What's better than an Ulquihime fluff? Two Ulquihime fluffs rolled into one and that's exactly what this is. The fic will alternate between present and past. Ulquiorra may seem a little OOC to some of you, but I'm trying to keep him as much in character while still keeping him human. Also in this chapter, he's meeting Orihime again after 10 years. He converses freely with her because he already knows her well enough.

Beta Cerice Belle

Chapter 1

PRESENT

Ulquiorra stretched his tired legs and sighed. He hated airports. He hated flying. And worst of all, he hated waiting. An ice-storm had delayed all flights and consequently he was stuck at the airport. He glanced at his watch and realized it had been seven hours since he had landed here. Yesterday, he had spent the entire day attending a boring conference, now he wanted to head home but instead he was stuck at the airport. Technically, he was here to change flights and his wait here shouldn't have been more than an hour but the flight times kept getting pushed back and now that the snowstorm had become an ice storm, there was nothing he could do but wait.

Thoroughly bored, he shut his laptop and yawned behind his hand. He reached for the styrofoam cup in front of him and peered at its contents with distaste. He couldn't bear to drink the vile fluid that was pretending to be coffee. He put it back on the side table he was sharing with four other passengers. Putting his laptop in its sleeve he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, picked the cup and walked over to the trash can. Dumping the nearly empty cup into the trash he started to walk back to his seat but suddenly, he didn't feel like sitting anymore. If there was something he was thankful of, it was that he travelled light. So other than that one small trolley that contained his laptop, some files and clothes, he had no other luggage. Dressed in a pair of black jeans, maroon shirt and a brown trench coat, Ulquiorra earned several appreciative glances from the bored female passengers as he took his trolley. Fairly certain that no flight would be taking off anytime soon, he decided to walk around the airport just to enhance circulation in his legs and generally do something, anything other than sitting in one place and waiting for some miracle to happen.

He had been in Terminal 3 and had walked over to Terminal 1, thankful that the terminals were connected. The other benefit of connected terminals was that he didn't have to pass through security yet again. That would have been a hassle. He was walking around aimlessly when suddenly a voice called out.

"Ulquiorra? Is that you?"

Frowning he turned around and found himself staring at a beautiful auburn-haired woman dressed in a navy blue knee-length sweater dress that showed off an excellent figure. She had her hair tied in a half bun with some of it falling on one side. A mother-of-pearl bracelet adorned her wrist. His emerald eyes softened as he spoke gently,

"Carrot-top?"

"It's really you," the woman said happily, standing up from her seat. Without warning she flung her arms around him enveloping him in a bear hug. He hesitated only for a fraction of a second before returning the hug. After a few moments she pulled back.

"It is so good to see you!" she trilled holding his hands in hers, "how long has it been?"

Ten years, three months, fourteen days, nine hours and thirty-six minutes. He thought. Aloud he said, "Around ten years, I think."

"Nah, I'd say more than that," she replied with a wide smile.

"So, why are you here?" he asked looking around.

"Oh I was actually on my way home," she said as she pulled him to sit next to her, "I'm stuck in transit, you may say. What about you?"

"The same," he replied.

"Oh still verbose I see," she said giggling.

He felt his lips twitch slightly as he said, "Well, you still give off the vibe of being a walking, talking disaster."

"What are you talking about?" she said in mock offense, "I've changed plenty. I'm no longer the ditzy, scatterbrained, airhead you knew." She waved her hands around to emphasize her point and in the process knocked over her bottle of water.

"Yes, evidently," he replied straightening it.

She laughed, "That's just the Universe hell bent on proving me wrong!"

"Really?" he retorted, "That's the best excuse you could come up with? I thought you were better than that Orihime."

She threw back her head and laughed heartily, "Gosh, it's been so long since I've had an entertaining conversation like this. Why did you disappear Ulquiorra? " The laughter was gone from her eyes.

He looked at her unblinkingly before replying, "No reason," looking around for a change of topic he said, "I don't see any rings on your finger. I'd have thought you would at least be engaged by now."

"Whom to?" she asked raising her brows, "It's not like I had a pick of guys to choose from. My relationship turned out to be an unmitigated disaster and my best- friend was MIA."

