Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ Redemption ll ❯ The Question ( Chapter 3 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
Orihime stared out her large windows at enormous white sand dunes when he entered with the lunch cart. “Your provisions, woman.” She didn’t reply and an awkward silence washed over them. “You will consume it.” Her eyes shifted to the side.
“Yes, of course.” The girl blankly answered and felt a bit uncomfortable when he didn’t push the subject and just left.
The Espada headed straight for his master, whom was entertaining the noblewoman in his lounge. “My lord,” he stood in the open doorway.
“Aw, what is it Ulquiorra?” The charismatic leader asked from his seat in an armchair at a small table with a Shogi game in progress.
“The woman is broken,” Kikyo’s head slightly turned but her eyes never left the board.
“What did you do to break her?” She asked, studying Aizen’s move. He was quiet but stood as he always did, lax and devoid of emotion.
“Perhaps you overlooked something.” Aizen smirked as she out maneuvered him.
“Perhaps, rather than coming here, you should have stayed with her.” He bowed slightly and left. “He’s so rigid, the other Espada do show some emotions, like amusement and anger but,” she took her turn.
“He’s blank.” Aizen finished for her.
Ulquiorra stood outside her door, staring at it before finally heading inside. She was where he had left her, and so was the food. He was about to say something when he noticed the teacup missing. The silence remained for a few seconds but it felt like minutes and finally he couldn’t take it, she had struck a nerve. “What is wrong with you?” The man plainly asked.
“I am human Ulquiorra-kun. I still have my heart,” she paused, there was nothing to her tone; she was speaking as emotionlessly as he did. “Even though it feels like I have a hole in my chest too.”
“I could give you one if that’s what you desire.”
“Maybe you already did.”
“I don’t understand you.”
“That’s alright,” she said softly, “please, go away.” She listened to the light tapping of his feet but then there was an odd sound, she turned and saw he had seated himself on her sofa. “Ulquiorra –”
“You say my name with warmth, with kindness and sincerity, almost from the start but it is not just me,” he didn’t look at her once and stared straight ahead, “you heal without prejudice, you follow too easily and freeze when you’re needed the most. How you are not dead yet…”
The shock sank from her face and she looked at the floor, “because there are always stronger people around me to save the day.” His eyes finally shift to her direction, “I am not necessary.”
He looked straight ahead again, “if that was fact, why would they have risked their lives to save you?”
The shock was momentous, it was blatantly clear on her face and in her body language. She stood frozen, grasping the cup tightly and staring at the white tiles. “Ulquiorra-kun…” His name came out softly and hesitatingly, she was clearly trembling.
Beginning to understand he may have made her worse, he spoke quickly, “Do you even know what you want anymore?” He paused, “Did you ever?”
Her eyes grew big, “I…” she shook more violently and clutched the cup even tighter.
“You could have left with them and yet, you ran away from him at the critical moment, did you see his face? He couldn’t understand you, none of them did and then you even told them to escape, all the while healing me in the process.”
“You were going to die and had they stayed they would have too.” Her voice cracked and she squeezed her eyes closed.
“So your choice was to prevent death? However, didn’t you think past that moment? By healing me, their enemy, you guaranteed we’d meet on the battlefield again. He will not change his orders to me.” She stood silently, with a frustrated expression, “you just acted on selfish feelings, is that all a human heart is good for? Even their actions were foolish, coming here just to save you,” He stood up and walked to her, “your heart just makes you foolish.” The little human slapped him again, but he wasn’t placid again and grabbed her wrist, sharply looking back at her. “To strike someone, whom you are thoroughly aware is much stronger than you is foolish.”
“But you’re forbidden to let me die, how threatening can you really be?”
He moved in on her painfully twisting her arm out of the way, “there are far worse things I could do to you than give you death.” She stared into his blank eyes with just sadness but her fear was apparent in her throat. “Besides, that rule is not permanent, you should react less on “feelings” and more on thoughts, and perhaps you’ll live longer.”
The Espada suddenly felt it, the heat of her body and the tingling of her flesh on his and quickly let go. She looked dazedly at his chest, “you think I don’t pay attention but I do and before you, I didn’t have much of a grasp…on anything.” She looked up at him, “I couldn’t let you die.”
There was no expression anywhere on his face or in his eyes, if what she said affected him, he hid it well. “I will die sooner or later.”
“And I chose to make it later. Ulquiorra-kun, I wish I could have known you when you were alive, we could have been friends.”
“That doesn’t matter,” he turned away and headed for the door, “What’s done is done.”
“But we can still be friends.” She smiled at him but it was filled with pain.
“You’re being foolish again.”
“How do you think he’s fairing?” Persian blue eyes met his dark sinister gaze.
“Poorly, would be my guess.” She looked back down at her flower arrangement. “He doesn’t understand feelings and that seems to be all she runs on.” The noblewoman repositioned some of the stolen flowers violently in her frustration, his hand suddenly covered one of hers, “careful now,” she looked up at him as he towered over her. “If that is the case, why try to pair them up? Opposites rarely work out.”
“I’m merely messing with destiny; you saw it there is already something between them.” Aizen ran his fingers along her hand, across her fingers to the long stem and elegantly slid it free.
