Hello, dear friends!
kutsky, cam169, Cethron, Kemeyeoz, Ana cii Bunny, lmc9389, Sakura Yui, apple21, Lulosky, Tintaglia In Flight, Mitsie, Yami no Saku-chan, Kurosu, Shinju-chu, Animefanx3, Anna-chan, Karina, Colubra, SunRises6, KarinHitsugaya, ojou-chan, Guest, yume girl 91, PhantomhiveKitty, punktorres, Eager Fan, Colubra, ulquiorraxrukia, Merikatori, xXStilesKuchikiXx, JRVivaciousT, Guest, essenceofpink, lj, Minh Anh Nguyen, yhgtyjvfhh, Guest/rukia/rukiaharem, Elcarim-Soberian-1222, hopelessromantic, 1234567, jeya mendoza
Thank you very much for your reviews and PMs! You're all fantastic and, though it may not seem so, I truly treasure you and your comments! You always make me smile. Thank you once again!
I know it's been a long time and I'm awfully late as usual, so without further ado I'm off to my corner of shame while you read (and hopefully enjoy!) this chapter!
朝霧 -Asagiri-
The Frozen Whisper
by Asagiri
Chapter 21
Flurry of Emotions
Rukia was rolling on her bed from one side to another. She was totally exhausted after rough night, workout and hurricane of emotions, but despite her best attempts to take a nap, she was too worked up to doze off. Her tired bloodshot eyes just wouldn't close for long enough and her mind just wouldn't shut down from the seemingly never-ending excitement and it kept flooding her with images, questions, scenarios and gods only knew what else, all involving Ulquiorra. What the Hell had he done to her?!
But she made a small breakthrough and she supposed it could explain her current fever quite adequately.
Namely, she finally admitted it.
She liked him. There, she said it. Feeling suddenly daring and courageous she exclaimed (mentally, mind you) that she was infatuated with him even! (As much as she was able to admit it to herself in thoughts, it was still too soon to actually voice it, even if there was no-one around to hear. The words just couldn't pass her throat.)
Surprisingly the world didn't come to an end (as she had secretly hoped it would), there was no dramatic background music, no fireworks, not even Sembonzakura swarming at her to cut her into pieces saving her from this disgrace... Unfortunately her situation didn't change as well. There was no solution for this particular predicament of hers, but at the same time it didn't influence her as much as she'd feared it would.
She guessed she must have read too many shōjo manga (to learn the modern speech, of course!) during her stay in Human World, where main female characters suddenly lost their heads for guys and did many ridiculous things.
Hopefully she wouldn't start blushing like mad or she wouldn't suddenly be unable to form a coherent sentence or start tripping over her own feet like those girls from those silly books whenever the objects of their affections were near. She would like to keep her dignity, thank you very much.
When Rukia dared to inspect her feelings more thoroughly, she realised just how hard she had fallen for Ulquiorra. The intensity of her emotions surprised her, and even frightened her a bit. Especially because she hardly knew the man! (Okay, maybe those comics weren't totally detached from reality...) And he was her enemy! But no matter how many times she'd reminded herself of that, it had no effect on her feelings – they just didn't want to abate as she wished they would.
But the fact was also that she'd never felt so strongly about anyone, not in the romantic way. She was always reserved, uninterested, some would even say cold. She might have had her moment with Renji, but it had ended before it even began, so she didn't think it counted. After that she didn't have time for boys, too occupied with trying not to disappoint her brother.
There was no situation in her past that she could fall on for advice on what to do now. And as she'd noticed already, shōjo manga weren't much of a reference, at least not in her case or maybe she hadn't had a chance to read the right title. Too late for that, anyway.
With deep sigh Rukia rolled on her back, folding her hands under her head.
She was lost, helpless and full of that light, bubbly feeling whenever she thought about Ulquiorra.
She knew one thing for sure, though – there was absolutely no way she would nor could confess her feelings to him. Hell no. Nothing good would come out of it. It would only encourage him and the last thing she needed at the moment was a steamy affair with her enemy which would result in betrayal of her people and what worse – her friends and family. And that she simply couldn't allow.
She might be torn between her feelings towards Ulquiorra and her loyalty towards her friends and family and also her sense of duty and pride as a Shinigami, but she knew very well what she couldn't do.
She couldn't act on a whim, on something this ambiguous. She had too much to lose and she didn't think there was much to gain, if anything at all. Although her feelings were strong, they wouldn't necessarily last. Actually, they couldn't – the final confrontation was nearing with every day and it would bring an end to this chapter of her life if not to her life in general. Impulsive and egoistic emotions weren't worth her fall, even though it would leave her with emptiness in her heart. But that wouldn't be anything new to her, would it?
Feelings were just that – feelings. She didn't have to act on them, she could ignore them. She could freeze her heart. Ice was her element, after all.
Slowly but inevitably the dinner time was drawing near. She was nervous despite her firm decision to act indifferently as much as she could while keeping natural amicability. She also wondered if closing herself in the bathroom would make Ulquiorra go away. Well, eventually he would go, right? But she would be running away and that definitely wasn't a solution. On the other hand ignoring and acting as if nothing had happened was no solution either, but it had to do.
The clock showed 3:00 p.m. when a knock on the door interrupted her musings. Her heart began racing furiously and she sprung to her feet standing by her bed; she hold her breath when the door began to open.
"Good day, Kuchiki-sama," said a female Arrancar servant. "I am afraid Ulquiorra-sama could not make it, therefore he has sent me with your dinner."