He shuffled in his seat uncomfortably.

"What about you? I don't see any rings on you either," she said with a small smile.

"Found no one," he said dryly.

Her eyes widened, "You're kidding, why would any woman in her senses pass up on that?" she let her eyes roam over him to emphasize her point.

Ulquiorra rolled his eyes, "Looks like you've kept in touch with Grimmjow."

Orihime giggled, "So, where's home these days?" she asked.

"I moved back to Karakura last year," he replied, thankful that they'd moved to safer topics.

"What?" she sounded surprised, "You've been in Karakura for one whole year and you didn't even get in touch with me? Ulquiorra Schiffer," she was frowning, "looks like you and I are going to have a problem."

"I didn't know you were still in Karakura," he replied, his excuse sounding lame to his own ears. Orihime loved the place; there was no way she'd move anywhere else.

"Whatever!" she replied with a roll of her eyes.

The two friends sat at a bistro in the airport. Ulquiorra had ordered a scotch and a hickory smoked bacon and ham sandwich. He was currently talking to someone on the phone and Orihime could tell that he was angry at the person on the other end. The years had been kind on him. As a boy he had been good looking but now, as a twenty-seven year old man, he was devastatingly handsome. The glasses added character, making him almost irresistible. She felt her skin tingle in a fresh wave of goose-bumps, simply looking at him. Those emerald green eyes, the silky ebony hair, the sharp features and the pale skin added up to a face she found she could look at for hours.

Ulquiorra had disappeared from her life without any explanation. One day he had been there and the next day he was gone. Orihime had looked for him desperately, but to no avail. His legal guardian, a weird and creepy man named Aizen, had assured everyone that wherever Ulquiorra was, he was fine. His disappearance had affected Orihime in more ways than she'd have imagined. It had affected her diet, her studies, her relationship, her health and almost every other aspect of her life. It was as though Ulquiorra had taken a part of her with him. It was much later that she realized that he had indeed taken a part of her with him, he had stolen her heart.

But with him gone, she had had to bury her feelings deep inside. Time was a great healer. Over the years, she had dated several men but none of them had been serious. As a psychiatrist, she hardly ever had time for anything other than her patients. Somehow, gradually, her work had become her life. But the good thing was that she had managed to get over Ulquiorra.

All that was left now was residual warmth. She still loved him, of that she was sure, just not romantically, not anymore. The tingle in her skin and the weakening of her knees was pure, unadulterated lust. In front of her was a fine example of the male species in his prime. She was a woman in her prime and it had been almost four years since she'd last been with a man.

Ulquiorra disconnected the phone with a soft sigh, "Moron!"

"Do I want to know?" Orihime asked reaching for a French-fry.

"Not unless you desperately need to understand the commodities market," he replied wryly.

"Ugh! Boring!" she replied with a wave of her hand.

"Thought so. So, what do you do these days?" he asked.

"I'm a psychiatrist," she replied.

"Hmmm," from the twinkle in his eyes, Orihime knew a smart comment was coming, "looks like the loony-bin really agrees with you."

Orihime laughed, "What an ass- backward compliment, but then it's to be expected of you. "

"I assume you are looking after your father's business?" she asked furthering the conversation.

"No," he said leaning back on his chair swirling his scotch, "I sold it. There were only so many times I could stand looking at processed food being packed."

Orihime nodded in understanding.

"I started a small venture of my own, which is quite successful I would say," Taking a sip he continued, "I run a consultancy, financial consultants."

"That would explain the commodities market," Orihime said.

The two of them lapsed into comfortable silence for a time before both spoke up at the same time,

"Who all are you …,"

"What happened with …"

Ulquiorra spoke up, "Sorry, you were saying?"

"Whatever happened to you?" Orihime gaped, "You … you are actually being … polite?"

Ulquiorra's lips twitched, "I'll remember to be rude next time."

"You better. Now what would the Ulquiorra I know say?" she asked.

The amusement was still evident in his eyes as he said, "'Don't interrupt me while I'm talking'."

