Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ Biting The Hand That Feeds ❯ Dead ( Chapter 2 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Ulquiorra just didn't expect this. Not at all. He stood indifferently over Orihime's bed, with no idea what to do. He didn't feel like dealing with her when she awoke- she probably would not be the happiest of people at the knowledge of him being chained to her (Not that he was either). But he figured she would wake up soon anyway, as the sun was beginning to rise up over the city horizon. He put on of his hands on her shoulder and shook it lightly.

"Woman." He said softly. "Woman, wake up."

She groaned but didn't open her eyes. So he shook her harder this time. Gasping, she opened her eyes and sat up.

"Oh! That was a bad dream-" She started, but cut herself off as her eyes focused on the man standing before her that looked all too familiar. Her heart jumped, and it took all she had not to scream. "Y-you..." She stuttered.

Ulquiorra shoved his hands in his pockets, frowning deeply as always. "Of course it's me."

"But... how? I thought you were dead?!" She accused, her face scrunched up in a mix of emotions.

"I don't know any better than you. But quite obviously I'm now a soul, chained to you. Don't ask me why, I don't know the answer to that either."

She stared into those piercing green eyes for a moment, searching for answers. He stared back emotionlessly, although she knew something must have been going on inside his head. Breaking the gaze, she looked down at herself to find a chain wrapped around her wrist. She could not feel it or it's weight. It was like it wasn't even there. The only indication of it was the visual. Especially Ulquiorra. Orihime looked up at him again.

"The mask... it's gone." She thought out loud.

"As is everything else I had as an Espada. The tattoo, the hollow hole."

"And the tear marks," She whispered.

He grunted in response to that. "I'm surprised you're taking this so well," He commented.

"Oh, I'm not. I just choose not to make a bigger deal out of it than I have to. And your not an arrancar anymore, so I doubt you can really hurt me."

His eye twitched as he glared at her. "You say that too confidently. Do not underestimate me, woman."

She almost giggled at him. Almost. It probably angered him that he didn't have his powers anymore, and that he was chained to the woman he had to take care of in her stay in Las Noches.

He sighed and turned his head to look out the window. "I guess I'm going to have to live with you for now."

He sounded so pained to say that, like it was going to kill him to be around her. Except he was already dead.

Orihime got out of her bed, causing him to shift to the side and let her stand. "Well good thing it's Saturday," She said thoughtfully, "I wonder what Kurosaki-Kun will say when he sees this..."

The thought of that slightly amused Ulquiorra. But he didn't show it. The boy would certainly make a lot bigger deal than she had, knowing his temper. Orihime walked out of her bedroom, which gave him no choice but to follow her. She walked into the kitchen. It was tiny and had peach colored walls. While she scrambled around nervously fixing herself an odd breakfast combination of pancakes, tomato, and bean paste, Ulquiorra sat on the floor and began to analyze his situation. If this happened to me... then it must have happened to all the other perished Espada too, right? I wonder why I am chained to this girl, of all things.

"Woman," He addressed sternly.

She turned and looked at him, her doe eyes wide.

"Tell me happened during the winter war, after I-"

"Aizen wasn't killed, if that's what you're asking." She cut off.

Even he was a bit disappointed at that news. He wasn't as loyal to Aizen as one may think. Ulquiorra just figured it would be smarter to play by his rules than to rebel and get himself killed. The offer Aizen had made him at the time seemed better than continuously eating hollows as a Vasto Lorde.

"Then what happened?" He asked.

"Well... I wasn't there to see it, because Kurosaki-Kun took me to the Soul Society for safety. But I'll tell you what I know. Supposeply Aizen fled, along with Gin Ichimaru and a few surviving Espada. Tousen was killed by one of the captains. Before he left, he said something about, 'creating a much more powerful army' with the Hogyoku."

Ulquiorra's frown deepened yet again. "That means... that he is or already has replaced the perished Espada. It's not like the Vasto Lorde population is plentiful, though. So the new ones will probably have the same amount of power as we did."

Orihime was quiet for a moment, then she said, "So are you still on his side?"

"And by that you mean Aizen's?"

She nodded.

"I am on nobody's side but my own, woman. It doesn't matter now anyway."

Orihime took her breakfast to the table and sat down. "Well," She said while playing with her food, "I know someone we can go to about this... predicament."

"And who would that be?" He asked curiously.

"His name is Kisuke Urahara. I'm assume you know about him."

"And you are correct on that assumption. When are we leaving?"

"As soon as I finish my breakfast."

"Have you any leads on the whereabouts of Aizen?"

"No, sir. I'm afraid not."

Captain Hitsugaya nodded and went back to the pile of paperwork on his desk. The reporting Shinigami left without order.

He hadn't expected a lead, anyway. They had already searched Hueco Mundo, but it wasn't like they could send more than a few Shinigami in there. Aizen was no longer in Las Noches. It was in ruins, looking like it was hundreds of years old.

He remembered how he'd chased after the traitor when he fled, the Gargantua closing just before he could go inside after him. He remembered how hurt the broken and bloody Rangiku had looked at the sight of Gin leaving her behind with a smile. This war had caused more pain than it was worth.

Orihime tried to shut her bedroom door to change, but the chain kept it from closing. Ulquiorra watched with slight amusement as she tried to close it once more. And again.

Finally, she improvised and slid the chain under the crack of the door, closing it quickly.

He sighed and sat on the floor again. Hopefully that man would help him. Or at least explain how this all happened.

Orihime burst out of the door, clad in a yellow sundress. The top part of her hair was held back with a clip, and her hairpins now held her bangs back. If it was anyone other than Ulquiorra sitting there, they would have said she looked very pretty. But it was Ulquiorra.

"Alright, let's go." Orihime said, dragging the chain and walking towards the door. He got up and followed with a wry face. He did not like having to follow someone around; he wanted to walk on his own accord. Yet another reason to remove this chain. Although there was a high possibility he would turn into a hollow. Unless... he got a Shinigami to sever the chain and then give him a soul burial. That would send him to the Soul Society and he could go on with the afterlife as he saw fit.

Orihime was walking beside him now, he noticed. Not in front of him. "Where exactly does this man live?" He asked.

"Well, he lives in a shop that he owns. There's also two children named Ururu and Jinta, and a large man named Tessai. Please be kind to them."

He grunted. "Kind?"

"As in, don't call them trash." She said, as if she was his mother.

The passerby were staring at Orihime like she had broken out of a mental institute. "Who is she talking to...?" They whispered. Of course it was because most humans couldn't see souls. Either she didn't notice, or she didn't care. In fact, she didn't notice. She was thinking. Ulquiorra isn't as mean as he used to be. He's still mean... but not so much. I wonder if it had anything to do with "the heart" he was talking about before he died...

She led Ulquiorra into an alley way that turned to the left at the end. They walked down that and a little shack that had "Urahara Shop" written on a sign on the roof came into view.

"Simple name," He said as Orihime knocked on the door.

It swung open almost immediately, revealing a shady-looking man with a fan and a striped hat.

"Well hello there." He said, glancing at Ulquiorra. "And who may that be?"

"You know who I am," Ulquiorra stated bluntly, "We met by that crater, remember?"

Kisuke raised an eyebrow. "Oh, yes. I remember. Why are you chained to Orihime?"

"That's what we're here for," She answered. "May we come in?"

"Sure," He said, stepping aside. "Make yourselves at home."