I know a few of you follow my Instagram, but for the rest of you, not only did I just graduate from college, but I also passed my state licensing exam! I'm officially saving lives and what not! Yay! So no more school or studying.. Which leaves time for writing

Oh, and in my defense.. My demon took away senses before Hiro Mashima released chapter 403.. This is a continuation of that and I still stick to my guns that my character is my own and everything to do with the Tengu is of my own creation.

Your #3 pick on the poll is the Bleach star of this chapter.. Enjoy~

"…Did he just call me trash?" Lucy had an annoyed look as she continued to stare daggers into the Arrancar's back.

Levy and Erza gave each other a quick look before following the Celestial Mage's movements towards her spirit as he continued to walk away. If Lucy's body language told them anything they knew a three-way battle might quickly be under foot. Levy spared a glance back to the remaining Mages as they also followed the blonde's movements, the rest of the group seemed to be at a cross between amused and conflicted about interfering, well almost everyone - the glare Laxus shot at the spirit didn't escape her. She was simply thankful they all seemed to settle on letting Lucy handle her spirit.

"Hey! You! Who do you think you are?" Lucy was pulling her whip from her side – she was either going to Lucy-kick him or give him some serious whip burn for making a comment like that and just walking away as though it mattered little to nothing to him.

He ignored her completely.

"Of all the rude, arrogant, selfish spirits I've met you are by far the worst!"

He wouldn't even turn to look at her.

"Ugh, why couldn't Grimmjow come?! He's clearly a better choice for this task!"

That did it. He stopped in his tracks and slowly turned his head in the girl's direction, only looking at her from the corner of his eye.

"Do not compare me to trash like the Sexta ever again." He began to turn his head back around and continue on his way. Where in the hell was he going?

"Why? Is he more powerful than you or something? I know how much of an ego blow that is to Arrancar in your world." She placed her hands on her hips as she waited for a response – if hitting under the belt was the only way she was going to get a response from him then that was what she was going to do.

He only graced her with another half-look from the corner of his eye, "our strength is of no consequence. He is a completely different breed of warrior than I. How do I get back, I don't have time for this." He turned his attention back to the direction he was currently walking, methodically taking in his surroundings.

"Fine by me, you can go back, I need someone who can handle this demon anyways." She was shewing him away with a gesture of her hand – still attempting to get under his skin and hopefully get a little reverse psychology to work in her favor.

"I will."

This damn Arrancar.. She didn't even know his name! And he wasn't falling for her, admittedly, stupid and childish tricks. Maybe she'd have to go about this one the same way she did with Gin.

"Do you even know how to get back?" She dropped her hands and decided to put her ridiculous tactics behind her, this definitely wasn't a simpleton she was dealing with.

"I do not. Why am I not able to sense my world." He turned towards her again, he would need to watch her physical responses to decide whether or not she was lying or attempting to deceive him in any way.

"Probably because you haven't completed the task I asked of you yet."

"You haven't asked anything of me yet."

"Oh, you're right.." She began rubbing the back of her arm, it had been a long while since she felt so awkward with one of her spirits. She knew she was going to have to try a little harder with this one.

"Could you please defeat the Tengu in the sky?" She briefly looked to the demon's spot, noticing the piercing glare he shot her; almost as if he were offended she'd even insinuate her spirit could come close to defeating him, much less go toe-to-toe with him.

"..Why?" The Arrancar's response pulled her attention from the silent threat the Tengu promised and reminded her she still needed to reason with her other predicament at the moment – the spirit who was apparently summoned to complete a task he was clearly perfect for yet refused to even consider it. She never thought about one of these spirits outright refusing to help. Aquarius had no problem going back to her world after throwing a water attack around which usually did more harm than good.. Especially to herself.. Lucy sweat dropped.

Could he just simply go back? He couldn't.. Right? After all, even Aquarius had to do at least a little something before heading back to one of her dates with the boyfriend she never let Lucy forget that she had. Then point out Lucy's bad luck with relationships..

She sweat dropped again.

Okay, this definitely wasn't the appropriate time for her to mold her love life around in her head – or lack thereof in this case.. Ugh! Stop it Lucy! Not the time, not the time! She began mentally berating herself. Why am I choosing now to think about this?! Being single never bothered me before!

Lucy's facial features ranged from irritation to frustration, then to defeat followed closely by contemplation and then concern back to contemplation again. The Arrancar watched with mild interest.

For all I know dating wont even be a possibility for me with how smoothly everything is going over with this spirit! Okay, first things first, reason with the Arrancar!

She then finished her little facial show off with annoyance then another look of defeat before stomping a foot and smashing her fist into an open hand – seeming somewhat determined about something.

The Arrancar was absolutely perplexed by how many emotions the female could display in such a short period of time. He quickly found himself curious as to which random array of emotions she'd flood with next; or at least he would have been if he weren't becoming somewhat annoyed with her lack of response to his previous question. Then she did some odd hand gesture as if coming to some grand conclusion.

It was decided, the best way to tackle this spirit would be with absolute honesty and sincerity, though she prided herself on always being rather honest, she wasn't afraid to use a little manipulation here and there to turn the tables in her favor, especially in a predicament like this. She wasn't sure exactly when a spirit could or couldn't return, her Zodiac keys – minus Aquarius – were simply and genuinely concerned about her well being, they wanted to keep her safe. There weren't strings attached, heck she wanted to keep them as safe and as far from harm as possible too, so she could kind of understand that. But she also understood not everyone functioned that way, and she couldn't really expect someone she was meeting for the first time who seemed to have zero attachment issues to actually care about her safety so long as he wasn't the one causing it. So she was going to be honest, she wasn't going to try and force him to do anything but from what she knew, she would tell him, and simply hope for the best.

"So I'm pretty sure you can simply go back to your world. You shouldn't have to defeat him if you don't want to.. I can't force you to do anything, I can only ask.. But if you could please at least give us some sort of upper hand in the situation I'm sure it would make it easier for you to sense your world and go back.. I have another spirit that's not too prone on helping me much either and as far as I know she's always able to go back as long as she at least attempts to do what she was summoned for.." She gave him a small smile he quickly began to analyze.

"I already disrupted whatever power he had over you and your comrades. My task is complete."

Lucy felt herself deflate a little at the response – at one side he did have a point, he technically already saved her; but the threat was still there, and very real. She would have to try and reason with him some more.

"And I thank you for that.. I honestly don't know what would have happened if you hadn't interfered.. But I can't do this without you.."

The small sound of a plea in her voice had him curious enough to finally turn the rest of his body ever so slightly in her direction. He gauged her posture and the genuine look in her eyes, the smile she'd given him after the explanation of how she hypothesized he could return was genuine yet saddened. He knew she could have lied, could have tried twisting his predicament in her favor, try to force his hand in the situation and manipulate him. Though he would have easily known given his exceptional abilities of observation, she didn't know how keen his senses were, how honed they'd become after centuries of perfecting them.

She could have tried exploiting him and his abilities, but she didn't. Nor was her plea that of a victim begging him for mercy, no, it was someone seeking him out.

No one sought him out. For anything.

This woman was an enigma. She was insulting him one second, goading him the next, emotional, and then sincere all within a single minute..

Women…

"You truly expect me to fight your battle for you?" Though his facial expression and voice remained the same – there seemed to be an underlying hint of irritation.

"Please.. This is my power, I contract with spirits and they aide me in battle." She continued to rub her arm as she began to feel more and more awkward in his presence. She'd never met anyone, mage, spirit, or demon, like this man. He was reserved and quiet – to the point and blunt with his responses. He remarked on things as they were and sugar coated nothing – though she supposed he didn't need to, sparing her feelings was probably the last thing on his mind.

