Argh this chapter is so short and I'm sorry, but I really wanted to get it uploaded.
It also wouldn't have made sense to start the next sequence in this chapter.
It just needed to be cut here.
Anyway, enjoy! Some shit goes down in this chapter!

The Mind Knows Reason, but the Heart Knows Bliss

Chapter Four

Written by Illuminate the Shadows

She awoke to the gentle tapping of raindrops upon the windowpane. Other than the soft sound, it was quiet within the room. Her body felt stiff. Dried tearstains traced down her cheeks, similar to the cyan marks on Ulquiorra's face.

Ulquiorra. Where was he? Opening her eyes slowly, she gazed up at the familiar paper lantern dangling from her ceiling. She felt, rather than heard the slow breathing beside her. She turned her head. His moss-green eyes were watching her.

"Until now, I have yet to have the opportunity to observe a human sleeping," he murmured. "It is intriguing."

"Did you sleep too?"

He shifted, gazing up at the ceiling. "Oddly enough, I did. It appears this body requires more rest than I anticipated."

She blinked, eyes looking right through him. Tatsuki had told her over the phone last night. She had cried herself to sleep. She really couldn't remember anything other than that. Had he stayed here, all night with her?

"Do you remember?" His voice was a soft murmur. She nodded, looking away.

"They're in love. They're getting married."

"Do marriage and love go hand-in-hand?"

Orihime sighed, sitting up and moving over to her dresser. Was he so oblivious to her obvious distress? "Not always. They're supposed to." He was silent. "What time is it?"

"Nine thirty in the morning."

"Oh no!" She began sorting through her clothes frantically. "I have an interview today!"

He watched her choose an outfit, speaking only when she turned to face him. "Are you certain it is a good idea to go, in the state you're currently in?"

"Ulquiorra, you don't understand," she murmured, looking for her snow boots. "As soon as I turn eighteen, my aunt won't send me financial support anymore. I need to get a job, and interviews are hard to come by." She stared at him for a moment before he stood to give her some privacy. Silently, he exited, and she undressed to step into the steaming shower.

Droplets of water traced down her body, hugging ever curve. She felt his fingers on her chin again. The pressure of his lips against hers. She closed her eyes. Usually, such thoughts would be about him. The variety was nice – she was glad, in a sense – especially knowing what she knew about Ichigo now. But, she couldn't help questioning it. Her mind was attempting to reason, while her heart was searching for bliss. And she wouldn't go against her heart. It was a vow she'd made to herself long ago.

She had always found herself imagining the droplets to be Ichigo's fingers. But now, she was different. She no longer had a one-track mind. What if they were Ulquiorra's? She shut her eyes, stepping completely into the spray.

A man of Ulquiorra's stature would never engage in such things.

"Hello, are you Inoue?"

She smiled and nodded, stomping the snow from her boots onto the floor mat. "Yes, hello!"

"Glad you could make it! This way, one of our managers is waiting for you in the back." Orihime glanced out the window where Ulquiorra stood on the sidewalk. His eyes were on her. He was... He was smiling.

Not quite a grin, but the slightest hint of a reassuring smile in his eyes that didn't reach his lips. She stared – so intently, that she didn't break out of the trance until the woman tapped her on the arm.

"Wha-, huh?"

"... This way, please."

Orihime followed, clutching her bag to her chest. Giving the impression that she was an airhead wasn't really the best way to start an interview.

"Do you have any experience as a waitress?"

Orihime shook her head, perched in the cushy chair of the back office. The manager was Tomas – a tall man with dark brunette hair. He was young; younger than she would have expected a manager to be. He had a friendly aura though, which made her feel more comfortable. "Well, you certainly have the right look. Thin, beautiful." Orihime felt herself flush. "How old are you?"

"Seventeen. Eighteen in two months."

"Excellent." He shuffled his papers. "I must let you know that the position open now is Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, from 6:30 to closing time at 11:00. You're in school still, yes?"

"No, sir."

"Ah." He raised his eyes. "Well, you'll be able to stay late, then. Very good. How will you be getting here?"

"I live right down the street."

"Forgive me if this seems intrusive, but... By yourself?"

She recognized his look, and lowered her gaze to her lap. "My father was a drunk. My brother took me away when I was very young. He died about eight years ago. But I live with, ah... Two friends."

"Do you have any relatives at all?"

"I don't know if my mother and father are still alive. But I have my aunt." Orihime met his eyes, a somber look upon her face. "She sends me financial support."

