CHAPTER 10: Uncle Sousuke's Sins
The morning after their snow day, Ulquiorra awoke next to a warm body and an erection that was wedged against him and that body. How long had it been since he slept beside someone? Besides the scattering of one night stands in college where they both had been too drunk to get out of the bed, he'd never slept beside someone for longer than a couple of hours. He carefully untangled himself from Orihime and practically slithered out of her bed, feeling like he had somehow taken advantage of her or the situation although he couldn't rightly remember what the hell had happened. He remembered writing something down and then yelling. After that things became a muddled mess.
There had been more snow through the night and Zommari was stuck at the hospital yet again. Ulquiorra sighed but he did what needed done around the church, hoping they'd be able to open the doors tomorrow for Mass. He still had to do confessions that night and collect things for Aizen. He kept to himself though, dealing with the massive hangover that plagued him that day. As it turned out, the roads were closed and expected to be that way until Sunday evening. Aizen had called him and told him to just bring what he had on Tuesday.
He was frustrated because all he could feel was how warm and soft she had been. He couldn't remember how they ended up that way. Where had his shirt gone? Why was he not wearing socks? Ulquiorra kept his distance from Orihime because he didn't know how much more he could take without betraying the vows he had spoken years ago.
Did she remember falling asleep with him? Did she know how they had cuddled and what his body had done? If he was a man of lesser morals he would have done what he wanted to do to her. He would have taken pleasure in her body. Ulquiorra couldn't do that. He sat in the office for most of the day and looked out the window, utterly disgusted with himself frowning at the snow and the drifts.
When Zommari came back late Sunday afternoon, Ulquiorra reported that nothing was amiss and he was going to shovel the driveway. It was hard and cold work but it kept him occupied rather than sitting in the rectory thinking about Orihime's body.
Orihime woke up cold and alone on Friday morning. She had a headache. It was nearly nine o'clock in the morning. Oh no. She had breakfast to make. She sat up quickly and grabbed her forehead. This didn't bode well. She was supposed to decorate a Christmas tree with Father Cifer today. Poop. Well, first things first, she thought. She went to the bathroom and took a painkiller, then came back to the hall. Ulquiorra's door was open so he must be up already. Oh well, there were cookies and he wasn't an invalid; he could feed himself if necessary.
She went downstairs and looked around the rectory. She didn't see Ulquiorra anywhere. She was just about to go upstairs again when she noticed the office door was closed. She knocked and heard him grunt and she apologized through the door for getting up late and that she'd be ready to decorate the tree later in the day.
He had made an excuse about there being a lot of office work to do, and said she could go ahead and do it herself if she wanted.
She did not care much for that idea. She ended up going back to bed and sleeping off her hangover until late in the afternoon. She made dinner and told Ulquiorra through the closed office door that it was ready. He didn't come out.
That night as she went to bed she felt like something was missing. She remembered bits and pieces of the previous night. She remembered arguing with Ulquiorra in her room. Maybe he was avoiding her because of that. She remembered that he had drunk a lot, and so had she.
She remembered something else. Something disturbing. It would have to wait, though.
On Sunday she woke up feeling much better. Ulquiorra had mentioned in passing that he was going to go clear out some of the snow later. Orihime helped earlier in the day on the opposite side of the building, clearing half of the sidewalk in front of the rectory and the path up to the door before she got cold and decided to start putting up the Christmas tree in the parlor. She turned on some carols and had some hot chocolate. It was unsatisfying. When she was done she plugged in the tree and sat and stared at it until Zommari came back.
The black priest came in from the kitchen with a cookie in his hand, nibbling on it. "Miss Inoue. I see you and Father Cifer survived the blizzard. The tree looks nice. I saw it in the window when I pulled into the driveway. Did you, uh, make the cookies?"
She smiled at him. As weird as she found him, she missed him "I did. Two types. Can I get you some more?"
Zommari shook his head. "I tried the oatmeal ones; too sweet but these chocolate chip ones are good. We could do a bake sale one of these days and put these out."
Orihime laughed. "One of these days when the roads are passable, maybe. How is it out there? How was it at the hospital?" she asked, her second question more quiet and somber than the first.