Rukia exhaled, all tension leaving her at once. She almost burst out laughing, but she stopped herself at the last moment. Trying to maintain her composure, she uttered only a polite, "Thank you."
When the servant left, she suddenly felt her knees tremble and she again sat on her bed, this time chuckling nervously. At least she wouldn't see him today, though she didn't think that a delay would make her anymore ready to see him tomorrow. The only positive thing was that she didn't have to be on her guard for today anymore.
Sighing deeply, she realised she was starving, so she took the plates to her desk and ate her dinner eagerly.
※
Evening found Rukia meditating, playing with her reiatsu, controlling its flow through her body. She was quite proud of how well she was able to control it, although it was still far from her brother's finesse and perfection. But she was able to perform Spells of 50th level without incantation with a very decent level of power, be it destructive, binding or healing power.
In the meantime she was also toying with an idea – if she couldn't get rid of her feelings towards the green-eyed Espada then maybe she could use them? In a way it might be the most honest solution she came up with until now. She still had to think it over a bit more and prepare some kind of scenario she could bring about. Who knew – maybe it would work?
After the supper – brought by the same female servant – Rukia decided that it was time for a long relaxing bath to soothe her nerves after this eventful day. She really hoped to catch some good, revitalising slumber this night. But just when she was about to go to her wardrobe and pick a fresh yukata she was stopped by a knock on the door. Startled, she warily eyed the door.
It couldn't be Ulquiorra nor Nnoitra (would he even knock?) as they were supposed to be at a meeting. To make sure she searched for their spiritual powers and indeed they were in the same room with other sources of high reiatsu – the Espada meeting was still on.
Who could it be then?
Tired as they were, her muscles tensed and she began to approach the door cautiously.
"You should know your positions and your objectives all too well by now. For now everything is proceeding as planned and I do not foresee any alterations to our plan. Now we only wait for my men to make a contact with us and then we shall destroy Soul Society, bring down the Soul King and lay down new law. Our law."
Aizen Sōsuke was speaking to the Espadas, his authoritative yet velvety voice brought promises of easy victory. It was one of the last meetings before they would move and everything looked promising. Actually, he was brimming with self-satisfied confidence. He knew there wasn't even a shadow of doubt that he would be unsuccessful. There was no mightier existence than him; everyone else were but insignificant flies when compared to him and he was about to become absolutely invincible. Soon all worlds would kneel before him, cowering in fright, simply waiting whether he would spare them or let them live to see another miserable day. He would be their god, their finality.
"We will reach beyond the dreams of even the greatest of men. We will take what no-one else before us dared to even think of taking. Soon there will be no-one above us – only those below. We will be their new destiny, their mercy and damnation. Too long has this Soul King ruled from his hiding – most do not even know that he exists. What kind of a king would allow himself to become forgotten? It would be no surprise if he was actually dead for decades now. Even more the reason for us to claim his throne."
The hall filled with murmurs of approbation. Excitement could be seen especially in the eyes of Baraggan Louisenbairn.
"I believe that it is not only our right, but also our duty," continued Aizen, looking in the eyes of each of his best fighters, enchanting them with his vision. "What this absent king can know of our worlds? Nothing. Who needs such king? No-one. We will expose the truth behind our worlds' order and behind his existence – or nonexistence – and we will change this dull status quo into something much more substantial and clear-cut. Together we will create a reality befitting our expectations and ambitions."
Another enthusiastic murmur resounded throughout the room. Ulquiorra only nodded his head in agreement. It was more out of a courtesy than anything else as he didn't care much about Soul King or worlds' order, though he was naturally curious about this fifth realm and if it had any impact on other realms – after all a king was rumoured to reside there and he had to had some power. Moreover, were there perhaps any other realms he didn't know of?
For him Aizen-sama was the only logical choice as a leader – he was strong and knew no fear thus gaining his respect. He also gave him freedom from never-ending hunger, and a purpose, relieving him a bit of the emptiness of his existence.
The 4th Espada assumed that most of his associates were of similar opinion. Grimmjow and Nnoitra were in mainly for the thrills of slaughter. Yammy too, but he was also too stupid to do anything else than follow Aizen-sama. Starrk had nowhere else to go, maybe because he was just too lazy to think of any alternatives. And he craved for company, any company that wouldn't perish under his massive spiritual pressure – there weren't many options besides Aizen-sama and Arrancars, were there? Baraggan was definitely interested in the ruling part, though rather on his own – for now he was sticking with the strongest one but if any favourable chance occurred, he would most definitely attempt to take everything for himself. Former king of Las Noches had to aim high with his ambitions.
Neliel and her reasons were unknown to him – why she'd come back in the first place was a total mystery for him, but he was certain it wasn't for their leader and his crusade. She must have some other purpose, but he wasn't inquisitive about it as it was no concern of his.
Out of Espadas only Harribel seemed to believe somewhat in Aizen-sama's cause, but she had this fixation with protecting those below her, to do everything to make sure that they were safe, so it was only natural that she would follow the man whose victory in any conflict possible was more than certain.
"You all have been of great assistance to me and none of you shall be left unrewarded. Soon everything shall be ours, ladies and gentlemen," concluded Aizen, smiling.
Once again he scanned everyone in the room, his face so ambiguous that some could really see a genuine gratitude for their service, while others – silent threats that would come true if they didn't follow his will. Each person present perceived him as they wanted to perceive him, but at the same time he made them perceive him the way he wanted to be perceived by them. This was his illusion, but a very true one in a way.
