I'm in a good mood today for some reasons...anyway, this chapter is quite short but nevertheless, I hope you guys can still enjoy it.
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. Wish I do.
The fiery look in her eyes was gone when they met the following day to resume the project. Her eyes on him were now filled with bitterness and that quiet anger. Even her voice was icy cold as she talked to him about business, her posture stiff. And the constant changes in her personality had really worried the green-eyed despite him denying that to himself. Her constant companion seemed to be worried about her boss too judging by the subtle glances she was throwing her direction from time to time.
When alone with her as they watched the men do the work, he finally spoke. "You alright?" he asked with a frown. She gave him a short glance before returning her look at the workers.
"…"
Ulquiorra shrugged carelessly at the nonresponsive woman. She is really troublesome, he thought for the second time.
"Ulquiorra?" a questioning voice from behind joined them and there stood Orihime, looking at both her fiancé and her former best friend with an accusing look. Suddenly she felt as if her fears are materializing – that Rukia would really take him away.
Said guy frowned. He does not remember her saying she would drop by unlike yesterday. "What are you doing here?"
The tone made Orihime look away from him in a snap and glared at Rukia's back while the latter ignored their presence. "What is she doing here?" she demanded rather harshly making Ulquiorra raise his brow at her and immediately Orihime buckled, not wanting to earn his quiet disapproval.
"She – "
"I should be the one asking you that, what are you doing here, Inoue?" Rukia asked coldly and turned to her, her eyes glaring back at the auburn who cringed at the fury seen in those eyes. But she will not let Rukia intimidate her. Not when the man she loves is standing in between.
"My fiancé is here so it is only right to assume I can drop – "
"This is a working area in case you haven't notice," Rukia cut her off with the icy tone. "And compared to you I have all the right to be here seeing as I am the one working with him." Her tone was challenging Orihime to say more.
The last statement made Orihime look at Ulquiorra. "W-What? You did not tell me…"
Not wanting to hear any of it, Ulquiorra simply raised his brow, making Orihime stop. Then he spoke. "I haven't realized you're interested with it, you've never been interested about the people I work with before so I don't see any reason why I have to tell you."
"But she's Rukia!" she snapped, already, anger and jealousy getting the better of her.
"And if she is Rukia?" Ulquiorra asked with a frown, not understanding what Orihime is mad about.
"She's your ex-girlfriend for crying it out loud!" Orihime answered fiercely. "Of course I have to know because she's…she's someone you have loved."
Have loved? Ulquiorra wondered inside if that love had passed away because somehow deep inside he felt like that love he had for the small woman still lingers and growing strongly. But he doesn't need to tell Orihime that.
Rukia snorted. "Get over that disease already, Inoue," she spat and turned on them. "After all, you shouldn't be feeling that way. You've succeeded in getting him, haven't you?" she intoned as her face turned grim. She turned to Ulquiorra as her hand took the letter from her pocket and she slapped it in his chest. "And I expected better from you. But in the end, you just assumed and easily moved on." Her eyes were dark. "Like I have said yesterday, I am no coward. But you, you're a fool to have believed that."
Raising her chin she glanced at Orihime. "I expect her out of this place or I'll have the guard drag her away. I don't want any disruptions while at work," she said to Ulquiorra while walking away.
Orihime's jaw dropped at the rudeness. Then she suddenly shifted her gaze at the letter Ulquiorra was holding. "That letter…" when she looked up at him, she was troubled when instead of wearing that usual grim look when the letter was concerned, Ulquiorra was actually smirking as if he thought of something amusing. "Y-You showed her that?" she asked in whisper, trying to imagine how Rukia had reacted to it. After all, her friend was the one who sent the letter to break things up.
"Hn."
"And she still had the right to act so high and mighty without feeling shamed for what she had done?" she asked, her brows knitted together as she glanced at Rukia who was now talking with the braided woman about something else. Ulquiorra turned to her.
"I have to wonder, were you really her best friend before? Because if you are, you should have already guessed from what she said," he stated with sarcasm. "I suggest you leave. I have no doubt Rukia will just do as she warned."
