A/N: This should not have been that hard to write. I should not have had to re-write it ten times.
But I did.
At least it's done now, and I'm reasonably happy with it (will probably go back and edit some stuff later though).
This is my entry for Doki-Doki-Bleach on deviantART's Tanabata Festival contest. Considering my adopted pairing for this club is Ulquihime and one of the figures in the Tanabata's backstory is named Orihime, it only felt right to use them for this. Plus, I've already got a bunch of Ichiruki oneshots under my belt and only one other Ulquihime.
Time to start evening it out.
Hope you enjoy!
Orihime couldn't remember a time before now that it didn't rain on the night of Tanabata. She sat in the grass, watching clear water run softly upstream, carrying with it the many wishes of those crowded around her. They kept a fair distance away, thanks in part to Orihime's date glaring at anyone, particular young men, who came too close or tried to bother them.
Over the years, Orihime had gotten used to attending the festival with a big groups of all her friends. Spending it alone with just one person was new to her, especially since it was her new boyfriend, and he'd once been her captor and her enemy. It was amazing how much things could change in such a short amount of time. Ulquiorra was slowly getting used to life in Karakura Town. He'd integrated himself pretty well into the student body at school, though he had developed a reputation for his stoicism and loner tendencies. The only one he ever bothered talking to for more than ten second was Orihime. Not even the teachers could keep his attention for long, which just meant that Orihime had to tutor him after class and spend even more time with him.
Orihime had to admit that she liked being Ulquiorra's tie to this world. It was nice knowing that she'd helped him to change, and that somewhere down the line, something greater had formed between them. Sitting with him on a cool, summer night, paper and pen in hand with a small cut of bamboo at her right side, Orihime couldn't be happier. A gentle breeze blew through her hair and tickled her cheeks. She pushed it back loosely, knowing it would just come out again anyway.
"I should've brought a hair band," she thought aloud.
Ulquiorra looked up from the half full pocky box he'd been eating from. "Do you want me to find you one?"
Orihime blinked, then shook her head. "Oh no, that's alright. Thank you, Ulquiorra-kun."
A low hum emitted from pursed lips, and then he turned back around and shoved another piece of pocky into his mouth. Orihime giggled.
"You like that flavor, huh?" she said.
"It tastes good."
Orihime nodded, reaching out to grab a piece for herself. Ulquiorra watched her hand, but didn't stop her. Another, stronger, wind blew, and Orihime looked up at the cloudless sky with a light, happy feeling.
"It's such a beautiful night," she said. "I can't remember ever seeing one like it tonight."
Ulquiorra stared at her. "Woman, there have been many nights like this before."
"I mean during the Tanabata festival," Orihime said, drawing herself closer to him so their fingers in the grass were almost touching. "I've been going for a long time with Tatsuki and Ishida-kun and Kurosaki-kun, but it always rained except for this year."
Ulquiorra looked thoughtful for a moment, then nodded his head. "You see this as a good sign, then."
If possible, Orihime's smile grew wider. "Of course! It means Hikoboshi and Orihime can reunite this year!"
He didn't ask another question, mainly because Orihime had been telling him that story over and over again since the start of the week, so great was her excitement. He probably knew it by heart at this point, and Orihime wasn't so blinded by her excitement as to not see that. She said nothing to keep the conversation going from there, content in laying her head on his shoulder while pondering what to wish for. More bamboo sticks were floating by every second. She was running out of time.
Every potential wish she'd come up with so far didn't seem right.
Wish for luck in the coming school semester? She already made straight As and didn't plan to start slacking off.
Wish for love? She already had it!
Wish for prosperity and wealth? Didn't everyone wish for that?
She looked again at Ulquiorra. His paper was on the grass in front of him, forgotten as he went on gorging himself on the strawberry flavored pocky. She leaned over slightly, confirming that it was blank and Ulquiorra really hadn't bothered with it.
"Ulquiorra-kun," she said softly. "Aren't you going to make a wish?"
He swallowed another piece of pocky and glanced at her out his side vision.
"I have no wishes," he said.
Orihime gasped, loud enough to garner the attention of several people walking by, but not enough to really faze Ulquiorra. One eyebrow quirked up as she rolled onto her hands and knees and shoved her face into his. They were inches apart, one could easily lean in and capture the other's lips. Orihime's face heated up when she realized this, and she wondered if Ulquiorra noticed. This wasn't her smartest move.
"Come on, Ulquiorra-kun, there must be something you want to wish for!"
"There is nothing," he said evenly. "A wish is useless to me. I have everything I want already."
At this, Orihime was torn between irritation and flattered. Her cheeks were heating up, and she hoped against hope that he wouldn't notice. He'd never say one way or the other.
"I think they matter," she said indignantly. Then she softened. "But that's sweet of you to say. I'm glad that you're happy with me."
"And you're happy with me," he said. There was a questioning feel to it, even though he hadn't phrased it in such a way. She could see it in his eyes, silently and subtly pleading with her. He'd never come right out with it no matter how deeply she dug. Orihime had long ago come to terms with it, this was just how Ulquiorra operated.
That was fine, she could live with that.
Some things didn't need to be said.
That in mind, Orihime took him by the hand and smiled at him, warmly and lovingly.
"I'm very happy," she said.
The corner of his mouth twitched, almost forming a smile of his own. He closed his larger hand around his and gently squeezed. Orihime shifted positions so she was sitting again. She look go and dove for her paper and pen.
"Well, I think I know what I'm going to wish for," she said.
She felt Ulquiorra's eyes on her, never leaving for a second. She didn't know if he was reading over her shoulder or not, but she scribbled furiously regardless.
'I wish for Ulquiorra-kun and I to always be happy together and that we never have to part.'
When she was done, Orihime read it over again. It wasn't exactly as original as she'd hoped, but it felt right to her. She'd just have to save her other wishes, like a robot from the future or a new coffee machine, for next year. Ulquiorra gave a sigh, prompting Orihime to eye him. What she found was him pouring over the tiny slip of paper she'd given him, writing neatly in tiny letters. All at once, Orihime's jaw fell and her face lit up.
"You're making a wish after all!"
He nodded once, but didn't look up.
"It pleases you," was all the explanation he would give, and that was just fine for Orihime.
She badly want to hug him then, but resisted the urge and settled for helping him to tie his paper onto the bamboo stick. They lowered their wishes into the river and watched them float away, lit up by moonlight. Orihime linked her arm with Ulquiorra's as they walked along the opposite end, back towards the main festival grounds where everyone else would be waiting for them. Orihime looked out at the few people wandering around, some alone and some with friends. She deeply inhaled the fresh, warm air, filled with a contentment she hadn't felt in so long.
"Just you wait and see, Ulquiorra-kun," she said, closing her eyes briefly to savor the moment. "I know our wishes are going to come true."
He said nothing, and Orihime could only take that as a silent agreement. As for Ulquiorra, he lead her back to the shining lights and potent aromas of various foods she would no doubt drag him over to sample, all the while wondering how she would feel if she knew his wish was for more strawberry pocky.