Even though not everyone saw or understood it, they all feared it in their bones. It affected their basic instinct of survival. Obedience equalled a chance to live. Disobedience – absolute destruction.
"Ulquiorra, tomorrow I would like you to bring Inoue Orihime to me," Aizen spoke with that pleasant yet authoritative tone of voice that left no room for any argument.
"Understood, Aizen-sama," the 4th Espada replied coolly, but inside he just couldn't help but imagine Rukia's displeased expression. He quickly made it vanish from his thoughts lest he became distracted by it.
"If there are no other matters for discussion, I would like to close this meeting," said their leader, standing up.
"Actually, Aizen-sama," Nnoitra drawled, "There's one thing I wanna bring up."
"What is it, Nnoitra?"
"How come Ulquiorra has two women for himself?" he asked disgruntled. "That's fuckin' unfair!"
"Nnoitra, watch your language when addressing Aizen-sama," Tōsen Kaname reprimanded sternly.
"Right, sorry," the 5th Espada didn't even bother to hold back from rolling his eyes. "Anyway, I wanna have some fun too. And I don't think I'm the only one."
A few indistinguishable murmurs could be heard passing through the male part of the gathering, but no-one spoke up to confirm his claims.
"Be patient, Nnoitra. Once we start moving, you can have as many women as you please."
"But I want that particular one!" the lanky Espada exclaimed, but moments later he was brazenly sneering at Ulquorra. If this didn't provoke this walking statue to fight him, he didn't know what else he could do – apart from attacking the Shinigami directly, that is. He didn't expect Aizen to give him any of the women, and truth be told he didn't want him to do it. He'd rather take them with his own hands, simply another thing to conquer – and that Shinigami girl was really asking for it.
"She's quite a treat," he added, licking his thin lips hungrily. He did hope, though, that his claims would stir some chaos. It'd been too quiet in the castle lately.
"Huh? Which one?" asked Grimmjow joining in the conversation. "Kurosaki's girlfriend," here an innocent smirk appeared on his face, "or that Human girl?"
Before he could stop himself, Ulquiorra sent a threatening glare at 6th Espada who visibly was trying nonchalantly not to look at him, pretending to wait for Nnoitra's answer – the absurdity of it! Neliel mouthing "She is?!" in surprise didn't help much. And of course Grimmjow just had to nod in confirmation. His instinct of rivalry took over though and soon enough he sent Ulquiorra a smug, challenging look.
The green-eyed Espada decided that if he got a chance, he would murder this sodding bastard, slowly and painfully, but only after he humiliated him first. He also changed his plan about leaving the killing of Rukia's friends to others – he would get rid of Kurosaki Ichigo personally.
But what particularly peeved him was Nnoitra's reply, even though it wasn't anything he hadn't expected.
"That Shinigami."
"Her, huh?" continued Grimmjow like he was having a casual chat with an acquaintance. "She is quite a feisty one, I'll give her that. It makes you wonder..."
"She is mine," the 4th Espada interrupted, his voice devoid of any emotions but inside he was absolutely pissed off. He had no doubts that this bastard was having the time of his life at his expense. Therefore he was determined to put an end to this farce before it escalated any further.
"But you already have the other bitch!" snarled Nnoitra.
"Inoue Orihime belongs to Aizen-sama," explained Ulquiorra, trying to ignore the murder intent stirring inside him. "I am merely responsible for keeping her alive, nothing more."
"Then what about that Shinigami?" asked Nnoitra in an attempt to undermine any rights for the woman that Ulquiorra might have.
"I captured her and used to lure Inoue Orihime back to Las Noches. Once she was of no use to Aizen-sama, he generously gave her to me to do whatever I please with her," elaborated Ulquiorra matter-of-factly and added to emphasise his point, "She is righteously mine."
"Is that so?" a nasty sneer twisted his face. "Then—"
"Shut your trap already, Nnoitra," Grimmjow growled, apparently tired of this pointless conversation, but at the same time definitely eager to end it in his smug style. "You'll fuck anything that moves or not anyway, so why are you so persistent about that girl? Look at this teacup. Here's a hole. Fuck it. That is," his smirk widened even further – it was evident that he was having an unseemly good time, "if it's not too wide for you, jerk-off."
"Grimmjow..." Nnoitra seethed while Neliel stifled a chuckle. Yammy didn't have the courtesy and simply began laughing his head off.
"With those words I think we can finally conclude this meetin'," Gin said happily, folding his hands together.
No-one disagreed. Shuffling of chairs echoed through the hall as everyone stood away from the table and began to leave.
Ulquiorra moved slowly towards the exit, all the time aware of Nnoitra's attention directed at him. He didn't have to look at him to know that he was approaching him. He was waiting for him anyway. When the tall man was within an earshot, he hissed quietly, so no-one else would hear him:
"If you even as much as think about laying a finger on her, I will kill you."
"Oh, but I just did think about that... And not only my finger..." Nnoitra retorted licking his lips. "I just thought what I will do to her to make her body writhe in pain and pleasure... How she will moan and cry at the same time..."
Suddenly the hall filled with reiatsu so overwhelming that it made everything vibrate, but as soon as it came it was gone; only dust dancing in the air was a proof that indeed it swept over the room for a second. Everyone stopped in their tracks to look at each other, some curious, some surprised. It was so brief and intense that it was difficult to track it to anyone.
