I am not really a fan of Ulquiorra always saying "woman" or calling Orihime "his woman," but I already made some of this OOC, and I didn't want to make it too OOC. I tried to change it to "Onna", which I think makes him sound much less chauvinistic . If you remember, "Onna" is what he calls her in Hueco Mundo (translated, it is 'woman' in japanese). If it's not obvious enough, here it is in writing: I DO NOT OWN BLEACH. Happy? Enjoy my lovely readers :D
The night was dark. There was no moon, there were no stars; it was just black, lonely, and cold. Everything was swallowed by night; nothing escaped its hunger. The only light that dared show its face was the arbitrary street light that stood out like white to black.
Yes, it was probably not a good time for anyone to be out alone walking around.
There was no one around; no cars, no pedestrians, the only person out happened to be a beautiful lady. Her breath fogged, floating up into the inky sky above her. She closed her eyes quickly to rid them of the cold feeling that was sweeping over her quickly. Her fiery red hair shone in the light as she passed under one of the street lights. Her silver eyes were constantly alert, although for some reason she quite enjoyed the calm of being out alone at night. Of course there was a fear, but it was overtaken by the serenity almost always.
It was not yet cold enough for snow, yet the sky seemed alive with activity. The clouds were threatening to drop droplets of rain any minute; she knew she had to get home fast.
Orihime was walking home from her friend's house. They had been watching movies the whole night, and she had lost track of time, which is the explanation for why she was out by herself so late at night. This was not normal for her, but for some reason she had been more tired than normal on this particular day, and had fallen asleep during the last movie.
It was times that she was alone that her mind drifted back to her past. She sighed, wondering how time had flown so fast. It had been 10 years since a very complicated relationship was ripped from her hands. It may have been complicated, but that doesn't mean that is wasn't what she wanted. Though a relationship should be the simplest thing in the world, it never turns out that way, and this was no exception. That last moment, when she had reached for his hand before the wind stole him from her, it haunted her every night of her life. For 10 years, she had suffered through the sleepless nights and the torturous mornings that followed. She knew none of these pains would ever be paid off, or ever be cured. She was damned to suffer these memories for the rest of her life, and she knew it. She had convinced herself of this a long time ago, only to put her wandering mind in some sort of ease.
She walked under a street light, her shadow casting to the side. She didn't stop, or even care to notice the movement that also inhabited the light. Her shadow was not the only one there. She could start to hear footsteps, and a distinct clicking noise very quietly from above, like nails on a hard floor. The sound was just too odd for her to place.
Dealing with the current situation, her mind pushed back the old memories and focused all its energy onto the approaching noise behind her. Breathing; she was in trouble now and she knew it. Orihime whipped around, only to be frozen by the sight of 3 burly men. She gasped, but tried to keep her body and rising fear under control.
"Hey there baby," the first one said. It appeared to be a gang of 3, and he was the leader. He was shorter than the other 2, wearing a black leather jacket and a bandana on his head. The other 2 behind him chuckled at his comment.
They passed under the street light, light passing over so she could see every detail of their faces. Her eyes focused desperately, trying to analyze the situation as fast as she could, but all the details were far too much to take in in the allowed time she had. Her mind raced, and her legs followed close behind.
She began to run, anywhere. It didn't matter where she ended up, as long as she was out of this and back in safety's arms.
Orihime was terrified. She was running like a frightened animal, completely blind to anything around her.
The night around her had suddenly became a very scary thing. It offered no guiding light to the way of safety, no warning to the shadows that could swallow her up. Breathing heavily, fog emitting from her mouth and nose as she worked to find an escape. Her ears pounded with the sound of running behind her.
They were chasing her.
She couldn't scream-not enough breath. She couldn't run any faster, and she suddenly couldn't remember where she was going. The situation was getting worse and worse with every step she took forward. Rounding a sharp corner into an ally, she hoped that she would be able to shake her pursuers in the back-allies of the city. She was deathly mistaken.
Orihime came face to face with a brick wall. There was no way out. She was a trapped animal. Panicked, she desperately searched in the darkness for an outing, but none were to be found. Just then, she spotted a small side ally, but it only went ten feet in before being cut off by yet another brick wall. She spotted a large trash dumpster, and decided her best option was to try and hide behind it. She threw herself down behind it in the shadows. The sound of footsteps rang inside her ears as the men approached. She held her breath, and squeezed her eyes shut.
