Nightingale: The Fourth Tower
The fourth espada wandered down the long hallway that led to the fourth tower. The servants in her path quickly scattered and the numerous that happened to be nearby made themselves scarce. Orihime beamed at their patheticness. They were vermin, trash - not worth the dirt on the bottom of her shoes.
The fourth was momentarily reminded of days long gone bye. As she ascended the tower’s steps, she allowed her mind to drift to the utter silence and nothing that was the void. Lord Aizen had made Las Noches pristine and white and controlled but it was not the void. Not that it really mattered. Las Noches was nothing. The Arrancar were nothing and once the fourth had outlived her purpose to Lord Aizen she too would be nothing.
Everything had an end. Everything died.
The boy was different.
Unlike the rest of them, he was actually alive. He breathed. He moved. He felt. He was. He lived. Not like the Arrancar. Not like the listless creatures that existed and thrived on darkness and pain. No. The boy was different. He thrived on something else. It wasn’t so basic or obvious as food. No it was something elusive but nevertheless there.
It was puzzling. Orihime had no name for it; the strange drive that gave the human the courage to stand up to her. To look her in the eye. To have faith in her friends. The fourth briefly thought of the boy leaning over the Soul Reaper, Rukia Kuchiki. Whatever power he had, it wasn’t infallible.
Once Orihime reached the top floor, she pause in annoyance when she sensed the Sixth Espada, Loly Aivirrne pacing outside of Ulquiorra’s room. The fourth tower was Orihime’s domain and if she cared more, Orihime might have reprimanded the intruder.
Once Loly saw Orihime she scowled and quickly stomped over to her.
“I can’t get inside,” Loly snarled at her. Orihime tucked her hands into the pockets of her skirts and watched the Sixth amusingly. The fourth had purposely locked the door when she had left. No doubt the boy’s presence would cause all sorts of trouble.
“I want to get inside,” Loly continue. Her eyes flashed dangerously. Orihime giggled and stepped around her.
“Silly,” she admonished and pulled a key out of her pocket. However, when she went to open the door, she found that the door was ajar had the lock had been melted off. Orihime turned to Loly, silently demanding an explanation. If the boy had been hurt, Aizen would hold the fourth responsible.
“The human bastard barricaded himself in. I only wanted to talk to him,” Loly huffed. Orihime smiled at her.
“ I see.” Then her smiled quickly faded until only a deadpanned, stone faced expression remained.
“Leave,” she told the Sixth in a cold, empty voice. Loly shivered, hearing the promise of violence behind it. Normally, she would have jumped at the chance to fight Orihime, but not now. Not when the Rukia Kuchiki was bound to come and rescue her friend. Not when she could have another chance at fighting the little Soul Reaper.
“The human bastard wasn’t worth my time anyway,” she muttered and punched the wall. The Fourth stared, completely unfazed. Turning around, Loly sulked off.
When she finally left, the dark shadows under Orihime’s eyes faded and her sharp features melted into a familiar, beguiling smile.
“I’m coming in,” she called out in a singsong voice before opening the boy’s door.
Not a moment later, a green cero came whizzing by and hit the wall not five centimeters from Orihime’s ear. A quiet gasp followed.
“I’m so sorry! I thought you were that Arrancar with the pigtails,” Ulquiorra explained in a quiet, panicked filled voice before quickly crawling out from his hiding place behind the couch. Orihime stepped fully into the room and studied the boy.
He had not been harmed from Loly’s little excursion. Her eyes move to scan the room. Silently, she noted the couch that had been dragged into the far corner and the dining table and chair that had been stacked over it. Did the boy really think that feeble fortitude would protect him? He was so very naive.
“You scared me. When did you get here?” he continued.
“Just this moment. Don’t make such a fuss. It’s very annoying,” Orihime chided and flicked Ulquiorra’s forehead. He flinched.
“Now come. Lord Aizen has summoned you,” she told her charge and gracefully turned away and exited through the door. Ulquiorra wilted under her words. It didn’t looked like he could refuse her. He was clearly expected obey.
Poking his head out the door, he frowned when he realized the corridor was empty. Where had Orihime gone? His eyes desperately scanned over the white tiles on the walls and floor. Where was everyone?
A flash of flaring red caught his attention, and Ulquiorra moved to hurry after it just as it disappeared around a corner.
“Wait! Please wait,” he called out in frustration. Running, he turned the corner so quickly that he lost his footing and slide face first into the adjacent wall. How humiliating!
Pulling away, Ulquiorra searched for his warden desperately but she was nowhere to be seen. Where could she have gone? Should he try to find her or maybe go back to his room? Closing his eyes, he reached out with his senses and tried to locate her reiatsu. It was the first time that he had consciously sought her out.
At once he became aware of a massive power laced with a menacing coldness. It was unnatural, it was cruel, and it was… leaving?
Opening his eyes, Ulquiorra began to hone in on her reiatsu. Why hadn’t he noticed the danger that her reiatsu emitted? He had let his guard down. He had let her jokes and silly smiles distract him. How could he forget? The woman was an Arrancar. She had slaughtered his escorts.
As if sensing his sudden anxiety, the woman’s energy began to move farther away from him. Gasping, Ulquiorra chased after her and tried to latch onto the presence but the Fourth was moving too fast. Up and down the hall he ran. He turned corners and ran down stairs. He tried many doors, but they were all locked. At first he was afraid of bumping into another hollow but there was no one. Just white. White floors. White walls. White ceilings. And silence. Corridor after corridor of silence. There was nothing. Ulquiorra briefly entertained the fear of going mad.
Turning another corner, the human skidded to a halt when he reached a large, double doorway.
Unlike all the other doors that he had passed, this one was opened. He tried to peer inside but it was dark and there were no lights from within.
“Welcome Ulquiorra. Please come in. I have been expecting you,” a voice called. Crossing his arms defensively, Ulquiorra realized that it was Aizen’s voice. So this is where he was suppose to meet him.
Glancing around nervously, Ulquiorra looked down the corridor had then behind him, but there was no sign of Orihime. It would appear that he would be going in alone. Hollow or no, he suddenly wished for her company. Sighing and mentally bracing himself, Ulquiorra slowly stepped into the darkness. As soon as he was completely inside, the doors shut behind him.
Outside and leaning against the wall, Orihime waited with an empty look in her eyes.
Everything had an end. Everything died.