep inside her that she thought she'd die if he ever stopped.
Ever so slowly she stole a glance at him over her shoulder, only to quickly turn back when she found him staring at her.
"Have you eaten?" he asked.
Orihime paused, then realized that she hadn't had a single bite to eat in over twenty four hours. She didn't even go near the kitchen yesterday.
"No," she answered as she spread her uniform out on the bed, making sure her dress, cape, and boots were all present. "After everything that happened yesterday, I didn't have much of an appetite. Besides…I didn't figure you'd be too pleased if I left my room while you were away," she said rather sardonically, making sure to keep her back to him as she fussed with her clothes and brushed all the wrinkles out of the fabric.
"I wouldn't see why not…you disobey every order I give you, regardless."
Orihime's lips pressed straight in chagrin. At her chest, her fist clenched around her towel until her knuckles nearly turned white.
Forcing her shoulders to relax, Orihime curved her lips into a small smile.
"Well, I suppose if you dislike it so much you could just put a lock on my door like all the rest of the prisoners," she suggested with an airy shrug.
"You should not get so upset," he said. "I've never forced you into confinement and I never will."
Taken aback, her ire almost immediately deflated. Before he could see her expression fall, Orihime turned her focus back down to her uniform on the bed.
He was right.
Though he said cruel things to her sometimes, he was never actually cruel. Despite being domineering, he wasn't abusive or particularly forceful, and he did give her as much freedom as a warden could give a prisoner.
Orihime's eyes still narrowed indignantly. He may not have locked her away everyday, but he was still her warden. He was the one who tricked her into coming to Hueco Mundo in the first place.
It was a little maddening the way he always manipulated the situation like that. Even worse, she fell for it every time.
"You're right." She sent him another smile. Though it wasn't as fake as the last, it was still a bit forced. "That still doesn't change the fact that I am a prisoner."
Wanting to show him that she wasn't affected by his manipulative words, Orihime loosened the hold on her towel.
Without a second thought, Orihime confidently dropped the fabric from her body.
The moment it hit the ground and the air kissed her bare skin, she instantly regretted it.
The feeling of his eyes glaring into her back was tantamount to a bolt of lightning barreling into her spine. Chills ran down the back of her neck as her flesh turned beet red. She felt the wave of heat spread clear from her shoulders to her bottom, flushing her from head to toe.
Suddenly very rigid, Orihime glanced at him over her shoulder. Her eyes were wide and mortified and she silently prayed that he wasn't looking. Though she had no such luck.
His blank eyes stared right back at her, hands stuck in his pockets and face totally deadpan.
His eyebrow arched ever so slightly, almost mocking her show of bravado.
Orihime swallowed stiffly, her mouth pressed tight.
Gathering as much dignity as she could, she grabbed her dress and began pulling it over her head as calmly and collectedly as she could manage. She didn't spare him any further words. Instead, she concentrated on tugging the skirts down her hips, trying to appear as unaffected and blasé as possible. Her face, however, was burning hot with embarrassment.
When she sensed that intense tingling shooting up her spine again, she knew his eyes were following her every move. She could practically feel them on her body, ghosting down her waist…following the curve of her hips…grazing over her thighs…
Orihime jumped when she felt his fingers push hers away from the zipper she was struggling to reach. Slowly, he drew the tiny metal clasp up her back.
"Th-thank you," she whispered, avoiding eye contact.
Strange how she suddenly felt more like a lamb under a predator's merciless glare than a prisoner under her warden's strict watch.
Had he always looked at her like that?
Perhaps he had and she simply hadn't noticed until now…amazing how one educational night of pleasure could bring out one's awareness like that.
Grimmjow's mood had taken a turn for the worse. Quite frankly, he was beginning to grow exceedingly bored around the palace. After all the commotion yesterday, his attitude had grown into something rather foul. With nothing to release his frustrations on, his temperament and disposition had plummeted drastically.
Glancing around the large group of Espada that was gradually making their way towards the conference room, he couldn't help but notice Ulquiorra's absence.
Grimmjow frowned.
It was unlike the pale bastard to be late to those kinds of things, at least not when a mission wasn't holding him up.
"Where the hell is pet-sama?" Nnoitra was the first to comment on the lack of her presence. "Didn't Lord Aizen say she was supposed to be here this morning?"
"It would be better if she didn't come at all," Zommari remarked. His dislike of the mortal girl was nigh impossible to miss. "Someone like her does not belong in meetings of such important matters."
"Important my ass," Grimmjow sneered. "I'm sure all we'll do is suck down more tea and listen to Aizen's longwinded ramblings."
"You dare insult Lord Aizen?!" Zommari snapped aggressively.
"What? You got something to say about it?" Grimmjow threaded his fingers together behind his head in a lazy appraisal of the overly religious man. In his opinion, the guy was a total nutjob devoted solely to the church of the almighty Aizen-sama. Congregation: one.
"Imbeciles," Baraggan bit out under his breath.
"Enough," Harribel suddenly cut in between the two. "Now is not the time to start any arguments. Lord Aizen will be arriving soon. He will expect order amongst us."
Grimmjow growled under his breath, forcefully shrugging the matter off as they approached the large pair of doors at the end of the hall.
"Like I give a fuck about order," Nnoitra scoffed. "All I care about doing is staring at pet-sama's gorgeous tits all morning long." He licked his lips and closed his eyes, summoning forth a mental image of her tempting body. "I doubt anything Aizen's got to say will be as interesting as that."
"She does have a nice rack," Starrk agreed, stifling a yawn. "…and ass."
"I bet that freak's fucking her this very moment," Nnoitra cackled in delight and Harribel's eyes narrowed at him in disgust. "Fuck, I bet that pussy's hot as lava. I guarantee you that's why he's late."
"Lout!" Zommari grit his teeth and snarled in distaste. "To speak such vulgarity before entering into the presence of Lord Aizen."
"Oh, come off it," Nnoitra hissed. "Ya sound like a pretentious vagina, for fuck's sake. Besides, have you seen the way that bitch acts around him? I don't give a fuck who you are, no man's dick can resist that for as long as that bastard has and not be a raging fag."
"Why the hell did he call a meeting, anyways?" Grimmjow sighed, not really in the mood to hear about all the different reasons why everyone wanted to fuck the princess.
"Looks like we have intruders," Szayel supplied as Yammy pushed the door open none too gently. Light poured into the darkness of the room and revealed a long table perfectly centered on the floor. Chairs lined its sides, their high backs creating the illusion of a palace surrounded by its pillars.
"How do you know that?" Baraggan asked.
Walking further into the room, their group began to slowly disperse, each heading for their designated chairs.
"The twenty second underground passageway collapsed in the middle of the night," Zommari answered.
"The twenty second? That's not much of a threat," Baraggan said, not impressed in the least. "That's pretty far from here." He was a bit surprised they were making such a big fuss over such a small thing.
"It's too bad, really." Szayel rested his elbow upon the table as he lowered himself into his seat. "It would've been more interesting if they broke into the throne room instead."
