This chapter is unbeta'd so excuse any grammar/spelling mistakes please! There shouldn't be too many...
The following part is symbolic. Hence the reason for Ulquiorra's… (temporary) OOCness.
Nothingness.
Void.
Dark.
"Hold her down," a gruff voice commanded from nowhere.
In the distance, a pale, lean figure materialized. Monstrous, ebony wings erupted from his back and rested behind barely clad form. Golden pupils rolled into view, surrounded by a dark pool of viridian corneas. Opaque tears streaked down from his eyes and long, bony horns protruded from his raven-black hair.
"Must I fucking repeat myself, Ulquiorra?" Murcielago ground out, "Hold her down."
"…What?" Ulquiorra managed to whisper. It was like unseen fingers were gripping at his vocal chords, rendering him unable to speak or turn his head at will. He cast his eyes downwards to the limp hand at his side, twitching his fingers to test if he could at least control his body to that extent. His movements were slow, like swimming in viscous syrup, and his mind was heavy.
He turned his head to the side to the best of his ability and then, not far from him, another human-shaped structure began to come into existence.
"He won't hurt me," a new voice joined in. It was feminine and soft. He struggled to look for the source, but Ulquiorra's mind was processing much too slow for his tastes.
Fully visible now and standing next to Murcielago, Orihime stared at him with tear-filled eyes. Her clothes were torn and she sported bleeding wounds that she paid no attention to. Pity racked through him like a surging tide as she let out a whimper. A faint call for help.
"You are right. He is too weak now," with razor-like claws, he swiped at her back causing her to fall forward and collapse on the ground. She screamed in agony, the song of her pain drowning him in despair.
"I'm not… afraid," Orihime whispered through clenched teeth. Her body shuddered violently as an unhealthy amount of blood oozed from the fresh wound on her back.
The auburn-haired girl's eyes never strayed from his. Tenderly, she lifted a shaking hand up and stretched her arm out, reaching for him.
Before he could process what was going on, his body had leapt forward and grabbed her hand, bending a knee to help her up as he supported her weight with his shoulder.
"Trash!" Murcielago hissed poisonously, but the beast did not move from his spot.
Orihime tilted her head to look up, her lips parted marginally to gasp out heady breaths. Her breasts heaved in and out as with every breath she took, the soft flesh tickling and brushing against his hard chest and sending shocks of unknown sensations throughout his body. With her so close to him, he began to feel heat pooling at his lower abdomen.
"Kiss me," she said.
"What?"
"You want me. I can see it in your eyes," she lowered her head slightly, her eyes level to his broad chest. She raised a hand again and slid it upwards from the hem of his shirt to the spot she was now staring at. Her fingers danced lightly in rhythm with his heartbeat, further instigating the heat in his groin to burn with immeasurable intensity.
"You're speaking nonsense, onna."
Again, she lifted her head up, her eyes alight and bordered with glistening tears. She began to lean in slowly and tilt her chin ever so slightly; her eyelids growing heavier the closer her mouth drew to his.
Upon realizing what she was about to do, Ulquiorra's first instinct was to push her away. To turn his head and avoid the sweet union of his lips against hers. But, again, his body paid no attention to his silent signals and instead did the very opposite of what he wished.
He met her halfway, his dark lips brushing against her top lip and parting marginally to exhale. Ulquiorra's hands snaked up from her waist and up past the deep wounds on her back, staining his hands red and leaving a bloody trail to her chestnut hair. Pale digits tangled with brunette strands and she arched into him in return.
Finally closing the distance, she pressed her lips against his, emitting a soft, dissatisfied groan. Somehow, he knew what she wanted. Perhaps he understood through the motion of her hands slipping around his neck, or the way she hooked her right leg around his waist, or the grinding of her hips against his painfully, sweltering groin. Ulquiorra parted his lips and accepted her silent request to slip her slick tongue into his mouth. He growled softly into her mouth, his tongue caressing possessively with hers.
She rubbed her hips against his slowly, causing his breath to hitch in his throat. He broke the kiss only to begin nibbling delicately at her bottom lip. She moaned, her eyes fluttering and her fragile hands exploring his broad shoulders and back. Ulquiorra tilted his head up again, his tongue slipping back into her warm, smooth mouth.