"It's nasty outside. There's some snow drifts that have trapped people in their homes. The wrecks…" Zommari sighed. "The hospital was fine. I was telling Ulquiorra that I helped people when they needed it the most and that's all that mattered. His brother woke up before I left, so that's a bit of bright news. It's good to see that you kids didn't burn the place down. Makes me that more confident to leave you two here in January when I head to Dallas."
She laughed. "Kids? Okay, I'll accept I'm a kid but Father Cifer is an old man," she laughed, teasing. "Anyway, I'm relieved to hear about his brother. He took the news really hard, although he tried not to show it." She smiled as she stood and grabbed her cup. It was fake, though. "Are you going to be hungry enough for dinner after all those sweets? It's time for me to start cooking."
He considered her question then nodded. "I've eaten out of the hospital cafeteria or the vending machine since I left here. I want something good to eat, please." Zommari gave her a nod and then went in the direction of his office. "I'll be in here. Stuff to look over for the week."
She nodded and went to the kitchen to start preparing dinner. She was going to make something warm but healthy because, honestly, both she and Ulquiorra needed to give their livers a break. She started making a vegetable soup and some rolls, and had just put some chicken thighs and potatoes in the oven when Ulquiorra came into the mudroom.
He was trying to avoid her and forget about her but here she was. Ulquiorra could see her where he stood, taking off the boots and the rest of his outerwear. He turned his back to her as he took off the snowpants to reveal a pair of compression pants. He usually wore them to work out in but they worked in a pinch as thermal wear. He didn't say anything as he took the wet clothing down to the basement and began hanging it up on the rack in the laundry room. He tried to keep his eyes from glancing over at the living room area down there. Hopefully Orihime would be gone from the kitchen and he could go to his room but that was not the case. She was still standing in the kitchen when he walked in. "Hey," he said, as he walked to the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of water out of it. He didn't want it, it was merely to keep his hands and mouth busy.
"He lives!" she said in a lighthearted way. "I'm glad you didn't die of exhaustion or hypothermia. I'm making some nice warm soup for you and Zom. After dinner, I have to talk to you about something."
Ulquiorra looked at her and sighed. "I'm sorry. Whatever I did in my sleep-"
"What? No… You're a quiet sleeper. I never hear you through the wall. No. It's about your family."
He almost collapsed into one of the kitchen chairs in relief. Maybe she didn't remember them sleeping together. "Oh well, Zom said Nnoitra's fine so... "
"Yeah, I know. I still need to talk to you though. It's important."
"We can talk about it later then," Ulquiorra said. "I'm gonna go change because it really feels like I'm in my underwear."
She guffawed, her eyes squinting into little crescents. "It looks like it, too."
Ulquiorra's face colored slightly and he put the bottle of water down on the table. He walked over to where she was at the stove and put his hands on her hips, turning her back to the appliance. It was a rather intimate gesture on his part but he figured if he had woken up beside her he could get away with this. "I knew you were looking," he whispered into her ear. "Don't burn anything."
All her blood rushed to her face, and she giggled nervously. "Ha, ha, I wasn't going to," she protested lamely. "And really, you can't blame a girl for looking when you put it out there."
"Put it out there? Tch," he scoffed and shifted his hips away from her. Ulquiorra thought about doing the opposite but he really didn't want to deal with himself. He rolled his eyes as if annoyed. "I did not put anything out there. Miss Inoue, I offered to show you any time."
She exhaled as though she had been punched in the gut, then inhaled shakily. "Ulq- Father Cifer. You are trying to fluster me on purpose. That's just mean," she said, although her voice didn't convey the level of offense her words did. "If I burn something it'll be your fault."
He smiled but didn't step away from her, his hands still on her hips. "Okay, I get it. You want me to leave you alone. As. You. Wish." With that last statement, Ulquiorra let go of Orihime and started walking towards the stairs. At least he could handle the guilt of his actions now, he thought as he moved away from her. It felt easier to flirt with her and she was right. He was trying to fluster her on purpose.
