A/N: I've been meaning to write a story like this for some time, but I never fully had a grasp on how. So, here it is! hELL YEAH THIS IS TUMBLR INSPIRED, but not from any prompts. It's just aesthetic blogger-inspired.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

If I Were The Rain

By: Vespulite

Burning Matchstick

Ulquiorra Schiffer was your average, generic high-school student in Karakura Town, Japan. He attended Las Noches High as a second-year. The school was mainly filled with foreign students, so it came as no surprise when the students had different surnames to their neighbour high-school, Karakura High. Ulquiorra wasn't the type to adhere to the 'clique' system in high-schools; he was a good student who wore his school uniform properly and didn't act up in class, one that always had near-perfect grades and a good reputation, the only negative comments being: 'He needs to speak up more', 'He always looks so morose', 'Why does he hang out with that bunch of hooligans?!'. Ulquiorra didn't care.

His friends were a rowdy handful, and he was the last person people would expect to be in that little 'friend group'. There was Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, Nnoitra Gilga, Nnoitra's loyal follower Tesla Lindocruz, Nelliel Tu Odelschwank, Coyote Starrk, Tia Halibel and the Granz brothers, Szayel-Aporro Granz and Yylfordt. Of course, Grimmjow had his own little gang and Tia had her loyal friends, so they weren't around all that often, but Grimmjow often hung around Ulquiorra, if only to bother him and nag him for help on homework.

And of course, all of them despised Karakura High (Nelliel, not so much), with their goody-two-shoes students. The two were partner schools, and often had 'friendly' tournaments with each other. Nnoitra and Grimmjow would of course attempt to crush them in physical events, and Ulquiorra, being not the most athletic - as well as being asthmatic - would be urged to beat them in intellectual events.

Ulquiorra was a good student, but his mind drifted sometimes... He could often be seen taking photos of the strangest things, but no one else understood. There was a photography club after school on Wednesdays which he partook in, and he also attended piano class with a private tutor on the day after. His parents were often off travelling on business, which left him with the house to himself. They were a rich family, as opposed to his best friend - well, hewouldn't describe Grimmjow as that - who lived in a run-down house with his ailing mother. One of the reasons Ulquiorra neglected to distance himself from Grimmjow (the guy was a bad influence but Ulquiorra kept his reputation and mind clean) was that Grimmjow, with all his faults, cared for his mother and did need help.

Now, the reason he could often be seen taking strange photos of trees, flowers or the sky was that he ran a blog. An aesthetic blog, where all the photos were his. Everything was in black and white, and despite the curious anons who asked and wondered why, and also requested he post some colour to spice up the dull monochrome theme, he never gave a straight answer. It was an aesthetic blog. His aesthetic was in monochrome shades, and he was certain it would stay that way.

...

"Oi, weirdo! Quit loiterin' around takin' photos of the sunset!" Ulquiorra lowered his camera with a sigh, then turned around to face Grimmjow and Nelliel who were sitting under an umbrella over a table at a cafe. The shop-owner was eyeing the teens cautiously. It was near closing time, and he wondered why these three were still here. Also, he questioned why the young couple at the table had dyed their hair such outrageous colours. "Seriously," Grimmjow grunted, "How many fuckin' photos do you have on that thing anyway?"

Not as much as my blog does."A lot," Ulquiorra answered simply. Grimmjow snorted and Nelliel laughed.

"At least give us a straight answer, will you?" The bubbly, green-haired girl nudged Grimmjow pleasantly. "He likes taking photos, that's all!" And for the umpteenth time, Ulquiorra wondered how the fuckhis delinquent friend had managed to win the heart of such a nice girl. She was pretty, with a good reputation, and wasn't seen often hanging around with their sort, but she somehow loved Grimmjow. Ulquiorra sighed again. It wasn't his position to question why the two were dating, or how they'd managed to stay together for a year.

Grimmjow squinted at the setting sun, and averted his gaze to the bright and cheerful decor of the cafe. "Remind me why're we sittin' in a place like this again?" He batted at a decoration hanging from the umbrella. "It's so... cutesy."

"You wanted to come over here after you were put on duty to clean up before the clubs started," Nelliel reminded him, tapping her fingers on the table. Ulquiorra also heard the distinct tap of her foot; it was obvious she was losing patience.

