Continued From: Trap of The Silver Tongue
Just as Aizen said, Kita was returned to Ulquiorra at the hands of lord Gin. No words were exchanged between the former captain and Ulquiorra did not feel inclined to share his thoughts. Instead, he bowed and turned sharply on his heel.
Being who she was Kita turned quickly and followed behind her Master. "Master?"
Ulquiorra hardly spared her a glance before walking purposefully out of the throne room. The doors swung shut behind them with a satisfying thud and a gust of air. He was sure Aizen's gaze still followed him.
Kita hung her head with a sigh. She knew he was upset with her and there was no talking to him. Be it he was mad, annoyed or other wise. So she just followed silently behind him.
Several thoughts buzzed through his mind uncharacteristically, each clamoring for a spot at the tip of his tongue. He ran a hand under his mask and felt the smooth underside of the half-helmet. It eased some of the stress radiating from him, but not enough. He needed to know what Kita knew.
Kita quickly picked up her pace stepping up beside Ulquiorra. "Master. Please talk to me. I know you’re upset. I am sorry. I should have just kept my mouth shut." She hung her head again looking at the floor under them.
Ulquiorra let his hand fall back to his side, but did not slow his pace. "I am neither upset or asking for your apology. You have spoken as one of your rank should: irrationally." His words were as clipped as his heels on the tiled floor.
"No," Kita replied. "I spoke out of place. If this is what Aizen wants then it is beyond me to change it. Toshiro is dead to me and he will remain dead to me.” She stopped letting Ulquiorra get a few paces ahead of her once more taking up her place behind him like it should be. There she followed diligently.
Ulquiorra listened with a distracted ear, but he looked sharply back when he heard Kita's feet slow. "Keep up," he barked. He knew as well as Kita that the old Toshiro was hiding within that sickening body that he called 'Zeshin', but there would be a day when it snapped and his true nature came back. He, just like Aizen's other experiments would fail.
Zeshin thought that perhaps if he took a stroll around Los Noches then his memories would return. He just ended up getting lost. He stood looking at the corridors trying to figure out which way to go when he heard voices behind him.
Kita said nothing when Ulquiorra snapped at her. She just stayed up with his pace as they walked the halls of Las Noches. One of her Masters pass times for some odd strange reasons. She always wanted to ask why he did this, but she figured she would get the same response she did with all her questions. So she just went along with it.
"You two." he exclaimed, "I'm so glad to see you! I remember you from earlier."
Ulquiorra regarded the smaller espada ahead of them with cold eyes. He neither wanted to see or hear him, but it would be unwise to ignore Aizen's 'pet'. "Are you looking for a confirmation of your memories or are you lost?"
Kita said nothing as she walked along with Ulquiorra and stopped walking when he did. She did not even look Zeshin's way. Heeding Aizen’s warning for when Gin took her from the throne room.
"I'm lost....these halls are very unfamiliar to me and they all look the same."
"Lost? In your own home. It is as if you ask for mercy from your superiors." Ulquiorra drew out the last word with a sigh. Behind him the only noise Kita made was to breathe in a slow, calculated way. Almost as if she was following a mental routine.
"What reason would I have to ask for mercy? I am merely asking a hollow to guide me back"
Kita looked to Ulquiorra when he looked to her. She said nothing just looked at him to see if he was requesting anything of her. Kita then looked to Zeshin with his comment about her master, "He is no mere hollow. He is the Fourth Espada in your father’s army. You would do well to set that to memory.” Kita replied with a slight bite.
"Kita." Ulquiorra said her name as if it were a command. She fell silent, but her eyes remained fiery. "Zeshin," The word slipped like oil from his mouth. "Your memory lapse will not be tolerated. What is it you need?"
"The fourth you say? Well all I need is a guide back. I would hate to keep you from your duties, so your fraccion will have to make due."
"I trust there is no problem with that Mr. 4Th?"
Before Ulquiorra knew what he was doing, his hand was at Zeshin's throat. "No. Under no circumstances are you to ever engage my fraccion in any of your activities. I will see to your confusion myself." He roughly pushed Zeshin back and regarded him through narrowed eyes.
Being grabbed by the throat surprised Zeshin. Subconsciously he caused the temperature to decrease rapidly and started to freeze Ulquiorra’s hand. Something inside him had felt that before. He knew he had frozen the man before him at one time.....why? "It is an order then, she WILL guide me back."
Kita stepped back shaking her head. Things were about to get bad.
Cold air blew through Ulquiorra's nose in a fast jet of white steam. A thin layer of ice had formed over the back of his hand like an old wound-- infectious and toxic. He looked down at his hand and back at the boy. The intruder. The fake... and it made him angry. "It is the easiest lessons you fail to understand. You need to be reeducated." Ulquiorra took slow, deliberate steps forward and let his hand freely fly across Zeshin's face. He liked the feeling of control.
He did not flinch from the attack at all. It was as though he did not feel it. Instead a blast of ice erupted from Zeshin and pinned him to the far wall. It both surprised and impressed Zeshin. "Uhhh...I didn't do that intentionally, but I suggest not trying to attack me again later."
Kita swung her arms from her side as a huge ball of flames formed hitting Zeshin with a blast of her own from him attacking her master. The bright blue ball flame knocked him against the wall behind him as his body left a generous size dent. “You deal with us both if you attack. Something else for you to set to memory.” She glared at Zeshin through narrowed eyes.
A scent of burning hair filled the hallway and an unsettling silence descended on the trio. From behind Kita, Ulquiorra broke out of the ice and shook the rest of himself out.
Zeshin dusted off the rubble casually, "Like I said, I'm not attacking," he laughed. "I don't remember how to control it." He took her by the hand, "Now then, let us be off. You are very curious to me." He pulled her along. Zeshin yelled back to the fourth espada, "I'm sure that will eventually thaw....probably..."
Kita jerked away from Zeshin and stood strong in her place. "I will not be your guide. Not now. Not ever.”
"Oh? That's no fun. How will I ever figure out why I am drawn to you then?"
"You are making a dangerous mistake," He lifted a hand and a cero began forming. Kita would live through out, he figured as an afterthought.
Kita’s eyes widened. “Drawn to me?”
"Kita."
He lifted her chin, "Your face has been the only thing I recognize since I came back. Far more than these halls and," he glanced at the fourth, "these other hollows. I would really like to know why. Are you special to me?"
"Kita." It was the second and final warning he gave his fraccion.
Kita pulled away from Zeshin stepping back from him. “I don’t know what you are talking about. I am nothing to you but a Fraccion in your father’s army.”
About that time a wandering arrancar happened through their little mishaps. Ulquiorra dropped the cero and reached out to grab them by their jacket. “If you must have a guide. Use this one. However, my fraccion is off limits to you.”
"Hmm, just a Fraccion, eh?" He took her hand and placed a small kiss to the back of it, “Well Miss Kita, till next we meet."
Ulquiorra sonidoed forward and stepped between his fraccion and the arrancar, but it was too late.
He smirked at Ulquiorra "And we WILL meet." A flash of red appeared in his eyes momentarily.
He pulled her away and left Zeshin smirking like a fool at his back. Yes, they would meet again... but not like this. "Kita. Come."
"This is going to be fun..." He looked at the other hollow, "Hi what's your name," he smiled.
Kita followed her master off never looking back, but heard Zeshin's last words. She sighed to herself.
Continued To: Drop Off