Orihime felt hot somewhere else beside her face. It was uncomfortable, like a feeling of being too full. It made her want press against it to relieve that pressure. Unfortunately grabbing herself in the kitchen was not something one does when one lives with two priests. Besides, that wasn't something Orihime had ever done before and she wasn't going to start now, especially when the reason for it was a naughty priest with a questionable background. That thought started to bring her back to reality. She needed to talk to Ulquiorra about Aizen. She also needed to apologize for getting into a drunken argument with him. After dinner though.
He stood in the shower letting the hot water beat on his back. Ulquiorra couldn't believe himself. He was going to end up digging himself into a hole and it wouldn't be fun trying to get out of it. When he was done he dried off and redressed in more priestly attire, putting on some khakis and a sweater. He went back downstairs and saw Zommari coming out of the offices. "Everything in order?" Ulquiorra asked.
Zommari nodded. "I was just speaking to Father Tosen. Apparently I'll be going to Rome twice this year. Once in April and then again in October. I also smelled what Miss Inoue was cooking and am going to see if it was done or swipe a couple of those cookies."
Ulquiorra nodded. "Driveway is cleared, by the way and uh-"
"It's fine Ulq, you've done a great job while I was at the hospital. Tuesday I want you to go visit Nnoitra. No ifs, ands, or buts."
"I have to see Aizen and I have other plans," Ulquiorra said, automatically lowering his voice. All Zommari did was give him a disapproving look. "Fine, I'll make time to see him. When Aizen-Do you think we can get another vehicle? Would it be in our budget to get another one? It doesn't seem right for you to keep filling up that gas guzzling beast to go on these-"
"Ulquiorra, the only reason I made it home was because of the van. I'll look into a smaller vehicle though for personal trips. I understand that you and Miss Inoue can't keep sharing a vehicle. I could move your days off. I never realized that you two are off on the same day."
"No, I mean we have our schedules planned out around Tuesday. It would be disruptive," Ulquiorra said. "It was just a thought, Zom."
With a nod, the priest headed toward the kitchen and started talking to the redhead.
"Well hello boys," Orihime addressed them both although only one was there; she had heard both their voices in the hall. "Dinner is almost ready if you'd like to sit.
She gave them each a roll and a bowl of soup to start with and then took the chicken and potatoes out of the oven. "Anybody want sour cream or is just butter fine?" She asked, bringing everything else to the table.
She put a glass of milk at her spot as well. "Drinks, anyone?"
Ulquiorra held up the bottle of water that he'd left on the table and Zommari shook his head. "Sit down and enjoy, Miss Inoue," the green-eyed priest said.
"Okay. Who would like to say grace today?" She asked.
"I will," Zommari said. He bowed his head and clasped his hands together.
Orihime did the same, but peeked up at her companions as she always did. They never peeked back. It was a secret activity she enjoyed.
The head priest began droning on and Ulquiorra stared at the tabletop. Orihime always sat across from him but he didn't dare try the antics that he had the other night, not with Zommari there. They would get caught quicker than a cheetah chasing a gazelle. He glanced up and was surprised to see Orihime wasn't praying. She was looking at him. He raised an eyebrow at her.
She smirked. She was finally caught after all these months. She watched with amusement at his expression.
His eyebrows then furrowed. "What?" he mouthed at her. Ulquiorra shifted his eyes at Zommari and then reached out with his foot, trailing it down her leg.
Her eyes bugged out at him and then darted toward Zommari and back, silently accusing him of instigating something. She didn't move her leg away though, partially to not attract Zommari's attention and partially because she liked it and wanted to know how far he was going to go.
A smirk crossed his face as his foot traveled higher and he brushed it against her inner thigh.
Her cheeks turned pink and she pursed her lips, clenching her folded hands more tightly and looking down at her lap. What was he playing at? This was going pretty far for a prank. When his toe touched the inside of her thigh her eyebrows flinched, and that same overfull sensation returned deep in her lower belly. The urge to fidget was overwhelming.
Just as he was about to move his foot again, Zommari said, "In the Lord's name we pray, Amen."
Ulquiorra sat up straight and mumbled, "Amen." His gaze averted away from Orihime. He cleared his throat and turned to Zommari to ask, "Do we have anything planned for tonight?"
"No, just nightly prayer. You can have the rest of the night off but we need to work extra hard next week," Zommari answered.
