(A/N): Okay guys, sorry for the long wait. I've been kind of bombarded with school lately. So, in exception to that, the story will probably be updated once every week, maybe twice, depending on my schedule. Please be understanding.

Anyways…

Review Replies:

Thank you, everyone, for all of your reviews. I most definitely wasn't expecting more than five. xD Now, there's only a few of you I'm going to reply to. I'm not going to mention any names (too much work), but you'll know who you are.

First, about the whole Death Note thing, it kind of bothers me that because I put that I liked L in my Author's Note, a couple of you are claiming that Ulquiorra's human form is L. If I wanted to write a story about L, I would have posted this in the Death Note section. Last time, I checked, the Author's Note and story were two completely different things. So, please, stop comparing Ulquiorra's human form to the characters in Death Note, because I said I liked L. There are several characters that I like, but the only character I was thinking about while writing this story was Ulquiorra.

Second, thank you, for your constructive criticism about Orihime's character. Although, I honestly don't see how she's out of character and seems to be Rangiku instead. Even so, I'll see if I can work on that. Also, try to remember that the characters are older in the story, and therefore, are more mature.

Third, *sigh*, please don't state the obvious by claiming that if I stayed in character the story would remain to be interesting. I think we all know this already.

Now that that's over with, I have one more thing to address. These stories on here are meant to be posted on here for fun. Despite that, I am open to constructive criticism and am willing to take advice from others, but remember that this isn't a job even though I wish it was. xD So, please, don't take anything seriously, and understand that I'm trying my best. I posted the story on here because I enjoyed writing it, and I wanted others to enjoy reading it. ^^

Rating: NC-17/R

Pairing: Ulquiorra/Orihime

Genre: Romance/Angst/Drama/Comedy

Description: I had never been good when it came to consoling others, but seeing her there... like that... I did not understand. I did not understand this sudden feeling that I had to touch her, wrap my arms her, and hold her. It irked me to my core to know that she was affecting me. What had she done? What had she done to me?

Leave Out All the Rest

Chapter Two: Reason

"Tell me," I said as I waited for her to finish her meal. "Why are you so infatuated with, Kurosaki?" I observed her from the other side of the room, making sure to keep my distance.

She winced at the sound of his name. "I'd rather not talk about it."

"You're the one that requested we converse, and now, at the mention of his name, you refuse to answer me. Why?"

"You just... you wouldn't understand."

I pushed myself from my leaning position on the wall and approached her. "How dare you tell me what I can and can not understand." Placing a single finger under her chin, I lifted her head so that her eyes met mine. "Answer me, woman. Why are you so infatuated with trash?"

With an expression that resembled that of coldness, she bitterly replied, "Why do you care? Why are you so interested about what I feel all of the sudden?"

Back then I had not been able to answer her questions, so instead of continuing to request an answer from her, I left her to wallow in her own sadness. Even so, the questions plagued my mind.

Why did I care? Why did it anger me when she showed emotion towards, Kurosaki, or mentioned his name? And why… why did I hate to see the sadness in her eyes?

More importantly, the real question was: Why do we continue to stand by a person's side when they continue to cause us sorrow?

"Why...," I stared, horrified, down the stairs. "What did... what did you do?"

"I did what I should have done a long time ago." His voice was hard, and slurred. "The fucking whore." He placed his hand on the rail, and gripped it until his knuckles turned white. "If anyone asks you about what happened, it was an accident. Do you understand?"

I didn't respond.

"Do you understand," he asked louder.

"Yes..."

He gripped the front of my shirt and shook me. "Yes what?"

"Yes, sir."

The corner of his mouth lifted then. "No, you won't tell, because you know it was your fault. You did this to her."

At the age of twelve I had had to endure watching my step-mother be pushed down the stairs by my father, and as a result...

... I was never the same again.

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I had had quite a rude awakening the next morning.

In the process of turning on my stomach, I managed to slip off the edge of the sofa, and land face first on the carpeted floor. "I see that this is going to take some getting used to," I said to myself as I rose to my hands and knees. I could hear the sound of someone running as they approached the living room.

"Ulquiorra, what the…," she paused mid-sentence and ran to my aid. "Are you okay?"