Then a hyena-like cackle broke the silence. It was Grimmjow laughing hysterically. He was standing between Ulquiorra and Nnoitra, tightly gripping the right wrist of the first man. Neliel too was standing closely to the 4th Espada, blocking his sword in case he wanted to unsheathe it.
"Easy there," the turquoise-haired man coughed after spasms of laughter.
"Grimmjow, move," Ulquiorra growled quietly in warning, his narrowed eyes still fixed on Nnoitra. At the same time he realised that everyone were watching them, mostly surprised that this sudden outburst of reiatsu was no-one other but him – the most composed and reserved one amongst them.
"C'mon, lover boy, you don't wanna cause a scene here," Grimmjow said and made an attempt to push Ulquiorra towards the exit but the 4th Espada agilely avoided his hands and coolly went for the door as if nothing had just happened and most certainly he hadn't been about to shred anyone into bloody pieces and dust. Again he was that cold and calculating man that never acted on impulse.
Nnoitra didn't hide his disappointment at this turnout. Actually, he openly glared at 6th Espada, but real vehemence he saved for Neliel even though she hadn't been the one who'd stopped Ulquiorra's attack.
"You fuckin' whore. One day I'll carve you and I'll gut you and I'll make you suffer!" he spat nastily.
A shadow passed her face, but ignoring him she turned on her heel and went towards the door after the 4th Espada. Grimmjow looked between the two surprised at the animosity, but soon followed after her and Ulquiorra.
The three of them walked in silence for a while, without any particular aim. The air was especially heavy around Ulquiorra who was annoyed that he hadn't got the chance to get rid of that dangerous nuisance. Neliel too looked troubled with her brows furrowed, but she wasn't as tense as the green-eyed Arrancar.
Only Grimmjow seemed to be free of any problems or troubling thoughts, and so, after making sure that there was no-one else around, he was the first one to speak up:
"You don't want to kill a fellow Espada in front of Aizen. What the fuck were you thinking?"
"You yourself killed Luppi in front of him," Ulquiorra reminded him, choosing to ignore this little fact that Grimmjow had just reproved him – and not without good grounds too.
"Nah, Luppi didn't matter," he replied, dismissively waving his hand. "No-one liked him anyway, annoying faggot. It's a wonder no-one's thanked me for this favour, really," he chuckled to himself, evidently self-satisfied, but he continued in a more serious tone, "And I don't think he was even included in this plan of Aizen, unlike Nnoitra. And you don't wanna mess up with Aizen's little plan, do you?"
"Tch," scoffed the green-eyed Espada, but didn't say anything else. He didn't want to give Grimmjow the satisfaction that he knew he was right.
"Calm the fuck down, Ulquiorra. I can't believe it's me, of all people, saying this to you, of all people..."
"Don't let Nnoitra provoke you," added Neliel in her melancholic voice. "He just wants to see you fall. He'll use any weakness he can find to make you fight him and to defeat you. He won't stop at anything to achieve his goal. He is being consumed by madness and there's no Tesla anymore to somehow keep him on the brink of sanity."
"Tesla?" asked Grimmjow, not really understanding who – or maybe what – could it be.
"His only fracción that was killed recently by one of the Shinigamis that came here for Orihime," she explained. But she wouldn't be surprised if Nnoitra blamed her for Tesla's death, really. All of his ill feelings seemed to be fixed on her, for some reason.
"Ah, that guy," he remembered vaguely.
Ulquiorra sighed exasperatedly, unable to understand one crucial thing. "Why do you even bother, you two? It is none of your business, after all. We are neither friends nor companions."
"I don't want Nnoitra to hurt Rukia," Neliel replied first.
"Why?"
She shrugged, her steady gaze suggesting that that was all, but both men had a feeling that she was hiding something.
"What happened between the two of you anyway? Nnoitra and you?" asked Grimmjow, remembering how the 5th Espada had treated her mere moments ago. Neither him nor Ulquiorra had been in Las Noches during the time when she'd been the 3rd Espada. Her disappearance too was a mystery to them. All he knew was that Nnoitra had been involved.
"It's a long story and I don't really want to talk about it," Neliel replied warily, hints of painful memories stirred the usual melancholy in her eyes.
"And what about you?" Ulquiorra turned his question to Grimmjow. "Why did you, of all people present in the hall, stopped me from attacking Nnoitra?"
"I'm just tagging along where the best fun seems to be," the turquoise-haired Espada replied nonchalantly with a smirk. "But keep in mind that in the end the one defeating and killing you, you annoying bastard, will be me. I only saved your ass from punishment, so I can be the one to sweep the floor with you."
For Grimmjow it was more than less truth. The only thing he kept to himself was that he was also curious how this "love story" would continue influencing Ulquiorra. That Shinigami girl was changing his rival, he could tell it easily. Ulquiorra became more... alive. His eyes, even his reiatsu weren't so empty anymore, they had purpose. This sodding git had actually responded to stupid taunts and had been ready to kill a fellow Espada in front of his precious Aizen! He was really looking forward to fighting this new, more impulsive Ulquiorra. It would be a much more thrilling but also much more dangerous clash.
"By the way," Neliel interrupted his happy thoughts. "That was a nice move there, Grimmjow. You actually neutralised Ulquiorra's Cero."
"I'm awesome, I know," boasted the 6th Espada, mentally patting himself on the back. He didn't admit it out loud, however, that he'd had to use all his strength and it had been just a sheer luck that he hadn't scorched his arm again. He didn't know that Ulquiorra could be this scary. To lose it just like this over a threat... He couldn't wait to fight him.
