Beauty and the Bat

Step 9: Feeling

A/N: Can I just say Inuyasha is awesome? I didn't think I would get into it but I just started watching the episodes and it had everything: action, adventure, comedy, fantasy, and love triangles, etc. If you haven't watched or read Inuyasha, you totally should!

Airi-07~~Yes, I LOVE that photo, and any other pic in which Ulquiorra is chibi ^^ Hence my current profile picture. If you find any more you'd like to share, please let me know!

Onlynameleft~~ Yes, although Uryu is concerned, it is more jealousy that he feels. His pride just won't allow him to admit it. And Ichigo was so boring in the last chapter, trying to write him gave me writer's block -_-" Fear not, he will play a major role in the near future, if only to satisfy me as the author ^^. Thanks again for your thoughtful review!

Lilac Rose6~~ Your review and messages gave me a warm feeling. Know what that means? Fuel to post more chapters! ^^ Thanks a lot. And about Ulqui's released form…we'll see…

Disclaimer: Tite Kubo owns Bleach. I also do not own the lyrics posted in each chapter. I've decided to tell you who does…so please listen to the songs! Also, Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

*~UlquixHime~*

~If you had eyes to see, down inside your stomach, then you would understand what I mean; who I am…~ Eyes to See by Flyleaf

"Oh, so that's why?" Orihime's eyebrows were furrowed. She looked down at Ulquiorra, who was sitting on the table in front of her. His legs were spread and his hands were planted in the space in between. He was hunched forward slightly, looking bored, and his long tail was curled lazily. He tilted his head back and to the side to meet Orihime's gaze. She inwardly smirked at how cute the pose was. She briefly wished she had a camera, but now was not the time for that.

Urahara, who was sitting on the opposite side of the table, nodded behind his fan.

"Ulquiorra's spiritual pressure was almost completely diminished, as you are well aware, he would not be here if not for the 12th Division's technology. Nemu-san's hunch is that he is in his 'Segunda Etapa' form because it is the state in which he harnesses the most spiritual energy. If he were in any lesser form, Ulquiorra-san here would be too weak to survive."

Orihime frowned slightly, replaying Urahara's explanation in her mind. Kisuke had also told her how Captain Unohana, of the 4th Division, thought that maybe Orihime's Shun Shun Rikka could somehow reverse Ulquiorra to his unreleased state. But because Ulquiorra was simply small and not damaged, she couldn't do anything. A part of Orihime was overjoyed: Ulquiorra was simply adorable in his chibi form. Still, the majority of her felt weak and useless. She hated that she couldn't help him. Does this mean Ulquiorra is stuck like this?

As if reading her thoughts, a gruff voice spoke up.

"Eventually, Ulquiorra's spiritual pressure will replenish itself, at which time his body will no longer have to take such measures to keep him alive." Yoruichi stated.

Ulquiorra watched warily as the black cat leaped up onto the table. She came to sit a short distance away from him, her long, thin tail swishing gracefully behind her. Her golden yellow eyes narrowed, staring directly down at him. Ulquiorra fidgeted in discomfort. He was ashamed to admit it that this cat, Yoruichi Shihouin, could probably eat him right now if she wanted to.

I doubt Inoue would allow her to do so…However… Ulquiorra subconsciously scooted away from Yoruichi, back toward the edge of the table; toward Orihime.

Yoruichi's wise eyes caught this and she quirked a feline eyebrow in amusement. She crouched down on her front paws to get a closer look at the former Cuatro.

"Yoruichi-san."

The black cat glanced up at Orihime. The teenager met the Flash Master's eyes, her own showing a bit of warning. Yoruichi noted how the confidence was unlike the usual Orihime, but she was not surprised. She knew Orihime was strong, for she had been the one to train the girl and Yasutora Sado (Chad) when they first discovered their powers. Yoruichi watched as Orihime cupped her hands and scooped Ulquiorra up to sit on her shoulder. There, he automatically took hold onto a lock of her long walnut-colored hair.

Both ex-captains Kisuke and Yoruichi watched this display of Orihime's protectiveness and Ulquiorra's willingness to be protected. Then the two shared a glance that said, who would have guessed…?

