A/N: I actually started working on this chapter last month… and then life happened.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach!

Musings

By: Princess Kitty1

To Love's End

The air in Las Noches was charged. A festive atmosphere had come over its residents, for tonight was the reemergence of their own personal celebrity into the music world. Yes, the time had finally come for Ulquiorra's first public concert in almost seven years…

…and, had his friends not known him better, they would say that by the way he was acting, he'd consumed some amount of alcohol in the last few days. One moment he would be pushing furniture around and making a nuisance of himself, the next he would be head-down somewhere, wishing he had never been born and blaming everyone from the president to Buddha for his misery.

Orihime found his mood swings highly entertaining, particularly when a passing Grimmjow tripped over Ulquiorra, who had been sprawled out on the floor in an attempt to soothe his stomach.

But she couldn't blame him for being nervous. The Ingram family was coming down from Washington to watch the performance, as were record company executives, and all of their friends from Las Noches as well. Even Chizuru and her girlfriend were coming, the latter wanting to double check that Ulquiorra was indeed suitable enough for "her precious Orihime".

It would be nice to see everyone, and honestly, Orihime needed the distraction. She wasn't sure if it had anything to do with his nerves or not, but lately Ulquiorra had been…

"Ms. Inoue,"

She looked over her shoulder and found him seated at the piano, staring at the keys. "I thought we had agreed that you would refer to me by my proper name."

"Ms. Inoue is your proper name. Come here."

She rolled her eyes, having half a mind to stay put just to irritate him, but in his fragile mental state, she feared that something not going his way would result in a meltdown… or a suicide attempt. So she stood up and ventured over to the piano, where he was scanning a sheet of music in front of him. "What is it?"

"I know that it's marked pianissimo on the page, and I do not normally second-guess myself on these things, but lately I have been wondering if it might sound better as piano instead."

"I don't think the audience is going to notice the difference."

Ulquiorra glared at her. "Keep in mind, Ms. Inoue, that there are people in this world that are more musically inclined than yourself. Surely they will notice the difference."

Orihime glared back. "Keep in mind, Mr. Schiffer, that just because we're dating doesn't mean that I won't still break your nose if you talk to me like that."

Commence staring match. She was about to blow air in his face when his cell phone went off, the classic rock music indicating that it was his brother, Matthew Ingram. Ulquiorra answered it while Orihime went off into the kitchen, trying to ignore the slight sadness that was creeping through her heart. This was the umpteenth time that they'd argued – no matter how short – in the past two weeks.

It had started out subtly, with Ulquiorra making a crisp comment here or there that left her wondering who'd put itching powder in his boxers, because she certainly hadn't. Then his mood had gradually worsened, and he'd started staying away from the apartment longer. When he was there, he either avoided her or picked fights that were nowhere near as fun as they should have been. She'd called him out on it, of course, and he'd apologized at once.

"It's not your fault," he'd say, then improve for a while, only to sink back into his insufferable attitude later.

Whatever it was, Orihime hoped that he would be cured of it when the concert was over. She was two more arguments away from grabbing one of the dining table chairs and assaulting him with it.

Ulquiorra came into the kitchen then, his phone conversation finished. "I'm picking them up from the hotel," he announced as she filled a glass with filtered water. "And we're heading straight to the concert hall from there. You're getting a ride with Grimmjow and Nel, correct?"

"Yup," she drawled, not looking at him.

He nodded absently. "Sounds good." There was a pregnant pause, broken only by the sound of ice clattering in the freezer. "Orihime," he said, the use of her name drawing her attention. "Tonight… after the concert, I mean… you and I need to talk."

"He said what?" Nel, Rangiku and Szayel yelled, their expressions equally appalled.

Orihime sat on the couch in Szayel's apartment on the eighth floor of Las Noches, taking at least five tissues from the box that the pink-haired doctor offered her. She was humiliated, of course. After Ulquiorra had left to get his family, she'd barely managed to finish taking a shower before she had thrown on a bathrobe and run out of the apartment. Her original plan had been to go to Nel's place, but Szayel had been in the elevator, so he'd gotten the brunt of the breakdown.