"And since when are you so friendly with anyone outside your fracción?" the green-eyed Espada asked incredulously, noticing them getting along.
Grimmjow looked at Neliel for a moment and eventually shrugged unable to give a precise answer. Well, she was nice and easy to talk to. And that aura of melancholic mystery surrounding her added to her charm. In this world dominated by men, an approachable female he could treat as an equal was a pleasant change, he supposed.
And it wasn't only him who was more friendly than usual, he noticed, but didn't say it out loud.
"Spar with me, anyone?" he asked after a while. Even though it wouldn't be a real fight, he was eager to see if along with Ulquiorra's character also his fighting style had changed.
The green-eyed Espada nodded. He was still feeling agitation after Nnoitra's words and he needed to sweat it out of his system. Grimmjow's mug would do great for this purpose.
"Sure," agreed Neliel happily.
"I'll beat your sorry asses!" smirked Grimmjow confidently and led the way towards the training hall.
"Who's there?" Rukia asked cautiously, ready to attack or defend herself.
"Kuchiki-san?" came a small voice from behind the door. She furrowed her brows wondering who it could be. The voice's friendly tone triggered her memory, but she couldn't connect it to a face.
"Who are you?" she asked again, her hand slowly making its way towards the doorknob.
"My name's Shun'ō," she heard and then it fell into place. She quickly opened the door and with joy saw a small, familiar fairy.
"I'm one of Orihime's Shun Shun Rikka," he finished, a wide smile made its way to his face when he saw her. Curious thing was that he was carrying a hairpin – Rukia immediately noticed Chappy the bunny on it and recognised as the one of pair that Orihime had worn only yesterday morning when they'd been allowed to meet.
"Quickly, get in," she whispered and moved aside to let him in. Then, exactly the moment she closed the door, they became overwhelmed by a sudden outburst of reiatsu. It was so dense and menacing that it knocked the wind out of her; its darkness made her shiver, awaking primal fears. Luckily it lasted no longer than a second.
"What... what was that?... Who could it be?" she asked panting. Her body trembled for another few seconds – it wasn't exactly a sign of fear, bur rather of rejection – it was rejecting the unreal to the point of being absurd reiatsu that had just washed all over her.
"I don't know... I've never... felt anything like it... before," Shun'ō replied. His pale face and heavy gasps for breath were a proof that he too felt this abrupt outburst with similar intensity. "The killing intent... was unbelievable."
Rukia agreed with a nod. She'd experienced many overwhelming spiritual pressures in her life that had left her paralysed, but never before she'd felt one that was gnawing at her very soul, threatening to snatch and swallow it. Taking few deep breaths to regain her composure she motioned the fairy to go further into the room and away from the door. She didn't think anyone would eavesdrop on her, but better safe than sorry.
"How's Inoue?" she asked sitting by her desk. She curiously eyed the object he was carrying, but first things first. "Is she doing all right? I feel like it's been ages since I last saw her."
Shun'ō landed on desk's wooden surface in front of her. He finally laid down the hairpin – it must have been quite heavy for him. "Orihime is fine, no-one's been tormenting her this time, she really misses—"
"Wait," Rukia interrupted him, her brows furrowed. "Tormenting? What do you mean?"
"The first time Orihime was here, there were those two Arrancar girls who were jealous of her..."
"What did they do to her?" she asked, anger gradually stirring in her, its coldness spreading through her body.
"Hit her, insulted..." Shun'ō trailed off seeing her eyes narrow dangerously in ire.
"Unforgivable!" she growled, tightening her fists. Where was Ulquiorra then? Why didn't he help her? If I ever meet them... Rukia was seething inside. No-one dared to hurt her friend! She could see Inoue unwilling to fight back and those—those bitches taking advantage of her gentle nature! No, that was too much for her. She would make them pay for that despicable deed.
"Can you describe them to me? What are their names?" she asked – calmly to the point of being scary – to sustain her vehemence.
"They hasn't come back since..." began Shun'ō, wishing to appease her anger.
"Please," she insisted. "I don't want them to hurt Inoue ever again. You do remember them, don't you?"
"Yes," he sighed giving in to her pleading eyes full of determination. "Loly and Menoly are their names. They're both around Orihime's height and they have matching remains of their Hollow masks. One has on left, the other – on right eye. Loly has long, black hair tied into two ponytails. Her outfit is rather revealing. Menoly has short blond hair. That's all I remember."
"I see, thank you," she said, memorizing the description of the perpetrators.
"But they haven't bothered Orihime since then..." he repeated, trying to reassure her that there was no need to worry and especially no need to harbour any negative emotions. Just like his mistress he didn't like it when people fell prey to those dark, sad feelings.
Rukia sighed heavily, angry tension leaving her body. She could see that she was upsetting her little friend, so she finally smiled softly, "So Inoue's doing fine?"
"Yes," Shun'ō beamed at her in return. "She really misses you."
"I miss her too. I really wish we could get out of here somehow."
Shun'ō pointed at the hairpin laying by his feet, "Actually, we have a key to accomplish it!"
She peered at the hair accessory with piqued interest. It looked ordinary – awfully cute though. Even she would love to wear it, despite her general lack of interest in wearing such adornments.
