Chapter Eleven- The Perfection
Orihime inhaled slowly, smelling the salty tang of the ocean. She was at the edge of Lovers' Bluff, knees tucked against her considerable chest, unaware of the fact that anyone passing down beneath the cliff could see her Sponge Bob panties. The wind tangled her sunburst hair, coming in from behind her and whipping it around her face. Shadows from the palm trees danced across her skin, which had considerably darkened to a nice tan, rather than the ghostly pale she had been at Las Noches. Sunlight poured down on her like liquid gold, making her bask in the heat and tilt her face, ashy eyes closed, to face the sun.
She sighed, leaning back and stretching her arms above her, her long legs dangling over the side of the cliff. She had changed so much, she barely recognized herself anymore. On the outside, the only difference was the deep tan, a new-found maturity in her silver eyes, maybe some dark rings around her eyes that would never really fade. But on the inside, she felt... strange. Like her whole life she had been pulling and tugging at herself like a clay doll, trying to make herself fit in with everyone else, and now she had finally given up and just became herself. Like someone who had used pins and clips to pull her face and skin into what she thought everyone else wanted, and now that she had let herself be, she felt strangely free and airy.
Of course, there was an undeniable feeling of sadness, as there always was when a person finally put away their childish selves. She still believed her friends could overcome everything; she didn't want them to come after her anymore. She still loved them with all of her heart; her heart had grown to include Ulquiorra. She still believed Aizen wasn't doing the right thing; but she understood that he wasn't totally evil. And finally, if she was honest with herself, she knew her friends were going to come for her anyway; Kisuke couldn't stop them. No one could.
Unable to stop herself, she felt a tear trickle down her cheek, her heart aching as a small sob tore from her throat. She knew. She didn't know how, but she just knew that someone was going to die before the war ended. Whether it was her or Ulquiorra, Orihime was unsure. Privately, she hoped that if this terrible dread was true, it'd be both of them.
"Woman?"
Gasping, swiping at her eyes, Orihime sat up and turned to see Ulquiorra in a pair of faded blue jeans, a thin, white, button-down shirt, and his hands in his pockets.
"You are crying."
Orihime laughed weakly. "Yeah. It's just over something silly."
He walked towards her slowly, standing over her with a slight curious look in his otherwise disinterested eyes.
"Why would you shed tears over something 'silly'?"
Orihime giggled slightly, more tears welling.
"Because I have a silly heart that has a direct connection to my tear ducts."
"Could the Octava fix it?" Ulquiorra asked, genuinely curious, reminding Orihime that he still didn't quite have a grasp on some of the concepts she found the most simple.
"No. This isn't something that Szayel can fix."
In a strangely kind gesture, Ulquiorra sat next to her and asked cautiously, "Can I fix it? I find that your tears are... unnerving."
Orihime chuckled, staring down at a random shadow shaped kind of like Gin, strangely enough. "Yeah, it is disturbing to see someone you like cry. But, no, I don't think that this is something you can fix."
Ulquiorra stared at her for a long moment.
"I am quite powerful. I highly doubt that there is absolutely nothing I can do to make your tears cease. I am the Cuarta Espada."
"Can you stop the war?" she blurted before totally thinking it through. He stiffened next to her.
"Why?"
She shook her head, tears dripping down her cheeks at a slow but steady pace.
"Because I have way too much to lose. Ichigo, Rukia, Uryu, Chad, Renji, Tatsuki, Rangiku, Yoruichi, Toshiro, Kisuke, Hacchi, you. I can't stand it, especially since I am useless."
Ulquiorra stared at her for one long moment, and then announced, "Woman, you are consistently the most ridiculous, foolish person I have ever had the pleasure to meet."
Orihime blinked. "I think there may have been a compliment hidden somewhere in there..."
Ulquiorra blinked back at her, and replied, "You can reject phenomena from ever having occurred. Your powers trample on the will of the gods, and cause even Lord Aizen to feel a measure of fear and awe. Do not inform him of the fact I said that. I am not even going to touch on what you've done to me. Yet you have the idiocy to call yourself weak?"
