Not even a week after school let out, I found myself in the back seat of our little red Plymouth Breeze, on the way to a surprise location. I was told to pack one weeks' worth of casual clothes- shorts, jeans, t-shirts and hoodies. Also, multiple formal outfits. Dress pants, shirts, and my best dresses. Swim suits were also a necessity.
As I packed, I became more and more excited. Where am I going? What will it be like? Who will be there? I heard my mom calling me downstairs and nearly tripped as I ran with my tightly packed bag slung over my shoulder.
…No one else had any bags. When I asked though, they simply said that they had packed them into the car while I was taking my sweet time upstairs. Made enough sense.
I lugged my bag outside and pushed it into the car, forcing the mass of pleather, clothes and a small stuffed animal from my childhood into the backseat next to where I would be. I walked around to the other side and as everyone else climbed in, I plugged in one of the ear buds that played the sweetest of songs just for me.
Everyone in the small vehicle was nearly glowing with smiles, though we didn't talk much. I tried asking, in a last attempt, where we were going. But alas, no answers were given. Only "You'll see when you get there." This struck me as slightly odd. She said 'You,' not 'we.' We were all going. Does that mean I'm the only one who doesn't know yet?
The rest of the car ride went pretty smoothly, the quiet hum of the engine and the slight rumbling of tires on asphalt lulling me into a near sleep-like state, My Chemical Romance singing in my ear.
o0oo0oo0oo0o
I must have drifted off, because when I woke up, I didn't recognize any of the scenery. I saw a sign… 'Binghamton 10 Miles'
What!? Binghamton? How did I sleep that long?! I realized that my phone had died, and it was starting to get dark… That didn't make any sense. We had left before noon.
My stomach rumbled, giving away my consciousness. "Good morning, sunshine. Had a nice nap?" My mom laughed from the passenger seat. I looked over at Tyler who had a slightly anxious look on his face as the traffic weaved in and out of I-86. "There's some food in the cooler next to your head that you can have. We would've grabbed some McDonald's for you, but we didn't know if you were on another vegetarian kick or not, or when you would be waking up." My mom was still so calm, as Tyler rammed his hand into the horn as someone swerved around, nearly hitting us.
I reached around into the cooler and grabbed something to eat, before asking my mom about how much longer we had until we got there. Supposedly just a few more hours. I drifted back off to sleep, hoping that next time I woke up I would see where we were going.
I woke up again, although this time, I couldn't see. I quickly pulled myself up and alert, and reached for the bandana covering my eyes. Suddenly my brother's hand smacked down on my own, yelling that I am not to remove the cover until told to do so. The dizziness and spinning in my head set in as I realized just how quickly I shot up, and I sat back and rubbed my head.
Although I couldn't see, I could still feel as the car slowed down, and heard the turn signal as it was turned on. The car turned, and I swayed along with it, glad that we were finally turning somewhere. Does that mean we are here? I hoped so. Suddenly the front doors of the car opened, and I was left unable to do anything, blinded by the piece of cloth on my face. My door opened, and my mom grabbed my hand, pulling me out. I heard my brother yank my bag out of the other side, and pull it over his shoulder.
"Am I allowed to know where we are going yet?" I asked, slightly irritated by how out of the loop I was.
"Nope. You'll see soon enough. Quit whining." My brother snapped. It was in a joking tone, so I wasn't too upset by his anger.
As I was dragged along, guided over curbs and onto escalators, I heard crowds of people all excited to be going where ever it was that I was being led. I heard a practiced voice start to speak sweetly, saying "Enjoy the c-"My mother cut her off, "We will, thank you. It's a secret for her." I heard her quietly go 'Oh…' as my mom dragged me along. When they finally let me uncover my eyes, I was amazed. The most beautiful cruise ship sat in front of me, with the design of large gems printed on the ship along with the name 'Norwegian Gem.' I gaped as I turned back to my smiling mom and brother. "We're going on a cruise?!" I squealed, overjoyed with happiness.
"No, you are. We are all going on separate ships, to separate locations. Mom thought we could use some time away from each other."
"You don't get to know where you are going yet. I'm going to Europe, Tyler is going along the East coast, and you are going to the Caribbean. Take pictures, collect sand, and have fun." My mom smiled as she pushed me off towards the boat.
I turned back and hugged my mom, and tried with Tyler, but he just pushed me off and told me not to get pregnant while I was gone (Quite usual for him). I said my goodbyes, and ran to the ship, nearly shaking with my excitement.
As I got inside, the ship looked even more amazing and spacious than before. I was herded up to my room, and I found that I was roomed with someone. The two beds in the room were about the same size, and they had taken the one farther from the window. So far, so good. But… Who were they?
