DISCLAIMER: The talented Tite Kubo is the owner of Bleach, and all its characters. I am merely borrowing them to tell my story. I own only my plot and ideas. I receive no financial compensation for my writing.

WARNINGS: M/M physical relationship, swearing, blood, violence, gore, death, (Lemon cut sex scene) shower sex(ish) [This is a lemon cut version- the sex scene has been regrettably edited to be more compliant with 's rules. If you want the fully descriptive version, hop over to Adult FanFiction (18+) or AO3, and find the story there on my other accounts, both also listed under the user name KaiBlueOtaku.]

Ulquiorra woke before Nova in the morning. He lay watching him for a long while, and then, since he was sleeping so soundly, the Espada decided to let him rest, and made his way to the kitchen for a bite of breakfast. He knew there was a dish still of cooked hollow in the fridge, and he was surprised at how fond he had become of preparing and cooking it. He thrilled at the hunt, of course, and still always ate his choice bits hot and fresh, but cooked had a very different character to the meat, and it was enjoyable, in its own way.

He pulled the dish out and located a fork in a drawer, then leaned against the counter and began eating it cold. He was about halfway through it when he saw Lirin come into the kitchen.

She gave a quick, sharp intake of breath and her step faltered momentarily in mild alarm. Ulquiorra regarded her coolly, continuing to eat. She looked about to turn and leave, when Lirin took a deep breath and blurted out, "I'msorry."

Now it was the Espada's turn to be surprised. He swallowed his bite, and lowered the bowl, resting the fork in the dish, giving the uncomfortable young woman his undivided attention.

The frustration was evident on her face as she fumbled for words, and Ulquiorra got the clear impression that Lirin was unaccustomed to making apologies to people.

"We… I… I misjudged you," she finally managed to get out. "We've always been the ones to protect him. He's not defenseless, of course… But, he's soft spoken, and timid, and…" Her eyes welled up with tears. "I've always been worried about someone taking advantage of him." She stared at the Cuatra, a pained expression on her face. "We didn't know you. You understand, don't you?"

"Of course," Ulquiorra responded softly.

Lirin nodded and looked away with a sniffle. "Anyway. We misjudged you. It's clear you have his best interests at heart." She cleared her throat, almost losing the mumbled "Thank you" in her cough.

"Propriety is satisfied, then? Your customs?"

Lirin nodded with a jagged sigh, and crossed her arms. "Yeah." She turned and walked out, leaving Ulquiorra to finish his cold breakfast in solitude.

WWWWWWWWWW

Nova woke and heard the shower running down the hall. Assuming it was Ulquiorra, he smiled to himself and stretched lazily, so pleased at the last night's turnout. He'd finished long before he'd planned, but still, it was quite a bit of progress. As things went on, he was more and more sure that it was what he wanted. He had no doubts whatsoever about being with Ulquiorra… It was just now a matter of working up to it. He suddenly wondered at the "ultimate consummation" of their affections, and tensed up. Yes, still working up to things,Nova reminded himself, trying to relax his body.

He got dressed and went to check in on the Espada. He knocked on the door, but there was no response. Cracking the door, Nova called, "Ulquiorra…?" But still, no response. He's testing me,Nova thought, and smiled to himself, opening the door and coming in, determined to prove himself.

Nova peeked up at the translucent door of the shower stall; something was wrong. The door was ajar, and the water was spraying out. Nova could see the listless hand just inside, and rushed to investigate.

Ulquiorra lay unconscious on the floor of the shower and the water was running cold, so who knew how long he'd been laying there. Nova turned the water off, and dragged Ulquiorra out of the stall, draping a towel over him, realizing that he wasn't unconscious; he was missing. This was merely an empty gigai. His stomach sank, knowing he was going to be in trouble with the shopkeeper if he didn't find Ulquiorra immediately. He had become slack about watching the Espada, trusting him to be fine on his own for short periods of time. Nova began to panic, and dragged the naked gigai into his room, hefting it into his bed. This wasn't how I wanted him naked in my bed,Nova lamented, sensing around the shoten for the reishi signature of the Arrancar.

There was nothing.

Silently cursing, he debated trying to wrestle the gigai into clothes, but decided time was of the essence, and just tucked him under the blanket before bolting out the front door of the shoten, past the bewildered shop keeper without so much as a 'good morning.'