Orihime gaped at the sudden coldness from him. "W-Why are you suddenly acting like that?" she asked, obviously hurt.
He tucked the letter. What Rukia had said confirmed his theory already and there is no doubt he will repair the damage done at all cost. Even if it means, having to woo Rukia in his own way. And to do that, he will have to really end his relationship with Orihime. It's not like he wanted to hurt her…it's just that…Rukia…
She was mine.
He said those words to Ichigo and Renji and indeed he felt like she is still his. "I'm sorry," he said, his voice firm and Orihime's eyes widened in shock, pain and something more. She knew just how he said it that he wasn't apologizing about his sudden changes…but because…
Involuntarily, tears rolled down her cheeks. Ulquiorra, though he was always unfeeling and rude, can be kind when he so chooses. Using his thumb, he wiped her tears away and spoke once more. "For everything…I'm sorry," he whispered in a softer tone though his face does not show it. He stepped back.
And he walked a few steps when she spoke once more. "I…I've only been a rebound, haven't I?" she asked in a collected voice, barely managing to even control it.
When he did not answer, Orihime's anger rose and doubled and before long she took a few strides.
.
.
.
Rukia had to look away when upon risking a glance, she saw how he gently wiped Orihime's tears. She hands were fisted together and she turned to Lisa. "Did Love send any message?" she asked, her tone masking the bitterness and anger she was just feeling a little while ago.
"No. he's probably busy with stuffs," Lisa shook her head. "Do they affect you that much?" she asked making Rukia look at her.
"Yes and No. I wouldn't elaborate," she answered tersely.
Lisa looked beyond Rukia's shoulder and raised her brow. Oh here is a good reason for Rukia to vent her bottled anger…the woman would be stupid to come at her like this…
Upon noticing her line of vision, Rukia turned as well while Lisa moved in time to block a slap coming from the auburn who was giving Rukia a hated glare. "I hate you!" she hissed.
"The feeling is mutual," Rukia answered coldly. She turned to Lisa. "You can let her go, Lisa."
Lisa nodded though she gave Orihime a warning look. "If you insist."
Orihime wiped her tears furiously. "I will never forgive you," she spat and left while Rukia watched with cold eyes. From a distance stood Ulquiorra, his arms crossed across his chest. Rukia exhaled as if trying to control her emotions.
Emotions are nothing in the business world. You deal with everything using your mind and not that stupid heart.
She remembered those lines from him and Rukia sighed once more before turning to Lisa and gave a wry remark. "Guess we felt the same way," she said in nonchalance. "It's not like I have forgiven her either for taking him from me."
"You still love him, don't you, despite hating him at the same time."
"…"
Lisa sighed and gave Rukia a look of understanding. "You've been full of contradictions ever since we arrived in this country though if you ask me, I think the woman coming out from her shell was more human than the Ice Maiden of the Kuchiki."
Rukia gave her a dry look. "Really? I don't see any difference at all," she scoffed.
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.
.
"I hate her, I hate her, I hate her," Orihime yelled in anger as she paced the room where her friends were listening. "And Ulquiorra was so blind to fall for her!"
"What's got into you?" Ichigo asked, annoyed for having been called from his day off only to listen to her rant.
"Ulquiorra…he broke with me," Orihime cried helplessly while the others listened though in their minds, they thought it was alright seeing as he never loved Orihime like he did to Rukia and that the former would continue to be hurt should they go on with a relationship that is doomed to fall from Rukia's return.
"Tch, that bastard is really a fool to hold on to her until now," Grimmjaw scoffed earning a heated glare from Ichigo and Renji in particular though Neliel was emitting an aura of a woman about to explode as well. "And you said Rukia read the letter?" he asked, ignoring the others.
"She read the letter?" Ichigo asked in surprise.
"She did and she still acted like it wasn't her fault," Orihime hissed amidst her tears.