I assumed that she was unsure if she should assist me or not due to me disliking interaction with others unless necessary. "I should be fine."

"Not used to being human again yet, are you?" How concerned she sounded at that moment irked me.

She had managed to persuade me into staying at her apartment yesterday, given that my only payment would be doing chores around the house. I supposed that this was my punishment for how I treated her in Hueco Mundo, and in all honesty, if I had had any other choice, I would not be here right now. "I will have to re-learn everything all over again." I stood, the blanket falling from around my waist, and watched as her eyes widened.

Tinted cheeks were added to her wide eyes. "Ulquiorra…"

"What is it?"

"You don't have a shirt on."

"Your point?"

"Well… you… you don't have any pants on either." She nibbled on her bottom lip, but her eyes did not falter as they subtly roamed over my body. Despite the fact that me standing in front of her with only my underwear on was highly inappropriate, she didn't seem to truly object, regardless of her reaction to the current situation at hand.

"My clothes were damp," was the only reply I could think of as I felt my body warm under her gaze.

When her eyes met mine, she gasped and pointed an accused finger at me. "You're blushing."

… and to think that I had actually had the urge to kiss her a moment ago.

My eyebrows furrowed as I turned away from her. "Excuse me," I said before I walked to the bathroom. Once inside, I closed the door and locked it. Why was it that she could barely do a thing, and still managed to affect me?

Placing my hands on the sink, I looked into the mirror. Even though I knew of my past, I still felt as if there was a piece of me missing and it… it… troubled me. This feeling… this feeling that I felt in my chest… was very similar to the feeling I had felt the first time I had lived. It felt as if instead of something inside of me breaking or withering away, it was being pulled back together and healed… by someone…

"Ulquiorra," Orihime said as she lightly knocked on the door. "Are you okay?"

"Leave me be," I responded sharply.

She didn't respond immediately, and I could hear shuffling outside of the door. "You know," she spoke finally. "… I don't… I don't know why you're here, but there must be a reason for it, right? There has to be a reason you're here, so if you let me, I want to help you find out what that reason is. I want you to be able to trust me."

Trust?

"It probably seems weird to you when you feel certain emotions because it's been so long since you've felt them, but just remember that they're normal. No matter how strange they are or how much they hurt." Her voice sounded pained.

When I reached to unlock and open the bathroom door, I found that she had been leaning against it. She stumbled forward and I caught her by the shoulders. "Why are you so concerned for me," I asked as I lowered my head to nuzzle her hair unconsciously.

I felt her place her hands on my stomach, and with her head rested on my chest, she leaned into my embrace. It surprised me that I didn't recoil from her touch. "When we were in Hueco Mundo, no matter how cold you were towards me, I could always see hints of sadness and loneliness in your eyes. Part of me wanted to hate you, but I couldn't, no matter how hard I tried. You had changed something in me." She released a deep, shaky breath against my chest and a chill ran up my spine. "Because of you, I am as strong as I am today."

"Why attempt to strike me if you do not despise me?" Her scent was overwhelming me.

She lifted her head from my chest and looked up at me, perplexed. "Reflex?" Her cheeks were still tinted, and I couldn't deny how attractive it made her look.

"Hn," was my response to that as I stared down at her. I removed my hands from her shoulders. "I understand."

She pouted. "Besides, you kept me captive, and you were mean to me too."

"I refuse to apologize for my behavior simply because I was acting solely on instruction." My eyebrow rose as she poked my chest repeatedly.

"Solely on instruction? You were the one that suggested that I would be of good use to Aizen."

This was true. "Fine, then," I replied, irritated. "I apologize."

She smiled. "For what?"

"Woman…"

"For what," she repeated her question.

I could see that she would not let it be, and that she was finding this rather enjoyable. "I apologize for suggesting that you were useful to Aizen. Satisfied?"

"Yes. Thank you," she said softly, her smile widening. "By the way, we need to go and pick you up some clothes. Tatsuki's coming by later, and I don't want her to see you like… well… like that. Nearly naked."

"I suppose that would be wise," I said as I watched her walk down the hall towards one of the bedrooms.

What an odd woman.

