Lamenting Enchantment (A Bleach/Ulquihime fic)

Chapter 34

This is not my story! All credits go to The. Teal. Rose. on Fanfiction.net. This story belongs solely to the author.
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Chapter XXXIV

Sanctifying Eternity

"When love beckons to you follow him, though his ways are hard and steep. And when his wings enfold you yield to him, though the sword hidden among his pinions may wound you."

-Khalil Gibran.

Ulquiorra rushed forward, almost smirking in amusement as he watched the Shinigami prepare his sword. Within an instant, he was upon him, the look of astonishment on his adversary's façade a welcome occurrence. He placed a clawed hand upon his head, withholding his gaze as he slowly passed before suddenly thrusting him forward.

Ichigo tumbled across the pillar and into another; his body helplessly limp in response to the overpowering force of the released Espada. Ulquiorra slowly walked forward and stopped to observe the destruction imposed in his wake. It was outstanding and Murciélago reveled within the darkness that continued to fester and overcome. His golden eyes watched in silent enticement, as sand and debris crumbled and bowed within his presence. However those eyes widened upon seeing that the Shinigami was still alive and kneeling, his sword thrust into the ground to steady himself.

Relentless...Ulquiorra both chastised and admired the boy. He deliberated a moment before diving and flying toward his opponent, skillfully evading the attempted slash and smoothly landing several feet behind the Shinigami.

Turning, his mouth parted as he momentarily considered the orange-haired teen. Ichigo shifted to face the Espada before quickly lifting his sword when he advanced on him. Grasping the blade, Ulquiorra held the bewildered gaze of the Shinigami as he pushed him into the air. He then swiftly lifted his tail and thrust it into the boy's chest.

Ichigo was quick to right himself as he landed upon a falling boulder, pausing before hastily jumping backward and away from his adversary. Ulquiorra immediately pursued him as he watched the Shinigami bring out his mask. That technique will no longer afford you any security. It will only delay the inevitable. "You're a fool, Kurosaki Ichigo." He voiced aloud, before punching him and casting him further across the dark abyss of the blackened sky. "You hope to fight and defeat an opponent whose strength is so great, it terrifies you."

He slowly lifted his hand and used his strength to shove the Zanpakuto into Ichigo's mask, shattering it entirely. The impact sent him coursing through two pillars directly behind, completely crushing them as well. Ulquiorra simply stood and watched the dust clear, his mind continuously falling into the depths of Murciélago's emptiness. The words the woman had spoken to him in the fifth tower seeped through his defenses, inspiring a new despair and resignation.

"If you are doing this because you have a heart," he began slowly, a very faint trace of sorrow lacing his words. "Then hearts do nothing but injure humans." He slowly raised his hand, lifting it before his eyes. The same traitorous hand that had, upon countless occasions, enjoyed the feel of the woman's hair across its fingertips. The hand that had nearly broken his resolve only a short time ago, touching her skin upon which it delighted. He resolutely clenched it into a fist, "You will die because of your heart."

With this same hand, I will...end the life of the man she loved.

Ichigo slightly lifted his sword, clenching it as tightly as he could still manage. "I'm not fighting because I want to win." He forced his bruised body to move as he suspended his weapon toward the Espada. "I'm fighting because I have to win!"