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Gave Up
Ulquiorra/Orihime
The First Oneshot of Four
By Renegade Raine
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Perfect little dream, the kind that hurts the most….
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The echo of two sets of footsteps could be heard inside the large building in Hueco Mundo. The first set echoed at a steady rhythm and the crisp sound was very easy to distinguish. The second set, however, were very erratic and didn't sound like footsteps at all as the girl dragged her feet and never moved her gaze from the ground. Down the long drab hallway the espada and the human girl walked until the sounds of their footsteps ceased as they approached a door. After a brief pause, the male unlocked the door and turned the gaze of his intense green colored eyes on the girl, who still eyed the ground.
"This is your room. You may go in and out of the room as you please, but it is advised that you do not do so without me accompanying you. However, we are able to track you, so any plans of escape that you may have in your mind are futile." he spoke in a voice that was just as devoid as the expression on his face.
"I understand, sir." she spoke in a broken voice. She slowly walked into the empty room, which was designed only by rug on the floor. As she approached the center of the room, she turned to look at the pale espada.
"Also, Aizen-sama wishes for you to change into those clothes, as he feels that your current attire does not suit this place." he said as he gestured toward the clothes on the bed in the room.
"Yes, sir." the girl said with a slight bow of her head.
"Very good. I shall take my leave then, but I will be back as I am assigned by Aizen-sama to look after you." he said as he turned to go out the door.
The girl sighed and sat on the bed as her orange tinted hair covered her face. She didn't like the idea of Ulquiorra coming back to see her, but she supposed she should be happy that the insane man whose arm she healed wasn't in charge of her instead. She grimaced as she tried to picture Grimmjaw in Ulquiorra's place. She then looked over at the clothes on the bed and picked up the white colored garments to get a better look at them. They were not her style at all. The design of the clothes looked even more elaborate than the clothes she had witnessed Ishida-kun create before. However, his designs seemed to suit her so much better than the formal clothes she was asked to put on. However, she had willingly gone to Hueco Mundo, otherwise she was sure her friends and many more would be hurt by Aizen and his Espada, or worse, killed. So she deducted that if she was asked to wear weird clothing, it was no big deal in light of her current situation. Breathing another sigh of discontent, she shut the door to her room before going back to put on her clothing.
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Meanwhile, Ulquiorra sat calmly at his spot at the long table as Aizen revealed that Uryuu Ishida, Yasutora Sado, and Ichigo Kurosaki, the three people infamous for invading Soul Society had now invaded Hueco Mundo. While most of the other Espada made a fuss about it in some way, shape, or form, Ulquiorra sat quietly with his usual lack of emotion. Even as Grimmjaw left to try to attack the three on his own, Ulquiorra only remarked in his mind how idiotic he was acting, especially in front of Aizen-sama. As expected though, Grimmjaw's insubordination was quickly grounded through Aizen's power through intimidation. Shortly afterwards, Aizen adjourned the meeting, but told Ulquiorra to stay behind. As his most obedient espada, Ulquiorra stayed in his seat as everyone else turned to leave. When everyone had vacated the premises, Aizen poured a cup of tea into a glass and looked at Ulquiorra with his smile that was somehow warm and devious at the same time.
"How is the girl faring?" Aizen asked him.
"She seemed a bit distraught over her situation, but I do not think she will try to escape." Ulquiorra stated.
"Good, it seems as though she's as smart as I expected her to be." Aizen said warmly as he finished pouring the tea. He then put the cup on a saucer and handed it over to Ulquiorra. "Why don't you bring this to Orihime? After all, it would be rude to not allow our guest the pleasure of tea, correct?"
"As you wish, Aizen-sama." Ulquiorra said as he carefully picked up the saucer and calmly walked outside the room. However, once he got out of the conference room, he was met with a most unpleasant surprise. Grimmjaw leaned against the wall that opposed the door to the room that Ulquiorra was just in.
"And what is it that you want?" Ulquiorra asked without emitting a single emotion on his face. Although if he were fully human, he would be at least a bit irritated. "Did Aizen-sama not punish you enough?"
"Pssh." Grimmjaw hissed with a roll of his eyes. "As if I'm scared by that asshole."
