And here we are at chapter three already! Oh my!

I'm sorry that I wasn't able to update yesterday but I did warn you ahead of time that I was going to be very busy.

Things start to get interesting in this chapter. Some things are said that need to be said and some things are said that should not be spoken.

It seems like almost everyone in this chapter has sex on the brain, with the exception of our two main characters of course. Rangiku and Ikkaku especially have a lot of misconceptions about the type of relationship Orihime and Ulquiorra have. Ah, if only they were right.

There will be more questions than answers at the end of this chapter, especially about Yumichika. Just what is he up to? And who is he talking to at the very end there?

Please enjoy this chapter! :)

"What were you thinking?" Rangiku cried out. "No, that's just it. You weren't thinking! Why did you leave the party with him? What would you have done if something bad had happened? You're lucky Shūhei came to rescue you when he did."

"Hisagi misunderstood the situation. I wasn't in any danger at all!" Orihime looked away from Rangiku, desperate to avoid the other woman's gaze.

"Shūhei said you seemed distressed and that the Hollow had his hands on you." Rangiku put her hands on her hips and stared down at Orihime. "Are you telling me he's seeing things?"

"No. He saw correctly. Ulquiorra was holding onto me and I was distressed but... well, it's not like that. We were just talking. I was acting childish and I annoyed him. A-and he's not a Hollow. Not anymore." Orihime dared a glance up at Rangiku. "You have to understand, he wasn't going to hurt me. He wouldn't do that."

Rangiku stared down at Orihime quietly before nodding knowingly. "Oh, I understand fully well. You're in love with him."

"I'm what!" Orihime shrieked.

Rangiku nodded. "It's perfectly natural. It's the sort of thing that sometimes happens between the captor and the captive, though I've never heard of it lasting so long. But I guess when you love someone... it never truly goes away."

"Th-that's not the case, Rangiku!" Orihime blushed brightly and waved her hands wildly to force away the idea. "We're just friends! That's all! He doesn't feel that away about me and I don't feel that way about him!" She laughed nervously but it was clear that Rangiku's thoughts were elsewhere now. She had a sad look on her face and Orihime then realized, Rangiku was thinking of Gin Ichimaru.

"Listen, Orihime. I can't really blame you for feeling the way you do. Just be careful who you give your heart to." Rangiku forced a smile at the younger woman to stop herself from becoming too depressed. "You really can't trust anyone to care for your heart the way you do."

"But I told you, it isn't like that. Ulquiorra and I... th-things are complicated. For a long time he would berate me for my human emotions. He didn't understand them because he didn't feel them. But toward the end he... well, I think he started to understand. He started to feel. He reached out to me in the final moments of his life and he wanted to know if I was afraid of him." Orihime laughed sadly and shook her head. "But how could I be? Despite his appearance, in that moment he was the most human I had ever seen him. I knew then that he suddenly understood everything he had berated me for. He had a heart after all. And watching him disappear that day truly made me feel as though I was losing a friend."

"He's still a danger." Rangiku stared down at Orihime calmly. "I hope you understand that. We truly don't know what his intentions are or where his loyalties lie. For all we know, he could be on the same path that Aizen was. We have to take every precaution to make sure an incident like that doesn't happen again. You being near him is dangerous as well. Being near you might trigger something for him and cause him to do something drastic. Right now the possibilities are endless and we just can't allow anything bad to happen. We can't be sure about him, and we may not ever be able to be sure."

"But I'm sure about him." Orihime said softly, more to herself than to Rangiku.

"Are you? Really? I was so sure about Gin, Orihime." Rangiku sighed. "I'm not saying that you should give up on that feeling, but just don't give one hundred percent of yourself over to that feeling."

"I understand." Orihime nodded sadly. "S-so, is that the only thing you came to talk to me about?"

"Of course not! I came to congratulate you on a job well done! You passed the entrance exam! You're officially a student at the academy now!" Rangiku smiled and patted Orihime's head. "We have to celebrate! With sake!"

"Oh please, no more sake!" Orihime covered her mouth, gagging at the thought of wretched drink. "We should celebrate by cooking a meal instead! Oh, but I don't have a kitchen here."

Rangiku looked around for the first time since she had stepped into Orihime's dorm room and made a face. "You don't have much of anything here! This is a really small place Orihime. Well, that settles it then!"

"That settles what, exactly?" Orihime asked a bit concerned.