At this, Nnoitra cackled in delight. "That would've been cool." Without a care to proper decorum, he threw his feet up onto the table and reclined back into a more comfortable position.
"Ah…shut up. I'm tired as hell," Starrk breathed lazily, sounding utterly worn out. "Let's have some peace and quiet around here."
"Peace and quiet my ass," Nnoitra said in return. "Blood and chaos…now that sounds a lot more exciting."
"For once, I couldn't agree more." Grimmjow crossed his arms and leaned back into his own chair.
"Speaking of excitement," Nnoitra sniggered wickedly when he noticed Ulquiorra making his way into the room with Orihime at his heel.
Grimmjow could see the fifth Espada's grinning lips part, undoubtedly intending to broadcast some obscenely inappropriate observation. However, instead of giving voice to his sex-driven thoughts, Nnoitra's face slowly dropped into an expression he'd never seen on the man before. Grimmjow's brow furrowed when Nnoitra's strange look of speechlessness gradually gave way to covetous resentment.
Frowning hard, Nnoitra leveled his gaze upon the pair as they made their way closer. "Good morning, pet-sama," he said, his voice dark and low.
It was only when Grimmjow caught a whiff of the girl's scent that he understood.
"Good morning, Nnoitra-kun!" she greeted cheerily and smiled to the table before her, utterly oblivious.
She absolutely reeked of Ulquiorra's cum.
"I take it you slept well." Nnoitra smirked.
Orihime blushed prettily, but continued smiling nonetheless. "Yes, thank you."
And she seemed to be totally unaware of it.
Grimmjow's eyes stuck to Ulquiorra like glue, following him closely as he took his usual place directly across from the Sexta.
That arrogant bastard…bringing her there before the Espada like that. Even those of them that didn't have an overdeveloped sense of smell couldn't have missed it. Then again, Grimmjow knew it wasn't the Espada that Ulquiorra should have been concerned with. Cold, unfeeling asshole that he was, he probably wouldn't have given a damn if they actually watched him fuck her.
No, it was Aizen that was the real problem and Ulquiorra knew none of the Espada would even bother to give two shits about exposing him. Usually, that was Gin's forte.
Grimmjow's stare shifted to the girl as she pulled back the seat that had been set up for her beside him. He observed the way she very carefully lowered herself into her chair. She seemed stiff, as if she was having a difficult time trying to sit normally. A quiet noise of pain caught in the back of her throat when her bottom met the hard surface of the chair, but she quickly stifled it. Scrunching her eyes slightly, she bit down on her bottom lip in an effort to mask her obvious discomfort.
"Hello, Grimmjow-kun," she smiled at him.
Grimmjow merely grunted in response, hardly able to hold back a groan when her close proximity only served to douse him in her scent. Her hair was still faintly damp from her morning bath, yet even the cleansing touch of water apparently had not rid the girl of the heavy odor of sex that clung to her skin. Even her hormones still seemed to be exuding all the heady pheromones that had been stirred in her the night before, advertising the fact she was still ready and willing. Which, in itself, nearly drove him to distraction.
With Ulquiorra's stench so strong on her, Grimmjow had no doubt everything between her legs was drenched in his cum. There was no way it would be so overpowering otherwise.
As if to underline his assumption, a light blush touched the girl's cheeks and he watched from the corner of his eye as she shifted a bit and rubbed her thighs together. Grimmjow's pupils dilated with a sudden rush of lust when the action caused Ulquiorra's scent to waft out of her and drown his senses.
For the love of all things unholy…it was literally pouring out of her.
When he felt his member begin to harden with desire, Grimmjow closed his eyes and did everything in his power to ignore her presence. There was no way in hell he was going to analyze the things running through his head, least of all the reason why the smell of Ulquiorra's seed filling her was turning him on.
He shuddered in disgust.
Still, it was difficult not to reach over, throw her on the table, and just get it out of his system, especially with that bastard's scent hanging all over her.
She was probably still nice and wet inside…and stretched out just right…
Fuck!
He cursed internally.
It disturbed him to think he cared whether she was bedding him or not.
But hell, it had been a long time since he'd smelled anything as alive as she. No matter how aroused a Hollow may become and no matter the amount of pheromones released, the scent simply did not compare to the exciting aroma of a living being. Particularly one as perfectly beautiful and mouth wateringly delicious and infuriatingly weak and annoyingly kindhearted as her.
However, what really irked him was the fact the girl seemed to have absolutely no idea what she was really dealing with…
To fall prey to Ulquiorra's calm and unassuming façade, Grimmjow had seen first hand the aftermath of such foolhardiness. With his slender build and pallid skin, he didn't look like much, but that bastard could be downright creepy as hell sometimes.
She didn't have a damned clue what kind of danger she was really in. If she failed to see Ulquiorra as anything other than what he truly was then she was a blind fool who'd just signed her own death warrant.
Grimmjow narrowed his eyes again when he noticed the way she kept squirming to try and get comfortable. He had to hold back a scoff. If Ulquiorra fucked her as hard as he suspected he did, Grimmjow doubted she'd be able walk straight for at least another week. The bitch should just accept it. She was going to be running around cross legged for as long as Ulquiorra remained interested in her.
Whatever twisted purpose he had for using the girl, it was still an impressive thing to see. He did have to give the princess some credit. For Ulquiorra to have actually bed a human-
"Grimmjow-kun?" Her voice broke his thoughts. He jerked his focus up to her face, not realizing until that moment that he'd been staring hungrily at her lap from the corner of his eye. "Is something the matter?" she asked, sounding concerned.
He really did frown this time.
Why was she worrying about him? After the way he had treated her yesterday…she shouldn't want anything to do with him. He didn't understand it.
Why did she always forgive him? He never asked her to.
"Does it look like something is the matter?" he bit back snidely. He was glad for the annoyance that washed over him then. It helped to drown out the lust that was beginning to make his groin ache almost painfully.
"Well, no…but, for a moment you just looked as if-"
"What?" He bared a few teeth, daring her to say something. "How did I look, princess?"
A small flicker of sadness and disappointment shone in her eyes before she quickly snuffed it out.
Indeed, his mood was not getting any better.
The sound of footsteps coming from the corridor ended any further discussions at the table. At the top of the small flight of stairs, Aizen's shadow slithered over the threshold, winding down each step one by one until it nearly blocked out the light. Flanked on both sides by the pair of defected ex-Captains, his commanding presence cast a veil of silence throughout the room. His lips slowly twisted upwards at the sight of all his men gathered before him. However, silhouetted in the doorway, the tyrant's casual smile appeared more like a sinister entity than anything warm and welcoming.
"Good morning, my dear Espada. It seems we're under attack. Before we talk about that…let's have some tea first."
With a light flourish of his hand, the doors to the other end of the room opened and a pair of servants rolled in two small carts loaded with gently clattering cups and warm, steaming pots.
Orihime stared blankly at the table as Aizen fluidly lowered himself into his seat. She tucked her hands into her lap and held back her frown, wondering if he was truly serious. He'd just claimed they were under attack…yet he wanted to serve tea before discussing an event that should have taken precedence.
Then another worry began to creep up on her.