At that moment, Ulquiorra wanted to roll his eyes as well, as Grimmjaw had just previously cowered pretty quickly when Aizen showed just a tiny bit of his power. However, he still managed to keep a blank expression.
"So what is it that you want?" Normally, Ulquiorra would just ignored the cerulean haired espada, but even if Ulquiorra was bad at emitting expression, it didn't mean that he was bad at reading them. And he could tell by the scowl on Grimmjaw's face that he had some issue with Ulquiorra himself.
"So you're in charge of the girl, right?" Grimmjaw asked as he folded his arms.
"You mean Orihime Inoue?" Ulquiorra asked.
"No, I meant that arrancar whore you fucked clean dry before the meeting." Grimmjaw said dryly as he rolled his eyes before his sneer grew wider as he looked into the expressionless eyes of the espada across from him. "Of fuckin' course, I meant that broad!"
"Then yes, I am assigned to keep an eye on her. However, I don't see how this information pertains to you." Ulquiorra answered.
"Just remember that bitch is mine." Grimmjaw said with a serious expression. "If you, Aizen, or anyone else try to claim her, I'll fuckin' kill you or whoever else made the move."
"Keep in mind that this girl is to be used only for Aizen-sama and his ambition. If you-" Ulquiorra started, but got cut off by Grimmjaw.
"That doesn't mean jack shit to me." Grimmjaw said with a grunt. "Just fucking remember what I told you."
"I'll remember it. But seeing as my duty is to only look after her, I do not think that you are telling the right person about this. Perhaps you might try telling this to Aizen-sama?" Ulquiorra suggested and started to walk past Grimmjaw. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm supposed to deliver this tea to the girl, and I doubt she likes her tea cold."
Ulquiorra then ignored whatever else Grimmjaw muttered at him as he walked down the hallway to Orihime's room. Ulquiorra made a note to himself to especially keep an eye on him, as he wasn't sure what Grimmjaw would try to pull with that girl. And if his over the top obliteration of the now deceased, Luppi, was any indication, he did anything he damned pleased. Ulquiorra, however, set the thought aside as he approached the silhouette of the human girl.
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Forgot how it feels, well almost…
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Orihime sorrowfully attempted to look outside the high window of her room. She was sure it wasn't anymore exciting outside than it was inside the building, but she was desperate for some kind of stimulation. Or perhaps the more accurate term was some kind of stimulation that didn't involve the risk of running into one of the less than pleasant beings running around the building. Even if she was given permission to roam around, she heeded Ulquiorra's advice after witnessing Luppi's unfriendly banter with her and later Grimmjaw's insane laughter after she had healed his arm, and he in turn used that arm to ram it into Luppi's stomach and then completely vaporized his top half in perhaps the biggest display of power Orihime had ever seen.
Ulquiorra didn't seem as bad to her as the other two espada did, but she could still tell that he was by far the most loyal to Aizen, and therefore was the being to fear the most, aside from Aizen himself. Speaking of Aizen, she was curious as to what exactly he had wanted from her. However, she had the feeling whatever deed it was would not benefit her friends or any one else in the world, which was the only way she wanted to use her power in the first place. If it indeed were bad, she would have to find a way around it. For now though, she had to obey every command that was given to her, as she feared for the safety of her friends, especially Kurosaki-kun in his current state, even if she had almost completely healed him before she left for Hueco Mundo.
As she thought about Ichigo, she smiled and slightly blushed as she remembered the night she had entered his room. He in his injured state was sleeping, but she was glad that she finally had confessed her feelings for him, even if he could not hear a single word she said. However, the only thing that depressed her even a single bit was that in the back of her mind, she somehow knew it would be the last and only time she would ever see his room. Breathing a sigh, she put a hand to her heart as she thought about all of her friends.
"Buddha, God, Shiva, Jesus, Thor, Zeus, Ra, Muhammad, Easter Bunny…I'm not sure which of you is the real god…but please…keep Tatsuki, Sado-kun, Ishida-kun, Rukia-san, Kurosaki-kun and everyone safe, since I can't right now." Orihime said quietly.
"Surprisingly, it looks good on you." Orihime heard a distinctively emotionless voice say from the back of the room. Startled, she turned around.