He nodded his head and the rest of dinner went by quietly. Zommari left his dishes on the table, used to having Orihime pick them up and the man retreated to his bedroom. Ulquiorra remained at the table. "Do you want help cleaning up?"
"Yeah, actually, can you check that he's somewhere out of earshot please?"
Ulquiorra looked at the redhead and nodded before he stood and went upstairs. After knocking on Zommari's bedroom door, the green-eyed priest had a short conversation with the other. He came back to the kitchen after three minutes. "He'll be in his room for the rest of the night," Ulquiorra said. "If you want somewhere out of earshot, why not just go to the garage or the basement?"
"We can go to the basement later, but these dishes aren't going to do themselves," she said, turning to look at him over her shoulder, elbows deep in suds. She turned back to the dishes. "First things first, I'm sorry I got so drunk and argued with you. I can't say I remember everything we fought about, but anyway, sorry," she said, looking over her shoulder at him again with a small smile.
Walking over to the sink, Ulquiorra leaned against the counter and looked at her. "You don't remember that night, do you?"
"Not really. Bits and pieces. You?"
"I remember yelling at you and I woke up beside you."
Her eyes widened. "What? I mean… What?"
"I was missing my shirt and socks," Ulquiorra said, not looking at her. "I think I lost those before I came to your room. But I woke up holding you. I left as quickly as I could."
"Yeah, you had it off before you came into my room, I remember that. I remember when we fought it was off. Why did you leave?"
He huffed as he felt his ears turning red. Ulquiorra did not want to explain it was either leave or just grind against her until he relieved himself. "C'mon surely you've had a boyfriend and know what happens to guys in the morning."
"Um, no?"
"Wait, what? No?"
"No. Aizen sent me to an all-girls' schools. I had a minimal social life."
He felt his heart beating in his chest. Did she mean what he thought she meant? "College?" he stammered. She had to have had some experience in college.
She shook her head. "A women's college. I did meet a guy who liked me through the Asian American Association, but I just wasn't feeling it. I turned him down. I don't really know why. It just didn't feel right."
Blowing out a breath, Ulquiorra shook his head in a sad manner. He had to be the one to explain this. Great. "I left because I was hard and, uh, well, you know."
She looked at him like she was missing the punchline to a joke. "Hard? I mean, you aren't exactly soft looking, I guess. But why is that a problem?"
His jaw dropped and he stood there staring at her with an open mouth. Was she being serious? Was she actually being serious or was this just here trying to troll him? He decided to bluntly answer her. "How to put this without offending you… Uh, my dick got hard and I went to jerk off," he finally said.
She scowled, not understanding. "I don't really get it. Why'd you do that?"
"You were asleep and I am not supposed to have sex."
"I know that but what does it have to do with— You know what? Nevermind. It's not important. The point is, I'm sorry we fought, and did I hear you right when you told me about your dad?"
Ulquiorra sighed. Was this what she wanted to talk about? "I don't remember what I told you. All I do remember is telling you to be quiet," he said.
"Oh no, was I rage-singing?" she groaned.
"If you call screaming at the top of your lungs into a snow storm singing, then yes."
"I'm sorry for that then, too. Anyway, you told me that Aizen ordered my family, including me, to be killed, and that somehow you saved me. And that he is responsible for your siblings' lifestyles, and that you were sent away."
Oh. Had he said all of that? He scoffed. He probably declared his undying love for her too. "Yes, Orihime." was all he could answer with. Ulquiorra couldn't lie to her but he wasn't going to elaborate either.
"I'm sorry for that, too, then."
Sigh. Ulquiorra crossed his arms over his chest. "Is that all you wanted to talk about?" he asked.
"No. Why did you do that for me? You didn't even know me."
"Because I remember a little girl with red hair telling me, the son of a mob boss, to leave her brother alone. She looked like she was willing to fight me too."
She rinsed her hands and dried them on the dishrag and turned to him, looking him in the eyes for a long moment. "I owe you my life, don't I?" She finally said. She did not wait for him to answer. She stepped toward him and hugged him around the waist. "Thank you," She whispered.
"You don't owe me anything, Orihime." Ulquiorra sighed and draped his arms over her shoulders. "I did what was right or what I thought was right." There was a creak overhead and the dark-haired man looked up. "Since he's back home, we should be careful."