Kisuke cleared his throat to speak first. "As Yoruichi said, Schiffer-kun will gradually regain his spiritual powers. At which time, Nemu-san predicts, he will gradually return to his normal self. And with Aizen in hiding and the war approaching, the soul society is on edge. So when Ulquiorra regains his strength…"

"You will once again be labeled a threat." Yoruichi concluded matter-of-factly, looking at Ulquiorra.

Ulquiorra's green eyes downcast. This means they'll want to eliminate me…which means I will once again lose Inoue… He blinked and reached up to the hollow hole in his chest. Why do I always circle back to that fact? Why do I care if I never see her again? Why is it that I… I don't want to leave her side? Curse these unfathomable emotions!

"Ulquiorra?" Orihime tilted her head slightly, seeing as Ulquiorra was still hanging onto that one lock, and looked at him with her peripheral vision. The Murcielago—who didn't respond— seemed to be struggling with something, as he often seemed to be lately. Maybe he still felt weak…?

Orihime fixed a hard gaze back on the cat and man in front of her. "I'm not going to allow you to hurt him." She stated firmly.

Yoruichi stared at the girl, not saying anything. All was quiet. Ulquiorra glanced up at Orihime, trying to decipher the fire in her eyes. He'd always found it intriguing. Urahara waved his fan as if to dismiss the sudden tension in the room. "Now, now, we have no reason to take any actions yet. Relax, Orihime-chan." He smirked. "It would be cruel to attack such a defenseless opponent."

Ulquiorra tore his awe filled gaze from the woman's face and scowled slightly at his creator. Urahara chuckled at the expression. He briefly considered it cute, but then realized his own thoughts and shut them down. The other three in the room watched as he stood up and tipped his hat. "Enough of this serious talk. How rude of me, I haven't offered you all any tea. How about it?"

*~UlquixHime~*

After a couple of servings of tea and much lighter conversation about she-forgot-what, Orihime returned to her apartment. Thankfully, nobody was waiting for her this time. So she laid Ulquiorra—who'd fallen asleep on her shoulder and whom she'd had to cradle back to the apartment—to rest in his bachelor pad. Then, too spent to cook up an extravagant meal, she crawled into bed herself.

Not an hour afterward, Ulquiorra rolled over on his back in his mini-bed. The mattress wasn't plastic, but it definitely wasn't anywhere near as comfy as Orihime's pillow. No, compared to Orihime's bed, Ulquiorra's was a rock. He shifted uncomfortably under his cover, staring up at the ceiling and thinking back to Urahara's shop. Eventually, the Soul Society will come after me…Meanwhile that bastard Aizen is somewhere in Hueco Mundo, no doubt trying to restore his army. You can bet that if Soul Society can bring me back to life, Aizen can resurrect the other fallen Espada.

Ulquiorra turned his head, trying to get his horns in a more comfortable position. After another half a minute, he had to readjust again. Then again. After a while, Ulquiorra sat up in his bed, looking down at his talon hands. I can't be stuck in this form. I'm powerless: nothing but trash. How am I supposed to be of any use to Inoue if I can't even move a human's trash can?

Ulquiorra's emerald green eyes scanned his small dark room. He could make out the Barbie-sized wardrobe in the corner, in which Orihime had tucked away his clothes. Well, he thought. At least I won't have to worry about being dressed up in those…things.

After a while, Ulquiorra got up from his bed, as he did every night. And, as he did every night, he rose from his bachelor pad—carried by his night-black wings—and crossed the room to Orihime's bed. He landed at the foot, and then climbed his way up the hills that were Orihime's legs under the covers. Little Bat scrambled up the giant's torso and came to sit between the mounds that were her chest. His pale, black marked face was awe filled as he watched the woman sleep. Orihime's hazel eyes were hidden behind her closed eyelids. Her maturing-round face seemed to glow slightly, giving her an air of innocence. But Ulquiorra figured that was a trick of the darkness, since he knew better than anyone that Orihime was far from childhood innocence. Ulquiorra's gaze lingered on Orihime's lips, which were invitingly parted. Something from somewhere within him compelled the Cuatro to lean forward. Startled by the unfamiliar feeling, Ulquiorra shook his small head back and forth and turned away from the teen's face.