Within minutes, Orihime had been reduced to a mess that would have made a broken-hearted Nel look sane. Thus the assembled were now bearing witness to this embarrassing display of emotion that her past self would have punched her in the face for. But this was what friends were for, right? To confide in when one was feeling particularly shitty?

"I don't get it!" She blew noisily into one of the tissues and gazed up at them woefully. "E-Everything was going f-fine! And then he just… it was him who… and we kept getting into stupid fights a-a-and now…"

"I thought fighting was a staple in your relationship. A sign that things were going well… weirdoes," Szayel muttered.

Orihime wailed and threw herself into Rangiku's bosom, though she hardly made it, considering how large her boss's belly had gotten in the past few months.

Nel pat her shoulder comfortingly. "Come on, Hime. There is no guarantee that he is dumping you."

The redhead sobbed louder. Rangiku wrapped her arms around her. "I think we should refrain from using the d-word for now."

"Sweetie, you have to calm down," Szayel said over the noise. "If you keep that up your eyes are going to swell up, and you'll have to face his family like that. Trust me, it won't be pretty. And let go of Rangiku! You're going to scare the baby."

Orihime reluctantly did as she was told, pressing balled up tissue against her eyes. "Th-there's no way… he wouldn't just say that. Don't you watch television? 'We need to talk' is a death sentence for relationships!"

"Maybe he is just going to complain that electricity bill is too high!" Nel threw in hopefully.

"Yeah, that's likely, when he's got money to spare," Orihime snarled, falling back onto the couch. "What am I going to do?" If he was dumping her, staying in the apartment with him would be out of the question. She'd have to find a new place to live – how much had Rangiku's old place cost, she wondered? – and trying to do that with a broken heart was sure to cause some massive migraines.

The other three looked at each other, then Rangiku crossed her arms. "You're going to go upstairs, wash your face, get dressed, and go to the concert."

"I don't want to," Orihime sniffled, and added miserably, "he doesn't need me there…"

"Orihime! Of course he does! Nel's right, you know. There's no guarantee that he's going to end things. Maybe he just wants to apologize for being such an asshole to you these past few weeks. I mean, aside from the fights, nothing's changed, right?"

Orihime's bottom lip trembled. "He's slept on the sofa for five days!" she cried, falling apart into tears again.

Rangiku and Nel went pale. Szayel, on the other hand, looked pissed off. "Well, it's his loss, then!" he yelled, prying Orihime's hands away from her face. "Pull yourself together, Orihime! You know that there's something wrong with the guy's head. That doesn't make you the problem, okay? You're beautiful, you're… stronger than this, usually… and you're not afraid to deliver a good ass-kicking to anyone who deserves it, which he will, if he is dumb enough to dump you." He began wiping tears off of her cheeks with his thumb. "Getting dumped does not make you ugly, or stupid, or anything less than the amazing person that you are. And if I have to go bisexual just to date you and prove it, then damn it, I'll try."

Orihime grabbed another tissue and wiped her nose. "Thanks, Szayel…" she whispered, giving him a tight hug. "And you two as well. I'll… I'll go to the concert. Whatever happens afterward…"

"You have us to talk to," Nel reassured her, squeezing her hand.

Orihime nodded and got up a bit shakily. She'd do it, sure. She would go upstairs and fix herself up so well that Ulquiorra wouldn't be able to help buying a gun to shoot himself in the foot with. She'd make him regret his decision, alright.

But all the while, she couldn't help but wonder where things had gone wrong...

Tickets to the concert had sold out weeks before. Thus, Orihime was not surprised to find traffic so bad the closer they got to the concert hall. She was packed into the front of Grimmjow's truck with him and Nel, who had elected to sit in the middle to keep her husband from complaining too much about the little progress they were making. "I mean, watch us have the last fucking parking space in the entire lot, even though our seats are in the fucking front row. Too much walking! Why do we even have to walk? We're VIPs! Shouldn't we get free valet services?"

"It is not that serious," Nel told him cheerfully.

