Disclaimer: I only own the plot.
Hey, new UlquiHime oneshot. Sorry, can't resist writing it when the idea hit me like a storm.
Enjoy.
"I think we need a break."
It was beautiful afternoon. A young couple was spending their time together in a cozy café. The deep monotone voice disturbed his female companion from enjoying her sweet coconut-pistachio-chocolate ice cream with cheese topping.
"Good idea. Where to?" she answered innocently without looking at him.
The pale-skinned young man sighed.
"Let me rephrase it. I think we need a break….from each other."
That certainly caught her attention. "W-what?" she stuttered in disbelief.
"You heard me," the man said calmly.
"But why?! I….I thought we are doing fine. Why are you doing this? Are you tired of me? Am I boring? Please tell me the reason!" she cried.
"Woman, calm down."
"I can't calm down when my boyfriend wants to break up with me!" she exclaimed, getting attention from other occupants of the café.
"Orihime…" her male companion warned.
The orange-haired woman slouched down. Her beautiful grey orbs watered. She rested her hands on her face, covering it, and started sobbing.
"I t-thought….I thought we are happy…" she choked out between her sobs. Her whole body trembled.
"Don't cry. Now, look at me."
The man pried his girlfriend's hands gently. When she still refused to look at him, he lifted her chin tenderly, forcing her to look at him.
Orihime stared at those beautiful emerald orbs and she was lost, captured in those beautiful gems. Ulquiorra wiped the trails of tears on her cheeks before kissing her nose.
"Hear me first, okay?"
The grey-eyed beauty nodded, as if she were hypnotized.
"The break up is only temporary. Just for four months at top."
His girlfriend frowned. "Why do we need to do that? Does it have relation with Kurosaki-kun? Yes, he was my first love and I love-" Ulquiorra eyed her suspiciously, "-loved him, but we are together now."
Her boyfriend still continued staring at her, making her squirmed at her seat. Sensing her discomfort, Ulquiorra relented. He would let it pass for now.
"Well, to put it simply I need to do something, which requires me to cut my contact with you for the time being."
"Is that something really important? Can you not do that?" the beauty begged.
Orihime pouted and put her infamous puppy eyes. No one could resist it.
Ulquiorra sighed. "Stop it, woman. You know it has no effect on me."
Well, no one but her own boyfriend.
"But how could you expect me to cut contact with you? It's really like a real break up. I mean, if you didn't explain about the four months thingy I would really think you want to break up with me," she whined.
"You can do it. Maybe actually we really need this."
The young woman furrowed her eyebrows. "What do you mean?"
Ulquiorra sighed. "We have been together for four years. You asked me if I were bored or tired of you, well I don't, but how about you?"
Orihime opened her mouth, initiating to speak her mind but Ulquiorra gestured her to keep it. He hadn't finished yet.
"About what you said before, I assume you are still confused about your feeling to me and Kurosaki."
The orange-haired woman gasped.
"I know he was your first love and you loved him, but do you still do?"
"I-I…." she was hesitating.
"You have to figure out your feeling, Orihime. Are you really ready for this relationship? Can we take our relationship to the next level? You have four months to find your answer. I won't bind you to me. If after four months you decide to break up, really break up this time, you know I won't force you to do anything without your consent."
Her heart constricted. Just imagining breaking up with her boyfriend made her wanted to bury herself alive, but Ulquiorra was right. He always was. She needed to figure out her own feeling. Had she really moved on from Kurosaki-kun? Maybe she was the one who needed this temporary break up the most.
Orihime stared at the table, as if it was the most interesting thing.
"Yeah," she said softly, "maybe we really need this."
The emerald-eyed man patted her head gently. "I'll see you in this place exactly four months from now on, okay?"
Seeing him, Orihime smiled. His words gave her hope, that everything would be alright.
She nodded. "I'll see your four months from now."
One Week Later
Orihime was currently looking at the album of her and Ulquiorra. She giggled. Her boyfriend appeared emotionless even in the photo. His posture was so rigid. He was someone who never let her guard down. Nothing could escape his eyes, as if everything were reflected on those emerald gems. He's completely serious in every situation, even his jokes were cryptic. But he was loyal to fault and really an honest man. Not to mention handsome too.
The grey-eyed beauty sighed. A whole week without seeing his face and listening to that deep baritone voice was quite depressing. She barely got a hold of her own sanity.
The orange-haired girlfriend remembered one of their unforgettable dates.
Flashback:
"Come one, Ulquiorra-kun! Let's ride that one!"
A young woman was pulling her boyfriend-of-three-months' hand excitedly towards the roller coaster queue, while the said boyfriend just let his girlfriend do anything she wanted to him.
After waiting for several minutes it was finally their turn. Orihime eagerly sat beside him on the front row. Ulquiorra looked bored. Any rides in the amusement park seemed pointless to him, but because it made the orange-haired woman happy he would let it pass.
The ride was fun at first. Orihime screamed beside him. He actually didn't understand why people just kept screaming until their throats sore.
Suddenly, the roller coaster stopped. The mechanics said it was technical problem and it would work again in no time, but the occupants of the roller coaster were already panic. Several women even cried, feared for their own safety.