Neliel stood up. She wasted her time here. She should have simply asked through phone what this was all about. "I'm leaving," she said tonelessly. "I don't want to talk about that stuff anymore." In actuality, she does not want to say something that might hurt Orihime's feeling. She just realized she could not withstand hearing Orihime complain so much about Ulquiorra and Rukia.
"I'm going as well," Ichigo and Renji said in chorus making Toshirou raise his brow.
"Are you two in some form of a relationship?" he asked making the two stare at him in shock before Ichigo growled, insulted by the implication that he is having an affair with the redhead.
"I'm straight you midget!"
He stalked off. Renji tucked his hands and spoke. "You know, I suggest you refrain from further talking about Rukia and Ulquiorra when you guys don't even know what really happened and also that letter…" he gave Grimmjaw a glare. "…talk one more about Rukia sending that and you'll kiss this friendship goodbye. This goes for you too Inoue," he said to the woman who was crying her heart out. "If anything, I even think you might have a hand on what happened nine years ago."
And he left, the implication not lost on the others who chose to remain. Orihime stared wide-eyed at the closed doors before turning to Rangiku who was giving her a questioning look. "W-what?" she asked, suddenly confused.
"I'd like to ask…did you send the letter Orihime?" Rangiku asked bluntly.
"What?" Orihime shouted in shock. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"I'm simply asking because you see we believe Rukia did not send that letter."
Orihime gave her friend a hurt look. "Why would I do that…I mean why would…"
"We're only asking," Toshirou asked and turned to Grimmjaw. "Rukia did not send that letter so I hope your accusation with her stops."
"Then what about that man?" he challenged.
"We have no answer to that but we believe it is best to ask Rukia about that."
"She admitted herself."
"Maybe so but it doesn't mean she was the one who broke things up. Renji is right you know, this friendship will break if you and Orihime continue with this kind of attitude," he said with disappointment. "Let's go Matsumoto."
"Wait!" Orihime cried out. "I did not send the letter. I really did not. I wouldn't betray them that way."
Matsumoto. "We know but you also know you really stand no chance against her, right, even after all these years. She still belongs to him and vice versa. Don't hate Rukia for it because you knew that from the very start."
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.
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"Woman."
Rukia raised her head from the blueprint to meet green eyes. At the moment, the workers were all busy taking a break. "What do you want?" she asked in the coldest voice she could muster.
He leaned on one post. "You wouldn't be able to give me now what I wanted but perhaps in the future," he retorted smugly. He leaned away immediately, his eyes boring on her. This time his eyes reflected quiet anger too. "You think you are the only one who has the right to assume everything?"
Knowing what he is talking about, Rukia met his stare with hers, her eyes equally reflecting the same kind of anger. "The fact that you ended up with her without my knowledge was proof enough that you were just the same as them! You believed the letter too!"
"I called you damn it!" Ulquiorra retorted in the same level of voice, though much harder in tone. "I called the number you gave me from the first correspondence we shared, I called you to ask why you did such, I called you because I wanted to believe it was all a lie!"
The force of his voice as he moved towards her made Rukia move forward before finally his words sank in, rendering her motionless as her eyes widened in surprise. This was the first time she had seen him so angry when just a little while ago he was tolerable. When she met his eyes, there was the deep, raw pain evident in those.
"But a guy had answered instead of you."
For a moment, she looked at him, agape, processing everything, trying to remember whoever might have been with her those times. She could think of no one except Byakuya and Gin. One of the two would always drop by her place to check on her, to make sure she was alright following the incident that happened.
"I hang up," Ulquiorra continued, taking her silence as the opportunity to talk, to vent out what he had been holding for nine years while she could only listen. "But then I tried calling for you again days later to no avail. Your roommate said you had gone off with a man and lived with him. So tell me, was that not enough effort on my part to learn the truth before I finally allowed myself to move on?"
Rukia clenched her fist. "Oi, Rukia-chan, ya got a call but he hanged up on me."
Yes, Gin told her about it too and she assumed it was just some pranksters.
