Inverted Worlds
Ch. 1 Constant Darkness
Ch. 1 Constant Darkness
In the permanently night filled world, Arrancar and hollow both milled about aimlessly. In Las Noches, everything was at the most peaceful point of each twenty-four hour cycle. Most of the Arrancar were finally asleep or resting. Only one person remained awake in the entirety of Las Noches. He sat in his normal perch of his large window sill overlooking Hueco Mundo from one of the high points of Las Noches where his room was located. He was placed as far away from all other Arrancar as possible.
Golden eyes stared out at the white expanse of sands below. A smile graced his lips as the figure hummed a giddy little tune, but the smile wasn’t... warm. It was the smile of a person who keeps a constant, rather creepy smile to unnerve someone purposely, like their second-in-command, Gin, who smiled constantly with squinted eyes to make everyone nervous. The figure hummed still, watching everything happening, which was very little. The stillness of Las Noches calmed him slightly.
The giddy tune continued to hang in the air as the being shifted, swinging his legs over the sill of his window. He took in a deep breath of the night air in Hueco Mundo, golden eyes swimming in black sclera shutting briefly. He let out the breath, the winds picking up for a brief moment, stirring up the sands. Long, golden orange hair was swept upwards with the wind current for a brief moment before falling back down around bare shoulders. He was without his jacket once again, so his lithe yet muscular body was caressed by the sweet breeze. His customary white hakama rode low around his hips, barely held up by the black sash around his waist. He swung his legs out, bare feet swinging through the air as the young man continued humming his merry tune.
He was taking his time, savoring all that Hueco Mundo had to offer while he had these brief moments of time to himself where he could do as he pleased outside of his room. Aizen always kept him locked away in his room unless he needed him for something relatively important that could afford no screw ups. He understood, however, why he was forced to stay away from everyone else, though. His spiritual pressure that was leaked on a constant basis alone was enough to match the Fourth Espada in full release, and that was the held back version. He was a powerful being and he knew that. Aizen could never send in weak Arrancar to fetch him because they would die before they even reached his room to knock on the door.
A content sigh passed through the young Arrancar’s lips. He was sated, for the moment. He’d best be getting back inside and shut the window soon. His Fraccion would be coming up to give him his daily meal and he had to at least look presentable for them. He knew the youngest of the twins would chastise him if he didn’t at least get dressed, as he’d learned the hard way the first time. Call him a sucker, but he couldn’t go against his two smaller Fraccion. He’d found the two a long time ago, being cared for by a third, older hollow at the time. The two little ones were helpless in the brutal world and he, the young Arrancar who was back then a Vasto Lorde, had instantly taking a liking to them. When he took a liking to something, he kept it nearby and cared for it. So, he’d taken in the twins and the older hollow and they’d become somewhat of a makeshift family. The young twins held a lot of power over the Arrancar, and while one used it to her advantage a lot of the time, the other couldn’t ever do something like that.
With one final sigh, he bid the night filled sky adieu and pulled himself back inside his spacious room, shutting the window with a soft click. He turned back to his large room he had all to himself. The walls were lined with countless bookshelves, all filled with innumerable amounts of books in various different languages. Several desks were strewn about the room, all covered with other books, journals, papers, pens, and other things he possibly needed. When one was confined to their room all day long, they had to have something to keep them entertained, right? It just so happened the Arrancar himself read and memorized books. He also learned numerous languages when he felt particularly bored.
The young Arrancar pulled his jacket on, slipping his arms through the sleeves slowly and at a languid pace. His didn’t bother with his sandals since he wouldn’t be leaving his room. The floors were pristine at any count, so he didn’t have to worry over dirtying his feet. He zipped up the front of his coat and surveyed himself in the mirror placed against his wall. He turned and looked at himself from different angles before deeming himself decent enough. A soft knock was heard at his doorway a few moments later, jarring the young Arrancar male from his thoughts. He padded silently across his room, sliding the door open before side stepping out of reflex as his older Fraccion came barreling as per usual, trying to knock him down. It was somewhat of a game between them now to see if he could catch his master off guard and he never succeeded. It was fun to watch him try anyhow. “Good morning, Isshin-san.”
“Good dodge, Ichigo-sama!” The older Arrancar scrambled up, beaming widely. His short black hair stuck upwards at an odd angle, dark eyes glittering with excitement. A piece of bone mask fitted over his right eye and took up the space on his forehead on the right half of his face. He wore the normal white hakama, black sandals, and a large white top that was form fitting to him. The seemingly hyper Arrancar was most often than not very eccentric and outlandish, but he had good intentions most of the time. There were few occasions where Isshin was serious, but he was serious when it counted most.