“What if it is not romantic and it is merely an understanding?” She reached for the flower and he held it just out of reach.
“Who said anything about romance?”
“Yes, of course.” The girl blankly answered and felt a bit uncomfortable when he didn’t push the subject and just left.
The Espada headed straight for his master, whom was entertaining the noblewoman in his lounge. “My lord,” he stood in the open doorway.
“Aw, what is it Ulquiorra?” The charismatic leader asked from his seat in an armchair at a small table with a Shogi game in progress.
“The woman is broken,” Kikyo’s head slightly turned but her eyes never left the board.
“What did you do to break her?” She asked, studying Aizen’s move. He was quiet but stood as he always did, lax and devoid of emotion.
“Perhaps you overlooked something.” Aizen smirked as she out maneuvered him.
“Perhaps, rather than coming here, you should have stayed with her.” He bowed slightly and left. “He’s so rigid, the other Espada do show some emotions, like amusement and anger but,” she took her turn.
“He’s blank.” Aizen finished for her.
Ulquiorra stood outside her door, staring at it before finally heading inside. She was where he had left her, and so was the food. He was about to say something when he noticed the teacup missing. The silence remained for a few seconds but it felt like minutes and finally he couldn’t take it, she had struck a nerve. “What is wrong with you?” The man plainly asked.
“I am human Ulquiorra-kun. I still have my heart,” she paused, there was nothing to her tone; she was speaking as emotionlessly as he did. “Even though it feels like I have a hole in my chest too.”
“I could give you one if that’s what you desire.”
“Maybe you already did.”
“I don’t understand you.”
“That’s alright,” she said softly, “please, go away.” She listened to the light tapping of his feet but then there was an odd sound, she turned and saw he had seated himself on her sofa. “Ulquiorra –”
“You say my name with warmth, with kindness and sincerity, almost from the start but it is not just me,” he didn’t look at her once and stared straight ahead, “you heal without prejudice, you follow too easily and freeze when you’re needed the most. How you are not dead yet…”
The shock sank from her face and she looked at the floor, “because there are always stronger people around me to save the day.” His eyes finally shift to her direction, “I am not necessary.”
He looked straight ahead again, “if that was fact, why would they have risked their lives to save you?”
The shock was momentous, it was blatantly clear on her face and in her body language. She stood frozen, grasping the cup tightly and staring at the white tiles. “Ulquiorra-kun…” His name came out softly and hesitatingly, she was clearly trembling.
Beginning to understand he may have made her worse, he spoke quickly, “Do you even know what you want anymore?” He paused, “Did you ever?”
Her eyes grew big, “I…” she shook more violently and clutched the cup even tighter.
“You could have left with them and yet, you ran away from him at the critical moment, did you see his face? He couldn’t understand you, none of them did and then you even told them to escape, all the while healing me in the process.”
“You were going to die and had they stayed they would have too.” Her voice cracked and she squeezed her eyes closed.
“So your choice was to prevent death? However, didn’t you think past that moment? By healing me, their enemy, you guaranteed we’d meet on the battlefield again. He will not change his orders to me.” She stood silently, with a frustrated expression, “you just acted on selfish feelings, is that all a human heart is good for? Even their actions were foolish, coming here just to save you,” He stood up and walked to her, “your heart just makes you foolish.” The little human slapped him again, but he wasn’t placid again and grabbed her wrist, sharply looking back at her. “To strike someone, whom you are thoroughly aware is much stronger than you is foolish.”
“But you’re forbidden to let me die, how threatening can you really be?”
He moved in on her painfully twisting her arm out of the way, “there are far worse things I could do to you than give you death.” She stared into his blank eyes with just sadness but her fear was apparent in her throat. “Besides, that rule is not permanent, you should react less on “feelings” and more on thoughts, and perhaps you’ll live longer.”
The Espada suddenly felt it, the heat of her body and the tingling of her flesh on his and quickly let go. She looked dazedly at his chest, “you think I don’t pay attention but I do and before you, I didn’t have much of a grasp…on anything.” She looked up at him, “I couldn’t let you die.”
There was no expression anywhere on his face or in his eyes, if what she said affected him, he hid it well. “I will die sooner or later.”
“And I chose to make it later. Ulquiorra-kun, I wish I could have known you when you were alive, we could have been friends.”
“That doesn’t matter,” he turned away and headed for the door, “What’s done is done.”
“But we can still be friends.” She smiled at him but it was filled with pain.
“You’re being foolish again.”
“How do you think he’s fairing?” Persian blue eyes met his dark sinister gaze.
“Poorly, would be my guess.” She looked back down at her flower arrangement. “He doesn’t understand feelings and that seems to be all she runs on.” The noblewoman repositioned some of the stolen flowers violently in her frustration, his hand suddenly covered one of hers, “careful now,” she looked up at him as he towered over her. “If that is the case, why try to pair them up? Opposites rarely work out.”
“I’m merely messing with destiny; you saw it there is already something between them.” Aizen ran his fingers along her hand, across her fingers to the long stem and elegantly slid it free.
“What if it is not romantic and it is merely an understanding?” She reached for the flower and he held it just out of reach.
“Who said anything about romance?”