((Ok, so I know where this story is going-in theory but I don't feel like it's very good, certainly not the quality that you guys deserve for taking the time to read it. This chapter as well as the last one were written on my cell phone during my lunch breaks at work. I have a goal and a plot in mind, I do, but if it's not good let me know I'll scrap it and start over with something that works better. For reference this is after she's been in Las Noches for a bit, not right after her kidnapping. I'm not trying to beg for reviews but please let me know either via review or PM what you guys think))
Ulquiorra had seen Orihime safely to her quarters and answered her question to the best of his ability. He hadn't lied to her when he said he did not know if Lord Aizen would kill her. What he hadn't told her was that he feared daily that the naïve red head would do something that displeased his master and he'd be forced to end her life.
He knew the first moment he came to fear that. It was during one of the mandatory briefings that he was required to give on her mental health as well as the state of her "turning". He had expressed his fear that she would never truly join the espied or Lord Aizen's cause and when he'd seen the man's steeple fingers and pinched expression he waited with his pulse racing for the order he felt certain would come next. He would be ordered to end her life and dispose of her body like the trash he so often dismissed.
The thought of having to snap her neck; he couldn't picture his hand thrusting into her sternum, past her ribs to the fleshy muscle she anthropomorphized so being punctured by his fingers or crushed in his hand. The idea of her scarlet blood staining his pale hand was something his mind refused to imagine, his whole person rebelled against the idea of a violent death for Orihime Inoue. While he had already decided she was a strong girl he knew that his hands, that had meted out more death than she could imagine with her delicate, human heart. He knew that if was ordered to he'd have to kill her and he wouldn't not make it painful or violent. The woman who smiled for her, and spoke to him of hearts and feelings would not be murdered like trash. He would do it if he was ordered to..he wouldn't have a choice..but he would make it an easy death for her.
The idea of her body breaking under his hands caused him physical pain. Ulquoirra hid it but the idea of her death coming from him caused him a deep pain. He watched his master carefully trying to brace himself for the order he knew would be coming. He held his body rigid, his mind trying to work out arguments to prevent the woman's death. He would use logic. He'd point out how valuable her power was, and even if she wasn't wholly on their side she would still do as she was told. They could use blackmail or manipulation. She was especially susceptible to threats against her friends. If they were to kidnap a human that held no spiritual talent and threaten that human with torture he was sure that she'd comply. He already had the human picked out.
"Ulquiorra," He looked his lord and master in the eye prepared to fight for the woman's continued life. "Make our guest feel more comfortable. Make sure she is prepared food to her taste. Find her reading materials she will enjoy, but nothing that will give her hope for escape. Answer a few of her meaningless questions. Make her feel like my honored guest."
Ulquiorra could do nothing but stare.
Orihime had not slept. Every time she had closed her eyes she had had nightmares of her upcoming nuptials to Aizen. At home point she had imagined him strangling her on their wedding night in their marital bed. She was drawn and jumpy the next morning when Ulquiorra announced his presence and entered her room.
He paused and looked at her, his own appearance off in a way that she could not quite explain. His uniform was crisp, his skin held its usual parlor and his eyes..his eyes were the deep verdant that she had come to look forward to.
Las Noches was so devoid of color, she drank it in whenever she could see it. The red of her hair, the green of his eyes, the blue of Grimmjow and or the cocoa or Kaname Tosen's skin. Orihime never realized how for granted she had taken the world of the living. Her life in Karakura town had been so vivid and she didn't even know it until she had come to Hueco Mundo. He was still standing over her, studying her when the silent servant brought her meal.
The food was set before her and there was no threat. She looked him the eye and he silently held her gaze neither Ulquiorra or Orihime broke eye contact for a minute until he reached out and moved the dome from her meal. She looked down at the plate and felt her heart skip an excited beat as her eyes scanned the content of her plate.
Rice. Scrambled eggs. some curry chicken and, it couldn't be... She eyed the ramekin for a moment then picked it up and dipped her pinky finger in it before bringing it to her lips. It was..Red Bean Paste! She looked up at Ulquiorra who hadn't moved and broke into a smile. She was so happy that tears began to well up and she was soon sobbing.
Ulquiorra furrowed his brow in confusion. He watched as the woman before him broke down into tears and felt as is he was a failure. Was this red bean paste not her favorite food substance? Did it not usually bring her joy? He found himself at a total loss as he occasionally did with Orihime. The woman vexed his thoughts and now he felt as if his chest was being crushed by a huge weight. He was unaccustomed to feelings like this and had no idea what it meant.
Before he could process anymore thoughts he found her arms thrown around his neck and her face buried in his chest. She was babbling and he could only make sense of every few words.
"Thank you Ulquiorra. Thank you so much." He stood stock still and held his breath, he was strangely unwilling to remove her from his person. She was saying his name in a way that made him feel, lighter. He wasn't sure what to do so he allowed her to sob against his uniform, finding himself totally unable to care that his outfit was being soiled by her tears. He closed his eyes for a second and took a moment to allow his sense to take in the way she smelled and felt against him. He never really noticed how delicate her bones felt, or how small she seemed against him. He was not overly large but she was smaller still.
It stirred something inside of him. If he hadn't known better he'd have said it was a protective instinct. That was of course impossible because he was an espada, Lord Aizen's most trusted arrancar. He was incapable of caring, but he still enjoyed the feeling of her body close to him. He was enjoying the warmth of her and about to reach up his arm to touch her when she abruptly pulled away.
He watched her for any sign that he had done something to make her pull away from him but it seemed that it was her own sense of propriety.
She flushed as red as her hair and he found that this too was a pleasing site for him. She avoided his gaze and returned her attention to the red bean paste.
"How did you know this was my favorite?" He didn't answer, his voice having fled when he saw the vulnerability in her face and the way she worried on her lip. She didn't press him however, her hunger overcoming her interest and she began to devour the meal before her.
When Orihime finished everything on her plate she turned her full attention back to him and he saw pure joy in her face. It pleased him, but he did not show it. Neither of them discussed the events of the previous evening, both preferring not to think of it. Ulquiorra knew her reasons for avoiding the subject, but his own were not as clear.
He had never felt jealousy before and found now that he was unsure of it. He wanted to maul his lord and master. The man that had transformed him into what he was today.
What he was..he was a hollow.
He didn't have feelings. He didn't have wants or desires. He was a tool of Lord Aizen's will. He was a walking weapon. He curled his hands into fists into his pockets and willed the feelings inside of him to stop. He looked at Orihime and his resolved faltered. No, the woman. He looked at the woman. He had to think of her as such or he would be unable to perform his duties.
"Thank you Ulquiorra." She said, and he forced himself to look at her. He swallowed hard, she was smiling again as she said his name and it couldn't help but think that his name sounded so perfect on her lips. She had a lovely flush to her face and he wanted to do something that he could not name.
He only nodded and left her alone. When the door sealed behind him he couldn't help himself and he counted to four. Four times in three days he had brought a smile to her face.
He was as troubled by the knowledge that he cared as he was elated by the fact that he brought her even a fleeting moment of happiness, that he had caused her to smile..