"Do I frighten you, Onna?"
Those words that had left an imprint on my fragile heart only circled my head once as I told him, "No, you don't."
He looked into my eyes, those shimmering pools of emerald green that were tinted in realization, monotony, and melancholy, were slowly bringing tears to my eyes.
"I see..." He replied, closing his eyes for a brief second before returning his gaze back to me.
Suddenly, his arm reached out to me, extending those beautiful, yet delicate fingers, reaching out towards me. I followed suit, wanting to fulfill his actions: to feel his hand on my skin, just one last time. I eagerly reached out, to clasp his hand in mine.
It was too late. As my hand extended toward his, it began dissipating away. I reached out farther, and failed miserably. His eyes were now tinted with something else: Sadness. I kept my arm out to him, reaching for him, even though I knew I wouldn't have reached for him in time. The image of his legs turning to ash was traumatizing.
Kurosaki-kun had left to go and save Kuchiki-san, while I was left to tend Ishida-kun's wound.
"I-Inoue-san... Are you alright?" He asked me, worry in his tone.
"I'm fine, Ishida-kun..." I told him, lying. I fought back tears as I simultaneously fought back images of what I had just seen.
He still looked unsatisfied, but hadn't pushed any farther. Silence had fallen between us, until I was ready to speak.
"Ishida-kun... Do you think, I could've saved him?" I asked, my voice beginning to crack. "Do you think, he wanted to be saved? His eyes told a story... And his words, another..." By this time, my face was already stricken with tears as I sniffed.
"I... I don't know. I didn't know him as much as you did, Inoue-san. However, you must've made a huge impact on him, because he reached out for you."
"Yes, I know... I just wish, that I could've saved him. He could've had a second chance... But I was too late." More tears rolled down my cheeks, as I sobbed in despair.
"Inoue-san, don't cry." Ishida-kun said.
I stifled back sobs as I asked him, "Ishida-kun, if I scream, you won't tell anyone, right?"
He looked at me with a pained expression as he shook his head.
I sat down on the cold, hard floor, covered my face with my dirty hands, and screamed in agony. I screamed and yelled and cried. I screamed at God for being unfair, I yelled at my stupidity.
And finally, I cried painful tears, as I realized that I had lost the person I had truly fallen in love with.
That was 3 years ago. Now, after the defeat of Ginjo and Tsukishima, peach had returned once again to Karakura Town. Kurosaki-kun had regained his powers, and had a very emotional reunion with Kuchiki-san. A pinprick of hurt had poked my heart, for Kurosaki-kun was my first love. However, it left as quickly as it came, for a new pain had begun to gnaw at me once more.
The reunion with the one you love. The happily ever after. I would never get to experience that. My true love had disappeared, right before my eyes. I still remembered everything. Fresh in my mind, as if it happened yesterday.
I never told anyone. Ishida-kun had either forgotten, or never dared to bring it up. Until that day, Tatsuki-chan knew all of my secrets. I didn't tell her anything about what I had gone through. Occasionally, I also had trouble falling asleep, for I had nightmares about him dying. It hurt too much.
On the day of my birthday, while I was walking to school, I see a gorgeous array of necklaces, sitting on a table in front of a shop, all with different tiny numbers on them. I start looking for one that had my age on it, until I find something that stabs me in the heart.
Sitting there, shining in the sun, is a necklace with the number 4 on it. I look at it for a few moments, until I carefully pick it up, and bring it to my eyes. It was gold, with a smooth finish, and I run my finger over it to feel its texture. I look at my watch, and see that I have enough time to buy it. I enter the small shop, quickly head to the checkout, and place the necklace on the counter. The old woman standing behind it smiled at me. She ringed up my purchase, and asked if I needed a box.
"Ah, no. Thank you. I'll wear it right now." I told her, smiling as she handed me back the necklace. I clasped it around my neck, and turned to the small mirror standing on the counter, admiring the twinkling number.
"That'll be 2000 yen, sweetie."
I pulled out the money from my bag, and handed it to her. I also thanked my lucky stars that I didn't need to buy my lunch, for I make mine at home. I uickly left the shop, and hurried to school, the necklace clinking against my neck softly.
"Orihime!"
I turned around to find Kurosaki-kun and Kuchiki-san heading my way. They were each holding a small bag, with tissue paper sticking out of the top.
"Ohayo, Kurosaki-kun, Kuchiki-san." I smiled brightly. The necklace around my neck made me happier than usual.
"Here, Inoue. I got you this." Ichigo held out the bag, and as I opened it, a lovely blue scarf tumbled out. I gasped and put it around my neck right away, feeling how soft it was. "Thank you, Kurosaki-kun!" I gave him a hug, my heart filling with happiness as I realized what great friends I had.
"No problem." He said, giving me a warm smile.
