Moonlight Shadow 7

Orihime couldn’t stop staring at him, no matter how hard she tried. He looked odd without the glasses that, in her mind, distinguished him from the others, though she supposed his pink locks were more than enough to define him. Like the other residents of Rukongai he wore a dark kimono, simple but practical for the colder weather.

Finally, her senses came back to her. “What are you doing here?”

“I should be asking that of you,” Szayel shot back, his eyes not as wide as before. A smirk crossed his face. “Did those Shinigami friends of yours mistake you for a traitor and off you before you had the chance to explain? Or was it Aizen himself who did the deed, thinking that if he couldn’t have your powers, no one else could?”

“I’m not dead--” She stopped, taking in what he had said. Looking up at him, she asked, “Wait, no ‘Aizen-sama’?”

“Why would there be?” he said, shrugging carelessly. “True, he had what would help me obtain my goals, but if someone had come along with a better offer, then I would have gladly changed loyalties.”

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t understand his mindset. “That easily?”

“Trust only yourself,” he said, his eyes hollow. “If you don’t, you will not survive Hueco Mundo. It’s a lesson you learn quickly.”

“Aizen-sama didn’t trust anyone other than Aizen-sama. He was very much like an Arrancar in that respect.”

“He was right,” she said softly, recalling the words Ulquiorra’s shadow had told her.

Szayel raised an eyebrow. “Who was right?”

She shook her head. What was she doing chitchatting with one of her former enemies, like they were old friends? She had come for a reason. “I’m looking for Ulquiorra.”

“Ulquiorra? The former Cuarta Espada?”

Unconsciously, she winced. “Yes.”

He tapped a finger against his lips, as though contemplating what she had just told him. When he spoke, there was an amused tone to his voice that unnerved her. “I see. Tell me, did he at least take his opponent with him?”

“No,” she said awkwardly.

“Shame.” Surprisingly, everything about him--his tone, his face, his body posture--seemed to suggest that he meant it. “He was one of the few in Las Noches I could honestly say I respected. Only a little, of course.”

This time it was Orihime’s turn to be surprised. While she hadn’t heard Ulquiorra say bad things about Szayel, she hadn’t heard any praise for him either. Then again, Ulquiorra had never been keen on “praise,” particularly when it came to his fellow Espada.

“Why did you respect him?”

“He understood that while having greater strength is an advantage over one’s enemy, it is not the only one. Unlike the rest of us, who chose greater strength, he opted for high speed regeneration,” he said, then smiled. “I’m sure in his mind, though, that my opinion of him didn’t matter. I know he didn’t have any respect for me. I get the feeling he didn’t rather like who I was acquainted with.”

There was only one person she could think of that Ulquiorra would have so much disdain for. Looking at Szayel, it seemed odd that he and Nnoitra would have been acquainted with one another, however closely it might have been. From what she remembered of the tall Arrancar, he didn’t really seem like the...intellectual type.

“Oh,” she said. An awkward silence fell between them as the sun started to set below the horizon. “Anyway, have you seen Ulquiorra?”

“No, I’m afraid not,” he said, frowning. “Though not for lack of trying.”

Her shoulders slumped forward, and she sighed. “I see. So, you’re searching for him, too. Why?”

“I want to know where all the other former Espada are, not just him.”

“But why?” Something about it sounded suspicious in her mind.

His grin widened. “It’s in the nature of a scientist to be meticulous. I want to make sure everything is properly catalogued--just in case. You never know when such information might be important.”

The more things changed, the more they stayed the same it seemed.

“Do you think the others might know where he is?”

“Perhaps, perhaps not,” he said, leaning down to pick up the basket of herbs he’d been collecting. “I’m afraid the only one I can speak for is myself and Stark.”

“You already found Stark?” she asked, watching the stars twinkle in the darkened sky.

She was going to have to find somewhere to stay the night and soon, or else she would be out in the wilderness. In the dark. Cold and alone. Perhaps Szayel would know of a place. She was worried at the thought of following his suggestions, but certainly he wouldn’t still feel the need to cause her harm.

Right?

“Yes, but as I mentioned, he told me he doesn’t know where the others are,” Szayel said, as he walked away. Orihime followed him. “That is, all except for Zommari.”

