Bring Me to Life
Ch.1 I'm Sorry
I found myself surrounded by clouds of warm steam. A shadow passed through the mist in front of me. It was a woman. She stepped out of a billow of steam to my right. "Ulquiorra…." She whispered in my ear. She was very close. I felt the heat rise to my face. I knew she was smiling at my blush.
She moved behind me. Wrapping her arms around me, she kissed the feverish flesh of my neck. A low gasp escaped my lips. "C'mon Ulqui-kun, let me in." Her breath tickled against the back of my neck. I felt her fingers running through my wispy raven hair.
"Why are you torturing me like this?" I whispered. Her high pitched giggle echoed through the mist. She pushed me into a wall that hadn't been there before. I gasped at the impact. She didn't hesitate; she kissed me, pushing her tongue into my mouth. She bit my lower lip playfully.
I stood in shock fighting the urge to kiss her back. "Why won't you let me into your heart, Ulquiorra?" She sounded sad. I felt bad, she cared for me and I was pushing her away….
"I'm sorry…."
I shot up, barely contained tears threatening to overflow. Orihime…. Frustration and anger swelled up inside me. She left me; I don't care about her anymore. I knew I was lying to myself.
I rubbed my eyes and looked around. I felt my jaw drop. Where the hell am I?
I was sitting on the grass under a big cherry blossom tree. People were milling about paying me no attention. It looked extremely familiar. I stood up and noticed the giant crater in the ground about five yards away. Oh my God... this is Karakura! "How did I get to the World of the Living?" I hissed. "Damn…. I don't even know what year it is. How long have I been gone?"
Images of Ichigo and Orihime flashed through my mind. My heart… died with her…. No I can't let myself feel sadness right now; I have things to do, or at least to figure out.
I walked passed an old man with graying brown hair and thick glasses sitting on a bench, reading a newspaper not too far away. Sneaking a glance at the newspaper as I walked by, I saw the year was 2010. It's been five years. Five years I was gone…. I bet a lot has changed. "Damn…."
The man must have heard me because he looked up from his paper. His jaw dropped and he raised an eyebrow. "Hey kid, where are your clothes?" he asked nervously. I started at his ridiculous question. My clothes…? What is he talking about? I looked down. I was wearing nothing more than the torn pants of his hakama. This could be bad.
"Oh-I uh… I don't really know…. Huh." The man gave mw a look that told me he thought I was crazy.
The man sighed. He sounded exasperated, like he saw half naked young men running around all the time. "You don't have any money do you?" I shook my head. The man heaved another heavy sigh. "Come on, I'll get you some proper clothes. By the way, what's your name? I'm Arashi Ikeda." This shocked me. Why was this man showing me, or all people, such a kindness?
"My name is…. Ulquiorra."
Arashi bought a few shirts, some shoes, and pants, along with various toiletries. "Ulquiorra," he asked," do you have a place to stay?" Again, I shook my head. "Alright then, you can stay with me." The man beamed at him. I, who didn't really feel like smiling, just nodded at him.
"Thank you, Arashi."
The man lived in a little house beside a medical clinic. Inside it was neat and homey. A fire was going in the fire place and the radio had been left on. "Follow me," he told me. Arashi led me up the stairs to a little bedroom. The walls were light blue, the floor dark mahogany. There was a small bed piled with pillows in the corner with a black bed spread. Black curtains hung over the windows. Dark, sad looking paintings. A desk sat against the wall by the bed. Papers were piled against the blue desk lamp sitting on top. In the corner across from the bed a giant bookcase loomed over them. It too was made of dark wood, like the floor. It was like the room was made for me.
I nodded at the man and said simply, "Thank you, Arashi."
The older man blushed and looked at his feet. "Its no big deal, this used to be my son's room. You remind me of him, actually." He looked wistful. Arashi pointed at the paintings. "He painted those you know," he said sadly. I felt for the man.
"Did he die? The person I cared for is also gone." Arashi looked at him, shocked.
"Well then we have something in common. Make yourself at home. I'll be making dinner soon." He smiled at him and turned to leave. "Oh and Ulquiorra," he stopped in the doorway, "I think we'll be needing to sign you up for school…."
This confounded me. "School?"
Arashi laughed. "We'll talk about it at dinner." He left the room. I could here him clomping down the stairs.
