Illegal

Streaks of moonlight: I hadn't actually planned on a NnoiNel story or any pairing for her. I guess I could add GrimmNel as a pairing for you ;)

Sorry I haven't updated. My little cold turned into pneumonia, so I was sick for almost two weeks. Anyways, enjoy the chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach

Ichigo Kurosaki and Rukia Kuchiki stood outside Orihime's small apartment. The raven haired woman held a basket of sweets while the man rang the bell for the third time. The two exchange worried glances.

"Maybe she went out," Rukia suggested. Ichigo frowned; Orihime had said she was taking a break, but he hadn't seen her for a good two weeks. Karakura town wasn't that large; you usually met the same person at least twice in two days.

"Orihime?!" Ichigo banged on the door. No one answered. He kept banging, which caused quite a ruckus. A woman, a few doors down, poked her head out of her apartment.

"Would you stop that noise?! Ms. Inoue hasn't been home for the past two weeks, so leave us in peace!" she shouted before slamming her door closed. Ichigo paused and stared at Rukia who only gave a shrug. The two slowly made their way out to the sidewalk.

"Do you think she went on vacation outside of Karakura?" Rukia asked. They were heading back to the police station since there was nothing else to do.

Ichigo scratched his chin. "If Tatsuki were here, she would know where Inoue went. Anyways, she would've told us if she was going on a long trip." Tatsuki had traveled to America with her Aunt and wouldn't be back for another three months.

The two had just made it to the front of the police station when a man with a striped bucket hat walked out. Yoruichi was following him. The two were in a heated argument, well more like Yoruichi was arguing and Urahara was laughing. The man noticed the two first and smiled widely.

"Ah, Ichigo and Rukia! How are you?" he asked, still smiling. Rukia gave a polite bow while Ichigo stared at him.

Ichigo squinted at the man and pointed at him. "You're...who are you again?" Rukia's eye twitched in annoyance at how rude he was being.

"You can't have forgotten me after meeting me twice, Kurosaki. I'm the lowly-but-handsome business man of Urahara's Candy shop," he explained. Yoruichi shook her head, but made no comment.

"Oh yeah, you're Mr. Hat-and-Clogs," he mumbled more to himself. Rukia elbowed him in the side, hard. She gave a sweet smile to the blond man while Ichigo groaned and rubbed his aching ribs.

"It's nice to see you again, Urahara-san," she said. Urahara smiled his eyes going to the basket of sweets.

"Who are those for," he asked, innocently. Rukia glanced down at the sweets, which were rabbit shaped cookies she had made this morning.

"We were going to give them to Inoue-san, but she isn't home," Rukia explained.

"Oh, Ms. Inoue still hasn't come back from her mission?" Urahara questioned. Yoruichi's eyes widened as Ichigo shot a dark look at the man.

"Kisuke!" she hissed. Ichigo narrowed his eyes at the woman. Rukia looked between the two.

The orange haired man clenched his fists. In a low voice he said, "What do you mean that Inoue went on a mission?"

"They weren't supposed to know? Oops, sorry." He didn't sound at all sorry, and hid his expression under his hat.

Orihime sighed as she got out of her bed. She had been in Las Noches for two weeks. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened during that time. She would wake up, have breakfast with Nel either outside or they would cook, they would go out with Ulquiorra following, come back and have dinner. Sometimes she didn't go out; instead, she spent her time wandering around the large building. She had made sure to stay away from Yammy, who had made a few lewd comments and leered at her. Nnoitra had left her alone; he tended to stalk in the shadows and drink whisky most days. Tier and Starrk were always off doing who knows what. Szayel stayed cooped up in his lab, except for meal times. A few members of Aizen's group seemed to have disappeared. Orihime didn't want to image what had happened to them.

The orange haired woman carefully tied her pink robe closed and quickly went out of her room. She walked the familiar pathway to the library. The first night she couldn't sleep, she had wandered around the building, keeping to the shadows, and had stumbled into the library when she saw Yammy.

From that night on, she went to the library if she couldn't sleep. She spent a few hours in the fiction section reading books under the light of the room with the door closed. No one ever went into the library at that time, so she was safe. She glanced over her shoulder before pushing the door open. Orihime closed the door quickly and turned to the fiction section of the library, but froze.

Ulquiorra, only wearing an undershirt and black slacks, was sitting at one of the many chairs in the room. A pile of large books was stacked on the table next to him while he was holding another large tome. He peered at her from over his book. His green eyes staring at her brown ones.