WWWWWWWWWW

The trail was faint, but grew stronger along the river, heading out of the city. Nova followed, eventually finding the mutilated corpses of small aquatic hollows strewn along the river bank.

In an open field beyond the edge of town, Nova came upon a grisly scene.

Crouching over the decapitated body of a truck-sized, six legged, canine looking hollow, was…

Something.

The reishi signature did not agree with what Nova's eyes were seeing. The energy read as Ulquiorra, but… Not. Something was off a bit there.

Visually, what was before him was a LOT off- it made no sense whatsoever. There was some sort of winged demon eating the dead hollow. Its face was buried in the carcass as it devoured it noisily, a long black tail lashing in agitation.

Nova took a fearful step back, and a twig snapped under his foot, seeming as loud to him as a gunshot.

The demon seemed to think so too, as it sat up abruptly, hissing.

Nova's stomach sank.

It looked enough like Ulquiorra for his doubts to be erased, but its expression was empty and wild, and there was no recognition there.

The demon locked eyes with Nova and gave a low, sustained growl, crawling slowly on all fours over the dead hollow, head low and wings spread in menace. Its arms were covered to the bicep in downy black fur, and the fingertips terminated in sharp talons. The pale skin of its face and torso were stained with blood, which was also matted in its black hair.

"Ulquiorra," Nova whispered, voice shaking, heart aching, mind reeling.

Instead of Ulquiorra's emerald green irises, these were a sickly yellow color, set against dark green sclera. Its pupils, which were slits, narrowed as the creature began to circle around to Nova's right, the growl still thrumming in its chest as it stalked Nova as its prey.

"What the actual fuck?" a voice whispered to his left, and Nova glanced briefly to see a shock of orange hair.

"Get behind me, Ichigo," the mod soul whispered back, charging his crackling red teleportation ability as he focused intently on the prowling demon.

Ichigo complied, much to Nova's relief.

"I felt some major spiritual disturbances, and tracked them here," the Shinigami said quietly. "What the hell is going on?"

"I'm not sure," Nova admitted. "Something is wrong with Ulquiorra."

"Clearly," Ichigo scoffed.

The creature crouched, tail switching, every muscle stretched taut and quivering as it stared them down. Nova continued charging his teleportation field.

All at once the demon sprang at them, exploding into motion. Ichigo clenched the hilt of his zanupakto, but Nova spread the energy like a shield, and the monster was swallowed up into his alternate dimension, the portal closing with a flicker of red light, trapping it inside.

The two of them made their way back to the Shoten, Nova dragging his heels, in no hurry to explain this to Urahara.

Ichigo charged in when they arrived, calling, "Oi! Hat-and-Clogs! There's something wrong with your house guest!"

Nova winced as the shopkeeper came out of the back. "Oh?"

"Yeah… Your resident Espada has gone rogue."

Urahara's eyes widened over the top of his white fan, and narrowed as he turned them on Nova.

The silence in the room became deafening, and finally the older man asked, "Well?"

Nova swallowed the lump in his throat. "I found his gigai empty this morning in the shower. I tracked his reishi and found some kind of demon."

"Well, he IS a hollow," Kisuke said lightly, folding his fan with a snap and a dismissive wave.

"No," Ichigo insisted, "Like, bat wings and a tail and shit."

Urahara was taken aback.

"It looks a lot like his Segunda Etapa, from when I fought with him in Hueco Mundo," Ichigo continued. "But he wasn't himself. It's like he was…" He paused, searching for the correct term. "Savage, or something."

The shopkeeper pursed his lips, tapping his folded fan against them. "Oh dear, now that IS a problem… And where is he now?"

"I have him," Nova stated, splaying his fingers across his chest.

Urahara nodded in approval. "Excellent, very resourceful of you." He turned and headed toward the back. "Come with me to the lab, and we'll see what we can do."

They collected Tessai on their way back, and Nova fought the tears that were stinging his eyes. Damn it, we're right back where we started,he lamented as Tessai used Bakudo to fashion a small containment field.

"Alright Nova, drop him inside there," Kisuke instructed the mod soul. Ichigo gripped his zanupakto out of reflexive instinct.