"Wah! Wh-when did you get here?!" Orihime exclaimed. If Ulquiorra had heard what she had just said, she was sure she would not like the result.
"Just now. Please cease your idle banter." Ulquiorra answered. "There is news. Your friends have invaded Hueco Mundo."
Orihime's heart skipped a beat. On one hand, she was happy that they cared enough to go after her. On the other, she was petrified for the sake of their lives. She had seen all of her friends fight, and she had seen just a sample of the powers the Espada held. Her friends stood no chance.
"…why?" Orihime said mostly to herself, although it was audible enough for Ulquiorra to hear.
"To rescue you." Ulquiorra answered. "To them, no other reason is necessary."
"…in order…to rescue me." Orihime said to herself, louder than she meant to. Oh, what was she going to do? She only hindered everyone when she was, and now that they were intending to rescue her, they could quite possibly get killed!
"Correct." Ulquiorra stated. "However, as of now, that should mean nothing to you. We already own both your body and soul. That you're wearing what you are solidifies that fact, Orihime Inoue."
"Yes sir." Orihime muttered. To save her friends, she would have to be obedient as she possibly could.
"Say it." Ulquiorra demanded. "Your body and soul…just what purpose do they have now?"
"Yes sir." Orihime answered, regretting the next few words to come out of her mouth. "Their only purpose is for Aizen-sama and his ambition."
"Good." Ulquiorra responded. "Now master Aizen has been kind enough to send this tea over to you, so if you wish to partake, feel free. However, I must take care of other things right now, so I have to take my leave."
As promised, after he set the tea on the ground, Ulquiorra then left the room. As soon as she heard the door close, Orihime fell to her knees on the ground. Why did her friends have to come after her? She had left to keep them safe, but once again she put them in danger again. But she would not let them die. She would think of a way to save them…somehow. However, she did not know how at that moment. As she eyed the tea though, she promised herself and every one of her friends that this time, she would not be a burden.
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No one to blame, always the same…
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As Ulquiorra left the room, he looked back on Orihime's expression when he had forced her to state her loyalty to Aizen. He had heard her whisper her prayer or whatnot about her so-called friends, so he figured he would make sure the girl's mind was in the right place. However, he noted that her brows didn't even flinch when he had asked her questions. As he had continued down the hallway, he remarked that she was a firm minded woman. But then he started to question whether it was right or not to force that girl, Orihime, to their side using the tactic they had employed. He quickly erased the doubt from his mind though as he scolded himself for briefly going against the words of his creator and master, Aizen. No sooner than he had dismissed his thoughts though, he heard someone behind him.
"Yo." A crude and bold statement like that could only come from two people in the building. One was Grimmjaw…
"So how was she doing, that pet-sama?" the voice continued. However, the lack of anger and the surplus of cockiness in the voice narrowed it down to the only other person.
"Noitora." Ulquiorra simply stated as he turned around.
"I know what you're up to." He said in a somewhat singsong voice. "You've been ordered by Aizen-sama to look after that woman, right? I'm so envious."
Ulquiorra simply stared at the fellow Espada waiting for his next comment. Narrowing the eye not covered by an eye patch, Noitora gave him a sinister grin.
"So…how much did you 'teach' her?" Noitora said in a lowered voice. To that, Ulquiorra gave him a long, expressionless glare before turning around the other way.
"…Disgusting." Ulquiorra said as he continued walking. He did not get far at all though, as in a flash, Noitora appeared in front of him and slammed a hand against the wall to prevent Ulquiorra from moving any further. With a grin, Noitora looked down at the considerably smaller espada.
"Don't get so pissed off." Noitora cooed as his long hair fell down across his shoulders looking down. "I'm just asking if you did a good job. No?"
"You are curious?" Ulquiorra asked. "How very small minded of you."
"What did you say?" Noitora asked as his eye narrowed.
Ulquiorra then went on to explain how Aizen had set up the plan to get Orihime to willingly go to Hueco Mundo and how it psychologically trapped her to Aizen. As Ulquiorra finished explaining, Noitora grinned yet again.
"What a nice thought out plan as expected from Aizen, should I say?" Noitora said mockingly.