"This hairpin..." began Rukia, but once she took it in her hand, words failed her. She could feel the energy it contained. It was overwhelming, but at the same time subtle, beautiful. It was like a huge waterfall with hectolitres of water flowing and falling down, but at the bottom there was light mist, droplets dancing in the air, each embracing a rainbow. Someone powerful and skilled had created it.
"Urahara-san has sealed in them a teleportation Spell," Shun'ō began explaining excitedly. "It won't work in Las Noches, but if we get somehow to the desert of Hueco Mundo, all we have to do is break it and we'll find each other in Urahara-san's shop!"
"Really?" she asked, wide-eyed in awe. Even though she believed in what he said, she had to make sure that she didn't misheard, that the fate wasn't playing another cruel joke on her, before she allowed herself to become completely immersed in this new hope.
The fairy nodded eagerly, "Orihime has hers and this one is for you, Kuchiki-san."
"So all we need to do is get out of this castle," she began contemplating out loud. "I think I should be able to destroy a wall, but we won't have many chances. One, two at most before Arrancars, or worse – Espada, get to us," and for some reason she mused that it would be the worst if it was Ulquiorra... She would never be able to look him in the eye again... Brushing aside this thought, she continued, "So we have to be certain that the wall would lead us directly to the desert... This might pose a problem – Las Noches is like an enormous maze, I can't even tell where we entered it."
Rukia sighed. She was positively worn out and thinking didn't work too well for her at the moment.
"Come," she said standing up. "I'm awfully drowsy, didn't sleep well during the night, but I still want to take a bath before going to bed. And I could use some good tale, so I won't doze off in the bathtub."
"Sure," smiled Shun'ō.
She took the hairpin with intention to hide it in the bathroom and again went to the wardrobe to take a fresh yukata. Shun'ō followed her but stopped in his tracks to look at the full moon in the sky. He tilted his head to the side wondering what exactly caught his attention. A night sky... Moon... Stars...
"It's different..." he murmured to himself, finally realising what it was.
"What?" Rukia asked, hearing that he said something but not understanding what exactly. She approached him, night clothes in her hands, and curiously looked in the same direction as he.
"I think window of Orihime's room looks out on the desert," he said carefully.
"Really?"
"I'm rather certain," Shun'ō nodded his head and pointed at the sky framed by two windows. "The view is completely different from this – moon's crescent doesn't wane nor grow. There are no stars, too. I think it's Hueco Mundo's sky."
"Well, this is Aizen's illusion..." she waved at the sky, distaste making its way to her face. Pondering his discovery, all she could say at the moment was, "This all seems to be too good to be true." After a pause she added, allowing herself a little bit of optimism, "But not impossible."
"I've never looked out of that window, though," he admitted sheepishly.
She smiled at him, "Then we'll have to do it and find out. At the very least we might find ourselves an orientation point and go on from there."
With those words Rukia went straight to the bathroom and after hiding the hairpin in the cabinet, she began readying a snowdrop bubble bath. She had to admit she quite enjoyed this warm and relaxing little pleasure. Being a warrior, she normally didn't have the time for such luxury, despite being from a noble family. Sure, there were hot springs at Kuchiki estate and in Soul Society there were at least two public baths, but they involved other people, so she could never truly relax and get lost in her thoughts. That was why she indulged herself in bubbly baths here whenever she could and had the mood.
"So how is everyone doing? Have I missed anything?" she asked Shun'ō, who was sitting on a sink, while warm water was pouring into the bathtub.
"Well, nothing unexpected was happening in Soul Society when Orihime was there," he told her. "The boys are probably training in Soul Society as we speak or maybe resting after a hard training session... They are truly determined to get stronger."
"I can imagine," Rukia could see them sparring with each other, determination shining in their eyes, satisfied smiles on their faces, all the while they sweat and bled, reaching beyond their limits. She would love to join them, if only she could. "The enemy is nothing we have ever encountered."
"It will be difficult," he agreed. "But I'm sure they'll manage."
Rukia smiled, "Yes, I'm sure as well."
The bathtub was finally full with water and bubbles, so she tied her hair up, undressed and got in with a content sigh. Shun'ō moved to the bathtub's edge.
"How is my brother?" she asked after a while.
"He didn't let it show, but I think your presumable death really affected him."
"You didn't tell him about me, did you? That you thought I was alive?"
"No," the fairy confirmed. "We didn't think it would be appropriate. And we didn't know how he would react."
Rukia nodded her head in understanding. Lately they'd got a little bit closer, the atmosphere between them less official and more at ease. She could actually feel that he cared about her, that he felt responsible for her as his little sister. She had always looked up to him, but now he was becoming her mentor – influencing her but not controlling, giving hints and advices when he saw it fit, but leaving her space to figure everything out on her own. She would never admit it out loud, but she absolutely adored her brother.
He was the only person she truly didn't want to disappoint, although she was on a very good way to do just that with her feelings for Ulquiorra...
"But we told your captain," Shun'ō continued, interrupting her thoughts. He could see worry surfacing in her features, but hoped that the mention of her superior would bring back smile to her face – it did. "He really was of great help. I'm not sure if he actually believed us, when we told him that we were convinced that you were alive – I think for him it was more of a wishful thinking. But if it weren't for him, Orihime wouldn't be able to get back to the Human World. He was the one who contacted Urahara-san, you see. And Urahara-san requested Orihime to help him setting up protections for Karakura Town."
"So this is how you got here... It must have been difficult for all of you, especially for Inoue."