"You'll have to come live with me! I insist!" Rangiku smiled and nodded. "No arguments about it! This place is simply too small for a big breasted woman! Besides, if you live with me I can keep a closer eye on you and keep you protected. And you can cook all of our meals since you're such a good cook! It'll be just like the time I stayed at your place in the human world!"

Orihime laughed softly. "I couldn't. I don't want to impose on you."

"Oh, you wouldn't be! Truthfully, I get lonely at times. Having you around will be fun! Please Orihime! Come live with me!" Rangiku pouted and stared at Orihime with big sad eyes until the other woman nodded in agreement. "Perfect! It'll be so much fun! Just pack your things!" Rangiku paused to look around again. "Er, well I suppose you don't have many things to pack. Just grab your academy uniform and we'll go."

"Alright." Orihime scooped up her uniform in her arms and glanced back at the room. She saw that the first aid kit she had used to bandage Ulquiorra's wound was out on the table from the previous night. It made her wonder if he had made it back to the barracks safely and what he was doing now.

...

"Are you listening to me?" Ikkaku asked angrily as he followed after Ulquiorra. "I'm trying to talk to you!"

"I can hear you just fine. Speak." Ulquiorra said as he continued to walk toward his destination, the library. "I can't promise I'll answer you but I can hear you at the very least."

"Why did you leave the party last night? Do you know the panic you put everyone in when they realized Inoue was gone and you were nowhere to be found?" Ikkaku said as he finally caught up with Ulquiorra's swift pace. "Everyone thought you were with her."

"I was with her." Ulquiorra said matter-of-factly.

"What? Why?" Ikkaku looked at the other man but he received no response. "Do you have a death wish? Is that why your hand is bandaged? And where are we going anyway?"

"To the library. There's a book I want to read. It's a book from the human world but we have a vast collection of data so there's a chance it may be there." Ulquiorra stated to Ikkaku. "Maybe you can help me find it."

"I don't know anything about books. Yumichika might be able to help you, but... hey! You changed the subject!" Ikkaku growled and stared hard at Ulquiorra. "What were you doing with Inoue?"

"We were talking briefly. She asked me to escort her back to the academy. I accepted her request." Ulquiorra shrugged. "I don't see the issue."

Ikkaku blinked at Ulquiorra's nonchalant attitude about the situation. "So did you get to see the inside of her dorm room, if you know what I mean?"

"I did. It's small but it serves its purpose just fine." Ulquiorra glanced at Ikkaku. "I don't see why that matters."

"You lucky dog!" Ikkaku laughed and nudged Ulquiorra playfully. "Inoue is so beautiful, you lucky bastard!"

Ulquiorra looked to Ikkaku in confusion. "She is pleasant to look at. I don't know what that has to do with me being lucky. She's the same as any other woman."

Ikkaku stared at Ulquiorra in disbelief. "He's so cold! But maybe that's his appeal." The third seat officer cleared his throat and shook his head. "If you say so. Still, I wouldn't be letting a woman like Inoue too far from me if I were you. You don't want to lose what you've got, especially if you decided you want more from her than just, you know."

"What more could I possibly desire from her?" Ulquiorra glanced at Ikkaku again growing even more confused. "You aren't making any sense."

"Whoa! He's super cold!" Ikkaku forced a chuckle and shrugged. "Whatever. I'm not gonna tell you how to keep your relationships. Obviously whatever you're doing is working for you." He continued to follow the fourth seat officer as they entered the library. He'd personally only been there a handful of times to tug Yumichika away from organizing the books but currently it was devoid of any faces he knew.

Ulquiorra walked over to the librarian who glanced at him and then quickly averted her gaze. It seemed even she had heard of the "infamous Hollow Man." He looked around the library quickly before deciding that he probably wouldn't be able to find the book on his own. "I'm looking for a book from the human world. Romeo and Juliet."

Ikkaku watched Ulquiorra in bewilderment. He thought he'd heard the man ask for Romeo and Juliet and if his memory served him correctly from the small amount of time he had spent in the human world, the story was about a tragic romance. "This guy doesn't make any sense! He's so cold that he'll use Inoue for sex, yet he wants to read a book about romance? I think he's got things backwards."

"The book is in the Human World Literature section under the romance subdivision." Ulquiorra said as he returned from the librarian's desk.