Who could possibly be attacking Aizen Sosuke? The thought occurred to her that Soul Society might have finally made their move. It worried her. Since she'd been traded off to Aizen for a chance at a temporary armistice, she didn't doubt that everyone viewed her as an enemy now. She was property of Las Noches. They had turned her over willingly. The question was, when the time came would they see her as an ally or an adversary? She still wasn't entirely sure how she felt about it. But it wasn't like she had the right to complain. She'd gotten there through the fault of her own actions, they were only working with the cards that were dealt to them.
Cut off from everyone and everything, she simply didn't know anymore. She didn't know where she stood with her old friends and acquaintances. There was no way of knowing how they felt about her and there was no way for her to convey how she felt about them.
Only one thing was for sure. She truly did miss them terribly.
"So does everybody have a cup of tea now?" His question drew her attention back up and Orihime realized she hadn't even noticed when the servants had placed a cup before her. "Good. Please listen carefully to what I have to say." Aizen slid his eyes over to the blind man standing behind him. "Begin the presentation, Kaname."
"Sir."
With the pull of a lever built into the wall, a circular panel in the center of the table split apart and sent a large beam of light up from the opening. Inside of that light was a projection. It depicted a dark and enclosed passageway wrecked beyond repair. The holographic image moved along the tunnel, displaying the vast amounts of damage. The picture then shifted to show a massive underground chamber that had caved in on itself due to clear signs of an attack.
Orihime's eyes widened at the destruction before her. It was solid evidence that an enemy of Aizen had indeed breached Hueco Mundo. It was a confirmation that the tides were beginning to shift. Things were no longer going to remain as diplomatic and calm as they had been during her stay. Though she should be feeling happy, she was oddly unsettled by the promise of the coming change. It caused a knot to form in her gut.
"As you can see, we have a small problem with trespassers. However, it would seem someone has already acted before I could issue any orders. Both Demora and Iceringer were given authorization to engage the enemy prematurely. Because of that we have now lost two men." His eyes swept over the Espada slowly, silently gauging each of his soldiers with a dangerous air. "Now, does someone have something they would like to say?"
From the other side of Grimmjow, Szayel cleared his throat and fidgeted in his seat.
"My Lord." The rosette haired Espada's voice came out smooth and controlled despite the obvious tension in his posture. "It was I who commanded them to act. When the intruders entered their district I thought it would be best for everyone to get the problem immediately under control. My humblest apologies, sir. I merely thought it prudent to be rid of the enemy as quickly as possible. I was not under the impression that you wished otherwise. Besides, is it not best to eliminate vermin when you have the opportunity?" Aizen's eyes narrowed slightly and Szayel abruptly stood from his chair to bow respectfully at the waist. "Of course, I realize now, My Lord, that even though I did it for you I was wrong not to ask permission. I'll accept any form of punishment you wish to administer."
Several heads turned back to Aizen, curiously awaiting their master's verdict. Orihime nervously wrung her hands together under the table, certain that he would dole out a ghastly sentence. Szayel did not rise from his bow and for a prolonged moment Aizen remained quiet, watching his soldier with unreadable eyes.
"That's quite alright, Szayelaporro." Szayel's shoulders stiffened in surprise before he relaxed and cautiously lifted his head. "Just as long as you had a good reason there's no need to punish you," Aizen said, sounding so forgiving and understanding. Nevertheless, Orihime could not ignore the dark undertones lacing his seemingly compassionate words.
"Thank you very much, My Lord." Szayel bowed his head again, showing his gratitude for the leniency Aizen had granted him.
"However…" Half way back into his seat, Szayel paused. "In the future, I would appreciate it if my Espada understood their place a little better and would not go out of their way to issue commands in matters they have no say over."
Szayel's face tightened as he tried to conceal his ire.
Of course Aizen wouldn't have let him off that easily, at least not without publicly humiliating him first. Being insulted by their master in front of all the Espada was the ultimate humiliation. Even more so than a punishment.
"Could you do this for me, Szayelaporro?"
"Yes, My Lord," the Espada answered tersely and lowered himself completely into his seat. "Only for you."
"Good." Aizen smiled and took a sip from his cup of tea. The little clink it made when he set the drink back onto its saucer sounded strangely loud amongst the strained quiet. "Now, where were we?"
"The intruders, Captain," Gin supplied from behind him.
"Ah, yes." Leaning forward, Aizen laced his fingers together and propped his elbows on the table. "Late last night, three individuals entered Hueco Mundo via a garganta. After they broke through our defenses in the twenty second underground passageway I sent Ulquiorra out to investigate."
Orihime glanced up to the man sitting directly across from her.
That's why he'd left last night? He'd left her alone in bed for some…mission?
"Ulquiorra, if you would," Aizen began. "Show us what you discovered."
"Yes, sir," Ulquiorra answered and brought his hand up to his face. Orihime watched as, without pause, Ulquiorra's fingers slipped under his lashes and began to close around the glossy orb beneath. It took her a moment, but by the time his nails started digging and prying she finally began to realize what was happening. Once it dawned on her, Orihime's face contorted in horror.
A murmur escaped her lips as her hands shot up to cover her mouth. Her protest died in her throat when bile began to churn in her stomach, nearly making her vomit. A weak gasp was all she could manage as she stared in open shock while Ulquiorra gouged out his own eyeball. It popped out with a gruesome squelch, leaving a trail of blood to pour out of the socket and down his cheek.
Her stomach rolled again. A wave of cold heat swept over her skin just as the nausea set in, causing her to shiver. Her own eyes ached just at the sight of it. All the tendons and muscles connected, the optic nerve hanging off the back…just torn off. It was a little disturbing that he didn't even flinch or groan in pain. How was such a thing possible? More importantly, why?!
She could hardly believe it. She wanted to complain or object, anything really.
Orihime pressed her hands tighter to her lips.
His beautiful eyes…
Why would he ever do such a thing?
He was completely unflinching, as if it didn't even affect him at all.
Before she could question his actions, Ulquiorra held the severed eye out in his hand. She continued to stare on in horror as blood slid down its shiny, round surface and dripped from his fingers.
Then, with naught but a gentle squeeze, it suddenly shattered into a haze of glitter. Her eyes widened at the beautiful mist sparkling around her. The way it softly illuminated the area in a dazzling and shimmering aura was unexpected. It surrounded the occupants of the room and filled their lungs. Though she tried to cover her nose and resist inhaling, it was impossible not to breathe it in.
Quite unexpectedly, images and thoughts that were not her own began racing through her mind. The influx of information was so taxing that she was forced to close her eyes just to block out the reality that sat before her and concentrate on the foreign pictures flashing in her head.
As if she'd been transported to another world, Orihime gasped in astonishment when she realized she was no longer in the conference room but standing high above the sands of Hueco Mundo. Everything from the whisper of the wind to the scent of the desert seemed so real.
Floating far above the ground, she was staring down at something she could not yet discern.
She wondered if this is what Ulquiorra had seen the night before, if this was his memories.