Her eyes snapped open as something wet hit her on her head. She looked up, and noticed that it was starting to rain. A bolt of lightning crashed, illuminating the entire ally. As the light shone, her eyes locked with one of the men's eyes searching for her. Her eyes snapped and she gasped.
"AHA! Got you!" he yelled. The burly man grabbed her by the shirt collar and pulled her to her feet violently.
"Well well well, good work dude," the shortest man said to him. The two larger men were laughing and making animal sounds at her. Tears streamed down her face; she knew there was no way this would end well. Pictures of her dead and bleeding in the ally entered her mind as she let a strangled cry leave her throat.
"Awww, she's gonna cry boys," the leader said to the other two as they laughed even harder. Orihime's eyes focused on the leader's hand as it left his coat pocket, holding something sharp and metal. Another flash of lightning. Her eyes focused on the switchblade he was carrying. It only made her cry harder.
"Don't worry honey, we don't want to hurt you," the leader cooed at her with fake kindness, "we just want to play." A devious smile plastered itself on his face.
"Get her boys," he finally said, and like mad dogs after a piece of meat, they attacked her. She was held harshly, her hands bound behind her back as she tried as hard as she could to fight back. Unfortunately, 2:1 odds were not in her favor. With all the breath she had in her lungs, she let lose one loud scream, a shrill, awful sound. It flung itself through the night sky as hard as it could, but it only made it a short distance with the rain pounding the pavement below her feet.
From a high distance above, he could see everything. His senses were finely tuned, and very ideal for this type of setting. He could smell the rain coming as he sniffed the air. Yet, the smell of the nearing rain was no match for the scent of her. His eyes scanned her every second, locking on, and never letting go...never again.
Atop one of the many buildings of the city, the demon silently followed her from above. He was invisible in the night, black fur covering his lower half and his arms. Black wings adorned his back. They flapped every once in a while to keep him balanced on the small ledge of the building. His long talons on his feet gripped the bricks well. The click of nails on cement was the only sound he made.
Suddenly, he smelled another scent, three more to be exact. They were masculine scents, far differing from his woman's. Senses on full alert, he lowered his head, eyes fully focused on these new threats. He saw Orihime start to run, and then, his logical thoughts stopped. All that clouded his mind was that his woman was in trouble.
The demon followed, gliding across the tops of the buildings, until he saw the Onna make a sharp turn into an ally. A dead end... He was quickly perched onto the nearest ledge, directly over her. It took all the self control contained in his body to keep him from just swooping down and disposing of the trash, but he didn't.
However, it was never an option to let the Onna be hurt.
A certain wetness could now be felt on his head. The demon looked up, only to feel the rain pelting him in the face. He had been so focused on her, he had forgotten about the miniscule detail that was rain.
The creature witnessed the Onna running desperately in circles. He could smell her panic, it was thick in the air. Her sharp breaths came quickly, as she dove behind a dumpster. He watched as the men entered the ally, chuckling a disgusting laugh.
The sound of the rain was getting harder and louder, yet he could cut every other noise out of his mind, and focus just on his interest. Lightning crashed from above, illuminating the entire city for a split second. His eyes lost focus, blinded by the light.
"AHA! Got you!" he heard come from below. With a sharp inhale, his gaze was swallowed up by the sight of Orihime being grabbed by the shirt collar, then her hands being held behind her back. The black creature heard cries emitting from her mouth, and disgusting, animalistic noises emitting from the men in front of her. His lips twitched with anger, gracing across his sharp canines. No one was allowed to do that, no one except him that is. How so badly he wanted to attack those people, yet he stayed himself atop the building. The time was not yet right.
The creature saw the young lady begin to cry out of raw fear for her life. It only infuriated him even more. How dare they lay a hand on her?
"We just want to play," he heard the leader say, and the next thing her knew, he saw them all moving in on her. A low growl escaped his throat as he stood up. His wings twitched with anticipation and talons clawed against the side of the brick, making a soft scratching sound. Lightning continued to flash in the background, leaving black silhouettes where the bodies were.
This was it; the time was right. Jumping from the side of the building, he flapped his massive wings, landing without a sound behind the men. They were finished...
