The cold glass was pressed against her forehead as her grey eyes blankly glazed down at the streets below her apartment, watching as the people below darted under building signs to avoid the rain falling from the skies. The dismal rain that so eerily reflected her mood as the tears gently rolled down her alabaster cheeks. Months has passed since they had returned, yet her mind was tormented, haunted by the memories of him, the Espada who had been her guardian and protector. Even now, she could still recall the soft scents that lingered on him and his clothes, the smell of burning wood, and the dark strands of hair that fell between emerald eyes that were so somber and hollow when she had first met him.
The thoughts dragged her mind back to Hueco Mundo, of the time she had spent under his care; and the tears came again as she wrapped her arms tighter around herself, trying to find some semblance of warmth from the emptiness, pulling her knees up under her chin. Stray strands of her golden hair fell between her eyes as she buried her face in her lap. That man, Aizen, had forced her to return to his lair in exchange to save her friends' lives, and assigned the Cuatro Espada to watch over her, to force her to eat and to bring her before his master when she was called for.
"Ulquiorra, I put her under your supervision," Aizen said, his eyes cold and uncaring, to his Espada. The masked man responded with a simple shrug, unsure of why he had been given the tedious task of babysitting this grown woman.
"Very well, Aizen-sama," he replied, turning to look at the woman before him. Her eyes were transfixed on the maimed body laying in the middle of the floor, watching in horror at the blood that was spilling out. Behind her, she could hear the blue haired Espada, Grimmjow, laughing manically as the blood rolled down the arm she has replaced for him. She felt Ulquiorra's hand wrap around her arm as he jerked her up from the floor, and pulled her away from the scene as Grimmjow incinerated what remained of the young boy's body. "Woman, follow me. I will show you to where you will be living."
Never could she have imagined that the Espada could feel anything but rage, hate, and relish in bloodshed, nor were they capable of anything remotely close to human emotions. Although somehow, he defied the odds and proved she had been wrong. Her mind wandered back to the beginning, and her futile first attempts to befriend him. Initially, he simply tolerated it by merely acknowledging her nonsense and pointless conversation because he had no choice otherwise. She wasn't even sure herself of when he began to see her as anything other than trash, a word he used quite often to describe those around him. How had she ever come to earn his respect was beyond her but she could still recall the look of his face when she had been taken by the blue-haired Espada.
"You have no right to touch what isn't yours, Grimmjow," he said, a strange fury in his eyes as he stood in front of the man, the jade pools angrily shifting to the woman who was dangling from Grimmjow's arm.
"Eh? You referring to Pet-sama, here or the bastard you left for dead?" Grimmjow taunted, motioning towards the orange-haired shinigami unconscious on the floor behind him.
Sliding a step forward, he scoffed. "Che, trash. Both of them are mine," He attacked the other Espada, their fight over their prey lasted only minutes before he was caught off-guard and caught by Grimmjow's negacion. With her protector missing, Grimmjow had forced her to heal Kurosaki-kun, only to watch him get torn apart again. Huddled together with a small grown haired girl, she did her best to try and comfort the crying child. Another of the Espada had arrived as well, and she began to lose track of everyone. The girl's body changed to that of a grown woman, one whose figure easily rivaled that of Matsumoto-san and joined the battle. The last thing she remembered was the arrival of the 11th division captain before she was thrown to the side. Pulling herself from the ground, she looked into the fierce emerald eyes of her guardian, as his arms wrapped around her waist and they were gone from the fight.
The halls of Las Noches were lifeless and abandoned, with only the sounds of their shoes echoing against the barren, empty walls. Ulquiorra's grip on her never loosened as he stormed off in the direction of her room. Kicking open the door, it slammed against the wall as he dragged her into the room and threw her down against the bed. "If anyone other than me enters this room, Woman," he said, turning to look out the window. "Tell me and I'll deal them. You are Aizen-sama's property and no one else. Especially that bastard Grimmjow or Nnoitra, understand?"
"Y-yes, Ulquiorra-san. Umm.." she said, hesitantly as her voice wavered. She sat on the edge of the bed, twirling her fingers through her golden hair.
"What is it?" He snapped, looking over his shoulder to the girl.
"Ah! Well, it's nothing really..."she stammered, looking away from the Espada's green gaze piercing through her. "It's just..."
He sighed, sticking his hands inside his pockets as he turned to face her. "What is it, woman?"
"It's just...I have a name. Orihime...Inoue Orihime."