Nova obediently opened his portal inside the cell.

Out of it fell a very normal-looking, if slightly confused, Ulquiorra.

"Well, that was anticlimactic," Ichigo said, almost sounding disappointed, hand flopping to his side.

Tessai dissolved the barrier and Nova stepped close, gazing imploringly into the Espada's eyes. "Are you alright?"

Ulquiorra raised his hand to his temple, glancing around, disoriented. "I believe so."

"What happened?"

The Cuatra shook his head. "I am unsure. The last that I recall, I was showering."

"You went bat-shit crazy," Ichigo told him. "As in, Murcielago."

Ulquiorra cocked his head, inquisitive. "That could not be. I lack the capacity to transform into my Segunda Etapa any longer."

Ichigo crossed his arms in defiance. "We saw it with our own eyes."

"It's true," Nova whispered, brow furrowed in worry. "You were like some kind of mindless animal."

Ulquiorra stared down, deep thought.

"It was probably a fluke, but why don't you get back into your gigai and let me run a few tests, just to be safe," Urahara suggested. The Espada nodded absently and went to retrieve his gigai.

The entire day was spent in the lab. Ulquiorra's patience was pushed to the limit with all of the poking and prodding. By nightfall, Kisuke was still as clueless as ever regarding a solution, so he had Tessai put a barrier on the building so nothing could get in or out for the night, and sent the boys to bed with the reminder to let him know if anything out of the ordinary happened again.

They changed into their pajamas and lay together in the dark, Nova cradled in Ulquiorra's embrace.

"It was really terrifying, seeing you like that," the redhead confessed.

Ulquiorra pulled him tighter against his chest. "I imagine so. I am glad that he… That I…Did not harm you."

There was a restless tension hanging in quiet of the room, and Nova rubbed a button on Ulquiorra's night shirt between his fingers until the Espada clasped his fingers to still them.

"Sorry," Nova whispered meekly.

"I think now is the appropriate time to discuss your degree of dependence on me, Nova."

The mod soul withdrew his hand. "I'll… I'll try better. I'm sorry."

Ulquiorra shook his head. "There is more to it, Nova. It is more complex than that."

The red head rolled over, facing away from Ulquiorra. He really didn't want to discuss this.

But the Espada was persistent. "Nova… This is important." He laid his hand on Nova's shoulder. "I… May not always be around. It is important to me that you will be alright… If I am no longer here."

Nova sat up abruptly and stared through the darkness. "Are you planning to go away?" he demanded, panic stricken.

Ulquiorra pulled him gently back down, stroking his hair, and planted a kiss on his forehead. "No, never. But after the events of the day, I realize what a precarious circumstance I am in."

Nova lay his head on his lover's chest. "What do you mean?"

Ulquiorra searched for the words to convey his concerns without causing undue worry. "My situation is highly unpredictable. Potentially unstable. We cannot know what will come of all this. It is new territory, on all fronts, and consequently it would be prudent of us to exercise all due caution. If something unfortunate should come of me…"

Nova silenced him with a deep, passionate kiss, full of longing and sadness. When he pulled back, he said, "Please… Don't talk about something like that. Things will work out, ok? And, I realize I'm probably a little overly attached. Probably to a point where it's not very healthy. I'll work on that, I will. I promise. We can start spending more time apart, if Urahara allows it. I just... Nobody has ever seen me the way you do, and I guess that I want to be near that always. To always feel that way, when you look at me, and I know that I matter. That someone wants me, and that I have value."

Ulquiorra took Nova's face between his hands and kissed him, very chastely at first, but there was an underlying hunger in the both of them that begged for satisfaction. When they finally came up for air, Ulquiorra said quite earnestly, "If they cannot see your worth, the fault is theirs alone, and they are fools, at best."

Nova clutched the Espada's chest, burying his face in it. "Ulquiorra?" he asked, voice partially muffled against the body and clothing of his partner.

"Hnn?"

Nova took a deep breath. "I… I think that… I think that I love you." He turned his face upward in the darkness, and though he could see nothing, he felt Ulquiorra turn also toward him. "Is… Is that ok?"