"He is not worth my time, surely someone else here can handle it." The Arrancar didn't have to gesture towards the group of mages for Lucy to know who he was referring to. She was feeling mystified; this was the first spirit she'd ever summoned that had practically no desire to fight. She was under the impression the Arrancar, and Shinigmai for that matter too, were all battle hungry creatures who lived for a good sword joust, but this one seemed to go completely against the norm.

"Not worth your time you say?" The Tengu landed to the ground in a display of power, smashing the earth into rubble and causing a gust of wind to bounce off his wings, practically throwing everyone off their feet. Well, everyone except the Arrancar.

The spirit glanced at the demon from the corner of his eye opposite the girl. He'd already measured this opponent the moment he'd arrived. He may not be familiar with their power source but he could at least discern that he was little to no threat to his person. He was a complete waste of time, the girl was actually right, the Sexta would wipe the floor with him in seconds if he didn't insist on toying with his prey and dragging all his fights out. Must be a cat thing.

"I have no interest in you or your petty attempts to showcase what little power you have." The Arrancar shut his eyes as he continued to walk forward as though to end the conversation. Lucy watched him continue to walk, where was he walking to?

"You insult me greatly spirit." The Tengu's eyes matched the spirit's – they were just as cold and calculated but with an underlying hint of malice. "I shall prove you wrong." Without moving the Tengu continued to focus on the spirit as the Arrancar suddenly stopped walking.

Lucy flinched, she knew what the demon was doing – her spirit was in the same state she had just been in. She couldn't stop the gut-wrenching feeling of him going through the torment she had, especially since she was the one who brought him here and was practically forcing him to endure it in her stead.

"I've taken away all your senses except one. But the only thing you can hear is my voice, it will be the last thing you hear creature whose name I do not know." The Tengu slowly approached the Arrancar as Lucy intercepted, taking a protective stance in front of her spirit.

"That's dirty! Fight him like a man!" she pointed an accusatory finger at the demon as he ignored her completely, still solely focused on the man who insisted on insulting his abilities.

"What was it you said earlier?" The demon gave the girl a passing glance only to let her know he was referring to her. "'This is my power'?" He shot her a malicious grin that managed to shoot a shiver all the way, and then back down her spine. "Besides; I'm no human man child, I am a demon."

Lucy's eyes and chest began to tighten with frustration; this opponent truly scared her, but her will to protect a now helpless spirit she had summoned over-ruled her desire to get as far away from the Tengu as possible. She was determined to protect this Arrancar. She stood her ground and readied for a Forced Gate Closure, she would take on the demon's assault, her spirit didn't deserve any of what he was experiencing.

"Interesting."

Lucy's train of thought crashed as she spun around to look at her Arrancar – who stood completely calm and collected and even managed to find the means to speak in such an even tone. How..?

Lucy's jaw slightly fell open, she was in that state for 23 seconds and was a mess – an easy target. He had been standing there for at least 30 seconds and looked as though he could be taking an afternoon nap. Yep.. She was definitely justified in her feeling intimidated by this spirit..

"So you're able to speak, quite impressive." The demon feigned intrigue as he allowed the talons of his hands to grow longer while he continued his approach.

"Stop!" Lucy had pulled her whip out only to have the Tengu shew her away with a single flap of his wing. She came hurdling down to the ground and rolled for a few more feet until smashing into a rock face. She yelped in pain as the air in her lungs was roughly pushed out.

"Lucy!" The group of mages who had remained silent began making their way towards the fallen girl.

The Arrancar's fingers twitched in his pockets as soon as the girl made contact with the boulder. He couldn't see nor hear her, but he could still sense her. In fact, he was so in tuned to the girl that it was startling. Harribel had warned him about possibly being summoned, she warned all the Espada of the possibility.

She took extra measures with him though, she had searched him out in the Fourth Tower to explain to him that being here would force impulses on his person. There would be.. Feelings.. He wasn't familiar with. His most basic nature would take hold and push him to action, an overbearing urge and desire to protect would come forth and fighting it would be pointless. And all of it would be because of that girl; she was the catalyst to these odd urges.

If he felt inclined to show his exasperation he would have sighed at that moment – but the desire to express his complete annoyance was out weighed at the moment as he simply continued with his calm, nonchalant countenance.

What was with these females being forced into his day to day regimen and twisting his logic on a continual basis? As if his charge in his own world wasn't enough of a puzzle to deal with now he had trash like her practically demanding his compliance. And he couldn't say 'no', the drive was too great, even for him. Dammit.

"You coward!" Levy was standing between the Tengu and Lucy as she readied herself for a spell.

"Stand back Levy! If he takes your senses away again you'll be a sitting duck like the spirit over there." Bixlow was grabbing the girl's elbow as he began pulling her back to the safety of the group.

The Tengu continued his approach towards the pale man, intending to finish the spirit off first, then the girl's friends. Once the obstacles were out of the way he'd finally have the prize – and Zeref's favor once retrieving the girl. A small smile played on the corner of his lips at the thought of his impending success.

"Good bye, spirit." The Tengu bent his knees and threw his wings forward, "a shame no one here was ever able to at least learn your name," and then threw his wings back, accelerating his speed with the sheer force of his wings as he thrust his talons forward, creating a typhoon with a spear point front that was headed straight for the spirit's head.

Or at least that's where he was aiming.

His eyes took on a surprised look as the spirit casually held the demon's talons a few inches away from touching his person. Causing the air to shake from the sudden stop of the impact.

"You didn't honestly think you could defeat me so easily, did you Tengu?" He still stood in his exact spot, one hand in his pocket as the one he caught the demons attack with simply threw the Tengu's offending hand away to the side. With his eyes still closed the spirit could have almost been mistaken for a statue; the only hint of movement from his part was the gentle billowing of his coat tails and the hand that slowly receded back downward.

"Do not get so cocky from one blocked attack spirit." The Tengu spat in frustration as he quickly took to the sky. He reached a point he deemed worthy for another accelerated attack before stopping. The initial shock of the spirit stopping his attack was flustering at first, but he quickly calmed himself and took the situation in rationally. He had to remember this creature was not human, if anything it resembled a demon; and perhaps his abilities to pick up on what humans like to call a "sixth sense" were well developed. It had to be. There's no other way he could have blocked that attack. No matter, his sixth sense was well developed as well – the only thing that meant to him was a potentially interesting fight. He once again pushed his wings forward and then back again, but this time with both taloned hands at the ready – he would simply overwhelm the spirit with a volley of attacks.

Lucy felt the impact and opened her eyes to the direction of the fighting creatures. She pushed the pain to the side and managed to lift herself with the help of Erza and Natsu just enough to watch the fight. She watched the Tengu ascend and then quickly descend again - at the rate and intensity the demon was attacking at, he'd surely manage some damage on a spirit who didn't have any of his senses intact! She attempted to stand until the sound of the demon colliding with the spirit echoed off the cliffs. Dust and rubble shot to the air and the scene was completely shadowed over.

The energy of movement could be felt as wind was cut. Debris would flow in the opposite direction the group assumed an attack had been dealt, but other than rock hitting dirt and the occasional shifting of clothing – it was eerily silent. After a few more seconds, it became eerily still.

After the dust settled, the group could make out two figures, one cloaked in white and the other in black; and both in the exact same positions they'd been in before the altercation started. Lucy had to squint her eyes to try and find any detail that hinted that either creature had even moved. The only difference she noted was that her spirit's hand was casually placed back into his pocket, and that the Tengu regarded him in a new light if the slight raising of his eyebrow said anything.