I heard some rustling in the bathroom, and steam flooded out as a figure in a white button up t-shirt and black pants walked out. They were rubbing a towel on their head and I quickly noticed it was a guy. As he tossed the towel back into the fog filled room, I saw who it was. He was very pale, unnaturally so. He had pitch black hair that contrasted his skin, and green tattoo lines like tears from his bright big emerald eyes.
As he turned to look at me, I squeaked and jumped back into what appeared to be a very spacious closet. I slammed the door, and heard quiet, calculated footsteps walk toward my hiding spot.
"You may come out. I do not wish to cause you harm, and if you are to be my roommate, we need to get somewhat acquainted and set some rules. Open the door." His monotone voice was so void of emotion and any feeling, it slightly saddened me. I slowly slid open the door, and got up from my crouch. I suddenly felt very self-conscious in my light grey sundress as I stood in front of him. I was surprised to see that he was actually slightly shorter than me, but he seemed to know nothing of height as he stared me down, making me feel feet shorter than him. "U-um… Hi… I'm Dalilah. I guess I'm your roomie for the week, huh?" I stuttered as I tried to introduce myself. He seemed unfazed by anything as he stared emptily back at me. "I am Ulquiorra Schiffer. And while we will be sharing this room for the duration of the cruise, I will, by no means, be your 'roomie' as you call it." His sharp green eyes bore in to me as he spoke, seemingly looking down at me, though I was at least a few inches taller.
"O-oh… Right. Sorry about that. So, uh, how old are you? I'm fifteen." I was slowly becoming more confident, though by no means was I no longer nervous around him.
"I am seventeen years of age, although I fail to see how that is relevant to anything that you may need to know." He turned away and walked towards his bag and began looking for something. He pulled out some sunscreen and I giggled. It was SPF 80+… The question was, does he use that because he's pale, or is he pale because he uses that…"Do you find something humorous, girl?" His voice snapped me out of my thoughts and his bright eyes once again startled me. "O-oh! Um… Nothing. It's just that um… You're so pale… Shouldn't you try to get a little sun? What's the point of SPF 80 on a cruise like this?" He gave me a bored look and opened the tube of white paste. "Do you wish me to get skin cancer, girl? I am simply protecting my skin."
o0oo0oo0oo0o
The evening went on mostly like that, along with some boring safety procedures. Before heading down to eat the first meal of the cruise, I invited Ulquiorra with me. He replied with a simple yes, and we walked silently to the elevator, though I noticed that he kept himself slightly ahead of me. If I tried to catch up to talk to him, he would give a simple reply, and slightly speed up his pace. To most it would be unnoticeable, but I was finding him increasingly easy to read.
We arrived at a beautiful Sushi Bar that smelled of the most delicious food. I watched in awe as the chef skillfully threw the food as he prepared it, everything landing exactly where it should. Ulquiorra, as per usual, appeared unfazed.
He accompanied me to the waterslide on the ship, but refused to ride with me, stating that pointless attempts at adrenaline were only for trash like Grimmjow. Whoever that is. He always accompanied me, but never spoke, and always was slightly ahead.
I wasn't sure, but I thought it was a superiority complex, in a sense. I could never tell him that though. I did get talking on the subject though, and he called all my friends trash.
That night, after my shower, we were getting ready for bed and as he was lying down, he seemed to look over at something in his bag and mouth 'Good night' before pulling the covers of the black and white bed over his body. I bid him good night as well, but got no reply, and drifted off to sleep.
The next two days of the cruise went about the same; he would put on sunscreen after his shower, but never spend much time outside, and would escort me anywhere I wished to go. He became slowly easier to read, but never lose his signature frown.
On the fourth day, however, we docked in Panama. Ulquiorra and I got off together and looked around, him looking for shade to hide in, me looking for the perfect area of beach, with the perfect sand to bring home and add to my collection. I spotted the perfect spot and dragged Ulquiorra with me. He winced in the bright light, and seemed slightly irritated that not only was I pulling him into the blinding light, I was touching him, and walking in front. He kept going though, and we got my small jar of sand filled.
He immediately started heading for the shops (Which also meant shade) so I quickly followed. We bought some exotic foods, and I almost bought a swimsuit there, too, but Ulquiorra said that no, that would be inappropriate and what I have is enough. So I kept walking along the shops, until I found handmade bracelets and other jewelry. There was a large rack of friendship bracelets, and I saw one that was white, yellow, red and orange, and another that was simply white, black, and green. The latter had a four knotted in the black string, and seemed like Ulquiorra would like.
