AN: HOW COULD I HAVE SWITCHED VALENTINES DAY AND WHITE DAY IN THE LAST CHAPTER!? LIKE I KNEW THAT TOO YET MY MIND JUST JUMBLED THEM UP! D: oh well, thanks for everyone letting me know! :) A lot of things aren't accurate in my story with Japan, particularly the weather haha. It's just easier to write in this setting that I am familiar with and I'm too lazy to research! Please enjoy the story anyways! :D

Chapter 21

"Wait, what!? What did it say!?" Orihime loudly asked Tatsuki, who was covering her ears due to the loud volume of her yelling.

"Sheesh, Orihime! It's nothing serious! I think it was just some joke," Tatsuki answered once she found her friend had stopped yelling. "All it said was 'Happy Valentine's Day' and that it was from some secret admirer or whatever. Then the asshole gave me some disgusting chocolate!"

"I doubt it was a joke, Tatsuki! I think somebody really likes you and they just aren't good at cooking! Maybe it was Grimmjow!"

Tatsuki scoffed and crossed her arms. "As if! That guy probably doesn't even know what Valentine's Day is!"

"Have you told him or made it clear that you like him?"

Tatsuki's tough act disappeared and the girl laid back onto the bed. "Of course not. How could I? You know how it is, you had a crush on Ichigo for years and couldn't tell him. I'm not used to this kind of stuff, you know? I've never had a crush or anything, this is all new to me. I wish he would just quit the karate club and transfer schools so that I never have to see him again."

"That's how I felt when Ulquiorra and I got into our first fight. But you know, if he did leave I would be very sad. And that's how you would feel too if Grimmjow left! Even though you don't know what to do, that doesn't mean you can't learn! Trust me, Tatsuki! I'm going to help you with this starting now!"

"W-Wait, Hime, what do you mean by that?"

Orihime, who was in the process of getting her phone, looked back at her friend with a rare, mischievous smile and answered, "Well, whether he admits it or not, Ulquiorra is friends with Grimmjow! So, we can have him do the work for us! He can ask Grimmjow what he thinks of you and stuff while we wait!"

Before Tatsuki had any time to protest, Orihime sent a text telling Ulquiorra to come over as soon as possible. In a surprisingly short amount of time, Tatsuki could feel her face gaining warmth as she heard a knock at the door, obviously being Ulquiorra. Only Orihime knew about her feelings for Grimmjow, she was definitely not ready to let some heartless guy like Ulquiorra know.

"Orihime, you told me this is an emergency," Ulquiorra said as he walked into the room. A clear look of annoyance was on his face. "I do not see anything dangerous or of the sort here."

"It is an emergency! Just not a dangerous one, silly. OK, Tatsuki, go ahead and tell him!" Orihime said, encouraging her friend with a smile and a nod.

"F-Fine," Tatsuki replied, her arms crossed as she kept her gaze locked on the wall opposite from her. Her face was still red and she felt embarrassed. "…I may or may not have a thing for your friend, Grimmjow."

Ulquiorra stood still, fazed at what Tatsuki had just said. It seems his initial guess was right, though it was still surprising. How could Tatsuki like somebody as idiotic and ill-mannered as Grimmjow? "This must be how everyone else felt when they found out Orihime and I were in a romantic relationship," he thought.

"So, Ulquiorra," Orihime started, "do you think you can help us?"

The dark haired boy sighed as he took a seat on the bed by Tatsuki. "I do not understand how you two expect me to help with this situation. Grimmjow and I do not speak much in the first place."

"Yes you do! Just find out if he likes someone or not! Question him about anything related to this! Oh, but don't make it too obvious!"

"Is this all that girls discuss when they are together?"

"Pretty much. Are you going to do it?"

"Fine."

Ulquiorra slowly walked towards Grimmjow's house feeling restless. Though Orihime's antics typically tired him out regardless, having to walk to the other side of town to gossip with one of the most idiotic people he knew was just too much. Finally reaching the tiny house in front of him, the boy realized it had been years since he been there last. He noticed the white paint was chipping away and that the yard hadn't been mowed in what looked like a long time even though the snow and rain had disappeared months ago. Knocking once on the door, he patiently waited as he heard loud footsteps coming towards him from inside the house.

"Who's here?" the boy heard Grimmjow ask.

"Ulquiorra. Open up," he answered.

The blue haired teen threw open the door with a surprised expression. "Ulquiorra? What the hell are you doing here? Shouldn't you be doing the nasty with the little princess or whatever?"

"Shut up," Ulquiorra said as he pushed past his friend and entered the house. "Is your mother not home again?"

"Of course not, you know that bitch. She's out gambling all of her money away. What are you doing here anyways, freak? You stalking me or something?"

"Don't be stupid. I simply came to talk to you about something important."