Orihime ended their shared kiss, leaning back as she pressed her fingers upon the flesh that enclosed his rapidly beating heart. With swollen, glossy lips and a heavenly voice she spoke:
"Your heart… is mine."
"NO!"
With inhumane velocity, Murcielago shot forward, immense wings flapping once to propel him forward. His long, whip-like tail zipped ahead of him and snaked around Orihime's thin wrists. With an audible snap, Murcielago's tail tightened its grip and jerked her backwards, sending her flying into his arms. She shrieked in pain, her silver eyes wide with fear and her mouth agape as she shrilled a scream at a pitch that was sure to damage his hearing.
"Release her!" Ulquiorra found himself shouting even though he had no intention of doing so.
"Let me remind you what happens when you let your guard down, Ulquiorra," he hissed.
His tail continued to wind around her body: between her inner thighs and through her bust and then around her neck, all the while encompassing her ankles and wrists. She was positioned in midair, her limbs spread outwards, but her head hung low. Pulling back, Orihime arched her spine causing her breasts to bounce from her sudden movement. Her binding constricted once more and she lifted her head up immediately to scream in pain, begging for the winged monster to stop.
Murcielago grinned, his eyes sparkling with delight as he listened to her sounds of suffering. He relaxed his grip just slightly and Orihime immediately lost consciousness.
And in return, Ulquiorra gained his.
Ulquiorra lurched forward in the chair he had fallen asleep in. Reality had hit him so hard, it was reeling his mind in circles, causing him to gasp quite loudly for air and stability.
"…What…" he breathed out.
Suddenly, he evicted whatever was in his stomach right onto the floor of his study room. He had not eaten anything recently so instead of garbled remnants of food, he began to dryly heave copious amounts of saliva and acid.
His mind was reeling.
Orihime's sultry tone lingered in his imagination, the tingling sensation in his trousers still flaming and rampant.
…
Ulquiorra was right.
"I definitely need this scarf," she whined aloud to her mirror image.
Orihime grew beet red as she paced her fingertips on the constellation of red marks on her neck. Some were even turning a dark purple and others were tender and raw, the skin having disturbed by his sharp fangs. Geez, couldn't he at least be gentle?
The rest of that day was a mess. At least in Orihime's head. She had spent the remainder of the afternoon and night mulling over Ulquiorra's actions. Occasionally, she would find herself imagining the feeling his scalding lips skimming over her cheeks… sliding all the way down to her abdomen while his fingers danced teasingly on her inner thigh…
She smacked herself in the head, knocking herself forcefully out of her wanton ideas. Geez, what in the world am I doing?!
She also had trouble sleeping last night, hence the reason why she was out of bed early for once.
"I'm coming in."
Before the young girl could respond, Ulquiorra already made his way in with a tray of food. He quietly placed it down on her nightstand before turning to face her. She quickly observed that he was wearing a dull, green button-down with a fancy gray vest and black slacks. Though the mask seemed out of place, it added a touch of class and mysteriousness.
"You're not wearing the scarf," he said pointedly. His green eyes were fixated on a certain point on her exposed neck. Face flushed, she slapped her hand on her neck, trying to cover the bites to the best of her ability. She tried to read his expression again, looking for something similar to pride or regret, but she was expecting too much already.
"Eat," he demanded, ignoring her antics of embarrassment. Orihime nodded once, wrapping the scarf around her neck despite already feeling like she was burning up, and walked over to the tray to uncover it.
"Oh wow! Donuts!" she sat down on the edge of her bed and began to devour the soft dough with gusto, licking her fingers as she ate them one by one.
"Mmph… shooo good!" she moaned and then swallowed with a loud gulp. She turned to face Ulquiorra, her eyes glistening with grateful tears, "Are these from Chunkin' Donuts? I recognize their famous sugar glaze from anywhere!"
She waited for an answer, but was only met with his indifferent stare. Orihime shrugged and then went back to finishing her breakfast. The young girl had already grown accustomed to his frequent, blank stares and melancholic attitude.
