Updated: 11th April 2020 (bigger cosmetic changes)

Trick or Treat!

And yes, this greeting means an update! A pretty quick one, if you ask me ;)

But firstly,

CookieMonster666, Kimsa Ki-Lurria, Paper Bullet (Ami), Fire331, Tsunayoshi, emily, SweetestChick, yume girl 91, scarlet white cross, Lorraine C., Byakuya Sama, sadbird, VirgoStargirl, Red Princess, SoraXNamine, buloy, Sweet Scrifice, somewhere_elsewhere, Star Garden, kluxces, Anjiska, jngp, ColourPearl, Wait-For-Sleep, Kita of Nature, Auel, Yaruki, Kuchiki Shinigami, itachi-was-mine

Words can't describe how much I love you all! Some of you even wrote their own visions of Gin's disappearance or death which was just brilliant! Some made me laugh, some made me think deeper into a few things. I really appreciate it! Thank you very much indeed!

Anyway… enjoy the tenth chapter! (Lovely number, isn't it?) ヽ(゜▽、゜)ノ

朝霧 -Asagiri-

The Frozen Whisper
by Asagiri

Chapter 10
Entrapped Resolve

Oh, shit.

Tense, Rukia spun on her heel to face Nnoitra. His reiatsu made shivers of terror run down her spine. It was overwhelming her, weakening her self-confidence and determination. She was sure he was flaunting it on purpose to intimidate his prey – her, and she could confirm he succeeded. Her senses were in chaos. Every single fibre in her body screamed to turn tail and just run for her life.

"What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?" Nnoitra asked, getting closer to her. His smile was disturbing, the glint in his eye made her fear not only for her life.

Rukia shook her head, unable to utter a sound. She started to slowly back away, while at the same time kept her eyes trained on him. She didn't even dare to blink, for she instinctively knew that the instant she lost the sight of him, he would be triggered to move. She really wanted to put off his assault as long as possible, perhaps in the meantime a chance to escape would appear…

"Where's your owner, little chick?" Nnoitra asked, clearly amused.

She narrowed her eyes at him. The insinuation insulted her and in her anger she finally found voice in her throat, "I don't have an owner."

"A stray, then?" He bared his teeth in an even more mocking grin, and took another step towards her.

Rukia forced herself to hold her ground, while looking for an opening to escape. Even without Ulquiorra's advice, she knew she stood no chance against him, and her only option was to run to safety. She wasn't sure if Nnoitra wouldn't follow her to her room, so her best bet was to find her 'favourite' Espada.

・

Nnoitra watched his little prey. He liked her reaction when he had appeared – a delightful mix of confusion, shock and horror. However she instantly cast them away, masking any unnecessary emotions from her face quite skilfully. Yet her eyes still reflected fear, even though they were narrowed in a glare. The look she was giving him aroused him, making pleasurable shivers run down his spine.

She feared him, it was obvious, but she wasn't a coward. Oh, no. She was looking for a way to cope with the situation she found herself in. She was even ready to face him here and now, ready to die by his hand, if there was no other way to escape him. And of course, there was none. However, Nnoitra wasn't interested in fighting her nor killing her (yet, at least). She was too weak to be a formidable opponent; he would kill her too quickly without being able to properly savour the moment. He planned a different way of entertaining himself.

But she must have looked beautiful in the heat of battle! Even now he found her pretty, despite her shaking like a leaf in his overwhelming presence. But during a fight she most likely looked like a goddess – he could see her cold, determined gaze, blood-soaked clothes, blood-splattered face, hands sticky with gore holding her sword… ready to embrace the fate whichever it might be.

A goddess of carnage, he sniggered at his own vision of her. He would like to see her like that. It almost made him alter his plans. Almost…

Anyway, Ulquiorra was a lucky bastard. And if what he had said about having no interest in her was true, then he was a fucking idiot. Not to make the fullest out of such a fantastic opportunity was an inexcusable waste.

So he decided to take matters into his own hands. No need to let it spoil, right?

Licking his lips suggestively and showing off his '5' tattoo on his tongue to intimidate her further, Nnoitra slowly made his way towards his little prey, just as she moved backwards. A few more steps later her back touched the wall. In panic she made a mistake and looked away from him. Using this opportunity, he instantly shifted before her, leaving not even a two feet space between them.