"Yes, I am aware of that. But I don't see the need to address you so informally. You are a prisoner here, and you serve Aizen-sama. There isn't a need for me to address you any other way."
"Ah...okay. I just...figured...since we see so much of each other..." her voice trailed off. Her eyes began to gloss over and he hoped that she wouldn't start crying again. He'd never understand these pointless emotions humans had - the girl cried for everything and he hated watching her do it. He couldn't explain why it bothered him so much, but the sight of tears falling from her face was depressing...and it pissed him off.
"Very well, woman," he conceded, rolling his eyes as he left the room. "I'll be back in an hour to bring your food...Inoue-san."
The way in which her name rolled off of his lips was still hypnotic as it echoed in her ears, as shivers trickled down her spine. In that moment, it was the first time he had been anything other than impassive, an expression that had been somewhere between fear and protective. Perhaps it had been because she was Aizen's slave, or perhaps because he had become accustomed to her presence in Las Noches. Orihime exhaled as she brushed the tears away, flinching at her own touch. His had been soft, softer than she had imagined and he was surprisingly gentle with her, in contrast to the cruel exterior he portrayed to those around him. There was a part of him that he kept hidden from those around him, in the depths of his heart - where the human side that resided within the Hollow had been.
"Ulquiorra-san, how many Arrancar reside in Las Noches?" Her question took him by surprise but he simply shrugged.
"More than 100. The Espada comes to ten, and then there are the lower Arrancar referred to as Numeros. Their numbers range from eleven to one hundred. Former Espada become Privaron, stronger than the Numeros. Most of them will be sent to fight your friends before we are sent. It seems your friends have retreated for the moment, gathering what little strength they have. The strongest Espada have yet to join this pointless war," he replied, watching as the girl listened intently from her bed.
"Ah, and you...will you go?"
"Only if I am ordered to. My duties to Aizen-sama are to remain here and watch you, feed you, and make sure you are not harmed or harassed by the others."
"If you leave, please choose anyone other than Nnoitra-san to take your place. I'd even prefer to have Grimmjow-san instead."
Fire flared within the Espada's emerald eyes as his head turned to face the girl. "Has he done something to you?"
"Well, erm...nothing...recently. He's just really creepy and scary when he's here. He should drink more water because his mouth is always dry."
An image of that bastard kissing the girl burned itself into Ulquiorra's mind and his slender fingers wrapped around her wrist as he pulled her from the bed. Her face flushed a bit as he pulled her closer to him as his free hand cupped her face, letting his fingers trail across her lips. "Did he touch you?"
"N-no, Ulquiorra-san. He-he just always seems to be licking his lips when he's around me, like he's thirsty," she stammered, strangely finding herself in need of a drink instead. A sigh escaped her lips as the Espada slowly released his grip on the girl before storming out of the room, leaving her face warm and legs weak, as she sat back on the edge of the bed.
Hours passed, and she was summoned before Aizen. He sat in his dias, leaning to one side with his head resting on his hand, a bemused smirk his face as she approached. He pointed to a body on the floor, long in length and thinner than a pole, she recognized it as the bloodied form of Nnoitra. She gasped, slightly and her grey eyes found their way to her Espada guardian, his emerald eyes staring off into the distance with his hands in his pockets.
"It seems one of your nakama tried to catch him by surprise. Would you be so kind as to heal him, Orihime-san?" The Arrancar King asked her, his dark gaze set intently upon hers. A forced nod was her response before her Shun Shun Rikka came to life, letting Ayame and Shun'o reverse the damage Nnoitra had received. He coughed, blood escaping his mouth as the spirits healed his wounds and he forced himself to stand.
"I don't need that arrogant woman to heal me. Once she's done being useful to you, Aizen-sama, I would love to have the pleasure of killing her myself," he spat, his glare on the girl's terrified face, the uncanny smile tracing his face. He tried to move toward her but he found the cold blades of Gin and Tousen's zanpakutous pressed against either side of his neck.
"Show more respect to Aizen-sama. Inoue-san is a guest here and you would do well to remember that she is not to be harmed. Aizen-sama needs her powers, which are something someone like you could never appreciate, Nnoitra," Tousen said, malice lining his words.
"Hai, hai, Nnoitra-kun! Ya best be believin' what Tousen-kun says, ya don' want to end up on his bad side!" Gin added, his kitsune smile never faltering. The Espada scoffed as he pushed the two swords away from his neck and turned to leave the hall, pausing briefly as he passed Ulquiorra.