"Orihime, I got you something better." Kuchiki-san smirked, receiving a playful scowl from Kurosaki-kun. She held out the small bag for me to open, and I looked inside to find a very pretty silver ring, with the word 'Nakama' etched inside.
"Uwahh! Thank you, Kuchiki-san!" I exclaimed, giving her a big hug. I quickly put it on my hand as I admired its beauty. Like my necklace, it sparkled in the sun.
"Oh, my. Orihime. What a gorgeous necklace you have on. Who gave it to you?"
My heart skipped a beat for a second as I became flustered and said, "O-Oh! This? I bought it this morning!"
"But, Inoue. Why did you get the number 4? Didn't they have one with your age on it?" Ichigo said, scratching his head in confusion.
I stayed quiet for only a second as I replied, "I love the number 4. It's my lucky number." I smiled weakly.
The bell rang, and I jumped. "We have to get to class. Happy birthday, Orihime!" Kuchiki-san said, giving me a final hug, and Kurosaki-kun, giving me another smile, as they hurried to class. I stared at the ring once more, and my eyes widened at what I saw.
I had, unknowingly, slipped the beautiful silver ring, on my wedding finger.
After a festive day, I returned home with my arms filled with gifts from my friends. I quickly laid them on the table, and sat down on the couch. Luckily, there was no homework today, so I could go to sleep early.
I trudged to the bathroom, took off my clothes, and turned on the water. Then, I carefully placed my necklace and ring on the sink, putting the stopper on the drain, just in case. After showering, I dressed into my pajamas, and carefully put my necklace away in my jewelry box. I plopped on my bed, and closed my eyes, hoping that I could have sweet dreams.
"Onna..."
I was bewildered. I was reliving this horrible memory once again. Except, that there was no Kurosaki-kun, or Ishida-kun. Instead, we were back at a room in Hueco Mundo. The moonlight filled the room, as I faced Ulquiorra, merely inches away from me. It wasn't a nightmare, but a dream.
"U-Ulquiorra..." I whispered, looking into his eyes. I took his face in my hand as I caressed his long, black locks. His eyes were as breathtaking as ever; emerald gems, swirling with flecks of black. I trembled as I embraced him, silent tears seeping through his uniform.
"Are you alive?..." I asked, my voice wavering. I wanted him to say yes. Wanted to be with him forever, as long as we both shall live.
His eyes were how he expressed emotions. I saw pure despair in them as he closed his eyes for a moment, and tilted his head down. I knew what the answer was, and held onto him tighter.
"Onna... It's not your fault. You did nothing wrong." He told me, gently running his lovely fingers through my hair.
"Yes it is. I didn't save you." I choked out, the tears flooding my face as I grasped onto him, until I began to lose the feeling in my fingers.
"Stop, Onna. Stop blaming yourself." He stated, his tone of voice sharp. I looked up at him. If only I was able to look at that breathtaking face forever.
"Why did you come back...?" I whispered.
Again, his eyes told me everything. He looked at me. I saw something inside of them, that I had never seen before.
Love. His eyes were filled with love.
A small tear escaped my eye, and he brushed it away with his soft thumb. I looked at his dark lips, never realizing how smooth they were. I gently leaned up, and kissed him.
All I felt were his lips on mine. The only sensation, flowing through my body was of pleasure and happiness. He immediately cupped my face into his hands, which were cold and gentle. The gnawing of pain in my heart was slowly fading away, as I opened my mouth to deepen the kiss. His whole entire body was cold, except for his mouth, which was warm. Not hot, or stuffy, but warm.
Suddenly, his strong arms had slipped under my legs and back, and he picked me up carefully.
"Ulquiorra!" I exclaimed, blushing.
"Shhh..." He whispered in my ear, which made me blush harder.
I took a look around, and realized that this wasn't my room. It was his room. In the center, was a beautiful, pure white bed, with a large canopy to hide us away. My heart raced in anticipation as he gently laid me on his bed. I took this moment to take off his helmet, to reveal his soft and smooth jet black hair. He completely closed the canopy, and we were engulfed in a soft dim light.
He kissed me again, and the feeling of euphoria came back. He began slowly pushing away my clothing, his fingertips leaving goosebumps on my skin. Finally, when all I had on was my strapless white top and matching skirt, he started kissing me on my neck, which made me whimper in delight.
"U-Ulqui... orra..." I gasped, as he left no patch of my bare skin unbitten and unkissed. His lukewarm mouth made me shiver and tremble, and I withered in pleasure as he left kiss marks on my skin. Finally, he returned back to my top, and pushed it off, to reveal my chest. I blushed again, and tried to cover myself with my arms.
"Onna..." He whispered again, lifting away my arms, and gently pinning them above my head. He reached down, and began plucking at my left nipple teeth. I didn't want to moan, because it was embarrassing. But, after enduring everything that he had done to my body, I let out a soft moan. He looked at me, his eyes, again, displaying his each and every emotion. All I saw in them, was a flame.
