Please review... For this story has already been planned from beginning to end, and will continue on despite all of my previously written threats. ^^""

It's been that way for a while, actually...

Ulquiorra sat on his bed, dressed in the boring pure white uniform of Las Noches Gakuen. He was contemplating whether or not to bother going to school today. He didn't feel like it, and knew that even if he went, there wouldn't be a real purpose in doing so. Not that such a fact upset him, it was only that… it was true. He looked at his clock, seeing that in only a half an hour school would be starting. He turned and allowed himself to fall back into his bed, deciding that he wouldn't go to school today. He hadn't gotten much sleep anyways last night.

Damn strange woman. I don't know if she could've become more annoying.

Ulquiorra sat up when a sudden knocking on his door was heard. Getting up from his bed, he walked over, and swung the door open. In front of him was the freshman from the night before. Ulquiorra was too surprised to say anything, and simply stared at her in disbelief. He couldn't even begin to think of what to say at this sight.

"Ohayou, Ulquiorra-kun." Orihime was energetic, even in the morning, Ulquiorra noted. "I was waiting in front of the building so we could walk to school together, but if we don't head out now, we'll be late."

"Woman, you never cease to amaze me." Ulquiorra was irritated that his plan would go unfulfilled today, since the woman had decided to invite herself to his home. He chose to massage his temples, a habit this woman was making him develop to release the pain from his mental stress, as well as the headache this woman seemed to provide with every turn. With a sigh, he retreated into his apartment, and returned, holding his schoolbag. As he left his apartment, he made sure that it was locked, and started heading towards the school, only to be followed by the freshman.

They silently passed by a few houses, before Orihime decided to make conversation.

"Ulquiorra-kun, want to hear about my dream last night?"

The girl found herself being answered only by his silence, and felt silly that she had tried to ask him something like that, criticizing her actions in her mind.

Ulquiorra wouldn't want to talk about me, he'd much rather me be interested in learning about him!

"What's your favorite color? What about your favorite book? Do you listen to music? What kind of music do you listen to, I like-" Orihime found Ulquiorra's hand covering her mouth.

Does she never stop talking? No, the question is whether she ever says anything intelligent.

"Woman, I have a splitting headache, and would prefer if you remained silent. Is that perfectly clear?" Ulquiorra's blank green stare meet Orihime's excited eyes, and she nodded her head vigorously, the third-year's hand still covering her mouth. Ulquiorra removed it, once again remaining silent as he trudged forward, hastening into a brisk stride, if for nothing else, to ensure he lost this infuriating woman. Unfortunately, she kept pace, causing the poor boy to deal with her presence even longer than he had been hoping.

Once they reached the school gate, Orihime noticed all of the students whispering as they passed by. She moved forward to ask what they were talking about, only to be stopped by Ulquiorra's hand on her shoulder. He shook his head, and she continued following him. Once they were farther inside of the school, Ulquiorra turned around and faced her.

"My homeroom is farther up ahead. If you don't get going to your own classroom, you won't make it in time." Ulquiorra motioned for her to go her own separate way. However, before she did so, she walked over to Ulquiorra, and straightened his tie, before turning around and running off towards her own classroom, waving at the still irritated and annoyed boy on his own, before he headed to his own classroom. He was greeted by Grimmjow waiting at his desk.

"Oi, Ulquiorra! Why the hell didn't you tell me you were dating that hot freshman chick?" Ulquiorra was taken aback for a moment, and most of the class turned and faced him with disapproving or pitying looks. Ulquiorra sighed and rubbed his temples in aggravation.

"Grimmjow, I'm not dating that aggravating woman. It seems she's grown attached to me, although the feeling is not mutual." Ulquiorra's harsh, stone cold response made Grimmjow look at him irritatedly.

"Oh, come on. You know she's hot. I mean have you seen her-" Grimmjow was cut off by Ulquiorra's foot. The other classmates simply waited for their teacher, knowing full well that violence was the only way to keep Grimmjow in line. "What the fuck was that for?" Another foot to the face. The teacher walked in and Ulquiorra took his seat.

Dozing off during class, Ulquiorra stared out the window, doing absolutely nothing. He simply stared at everything, observing every detail silently from his desk, taking in everything outside the window. Until lunch, Ulquiorra simply did this. It was his normal everyday routine. He decided to take a walk around the campus. He had nothing better to do anyways. He looked out the window, and saw the woman eating by herself. Her back slouched and head looking down, a pathetic weakness almost pitiable, in Ulquiorra's eyes. Ulquiorra decided to check on her, in order to ensure the woman knew of his reputation, and to ensure that said reputation kept her away from him as often as possible. As he came closer to her, she saw him and waved weakly towards him.

