It was an average day at Karakura High School. Teenage boys and teenage girls fluttered around, going about their daily lives. In Ochi-sensei's social science class, the adolescents clustered in groups, friends chattering away about the movie they had just seen, the cute shoes they saw at the new place that opened across the street from the pastry shop, and, of course, who saw that guy talking to that girl at that place.
Most of the current gossip that was now going around was single-mindedly focused on class beauty Inoue Orihime, and freaky/sexy new student Ulquiorra Schiffer. The rumour mill was a fickle thing, and the gossip-prone were always looking for something juicy. And nothing was juicier at the moment than what was there for everyone to see: the hugging, the touching, the fierce possessiveness, the news of bondage. Everything Ulquiorra did and said seemed to be fuel to the fire.
Eventually, the prattling died down as class was called into order. Once all the students had settled down and returned to their seats, Ochi-sensei began taking attendance, all while slipping in commentary about certain students. From the back of the classroom, where he was, as usual, gazing intensely at Orihime, Ulquiorra could make out the teacher's cheerful voice. "Well, will you look at this? I'm not missing half my class anymore…"
Ulquiorra was distracted; voices were a muddle around him. Orihime was pouting, staring down at her open school books intently with her brow stitched together. Something was bothering her.
"What are you doing," the Arrancar demanded, stone-faced. He leaned forward to peer at the subject of her focus.
"I'm…" Orihime started, preoccupied with flipping through the pages of her text book. "Trying to figure out how much I missed…"
The redhead flipped further and further back, her eyes skimming the pages for something she recognized. They couldn't have gone through seventy pages in a month and a half, could they have? The farther back the girl flipped, the deeper the furrow in her brow became. Ulquiorra asked the only logical question. "Why?"
Orihime sighed, resigned. She'd figure it out later. Turning her attention towards her roommate, she was once again struck by how beautiful he was. Blushing just a little, Orihime realized that there was worry in his eyes. As if the words on the page were assaulting her somehow. Fear the unknown, right? The girl giggled quietly.
"Because I've been gone for a long time, and I have to catch up if I want to pass the school year," Orihime explained gently. Passing her delicate index finger over the sides of the pages of the textbook, the grey-eyed teenager continued, "I have to learn all of this…"
The whispers between classmates died out as Ochi-sensei began her lecture. Orihime silently moved her desk over next to Ulquiorra's, hoping that the usually-chill teacher wouldn't mind. Leaning over towards the pale teenager with a bright smile, Orihime whispered as quietly as she could, careful not to draw too much attention. "I really need to catch up, but you have even more to learn. Don't you worry, though, I'm here to help you with everything!"
"I do not understand why you humans are so insistent on according such weight to this 'school' institution," Ulquiorra commented inexpressively after a moment. Orihime responded with an understanding smile; she was finding it really difficult starting at square one.
"It's because we all have dreams that we want to pursue," Orihime picked up her pencil and absently copied the notes being written on the blackboard. "And to do that, we need an education." Ulquiorra's eyes dropped to the books before him. He understood perfectly well the concept of ambition; that drive was omnipresent in Hueco Mundo.
'Dreams', however, was a concept more obscure; although in the last few days Ulquiorra thought that he had caught a glimpse of it. The emerald-eyed teenager looked down upon the school books sceptically, then up to Orihime's encouraging smile. "In what way could these books help me stay by your side for all time?"
The girl's eyes widened impossibly. Orihime was speechless, a warm feeling building in her chest and rising to her cheeks. This was probably the closest thing to a love confession she had ever heard. A decidedly pleasant feeling filled her, even as Ulquiorra sat there expecting an answer, and Orihime had to silence the spontaneous words that were bubbling to her lips.
Instead of doing something she would regret later, the redhead quelled her rogue emotions. After a moment of nervous compulsive gulping, Orihime managed to suppress her flustered feelings and pass Ulquiorra's question off as a joke. "Th-They don't help you with those kinds of dreams. They help you with professional dreams. Like being a cook or a doctor or a teacher."
Ulquiorra looked down at the books, then up at the teacher in disinterest and distaste. Orihime saw the denial in his glare, and played her ace, a small smile tugging her lips. "And if you don't know this material, then you'll fail the exams and be held back a year. So, next year, we won't be in the same class anymore." That got the Arrancar's attention; he looked up from the books startled, looking almost offended.
"And then, soon, I'll be off to college, and you'll be a high school drop out, and you'll be all alone at home while I'm with my nakama at Tokyo University…"
"Unacceptable," Ulquiorra asserted sternly, his eyes burning with rage. No one would keep him from his woman. "I will be wherever you are. Although it is a waste of my time, you will show me what must be done."
"That's the spirit, Ulquiorra," Orihime exclaimed, struggling to keep her voice below a whisper. "Let's focus on our schoolwork!"
