the girl and the bat

by AGENT Kuma-chan

She had met this quiet stranger before, this man who felt more like a beast than a man. -Ulquihime

Title: the bat and the girl

Prompt: Ulquihime

Characters/Pairings: Ulquihime, Tatsuki, Ichigo, Ishida

A/N: Written for the Valentines Ulquihime exchange for LylithB. This is for –sorry for how this turned out, I don't quite like it. I was trying to go for a bit of a fairy tale feeling and then it abandoned me. This is set in kind of a mish-mash of canon, since I haven't finished the final arc and the last thing I remember was "Ichigo can't see Soul Society. And might have forgotten them." at least, I hope I'm remembering that correctly.

Summary: She had met this quiet stranger before, this man who felt more like a beast than a man.

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"What's this?" Orihime cocked her head as she heard a thudding noise. Nothing in her house sounded like that, whether it was her creaking chair or the groaning floorboards or even the thwack her blinds made when the wind blew threw them. Turning the heat low on the oven, she slowly walked in the direction of the sound.

Thud.

There it was again, softer now. It was so faint, she could barely hear it. The sound came from outside her front door, though it didn't sound like knocking. Tatsuki and Ichigo would rap hard or just walk right in; Orihime did forget to lock the doors sometimes. Ishida was politer, but his knocks were just as firm as the others. Chad, perhaps?

"Hello!" she greeted brightly, throwing open the door. There was no slouching giant, nor were there any of her other friends. Actually, there was no one at all and she stared at the empty space in surprise. "Mr. Nobody?"

Strange. It was all too strange. Poking her head out, she looked left and right and there was still no one. Not even to give her a surprise or scare her. Utterly odd. "Anyone?"

Still no response. Flummoxed, she was about to close the door when she spotted something small and brown on her welcome mat. She crouched for closer inspection. It was a bat. A small, black bat.

"Where you hungry for my stew?" she asked, gently picking it up. It fit in the palm of her hand, it was so small, and it didn't respond to her voice at all. "Don't worry, I got you."

-x-

A sound woke her up and for a moment, she thought of the bat, of flesh hitting glass. But the bat was in in her old bird cage and this was more of a soft rustling sound, like silk wings in the wind. Slowly, Orihime sat up on her bed. She blinked drowsily, glancing around her room. The moon shone through her window, leaving a faint silver trail on the edge of her mirror and bed. Following the light, she saw a man sitting on her windowsill.

No, not a man. A tall figure, almost a man except for the horns on his head, the wings on his back, the tail curled around his legs. Her mouth fell open, a soft intake of breath. "Oh."

Before she could blink, he was gone.

-x-

"You saw a man in your room at night?" Tatsuki stared down at her, sitting on Orihime's desk. A straw hung loose in her lips and she forgot to drink from her juice box.

"You should finish that before the teacher came in," Orihime whispered. It was their last semester of their last year of high school and there was something sad about the thought that this might be the last time Orihime would see this sight, would give that warning. "And it's not a man, it's a fairy."

"Yes, yes, a fairy." Tatsuki chuckled, though there was nothing happy about her expression. "After I'm through with him, he'll definitely be one."

"What does that even mean?" Ichigo asked, his bag casually slung over his shoulder as he walked over. Orihime glanced at the clock—he was early, which meant Karin must have woken him today.

"Wanna know?" Tatsuki grinned dangerously. She flexed her arm, patting her biceps. "I can give you a sample."

"Oh? Wanna go?" He smiled back just as aggressively and even though they were both (probably) teasing, Orihime wasn't sure if it really was a (probably). It was a coin flip sometimes.

Today it landed on heads and Ichigo let it go, looking over Tatsuki's shoulder at her. "Hey, Orihime."

"Hi!" She beamed up at him brightly.

He bit his lip, looking away. "Do you…"

"Do I…?" She repeated, tilting her head to follow his gaze. The window curtains didn't seem that interesting but maybe he knew something about them that she didn't.