Orihime brushed aside the insults and inquired, "What have I done to you?"
Ulquiorra looked away. "At the very least, you managed to prove more than half of my ideals wrong, forced me to practice hypocrisy, break some of my cardinal rules, and directly disobey Aizen at least once."
Orihime blinked again, then teasingly smiled at Ulquiorra and queried, "Is that all?"
Ulquiorra gave her a hard look, and then said, "My point, woman, is that you don't give yourself nearly enough credit."
Orihime, grinning like an idiot, tears forgotten, leaned her head on Ulquiorra's shoulder, humming.
"See? I knew I liked you. Not once have you called me beautiful, or sweetheart, or darling, or any of the normal stuff, really, yet you can make me glow on the inside!"
Ulquiorra turned an inquisitive glance on her. "You truly require me to tell you are beautiful? I thought it was obvious. I was unaware you needed me to tell you. And why in Lord Aizen's name would I refer to you as a 'sweetheart'?"
Taking his hand and tracing patterns into it, Orihime answered, "You shouldn't. You don't need to. I don't need you to. I can tell it when you look at me, because that's the only time that your eyes don't like like pretty little stones and look human!"
Ulquiorra actually snorted. "Woman, that is a delusion. I don't ever look human. Did you eat enough at the diner?"
Laughing, Orihime squeezed his hand before turning and meeting his verdant gaze happily.
"You always manage to make everything better. Did you know that? Just by being around you I'm cheered up."
Ulquiorra was swift to reply, "That's stupid. But I don't mind, strangely enough."
"You know I don't ever want you to change, right?" Ulquiorra looked at her, puzzled.
She blushed and elaborated, "I just mean, I don't mind, either. I don't care that you're a hollow, or that you're a cannibal, or that you kidnapped me, or that you work for Aizen, or that you've probably killed people. I mean, it is a little strange, but I don't care! That's what a relationship is, right? Meeting others halfway?"
Ulquiorra looked over the ocean, obviously considering this, which made her smile. Anyone else would have laughed her off, except maybe Tatsuki.
"Perhaps. In that case, woman, I don't mind that you talk too much, or that you snore and talk in your sleep, or that the way you idolized Kurosaki bordered on pathetic, or that you are annoyingly optimistic."
Orihime gaped at him, jaw nearly touching the ground, eyes wide and indignant. "The only thing on that list that's true is the optimistic thing! And the Ichigo thing! And the.. talking and... snoring... and sleeptalking thing... Dang it."
Ulquiorra's verdant eyes glimmered with amusement as he repeated, "I don't mind. I regret that I cannot stop the war."
Orihime sighed. "Yeah, I know. I guess we just gotta keep a stiff upper lip, right? Grin and bear it! Keep our chins up! Find the positive side! Look at the glass as half fu-"
"Woman, I get the idea."
Orihime giggled and stood slowly, her knees popping, to her amusement. Ulquiorra stood next to her, and Orihime clutched at his hand as they stood there.
"You know, Ulquiorra, I think you're perfect. For me, if nothing else."
"Woman, you are far from perfect. However, you're the only one I would do any of this with."
Orihime beamed.
"I know! Now, we have one more day and one more night. I'm giving you free reign over the night thing, because, you know, you seem like a night guy. But for the next four hours or so, I want to go swimming!"
"Where?" Ulquiorra asked.
"The ocean, duh!" she exclaimed. He shot her a dirty look.
"There are other places to swim, woman. There are also the island's hot springs."
Grinning impishly, Orihime shook her head rapidly and, ignoring his slightly startled expression, tore off her sunny dress and without a second word, dove off the cliff.
It was exhilerating, and adrenaline shot through her as she fell through the air rapidly. Laughs and screams tore through her mouth as her eyes watered from the wind rushing into them as she performed a flip. Right before she reached the water, she straightened out, making a graceful swan dive. The warm water erupted all around her as she hurtled deeper like a rocket, bubbles rushing past her, water filling her ears and nose. A second splash reached her ears dimly, and she peered through the cerluean water to see a dark, shirtless Ulquiorra-shaped blur. Smiling, she started a series of complex water acrobatics her brother had taught her as a child. When he was done working and with nothing better to do, they went to the free-entrance community pool and spent hours perfecting underwater dances.