"Ulquiorra-san, take Inoue-san back to her room, but do not stay too long. I might be needing your services shortly," Aizen said, his smile growing slightly larger than before.
He bowed before his master, keeping his gaze low as he turned from the audience chamber. He said nothing as he passed by Orihime, as she knew better than to disobey Aizen, and together they walked back in silence. He opened the door and led her inside, where she turned to face him. "You did it, didn't you? How could you hurt one of your own comrades? Aren't the Espada friends?"
If she hadn't been watching him, she might have thought she had imagined it but she saw his raised eyebrows as he gave a soft chuckle. "Friends? You think us Espada are actually friends? We merely exist together because of one thing, and one thing only. We were created by Aizen-sama and for that, we are required to stay here by his side. None of us are friends, we merely tolerate some of us more than others. To be honest, I couldn't give a shit if all of the others died or not. They are simply in my way, they're trash. I did what I did to that bastard because he should learn not to touch what isn't his. You belong to Aizen-sama first, and then you belong to me. If it wasn't for Aizen-sama needing your powers, I could easily kill you within seconds."
"If you hate me so much, then haven't you treated me the way the others have? Why do you check me all the time? As long as I'm alive, I'm still useful, right? What does it matter what condition I am in?" She said, her eyes looking at the floor.
He was unsure of how to respond, he wasn't sure himself why he was always drawn to her room, even when he had made sure she had eaten. Ever since Grimmjow had taken her without his permission, he hadn't really left her for more than a couple of hours at a time. And more so in the last few weeks, with the impeding war drawing closer, he had spent too much time around her that he had grown used to her presence. He found a strange level of comfort in simply talking to her, even about the most trivial subjects that he didn't seem to understand. He was starting to enjoy her company, as if it were almost human-like. It was almost like he did care about what happened to her.
It honestly happened too fast for him to ever register himself, but something drew him to her and he did something rash. It lasted all but a few seconds, yet he felt a strange sensation growing within that couldn't be explained and even more strange was that is almost felt like she had responded to it...almost. He pulled apart from her, her face still in his hands as his eyes looked into the grey pools that reflected nothing but confusion and pure shock back at his own, which showed her nothing at all. Letting his hands fall from her face, he turned to leave. "I'll return in the morning with your breakfast, woman."
"Orihime," she replied, her voice weak.
"...Orihime."
Soft, gentle and sweet. Her fingers brushed her lips, slightly parted as if expecting him to do it again. She couldn't describe his taste, but the memory she had of it was nothing but sweetness. Every night, just as he was leaving, he had found new ways of kissing her so that she was left breathless and weakened. The feel of his tongue moving inside of her mouth, exploring, tasting her kiss. Just the thought sent her stomach alive with butterflies, shivering slightly with the way those kisses had often became more. As much as she tried to fight them, the tears came again at the thought of just how much more it had become.
It had barely been two day since Aizen had sent him on his mission, and already being without her was driving him insane. He had found other Vasto Lordes eager to gain new power and brought them to Las Noches, after all, he had been one of them once. Aizen would use his abilities to turn them into Espada, to replace those who had been killed during the last few battles.
But Ulquiorra's thoughts weren't on the upcoming fights, his thoughts kept going back her and how he had been forced to leave her with Grimmjow. The bastard's smile had stretched from ear to ear as he was leaving, his arms wrapped around Orihime's shoulders. And as the door slid shut to her room, he thought he saw Grimmjow leaning all too close to her lips. He could see the door in front of him now, and he quickened his pace, grabbing the door handle and sliding the door open. She jumped, looking at him with wide-eyes as she stood from her bed.
"Ulquiorra...Ulquiorra!" She whispered, hesitantly, stepping toward him before he opened his arms to her and she threw herself against his chest. He could feel her entire body shaking against his, her face buried against him. Slowly with one hand, he turned her chin up toward him, his thumb wiping away her tears.
"What the fuck did he do to you?" His voice was lined with fury and concern.
Orihime shook her head, letting her eyes fall from his jade eyes. "He...he told me...things...about...," her voice cracked but she fought back the tears.
"Don't lie for that trash, Orihime. What did he do?!" His fingers gripped her arms as he gave her a small but forceful shake.
Again, she shook her head. "No-nothing. He tried to but...my shield...and Tsubaki..."
The Espada cursed under his breath as he turned to leave but something had caught his arm. He looked over his shoulder at the girl who had wrapped both of her arms around his one, holding it to her, eyes low to the ground. "Don't leave me...please...don't leave me again."
