After Hueco Mundo, Orihime attempted to go back to a normal life. After weeks of faking smiles and acting cheerful, everyone soon began to fall into the same pattern of dismissing her. Days passed in a blur, nothing really standing out to the girl who had been through so much. The only thing that gave her pause was the color green. But it wasn't really just green. It had to be the same emerald hue as his eyes, or the slightly lighter color of the markings on his cheeks, or sometimes the minty green of his sword hilt.
On the days she was assailed by the memories brought on by seeing that color, she left school early and spent the day crying in her bed, clutching the outfit she had painstakingly repaired.
"Surprisingly, it looks good on you."
A new wave of tears soaked the material every time she thought of his words to her. Eventually, Orihime hardened herself to the memories and emotions that came from her time in Las Noches. She was able to push them into the back of her mind and go on with her daily life. After a few months, the things that reminded her so much of him barely even occurred to her. But every night, she cried in her sleep, murmuring the name of the one who had slowly kidnapped her love as surely as he had kidnapped her.
Ulquiorra.
Every morning, all traces of her tears were gone. Nothing to make the girl admit to what she had left behind, fading away along with the hand that held it.
Her heart.
A year to the day after returning from the Winter War, Orihime laughed as Tatsuki finished a story about her latest competition. Walking to school with her best friend helped to relieve some of the residual loneliness that sometimes plagued the former captive. Tatsuki knew when to be boisterous, when to leave Orihime to her thoughts, and when to distract her from them. With the karate master and her stories, the trip to school seemed to take less time than usual.
As Orihime entered her classroom, Chizuru, who had finally toned her own boisterousness down a few notches, waved and smiled. Orihime returned the gestures and sat down at her desk. She chatted with a few friends until the teacher came in.
Ochi-sensei clapped her hands and called for order. Once everyone was in their seats, she smiled. "We have a new student, class!" She gestured towards the door, beckoning the new kid inside. "Meet Beltrán Murciélago. Care to say a few words, let everyone get to know you a bit?"
Orihime sucked in a gasp as Beltrán stepped inside. His hair was black, shaggy, brushing his shoulders. His eyes were a piercing green. The new student looked dispassionately around the room, seeking out the one who had reacted so harshly to his appearance. For a split second, his eyes met Orihime's. In that split second millennium, she swore his green eyes flashed with some indefinable emotion.
The moment was broken when Beltrán sighed and slid his hands into his pockets. "No."
Ochi-sensei blinked in surprise. "Well...alright then. Find an empty seat. We've just started a new section, so you shouldn't have too much trouble with the next test." Turning to the board, she wrote the word Poetry in neat kanji. Hearing a groan, she hurled an eraser at the student's head. "Not a sound, Keigo, unless you want after-school detention every day for the rest of the term."
Beltrán soundlessly shook his head and molded his lanky frame into the empty chair beside Orihime. She turned wide eyes to him before quickly looking away again. "Odd girl."
Orihime was close to hyperventilating. All at once, when she had met this guy's stare, all of the memories she had suppressed from Hueco Mundo came flooding back as Ulquiorra's face seemed to be superimposed over Beltrán's. Standing slowly, she lifted a hand to her head. "O-ochi-sensei, I think I need to go see the nurse."
The teacher turned and cast a critical eye over the girl. Nodding, she turned to Tatsuki. "Arisawa, take your friend to the nurse. And be back to class before the bell rings."
As Orihime and Tatsuki walked to the nurse's station, the auburn-haired girl asked her friend, "Tatsuki, w-what did he look like to you?"
Tatsuki glanced at her friend in confusion. "Brown hair, I think he had blue eyes, not too bad looking."
Biting her lip, Orihime worried the hem of her skirt. "But, I could've sworn...maybe I'm just imagining it. I guess that explains why Kurosaki-kun and Ishida-kun didn't react badly."
Orihime firmly pushed all thoughts of Hueco Mundo and her captor from her mind, determined to get back to a normal life. Starting with going back to class. "Tatsuki, I'm suddenly feeling much better. I think I'm okay to go back to class now."
Her tomboyish friend looked at her with suspicion in her eyes. With a grin she accused, "You just want to go back and sit next to Beltrán."
Orihime blushed, "confirming" Tatsuki's accusation. Laughing, she looped her arm through Orihime's and turned around abruptly. "Well, come on then. We can't keep Beltrán waiting."
The friends burst into laughter, feeling more like the best friends they had always claimed than they had in months. As they reached the classroom, Orihime refused to allow the feelings from before overwhelm her. She resolutely shoved them out of her mind and prepared to pay attention to Ochi-sensei's lesson. Settling back into her seat, she sent a small but bright smile at her neighbor before turning back to pay attention.