"But not to a pinky place like this! Why - "

"C'mon, it's getting dark," she cut off her boyfriend before he could ask any more questions.

Ulquiorra gazed at the sky. Clouds. It was going to rain, and none of the three had bothered to bring umbrellas. The couple with the brightly-dyed hair were oblivious. They walked forward, leaving Ulquiorra clutching his camera. Grimmjow turned. "Hey, you comin'?" he called over his shoulder as he slung an arm around Nelliel.

Ulquiorra was silent. He surveyed Grimmjow's old, dirty, hand-me-down uniform from the uniform shop, bought fro the cheap second-hand section, whereas Nelliel's were clean and not as old. Grimmjow's clothes were soiled from roughhousing with Nnoitra, while Nelliel kept her uniform prim and clean, even while she scarfed down food like she was starving - as always, since she had a big appetite and her metabolism rate was incredibly high.

Ulquiorra looked at the sky again. And in the blink of an eye, the sky split open and rain poured down on them, drenching his hair so that it looked even blacker than it already was. A raindrop slid down his nose as he sheltered his camera and heard Nelliel let out a squeal, and Grimmjow let out a string of curses as he ripped his jacket off and held it high above his head to provide shelter for himself and Nelliel. Nelliel immediately scurried underneath, and Ulquiorra raised his camera to take a snapshot of the scene. He surveyed the camera screen. He'd have to edit it later on his computer at home.

"Quit taking photos of us, you little creep!" Nelliel shouted jokingly, extending a hand to Ulquiorra. "Come under Grimmjow's jacket!"

"Never until the end of time," Ulquiorra said flatly, catching up and walking alongside them as if it weren't pouring. "There is no way I'm going under Grimmjow's disgusting armpit."

"I hate to agree, but there's no way I'm letting him either!" Grimmjow narrowed his eyes at his eccentric friend, who put up an arm to shield his eyes and the camera - thankfully waterproof - from the rain. Ulquiorra was so weird. He didn't see the type to take 'sweet' pictures, yet he'd been doing it ever since he'd gotten his hands on a camera. Everything that seemed idyllic or outstanding or a rare awe-inspiring, everyday scene had to be documented onto that small, gray machine. He scoffed as he saw his friend take yet another photo of the streetlights shining through the pouring rain. "Get a moveon!"

"Yeah, you'll get sick!" Grimmjow muttered something and the two took off on a sprint in an effort to get Ulquiorra to move quicker. The guy loathed being left behind, and was soon running to catch up, wheezing a little; his hand drifted down to his pocket where he kept his inhaler. He fumbled with the pocket and then left it as his breathing steadied.

Nelliel eyed him with worry. "Not cool, Grimmjow-san!" she hissed, elbowing him. "Let's get undercover," she added, dragging them both to a shelter under the awnings.

"Hey!" Grimmjow protested. "I didn't know he needed it after that! Plus, drop the honorifics." They bothered him horribly, something both Ulquiorra and Nelliel had discovered a couple of years prior.

Three friends under the awnings of a closed shop. Ulquiorra would have taken another photo - photography was like some sort of drug for him, he was just addicted - but he dropped the thought and followed his friends home.

...

"I'm home." Ulquiorra shook water out of his hair and counted down from 3. In less than two seconds, there was a rapid thumping of large paws on the ground, and he braced himself for the onslaught of slobbery kisses and love from his big Rottweiler. "Kukkapūro, down." Immediately the dog sat down, tail wagging frantically and dragging on the ground. Ulquiorra untied his shoes and hung his jacket on the rack before walking through the corridor, Kukkapūro trotting beside him like an overgrown puppy.

Whereas Grimmjow came from a home that was far from luxurious, Ulquiorra had rich parents and a big mansion. There was too much space, though, and his parents were never home. Ulquiorra usually brushed it off, but in truth, he had been a pretty neglected child. His parents were always 'too busy' for him, leaving him alone, and that was part of the reason he spent so much time in his room.

