Ulquiorra's interest in Sakura deepens; Aizen closes in on our cherry blossom!

I'll let some of Aizen's dark side show itself… Truly, Sakura's presence brings out the worst in him. She'll be creeped out alright!

Even though Sakura denies she's attracted to that finesse and cunning hunk of man meat…

Recently, I've started to think, what does Mayuri's real face and body look like underneath those robes and make-up?

I googled it and…

Wow…

Just wow…. He is HOT! Looks a bit like Urahara-kun…

If you feel enlightened/bored, Google 'Mayuri's real face'

Trust me… it's worth it.

Sorry for the wait…

Thank you Blackfirelight!

I might write a 'Sakura's 16th B'Day Special!' Side story later…

Now, THANK YOU to all who reviewed and/or added me to their favorites, alerts, etc. My heart goes out to you…

We shall she Sakura's response to the every cunning, hand-some, god-in-the-making Aizen-sama!

As promised… chapter Three! 'The Lion's Den'

Making Our Own Heaven

Rating: T

Date Published/Updated/Started: 17th March, 2010. 22nd March, 2010.

Pairings: Sakura X Ulquiorra

Synopsis: And deep inside her, a voice told her that this hell hole was no Heaven. She had been given no other choice. So Sakura chose to escape. SakuraXUlquiorra.

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'As memory may be a paradise from which we cannot be driven,
it may also be a hell from which we cannot escape.'

-John Lancaster Spalding

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'Ugh.'

Haruno Sakura woke-up with a start. 'Oww… stupid alcohol. It's just like the time I went out with Team Kakashi to celebrate my 16th birthday…damn hang overs!'

'We're not in Konoha anymore Sakura-chan!'

'Gah! Inner! Don't scare me like! You know how I get so-'

And finally, she noticed her surroundings; a white ceiling, white walls, white bed and white bed-sheets. It was just like being in a hospital except... where were the doctors and nurses? Naruto would usually be knocking loudly on her door to get in or already in her room, smiling that hand-some, bright smile that managed to calm her…

The last 72 hours flashed passed by her in blur, and she was barely able to catch small tid-bits of information. She tried, vainly, to remember where she was, how she got here, and when…

'Ulquiorra, he said that his name was Ulquiorra.' She recalled something about Las Noches; was that where she was right now? All this white… Kami, it was like being in a hospital!

'Who's… whose room?' She surreptitiously took a sniff at the bed sheets clutched in her hands, and a masculine, minty smell invigorated her. 'Wow, it seems as though whoever this room belongs to smells pretty nice…' she thought dazedly and inhaled more of the heavenly scent.

"I would prefer it if you didn't inhale poor Ulquiorra's bed-sheets, my dear. He does like to keep his bed-sheets smelling nice and minty, as you can clearly smell right now." A deep, masculine voice spoke from the other side of the room.

Ducking her head sheepishly, she tried to rein in the blush spreading across her face. 'He did smell quite nice… when he was holding me. He is pretty handsome now that you mention it…'

'More like a freaking hot machine! Did you see those emerald green eyes and that dark, messy hair? And his voice is so sexy…'

Sakura started blushing even more at Inners comment on Ulquiorra, until a deep ahem startled her out of her thoughts.

"Hello my dear. Welcome to Las Noches, my kingdom. And I am its King... Aizen Sosuke. I believe you are Haruno Sakura, yes?"

Sakura took a good look at the man in front of her…he was handsome, to say the least. He was tall, with brown hair and brown eyes tinted with crimson. He had nearly all of his hair slicked back (was it natural like Kakashi sensei's and Naruto's or does he use hair gel?) except for a single strand, which hung over his face.

Sakura was sure that all of the females in Las Noches- if there were any in this place- must be dying to be in her position. He carried himself with an aura of power and his mere presence screamed authority; his soft footsteps resonated in the almost empty white room.