"What a nice thought out plan, you say?" Ulquiorra asked. "For Aizen, this is just a game. If it succeeds, good. If it doesn't, just as well. Regardless, that woman holds no power for running away from this place. The will to fight back nor the strength for it."
"Sounds like you think you know your stuff." Noitora noted as he narrowed his eye again. "But I wouldn't be so sure if I were you."
"And why is that, may I ask?" Ulquiorra asked, as even he was starting to get annoyed.
"Didn't Aizen-sama say these humans were unpredictable?" Noitora stated. "You might think you have that woman pinned down, but I bet she's conspiring against all of us as we speak."
"If you think you have a better idea on how to handle the girl, perhaps you should ask Aizen for the job." Ulquiorra told him as he finally walked away. Noitora only stood watching him walk away. When he was sure Ulquiorra was out of earshot, he allowed a wide, devious grin to cover his face.
"Perhaps I will."
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Open my eyes…wake up in flames…
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Orihime sat on the couch in her room as she went over the events in her earlier meeting with Aizen. He had showed her a device, which he called the "Hougyoku" and explained that he would need her power to reactivate it, as it was the tool he used to create arrancars from hollows. She did not believe that he had showed her the Hougyoku because he trusted her, but she at least now knew where he kept the device. After a bit more thought, she finally knew that she had to use her powers to return the Hougyoku to a state before it existed. However, it would require a lot more thought and patience.
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Ulquiorra stood in front of Aizen, as he was summoned for a routine meeting. Calmly, Ulquiorra looked at the back of Aizen's large white chair. Finally, after a few moments, Aizen turned around. At the sight of his most loyal subject, Aizen smiled as he rested his check against a hand.
"You're doing a very good job with Orihime." Aizen commented. "She hasn't shown even the smallest sign of going against me. I knew you would excel at your task."
Ulquiorra was immune to the effects of compliments, so he merely just stood in his usual emotionless stage, waiting for Aizen to continue.
"Noitora has voiced an interest of looking after the girl, but due to your results, I denied him that request." Aizen noted.
"That was a wise decision." Ulquiorra said, remembering the time when the sole female in the Espada was officially put into their ranks. Noitora had constantly hit on her, but she just merely shrugged him off. But when he had grown more aggressive with his flirting and had shoved her into a corner and attempted to grope one of her ample breasts, she had swiftly used her sword on him. The next day, he donned an eye patch.
"That's what I believe as well." Aizen agreed. "So are there any questions you would like to ask me?"
"No." Ulquiorra stated, although he did have one in mind.
"Even if you are the best at masking your emotions, I can still tell you have something in mind." Aizen said with a raise of a brow.
"My apologies, Aizen-sama." Ulquiorra said. Guess there was no escaping this one. "I was just merely curious as to what purpose you hope to achieve with the girl."
"I thought I had told you already?" Aizen said with a tilt of his head. "I want her to reactivate the Hougyoku, so that I may continue to give former Hollows, such as you, a second chance to live as arrancars. And if they are as talented as you, as an Espada. As I have answered your question, you may now leave to check on the girl."
"Yes, Aizen-sama." Ulquiorra said with a bow of his head before leaving the room. As he left the room though, Ulquiorra thought hard about what had just conspired. Even if Aizen had answered the question, something just didn't add up to Ulquiorra. It seemed to him as he had another purpose. And for the first time in his life as an arrancar, he realized that he could not fully trust Aizen.
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It took you to make me realize…
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As Ulquiorra entered Orihime's room, the girl's expression immediately turned into a more panicked one. Ulquiorra ignored her mannerisms, as he was momentarily distracted by his thoughts before he entered the room. Orihime noticed that the normally attentive espada was acting a little unusual with a furrow of her brow.
"Is something wrong?"" Orihime asked.
"What use did Aizen-sama say he had of you?" Ulquiorra asked.
"Uh…he said something about reactivating some Hougyoku so that he may be able to turn more hollows into arrancars, I think…" Orihime responded. Although it did not show on his face, Ulquiorra realized something was not right. Aizen had told Orihime nearly the same thing as he had told Ulquiorra himself. Obviously, Aizen had another hidden motive and whatever it was, he did not want Ulquiorra to know what that was. What was going on that Aizen couldn't even tell his most "trusted" espada? Ulquiorra could tell that the girl was getting very curious at his peculiar behavior, so he blanked his expression again.
