A/N: I am delighted to be able to bring you another chapter so soon! :D I certainly hope all of you are as delighted to read this chapter as I am to be posting it! XD

Thank you to Hylla, Guest, hi1235, KizzoftheDead and Princess Miele for leaving such awesome reviews! :D Additional thanks go to alice Orihara Scarlet, Samiel04, redx2597 and Tristhiet for favoriting and/or following! All of you guys are amazing!

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Chapter Four – Invasion of the Mind

In less than a day, it was already becoming quickly apparent that my anger had gotten the better of me. I was regretting my plan before I even had a chance to start it. "I don't know the first thing about seducing a guy," I muttered crossly to myself as I soaked in the bathtub that night. "And one as difficult as Ulquiorra…what was I thinking?" I sunk lower in the hot water, until only my eyes were above the surface. "Mmf shmmlf bnnm," I exclaimed into the water, creating a flurry of bubbles on the surface. Tilting my face into the air again, I repeated myself in a whisper. "I'm so dumb."

Don't be silly, my internal voice argued. You're easily one of the most gorgeous girls in school; making him crazy for you will be a cinch.

"Um, there's just one problem with that though," I pointed out. "This is Ulquiorra we're talking about here. He's not going to like me any more just because I'm pretty and bat my eyelashes at him."

You also forget that one of your best friends is the most notorious mankiller in the school.

I wrinkled my nose at the smug reminder. "I haven't forgotten, thank you very much. But what do you think would happen if I told Rangiku about my plans to seduce Ulquiorra?" I paused for a moment as I let the hilarity of the phrase and situation sink in. Then I burst into laughter. "Did I seriously just say that?" I gasped in between fits of giggles. "My plans…to seduce…Ulquiorra! That is…too funny." I wiped a stray tear that had leaked from the corner of my eye, chuckling to myself as I struggled to catch my breath.

Focus! my internal voice snapped. I see what you mean about Rangiku. And there's no way Tatsuki would help you with this harebrained scheme of yours. That leaves…

"…Rukia," I finished aloud.

"You what?!" Rukia demanded, spraying juice from her mouth as she nearly fell over from the shock.

I leapt back just in time to avoid the worst of it, though my pajamas ended up a little misted. Grimacing, I wiped my face and made a show of cleaning up with a rag from my kitchen.

"Ah, I'm sorry," she apologized, kneeling to help clean the floor. "You just…surprised me."

I chuckled ruefully. "It's fine. I surprised myself, too." After my epiphany in the bath, I'd called Rukia immediately and asked her to come over. Sensing that something important was happening, she'd come right over, informing her parents that she would be spending the night. So here we were, in my dining room, discussing my insane plan.

"So…let me get this straight," Rukia said as she finished cleaning and tossed the cloth in the sink. "You decided that the perfect way to put Ulquiorra in his place…is to seduce him."

I nodded miserably.

"And you've decided to come to me for advice."

I nodded again. "Please, Rukia, you have to help me," I begged, taking her hands in mine.

She laughed nervously. "You do realize that Rangiku would be better suited to give out seduction tips, right?"

"Yes, but then I thought that she wouldn't tailor her advice to fit my personality, so she'd likely recommend giving him a strip tease or something equally embarrassing. Besides that, the whole school would likely know of my plan by the next morning."

"Oh. Valid points." Rukia sat back in a dining chair, her brow furrowed in thought. "Very well," she sighed after a moment, "I will impart of my knowledge to you."

Suddenly nervous at the grave tone of her voice, I leaned a little closer and whispered, "You're not actually a closet whore, are you?"

"Orihime!" she shrieked, swatting at me. We both spiraled into a fit of laughter—the thought of Rukia being a closet whore was just too funny.

"I'm sorry, I had to know," I giggled. "But is there a special someone in your life, Rukia?" I'd meant it in a teasing way, but the subtle blush that spread across her pale cheeks made me reconsider the possibility. "There is!" I gasped, leaning closer again.

"Shhh," she hushed me, looking around as if someone might be listening. "No one else knows yet." My eyes bulged incredulously. "Don't look at me like that," she said defensively. "We've only been seeing each other for a week, and we're just trying things out right now. You know, to see if we…click."

The glazed look in her eyes made my mouth fall open in disbelief. So that's why she's been acting so strange these past few days…. "It isn't Ichigo, is it?" I asked suddenly, giving her The Look.

