Hollow Inside
Chapter 3
The big guy took a step forward, cracking his knuckles, a huge grin on his face.
"So I can do anything I want to her, as long as I don't kill her, right?"
Yammy took Ulquiorra's silence as a 'yes' and launched forward, his fist raised in the air; Tsukiko back flipped and easily dodged it. This seemed to have shocked Yammy, who then started throwing punches and kicks recklessly.
"Take this!!!"
Using sonido, the tenth Espada appeared behind Tsukiko.
"Hmph. You're pretty slow, aren't you?"
A single swift movement of her wrist and Tsukiko had slashed Yammy across the chest. Yammy fell to the ground with a loud 'thud', writhing in pain, while Tsukiko stared at the remaining two, a silent question in her eyes: Who's next?
Szayel Aporro frowned, then fixed his glasses, while Ulquiorra simply stared at Yammy lying on the floor.
"Fine, if you're not coming..."
Tsukiko thought it would be wise not to get too close, and a sword did not allow that, so she sheathed the weapon and pulled something out: a deck of cards. Ulquiorra's eyes widened, and in a split second, he was gone. Tsukiko barely had time to block Ulquiorra's thrust, and in order to do so, she had to drop the deck. Ulquiorra quickly proceeded to grab the girl's wirst tightly and aim for her torso again; Tsukiko jumped back, dodging by only a few centimeters. Seeing as she could not escape the arrancar's grip, she went for 'that'.
"Way of Destruction number thirty-three: Soukatsui."
Tsukiko chose to use soukatsui because its wider range would make it difficult to deflect at such a short distance, as opposed by byakurai or shakkahou. And indeed, the fourth Espada could not deflect the spell, but only block it. While her first opponent was still on the ground, and the second was blinded by a curtain of smoke, Tsukiko dashed towards the pink-haired with the glasses.
"Way of Destruction number fifty-four: Hai—"
But before she could finish casting the spell, a shadow appeared behind her.
"Fuck, it was faster than I thought. Way of Destruction number one: Shou!"
But this time, her kidou wasn't quite as effective: Ulquiorra dodged, then reached for her neck, but Tsukiko backed off, right into the arms of Szayel Aporro, who held her arms, but not her legs—big mistake.
Before Ulquiorra could do anything else, Tsukiko kicked him twice in the torso, and then... Her vision went blurry.
"Shit..."
Szayel Aporro let go of Tsukiko, who fell to her knees, finding they could not hold her up. She got careless!
"You... son of a..." she mumbled, barely audible.
She pulled the needle attached to the empty syringe off her right arm and threw it to the floor. Refusing to give up, though, Tsukiko pulled out a knife and stabbed Szayel Aporro in the foot, making him scream.
"You little--!" Granz raised his fist to teach her a lesson, but was stopped.
"Enough. Our job was to capture her, and she is no longer a threat, Szayel Aporro."
"Chih."
The scientist shot the girl a last glare before walking away; Tsukiko looked up at the arrancar, panting and sweating, her fists clenched tightly.
"Kawakita Tsukiko..." Ulquiorra kneeled down and pulled her robe loose, revealing a large scar on her abdomen, next to a hole on the left side of her torso. "The mark of your previous life as a Vasto Lorde still remains."
His cool, soft voice was distant; she was starting to lose balance; her limbs trembled...
* * * * *
She opened her eyes slowly, giving them time to adjust to the light in the room (or the lack of it). Suddenly, she sat up with a gasp, realizing where she was.
"So you're finally up."
Tsukiko didn't even bother you look at Ulquiorra, she already knew it was him anyway.Instead, she looked around for a way out.
"Don't even try it, you can't escape."
And as much as she hated to admit it, he was right. She had escaped Las Noches once already, but doing it again would prove itself extemely difficult. So, Tsukiko sighed and sat back down on the edge of the bed.
"So, I suppose Aizen told you to keep an eye on me at all times, no?"
"Aizen-sama requests that you wear this."
Ignoring the girl's question, Ulquiorra handed her her new outfit. Tsukiko stared at it for a second before taking it from his hands and leaving it on the bed. Next, she undid the knot keeping her robe tied and let the fabric slip off her shoulers slightly.
"..............."
Tsukiko turned her head: Ulquiorra stared at her. She stared back. For a long while, neither of them spoke a word.
"................"
"................"
"................"
"................ Uhh, I'm going to change..."
"................"
"................ Fine."
Tsukiko took her robe off and changed into the clothes Ulquiorra brought her, all while having a pair of green eyes stare at her. The clothes were just her size (what a surprise): baggy pants reaching to below her knees, a tank top with a generous cleavage, gloves and a white cloak with a hood.