"Impressive.." The Tengu's eyes darkened with the anticipation of a life or death battle as he accepted the new, and admittedly dangerous, challenge this spirit offered him.

"Though.. I couldn't help but notice.. You were also unable to land an attack on me as well.." The Tengu began examining his claws as if bored, the display was lost on Lucy, it's not like her spirit could see his actions and be intimidated by the display.

"Attacking in a state of vulnerability only makes one more vulnerable." The spirit, as calm as ever, gave his rebuttal as if he were simply commenting on the weather.

"You are skilled in your craft spirit, I will acknowledge that, but as you said you are vulnerable. I think it's time to take this fight seriously." The demon took to the air again as it became stagnant and the wind more harsh. Curse power began to swarm the demon as his wings became larger and his talons longer. His beak-like mask became more pronounced and his eyes molted into a shade of red. His legs grew in length and bulk and the talons on his hands and feet became a larger fixture, both intimidating and promising a swift end. He bellowed a sound the group of mages was certain a bird should never make as his chest expanded with his voice. The curse power that had swarmed him gathered and submerged into his body. He looked more.. Bird-like. His feathers were larger and in places where skin had sat before; his eyes were beady, not as human as before – though any part of him suggesting humanity was up for debate.

Bixlow and Gray stood with Laxus and Gajeel as Erza and Natsu finally left the Celestial Mage's side to join the rest; all mages readying for a fight. The way things were looking, the spirit their friend had called was only seconds away from a timely demise, they needed to hatch up a plan and quickly if they wanted any hope of evading his technique and getting the upper hand. Being Dragon Slayers put them at a slight disadvantage, their heightened senses weren't just an aide in battle, they were a part of them. They'd relied on those senses time and time again, to have to enter battle with such a strong opponent without them would be more than a challenge.

"Natsu.." Laxus addressed the boy as he took in the details of his surroundings and their opponent.

"I know." Natsu was doing much the same as his eyes shot from area to area; taking in his surroundings and the placement of the scenery. He began judging the distance from each boulder, tree, the cliff face. If they were going to fight, they needed to get as much of a field advantage as possible.

Three dolls took to the air for an aerial view, Bixlow may not have the senses a Dragon Slayer did, but he knew damn well the extent of their disadvantage- and the way Gray and Erza were focusing on the cliff he was sure the Ice-Make Mage and Knight were just as in-tune with the rest of them about getting a good estimate on their location. Go figure it had to be on a mountain..

"This ain't gonna be easy.." Gajeel's features darkened as he opted to take in his opponent more than his surroundings. The demon had upped his power tremendously, it was almost like fighting a new enemy. He quickly shifted his attention to Levy, "Shrimp.. When shit hits the fan and we start charging, you grab Lucy and get the hell out of here."

"Happy, stay with Lucy, You need to carry her down the cliff as soon as the spirit hits the ground." Natsu gave Happy a look that left no room for argument, only allowing him to nod in agreement.

"Lily-"

"I already know what you're going to say. As badly as I would prefer to stay and do battle with you Gajeel I'll place Levy and Lucy's safety first." Lily nodded towards his Dragon Slayer compatriot as they both shared a silent moment of understanding before Gajeel's turned to one of gratitude.

"Wait.. No.. We can fight!" Lucy was quickly to her feet with Levy by her side.

"There's no room for argument here Lucy. You've been weakened from your recent summonings and this spirit is weighing on you even now. Levy needs to stay with you to help keep you safe, we don't know what else is down that mountain but they cannot get a hold of those keys. It is up to you Lucy, Levy. You cannot fight this opponent and whatever else awaits. Do not let those keys fall into the wrong hands. We'll stay and distract him, but the rest will be up to you two." Erza gave the two girls a look of determination and trust. She wasn't dismissing them because she questioned their ability in battle, no, it was because she trusted in their abilities that she left just the two of them alone to face what else might come at them towards the bottom of the cliff.

The moment within the group was shattered when a single flap of the demon's wings caused the wind to swarm and rise up as curse power radiated from his body. He slowly began to fold his wings and prepare for another attack.

"Get ready.." Laxus shouted over the noise of the debris shattering in the wind as the rest of the mages took on battle stances – Natsu and Gray engulfing their fists in their elements and Gajeel morphing his arms into lances. Bixlow's dolls stood at the ready and static clicked throughout the air as Laxus began charging up and Erza began shifting into her Heaven's Wheel Armor – the more blades at her disposal the better; so long as none of her friends took a hasty jump forward. Lily and Happy were on their respective mages, wings out and ready to split.

In the blink of an eye the Tengu was out of sight and the Arrancar was swallowed in a cloud of curse power and rubble; the rocks shattered and shot out in all directions as a loud booming sound echoed in the mountain pass. The rubble shot straight up as it followed the path of curse power and almost disappeared from sight. There was no way the spirit could have blocked such a powerful attack in the state he was in; Lucy felt her heart sink a little when two large feathered wings emerged from the whirlwind of curse power and flew a few feet back. But when she looked closer at the demon, he didn't look as though he'd just dealt a deadly blow to his opponent.. He almost looked.. Stunned?

It was right at that moment that Lucy felt the sudden impact on her magic.

"Isolate Murciélago."

The whirlwind of earth and curse power slowly disintegrated from an eerie green rain that lightly fell over the area, slowly exposing the Arrancar from the left over dust as it settled under the downpour of rain.

Could this be called rain? It was.. dense.. and.. green.

Before the mages could fully see the Arrancar exposed – he was suddenly gone. It took only a moment to realize he'd taken to the sky – being able to follow a power that immense was not a difficult thing to do, especially sense it didn't seem like the spirit was attempting to hide it at all. All eyes shot to a single spot in the sky to see a second creature with large wings airborne. The spirit's wings were roughly the same size as the Tengu's, but more bat-like in appearance. His helmet now covered the entire top part of his head as the front curved out to two large horns. His uniform seemed longer and more form fitting and his hair seemed longer, wilder than before.

"So you've regained your senses back have you? And also changed your appearance.." The Tengu still seemed unimpressed though cautious; despite the waves of power that emanated from the spirit, he knew he still had somewhat of an upper hand in the situation.

"I could have any time I wanted to creature." The spirit had finally opened his eyes as he pinned the demon with his stare.

"Avis. You may call me Avis." The Tengu gave a flick of his wings as he awaited the spirit's next move. This opponent was not like any other he'd seen, this battle would prove much more difficult than he'd previously anticipated – surely a battle to the death.

"Your name is of little consequence." The Arrancar pointed a finger at the demon, the Tengu's eyes narrowed at the action; he wasn't sure of the reasoning behind the spirit's seemingly harmless movement.

"And why is that spirit." He floated a few more inches back – if this was an attack, which was more than likely a safe assumption, he'd need to be ready to evade it; even with his hold on the spirit there was no saying how devastating the attack could still be; or how wide it's range.

"Because soon you will be dead." A small green light began to flick at the spirit's fingertip and the Tengu readied.

"Cero Oscuras." A black beam outlined by green shot out from the Arrancar's fingertip. The Tengu however, managed to dodge it rather easily from the Arrancar's perspective. The demon followed the attack's path to see it completely annihilate the neighboring mountain peak. He slowly turned back around – expression still unchanged.

The Arrancar also stood expressionless, but his eyes missed nothing. The demon still had somewhat of a hold on his senses; his timing was off because his vision and hearing were still slightly obscureded – though he didn't necessarily need them for this opponent not having them would certainly cause him to take longer in battle. The human woman in his realm was currently left unattended; he couldn't waste time in this world – he needed to finish this quickly.