She nodded and stepped back, letting go of him and wiping her eyes once with the back of her hands and returned to the last of the dishes. "You told me that he turned your siblings into what they are. I don't know what they are and I am not sure I want to know, but did he make you become a priest or did you choose it?"
Immediately he missed her closeness. Ulquiorra turned around and walked over to the drip coffee pot. He didn't like this kind of coffee but there was no sense in making an entire huge pot of coffee when they would be heading to bed in a couple of hours. He felt like he needed it though. When he was done and the coffee was brewing he finally answered her. "The day after you were sent to Wisconsin-actually that night, Aizen had me beaten. He found out what I was doing and what I did. Then I found out the next morning I was being sent to Idaho to a private catholic boarding school. Tier and Nel were sent to some girls catholic boarding school. Grimmjow and Nnoitra were sent to a military school. It's hard to get expelled from a military school but both of those fools managed to do it. My brothers are perfect for Aizen. They want death and destruction. I've told you that they both have been in prison. Petty crimes but still they've been there."
The priest felt defeated telling her all of this. "Nel's a dancer at one of my father's clubs and helps manage it. Tier's a lawyer for him but she's trying to get out."
She sighed heavily. Clearly he was not happy with his siblings' fates. "Grimmjow… I thought he was kind. I hugged him," she admitted, her eyes widening in fear for her past self. She turned her head toward Ulquiorra. "You still didn't answer my question though."
"Maybe you could be the woman to change him, I don't know, but Grimmjow is the furthest thing from kind."
She made a face that indicated the idea did not appeal to her.
He gave a soft chuckle. "Yeah, I don't like the idea either. I know I didn't answer your question. I don't know what to...I don't know what to tell you without sounding like an asshole."
"I'm sure you won't. Just tell me the truth," she suggested gently,
Ulquiorra wanted to tell her that he would always tell her the truth but she had heard that line before from him and still didn't believe him. "I became a priest to atone for my sins. I made sure I wouldn't be a threat to Aizen. I made sure that he couldn't touch me either but, that's not the case. Of course, this is all speculation but I think Tosen and Aizen are up to something nefarious."
She looked frightened. "Are you in danger?"
He was pouring coffee into his cup when she asked that question. Ulquiorra carried the cup to the table and set it down before he went to the fridge, taking out the small carton of half-and-half. Finally Ulquiorra shook his head. "I don't think I am. All I do is listen for information to give to Aizen and give him the money that parishioners owe him. Because Tosen is allowing this to happen, Aizen has been giving money to the church. It's the one reason why the roof was fixed in October or whenever it was."
Dawning realization appeared on Orihime's face. Here she was pitying Ulquiorra and his siblings, but she was in exactly the same boat as them. "Even you are not untouchable… He has funded my entire life since Barragan's death. He created this job for me." She looked off into the distance and tears started to fill her eyes. She was realizing it was only a matter of time until she would have to pay the price for Aizen's "benevolence".
"He leaves me alone as long as I bring him money and information. I use my day off to go into Boston and drop off the stuff then come back," Ulquiorra said. "This job was given to you; why though? I've no clue. Usually they pick some old hag who's been a nun for the past thirty years. Aizen had to pay for you. He blames me because you're still alive."
She turned to him tearfully and said, "No, don't you see? He's the same as Barragan. He would just have had me killed anyway if he didn't have plans to use me for his own purposes later."
Tugging on his ear, Ulquiorra scowled. "I've known for a long time what kind of guy Aizen was. I spent twelve years trying to get away from him. I was kind of happy in Rome, then I get told I'm going back to Boston. I never fooled myself when I came back. I knew that Aizen had something planned." He gave a bitter laugh. "I'm basically laundering money for my dad. But, Orihime, if he comes here to see you or you get a call to go to him, you can't act like anything has changed. If you do, then..." he trailed off.
She was scared. She was scared for herself and for him. Her hands were shaking and she dropped the bowl she had been drying. It clattered loudly as it hit the floor, but being made of plastic, it did not break. She bent down to get it and contemplated either just sitting on the floor and feeling sorry for herself, or standing with the bowl in hand and throwing it at something, hard . Instead, she stood up and set it down on the counter, sniffling, and told him how she felt. "I'm scared, Ulquiorra."