Her suspicions were confirmed when she heard Aizen's voice beside her, nearly pulling her concentration from the scene playing out in her mind's eye. She had almost forgotten that she wasn't really there, that in reality she was actually still in Las Noches.
Orihime's brow furrowed when she noticed something moving through the desert below. She observed from Ulquiorra's perspective as he began to move closer. Yet, to remain unseen he always kept a respectable distance between himself and his target. She could feel everything he felt. From the breeze on his skin to the cool temperature of the air around him. It was like a second reality.
As such, she was suddenly aware of the reiatsu emanating from the three figures running through the sands of Hueco Mundo.
Her heart began hammering in her chest and her skin began to tingle as she slowly realized what she was seeing. Just as the realization hit her their features came into focus.
Orihime tensed in her seat.
Those people…they were…
"These are the three intruders trying to break in," Aizen explained, his voice sounding hazy and far away. "Uryuu Ishida. Yasutora Sado…and Ichigo Kurosaki." One by one, each of their faces flashed through her mind as he listed them off.
At the mention of Ichigo's name, Grimmjow's blue eyes shot open. Sitting so close to him, Orihime could practically feel his unsettled reiatsu vibrating on her skin. Noticing this, Aizen spared his Sexta Espada a surreptitious glance, watching his subordinate's reaction closely from behind his cup of tea.
"When I sent Ulquiorra to take care of the problem I made the assumption Soul Society had sent their forces in an attempt to take Las Noches off guard. I was quite surprised to learn this was not the case."
Aizen's words barely registered in Orihime's mind, for it seemed all she could see was the image of her friends. Nothing else mattered.
The numbness that had overwhelmed her at first quickly disappeared. Instead, it was replaced with a sense of happiness and joy that filled her so completely she nearly wept. To see them, to know they were safe…
They had come for her after all.
She watched on as Ichigo paused atop a massive sand dune, left behind as the others ran on ahead of him. He turned back, staring at the emptiness of the desert behind him almost as if he could sense someone's gaze upon him. Her hand reached up to touch her heart and she smiled at the sight of his handsome face. For a moment she actually thought he could feel her, until she remembered it was only through Ulquiorra's eyes that she was witnessing him.
It was not she whom he had sensed…
"You mean these…" Aaroniero's high pitched voice began. "Are our enemies?" His deeper half finished, the two voices speaking in tandem. Orihime barely caught the last two words just as the pictures began to fade from her mind. As her lashes fluttered open and her vision returned to normal Orihime glanced up to her warden to find him staring intently at her smiling face. With a light blush on her cheeks she promptly averted her gaze.
"Ridiculous. When you said we were under attack I assumed it was some kind of army. These are just a bunch of kids!" Baraggan protested.
"I don't see what all the fuss is about. Where's the danger?" Szayel said, utterly unimpressed with the three human boys.
Yammy chuckled at their cluelessness. He had firsthand experience with these seemingly unthreatening kids. He was plenty eager to meet them again for some payback. "How far are they from the fortress?" he asked, apparently finding more interest in them than the majority of the Espada. Of course, unlike most of the others, he knew just how misleading their appearances could be.
"By the time I arrived at the tunnels they had already reached the surface and departed for the desert," Ulquiorra explained steadily. "After tracking them down, I found them in less than an hour. They had not gotten far. If they continue at the rate they're currently traveling they would be likely to reach Las Noches in just under a month."
Yammy scoffed. "What the hell? Are they really that slow? Why would it take them so long?"
"When I left last night, I was forced to travel by means of garganta and arrive some distance away just to prevent them from sensing my presence. These humans have less efficient methods of travel. As well, one member of their group does not possess the same level of speed as the other two, effectively hindering their progress. Not only is their pace hampered, but eventually they will be faced with the storms that have surrounded Las Noches for the past several months. In such conditions, no human would be capable of survival."
Orihime's head jerked up at this. She disliked the way he spoke about her friends' supposed impending demise so easily. Her lips parted, ready to speak up against his clearly presumptuous conclusions, only to have Starrk's droning voice interrupt her.
"I gotta say…I really don't see anything threatening about a couple of children running around out there without any sense of direction." He sighed and leaned more heavily into the arm he had propped upon the table. "So what if they destroyed some underground tunnel. What's so special about that?"
"I must agree," Zommari stated. His face and brow were tightly drawn down into a scowl that never seemed to fade or alter, no matter the occasion. "This is a joke."
"I wouldn't underestimate these so called kids." Aizen set his cup down. "Others have made the same mistake. They're humans who were once labeled ryoka. Some time ago four of them broke into the Soul Society and successfully took on the Thirteen Court Guard squads."
"Is that so?" Zommari said, his curiosity piqued. "That means one of them is missing. Where is the fourth warrior?"
Aizen smirked. Slowly, he dragged his gaze over to the young woman sitting to his right.
"Awe, so they've come to save their friend, have they?" Nnoitra could barely hold back his cackles. "Why not let them try? They look weak as hell…wouldn't you agree, pet-sama?"
"Have you been listening at all?" Harribel asked.
"Huh?" Nnoitra blinked.
"Lord Aizen just told us not to underestimate them."
"What the hell are you going on about? If I didn't know any better I would think that you were worried about these little brats." Nnoitra cocked his head slightly, staring her down with a malicious grin. "Are you scared?" he taunted.
"What's that?" Harribel's eyes thinned into dangerous slits, glittering like fierce diamonds behind her long blonde lashes.
Orihime nearly jumped out of her seat when Grimmjow's fist suddenly slammed down onto the table. His chair nearly toppled back as he stood and leaned forward onto his palms.
"I've had just about enough of this!" he announced, breaking the silence he'd barely been able to keep up until now. "You're all sitting here yammering on about useless shit when you've completely overlooked the real issue!" His eyes narrowed intensely upon the man seated directly across from him. The venom of his gaze was downright murderous. "You're telling me you went out there with orders to kill these bastards and you let them live…again?!" he shouted.
The table fell completely silent around them as they all stared at Ulquiorra, awaiting his answer.
"Well?!" Grimmjow demanded and Orihime winced back at the level of his voice.
"Yes," Ulquiorra responded neutrally.
Grimmjow's furious blue eyes suddenly widened in outrage.
Without warning, Grimmjow launched across the table. His fingers gripped the front of Ulquiorra's jacket, yanking him forward to growl in his face. Several of the Espada straightened in their seats. Their hands went to their weapons, ready to intervene if necessary, while others merely remained entirely unaffected.
"You're weak!" Grimmjow roared, drawing an unflinching Ulquiorra even closer. "You had Kurosaki right in front of you for a second time yet you didn't even do anything about it! How much more pathetic can you get? If it had been me, I'd have killed all of them in one go!" Baring his teeth in a display of aggression, Grimmjow leaned down until their noses were nearly touching. "If you were given permission to kill the little brats, then obviously you should have killed them, right? It was part of the orders, right?!"
Orihime began to tremble with nervousness, worried that things may escalate too far out of control. Just as she was about to reach up to touch Grimmjow's arm to distract him, she paused when his words actually sunk in.