Little Bat curled up on the sleeping human's expansive chest. Feeling much more at ease, insomnia ebbed away as the rising and falling of his "bed" lulled Ulquiorra into drowsiness. He listened to the girl's even, faint breathing. He found comfort in the rhythmic thumping of Orihime's heart from somewhere beneath him. Inoue's…heart…

*~UlquixHime~*

The rest of the week of school went by uneventfully for most. But Orihime was kept busy trying to protect her school bag, in which a little, black-winged miracle stowed away each day to go to school with her. Most of the incidents occurred when Orihime had gym class and obviously couldn't carry her bag around during. A few times involved Chizuru snooping around for "something that smelled like 'Hime-chan". It was now lunchtime on Friday, and Orihime was certain—at least, hoping—that the rest of the day would go by without any such disruptions. She'd managed to slip away from under her friends' hawk-like gazes, and was now alone in her empty homeroom.

Glancing at the closed doors at either end of the room one more time, Orihime breathed a sigh of relief. She set her bag gently on her desk and opened it.

"You can come out now, Ulquiorra." The girl said, smiling. In response, two slender white horns peeked up over the lip of the bag, followed by a mop of jet black hair, and finally a set of sleepy emerald eyes. Without anything to do all day while being trapped in a teenager's school bag, Ulquiorra had taken up the past-time of napping.

It was an odd new feeling, but pleasant. As Aizen's loyal fourth Espada, Ulquiorra used to rarely have time for sleeping. Aizen entrusted most of his affairs to the stoic Cuatro to see to. And when he wasn't being Aizen's lap dog, Ulquiorra spent his time reading and adding to his seemingly infinite knowledge. When he was ordered to take charge of Orihime, Ulquiorra had even less time to himself. It's not that he'd ever minded; he deemed sleep, like many other things, pointless. He'd never had dreams: the manifestation of things hidden in a sub-conscious that he showed no evidence of possessing.

But in this new form, with his spiritual pressure taking its sweet time to replenish itself, Ulquiorra found what a wonder sleeping and dreaming was. He dreamed of Twizzler ropes to use to climb to the top of sugar-capped mountains. Of making snow angels on a sheet of Bull's Eye cream. Of swimming in an entire lake of chocolate sauce. But above all, Ulquiorra dreamed of his emotional-savior, Orihime. Dreamed of her eyes, so dull in Hueco Mundo; so bright in this world. Dreamed of her hair, so lacking in luster in the dim lighting of her prison cell; so vibrant in the gleaming sunlight coming through the classroom windows. Dreamed of her in general, so defiant and somber towards him back then; so kind and warm toward him now.

Ulquiorra felt that now familiar heat growing somewhere at his center.

"Aw, Ulquiorra, you're okay. Nobody's here to hurt you." Orihime said in assurance to the little bat that had leaped up from the desk to cling to her shirt. She told herself he'd done so in fear. Otherwise, she would've blushed at his willingness to hug her so desperately.

What am I thinking? Orihime briefly scolded herself. This is Ulquiorra I'm thinking about. The Ulquiorra I know would never do such a thing! But then…he's different now, isn't he? Orihime pondered this as she cupped him to her chest with one hand and lightly petted his wings with the other. He's changed so much since I met him back then. Could it be because he's so small? But I mean…even if he changed in size, his personality shouldn't have changed right? He's so much nicer now…and, I have to admit, much more adorable. Lovable. What could have happened?

Orihime thoughts back to those last moments on the roof of Las Noches: how Ulquiorra seemed to have a change of the heart he denied owning. Was it then? He'd said he was taking interest in us humans…was it because of me? I mean, why else would he have reached out to me?

