Her face burned where Aizen had touched her.  She wished she could rub at the spot until there was nothing left, but she held her hands still at her side.  Not even her powers could erase the taint.

What have I done?

She had been played for a fool.  It would have been better to allow Ulquiorra to kill her back then rather than allow ( Read more... )

Invisible chains tightened around the trapped espada, threatening to squeeze him out of existence altogether.  And they would have too, had it not been for the pressure of reiatsu he used against them.  It was a struggle he would not lose, for the power of the caja negacion could not trap him forever.  Soon, the little cube would be used up, ( Read more... )

Ulquiorra slowly unfolded a new jacket, discarding the torn and burnt remains of his previous one.  He slid one arm into a fresh sleeve, followed by the other, and shrugged the material over his shoulders.  Locating the zipper, he moved it up, stopping just before it would conceal his hollow hole.  He felt calmer now, as if the change in clothes ( Read more... )

Orihime frantically pounded on her door, desperately calling out for anyone.  The images of an impaled Rukia and a screaming round thing on the ground that had just passed over her mind seemed too real to be a dream.  And even worse was the fact that she had lost the feeling of Rukia’s reiatsu.

But, no matter how hard she pounded or how loudly ( Read more... )

Ulquiorra had never felt so tense before, and no matter what he did, he couldn’t shake the feeling.  As he wandered the halls, the espada noticed his senses seemed sharper than usual.  His heart rate was abnormally fast as well, and it puzzled him.  It was as if…as if he was prepared for battle.

He stopped suddenly as he realized where he was: ( Read more... )

When he had entered her room again, she seemed so different, as if she was trying to cling to the world she had left, but now she was forced to exist in his and was stretched so thin between the two.  Her eyes, when she looked up at him with that helpless expression, seemed to hold more darkness below them.

He didn’t like this appearance.  ( Read more... )

All was quiet in the white room holding the captive princess.

“Nrrrrrrrrrg."

Or at least it had been, until her stomach realized how empty it was and voiced its disapproval quite audibly.

“Oh, quiet you,” she told it, giving it a good punch to be sure.  It didn’t really take away her hunger, but it made her feel more in control at the ( Read more... )

Ulquiorra had been, he had to admit, surprised by his visit with the human woman.  It seemed to be a recurring theme, that he underestimated her strength.  And here, once again, she had risen to his challenge.  She hadn’t wanted to say it, but she had with clear eyes and voice.  Not many could have done the same.

Such a strong woman…

To even ( Read more... )

Orihime thought her room, though very generous in size, was very boring.  There were no colors!  Just white, lots of it, and a little black (the shadows), followed by more white.  Picking at the sleeves of her new white dress, Orihime had to admit it all matched very well.

“Ohhh!  I bet I could just blend in here with the wall!  Or the floor…and ( Read more... )

They had been walking for some time now, and the girl had been quiet all the way. Ulquiorra was glad for it, though he knew she was crying by the sniffling noises she made now and again. Mentally, he sighed. He had no experience dealing with things of this matter, nor did he wish to acquire it. In fact, he had to keep himself from saying ( Read more... )