The golden orange haired Arrancar bent down, ignoring his other Fraccion in favor of the two smaller Arrancar standing in the doorway, both unfazed by his reiatsu. He smiled widely down at the fraternal twin Arrancar. He had a very soft spot for the two and he viewed them as almost little sisters. “Good morning, Yuzu-chan. Karin-chan.”
“Good morning, Ichigo-onii-sama!” Yuzu was the one who spoke first. She was the kinder of the two twins. Her large, doey brown eyes stared up at the person who’d become her almost older brother. A while back, she’d asked if she could refer to him as an older brother, Ichigo couldn’t have been more delighted by the prospect. He’d never had siblings that he could remember, so having someone look up to him as a brother had been almost... heartwarming. If he’d had a heart, anyways, which he didn’t, but it was the thought that counted, so it was close enough. Yuzu’s sandy brown hair was in cute pigtails today. She was wearing her customary Arrancar uniform of a form fitting top with detached sleeves tied by ribbons around her upper arms, a knee length white skirt and the normal Arrancar sandals. Her mask piece was laid on top of her head, a flat bone curving over the left portion of the top her head and on down the side.
Karin, on the other hand, was the opposite of her twin. Her dark black hair was pulled up into a ponytail in the back with her bangs hanging on either side of her face. Her dark grey eyes stared up at the person she also considered an older brother in an almost bored fashion. Her mask piece was similar to her sisters, on placed on the right hand portion of her head. Her clothing consisted of a sleeveless white top that stopped above her stomach, white puffy, knee length pants wrapped by bandages around her knees, and the normal black and white sandal boots. She was the more outgoing and snarky of the two twins. She tended to be a pessimist and have a negative outlook on everything. She got along with very few people in Las Noches, sans the Fraccion of the Primera, but that was another story entirely. “Morning. Glad to see you’re dressed for a change.”
“Thought I’d be nice and be decent this morning.” Ichigo only grinned widely and placed a hand on her head. “Or is that too much for you to handle?” He ruffed her hair lightly, causing Karin to slap his hand away, muttering for him not to mess up her hair and to quit being a smartass. He turned to Yuzu and smiled widely. “Get a nice kill, Yuzu-chan?”
Yuzu nodded slightly, a smile gracing her lips as well. “Yes, Ichigo-onii-san! We found a nice big hollow. He should tide you over for a little while.” Isshin handed her a small cube in which the small Arrancar put on the ground and let the cube expand and release the hollow trapped inside it. The hollow screeched and thrashed before Ichigo delivered a stab to the sternum, watching it with amusement as he dropped lifelessly onto the floor. “Alright then! Now that that’s done, we’ll not bother you anymore, Ichigo-onii-san!”
“Mah, mah! You should eat with me. I don’t like eating by myself. It’s so boring.” The golden orange haired Arrancar whined pathetically. “I never get ANY contact with people other than Ulqui-chan. I get so lonely without anyone here. Please stay for just a little while.”
The twins shot each other a look before they turned back to the Arrancar they considered their older brother. “We’ll stay then.” They answered in unison, which was rare for them. Often times, nobody affiliated them as twins because they were so different from one another. The two, along with Isshin, sat along side their “family member” and Espada master. They all ate from the hollow, talking and chatting idly as they did so. After they were all finished, all three Fraccion took their leave to begin their daily routine around Las Noches.
Ichigo sighed softly to himself as the others left. Now he had no one to talk to once again. The days he spent in Las Noches were among the most uneventful. He was always bored to bits with little to do. He was hardly needed, and when he was, the missions were so easy it was incredibly unsatisfying. Reading and memorizing books could only keep one entertained for so long. He could recite every book in his room by heart. Learning new languages was amusing and fun when you learned it, but what could you do once you knew it? Very little. It was like the Arrancar was missing something important and until he found it, he would remain unfulfilled.
Ichigo collapsed back onto his bed with a sigh. His golden orange hair fanned out around him, framing his body as he lie still on the bed. He wished something remotely exciting would happen for a change or that Aizen gave him a mission he would like. A soft knocking occurred just then, jarring his thoughts away from Aizen and missions. He sat up in his bed and he grinned as he felt a familiar reiatsu on the other side of the door. “Come in~!”