"What? No!" she exclaimed, giving me a strange look. "Why on earth would you think that?"

I laughed at the tone of her voice, nudging her playfully in the ribs with my elbow. "I'm sure Ichigo would be thrilled to know he's so unappealing."

"Oh, hush! You know I didn't mean it like that!" Rukia laughed, swatting my arm away.

"I know. I just couldn't resist. So…if it's not Ichigo, then who is it?"

"Ah…he's one of Ichigo's acquaintances," she mumbled shyly.

That would explain her recent closeness with Ichigo. Well, more close than usual, anyways. "Awww! How did you…seduce him?" I coughed awkwardly at the last part, the word still feeling funny in my mouth.

Her blush deepened, and I wondered how bad it was. "It's actually pretty simple," she began, waving her hand in the air vaguely. "The first rule of flirting that you always want to remember…is to invade his mind."

I blinked at her. "Come again?"

She laughed, flapping her hand reassuringly. "Don't worry, it's nothing bad. Basically, that means you have to find a way to make sure you're always on his mind. Even if it's irritation he feels when he thinks of you at first, you've got to make sure you impress yourself thoroughly upon his mind. You need to be all he can think about, and then he'll be forced to confront his feelings."

I gazed at her in awe. "Are you some secret love guru? You read that somewhere, right?"

Rukia rolled her eyes and faced me with a serious expression. "Just trust me. It will work…better than you could ever expect." The last part was almost a whisper.

Seeing the dreamy, faraway look in her eyes, I shook my head incredulously. "You really like him, don't you?" I smiled affectionately at Rukia when she nodded, blushing furiously.

"Our taste in characters is so similar! He agrees that Chappy is cute, and he even praised my artistic ability." She fidgeted in her seat, a small, overflowing smile tugging on her lips. Then, suddenly, her smile was replaced by a frown.

"What's wrong, Rukia?" I asked, placing a concerned hand over hers.

She sighed, looking away. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to be a drag. It's just…I don't think it will work out." Her face fell, an utterly devastated look coming over her.

"Don't say that," I scolded gently. "If you both want it, it will work. Why would you say that?"

"It's just that…he's older and upper class, so he'll probably realize soon enough that he needs someone who can be his partner in every sense of the word. I'm still in high school, plus I have the rest of my university schooling to finish. There's no way he'd want to tie himself down with someone like me."

"Rukia, listen to me." I cupped her cheeks in my hands, forcing her to meet my gaze. "You are the top of our class; you have a bright future ahead of you. You're beautiful, funny, and a great companion. He'd be crazy not to want you. Besides, I'm sure his maturity will let him realize that he shouldn't pass up this opportunity, whereas a man our age wouldn't feel inclined to pursue a serious relationship. If he's even bothering to court you right now, I'd say there's a good chance he wants to be serious with you." Smiling reassuringly, I released her face.

She furtively swiped at a tear, facing me with a quavering smile. "Now who's the love guru?" she teased warmly.

"Well, you know me," I said with a wink. "I've just been in so many relationships with older men." We both laughed at that, and I was glad to see we had both relaxed after sharing our boy problems with each other.

"Thanks for asking me to come over, Orihime." There was a quiet sincerity in Rukia's eyes, and I merely nodded my understanding.

"We'd better get to bed now. Just one more day to get through before the weekend's here!"

"And the beach!" Rukia added, pumping her fist in the air.

Grinning and laughing, we headed off to my bed and drifted off to sleep with our conversation floating in our minds.

Tomorrow begins the enactment of my plan. I can do this.

I took a deep, fortifying breath before walking into the classroom that morning. This was it. There was no more time to waffle over whether to go through with my plan or not; this was game time. Steeling myself for the imminent encounter, I stepped through the door with my head held high. I had dressed especially nicely for the occasion—accessorizing my slate grey uniform with a pair of sexy black boots and matching onyx earrings, as well as a cute, curly side ponytail on the top of my head—in an effort to prepare myself for this moment. As I turned to face the back of the classroom, I was relieved to see that Ulquiorra was already at his desk. Remembering what Rukia had said—that even if I annoyed him, I had already succeeded in my plan—I summoned my confidence and strode over to his desk.

"Did I not already tell you to leave me alone?" Ulquiorra asked in a monotone without bothering to look up at me.

Aaand that was my cue. "You did," I said smugly, clasping my hands at my back. "I'm just choosing to ignore what you said."