What followed was a very intense study session, where Orihime learnt something very peculiar about Ulquiorra.
"Oh my goodness!" Orihime exclaimed for the hundredth time in the last hour. "That's amazing!" The bell had just rung, and while most had escaped through the door quickly, including the teacher, some students still lingered. Most notably, Orihime and Ulquiorra, who were busy in their corner, and Orihime's nakama, who were busy watching them.
"This should not surprise you. I was Aizen's envoy for a reason," Ulquiorra stated bluntly, unable to see what was so interesting about his ability.
Her grey eyes lit with unadulterated awe, Orihime turned towards her friends and motioned them over, a thick book open in her delicate hand. "Oh my goodness! You guys will never believe what Ulquiorra can do!" The wary, though curious, friends approached, except for Rukia, who continued to hang back in her own world, watching vaguely from a distance. Before any of them could utter a word, the excited redhead continued.
"Go on, Ulquiorra! Show them!" Ulquiorra closed his eyes as if to sigh, and then as he opened them again began reciting something about artificial selection as it relates to the beaks of pigeons. The Arrancar spoke for a full two minutes as if he were reading the words from the wall. All the while, Orihime had her nose in the book "The Origin of Species," on the lookout for any mistakes in the monotonic recitation.
Once Ulquiorra was done, Orihime closed the book shut, a big goofy smile on her face. "Not a single mistake! That's absolutely amazing!" Turning to face her friends as well, Orihime continued. "I picked this book up off the bookshelf at random, and Ulquiorra only read that passage once! And he learnt the whole thing off by heart, without even trying! Isn't that amazing?"
"Yah, amazing," Ichigo answered honestly, although alarms were sounding somewhere in his head telling him not to let his guard down.
"That is pretty cool…" Tatsuki trailed off, although it wasn't the powers of Ulquiorra's photographic memory that impressed her. Who cares if the guy was a genius, what was really interesting was how comfortable Orihime and Ulquiorra were together. It was as if they had known each other their entire lives.
"How did you do that," Uryuu questioned coldly, trying to disguise his awe. The Quincy had that sort of ability as well, but not to the same surreal degree as Ulquiorra. He couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy; it felt to him almost like Ulquiorra was trying to show him up.
"My eye sees all that exists," the Arrancar replied dully. He didn't much appreciate the attention, but Orihime's thrilled smiling face kept him from walking out of the room at that moment. "Nothing can escape it."
"I never thought that we'd be so lucky," Orihime cheered merrily. "You'll easily be able to learn all the material! And then you'll get into a great university and get a great job, and people will invite you onto radio shows, where you'll solve complex math problems on the spot in your head, and –"
"What are you talking about, Orihime?" Ulquiorra stared and Orihime beamed.
"With this kind of talent," Orihime smiled, each word dripping with sincere kindness, "you'll certainly be accepted and respected in this world! You'll be able to get a good job and live a happy, comfortable life, and you won't have to be surrounded by people who don't like you."
Ulquiorra's eyes softened slightly, although only Orihime picked up on it. "You were worried that I would be unhappy here."
"Of course! It's scary going out into a whole new world." Relief was evident in Orihime's tone as she turned around to gather her books. Ulquiorra knew he could never repay her for her kindness. On impulse, his hand rose to stroke her brilliant orange hair and bring it around to rest behind her ear. Perfectly at ease, Orihime's smile only became more pronounced.
Ulquiorra was about to turn around and gather his books when Sado Yasutora abruptly walked up to him, breaking from the other three who were still scrutinizing Ulquiorra and Orihime's interaction. The man's aura was gentle despite his intimidating build. Firmly, the kind giant held out a hand.
Surprised, Ulquiorra looked down at the outreached hand, then up at the kind yet resolved eyes of the tanned man, moving only his piercing green eyes. Orihime, overcoming her own surprise, noticed Ulquiorra's confusion over the gesture and spoke up, voiced tinged with emotion. "Sado-kun wants to shake your hand, Ulquiorra."
Looking down once more, then up, Ulquiorra tentatively took the giant's hand in a strong grasp to mirror the other's. A moment later, both retracted their hands, Ulquiorra's going back into his pocket. Without breaking eye contact, Yasutora spoke to the Arrancar in his calm, deep voice: "Would you like to sit with us at lunch today?"
The Arrancar's bean green eyes analyzed the man before him before deciding that his intentions were kind. For a moment, Ulquiorra understood why Orihime had been so devastated when she thought she had lost him. There was something about his steady and reassuring presence that drew the others to him. Ulquiorra answered with a simple 'yes.' A significant silence enveloped the room. Orihime felt tears spring to her eyes.
"Don't, Chizuru," Mahana's shrill voice was heard from outside the classroom, as well as the sound of indistinct struggling. "Tatsuki told us that she needs to talk to Kurosaki and the rest in private! Do you want her to kill you?"
