Okay first and foremost massive massive shout out to Dwellin who has drawn a gorgeous Ulquihime pic for this homepage is my Deviantart page so you can go and check it out there or go to Dwellin's page. She's done some awesome artwork for my longer story "Silent Force" which is also Ulquihime heavy. Dwellin was actually the first artist who drew something for my stories and she's just done amazing work since then. I'm always happy when I see stuff she's drawn.
Now go look at the picture and lavish praise on Dwellin! I know my comment was something along the lines of "OMG---*dies of joy*" so you all have to be more articulate.
In other news this is a FOLLOWUP to "Songs of Innocence". It takes place some time after that. The title comes from the accompanying book of poems by William Blake called "Songs of Experience". The collection is a great one and I'm not a huge poetry fan.
Now to the story.
Her booted feet made an indecent amount of noise on the floor.
The tulle and silk of her skirt was long enough that she had to bunch the fabric in her hands to expose her feet to keep running.
Though all these things registered, Orihime Inoue did not spare a thought for such trivial things.
The fact that she had locked his replacement in her room might be a concern, or the fact that without some help she was probably never going to get out of this hallway and where she needed to go was also a problem. But those were problems that could be dealt with. She would take hostage anyone she had to if it meant that she could get where she was going to go and then she would do whatever it took to get him back. Her fingers tightened in the heavy fabric, she would find a way even if Aizen Sosuke didn't like it. He needed her, he needed her enough to indulge her even a little. Of course this was far more than a little but Orihime was confident that she could make it work. After all what was the power of the Gods in comparison to one Espada? Shoving her personal thoughts on the matter aside she continued to run, praying that Aizen was cold and calculating enough to see it from a practical point rather than an emotional one.
He had taken Ulquiorra Schiffer from her.
It had been her fault really. Ulquiorra never went to his Secondary release unless she was in trouble and as luck would have it she landed herself in a lot of trouble. It wasn't like before, these men were much too smart to kidnap her. No they snuck into her room and were about to strike her down with their bare hands. Well, they were about to strike her down after they raped her. She struggled against them as hard as she could but without her fairies--which they took--her karate was pretty much useless against their hardened skin. So as much as she hated to do it she screamed as loud as she could. She barely got it out before they gagged her but Ulquiorra heard. She did not know if it was anger or the knowledge that even with his Sonido he couldn't have made it in time but within moments a quarter of Las Noches was destroyed, the men were dead and Ulquiorra's secret was out. It he just went to his regular form it would have been fine, Aizen had long since reenforced the palace to stand up to any release.
Or so he thought.
He had been dragged off before she could say a word. Then the next day someone new came in, one of the replacement Espada and said that he was going to be taking care of her. She knew then that Ulquiorra, the calming presence she had come to care about was gone. Aizen had taken him. He had been there longer than her friends, longer than anyone she had ever known. Though their relationship had been broken before it had begun, the truth was that she had become to care about him. At first she thought it was just because they interacted so much he was really the only person around she could care about but it was becoming clear to her that it was more than that. That if she had never met the emerald eyed Espada who still fumbled his chopsticks and played the piano more beautifully than anyone she ever met, her life would be a much darker place. She realized that if he was gone that wound would hurt, it would hurt just as badly as the day she had lost all her friends. She knew she was the type of person who gave away her heart and when she had done it before it had been returned to her broken. Her heart was not perfect, not anymore but it had been put back together. And maybe, just maybe, she had let someone in again without even realizing it.
She did realize it then, as her new 'protector' told her that her food was there. Orihime had done the only thing she could think. She injured him and the Arrancar who brought her food as heavily as Tsubaki would allow her too and bolted. Now she was sprinting down the corridor as fast as her feet would let her and praying that no-one had noticed. She did not know how to shift the corridors. She was praying that she found someone who could. Her feet seemed to still as she rounded the corner and saw Gin Ichimaru standing there, or rather leaning against the wall in his white robes. Orihime did not share the feelings of discomfort around him that most of the world seemed to. She had learned in her time there that not everything was black and white and that if there was ever a person who fit into that grey area it was Gin Ichimaru. Her eyes focused on the chain looped between his fingers and she felt her insides twist.