Ikkaku snapped to attention from his thoughts and forced a smile. "Well then, that's my cue to leave. Books aren't my style, especially romance books. Hope you find what you're looking for. Oh and if you see Yumichika in here organizing books tell him I'm looking for him, will ya?"

Ulquiorra nodded and watched as Ikkaku quickly retreated from the library. He started in the direction of Human World Literature noting that he was gaining a few strange looks from the patrons of the library as he passed them. He rounded a corner into the section he was looking for and began searching for the romance subdivision when he stumbled upon Yumichika sitting on the floor with a pile of books around him, seemingly enthralled in whatever he was reading. "Ayasegawa, Madarame is looking for you."

"Wh-what are you doing here!" Yumichika shrieked. He slammed the book he was reading shut and jumped to his feet. "Are you spying on me?"

"I'm looking for a book in the romance subdivision." Ulquiorra replied.

"Well you're in that subdivision!" Yumichika said nervously. He stared at the former Hollow and tried to hide the books he had been reading behind him. "Get your book and get out."

"I have to look for it first." Ulquiorra turned his attention to the rows upon rows of books and began scanning over the titles. "Madarame is looking for you."

"Is he here in the library? He can't find me in this section!" Yumichika said in a panic. "I'll never hear the end of it."

Ulquiorra glanced at Yumichika. This was the first time he had seen the other man so disturbed. "What's wrong with this section?"

"It's romance! And human romance at that!" Yumichika sighed and knelt down to pick up the books he had been planning on reading. "Looks like I'll have to finish these another day."

"Why don't you just take them back home with you and read them there?" Ulquiorra asked as he continued to scan the books for his desired story.

"I can't be caught reading these! The endless torment I'll receive from Ikkaku and the Captain and Lieutenant, I can't bear it." Yumichika's gaze flew to Ulquiorra. "You can't tell them you found me here!"

"If you think that reading those books is bad, why do you keep doing it?" Ulquiorra paused in his searching to turn his full attention to the always candid Shinigami. "Why not stop?"

"Because there is so much beauty on these pages. I can't explain how it makes me feel when I read them. Love is a beautiful thing, and it's something I've never experienced. But I can live it through these books. Unfortunately, I've finished all the romance stories in the other sections. That leaves me with the human romance books. They're a bit boring at times, but some are enthralling. Some even get a bit steamy at times and..." Yumichika scoffed and turned away from Ulquiorra. "Uhg, I don't even know why I'm telling you all this. You wouldn't understand, you don't have a heart."

Ulquiorra blinked at the back of Yumichika's head. He decided against correcting the man in telling him that he did in fact have a heart. Having a heart was what separated the Shinigami from the Arrancar and he was now a Shinigami. Instead he turned his attention back to the rows of books. "You've read a lot of these? Do you know where I can find Romeo and Juliet?"

"Romeo and Juliet? What do you want with that book?" Yumichika whirled back around and snatched it off the shelf where he had replaced it earlier that morning. "This is a beautiful story. The ending however... it's so beautiful it's almost ugly. Why does someone like you want it?"

"I have an interest in the story." Ulquiorra held a hand out to Yumichika. "May I have it?"

"I'll hand it to you on one condition!" Yumichika clutched the book against his chest and eyed Ulquiorra warily. "You don't tell anybody that you saw me here."

"It's no business of mine what you do in your free time. It isn't anybody else's either." Ulquiorra stared at Yumichika, the other man staring back at him. After a long quiet moment the other Shinigami deposited the book in his hand. "Thank you." He nodded his head to the fifth seat officer and turned away. "Ayasegawa, don't forget that Madarame is looking for you."

...

"Dinner was delicious Orihime! Thanks!" Rangiku said as she patted her full stomach. "So, are you excited about starting the academy tomorrow?"

"Mmm hmm!" Orihime nodded happily. "I'm a bit nervous, but it shouldn't be too bad. Everybody at the academy seemed really nice."

"Of course! You're a celebrity! Everyone in Soul Society knows what you and your friends did. You're a hero!" Rangiku smirked and winked suggestively at Orihime. "I'm sure you'll be popular with all the men. Maybe you could find yourself a good boyfriend or two!"

Orihime laughed nervously and shook her head. "I don't think so. I'm not quite ready for that."

Rangiku smiled at Orihime sadly. "You still love him, don't you? Ichigo Kurosaki... did you ever finally tell him?"

