Gunfire & Paper Hearts
Chapter 4: Bloodshed
A/N: Hello again ^^' I'm sorry for the late update, the last year at my current educational place is driving me insane, and my free-time have been at least halved because of the increased amount of work. Also, I've finally felt the brief feeling of being in love ^^ some of you will probably feel bewildered because of this, considering the fact that I usually write! About love, but it's true… ^^'
So, my real life is currently pulling me away from the dark spot at my laptop, and away from fan-fiction writing, so please bear with me ^^ Also to those of you who are waiting for an update to 'Undisclosed desires'; I haven't forgotten – It'll be updated once my passion for that particular fic will return x)
Enjoy reading ^^
Remember: English is still! Not my first language, so even though I try to be flawless, I probably never will be. Please bear with it x)
It felt like time stood still. The sound of raindrops falling mercilessly to the ground slowly faded, the invading scent of wet concrete disappeared, and it felt like everything simply faded away- at least to Ulquiorra. While Orihime continued to smile cheerfully, still painfully oblivious to the two males who steadily approached them, Ulquiorra immediately felt the familiar feeling spread throughout his body; The feeling of danger.
He knew who the two males were, which family they belonged to, and most certainly why they were there; in the rain, faces lowered and wielding two guns. Ulquiorra couldn't determine exactly what kind of guns they were using, but it was most definitely not in their hands because they wanted to defend themselves… It was never like that in the inner circle of the mafia. If a firearm saw the light of the day and didn't rest in ones pocket, it only meant one thing; Bloodshed.
Ulquiorra wasn't the man to take any chances, so before the two men got too close, he forcefully grabbed the swing Orihime was sitting on, and it made it stop with a strong tug. Orihime almost fell off from the sudden action, and she blinked her eyes in confusion; "W-what? Steady…" She laughed softly while she quickly enforced her grip around the swing. "If you do something like that without warning me I could have fallen…" However, she quickly became silent when she saw Ulquiorra's posture. Even though it was calm and prideful as usual he didn't stand behind her anymore in order to push her – he was shielding her.
"Mister Cifer?" She tried to reach him, her voice soft and questioning, but he didn't even flinch. He just stood there; seemingly motionless, and his hands buried deeply in the depths of his pockets. It made shivers run down her spine when he spoke;
"Quiet, woman." Even though Ulquiorra's voice was monotone and cold, he couldn't help but feel slightly annoyed by the fact that he had been caught off guard. Normally, he would have been more aware of his surroundings, but the young girl's voice and soft laughter had shrouded his mind; making him vulnerable to intruders. He didn't like it… he didn't like it at all.
The two males stopped about 5 meters from them; the long black jackets they were wearing hid most of their physical features, except for their faces. One was rather slim and had blonde hair, while the other was tall and rather buff with a bald head. At first, they simply stared at Orihime, an odd hunger evident in the bald male's eyes that the young girl herself couldn't understand, before their eyes moved to Ulquiorra who stared back at them with a never ending sense of calmness.
All it took was a couple of seconds and a deep laughter cut through the sound of rain falling. "Well well… Is that a ghost appearing before my eyes or am I just getting old?" The question was clearly directed towards Ulquiorra as the bald male's smile widened while his eyes analyzed every inch of Ulquiorra's appearance; his clothing, the way his hands were buried casually in the depths of his pockets, and especially the long green tear streaks that adorned his pale cheeks. "There can't be any doubt about it – no one would look like that voluntarily, unless they had a death wish."
"Zanipolo." Ulquiorra spoke the man's name casually. Zanipolo wasn't that known, and the mafia family he belonged to wasn't that known either. In fact, the only thing they were known for was murderers, some kidnappings, and countless bank robberies. However, since they rarely hid their trails very well, about 60 % of the family was already behind bars.
"You even know my name?" Zanipolo smiled as if he was satisfied by being recognized. "I'm impressed – but I guess it wouldn't be fair to expect less from someone of your caliber, Ulquiorra Cifer"
Ulquiorra allowed his eyes to drift elsewhere as the bald male continued to speak. "It's almost sad to see you like this – in the rain, out in the open where anyone could find you. I thought you wanted to keep your reputation as a ghost?" Zanipolo seemed genuinely surprised by this fact. "Why are you with this girl anyway?" The bald male stepped towards Ulquiorra with a few steps, and even though only 2-3 meters were separating them now, Ulquiorra didn't react. In fact, it seemed like he wasn't even listening. "I thought a man like you, a phantom, a killer, wouldn't degrade himself to simple babysitting even if his life depended on it?"
The othe male, the one who had been accompanying Zanipolo didn't speak – he simply followed behind Zanipolo and with his hand secured neatly around his gun. Ulquiorra could clearly tell that the blonde male was a novice when handling a gun; his hands were trembling slightly, and his eyes were wavering unsurely from side to side; paranoid.