"I don't care!" Chizuru was fuming. "My Hime is finally back from vacation, and I haven't gotten to spend any time with her yet! It's not fair!" Chizuru promptly burst through the door, eyes flaming.
"Chizuru, I told you that this was important," Tatsuki yelled. She still had so many questions she needed answered. She still had to give this Ulquiorra guy what was coming to him. She didn't have time for Chizuru's antics. The two girls death-glared each other fiercely, before Orihime stepped between them.
"Aww, come on Tatsuki-chan," Orihime persuaded, her palms brought together before her cutely. "She's right, I haven't gotten to spend any time with the others. I've missed them, too…"
Tatsuki crossed her arms and gazed at her best friend for a long minute, defiant, but considering. Soon, she let out an exaggerated sigh; she never could say no to Orihime. "Alright, alright. But I'll be talking to this Ulquiorra guy while you're gone."
"Okay," Orihime chirped as her face lit up and she turned towards her roommate. "Ulquiorra, why don't you talk to Tatsuki-chan for a while, while I go see some of my other friends?" With those words, Orihime dashed out of the classroom, narrowly avoiding Chizuru's open, receptive arms. A moment later, indistinct chattering and giggling could be heard in the hallway.
"Heh, she didn't really give you much of a choice, did she," Tatsuki commented offhandedly, still looking out the classroom door.
"She knew that I would object to this course of action," Ulquiorra replied blankly, also looking towards the exit. He would have been annoyed had he not seen it coming.
"Oi, your name's Ulquiorra, right," the karate adept asked, still nonchalant as she turned her head to meet the Arrancar's gaze. The moment he nodded, a wide grin split Tatsuki's face. "I've got something real special for you."
Ulquiorra didn't even have time to raise an eyebrow at the statement before Tatsuki's fist had made painful contact with his cheek, sending him hurtling backwards under the force of the punch. The hard bone of the girl's knuckles dug mercilessly into the soft flesh, as the pressure caused the inside of Ulquiorra's cheek to be slit by his teeth. All this in a fraction of a second, before Tatsuki pulled back into an arrogant stance, eyes on fire. Ulquiorra steadied himself against a desk before standing erect again, surprise draining from his eyes just as quickly as it had sprouted.
"You sure've got a lot of nerve showing up here after what you've done!" Tatsuki was livid, the pure fury blazing in her eyes and tone enough to make her friends step back. "I don't know what the hell you think you're doing, but I am not just going to sit back and let you hurt Orihime!"
Calmly, Ulquiorra reminded himself that this reaction was completely expected. He just had to ignore the violent outbursts… "I have no intention of hurting, Orihime –" Tatsuki's fist once again collided with his face, an uppercut to his chin this time. After stumbling slightly at the force, Ulquiorra once again recovered his poise. He noted grimly that the girl before him was stronger than a normal human should be. "I don't think that that last attack was completely justified –"
Tatsuki interrupted as soon as she could manage to speak past her anger, as if the Arrancar had never uttered a word. "Don't you dare say her name like that, scum! Just because she's happy and smiling now doesn't mean that you can just pretend nothing ever happened! I should kill you right now!"
Ulquiorra realized that the threat wasn't idle when everyone's eyes widened in impossible fear at the threat, and Ichigo, Uryuu and Yasutora practically threw themselves onto the struggling girl in an attempt to hold her back. To Ulquiorra, it was suddenly a brilliant idea to step back a few feet more.
It took three grown men three and a half minutes to drain the fight out of Tatsuki. Once they finally felt it was safe to unleash the furious teenager upon the world, they released the tired chains of muscle encircling her. Uryuu stood dangerously between the huffing-in-rage Tatsuki and the still-impassive-looking Ulquiorra, and looked the girl sharply in the eye.
"We must not act rashly before knowing all the facts," Uryuu insisted coldly. "I, too, would very much like to end this Arrancar, but at the moment we cannot afford to battle him. Arisawa-san, I believe you must have noticed the way Inoue-san and Ulquiorra are together." Tatsuki's eyes dropped, her lips forming a pained snarl; of course she had noticed. "You wouldn't want to hurt Inoue-san, would you?"
Tatsuki huffed, frustrated. In all honesty, she wanted to shout out "Orihime doesn't love Ulquiorra, because she loves Ichigo!" and then promptly beat the pale bastard to an inch of his life. And then make him apologize to Orihime. But, of course, she would never betray Orihime's trust by telling her secret, and she had a feeling that Orihime wouldn't appreciate her best friend beating her new 'roommate' to a bloody pulp.
"Fine," Tatsuki exclaimed sharply, still trying to calm down. She needed answers, too, after all.
"Then let us begin," Uryuu promptly turned around, eyeing his Arrancar target coldly. "What I want to know is why you were 'in bed' with Inoue-san this morning." Ulquiorra turned his glare to the Quincy. Tatsuki added an insistent 'yes.'
