Bird Cage: Chapter 9

Sorry guys, I've had a pretty big month.

My dog was bitten by a snake – she is doing great and weirdly enough she seems perfectly fine now, so there are no worries there. The vet bill was in the thousands and I had no idea that antivenom would be that expensive.

My 21st birthday was on the 10th of this month so that held back the update as well.

Chapters should hopefully be regular after this though.

Just as a slight warning, this chapter is a little disturbing. For people who are a little squeamish, I will leave a summary next chapter if you are sensitive involving anything to do with animal cruelty.

Thanks for the support everyone and enjoy!

As the world took pause and the turbulent winds ceased, snow fluttered down like tiny petals, it's presence bidding to assuage the unease within their hearts. The soft beauty of nature possibly would have helped them, if it weren't for the shrill screams of the dying horse as it tried to rise from the dirt but could not stand.

"What are you doing here?" Orihime asked, her voice shaky with confusion.

Ichigo smiled, but his confidence had already begun to wane. He wrenched his sword from the shattered remains and debris, his movements jerky and awkward. They were all petrified by the harsh noise filling the air and their actions came as stunted as their words.

Ulquiorra made no move to attack, even though his adversary was visibly emotionally shaken. Instead, he dusted himself off and slipped his hands back into his pockets. He was the only one who seemed capable of maintaining a semblance of calm, which Orihime resented fiercely.

The princess patted at her skirts and walked towards Ichigo weakly. She didn't know what to think. Knowing that Ichigo was valiant and his qualities aligned with natural heroism, she suspected that if he were to enter the enemy's base it would be in a blaze of glory – however the princess did not expect the situation to backfire so badly.

She knew that Ichigo did not mean to mortally wound the horse. He probably did not expect that it would happen this way – but the situation was too dire to earnestly apologise for his mistake.

"This isn't what I expected." Ichigo spoke quietly, fingering the handle of his blade.

"This wasn't what anyone expected."

Even though Orihime's thoughts drove to that response quickly, that wasn't actually true. Ulquiorra had expected this. He predicted this scenario and pinpointed the exact time it would occur.

Narrowing her eyes, she diverted her attention from Ichigo and watched as Ulquiorra leered at her spitefully. Before she could yell at him and demand answers, he turned to leave and walked briskly down the path back to the castle.

Orihime wondered how he could be so cold.

The princess's eye's flashed towards Nelliel. She was wrapping a bandage around Grimmjow's head, her fingers and shoulders shaking. They were deafeningly close to the broken horse, Grimmjow's jaw set so firmly that she could see the muscles in his cheek.

Orihime cringed as she spared a glance at the pitiful beast. It was thrashing on the ground, it's legs flying in the air as it shrieked. The horse's back was shattered and it would no longer walk again.

Everyone acknowledged the suffering it endured yet no one could block out it's screaming. The other horses that only suffered minor injuries huffed and jolted madly, distraught that they were in such close proximity to the death cries.

Once Nelliel had finished bandaging Grimmjow, he kneeled down next to the injured creature. Without any words of sympathy or any last show of affection, he reached around the horse's neck and drew its head back swiftly.

The crack echoed through the woods.

The birds that had not fled from the cries now panicked and sprung out of the trees by the droves as the sound reverberated through the forest.

The gurgling sound that came after made the bile rise quickly within Orihime's throat and she keeled over and vomited the contents of her stomach. Ichigo sprung to her aid and rubbed her back, but nothing could ease her sickness.

Between the crackling gasps of the horse and the intensity of Orihime's nausea, it was a reunion that she undoubtedly could never forget.

…..

Once Orihime had regained her faculties, she brought Ichigo into the forest to talk privately. The large hunk of steel that constituted his blade balanced on his back, a constant reminder of the damage that could be done if things did not go smoothly.

After Nelliel had calmed herself, the Nephilim pair agreed that Grimmjow would carry the dead horse into the forest to serve as sustenance for the native carnivores. The thought of wasting such a beautiful and powerful specimen by burying or cremating was an insult to the beast and went against their customs.

Nelliel stayed, tending to the other horses that were still nervous and agitated after the ordeal. She picked the wooden splinters that were luckily only small and shallow and tested for any lingering damage.

Her love for the creatures was heartbreaking as she whispered to them in a language that no one else could understand and they responded in kind as best they could.

When her inspection proved the horses healthy aside from minor abrasions, she worked at removing them from their bindings and let them run free to drink and graze as they pleased. There was not much left to do other than clear the road of debris so that any passing carriages would not crash or come undone from the lingering wreckage.

Orihime wished she could be by Nelliel's side and help, but that would leave Ichigo to face the damage he had caused from his good intentions. She cared for him and did not blame him, but did not want to be in a position to defend him to her dear friend.

Instead, the princess tried to separate them as far as possible so that things could be handled diplomatically. She took one last look at Nelliel before traversing deeper into the forest.