"Don't worry, I'll take a good care of you," he promised her, his smirk growing bigger, giving him an even more predatory appearance. The smell of her fear reached his nostrils, and stirred up his bloodthirstiness even more. How he wanted to see her despair!

・

Rukia could feel the heat of his body and his breath against her skin and it all repulsed her. Yet her legs wouldn't move, rooted in place with fear. All she could do was watch in utter horror as Nnoitra's hand began nearing to her cheek. However, when the tips of his fingers were merely an inch away from her face, a voice from behind stopped him.

"Oh? What's goin' on 'ere?"

She breathed a sigh of relief. There was hope for her! Whoever it was that interrupted Nnoitra, perhaps could help her! Gratitude began to well up in her – Oh? What's goin' on 'ere? – when she realised she had just found herself caught between a rock and a hard place. All her hopes died an instant and brutal death.

Nnoitra moved a little to glower at the man who dared to stick his nose into his little business and this allowed Rukia to see him as well. And of course fate bestowed her with the presence of none other than Gin Ichimaru. Where was Ulquiorra when he could actually be helpful?!

"Oh my, if it ain't Rukia-chan. What 'r'ya doin' 'ere?" the Fox grinned, waving at her.

There was no way she would ask him of all people to help her. Absolutely no way!

"We were just playin' a fuckingly interestin' game, if you get my words," Nnoitra snarled, clearly irritated. "So, if you could just kindly fuck off…"

"That's nice," Ichimaru replied. His smile didn't change in any way, but it didn't seem he intended to move along either.

Using this small opening that appeared when Nnoitra's attention shifted towards the Fox, Rukia did what her instincts screamed and kicked her about from the start.

"Bakudō #21, Sekienton," she cast a Spell, and instantly the corridor was engulfed in red smoke. She stooped to make herself smaller and as quickly as she could she passed next and away from Nnoitra, when suddenly he grabbed her left forearm in iron grip. She felt pain, and in panic she sharply pulled and whirred around causing Nnoitra's hold to loosen. Without a moment of hesitation she snatched her hand away. She heard her glove rip and she felt his fingernails scratch her skin.

"Get back here, you little bitch!" he cursed at her.

Once freed, Rukia bolted. Her Shunpo had never been as fast as it was now. She didn't dare to turn her head to see if he was pursuing her, focusing solely on reaching Ulquiorra in this maze of corridors. He wasn't far away, not in a straight line, but she somehow had to find a way to him. Once she came across a stairway and arrived at the same floor level he was on, her fear started to subside. She didn't dare to slow down, though.

She had absolutely no idea where in Las Noches she was, but he would know, so hopefully he would take her back to her room without fussing too much. Actually, he could fuss for all she cared, as long as she was safe.

Eventually she found Ulquiorra. If he was surprised to see her, he didn't let it show.

Out of breath, Rukia raised her hand in a greeting, and smiled at him, not too sweetly, for she knew he wasn't easily fooled. She would never admit it, but she was actually glad to see him, and her smile almost appeared on its own, spontaneously.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. As usual, his hands were in his pockets in an aloof manner.

"Well…" she began her explanation, hoping it would be believable enough. "I was bored, so I decided to take a short walk, but got lost…"

"I believe I did tell you that wandering around Las Noches is dangerous for you." This time there was a mild irritation resounding in his voice.

"I know, but I was being careful," Rukia assured him, while shifting her left arm farther behind her back, so he wouldn't notice her ripped glove. "Though not careful enough, I admit, but the moment I realised I was lost, I immediately came looking for you." She smiled sheepishly to show she was embarrassed about this whole situation.

"Oh, 'ere ya are, Rukia-chan! An' with Ulquiorra, too!" Ichimaru's gleeful voice came from behind.

She jumped in surprise. Spinning on her heel, she glared at the man. Knowing he was up to no good, she made small hand gestures and mouthed a few words – that Ulquiorra wouldn't notice from his spot – telling the Fox to keep his mouth shut about her encounter with Nnoitra.

The smile on his fox face grew wider only to turn into a look of concern a second later. "Rukia-chan, what happened to yer glove? Is it Ulquiorra's doin'?"

She wanted to kill this bastard!

"My glove?" Rukia played dumb. "Oh, no, Ulquiorra has nothing to do with it. It must have got caught on something and ripped. It's nothing."

Still with a concern on his face, Ichimaru continued making the already messy situation into an even bigger disaster, "Is that blood?"

She stiffened. She knew Nnoitra's fingernails had broken her skin, but she hadn't noticed it had been enough to draw blood.