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It took you to make me see the light…
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"Do you wish to go for a walk?" Ulquiorra asked. Orihime's gray eyes widened in terror a little at the question.
"No, not really." Orihime responded, fearing running into another espada.
"Do not worry. I'll escort you, and seeing my position, no other arrancar or espada will try to mess with you."
"Well…okay. If you insist." Orihime said hesitantly. Silently, Ulquiorra walked outside the door and when he didn't hear the drag of Orihime's feet behind him, he turned his head to look at the stationary form of Orihime. Even if Ulquiorra's face was never readable, Orihime could tell he was giving her an impatient look, so she quickly paced behind him.
After the two had gone some way down the long hall, Orihime noticed that she could not even detect the reiatsu of any arrancar anywhere near the area they were at. Giving Ulquiorra a curious look, she dragged her feet a little slower as she feared the intentions of taking her to a secluded place. Obviously Ulquiorra was not the type to make any advances toward her, but what if he had been ordered to kill her because of her friends invading Hueco Mundo?
"Wh-where are we going?" Orihime finally squeaked out.
"We need to talk." Ulquiorra said in a calm voice, which greatly contrasted from the girl's.
"What about?" Orihime asked, trying to hide her fear.
"This should be far enough." Ulquiorra said more to himself and then turned to Orihime. "First of all, did Aizen show you the Hougyoku?"
"Um…yes." Orihime answered, temporarily distracted by Ulquiorra not referring to Aizen with the sama honorific. With that answer, Ulquiorra now knew there was something very suspicious about his master's intentions with the girl. Even if the girl, Orihime Inoue, had joined willingly, surely his master knew there was still a good chance that she would try to destroy the Hougyoku? But if he showed her the location of it, what was he trying to pull? Ulquiorra could only conclude that perhaps Aizen was TRYING to get the girl to destroy it. But why?
"You do know that you should not even think of destroying it, correct?" Ulquiorra stated.
"Of course! I wouldn't even think of it!" Orihime exclaimed.
"Don't bother lying to me." Ulquiorra said. Orihime bit her lip in fear, as she was sure she was going to die then and there. "Aizen is planning something more sinister than you can imagine."
"I'm sorry!" Orihime said on the brink of tears. "I didn't mean any offense! Just please don't hurt my friends!"
"Whatever Aizen plan is, he doesn't want either of us to know what it is." Ulquiorra continued. Shocked, Orihime wiped the tears that were starting to form and looked up at the pale face of Ulquiorra. "Until I find out what that plan is, you must not make any decisions with haste. Somehow we're both pawns in Aizen's game, and if we make any wrong move, we're both dead."
"I…I understand." Orihime muttered.
"Do not speak of our conversation to anyone and keep any thoughts of yours in your head. Learn to control your facial expressions as well." Ulquiorra told her. Orihime nodded and Ulquiorra turned to go back in the direction they come from. "If we're gone for any longer, we'll look suspicious. We must go back."
"O-okay." Orihime replied. As Ulquiorra's footsteps echoed down the long hallway, the footsteps behind him were no longer distinguishable, as they now closely resembled the first set of footsteps. Orihime did not know what exactly was going on, or if she could trust Ulquiorra, but she felt confident that she now at least had one person on her side.
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Smashed up my sanity…
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As soon as the two returned to Orihime's room, Ulquiorra was a bit taken back at the sight of Aizen waiting for them in her room. Even if Ulquiorra kept a calm exterior, inside his mind, he was going through paranoia. Did Aizen know what he was up to? If he did, never mind the fact that Ulquiorra would be removed from the ranks of the espada, Aizen for sure would have him obliterated by the extermination squad.
"Did you two have a nice walk?" Aizen asked pleasantly.
"I was giving her a tour, so that she may move more effectively if you wish her to do more tasks for you." Ulquiorra stated.
"Well, that was very thoughtful of you." Aizen responded. "And did you enjoy your tour, Orihime?"
"Yes sir." She replied.
"Good, so I assume you have nothing else to do, Ulquiorra?" Aizen asked.
"Not unless you have an assignment for me." Ulquiorra responded.
