Eleutheromania: Encounters
“Let's not tell anyone about our little short cut,” Tatsuki whispered to Orihime quietly. The healing faerie quietly nodded. Their travel through Hueco Mundo had indeed been faster, but riddled with dark creatures and terrible violence. Though neither female had been harmed, they had both seen a much darker side to the fey world than either of them had been prepared for.
Of the two, Orihime had been more effected by the violence than Tatsuki. The healing faerie had what the Seelie Queen called a pure heart and it was full of wonder and hope and innocence. It was a rare thing and Tatsuki had been charged by her clan to protect Orihime at all cost.
“Hey, how are you feeling?” The wood sprite murmured quietly in concern and wrapped and arm around Orihime. They had both been lucky. From the stories they had heard, most Ice Jins were malicious creatures. Ulquiorra had been surprisingly merciful. The memory of his pale hand wrapping around Orihime's neck and his ice seeping into her heart had been as terrifying as it had sobering.
“I'm fine. Truly. Whatever magic he possessed worked even faster than my healing powers. He healed me completely,” Orihime assured her friend. Whatever thoughts the healing faerie had in her head quickly vanished upon the sudden sight of the double ten foot, rose and vine covered gates that stood on the edge of Hueco Mundo and boarded it off from the fertile, green land on the other side.
“Look! It's the Seelie Gates,” Tatsuki whispered in awe. The gate was beautiful and entirely made out of plant life. The leaves were shaped like tiny tears, transparent and silver and the roses were so delicate that they looks like glass shaded in the finest blues and whites. The land beneath it was covered in the softest green grass and bordered nicely so that not a singly blade trespassed over the border into the course white sand of the neighboring country.
The sprite and faerie's wings both slowed as they descended onto their feet. Both of them stared up at the gate.
“I've never been to the Seelie Court without the rest of my clan before,” Tatsuki admitted nervously. If only they had arrived with the rest of them. Of course her entire clan was now inside beyond the borders but Tatsuki wasn't sure what to expect or how to get in. Timidly, Orihime reached up to touch one of the vines with her finger.
A pink light sizzled and a tiny crack of electricity shot out and pushed her back a step before dispersing into a mist.
“Ouch!” Orihime cried amd rubbed her finger. It was raw and tender.
“That's a powerful spell,” Tatsuki admitted.
“Are you going to be okay, Hime?”
Nodding, the healing faerie summoned a small, magical yellow shield around her injury. Life pulsed within it. The tender flesh slowly scabbed over before the angry red faded away all together.
“I'll be okay,” she assured before her yellow shield dissipated. Small wounds healed quickly, but the more sever it was, the longer it took for the actual pain to disappear.
Just then, a loud horn blew and several voices rose up in angry shouts.
“It's the wraiths!”
“The warning came from the borders of Hueco Mundo! It's the West Gates.”
“It's the solitary fey! They're attacking!”
Orihime and Tatsuki looked at each other in confusion. Then without warning, the roses on the gate withered and shattered into tiny pieces of broken glass. The silver vines and leaves turned to ash and fell. The gates sprung open with a large pules of energy. Both girls were knocked from their feet and ropes flew out and ensnared them.
“What in the nine realms?” Tatsuki began before the ropes suddenly tightened almost painfully around them. Orihime gasped. Before either girl could retaliate, they were suddenly reeled in by their bindings and in the silence of Hueco Mundo's night, the gate swallowed them up.
Unbeknownst to them a third presence watch from a high sand dune in the distance. The figure was pale and silent as he watched the two females trigger the Seelie Court's defense spell. They wouldn't have anything to fear once they were identified as members of the court. They would be safe; but their safety was not why the pale creature had followed them.
Ulquiorra's neutral expression quickly morphed into a grimace. That healing faerie with the red, cinnamon colored hair - Orihime - what was she? What had she done to him? Looking down at his chest, Ulquiorra frowned when he saw the newly formed flesh that had formed over his demon's hole. The mark of the cursed - she had restored him. He was whole once more. What did it mean?
Who was she?
Ulquiorra remembered very little of his existence before becoming a magician. He vaguely recalled his bargain with Ancients and how they had bestowed on him powers that could alter fate itself. It hadn't been an easy bargain and he had traded something priceless for it. His most precious and cherished possession - and parting with it had caused him great pain - but in exchange he had been given all the power and all the knowledge he needed to be free.
It was so long ago. Ulquiorra had forgotten what it was that he had traded. It had been rare - irreplaceable.
… but that Woman. She had it too. He was sure if it. Whatever he had traded - whatever he had once possessed, she had one of her own. What was she? What strange thing did she possess? What made her different? It wasn't her silver eyes or fire kissed brown hair or angelic voice, no - Ulquiorra had encountered many other creatures with even more astonishing features. It wasn't her soul as bright and captivating as it was, no. It was something else.