"For now, I'm going to let you borrow some of my brothers' clothes. I think you guys are the same size except he's a little taller then you."

"You mean…"

She paused with her hand an inch away from the door handle. "I'm not surprised that you know about that too," was all she said as she entered the room.

I released a breath that I was unaware I was holding and closed my eyes. It also hadn't occurred to me till later that we had... hugged, or showed affection towards one another.

It was definitely going to take a while to adapt to human nature again.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

I sighed in irritation as I was stared down by Orihime's friend. Apparently, Orihime had forgotten to mention just how skeptical and inquisitive Tatsuki was of people she had never met before.

"So you two met in the café down the street, and you've known each other ever since?" Her legs were crossed Indian style as she sat in the arm chair across from me, observing me with narrowed eyes.

"Yes," was my bland reply.

"How long ago was that?"

"A few months ago."

"How old are you?"

"Twenty-one."

"Do you like, Orihime?"

"Excuse me?"

She sighed. "I asked you if you like Orihime."

Silence.

I watched Orihime from my peripheral vision. She was seated next to me, not too far away. Her eyes moved worriedly, back and forth, between me and Tatsuki with tinted cheeks. "Uh, okay guys, let's change the subject. Does anyone want some tea?"

"Are you going to answer the question or not?"

My eyes moved back to Tatsuke's. "I find her to be… suitable company at times," I said, giving into her.

She snorted. "Suitable company? What the hell?"

My eyebrows furrowed. "Is there a problem?"

"Tatsuki, don't be rude. You really shouldn't be so harsh all of the time." The worry in Orihime's voice was just as evident as it was on her face. Even so, I wasn't concerned about that at the moment. What I was concerned about right now was the woman sitting in front of me who looked as though she was ready to attack me at any given moment.

For the first time in the twenty minutes she had been present, she tore her eyes away from mine. "Harsh? It's not my fault you chose a creepy, emo looking guy for a friend."

My eyebrow rose in question. "Friends?"

They both stared at me, perplexed.

Next thing I knew, I was blocking and dodging a various amount of attacks from Tatsuki. As I blocked one of her punches, I could hear Orihime in the background, yelling for us to stop.

"If you're not friends, then what are you," she asked as she came at me again.

"What is it with you women," I asked blandly as I blocked another one of her punches with my arm.

"Will you guys please stop," Orihime frantically cried out.

Ignoring her, we continued our little fight. It had been a long time since I had had a good hand-to-hand combat with someone. Or, at least, the last time I had had one with someone who I considered to be a worthy opponent.

She stopped suddenly, minutes later. "Tch, you're pretty good."

"As are you." All that could be heard was our panting as we struggled to regain our breath.

"Kinda pisses me off that you're not even really trying, though."

I suppressed a had suddenly dawned on me that I was swallowing my pride to make Orihime happy. "I haven't given you my all simply because you're friends with Orihime. If I were to hurt you, she would be hurt too," I said as I stared Tatsuki down. My eyes moved to Orihime when Tatsuki didn't respond and I watched her as she folded her hands in her lap and nibbled on her bottom lip. She looked deep in thought.

Neither one of us spoke or moved for a while.

After that, the rest of the day revolved around Orihime and Tatsuki arguing in what I would consider a mischievous manner. During that time I believe I began to understand what the word friend truly meant.

Even though Orihime hadn't said it, I could tell that Tatsuki meant a lot to her. And if not hurting Tatsuke would result in her happiness then I would act in accordance with that decision. All because I hated to see the sadness in her eyes.

"Orihime," I said hours after Tatsuki had left. I could feel her eyes on me when I said her name most likely because I did it very seldom. We were seated on the floor, our backs rested against the sofa, in front of the television.

"Y-yes?"

"A long time ago you asked me to give you hope."

"I can't believe you remembered that," she said on a whisper.

I looked at her then. "What would your response be if I asked you…," I paused.

She stared at me, waiting. "Asked me what?"

"What would your response be if I asked you to give me a reason?"

Smiling softly, she pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her head on them, looking at me. "I would probably tell you that I'd try my best."

I did not respond as I turned my attention back to the television. Suddenly, I knew that that part of me that had been broken for so long was indeed pulling itself back together.

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-R&R