"Let's go."
"So I can do anything I want to her, as long as I don't kill her, right?"
Yammy took Ulquiorra's silence as a 'yes' and launched forward, his fist raised in the air; Tsukiko back flipped and easily dodged it. This seemed to have shocked Yammy, who then started throwing punches and kicks recklessly.
"Take this!!!"
Using sonido, the tenth Espada appeared behind Tsukiko.
"Hmph. You're pretty slow, aren't you?"
A single swift movement of her wrist and Tsukiko had slashed Yammy across the chest. Yammy fell to the ground with a loud 'thud', writhing in pain, while Tsukiko stared at the remaining two, a silent question in her eyes: Who's next?
Szayel Aporro frowned, then fixed his glasses, while Ulquiorra simply stared at Yammy lying on the floor.
"Fine, if you're not coming..."
Tsukiko thought it would be wise not to get too close, and a sword did not allow that, so she sheathed the weapon and pulled something out: a deck of cards. Ulquiorra's eyes widened, and in a split second, he was gone. Tsukiko barely had time to block Ulquiorra's thrust, and in order to do so, she had to drop the deck. Ulquiorra quickly proceeded to grab the girl's wirst tightly and aim for her torso again; Tsukiko jumped back, dodging by only a few centimeters. Seeing as she could not escape the arrancar's grip, she went for 'that'.
"Way of Destruction number thirty-three: Soukatsui."
Tsukiko chose to use soukatsui because its wider range would make it difficult to deflect at such a short distance, as opposed by byakurai or shakkahou. And indeed, the fourth Espada could not deflect the spell, but only block it. While her first opponent was still on the ground, and the second was blinded by a curtain of smoke, Tsukiko dashed towards the pink-haired with the glasses.
"Way of Destruction number fifty-four: Hai—"
But before she could finish casting the spell, a shadow appeared behind her.
"Fuck, it was faster than I thought. Way of Destruction number one: Shou!"
But this time, her kidou wasn't quite as effective: Ulquiorra dodged, then reached for her neck, but Tsukiko backed off, right into the arms of Szayel Aporro, who held her arms, but not her legs—big mistake.
Before Ulquiorra could do anything else, Tsukiko kicked him twice in the torso, and then... Her vision went blurry.
"Shit..."
Szayel Aporro let go of Tsukiko, who fell to her knees, finding they could not hold her up. She got careless!
"You... son of a..." she mumbled, barely audible.
She pulled the needle attached to the empty syringe off her right arm and threw it to the floor. Refusing to give up, though, Tsukiko pulled out a knife and stabbed Szayel Aporro in the foot, making him scream.
"You little--!" Granz raised his fist to teach her a lesson, but was stopped.
"Enough. Our job was to capture her, and she is no longer a threat, Szayel Aporro."
"Chih."
The scientist shot the girl a last glare before walking away; Tsukiko looked up at the arrancar, panting and sweating, her fists clenched tightly.
"Kawakita Tsukiko..." Ulquiorra kneeled down and pulled her robe loose, revealing a large scar on her abdomen, next to a hole on the left side of her torso. "The mark of your previous life as a Vasto Lorde still remains."
His cool, soft voice was distant; she was starting to lose balance; her limbs trembled...
* * * * *
She opened her eyes slowly, giving them time to adjust to the light in the room (or the lack of it). Suddenly, she sat up with a gasp, realizing where she was.
"So you're finally up."
Tsukiko didn't even bother you look at Ulquiorra, she already knew it was him anyway.Instead, she looked around for a way out.
"Don't even try it, you can't escape."
And as much as she hated to admit it, he was right. She had escaped Las Noches once already, but doing it again would prove itself extemely difficult. So, Tsukiko sighed and sat back down on the edge of the bed.
"So, I suppose Aizen told you to keep an eye on me at all times, no?"
"Aizen-sama requests that you wear this."
Ignoring the girl's question, Ulquiorra handed her her new outfit. Tsukiko stared at it for a second before taking it from his hands and leaving it on the bed. Next, she undid the knot keeping her robe tied and let the fabric slip off her shoulers slightly.
"..............."
Tsukiko turned her head: Ulquiorra stared at her. She stared back. For a long while, neither of them spoke a word.
"................"
"................"
"................"
"................ Uhh, I'm going to change..."
"................"
"................ Fine."
Tsukiko took her robe off and changed into the clothes Ulquiorra brought her, all while having a pair of green eyes stare at her. The clothes were just her size (what a surprise): baggy pants reaching to below her knees, a tank top with a generous cleavage, gloves and a white cloak with a hood.
"Let's go."