Ulquiorra kissed him on the top of his head, squeezing him tightly. "Quite, yes." Nova seemed to relax in his arms. "I would return the sentiment," the Espada added, "However, I am unsure of what to call my fondness for you, as I have no real experience with 'love,' or 'the heart.' I hope you will forgive me this."

Nova nodded and curled against his beloved, their breathing weaving a soft melody together in the silence, lulling him to sleep.

WWWWWWWWWW

Nova awoke to scratching noises, like nails on a chalkboard, and frantic scrabbling. He hugged Ulquiorra tighter and opened his eyes to see what the bothersome noise was.

The demon was back.

It was focused on the window, clawing at the pane, like a fly trying to escape to a freedom it could see, but not reach.

Nova silently charged his teleportation ability while the creature was focused on the window, blessedly oblivious to him. He went to sneak up behind it, but it caught motion out of the corner of its eyes, and whirled on him.

The room wasn't large, and the wings took up a lot of space, definitely more menacing at close range and in confined quarters. Nova wasn't sure what else to do, so in a panic, he rushed the demon.

It turned out to be the best option, because he had the element of surprise on his side, and the creature was too startled to attack before it was sucked into the alternate dimension.

Nova made his way out to the main living areas, and found the shopkeeper in the kitchen, brewing some tea for himself. "Urahara-san?" he asked softly.

The white-haired man turned and smiled. "Good morning, Nova. How is Ulquiorra doing?"

Nova rubbed at the back of his neck. "Uh… It happened again…" He spread his fingers out as he touched his chest. "I have him trapped for now."

"Oh dear…" Kisuke's brow furrowed as he turned the kettle off and picked up Benihime from where it was hooked over the edge of the counter. "Well, come along then."

He led Nova downstairs, to an area that he had rarely been into before, and opened a sealed hatch on the floor. It led… Outdoors? Nova was perplexed. They seemed to be high above the ground of some barren desert wasteland, nothing but rocks and dust as far as the eye could see. A simple ladder led from the hatch to the ground.

Urahara pointed. "Let him out over there if you would, near that large rock. It will give us time to close the hatch."

Nova did so, and the angry bat-creature tumbled out, disoriented and screeching as it righted itself and took a few four-legged galloping strides before launching into flight. Urahara slammed the hatch shut and turned the wheel on the latch as they both heard- and felt- the demon slam bodily into the door, clawing and shrieking in protest. The two made their way to one wall draped in a faded sheet. Kisuke yanked it off and they both coughed from the dust, revealing a bank of monitors. He flipped a switch and they hummed to life, displaying images from the other side of the hatch. A black blur would occasionally flicker past one of the cameras.

"What is this place?" Nova asked.

"Oh, it's a training room I put in some time ago… Sort of an alternate dimension, like yours, with atmosphere and rules similar to that of Soul Society. It will keep him contained, for now." The shopkeeper fiddled with a dial, adjusting the angle of some of the cameras. "Keep an eye on him. I'm going to go run some tests on his gigai while he's out of it. The thing must be defective or something."

Nova nodded, and watched Urahara leave up the stairs. He found a dusty rolling chair in a corner and pulled it up in front of the screens, observing the creature from a safe distance. It really wasn't Ulquiorra at all, it was evident. This was some wild animal, not the attentive, protective Espada that Nova had come to know and love. The Mod Soul drew his legs up and curled into a ball, watching the monitors, and the demon, until boredom and sadness overtook him, and he drifted off to sleep.

He was awoken abruptly by an echoing, repetitive noise. Nearly falling out of the chair from the surprise, he glanced at the screens and saw Ulquiorra, back to his usual self, peering intently into the camera at the top of the ladder, tapping on it periodically.

Nova hurried to the hatch and turned the wheel, unlocking and opening it. The Arrancar climbed out and sat on the floor beside the Mod Soul, looking around.

"It happened again," Nova explained.

The dark-haired man nodded. "I suspected as much. Are you un-injured?"

Nova nodded, and scooted close, wrapping his arms around his lover. "Urahara-san is testing your gigai, he thinks it might be defective." He reached his hand up and stroked the silky hair that protruded from under the half-helmet that Ulquiorra displayed in his Hollow form, fingers brushing the edge of the cold, hard bone. "I'm worried, Ulquiorra," Nova whispered, looking at the floor, eyes distant and unfocused.