"No." Orihime placed her hands in her lap and stared down at them. "The time just never presented itself. He was always busy, splitting his time between being a Shinigami and trying to live a normal life. I couldn't complicate things for him with my own selfish needs. He needs his own space, he's a Shinigami and a human."

"An idiot, that's what he is." Rangiku poured herself some sake and drank it down. "He'll never live a normal life, he's foolish to try. One day he will die and he'll come here to be a Shinigami. But by then you'll have moved on and then he'll realize too late just how wonderful his life could have been if you had been in it. Don't you dare wait for him Orihime. That only leads to heartache, trust me."

Orihime nodded slowly. "I know."

"Besides, you think you're not ready to move on yet but as soon as you get in your class and all the cute guys start fawning all over you, you'll forget all about Ichigo and that Hollow." Rangiku smiled widely. "I promise."

"I don't have feelings for Ulquiorra!" Orihime said with a small whine in her voice. "I wish you'd quit saying that."

"You call him by his first name." Rangiku said with a raised eyebrow. "That sounds like you're pretty familiar with him to me."

"That's because I didn't know much about him for a long time. Ulquiorra was the only name I knew him by and it was the name he demanded that I call him. I guess it just became a habit." Orihime shrugged and smiled. "Old habits are hard to break."

"Tell me about it. It's as plain as the nose on your face." Rangiku leaned forward on the table in front of her and grinned. "So tell me, what other little habits did you pick up while you were in his custody? Anything steamy?"

"R-rangiku!" Orihime blushed brightly and covered her face. "Don't say things like that!"

"Why not? It's not a big deal unless it happened!" Rangiku reached out and tugged at Orihime's hands. "Did it happen?"

"O-of course not!" Orihime pulled away from Rangiku in embarrassment. "I've never done that before!"

"Never? Not with anyone?" Rangiku looked at Orihime surprised. "I would have assumed at the very least, you and Ichigo. Well no wonder you're so shy! We'll have to change that!" Rangiku laughed excitedly. "I have a new goal!"

"Please, Rangiku! No!" Orihime covered her face with her hands once more. "I don't want your help with that!"

Rangiku reached across the table again and began tugging at Orihime. "You know, Byakuya Kuchiki has been single for quite a long time! You could always marry him! Then you and Rukia would be like sisters! You'd like that, wouldn't you? And Ichigo would be so jealous! That Hollow too for that matter!"

"Rangiku... please!"

...

"You know, you've got a lot of courage reading that out here." Yumichika said as he approached Ulquiorra. "It's bad enough if the Captain saw you, but if anybody else saw you they'd try to give you some physical punishment."

Ulquiorra didn't bother to look up from his book as Yumichika approached. "As Madarame would say it, I have nothing better to do. I can stand guard all night but nothing exciting will happen. I might as well read while I have the time."

"How can you see in this light?" Yumichika stepped closer to Ulquiorra and peered at the pages. "It's bad for you to read in low light. It causes your eyes to strain."

Ulquiorra turned a page, still intent in his book. "I'm used to reading in scarce light."

Yumichika chuckled and leaned against the wall where Ulquiorra had propped himself up. "I envy you."

It was at these words that Ulquiorra paused and looked up from his book to glance at Yumichika but the other man was just standing with his eyes closed. "Why?"

"You're able to read a book like that without a care of who sees you." Yumichika sighed and looked to Ulquiorra. "I wish I could be so free."

"You could be if you chose to do so." Ulquiorra looked back to his book in thought. "Your concern with appearances confuses me. You have two conflicting sides. You like things that you perceive to be beautiful and you strive to achieve that beauty, yet you shroud that all in a different demeanor because it goes against what the division likes and you don't want to be outcast from them. On my first day within this division you told me that dishonesty was ugly, therefore you would be completely honest with how you felt about me. Yet you're being dishonest to yourself and your squad by hiding the things you love from them."

Yumichika laughed and leaned his head against the wall, closing his eyes once more. "I can't believe you remember me saying that to you. And so you know, I hate that you're right. I can't justify my reasons, I can only explain them. Simply, I want everyone to like me. The Captain and Ikkaku are the two most important people to me. If they didn't like me, I'd have nothing. That's also why I envy you. The Captain likes you and Ikkaku is starting to like you too, yet you do nothing to make them like you. I try so hard to fit in with them despite my obvious differing interests and there you are, not trying at all and they like you just as much."