"Where else was I to sleep?" Uryuu's and Tatsuki's eyes narrowed instantaneously.
"The couch, obviously," Tatsuki asserted.
"And, if not, the futon that Matsumoto Rangiku slept on while in the Material World," Uryuu added immediately.
"The couch is too small. As for the extra futon, it smelt profusely of alcohol," the Arrancar replied, and then paused momentarily before continuing. "You were already aware that I was staying the night with Orihime, Ishida Uryuu. I do not understand why our sharing a bed is at all significant."
An incredulous silence fell over the group, as Ulquiorra continued staring Uryuu down. The seriousness slowly slipped from the air as it sunk in how utterly naïve the Arrancar was. Tatsuki voiced the group's reaction. "You… don't?"
"No." Ulquiorra asserted firmly with a glare, unintentionally confirming his ignorance rather than his innocence. Ichigo 'heh'-ed in the background.
"Than why do you keep touching her," Uryuu questioned, now more confused than angry. It was absurd, but somehow this guy reminded him of Pesshe. Obviously, nothing about them was remotely similar, but Uryuu realized that they both made the people around them want to face-palm.
While everyone else was getting a kick out the former Espada before them, as well as breathing a silent sigh of relief that he didn't seem to have assaulted Orihime yet, Ulquiorra was torn. He took the question Uryuu posed very seriously, because he himself couldn't understand his motivations. They were illogical, unsound. They were his weakness; they went against everything Ulquiorra thought he was. How could he admit just how pathetically needy he was before these beings who obviously wanted to see him dead?
The Arrancar diverted his eyes, watching the wind swinging the tree branches wildly under the grey sky. Such meaninglessness, the former espada decided, closing his eyes. He remembered what Orihime had said about her friends having a right to know. And then he remembered how Orihime has been caring for him, both physically and emotionally, for the last three days. He opened his brilliant large eyes.
"Because it makes me happy," Ulquiorra murmured audibly just before Uryuu was going to repeat his question. Emerald eyes narrowed; he shouldn't care so much about how she feels, but he couldn't help it. The woman was corrupting him. "Something inside me comes alive when Orihime looks at me, speaks to me, or touches me."
Slowly, Ulquiorra turned towards Orihime's friends. Each of the people before him were people that she loved. She, who was corrupting him. She, who he had tried to corrupt. "Even though I am a burden to her, I cannot leave. As long as Orihime can forgive me of this, I ask that you all forgive me as well."
Silence hung heavy in the room as Ulquiorra gazed out the window again, wondering just how far he would go to make Orihime happy. It was ridiculous, but some part of him was proud that he was doing something to make life easier for his smiling roommate. Closing his eyes, Ulquiorra could only think that Orihime would be his ruin, and that he would welcome that ruin with open arms if he could just once more run his fingers through her fiery hair. The feelings burning in his heart were painful in their intensity, even now.
As for the others in the classroom, there was something disarming about hearing something so humble from the supposedly-arrogant former Espada. A poignant silence hung in the air.
"Geez," Ichigo complained suddenly, scratching the back of his head while his eyes were squinted in frustration. "Couldn't you have gotten all emotional before puncturing my throat with your bare hand?"
"You seem to have pulled through just fine," the relatively tiny Arrancar replied unapologetically, still distracted by his musings.
"Still, it hurt like hell!" Although Ichigo was annoyed, the tension in the atmosphere seemed to have dissolved almost entirely. "I aughta give ya a good one as payback."
"Go ahead," Ulquiorra prompted, his voice as casual as ever. "Nothing you can do could ever hurt me, anyway, trash."
"You bastard!" Ichigo couldn't believe that Ulquiorra was still talking down to him, even after Ulquiorra's side lost. Ever since Ulquiorra had said that killing Ichigo wasn't even worth the time, Ichigo had thought of Ulquiorra as a rival, and it was therefore his goal to become stronger than him. The rivalry wasn't as intense as it was with Grimmjow, but Ichigo still really wanted, no needed, to be stronger than him.
Because of this, the Arrancar's condescending words were a challenge, and his pride wouldn't allow him to back down even now that the war was over. Even now that he couldn't recognize the Ulquiorra he was looking at as the one who had coldly told him that he had abducted Orihime.
The rest of the gang pulled back as Ichigo started verbally assaulting Ulquiorra, to which the Arrancar just closed his eyes and offered short, pointed retorts in return, almost distractedly. Yasutora turned away from the fray and walked over to Rukia's desk. Tatsuki and Uryuu, wisely judging that no more would be pulled from Ulquiorra until Ichigo was done being a raving lunatic, were not far behind.
"Are you alright, Arisawa-san," Uryuu questioned, almost looking concerned.