"What are you doing here," he demanded more than asked. Orihime swallowed the lump forming in her throat. For the past two weeks she had been coming to the library, no one else has shown up. Yet, here he was, reading a dusty looking book.

"Uh, well...you wear glasses, Ulquiorra?" she asked in surprise, forgetting his previous question. A pair of silver rimmed, square glasses rested on the bridge of his nose. They made him look very scholarly.

His mouth turned into a deeper frown. "They are for reading purposes only. Now, answer the question."

"Oh, well, I can't sleep, so I usually come to read a little," she explained. He gave her a long stare before turning his attention to the book. Orihime cautiously walked passed him and headed to the A section. Orihime decided to start reading books in alphabetical order; she had found some books that she had already read, but most of them were new to her. She had only managed to finish the first two books in the section. Pulling out the third book - a hunter green cover with gold edges - she sat in the chair under the window. She tucked her legs under her and opened the crisp cover. A Merchant's Tale was written on the front page in loopy cursive. Flipping to the first page, she forgot all about the man sitting a few feet away from her.

Ulquiorra glanced up from his reading as silence filled the room once more. Orihime was engrossed in her book. He watched in slight fascination as her facial expression changed as she read. She looked amused, sad, angry, surprised, joyful, excited, and so many other emotions that Ulquiorra couldn't name.

Orihime felt his stare after a while and looked up from her book. She met his piercing gaze with wide eyes. "Um, is there something wrong Ulquiorra?"

"You are overly fascinated with such trash," he commented. Orihime puffed out her cheeks and gave him a stern look.

"This isn't trash. It's quite interesting," she defended. Ulquiorra's look seemed to be saying the exact opposite as he eyed the title.

"Fiction is trash. Why should we fill our minds with such silly stories that have nothing to do with life? What does one gain from reading nonsense?" he questioned.

Orihime put on a thoughtful look. She tapped her chin with her free hand. A smile spread across her face. "It's a good way to escape into a different world. Fiction is full of different universes, people and customs. They, also, teach lessons like telling the truth is better than keeping silent and other life lessons."

Ulquiorra stared at her with calculating eyes. Finally he returned to his book. Orihime stared for a bit. His book, which read The World of Physics, looked less than stimulating. Quietly placing her book on the table and getting up, she scanned the shelf for a certain book. She smiled when she caught sight of the title she had been looking for, Dust and Tree.

Hugging the book to her chest, she made her way to him. She stood a few feet away from where he sat. Ulquiorra looked up from his reading when she coughed. The woman thrust the book in front of him.

"You should read this. I know you don't think much about fiction, but I think this book could change your mind," she mumbled and smiled timidly. Ulquiorra was going to refuse, but his hand moved before his mind could fully formulate his plan to reject the book. He took the book from her and placed it on the table. Orihime gave him a stunning smile before skipping back to her seat. The pale man stared at the red, leather book. He kept wondering why he even took the book from her. Sighing quietly, he put a bookmark in his previous book and picked up the new one. He opened the front cover and started to read.

-:-

There was once a man named Dusty. He lived in an impoverished town. His name came from the fact that he was always covered in sawdust from making wooden chairs. He, also, painted as a hobby. His hut was a small two room building. He was young, handsome, and kind. Unfortunately he was also very poor. No woman in the village wanted to marry him.

One day he went into the forest to chop more wood for his craft. He came to a large cedar tree and was about to swing his axe when a voice called out.

"Please don't cut my tree down, sir." The voice was a low but feminine voice. Dusty paused mid-swing and looked around for the source of the voice. He was the only one in the forest. He turned back and jumped at the sight of a young woman standing in front of his axe.

She had dark brown hair and bright green eyes. She wore a simple green dress that looked like it was made of leaves; her feet were bare. She was very pretty with high cheekbones and wide, innocent eyes.

"Please don't cut down my tree. I'll die if you do," she begged. Dusty stared at her in shock. He lowered his axe. The woman, he decided, was obviously delirious. Yet, he couldn't cut the tree down with the look she gave him.

"I'll leave your tree alone," he said. He picked up his axe and headed deeper into the forest. The young woman followed behind him. He stopped at a tall pine tree. He picked his axe up and was about to swing when the woman cried out again.

"Please don't cut down any more trees. I don't want my friends to die, either," she cried. Dusty stopped and sighed. He placed his axe on the ground and turned to her.

"If I don't cut down trees, I won't make money. If I don't make money, I won't be able to buy food and I'll starve to death," he explained. The woman lowered her head and sniffed.