He slowly lowered his hand as he took the other out of its pocket.

"Ulquiorra Cifer. Cuatro Espada of Hueco Mundo." The demon had managed to dull his senses and evade an attack by still hindering those senses without him knowing – he would acknowledge the creature by giving him his name; the name of the man who would be ending him.

"Ulquiorra Cifer. I see you're done underestimating me then." The Tengu began to radiate energy as his form slightly changed and his wings became even larger.

"I never underestimated you. You're still incapable of defeating me, and I plan to end this quickly."

"You said that before that last attack spirit." The Tengu's irritation was beginning to openly show.

"Watch closely, demon. Do not blink." The sky began to darken and the Tengu's attention snapped to the girl who had suddenly collapsed to the floor as she gasped for air.

"Lucy!" Happy shouted as he caught the girl before her head could hit the ground, Levy was at her side in a second and cupping the Celestial Mage's cheeks as she waited for the girl to take a forgotten breath. "Lucy! Breathe!" Levy shouted as she gave the girl a gentle shake. When she finally gasped the Script Mage released her face to hug her in reassurance. Lucy couldn't find the strength to embrace her back, or even give her a response to let her know she was okay. Heck, was she okay? Levy slowly placed the girl's head gently to the ground as she continued to watch her chest rise and fall, her breaths were short and rapid – far too difficult for safety. Levy couldn't ever recall a time Lucy was so drained from her magic that she was incapable of breathing. She remembered when the team brought her back from Seven – when she'd first summoned some crazy spirit. She wondered if this was anything similar to that time.. She slowly pulled the hair from the Celestial Mage's face as the glazed over look in her eyes began to shine with life – this spirit damn near killed her.

The demon watched the show – recalling how her other two spirit's didn't have the same effect on the girl from what he had seen. He slowly turned his attention back to the Espada as his eyes began to change color.

"Segunda Etapa."

The sky became black and the atmosphere heavy. The spirit's first release was enough to physically manifest into a green downpour of spiritual power – but this.. This was different.

"You rob your opponents of their senses."

He floated eerily in the overcast sky, wings not even flapping as a long, black, whip-like tail slowly moved to-and-fro.

"You attempt to push them into a corner, like trapped animals."

His uniform was gone, instead a bare torso with an enlarged hole sat upon his chest. A trail of black looking as though it oozed out of that same hole trailed all the way down to the lining of the fur that covered his entire lower torso.

"You want them to feel hopeless. Completely at your mercy."

His arms were also covered in black, whether or not it was fur he was unsure; but what he was sure of were the talons that decorated both his hands and feet.

"You try to impose despair onto others."

His mask was completely gone, and instead two large bat-like ears sat atop his head – making him more predator-like in appearance; but his wings and claws, nor his beast-like silhouette wasn't what made him threatening.

"This, demon, is true despair."

It was his damn eyes. The way the green sclera shone against what little light was left in the area, and how they intensified the yellow irises that practically burned holes through his being. His power was so heavy, so thick, it felt like the ocean was crashing around him, pulling him under and dragging him deep, deep down into a dark place no one would ever escape from. For the first time in centuries, the demon felt fear. Or was it? It seemed as though it were more than simply fear, it was more of an inevitability, a promise of things to come.

Everything seemed so clear to him now – creatures like this sat in silent waiting in those keys. The Tengu took a hesitant glance towards the girl, and found a new sense of appreciation for her abilities. The way she lay in her companions lap clearly showed calling spirits of this caliber had its impacts – but it was well worth it.

He slowly trailed his eyes back to the spirit, this.. Espada.. Ulquiorra Cifer as he silently floated in his own pool of dense energy. The spirit was drifting at eye level with him, but somehow without ever changing his features the demon knew he was looking down at him, almost as if he were sitting upon a pillar and casually glancing at all those beneath him.

He had lost. He tried to reach out and cloud this beasts' senses, but it was completely futile. Trying to take control of any aspect of a monster like that was like throwing rocks at the moon, not matter how much you tried – you would still be thousands of miles away from reaching it.

"I could sense your every movement creature. Which was how I knew you still had a hold on my senses when I fired my cero at you. I do not have time to play your game of cat and mouse, I have more important matters to attend to." A sharp, green javelin shaped object formed in his hand as the only other movement coming from his part was the slow, steady sway of his tail.

The demon stood unmoving. He would not cower, he would not run, and he knew he could not defeat this opponent. He would die with honor, knowing that his end had come from a being in which the likes of Zeref would probably not be able to defeat. His master was playing with fire with these keys, if he didn't tread carefully – he was going to get burned.

The demon let out a low laugh that slowly began to build until a bout as it escaped from deep within his chest. The sound was guttural and deep, almost genuine in its nature as the demon bowed his head and then straightened himself.

"I concede. Apparently it was I who underestimated you. A mistake that will cost me my life. I am ready spirit – know that I consider this a great honor." The demon stood tall and proud.

With no affirmation or acknowledgment, and in a movement no one saw, the spirit was suddenly behind the demon. Ulquiorra's expression remained the same, as did the rest of him – the only difference was his right arm, which held the javelin was at a slightly different angle and in front of him instead of at his side.

The Tengu flapped his wings two more times, before his head fell from his body and to the floor. The cut was so clean, it took his body another second or two to stop working and follow the same path to the ground.

The group was stunned, the mages who had prepared for battle found themselves unable to move, and no one spoke. In another movement that slipped everyone's eyes the Arrancar was standing directly in front of Lucy. The Celestial Mage was still in Levy's lap, recovering from the shock of being so completely drained so suddenly. The feeling was similar to Kenpachi's summoning; she just assumed that having practice with summoning spirits of this caliber must have made holding this one open at all possible. She may be able to hold this spirit's gate open, but certainly not for much longer, he either needed to revert back or go back, otherwise she would end up unconscious. The rate at which he drained her very nearly caused her heart to stop and breathing nearly impossible. It was simply too much, far too much.

"Girl…" Lucy was pulled from her thoughts as her eyes met harsh yellow ones in complete attention, "why did you stand in front of me when the Tengu began to attack?"

He may have had his physical senses taken away, but his Pesquisa wasn't just well intact, it was far more developed than any of his counterparts in Hueco Mundo. The demon never stood a chance, his ability to sense spiritual energy was unrivaled. Though these creatures didn't use Reiatsu, he could still gauge their power source – and any movement easily.

Especially the woman's. He wasn't just synced with her power source, in fact he could feel it feeding him at that very moment and was more than aware of the toll he was taking on her in his second released form; he was completely in sync with her. The pain she felt, any deep emotions she may be experiencing at the moment, her anger, sadness. At first he just brushed it off as a side effect from traveling to another world, but as soon as she stood in front of him and flooded with anger and protectiveness, he instantly understood everything he was feeling was from her, because of her. The only reason he remained silent for so long was to mold over this new information, until she was attacked. At that moment, when her pain registered to him, he knew simply leaving was no longer a choice.

For reasons he did not know, and was sure he would never be able to explain, he had the need to protect her. He knew these urges weren't from any sort of fondness he may have for the girl, they were something purely instinctual; an impulse that damn key in her hand forced onto him.

But nevertheless, she jumped before an opponent she had absolutely no hope in defeating, and for his sake. He wasn't sure if the key had the same effect on her as it did him, though being the key holder probably excluded any unnecessary feelings or attachments on her part, so he had decided she did it purely because she felt the need to protect him – either that or the girl was so dim witted she had no sense of self preservation. Surely if she knew the extent of his power she wouldn't have done such a foolish thing, Would she..?