"Why do you act happy?"
She paused in her indulging, slightly startled by his initiation at a conversation. Again, she turned to him, a questioning look on her face, "I'm sorry?"
"For days, you were drowning in your own tears of self-pity and now you stand before me, smiling and laughing."
"I'm always like this," she blinked twice at him, "You got me these donuts like you know me so well! How could I not be happy?" she added with a giggle.
"You cannot fool me, Orihime," he said slowly. To him, the human girl was more than an open book.
Orihime swiftly glanced at him, her eyes bright with his sudden use of her name, and then averted her attention back to tearing a donut into smaller pieces. Her ecstatic performance slowly diminished and her shoulders slumped over, "I know. I just…"
"Answer this, onna. Just why do you bother keeping this false façade up? To avoid being pitied? To avoid being a bother to your friends?"
She didn't answer at first, her eyes downcast, but she felt his hardened gaze penetrated her all the same. Finally, when she decided to speak, her words slightly surprised him.
"It's not that I'm pretending. I just feel like it's a lot easier to smile and adjust than give you the cold shoulder… Besides, I feel like… maybe we can be friends, Ulquiorra."
His eyes widened, taking a few silent moments to slowly digest her answer. To adjust… What a strong girl indeed.
"Let me tell you this, Inoue Orihime. I am not your friend," he hissed, "Nor do I ever intend to be. Just be yourself. It is easier that way."
'Just be yourself'
…Wait what? Was Ulquiorra trying to give her advice?
Orihime looked up, a delicate blush blooming on her cheeks causing Ulquiorra to be taken aback. It was that same expression that she had given him in his dream. Right before she… no before he kissed her. He immediately began to feel that familiar twinge in his groin and he took a step back in his discomfort.
"Why do you keep doing that?" he found himself asking.
"Doing what?" she furrowed her brows in confusion. Ulquiorra was acting quite strangely.
"Your face keeps turning red. It's really annoying."
"H-huh?" his spoken remark only made her face burn even hotter.
Ulquiorra sighed, running a gloved hand through his ink-black hair. He turned and began to walk away, "I'll return in thirty minutes. Be prepared to go outside today."
She watched the door shut close behind him and lock in place with mild confusion, slowly lifting her cold fingertips to her red-tinted cheeks.
Why is he making me feel this way?
…
"Well, he wasn't kidding when he said he was going to devour her," Szayel snickered loudly into his hand. Using his free hand, he began to tap at some buttons and the scene playing before them reversed back to the beginning.
"Holy shit, Szayel! I feel like I'm watchin' porn. Shut that thing off!" Grimmjow sneered, but contrary to his words, his neck was craned towards the screen, his eyes squinting for focus.
"Don't tell me you put cameras in every room…" Nel began to gripe, her voice wary. The teal-haired girl crossed her leg over the other, her fingers tapping impatiently on the armchair. She was feeling horrifically grumpy that morning, having been rudely awoken from her sleep by Szayel, "Is this the so-called 'important topic' you wanted to discuss with us?"
"Don't be such a wiener, Nelliel!" Nnoitra fussed, "Oh, man, I cannot wait to blackmail Ulquiorra with this!"
"Blackmail me with what?"
All four pairs of eyes shifted to the doorway of Szayel's room and then widened in shock.
"Come sit with us, Ulquiorra!" Nnoitra got up and began to push Ulquiorra towards a nearby, empty seat and forced him to sit down, "Come watch this with us!"
Despite his monotonous grunts of protesting, he found himself staring at the screen in front of him when he heard a feminine, but loud moan escape from the television speakers.
"What are…you…" his words slowly trailed off as realization hit him square in the gut. On the screen played a rather... sensual scene between Orihime and Ulquiorra; the same scenes that he had been replaying in his head since the moment it was interrupted in the library.
Grimmjow, Szayel, and Nnoitra burst out laughing, clearly enjoying the expression of revulsion on the pale, boy's face. Nel merely smirked, also noting that Ulquiorra was sporting a faint, but noticeable blush.