The door to Ichigo’s room slipped open a shorter, thinner Arrancar stepped in. His pale skin reflected in the dim light, casting shadows across himself. He stood ramrod straight tall, posture impeccable. His large green eyes held very little expression as did his face. Dark green tear tracks ran down his cheeks, almost as if he were crying. His inky, jet black hair was combed neatly and arranged in the normal wispy style. His crisp white, long sleeved jacket was zipped up all the way to his neck, white hakama clinging to his small waist with help of a black belt. His customary sandals clicked softly across the floor as he made his way across the room silently. The expressionless figure stopped next to the bed and stared at the Arrancar sitting there, not speaking a single word.
Ichigo grinned brightly at the pale Arrancar and shot forward, attached himself to the Espada standing before him. “Ulqui-chan~!” His voice was excited, barely containing his mirth as he clung to the pale Arrancar like a lifeline. He hadn’t seen the other Arrancar in a few weeks now. Ulquiorra was the only one outside of Fraccion that put up with him and his antics. And how Ichigo loved to purposely piss him off for fun.
The pale Espada’s eyes narrowed just a fraction, his frame remaining still. How he despised when he was acting like a petulant child. “Release me at once, Kurosaki-sama. And please do not call me that.” Why was it that this incredibly powerful Arrancar saw it fit to act like a child most, no, ALL of the time? It was unbecoming and very... how could he word it? Annoying? He neither was fond of the attention, nor did he completely understand why the Arrancar was so attached to him. He’d never done anything showing he particularly cared for the other. So why was it that he was clung to by this overgrown child-like Arrancar?
“But! But, I haven’t seen you in FOREVER!” The golden orange haired Arrancar was almost whining pathetically, releasing his hold on the pale Arrancar and sitting on his knees on top of his bed. He pursed his lips into something akin to a pout.
“It’s been three weeks at most.”
“Exactly!” Ichigo was whining again. “I missed you~! Do you realize how boring it is up here with no one to talk to?” He collapsed back onto his bed with a heaved sigh. “Ulquiorra... it’s so incredibly boring here in Las Noches... Can’t there be something remotely interesting for me to do so I don’t die of sheer boredom?”
“I believe you’ll be pleased to hear that Aizen-sama is sending you on a new mission.”
“To do what? Recruit more Arrancar? Take out patches of Shinigami? Secure his rule in somewhere else of Hueco Mundo?” His tone was exasperated as he gave a soft sigh. “Ulqui-chan, I’ve done all of these things ten times over and nothing interests me anymore. Can Aizen-sama find me a mission worth the extra effort?”
“He’s sending you to the human world.”
At this, golden eyes shot open as the golden orange haired Arrancar sat up quickly. His eyes were wide with excitement. “The human world?” Oh the human world. He’d been dying for ages to go there and study the anomalies known as humans. He liked to study the different types of races: Shinigami, Hollows, Arrancar, etc. Humans had been the only one he’d had no record of yet, along with the visoreds, but he’s never been able to catch one. He hadn’t been given the chance to study human way of life and was ecstatic that now, he might just have that chance.
Ulquiorra only nodded his head minutely. “That is correct. Aizen-sama asked me to come collect you and bring you too him to debrief you for your new mission. Please, do hurry. I have things to do other than watching over you and making sure you don’t kill anyone on accident.”
Ichigo grinned brightly. Ichigo shot forward and attached himself to the pale Arrancar, causing him to stumble backwards this time from the force. “Yatta! Arigato, Ulqui-chan~!”
“Stop acting childish and get off me this instant, Kurosaki-sama.”
“Mah, Ulqui-chan is so mean!”
Ulquiorra resisted the urge to roll his eyes. It was a very intense urge. This... Arrancar only served to irritate him. He also made Ulquiorra want to commit mass homicide every time they came in contact with each other. In retaliation to the hug, Ulquiorra reached up calmly and tugged sharply on the young Arrancar’s ear, causing his superior, yes superior, to let out a whiney yelp and retract his arms. “Make yourself presentable and let us be going, Cero-sama.”
The cero Espada pursed his lips in a pout before getting up and starting to make himself presentable for Aizen-sama. While he brushed out his golden orange hair, he couldn’t help but wonder what he would be doing on his mission. Would he be going alone? Or would he be going with someone this time? Oh so many thoughts. He tied his hair back into a low ponytail and padded over to his closet, bringing out a pair of sandals and slipping them on before turning back to Ulquiorra with a bright grin. “Alright, Cuarta-kun~! I’m ready.”
Ulquiorra sighed slightly before turning and silently making his way to the door of the hyperactive Espada’s room. “Follow me, Cero-sama.” He trailed out the door, the Cero Espada following behind him closely, like a puppy.