"Now, since Inoue and Arisawa are back, I'll say this once more. Everyone is to write a poem describing yourself. At the end of the week, the class will be reading the poems out loud in front of the class, so make sure it's not vulgar, crude, or lame, Keigo. For the next ten minutes until class is over, you may work on your poem."
Orihime bit her lip in concentration, staring at the blank page. Sighing as her imagination failed her for once, she let her eyes drift to the board. As so often happened, she zoned out of reality. Minutes later, she was brought back to reality by a gentle nudge on her arm. She jumped and looked over to see Beltrán gathering his books.
Realizing class had dismissed, she looked down to gather her own things, only to freeze at the sight that met her. All over her notebook page, she had doodled Goodbye, Halcyon days and crescent moons so like the one outside her room in Hueco Mundo. The color drained from her face as she ripped the page from her notebook and quickly shoved her things into her bag.
As she left the classroom, she resolutely threw the paper into the trash, determined not to let it get to her. "It's only because I thought the new guy was Ulqui- NO! I won't even say his name! I have to get past this. I can't keep living in the past."
However, determined though she was, Orihime couldn't help but feel like the same girl from so many months ago as she walked home. Like always, she, Ichigo, and Rukia shared the walk until they parted ways a few blocks away. Seeing the two as a couple brought back the feelings of loneliness that still lurked within the usually vivacious girl.
As she waved at the constantly arguing couple after they parted ways, a fine misting rain began to fall. Staring up at the sky, she felt her heart sink even lower.
"What would it be like to be the rain? Could I connect with someone's heart? Would I be able to bring about a new future for that person? Or would I just fall to the ground, forgotten and alone?"
Sighing, she sat on a bench in a bus stop, sheltered from the rain. Pulling out her notebook, she wrote down her thoughts, hoping they would inspire her poem for class. The rain picked up a bit, falling more harshly from the sky. Orihime gathered her things and sprinted the last of the distance to her home.
Leaving her shoes by the door and dropping her things on the couch, she made her way to the picture of her brother. Dropping to her knees, tears began to pour down her face. "Oh, Sora. I wish you were you here. I'm so lost, so confused. I know everybody says I should hate him, but...I don't. I can't! He took care of me, protected me, for so long. I...I miss him, brother."
For the first time in months, she let herself cry for the man she missed. After a while, her tears dried and she stood shakily. She went to bed without bothering to eat supper and fell asleep clutching the old uniform.
The next morning, she felt groggy and irritated. She trudged to the shower, determined to just get through the day. Standing in her bedroom wrapped in a towel, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. She cringed at the dark circles under her eyes, how pale her face was. With a sigh, she turned to the closet to get her clothes and get dressed for school.
Twenty minutes later, Tatsuki was banging on the door like always. Orihime pulled her shoes on and stepped outside, smiling at her friend.
Tatsuki's eyes widened. "Wow, Orihime. You look like shit."
Orihime forced her mouth to form a wide smile, belying the pain she still felt after last night's breakdown. "I'm okay. I just didn't get much sleep."
"I'd say! The zombie look is not for you, I'm afraid."
This time, the downtrodden girl's smile was real. "C'mon, let's not be late."
Raising an eyebrow, the tomboy smirked. "Late for school, or late to snag your seat beside New Guy?"
Orihime just smiled and made her way down her steps and towards the school. Tatsuki jogged to catch up and walked in silence next to Orihime, knowing today was one of the days that the other girl wanted to be left to her thoughts.
Lost in those thoughts, the hime didn't even notice that she was inside her classroom, instead standing in a daze in the doorway. Finally, a cool hand lightly grabbed her elbow, leading her to her seat. Blinking as she sat down, her heart stopped as she looked up into verdant green eyes. A passing thought entered her mind. "I thought Tatsuki-chan said he had blue eyes..."
Beltrán tilted his head as his classmate continued to stare at him with those wide eyes. He smirked as he noticed the glazed look dissipate and a blush spread across her cheeks as her gaze skittered away from his. Leaning close, he whispered in her ear, "I would take out my books if I were you; Ochi-sensei is coming."
Orihime gasped as his breath tickled her ear. Her eyes darted his way, but he was already seated, pulling out his own books. Flustered, Orihime turned to do the same. Throughout the day, she would dart glances at the young man beside her, only to blush and look away.
She didn't notice that he did much the same. The day passed slowly as she tried to smother the feelings that bubbled up, unwelcome, from deep inside. Finally, blessedly, the final bell rang and Orihime distractedly began putting her books away.