Ulquiorra had a chance to attack and kill her friends…yet he hadn't. He apparently didn't even try.
Why?
"Must I repeat my reasons for leaving him alive?" Ulquiorra stated. "Nothing has changed from before, or do you still not understand?"
"So? Do you know how many months have passed since then?" Grimmjow unconsciously tightened his fist around Ulquiorra's collar. "I say a lot has changed. The only thing that's stayed the same is the fact that you're just too soft to know how to do your job right! You said you'd get rid of him yourself if he ever became a problem. Well, he's obviously turned into a problem and I don't see you doing anything about it now!"
From the other end of the table, Yammy shot to his feet. "Hey! Why don't you back off, Grimmjow!" he snapped.
"Shut it!" he barked back. "This guy's a disgrace to the Espada! I oughta get rid of this weakling right now and do us all a huge favor!" Grimmjow began to slowly pull his fist back, readying it for an attack.
"Why you-!" Yammy's spiritual pressure began to climb. Just as he moved to intrude on the dispute Ulquiorra lifted his hand, halting him in his tracks.
"Heh, standing up to me by yourself for once? I'm surprised you haven't run away to hide behind Aizen's coattails yet. Cowards like you usually don't know the meaning of pride." Grimmjow grinned mockingly.
"Your behavior is rather contradictory, Grimmjow," Ulquiorra began, his eyes never wavering from the Sexta's heated glare. "You seem upset that I have not disposed of the boy…are you not the one who has become obsessed with killing him yourself?"
Grimmjow flinched back, momentarily lost for words. However, his frozen expression quickly melted away and was replaced by a nasty sneer. "You bastard," he growled quietly. "I should kill you where you stand."
"If that is how you feel…" Ulquiorra's soft tone dropped a fraction. "Then I will not stop you from trying."
Something in Grimmjow snapped, causing his fist to wind back completely. Orihime cried out for him to stop and Yammy shouted in protest, neither of them making a difference.
"Grimmjow." Aizen's voice instantly stayed the Espada's hand, his knuckles only inches from Ulquiorra's face. Like a fearful, chastised child caught doing something he shouldn't have, Grimmjow slowly turned his head to his master. "Is there a reason you were about to create unnecessary violence in my presence?" Aizen's smile was almost pleasant.
Swallowing hard, Grimmjow gradually pulled away from Ulquiorra and lowered himself back into his seat.
"Yes, well then," Aizen started with a sigh, clearly ready to move past the matter. "I want you to pay another visit to our guests tonight, Ulquiorra. I'm sure you already know what I expect of you." He cast him a look.
Hearing this, Grimmjow clenched his jaw in anger and jealousy.
"Yes, My Lord."
Ulquiorra was always Aizen's favorite. Unlike the rest of them, he always allowed him to do whatever he wanted.
"Take a small group with you as a precaution," he continued. "I would prefer you to be prepared in case things get out of hand."
The princess loved him. Aizen loved him.
"Of course."
Why? Grimmjow grit his teeth viciously and glared at the pale, dispassionate man across from him. Why did everything always come so easily to that bastard? Hadn't he also proved that even he could take care of that Kurosaki brat? If only Aizen would just give him another chance. Unlike Ulquiorra, he had actually come close to killing the boy, only to have Ulquiorra literally stop him.
"Then I'll leave it in your hands. Do whatever you deem best, Ulquiorra."
All the praise was making him want to vomit.
"Thank you, sir."
The whole situation was only worsened by the fact that he could still smell him on the girl. His nose, while not as sensitive as others like Starrk's or Harribel's, could still pinpoint exactly where it was coming from: between her legs.
He'd bet everything he owned that Aizen didn't know his favorite soldier was fucking his prized possession behind his back…
Unable to contain himself any longer, Grimmjow shoved away from the table and headed for the door.
"Where are you going, Grimmjow?" Kaname asked as he passed him by.
Grimmjow instantly bristled at the sound of Kaname's voice. The imperious jerk, he was quite possibly the only man in Hueco Mundo he hated more than Ulquiorra.
"I'm going to kill them," Grimmjow explained plainly. "You have to exterminate pests as soon as they start infesting your home."
"Lord Aizen hasn't given such an order yet. Sit back down."
Grimmjow snarled and turned his wild glare on the man. He'd had enough of holding back and restraining his rage. Kaname's pompous, holier-than-thou tone of voice was merely the last straw.
"Hey! It's perfectly clear what he wants done. I'm going to remove these intruders!" he shouted. "Like hell I'm going to let him send Ulquiorra out on another pointless mission! He'll only waste his time. At least I know how to get things done. I won't disappoint him, I'll actually bring home those brats' heads instead of just preaching about some worthless excuse for my ineptness!" He gestured to Ulquiorra as he explained this. "I'll at least give him results!"
Silence fell heavily over the room like a dark plague.
"Grimmjow," Aizen called out to him yet again. Despite the impatience that one would normally expect, he was being surprisingly calm and tolerant of his disruptive subordinate.
"Yes?" He turned, seemingly oblivious. He really thought he was doing the right thing.
"I appreciate your intentions and your enthusiasm, but I'm not finished speaking yet. Could you return to your seat for now?"
The uneasy quiet remained when Grimmjow only continued to stare at the back of Aizen's chair, not understanding why he wouldn't want him to take care of the problem. Not only were Kurosaki and his goons a nuisance that should be eradicated, but he knew he would do a much better job than Ulquiorra ever would. Grimmjow would never come back empty handed like Ulquiorra.
"Well? I can't make out your answer…Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez."
When Grimmjow stubbornly refused to obey, Aizen disciplined him in his usual manner. However, it seemed the reiatsu he released over his subordinate this time was much stronger than usual.
Around the table, the eyes of the Espada watched as Grimmjow fell to his knees and began gasping in pain. Thick, impenetrable swells of spiritual pressure bore down on his body and sucked the air straight from his lungs. The energy was so dense that it began to glow in a soft aurora of colors, causing the atmosphere around him to undulate as if it were alive. Grimmjow shook in agony, forced to accept his punishment from a master that had clearly had enough of his disobedient and rebellious outbursts.
As Grimmjow's body began to reach its limits, Orihime turned to the man responsible for his suffering, ready to beg him to stop. She just couldn't stand to see anyone in so much pain.
Just as abruptly as it had begun, it ended just as fast.
Panting and heaving on the ground, Grimmjow clenched his fists until his nails pierced his palms. Orihime stared at the man with pity in her eyes. She could tell he was trying so very hard not to cry out from pain and frustration.
"Good. I see you understand." Aizen stood to address the table. "Members of the Espada, as I pointed out to you, we have three enemies. It's unwise to underestimate them, but there's no need to become overwrought, either. All of you are to return to your quarters and behave as if everything were normal. Don't be impatient. Just sit and wait for the enemy to come to us. And don't be concerned. Regardless of the situation, as long as you remain calm and stay with me, they are no match for us. We are unstoppable."
As the meeting was concluded and the table respectfully waited for their leader to depart, Orihime noticed Aizen pause beside Ulquiorra's chair. Leaning over his shoulder, he proceeded to whisper something into the Espada's ear. Nodding once in understanding, Ulquiorra's remaining green eye unexpectedly slid open, pinning her with his empty stare just as Aizen pulled away.