Ulquiorra made an unintelligible noise, and Nova sat up abruptly, staring at his face. His eyes were swirling darkly, and a growl lodged itself in his throat, lips curling back, teeth bared.

"ULQUIORRA!" Nova screamed, shaking him by the shoulders. The growl stopped and he shook his head, looking up again as the darkness faded from his eyes. Sadness replaced it, and he stood, descending through the still-open hatch. "What are you doing?" Nova cried.

He turned to his partner, deep sincerity in his tone when he spoke. "I am unstable. It is not safe for you to be near me for now. Please lock me in, for your own wellbeing. And… Send the shop keeper down here; I must speak privately with him." He hesitated momentarily, but reached a hand out and pulled Nova into a hug, ending in a kiss. "Go now. And be sure the latch is secured behind me."

WWWWWWWWWW

Nova was reluctant, but he did as he was told. He wanted very much to follow the shop keeper down into the basement, to find out what Ulquiorra had to say to him, but he respected his request instead, fidgeting anxiously at the top of the stairs, waiting for someone to come up.

Kisuke had sadness in his eyes when he returned. "You can keep an eye on him through the monitors. He's refusing to leave the training room until one of us has a solution to this problem." As they passed on the stairs, Kisuke laid his hand on Nova's shoulder. "I'm sorry," he said softly, and continued back up to his laboratory, searching for answers to this strange malady affecting the Arrancar.

When Nova returned to his seat before the screens, he saw that Ulquiorra was seated cross-legged, eyes closed, with his sword out and laid across his knees. He did not move. Nova settled in to wait.

WWWWWWWWW

Ulquiorra was grateful that Nova had let him speak alone with the shop keeper. He didn't want to distress his lover, but the fact of the matter was; if there was no solution to be found to this ailment of his, it was his honest wish to be humanely euthanized. The shopkeeper had been unnerved by this request, audible in his voice over the microphone and speaker which Ulquiorra was communicating through. The Espada explained though that none of this had been his intention; not 'coming back from the dead,' not getting emotionally entangled with the Mod Soul, and certainly not this peculiar loss of self awareness. He'd gotten more life than he should have, and he would be satisfied with that, if it came down to it.

His only request was that Nova not be told of this final wish.

He knew Nova would be watching him by now, but he tried his best to focus instead on his blade, to calm his churning thoughts, which worried what would become of the Mod Soul if worst came to worst. He gently pushed those tumultuous thoughts away, and sought a quiet place in his mind, like deep water below the surface of an ocean, which was still and untroubled even in the midst of the raging tempest. He was only vaguely familiar with the Shinigami practice of Jinzen, or sword meditation. It wasn't designed for Arrancar, but, "any port in a storm," as he had heard it said before.

It was very dark, a darkness that was more than merely the absence of light. It was more something tangible, viscous; a coldness that seemed to suck the life right out of one's bones, replacing it with the pain of old age and decay. Ulquiorra felt stronger here, and hardened his Hierro, attempting to keep out the penetrating darkness.

He could feel that he was transformed into his Resurreccion, his white garment close-fitting around his upper body, robe-like and flared at the bottom. His longer hair whipped around him, a cold wind blowing through this dark place. He folded his great wings in tight to his body, and listened in the darkness for Murcielago.

He was not familiar with the concept of his Resurreccion being separate from him, as the Shinigami considered their Zanupakto, a sentient spirit independent of themselves yet still infinitely connected. For Arrancar, their Resurreccions were merely a higher form of themselves; a more powerful, almost distilled version.

Ulquiorra considered the possibility that his rebirth had altered something in his spiritual composition, and perhaps he was becoming more like the Visored, which were ultimately just the diametric opposites of the Arrancar.

He heard the swooshing of wings at close range, and he dodged and rolled, barely missing a dive attack from the creature. It screeched its distain and retreated into the darkness again.

Ulquiorra materialized his sword in his hand, standing at the ready, knowing the beast could return at any moment. How long he waited, he could not be sure, but it seemed to be a long time.

He heard a snap and felt something coil tightly around his wrist, then yank him forward. He faltered, off balance, and came down hard on his right knee. The creature had used its tail like a whip, and descended again to attack, but Ulquiorra fired off a small Cero. He hadn't had any time to charge it, but it was enough to cause the creature to cry out in pain and release him, and temporarily illuminate the darkness, though there was nothing to be seen in it, just empty void.