"What a strange man, just taking me in like that…. I supposed it's because I remind him of his son. I wonder what happened to him." I was talking to myself.
I lounged on the bed for awhile trying not to think of her. It was not going well. Her face flashed before my mind's eye. Countless emotions crossed her features. Defiance, anger, smiles, laughter, sadness, tears, pain…love. That was exactly what I didn't want to think about: our love. Short and sad, she had opened me up to emotions, given me a heart, a whole new world…. And then she sat there and let that damned Kurosaki kill me, taking it all away. Did she regret it?
I knew I would probably always love Orihime, even if I was angry enough to hate her. She's dead so it doesn't matter anyway….
I was standing there, in the mist again. I felt her near. She approached me from the back again, wrapping her arms around my neck. She kissed my hair.
Pulling me to her, she twisted me around in her arms so that I would face her. She looked almost frightened, like the first time I had met her. I shivered. "Why are you looking at me like that?" I asked her. She pouted.
"I miss you Ulqui." She's lying! Don't believe her! I told myself.
"No you don't," I was angry now, "You let me die!" I shouted. Her face was defiant.
"I'm sorry…."
I hadn't realized I had fallen asleep until I woke up. When am I going to stop dreaming of that woman? I was angry. At her, at Kurosaki, and especially at myself, for not being more angry with them. They're stupid, pointless emotions not worth feeling, I had always told myself. Then she opened me up, bit by bit, introducing me to emotion. Happiness, sadness, anger, pain, smiling… love.
She taught me to feel and love, and now it hurts even worse than before. My eyes stung as tears threatened. No, I was tired of crying….
My brooding was interrupted when Arashi called me down for dinner. I glided lightly over the stairs. "Good evening, Arashi." He jumped.
"Gosh, I didn't even hear you come down the stairs." He looked at me, cocking an eyebrow. "Are you alright, Ulquiorra?" My name didn't suit his voice. It didn't glide silkily over his tongue like it did hers. "Ulquiorra?"
"Hmm? Oh, yes, I'm fine." I knew I was being proper, but that was my way. I was not growing close to anyone else.
I sat down at the table, across from Arashi. "I have to ask," he told me, "Is that makeup you're wearing?" He gestured toward my face with his fork.
"What are you referring to, Arashi?"
"Those uh tear track looking things." It was then I realized I hadn't seen my own face for years.
"Do you have a mirror?" I asked. He looked baffled by the question. But he got up anyway and picked a mirror off the counter.
"You are one strange kid. Here." I held the mirror in front of me, bracing myself, and looked. Big emerald eyes stared back at me from a pale, doll-like face. My messy raven hair looked very much the same. But my mask was gone. (I suppose this was a good thing.) The green tear tracks were still there and my black upper lip. I raised an eyebrow. I looked the same, not even a little bit older. Odd…. "Ulquiorra? Hello?" Arashi's rough voice woke me from my revere.
"No," I told him, "It's not makeup, that' just my face." I smiled at him weakly. He laughed.
"Alright, alright, eat your dinner." I looked down at my plate, steamed buns, carrots, and scrambled eggs stared back at me. I pursed my lips, staring the food down. My gaze flickered to Arashi who seemed to be enjoying the food. I picked up my fork and stabbed at the scrambled eggs, putting a piece in my mouth. It was quite good. I realized I had never eaten before. The only time I had even seen food was to bring it to that woman.
"Oh, Ulquiorra, I forgot to ask, how old are you?" I thought about this. Physically I was probably fifteen, though I had lived for far, far longer.
Deciding I shouldn't tell him I was over one hundred years old I said, "I'd guess about fifteen." He gave me a funny look.
"You'd guess?" I nodded. He grunted. "Fine, fine, but if you are fifteen, you'll be needing to go to high school." High school…. Where have I heard that before? Oh yes, the woman was in high school…. What do I have left to learn? But maybe it will keep my mind off… her.
"Um yes, school. What school would I be attending, then?"
He chuckled. "The only one in Karakura, Karakura High." I gulped, that was the school she attended. If she was alive she would have graduated by now. She had so many dreams.
"Okay."
"Good I'll sign you up tomorrow. It's the end of July, you know, so school will start up pretty soon."
"Yes, thank you, Arashi." He was a very kid man, I decided.
After I finished dinner, I went up to my new bedroom. I read on of the books from the shelf until I feel into a fitful sleep. The woman didn't haunt my dreams that night.