Orihime's head rushed, thinking of possibilities that should have made sense, but all she could decide on was that he'd done it to connect with her. And she wasn't sure how it made her feel. He's definitely not my enemy anymore, no matter what Mr. Urahara says. And I don't know if he ever was…he was just following orders given by his leader, right? Just like Rukia and the other soul reapers follow the Captain-commander's orders. So Ulquiorra can't be blamed; he's innocent! I mean look at him…

Ulquiorra wasn't sure what was compelling him to cling to Orihime. It was as if his tiny body had moved of its own accord, and the radiating warmth of her body was like a magnet that wouldn't allow him to let go. He inhaled the comforting scent of her fabric softener. Snuggling his face into her uniform blouse, Ulquiorra closed his eyes and enjoyed Orihime's touch on his back and wings. His long, thin tail curled leisurely back and forth, brushing Orihime's gentle hands in the lightest of touches. Ulquiorra was experiencing yet another new emotion: serenity.

The two of them stayed like that for a few more minutes: Orihime standing amidst the empty desks, caressing the little bat creature to the center of her bosom, the both of them reveling in the other's presence and wondering how it came to be so. The classroom was quiet and a few loose papers could be found scattered across the expansive floor. The noon sun provided the light illuminating the room, giving an atmosphere of tranquility.

But of course, the peace could not last.

"Orihime?" Both said teenager and the Murcielago opened their eyes to glance at the classroom doors. They were still shut, but they could hear footsteps coming down the hallway. "Orihime, where are you?"

Rukia.

It wasn't that Orihime disliked Rukia. She admitted; she had been a little jealous when Rukia first showed up all that time ago and was able to get closer to Ichigo than Orihime had in years. And she'd felt guilty about the jealousy because she honestly considered the soul reaper a friend. They had saved each other countless times. Plus, she was genuinely grateful to Rukia for bringing Ichigo out of his depression just as often. Still, for a while, she couldn't help but envy the relationship between the two.

The funny thing was, ever since she returned to the human world, the thought of them being together so often didn't upset Orihime nearly as much as before Hueco Mundo. And Orihime guessed that greatly had to do with a certain Espada.

She had to hide Ulquiorra.

"Orihime, are you in here?" Rukia asked as she reached the back classroom door. She slid it open, her deep blue eyes already searching. What she found was unexpected, but brought relief. "There you are." The girl said, entering the classroom. Orihime was sitting at a desk, turned in the chair so she was facing the door, and reading a textbook of some sort.

"You disappeared, and Tatsuki got worried." Rukia laughed lightly, approaching Orihime, who had looked up with an expression that said 'you caught me'. "What are you doing all alone in the classroom?"

Orihime pressed the textbook closer to her chest with one hand and rubbed the back of her head with the other, laughing sheepishly. "I was…just trying to find somewhere quiet to study for a while. Just trying to catch up in the work I missed, you know? Heheh…"

"Yeah…" Rukia smiled in understanding. "That whole…incident in Hueco Mundo really put us behind in school work." The short, black haired female leaned casually against a desk facing Orihime. She folded her arms and gazed past Orihime, out the window. "With all the stuff going on, it's kind of weird fitting into this average-human routine every so often."

Orihime nodded. Everything was in a state of limbo right now. Since Aizen's plan to infiltrate and destroy Karakura Town failed and several of his strongest forces were wiped out, he'd taken to the desert of Hueco Mundo. So while Soul Society, Urahara, and the Visoreds were all trying to uncover his whereabouts, everyone else was stuck here in the Human World awaiting further instructions.

"Anyway, why don't you come on out? Lunch is almost over anyway." Rukia said, pointing at the door she'd came through with her thumb. "Plus the others were wondering where you disappeared to."

"Uh…right..." Orihime stood up, but still held the textbook defensively in front of her. Ulquiorra, who was still clinging to her chest, was looking up at the girl's face with green wide eyes. He remained silent, sensing that it wasn't safe to move or make a sound. The Kuchiki girl was a soul reaper, after all. Who knew what she would do or say? No doubt she would tell something to that Kurosaki brat, and there was definitely no telling how he would react.

A/N: Sooooo sorry for the delay everyone. The chapter isn't even as long as I wanted it to be T_T, but there was some important stuff. So many questions remain though...Anyway, consider this a filler. Hope you all continue to enjoy. I promise the next chappie will be out much sooner, so don't kill me yet o.O

~Otaku786 ^_^"