He waited again. He wondered what the demon was doing in the darkness. Probably just watching him, waiting for an opening, he decided.

It went on like this for what felt like an eternity. The beast would attack, Ulquiorra would fend it off, and then it would draw back into the darkness, leaving him to wait and wait, until it attacked again.

A claw lashed out, slicing his cheek. He reached and clasped his fingers around the furred wrist of the demon, jerking it forcefully out of the air. It screamed and grappled with him, finally breaking loose.

This time though, Ulquiorra had had enough. He rose with a great beat of his wings, taking chase after the creature, even though he was blind in the perfect darkness. He hovered, listening carefully for any clues as to where it was at, but the sound of his own wings drowned out anything else.

An idea struck him, and he fired off another small Cero into the darkness. There was nothing to see.

…Except the demon.

It hovered below him to his left, and in the explosion of light, the creature was momentarily blinded. It squealed and covered its eyes, and Ulquiorra dove for it, shouldering it to the ground. He could not gain purchase on its scrabbling limbs however, and it escaped again into the darkness.

Not to be deterred, Ulquiorra summoned his Lanza del Relampago. The lance glowed green, which blossomed into flames at either end. It could fire bolts, if he so chose, but more important for now was that it lit the darkness, and blinded the demon.

He flew full speed at the beast, lance braced for impact. While the creature writhed in pain from the light, Ulquiorra impaled it through the gut, the force taking them all the way to the ground, pinning the creature there. It screamed in anguish, eyes clenched tightly in the darkness, talons grasping at the lance, but withdrawing from the pain of the flames. Ulquiorra charged his Cero Oscuras, seeming to absorb the blackness around them, bordered in the green light. He fired it at the demon point blank, the explosion knocking him back.

When the smoke cleared, the beast lay still, scorched, still impaled on the lance. As Ulquiorra landed lightly and came forward to retrieve the lance, the creature cracked an eye and growled weakly at him.

"I do not believe this is how the Shinigami do it," Ulquiorra whispered, leaning low over the creature, "but I am no Shinigami." He brought his fingers to a point and pressed them into the chest of the demon, to the right of its hollow hole. It coughed and spat blood, and Ulquiorra twisted his wrist sharply, and then withdrew the black heart of the beast.

It gurgled and gave a raspy, wheezing exhalation. The light went out of its eyes, and the demon, along with the black heart in Ulquiorra's hand, began to ash over and crumble into dust that blew away in the wind.

WWWWWWWWWW

It had been days.

Despite Urahara's concerns, Nova would not leave the room, did not take his eyes from the monitors. Trays of food that Ururu brought to him, returned to the kitchen untouched. He slept only when his eyes would no longer stay open. Otherwise, he was glued to the monitor, staring at the stone-still body of his beloved.

The shop keeper came down at one point and suggested to Nova that he go out and get some fresh air, that he himself would watch over the Espada. No response. He even tried to gently broach the possibility that Ulquiorra might not wake up- careful to avoid the mention of the specific conversation which Ulquiorra had requested that Nova not be made privy to- but still, no response.

It was no surprise then that on the third day, as soon as Ulquiorra opened his eyes and stood up, Nova rushed to the hatch and opened it, teleporting himself to his side. "Are you ok?" Nova asked urgently, quivering, feeling like he might explode with the many more unanswered questions he had.

Ulquiorra pulled him rather abruptly into a long embrace, which Nova returned. "Yes," Ulquiorra whispered. "It is done now. The demon will not trouble us any longer."

Tears welled in Nova's eyes, and his breath hitched in an uncontrolled sob. The Espada squeezed him tighter and sighed, at peace. They made their way back up the ladder and closed up the training room, turning off the monitors and covering them again with the sheet.

Urahara was shocked to see Ulquiorra, though relieved. After a brief explanation, the two retired to get cleaned up and rest. "You earned it," Urahara told them.

Ulquiorra held back a few paces, and looked earnestly at the shop keeper. "What I said before," he intimated, glancing over his shoulder to be sure Nova was out of earshot. "…Still stands. Should anything like this occur again."

Kisuke furrowed his brow, but nodded in reluctant agreement.

