Running Scared Chapter 4

ORIHIME

I make my way towards him, stopping about a metre from his left. This is it, Orihime. It all ends here. 'Ulqui-kun,' I hesitantly ask. The glass at his lips pauses, his head moves towards his left, his forest green eyes look to mine.

'Ohayo, Ulqui-kun,' I shyly say.

I'm not scared.

I move the seat and settle upon the bar stool next to him. A blonde shaggy haired barman places what I suspect is a scotch in from of him. I watch him bring the glass to his lips and take a sip. He has such luscious lips, so perfect... Wah, don't get distracted. I drop my eyes to my lap, fidgeting with the hem of my skirt. Gah, just stay calm and think about why you're here.

'Orihime,' his cool voice interrupts my thoughts. I lift my gaze, letting the smooth fabric fall from between my fingers and look him right in the eyes. 'How did you come to be here?' He was always so precise, coming straight to the point. His face shows no expression, as he seemingly patient, awaits my response. How did I come to be here... 'Oh, um, well you see, I err saw you and your band on MTV last week,' I push the words from my mouth.

His tone is biting, 'Well, that is not unusual. Our AV's have been on heavy rotation for the past eight years. That is neither here nor there. I asked you how you came to be here.' I'm not sure how I want to answer his question, as I know even though he may be patient, if I don't give him something he will leave.

'I followed you,' I blurt out, anxiously biting my lip, awaiting his reaction. I look anywhere but at him. I don't know if I am ready for this at all, maybe this wasn't such a good idea... Maybe I can't do this. Maybe I shouldn't be here at – 'What are you drinking?' a petite heavily tattooed woman asks me, although she is looking straight at Ulquiorra. I don't like it.

Maybe she is more his type, more in tune with his rock star image. I'm just a pre-school teacher who has no tattoos or piercings to speak of... Ulquiorra has his face tattoos, amongst others. He has such beautiful, glossy black hair. I want to run my fingers through it, once again feeling its softness on my skin – 'She will have a lemon, lime and bitters. Add it to my tab,' he orders, and I'm brought back from my wistful thinking. He is not even looking in her direction, but that doesn't change my feelings of inadequacy. 'Yes, can I please have a lemon, lime and bitters – without vodka thank you,' I confirm my beverage order, in all honesty utterly astounded that he remembers my favourite drink. 'You remembered...' And just like that, my mind turns to the past...

FLASHBACK 23:02pm Friday 28 November 2003

Kurosaki Ichigo's Basement Karakura Town

Inoue Orihime 17 years old

I was sitting on one of the worn in brown leather couches in Kurosaki-kun's basement, between Ishida Uryuu and Kurosaki-kun. The coffee table was laden with vodka, rum, beer, red cups, and various mixers. Potato chips and crackers had been worked into the dark grey carpet. Kurosaki-san was at an international medical conference in Singapore, so Kurosaki-kun had decided to throw an end of the school year celebration, taking full advantage of his father's absence.

He was a little drunk, and had been trying to plow me with alcohol for the better part of the night. I don't like to drink alcohol, and he knows this. What's worse is that he knows why I don't want to. He leaned his head close to my ear and dragged one hand up my thigh, my skin starts to prickle – this is not what I want. I need to leave. His hand has moved underneath my skirt. I start to shake. He doesn't even notice. I'm reminded of something long past, but still at the forefront of my mind. I don't think I want to be here anymore...

Someone comes swiftly down the stairs, their steps purposeful. A dark aura spreads throughout the room, the mindless chatter of the party completely stops. 'Kurosaki, remove yourself from the woman's presence this instant,' Schiffer Ulquiorra's distinctly monotonous voice and threat noted by all. Kurosaki-kun noticeably tenses, removing his hand and putting some distance between us. He is dumbfounded. 'If I see you so much as place yourself within a 5 foot radius of my woman again, you will suffer,' Ulquiorra's threat is heavy in the air, and with that he takes my hand in his and drags me from the couch, up the stairs away from Kurosaki-kun and the bad memories that have begun to resurface...

'You are purposely avoiding my question – 'I followed you' – is not the response I wanted to hear. Elaborate, I am no mood for games.' I am brought back to the present by his commanding words, thankful that I don't take a longer trip down the darkest recesses of my past. He is looking at me as though he wants to devour me. Eep! He knows I can't help but surrender to him when he does that. His beautiful forest green eyes are looking right into my soul. I will not drown in those vast depths. I will not falter. His hand beats out some song or rhythm on his thigh, is he nervous? I'll give him what he so wants.

'Closure,' I whisper, finally giving my thoughts a voice. He is not going to like this one bit. I worry my bottom lip harder between my front teeth as I brace myself for the storm that I am sailing right into. I have to be strong. I can do this, I can be strong. It's my fault anyway, I will endure. I won't look away from him. 'And what exactly do you mean by that? Closure – I am fairly certain that you left me. There is nothing further to clarify. You terminated our relationship.'

His question isn't exactly a surprise. He has always been a curious creature.

However his tone is much harsher than I expected, his eyes look as though he is trying to force me to do something...but what? What can I do, Ulqui-kun? My chin quivers, I just know I'll start crying soon. I must try to control my tears. He always hated it when I cried, even though he never voiced it, I could tell. A tear escapes and travels down my cheek, I quickly wipe it away with my hand. Maybe I can't do this after all.