They walked for a while in silence, instead choosing to listen for water or nearby predators. The trees protected them from the snow that fell, however not by much; the leaves had already mostly shed and whatever still clung to the bark was sparse.

When Orihime had cleared her head, she turned to Ichigo and smiled at him weakly. "Thank you for worrying about me. I'm really glad to see you."

She was glad to see him, despite everything.

Under different circumstances he may have been the man that she would marry. There was a strong possibility that he could have made her very happy and they would have been a very good match. However, all of that was simply conjecture and there were other things that she wanted to explore.

Before Ichigo could interject or suggest that it was now the perfect time to escape, Orihime continued, "I want to stay for another night and say goodbye to everyone and then I will leave with you in the morning."

If he was surprised, he did not show it on his stern countenance. Ichigo simply nodded, unwilling to argue or convince her otherwise. There was a mutual respect that they had formed from so many years of friendship and he would always be the last person to question her ideas or motives. He trusted her judgement and would work with whatever she had planned.

"I'll wait here." Ichigo agreed, setting himself down by a nearby tree. "If you don't come in the morning, I will find you."

"I know." Orihime smiled again, trying to hide her sadness.

The princess was aware that it was a promise of securing her safety, but from her point of view it was a threat. She wanted to stay so badly and to never face the repercussions of her impulsive decision, but there was a right way to do things and she had done things the wrong way.

If she had convinced Ulquiorra to meet her brother and to court her properly and if she could have convinced Sora to accept him has her husband, none of this would have ever happened.

Orihime needed closure with her brother and she needed to fix what she had done. It was wrong and naive to think that she could just leave and get away with it without any hurt feelings.

…..

Nelliel would not let Orihime go the entire night.

The two sat on the lounge by the fire inside Ulquiorra's study, the clock on the mantelpiece ticking away the hours before Orihime would finally leave. Nelliel laid stretched out as she buried her face into the princess's skirts and cried her heart out. Nothing could quell the crying; no coaxing, no distracting and no reassuring. There were no words to make the separation easier yet it was necessary and Orihime had already decided that she must go.

Ulquiorra and Nelliel understood, however neither liked the idea.

Her husband did not say a word to her the entire night, his jaw set firmly in a scowl as he wrote quietly at his desk. He chose to treat her as though she had already left which Orihime found childish and annoying. She did not want to argue or accuse him of being immature in case he was forming plans and countermeasures for the future and she genuinely wanted to end their time together on a happier note.

It was two in the morning before Nelliel had finally exhausted herself from grief and had fallen asleep with her head on Orihime's lap. Orihime stroked her hair rhythmically and watched as the embers in the fire slowly began to die out, her eyes stinging from the smoke.

Without a word, Ulquiorra lifted up the sleeping girl gently and took her to bed.

Orihime followed silently behind him, gazing at the reliable profile of his back and the tousled wavy black hair that seemed almost auburn in the candle light. As they reached Nelliel's room, Orihime hurried to open the door for them and lifted the bed sheets so that Ulquiorra could place the sleeping girl on the mattress.

She fluffed the pillows and covered Nelliel with blankets so that they reached to her nose. It was a very cold night and the chill once the fire died out would be unbearable.

Throwing a few more logs on the hearth, Orihime looked around Nelliel's room as if it were her first time inside. She noticed things she had not before, such as the tall, unsteady tower of books on Nelliel's nightstand and the notes and papers covering her floor as though a cyclone had struck.

Reaching down, Orihime picked up all the paper that she could see on the floor and laid it out neatly on Nelliel's desk. The princess noticed a sketch pinned on the headboard of the mahogany desk and picked it off so that she could observe it closely.

It was a sketch of Orihime and Ulquiorra with big birds on their shoulders and arms. It was almost completely lifelike, Orihime's mouth stretched in an excited smile and Ulquiorra's warm gaze as he watched her.

Orihime's heart ached painfully as she realised that Nelliel had been sketching them when they had gone into the woods.

Orihime placed the picture in Ulquiorra's hand proudly, and moved over to the side of Nelliel's bed one last time. Orihime stroked Nelliel's head and privately whispered her goodbyes.

"It's like we have a daughter." Orihime murmured, kissing Nelliel on the forehead.

As they made to leave, she looked over at Ulquiorra who stood tense with resentment.

"Yes, a 'daughter' who will look older than us in a dozen more hundred years." Ulquiorra muttered. "Not that you would care. She will be old and dead before you see her again."

He shut the door quietly, his soft exit suggesting that his anger may have quelled. Orihime tried to find words to either defend herself or reassure him but he did not wait for her to speak. Ulquiorra strode down the halls quickly and she struggled behind him to keep up.

Before he could disappear again, Orihime wrapped her arms around his back and embraced him tightly. "I promise I'll come back."

"You genuinely think they will let you?"

Orihime sighed.

Truthfully she did not think they would allow her to return. With Ichigo being the one to retrieve her instead of an army at their doorstep, she assumed that Sora had kept it private – but there was no way to tell.

"If I don't come back…" She said carefully. "Then you will have to find me again."