“Does he know where Ulquiorra is?”

He shook his head. “I have no idea. I haven’t gotten the chance to meet with him.” He laughed. “I think it’s time I pay the former Septima a visit.”

“Can I go with you?” she asked.

“Questions, questions, questions,” he said, shaking his head. He looked at her solemnly. “I’m not sure whether to be annoyed or amused. Honestly, I don’t know how Ulquiorra could tolerate you.” He moved towards a small hut at the very edge of the two districts. “If I say no, you’ll likely pester me until I give in, won’t you?”

“If you say yes, I won’t have to,” she pointed out.

“Fine, come with me if you must.” He stopped quickly, and with little time to react, she bumped into his back. Looking back at her, she could see an irritated look on his face. “Why are you still following me?”

Orihime blushed. “Um, well, it is getting pretty late, and I was wondering if, perhaps, you knew some place I could stay the night?”

“Plenty! That is, if you have the money,” Szayel said offhandedly.

“But I don’t have any!” she protested.

With a sight shrug, he started walking again. “Not my problem.”

She bit her lower lip. She hadn’t considered how she would be able to pay for anything once she had gotten to Rukongai. Last time people had offered their homes for the night. It seemed this time she didn’t have that luxury.

The gears in her head started turning, though the idea that formed didn’t sit particularly well with her. Still, it was the only thing she could think of on such short notice.

“Couldn’t I stay at your place?” she said, trying to keep the pleading tone out of her voice. She wanted to keep some dignity.

“My place?” He turned to her, one hand on his hip, the other holding the basket. “And tell me, why would I do something like that?”

She smiled nervously, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to resist. “I have a proposition for you.”

---------------------------------

“Amazing,” he said in awe. “Simply amazing. I’ve never laid eyes on anything like this before.”

“Are you done yet?” she said, her eyebrows furrowed.

Szayel looked almost offended by the suggestion. “A deal is a deal, unless you would rather spend the night outdoors.”

Orihime sighed. “What would you like to see next?”

“Aizen said that you also had an offensive power, though it paled in comparison with your abilities to reject events.”

“That’s right,” she said, putting away the shield that had hours ago been used to soften her fall as she arrived in Soul Society. She placed her hands on the side of her head, on her clips. “Tsu--”

But before she was able to call out to him, Szayel placed his hand on her mouth. “I didn’t say I needed to see it now. Having seen one of your powers is enough to placate me--for the moment. Besides,” he said, glancing around the single room that made up the hut, “what makes you think using that power indoors is a good idea?”

Orihime pulled his hands from her mouth, scowling. “I thought you wanted to see my powers, or else you would throw me out.” Then, under her breath, she added, “And it’s not like I can’t control my powers.”

“I was making sure you understood the position you’re in.”

“How could I forget?” she asked, with a roll of her eyes. Shifting her weight, she winced at the small pins and needles that shot up her leg. The wooden floor of the place wasn’t particularly comfortable, but at least it was tidy; she hadn’t expected any less of him. “How far do we have to go tomorrow?”

“Not far,” he said. “Only two districts over.”

“Thank you.” Taking note of his startled look, she said, “For letting me go with you. I appreciate it.”

“Don’t thank me just yet,” he said ominously, taking the basket that had been placed by the door. “You can’t be certain that Zommari will know where Ulquiorra is.”

She watched him place the herbs into small jars, in a section of the room that had been designated as the kitchen. “I know that. By the way, Szayel Apporo-san--”

He placed the lids back on the jars. “Szayel.”

“Szayel,” she repeated, not used to the lack of formalities, “what are those herbs for?”

He cleared his throat, visibly embarrassed. It was an odd expression to see on his face. He didn’t seem like the type to get flustered easily, if at all. “They’re for the local doctor. I work for him.”

Orihime couldn’t help but smile at the irony. “Really?”

“The job pays. It’s as simple as that,” he said, returning to the seat in front of her. “I don’t have any intentions of staying here forever; I have higher aspirations.”

“You mean,” she started hesitantly, “you want to become...a...?”

“Shinigami?” he finished for her. “Yes, that’s correct.”

“But the Shinigami were the ones who--”

“Haven’t I already told you? My allegiance is to myself. If I have to use someone else to attain those goals, then so be it.” An evil glint entered his eyes. “Besides, there’s someone I simply must see again.”

