Eeeep! Sorry for the long delay in updating. Been busy at work and honestly, my brain wasn't on its creative side for the past few weeks. Hehehe. Hope you guys keep reading~
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE REVIEWS AND FOLLOWS! THESE ALL MEAN A LOT TO ME! I'LL DO MY BEST TO WORK ON THIS STORY!
Summary: Because when she got tired, he started to give her attention.
Rating: T for some language and other scenes
Disclaimer: Bleach does not belong to me (because if I do, Ichigo and Orihime would definitely end up together. HAHAHA)
How many tears must be shed before we can become honest?
To whom must we proclaim our feelings so that we can no longer feel loneliness?
Renji had been awfully quiet during the past few days. Orihime also noted the redhead avoided Rukia as much as possible, as he kept his gaze out the window during class. She asked if there was anything wrong, but he simply shrugged and gave a soft smile—Orihime tried to ignore it but she saw a tinge of sadness in his eyes.
So she decided to call and invite him to hang-out during the weekend, to which he declined.
"I'm going out with my parents this weekend. We'll be visiting the mountains for a bit of fresh air."
"WOW! That's great, Renji-kun! I'm sure you'll have loads of fun! But be careful! I've heard that little blue men liked staying up in high places! They might get you if you let your guard down!"
She heard him chuckle at the other end of the line. "Don't worry, Hime. I'll be fine. I'll, err, bring along some weapons."
"YES! The little blue men are afraid of laser canons and radioactive guns! Those are the best weapons!"
"Well, I'll keep those in mind. I'll see ya on Monday, Orihime."
"Un! I'll see you, too! Take care, Renji-kun!"
She heard a click on the other line, indicating that Renji had hung up the phone. With nothing left to do, Orihime decided to get out and get some supplies from the grocery store.
It was nearly 5 o'clock when she finished her grocery shopping. With leeks, wasabi, a loaf of bread, and red bean paste in her bag, Orihime couldn't help but feel excited making her favorite food in the world. As she walked and thought of making the wasabi and red bean paste sandwich, she didn't notice the stop light turn into green before crossing the street.
She was startled when a pair of big hands pulled her back, just in time before a car speeds by her.
"Why is it that I always find you in trouble, woman?"
Eyes wide, Orihime turned around to find a pair of green eyes looking down at her. Her heart hammered in the chest. Whether it was because she almost got hit by a car or because of the piercing gaze Ulquiorra gave her, she didn't know.
"AHHH! I'm sorry, Ulquiorra-san!" she stammered when she noted how close he was to her. She backed away a bit and noticed her grocery scattered on the pavement. "Oh no! I'm so clumsy!" She bent down, picking up her food and placing them inside the plastic bag. Ulquiorra stood by and watched her gather her things, his eyes never leaving her form.
"Uhhmm, sorry to have troubled you again, Ulquiorra-san." She stood up, but kept her head bowed. She felt hesitant to look up and find his cold eyes staring straight at her.
Silenced followed. Ulquiorra kept his piercing gaze on her, which somehow made Orihime's heart flutter in a weird rhythm. When he spoke, the words he said were the last things in her mind.
"Come with me, woman. I'm not negotiating. I'm giving you an order."
Orihime's head snapped up, her mouth formed into a small gasp. Stunned, all she could do was nod her head.
Orihime kept quiet all the while she was inside his car. With her head bowed down, she made quick glances over the man behind the wheel. What was he thinking, asking her to come with him? What was she thinking, accepting his offer for a ride? While these thoughts played inside her head, Orihime couldn't keep her heart from stuttering a fast rhythm, a beat that she feared he might hear above the silence.
"Uhmm, where are we going?" she asked, her small fingers playing with each other.
The sky had almost turned dark, sporting a burnt orange hue with a dominating mix of violet. Though she did speak to Ulquiorra for more than once, Orihime still becomes speechless in his presence. The last time they talked was also a bit confusing, leaving her with more questions about his character.
"Are you afraid?" he finally asked. Those were the first words that tumbled from his mouth the moment, they got inside the car.
Was she afraid? Was she scared of him? While she didn't really know much about Ulquiorra, he didn't seem a bad person to hurt her. He even offered her a ride once and saved her from some men back at the festival. So was she afraid?
"I…"
The car stopped, to her surprise. She looked outside the window and saw her apartment complex. While she was lost in her own thoughts, she hadn't realized that he took a route to her home. Orihime kept her gaze on the fingers on her lap, still finding the right words to answer his question.
"I…I feel sad, alone, but…" she looked up at him, her honey-colored eyes matching the cold stare he gave her. "I do not feel afraid."
"I am not here to comfort you."
Silence followed.
"I see. Then I should be going. Thank you for the ride and sorry for the trouble again, Ulquiorra-san," she fumbled with her seatbelt and picked up her grocery bag. When she opened the door to her side and was about to step out, Orihime was stopped with a hand gripping her small wrist. She turned around to find her wrist wrapped in his cold, pale hand. Her eyes traveled back to his, while she tried to suppress the erratic beat of her heart.
"You entertain me," he said, not letting go of her wrist. For a moment, she held her breath and her eyes widened at his sudden action. Orihime even thought she saw a faint glitter of emotion in his eyes. It all vanished when he let go of her hand and returned to his previous position facing the wheel.
"Go," his stern voice commanded, making her tumble out of the car as fast as she could. His car sped away smoothly, rounding the corner of the street and disappearing from her sight.
Orihime held the wrist he gripped, pressing it close to her chest. It was a different sensation, not fear, but perhaps something else. Something that only one person in her entire life had completely made her feel.
Although Orihime wasn't the type to stay out of focus when it comes to schoolwork, she couldn't help but remember the moment she had with Ulquiorra. During the past few days, she was trying to sort out her feelings, confused at the matter that was going on within her. Although as painful as it might seem, she knew her heart still belonged to Ichigo. So why is it that she's feeling confused when Ulquiorra comes into the picture. She hardly knew the person.
Leaving her thoughts in an undesirable mess, Orihime decided to consult the matter with either Renji or Tatsuki. Maybe both if it left her more questions than answers again.
"Okay, before I let you all go. I'll be giving you a special assignment. You'll need to pass this by the end of the week. I'll be assigning your partners so listen up!" Ochi-sensei said, taking out her class list from her records.
Orihime felt a little sad that Tatsuki nor Renji wasn't her partner, Ochi-sensei assigned them to different students.
"Inoue Orihime and…" the teacher paused, looking for another name in their roster.
"Kurosaki Ichigo."
She froze, her heart beating erratically inside her. Why him? she thought. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Ichigo glance at her. Something in his eyes passed, but immediately disappeared as he looked away. She bit her lip, her stomach doing undesirable flips, as she felt ever more lost in her own confusion.
We live and come to understand things, at times laughing, sometimes crying.
But we will continue to walk again today.
A/N: So sorry again for the late update, I've been coming home late nowadays due to work and other activities. Thank you for reading this story. I don't know if this is a really good chapter, might even leave some of you people confused. If some of you are wondering why Orihime's acting confused, well, I think for anyone who's got her heart broken and then some other guy appears, you'd also get confused at one point in your life. HAHAHAHA.
Anyway…WHO WANTS TO SEE ICHIGO AND ULQUIORRA DO SOME CONFRONTATIONS? Come on, guys. I know you want it. Well, we'll just see!
Drop a review and tell me what you think! Suggestions are also welcomed! HAHAHA.