Lucy was caught completely off guard by the question. How did he know she did that? Weren't his senses taken away..? But back on topic – why did she do that? Was it her feelings of guilt at summoning him? Throwing him in a situation he never asked to be in the first place and needing to take responsibility for it? It's not like she's never thrown herself into danger for her friends before, especially her spirits. She never truly stopped to wonder why she did it, she just.. Did. wasn't it natural to want to protect those you cherish? Be willing to take harm onto yourself if it meant keeping it away from a loved one?

"I.. Guess I wanted to keep you safe.." She held eye contact as she looked up to him after shortly considering the question.

"..Why?" Though his expression didn't change, she saw something flash in his eyes. Curiosity?

It was then that she noticed the tear marks down his cheeks were thicker than before, and black. He couldn't control his reiatsu the way Grimmjow did – not from an inability to control, this spirit was the embodiment of control - but there was just so much of it. Lucy compared it to an overflowing dam; the amount of the water overwhelmed the size and began to pour out – there simply wasn't enough room to accommodate that kind of energy.

As if recognizing the girl's appraisal of his power, or the damage he was doing to her, he instantly reverted to his original form – putting his reiatsu in check once again and placing his hands back in his pockets, looking as though he hadn't just morphed into a monstrous creature and easily defeated a demon more than likely centuries old.

"Because you're my friend.. Well, that is you're one of my spirits. Just because I call you to battle doesn't mean I only see you as a weapon. You feel and live just as I do, and you drop everything at any given moment to help me when called. How could I not cherish someone like that? Even if you do resent me." She gave him a smile that he quickly decided wasn't fabricated. The girl meant what she said.

He found himself coming to a question, or maybe it was a conclusion of sorts.. Was this also the heart..?

He continued to stare at the girl for a moment longer, looking for an inkling that she may not be as genuine as she originally portrayed herself to be, but found none. In many ways she reminded him of the human girl from his world, throwing herself into battles she clearly had no business being in. Needing to rely on everyone else's strength but refusing to remain on the sidelines. She wasn't physically strong by any means, in fact Yammy's fraccíon mutt could probably do more damage than this girl. However, she was strong in her resolve, in her desire to keep who she considered important safe – including himself – someone she didn't even know and should not concern herself with. This is what puzzled him, just like his charge this girl was another anomaly to him.

However, at the moment she was no longer his concern, and he needed to get back to the headache that was. The human girl in his world would undoubtedly find trouble in his absence, whether she seeked it out or not she always seemed to find it. Yes, he needed to go back, now.

"My task is done. I did as you asked." His expression didn't change – it never changed.

Lucy smiled even wider.

The action was lost on Ulquiorra.

"Why are you smiling girl."

"Thank you.. For everything.."

"Your thanks are not necessary. Especially since I didn't have a choice in the matter."

Lucy sweat dropped – always to the point.. And having a point..

"I guess you're right.. I'm sorry.. But I hope we can eventually be friends one day. My name is Lucy by the way." She continued to give him one of her smiles.

"I know what your name is."

"Then why don't you use it?"

"Because I don't refer to trash by their given name. Trash is trash."

"Where do you get off callin' people trash?" Laxus sneered.

Ulquiorra slowly shifted his gaze towards the blonde man, the scowl on his face had 'Grimmjow' written all over it. He instantly decided he didn't like him. More trash..

"I can see it in your eyes! You're probably thinking I'm 'trash' right now aren't you!" Laxus took a step forward as electricity sparked throughout the air. The Arrancar only continued to stare.

"How astute of you.." Ulquiorra closed his eyes as if to end the conversation and turned his head back towards the girl.

"Dammit that's it! I'm gonna kick your little ass spirit!" Laxus took a menacing step forward as Bixlow barely managed to blockade the Lightning Mage with his body; which only succeeded in slowing the brooding Mage down.

"Calm down Laxus!" Gray instantly began assisting the Sieth Mage in his desperate attempt to stop the Dragon Slayer – though he only proved to be another road block as Laxus was slowly working his way closer to the spirit.

"Enough."

Erza managed to stop Laxus in his tracks with a single extended hand on his chest – causing the Dragon Slayer to grit his teeth at the intrusion and solid barrier the Knight was proving to be.

"You." Erza made stern eye contact with the spirit, who only glanced at her from the corner of his eye.

"Stop causing trouble, I would think a warrior as esteemed as yourself would be able to conduct himself accordingly." The Knight continued to hold her glare – completely unwavering despite the sharp look the spirit shot back, both surprised and intrigued she would address him in such a manner. This one reminded him somewhat of the Tres, she was confident and determined, easily taking charge of any given situation while simultaneously striving to prevent conflict; more than likely only raising her hand when the situation absolutely demanded it. Of all the Espada, Ulquiorra held the Tres in the highest regard; the first was inconceivably lazy and the second was too arrogant and wrapped in himself to even understand his position – even going as far as to have his fraccíon refer to him has 'his majesty' despite his ranking. The man had lost his throne to someone more superior, the fact that he refused to acknowledge his defeat and his lack in ability was downright pathetic in Ulquiorra's opinion.

He decided the red head was not trash as he closed his eyes once again, but more in acknowledgement than dismissal.

Erza nodded her head – identifying the action as one of recognition and not disregard.

Laxus could only seethe in his spot, which Erza quite easily held firmly in place. Lucy and Levy could only admire Erza's confidence as the exceeds smiled onward. You can always leave it to Erza!

"Hey! Thanks for helping us out with that guy!" Natsu came up behind the spirit – and Ulquiorra, recognizing the action as no threat, chose to stay where he stood. That was until the pink-haired boy began patting his back in some idiotic display of kinship. Ulquiorra very nearly flinched at the contact. Nobody touched his person. Ever.

"Boy.. Refrain from your incessant need of slapping my back. Immediately." The air began to drop a few degrees as the spirit had no qualm about letting his fierce irritation radiate out in the form of his Reiatsu. The Dragon Slayer, clearly not recognizing the threat, readied for one more solid pat – thank Mavis Gajeel realized the tension and managed to pull the Fire Mage clear out of the spirit's personal space, and even managing to choking him with his own scarf.

"What the hell Gajeel?!" The Fire Mage's shoulders began to ignite as the Iron Mage's fist formed into solid blocks of metal, "Stop being an idiot for once and read people's body language Salamander!" Their foreheads slammed as a fight was only seconds away from ensuing.

"Yeah what the hell Fire Brain?! You trying to get Lucy's spirit to destroy what's left of this mountain top while we're still on it?!" Gray had no problem swinging a solid right hook to the Dragon Slayer's temple.

"That's it! I'll take you both on!" Natsu's arms and fists exploded in flames as he then shot a small stream of fire from his mouth.

Ulquiorra watched the scene with complete and utter annoyance. What imbeciles..

"What did I say about fighting with one's own comrades..?" Erza managed to pin all three mages with a glare nobody wanted to challenge – completely stopping the fight and causing Levy and Lucy to laugh at her clear dominance.

"Geez Natsu.. You can be so dense sometimes.." Happy had perched himself on Natsu's shoulder as he shook his head 'no' in disbelief. The rest of the group gave Happy a pointed look, like you're one to talk..

Ulquiorra felt his well-controlled disposition slowly start to slip as the pink-haired boy once again began shoving his forehead into the black haired boy's, desperately trying to follow the red-headed females orders by not hitting the other and only physically bunting heads, but clearly unable to contain their own stupidity and need to gyrate each other's uncandid need to showcase to the other their superiority; even though the red head was clearly the superior one in the group..

He felt a headache coming on. This was undoubtedly far worse than anything Grimmjow, Nnoitora, or Yammy could muster.. Combined..