Ichigo closed his eyes and shook his head. "Never mind."

-x-

"Did you get a rat?" Tatsuki squatted in front of the rusted, copper cage on her bedside table. Squinting, she peered closer at the brown mass of fur huddled at the bottom. "Is it dead?"

"Huh?" Concerned, she hopped over to the cage, dropping her bag and coat on the floor along the way. "I gave him water and food and warmth and—" Orihime crouched next to her friend, furrowing her brow as she opened the latch and reached inside. Her fingers brushed gently against the matted fur. Warm. The bat was warm. "Oh, you had me worried! He's alive."

"Well, he looks dead," Tatsuki defended herself, biting her cheek and looking away. She crossed her arms. "He's not moving."

"That's cause he's sick." Closing the door, she double checked the water bowl and food bowl. Both were still full, only slightly smaller than how she'd left them in the morning. She'd even bought the brands the internet said to get. "Maybe he'll eat more at night?"

Tatsuki raised a brow, looking back at her friend. "You're taking care of a sick rat?"

"Bat," Orihime corrected with a chirp. She pointed at his folded wings. "He's a bat."

"Bat." Tatsuki shrugged, rolling her eyes. "Whatever. Where'd you get this? You know it can have rabies, right?"

"…rabies." Orihime blinked. What were the signs of rabies again? A frothing mouth and biting, right? She glanced at the bat again, looking for flecks of white against his dark fur. "He doesn't look like he has them."

"Please tell me this isn't the first time you thought of it." Tatsuki slapped her forehead with a frustrated sigh. Pulling out her phone, she started to scroll through it. "Did it bite you?"

Shaking her head, Orihime crossed her arms in the shape of an X. At least she could be sure of this much. "No. He's just been sleeping."

"That's good." She sighed with relief as she typed on her phone. "Okay, I found the nearest vet."

"Vet?" Orihime blinked, tapping her chin. So that's what she'd forgotten. A vet. Yes, that made sense. "Right."

"'Right'." Tatsuki stopped typing and looked up in disbelief. Glancing at the cage again, she massaged her forehead. "I know that you actually took care of that bird somehow, but…how?"

"..my brother did most of the work…" Orihime reluctantly pointed out, looking away. After a moment, she clapped her hands together and cheerfully added, "Oh, but I did clean the cage!"

Closing her eyes, Tatsuki muttered, "…you know, if the vet tries to take it away, I am not going to stop him."

-x-

"You." Orihime rubbed her eyes as she sat up. It was a full moon and once again a not-man sat on her window sill, his dark fur tinted blue in the pale light. He was still there after she'd pinched her cheeks and blinked her eyes. "You're real."

He didn't say anything and for a moment, she wondered if this was a dream. She'd had vivid dreams before, about running to class and doing a test, but nothing like this. On her bedside table was her phone and as she reached out to grab it, the cold glint of metal caught her eye. The bat cage. The door was open, even though she was sure she had latched it.

"You're the bat," she stated, and the words felt true the second they left her mouth. She had no facts, no evidence, but the words true nonetheless. "I saw you before."

"I was not strong enough to maintain this shape," he replied, his voice smooth and soft like velvet. His wings rustled in the dark like a panther on the prowl. "I still cannot keep it long."

"Oh. I see." Nothing about this felt out of place and she nodded. Maybe it was a dream. She picked up her phone and set it on her lap. He turned to face her and in the dark she could make out two eyes, bright green like emeralds. "Do I know you?"

"No." There was no hesitation in his response, his words echoing around her as though they were in a cave.

Despite that, his answer didn't ring true. Frowning, she modified her question. "Hmmm…do you know me?"

His expression remained blank like a slate. "No."

-x-

Orihime was on top of a building, in a land of eternal darkness. Around her, a dome slowly shattered but all of that was just background noise to the scene in front of her. In the gloom, a pale white hand reached out. She couldn't see past the elbow, the figure connected to it shrouded in darkness.