"Oh man, Ulquiorra," Grimmjow gasped out as he wiped a tear from his eye. He exhausted all the oxygen he had in his lungs to laugh at Ulquiorra's reaction, "You should make more of these. They're hot!"
"Yeah, with those sounds that girl is making, it seems like she's ready for more!" Nnoitra sneered with his nasal voice. Nel rolled his eyes at him and pouted, feeling incredibly neglected.
Ulquiorra wordlessly stood up from his seat and started to walk towards the DVD player. He should have known better than to think his hotel was free of Szayel's hidden cameras.
"Oh ho ho, no you don't!" Szayel took a step forward and grabbed Ulquiorra by the wrist, yanking him away from the entertainment set, "You are not taking my valuable data!"
"Release me!" Ulquiorra hissed, his eyes never straying from the screen even though his vision was flooded with the color red.
Fury wracked through his body like never before.
Raising his free arm, stretched his fingers outwards towards the television and began to charge up an emerald cero.
"What the fuck!"
Grimmjow launched himself from the couch and tackled Ulquiorra, sending both of them colliding on the carpet.
"Are you crazy, shithead?! You're gonna blow this place up!" To emphasize his point, Grimmjow decided to knock some sense into him. Literally. He planted a jaw-shattering blow on Ulquiorra's face, causing him to grunt out in pain.
Wrong decision.
Ulquiorra swiftly kicked Grimmjow off of him and kicked him roughly on the side while he was down, sending him crashing through the wall and out into the snow-laden outdoors. Ulquiorra sonido'd after him to continue paying him back for the dull pain pulsating at his jawbone. His rage was now in complete control of his mind as he sent cero after cero at Grimmjow's resilient body.
"They're going to tear this place up! We have to stop them!" Nel watched in horror from indoors. The snow was billowing in like a blizzard from the frenzied battle taking place outside. The wall was in complete ruins. Nnoitra, with his fighting-spirit, dove after them, joining in on the fight just for fun.
'How are these idiots going to fix this now?' Nel inwardly sighed.
…
Orihime nearly jumped out of her bed when the door slammed open, revealing a blabbering Nel at the doorway, "Orihime! You need to stop them!"
"What? What's going on?" Orihime quickly walked over to Nel, "Calm down, Nel-san! What's going on?"
"They're fighting outside. Only you can stop them. Non-violently of course."
Orihime had no clue as to why Nel was thinking that, but she was deeply concerned considering it was enough to panic Nel.
"Oh my God, is it serious?"
Without another word, the auburn-haired girl grabbed her jacket and pushed Nel out of her room. Having calmed down, Nel began to escort her outside with a somewhat hurried pace.
"It's nothing really, but it would really trouble me if someone got hurt. They're just being boys."
"Ah… sounds fun."
They continued to walk quickly, but Orihime decided to break the short silence.
"So… I saw you and Nnoitra… you know—"
"WHAT?! No! We weren't doing anything like that! I swear!" she interrupted, her arms flailing around and her face contorted in mortification.
"N-no! That's not what I was going to say! Calm down Nel-san!" Orihime managed to calm her down, but the teal-haired girl's face was still flushed. With that reaction, maybe there was something going on beyond what she had seen?
"I was going to say I saw you singing to him."
"Ah," was all she said, her brown eyes still avoiding hers.
"Are you getting any closer to him?"
"I've been with him for decades! Of course I'm close to him, silly Orihime-chan," she sang cheerfully, but the pain in her eyes didn't escape from young girl's vision.
"I mean as lovers."
"L-lovers!?" Nel stared at her incredulously, "Orihime-chan, we're Hollows. Hollows cannot love. We are empty, blasphemous beings," she began to quicken her pace, Orihime almost running to catch up with her.
"Don't you think it's kind of odd, though?" Orihime couldn't help, but press on the subject even though she knew she was making Nel uncomfortable, "You said you always feel like you have an obligation to be with him and that it makes you feel better when you are. Isn't that love?"
Nel was quiet for so long, Orihime was about to give up on listening for an answer until she finally spoke, "That's exactly it. It really feels like an obligation," her tone was soft and serious, "Like I was born to protect him. Well, reborn."