Ulquiorra glanced at his girlfriend. The young woman paled visibly. She started whimpering. Ulquiorra reached for her hand, trying to soothe her.
"It's okay, I'm here. I won't let any harm happen to you."
Orihime stared at his eyes. He seemed sincere. Between her tears that pooling on her eyes she smiled. She trusted him.
Finally the machine worked again and they all came down safely.
She smiled softly. Usually people would be traumatized because of some frightening occurrences, but she was different. She never stopped riding roller coaster anytime she visited amusement park. She didn't need to be afraid. Ulquiorra was with her. Orihime would never forget those eyes. Those eyes which told her that he would protect her at any cost.
Two Weeks Later
The young woman was biting her lower lip. She was contemplating on calling her boyfriend. He told her to never try to call him except for emergency situation, but this was a matter of life and death situation for her. She really missed her boyfriend. If she couldn't hear his voice now, she'd better throw herself into bottomless pit. With renew resolve, Orihime called the ebony haired man.
One ring.
Two rings.
Three rings.
Four rings.
"Orihime? What's wrong? Did something happen?"
"Ulquiorra-kun!" she exclaimed, "no, nothing happened. It's just….it has been two weeks…."
She heard him sighed.
"Woman, I told you specifically not to contact me if not for emergency situation, didn't I?"
She gulped. "Y-yes, I know….b-but…"
He cut her off. "Orihime, promise me you won't do this anymore, okay?"
She sighed disappointedly. "Okay."
"I have to go. Remember to keep your promise, okay?"
"Alright. Ulquiorra-kun?"
"Yeah?"
"I miss you."
"…..I miss you too, Orihime."
And the line was disconnected.
Six Weeks Later
An orange-haired lady was cooking her favorite dish, ramen with chocolate sauce and extra wasabi. She was stirring the sauce on the frying pan and singing off-tune happily. Ulquiorra was right. She had promise to keep, so she couldn't just moping around. Didn't she tell herself she needed time to figure out her own feeling? Then, she could decide what to do with their relationship.
Orihime took a whiff of her cooking.
"Ah, it smells divine."
Nine Weeks Later
"Inoue-san?"
"Kurosaki-kun?"
The orange-haired man offered her a smile. "Hey, didn't expect to see you here. What are you doing? Are you alone?"
She shook her head. "No, I'm with a friend. We are just hanging out together. She is in the restroom now. How are you, Kurosaki-kun?"
Ichigo scratched the back of his neck. "I'm good. I went here with Renji and Ikkaku, but they left me here ten minutes ago. They said they saw something interesting. It's probably something unimportant anyway, because it is them we're talking about."
Orihime giggled. Boys were strange, and her friends were no exception.
Ichigo's phone rang. He answered it.
"Hello. Yeah? Okay."
Orihime stared at him. There was a time when his chocolate orbs could melt her and his voice would send her to nirvana.
"Inoue-san?" he disturbed her musing.
"Oh, sorry. Yes?"
"I have to go to meet Renji and Ikkaku in the café not far from here. Are you okay with that?"
She blinked. "Oh, sure. My friend maybe already waits for me too," she said sheepishly.
Ichigo smiled. "Okay. Let's meet up sometime. We need to catch up."
"Sure."
The orange-haired man turned away from her left her there.
Yes, there was a time when she would do anything for him, but not now.
Three Months and a Week Later
"Grimmjow-san? Is that you?"
The said man threw her an annoyed glare. "Of course it's me. Who else do you know have blue hair?"
She laughed nervously. "Sorry, you are right. It's just I haven't seen you for so long."
"Eight months were not that long," he answered harshly.
Sometimes she really thought the blue-haired man in front of her didn't really like her.
"Err w-well, have you heard about Ulquiorra recently? How is he?"
The man narrowed his eyes momentarily before answering, "Yes. He's fine."
"Really? Oh, what is he doing, anyway?"
The man growled. "I don't know. Why do you keep asking me?"
She sighed. "Sorry, I'm just curious."
Grimmjow huffed. "He told you that you would meet each other after four months, didn't he? It's only three weeks more. Just wait."
Orihime sighed tiredly. "Okay," she whispered.
Four Months Later
Okay, this was it. Today, twenty minutes later to be specific, she was going to meet her boyfriend. Her Ulquiorra-kun. God, she missed him. She didn't know how she could pass those four months without him. Now, she was sure of her feeling. No more hesitation, no more Kurosaki-kun, it's him who she wanted to be with. She was completely ready for the next level of their relationship. She was giddy. She personally didn't know what's in her boyfriend mind about next step of their relationship. This was Ulquiorra she was talking about, and he always had everything planned. Or maybe….he wanted to propose to her? She blushed deeply. The very idea made her embarrassed, but she couldn't say she loathed it. In fact she loved the idea, so very much.
Orihime waited for her love. She was so excited that she, who was famous for her tardiness, came earlier by forty minutes. Ulquiorra would walk through that door anytime now.
The bell chimed, informing that a new customer came. Orihime was preparing herself. Did she look nice enough? She wore her sweetest smile and expected to meet his brilliant eyes.