Orihime was being held against the wall behind her with strong force. She couldn't move, even when she tried her hardest. They were laughing at her as she struggled, which only stole more hope from her.
Silently, she had come to terms with what would happen to her. She knew she would be killed, left in the ally to die without anyone. Someone would find her body the next day, and sure, her friends would miss her, but she had no family. She wondered what would happen after her death, how everyone would feel, what would happen to the apartment, her job, her possessions. All things she had never bothered to think about before.
Just then, behind the men, she could spot the faint outline of something, something big, and something with wings? She must have been going insane. Could an angel be coming to save her? Orihime tried to focus harder with her eyes, which proved very difficult with one of the men's heads in the way. She tried to struggle to one side to get a better look. It looked as if...it was coming closer? What was this creature? The men were unaware of the creature's presence behind them, they were much too preoccupied with holding her still, as she continued to kick and fight against them with all her might.
Then, the creature stepped into her view. She then could see its features, its long horns atop its head, black wings, and furry body. It had a large gaping hole in its chest, which a black liquid flowed freely from. Black tear-marks cascaded down its face. Its lips were curled, sharp canine teeth showing and a very low growl was coming from it. It can't be...Ulquiorra.
"Foolish humans!" suddenly came its deep, growling voice as he grabbed the man holding her hands with his long whip-like tail, and brought him up close to his face. Glaring into the man's eyes, he muttered, "you will never hurt her."
"God damn!" the leader yelled as the other man holding Orihime promptly let her go and ran back to his leader's side. She fell to the ground on her knees, and could only stare up and what was happening before her.
Lightning struck again. In the blinding light, she saw Ulquiorra with his long clawed hands gripping the man's neck. Her sight returning back to normal, and she witnessed him violently ripping the man's throat out. A horrible gurgling sound came from his body, as Ulquiorra threw it carelessly behind him. Striding forward, he grabbed the second man, quickly ending his pathetic life, breaking the spinal cord with ease.
"Shit! What are you?" the leader asked as he backed up. Ulquiorra looked at him for a moment. The man's breathing was fast, and his eyes were wide. Orihime could only watch with wonder at how fast the tables had turned.
The angel of death.
His tail wrapped around the leader's neck, lifting him up into the air. He gasped for breath, grabbing violently at Ulquiorra's tail. A cling noise sounded as the man dropped his knife onto the ground. Ulquiorra lifted the man to meet his eyes. He stared coldly into the gang-member's eyes, opening his mouth and hissing loudly at him.
"Fuck you!" the member yelled at Ulquiorra with a hoarse voice.
"Now you will know True Dispair...filth," he said quietly, as he backed up from the floating man. With one fluid motion, he launched his clawed hand straight through the man's chest. The man gasped hard, all attempts to breath proving useless. His eyes were wide, as Ulquiorra's demonic yellow, tear-streaked eyes stared back with ferocious intensity. Rain droplets fells from his messy black hair that hung low in his face.
This man was not going to gain an inch of ground from him, even in death.
The rain seemed to form real tears, tracing the tear-streaks down his face and finally dripping from his chin. As he took his last breath, his body grew limp. Removing his hand from the man, blood dripped from his fur, mixing with rainwater. Matching his own, the newly formed hole bled down his victim's leather jacket, staining it. His tail unwrapped from the man's neck, and the lifeless body fell to the ground. It landed in front of his feet with a splat, a pool of blood quickly forming around it.
He had absolutely no respect for this husk of a man, and was heavily tempted by his own rage to further degrade the body for what he had done to his woman. Ulquiorra could picture himself ripping the body's arms and legs off, slashing open its chest, and doing horrible things to it. It brought some sort of peace to his mind. Revenge is sweet… Yet, he decided against it, he had to remember who was watching his every move after all.
He raised his head, to meet the wide-eyed gaze of Orihime. She slowly raised herself to her feet, her gaze never leaving his eyes. Ulquiorra watched her intently.
Slowly, she raised her hand, lamely reaching for him, like she had done all those years ago.
He would know her from anywhere, for she had not changed much from what he remembered. Her hair was still the same beautiful, fiery red color as it had always been, and her body was still the most beautiful sight he had ever laid eyes on. Her face had become a bit more mature, but that was to be expected over the course of ten years. He; however, looked the same, being that he did not age during the span of time. Hell, he was not fully formed for most of it.