WWWWWWWWWW

Neither of them had showered in days, and they got pajamas and towels together. "You can go first," Nova suggested, stopping at the doorway to the bathroom. And then Ulquiorra did something completely unexpected.

He touched Nova's wrist as lightly as a cherry petal falls, and said, "Come with me."

It wasn't an order, or a demand; more a request, a very tender invitation.

Nova, of course, went with.

Ulquiorra turned on the water, and the Mod Soul stalled, fiddling with a loose thread he found on his sleeve instead of undressing. The Espada came close and embraced him, looking deeply into his eyes. "Still shy, after everything we have been through together?" Ulquiorra asked teasingly, and Nova blushed and nodded. The Espada smirked and helped him to undress, which he did in return. It seemed to allay some of his nervousness, at least until they both stood there nude. Then, Nova's cheeks were nearly the same color as his hair, and he was staring very hard off to the side, trying not to look at Ulquiorra's body, clasping his hands over his nether-regions.

"Nova?"

The Mod Soul clenched his eyes shut tightly. "It's just… I've seen you, a time or two, but…"

The Espada sighed, patiently amused. "Of course. I will not look, if that makes you feel better?"

Nova's eyes opened as wide as his mouth in his surprise, then he grinned, and glanced away. "Really?"

Ulquiorra took his hand and led him to the steaming water. "Really."

They stood under the water and Nova wet a washcloth, rubbing the soap against it, working up a lather. He turned away from Ulquiorra and began to scrub himself clean, then felt a soapy washrag against his back. It felt glorious, and he sighed, resting an arm against the wall and laying his head on it as the Espada slowly washed his back, buttocks, and the backs of this legs. He then stood and reached around, stroking the rag over Nova's shoulders and down his torso, working his way downward.

The Mod Soul sighed, feeling the warm chest press against his slick back, and he tipped his head to rest it alongside Ulquiorra's, feeling himself swell as the washrag slid closer. Hot lips nipped at his ear, and he moaned.

WWWWWWWWWW

WWWWWWWWWW

It made him ache terribly, and he almost wanted to ask the Espada to take him then and there, but he was too nervous to take things quite that far yet.

This, however, felt wonderful.

He turned and faced Ulquiorra, hugging him tightly, pressing his face into his neck to hide from the shower spray.

Once his breathing slowed a bit, Ulquiorra began his slow rhythm again, Nova gasping, thrusting against him, biting the back of his hand to keep himself quiet. He heard the Espada's breath quickening, and felt their bodies moving together. Ulquiorra's other hand slid down and clutched Nova's ass, making him feel frenzied, not sure whether to press back against that hand, or forward against the other one. He whimpered, stepping back, leaning against the wall and pulling the Espada against him.

Ulquiorra understood the request and pressed Nova into the wall, still caressing them both, but more feverishly now.

Nova's head spun, and before he really realized what he was doing, he whispered, "The last time I came in this shower, I was thinking of you…"

That was all it took. Ulquiorra groaned and crushed Nova into the tile, spilling onto his lover's leg. Nova panted and ground his hips backward, wrapping a leg behind Ulquiorra's, giving soft, rhythmic moans as he coated the Espada's hand.

They clutched each other, breath labored, leaning against the wall as the water poured over them. "Thank you," Nova said at last, stroking his hand over Ulquiorra's back.

He felt the Espada nod, still breathing hard. "I did not look," he said.

Nova broke into uncontrollable peals of laughter.

WWWWWWWWWW

AN: You'll have to forgive me; the idea of the villain being redeemed, and more specifically Ulquiorra and Murcielago being separate, has appeared in my writing before, though that story is in my Resolution!'verse, and this is an alternate AU. I hope this chapter stands to muster, especially since I have a few 'loyal readers' now… Also, I have an incredible fondness for writing shower sex scenes, even though I'm abundantly aware of how impractical it ends up being in reality. So, yeah…

WWWWWWWWWW

WWWWWWWWWW

Also, please realize that this is a lemon cut version- the sex scene has been regrettably edited to be more compliant with 's rules. If you want the fully descriptive version, hop over to Adult FanFiction (18+) or AO3, and find the story there on my other accounts, both also listed under KaiBlueOtaku.