One of the reasons that she had never tried to alienate Gin was because she knew that Matsumoto wouldn't have wanted that. If she was the only one of her friends to be there in the odd new world then she didn't want to be selfish. She knew Matsumoto had loved and worried about Gin, even in light of his betrayal. Giving him back her necklace was one of the last things she did before she died. Orihime summoned her courage and stepped into the hallway fully. Gin turned his head to look at her, his ruby eyes assessing her appearance. Quickly his pale fingers looped the necklace around his wrist, turing it into a bracelet that Orihime knew for a fact he was never without. His familiar grin slowly came onto his face as he looked over at her.
"I was wonderin' how long it'd take ya," he said, "how bad are they?"
"You should probably send medical over," she said with a small smile.
"Come on," Gin shrugged, "your boy's over here," he led her down the corridor, "how long have you known?"
"Since Ichigo's fight," she said.
"I'm gettin' the feelin' that he only uses that when your in trouble," Gin said. Orihime gave a quick nod, "Aizen ain't happy with him," he warned, "he's already punished him somewhat but--" he trailed off with a flick of his wrist, "ya know how Aizen gets."
"I know," Orihime said softly looking at him, "but I want him back," she added with her voice more firm.
"That ya gotta take up with Aizen," he said stopping in front of the door.
"I will," she said squaring her shoulders and swishing out her skirt, "let me in."
"Try not to scream," he ordered her.
"Why would I--" she looked forward as the doors opened, summoning the cold face she wore now when she dealt with Aizen Sosuke, the God King of Soul Society.
She kept her cold grey eyes locked on Aizen's as she walked down the stairs that led to his throne room. Murmurs went up as she entered, as she descended and as she walked the path to the throne. But she didn't care. She had been impressed when she was a girl and terrified of everything that moved in the night. Now a woman the place had long since lost its terror, its impressiveness, the only reaction she could summon was disgust. Aizen's eyes never left her as she walked to where he was, keeping her eyes on his. Something touched her foot but she ignored it, she ignored it even when her feet began to walk through something wet, something that was not water.
"Give him back."
Aizen raised an eyebrow at the demand but Orihime just glared up at him. He needed her, he needed her power and they both knew that. If he denied her he was risking her and her abilities. Aizen Sosuke might have had all the power in the world but he was shit at healing and they both knew it. Her hands brought back countless high ranking soldiers that he lost. Her abilities had won battles and defended lives. He was pure evil and whether she wanted to admit or not she represented the sliver of good still in the world. He was destruction and she was rebirth and they both knew that if he lost her there would be serious consequences in the loyalty of his following.
"Are you sure you want that?" Aizen said, amusement in his eyes as if she was a child asking for a toy back when they both knew more was at stake, "he's a bit broken at the moment."
"Give him back," she repeated, her voice as cold as she had ever made it.
They were both aware of the fact that all eyes were on them and the figure that was by her feet. She knew it was Ulquiorra, a seriously injured Ulquiorra but she forced that to the back of her mind. If she saw him like that because of her, she would go to complete pieces and be utterly useless. She could cry later, she could deal with him later, right now she just had to make sure that when she left the throne room she left with her protector. Aizen's eyes went to her right where she knew he was laying but she did not let he eyes follow. She kept them glued on Aizen and only on Aizen. She heard a sound like a sigh beside her, like a--like a last breath. Finally he shifted and his eyes went to her.
"You can have him," he said with a wave of his hand, "I've gotten all I need to out of him, he's useless to me now."
"Santen Kesshun! I reject!" Orihime summoned the power.
Hinagiku, Lily and Biagon formed their shield, slipping under Ulquiorra and rising. Orihime tried not to look at the form on it as she motioned for them to take him to he rooms.
"You're not going to heal him here?" Aizen asked, his voice smooth and sinful.
"No," Orihime said, her voice cold, "and once his replacements are healed I never want to see them again," she turned on her heel.
"Even if he dies?" Aizen asked.
"He is not going to die," Orihime said, her voice still controlled, "I am going to heal him."
She did not tell him that if he did die she probably would loose it and soak Las Noches in the blood of those who lived there. She could not think about what she would do if he died, she was not going to let him die. Her fairies got him to the room far ahead of her even as she took the corridors at a run. Using her shield for transport was something she had developed relatively recently and he was thankful for it. While it was easy for Ulquiorra to carry her she could not say the same for him. She raced into her thankfully deserted room and finally looked at the form of her protector.
Thankfully here she could scream.