Smiling at the feel of Ulquiorra's eyes watching her twist and turn in her dance, she moved in sinuous, water snake-like movements, totally unaware of how much less innocent these flowing moves were now that she actualy had a body to flaunt as she stretched and spun. A pair of cold hands landed on her waist, and as Ulquiorra placed his mouth on hers, they floated upwards, promising her lungs oxygen. As they broke the choppy surface, the couple broke apart to gasp for breath, and Ulquiorra gave Orihime a soggy, half-hearted glare.
"Do you realize you could have broken every bone in your body had you landed wrong?" he seethed, green eyes cold, black hair pasted to his face and neck.
Orihime darted forward and pecked him on the lips, feeling her feet kick against his as they treaded water.
"Yup! And that's what your magical spit is for!"
He gave her a look.
"Woman, that only works on lacerations. Perhaps bruises. Even my 'magical spit' cannot mend every single bone in your body."
Orihime waved an impassive hand. "Eh. You'd figure something out. I trust you!"
He gave her a mildly exasperated look, leaning the crown of his head against hers.
"Don't do it again."
Laughing, she paddled away, blowing him a kiss.
"Come on, Ulquiorra. We have about five hours until dinner time, and then you can decide what we do, 'kay? Besides, we have to find a beach or something so we don't get carried out on the tide..."
Ulquiorra swam after her in a strong breaststroke that caught him up in no time. As he switched to a backstroke, he informed her wearily, "You will be the death of me.
Orihime laughed happily as she floated in the warm water, Sponge Bob bra and underwear sopping and bordering on see-through. Luckily, they were a deep aqua shade. She'd been in the water three hours now; Ulquiorra was lounging somewhere in the shade of palm trees. He'd refused to wear any sun screen, so he was hiding from the damaging UV rays. Sighing, she let the current wash her up onto the hot beach and she rested on the white sand, feeling the waves lap at her.
"Woman."
Orihime peeked open one silver eye and looked at Ulquiorra, who had ventured from the safety of the trees and was standing over her. Part of her idly noticed that this happened a lot.
"Perhaps we should have an early dinner." Orihime shot up, gasping. Ulquiorra gave her a look that clearly asked what he had said the incited such a response. Bright red, she mumbled, "Ulquiorra, I haven't taken a shower since we left Las Noches! We got to go now!"
That said, she stood and pelted towards the White Towers, aware of Ulquiorra remaining a distance behind, probably shaking his head at her.
The Twelfth Intermission- The Indignation
"I am ashamed," Aizen repeated for the umpteenth time, standing on the beach with Gin, who secretly rolled his scarlet eyes. Sighing, Gin moodily asked, "An' why are ya ashamed, ma lord?"
"Ulquiorra," Aizen hissed, hands on his hips. "I come out here to check on his progress, and what do I find? He's more loyal to that girl than he is to me!"
Gin's smile melted off his face and he actually glared at Aizen a bit. "Ma lord. Honestly? Ya didn't see this comin'?"
Aizen sighed.
"Yes. I did. But, I hoped. I mean, he's always been so perfect..."
Gin answered with forced patience as the two slowly meandered through the jungle to town.
"An' he still is. He's gonna fight tha' much harder, 'cause now he 'as Hime ta return to. I mean, who wouldn't wanna return to tha' cutie as fast as damn possible? An' jus' 'cause he's more loyal to her, 'as his loyalty for ya shrunk at all, or is he just insanely in love with her?"
Aizen sighed again, running a hand through his slicked-back mahogany hair. "You're right, Gin. You're right. Honeymoon phase. That's it. Right? It's not an insult to me."
"No, ma lord. It's nothin' of the sort."
A.N. Oh, my goodness, I am so SORRY! Fanfiction was being a bitch and not letting me update, I'm soo sorry! I'm also afraid to announce that this is the last pre-written chapter, so updates will be slower now. Sorry again, and I hope you all stick with me!