Tatsuki paused, thinking. "Orihime is the kind of girl who will feel bad for a wild racoon and try to take it home. I thought she'd have more sense than to bring home her kidnapper, but if anyone's good-hearted enough to do it, it's Orihime…"
"Inoue-san seems to be resolved to staying with Ulquiorra. Unless Ulquiorra starts causing trouble, or Inoue-san stops protecting him, we can do nothing else than accept her decision." Tatsuki mumbled a 'but I don't have to like it' under her breath. The two circled to the other side of Rukia's desk.
"What do you think," the giant mumbled softly to Rukia, who for the first time that morning looked as if she was willing to speak. That morning had been just like the afternoon prior; Rukia had been avoiding conversation, especially with Ichigo, instead silently keeping to herself, still lost in thought.
"I think that we were right to trust Inoue's judgement," Rukia murmured, her eyes still forlorn. Somehow, it just came so naturally to Ulquiorra and Orihime, and witnessing that made the shinigami just a little jealous. "It was love at first sight, and it's just taking them both a while to figure it out." Yasutora 'hmm'-ed in agreement.
"You guys can't be serious," Tatsuki exclaimed, her sceptical tone hushed so as not to be overheard. "I mean, I know Orihime's type, and it's definitely not that! He isn't even very nice to her; we… must be reading them wrong. She would never like a heartless murderer like him!"
"It's true that Ulquiorra did some terrible things," Yasutora rumbled, "but we must take into account his background." The giant paused, considering. "Also, I think that he just doesn't know how to express his feelings."
"Sado, I don't understand why you're so readily accepting this," Uryuu commented coldly, although not completely detachedly. Yasutora turned his deep gaze upon his friend.
"You hadn't encountered this Arrancar before," The burly man replied. "I think Ichigo sees it as well. Ulquiorra is different than how he was. Somehow, Inoue-san is changing him."
"You're quite the romantic, aren't you," the Quincy remarked in a scathingly dry tone. Yasutora shrugged vaguely. As a natural extension of his love of all things cute, the dark-skinned man also deeply enjoyed romance movies. On top of that, his depth and sensitivity had alerted him right away to the warmth shared between Orihime and Ulquiorra, and also the feelings blossoming in Rukia's heart.
"No!" Ichigo's ranting shout broke through the conversation, and all heads turned to the scene. The enraged orange-haired teenager flailed his arms and pointed to the unmoving Arrancar accusingly. "No! You're the trash!"
"Must you be so loud," Ulquiorra replied in a tone almost bored. He wondered when Orihime was going to be back. "It is unpleasant enough being surrounded by trash, I would prefer to not have it piercing my eardrum as well." Ichigo raised his hands to his head, ready to pull out his hair.
"Gah! This guy pisses me off so much," the redhead exclaimed. He honestly couldn't have a conversation of more than thirty seconds with this guy before the need to punch his face in became unbearable. Ichigo, scowling at full force, swung his head around to face his nakama. "Oi, Rukia, are you sure that I can't kick this guy's ass?" Come on, Rukia, say something. Anything. Look at me…
Uryuu snorted mockingly. "Go ahead, but don't count on me to bring you to the hospital when you're sporting another hole to your throat."
"What, are you saying I can't beat him," the Vizard shouted boisterously, rising to the challenge, and then pointed behind him to a daydreaming Ulquiorra staring out the window vacantly. "This guy's obviously shaking in his boots at the thought of fighting me!"
"That's not what it looks like to me, Kurosaki." Nakama or not, Ichigo would always be an idiot in Uryuu's books. As Ichigo was shouting something or another, the Vizard didn't notice that Ulquiorra had swiftly picked up his and Orihime's books and was exiting the classroom.
"Not again! Get back here," Tatsuki shouted, following the willowy teenager. She wasn't done with him yet!
"Where do you think you're going, Ulquiorra?" Ichigo was really getting aggravated with the Arrancar's dismissive attitude. His pride just couldn't take it, so Ichigo ran off in pursuit of his target.
"Idiot," Uryuu muttered, following the angry flailing form of his orange-haired comrade.
In the newly-vacated classroom, Yasutora eyed the still-glum Rukia sympathetically. "Ichigo has a kind heart, but he isn't very perceptive or in touch with his feelings. Nothing will change unless you tell him how you feel." Silence fell heavy.
"That's the thing," Rukia finally replied with a sigh. "I don't know if I want to risk changing what we already have."
Yasutora 'hmm'-ed in understanding as the two gathered their books and left the classroom silently.
The rest of the morning ran on as expected. Ichigo tried to goad Ulquiorra into a fight, to determine once and for all who was the strongest. Uryuu and Tatsuki tried very hard to cross-examine Ulquiorra on the subject of his involvement with Orihime. The teachers put painstaking effort into trying to keep Ulquiorra from scaring the other students away, sharing a desk with Orihime, and speaking during class time.