A light bulb was lit upstairs, "Maybe it has something to do with your past life? Before you became a Hollow."
Nel shrugged. They finally reached the door leading to outside and she pushed it open for Orihime, "I thought about that, but there's not much I can do with that much information anyway. I can't remember anything of that life nor can Nnoitra or anyone here for that matter."
Maybe something could trigger her memories back?
Orihime's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of destructions and the fall of rubble, accompanied with an occasion haughty laugh or grunt. She turned her head away from Nel, towards the sound of explosions, and gasped aloud in horror.
Ulquiorra had both Nnoitra and Grimmjow pinned on the white, frosted earth. Grimmjow released a disgruntled scoff as Ulquiorra dug his head harder into the snow with one hand and kept Nnoitra's unmoving body restrained under the sole of his shoe.
His black coat sleeves were tattered and hanging on my only a few threads and his eyes. Orihime couldn't help, but notice that his snow-white mask had a noticeable chip on the side.
It was a lot more serious than Nel articulated it to be.
"Ulquiorra…?"
The mentioned Hollow's viridian gaze slid from Grimmjow to Orihime without moving his head and his dark lips tilted lower into a deep frown.
"Tch! Well if it ain't your girlfriend comin' to save ya, Ulquiorra!" Grimmjow laughed weakly. Ulquiorra gripped his azure hair and picked his head up a few inches off the ground only to smash it back down. Orihime covered her mouth to suppress a surprised squeal.
"What are you doing here?" Ulquiorra glowered at her.
"She came here to stop you," Nel answered for her. She took a step forward, but her stance was still defensive. Ulquiorra was furious. And when that boy was mad, he could just about decimate the entire city if he wanted to.
"Heh, you hear that Grimmjow?" Nnoitra nudged his head out from underneath Ulquiorra's foot and stoof up, spitting blood with a laugh.
"You're such a fucking loser," Grimmjow gritted, his deep voice muffled in the snow.
"The girl doesn't concern me," Ulquiorra deadpanned. He released his grip on Grimmjow and straightened up, his body fully turned to face Orihime.
"Oh really? Then prove it!" Nnoitra jeered, "Don't give us that 'we must keep her mentally and physically stable' shit! You could always just beat 'er up 'til she begs ya to fuck 'er!"
Grimmjow was standing next to Nnoitra now, both of their mocking expressions littered with cuts and bruises, "Hell, I'm pretty sure you don't have to beat 'er up to have her begging for ya!" Grimmjow added.
"Disgusting," Ulquiorra shot a glare at him. Orihime was blushing at the highest level at this moment.
"It's obvious he won't do it," Szayel said from a distance. He was watching the show from afar, sitting on the demolished remnants of the wall with his elbow on his knee.
"Then how about we do it for him?"
Before Orihime could turn around to see where the new voice was coming from, two pairs of hands had grabbed her from behind. One slender hand covered her mouth just in time to hold in her startled yelp and the others held her arms down with such animosity it rendered her unable to turn or stand up properly.
"Loly," Ulquiorra was seething now.
Loly Aivirrne shrilled a menacing laugh, her grip clenching painfully on Orihime's mouth. Silver-eyes grew wide in desperation as she struggled to release herself from Menoly and Loly's hold.
"Man, you're like a worm. So pathetic," Loly murmured into Orihime's ear. The violet-eyed girl's high-pitched voice echoed into her ears, sending violent shivers down her back. Her grin curled upwards even more, feeding off of Orihime's fear.
Menoly frowned at her sister. It wasn't that she pitied the human girl, but she didn't exactly feel pleasure from harming someone else for no good reason.
Loly fixated her piercing gaze on Ulquiorra, "Would you save her before I tear off her pretty little arm?" the nails on Orihime's wrist dug painfully into her delicate skin and drew blood. Orihime squirmed when she began to feel the heat of pain, but her efforts were wasted.
"Don—" was all Orihime heard from Ulquiorra before the sound of bone-crunching reached her ears.
Red filled her vision and stained the snow.