Do you—

Even craning her ears, she couldn't ear the rest of the sentence. Only, it was important, so very important, and the hand extended toward her. She had to touch it. She had to grasp it. If she didn't, she would regret it.

Before she could touch it, the hand disappeared like smoke in the wind.

-x-

When she woke up that morning, her hand was outstretched, her phone in her lap.

-x-

"You're taking care of a bat?" Ishida asked her, not looking up from his math homework. It was a pity, she liked staring at his eyes, the way they would run left and right as though to avoid contact. She wondered if he was like that with everyone or just her.

They were in a library and she had been shushed enough times to know better than to force his head up. At least, not while they were in the main room, surrounded by librarians and their harsh glares. "Yeah." She cocked her head. "How do you know?"

"Tatsuki." At this, Ishida looked up with a grimace. "She's been threatening everyone in case we went to your room at night." At her questioning gaze, he pushed his glasses up his nose, his cheeks tinted a light red. "I didn't."

"I know." Orihime smiled cheerfully, resting her chin on her clasped hands. "You're too nice to do that."

"Right. Yes." Ishida coughed, looking away. Even his ears were tinted red now. Maybe she should buy him a matching red shirt for his birthday. "Anyways. About the bat." He paused for a long moment before looking down. "Be careful."

"Why?" She scratched her nose before her lips parted in a soft 'o'. Hitting her open palm with a fist, she nodded in understanding. "Don't worry, Tatsuki made sure we both had our rabies shot."

"No that wasn't—" He stopped, frowning so hard his brow looked like a 'V'. "Wait, no, that is important. You have all your shots?"

"All of them." She pushed up her sleeve, showing the band-aid on her inner elbow. "It hurt. The bat got them too. I wonder if it hurt for him? His body is tiny, and he didn't get a band-aid or a treat."

"I think he'll be fine. And at least you'll both be safe this way." Ishida sighed, relaxing. He looked back at his book before jerking his head up. "That wasn't what I wanted to say—be careful around the bat."

"Is there something worse than rabies?" she asked, cocking her head. Her thumb rubbed her band-aid—the vet would have known if there was something; he would have told her. Instead he'd just warned her about dehydration and food and then Tatsuki made him not call animal services.

Shaking a hand in front of him, Ishida pushed up his glasses with the other. "No. It has nothing to do with your health or rabies just…" He hesitated, biting his lip. "I don't know why but…there's something dangerous about you and bats."

The man in the moonlight. Unbidden, she thought of him and his empty eyes. "You mean…"

"Yes?" Ishida looked her eagerly, as though he would fight a monster for her.

But the bat was no monster. Far from it. She bit back her words and softly whispered, "This won't have more shots, right?"

-x-

"So there doesn't have to be a moon?" Orihime asked when she spotted the stranger perched once more on her windowsill. A cereal box once told her it took 21 days to make a habit but it seemed it didn't have to be continuous.

He turned to her, barely making a noise. His lips drew into a thin line as he examined her and she wondered if this was how it felt to be hunted by a predator. After a long moment, he spoke. "I am stronger now."

"Stronger," she repeated, unable to tear her eyes away from him. The little mermaid. The beast. Fairy tale after fairy tale ran through her mind and this had to be what it felt like to live in one. Despite it all, she didn't feel any sense of danger, just wonder. "Oh, does that mean you'll be like this all the time when you've recovered?"

He nodded, turning back to the night sky. Maybe he missed flying; he seemed more bat than man. His wings hung behind him uselessly and perhaps that too required more time before he could use them. A kiss might break the spell, healing the prince, but she had a feeling he would leave the second that happened.

"Do you like what I'm feeding you?" she asked, resting her chin on a hand. "I can get you something else. Like People food."

His tail dangled off his perch, sweeping the floor. "It's fine."

A man of few words. He spoke less than Chad did, a feat she didn't think was possible. She stared at him before sitting up straight. "Right, I'm Orihime."

At this he looked back, a deadpan expression. His lips curled up slightly. "I know."