Ulquiorra looked to Yumichika, finally closing his book. "Their approval matters to you?"

"More than anything." Yumicika sighed and shook his head. "I know you wouldn't understand. You obviously don't need approval from anyone."

"That's not true." Ulquiorra looked down at his bandaged hand. "Yesterday morning, when she told me the Shihakushō looked good on me I felt... happy."

Yumichika looked to Ulquiorra out of the corner of his eye. "Ah, so you seek Inoue's approval. I wonder why that is."

"The things she went through at my hands, the fear of losing her friends and her own life. I would taunt her with the idea that her friends had come to save her and then crush her hope by telling her they stood no chance. I tried to make her see that there is no point in life or in having hope. The psychological damage I caused is irreversable and in the end, I was the one proved wrong." Ulquiorra turned his gaze from his hand to Yumichika and back again. "But if she can forgive me, if she can become the satisfaction of my sins... nothing else matters."

"So it's sublimation that you seek and you feel you can obtain that through Inoue." Yumichika smiled. "How do you plan on achieving that? You're not allowed to be around her, but you're not exactly letting that stop you, are you?"

Ulquiorra looked to Yumichika. "The Captain told me to act like a member of this squad. You all do whatever you want without fear of the consequences. I'll start doing the same until I've gained that woman's forgiveness."

Yumichika let himself slide down the wall until he was sitting on the ground. "How do you plan to do that?"

"I don't know." Ulquiorra sat hesitantly beside Yumichika and stared down at the book in his uninjured hand. "I've been reading this book for ideas. She compared our situation to it, I figure it's a good place to start."

"She... oh my." Yumichika's smile turned into a wide, knowing grin. "I don't think your problem lies in gaining her forgiveness. She's far past the point of forgiving you. She's in love with you."

Ulquiorra's eyes flew to Yumichika in shock. "She what?"

"Isn't it obvious? She protected you yesterday morning. She could have let you be arrested but she wanted to talk to you and see you. I'm also assuming that you were in fact with her last night when you both disappeared from the party and that must be when she told you that your situation is like that of Romeo and Juliet." Yumichika let out a dramatic sigh. "How romantic, now I envy you even more."

Ulquiorra swallowed hard and stared down at the book in his hands. He didn't know how to handle this information. He knew very little about love but according to what he had read so far, it was a silly and whimsical notion that caused people to go against their better judgement and act irrationally. "You're sure that's how she feels about me?"

"I've read a lot of books on love. She may not realize how she feels yet, but in time she will. Her actions speak louder than her words and even her words are saying that she loves you." Yumichika sighed again and looked up at the sky. "It's all very romantic. One day you'll marry, maybe even have children."

Ulquiorra felt knots growing in his stomach. He felt petrified. "I don't think I can do that."

Yumichika looked to Ulquiorra a bit disappointed. "Why not? You love her too, don't you? And she's very beautiful."

"She..." Ulquiorra paused as he thought about Orihime; her hair, her smile, her exceptional physique. They were all things he'd noticed before but he'd placed them at the back of his mind so that he could accomplish other tasks. He had forced himself to see her as just another woman but now with Yumichika's prodding questions he was having a hard time doing that. "Sh-she is very beautiful, but... all I could want from her, all I could ever ask from her is forgiveness. Nothing more. In her forgiveness I can find justification for my existence."

"You're very depressing, you know that?" Yumichika yawned and stood up to stretch. "It seems you still have some things to learn about what having a heart actually entails. Oh well, it's not my job to teach you. See you around."

Ulquiorra blinked at Yumichika in irritation. "You're going to tell me all these things and then leave me alone to think on them?"

"A man is best left to the solitude of his own thoughts." Yumichika glanced back at Ulquiorra and smiled. "I'm tired, I need my sleep. And besides, I can't let anyone see me talking to you. I have appearances to upkeep you know. I can't let anybody see that I'm starting to like you as well. Good night, Hollow!"

Ulquiorra returned his gaze to the book he clutched tightly. "Orihime... loves me? Why? After everything I've done to her, she should hate me. Everyone else does. I... I just have to avoid her. If I do that then her feelings will go away. It's the best option. I can't allow this to happen to her."

...

"So, did you speak to him?"

Yumichika smiled deviously and nodded. "I did, and I think your plan is going to work perfectly. At the very least he feels beholden to Inoue. At the most... well, let's just say this could turn out to be a very interesting situation."

"Perfect..."