To my slight irritation, he still didn't look up from his book. In fact, he turned the page as if to prove that he was paying it more attention than me. "If you know what's best for you, you will walk right over to your desk and let me continue pretending you don't exist." Despite the harsh words, his tone was still emotionless.

My eyes narrowed, and I clenched my fists in anger and a little hurt. "If this is how you treat anyone who approaches you, it's no wonder you don't have any friends." My tone was a little sharper than I'd intended, but I couldn't stop myself now. "I don't even know why I'm wasting my time trying to be one."

To my immense satisfaction, he actually looked up. It was a short-lived victory as he promptly deadpanned, "I don't need any friends."

I was slightly taken aback. Did he honestly think he meant that, or was he just trying to scare me off? Either way, I was no longer in the mood to play nicies with him. "Fine. Be a brooding jerk." And with that, I reached out and grabbed the book from his surprised grasp, snapped it shut and tossed it back onto his desk without the bookmark. Then I turned and stomped away to my desk, internally fuming.

What the hell is wrong with that guy? Is he like this with everyone, or is it just me he hates? Whatever. I'm just going to have to take a different approach on this.

The worst part about this whole thing was that it was obvious my plan wasn't working. The guy had openly told me that he pretended I didn't exist! That clearly meant he wasn't thinking about me. But in the process of going about my plan, I was constantly thinking about him. That put us on vastly uneven footing. If I could just come up with a way to guarantee that he had to pay attention to me….

That's it! I thought to myself excitedly. If I can pull it off, it'll be perfect! Now I just need someone to help me set it up….

"You want me to what?" Rukia asked, completely dumbfounded. We were hanging out in the bathroom, but we were currently supposed to be in history class. However, we knew that Mr. Kyoraku didn't care or take attendance, so I'd taken the opportunity to pull Rukia out for a quick powwow.

"Don't question me, Rukia!" I insisted, planting my fists on my hips. "Just accept it and help me out. Please?"

She sighed in exasperation, shifting her weight to one leg while she cocked her hip. "Orihime, have you lost your mind? That's entirely too dangerous! Besides, we have no guarantee that it would work."

"That's why I need your help—"

"What's too dangerous?"

Rukia and I both jerked our heads towards the bathroom door at the sound of the familiar voice. Standing there in the doorway was none other than Rangiku Matsumoto, raising an elegant eyebrow at us in question.

Busted…. "Ah, Rangiku," I said weakly, flashing a smile. "Why don't you come in? I'll explain to you as soon as you're away from the door."

"No need to worry; I came prepared." With a triumphant smirk, she placed an Out of Order sign on the outside of the door before letting it slide shut.

"You're a genius," I said with a genuine grin.

"Naturally." She tossed her strawberry blonde curls over her shoulder and flounced in, hopping up onto the sink and swinging her legs over the edge. "Now, spill," she ordered.

Rukia and I exchanged a glance before I finally settled back against the wall and began explaining. "Well, you know how Ulquiorra is my English tutor…and he's been nothing but a prick to me since the first moment we met…."

Rangiku nodded to show that she was on the same page so far. "Go on."

I drew a deep breath before letting it all out in a rush. "Well, I decided that the best way to get revenge would be to make him fall for me and then reject him."

We were all silent for a long moment before Rangiku finally broke the silence. She burst out into a loud, merry laugh that was actually pretty scary. At last, she caught her breath enough to speak. "Orihime, I am so proud of you. You're finally starting to think like a woman!" She clapped her hands joyfully and hopped off the counter to embrace me. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Returning her hug, I grinned helplessly at Rukia over her shoulder. "You have to promise not to tell anyone else, Rangiku. I mean it."

She pulled back and gave me a wounded look. "Aww, Orihime, you think I would ever do something like rat you out?" One look at both of our faces, and she chuckled guiltily. "Well, I suppose your concern might be slightly justified…but I swear I never act out of spite!"

I sighed and patted her shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry, no one thinks you do it on purpose; it's just how you are."

"Somehow, that makes me sound even worse."

"So will you help? And will you keep silent about this?" Rukia asked practically, giving Rangiku an amused look.

The strawberry blonde scoffed. "Of course I'm in! Seduction and revenge are my fortes." With a wink, she reclaimed her perch on the bathroom counter. "So, what's this dangerous plan of yours, Orihime?"