Orihime stared, forgetting to reply. Was that a smile? It looked like one, but it was so faint, so very faint that it could just be a trick of the light. A trick of her heart. It was only when he turned away that she remembered to speak. "Right, you might have heard while you were a bat." Her hands curled in the soft blankets bunched around her waist. "What about you?"

"Me?" It was amazing how there was absolutely no change in his voice, in his tone, but she could still somehow hear the inflection, the question. "You don't need to know."

Swallowing, she pressed forward. "I can't keep calling you bat. And I could name you but I don't think you'll like my names very much."

Once more, he turned back to her, his expression oddly human. "Ulquiorra."

"Ulquiorra," Orihime repeated and his name tasted like loss.

-x-

The rain fell steadily as she stood at the school entrance. She hated the rain, even now it reminded her too much of her brother. (double check). There was a soft scrape as the school doors slide open behind her.

"Orihime." Ichigo's eyes widened when he spotted her. Closing the door, he stepped next to her. "Don't have an umbrella?"

"No, it's right here." Her fingers curled around the handle and she raised her rainbow coloured umbrella. The flower pattern cheered her up a little. "Did you forget yours?"

"Yeah." Ichigo admitted, rubbing his neck. He towered next to her and maybe if Orihime had a pair of stilts, she could match his height. "Karin's going to laugh at me."

Karin. She snickered softly, picturing it now. Despite his attitude at school, Ichigo had a soft spot for his sisters. Feeling sorry for him, she leaned closer, holding out her umbrella. "Wanna share?"

"No, I…" He slid open the door and poked his head back into the school. Holding a hand to his forehead, he squinted out into the nearby field. "Tatsuki's not here, right?"

"She's busy." Orihime whispered back, feeling a little like she was playing a stealth game. They were fellow conspirators, huddled on the school steps, and Tatsuki was the final boss. Or maybe the rain was in this case. "Her club."

"Right. Right, that's good. Okay, then. Just until we split up." He took her umbrella opening it and quickly stepped out of the shelter. "But let's get out of here before she suddenly appears."

Nodding, she tightened her grip on her back and jumped out after him. They sprinted off the school grounds, splashing through puddles until they reached the safety of the sidewalk. Catching their breath, they stared at the school and then at each other before breaking into laughter.

"Safe!" Orihime declared proudly.

"Safe!" Ichigo agreed, relieved.

With that, they strolled home at a slower pace. The rain tapped on her umbrella, leaving tiny puddles as the water slid off. There was something different about sounds in the rain, something muted that was even in the colours and sights. The wind changed directions slightly, the rain spraying on her legs similar to a blood splatter.

She should not know what a blood splatter felt like. It was another strange thought, one of many that Orihime had recently. And it had all started when she had found the bat, found Ulquiorra. Even Ichigo and Ishida weren't the same. "Do you know Ulquiorra?"

"Who?" Ichigo asked, peering down at her.

She hadn't realized she'd said the words aloud. "Ulquiorra," she repeated, louder now. It was just a name. Even if Ichigo would act like Ishida had, he couldn't do anything with only a name.

"No, I—" Ichigo cut himself off, staring out at the rain. It was light, tiny drops falling fast like a beaded curtain. He ducked his head. "I think I do."

"You do?" She snapped her head at him, hopeful. Maybe it was just her memory then that was in patches, that thought it was strange that they were all so close after barely talking to one another.

"Maybe?" He gave her a troubled smile. She resisted the urge to press her thumbs against his mouth, to force his lips into a curve. "I…I sometimes, I think I've forgotten something important. Something to do with my mom. My dad. You. Our friends. We all…we all should know."

Chad. Ishida. And others. Orihime briefly closed her eyes and the image of a green hat, of a black cat came to mind. "There were others. Strangers."

"Yeah." He nodded. "Yeah, there were. There was a whole world of people we forgot. A short, black haired girl." He frowned, his hand clenching on the umbrella. The rain was starting to fall on her shoulders but she didn't move, didn't say anything. "No, not forgot. Forced to forget."