"Girl.." Lucy snapped her attention back to her spirit, "I must return immediately. But I must also request something of you before I go." His lids opened to pin her with his deep green eyes, telling her he was very serious.

Lucy couldn't help but gulp at the intensity of his stare, "of course." She nodded in affirmation – showing him she took his request as seriously as he believed it to be. Ulquiorra appreciated the girl's earnestness – he knew the girl could be trusted.

"You must tell no one of what you saw here today. My Resurreccion Segunda Etapa is no one else's concern; do you understand?" He took a step forward, not in a threatening manner, but in a way to let the girl know she must absolutely keep this battle in confidence.

A few questions raced through her head; but this spirit didn't seem inclined to have a cheery little conversation with her, or dive into more information than was necessary. Besides, since he arrived he seemed to be in nothing more than a hurry to get back. There had to of been something important he had to get back to – in fact the only thing he really talked about during his battle was needing to end things quickly. Sure most of her spirits boasted about being able to end their fights as quickly as they started them, but this spirit wasn't by any means cocky or arrogant, which only told Lucy his time here had to come to an end – he needed to go back and she had no intentions of holding him back any more than needed. She couldn't help but smile – he may be stone cold and expressionless – but she decided her first impression of this spirit was wrong. She decided she liked him – at least after being around him for a little bit.

"You can count on me Ulquiorra!" Lucy pumped her fist in the air in determination. The spirit nodded in confidence as he slowly began to disappear.

"Until next time Ulquiorra! Take care!" Lucy couldn't help the exaggerated wave she gave him as he vanished back to his world.

He gave her one last glance, and in appreciation of her unyielding determination to keep his private affairs private, he decided to acknowledge her as he left.

"I would prefer if there weren't a next time, Lucy." He closed his eyes as soon as he said her name – but the Stellar Mage could have sworn she saw a hint of amusement behind them; though she simply assumed she was seeing things.

And then he was gone. The Celestial Mage couldn't help but smile at the place he had once been standing. She hoped she'd summon him again, just to break through his icy barrier and get him to warm up to her – she may not be confident in her abilities in battle, but she knew she was pretty good at making a friend or two.

"That spirit was.. Uhh.. Interesting.." Levy had a confused smile as she noticed the Celestial Mage absolutely beaming at the empty spot where the spirit who insulted her, then nearly killed her, practically destroyed the mountain, and then insulted her friends had been standing.

"Interesting indeed." Everyone's attentions snapped to the old man who was still sitting on his stone chair a few yards back. Had he been sitting there the whole time?!

"Senis, are you okay? Have you been there the whole time?" Lucy jumped to her feet, but then wobbled a little from side to side, Natsu was quick to catch her before she tumbled back down to the ground.

"In all my years of exterminating demons, I have never seen anything like that." Senis was stroking his beard as he simply smiled.

"Old man.. That ain't even the half of it.." Laxus spat to the side as he openly displayed his feelings for Lucy's spirits with a sneer and a roll of his eyes. The group couldn't bite back the laughter, clearly there would be no understanding between Laxus and any of Lucy's spirits.

"Erza! Thank goodness! Where have you all been? Is everyone safe?" Makarov's face engulfed the communication Lacrima as Mira and Lisanna tried to pry him back and get a good look at the roughed up group for themselves.

"Yes Master, everyone is alright, but Lucy is a little drained.. I think it's time we came back to the guild.." Erza gave a very worried glance to the petite blonde collapsed on the Fire Mage's back as they made their way down the hill.

"Of course my child, I'm so relieved to hear everyone is doing alright.." Makarov's posture slackened as all his built up tension diminished at the news, he then took a step back, letting the take-over mages say their hellos to the group.

"But Master.. There was a problem with the mission.." Erza's smile for the sisters turned into a serious look as she once again addressed Makarov.

"What happened?" Makarov was at full attention once again as he stepped in front of the other guild mates attempting to say their greetings to the newfound guild team that had everyone both excited and curious.

"The exterminators weren't the ones who sent us the request.. It was forged by demons trying to get into the mountain."

"But.. No one's ever been able to forge a request before.. How could it have slipped pass me?!" Makarov's face was beginning to burn red as it grew a few sizes. His feelings of being fooled were more than apparent.

"Powerful magic Master. There are certainly far worse opponents we have yet to face. Apparently the demons were after something in the village's possession, some old wooden box."

"What's in the box my child?" Makarov's head rescinded as he began considering every single one of Erza's words.

"We don't know, the village elder wouldn't tell us. He did, however, make a request that we fetch it for him."

"Well.. I guess it is technically our fault it was stolen.. And since the demons want it so bad it must be important.." Makarov began rubbing his chin.

"My thoughts exactly." Erza gave Makarov a small smile – glad they were once again on the same page.

"How immediately do they want that box retrieved?"

"ASAP."

"Then send Lucy home with at least one escort on the next train ride, I'll send Mira and Elfman in her stead. By the pride of our guild we'll get that box back, or else our name isn't Fairy Tail!" Makarov slammed his hands into the desk to let everyone know how frustrated and serious he was about the situation.

"We're headed to the station now, we'll be sending Lucy, Levy, and Bixlow back – just in case."

"Hey! Wait a minute! Why do we have to go back to the guild?" Levy had placed her hands on her hips and donned a scowl.

"Fine by me!" Bixlow threw his hands behind his head, clearly pleased with the news.

"Fine by me! Fine by me! Fine by me!"

"Heh, you tell 'em babies."

"Levy, you don't want Lucy to travel back alone do you? And with just Bixlow..?" Gray gave the Seith Mage a threatening look, he didn't put it past the pervert to try and cop a feel.

"Erza? Erza are you still there? Hello? You're breaking up." Makarov was knocking on the lacrima as it cut in and out – until he completely faded from view and a hooded figure stood where he once did. The group looked on in shock, how could this person interrupt the signal from the guild?!

"So this is the group that's been causing quite the ruckus.. How nice it is to finally see your faces.." A deep voice barely whispered through the orb.

"Too bad we can't see yours." Erza's scowl deepened as she starred at man in the hood; Laxus was instantly behind her.

"Who are you? How did you disrupt a secure signal like that?" Laxus sneered as he felt his blood boil.

"Probably the same way I forged a request for Fairy Tail."

"You bastard.." Gray was clenching his fists in irritation – he'd really had enough of all these demons.

"I see Avis has failed to fetch my prize.. Shocking really, he was certainly one of my more powerful minions. A true demon though, not one of Zeref. Probably why he failed."

"How could you speak about your comrade like that?!" Natsu's eyes began to darken at the demons disregard of his ally's death.

"Or perhaps.. It was your doing little girl." The man tilted his head slightly to get a good look at the barely conscious girl on the pink-haired boys back. She was still able to at least grace him with a deadly glare.

"Quite the executioner you've become.. Tell me, how does it feel to be the one responsible for so much death?" His tone held a hint of amusement in it.

"Shut your mouth! She was doing what she had to!" Natsu began grinding his teeth as Lucy flinched at the comment.

"Tell me Lucy, do you feel powerful when you slay a demon?"

"Shut your filthy fucking mouth!" Gajeel was reaching for the Lacrima in his irritation.

"Does each kill trigger something in you, something you didn't realize was there before?"

"Don't listen to him Lu-chan! You're not a killer! You're saving people, saving us!" Levy was gripping Lucy's arm as tears threatened to spill over in the Celestial Mage's eyes.

"Does having someone weaker than you at your mercy get you excited?"

"I swear to Mavis if you don't shut your fucking mouth right now, I'll kill you." Laxus' eyes began to dilate in his rage.