"Now that's more like it," Orihime said as she leaned back on the chair, grinning.

He took his glasses off and wiped a hand over his face, "I can't believe I actually missed you."

She lifted her elegant shoulders in a half-shrug, "Of course you did! I'm awesome."

He leaned back on his chair as he watched her sip her beer. She had always been the most beautiful person he had known – and not just physically. She was a beautiful human being. In High-school they had been complete strangers and would have remained so if not for a freak accident. That small and totally insignificant occurrence had started a chain of events that had led to the two of them becoming best of friends in a very short span of time. He hadn't even realized when he had fallen in love with her. His realization had wrought havoc on him, however he had managed to keep his mouth shut till one day when things went completely out of control and Ulquiorra had done the only thing he could think of, he disappeared.

Much later he'd gotten in touch with Grimmjow and explained everything to him. His blue-haired friend had, surprisingly, understood. Grimmjow had promised him that he would never let Orihime know what had happened. Over the years, he had kept in touch with Grimmjow. Ulquiorra knew that his friend was in touch with Orihime but he never spoke of her and Ulquiorra never asked. Although it had hurt him deeply, but time had numbed the pain and gradually all Orihime was, was a pleasant memory. One that he cherished dearly but he had moved on. He had dated a few girls in those years and his last relationship had looked like it would materialize into something. In fact they were even preparing for engagement but then Ulquiorra had discovered that the girl had been two-timing him with one of her colleagues. That had firmly put an end to dating scenarios for him. He had been single and almost celibate for about two and a half years.

Now seeing his old love in front of him had brought forth some very mixed emotions. He was happy, happier than he had been in a long time. He was also nervous. She'd always read him pretty well and now that she was a trained psychiatrist he was worried she might know his deep secret. He also felt a small pang of the old pain. Time had dulled it and now it didn't hurt as much, it was just slightly uncomfortable. But the most dominant emotion scared him. He desperately wanted to take her to his bed. Blinking away his lust filled thoughts, he concentrated on what she was saying.

"… Need to be home. My patients would be waiting. This ice-storm is going to really put me into heavy backlog. I shudder to think the number of hours I'll have to clock in just to catch up. I …"

She stopped speaking because something was being announced over the PA. Cocking his head slightly Ulquiorra listened,

"All flights have been cancelled due to unprecedented bad weather. Service is expected to resume at 7:30am tomorrow morning."

A collective groan went around the airport.

"This sucks!" Orihime said disgusted, "We have to spend the night at a friggin airport? That's … ugh!"

"The storm is predicted to let off in about an hour. You can go to a hotel and spend the night there. The roads are going to be icy though, so drive carefully," he paused briefly and took in her somber expression "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she replied.

"Say that to someone else," he replied brusquely, "I can see that you're lying. Something I said has bothered you."

Orihime lowered her hazel eyes, "It's just that, I don't know how to drive."

"What?" he asked nonplussed.

"I can't drive," she was studiously avoiding his eyes.

Ulquiorra frowned, "Orihime, what are you not telling me?"

Still keeping her eyes averted she insisted, "There is nothing to tell Ulquiorra, I just can't drive, that's all."

Ulquiorra sighed, "Maybe there is nothing more to it than that but if that is all there is to it, why don't you look me in the eye and tell me so?"

She looked into his emerald eyes and started to say that there was nothing wrong but faltered.

"What's wrong, Orihime?" he asked softly.

She looked away from him. Keeping her eyes fixed on the cake display she said, "Six years ago, Sora had persuaded me to take a vacation with him. While returning from there we had an accident. He didn't make it."

Ulquiorra's eyes widened. Sora was her brother and the only family she had.

"I've been scared to drive ever since," she finished almost inaudibly.

His voice was soft, barely discernible, "I understand."

"Where were you Ulquiorra? I really needed you then," she said in a low voice.

"I'm sorry. Had I known, I would've been there," he meant it.

She nodded. She knew the truth in his words, he knew. The two of them sat in complete silence, each lost in their own thoughts. After finishing their orders, they paid the bill and walked out.

"So I guess I'll see you in Karakura then?" Orihime said, "Give me your number."