Splotches of blood trailed from Ulquiorra to Nnoitra; a pale, gnarled arm, complete with jacket sleeve, bones, and tendons, lay at a distance from Ulquiorra. Blood poured from the socket that once harbored his arm and dribbled to the ground stickily. With a pained grunt, Ulquiorra wavered on his feet, but managed to keep his stance.
"Nnoitra," Ulquiorra growled.
Due to Menoly and Loly's stunned state, Orihime managed to wiggle out of their hold and fall to her knees. Her knees reached the lowest layer of the snow, the ice instantly numbing her jean-clad legs. She covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes wide with distress and distaste. Orihime began to gag reflexively, feeling nauseous upon seeing the pale boy's arm resting lifelessly at the side and blood saturating Ulquiorra's clothes, trickling softly from the arteries and veins that stuck out from what was left of his upperarm.
"U-Ulquiorra…!" Orihime weakly whimpered to him.
Ulquiorra angrily stared at her, but didn't say a word. To her confusion, not a sign of agony could be traced on his face.
Closing his eyes and furrowing his brow in concentration, Ulquiorra condensed his reiatsu on his wound. Within seconds, new flesh reappeared and took shape of his previous arm. Ulquiorra opened his eyes and brought the newly formed arm to his sight, flexing his fingers as if to test it.
"Ha, oh man I can never get tired of that," Grimmjow grinned like a fool next to Nnoitra.
"That shit's kind of over-powered," Nnoitra chipped in. His single, violet eye gleamed with twisted delight, "I was kinda hoping he'd at least yell out in pain."
Szayel nodded in agreement, completely absorbed by how Ulquiorra had regenerated his arm so quickly.
Before Grimmjow or Nnoitra had a chance to tear him apart, Ulquiorra sonido'd away without a trace.
"Tch. Bastard ran away," Grimmjow grumbled. Nnoitra was yelling unintelligibly into the thin air Ulquiorra was breathing just moments ago. Something about paying him back for being more sexually active than him.
Grimmjow turned to the perplexed girl sitting on the ground, but then switched his cerulean gaze to Loly and Menoly, "What are you bitches still doing here? Scram! Go back to fucking the employees or something."
The twins' eyes grew wide at his demand and they took a step back. Loly was struggling to refrain herself from fighting against Grimmjow's insults and resulted to biting her tongue instead. She knew the brute wouldn't hesitate to rip her apart if she ever dared to defy him.
"L-lets go, Menoly," her sister nodded enthusiastically at her and they retreated back into the hotel.
Orihime continued to stare speechlessly at Grimmjow and Nnoitra, still completely stunned from what had happened. Nnoitra ran his bloody hand through his hair and grinned maniacally at her.
"You've gotten yourself into some weird shit, human girl." And Grimmjow, Szayel, and Nnoitra sonido'd off stage.
No kidding.
Nel placed a hand on her shoulder and she instantly regained her composure through her simple act of encouragement, "Sorry for putting you through this, Orihime-chan."
Orihime stood up and smiled softly at her, but she was still clearly confused, "Don't worry about me. I will be okay… But how are you guys going to fix this? Won't this concern any guests or potential customers?" she motioned to the dilapidated building.
"The Hougyoku is a magical gem, Orihime-chan," she whispered as if telling her a secret, "I don't really know how it works, but I do know that it is the reason why those boys can get away with a few fights every now and then."
"The Hyougoku…," Orihime repeated. That jewel does more than shield them. She felt a twinge of gratefulness towards it.
Nel returned her smile sadly, "Well, it should be about lunch time now. How about we have some girl time? Oh! And then we can take a walk around the hotel? Have you seen our indoor pool? Oooh, I bet you'll love our kitchen! It's enormous! But Nnoitra doesn't like me going in there if he isn't around…"
Orihime giggled at the teal-haired girl's attempt at lifting her spirits. She decided to go with the flow, hoping to cleanse her mind of the gory events that just took place, "I'd love to, Nel-san."
She could still feel Loly's shrill voice resonating through her mind. It still struck her that Loly and Menoly had found some interest to harming her. Why did they hate her so much? Because she's human?