She froze. It was not her Ulquiorra-kun. Her boyfriend didn't posses blue hair. She blinked. It was Grimmjow.
"Grimmjow-san? What are you doing here? I'm supposed to meet Ulquiorra-kun here."
She was definitely confused.
The man wore grim expression. "I'll take you to him."
Orihime didn't complain when he led her to his parked car.
She felt uneasy. Not because she was alone with Grimmjow in his car. She knew he was a brute man, but he was also Ulquiorra's best friend so she could trust him. They were not really in a friendly term. They just tolerated each other, well more like he tolerated her while she on the other hand wanted to be his friend, because of Ulquiorra. Being with him like this was not uncomfortable also. But she still couldn't shoo away the uneasiness in her heart. Like something bad was happen.
"Why are we here?" she asked puzzled.
Indeed, they were in cemetery. Why so, she didn't know. Didn't he tell her he would take her to Ulquiorra? Was he here? If that so, why? Did someone just die without her knowing? Was it one of their friends? Or Ulquiorra's family? She didn't really know about his family. She only knew that his parents had passed away when he was six and his uncle took care of him.
Grimmjow led her to a tomb. It seemed new. Orihime narrowed her eyes, trying to see the name carved there. It was a difficult task because it's quite dark there. When she succeeded reading it, she gasped loudly. Her hand flew to her mouth in disbelief.
Here lies Ulquiorra Schiffer
An honest man, a dependable friend, a faithful boyfriend
19XX – 20XX
"T-this is a joke, right? Tell me where is he!" she cried. Her tears sliding on her cheeks. Her body trembled violently.
"How could you expect me to joke about this?! He's gone! My friend is gone…."
It was the first time she saw someone as brute as Grimmjow cried. So it was true? Her boyfriend had left her?
"W-what happened?" she choked out between her sobs.
Grimmjow sighed.
"Ulquiorra was diagnosed having an abnormality in his heart when he was four. It often gave him difficulties at that time. But you know how he was. He acted as if nothing happened. Eventually, he was stronger than his illness and the symptoms never came anymore. But five months ago the symptoms were back, this time even worse than before. The doctor suggested him to go through surgery, but before it was executed, Ulquiorra must be prepared first for about three months to increase the chance of his survival. The surgery's chance itself was 50:50. Initially he refused to do it. It's because of you."
Orihime gasped. What about her?
"He didn't want to leave you yet, because he really thought that somehow he wouldn't survive this time, but I begged him. He finally relented. That's why he wanted the temporary break up. He wanted you to rethink about your relationship because he didn't want to bind you to him when he was even not sure about his future."
"But why didn't he tell me? Why no one told me?" she cried.
"You know him. He didn't want to make you sad. The probability of seeing you after four months gave him hope and strength to survive. He was always thinking about you."
Orihime closed her eyes. Her Ulquiorra-kun….
"The surgery was successful. After the surgery Ulquiorra was told to stay in hospital for awhile, to make sure nothing went wrong. He even teased me about my relationship with Nel last week with his annoying way," he chuckled emptily.
Orihime didn't say a word. All of these didn't make sense to her. It's like a nightmare. The worst nightmare.
"Suddenly he had seizure. It happened too fast. He was brought to ER and an hour later the doctor declared he's dead. Just like that. He didn't even say goodbye."
Grimmjow sobbed, a heart-wrenching one. Orihime couldn't help but do the same. He didn't say goodbye to her too. She was depressed for couldn't see his face and listen to his voice those four months, but now she had to deal with it for the rest of her life. She was in agony. She hadn't even said how much she loved him. She regretted not treating him well when they had just started their relationship.
"I never really like you," Grimmjow started.
Yes, she knew it already.
"You were horrible at the first stage of your relationship. He treated you like a princes while you treated him like no one special. I wanted to lash out to you for that. But gradually you acted like a proper girlfriend. Ulquiorra was so happy, you know? He didn't say it, but I could see it in his eyes."
Orihime sniffed. She wanted to redo every horrible thing she had done to him.
"He wanted me to give this to you." Grimmjow passed her a paper.
"I don't know what's written there and why he prepared something like that, but maybe somehow he had already foreseen this. It's Ulquiorra we're talking about."
Orihime didn't say anything and continued staring at the paper.
Grimmjow sighed. "I'm gonna back to the car. Come there after you finish here, alright?" he said, giving her space.
Orihime nodded. After confirming that the man indeed had already left her, she opened the paper.
Orihime
If you read this paper that means I have gone from this world
I'm sorry
Despite I really want to see you, I can't
God, I really miss you
I really want to hold you in my arms and never let go
But I can't, not anymore
I love you, Orihime
Always have and always will
And I know you do too
Try to not cry everytime you remember me, okay?
Please, live without me
Ephesians 5: 16
"Making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil."
Sorry if it's sad. Thank you for reading this. Please leave me reviews too.
I'm contemplating of writing a companion fiction for this one, this time focusing on Ulquiorra, but well I don't know.
Don't forget to visit my other fictions, anyway.
God bless you.