When he touched her it had taken a few moments for his frozen barriers to melt but when they had, he had felt something strange and new. She had changed him. It had only been for a moment, but for that small time Ulquiorra remembered. He remembered what he had lost. He knew exactly what it was she had and how exactly she was changing him and he had reveled in it. It had been the most wonderful sensation - and just as quickly as it had happened, it ended.
He had almost broken her neck. He had almost stuffed out her light. He had almost frozen her.
As soon as he had withdrawn, Ulquiorra had forgotten everything he had just learned and his world once again became dark. Well, not nearly as dark. He looked down at the flesh over his chest. Something was still missing. He just wasn't sure what; and with the Woman now safely within the border walls of the Seelie Court it was unlikely that he every would discover what it was.
He needed her.
“Are you lost friend?”
Ulquiorra whipped around at the slithering voice that came from behind him. His power was vast and alert and he hadn't detected this strange trespasser at all. It was odd. That never happened. Green eyes took in the the strange humanoid. It had no eyes or nose. There wee three heads and all of them had a long, mouth with two rows of sharp teeth inside. It was white and purple and a pair of large wings sprung form it's back with a giant red eyeball settled into the base of each wing. The creature was muscular and had the body of a man. It had arms with hands and five finger claws. It's feet were mirrored like it's hand and nothing particular stood out except for the giant vertical mouth over it's chest that spread open to reveal a fire within it's belly.
Ulquiorra had encountered many demons in the numerous centuries he had spent in Hueco Mundo, but none of them were quite like the one that stood before him now.
“What do you want?” he demanded. It took an effort to speak. The creature was too powerful, it's strength was dwarfing Ulquiorra's significantly. The ice magician quickly began to form a spell. He wouldn't have long. The demon could destroy him easily, if he so desired.
“You are injured friend. Who did this to you?” the thing asked. Ulquiorra stared blankly at it as it drooled out of one of it's mouth.
“I am no longer injured,” he dismissed the demon's inquiry. His spell was almost complete. He just needed a little longer.
“But who did it?” The creature persisted. Ulquiorra cocked his head and closed his eyes.
“... I do not know.” he finally confessed. Whatever had attacked him earlier had moved so quickly that he had had no time to prepare. The viciousness of the attack had zapped him of his powers and left him unconscious for days until the healing faerie had recovered him. In Hueco Mundo such violence was to be expected.
“Perhaps it was the Seelie Court? Perhaps it was one of the Clans. Perhaps it was a greater enemy. Dangerous times. Dangerous times,” the creature tutted. Ulquiorra cocked open an eye. His spell was ready. If provoked, the magician could send the creature into the darkest bowels of the dimension of Hell.
“What do you want?” he repeated again. The creature smiled at him with all three mouths.
“An alliance.” Waving a hand, the creature brought an image into focus of nine shadowy figures all holding what looked like swords.
Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes. The creature was building an army? Without waiting, Ulquiorra pointed a finger at the demon. Green light shot out and the magic quickly hit the demon. A portal slowly began to form in the mouth on the creature's stomach. The demon cried out in unsuspected pain. Ulquiorra watched dispassionately.
“I have no interest in being a slave,” he told the creature evenly. The portal within the creature grew larger and larger. Pressure began to form and a wind began to suck everything into the portal. The demon tried to escape but as the portal grew, the more of the creature's body was sucked up into it, until at last it was entirely swallowed up from the inside out. Ulquiorra stared at the spot where the creature had stood only moments before. The spell he had cast was one of the nastier ones he knew. It was brutal but necessary. The demon was powerful and foolish to think that it could build an army. Power and stupidity was a dangerous combination.
Turning away, the Ice Jin moved to look once more at the Seelie Gates. He thought of the Woman.
Not a moment passed before a blast of energy shot out from behind him and knocked the magician from his feet. Backing away in alarm, Ulquiorra climbed to his feet and watched as the portal from his spell reformed. A deep, wretched moaning echoed from within it as the demon he had banished only seconds ago slowly climbed back out.
“Foolish, foolish child,” the creature scolded. It's voice sounded absolutely terrifying, as if millions voices of men, women and children all cried out in a chorus as one. It sounded angry and annoyed and amused.
“I am everywhere,” it told Ulquiorra. The Ice Jin watched in apprehension as the demon slowly spread it's wings before ascending into the air. A great wind followed and sand billowed into a frenzy.
“When you are ready, seek me out. I am everywhere,” it told Ulquiorra before it blinked out of sight. The magician was once again left standing alone.
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