"We—She couldn't leave you here, Kuchiki-san," he told her firmly. The earnestness in his gaze moved her greatly. "If there was the slightest chance that you were alive, she had to do anything to find and save you."
She closed her eyes, experiencing that difficult but exhilarating emotion that was going to and fro between happiness and sadness with a mix of sincere gratitude and guilt. In her heart and soul she thanked gods for Inoue, that she was her friend. And for Renji, Byakuya-nii-sama, Ichigo, Sado, Ishida, Hanatarō, captain Ukitake...
"Thank you," Rukia whispered after a while, her voice a little bit raspy with emotions. She could feel her eyes watering, but at the same time she couldn't help but smile. "Thank you," she repeated.
Nevertheless she still couldn't understand why they'd let Inoue go on her own. To risk like this... After all there'd been absolutely no guarantee that she hadn't been dead already and it was a miracle she hadn't been killed once Inoue appeared in Las Noches. Only dumb luck had decided that her friend hadn't been captured for nothing. Despite her heartfelt gratitude, she didn't believe herself to be worthy of such risk.
"Incidentally, I've been wondering – how did you know I was alive?"
"Kurosaki-kun from the start didn't believe that you were dead. He was the one who convinced Orihime and the others that you were alive."
"Ichigo? Really?" she chuckled and yawned. "Who would have thought..."
"It's just that the circumstances of your death didn't really add up if you actually thought them over," he explained without going into details. "But that was the enemy's intention from the very beginning – to lure Orihime back to Aizen. Hopefully we will escape and thwart their plans."
"I'm pretty sure it was Ulquiorra's plan," she mentioned. Her eyelids were getting heavier and heavier. Pleasant company, warmth of the water and sweet smell of snowdrops in the bubbles relaxed her entirely. She should be getting out of the bathtub or she would surely fall asleep.
"That's what we think too," he concurred. "Speaking of him, how is he treating you?"
"Hm? Ah, good. He's being... nice, I guess," she half-said half-mumbled, her head lolling sideways.
"Do you like him?"
Her eyes shot open and she could feel wave of heat rushing through her body, flushing her cheeks. Looking at her little friend, she could see nothing but innocence in his face and it totally caught her off guard. She stuttered, "W-well, I d-don't have any reasons t-to hate him..."
"Then, do you—" he was about to ask another question, but Rukia stopped him, suddenly alerted.
"Shh!" she put a finger against her lips in a silencing gesture. She thought that she heard something, like a vague sound of the door to her room opening... And indeed soon she heard it closing. Someone was in her room.
"Ulquiorra?" she whispered in puzzlement, sensing his reiatsu. "What's he doing here at this hour? He has never come this late before... Or out of schedule."
For a brief moment Rukia felt like she was explaining herself from something embarrassing, but then a sudden fear washed over her as she realised that he might have sensed Shun'ō and that was the reason he came. The fairy too must have been thinking something along those lines for his eyes were wide and his body tense.
She focused on Ulquiorra's reiatsu – it seemed slightly disturbed, as if something was bothering him. It was very unusual for him to lose his equanimity. She never thought it possible, really, but there he was, discomposed. Normally it would make her smile, learning that he was actually capable of such feelings, but this time there was a chance that he was angry with her and that made her only nervous.
A weary sigh escaped her lips. As much as she would love to prolong the bath, she was too sleepy – another ten minutes and she would drop off for certain. Besides her body was all wrinkled from the water already and she didn't like the feeling. Exhaling deeply once again, she got out of the bathtub, dried herself and dressed. Like in haze she brushed her teeth, only a fleeting observation that she looked awfully whacked crossed her mind as she dumbly stared at her reflection in the mirror. Finishing, she splashed cold water on her face to keep the sleep away and she also not-so-gently patted her cheeks for a good measure.
She opened a bathroom cabinet and quietly urged Shun'ō to go in. "Stay put here. I'll see what he's doing here. Don't come out under any circumstances."
"Good luck," he whispered and she gently closed the cabinet's doors.
Rukia halted in front of the door. She was absolutely exhausted and all she wanted was to just crawl under the covers of her bed and drift off into a peaceful, undisturbed slumber. She found it quite unfair that now of all possible times she was ready to fall asleep any minute – couldn't it have happened during the day when she so desperately had wanted to take a bloody nap? Breathing deeply and counting to ten, she finally opened the door to her room, ready to deal with this obstacle that stood between her and her bed.
The room was dim, only a small lamp on her nightstand was turned on. She didn't remember turning off the main light, so it must have been Ulquiorra's doing – this thought made her a little bit more nervous.
But speaking of him, she didn't notice the green-eyed Espada in his armchair where she expected to see him – only his sword was leaning against it. Instead she found him casually laying on her bed with his hands under his head, his bare torso showing from his unzipped jacket. For a moment she thought that he was asleep, but then she noticed the gleam in his open eyes – he was gazing at the ceiling.
"Ulquiorra?" she asked cautiously. She could feel tension surrounding him. "Is everything all right?"
He didn't reply, thus making her even more apprehensive as the chances that he was displeased with her were increasing. The beating of her own heart was ringing in her ears, measuring the silent seconds. But she caught the movement of his eyes in the dim light – he was looking at her now.
Ulquiorra calmed down a bit the moment he'd entered her room and even more when he finally saw her. Still, Nnoitra's words replaying in his head made his blood boil. A most unsettling image assailed his mind and he could do little to discard it – he saw her laying lifelessly, with dead eyes, covered in bruises and her own blood... Broken. And Nnoitra on top of her, taking whatever was left of her life force in that shell that once was her body.