"Stefano, get back into the van!" The harsh sound of Zanipolo's voice surprised the smaller male, and he stuttered when trying to form a proper sentence; "B-but the target?"
"I can handle this on my own; now get back into the van before I kick you in there myself."
The blonde male nodded unsurely, sent Ulquiorra and then Orihime a small glance, before walking back to the van he had come from. As he was walking back, Zanipolo smiled satisfied. "Much better, we can be 'alone' now."
Orihime moved restlessly at the swing as she tried to keep calm. The bald male, apparently named Zanipolo, made her feel uncomfortable. The way he was smiling manically, the way his dark eyes were desperately searching for any kind of reaction from the composed Ulquiorra, and the way his hand was tracing the hard steel of his gun. It all made her feel uncomfortable. She believed that Ulquiorra was capable of doing much more than his melancholic and calm appearance suggested, but Zanipolo could be identified as a maniac by just one single glance. All he wanted was blood… Even someone like Orihime could tell that much.
"So, Ulquiorra Cifer, are you up for a small trade?" Zanipolo smiled in anticipation. "All I want is the girl, and I'm sure that our family will let you in as one of their finest killers if you accept… just hand her over without any complaints, and I'll pay you on the spot as well, just name your price."
The rain only got stronger and more violent by the second. Orihime felt the raindrops gliding down her cheeks in soft swift motions and her dress clung to her body as if she had dumped herself into a bathtub. She was freezing slightly… but it was not the cold that forced shivers down her spine. It was Ulquiorra's words.
"She's yours."
Orihime's deep brown eyes widened and she opened her mouth to speak, to say something!, but all communication was seemingly futile on her behalf. Had he really been that insensitive from the start? Had he never really cared about her in any way like she had originally thought he did? Was her whole image of him simply a glorification of someone who would forever be lost to blood, power and money?
Her head lowered, and she gazed at her knees, lost and abandoned like a drowned kitten, when Zanipolo laughed and spoke again; "Aaaah, I knew you were smart, you see, the two of us are very alike… We both thirst for power, the rush that being on the edge of life can bring to your otherwise indifferent body. We live to be on the brink of death. To feel! Alive before anything else and I'm sure you'll be able to experience that feeling more frequently in our family, Ulquiorra Cifer."
Zanipolo lowered his gun slightly, stepped from in front of Ulquiorra, and walked past him in order to get to Orihime. With his hand outstretched towards the much smaller girl, he smiled suggestively in her face upon realizing that her clothing was completely soaked from the rain – revealing and emphasizing her womanly curves to perfection. "I never realized that she was such a little treat." His fingers got closer to Orihime's upper arm and she closed her eyes in order to somehow shield herself from the man in front of her, now where she was abandoned by the only man who had the power to protect her. "I guess that's why you were together with her, that makes sense, I'm sure you ravage her every night."
A shot was fired.
Orihime clenched her eyes shut while the loud sound still resounded painfully in her sensitive ears. She expected to feel Zanipolo's disgusting fingers brush against her upper arm but she felt nothing… the only thing she felt was tears that slowly glided down her cheeks mixed with the rain. The harsh reality came crashing down upon her. Someone had fired a shot, and she didn't dare to open her eyes in order to find out who it was.
She desperately tried to calm her breathing, but it only became worse. She gathered every inch of her courage before calling; "U-Ulquiorra?" Her voice came out afraid, bewildered and lost. She didn't know what she was supposed to do if the one answering would be Zanipolo… if the presence she could feel in front of her wasn't the green eyed male who seemed to have abandoned her in return for money and power. Would she be kidnapped? Killed? Raped? In fact, the thing she was most afraid of was the last thought that crossed her mind; to be alone once again.
However, when she felt a hand at her leg just below her knee and another one secured itself neatly around her waist, she didn't even have to open her eyes in order to know who it was. The familiar cold enveloped her whole body, and she clung to the male's broad shoulders – welcoming and breathing the cold as if, it was the only feeling she ever wanted to feel again.
He didn't speak, but that was okay. Instead, Orihime buried her face in the crook of his neck – inhaling his scent softly. She ignored the feeling of steel pressing against her waist, probably because the green eyed male still held his gun, but simply allowed herself to melt into his being.
And while Orihime listened to the sound of a van driving away, and the sound of rain once again became insignificant, she felt safe.
Perhaps it was a good thing that she didn't know the truth; that she didn't know how the green eyed male had pulled his gun in the last second, shot the man formerly known as Zanipolo right in the back of his head, and a dead corpse was now lying, bleeding heavily at the playground.
No, Orihime felt at ease once again.
Orihime was standing outside of her father's office. She could hear the mumbling sound of her father's voice, and that even though the heavy door and the massive walls isolated most of the sound. She tried to put her ear against the door in order to hear the words more clearly, but it only helped slightly.