Ulquiorra fished a business card out from the inner pocket as he said, "Why? You have close to fourteen hours to kill, what are you planning to do?"

"Nothing," she replied as she got her business card and handed it to him, "I was just going to be at the airport. I figured you'd want to go to a hotel and freshen up."

"Yes I would, but you're coming with me," Ulquiorra said.

Instantly Orihime's mind painted some very vivid scenarios that flushed her cheeks, "What? No! I can't possibly …"

Ulquiorra raised an eyebrow, "You prefer to spend the night in these uncomfortable chairs rather than sleep in a comfortable bed?"

The idea of a bed was alluring indeed but for all the wrong reasons. But he did have a point, sleeping on a bed was far more inviting than sitting all night on a cramped chair. Giving herself a mental shake Orihime smiled, "Fine, you win. Let's go."

He nodded and started walking. Orihime smiled to herself before she started to follow him. They reached the car-rental block. As Ulquiorra stood in the line, Orihime went into the restroom and added black slacks to protect her legs from the cold. She put a long overcoat and was about to leave when overtaken by a sudden impulse, she retouched her make-up.

The queue at the rentals was long and it was almost an hour before they finally got a basic sedan. Ulquiorra's eyes flicked over to Orihime as he adjusted the mirrors and steering wheel. She sat looking deathly pale, clutching the sides of the seat so tightly that her knuckles had gone pale.

"Hey," he called out softly, "we'll be fine."

She nodded fiercely, her lips shut into a firm line. He patted her hand once and started the car. With Orihime's very apparent fear and the icy conditions of the road, he didn't want to drive any further than absolutely necessary. Keeping it as slow as was possible, he drove over to the nearest hotel. He had barely parked the car in the crowded lot when Orihime shot out of it. She stood leaning against the door taking deep breaths as Ulquiorra shut the engine, locked the car and got their luggage out of the trunk. He walked over to her,

"You OK?"

She nodded and took her trolley from him.

"The road is icy, be careful," he said and started walking towards the hotel entrance.

This was one of the reasons why she had missed Ulquiorra. All her other friends would have fussed over her. Ichigo wouldn't have let her pull her trolley; Uryuu would have held her arm as he guided her towards the hotel because he would be worried she would fall; Tatsuki would mother her to no extent; Rukia and Sado, while better than most would still be protective of her. But not Ulquiorra in fact, if she did fall because of the ice, he wouldn't pick her up. He would simply smirk and shake his head, probably mutter a wise-crack about how ditzy she was.

Carefully, with her feet crunching over ice, she followed Ulquiorra into the hotel. Once inside she found that Ulquiorra was at the desk talking to the clerk. She walked over and heard the clerk explaining to him that there was a power failure in one wing of the hotel and therefore the number of available rooms had been cut down drastically. As of now they only had one queen room that was vacant.

"We'll take it," Orihime said overriding Ulquiorra's protest.

Ulquiorra cursed inside. Trust his rotten luck! He had come to the hotel with the hopes of a good night's sleep but now with Orihime lying only a few feet away from him, he was pretty sure that sleep was the last thing he was getting. Thankfully the room would have two beds, so that was a saving grace. Silently he walked alongside her to the room they had. Once inside, he turned around to face her,

"I will have you know I'm not comfortable with this."

'Not comfortable' did not even begin to describe Orihime's nerves. Sighing she said, "Well, think about it. Because of the icy conditions and me, you will drive much slower than usual. Already there's a scarcity of rooms in this hotel, who knows what the situation like out there and …"

"I know," Ulquiorra said tightly, "Choose a bed. I'm going to freshen up."

Without waiting for an answer, he unzipped his trolley, got out his PJs and disappeared into the bathroom. Orihime settled down on the nearest bed. This was exactly like it was all those years ago. Whenever they were nervous or uncomfortable, Orihime would babble and Ulquiorra would be gruff. Not that he was courteous otherwise, but he would degenerate markedly. Finally Ulquiorra emerged from the bathroom and walked over to the other bed wordlessly. Orihime grabbed her things and went inside.

Ulquiorra sighed; this was going to be a long night.