Orihime decided to avoid those two at all costs in fear that she may end up in a dangerous situation.
…
"Are you sure you don't want to go see other parts of the hotel? Or play a game? Hide and seek? Tag?" Nel frowned at her. She crossed her arms over her busty chest as she spoke, "The library is so boring."
Orihime laughed softly as she glided her fingers against the multitude of book spines while she walked past them, "Sorry for boring you, Nel-san, but you know I can't just sit around if I want to help you guys. Besides, the topic seems interesting," she paused for a moment, squinting at a certain title that had caught her eye: Hohlen Welt Gymnasium.
A German yearbook? What is this doing here?
She took the book from the shelf and lightly blew the dust off its cover. Everything within it was written with India ink which was greatly smudged due to water damage and age; its markings long indecipherable so she couldn't tell what year it was for.
Garnering a certain interest for the ancient book, she brought it with her to the seat across from Nel. Orihime peeked over at Nel who had fallen asleep, already snoring despite talking just a few minutes ago. She flipped the cover open and ran her fingertips across the wrinkled, yellow page.
Each student was dressed in proper school uniform, their expressions mellow in their monochrome black and white picture. Quickly skimming through each page, she noted that it was a high school yearbook, possibly dating around early 1900's. She was about to turn the page when something familiar was seen at the corner of her eye.
Nnoitra Gilga.
Orihime's silver eyes widened and her heartbeat quickened. Above that infamous name was a picture of a young boy. Skinny, pale, and with inky-black hair that curled slightly at the ends. But harbored two, dark, and squinty eyes. So this was Nnoitra before he became a Hollow. His smile was as sinister as ever. He still looked like a delinquent. But Orihime wasn't one to judge. After all, she was/is in love with one.
Just to make sure, the auburn-haired girl checked to see if Nel was still sleeping. Yep. Orihime had warned her not to eat that heaping bowl of potato and bacon soup earlier, but Nel had reassured her that she felt too energized to go into a food coma.
She continued on, hoping to be able to find anything readable, but to no avail. The pictures were already blurred enough and she had only gotten lucky to see Nnoitra's clearly. Some pages were dog-eared at the corners or wrinkled. And were those tear stains? How strange…
On another page rested the name Nelliel tu Odelschwanck.
Nel was still her gorgeous self. Flowing, wavy hair and large, bright eyes set with a goofy, but natural smile. So Nnoitra and Nel attended high school together. It honestly didn't surprise Orihime knowing how familiar they acted with one another. Unconsciously or not.
Reading on, she quickly learned that she was Class President. It seemed like an unlikely titled for the ochre-eyed girl sitting across from her with drool dribbling down her chin.
Orihime closed the yearbook and set it aside. She got up and gently nudged Nel awake, telling her that she wanted to go back to her room now.
"Nnoi…tra… love you… too," she murmured quietly in her sleep. Orihime smiled sadly at her, her heart aching painfully for her friend. If there was anyone Nel could relate to about unrequited love, it would be Orihime. Though, something about Nel told her that her love for Nnoitra wasn't nearly as superficial as her love for Ichigo. It wasn't innocent or pure.
It was really… love. Not just affection or infatuation.
Not wanting to wake the girl up from her pleasant dream, Orihime exited the library and headed to her room, ignoring Ulquiorra's rule of only letting her walk around with a chaperone.
…
When Orihime entered her room, her heart nearly leapt out of her chest at the sight.
Ulquiorra was silently lying face up on her bed, his forearm resting on his mask to shield out the lighting of her room and his legs hanging off the edge of the mattress. She walked in and closed the door quietly behind her.
Approaching him, she wondered for a moment if he were asleep. His chest rose and fell ever so gently, his breathing shallow as it passed through his dark lips. Suddenly, the events of that day came hammering back into her head and she was instantly filled with dread and remorse.
She sat down on the bed next to Ulquiorra, removed his scarf from around her bed, and placed it neatly on her nightstand. Leaning over him, she felt de ja vu envelop her, seizing her heart in her grasp tightly and almost suffocating her.
That's right. She was in this exact position when she had last spoken to Ichigo.