A deep sigh escaped her lips and she sunk slowly against the door. She couldn't leave before she knew what kind of punishment Ulquiorra would receive for the incident...
She understood that her father would be upset, but she couldn't help but think of the worst case scenario; Ulquiorra being fired from his job as her bodyguard. He had protected her, he had only brought her outside out of consideration, and she didn't think that it would do any good to punish him for that.
"Do you know what kind of danger you put her in?" Orihime moved her ear close to the door once again, when her father's voice got louder. It was clear to her that he was upset, especially since he rarely showed any sign of anger at all. "She could have been killed – I clearly instructed you into keeping her safe from harm!"
Then silence filled the room for a couple of seconds, and Orihime moved her whole body closer to the door in an effort to listen even better. "You've only been her for a couple of days, and this already happens… I knew I shouldn't have gambled like this when deciding to hire you." His voice was genuinely disappointed, and Orihime felt her heart stopping for a second. "I'll give you one more chance… She's to attend a party this next weekend with her fiancé, and I expect you to be there and keep an eye on her. If you cause any trouble, or encourage her into doing anything that may harm her, our deal is off. Is that understood?"
Several minutes passed, and Orihime quickly removed herself from the door once Ulquiorra walked out from the office again. Her deep brown eyes searched for his' green ones, but he didn't look at her. So in order to get his attention, she carefully grabbed his sleeve and made him stop before he managed to leave.
"Ulquiorra?" She didn't think deeper about the fact that she used his first name all of a sudden, but simply continued to speak in a soft tone. "I'm sorry on my father's behalf… He's simply doing it because he loves me and wants me to be safe…"
She didn't get a response immediately, so instead her deep brown eyes dug into his back. She could still see how his long black coat was drenched from the rain and it made her feel bad… especially since she had already changed into some dry clothing.
"Ul-" She stopped herself from finishing his name upon realizing that one of his hands had left the safe spot in his pocket. He turned towards her, his deep green eyes calm and collected, while the now exposed hand was brought to her wrist. His hand was cold and still slightly wet, but she didn't mind.
"If he loved you more, he would allow you some freedom." Orihime blinked her eyes in confusion and she felt how Ulquiorra drew closer with every breath she took. "Apparently he thinks that these walls are keeping you safe…"
Orihime gazed at him with a strange hint of longing. His voice was low and intoxicating, as if he was telling her, and only! her a secret that could never be shared with anyone else. "He thinks that what you want is safety, but in fact he's just strangling you."
Orihime stepped back once Ulquiorra's grip around her wrist was enforced, and she first stopped when she felt the nearest wall against her back – Ulquiorra's figure instantly following, and looming over her like a shadow endlessly following her around. His lips were dangerously close to her neck and she could feel his breath against the vulnerable area. "Like a bird in a cage."
Orihime placed her free hand at his wet shirt just where his collarbone was. At first, she wanted to push him away, but she ended up simply clutching at the moist fabric… She was at a loss of what to do. His presence wasn't uncomfortable in any way, but it still felt oddly forbidden to have him so close. She could practically feel his abs pressing against her stomach,, and she had to take a deep breath in order not to let out a sudden involuntary moan. He had her in the hollow of his hand.
"These walls are a prison; a prison where I am apparently assigned to being your caretaker." His voice kept being low, and Orihime felt trapped between the wall and the green eyed male's deluding words. "However, I am also here to provide you with safety… And I don't believe that these walls are bringing you anything good mentally. In fact, I believe that you would be much happier outside, on your own, where no one could decide your way of living…" She felt his hand travel from her wrist and down to her palm. Her eyes widened slightly when she felt his fingers trace her engagement ring. "…or who to marry."
Orihime finally found the courage and strength to awaken from his deluding words. With her hand still at his collarbone, she applied pressure and made him move away from her. She snapped her head at him; her deep brown eyes slightly defiant; "You are not the one to decide such a thing!" Her breath was slightly heavy, and she stepped backwards when escaping the dangerous space between the wall and him. "I-I…" She tried to form a proper sentence. "Emilio treats me nicely, and he can provide me with food and a safe place to live… he… he's…"
"He can't make you happy."
Orihime blinked her eyes, gazed at the green eyed male's indifferent face for several seconds, before she turned her body in a quick motion and walked away. He didn't follow her, but even so she rushed down the long corridors with the invading feeling of tears in her eyes.
She was not crying because she was frustrated, she was not crying because she was mad at him, she was crying because he told the truth.
A/N: I know that some of you would have preferred the mafia members being real Bleach characters, but I probably won't introduce any! Bleach characters to this fic besides from Ulquiorra and Orihime. I simply want to focus on them and their relationship, and too many other important characters would be too complicating for me xD R & R to make me happy ^^