"Actually, I do." Aizen said, with his smile turning more devious. "All of my other espada are busy on little errands I assigned for them, however I only trust you with this job. Despite the heavy protection I put around this building, it seems as though the one called Yasutora Sado has managed to get through and is getting dangerously close to our location. Eliminate him at all costs."
"Yes, Aizen-sama." Ulquiorra said with a bow of his head. Orihime's eyes widened in fear for her friend, but she did not say anything, as she feared she would worsen the situation. Before Ulquiorra left the room though, he gave Orihime a glance. And even if she still could not read his expression, she was somehow sure that she had nothing to fear.
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Smashed up my integrity…
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As Ulquiorra advanced closer to the towering form of Yasutora Sado, who was otherwise known as Chad to that girl, he could already tell that he was greatly weakened by the previous fights he had to go through to get to this point. As Chad set his gaze on the green-eyed espada, he positioned his hands for combat. However, Ulquiorra could tell that any reiatsu he had was drained at the moment. Seeing the opportunity, Ulquiorra struck him in lightning fast speed. As Chad fell to the ground, Ulquiorra slowly advanced toward him. After making sure the coast was clear, Ulquiorra leaned down to speak in a very low voice.
"Although that attack will greatly injure you, you will not be killed. When you cannot detect any other reiatsu in the area, flee back to your friends, and bring back more allies to your cause. I do not know what Aizen is planning, but it is not good for anyone. However, as long as I'm around, I will not let anything happen to the girl."
Knowing that the man had heard everything, Ulquiorra turned around and made his way to the conference room to report to Aizen.
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Smashed up what I believed in…
Smashed up what's left of me…
Smashed up my everything…
Gonna smash myself to pieces…
I don't know what else to do.
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Standing behind the large white chair with his hands folded behind his back, Ulquiorra waited for Aizen's reaction to his report of him disposing of Yasutora Sado. Finally, Aizen turned around to look at him.
"So you say you disposed of that man?" Aizen asked.
"Yes, I hit a vital point. There's no way he could have survived." Ulquiorra answered.
"I see." Aizen said. "Then could you tell me exactly why Tousen sensed him joining his friends outside the building?"
Ulquiorra's eyes widened at the shock of Aizen already knowing that Chad had managed to escape. He had hoped for an hour, at least. He was thankful, however, that his shock actually managed to benefit him.
"There's no way he could have survived that." Ulquiorra said in the most shocked tone he could muster, which didn't sound very shocked at all.
"We all make mistakes." Aizen said. "Even if this was a rather big mistake, I'll give you the chance to make this up."
Aizen then stood up at walked over to a device, which opened as he hovered his hand over it. He then took an orb shaped object and handed it over to Ulquiorra.
"Take this to the girl and have her reactivate it. After that, be sure you take it back to me. This will show me just how much I can trust you."
"I understand, Aizen-sama." Ulquiorra stated. Now he was put into a really tight spot. Should he have her activate it and deal with the possible consequences or have her destroy it and risk greater consequence? As he made his way to Orihime's room, he deducted that there was only one thing he could do, even if it had a low chance of succeeding.
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Covered in hope and Vaseline...
Still cannot fix this broken machine.
Watching this hole, it used to be mine.
Just watching it burn in my steady, systematic decline.
Of the trust, I will betray.
Give it to me, I'll throw it away.
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Ulquiorra quickly entered Orihime's room, startling her. But when she saw the orb in Ulquiorra's hand, her mouth fell open.
"Ulquiorra, what are you thinking?!" Orihime said in a lowered voice.
"Aizen asked me to have you reactivate this." Ulquiorra simply stated.
"But what will happen if I do?" Orihime asked.
"I do not know." Ulquiorra responded.
"Then what will happen if I destroy it?" Orihime asked.
"I do not know." Ulquiorra repeated.
"Then what should I do?" Orihime asked in a panicked voice.
"There's only one thing we can do." Ulquiorra answered. "If we do not do anything to the orb, then nothing bad can happen out of it, correct?"
"I suppose so." Orihime responded, thinking hard about it. "But what will Aizen do if we don't do anything?"
"That's where our problem lies." Ulquiorra affirmed. "And the only solution we have to that problem is to escape."
"What?!" Orihime exclaimed.