Startled - and also realizing that she had been rudely gawking - Orihime quickly slid out of her chair and rushed over to where Grimmjow still sat on the floor trying to catch his breath. Even as she tried to offer him help and even as he kept denying her assistance, Orihime's mind was spinning with all kinds of thoughts and questions.
She was concerned for her friends, but she pushed all her distractions aside to think about at a more appropriate time. Preferably when she wasn't surrounded by so much commotion.
"Grimmjow," Ulquiorra's voice came from behind her just as the blue haired Espada vehemently pushed away another one of her efforts to help him get to his feet.
Grimmjow growled and made absolutely no attempt to hide his glare. Loosening the grip she had on Grimmjow's arm, Orihime also turned to glance up at her warden. One of his eyelids was still closed, concealing the empty socket beneath. The blood that had streamed from under his lashes had long since stopped, leaving behind sticky ruby trails that overlapped the emerald stain underneath. Seeing him like that, Orihime was fearful she would never be able to look into his beautiful eyes ever again, not unless he would allow her to heal him. She shivered again, wondering why anyone would ever sacrifice their eye for such a thing.
"What do you want?" Grimmjow hissed.
"We leave in six hours," Ulquiorra said, taking Grimmjow completely off guard. "I suggest you be on time, else I will leave without you."
Grimmjow's eyes shot wide before they gradually lit up with unmistakable excitement. Ulquiorra had actually chosen him to go on the mission. "Oh, I'll be on time." He grinned as he finally found the energy to get to his feet.
Before anything more could be said, Yammy approached Ulquiorra and began pestering him for permission to go along as well. With Ulquiorra's attention diverted, Grimmjow turned to exit the room.
"Grimmjow-kun," Orihime called out, about to follow after him. However, her steps were soon halted by the sound of her warden's voice. Though Yammy was still by his side animatedly chattering on about the upcoming mission, he apparently didn't miss a thing. Sometimes she wondered if he had eyes in the back of his head.
With a sigh, Orihime cast one last glance towards Grimmjow's retreating back.
She had only wanted to see if he was okay. For some reason, he'd been acting even more belligerent than usual as of late. Now that Ichigo and the others had arrived it was beginning to worry her as to what sort of action he may take against them. Their presence was sure to stir up some trouble, but…
They were here.
Orihime couldn't help but smile to herself. It was strange knowing they were actually in the same dimension as her now. Especially after so many months of tearing herself up inside wondering if she was ever going to see their smiling faces again. All those nights fretting over their wellbeing and fearing that they would never come for her were over. Though there was a part of her deep inside that wanted to be displeased with them for coming after everything she'd done to keep them safe, she simply could not deny what her heart was truly feeling. They may have placed themselves in a very dangerous situation after she'd sacrificed her freedom just to keep them out of such peril, but she was happy they had come. They were no longer worlds apart. Even if she was fearful for their safety, she had faith in them to come to her with strong hearts and bodies.
And Ulquiorra…
Orihime's smile softened as she glanced toward the man currently getting his ear talked off by an enthusiastic Yammy. He looked as if he wasn't even listening to a word the giant was saying.
Even though he could have killed her friends, he had let them live.
The simple knowledge that he deliberately chose not to engage them, filled her with pleasure. Whatever his reason, his decision sent a wave of gratitude to her heart. She would have to ask him about it later. Perhaps any confrontation her friends had with the Espada didn't have to be as violent as she had originally feared. Perhaps, there was hope after all…
"Summon Runuganga. Tell him to be on alert."
Ulquiorra mulled over Aizen's order as he led the woman back to her room.
If Aizen wanted Ulquiorra to call on Runuganga then he clearly wasn't as impassive about the intruders' arrival as he led the rest of the Espada to believe. He was much more interested in the boy than he let on. It was likely he wanted to see the progress Kurosaki had made in the past several months before he decided what to do about him.
Ulquiorra stared blindly at the path ahead of him. With his mind sufficiently distracted his feet automatically lead him through the maze-like corridors of Las Noches.
Things were not going according to plan. Not only had Kurosaki arrived several days too early, but he'd entered Hueco Mundo so far away from Las Noches that it would take him nearly a full month to reach the fortress. Were Ulquiorra a lesser person, he might have actually been annoyed by the troublesome developments. It meant he would be forced to do something about the Privaron. They could stir up serious trouble if the boy didn't arrive when Ulquiorra said he would. If it came down to it he would simply slaughter them himself to be rid of them.
Although killing them was an option, he would really prefer not to take such a route. He would much rather see them perish at the hands of Kurosaki, or more precisely, to see if the boy was even capable of such a thing. While the forest guardian wasn't an issue, he would not be able to ignore the Privaron so easily.
Indeed, something would have to be done about them soon…
"Ulquiorra?"
"What?" he replied without turning around.
"Why didn't you kill them?"
At this, he stopped and glanced back at her. His one remaining eye narrowed, silently demanding elaboration.
"My friends…Kurosaki-kun…you could have attacked them, couldn't you?" She stared into him hard. "Couldn't you?" she repeated when he didn't answer.
"What is your point?"
"My point is you had permission to kill them, yet you didn't even try. They were in your sights. You could have taken them off guard and you specifically chose not to." She moved closer to stand beside him. Her expression was sincerely curious and her eyebrows were drawn tight in mystification. "Why?"
"It would have upset you…would it not?" he said simply.
Orihime's eyes widened slightly as she realized what it was he was saying.
"You…"
"I did not kill the boy because he means something to you. To do so would have caused you great distress." Seeing her shocked façade, Ulquiorra nearly quirked an eyebrow in inquiry. "Or would you have preferred that I killed him?"
She still didn't say anything, causing Ulquiorra's eye to narrow further in annoyance. "I was under the impression Kurosaki Ichigo was important to you-"
Ulquiorra was cut off as Orihime suddenly threw her arms around his neck and pulled him down into a passionate kiss. She ignored the grisly fact that his eye was still missing and that his blood was still plastered to his cheek. Instead, she pressed her lips tightly to his. Her heart was beating erratically, filling her with a strange sort of elation. She knew there was goodness inside him. It was buried deep under layers of nihility, but it was there.
For a moment Ulquiorra remained unmoving against her. She could practically feel him watching her from behind her closed eyelids, silently dissecting the meaning behind her impulsive display of affection. Wanting him to return her kiss, Orihime slid her lips softly against his. She swept her tongue lightly across his bottom lip, seeking entrance. When his mouth began to part, her belly did a little flip of excitement.
However, just as he leaned forward into the kiss, he immediately pulled back, stopping himself.
The image of her standing before him, blushing faintly and staring up at him in pure joy, was a little unnerving. She'd kissed him because she believed that he had spared her friends' lives because of her. It was a lie, of course. But even though it was untrue, if such behavior would always be her reaction perhaps he should consider using such a tactic more frequently. If it kept her compliant and earned such a level of enthusiasm…
Turning abruptly to walk away, Ulquiorra fought back the scowl that nearly erupted on his face at the thought. While he did not mind bedding her, he could not say the same about such casual displays of intimacy. It was too human and much too personal. It implied familiarity and fondness and he only tolerated it to pacify the woman.