He looked more dead than alive, if that was possible. His wings were twisted, misshapen to the point where it looked as though they had never been used for flight. His tail was shredded as well, bloody and burned skin took up most of his torso and a few of his odd toes were bent the wrong way. One of his horns was completely broken off, the other was cracked visibly. Just like his fight with Ichigo one of his arms was completely missing and the other had been twisted. His features were smooth as though he was in no agony. Though Orihime wanted nothing more than to throw her arms around him she knew that if she touched him he might break apart.
"Soten Kisshun, I reject," she said, her voice soft and choked.
The golden glow stretched across Ulquiorra's form as her other shield remained in place underneath him. She knew it would take time for her healing to show on his outside form. He was probably so injured on his insides--she closed her eyes and focused harder, trying to get the shield to work even quicker than it had been. The sound of bones aligning forced her to open her eyes. His wings began to take their usual shape, bones and tendons and muscles slowly reforming and knitting back together. His arm was beginning to reform as well while his toes snapped back into place. To conserve power her healing was trying to work with what it had, realigning what it could before it healed and reformed what needed to be done. Orihime's fingers trembled as she kept them there. Her shield lowered him to the floor and gently vanished as his massive wingspan spread out. Slowly his arm came back into existence as his tail began to reform. Finally after what seemed like a lifetime he was fully back into existence, healed and unconscious.
Orihime bit her lip and looked at him as the golden glow retreated. He was completely remade, it was probably common for him to sleep. She summoned her shield again and moved him onto the bed, his wings tucking automatically as he lay on the soft expanse. His tail with its wicked tip lay on the floor. Orihime bent down and picked it up, moving it onto the bed. She knew that he hated it when his tail got dirty. When he was in his secondary form he always whipped it around, never letting it touch the ground. Her floor might have been clean but still, she didn't want it to get dirty. Her fingers touched the arm she had reformed, the wings that she had fixed--she wanted to know that everything she had healed was done right. She didn't want to have messed anything up. She got him in this position, she wanted to make sure that she at least got him out.
Her fingers trembled as she looked at him, her lip caught between her teeth as she fought the tears in her eyes. Even after the handful times she had seen him in his secondary release form she was unable to look at him without fear coursing through her. Even though every time he appeared like that it was because someone threatened her or someone came to take her away, she had never really thought of that form as the one of her rescuer. But looking at him on the bed she realized that while she had never been afraid of him in his other form, she was not afraid of him now either. She was--she was worried about him. Even when her friends had died she had never found the strength to save them but somehow she had found it to save him. But she had gone and she had saved Ulquiorra.
Orihime felt her body convulse as the sob she was trying to contain fought to break free. She had saved someone, someone she cared about. She did not know if it was the fact she cared so much or the fact that she saved him but the tears finally broke free. Orihime buried her face in her hands and began to sob, trying to keep herself quiet so she didn't wake Ulquiorra. The notion that she was doing such a thing, not because it would annoy him but because she wanted too only made her sob harder. She wanted him to wake up, to scold her but to hold her none the less and even though he'd be frustrated with her mood he'd still be there. He'd be there through everything and selfishly she wanted to keep him by her side. She wanted him to be there.
The sound of someone exhaling jerked her out of her tears. She wiped her eyes quickly and peered anxiously over at Ulquiorra. Her hair was really too long. When she was crying she had been close enough to him that one of the locks had dangled across his nose. Orihime gasped and quickly yanked her hair back, peering down at him anxiously. Ulquiorra grimaced and blinked open his white and black eyes. They seemed to take a moment to focus before they finally rested on her. Orihime felt her lip tremble at the sight of Ulquiorra looking at her.
"Woman, what did you do?" he questioned, his voice soft but not hoarse thanks to her healing.
"I--I got you back," she said knotting her hands in her lap. Ulquiorra pushed himself up, "oh maybe you should keep laying down," Orihime said touching his shoulder.
"What did you do?" he demanded again looking at her.
"I demanded that Aizen give you back and then I healed you and made sure you were okay," she said blushing, "and then you woke up."
Ulquiorra stared at her. He had been taken from her and punished severely for keeping that secret from Aizen. But he hadn't cared. He would not have allowed the men touch her, he would have done anything to prevent them from hurting her even if it meant revealing such a thing. Then he had been lost in a haze of agony and needles and cruel cold laughter as Aizen's terrifying voice demanded answers from his split lips. The last thing he remembered was seeing her walk into the throne room, her eyes furious as she demanded his return. But past that, past that there was nothing. Yet somehow there he was on her bed, still in his secondary form. His Spiritual Power was a joke in how low it was but it was there, she was there--he was there. She had--
She had saved him.