Memories flashed briefly through his mind as he trudged up the stairs. His parents had come home once, and his 11 year-old self charged over eagerly, trying to hug them and greeting him almost as enthusiastically as Kukkapūro had just then, but even so, his parents brushed him off. He tried to tell them he missed them, and it had been lonely, but they dismissed his problems. He pursed his mouth as he recalled another time, when he was 15, his mother and father were home and were acting like normal parents for once. They called him over for dinner, and Ulquiorra took his time in coming.

They noted how he always looked sad and melancholy, but 100% done all the time too, but he'd responded rather coldly that he was fine. They'd persisted in asking him what the matter was but he refused to tell them. They didn't care then, and wouldn't care that time too. His mother looked disappointed, but what did Ulquiorra care? They didn't give a shit about him, and left him at home in his room most of the time anyway. Grimmjow might have lived in a poor household with an ailing mother and a father that was never, ever there - he'd run off as soon as the guy was born - but at least his mom loved him. Ulquiorra's parents didn't care.

Ulquiorra shivered, partly from the cold, and partly from the unpleasant memory. The mansion was big, but cold, and Ulquiorra half-jogged, half-walked down the corridor, past all the doorways leading to useless, empty rooms, and into his own small room with the cozy heater. Damn rich parents, with their huge-ass mansion and only one person living in it most of the time. His parents were s negligent they didn't even know he had a dog.

And when they did call him over for dinner and ask about school, Ulquiorra's father was always disappointed. Why? Ulquiorra hated how his father thought that making a child feel like shit was an acceptable form of parenting, to urge them to do better. Ulquiorra had to deal with this for ages, and with the lack of attention and care from his parents, Ulquiorra simply stopped caring about most things. Hell, his 17th birthday passed and he didn't do anything about it.

He logged into his Tumblr. It had several hundred followers, and Ulquiorra wasn't bothered to count. The notes he got clogged up his dashboard and, back when he joined the photography club in junior high at age 13, he got so excited when he got one note. His 13 year-old self would have been so happy about the notes. Now, 17 year-old Ulquiorra doesn't care. It was his thing to post only original black-and-white photos, and he didn't specifically do it for the fans, but they'd been interested enough to follow, like and reblog. Plus, in all honesty, part of the reason why his blog was popular was because he was Japanese. He didn't understand why. He had kanji on his blog, and the users on the website had some strange fascination with Japanese things and people. He'd gotten a few creepy messages before, which he simply deleted.

He'd posted a few pictures of himself before; not many, and all in black and white. He'd gotten curious asks, yes, his eyes were actually green, while some hateful anonymous users called him a "f**king weeaboo" and said his eyes weren't really green, and some scornful users who said he wasn't really Japanese, just because he was fluent in English and Spanish - his father was from Spain and had taught Ulquiorra the language when he was little, back when his parents weren't so distant and... disappointed in him.

Ulquiorra didn't mind. He had a separate blog for these asks, to keep his original blog pure. He usually just answered them calmly and truthfully, and when the ask was, frankly, really stupid, he just posted it without context. A few years ago, back when he'd first started the blog, he'd gotten a few messages which had him considering closng the ask box or even shutting down the blog. Now he had several times more followers and several times more hate messages, but what do you know? Follower count multiplies, and so does the hate. He never minded. He'd often see himself tagged in posts describing him as the calmest person alive. It was true to an extent; it wasn't so much as he felt empty and pointless inside, and never had a reason to reply sarcastically or lose his temper with these lowlifes with nothing more to do than to go on some random blog and send hate mail.

Kukkapūro had lain at his feet and was happily snoring away next to the heater beside his desk as Ulquiorra uploaded the latest photos to his computer and did a little photo editing. He'd taken the dog in as a stray. The cleaner at the high school was a jerk; not only to students, but to animals as well. Ulquiorra was simply the only person who knew, anyway. He'd often seen the Rottweiler following the cleaner around, tail wagging, and then once spied the cleaner beating it with a broom. Abusive asshole.