All failed.
"So, you see," Orihime concluded, oblivious to the weight of her classmates' stares. "It's all really simple! You just apply the appropriate formula!"
"I see," Ulquiorra replied. Math was yet another subject that was no match for his photographic memory. The human institution of 'school' was just too easy.
The two went through a couple more problems before the bell rang, signalling the beginning of the lunch period. The room was thrown into chaos as the teacher tried to shout the homework out over the sounds of the teenagers talking to their friends and shuffling noisily out the door. Orihime gathered her books quickly, and Ulquiorra followed her lead.
"Finally, its lunchtime," Orihime exclaimed with a bright smile. "I'm starving!"
"As am I," Ulquiorra agreed, wrapping his arm around Orihime's waist casually, ready to leave with her. The moment his hand made contact with her hip, the redhead swung her head around to face him, eyes wide and gaping. Random schoolgirls giggled and whispered in the background.
Ulquiorra replied to Orihime's unspoken reproach without missing a beat. "You said we would try. I am trying, but there is only so much that I can do."
Sighing in frustration, Orihime took the offending pale hand in hers and led Ulquiorra from the classroom. As she past by her friends, she forced a smile. "I need to talk to Ulquiorra for a minute. We'll meet you guys on the roof, okay?"
Once the odd duo was safely out of earshot, the group released a collective sigh. From behind, Mizuiro verbalized what everyone was trying to avoid thinking about. "I wonder how long it'll be before they actually fornicate." The spiritually-gifted beings failed to keep Tatsuki from punching the pretty-boy into the wall.
"Alright," Orihime repeated again as she and Ulquiorra climbed the stairwell to the roof. "Are the rules completely clear now?"
"Yes," Ulquiorra replied solemnly, his voice tinged with impatience. Did she think he was an idiot, or just untrustworthy? From the look in her suspicious grey eyes, he judged it was the latter.
"Repeat them again, Ulquiorra," the redhead commanded. If she was ever going to recover from the sheer mortification she's endured in the last three days, Ulquiorra needed to work with her here. They had debated over the specifics, but Orihime was adamant about the general rules, and, to Ulquiorra, she had been annoyingly unmovable. He would obviously never allow himself to dominate her, but he saw no reason not to touch her in other places.
Shooting the girl an irritated glare, Ulquiorra swore that he would find a way around the rules Orihime was now enforcing, on pain of exile, just because it was ridiculous that she thought she could exert power over him. She is sorely mistaken…
Nevertheless, Ulquiorra faithfully repeated the general orders, unblinking. "Rule One: I must not make physical contact with you beyond holding your hand or stroking your hair while in public or in the presence of your friends.
"Rule Two: I must not make physical contact with your lips, breasts, 'rear-end,' or thighs, even while alone with you or in the privacy of our home.
"Rule Three: I must never speak of any physical contact that we have ever had, or mention that we share a bed. Henceforth, I will claim that I am sleeping on the spare futon."
Orihime smiled warily, not completely satisfied. She had the nagging suspicion that he was somehow going to go out of his way from now on to break the spirit of their deal, while keeping the letter of it. The redhead sighed. I guess I'll cross that bridge when I get to it…
Arriving at the door to the roof of the school, bagged lunches in hand, Ulquiorra opened the door and he and Orihime stepped out into the dispersed weak sunlight.
The sky above was overcast with turbulent grey clouds, the wind blowing wildly and causing the clouds to swiftly slip eastward. "Wow, was it this cloudy before?" Orihime questioned, looking upward. "Do you think there might be a hurricane coming on, Ulquiorra?" When she was met only with silence, she mumbled something about global warming, still soaking in the sight of the beautiful twisting clouds.
Hungry, Ulquiorra took Orihime's hand and led her to where he sensed her friends. The conversation came to an abrupt stop once the two were in sight. Everyone was there, except for Keigo and Mizuiro, who were still pretending to be ignorant of the whole affair.
The day prior, when Ichigo and the rest had returned to school, Tatsuki had, as Urahara had suggested, immediately demanded that Ichigo explain exactly what was going on. The redhead had yielded, turning around and walking towards the roof entrance. At that time, Tatsuki had eyed Keigo and Mizuiro, inviting them to come along up with her. The two had looked at each other and then Keigo had shouted out in his usual annoying fashion "Ichigo can tell us about his vacation later! We've gotta go to class…".
Later, when Tatsuki had asked them about their feigned ignorance, they had said that they needed a little more time to wrap their heads around the concept of shinigami and inter-dimensional warfare. The karate adept had shrugged; she figured it was different when your best friend wasn't mysteriously missing all of a sudden because of it.
"Hello, everybody," Orihime shouted enthusiastically, plopping herself down next to Tatsuki, and promptly began the necessary discussion. Ulquiorra gracefully took a seat on her other side, watching the others with eyes still guarded.
