The Arrancar didn't move. But, then that was to be somewhat expected, Rukia thought to herself. Kisuke hovered at her back, urging her in with a light nudge and a half-seen smile. Bastard. It had taken every ounce of feeling she had for Ichigo, to not report to Soul Society that one of the Arrancar hadn't gone back to Hueco Mundo.

Unlawful. A crime. Rukia had broken the law before and hadn't been particularly keen on doing it again on so little grounds as assisting Kisuke Urahara. The man annoyed her- with his little smiles and covert-

"Start by introducing yourself, Ms Kuchiki." The shopkeeper hissed.

Her lip curled, a snappish retort forming on her tongue. What? Like how do you do? I'm your enemy- but when she turned around to deliver it, the door had slid shut. Kisuke's grinning face disappearing on the other side. Damn him. Rukia reflexively opened and closed her fists, calming her breathing down. It was hard to focus on the task at hand, considering all she wanted to do was break down the door and thrash the shopkeeper for doing this to her.

But I...agreed. Little by little, her ire melted away. She looked, took a good long look at her charge. He sat against one wall, the white uniform adorned his thin frame, a plainer outfit of human wear had been left folded near enough so he could reach it. She saw now the reiatsu-suppressing handcuffs encasing slim paper-white wrists crossed atop upraised knees.

His eyes were closed now. He was so still she might've assumed he had fallen asleep that way. But, Hollows didn't need sleep, ravenous foul creatures they were.

"..Why do you stare..trash?"

She started. He had spoken! Quickly her eyebrows snapped together, not very pleasantly either. "I'm not staring. Merely curious as to how a creature like you takes being captured by the enemy?"

His eyes remained closed. Long black fringe of lashes casting dim shadow along his high, thin cheekbones. No response.

Rukia had expected as much. Folding her arms across her midriff, she went forward, pretending to be interested as her eyes roved from the slightly bowed head to sandaled foot of the Arrancar. "You've been defeated- rendered a prisoner of the enemy camp..." she paused deliberately, noting the unflinching mask he wore.

It was as if he had completely shut himself off. Probably thinking up ways to get out and murder Urahara in his bed, she thought then somehow that made her smile the tiniest bit. "Surely...you must realize how pathetic that makes you seem in the eyes of-"

"Do not speak of something you do not understand, trash." A slit of green like deep soft summer grass then widening to reveal full orbs of vivid, intense emerald stared back. "I am superior to you in every way."

Her jaw tightened, her fist threatened to fly. "My name isn't trash, Arrancar." How dare he speak to her like that! She- a Kuchiki! Her pride reared up, her lips curling into a full smirk. "Oh? Arrancar, tell me, what don't I understand?"

The green eyes seemed lidless, unblinking. Tilted up staring into her face. Apathetic was their look. Uninterested yet he continued to stare. Rukia stood her ground, daring to stand a few feet away yet the inequality in their positions with him lower and she higher seemed to not affect him the way she had hoped. So, she attempted a different tactic.

"All I see, is an enemy of mine. Powerless- abandoned by his allies...now wouldn't you say that you're the trash here, Arrancar?"

He moved- then he didn't. Just the slightest shift, the narrowest slit of the deep, dark green eyes. Rukia found herself strangely fascinated by the color. Green...they were...pretty. She corrected her thoughts. For a monster.

"Why do you stare, trash?"

"Because I don't know how long I'm going to be able to put up with your cute sense of humor, Arrancar without..." she smirked, finally feeling as though she were in control. "Running you through with my Zanpaku-to like you deserve."

"..Ah, but that would defeat the purpose of Urahara Kisuke. You will not execute me as your pathetic heart desires. Pitiful though your abilities are, there is little doubt to yourself as being a threat to my superiority." he affirmed with indifference.

Why you-! She wanted to hit him badly now. "You're going to-"

"O-O-H, Ms. Kuchiki!" The Kido seals slid apart- in a hurry. Kisuke popped his head in, "Could you please come here a moment?"

She restrained from snapping out; wasn't this her task? "Coming." Then, smiled her sweetest most saccharine smile of falseness. "I look forward to our coming chats, Arrancar."

The green eyes closed without another word, satisfied, she had gotten the last word in, Rukia walked out with her head held high to see what it was the shopkeeper had thought up to demand now. She still hadn't learned his name.

-TBC

AN: due to problems in RL, this chapter was shorter than desired. I wanted to post it however in case we lose net service. If that happens, I will do my best to do sporadic updates on some of my fics. Thanks for reading

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