"As I said, I got caught on something is all. I was in such a hurry to find Ulquiorra I didn't even notice what it was," she replied, trivialising the matter. "Now I'd like to get back to my room, if that's not a problem."

・

Ulquiorra observed the exchange between the two Shinigamis, and it couldn't be more obvious that something had happened to Rukia, something she was trying to hide. And Ichimaru knew what it was, yet instead of informing him about it, he was using it for his own twisted entertainment.

"Take off your gloves, Rukia," he told her.

She turned to look at him with wide eyes, but she quickly masked her alarm. "No," she replied firmly after a pause. Then she added, irritated, "If none of you will even point me in the direction of my room – fine. I'll find it by myself."

Why did she always have to be this difficult? She should know better by now…

Ulquiorra watched her huff and start to walk away. She only made a couple of steps, before he caught up to her and grasped her arm to stop her. A wince of pain escaped her lips, and with desperation she tried to free herself from his grip. He instantly let her go, realising he had caught her injured hand. He didn't mean to cause her pain, but now all the more he needed to know who had attacked her. Also, why was she so adamant to hide this incident?

He took an intimidating step towards her. There was hurt in her eyes, as she brought her hand to her chest in a protective manner. He didn't like it that she thought that he would want to intentionally harm her, when he had no reason to. So he eased his stance and repeated, trying to sound gentler, "Take off your gloves, Rukia."

She hesitated for a moment, but then, begrudgingly, did as told.

Her left forearm was bruised and there were scratches clearly made by someone's fingernails. They weren't too deep, though there was a bit of blood. Nothing serious, but she had been attacked. It angered him. Someone dared to hurt his ward, who not only had his protection but also – and more importantly so – Aizen-sama's.

"Who?" he asked, even though there was only one person that came to his mind that was mad enough to do this.

"It doesn't matter, it's nothing," Rukia continued being stubborn. He was about to take her arm and feel for the culprit's reiatsu himself, when she quickly healed the injury with some Shinigami Spell. "See? Gone already."

"Do you know who attacked her, Ichimaru-sama?" Ulquiorra asked his superior, yet his eyes remained fixed on Rukia's frame. She wasn't returning his look, too preoccupied with staring at the wall as if it was the most fascinating thing in the world. She kept her arms crossed defensively in front of her chest.

"Nay, I'm afraid I know nothin'."

Ulquiorra eventually peered at the Fox. He didn't believe him and his semi-concerned smile, but there was no point pressing him for the truth. And he wasn't too keen on feeding his amusement by questioning her either, so he let it go. For now.

Sighing, he said, "Very well. Ichimaru-sama, can I ask you to escort Rukia to her room?"

"Sure," the Fox replied, happily clasping his hands together.

He felt her glare, but flatly ignored it. With a nod of thanks to his superior, he was back on his way to meet Rudbornn and discuss a few things with him. He could have spared the time to escort her himself, but decided to leave her with Ichimaru, just to spite her for her foolish stubbornness.

・

Rukia shot daggers after Ulquiorra's retreating figure. How dared he leave her alone with this creep!? He must have known how she felt about Ichimaru, but did he care? No. Mister All-High-And-Mighty didn't even spare her a glance! The back-stabber! Her life was tough enough as it already was. Why was he adding to it so readily?

"Let's go, Rukia-chan," Ichimaru's voice broke her out of her resentful musings.

Scoffing for the last time at already gone Ulquiorra, she nodded and followed the Fox, hoping he really was guiding her to her room. She was taking long strides in order to dictate the pace, thus making the time spent with him as short as possible.

"So where were ya goin' before ya ran into Nnoitra, hmm?" Ichimaru asked casually.

"On a walk," Rukia replied, trying to hide her annoyance and anxiety he was stirring up in her. A droplet of cold sweat slid down her back, making her shiver.

He sniggered at her words, shaking his head in disbelief. "Really now, Rukia-chan? I can tell yer lyin'. Ya did have an aim."

"I most certainly am not lying. How long can I sit in that room? Idleness is driving me crazy!" She crossed her hands in front of her chest, partially to strengthen her point and partially to hearten herself in his presence.

"Should've told this before, ya know. I can visit ya anytime ya want an' keep ya company," he offered. His grin couldn't get any bigger.

Shit! That wasn't a reply she expected! "No, thank you. I'm fine on my own, now that I think about it," she blurted out, and to save herself from this stomach-churning idea, she quickly changed the subject, "Why haven't you told Ulquiorra about Nnoitra?"