"Ah, but once you turn eighteen, that support will stop." Orihime nodded; embarrassed that he had figured her out so quickly. "Well, Orihime-san," he stood, "go see Hitomi and get your uniform. You start on Wednesday."

Orihime stared for a moment, and then broke into a smile. "Really...?"

Tomas returned her smile. "Really."

Ulquiorra had moved into the café, finding that the prolonged exposure to the chilled winter air caused his body to shiver. Becoming used to all the needs of this gigai was going to take some time.

The door to the back room swung open, and he caught a glimpse of ginger hair before she unexpectedly threw her arms around his neck. "I got it! He hired me!"

His instincts drove his actions before his mind could reason, and his arms came around her midsection lightly. After a moment, Orihime seemed to realize her mistake and stepped back from him, rubbing the back of her neck. His arms fell from her, and she giggled nervously. "Sorry. I'm just excited."

"I see," Ulquiorra murmured. For some odd reason, her joy triggered some sort of elation within him as well.

"Orihime...?"

She turned. Her mind went blank for a moment. Him.

He was alone, for the first time she had seen, in a while. Where was Rukia? She swallowed, able to feel the presence of the arrancar close behind her. She said nothing.

"Can I... Can we talk? Outside?"

She hesitated, glancing back at Ulquiorra. He appeared... Wary. She turned and followed the orange-haired teen into the cold afternoon.

"Orihime, what are you doing with him? He's the enemy!"

She avoided his gaze. "He's not our enemy anymore. The war is over."

Ichigo was quiet for a moment – perhaps he couldn't believe that she had defended the man who had, at one point, killed him.

"Did you, uh, get my invitation?"

She raised her eyes, getting a good look at his face for the first time. There was a light-gray bruise beneath his eye where she assumed Tatsuki had punched him. "Yes." She didn't mind lying, because she knew about it anyway.

"Will you come? I mean, Rukia and I want you to be the maid of honor."

Orihime felt as if she were going to cry again. She wanted so desperately to tell him how she felt; to scream at him so he would understand and leave Rukia to be with her. She knew she could be everything for him; more than Rukia would be. She'd known him for almost half her life. She knew him better than anyone. She wanted to tell him how much she truly cared.

But he already knew. He knew, and he had chosen her. Ulquiorra's words rang in her ears. "You deserve more than he has to offer," "It is a waste of your life chasing after something that's running from you."

"No," she whispered. Ichigo blinked, surprised, and took a moment to reply.

"... What?"

"I'm not coming, Ichigo." She couldn't ever remember calling him anything other than Kurosaki-kun.

"What's up with you, huh?"

Something inside her snapped. "I always believed in you! I always thought you would be there for us, for me. I always loved you!" She wiped away a stray tear. "And you knew! You had to know! And you chose her?"

"... She was just a better choice, Inoue. A better fit for me."

She never would have imagined her Kurosaki-kun could be so heartless, so mean. But he wasn't hers anymore. She blinked, and his body was against the brick wall of the café building. His feet were lifted a few inches off the ground. Ulquiorra's pale fingers were around his neck. She took a step back.

"Let... Me... Go!" Ichigo's hands grabbed at Ulquiorra's, trying to pry the hand away, but Ulquiorra's grip was steel.

"You will not speak to her in that manner." His voice was oddly calm, coolly contrasting with his actions and the situation. "She has always deserved better than you. You were lucky to even have the opportunity to have her as your own." Ichigo's struggles had ceased as he stared at the arrancar in what looked like a mix of disbelief and confusion. Ulquiorra leaned closer to the teen's face. "If it was not for her, the both of us would be dead. But you would have been defeated first. Don't forget, Kurosaki Ichigo, that I still retain my powers. You have nothing."

"What the fuck are you saying?"

Ulquiorra scrutinized him for a moment before murmuring a final sentence. "I pity the man who lets such an opportunity slip through his fingers." His fingers left the other man's throat and Ichigo slipped down to his feet, leaning against the wall as he gasped for air that his lungs lacked. Ulquiorra turned to her, jade eyes unreadable.

"What's going on out here?"

Tomas stood just outside the café doors, two other employees and a few customers behind him. Inoue glanced back at Ichigo, and then addressed Tomas.

"It's alright. This man was giving me trouble, and Ulquiorra took care of it."

Tomas glanced at Ulquiorra warily, and then at Ichigo, who was still leaning against the wall. "Are you alright, Orihime-san?" She nodded placidly.

"We were just going. Thank you, Tomas." She offered a small smile, and then looked at Ulquiorra. He walked around Tomas and the crowd of people, and Orihime followed. It took all of her self-control not to look back at Ichigo.