"Do you want to kill me now, Lucy? Are you so wrapped in the power of those keys that you think you can take me on?"

"If she doesn't, I will you son of a bitch." Gray's palms almost began to bleed with how tightly he was clenching his fists.

"I don't know why you called, or why you're taunting my friend.. But mark my words, demon, it'll be the last thing you do." Erza's glare easily toppled anyone else's.

"Ha.. Haha.. My Lucy, looks like you have some good friends there to stand up for you like that. Tell me, why do you not rebuttal? Tell me I'm wrong. Explain yourself, make excuses for your actions."

"She doesn't owe you anything." Bixlow was now standing between Natsu and Lucy and the Lacrima, clearly in an attempt to shield the Celestial Mage from the onslaught.

"I know Lucy Heartfilia.. I know deep down inside, you've grown quite addicted to the power."

"She's not twisted like you! Lucy is only doing what she feels is right!" Levy was pushing her way in between Laxus and Erza to see the man face to face.

"Are you sure? Why does she stay silent in the back. Tell me Lucy, if I'm wrong, tell me."

Lucy began to shake as tears threatened to spill. He was right, she was a killer. She'd lost count of the number of demons her and her spirits had killed since she got ahold of her keys. It just never dawned on her before; but yes, she killed. Over, and over, she killed and will continue to. Was she justified? Was it okay to do what she was doing? She began to feel sick.

"Lucy.. Let me show you how to hone those keys. Let me teach you the way of Zeref, don't deny it girl, you long for more power – to have the ability to crush anyone and everyone in the palm of your hand.." She could hear his smile.

"You're not showing her anything! She's not like you or Zeref! Lucy is good, she's my best friend, always has been and always will be! I know her, you don't! So stop twisting her protecting everyone into your sick fantasies, she's refused you guys in the past, refuses you now, and will always refuse you!" Natsu was roaring in the Lacrima as he maneuvered around Bixlow and took the orb from Erza's hands in a movement no one saw. Even Lucy was surprised by the speed and finesse of his action.

"That's right Mr. Hood-guy! Lucy's our friend! She stays with us!" Happy was pointing an accusatory paw at the Lacrima as he held onto Lucy's head.

"Only a coward would sit behind a Lacrima like that and spit out insults." Lily had his arms crossed and his chest puffed out as he stood from Gajeel's shoulder.

"Lucy.. Luuuuuucy.." He crooned as she still refused to look at the Lacrima and only continued to bury her face into Natsu's scarf.

"This is my last offer girl, come calmly and quietly to the Capitol, or I'll send for you and believe me, it won't be pretty." The demon was tapping on the glass on his side in another attempt to get the girls undivided attention. The group of mages tensed at his clear disregard of them and their threats.

"I know you want to girl.. Come.." He began motioning with his finger to come to his side.

"..No." a small whisper slipped out from behind Natsu's scarf.

"What was that? You need to speak up girl."

"I said no!" Lucy now lifted her head to pin the man with her blood shot-teary eyes. "You can say what you want or what you will, maybe I am a killer, maybe what I am doing is wrong, but not doing anything and standing by while you continue to kill innocent people and destroy this world is far worse! I could never forgive myself if I did nothing!" Lucy found the strength to climb down from Natsu's back and both figuratively and physically, stand her ground.

"Quite the spunk you have for a girl that was nearly half dead a moment ago."

"Yeah well you wanted an answer and now you have it. Like Natsu said, I said no before, I'm saying no now, and I'll continue to say no again and again until the end of this! You asked me if I wanted to kill you; no, I don't. I don't want to kill much less hurt anybody. But more than that I don't want the innocent people of Fiore hurt and killed because of your tainted desire and dark vision of what this world should be like. I may not know exactly why you want these keys or what you plan to do with them, but so long as you want them, I will fight you until my last breath! You or Zeref will never have these keys, even if it's the last thing I do!" Her chest heaved and sweat trailed down her brow. She was over exerting herself, she felt as though she were going to pass out at any given moment and her head began to pound with her outburst. But the look in her friends' eyes gave her everything she needed to stay on her feet and finish this conversation with the hooded figure on the other side. They were her strength, her resolve. They'd gotten her this far, held her up now, and she knew they would follow her until the end. They stood up for her when she couldn't find the words and stand behind her now. If nothing else, she would do it for them.

"You are going to regret those words girl." And with that, the Lacrima blinked out and Makarov was instantly back in sight.

"Lucy..? What happened? You look downright exhausted!" Makarov was gripping the Lacrima as if he were trying to reach through to the other side and catch the girl before she fainted.

"Change of plans Master.. I won't be coming home.." Lucy's eyes hardened as tears once again threatened to spill. She was so tired, so very tired. She didn't know how much more of this she could take; being attacked at any given moment, almost killed on a daily basis and then having her magic drained from her time and time again. She wasn't sure if she could possibly live through all of this.

"Master.. Call the other guilds. Tell them the Capitol is in danger." Erza, as calm as collected as she could possibly be, regained the Lacrima and spoke to Makarov in her no-nonsense voice.

"Understood. But Erza, as soon as I'm done getting ahold of the other Masters, I expect an explanation." His eyes trailed over each mage, noticing the looks of anger on all their faces; desperate to know what was going on and what had transpired over the last few minutes he'd been blacked out. But he knew Erza wouldn't place calling the other guilds as a priority at the moment if it absolutely weren't.

"Understood Master. I will speak with you soon." She nodded as the Lacrima blinked out for the final time. Then fought the urge to smash the orb into the ground in her anger and frustration.

"Harribel." A ghostly figure moved soundlessly through the Third Tower.

"I take it you met Lucy?" Amusement shone behind the Empresses eyes, of all the Espada she was most curious about how the Fourth would deal with being summoned.

"Explain this to me. What is the purpose of these summonings? Why are we flooded with.. Urges.. Upon being summoned?"

"I don't know Ulquiorra, it's hard to say." The Third began gazing out one of her vast corridor windows to stare at the moon. Ulquiorra realized she had probably pondered the same thing for days – not quite understanding it but certainly not fighting it either.

"Why are you so content with this?" The Fourth watched her closely – the Third was not one to be pushed around. She may be calm and rational, but certainly no push over. Was she truly okay with being called on like some pet to do battle that had nothing to do with her? Absurd.

"Did you dislike her that much Fourth?" She shifted her gaze to his as green clashed with green.

He remained silent. She smiled.

"If she were a being similar to the likes of Lord Aizen, it would be an entirely different story. The girl is innocent, pure, honest in nature. It had been a long, long time since I had the privilege to defend something like that Ulquiorra." Her eyes shone with a wisdom none of the other Espada possessed. He had to admit, he was not as put off about the encounter as he voiced to be. However he had duties in this realm he had to attend to, in fact in his absence Loly and Menoly managed to slip into the girl's room. He could not simply take leave whenever the girl from the other world wished it.

"My my my, wha' do we have here.. You two wouldn' be conspirin', now would ya?" a figure slinked its way out of the shadows as both Espada were caught off guard by the newest presence.

"How long were you hiding in the shadows there Gin." Harribel gave the ex-shinigami a look of distrust.

"Oh not long.. Heard a thing 'er two bout our newest princess. What'dya think Cuatro-san? How did ya feel bein' ordered aroun' by someone other'an Aizen?" His eyes opened ever so slightly. Of all the Espada, the Fourth was the only one he'd yet to get any sort of reaction out of. He'd be damned if he didn't still try.

"You're mistaken, Gin." He refused to look at the man – the fox didn't even deserve the acknowledgment of eye contact, "I wasn't ordered to do anything, simply requested. In fact, none of the Espada have been given any orders as far as I know, which must mean she has only ordered you." The Fourth closed his eyes as a gesture to end the conversation.