Ichimaru's smile displayed an even bigger satisfaction, yet miraculously his face didn't crack. "An' take from ya all the fun of bein' grilled by 'im? I think not. He won't let it go easily, ya know. Not 'til he knows what happened."

She knew he was right, but didn't comment. It was just something she would have to deal with when the time came.

"Returnin' the question – why didn't ya tell 'im it was Nnoitra?"

"I… don't know," Rukia said after a pause. She supposed it was because he had specifically warned her about wandering alone around Las Noches and the danger Nnoitra posed to her, and yet she had wandered on her own and had been attacked by him. It was embarrassing, in a way.

"Haven't ya notic'd how upset he was ya got hurt?" he asked, and with his forefingers he traced lines down his cheeks akin to Ulquiorra's tear-like marks.

"Upset? Ulquiorra? Please… He always looks like that," she jested. Though his eyes had darkened when he had seen her injuries… She attributed it to his duty being interfered with and not to her as a person getting hurt, though.

"True," Ichimaru agreed with a chuckle. After a moment he asked, "How the two of ye's gettin' along?"

Rukia raised her eyebrows, wondering what he was getting at. In a way his question was unsettling. After all the answer to it should be obvious, so what was his reason behind it? "We… tolerate each other, I guess."

"Just that?" Ichimaru asked, clearly disappointed for some reason. "Notic'd ye were on the first-name basis already."

Was he insinuating something personal between Ulquiorra and herself? The idea was so absurd and off-putting that she stopped in her tracks to stare at him in disbelief. "So?"

The Fox grinned meaningfully. "So I thought that, ya know…"

"Don't think, then," Rukia cut him off rudely and resumed walking. Inwardly she flinched at her own words. She shouldn't have said that! Ichimaru was unpredictable, who knew what consequences her rash behaviour could have!

"Ouch," he only laughed, bringing his hand to his chest where his heart was. "Ya're cold, Rukia-chan."

She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Her reply seemed to amuse him. Maybe it would be wise to play along…? She decided to take the risk and speak her mind. "Like ya have a heart, ya traitorous ojiyan," she said, mimicking his speaking style, so perhaps he would interpret the truth as her joking. She was walking on thin ice here.

"I ain't old," he countered with a frown.

She gaped at him. That was what he took offence at?

"I'm younger than Capt'n Kuchiki-san," Ichimaru pointed out, his grin returning to his face.

"Damn, you got a point there," Rukia admitted, bemused. I'm sorry, Nii-sama! she silently apologised to her brother for her thoughtless words and for letting the Fox gain the upper-hand at his cost in this verbal confrontation.

Then, to her delight, she noticed they finally arrived at their destination. She was really glad to return to her room! At least it gave her a sense of some security, even though she was well aware it was just an illusion. Despite this, simply touching the cold door handle eased her strained nerves, even if just by a little bit. It also meant that her insufferable company was about to go away.

"Wanna know how to get to Ulquiorra's room?" Ichimaru asked out of blue, when she opened the door.

"No," she deadpanned. Why would she want to know that, for Soul Society's sake?!

He cocked his head to the side, and teased her, "Ya ain't too good at lyin', Rukia-chan."

"Nobody's as good as you," she riposted right off the bat, firmly ignoring the suggestive grin he was sending her. She wouldn't let him play with her mind.

"Touché," he chuckled.

Not wanting to hear more of his nonsense, Rukia threw a quick, "Thanks, bye," and took refuge in her room. She hoped she didn't slam the door too loudly in his face. After what felt like an eternity, she heard a cheerful, "Bye, bye, Rukia-chan!" soon followed by the sound of his footsteps disappearing into the distance.

Sighing in relief, she went to her bed and plopped on it. What a disaster of a morning! She not only hadn't managed to accomplish anything, but she had almost fallen prey to Nnoitra, suffered Ichimaru's company and most probably got on Ulquiorra's bad side – again.

Speaking of her 'favourite' Espada, why the hell was the Fox so persistently steering the conversation towards him? Why was he insinuating that there was something personal going on between him and her? They barely tolerated each other! When they weren't butting heads, they were civil at best. True, there were moments when it seemed they reached some kind of mutual understanding, but those were fleeting, soon to be ruined by another squabble.

Just this morning they had spent in peace and mutual respect, but she was sure that the afternoon would be one big heated argument.

