Bleach fanfic - Giving Ground
This is going to surprise a lot of you, I'm sure. You can blame Shelagh, she's the reason I'm writing this at all. :D This is our way of introducing a new community,
bya_ulqui.
Title: Giving Ground
Author: Akuni
Universe: Bleach
Genre: Drama/Romance
Rating: PG
Pairing: Byakuya/Ulquiorra
Spoilers: through manga chapter 198, anime episode 116
Word Count: 291
Summary: Sometimes you have to step back a little to get ahead.
A/N: We’re working on a bigger project for this pairing (surprise!), but having the new community sitting there empty was driving me bananas, so I did up a ficlet to go with one of Shelagh’s new portraits. As always, thanks to her and
moshesque for the review.
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, I'm just borrowing it for a while.
Distribution: Crossposted eventually to
bya_ulqui,
kurosaki_clinic,
asterisk_plus, and
bleach_yaoi. Please ask if you want to share it. :)
Dedication: For anyone else who finds the idea of these two as intriguing as we do.
Giving Ground
Ulquiorra staggered into the middle of the van and fell to his knees. A cry went up, and captains and lieutenants began appearing from the main body of the army.
“It’s a trap - they’re waiting for us.” Digging his fingers into his left eye socket, Ulquiorra closed them around his eye and yanked it out with a sickening squelch. He crushed it in his fist, scattering his vision to the assembled officers.
“Fall back!” Yamamoto roared. “Regroup at the previous location and prepare to make a stand!”
Leaning his hands on his thighs, Ulquiorra bent his head and fought to catch his breath as shinigami scrambled all around him. They’d been waiting for days for the attack, only to find they’d nearly marched the entire army straight into a trap.
Firm hands grasped Ulquiorra’s shoulders, steadying him, their warmth seeping through his chilled body and spreading right down to his aching bones. “I’ll take care of him; Renji, see to the manoeuvre.”
“Yes, Taichou.”
The hands tightened. “Ulquiorra.” Byakuya’s low voice washed over him, drowning out the sound of the army.
Ulquiorra shrugged the hands away and pushed himself back to his feet. Already he could feel his eye regenerating as the pieces of the old dematerialized. “I’m fine. See to your people.” He took two steps then stopped, dizziness and exhaustion threatening to overwhelm him. Three days he’d been gone, searching for any sign of the former allies he’d renounced, and his strength was finally giving out.
In a flash, Byakuya was in front of him, catching him by the shoulders again. “I am.”
Ulquiorra looked up, meeting the smoky grey stare with his remaining eye, and allowed Byakuya to offer a shoulder to lean on as they moved out.
END
Art
Since this is a joint venture, it should come as no surprise that there's art to go with the ficlet. :) As always, click the pic to see the full size in Shelagh's gallery, and leave your art-related comments there.
Fanart
We've been given fanart for this story. :) See it in this post.
Read the sequel - 'Regrouping'