Gin's smile widened – that was definitely some form of a reaction, even if he did hit a nerve on his part. "Well, guess I deserv'd that one, eh?" The ex-shinigami reclosed his eyes as a small laugh escaped. As if to stop another comment from the Soul Reaper two large Reiatsus barreled their way toward the trio, not even bothering to try and hide their presence.

Harribel sighed and Gin's grin widened even further. This small little get together was turning into a little party - oh how Gin loved parties; especially secret ones typically resulting in someone else's demise.

"Hey! Ulquiorra! Did the blonde with the huge tits send me back here to call you?!" Nnoitora came storming down the hall, irritation and spite laced in every step as the halls shook with his frustration. Harribel's eyes narrowed and Gin cocked his head ever so slightly, he wasn't aware that the Fifth was summoned - must've been a short one.

Ulquiorra briefly glanced at the Fifth, clearly annoyed with the fourth uncalled presence, but what really irked him was the other entity closing in on them faster thatnNnoitora had, "can you blame her?" He once again closed his eyes and began to walk down the hallway the Fifth had just come from. Judging by the feel of the Reiatsu making ready to cross their path - there would be some form of altercation. Ulquiorra certainly didn't need to be caught in the Third Tower with three other Espada and Gin. Aizen was already suspicious, he didn't need the ex-Shinigami questioning his motives; the Fourth had plenty of secrets he kept from Aizen and didn't particularly like being questioned.

"The fuck is that supposed to mean?!" Nnoitora's hands were in the air in frustration. He was centimeters from pulling his hair out. First, Ulquiorra was cock blocking him with the human in their midst, but now he's cock blocking in other worlds too?! The fuck! He was so damn close to scoring with the chick! or at least he thought he was.

"Nnoitora, what did you do?" Harribel's Reiatsu began to flood the hallway, encircling the Fifth with a very clear threat everyone in the room knew she'd make good on.

"Tch.. Nothin' much. Just coped a little feel is a-" his face went slamming into the adjacent wall as a large fist came into contact by the final presence now joining the group. Nnoitora was stunned by the force and power behind the single punch, he could hardly believe the person who was dealing it. Even Ulquiorra paused to assess the damage caused - he was right in assuming an altercation was on it's way, but this he was not.

"The fuck you think you're doin' Grimmjow?!" Nnoitora was back on his feet in an instant, weapon at the ready as Grimmjow had his hand hovering over the hilt of his sword, ready to also draw. His chest rose in a calm motion but the look in his eyes was anything but. The Sixth usually taunted and gestured to lure one into a fight, but this time he stayed silent.

"Now now now kiddies.. No Fightin' less ya want Aizen ta know we're all here." Gin was instantly between the two as Harribel slackened her Reiatsu and Ulquiorra continued to analyze the cause to the Sexta's odd behavior.

"What do you know that you're not telling us Gin?" Harribel took a few steps closer to the trio standing only inches away from each other. Nnoitora and Grimmjow refusing to take their eyes off each other as Gin read into the situation as quickly as Ulquiorra had. The two could very well destroy this tower and Aizen would be onto the lingering Reiatsu's that lingered. Gin couldn't afford to have Aizen anymore on his trail than he already was.

"Those keys.. The ones da girl has.." Gin would drag this out, oh how he loved the suspense.

"They're connected ta this world, in'a twisted way.." He smiled his trademark grin.

"What do you mean." Ulquiorra wasn't going to tolerate the ex-reapers tactics of beating around the bush and leading to a conclusion without ever fully giving one. He wanted answers.

"Don't know all da details. Thos' keys were made here, in our world." Gin's smile got wider – oh the tension in the air just simply gyrated him.

"Why are we called to her world. And why do we obey her." Ulquiorra wasn't getting the responses he wanted, and more than anything else he wanted the urges.. Feelings.. He experienced explained.

"Beats me!" Gin threw his arms up in defeat. Harribel frowned as The Fourth turned heel and continued on his way, clearly as annoyed by the Reaper as the Tres.

"Gin.. I think you know more than you're letting on.." Harribel took another step closer. Both noticing the standoff between the Fifth and Sixth and wanting to entice Gin into more answers, she could tell by the devious glint in his eye that he knew more - he had to. Gin could be crafty when he wanted to find answers.

"Nothin' relevan'.." He shrugged as he then began gazing out the same corridor window Harribel had just moments before, seeming somewhat lost in thought as his smile faded, "Like I said befor', Aizen can' know about any of this, it'll ruin everything. I'll take care'a what needs ta be done." His smile returned as he finally made his way down the opposite hall as the Fourth. Harribel narrowed her eyes as he disappeared back into the shadows without another word.

Harribel watched his retreat and knew Gin was withholding information, but also found her self curious as to what it is he planned to 'take care of' and exactly what would be 'ruined'. She didn't trust the Soul Reaper, hell it was obvious Aizen didn't either and for good cause - from the sound of everything she was certain he was planning on betraying him.. But what did Lucy have to do with his plans? or the Espada being summoned? There was something between the lines she wasn't seeing, and apparently Ulquiorra wasn't either. Looks like she doesn't have much of a choice at this point, she would have to have blind faith in the snake. After all, he wanted this kept from Aizen as much as she did. She just hoped he wasn't leading everyone down a path of destruction. Then her attention was back to the remaining two in her Tower.

"That's enough you two." Harribel gave her command with all the strength and superiority of a Third Espada and the two gave each other one last sneer as Grimmjow quickly grabbed the Fifth's jacket to pull him down to eye level.

"Don't ever touch the girl again." Then threw him back as he glowered a few seconds longer before he sondio'd from the Third tower. Nnoitora watched as the Sexta's reiatsu made its way back to the Sixth Tower.

"The fuck was that all about?!" Nnoitora threw his hands in the air again in another fit of anger as Harribel watched him with little interest.

"Perhaps, the Sixth doesn't want you touching what you have no business touching." Harribel's glare sent a shiver down the Fifths spine that had him biting back another derogatory comment towards the blonde. Harribel wasn't like Nel, they may both be calm in their demeanor, but Harribel could be devastating if pushed too far – and clearly the blonde from the other world was a line not to be crossed. Well there went his plans for the chick! The Sixth he could deal with, but the Third on his ass about it too? Fuck.

"Tch.. Whatever.." He shoved his hands in his pockets as he made his way from the tower. He could deal with the Sixth, couldn't he? Their rank should be self explanatory. Then how in the hell did he get the better of him in the hallway, and in front of two higher ranking Espadas and the ex-Shinigami bastard to boot! This.. this he could not.. Would not let slide. He would be a laughing stock if he let the Sixth simply get away with it. He began to methodically rub the place on his chin where the Panther's fist made bone-shattering contact. He mumbled and spit to the side in his anger and frustration. "Fuckin piece of shit.." He tongued then spat out a tooth he felt had loosened, cursing the Panther under his breath. If it was the last thing he did, he'd get his revenge on him - and when he least expected it. He smiled as he made his way back to his tower, imagining Santa Teresa at the lowly Espada's throat.

"Sikorsky."

"Yes me Lord."

"It is time. Retrieve the girl and leave none of her comrades alive. She is weakened, I doubt she could use a summoning at this point. Go."

"Yes me Lord. It shall be done."

I think Ulquiorra should have been the Espada of Despair. He recites it in his fight with Ichigo; which I obviously loved.

I think you guys are going to like the next few chapters. (wink, wink)

Also, I'm considering getting a beta to help me.. If anyone knows how to help along with that process it would be most appreciated :)