Orihime rolled her eyes. The radio was on a classical station, which was going to be broadcasting the concert on a national scale. She could only imagine how nervous Ulquiorra was, knowing that people all over the country would be listening to him, expecting nothing short of godliness after such a long absence.

"…first performance since 2003. There have been many rumors surrounding his disappearance, but he seemed to have cleared most of them in a recent magazine interview. Schiffer gave a brief recount of the arguments he'd had with the late Lowell Ingram, his adoptive father, that led to his loss of inspiration and estrangement from his family. Regarding the silent years he said, quote, 'It was like being placed under house arrest. I had no legitimate reason to be miserable, and yet, I was. Losing the ability to play had affected me so profoundly that I started to do things I swore I'd never do; being dishonest, wasting my time, alienating myself from people that cared for me...'"

Orihime sighed. Well, at least he wouldn't have to worry about that anymore.

"And what did he say about the return of his inspiration?"

Nel and Grimmjow had gone quiet now, also listening.

"Well, for the benefit of our listeners who have yet to read the article, I quote, "One night, on my way home, I came across something beautiful. I could not remember a time in my life when I had felt such burning curiosity. In that moment, a question formed in my mind… one that I became obsessed with finding an answer to. And it was in that thirst for an answer that my inspiration returned. I felt as if I had been shaken awake, like I was coming to life after years of being on autopilot… and all for something so seemingly insignificant, so tragically ignored by the rest of the world.' Being pretty vague, wasn't he?"

Orihime blinked back fresh tears. He was telling them about the night that he'd seen her in the alley, yet he kept her identity a secret. "Idiot…" she muttered. Grimmjow shifted uncomfortably and honked at the car in front of them, for lack of anything better to do.

Finally, after twenty more minutes of moving along at a snail's pace, they reached the concert hall. Orihime and Nel got out at the entrance while Grimmjow went to find parking, and almost immediately, they spotted the Ingram family. Not that they were particularly hard to find; the press had descended upon them, firing questions at Mrs. Ingram, who seemed quite composed despite the unwanted attention. There wasn't a single gray hair on her head, though she'd gained a few more lines on her face in the year since her husband's death. Next to her, Ulquiorra's adoptive siblings, Matthew and Sarah, looked annoyed.

"Yes, we're very happy to see him return to the stage. We've had a lot of time to talk as a family, and I can assure you that he's quite… excited about tonight." Orihime didn't miss the slight cringe on Mrs. Ingram's face. If Ulquiorra were any more "excited" about the concert, he'd keel over dead before walking on stage.

Sarah caught Orihime's eye and grinned, waving happily. They'd have to talk later. If she wanted to avoid the press and their uncomfortable questions, she had to get inside before one of them remembered her as The Help from the funeral.

Inside, the concert hall was large and impressive, several statues and works of public art on display around the lobby area. Upon presenting their tickets to an usher, they were led to their front row seats, and Orihime couldn't help but feel embarrassed as people far richer than she would ever be watched her walk past the velvet rope closing off the reserved area.

The three chairs next to her were empty; had Ulquiorra placed her right next to his family? Why would he do such a thing if he was going to break up with her later that night? She swallowed the lump in her throat and looked around to distract herself. The stage in front of them was so brightly lit that even she was beginning to feel anxious. How would Ulquiorra fair in the spotlight after his blissful invisibility? She wouldn't be surprised if he was backstage retching into a bucket at the moment.

Suddenly, Grimmjow appeared and sat on the other side of Nel, looking surly. "Anyone else but me feel horribly out of place?"

"We knew he was famous," Nel reminded him, "so you should have expected it."

"Right. Like I'd ever imagine Batman playing piano in front of a bunch of yuppies and rich geezers. You're talking about the guy that regularly forgets to clean his ears."

"I've cured him of that habit," Orihime said, remembering fondly the time that she had attacked his ears with a toilet brush. Her traitorous eyes began to water.

But there was little time for tears. Soon they were joined by the Ingram family, and the rest of their guests: Gin and a waddling Rangiku, Starrk and Harribel with Lilynette between them, Yammy (who could hardly fit into his chair), Nnoitra and Szayel, Toshiro and Momo, Luppi and Kira, Chizuru and her girlfriend, and even Urahara had been invited (for his Thanksgiving pie contribution). Most of them were shocked to find that Ulquiorra came from such a normal family, considering his eccentricities.