He began plucking at laving my other nipple, which caused me to moan again. Oh, it was embarrassing to think that this was extremely pleasurable and arousing, but that was exactly what I was thinking. My breathing began to turn haywire as he left kisses on my stomach, hipbone, and navel.
Then, I looked at him, and saw that he was still fully clothed. Releasing my arms from his light grasp, I brought my hands to the top of his uniform, and unzipped his uniform.
He looked exactly like a Greek statue, from his perfectly sculpted abdominal, to his lovely milky skin. I ran my fingers down, from his chest, to his stomach, tracing each and every crevice. As I did this, he took in a sharp intake of air. I looked at him, his jaw clenched tightly and his eyes closed.
"Ulquiorra..." I said, crestfallen, for I had done something wrong. I immediately retracted my hand, and was startled as he grasped it once more. I looked at him with a confused expression.
"No... Onna..." He gasped, panting softly. "You've done... Nothing wrong..."
Then, it hit me. The way he was panting, and the way that he hadn't shown me his eyes, was because he was enjoying this. I found it a bit humorous, how he was trying to hide his feelings of pleasure and delight. He was, in all honesty, very cute.
I smiled slightly as I kissed his cheek. He opened his eyes, which were displaying happiness. But then, the moment I began kissing his neck, he closed his eyes, and gripped my shoulders tightly. I began mimicking what he had done to my body, leaving small nips and kisses on his toned arms, shoulders, and torso. He covered his eyes with his arms, and looked away.
"Ulquiorra... Please, open your eyes..." I said, smiling.
He lifted his arm a fraction of an inch, and showed me his eyes. A shiver ran down my spine, as I saw lust and desire in them. Suddenly, he brought me in to kiss him, and then flipped me on my back. He took off my skirt, and the rest of his uniform, as he rested his forehead against mine.
"Onna... I love you..."
I smiled blissfully as I said, "I love you, too... Ulquiorra..."
It felt real. Everything had felt so real. The small amount of pain that I had felt, as he pushed inside of me. The small kisses he placed on neck, to ease my pain. The slow, gentle thrusts as he began to slowly fill inside of me. I gripped onto his shoulders as he rocked his hips back and forth.
"Ahh... U-Ulqui... orra... Ah!" I exclaimed, when he had pushed up against me harder.
"Onna..." He panted as a sheen of sweat began to form on his forehead.
All I thought of was Ulquiorra. Being filled with him, loving him, becoming one with him. I felt something beyond pleasure, beyond euphoria, as he continued to thrust inside of me. I prayed to God in my head, to let this moment last forever. Sadly, it didn't. We had reached our climax, panting and sweating, but happy. It was perfect...
Too perfect...
I snuggled up against his chest, and began to doze off, for I was to wake up the next morning, in his arms. The last thing I remember, was Ulquiorra whispering into my ear, "I love you, Orihime..."
And I woke up.
Despair, anger, and complete sadness had washed over me, as I woke up facing my pink alarm clock, looking at the numbers 6:30. I cracked as I realized that it was truly, all just a dream. I shoved my face into my pillow, and screamed, tears falling down my face once more. I hadn't become one with Ulquiorra. I didn't have my first time with him. I would never be able to tell him "I love you" one last time. For a moment, I hated the world. The only thing that had filled my senses was Ulquiorra.
After releasing all my bitter anger and sadness on my poor pillow, I sat up, my eyes puffy and my throat raw from screaming. It was a Friday, so I decided to lie in bed and wallow in my depression, until I remembered that I had to put on my necklace. I opened my jewelry box, and peered inside.
Empty, except for the ring that Kuchiki-san had given me, and my friendship bracelet that Tatsuki-chan gave me in the 5th grade. I went into panic mode, as I completely flipped my room upside down to find it. I checked the bathroom, the closet, the kitchen. Nowhere.
Finally, running to the living room to see if it was there, I find it sitting on my table, along with a beautiful bouquet of white roses, and a small white card. Feeling a bit scared, I thought someone had broken into my house. But, picking up the card, I realized that no one had broken into my house. Instead, it was a birthday gift. It read,
Happy Birthday, Orihime
I apologize for only visiting you in your dreams. Forgive me.
I also apologize if I scared you.
Enjoy the flowers.
With Love, Ulquiorra
I cried. There was nothing I could do but cry. I cried out all of my feelings, and kept only the tears of love. I put on my necklace, and picked up the roses. I took the card, and placed it into my jewelry box. Then, I put the flowers in a glass vase.
The flowers will probably wilt, the card and necklace will probably get lost, but there's one thing that I won't ever forget.
The love I feel for you, Ulquiorra...
.
.
.
Happy Birthday, Hime-chan
~Roro-chan