She looked away, not wanting to see that pain in his eyes when he had no right to. "I came here you know. I heard rumors from there…that my bestfriend is cheating with my boyfriend. I wanted to come see it personally."
She turned to him and saw how his eyes blinked in confusion. "What? When?"
"Nine years ago…a month after that letter came to you," she whispered, feeling that familiar pain. She looked up despite the tears threatening to fall down. "Guess what? I arrived at your apartment…"
Her hands raised to knock when she suddenly heard a voice, a woman's voice she could very well recognize and something inside her clenched.
"I'll always be here, Ulquiorra," the soft voice said. "Because I love you."
Rukia strained her ears to listen to how her boyfriend would respond to this, unaware that she was clenching her hands tightly against her jacket. She felt tired from the jetlag and she would have called them about her arrival but the things she had heard had been bugging her and she does not want to postpone whatever talk there was that she is to have.
"You don't deserve to go on like this forever. Raise your head and move on," Orihime continued. "You know why your previous dates had all gone wrong? Because you refuse to acknowledge them, you still live in Rukia's shadows when you should not."
Rukia at that moment wanted to burst in and slap her friend for saying that.
"Perhaps you are right. After all, our relationship would not work out."
Rukia blinked, shocked at how Ulquiorra easily gave in to Orihime's coaxing. What happened while she was gone? Then she screwed her eyes shut after hearing the following words coming from his own mouth.
"I have always like you…you and Rukia…"
Unable to hear it anymore, she took a step back quietly and dashed out, tears rolling down her cheeks. Pain and anger rose inside her but she refused to give in. That same time, she had flown back to the States without everyone's knowledge of her arrival.
Ulquiorra stared at her in disbelief. "Y-You came?" he stammered for the first time and he was not even aware of it. Of course he remembered that scene she had described for him. Then he sighed, wanting to laugh at how things had all gone wrong. He gave Rukia a wry smile and was about to wipe her tears out of habit but she backed away.
"Don't touch me," she hissed.
"Have it your way," he responded. "Rukia, have you stayed a little longer, you should have heard it was still you."
"I have always like you…you and Rukia but you understand that Rukia will always be the first," he said in a casual tone. Orihime looked away in pain.
"Y-Yes of course…"
"I'm telling you this so you know what to expect," he continued. "That I might not give you as much as I gave Rukia."
Orihime nodded. It seemed fair enough for her. After all, she had no right to demand because it was her who was pushing herself to him. "I know."
Ulquiorra nodded. He does not know what came to him to have given in to her suggestion but perhaps it was because he wanted to move on, albeit with difficulty, with someone willing to actually love him despite the fact that he loves someone else.
"Doesn't that say how both of us have been stupid to have easily let it go?" he commented wryly and raked his raven hair. "And now that we think about it, don't you think it is also right to assume that someone wanted to ruin our relationship?"
Rukia looked at him, unable to digest everything. She blinked back her tears. "I…I need time alone."
He gave her a soft smile, that smile only meant for her. "Sure. You needed it." He turned on his heel and walked away, feeling relieved over the fact that both of them had just been plainly stupid.
"Ulquiorra."
He looked over his shoulder. "I…"
"You do not have to say anything now. However, I have something to say…" she met with perplexed look. "It is still you…and I intend to have you back. Whether you like that or not."
Rukia watched him with renewed emotions all of which had nothing to do with anger now, knowing in her hearts of hearts he too had suffered from a simple letter not even sent by her. She watched with remorse, feeling regretful for the wasted years. Things would be different for all of them. She knew that. And somehow, despite wishing it to be different, Rukia knew she will not stay here for so long. And she also knew, despite what both she and Ulquiorra discovered, Rukia...just can't give her trust yet.
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Sorry if it's bad...anyway, many thanks to kejora, onlyluna, lemonorangevanilladrops, StarPrincess999, a girl who goes here everyday, buchielle, blissbeat, satomika, AnimeFanx3, and NinjaBunnyOverlord. Thanks also for the hits, for adding the story to your favorite list and as well as on alert. Ja ne.