"It's a musician thing," Starrk told them, and Lilynette wholeheartedly agreed.

When it came time for the concert to start, the crowd's murmuring grew much quieter. Orihime shifted in her seat, making sure that her dress was wrinkle-free, that her hair was in place, and that her dangling earrings weren't twisted or messed up in any way. She even checked her reflection in the compact mirror that she'd thrown into her purse. And when she put it down, she gave a startled squeak. Ulquiorra was on stage, dressed in the smart tux that she'd seen in his closet.

Oh, the poor thing was so pale that he could have been mistaken for a corpse. This wasn't new, though. On days that she had been home while he was at work, she'd taken the opportunity to find clips of his former concerts, and he'd always looked the same: like he was two breaths from his last. But despite the obvious terror, his voice had never wavered, and she wondered if this would hold true tonight.

Ulquiorra's ashen face was fixed into a blank expression. "I was told that I should speak," he said into the microphone, "if only to let everyone know that I was up to." That got the audience to laugh. He looked a little better. "Thank you for joining me this evening. I'm hoping in vain that I will not make a fool of myself, for I know now that it's impossible. Please excuse me for that, at least. Everything that I play for you tonight has been composed in the last few months." He blinked. "That is all."

Orihime heard Grimmjow snickering, followed by an 'oof' as Nel elbowed him in the ribs.

As Ulquiorra turned towards the piano, he caught sight of Orihime, and her heart jumped into her throat. He looked away quickly.

What was she even doing there, she wondered? Taking part in something like this, being treated like someone important when he was going to… She didn't have to be there. She'd already heard every piece that he would be playing; more than once, for that matter. What was the point of witnessing his rise to classical fame if he would be rising out of her reach?

The concert hall was painfully silent as he sat down and took his customary deep breath, hands hovering above the keys. When he began to play, Orihime tried very hard not to look around at everyone else. She recognized this as the first piece in the suite that he had composed before they had gotten together; in other words, these were his feelings for her, in music form…

She wondered what the others were getting out of it, because all she could see were those first few days of living with him, of trying to guess what kind of person he was behind the polite façade that kept dropping, without warning, only to come up again. And despite the fact that she'd heard these pieces before, she found herself being swept away by them. Back to the days when she'd been snooping around, trying to find out why he had stopped the piano. Back to the Washington rainstorm in which she had socked him, and told him about her past, and he'd held her and refused to let her go…

Had she fallen for him then, without even knowing it?

And she remembered how everything had come together slowly, how he'd saved her from Aizen, how he'd gone through so much trouble to make her Thanksgiving special, how he'd broken her heart with the truth behind their meeting…

The music abruptly stopped.

Orihime opened her eyes. That wasn't the end of the piece. She sensed tension in the air, heard the audience begin to whisper. "What is he doing?" Grimmjow hissed to Nel. Even the Ingrams seemed surprised. Orihime looked up at Ulquiorra…

…and found him staring right at her

There was an awkward silence, and then he just barely jerked his head to the side, motioning for her to join him. Was he insane? Orihime heard people wondering who he was glaring at. There was no way in hell that she was going up there! What would they say, then? She could practically hear the comments of the radio announcers on the station broadcasting the concert.

But Ulquiorra's eyes narrowed, and he dropped his arms to his sides. Oh, so he was going to be childish and stubborn in front of an audience? She could sense Nel and Sarah staring at her now, and was sure that the rest of their friends and neighbors were, too. Damn it.

Left with no other choice, and hoping to avoid a riot from the ticket-payers, she very slowly stood from her seat and approached the stage. There were a few steps leading up to it, and as she got closer, she saw Ulquiorra stand from the piano bench, signaling to the audience to wait for a moment. The murmuring grew louder. Orihime went up the steps carefully, sending nervous glances at the thousands of staring eyes. She could hardly see them thanks to the blinding stage lights.

Ulquiorra's hands went into his pockets. Orihime stopped in front of him. "What?" she whispered.