For a moment he studied her face, before taking her hand into his own and pulling her toward him. His hand slid through her golden hair as he took her head and brought his lips down to meet hers, relishing in their softness. His tongue flicked the top of her lip, opening it just enough to allow him to enter her mouth. Their kiss deepened as her fingers gently gripped the back of his neck, pressing her body against his. His lips inched away from her mouth across her cheek to her neck, where his kiss sent trembles down her back. "Do you want this?" He asked, his words partially muffled by the strands of her hair.
"Ulquiorra...please," she whispered, letting her fingers run through his hair. His long, pale fingers wrapped around the clasp at her neck, and with one move, it was undone, allowing him more access to her body. Every kiss he placed on her was delicate, gentle, giving every part of her adequate attention before another clasp came undone. He slid the overcoat off of her shoulders and let it fall to floor, exposing the skin underneath as his lips began to caress this new nakedness. He paid special attention to the part of her body where her collarbone met in the front...the same place where the hole in his chest resided. He nibbled gently on the skin there, earning another moan from Orihime and tightening the grip she had on his hair. Bringing her closer to him, he ran his hand down her back, pulling down the zipper that held her dress close.
The feel of her chest rubbing against him was more than arousing, more so than he would have liked to admit. A tingling sensation followed as her slender fingers trailed from his neck to his chest, gently wrapping around the zipper just below his chin. She pulled down on it, uncovering the hole in his chest and his mark, the number four, and his strength. Her hand rested just below the hole, tracing the edges of it. Somehow it didn't bother her, it only made him that much more appealing to her, that much more mysterious. Her hand slid down his chest to his brand, her fingers following the strokes of it before running her hands back up his chest and over his shoulders, removing the coat from his body.
Once again taking her head in his hands, his lips kissed hers, massaging them with his own as he brought her toward the bed. Supporting their weight, he lowered her to the mattress, one arm holding them up, the other holding her body against his. As she slid back into the bed, he sat between her legs, letting his hands runs down her sides to the ties of the hakama. His mouth followed the path his fingers had taken - down her neck, between her breasts though pausing here to gently tease each one, before continuing down her stomach and stopping just below her navel.
Thin fingers pulled at the hakama's ties, letting the pants unveil the beauty underneath as he slowly pulled them from under her ass and down her legs before pulling the final bits of cloth that covered her entrance. His lips danced across her calves and up her thighs, his tongue licking the sweetened sweat that had formed on her skin. She gasped as he grew closer to her womanhood, his fingers teasing her as he watched the pleasure build on her face. It was a torture he was enjoying putting her through, the sounds of her moans and whimpers increasing his arousal more.
Pulling at his own hakama ties, he slid the pants off of his body and looked down at Orihime, who had let out a small gasp when he had removed his hakama. His green eyes met the beautiful smoky orbs of hers, and leaned into her kiss again. "I'll be gentle," he spoke softly into her ears. Running his hand down her leg, he slid it under her knee and lifted it up slightly, to allow himself an easier entrance. Slowly and gently, he pushed his way into her, feeling the tightness of her wrapping around him. He waited for her to become accustomed to his size before entering all the way. A soft moan escaped her lips as the pain of her virginity subsided and he began to thrust, short at first until she was comfortable with it then longer ones, with increased force and speed. Her body moved with each time he thrust, her fingers gripping his hair as she moaned into his shoulder.
"Orihime...," he panted, realizing that he would soon be at his limit. The tightness of her was coiling around him, squeezing him, bringing him closer to the edge. Pulling her up onto his lap while still inside of her, he wrapped his arms around her and lifted her with the same rhythm they had before. Her arms were around his neck and she gasped as she came, and shortly after he let out a moan of his own.
The two were still for a moment, save for their panting chests against each others and the fingers that Orihime had wound into his hair while his traced the curve of her back. His lips kissed her collarbone again, before her lips greeted his. She smiled, the grey depths of her eyes meeting his as she nuzzled his neck, "Ulquiorra...I...I love you."
Her mind was foggy now, all of that seemed ages ago now. It had been a happiness she had never known before, an unusual love that had been too good to be true, such moments couldn't last forever. The inevitable had to come, and in the end, she knew it was a choice that she couldn't bear making. Her heart had been torn between staying with him in Hueco Mundo or returning to the real world with her friends. Being honest with herself, she had wanted to stay with him, but the insanity of it all, a human in love with a Hollow, more specifically an Espada - the strongest of all the Hollows? No, she knew such a pairing could never end happily.