Yammy Llargo, the school janitor, was a huge, hulking man with tanned skin and orange eyebrows, but bushy black sideburns. He was an odd-looking man; pretty dumb too, and he didn't do his job well. He also seemed to live off the students' pain, as he enjoyed tormenting them. But he'd taken a liking to Ulquiorra when he'd spotted the teen photographing things after school when he was a first-year, while Yammy was cleaning. They'd had conversation, and needless to say Ulquiorra found the conversations unpleasant. He found out Yammy owned a Rottweiler who was five years old and already blind, and relied heavily on hearing and smell. Yammy often talked disdainfully about the dog. Ulquiorra was intrigued - Yammy wasn't the type to seem like a person who would care for an elderly, disabled dog. Perhaps the grunting brute had a soft spot for animals. But that wasn't the case.

After Ulquiorra spied Yammy thwacking his dog and shouting obscenities after it probably got in the way. Ulquiorra, even though he was skinny and really ought to have more meat on him, carried the dog back to his car with some effort. He'd then taken the dog to a vet to get it checked out. However, seeing as he'd need to get the animal registered and his parents weren't overly fond of animals, Ulquiorra simply looked after the dog in secret. It was one of the few things he looked forward to everyday. Kukkapūro might have been old and blind, but at least he understood Ulquiorra.

He absently bent down to scratch at the sleeping Rottweiler's ears, and they flapped against his fingers. The heater provided warmth in the little neat yet cluttered room as Ulquiorra cropped and saved a photo, then posted it. He wondered how many notes that picture of his friends would get. Last time he posted something like that, he'd received a load of asks cooing about how someone so handsome could be a third wheel or single. Ulquiorra could only snort in disdain. He'd had feelings like that once, back when he was an innocent preteen, for a girl his age with bright auburn hair. But it was just something fleeting. Ulquiorra had never considered it further than that.

He got off the computer and sat on the floor, and Kukkapūro shuffled closer to him, placing his head in Ulquiorra's lap and presumably getting dog drool all over his pants. Ulquiorra stroked his head unfeelingly. He'd always enjoyed being alone, but never fancied being lonely one bit. Kukkapūro provided him that comfort; the dog was always a constant presence, yet never bothered him like people did.

...

It was raining again the next day. Ulquiorra left Kukkapūro at home as usual, where the old dog would do nothing but sleep and wander around all day. Ulquiorra always got up early to feed and walk the Rottweiler around the dog park, with odd looks from others because a skinny, frail-looking kid who looked like he didn't get enough sun was walking a "vicious dog breed". Kukkapūro was happy to stay home and look after the house; that was what Ulquiorra assumed the dog thought he was doing at least, as more than a couple of times, back when they weren't all that familiar with each-other and Ulquiorra was still a clueless teenager Googling how to look after a dog, Kukkapūro had let out a few deafening barks when Ulquiorra was trying to unlock the door because he thought someone was trying to break in.

School passed as usual. Ulquiorra, although he owned a car, met Grimmjow by the bus stop as usual and took the bus to the train station. And as usual, they met up with Nelliel and made short conversation while Grimmjow sneered at the students from Karakura High; the tall one with spiky orange hair in particular. Ulquiorra glanced at a familar-looking redhead girl next to the guy, looking up at another guy with messy brown hair happily. The two had their hands interlaced, and Ulquorra's hand drifted down to his camera bag and Nelliel wordlessly grasped his wrist and placed it back.

"Your photography thing is becoming a bit of a problem, huh?" she inquired.

"Maybe."

"Agh, come on, this is our stop!" Grimmjow dragged Ulquiorra and Nelliel roughly by the wrists out of the train carriage.

Class passed as usual. Starrk - his first name was a little weird so everyone called him by his surname - was at the top of the class even though the guy basically did nothing but sleep all the time. Then there were Nelliel and Tia Halibel. They were constantly competing for top place, but neither could beat Starrk. And then there was Ulquiorra, constantly striving to beat Nel and Tia, but Nel usually just patted him condescendingly on the head and said, "Maybe next time." After that was Nnoitra, but basically only because Tesla, who was in the first year, would do anything for his 'senpai' and this involved spending hours trying to coach Nnoitra so he could beat Nel. Nnoitra had a violent, hateful obsession with Nel.