Ulquiorra quickly wiped his mind of the thought.
He simply did not have the time for that particular subject at the moment, nor did he feel like being compromised by Ichimaru again.
"Come," he ordered.
Orihime blinked, wondering if she had pushed him too far in her zeal.
"Wh-what?"
"I don't have time for this," he told her bluntly. "I need to leave shortly."
"Are you going to check on Kurosaki-kun and the others?" she asked as she trailed after him.
"Something like that."
"But you told Grimmjow-kun you weren't leaving for another six hours."
"There are preparations I must attend to first."
"Oh."
Orihime fiddled with her nails as they walked, trying to hide the playful grin that was threatening to spread across her lips. He may have pulled away from her just then, but she had felt the tiny moment of temptation where he'd almost given in. It had been but a second, but he had let his guard down.
"Ya know…kissing really isn't such a bad thing…" She couldn't help but grin mischievously as she said this. She could only imagine the sour look that must have come over his face.
From the long stretch of silence that passed, she assumed that he wasn't too pleased.
"Whoever said it was?" he responded flatly.
Orihime pressed her hand to her lips to stifle her smirk. Deciding to let him be, she opted to change the topic.
"By the way…when you left last night, how did my friends look to you?" she asked hesitantly.
Ulquiorra spared her another look over his shoulder.
"I mean, did they look well? Were they okay? Did they seem happy?" she continued. It was clear she was worried for her friends' wellbeing. "They didn't have any injuries, did they?"
"Do not ask me," he answered. "You saw for yourself, did you not?"
"Yes."
"Then you already have your answer. Everything you saw is exactly what I saw as well. Nothing more. Nothing less."
Lifting her hand to her heart, she sighed audibly. She was relieved that they were all safe. "I'm glad," she whispered. He didn't have to look back again to know she was smiling. He could hear it in her voice. "Oh! Speaking of that." Orihime hurried forward to walk beside him. "I don't know exactly what happened with your eye back there, but…if you'll let me heal it, then-"
"That won't be necessary," he responded. "It will regenerate shortly."
Orihime's eyes grew wide and curious.
"Wow, that's so amazing!" she breathed, sufficiently impressed. "How does that even work? Doesn't it hurt?"
Ulquiorra spent the next hour escorting her back to the fourth tower, explaining to her the whys and hows of the mechanics of his regeneration, as well as his ability to share visual information. The questions she asked were downright ridiculous at times, but he found himself answering her regardless, sometimes before he could even stop himself. She listened intently the whole way, making more inquiries than he cared to respond to. Even when he replied with little more than a noncommittal grunt, she continued on completely undeterred, carrying their conversation easily. He was more than willing to let her. Particularly when the topic took a rather dramatic turn towards many of the woman's idiotic assumptions. Like shifting sands, she had taken the subject matter from the process of Hollow regeneration, to little green men from space, to the best way to prepare rice balls with soy sauce and wasabi.
"-but you have to put just the right amount of whip cream in it, or else it won't be sweet enough…" Orihime paused when her room finally came into view. She didn't exactly relish the thought of being locked away again inside her room like a prisoner.
She sighed.
She was a prisoner. It was silly of her to think otherwise. But the way he treated her and let her do whatever she wished made it feel different sometimes. His words from that morning came back to her, reminding her that he had never once locked her away and forced her into chains. As strange as it was to admit, Ulquiorra had always treated her very…humanely. In his own twisted way, he was just trying to protect her.
Still…
The chilled desert air did nothing to alleviate the exhaustion of the three young men who had been running determinately through the landscape of Hueco Mundo. With a loud heave, Ichigo collapsed onto his back, sending up a small cloud of the pristine white sand. Taking the chance to catch their breath, neither Chad nor Ishida offered any protest to the pause in their seemingly endless travels.
Finding a large log not too far from the Substitute Reaper, Ishida lowered himself onto it with as much grace as his tired body could muster while Chad flopped down beside Ichigo.
"Damn it! It seems like we've been running across this desert for hours and no matter what we're not any closer to that structure!" Ichigo slammed his fist onto the ground in frustration.
Chad lifted his head at the outburst and stared off into the distance where the strange building loomed. The enormous structure was quite the spectacle, dwarfing everything in sight and smothering the landscape with its shadow. A storm of immeasurable proportions swirled around its southern end, completely blocking most of the fortress off from view. Flashes of lightning blazed through the tempest of sand and dust, illuminating the inside of the storm and highlighting vague outlines of buildings hidden within the squall.
With its huge white walls and tall towers that seemed to reach into forever towards the dark skies, the fortress appeared more like an awe inspiring mountain than the headquarters of their sworn enemies. The dome itself was so large that it was almost impossible to conceive how such a structure was ever built. Its impending presence was a silent promise to the hardships that lay ahead of them, both intimidating and daunting.
"It's all perspective. The crystal trees in front of it look as small as needles. For the trees to look that small from this distance and the palace itself to look so big in contrast, we have to believe it's unbelievably huge." A thin haze clung around the dome's smooth surface, growing thicker and thicker as it rose higher and higher into the atmosphere until it was nearly cut off from view. At its peak several towers jutted up from the rounded roof and disappeared into the clouds. "Even if we assume that storm is only concealing about half the fortress, the magnitude of it must be immense."
Ichigo sat up to get a good look at the place. "You sure it isn't some kind of mirage?" He squinted, trying to see past the seemingly insurmountable space between them and the palace.
"It's not a mirage." Ishida nearly sighed and Ichigo's face screwed up into a scowl at his patronizing tone. "There's no way we'd be able to see a mirage here. Shall I explain the concept of a mirage to you, Ichigo?" Like a bad habit, Ishida pressed his finger to the rim of his glasses and adjusted the frame higher on his nose.
"Don't start with me - eh?" Ichigo paused when a small lizard suddenly crawled out of the sand. As it emerged, the tiny white particles slithered down its scales and tumbled off its back as smoothly as water. With red eyes and a light brown hide, it looked no different from any other reptile, save for the bony mask covering its face and the perfectly round Hollow hole in its back. Ichigo stared down at the creature as it cautiously stared back, its head twitching from side to side. Without warning the reptile turned away and squirmed back into the sand. "You know, when we first got here I thought we'd discover that this was a world where nothing was able to live. But surprisingly there are some little animals here. Even though they're all Hollows…" Ichigo quirked his eyebrow as he thought. "Now wait. Don't Hollows have to constantly eat human souls just to survive? I wonder what these little guys end up eating just to stay alive."
"Here in Hueco Mundo, reishi is highly concentrated throughout the air." Ishida smirked as the lizard's head abruptly poked up from the ground in front of him, only to plunge back into the sand moments later. "That's good for the smaller Hollows. I imagine they can absorb enough energy by simply breathing."
"There's reishi in the air? Come on, how could you even know that?"