"I don't want you to starve, but I don't want my friends to die. Please, don't cut down the trees. So many men have cut down my friends; I want to try and preserve some of them," she whispered. Dusty, after staring at her for a few moments, picked up his axe and turned back the way he had come from. He stopped in front of the woman and patted her head.

"I'll stop cutting down trees," he promised before going back to his village. The woman, unknowingly to Dusty, smiled brightly.

"He's the one. I'll be gone for awhile," she said to the forest before following the man. The woman lived with Dusty as his wife, or so she declared. He finally accepted her as his wife a fter a few days. Dusty painted and sold his work. His wife, Cedar, weaved intricate baskets made of straw. for him to sell. The two lived happily. Dusty had never been as happy as he was with Cedar.

Many people questioned the woman's origins. Every time someone asked, she simply pointed into the forest. Dusty loved Cedar very much. Many of the men in the village were jealous of his lovely wife. She seemed to attract good luck. Soon, Dusty was able to make a larger hut for the two.

The two had been happy for a few years, when a storm came. It was dark and the wind whipped at the windows. Thunder roared and lightning lit the sky. Cedar couldn't keep away from the window and stared fearfully out into the forest. Lightning flashed and struck a tree. Fire blazed brightly. Cedar cried out in alarm.

"Dear, what is wrong?!" Dusty asked, worried. His wife clutched her head and swayed before fainting. Dusty caught her and stared at her pale face. He tried waking her, but she didn't respond. He was about to go out to the medicine man, when Cedar grasped his arm.

"My tree, take me to my tree," she croaked weakly. Dusty didn't protest. He wrapped her in a warm cloak and braved the winds and rain. He covered her frail body with his own. He made it to the forest and gasped at the fire blazing. Cedar shakily got to her feet and stumbled to her tree. The cedar tree hadn't caught fire, yet. The flames were getting closer.

"My sweet Dusty, I'm sorry. I never told you what I am. I'm a tree spirit. This cedar is my tree. My life is connected to this tree. With the fire, I will have to leave you. I love you very much; the first time I saw you when you were but a child was when I fell in love. I was too shy to talk to you. The day you came to cut my tree was when I gained enough courage to speak up. I don't want to leave you, yet, but I must. Return to your home," she said.

Tears streamed down her face as she leaned against the base of the tree. Dusty stared at her in shock. He turned to the fire and then ran back to village. Cedar smiled sadly; no man would stay after finding out his wife was nothing but a wood spirit.

She closed her eyes and waited for the pain. The sound of sloshing water caught her attention. Her eyes flew open as she saw Dusty running toward her, carrying two buckets filled with water from the well. He ran past her and near the flames. He dumped the water onto the fire and ran back.

Cedar watched as he kept running back and forth with buckets of water. She cried as she watched his efforts wasted in vain. Nothing could stop the flames; they wouldn't stop until they consumed the whole forest.

"Dear, stop. There is nothing you can do," Cedar begged. He ignored her cries. After a while, he started to slow down. His bones cried out in protest at each movement. Suddenly, he collapsed in front of her tree. The buckets of water spilling on the ground.

"I will not leave you," he said. Using the last of his strength, he pulled himself next to her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and placed a warm kiss on her nose. Cedar sobbed into his chest while telling him to leave her. Dusty whispered soothing words to her.

"I love you," she whispered.

"And I you," he said. The two closed their eyes and waited for their next step in their lives together. The forest was burned to ashes. The people of the village stared sadly at the destruction. No one noticed that Dusty's house was empty. Where the cedar had stood was now a pile of ashes. The wind blew away the ashes to reveal a young sprout. Many of the villagers said that it was a sign that life would return to the forest.

Many years later, the forest regrew to its former splendor. People who wandered the forest said that they saw a young man and woman sitting under a cedar tree holding each other.

Fin

-:-

Ulquiorra closed the book and took off his glasses. He rubbed his eyes and looked over to Orihime. The woman was leaning in the chair with the book over her chest. Her eyes were closed and a soft snore emitted from her half opened mouth. He looked at the clock on the far wall; it read one. He got up and picked up his books, plus the one Orihime had given him. He placed them all back in their rightful places.

He was about to leave the library, but paused. He turned back to the sleeping woman. Going over to the far corner, he opened a trunk and pulled out a thick, wool blanket. Walking over to her, he placed her book on the table and draped the blanket over her shoulders. Satisfied that Nel couldn't blame him if she caught a cold, he shut the lights off and left the library.