It was a bit like how in elementary school, people often said that if a boy was mean or annoying to you, then that means he likes you. It's not true of course, and personally Ulquiorra thought it was a load of horseshit, but Nnoitra seemed to have taken it to heart. The guy was an asshole, but maybe he meant well...? Ulquiorra didn't think so. Grimmjow and Nnoitra had originally competed for Nel, but Nel chose Grimmjow seeing as she didn't like Nnoitra one bit. And as for Tesla, ever since Nnoitra lost a bet and had to sing Ranbu No Melody with Tesla as a duet in a karaoke bar once, Tesla had been smitten. He was pretty obsessive, but not to that extent, and Tesla was a genuinely nice guy who meant well. Plus his grades were around the top of the class, and that was probably why the jerk Nnoitra kept him around. Ulquiorra almost felt sorry for Tesla, but he preferred to keep his nose out of others' business.

Underneath Nnoitra was Grimmjow. And Grimmjow loathed Nnoitra for being able to beat him, even if it was mostly Tesla's help. Then there was Szayel, ranked below Grimmjow but only because the guy excelled in science, but didn't care one bit for exams and tests. He was crazy smart, but didn't put the effort in tests. After Szayel was Aaroniero, who everyone just mostly avoided because the guy seemed a little weird.

Their teachers included Barragan Luisenbairn, an old man who coached outdoor hockey, Zommari Rureaux, who also headed the drama club, and a few others who weren't really memorable.

Ulquiorra was attentive to Old Man Barragan's droning on and on about history, but it was hard to keep his open. That was an understatement for Grimmjow, who was fast asleep and snoring quietly. Nelliel was the most attentive, sitting up straight and foot tapping rather impatiently. Ulquiorra felt his head slip from where it was resting on his hand, and jerked awake.

…

It rained the whole day. Ulquiorra had brought his black umbrella, embossed with green patterns, and was careful to avoid stepping in any deep puddles. His bag hung low over his shoulder, and clear green eyes scanned the street for anything interesting to look at while Nelliel and Grimmjow made eyes at each other. He must have looked rather odd; his friends sharing Nel's beige brown umbrella, patterned with a single '3' in large Gothic font.

At the train station, Nel and Grimmjow had now started bickering over whether donuts were delicious or not; Grimmjow preferred plain ones while Nelliel liked the sweet, sugary ones more. Ulquiorra let out a barely audible sigh. His own opinion was that he did not like any donuts, plain nor sweet, but he was not about to intrude on their conversation. He stepped onto the train, followed by his friends, and for once Grimmjow didn't pull faces at the students from Karakura High. The rain steadily grew worse, until it was impossible to go out without getting drenched. Ulquiorra liked the rain. The sky turned dark and it was cold, but at least the earth got water.

"Hey! The bus is gonna leave!" Grimmjow yelled, shaking out his umbrella, and Nel beckoned Ulquiorra forward too.

"C'mon, Ulqui!" Ulquiorra scowled at the nickname, and took out his umbrella to join them. The bus would stay there. He fumbled with the umbrella, then turned. Something, or rather someone, caught his eye. The redhead girl from Karakura High they saw in the morning. He saw her flap her hand at her friends to go ahead while she rummaged around in her back, for they'd miss the bus if they stayed behind to wait for her. The tall, brown-haired guy just shrugged, and led them all forward. The carrot-top smacked the guy's arm, and the fiery-haired girl was left behind like a match burning in the rain.

"Are you going to come or not?" Grimmjow called. "Man, hurry the fuck up!"

"I think I'll stay behind," Ulquiorra murmured. He'd never gone out of his way to make others feel bad before; he always just minded his own business, but he'd never lifted a hand to help either. And perhaps it stemmed from his own hate of being left behind, alone, but just this once… "You go on, I need to do something."

"Okay, fine, whatever," Grimmjow grumbled. "Come on, Nelliel, you're gonna catch a cold."

"Stay safe, Ulquiorra-kun!" Nel called before running off with Grimmjow to catch the bus before it left.

Ulquiorra sighed, and briefly glanced at the girl a few meters away. She was drenched now, but Ulquiorra stayed relatively dry under his umbrella. He walked over, ignoring the girl's look of surprise, and wordlessly lifted his umbrella over her head, so that he was the one in the rain, and she was safe underneath.

…

A/N: Please drop a review to let me know how I went! I'd like to know how I could improve, since I made many, many edits to this because the first version was pretty crappy.