He was so used to being the one to charge in and fight the monsters before taking her back to the palace that had slowly stopped being hell to her. He had seen her go to pieces when he friends were injured and he had been concerned that she would find her way to the throne room and that she would get herself in over her head with Aizen. If he wasn't there to protect her he did not want her to get out of control. Whoever Aizen sent to replace him would be completely useless in most matters. They would not know that the best way to get her to eat was to actually eat with her. She was too polite not to eat and because of his Spiritual Power he actually needed food. They wouldn't know that if she had a nightmare one had to sit with her, close enough so that she could feel they were actually there and not some illusion. They would not be half as good as fighting away people who tried to take her because they would only care about her because Aizen ordered them too.
They would not care about her because somehow, inexplicably she had wormed her way into their heart--into his heart.
"That was very foolish," he said, "you should not have risked yourself to save me."
"But you were in trouble because of me," she said, "you got hurt because you tried to save me," she bit her lip, desperate to fight the tears in her eyes, "You're always coming to save me, I wanted to save you."
"Woman," he shook his head as hers finally overflowed.
With a choked sob she threw herself at him, not caring about his form. He let her, his arms coming around her as she buried her face in his chest and sobbed, her relieved tears soaking his skin. He wrapped his arms around her, careful not to cut her with his claws. She wrapped her arms around him, her fingers settling just below his wing joints. He had long since gotten over his fear of physical contact when it came to her. But he knew that his Secondary form often frightened her, even after the one time they had flown together and she kept her eyes open. But there was no fear as she hugged him, her tears soaking his skin. She was not afraid of him. He glanced over and realized she had even tucked his tail onto the bed. For some reason the gesture seemed to twist something inside him and he felt his arms tightening around her fractionally.
Orihime drew back fractionally to look up at him, her grey eyes still soaked in tears. Her death grip around him loosened as he let his own arms relax enough to let her draw back. He tried to hold still as one of her hands came up to trace the tear lines that marked his face, her inquisitive fingers realizing that even in this form the lines were as smooth and undistinguishable from his skin as they were in his other form. Her palm laid flat along his cheek before it slipped down his skin to lay on his chest, just outside of his Hole. He had once thought he would never wish for forgiveness for what he did to her, for the murder of her friends for the fact that he was imprisoning her. But looking down at her encircled in his arms he did not know if he felt that way anymore. He did not know what to feel. Rescuing her constantly had been strange, he had kidnapped but he had never actually rescued anyone before. But far stranger was the fact that she had just saved him. Ulquiorra did not think he could be saved or that she would particularly want to save him.
"Why?" the word was out of his lips before he could stop it.
Why did you save me?
Why are you so foolish?
Why do you care when I've done nothing but hurt you?
Her answer was just as enigmatic when she smiled up at him through her tears.
"Because."
Because you are worth saving.
Because even if you've hurt me, you're still the one who saves me.
Because you showed me that I was finally finally strong enough to save someone I cared about.
They moved at the same time, her upwards slightly and him leaning down and just as they tended to do, they met in the middle.
His lips were somehow hard and soft at the same time, ebony against her own pink ones. One of his hands left her waist to gently touch her cheek, the claws that had sliced so many apart so easily just barely touching her skin. She felt the claws vanish as they became fingers again. She felt his wings fold and disappear as the bare skin under her fingers became the familiar fabric of his shirt. As they kissed Ulquiorra turned back into his usual form. Orihime felt the transformation and she kept kissing him through all the changes until the man she was kissing was the one who had come to her what felt like a lifetime ago and demanded she come with him to Las Noches. When they finally drew apart sitting across from her was the broken helmet wearing, emerald eyed Ulquiorra Schiffer. But even in this form she remembered what he looked like before and for some reason she did not feel afraid when she thought of the powerful Espada who ran in and protected her through everything.
"Woman, where are the ones who should have replaced me?" he demanded abruptly looking around the deserted room.
"Oh that," Orihime toyed with a bit of her skirt, "um, they're in the medical wing," he raised an eyebrow, "I told you I wanted to save you! I just had to use Tsubaki to do it," she bit her lip nervously before his thumb gently moved it so he could kiss her again.
"Thank you," he said softly.
Orihime smiled and leaned forward, kissing him again.