Forced. Orihime shivered. "By who?"

"I don't know." A hand raked through his hair as he stared out into the rain. "I…I just don't know."

-x-

A heart, Ulquiorra murmured, looking more man than beast. His nail stopping just above her breast. Despite the hole in his chest, he didn't look injured at all. If I were to cut you, would I find it?

There was something forlorn about his expression, a muted longing. Maybe even he didn't know what he was asking about, what he really wanted to know.

That wouldn't help you, she wanted to say but the wall behind her exploded before she could finish the sentence.

-x-

Ulquiorra was sitting on her bed when she returned from school one day. She blinked, surprised, before turning to look out her window. It was still day. Not night. There was no moon outside her window either.

"I'm stronger now," he explained and if she hadn't dreamed of his human form weeks ago, she wouldn't have recognized him now. She wondered if those white robes came with him or if he had stolen them from somewhere. Despite the sunlight, his skin was pale as the moon, inhumanely so. There was no pink blush of warmth, no sign of life, and Orihime couldn't tell if he was alive or a corpse. Maybe he was a ghost. That idea didn't feel too strange.

Again, he stopped at that, with no additional words as to the how. Maybe those words were enough for him; despite his looks, he lived in the world of the predator, the strongest surviving over the weak. She wasn't sure where that put her. "That's great." Hesitantly, she sat beside him. The bed sank under her weight. "I forgot you, didn't I?"

He didn't move. His fingers were splayed against her dark blue comforter, pressing lightly on the fabric. "You didn't know me. "

"Maybe." The man she dreamed of, he didn't even know himself. "But we met."

This, he acknowledged, a slow nod of the head. His eyes lowered and, in the day, she could see how long his lashes were. "Yes."

"Sorry for forgetting." She smiled ruefully, brushing a lock behind her ear. When they sat like this, they were almost the same height.

"It doesn't matter. I died." When she gaped at him, surprised, he added, "Death is not always the end."

Right. For the first time, she understood what Tatsuki meant when she asked Orihime to explain herself. Sometimes, words were needed. "How?"

There were a dozen questions in that single one. He didn't answer a single one. "It's not important." Ulquiorra looked out the window. Even though he had no wings in this form, she could almost hear them flapping. "I'll leave tonight."

"You will?" Her heart dropped, an unexpected sensation. "Where will you go?"

Ulquiorra closed his eyes, already done explaining. "It's not important."

"It is to me," she insisted and for the first time in the conversation, he looked at her. His eyes widened imperceptibly. "Tell me. Please."

Still staring at her, he uttered, "I don't know."

Okay, that was a start. Gently, she probed, "Home?"

"I never had one." His expression didn't change as he said that and she felt a wave of pity for him. It was one thing to have lost a home—it hurt but there was still joy in rebuilding it, in finding a new one. It was quite another to not know what that is, to have never experienced it.

Her heart ached. "Then where?"

"Somewhere." Ulquiorra shrugged, looking entirely disinterested. "It doesn't matter."

"If it doesn't matter then…" Orihime pressed her own hands on her comforter, a small swatch of blue between her and him. She reached out to touch him but she remembered the dream, remembered his hand dissipating into the wind. "Then stay."

"Stay?" he repeated, no intonation at all but she could tell she surprised him again. This felt familiar; she must have done this to him often before. There was something comforting in that.

"Yes, stay. I…" Orihime faltered. The words wouldn't come to her—it was important that he stayed. Why? She didn't know. Why? She couldn't remember. Only he looked real in the sunlight, real in a way that the ghost in her dreams didn't, and she didn't want to lose this chance. Lose this moment. "You wanted to know what a heart was. Right?"

"I did." Interest laced in his voice and his eyes bore into hers. "Once."

"You never found it. I'll show it to you." And this, this sounded right, these words sounded right. She pressed a hand on her chest, her fingers digging into her shirt. "I'll show you what a heart is. So stay."

She reached for his hand and this time, it didn't disappear.