Ochi-sensei called out to the quickly-leaving students, "Don't forget! Poems are due tomorrow!"
Orihime hurried from the classroom and tried to find Tatsuki in the crowd of students on their way to lunch. Standing on her tip-toes, she tried to see over the other students. Sighing, she dropped back down to her heels and trudged to the roof. On the top step, just as she was about to open the door, her foot slipped and she tipped backwards. Her breath caught in her throat, her heart froze in her chest. Just as she was about to call on Baigon, Hinagiku, and Lily, strong arms wrapped around her from behind.
Together, the two tumbled down a few steps, but landed safely only a few feet away from where Orihime began her fall. The orange-haired girl turned to look at whoever had just saved her, and gasped as Beltrán's face came into focus.
A blush tinged her cheeks red as she stuttered, "O-oh, thanks f-for saving me!"
"It was no problem. I am glad that I was here to catch you."
Orihime blushed harder as the boy's hands tightened slightly around her still-shaking form. He held her a moment longer before finally letting her go. She stood, a bit wobbly on her feet, and quickly grasped the handrail for balance. She gathered her wits and smiled brightly at Beltrán as she thanked him again.
Hurrying up the stairs to get away from the confusing situation, Orihime was dismayed to find that Tatsuki wasn't on the roof at their usual spot. None of their group was, so the girl simply sat alone, pulling her lunch from her bag as she tried not to feel dejected.
Glancing around, she noticed that Beltrán was alone as well. Mustering her courage, Orihime gathered her things and strode confidently to his table, sitting across from him and smiling brightly when he looked up in surprise.
They ate in silence, sending surreptitious glances at one another when they thought the other wasn't looking.
The lunch period didn't last long, but Orihime felt exponentially better as she smiled once more at Beltrán and gave a slight wave as she left the roof. "See you later!" she called cheerfully.
Beltrán watched her go, a curious expression on his face. "What an odd girl," he thought, not for the first time.
The two didn't have any other classes together, and Orihime headed home that afternoon with the dread of having to write a poem before the next day's class.
She sat at her desk, nibbling on the end of her pen as she brainstormed. She filled three pages with senseless scribbles, marked out and written over, before dozing off with her head propped in her hand.
In her dreams, Orihime saw green and black, a crescent moon sky, his back as he walked away. The door slammed shut, her head hit the desk, and she jolted awake.
Suddenly, she was inspired. Hurrying to write it down before she forgot, Orihime scrawled the words across the page, intending to clean it up when she awoke the next morning. Her adrenaline high from the abrupt wake-up began to fade, exhaustion tugging at her like quicksand. She trudged to bed and fell face-first into her pillow, not even bothering to change clothes.
The next morning, the alarm clock was saved from destruction only because Tsubaki had a mind of his own when deployed. Instead of the alarm clock, he chose to harass Orihime into wakefulness.
"Oi! What do you think you're doing?" he complained as he tugged at her hair. "An alarm? That's what you call me for?"
After a few more tugs and a well-placed jab to her kidney, the abuse finally jarred Orihime awake. She barely had time to apologize to Tsubaki before she bolted for the bathroom for a quick shower. Her hair was still wet as she studied the poem she'd frantically written the night before. After rewriting it and stuffing it into her bag, she grabbed her breakfast and lunch and said goodbye to Sora's picture.
Tatsuki met her at the corner, taking in her friend's appearance with a satisfied nod.
Orihime ignored this as she did every morning, choosing to take careful bites of her breakfast, despite Tatsuki's grimace at the inevitably odd concoction.
The trip to school was a quick one, with both girls in an upbeat mood. Orihime settled into her seat with a contented smile, somehow feeling that everything would be okay today.
Beltrán appeared just before the bell rang, looking somewhat frazzled as he made his way across the room to his seat.
Though itching to ask if everything was okay, Orihime didn't get the chance. Ochi-sensei strode into the room a moment later.
Once homeroom was over, the class began. Ochi-sensei went in alphabetical order for the poetry, leaving Orihime somewhere in the middle. When it was her turn, a blush flooded her cheeks as she stood and drew the paper from her bag, heading to the front of the room.
Despite her nervousness, Orihime's voice was strong as she read the poem that had come to her in such a rush the night before.
We
As one,
Are not intertwined.
As two,
Do not share the same form.
Of the third,
We simply don't have eyes.
Of the fourth,
We have no hope in that direction.
At the fifth,
Therein lies the heart.
Silence filled the room as Orihime's voice trailed away and sat down. Her blush from before intensified as she felt the eyes of more than one of her friends.