Aizen's brown eyes glinted with a sliver of curiosity and amusement; but there was something else too, something which screamed 'dangerous!' His eyes held an undercurrent of hostility and greed.

Aizen was dressed in a black Shihakusho with a form fitting white coat over it. He was smirking contently, an action which matched the hidden hostility in his eyes. She was a kunoichi; she had to know how to read people like a book. 'Thank-you Ino-pig, for giving me an overview on psychology!'

'Inner? Are you there? I need to talk to you!'

Her Inner didn't respond. This was bad. Aizen was still smiling. 'Kill me now.'

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Ulquiorra Schiffer was deep in thought.

Why, you ask, is it so strange for Ulquiorra to be in deep thought? Isn't he so angsty and broody 99.9% of the time that he only bothers to follow Aizen-sama's orders or call hollows and/or nearly all humans?

The words 'trash', 'insect' and 'insignificant' were thrown around a lot in the world of Hueco Mundo and hollows. This was because most Arrancars had either severe superiority issues (on the other side of Las Noches Baraggan Luisenbarn sneezed) or they just liked to think they were strong, whereas in most fights they would be K.O'Ed in under one minute.

Anyways, Ulquiorra Schiffer was brood-er… in deep thought. His thoughts were on a certain pink-haired hollow. No! Not anything romantic but rather thoughts like 'she seems to be quite a formidable opponent' and 'I wonder what Aizen-sama wants with her, perhaps he is going to recruit her as an Arrancar?'

He was informed strictly by Aizen-sama (even though Aizen still held that ever-present smirk) that he, under no condition, were to tell any of the other Arrancar about Sakura, and the powers she held within; they might eat her.

It was not to say that he was very interested with how 'Sakura' would adapt to hollow life. He hypothesized that she would probably be one of the Numeros, as being an Espada was out of her reach; it was not that she wasn't powerful enough, there weren't any positions open.

The idea of a Cero Espada amused him. Surely, such a thing was not possible; it was true that the woman had far more potential than any of the other Arrancar (perhaps she would awaken Resurrección Segunda Etapa); though he was the only one he knew that could awaken Resurrección Segunda Etapa.

He could've have been the Primera Espada but he chose not to; it would bring to much attention to himself, which meant more hollows fighting for his position. He was content as being the Cuatro Espada.

'Cero Espada…' It sounded like an impossible dream to him.

Which was exactly why he was shocked yet pleased when he found out Sakura's ranking…

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He had her cornered.

She was awake, that was one thing for sure, she grasped her head as if waking up with a hangover; she was such a tiny thing, her head covered with smooth pink locks slightly mussed from her fitful sleep. Half of a hollow's mask covered her face; it revealed startlingly green eyes (they looked like Ulquiorra's), pale skin and soft, and plump pink lips.

Aizen felt an urge to run his fingers over her lips, to feel their softness… he restrained himself. He was a god after all; temptation was something he would only be able to indulge in once his goals were complete.

He watched her blink wearily, trying to remember where she was, and what she was doing there; a flash of recognition showed itself in her eyes. And then she did the unexpected.

She took a sniff at the bed-sheets, almost inhaling its scent! Truly, she was a remarkable creature…it seemed as though she liked the smell of Ulquiorra…

"I would prefer it if you didn't inhale poor Ulquiorra's bed-sheets, my dear. He does like to keep his bed-sheets smelling nice and minty, as you can clearly smell right now."

His voice resonated across the room, startling Sakura and causing her to hide her flaming face in the bed-sheets. She retreated even further into the bed-sheets when she analyzed his words; a flash of irritation passed through him, and, as fleeting as it was, it spurred him into action.

"Ahem,"

That caught her attention. He smiled (smirked) widely and spoke, "Hello my dear. Welcome to Las Noches, my kingdom. And I am its King... Aizen Sosuke. I believe you are Haruno Sakura, yes?"