Before he could lead me onward past the bracelets, I ran up to the owner of the shop and bought the two bracelets, and asked her if she could wrap the green and white one. She wrapped it in simple brown paper, and I thanked her and ran up to Ulquiorra. He looked suspiciously at the wrapped gift, but I simply put it behind me and kept walking. We ate on the island, and then hurried back to the ship before it left back to sea once again.
That night, as we were getting ready for bed, I slipped the bracelet onto his pillow, and lay down on my side of the room. He immediately knew something was strange, as I had been unusually happy and secretive since we boarded the ship. He noticed the brown paper square, and opened it, looking momentarily down at it before looking back to me. I could feel his stare, but refused to turn back to look at him.
He walked over and poked my side, causing me to yelp and jump, staring back into his intense emerald orbs. He looked down at the bracelet again, and back up to me. I smiled, and told him that it was a gift. He pushed it out towards me, but I refused to accept it. Instead, I picked it up, and tied it onto his left wrist. He seemed so entranced, and began tracing the four. He asked what made me decide on that one, and I replied that it seemed fitting for him, and since it was the fourth day of the cruise, it was perfect.
He began to unbutton his pajama shirt, and I immediately freaked out and covered my face, blushing bright red. He looked back at me, confused, and pointed to a black gothic four tattooed onto his chest. "How did you know?" He whispered, a slight pang of sorrow in his voice.
"It… It just seemed right, I guess. I knew it in my heart." Immediately, his face hardened back to his usual apathetic mask, and he replied with a cruel tone.
"You humans are always talking about hearts. It's as if you have them in your hand. But my eye sees everything. Nothing can escape it. What it doesn't see doesn't exist. That's how I've always thought. That's how I've always lived." He was beginning to worry me. He had never spoken lacking this much emotion, not even the first day, when he was scolding me for hiding in the closet. "What is a heart? If I rip open your chest, will I find it there? If I crack open your skull, will it be there?" I was trembling now, as he glared openly at me, his bright orbs piercing through me.
"Ulquiorra… Are you… Okay?" I asked quietly, unsure how he would respond.
"I am fine, girl. What a useless question." He turned quickly and shut off the lights, climbing onto his bed.
I sighed and laid back down, wondering about Ulquiorra's sudden outburst, and hoping that he wouldn't continue like this for the rest of the cruise.
o0oo0oo0oo0o
The next day was better, with no outbursts. I decided not to ask him about it, since at a few moments, I was pretty sure I saw regret cloud his eyes. That was really the best and easiest place to look when trying to read him. Though they were barren and empty to the common onlooker, those who looked closely could see deep emotions in the emerald orbs.
Today was day five of the cruise. It was hard to believe how fast time had flown by, but now I was left with only a few days with my newest friend. I was terrified by the thought. I didn't want him to go. But I pushed the thoughts aside, looking forward to the events of the day. The cruise was showing movies in different rooms of the ship, all different kinds and types. I asked Ulquiorra what movie he wanted to see, but he simply said that it was of no consequence and that I could choose.
I like all kinds of movies, but I wanted to choose something that wouldn't bore him, so I tried coming up with some ideas. There was the scary movie, but he seemed like the type to pick those apart. I thought he would be bored by an action movie, romance would perturb him, and comedy just didn't seem his type.
I let Ulquiorra lead, and we eventually ended outside the room labeled 'The Cabin in the Woods.' As we walked in, I noticed a table along the wall had lots of snacks and bottled drinks, so I grabbed a soda and a couple boxes of candy. We walked over to a large beanbag chair that could probably hold six people, but tonight would hold two. We sat down and the bag squished us toward each other. I blushed, but neither of us moved apart.
When the movie started, the room became dark save for a few dim candles flickering by tables. Throughout the movie, I would jump but was never scared. It was quite humorous for a scary movie. In the end, the lights returned, and we went back to our rooms. I still had a box of Junior Mints, and I offered them to Ulquiorra, almost expecting him to bluntly decline. I was pleasantly surprised, however, when he accepted the small mint and chocolate candies.
We entered the room and went our separate ways, following the nightly routine – Ulquiorra brushes his teeth in the bathroom while I change into my pajamas in the main room. We then switch, and then he will say goodnight to whatever it is in his bag, and we will go to sleep.
I finally decided to ask him about it. He reluctantly sighed and opened his bag pulled out a framed picture of a girl with a bright smile and large grey eyes. Her hair was long, straight and light cinnamon colored. Her bangs were pulled back by two light blue hairpins. They were almost like flowers.
"She's beautiful…" I whispered.
"Was." Ulquiorra corrected.
"Oh… I… I'm sorry. What was she to you?"
"Everything."