Boldly, Orihime skimmed the back of her index finger against Ulquiorra's pale jawbone, trailing down his slender neck and around the collar of his coat.
Ulquiorra was handsome. She said this aloud and silently to herself countless times.
How wonderful could it be if those same lips that ravished her neck and jaw the night before touched hers? Would it send the same cold heat tingling down her spine and making her toes curl? If he bit down on her bottom lip with unfathomable delicacy, would it make her sigh his name just as she did last night?
She knew these thoughts were forbidden. Ulquiorra was a Hollow and not just that. He was her caretaker. Her warden, her jailer, her precious friend's enemy.
But she wasn't careful enough.
Orihime found herself cupping his face in her left hand, savoring the feeling of his rough, cold skin against her warm fingers. And then she leaned ever so slightly, the bed creaking underneath their bodies from the shifting weight…
"What are you doing?"
Orihime blinked and leaned back, her eyes large and quivering with revelation. Was she seriously about to kiss Ulquiorra in his sleep?
Ulquiorra removed his arm from his eyes and sat up, his emerald gaze never leaving her.
"I was awake this entire time."
Oh great. Could he make Orihime's face any redder?
"I-I-I…" she stammered.
Ulquiorra sighed. He knew she was about to kiss him. He could hear her rapid heart beat in anticipation since the moment she entered the room. Curiosity had kept him still and this was the result.
Did the girl hold affectionate feelings towards him? Despite his hard demeanor towards her, forcing her into imprisonment, and relaying the message that he was using her?
The girl couldn't be that imprudent.
Deciding to have none of it, he got off the bed and was about to leave without another word, but then Orihime quickly grabbed him by the wrist right before he could shove his hands into his pockets. Ulquiorra's eyes widened marginally when she pulled him back only to wrap her arms around his waist from behind.
"I-I wanted to say… I'm so sorry."
Ulquiorra remained stationary, completely bemused by her impulsive behavior. Orihime rested her forehead on the broad curve of his back, tightening her hug and vaguely feeling the rough, toned muscles underneath the layers of clothing.
"For…?" he said slowly.
"Because I'm here, you're going through so much," she pressed her body closer to his, her curves filling the gaps between their bodies. His breath hitched inaudibly in his throat, the heat in his lower abdomen unexpectedly returning with surging hostility.
"What had happened today is no different to what I had experienced before your arrival," he assured her. In fact, he should be the one apologizing to her for letting Loly and Menoly get the best of him through her. But Ulquiorra wasn't one to do so. And yet, before he realized it, his feet had taken him to Orihime's room. Why?
Orihime nodded knowingly against his back and sighed. She felt like Ulquiorra was getting bullied, but she wouldn't dare to admit that out loud. He could easily overcome them anyway.
Her hands drifted to the upper part of his chest and her fingers curled into a fist right above his heart. She was beginning to fancy the feeling him his hard, but warm body pressing against hers. Ulquiorra, on the other hand, was feeling uncomfortable being so close to her. It was that insistent desire welling up from his grown and flooding into his brain that told him that their position was becoming a peril.
He didn't belong in her arms.
Too soon, Ulquiorra wrenched himself from her hold and she sulked shyly from the lack of warmth. Without so much as a glance at her, he left the room, slamming the door shut and clicking the lock into place.
…
Meanwhile, in the library, Nel had woken up. The moonlight settled directly on her eyes, slowly coaxing her out of her slumber. Stretching and yawning, she stood up and looked around for Orihime. When she couldn't find her, she mentally kicked herself for being too laid back with the human. Ulquiorra was sure to reprimand her for it later…
'What's this? This wasn't here before…" Nel set her eyes on the yearbook resting in the chair in front of her, "A yearbook! Guess I'll take this with me so I can draw mustaches on their pictures!"
Tucking the book in the crook of her arm, she set off to her room.
A/N: Ulquiorra vomiting earlier in this chapter will be explained very soon. And no. He is not pregnant. Please leave a review! It really is a nice reward after slaving over a new chapter for you guys!
Tell me if you enjoy it so far! Or if you guys have absolutely any questions, feel free to ask and I reply to all~