"I'm terribly sorry about this, Ms. Inoue, but I can't wait anymore. We need to talk right now."

The blood that had recently rushed to her cheeks drained them faster than an unstopped sink. "H-Huh?"

"I'm really, really sorry. If it makes you feel any better, I am every bit as humiliated as you are, and then some. It's just that… this has been on my mind for weeks, and it's affecting my piano playing. I'm not sure how I managed to make it this far into the suite at all, and I wanted to do it earlier, but there were so many interruptions and…"

"Just to be clear, what are we talking about, exactly?"

Ulquiorra blinked. "Our relationship."

"Oh… right." Orihime felt her heart sinking. "What about it?"

"I'm not happy with it anymore."

"…I had a feeling it'd be something like that…"

"So we're on the same page, then?"

"No, Ulquiorra, we're not on the same page," Orihime snapped, figuring that as long as she was already embarrassed, she had nothing else to lose. "How could you do this to me in front of all of these people?"

"I said I was sorry…"

"And you think that's going to make things any better?" She tried to keep her voice from rising. "I mean, what the hell! I thought that things were great!"

"They were great…"

"How could you even be considering this when I was under the impression that everything was fine the way it was?"

Ulquiorra's eyes widened. "You were…?"

"Yes," she growled, wiping her cheeks as a few tears managed to escape. Damn it, her makeup was going to run…

Ulquiorra lowered his head. "Oh." He sighed. "Well, that makes things significantly more awkward."

"You think?" She sniffled and crossed her arms. "God, Paco, you could've picked a better time to dump me."

His head came up, eyebrows drawing together. "Wait, what?" He grabbed her arms. "Who said anything about dumping you?"

Orihime blinked twice, two more tears sliding down her cheeks. She checked around her feet to make sure that a trap door hadn't opened, because she suddenly felt like the rug had been swept out from under her. "What?"

"Why the hell would I break up with you?" Ulquiorra demanded, annoyance spreading through his face.

"But you said we needed to talk…"

"We did."

"You said you aren't happy with our relationship anymore!"

"I'm not!"

"So you are breaking up with me!"

"You're not listening, Orihime. Or maybe I'm just not being clear…" Ulquiorra let go of her and pocketed his hands. "What I meant by that is that I'm not happy that things haven't progressed any further. Things were great, yeah, for those few months. I can't be satisfied with that anymore. Maybe I'm just insecure after the first two times, but… I have to be sure that you won't run away from me again." He pulled his hand from his pocket and a tiny object caught the light of the stage…

Orihime turned away from him, almost missing the audience's voices becoming louder, Nel and Rangiku's excited screams, Grimmjow's maniacal laughter. She buried her face in her hands, taking several steps in the opposite direction of Ulquiorra and the ring.

She hated him. She absolutely hated him. She couldn't believe that this was happening. As if she hadn't been humiliated enough! Now she was sobbing like an idiot in front of hundreds of people – technically more, with the radio listeners – and trying to hide herself on a spotlighted stage. She chanced a look over her shoulder, in case she'd been imagining things, but he was still waiting for her, his expression becoming more doubtful with each passing second, the ring catching the light from above.

"I take it that's a no…" Ulquiorra ventured cautiously.

Orihime shook her head, ran to him and threw her arms around his neck, crying even harder and muttering so incoherently that even she couldn't understand herself. But Ulquiorra got the general idea. He pulled her against him, rubbing her back soothingly. "Ms. Inoue… this is kind of embarrassing."

"I won't run away again," she hiccupped with a sharp intake of breath. "I wouldn't dream of it." She managed to compose enough of a smile for him to slip the ring onto her finger, but then she became a mess, and Nel and Tia had to help her off of the stage. She was filled with so many conflicting emotions, so many rampant thoughts… and yet, over the wild applause, she still heard Ulquiorra excuse himself to the audience.

"Sorry everyone. I told you I'd be making a fool of myself tonight."

/To Be Continued/

A/N: -has gone into a diabetic coma from the combination of this chapter and jelly beans-

We have the proposal, ladies and gents! Which means that the wedding comes next!