On his other side, Yasutora's voice rumbled like distant thunder. "I'm glad that you came."
Moving only his eyes, Ulquiorra eyed the man coldly. "Do not misunderstand. I came only for Orihime."
Yasutora smiled just slightly. "And I invited you for Inoue's sake." All that needed to be said was said; the two reached a mutual agreement and the conversation was over. Ulquiorra brought his attention back to Orihime and the conversation she was having with her best friend.
"Weren't you scared," Tatsuki asked, worry coating her words. Orihime took a bite out of her raw-tuna, pickle and mustard sandwich before she answered, painfully conscious of everyone's eyes on her.
"Well, yah, I guess…" Orihime tried to sneak a peek at Ulquiorra to gauge his reaction. Would he be sad to hear how terrible the experience had been for her? "But, it really wasn't that bad! Ulquiorra made sure I ate, and he was the only person I saw, most of the time, and he never hurt me–"
"You can tell the truth, Orihime," Ulquiorra cut the girl off. If there was one thing he had learnt about emotions, is that it always felt better to let them out, even if it still hurt. He remembered how tormented he had been when he had tried to suppress his feelings for Orihime, and he didn't want the girl to have to experience the same thing. Not for his sake. Even though the memories would hurt, this would be better for her in the long run. "You are a strong woman."
Their gazes locked on each other, Orihime finally decided that it would be insulting to try to protect him like this. She explained in detail the events leading up to, and including, her time as a captive (leaving out, of course, one very indiscrete moment in Ichigo's room).
Afterwards, Ulquiorra was prompted to explain his side of the story (of course leaving out his own emotional torment), including the orders he had been given by Aizen, which were essentially 'make sure she doesn't escape or die.' The end reaction was staggering.
There was a moment of silence as everyone tried to overcome their shock and horror. Orihime plastered a smile on her face, trying to be reassuring. Ichigo was the first able of form words.
"Ulquiorra, you're even more of a bastard than I thought you were," Ichigo stated, eyes still wide in horror. All the time that he had been fighting Ulquiorra, Orihime was getting beaten to a bloody pulp by jealous and sadistic Numeros? And she was saved by Grimmjow, of all people? Not by him, not by Rukia, not by Ishida, but by Grimmjow fucking Jeagerjacques? Guilt swelled in his gut and throat. To think he owed anything to that bastard…
Ishida, aside from feeling horrified and guilt-ridden, was torn when it came to Ulquiorra. On the one hand, he had been exceedingly cruel to Orihime, tormenting her psychologically on an almost daily basis. On the other hand, there were small things, trivial perhaps, but still there, that seemed inconsistent with Ulquiorra's perceived character.
He was under no orders to make her feel comfortable in Las Noches, or trusting in him, so why would he tell Orihime that her dress suited her, and then suddenly get all defensive about it? Also, from what the redhead was saying, he never came in intending to hurt her, and instead seemed to become frustrated each time and ended up being hurtful. On top of that, he just walked out when Orihime had slapped him (another unbelievable part of the narrative), when it was well within his orders to punish her.
There was just too much for everyone to wrap their heads around. The circle of friends could hardly recognize the Inoue Orihime from the story. No one would ever question the inner strength that Orihime possessed, after all, it takes guts to risk your soul fighting all of Soul Society for someone you hardly know, and to go up against two Espada alone all while knowing you're outclassed.
But it was simply incomprehensible to each of them that Orihime had willingly sacrificed herself and all her dreams to protect her friends, stood up courageously to her cold and cruel kidnapper, and then had the capacity to not only forgive him for the pain he caused but also to befriend him. And, although it went unsaid, to love him and care for him so tenderly.
The narrative of Orihime's last week in Las Noches had left everyone both shocked and amazed. Standing helpless before the powerful Aizen, her powers on display; the hurtful words and the threat of force-feeding. Her insistence on healing the Arrancar who had tried to torture her, even while she herself was still bleeding and in pain; her plan to destroy the Hyougoku. The anguish, the loneliness, the despair, the anger. It was more than anyone could process. Even Rukia, who had herself been a captive, could not relate to that depth of suffering and courage.
And yet Orihime smiled comfortingly. One tear-filled night, and she was ready to reassure her friends. It was then that everyone understood precisely what Ulquiorra had meant when he had said that Orihime was strong. It suddenly made sense that he thought so much more of Orihime than of Ichigo; Ulquiorra had been there to witness it all.
Orihime truly had inner strength of epic proportions.
While everyone else was busy being shell-shocked, Ulquiorra was eating his lunch casually. Hearing the events of the last week from Orihime's perspective had been insightful, even though she had still downplayed the courage she had demonstrated. It was a long time before anyone could say anything more in response to Orihime's recitation, but eventually Tatsuki broke through the tension abruptly with an incredulous tone, pointing accusingly at Ulquiorra. "What are you eating?" Everyone's eyes snapped to the half-eaten sandwich in the Arrancar's hands.