Then for a second he saw something that struck him with horror. A different image overlapped with that one of Nnoitra – him. He was the one who did this to her, broke her and was about to snuff out the last breath from her, swallowing her sweet soul. The more crushed and frightened the more luscious...
Gasping silently, he sat up and with widened eyes he looked at her, so small, fragile and pure – like a snowflake. And hurting or killing her would be no more difficult than melting a snowflake. He had to protect her or he would be damned. She was his salvation, after all. He felt that without her that numbing emptiness would consume him for good.
"You seem... angry..." she tried again hesitatingly, fiddling with her obi. Noticing what she was doing, she stopped at once and folded her arms in front of her chest.
Her quiet voice broke him away from his dark musings. He was tired. Grimmjow definitely hadn't held back and Neliel's attacks had been quick and hard to predict. The sparring session had left him panting, but at least he'd let off some steam and could think more clearly (although his thoughts still focused either on murdering Nnoitra or on Rukia). After their sparring he'd gone back to his room to shower. Normally he'd have gone to sleep, but he wanted—needed to see Rukia. Even though he knew she was safe – simply sensing her reiatsu would be enough to make sure of that – but he had to confirm it with his own eyes. So after the shower he'd changed and came here.
"I am," at long last he replied with a sigh. "I have never felt so much anger in me."
"What happened?" Rukia dared to ask, silently praying that neither she, Inoue nor Shun'ō were the cause of his anger.
"Nnoitra."
"Oh," was all she could say at the moment as inside she was cheering. So it wasn't them! Thank gods he hadn't sensed the fairy in her bathroom! A feeling of relief flooded her and she relaxed a bit, allowing herself a small yawn.
"What about him?" she asked, although she really didn't want to think about Nnoitra despite the fact that it could mean serious danger for her. Just the thought of that man made her shiver in a mix of disgust and fear and there was no need to bring about any nightmares for tonight. Besides she trusted Ulquiorra to protect her.
A warm feeling spread through her body and a soft smile made its way onto her lips, but she quickly hid it with another yawn. With longing she looked at her bed and the man that currently occupied it. She'd love to snuggle under the covers and fall asleep and she wouldn't mind him staying beside her. She felt safe with him. She trusted him, oddly enough.
"He wants you," Ulquiorra told her matter-of-factly, unaware that he'd just spoiled her cosy and fluffy fantasy. That fucker had once hurt her, but he would do everything to prevent such thing from happening ever again. "Not that I will let him touch you."
"I know," she said barely in a whisper.
He watched her for a moment, but he had no doubts that she meant it. If only he could gather her into his arms and shield her from any danger! But could he trust himself with her? Blood, her naked body sprawled on the ground with her limbs at odd angles, her last shallow breaths wheezing in her chest – that sickening vision of him breaking her as he was about to devour her completely invaded his mind again, shaking him to the bone. He had to be more circumspect lest it should come true.
"But you should be careful," he told her, mentally readying himself to leave for tonight. "He is mad, therefore it is difficult to predict what he will do."
She nodded and gracefully covering her mouth with her hand she yawned once again. He didn't want to but he really had to go – she must be really tired. She herself had said that she hadn't slept well the previous night and there was no reason for keeping her out of bed any longer. He finally forced himself to get up and put on his shoes.
"You're stronger than him, aren't you?" she asked suddenly.
"Yes," he replied firmly. For her he would be stronger that anyone. Stronger than himself and even stronger than Aizen-sama.
A soft smile appeared on her face, "Then there's nothing I have to worry about."
Ulquiorra stared at her, absolutely taken off-guard by her... cuteness. Nnoitra, murder intent and anger momentarily forgotten... At the same time he felt oddly warm and content, and even proud of himself that he could make her feel safe – feelings completely foreign to him but he decided that not unwelcome. If he weren't so surprised he was pretty sure he would be smiling at the moment.
She must have noticed his gaze for she looked away from him, her eyes focusing on an indistinct spot on the floor. After a moment, though, she began stuttering, "I've... I've been thinking..."
Rukia sighed heavily, clearly frustrated with her shaky voice. Whatever she wanted to say, she apparently hadn't given much thought to it, but he could see that she wouldn't be discouraged by her first poor attempt. It must have been something important to her.
Interesting, he mused and patiently waited for her to speak. Usually she didn't have any problems voicing her opinions or requests, so what could it be that made her this disconcerted, but not enough to forbear pressing on? His curiosity only grew when she finally looked him in the eye, determination set in her features.
"If... If you take Inoue safely to the Human World, to Urahara-san or to Soul Society... Then I will be yours."
Those were the last words Ulquiorra heard before darkness befell him.
OMAKE (short and stupid)
"And since when the two of you is so friendly towards each other?" Ulquiorra asked incredulously looking at the 6th and 7th Espada who seemed to be getting along quite well.
Neliel and Grimmjow looked at each other for a moment and then beaming at him replied almost simultaneously:
"I like his hair."
"I like her hair."
"And he has a funny name," added Neliel with childish happiness. "Jagerjake? Jagajackass?"
"No better than yours, Tu Odershvack or whatever," retorted Grimmjow, smirking.
Riiight, Ulquiorra stared at them and decided to never bring this up ever again.
End.
I don't know why, but I think that Grimmjow and Nel would make a great team... Maybe it is their hair?
And with this happy notion I wish you all the best and until the next time!
朝霧 -Asagiri-