Ulquiorra Cifer

Oh no.

Ichigo knew that presence anywhere. It was all too familiar to him.. but how was it possible? The Espada that he fought against in Hueco Mundo was dead. He saw it with his own chocolate orbs as he disappeared into dust; and yet, he was right there, in front of him as piercing green eyes connected with his. 

So the pest was surprised to see him.  How... fitting.  Hn, but was it really so difficult to believe he could have survived?  As much as he had been surprised by the event himself, after piecing together the facts about the circumstances of his death he found it was only logical that he would have returned.

But the story and the agony that came with his death and revival meant little to him and the fact that this boy was still living as well meant even less.  He no longer had a lord by which he could serve and as a result, had no reason to asssociate himself with the person or finish the task he had originally undertaken.

To generalize these, a unauthorized experiment of Szayel’s produced an object with a spiritual presence weaker, but similar in nature to the Hogyoku.  Seeking to produce a copy of the Hogyoku that could be used to deceive shinigami, Szayel continued his research.  His goal was little more than to obtain brownie points from the man so as to get the materials he needed for other experiments.

The object was made, but it was flawed.  Its pressure was unstable, fluctuating abnormally and displaying signs of deterioration.

Nervously, Szayel approached their lord and told him of situation.  Aizen-sama did not move immediately to punish the scientist, instead ordering him to resolve the issue by destroying the device he had created.  But he had to do so in the human world where it would not cause any damage to Las Noches.  Fearful of punishment, Szayel acted to quickly to transport the object.  In their hurry, Szayel’s fracciones were intercepted by several shinigami and the object fell somewhere in the town during the fight.

“The device was an experiment,” he said, leaving out any mention of the Hogyoku, “but a failed experiment.  It’s little more than a bomb at the moment.  I might even compare it to the nuclear sort, but the damage to this town and it’s inhabitants upon detonation would only be spiritual.  My mission, as I have explained, is to safely destroy this device before it can cause any harm.”

Two hours passed like this and they had nothing to show. They hadn’t covered a fraction of the area they should have and hadn’t found any evidence of the device. But he was patient. They still had time. Exhaling despite his lack of frustration, he turned into another street. He longed for a hint in regards to where the device was, but there was nothing. Bitter for these thoughts, Ulquiorra’s senses were all the more heightened. And to the presence that appeared, he reacted immediately, peering around his temporary shinigami companion to confirm his suspicions. He approached the source of the small pressure, his attention seized by that little presence that, if luck would permit, was what they were searching for. He had started for it, but there was nothing in sight. Where was the thing?