She rushed through the halls of Las Noches, the sounds of the fights going on all around her. Shinigami captains were fighting Numeros and Espada in every direction but she knew where she was going, she could feel his reiatsu over everyone else's. It was calling to her on a level that no other reiatsu did, pulling her to where she knew he would be. And there was another reiatsu that was mixing with his...Kurosaki-kun's.
Her eyes fell upon them, watching the two men before her fighting, Kurosaki-kun with his mask and Ulquiorra, standing as expressionless as ever with one hand in his pocket, the other holding his zanpakutou."Konnichi-wa, Pet-sama," she gasped, caught off-guard as two long arms wrapped around her waist from behind. She turned to look at the disgusting man who held her body against his. Nnoitra's demonic grin disappeared into her neck as he inhaled deeply."Ah, you smell like him. I take it he was a good fuck then? Got you all wet and excited? Oh, I bet you are tasty!"
She felt his foot kick her hard in the stomach, and her body slamming against the wall as she hit the floor. Blood covered his body, pouring from the gashes across his body. In his hands, he was twirling his scythe, running his tongue over its edge. "That black haired shinigami captain was tasty too. Very pretty, he almost got me. But not before I got him. Here, have a taste!" The scythe flew towards her, blood trailing off it's blade. She pulled herself from the floor in time to see the scythe a foot from her face but it was no longer moving. More blood was sliding down the blade toward her, as she looked into those hypnotic emerald eyes glossing over.
"Oh ho...what a treat! How pathetically sentimental!" The cinco Espada jeered, lifting the blade and the body of the cuatro Espada with it. With his weight, he only slid further down the scythe, blood running down into Nnoitra's face. "I think I can taste you in his blood, Pet-sama."
"Ori-hime...run..." he gasped, choking on his own blood, as he tried to support his weight.
"So-so...ten...kiss...-hen," her mouth formed, but no words came out. Tears were streaming down her face as she looked at his body and the scythe that had pierced through it. Nnoitra laughed as he began twirling the scythe above his head, letting Ulquiorra's body fly off before catching him on the blade again. "So-ten...Ki-" She was so lost in the moment that she didn't even notice when Ichigo grabbed her and threw her over his shoulder and began running away from the two Espada. Her eyes could only focus on one thing, her guardian and protector, the man she loved and she couldn't even look away as Nnoitra kicked him into the air before swinging his scythe down on top of the smaller Espada.
Her ears caught the faintest whisper on the wind, the tears never ending as he disappeared. "-Hime...love"
So much time had passed since they had returned and yet it still felt like only a second ago. In vain, she tried to pretend like she was happy to be back home with her friends. She smiled for those around her, but they were faked and forced, she wouldn't truly smile for anyone anymore. Even now her eyes played tricks on her as she thought she saw him standing there, the rain running down his face into those emerald green eyes. Shaking her head, she looked away from the window at the untouched mug of tea Rangiku-san had left by her side this morning. She took a tiny sip as she brushed the strands of hair back from her face, rubbing her nose against her arm as she did. He had been right when he said she belonged to him, he still owned her heart and always would.
A knock on the door pulled her from her trance. She sighed as she put the mug back down on the table and forced herself to stand. "Rangiku-san, the spare key is under the mat," she said as she slowly made her way to the door. Holding herself with one arm, she opened the door and peeked outside. "Rangiku must have put something in that tea," she said, half chuckling to herself as she tried to shut the door but a forceful hand held it open.
He sighed and shook his head as he stepped into the apartment, rain water dripping onto the hardwood floor from his clothes. His dark hair was matted against his face, his emerald eyes locking with hers. He wore a simple white shirt over black pants, his arms each bearing a few bracelets. One hand pulled down on the collar of his shirt to reveal his neck, lacking the hole it once had. The ivory mask that once covered the left side of his face was gone. She stepped back, still uncertain if it was truly him standing before her, her lips slightly parted with shock and confusion, which he used to his advantage when he pressed his mouth to hers. His arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her body close to his, and again he could feel her shaking against him. Moments passed before he let go of her, her eyes still unsure. "Wha-...how?"
"The ex-shinigami who created the Hougyoku ...Urahara-san, was his name? He found me in Rukongai and offered me the chance to come back to Earth," he replied, letting his forehead rest on hers."I said you belonged to me, and no one else."