"The same as Orihime. She calls it 'raw-tuna, pickle and mustard sandwich'," Ulquiorra commented blandly, mildly confused over the incredulous stares.
"You mean," Tatsuki started, utterly surprised. "Are you saying that you actually like Orihime's cooking?"
Ulquiorra's eyebrows furrowed. "It is palatable, although I don't see how that is any of your concern." That's when Tatsuki realized that something was very, very wrong here.
Testing her theory, Tatsuki handed Ulquiorra a quarter of the neatly-cut turkey sandwich her mother had prepared for her. Ulquiorra cocked an eyebrow. "Try it, and tell me how it tastes."
Impassively, the Arrancar ate the piece in three bites, and then looked up to meet everyone's questioning and expectant gaze. "It is palatable."
"I knew it," Tatsuki exclaimed before turning towards Orihime. "Why are you doing this to him?"
Orihime crossed her arms beneath her gigantic breasts and huffed indignantly. "I'm not doing anything to him! Ulquiorra likes my cooking!"
"You're–" Tatsuki gaped, grasping for words. "You're corrupting his virgin taste buds!"
"Am not!" The pout was on full-force.
"Are to!" Despite the accusation, Tatsuki smiled, happy to see that the tension had dissolved from Orihime's brow. She knew that the sensitive girl hated making others worry. Tatsuki was happy to know that she still knew Orihime best, that Orihime was still Orihime. Nothing else mattered.
As the two best friends bickered good-heartedly, Ulquiorra turned his apathetic gaze towards the petite shinigami Kuchiki Rukia. His serious tone stood in stark contrast to Orihime's bubbly voice. "How far along are the funerary services?"
Although Rukia was surprised that Ulquiorra was addressing her, she answered his query without hesitation. "The funerary ceremony for Komamura-taichou is starting tomorrow, and Kira-fukutaichou's will start three days later, on Sunday," Rukia paused for a moment, questioning the wisdom of saying the next part. "There will also be services for Ichimaru Gin sometime next week."
"So I would be correct in assuming that I should not be expecting the arrival of an envoy of Soul Society before late next week?" Ulquiorra's voice was distant, detached, although internally he was already making plans.
"Yes, I don't think that Yamamoto-soutaichou would send anyone back to the Material World until after the mourning period," Rukia agreed, shocking Ichigo and Uryuu with her openness towards the former Espada. Ichigo had half a mind of dragging her somewhere private and questioning her until she told him exactly why she was acting so strangely. Her continually distant attitude towards him was driving the Vizard insane. "After all, Yamamoto-soutaichou had been very fond of Komamura-taichou."
Silence fell again on the larger part of the group, as Ulquiorra once again retreated into his thoughts. Utterly indecipherable, the others couldn't read any emotion from his eyes or face, try as they may. A moment later, Ulquiorra once again asked a question. "What happened to the rest of the Espada?"
Once again, Rukia spoke out truthfully, based on the official report of the Las Noches invasion. "The whereabouts and status of the tenth Espada are unknown. The ninth, eighth, and seventh Espada were killed in the invasion and are confirmed dead. The sixth and fifth Espada were left mortally wounded. The third and second Espada were killed in the battle against Aizen, and are confirmed dead. The first espada survived, was healed, and left to Hueco Mundo in peace."
"And what of Neliel?"
"Wait a second, how do you know about Nel," Ichigo demanded, startled. Ulquiorra hadn't seemed to have recognized her the last time they had met…
"Isn't it obvious? I knew that your group couldn't possibly have arrived at Las Noches so quickly on your own, so I looked into it. I then recognized Neliel's Fraccion when I saw them through the surveillance cameras and made the obvious connection." The truth was, Neliel had disappeared before Ulquiorra had become an Arrancar, and he knew of her and her Fraccion only from Aizen's records. That was why he hadn't spared a passing glance to the fallen third Espada.
Ichigo settled down somewhat, still eyeing the Arrancar warily. "Oh."
"The last we heard of Nel, she had been weakened and knocked unconscious during the fight with Nnoitora, but she wasn't in any mortal danger. We assume that she has returned safely with her brothers back to the desert," Rukia stated.
Ulquiorra took the information in. Given a second wave of invaders, these results were utterly expected. Sighing internally, the Arrancar realized that the next few weeks were going to be turbulent. And then there was the other small matter of Urahara Kisuke.
No matter, Ulquiorra decided, gazing once more at Orihime. She was still trying to be reassuring, raving about how comfortable the big white couch in her cell had been. The redhead had a big goofy smile on her face and was blushing slightly from the attention. Her friends couldn't help but think that she was alright.
If it is necessary, I will overturn Heaven and Earth... For her…