"It's not that dangerous," I grumbled, looking down at the floor. "I just thought that maybe the best way to get him to notice me would be to stage a situation where I'm in danger, so he has to save me again."

This time when Rangiku raised her eyebrow, I knew it wasn't preceding anything good. "Really? The old damsel in distress? You're joking. I will not let you do something as transparent and embarrassing as that on my watch!"

"Fine," I huffed, crossing my arms over my chest. "Then what would you recommend?"

"Honey, you haven't even learned the basics yet. And with a situation as…delicate as this one, you need to learn from a master." She pointed both of her thumbs at her chest to illustrate her self-proclaimed status as a seduction master. On second thought, it probably wasn't just self-proclaimed.

"Alright," I consented, hanging my head. I can't believe I'm going along with this…. "But if I agree to learn from you, I expect results."

"Oh, trust me—if it's results you want, it's results you'll get. Now, listen closely. I'm going to teach you how to be a bona fide heartbreaker. Rule number one: You've got to have fun."

I shot her a questioning glance. "Fun?" I repeated, to make sure I'd heard her correctly.

"Fun," she confirmed. "But when you've succeeded…you've got to be the first to run. No sticking around—you've gotta drop him like he's hot!"

My brow furrowed as I nodded in understanding. "Okay. I can do that. That's my whole goal, anyways."

"Then let me continue. Rule number two: Don't get attached to somebody you could lose."

"But you could lose anyone," I protested, momentarily forgetting that we were talking about one person in particular.

"Orihime. This is how to be a heartbreaker," she reminded me sternly. "Boys like a little danger. We'll get him falling for you in no time, little miss Player. Now, let me continue." I nodded my consent. "Rule number three: Wear your heart on your cheek, but never on your sleeve. Unless you wanna taste defeat."

"What does that even mean?" Rukia interjected.

Rangiku pursed her lips as she looked over at the waifish girl. "Let your emotions be seen visibly…just not your true emotions. Got it?"

Rukia and I both nodded, completely mystified at the person Rangiku had transformed into.

"Rule number four: Gotta be looking pure. You can kiss him goodnight, but leave him wanting more." Before I could clarify that there would be no kissing, she added, "That's a metaphor. What I really mean is you can give him a little seductive action, but don't ever satisfy his cravings too soon."

I still think she's missing the point, I thought to myself. I certainly won't have to worry about not satisfying his "cravings"—he won't have any!

"Now, there's one last thing you must remember, Orihime—boys like the look of danger. Be feisty, be sassy! He'll eat it up. Just remember to use moderation and know when to back off."

"Uh…okay." Whatever that meant.

"I just know you'll do well," she preened like a proud mother. "Now that I've set you on the right path, you can spread your wings and fly!"

"Uh-huh. I'll definitely take your advice to heart, Rangiku. Thank you so much!" I wasn't so sure about everything she'd suggested, but there were definitely parts that made sense to at least try. If they didn't work…well, it's not like I'd be erasing any progress.

"Anytime," she replied happily, turning to check her makeup in the mirror. After she ascertained that everything was in order, she slid off the counter and sashayed toward the door. "Be sure to keep me posted, Orihime," she said flirtatiously with a wink. "I'm just a text or a phone call away if you need any more help."

I smiled at her as she slipped from the bathroom, taking the sign that was still on the door with her. Turning to Rukia, I shrugged my shoulders with a helpless grin and followed Rangiku into the hall. Rukia followed, and together we made our way back to the classroom for the remaining fifteen minutes of class.

Remember the rules, Orihime, I chanted in my mind. Gotta have fun, don't get attached to someone you could lose, wear your heart on your cheek but not your sleeve, and look pure. Have fun, don't get attached, heart on cheek, look pure. Taking a deep breath, I decided that I would just have to treat this all like a game. As long as I didn't really become emotionally invested, I wouldn't be able to get hurt. That way, I could be as fun and flirty as I needed. From now on, no matter what Ulquiorra said or did to chase me away, I would refuse to give in. Starting with a little visit to his desk after class.

A/N: What do ya think of Rangiku's advice, hmm? XD Quite something. I wish I could take credit for that, but it's from a song called How To Be A Heartbreaker by Marina and the Diamonds. XD Seriously, go check it out. It fits this story perfectly!

The next chapter will definitely be more appealing, I think. ;) I'll give you one word as a clue: Beach. ;D Now, please leave a review! Thanks for reading, and I hope to update again soon!