"You think I'm not? I am. I was scared the moment you walked away from me at that funeral and I saw Aizen look at me. I was scared the moment I asked Aizen or my mother about you." Ulquiorra picked up his coffee cup and took a drink. "I don't know what to tell you to make you feel safe. I just do my job and life goes on."
"Is that really all this is to you?" she asked, gesturing around the room as if the rectory kitchen symbolized all of Catholicism. "A job?"
Gazing at her face, Ulquiorra thought about her question. "Being a priest is not a job. Doing what Aizen wants is a job. Doing what he asks keeps me here… With you."
"But you could go anywhere, right? Somewhere where you couldn't be used by him? Wouldn't you want that?"
"Only with Bishop Tosen's permission," Ulquiorra replied. He tapped his fingers against the table top then frowned. "Aizen would probably have me moved to a different parish in Boston. Orihime, I don't think he's going to come after either of us. We're nothing. We're goody-two-shoes."
She laughed in spite of herself. Ulquiorra had a way of snapping her out of her despair. "That is… Accurate. At least for me. Mostly," she said, raising a sly brow at him. It looked ridiculous, given the state of her face with its swollen lips and red-rimmed eyes.
"Really? Besides drinking what sins have you committed? As far as I've deduced, you're still a virgin." Ulquiorra raised one eyebrow at her. "I don't think you've ever done drugs. I don't think you'd hurt a fly."
"Sins of the flesh, perhaps not. Sins of the mind are something else, though."
He looked at the floor around where her feet were and then let his gaze travel slowly up her body, lingering on her thighs and chest. Hearing her say that shouldn't have been so erotic sounding. It shouldn't have been a turn on. Impure thoughts happened in everyone, there was no way around it but if she was talking about thoughts of anger and rage, that was something completely different. "We all struggle with sin everyday," he said.
"I know. Thanks for hearing my confession, such as it was," she laughed glibly and sighed. "I can't spend my life worrying all the time, can I? There are things to be done. What are you up to tonight?"
"Nothing," he answered. Ulquiorra looked at her for a moment then asked, "Why?"
She looked down at her feet and dug the toes of one foot into the floor a bit, biting the inside of her cheek. "I dunno, I thought maybe we could hang out."
He stood up and walked over to where she stood. If there was something about her that drove him crazy it was this. She was too shy to ask for what she wanted. Maybe she didn't know what she wanted. "As you wish," Ulquiorra said.
She smiled. "You need to watch the rest of that movie, anyway."
By Tuesday, Ulquiorra was once again frustrated and he dropped the money and information he collected off to Aizen before heading to visit his brother who had been moved to a regular hospital room. The dumb ass had been drinking and rolled his vehicle while doing almost ninety on the snow and ice covered freeway. Both legs and arms had been broken and Nnoitra was lucky he wasn't dead because the man boasted about not wearing a seatbelt.
"Well look who decided to drag his ass in here," his brother said as he walked into the room.
Ulquiorra was tempted to turn around and walk out. He had promised Zommari that he would visit the man. "Nnoitra, it's nice to see you've survived your brush with death."
"Ha! Please that wasn't a brush with death," Nnoitra cackled. "You fuck her yet?"
"What?" Ulquiorra was going to sit down in the only chair in the room but he stopped when his brother asked him that ridiculous question, so he remained standing.
"The redhead that Grimmjow's been going on and on about. Did you fuck her?"
The priest scoffed. "You're disgusting. I took on vows of celibacy which I've upheld now for six years. I take my path in life seriously."
His brother's smile grew and his eyes got squintier. "Do you? Don't you wish you could let it all go and do what Grimmjow and I do?"
"I promised my boss I would see how you were," Ulquiorra said, nodding at the man who was laid up in the hospital bed. "You're perfectly fine from what I can see, so I bid you farewell, brother."
Ulquiorra turned on his heel and exited Nnoitra's hospital room. He could hear the tall man yelling at him as he left. It didn't take long before the green-eyed man was at the local mall, browsing for Christmas presents. He knew exactly what he was going to purchase for Orihime and Zommari.