“The one who...killed you, right?”

“I will never forget his name, even though he had never given it to me: Kurotsuchi Mayuri.” Noticing her shudder, he said, with a slight smirk, “I see you’re also acquainted with him.”

“We’ve met before,” she said vaguely. Now that she thought about it, he had also been interested in her powers, going so far as to offer her a position as a specimen. “Do you want revenge?”

“No, of course not! Quite the opposite. I want him to understand that I have put aside the follies of obtaining ‘perfection.’ I will show him that I am a true man of science.” He paused, chuckling lightly. “Although, if it just so happens that I make it into his squad and some unfortunate accident occurs that seriously injures or--even worse--kills him...” He clasped his hands together. “Well, what can I say? It’s not as though I would have planned it.”

So he did want revenge. She wondered what he had in store for Mayuri, then felt a shiver run down her spine. Whatever it was, she knew it couldn’t be good.

“I see,” she said, the thought of two deranged scientist-Shinigami a little too terrifying for her to comprehend. She decided to turn her attention once more to the task at hand. “Szayel? What if Zommari-san doesn’t know where Ulquiorra is?”

“Then I suppose you’ll have to keep searching, won’t you?”

She groaned softly. “I know someone from the former Espada has to know where he is. If Stark-san found Zommari-san, then surely the others...” She trailed off a bit before starting again. “But trying to find the other six--”

“Five,” he corrected her.

“Huh?” Orihime looked down at her fingers, counting off the number of Espada minus himself, Ulquiorra, Stark and Zommari, then looked back at him. “Why five?”

“You won’t find Aaronniero, the former Novena Espada, here.” Szayel stopped. “More accurately, you would find him everywhere.”

“What do you mean?”

“Arrancar are Hollows that have removed their mask and, in doing so, gained Shinigami powers. All the Espada you knew, before they had been transformed, were Menos, a type of Hollow composed of hundreds upon hundreds of Hollows. Within the Menos there are three groups, stages if you will: the weakest are the Gillian, then the Aduchas, and then the most powerful of the three are the Vasto Lorde. Aaronniero was the only Gillian to be an Espada.”

“Okay,” she said slowly, “but what does this have to do with me not finding him?”

“I’m getting to that,” he said, irritated at her impatience. “There are many differences between the three, however, the single feature that distinguishes the Gillian is that it has no identity of its own. All the Hollows within its form work together as one.

“This is not the case with the Aduchas and the Vasto Lorde. With them, the Hollow with the strongest will takes control.” He stood up, moving to the back of the room, and slid open a screen, taking out a small futon. As he laid it down, he said, “Over time, the form begins to take on the characteristics and personality of that Hollow, with the others acting as a sort of support system. Even now I can still sense the other souls that acted as my support, though when I see their faces they are the faces of strangers.”

She nodded. “I understand now.” She stared at him curiously. “What are you doing?”

“It’s late,” he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. He straightened the futon and sheets one last time.

“You...don’t have another one, do you?”

He turned to her. “I live alone. Why would I?”

Orihime looked at the floor and inwardly winced. It would be hard to get a good night’s sleep on something so hard, but she was just going to have to bear it.

“Well, what are you waiting for?”

“What do you mean?” she asked, watching him cross the room.

He pointed to the futon. “That’s where you’re sleeping.”

“But that’s yours.” She was surprised that he was actually acting like--dare she say it?--a host. “It wouldn’t be right--”

“Don’t take it the wrong way,” he said curtly, laying down a foot away. He tried to get comfortable on the cold floor. “I’d simply rather not hear you complaining the whole way that your back is aching or that you’re tired because you couldn’t sleep.”

Of course. Why had she expected anything more?

She walked over to the futon, past the small fire in the center of the room that was slowly dying out. It let out just enough light for her to see where she was going. She could tell Szayel was still awake, watching her as she slide in-between the sheets of the futon--his futon.

The idea of having to sleep in the same room as him had initially unnerved her; she hadn’t expected his home to have only one room. But thankfully for her, she didn’t have time to dwell on those thoughts. The journey to Soul Society and walking all over the first district of Rukongai had drained her completely, and soon she was fast asleep.