"Why are you sitting here alone? Did we not discuss that you have to pursue things, and that they won't just come to you?" Ulquiorra said, as he took a seat next to her. Orihime fidgeted around, obviously embarrassed that Ulquiorra had to repeat himself about something so simple.

"I know, but I tried and everybody just ignored me." the girl was obviously melancholic in her actions, and Ulquiorra remained silent, unreadable, and most importantly, uncaring. She looked up towards him confusedly.

"That's because you were seen walking to school with me. I am considered by the people both attending and working at this school to be a delinquent. Half the time I'm skipping classes and when I'm in classes, I don't even bother paying attention." Ulquiorra rolled his eyes inside of his mind, disliking that he had to explain such things to such a freshman girl, when his actions were normally known all over the school. Orihime simply looked taken aback.

"Why would you do that kind of stuff? You won't get anywhere in the future if you do that!" Orihime's voice expressed concern for the delinquent. Ulquiorra motioned for her to be silent.

"I have no goals, or anything I'm really passionate about. Why would I want to work here in school if I'm not going to do anything." Ulquiorra simply shrugged off her previous objection. Orihime simply sat there and stared at him.

"Um… So, why not join a club or something?" Ulquiorra turned to face the girl as if she was insane. It was the most emotion Ulquiorra had expressed, as far as Orihime was concerned. "You're not in any clubs, are you?"

"No, I see no reason to join a club. They are a commitment without any initiative to join. There's no prize in joining a club, no merit. Why would I waste my time with such when I can simply instill fear into others and have them do whatever I desire me?" Orihime tried to laugh off what Ulquiorra was saying, although internally, she found it… disturbing, to say the least.

"Well, have you ever been in a club?" Orihime was starting to become afraid of the boy sitting next to her. After all, it seemed this way a very violent person.

"No. Have I not already explained why I'm not in a club?" Ulquiorra seemed perplex. Orihime couldn't believe what she was hearing. Ulquiorra was sitting next to her, saying that clubs were absolutely worthless, and that no one got anything out of them, when he had never been in one! Orihime grabbed his hand and stood up, and started dragging Ulquiorra behind her, purpose in each stride she took.

"You are coming with me and signing up for a club." Ulquiorra thought about objecting, but since this woman did not follow any normal pattern of thought he had seen before, he figured that she would not react like a normal person and release him, so he simply remained silent. When the girl finally stopped in front of a bulletin board with a list of active clubs on it. Orihime took out her cell phone, and quickly made notes of every club that was on the list and the meeting places for after the school day was over. She released Ulquiorra's wrist. "You'd better show up in front of the school gates when the day's over, so that we can check out all of the clubs together, alright?" All Ulquiorra replied with was a grunt. Orihime sighed. "Is there really nothing that you enjoy doing?"

Ulquiorra remained silent, and he suddenly dropped his head and stared at the ground. Orihime could've sworn that she felt something was sad about him at the moment. He turned on his heel and started off. Orihime started after him, but he turned around, and a look of anger showed up on Ulquiorra's face.

"Do not follow me, woman." It wasn't a request, it was an order. The anger was not hidden at all within his voice. Orihime couldn't overcome the fear of this man in front of her enough to speak to him again. She simply stood there, left confused and lonely.

Once the school day was over, Orihime waited in front of the school gates, waiting for Ulquiorra. Hours passed, and she simply stayed in front of the gates. She no longer wanted to tour the clubs with Ulquiorra, they were all finished meeting. She just wanted someone to walk home with, feeling just as alone as she had in the beginning. She just wanted someone to keep her company.

"Hey, you're that chick Ulquiorra's been hanging around with recently, right?" Orihime perked up at the gruff voice that came from in front of her, and snapped out of her inner thoughts, and looked up to see a man, taller than her by probably a little more than Ulquiorra, with electric blue hair and eyes. He wore their same uniform, although he wore the shirt buttoned open, revealing what Orihime knew to be a very muscular torso. He seemed tough, and had a bandage on his face. His eyes were penetrating, invasive, and portrayed a kind of anger that made Orihime even more frightened than she already was. "Well? Aren't you?" His voice was growing impatient. Orihime could do little more than nod. "Why the hell are you still here? I was finishing some business I had, but you shoulda been home a while ago. Do you really love school so damn much?"

"I'm waiting for Ulquiorra!" Orihime objected to his comment, and looked towards the ground. "We were supposed to go visit clubs after school, but he never showed up." Grimmjow looked toward the girl with a kind of pitying look. "What is it?"

"Do you even know why Ulquiorra and I aren't in clubs anymore?" Grimmjow said, his voice dead serious, lacking the anger and impatience from earlier. "We used to be, as freshman. Ulquiorra was on the basketball team, and I was in the soccer club. I quit, but Ulquiorra suffered an injury in his first game, and he can't play anymore. It was the only reason he'd bother coming to school. Everything before it was just something he knew he had to sit through to get to what he loved doing. But he can't do it anymore." Orihime now realized why Ulquiorra had been acting as he had earlier. What she was doing was basically taunting him completely. She took off running towards the main school building, realizing that she had to find him and apologize for what she said.

