**I'm not sure how this rates, so I'm doing M to be safe. I don't own anything!
First in a series of AiHime one-shots, inspiration: "Up All Night" by Arty. Because the song is a bit abstract, the story ended up that way too. Most of my stories are NOT like this; I feel like this will be the most confusing of the one-shots. Anyways, enjoy ^.^
1 AM here I am
With the keys in my hand
Said you'd pick me up
You're late again
Standing out in the cold
On the side of the road
Watching cars
Hoping you're one of them
She watched as they drove past, each one a blur of color and light. The night was dark, the trees across the road a black mass of shadows, the stars hidden behind smoky clouds, the moon a forgotten sliver in the midnight sky. Her gray eyes were heavy, as she had stood there waiting for a long time, and she feared she would fall asleep standing up. But she shook herself stubbornly, remembering his promise. He said he would be there, so he would.
He had to. She needed him to.
A cool breeze whispered its way by her, eliciting a violent shudder. It was cold, too cold to be standing out here like this, too cold for her to be staring at the street, hoping foolishly... Her brow furrowed.
A car finally came to a stop in front of her, and her spirits lifted. Finally. She could feel a slight smile on her lips, her hopes restored. She bent down and picked up her bags, hurrying over to open the car's door. After she had finished putting her stuff down and turned to greet him, she finally was able to see his face.
Flawless. Rich, chocolate-colored hair gelled back, save for one strand. A perfectly symmetrical and unblemished face, with deceptively kind brown eyes and soft, sensual lips. He was beautiful.
"Orihime," he said, glancing at her before looking back at the road.
"Aizen..." She bit her lip, trying to decide if she should ask him. She opened her mouth, but was thrown back into her seat as the car squealed back onto the road. She squeaked, and hurried to put her seatbelt on. It was a must, with Aizen in a mood like this. There was no telling what he would do.
The car's engine purred and steadily grew louder as it went faster. And faster. And faster. By now, Orihime was used to it. But even so, she still feared that the car would spin out of control and kill them.
Droplets of water hit the windshield. Gently, at first, and then built to a harsh, relentless staccato. It was dangerous weather to drive normally in, and incredibly dangerous to drive in as fast as they were going. She gripped the leather armrest tightly, her nails digging in. Nothing she could say would make Aizen slow down.
Orihime glanced through her orange hair at him, brows furrowing again. His eyes were shining, enjoying the danger- no, relishing in it. His lips tilted up, giving the barest glimpse at his fangs. She closed her eyes to wait it out as best as she could. The rain splattered against the car, and she could hear her pounding heartbeat. Just a little bit more, she promised herself. Just a little bit more.
The wheels screeched, and she was thrown against her seatbelt with a crushing force. A cough escaped her chest, where a slight burning sensation remained.
The rain continued to pummel the car, the only noise she could hear besides her uneven breathing. The sound of rain intensified, grew louder, and she glanced over at Aizen, who now had his door open.
"Come on, Orihime." His voice was velvet seduction, luring her out. "Let's have some fun."
"Where are we-" She was cut off by the click of his door being shut. "... going."
She swallowed, wondering if she should follow. She knew she shouldn't, knew this was a game he was playing with her, knew she would get hurt again... But her fingers itched to open the door, her feet ached to step into the downpour towards Aizen, her heart craved his attention.
The door clicked shut behind her.
There's a demon in me
Telling me to believe
That you and I are everything
There's an angel beside
Saying things just ain't right
But I'm not good at listening
Unsteady footing was her first warning of what she was heading into. The second warning was the earthy and pine scent that wrapped itself around her. The last and final warning- the river that appeared before her, when the rain let up enough for her to see.
She looked around, confused. Where was Aizen? Rustling off to her left alerted her, and a dark figure emerged.
"Aizen?" She called, concerned. "What..." ... was he doing? Her face flushed when she saw him more clearly. Bare skin glistened, drops of rain trickled down the contours of his naked chest, teasing and tempting her. She gulped, thankful that he at least still had his underwear on. But even that was soaked and plastered to his body. At least it was dark, so he couldn't see her blush. Bewilderment started to kick in.
"Orihime." One word, and he had her eyes enchanted by his. One word, and she was captivated. She could only think of Aizen- no confusion, no doubt, no regret.
She drank him in once more as she waited for him to continue, her gaze devouring his exposed skin. The droplets glowed in the slight moonlight, and slithered their way down.