When Ulquiorra remained silent, she leaned up and kissed the back of his neck sweetly. Orihime could feel the muscles in his shoulders relax and that filled her heart with hope.

Lacing her fingers between his, she led him back to their bedroom. Their footsteps echoed through the hallways and she wondered how much time had passed as she counted the rhythmic clicking of their shoes on the tiles.

When they reached their big mahogany door, Orihime traced the design on the door knob for a moment, taking in all the details with her fingers and palm before turning it with care.

Orihime contemplated telling him her thoughts – that if this was their last night together and if they would truly never see each other again, then their last memory should be unforgettable.

Instead, she remained silent and peeled off his coat.

Ulquiorra watched her carefully, allowing her to do whatever she wanted without any sign of resistance.

It was nerve-wracking and her emotions spiralled out of control. Orihime was so happy but the only way she could express that joy would be through very unattractive sobbing so she instead quivered and tried to keep her emotions in check.

When her trembling fingers could no longer unbutton his shirt, she tore at the fabric violently, the buttons popping off and bouncing on the floor. His skin looked so warm in the faint candle light that she couldn't help but kiss his shoulders while she moved his shirt down his arms and discarded it on the floor.

Orihime pressed her body against his chest and embraced him, tracing her fingers over his shoulder blades and back. She did not want him to see her face because it would reveal too much. Love was sometimes so painful and contradictory, so ugly and strange that she wished to keep her feelings to herself.

Ulquiorra tugged at her ribbons and pins and layer after layer, her dress shed like flower petals until it was simply a mass of fabric on the floor. She stood naked and vulnerable before him, wishing more than ever to hide her body behind her thick orange hair.

Her nakedness diminished the small scraps of confidence that she had mustered prior and she hated that he had once again gained the upper hand. Before he could take a proper look at her, Orihime crushed her body against his and tackled him against the bed.

Her attempts at seduction ended in utter disaster.

As she threw herself with him into the mattress, she drove her knee into the wooden frame of the bed and cried out in pain. Orihime rolled away from him, absolutely mortified at how clumsy she was.

There was undeniably no way that she could recover from this and no way that he would ever be attracted to her ever again. She would never be a beautiful, seductive creature like the women that had passed by them today. Her tendency to self-sabotage was too great and no matter how alluring her body naturally was, it would never matter.

Before she could grab what clothing she could and run out of the room, a peculiar sound filled the room and made her heart stop.

Orihime peered out from under thick locks of her orange hair and observed him with curiosity.

Ulquiorra laid against the mattress, his arm over his brow covering his eyes. His lips stretched over pearly white teeth in an unrestrained smile while he laughed softly.

The sound was musical and she smiled, so happy that she could see him like this at least once.

The princess laughed with him, tears filling her eyes because she wished to stay longer. She did not care how many times she hurt her knee, as long as she could hear his laugh again. Orihime wanted to know more, see more – and above all else, she wanted to make him happy.

If they could be together, there would always be more days like this one – with so much potential for sadness and happiness.

There was so much good, so many beautiful moments that she was privy to, and sometimes she felt overwhelmed by the endless expanse of wonder and love in this world.

How bizarre it was that someone immortal – someone who has seen civilisations fall and die and be rebuilt, the pain and suffering of war, the relief of birth and the liberation of death; all coming together in an infinite cycle of pain caused at the pursuit of happiness – to witness everything and still to love and appreciate life was in itself very strange.

Orihime understood now what Ulquiorra had meant when he spoke of how odd it was that she could feel anything at all. She wished she could tell him then as she understood now, how that one moment of happiness could overpower any pain or suffering.

She moved over to him and pressed as many kisses as she could against his face. Her tears fell on his cheeks and she kissed them away too, her emotions pouring out unrestrained without any shame or guilt.

"I love you." Orihime whispered shakily.

"Orihime-" Ulquiorra murmured, trying to cease her ministrations. "You need to stop."

It was hard for Orihime to concentrate when she heard him say her name. She felt silly to feel so elated over something so small, but she tried her best to listen as carefully as she could to what he had to say.

"You could be happy with him." Ulquiorra murmured, his face growing solemn as his smile faded.

Orihime searched his features for some motivation or cruel intention but she knew that he was simply speaking of their reality. He wanted to warn her away from him earlier that day as he knew their relationship would never be easy.

If she were to be with Ichigo, everything would fall into place and there would never be anything to worry about.

"I know I would be." Orihime answered honestly. "But I know that you will only ever be happy with me."

Ulquiorra looked so vulnerable and tired in those moments that she could not help but feel overwhelming sympathy for him. She wondered how many times he had found her and tried to gain her trust, only for her to leave again. There was no way of knowing how many times her memory had rotted.

If it had happened once, it could have happened a thousand times.

"I will not forget you again." Orihime promised.

…..

I hope you guys liked the chapter, be sure to review and tell me what you think.

Thank you for all your amazing support. I should have something else coming up in the works soon as well and I'll fill you guys in soon!