'I thought I could do this, Ulqui-kun, I really did,' I try to give him a real smile, but more tears come. Why does this have to be so hard? Get it together, Orihime. Endure it, don't tell him everything, but you at least owe him an answer to his question, considering you did follow him here. 'It's a lot more difficult than I first thought. As I watched you perform tonight, I was you once again had me in your thrall, caught in your web. I didn't come for that. I didn't follow you for that... I just, wanted to say I am sorry for how it ended...back then.' The words just fell out, I didn't even have to think about it.

The little blue men must be working hard in my brain tonight. I'm so exhausted, this is exhausting. I need to get it all out. A small sigh creeps past my lips, but my eyes remain focused on him, 'I just wanted to apologise for how badly I treated you...but then I saw you for the first time in eight years, singing so brilliantly, captivating the entire place with your very presence, the crowd hanging on your every word, every lick of your guitar...and I changed my mind.' I can't bear to see his reaction. I look at the ground, awaiting his next cruel words, his next dismissal of my very being – it's no less than I deserve.

'Apologise and be done with it, woman. Have your closure,' his big hand suddenly engulfs my left cheek. Eep! Where did that come from? He forces me to face him, fingers digging into my skin. His forcefulness hurts. I know what his forcefulness means. He wants something both physical and emotional from me. Ah, I remember how it was between us...his touch was everything to me. Still is everything to me... The air is so thick with tension I could slice it with a knife.

'Ping! Ping!' An iPhone message alert chimes, interrupting this moment, whatever it may mean. He removes his hand from my face and gracefully digs out an iPhone 6 from his back jeans pocket. Who can even do that in skinny jeans? He closes his eyes and breathes out. He seems somewhat frustrated. I wonder who has him this way. I hope it's not someone important, like a girlfriend.

Blink 182's I Miss You sounds. 'Excuse me for one moment,' he says to me, turning away as he slides his long index finger across the phone's screen, bringing it to his ear. 'Speak,' he orders.

My secret spy skills can only make out loud techno music. I can't hear the voice on the other end of the phone. 'So it would seem,' are Ulquiorra's only words to the mystery caller. It looks like he hung up on whoever it was. He turned his phone off then places it back in his pocket. He looks back to me, 'Continue or kindly leave my presence.'

Ouch, but I should have known, he is nearly at the end of his tether if his words are anything to go by. After all, not many people get close to Ulquiorra, he guards the gates to his castle quite heavily. 'It wasn't what it seemed Ulqui-kun,' I say as I shake my head, deciding that I just need to get on with it. He doesn't make idle threats. 'At that time, there were outside influences...I never wanted to hurt you.' He is leaning closer and closer to me. I can nearly touch his cheek with my own. I want to touch him. I want to be close with him.

'I came to your concert to see you perform one last time. I followed you as Grimmy-chan told me you'd left through the alleyway. I came into this bar to say goodbye to you and put an end to old ghosts. But when I look at you, here, now, I don't want closure...' I gently reach out for his hand, and wonder whether he will let me get away with such an intimate act.

He doesn't push my hand away. I bask in the softness of his skin, lighting up internally. He's letting me touch him, but his face isn't giving anything away. Should I continue? Will he want to hear this? He isn't moving away from me... Ah, you may not ever get another chance, Orihime.

This is it. Do or die. 'Is there a small chance that we could be – could be friends, Ulquiorra?' I ask him directly, using his name. 'I would very much like it if you could give me that one chance. I don't think that I could go another day not being in your life' There, I said it, my eyes look to his searching for any reaction or acknowledgment of what I've just asked him for. I know I don't deserve it, him or this chance.

'I do not know how I feel about this,' is his rushed response. Strange – he is always so calm, so collected, he is not one to rush or become flustered. I scoff internally, doubting that those particular traits have changed. His rushed response must be my imagination. He removes his hand from mine. I will not cry at the loss. I will not cry at the loss. Will I ever feel his touch again? 'Finish your drink,' another order. Drink, when did my drink get here? I note that he has not finished the drink in front of him, condensation water droplets falling down the sides of the glass. He hands the bartender a crisp hundred dollar bill with a brusque, 'Keep the change.'

He removes himself from his seat and the current situation. He hasn't even said goodbye, he is just leaving me here. What did I expect... I feel utterly defeated. But I won't give up. He touched my face. He let my hand touch his. My Ulquiorra, my Prince of Darkness, is not one for meaningless physical touch. Realisation smacking me right in my face, I suck in a breath. This is not the end of this!

I scramble down from my chair, knocking my hip in my frantic rush to catch him. I'll deal with that bruise later, it is just like the little blue men to try and thwart my resolve. It can't end here – I can't let him walk away. Not this time.

My footsteps echo against the wooden floor as I desperately, yet hopefully determinedly call out to him, 'Ulqui-kun! I know now must not be the time, but if you would reconsider, Grimmy-chan has my number.' He doesn't even acknowledge me, he just continues on as though he hasn't heard my plea. What is he thinking about – is he thinking about me, about us?

I watch him ascend the stairs and exit the bar, making his way into the night. The ball is in his court.

I wonder, does he even remember...

Author's Note:

Hello to all of you who have read, reviewed, followed, and favourited this story. I'd like to say a massive thank you I am really quite surprised and flattered by you all. I find it really interesting that you all are from different corners of the globe. So darn cool!

The next chapter will focus on parts of Ulquiorra and Orihime's relationship before it ended eight years ago, when he was 21 and she was 20. I hope to have this chapter completed within the next week or so.

Please note that this story is rated M for language, dark scenes (which will be in the next chapter), and future intimate scenes.