Rukia closed her eyes, tired, even though the day wasn't even half-way through yet. She needed to rest before the dinner.

Then a memory of Ulquiorra grabbing her hand entered her mind. It wasn't the pain that she remembered the best, but how quickly he had let go of her injured arm, once he had realised he was hurting her, and how toned down his repeated request had been. As if he had been trying to be gentler… Also, she vividly remembered how his face had darkened, when he had seen the scratches… As if he had cared… What if—

"Huh?" Rukia blinked dumbly at her own thoughts.

Oh, no, no, NO! Forget it! She would not let Ichimaru's ludicrous insinuations influence her mind. She would not dance to his discordant tune! She overthought pointless things too much as it already was; it was her bad habit. And thinking too deep into this nonsense would do her no good. Definitely.

Ulquiorra went to Rukia with her dinner around quarter past three. Sitting down in his armchair, he observed her for a while, looking away only when she started to eat. At first glance everything seemed to be as usual, but the atmosphere around them was tense. Except for terse greetings they exchanged when he arrived, none of them spoke a word. The silence was tangible.

He presumed that she would still be unwilling to tell him what exactly had happened in the morning. He didn't know what irked him more – her stubbornness or that someone had attacked her. He had the means to force the name (or a description of the culprit if it hadn't been Nnoitra) out of her, but he didn't want to hurt her unnecessarily. Just as he didn't want anyone else to hurt her. It was his duty to keep her safe, after all. That was why it was important he knew who it had been.

Hearing Rukia move, he looked back at her. She didn't meet his gaze, focusing on putting away her plates. Despite knowing it would be in vain, he decided to question her a bit. Perhaps if he spoke gently, she would be more inclined to co-operate.

However, when he was about to open his mouth, to his surprise, she was the first one to break the silence.

"I'm sorry," she said. She didn't seem too happy about this, but once again it seemed it was something she thought was the right thing to do.

Ulquiorra gestured for her to continue.

"I'm sorry," Rukia repeated, and sat in the other armchair. Her eyes firmly looked into his. "I guess you should know it was Nnoitra that attacked me. I somehow managed to escape him when Ichimaru appeared, and then I immediately ran to you. I…" She hesitated for a moment. "I should have told you that in the first place…"

So it had been Nnoitra, after all… Again he felt anger, but now he knew at whom he should direct it. The memory of her pained look when he had unintentionally caught her injured hand made him want to stand up and go to hurt that degenerate. He quenched that surprising urge, and instead focused on her. It looked like she decided to open up a bit, so perhaps he would be able to understand a few things about her. So he asked, "Why didn't you?"

Rukia sighed, and eventually admitted in a slightly quieter voice, "I didn't want to anger you more than you already were for seeing me roaming around the castle on my own."

That he didn't expect. First off – he hadn't been angry. Secondly – he had been more annoyed with her stubbornness than with her wandering the castle. He told her that, and followed it with another question, "Where were you going?"

"Just straight ahead. I don't know what's where in Las Noches, so I just wanted to do a short loop or something. Just to move a bit. Then Nnoitra appeared." A grimace made its way to her face, but she quickly suppressed it.

"I did warn you about him," Ulquiorra pointed out. Still, that bastard had trespassed on his wing of the castle. He couldn't let that slide.

She lowered her gaze. "You did."

"There might be other Arrancars who would want to target you, too."

"I suppose you'd know that better than I."

Her earnestness was disarming. Any annoyance he felt with her was gone. When she wanted to, she could be really agreeable. It suddenly reminded him of an overall impression he had got on her from Aaroniero's Cognition Synchronisation, but never really had cared to explore but her fighting skills. Not that there had been much more information than her skills, but her superior's, Kaien Shiba's, sentiment towards her had been profound throughout the report. He had thought highly of her. In his eyes Rukia had been a little bit awkward, but an endearing and caring person with a great potential. Ichimaru's 'sweetheart' most likely stemmed from similar place, though twisted. Was it who she really was?

The glimpses she exhibited from time to time weren't proof enough for Ulquiorra, though perhaps their relation wasn't too favourable a condition for her to act natural.

"And yet you didn't listen to me," he said it with a slight disappointment.

"I can't spend the rest of my life in this cell!" Rukia complained, spreading her arms and gesturing at the room. There was a hint of desperation in her frown.