Orihime woke up feeling warm, but sore in the neck. Her eyes opened and she looked around the, now, brightly lit room. The sun was up and the birds were chirping. She looked at the blanket in confusion.

"How did..." she trailed off as she noticed Ulquiorra was missing. She concluded that he must've put the blanket on her before he left. She smiled softly at the kind gesture. She got up and folded the blanket. She placed it on the chair and the book on top, for later.

She tiptoed to the door and peeked out. There was no one in the halls. She made a quick dash down the hallway and made it to her room unnoticed. She did her daily routine of taking a quick bath, getting dressed and brushing her hair. She wore a knee length, yellow dress. It had elbow length sleeves and a pleated skirt. She placed her hairpins on the collar of the dress.

Leaving her room, she made her way to the kitchen. The kitchen was empty, much to her delight. Orihime wanted to make breakfast and had some ideas for a delicious omelet. She got to work finding the ingredients. After a thirty minutes, her omelet was almost done.

"I just need whip cream, and then it'll be finished," she mumbled to herself. Rifling through the refrigerator, she didn't notice the person entering the room. Ulquiorra yawned as he came in. He hadn't slept after leaving the library. He had been thinking about the story he had read. It was nothing but a ridiculous tale and he couldn't see why the woman enjoyed reading nonsense.

"Found you!" Orihime cried. She closed the fridge and turned to her omelet. Ulquiorra watched as she took the pan and placed the omelet on a plate. Then, she put the whip cream on it. A slight grimace passed his face when he saw her meal. Orihime turned to find a fork and smiled when she saw him.

"Good morning, Ulquiorra," she greeted. He gave no acknowledgment that he had heard her. He went to make himself a cup of coffee. Orihime sat herself down at the table. Ulquiorra leaned against the counter while he waited for the coffee to finish. Orihime took a bite out of her meal and hummed in approval.

"Would you like some?" she asked when she noticed his stare. He just shook his head. Orihime went back to her meal. The only sound was her eating and the coffee being brewed. Orihime stopped mid-bite and turned to the man. She studied him for a moment.

"Ulquiorra, did you finish the book?" He turned to her, his expression blank.

"Yes," was his curt reply. Orihime smiled; she wanted to know what he thought of the book. She had cried after reading it. The story was so sad, but happy too.

"Did you like it?" she inquired. He shifted his stance and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his gray slacks.

"No. It was just a silly story. There was no meaning to it. It does not teach others about life or anything that can be useful to living," he stated matter-of-factly. Orihime pouted at his review.

Orihime crossed her arms and gave a determined look. "It has meaning. The story shows that by doing something nice for someone, you can get a reward. The two were so in love that they were willing to die together, even though she wasn't human. They had entrusted their hearts to one another. Even in death, they were together."

He gave her a look that seemed to be asking if she was stupid. "They entrusted their hearts to each other? The heart is just an organ. It is vital for pumping blood throughout the body, that is all."

Orihime stared at him. She frowned, her brows furrowing. "That's not true. The heart allows us to love people. It is able to hold the people we care about close to us even when they're far away. The heart is capable of more than just pumping blood. Everyone has a heart that feels love, pain, sadness, guilt, and joy. The story is saying that even in death, two people's hearts can be connected."

Orihime hadn't realized that Ulquiorra had moved. She had been so wrapped up in her speech, that when she saw him only a few feet away from her, she jumped. He had a deep frown on his face. His eyes stared into her own as if looking for her soul.

"You say that we all have a heart that feels those emotions. Yet, when I kill a man, woman, or child I feel nothing except it pumping blood," he said placing a hand over his heart.

"You say that hearts are connected, but I do not see this connection. Is it a string that is tightly wrapped around one's heart? Does it tighten so much that one feels the pain even in death? If I can not see or feel this connection you speak of, it does not exist. Even if I were to kill you right now and rip open your chest, all there would be is a useless organ. Do not lecture me about something that does not exist," he warned.

Orihime had leaned back in her chair. He turned away from her and poured the coffee in a cup. Without another glance, he left the kitchen. Orihime sighed and slouched over her omelet. She had thought that they had started getting along last night, but it seemed that she was back to square one.

I really liked the scene about the heart that Ulquiorra and Orihime had. Anyways, I hope you liked the chapter. I'm not sure when I'm updating since I have AP exams, but I'm hoping soon.

Important note: Once summer vacation starts, I take a break from posting any new chapter until September. I'll still type up a few chapters, but I won't be posting. I will let you all know when that day comes, though.

Kitkat d(^.^)b