"Quincies make use of the ambient reishi when they fight." When Ishida pushed his glasses up yet again Ichigo had to fight back the urge to lurch forward and punch the insufferable bastard. It was really getting on his nerves. "The higher the density of reishi, the stronger we are. I confirmed that in the last battle we had. Once I get the hang of it, I should be able to fight better than in the world of the living or even in the Soul Society."
"Oh, well that's interesting. You say you function better when there's a lot of reishi around?" Ichigo frowned sardonically. "Ya sure sounds like a Hollow to me."
"Excuse me!" Ishida leapt to his feet, his fists clenched in protest. "Soul Reapers are practically the same!"
"I'm not. I'm different." Ichigo drawled just a little bit arrogantly.
"Yeah right, just you. Rukia had to go back to the Soul Society for a while before she could regain her powers."
"Rukia's just weird like that."
Ishida sighed. In Ichigo's mind Rukia was always above everything and everyone else. Figures he'd come up with some childish excuse just to avoid comparing her to something as loathsome as a Hollow. "Keep this in mind. The higher amount of reishi benefits the Arrancars as well as me." As Ishida turned away to stare off into the desert, Ichigo lifted his head to gaze into the sky, completely tuning out his longwinded explanation. "I don't know how many Hollows Aizen has turned into Arrancars. More to the point, it's hard to say how well he's able to control them. As far as the Arrancars are concerned, we're not only the enemy, we're also food. Even if we should come across a normal looking Hollow, we're going to have to be extra vigilant. The way I figure, the additional reishi in Hueco Mundo's air will make it a lot stronger than it ever would be if we encountered it in the world of the living. Therefore, we need to carefully observe-"
"You talk too much, Uryuu…" Ichigo cut his droning short. "Let's roll."
"Hey! Stop interrupting me. This is important!"
"Dude, you're such a pain in the ass. But you're free to keep talking." Completely dismissing the fuming Quincy, Ichigo turned to find their third party. "Let's go, Chad."
"Wait, damn it! This really is important, Ichigo. We're not going to be able to reach that fortress for a long time. If we're going to survive here, we'll have to find some sort of nourishment while we're in Hueco Mundo, which could be for much longer than we anticipated."
"What?!" Ichigo spun around to gape at Ishida in disbelief. "You're serious? How long do you think it's going to take?"
"From my estimation, I would say just around a month. Possibly less if we make good time."
Ichigo nearly jerked back in shock. "Wh-what?! Are you for real?"
"Very," Ishida answered soberly.
With a colorful curse, Ichigo grit his teeth and kicked the sand in a fit of rage. "That fucking useless bastard Kisuke!" he shouted. "Not only does he send us to some place underground, he's stranded us miles away from our destination! Does he think this is some kind of joke?" What if there hadn't been an underground tunnel when they'd come out of that garganta? Who knows what would have happened. Now they were marooned out in some godforsaken alien desert full of deformed, undead monsters hungry for their souls.
Now they really were screwed.
Sighing sympathetically at his friend's outburst, Chad got to his feet and set a calming hand on Ichigo's shoulder. Though he too was a little upset by this development, he knew they had to keep a cool head if they were to make it through this alive. "Relax, Ichigo. We should probably find some place to set up camp for the night. It'll give us time to gather our thoughts and come up with a good plan."
"Are you kidding? I'm not going to set up some camp and waste time out here while Inoue is suffering in that place!"
"Chad's right," Ishida said. "We need to stop for the time being. We've been running for hours. More importantly, we need to find food and water to sustain ourselves."
"Woah, woah, woah," Ichigo held his hand up. "You're tellin' me we're actually going to need to hunt just to get a meal around this place?" Ichigo had never even set foot outside the city. He had no clue about that kind of stuff. The most foraging he'd ever done was take a late night trip to the corner Quickie Mart for a juice box.
"Unfortunately…yes." Ishida frowned at the idea of it.
Ichigo scoffed in annoyance. "Sure. Good luck with that. If you haven't noticed…" He gestured out towards the desert. "There's nothing around here. It ain't exactly brimming with life. Not that we could catch anything, anyways…" he trailed off sourly.
"If you haven't forgotten, I'm an archer-"
"Whose arrows disintegrate every living thing in Hueco Mundo as soon as they strike." Ichigo finished flatly.
"Give me more credit than that, Ichigo. Just because I'm a Quincy, that doesn't mean I don't know how to shoot anything other than a spirit bow. Either way, we need to think of something. While you may be in your spirit body, Chad and I are not. Even you will give out under hunger and exhaustion if you try to push through that desert without proper rest and preparation. If we want to stand any chance of getting through this, we all need to help each other."
"So you want me to slow down for you, is that it? You know, it's not like I asked either of you to come along," Ichigo growled. When Chad's eyes widened and Ishida's face grew stony, he realized he'd just crossed the line. Guilt immediately assailed him. He'd been trying to do things on his own for so long that he had forgotten they were actually there to help. Yet, lately it seemed there was so much darkness growing inside him…it was making him even more irritable than usual. It was also making him say things he shouldn't.
Taking a deep breath, Ichigo tried to reign in his anger and think about things logically. His pride may not allow him to apologize, but he could at least be more respectful to them. They were his friends. They deserved it.
"Listen, Ichigo," Ishida stepped forward, practically bristling. "We want to help Inoue, too. But you can't just recklessly plow through everything without any thought or care to how things will turn out. It just doesn't work like that. Especially not in these types of situations. You may be able to last a little longer than us now that you're out of your human body, but if you push yourself to your limits you won't even make it to Inoue in time to save her. Now, you tell me. Just how responsible is that?"
Ichigo's scowl slowly faded away, realizing he was probably right. Releasing a heavy sigh, he plopped back down onto the sand and looked away. "We'll camp here for now," he muttered under his breath, his lips pushed out into a sulking pout.
"Fine with me," Chad lowered himself back down and leaned his back against the log. "I think it's a good idea if we stop for at least a couple hours."
"Hang on." When another lizard popped its head up from the sand a few feet from where Ichigo sat, the boy blinked in sudden realization. "If we need to eat something…then, what about…"
Their eyes met.
As if the little creature knew what the human was thinking, it suddenly turned tail and began furiously burrowing into the ground to escape, vanishing like a fish into water.
"Hey!" Ichigo shouted as he reflexively jumped after it. Lunging forward, he practically dove at the sand. "Get back here, damn it!" Hissing in annoyance, he turned to glare at Ishida. "If you knew we needed food, why didn't you try to capture it before? Idiot!"
When he began plowing at the sand trying to dig the lizard out of hiding, Ishida turned away, unable to stand the sight of such a ridiculous display.
Who was the idiot?
Perhaps he would later tell the boy it was a useless endeavor. But for now, he'd much rather focus on the seemingly impossible task of figuring out how to start a fire in a desert that had no wood.
..
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TBC
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On a side note, Aizen sending someone out there to check on the intruders makes a lot more sense to me than him just having magical cameras randomly floating around out in the desert. I mean, really. How did he record Ichigo, Chad and Ishida running around out there like that?