"So you want to shorten it? Quite drastically, may I add?" Just imagining what Nnoitra could have done to her if she hadn't escaped him, made his blood boil. It was a strange, new feeling that he would have to analyse, though for now he firmly brushed it aside.

"Of course not," she replied, this time in a calmer, dejected voice. "But I don't want to wither away in isolation either."

"You won't," Ulquiorra assured her, despite the fact he wasn't sure what would happen with her once Orihime Inoue finally came to Las Noches. All he could do was continue the charade that she was one of them, "This is a temporary arrangement. Once the war is over and things are settled, you'll find your place."

・

Rukia stared at him. Did he really believe it or was he just saying that to make her stay put? She supposed the latter, but she refrained from commenting on it. After all, so far they managed to have a civil conversation without getting into another argument and she wanted to keep it this way. For now she should be happy he had bought her little lie about her walk around the castle. Actually, she was surprised she had managed to fool him, but then again it just showed just how good an actress she was.

Still, it would be nice to be able to go out instead of just rotting in this small room… So she asked, "Is there really no place safe for me where I could just stretch my legs?"

Ulquiorra put his chin on his hand, thoughtfully. Eventually he replied, "Nnoitra proved today that there isn't one."

"Can't you keep him away?" she insisted.

"I don't have that kind of authority."

Rukia pouted at this, especially since she was pretty sure if he actually wanted to arrange something, he would be able to do it. He had to be ranked higher than Nnoitra, right? Couldn't he just give him an order? On the other hand, would that creep listen to him? Then a bright idea entered her mind, and she suggested with an encouraging smile, "Then maybe you'd take me for a walk? A tour around Las Noches or something?"

"That's out of the question," he refused. Too quickly.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Why?"

"I have no time for that," he said nonchalantly.

Liar! "Oh, come on, Ulquiorra, you'll find some!" Rukia said, trying to sound enthusiastic. "It doesn't have to be every day!" Why does he have to be so difficult? She was trying, really trying to be civil and even friendly here! Why was he so unresponsive?!

"No," was his curt reply.

"Don't be like that!" she shouted in annoyance, slowly losing her patience.

He raised one eyebrow at her. "Like what?"

"Unreasonable!"

Ulquiorra gave her a look that she supposed was his version of being taken aback. Or offended… She wasn't sure, because his frown deepened just slightly and that was it.

"There's nothing interesting in Las Noches," he stated in a tone declaring that this was the end of this discussion.

"There has to be something! It's such a grand castle!" Rukia wasn't going to give up easily. She even managed a smile, still trying to act friendly. "And I bet you know everything about it!"

However her words didn't have the intended effect, for Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes and told her in a rather cold tone of voice, "Stop that."

"Stop what?" she asked incredulously. Why can't you just go with it?

"Your little masquerade. It doesn't work on me, anyway."

Rukia took a couple of calming breaths, so she wouldn't snap at him. "Look, I'm just trying to be nice is all," she defended herself. "And I'd really appreciate it, if you could spare some of your time to have a short walk with me. You can – but you don't have to – show me anything along the way. Simple."

Ulquiorra gazed at her with scrutinising eyes. "Why do you want to see Las Noches so much? It won't help you in any way."

"It'll help to stretch my legs, and the occasional change of scenery will be nice as well," Rukia explained. This conversation was slowly wearing her out, so she added jokingly, "Besides how will I answer my friends when they ask 'how was Las Noches?', 'what interesting do they have there?' or 'is it true that it's dull?', for example."

"You're not going to meet them."

She straightened in her seat as if he slapped her. For a minute or so, at a loss for words, she could only gape at him with her eyes wide and her mouth open. Then all she could utter was, "I will."

He looked directly into her eyes, searching her. "How can you be so sure?"

Rukia didn't falter and replied with a strong conviction, "I just know." She trusted in her friends and in their Heart. It was enough for her. It was also the only thing that kept her going. Clinging to it, she was able to bear this imprisonment without succumbing to resignation or despair.

・

"Then you're a fool," Ulquiorra said after a pause. For a moment he had considered dropping the subject, but he didn't want her deluding herself. Why did she so eagerly place her trust in things that had little chance of happening? In things that – for all she knew – had betrayed her, nonetheless. He knew she was quite intelligent, then why was she so persistent in clutching at those illusions? Why couldn't she just let them go?

"Excuse me?" she bristled at the insult.