I leaned over and hugged him, not caring that his whole body stiffened at the contact. Eventually he relaxed, and his head slumped. He was now resting his forehead on my shoulder. I felt his shoulders quake, and slowly, warm tears covered the sleeve of my shirt. It was strange, seeing him break like that. He never showed much emotion, and now, this raw sadness seemed to shred our surroundings. A heavy feeling came over the room, like a blanket of despair.
That night I dreamt of a tall ivory skinned man, with black fur covering his arms and legs, ebony hair falling to his shoulders, and large black wings fanned out behind him. He had a half helmet-like mask on the left side of his head, and striking yellow eyes, with emerald corneas and snake-like pupils. His chest was bare, save for a gothic four tattooed on his chest, and a gaping hole in his chest, right over his heart.
I kept hearing a quiet, pained, monotone voice repeat "Are you afraid, girl?" And the image of Ulquiorra, missing an arm, reaching for the girl in the picture, and turning to ash as she reached back for him.
I woke up screaming, being shaken by Ulquiorra. He was yelling for me to wake up, asking what was wrong. I immediately lunged forward, yanking his shirt open to look at his chest, looking for reassurance that there was no hole. I gingerly touched the place where the hole was in my dream, and Ulquiorra cringed. "What are you doing, girl? Why are you touching me?"
I pulled back slowly, and realized that I was crying. "You- You're okay… Thank God…"
Ulquiorra looked confused for a moment before speaking. "You should not be worried for me. You are the one who was just screaming and crying in your sleep. I was unable to wake you for quite a while. You kept screaming something about not being afraid. But, of what, I wonder, were you supposedly not afraid of?"
I… had been screaming…? "It was just a bad dream." I wasn't sure who I was trying to convince; him, or myself.
He obviously wasn't buying it though… "Why did you reach for my chest so suddenly upon waking?"
I knew the answer, but could I tell him? Surely he would think me to be insane. Then again, he did just wake me from a screaming fit. "Well… Um, in the dream, you were some sort of beast. With furry arms and legs. And huge wings. But then the next moment, you were almost yourself, except… You were missing an arm… And you still had one of your wings, but it was turning to dust, or ash or something. And you reached for the girl from that picture. Except she was wearing a strange dress. And you asked her if she was afraid. And suddenly it was me, reaching back for you. But when my hand was about to touch yours, it also turned to ash. And… It was just so sad, and there was such a deep feeling of despair in the air the whole time."
Ulquiorra looked away. "That really happened, you know. Without you there, but that was how I lost her. I left that world when I died there, and she was left behind. That picture is all I have of her. She gave me a heart. As my ashes flowed away through the stale breeze of that world, I finally realized what she had been trying to show me." A lone tear fell from his left eye, following the tracks of his tattoo.
To most, that would seem insane, and never be able to believe such a thing. But somehow, it made sense. It explained a lot.
"Girl, do you remember that day I yelled at you about the heart? And how you speak so freely of it? I told her the same thing. I don't know why, but you are changing me, as did she. I do not like this change, but if things continue as they did before, there is no use in me avoiding it." Ulquiorra had turned back slightly, looking at me out of the corner of his eye.
"I think we need some sleep. It's been a long day, and just as long a night. Good night Ulquiorra."
I climbed into bed, and heard him quietly mumble a goodnight to me, and then to the girl. I think I heard him say Orihime. Such a pretty name. Very fitting for her…
The next day was as uneventful as a cruise can be, we went walking out on the deck, ate some Junior Mints, and ate at the different restaurants that the ship had. At night, we all said goodnight to each other. I said goodnight to him and Orihime, and he said goodnight to her and myself.
The day after was the final day. The ship was full of parties, and celebrations, but Ulquiorra and I mostly stayed in the room and packed for when we would be arriving at shore. That evening, we would be going back to our lives, in different places, without each other's company. I got a picture on my phone and the picture as we got off the boat, but that's all I have left to remember him by. Memories and two simple photographs. Maybe I'll see him again someday. I'll always remember those haunting green eyes, those strange tattoos, and sometimes, I even dream about flying through a stark white desert, over a palace, all alone with a few quartz trees.
A/N – Okay guys! That's it for my first story! I'm still figuring out some of the stuff with publishing, but I think I've pretty much got the basics. If you want, I can try taking some requests and write them. But they will most likely be oneshots. I don't usually do OC stories, but I was required to be in the story for the assignment, and with how things went, I couldn't change it so that Orihime was in my place. I hope you enjoyed it, and if not, I'm trying to get better, but I can't please everyone. I feel I should also note, This story was 4,018 words before I added my author's note! Thanks for reading, don't forget to review, I love creative criticism, but please don't just say It was terrible. OC's ruin the story. Get off the site, worthless fool. I don't appreciate that, at all.