"Take your clothes off."
His words shocked her out of her trance. Orihime looked at him, bewildered, but his indifferent expression didn't change. The rain continued to fall, cool and unhurried, as she looked at him in silence.
"Come on, don't be afraid." His kind smile was back, taunting her. "Haven't you ever wanted to skinny-dip in a storm?"
"Not really," she whispered, doubting he would hear. Her thoughts fired rapidly, desperately trying to come to a decision.
It would be fun, the dark part of her whispered. It would help you keep him a little longer. He just wants to do something interesting. It's not dangerous. You've done much worse than this with him.
Her fingers clenched at the last thought. You shouldn't have to do this, not if he loved you, a long-forgotten voice replied. It's dangerous. Lightning could strike, and you'd die. Are you really this desperate? This is a game to him. Don't let him play you anymore.
Her fingers loosened. She had come a decision. If lightning struck within the next minute as she waited, she would leave. She had her cell phone back in the car, she would call someone, anyone, to get her. Even if it was this late, surely someone would come for her...
As she had drifted into thought, Aizen had approached. When her eyes refocused, all she could see was him. It was overwhelming, and he knew it. Orihime could tell from the amused glint in his eyes, something she had come to know from his countless games with her.
They stared at each other, amusement in one pair of eyes, determination in the other.
Thunder rumbled overhead, and Orihime continued her count. ... 43, 44, 45, 46...
The smooth motion of Aizen's hand towards her face almost distracted her, the gentle cupping of her cheek almost destroying all of her willpower.
... 51, 52, 53 ...
A blinding light streaked through the night sky. A flash of something tore through her- was it remorse? Was it relief? Was it sadness?
"Hmm," his voice purred. "Lightning." As if the danger made his idea of skinny-dipping even more enticing. One of his fingers brushed away a strand of hair in the way, and ran its way down the side of her face. She shuddered.
"No." It was little more than a whisper, so she tried again. "No." There.
The finger paused, his gaze sharpening. "Hmm? What was that?"
She wrenched his hand away from her, and stumbled backwards, away from him. "I said 'no'. I'm not doing this with you."
Orihime watched as his lips lifted into the slightest of smiles, and felt her heart stutter. She turned quickly, and started to run back to the car.
Her foot caught in one of the roots hidden in the darkness, slick with rain, and she shrieked. Flailing wildly, something caught her by the waist and hauled her back up. The breath whooshed out of her, her chest was heaving, and her-
A dizzying sensation tore through her, as she was spun around until she was facing him again.
He tsked, and walked her backwards until she felt bark digging into her backside. He leaned in until she could feel his cool breath at her neck, causing her breath to hitch.
"Orihime," he murmured in her neck, his voice a dark and sensuous promise. "It hurts me when you tell me no."
His hand caressed its way up her arm, until it found its destination at her neck.
She drew a breath in, and pushed.
Got your claws in my skin
And it doesn't make sense
But I love it when I feel the pain
Got your teeth sinkin' in
What am I fighting against?
The part of me that loves the rain
It was like pushing a solid wall. He didn't move an inch, and instead chuckled. Her anger grew, until she was pushing and hitting and shoving him. But her hands kept sliding off of him, the rain making his body sleek and slippery. Orihime made a frustrated noise and punched him in the side. It was like punching a rock.
He sucked in a breath, and in a second had her hands captured above her head in one of his. A flash of lightning lit the night, giving her a glimpse of vision before being thrown back into darkness.
"That wasn't nice," he breathed into her ear. "Now I'm really hurt."
"Good," she mumbled. "I hope you-"
His lips captured hers, cutting her off. It was rough and angry, gone of any gentle or soft pretenses. He kissed her with a bruising force and pushed her more firmly against the tree, but she retaliated in a like manner. Orihime bit his bottom lip, hard, and smiled when she tasted blood. But he didn't let up, continuing to kiss her and drawing her legs around his waist. She tore her lips away, gasping for breath. But he didn't back off; no, he moved onto her neck, nipping and licking. A moment's warning was all she had before he bit her, sinking his teeth into her neck. It was a warning, a punishment, a reward. She writhed against him in response, biting her lip to suppress a gasp.
The tree dug into her back, her wrists were being squeezed tightly, and her clothes were uncomfortably wet from the storm. It wasn't pleasant at all. And yet... she loved it. Every second of every moment of it.
And the rain continued to fall, a constant pitter-patter in the dark night.