Thankfully, Ochi-sensei quickly moved them forward. Orihime barely paid attention to her classmates' poems, fidgeting nervously as she wondered how obvious it had been to her friends that she'd been thinking of Ulquiorra when writing her poem.
Beltrán's voice broke her reverie, dragging her attention back to the fore. She looked up, only to find him looking straight at her as he recited his poem.
I envy because of the heart
I glutton because of the heart
I covet because of the heart
I am prideful because of the heart
I sloth because of the heart
I rage because of the heart
Because of the heart
I lust for everything about you
The words and the sudden emotion in Beltrán's eyes pierced Orihime like a blade. She stood abruptly, her hand drawn up as if to protect her own heart. All eyes in the classroom were on her as she stared as if at a ghost at the student who wrote the poem that embodied the being she had grown to love. Verdant green eyes stared back.
Overwhelmed by the rush of emotion and abject, unexplainable fear, Orihime fainted, falling backward and headed straight for the floor. Still taken aback by her strange reaction, everyone was in too much shock to catch her. Everyone, that is, except for the object of her tormented stares.
In a blink, he was beside the falling girl, easily catching her in his arms and standing to carry her through the classroom door. The class was in too much shock to do more than watch as he went, though he was sure her friends would snap out of it quickly.
Coming to a few minutes later, Orihime blinked her eyes open, breath catching at the strong arms she could feel holding her. She took a deep breath before looking up to see that she was being held in the arms of the one person who reminded her most of what she had lost. Closing her eyes, tears formed beneath the closed lids, burning to escape and grieve for lost opportunities.
"Woman, do not hold back your emotions. They are what intrigued me to begin with."
Orihime gasped and opened her eyes. "Ul-...Ulquiorra?" she asked, not quite sure she had heard correctly. Surely Beltrán wouldn't call her that...would he?
When their gazes locked, green meeting gray, Orihime knew without a doubt that he had returned to her. No one could mimic that expression, that look that said "Of course, you fool."
Tears flowed unchecked as the caged princess threw her arms around her former captor. "I missed you!" she whispered.
His arms tightened around her, pulling her closer to his body. "I believe I missed you and your inane prattle."
Chuckling through the sobs, Orihime laughed, though her grip on him never faltered. When she felt him stop moving, Orihime looked around and gasped as she realized they were in her old room in Hueco Mundo.
"W-what?" she asked in disbelief.
"I possess the ability to open a Garganta," he reminded her. "Though my reiatsu is severely dampened in this infernal gigai, a small portal for the two of us is no issue."
"Gigai?" Orihime echoed, feeling like a parrot.
"Urahara allowed me to use it until such a time as I revealed myself to you or returned to Hueco Mundo."
"I feel so lost," Orihime complained with a groan. "How are you alive?" she demanded.
A smirk crossed Ulquiorra's borrowed lips. "Your indomitable will knows no bounds. Every night as you slept, you deployed your fairies to this realm somehow, healing my body and drawing the pieces of my soul back to it. It has been a long journey."
Tears immediately filled Orihime's eyes. "I healed you? Really?" she asked in a tremulous whisper.
"You did. I thank you for doing so."
Burying her face in his shoulder, Orihime took a few long moments to compose herself. Once she felt as though she could speak without crying, she drew back with a smile and said, "Ulquiorra, please get rid of the gigai."
Placing her on the couch, though he was loath to let her go, Ulquiorra stepped fluidly from the gigai, the shell falling to the floor in a heap. At Orihime's admonishing look, he grabbed the thing and placed it on the couch.
"And now?" he asked.
Orihime smiled and held her arms out to him, joy filling her when he immediately stepped forward to lift her once more. "Now," she said happily, "take me to bed."
His bi-colored lips twitched, the closest she'd ever seen to a smile, as he turned gladly to leave the room.
"Ah!" she squawked. "Where are we going?"
"You did not specify which bed. As my own quarters hold no unpleasant memories for you, I will take you there."
The double meaning of his words brought a blush to Orihime's cheeks, but she didn't protest. She wanted this – wanted him. If she were completely honest with herself, she'd wanted him for weeks before leaving Hueco Mundo.
The walk to his room was short, his powers – including Sonido – now uninhibited by a gigai.
Orihime gaped at how large the anteroom was, and it only held a couch and a few chairs! Ulquiorra didn't stop, moving steadily toward a doorway that led, apparently, to his bedroom. Redness flushed her cheeks once more as she saw the bed, but part of her was thrilled when she was gently placed upon the soft surface.
"Tell me, woman," Ulquiorra said softly, his voice a husky timbre that sent shivers down her spine, "are you afraid of me?"
"Never," she answered resolutely, holding his gaze.