Ulquiorra backed up two steps. He was unsure of what would happen next. Would she be mad at him? Reject him? Run away from him in fear? The possibility clenched his chest in a tight knot. No, please not again...
"No," she squeaked out. She closed her eyes, fresh tears rolling down her face. There was no way she was going to lose him again, not when he was this close.
Without his mind's permission, his hand began to raise, reaching out to her. He watched as she moved closer to him, slowly. When their hands were just a breath from touching each other, she stopped.
What if he left again? Would she even be able to handle that? Once was enough, could she take it a second time? The first time, she was ripped to shreds on the inside. Her heart was completely smashed, as they had just discovered their feelings for each other. Luckily for her, this time was not like last time.
He was here with her, reaching for her as he had once done, all those years ago. With a push of his arm, their hands became intertwined with each others. With that simple contact, each could feel the others body become lax and at peace. All worries that they had carried for ten long years, were suddenly gone. Their searches were over, they had found each other.
New tears ran down her face, and a smile plastered itself on her face. Ulquiorra; however, did not know how to respond. He did not know how to reply to this tightness in his chest that was becoming stronger by the second, or the relief that surged through him.
His eyes closed and a deep sign escaped him. All the time he had spent recovering, the sleepless nights, they were all worth it. Even if this was the only moment he got to spend with her, all the pain still would have been worth it, just to touch her one last time.
"It's really you," she said through her tears. Staring into her eyes, he saw disbelief, happiness, relief, and...something else? He couldn't quite place it. Guilt, perhaps? But, what did she had to be guilty of? Nothing that had happened was her fault, at least not in his eyes.
"Orihime," he sighed out. Her name felt foreign on his tongue, and she could feel the slight twitch in her hand as it left his mouth. It was rare that he used her given name.
Stepping forward towards him, she grasped him in a tight hug, a hug she so desperately needed. He did not hesitate to wrap his arms around her, not this time. Never again would he make that mistake.
Her body shook like a leaf, her face in the crook of his neck. He nuzzled his face into her hair, holding her tightly against him. He inhaled her scent as if he was gasping for a desperate breath. Like he was drowning, and he finally now had air in his lungs.
The rain continued to pour on them, dripping down their hair and skin. But it didn't matter one bit to either of them, for the only thing that mattered was that they were together. This feeling, it was something that both of them had been waiting for.
For the past ten years, it was all they had thought about.
The moon shone bright through the clouds, reflecting off the rain that continued to fall hard. It came down in sheets, creating a wave of light as they fell.
Ulquiorra pressed his lips into her hair, and then, began moving down her temple. "I'll never leave you again, I promise," was what he whispered into her ear. Raising her eyes to meet his, she kissed his tear marks down his face.
"You look so sad," she said to him.
Staring into Orihime's eyes, he replied "I'm not, for the first time since I was taken as a Hollow."
And then, he kissed her. Never had the fourth ever thought that such a simple action would feel so good. Humans always seemed to put so much emotion into the subject; he never understood it-not until now anyways.
Suddenly he no longer wished to do anything more for the rest of his life. If he could stand here for eternity, just kissing her, he would be content with that. Such a soft texture; it was indescribable.
Orihime's arms wrapped around his neck, pulling herself closer to him. Her hands tangled in his wet, raven black hair. Both put forth the same passion as the other. Ulquiorra broke off and began to kiss her upper lip. She would every once in a while, feel the glance of a sharp tooth against her velvet skin.
There were so many questions that were buzzing around in her head. Where were you? How did you find me? Why did you save me? Are you mad at me? Do you still love me? Unfortunately, none of those questions were even close to what came out.
"We need to get out of this rain," she sighed to him, although she had no will to move. Truth be told, she wasn't really even aware of the rain anymore.
"Where do you suggest we go?" he asked into her ear. It didn't take her more than a second to answer.
"My apartment," she told him without really thinking, sealing his lips with a kiss.
"As you wish, Onna," he said to her as he picked her up in his arms bridal style. Her head rested on his chest as he jumped into the air. Her clothes were soaked, plastered against her body.
The rain continued to fall on her body. She turned her head to rest on his neck.
After landing safely on the porch of Orihime's apartment, Ulquiorra let her down. "I'm sure you'll need a place to stay," she quickly said, before he even had a chance to think about leaving.