"You won't meet them, Rukia," he repeated. Whether she lived or died in the near future, this, at least, wouldn't change. "Soon the war will be over and there won't be Soul Society nor Human World anymore."

Her violet eyes flared up in a biting glower. "Do not underestimate us!"

"You're now one of us or have you forgot?" Ulquiorra reminded her coldly, yet inwardly he admitted that this clash was on him. He couldn't turn back, though, so he continued, "Your so-called friends don't deserve your loyalty after abandoning you. Not to mention, they'll soon be gone. Comparing the sheer power, we have the upper hand."

"Power is not enough," she stated vehemently.

"Really? What else could be more vital during a battle then?"

"Resolve and Heart," Rukia said resolutely, standing up. She brought her clenched fist to her chest and tapped it lightly. "Something your side is lacking."

"Heart?" he asked in derision. "It's useless. Just a figure of speech, a mere delusion, nothing else. And you're wrong, it's exactly the other way round – that heart will be your downfall."

"No, it's you who's wrong, Ulquiorra," she said sharply and crossed her arms in front of her chest, signalling him that this conversation was over.

He should have taken this as his cue to leave, he knew that… instead he asked cruelly, "Then pray tell why – with all that heart of yours – the trash you call friends left you in enemy's hands as if you were expendable? Where was your heart when that enemy saved you?"

Blood drained from Rukia's face, and she uttered, her voice hollow, "Leave."

"Raising toasts to a mere idea won't make it real. Believing in it will bring you only disappointment at best," Ulquiorra said, concluding his point.

This time she cried angrily, "Leave!"

"I'm telling you this only for your own good," he said, and then added her name to make this seem more personal, "Rukia."

"Like you care," she spat venomously, but that venom was there only to mask her pain.

"Maybe I do," he returned and got up to leave.

When Ulquiorra was about to close the door after himself, for the first time he paused to look back at her. Rukia was glaring after him, but her wrath was mostly gone, replaced with sorrow. It seemed the first tear had already slid down her cheek. When she noticed he was still watching her, she clenched her jaw and looked away.

Soon he closed the door and was on his way.

He had thought his last words were a lie, just an addition to this charade, but all of a sudden he wasn't so sure. Oddly enough, he felt bad for hurting her. He didn't want her to be sad. Yet he couldn't console her, not to mention he just wouldn't know how. Perhaps he could tell her the truth, but that was out of the question. He didn't want to do that or it would complicate his plan.

Then again, in his plan he hadn't foreseen that she would affect him in any way. Yet, somehow she did.

He had been looking after Rukia for the tenth day today, yet he still hadn't been able to figure her out. She was still surprising him. Not only that – because of her he was noticing things in himself he was unable to understand or explain. For example, he didn't want Nnoitra nor anyone to hurt her, but it wasn't only because of his duty. He also shouldn't care whether she was sad or angry or upset – just keeping her alive should be enough. But it wasn't enough. Seeing a droplet of her blood or tear perturbed him. Since when did he have such sentiments? He didn't understand it.

Ulquiorra would go to her today with supper and tomorrow with another three meals and so on, as long as it was required. By now he got used to those visits and didn't mind them at all. Weirdly enough, it was the only place in Las Noches, aside from his own rooms, where he could feel comfortable and relaxed. Her cool reiatsu, when not agitated, was very soothing.

That was another thing he didn't understand.

Rukia sat by the desk, trying to draw her Las Noches Diary, but in her miserable state it wasn't going too well. So far all of her attempts ended with her sketching Ulquiorra and then just furiously scratching all over the sheet of paper, which she then crumpled in her hands and threw away. This afternoon wasn't turning out very productive.

She was upset, though she was mainly angry with herself. Once again she let the enemy's words get to her, when by now they should not affect her in the least. After all, she knew where her Heart was. Being bothered by taunts meant only that her resolve wasn't strong enough, and that was unacceptable. And even if by any chance, the slimmest and most improbable chance, Ulquiorra was right, she still would rather be a fool than risk being a traitor.

Yet, there was that small uncertainty at the back of her head, whispering traitorous words… Rukia firmly turned a deaf ear to it; she wouldn't let it waver her resolve.

That was what enemies typically did – confused and broke spirits in order to manipulate. She refused to be affected by Ulquiorra's words! Could she hold them against him? Yes, she could. Would she? Sure. Would she take it personally? Not really… Well, maybe a bit.