She tensed and raked her eyes over his body, taking in his wide smirk and genial brown eyes. She stiffened when she met his eyes, and, if it was even possible, he smiled even further.

She had unearthed his true character; as nonchalant as she tried to appear he knew that she was truly unnerved. "You have met Ulquiorra?" He asked her, and she nodded in response.

"As he mentioned earlier, I am interested in your powers. Why? Well, simply because I have never heard of or met a hollow who is able to connect with their Zanpakutou spirit in early stages of hollowfication. Who am I to deny the scientist in me? I am intrigued, and once I find interest in something, I don't let go of it easily."

He let some of his darker side free, manifesting it in a somewhat sinister leer. He could see Sakura's instincts warring with her as she stiffened and growled softly. Her hands, which were previously bunched up in Ulquiorra's bed sheets loosened and curled into fists.

"No need to get hostile, Sakura."

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Sakura was on edge.

After nearly attacking him he just assumed his 'calm and controlled' aura and asked, ordered her to come with him to see his other subordinates. And, he told her, if she wanted, she could also be turned into an Arrancar; she would have a human form! Yes! No more itchy mask!

Although his words after had made her uneasy.

"You will be underneath me in rank, and even though you will be in a higher rank than others you will not disobey me. Power comes at a price, and this particular power requires you to abide by my wishes. A single toe out of line and you will punished. You will be given your own room and clothes."

He had put extra emphasis on punishment, and she had blushed when he had said that. What kind of punishment, she wondered, will he punish me himself? She blushed even deeper at that.

'Power comes at a price…' he had said. 'I know that better than anyone," she thought bitterly, and almost crashed into the back of a female servant who had been escorting her to her room when the servant had stopped abruptly.

"This will be your room Sakura-sama." The female Arrancar intoned quietly. "Call me Sakura." Sakura said, feeling unused to the suffix. "Your clothes are provided within. Aizen-sama wishes for you to get clean. When you are finished, you will be escorted to the meeting room. The servant bowed then left Sakura to her thoughts.

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Her room was big.

In the middle of the room was a large bed, enough to fit 10 people, and on it rest her clothes; the sash of it was a deep maroon-ish pink. She decided to worry about the clothes later; she was only going to concentrate on the room for now. The room was mostly empty and, surprise surprise, full of white. The only splotches of color were the bed-sheets, a deep cerulean blue that reminded her of Naruto's eyes.

To her right was the door to what she assumed was the bathroom, and once she entered through it she was surprised at the sheer vastness of it. There was a Jacuzzi tub, a wide shower with numerous showerhead nozzles, a pristine white sink with a mirror and a number of cupboards. Inside the cupboards were essential hygiene care products. It was all white.

There was a line of cerulean bath towels piled inside one cupboard and she started to strip herself out of the blood stained clothes that she had arrived in. Once naked, she wrapped the towel aroind her mid-section and proceeded to turn on the shower, cold water knob first.

She tested the water, and when it was warm enough she tossed the towel on a nearby towel rack (that mistake would soon haunt her) and proceeded to jump into the shower.

'Aah… this is nice…'

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Ulquiorra had been asked to go check on Sakura by Aizen-sama.

He didn't know why Aizen-sama seemed to be smirking a lot, or why Gin was shaking of laughter in the corner.

Was this normal?

Tosen simply rolled his eyes and told to do what Aizen-sama had said, then walked away muttering about immature idiots.

He was confused when he came to halt outside Sakura's room. Was that the sound out water in there? Carefully nudging the door open so she wouldn't hear him, he entered her room and headed towards the bathroom.

Aizen-sama had told him check on Sakura, right? So why did he feel a strange sense of foreboding?

Ulquiorra trusted his instincts.

So why was his Zanpakutou screaming at him to not go on?

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Oh noes! A cliff-hanger!

Sorry about the rush, I'll edit this chapter later. It remains unbeta'ed.

Mwa-ha-ha! Poor Ulquiorra!