"I never intended to leave your side again, Onna," he said lowly to her. A huge wave of relief crashed over her. Finally, things were going to be the way they were meant to all along.
Both could not stand the tension that filled the air. I want you… both their gazes screamed to each other. It only took no more than a second, for each to act on these…undisclosed desires. Lips met and hands roamed.
Orihime struggled to get her key from her pocket, let alone get her body to listen to her. She turned her back to him, yet he did not let up on his attack. No, he continued to ravage her neck as she fumbled with the keys.
Finally she managed to unlock the door. She turned back to him, meeting his waiting lips with her own. Orihime knew both of them could feel it; they knew what would happen next. Stumbling passed the front door and through the living room, they had one destination in mind. Behind closed doors, the Devil and the Angel became one…
The bright sun seeped into the room through the white curtains that covered the windows on either side of the bed. The room was warm and had a very comfortable aura floating in it. The sound of a ticking clock clicked in the room. It was soothing, and awfully predictable. It seemed like those ticks had gone by much too fast with the events that went on well into the night before.
Orihime slowly awoke from her sleep. She felt warm and safe, and like there was no way she was getting out of this bed. No, she wanted nothing more than to just stay here all day with this man.
The redhead opened her eyes to see Ulquiorra half laying on her, his sleeping face nudged into the crook of her neck. His arm reached across her, grasping her shoulder lightly. His fur was silky smooth against her bare skin. She had neither the will nor the need to get up, so she didn't. No, instead she just laid her head atop of his, using her hand to stroke his silky black hair. She felt the contrast on his person; the strength of his horns, and the gentleness of his locks.
After a couple minutes of her sitting in silence, Ulquiorra began to stir, a low groan escaping his throat as he squeezed his hand on her shoulder. At the same time, the rest of his muscles tensed as he stretched from the night's sleep. "Good morning," she said to him. In response, he pushed himself up with his arms just enough to capture her lips in a warm kiss.
Ulquiorra then broke it, and laid himself back down in his previous position. It was obvious both were comfortable.
After laying there for quite some time in a very calm silence, Orihime reached for the TV remote, and turned it on. The TV sitting on the dresser in front of the bed immediately showed the local news station. On the screen, the reporter was on the scene of…a triple homicide?
She turned it up, intent on listening.
"Police say these three men, apparently gang members as revealed by police, were all murdered early this morning around 1am in an ally in the downtown-city area," Ulquiorra lifted his head to listen more closely. He stared at the screen intently.
"We are currently not allowed into the area of detective investigation, as the scene has been declared, 'too gruesome for television.' Investigators have revealed that there is no murder weapon present, and no suspects as of yet. If you have any information on this crime, you are urged," Orihime diverted her attention from the TV to the man laying next to her.
"They will never find a suspect," the man murmured as he moved his head back to its original position.
"You showed up just in time, if you had waited another minute, I don't think I would have made it," she told him, as she continued to stroke his hair, "it was obvious they had no intention of letting me go after…" She shivered a couple times, remembering the knife so close to her.
"I was above you the entire time, nothing was ever going to happen," he told her, his eyes still closed. "The first task on my mind once I escaped Hueco Mundo was to find you. I searched the city trying to find your reistu for only a few moments, when I found you foolishly walking around the city at night, by yourself might I add," he told her, "you are lucky I have far superior tracking skills than that trash I slaughtered in the ally, Onna."
"I just knew you were coming, that's all," she said mockingly with a smile. He gave her one of his signature glares. However, she knew that it was not out of spite that he did it, it was his way of showing he cared.
Lifting himself up over her, he looked her straight in the eyes, "do not do it again, like I said, you were lucky I found you that time." Yes, she was sure he cared, more than he was willing to admit. The smile on her face only grew wider, and a giggle escaped her. Ulquiorra just looked at her, one eyebrow raising slightly.
"You are a strange woman," he said before laying his head back down, clenching her closer to him.
There we are, a little one-shot i thought of while sitting in calculus class, with nothing better to do .
Where was Ulquiorra for those ten long years? He never really tells her, but he does hint that he was not whole...perhaps regenerating? Ah Ulqui, i guess we'll never know with you D:
A thank you in advance for ppl who review, and a virtual cookie :D
Cheers