So when he arrived with her supper, Rukia gave him the silent treatment, and generally acted as if he didn't exist. She ate all the food he brought – she needed energy to despise him, Aizen, Nnoitra, Ichimaru and Las Noches, after all. Once she was done and put away the empty plates, she went back to drawing, though at the same time she was closely listening to what he was doing.

Ulquiorra got up. She could feel his gaze on herself. Pushing the trolley, he was soon by the door, though he was yet to open it. After a moment of silence he said, "I'm not your enemy, Rukia."

Rukia raised her eyebrows. Something about the way he spoke those words made her slowly turn her head to look at him. The light in the room, apart from her desk, was dim, so she didn't see too clearly, but it seemed as if his frown was imbued a bit with concern…

No, it was just an illusion, a trick of light and shadow. She would not fall for that.

"Neither you're a friend," she replied softly and looked back at her yet another sketch of him.

An odd, wistful feeling squeezed her chest. She hated to admit it, but she supposed it arose from her loneliness. Being alone amongst the enemy, sometimes she really could use company of a kind soul.

Ulquiorra stood in place for a while and she patiently waited for his next lie, while pretending she was drawing. In the end, however, he left without saying another word.

The moment the door closed, Rukia began to scratch the sketch, more furiously than the previous ones. When it was impossible to tell what it had pictured, she crumpled it and threw away. It was time to stop wasting paper and call it a day.

She tried to meditate, but she couldn't focus, still thinking about today's events, still agitated by Ulquiorra's words. So she took a shower and dressed for the bed, but despite being rather tired, she didn't think she would be able to fall asleep any time soon. A need to act, to do something was urging her.

Rukia returned to her desk, took a new sheet of paper, and started scribbling and drawing lines. Going over her memories a few times, she created a map of the corridors she had taken today. A portion of it was missing, though, as she couldn't remember the part of her way where she had been desperately running in search of Ulquiorra. Fortunately it didn't matter, as walking with Ichimaru, she knew where the stairway was. Once she arrived at the correct floor level, it should be easier from there to find the room where her Sode no Shirayuki was.

Her morning failure didn't discourage her. Quite on the contrary – it made her resolve even stronger. She learned from her mistakes, and this time she knew what she should look out for and she had some idea how to move around Las Noches. If she was careful enough, everything should turn out fine.

Restless, instead of putting it off to tomorrow or some other day, she decided that tonight was the best time for another try. With this thought, she changed her clothes and began to warm up for another escapade. At eleven o'clock, she was ready and eager to go.

"Bakudō #26, Kyokkō," Rukia cast a Spell that hid her presence and reiatsu. She wasn't too versed in this one, but it was worth a try. Perhaps it would allow her to retrieve Sode no Shirayuki unnoticed by anyone. Once successful, she could escape to Hueco Mundo and hide there. If she lay low and was on the move, then perhaps she would be able to survive out there until Soul Society arrived.

The stairway was only a few minutes away from her room. Climbing it up, she arrived at the level where her zanpakutō was. Following her comforting aura, she ventured forth into the maze of Las Noches corridors. After a few wrong turns, she finally stood in front of a door. Behind it was Sode no Shirayuki.

Looking left and right and seeing nobody, Rukia pressed the door handle. Surprisingly, the door wasn't locked. Happy with such a lucky outcome, she opened it as quietly as she could and let herself in.

She found herself in a dark, long antechamber. Most of the furniture and objects were shrouded in shadows, but it was clear Sode no Shirayuki wasn't here. She was more to the left, where a wide archway led to. A dim light was coming from there.

Moving stealthily, she peered inside. It was a spacious room. Or rather a bedroom, actually. Neat, if not a little bit austere. Seeing no-one in sight, she sneaked in. Looking around, she spotted her zanpakutō on a table to her right. She was nicely put on a small rack, as if displayed. It was reassuring that someone was kind enough to take care of her properly. Still, she was hers and that small gratitude she felt wasn't going to stop her from retrieving her snowy friend.

Rukia was less than five feet from Sode no Shirayuki, when a noise made her stop in her tracks.

Someone was coming.

A/N:

There you go! Hope you liked your Treat! ;D

Ojiyan (おじやん) is ojisan (おじさん) in Kansai-ben (in which Gin speaks) and means as much as "uncle; middle aged man". 関西弁最高！

As it's Halloween, I'm going to traumatise/disgust myself for the whole night with 4 parts of Saw xD

See you next time! (If I survive the movies…)

Thank you for reading!

朝霧 -Asagiri-