"And we must run now, while no one with a high level of reiatsu is in our path." Ulquiorra said as he moved back out the door and looked out. Orihime followed closely behind. "Go. I'll go behind you to make sure you are not taken."
"Okay, here I go!" Orihime said as she started running outside the door.
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After everything I've done, I hate myself for what I've become…
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As the two ran without hesitation down the hallway, they were met with only weak opposition. As Orihime ran though, Ulquiorra managed to take care of their obstacles with the greatest of ease. Eventually, the two saw the light of the door to the outside, and he heard Orihime breathe out of relief.
That moment however was short lived as in a flash, Aizen appeared with the entire group of his extermination squad. Without a single hint of fear in his face, Ulquiorra gripped his sword and faced the opposition that drastically outnumbered him and the girl.
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I tried…
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However, before Ulquiorra could get even one moved in, he sensed a reiatsu appear from behind him at a blindingly quick speed. Ulquiorra managed to turn quick enough to gaze into a familiar white eye patch before both of his arms were ripped off as if they were paper.
"I suppose if I told you to give yourself a hand, everyone would groan." Noitora said with a grin as he dangled the arms in front of Ulquiorra, before throwing them aside. Despite being in grave physical pain, Ulquiorra still managed to make no expression on his face as he rolled his eyes.
"Out of everyone that has betrayed me…" Aizen said from behind. "…you are the person that has disappointed me the most. You had so much potential, but you wasted it all on that girl."
Orihime tried to go over to Ulquiorra to heal him, but several extermination members held her back. Instead, she screamed his name as she struggled to get free.
"I gave you the fake Hougyoku, as I figured you would try to pull a move like that. I had hoped it wasn't true, but Noitora brought it to my attention that you may be getting a little attached to that girl." Aizen explained. "It disappoints me to do this, but I'm going to have to get rid of you."
"No!" Orihime yelled. "This isn't his fault!"
"But before you die, allow me to give you a glimpse of the real Hougyoku, as I believe that deep down, you supported my dream." Aizen dug inside his white coat and pulled out an orb. Instantly, Ulquiorra was able to detect the dormant power emanating from it. "I didn't even show the real one to Orihime, so you should feel honored to see it now."
As if on cue, several members of the extermination squad surrounded Ulquiorra in a circle. The others continued to restrain Orihime as tears went down her face.
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I gave up.
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Instantly, the pieces of the puzzle all lined up in Ulquiorra's head. He knew exactly what Aizen wanted the girl to think, and this very moment was a plan in his game. However, as the extermination squad prepared their attack, he would not have time to warn the girl. He turned his gaze up from the ground and looked directly at Orihime, whose eyes were red from tears.
"Orihime Inoue." He stated.
"What is it?" Orihime asked, momentarily stopping her tears.
"I'm sorry." He simply declared. Moments later, the room was filled with a huge light as the extermination squad unleashed their fatal attack. When the light faded, the only trace of Ulquiorra that was left in the room were ashes.
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Throw it away.
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The extermination members finally released their hold on Orihime, as she fell to the ground, sobbing. Once again, she was responsible for the death of someone trying to help her. Aizen looked down at her with a look that almost resembled pity, before he looked back up at Noitora.
"Noitora." Aizen called out.
"Yes, Aizen-sama?" Noitora asked.
"Would you please escort Orihime back to her room?" Aizen requested.
"With pleasure." Noitora responded with a big grin. He then looked down at the broken form of Orihime. He knew it would be useless to ask her to get up, so he picked her up and put her under one of his arms. "Shall we go…pet-sama?
All that could be heard down the hall was a single set of cocky steps, along with the wailing of the girl named Orihime.
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Author's Notes
This oneshot…it turned out a WHOLE lot longer than I expected it to. XD
However, this is only the first part of four that I plan on writing for this particular story. I'm sure you can guess the pairing in the next part, as I made it fairly obvious. The next part will probably make all of you hate me, but it'll be different…that's for sure.
The song I used in this oneshot chapter is "Gave Up" by Nine Inch Nails, the best band in existence right now.
This will probably be my least favorite of the four parts, and I know this is far from perfect, but if ya got constructive criticism, let me have it. :D
On a side note, Ulquiorra is a REALLY fun character to write.