He didn't come because he's mad because I reminded him that he can't do what he enjoys at all anymore. I put salt in that wound, and it made him so mad that he doesn't want to be around me anymore…

She ran for hours, completely unable to find him, until she heard a dribbling sound. She ran towards the basketball courts, and sure enough, there was Ulquiorra, still in his school uniform, dribbling a basketball against the ground, seemingly preparing for a shot. He jumped up into the air, aimed with one hand, and…

Bud, bud, bud bud bud…

The ball simply rolled off from his hand. Orihime simply stared, unable to understand. The girl couldn't register what had just happened.

"It won't go up." Ulquiorra stared at the basket in front of him, completely aware of her presence from the very beginning. "My arm can't go any higher than this. The one thing I truly loved, the only thing I lived for… It took but a moment for it to be ripped from my hands, when I had done nothing to deserve it. To lose something so important to you without a fair reason, when you had would dream about it… That is the true despair that I experience. No matter what I do, this arm will never go up higher than this."

Tears began to well up in Orihime's eyes, and she stepped away from Ulquiorra, afraid of this sadness that he was showing her. His knees fell to the ground, and he simply looked at her, a pitiful look plastered onto his face.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry, I didn't know…" Orihime started apologizing, staring at Ulquiorra with pity, fear, and sorrow. She turned her head, suddenly taking interest in the ground.

"Don't Look Away!" She quickly turned and looked up at Ulquiorra, who was standing up. "If you can't face my past sorrows and failures, things you yourself have never experienced, how do you expect to face your own? You have to be stronger, or remain as worthless as you are now." Ulquiorra seemed angry at her, and started walking towards her. He picked up his bag, breaking his pathway for only a moment and continued walking towards her. "You're all alone, right? Then face this and grow stronger because you know of sorrow. Become strong enough to face and accept it. If you can accept it, maybe you'll become stronger. If you become stronger, maybe you'll gather the courage to finally make your presence important to people here." Ulquiorra said, as he passed her. "Come on. Don't you have a family that would be worried about you? Do you even know what time it is?"

Why am I even doing all of this? None of this is necessary, and I find no point in it, but... If I left her like this, she'd become even worse than she is now... I suppose I'm doing this because... If she was too weak, she would cling tighter to me than she is already... Yes, that's it.

Orihime wiped the tears that were welling up in her eyes away, and followed Ulquiorra. She couldn't bear to look at him, she felt she had caused him so much pain and so much sorrow.

"Why did you wait for me?" Orihime perked up at his question. Through a sob she managed to reply.

"Because- y-you're an important person to me… My first friend here… The only friend I have here…" Orihime couldn't take it anymore. She fell to her knees, and starting crying uncontrollably. "And yet I still hurt you so much! I was so inconsiderate of your feelings! I'm a horrible friend!"

"Yes, you are." Orihime's sobs were only growing stronger. Ulquiorra kneeled down and tilted up your chin. "But you're my friend now, I suppose." He wiped a single tear from her face. "Crying like that doesn't make you a better friend." Orihime stood up and simply clasped onto him, muttering apologies.

"Woman, release me this instant!" Ulquiorra had not been expecting this, and lost balance, falling with Orihime on top of him. With a sigh, he embraced her weakly. They simply stayed like that for about five minutes, before Ulquiorra spoke and broke the silence between them. "We'll go visit the clubs tomorrow."

"But I- I…" Orihime was about to object, only to have Ulquiorra interrupt her.

"I wouldn't do this for someone who isn't a friend, alright? But we have to get you more friends right?" Ulquiorra looked up at the clear sky, staring at the stars, admiring how they lit up the sky. "Let's aim to make you a hundred friends, alright?" Orihime nodded, and smiled through her tears, managing to wipe them away.

"Only ninety nine more..." With that, Orihime giggled.

"Honestly woman, you make no sense." Ulquiorra stood up, and, brushing himself off, started heading off. Orihime followed suit.

Such a strange woman… But I suppose she isn't all that bad.

MAGICAL AUTHOR'S NOTE OF DOOM!(#1):

For those of you who actually read this far, thank you kindly. And I've decided that I'm going to give you a sneak peak at chapter 4. ^^

"Orihime walked into the room, expecting the chemistry lab to be empty by now, only to be greeted by stunning pink hair, followed by a small explosion. Orihime simply stared in disbelief at the figure who stood in front of her, who had taken to writing something down in a small notebook, and extinguishing a small flame that had lit up in his hair."

For those of you who can't tell who this is, shame on you. ^^