As Grimmjow walked into the kitchen to grab them some soda and chips, Ulquiorra took a seat on the rough couch in the small living room. Orihime's apartment was bigger than Grimmjow's house, making everything even more cramped than what he was used to. As Grimmjow came back with the food, Ulquiorra turned the TV on along with the game console they had always played. Picking up a controller and handing Grimmjow the other, the dark haired boy proceeded to destroy his friend in a first person shooting game. Since the two boys met, this was their routine. Ulquiorra would escape from his house and come over the moment Grimmjow's mom left and the two boys would play violent video games- Ulquiorra always winning.

"So, what did you have to say, huh?" Grimmjow asked as he quickly smashed the buttons in an attempt to shoot Ulquiorra's character in the game. "I'm guessing it's something important since you don't really come here otherwise. You're too busy hanging out with your girlfriend."

"Are you jealous?" Ulquiorra replied, swiftly dodging all of Grimmjow's bullets. "I am here to ask about you and your feelings towards the girls in our class."

"What the hell? Why?"

"Orihime is curious."

Grimmjow laughed hysterically as he threw the controller onto the couch. "Ha! Looks like she's started to lose interest in you, Ulquiorra! I guess she wants in on some of this action!"

Ulquiorra sighed as he punched Grimmjow hard in the gut, causing him to hunch over in pain. "I see you are as stupid as ever. It is not like you are interested in Orihime anyways."

"What do you mean? Your girl is hot! I could definitely be interested in her!"

"You and I are both aware of your feelings for somebody else."

Grimmjow's eyes widened in shock as he looked away. His face gained a considerable amount of warmth and his skin quickly turned pink. "W-What the hell are you talking about?"

"You hold feelings for Orihime's best friend."

"T-Tatsuki!? As if! That girl is a menace! She kicks my ass every day and bosses me around in karate! She's not even hot! She has no rack or ass!"

Ulquiorra sighed and felt his head slowly start to ache. Why must he be the one to talk to Grimmjow about this? "Then why did you make her chocolates yesterday for Valentine's Day? You even signed it as her secret admirer."

"I didn't-"

"I have tasted your cooking, Grimmjow. It is just as terrible as Orihime's. I am aware you were the one that made it."

"Wait so they were gross!? But I spent so much time on them! Agh whatever! Fine, I like the chick, alright? So what? She isn't interested in relationships or anything anyways. Shit, I'm not either. I just like sex."

"If you just wanted to engage in that then you would be doing it with one of the girls that are always fawning over you for some reason. You need to stop lying to yourself, idiot."

Grimmjow scoffed and crossed his arms. "What makes you think you are such an expert when you've had one girlfriend, jackass!"

Ulquiorra sighed as he stood up from the couch. His friend was right, he was no expert in relationships and wasn't too sure of what he was saying. With his patience dwindling by the second, the boy started to walk to the door. Before leaving, he decided to say one last thing to both satisfy Orihime's demands and help out his clueless friend.

"Grimmjow," he started without making eye contact, "you are right. I do not have much expertise on romantic relationships. However, if there is one thing that Orihime has taught me, it is that you are not bound by anything from your past or the people around you. Not every female you meet is going to be like your mother. It's time for you to stop being a coward."

The blue-haired teen stood from the couch as he pulled up his sleeves, ready to fight. "What the fuck do you mean by coward!?"

"You are too afraid to go after her because of your strained relationship with your mother and also because you fear rejection. There is nothing to fear. For some reason, it appears she holds feelings for you as well."

With that, Ulquiorra left the house, leaving Grimmjow paralyzed in his spot. The blue-eyed teen ran his fingers through his hair and sat back on the couch, leaning his head back to rest. Closing his eyes, he cursed under his breath realizing his friend was right all along. He knew he wanted something more than just a fling with Tatsuki and he knew that his feelings towards her were growing fast. The only thing stopping him from pursuing her was his fear.

"I really am nothing but a damn coward," he thought. "That fucking Ulquiorra just always has to be right about everything. He really makes me want to commit murder sometimes. Damn, I can't believe Tatsuki actually feels the same way. What the hell am I supposed to do now though?"

As Ulquiorra finally reached his own house, he could feel his body growing restless. He had talked way too much that day to people that he did not want to, such as Tatsuki and Grimmjow, and he needed to relax. Plopping onto his bed, the boy grabbed his laptop and began to type away on the keys. Though nobody knew of it yet, Ulquiorra had been writing his own book, just as Takeshi and Kyoko had predicted. Just as he loved to read nonfiction books, he found he also enjoyed writing them as well. His first book was all about human emotions, just as his project with Orihime was. Though, this included much more extensive research, of course.

Ulquiorra found out rather quickly that writing was something he genuinely enjoyed to do. With the help of his parents, he had now found his dream. Before Orihime came along, the boy had no aspirations. Now, his mind was flooded with endless possibilities. Ulquiorra wanted to be an author. He couldn't imagine himself doing anything else for the rest of his life with such passion. Grammar, knowledge, citing valuable sources, it all seemed to both calm and excite him. Though, being an author wasn't his only new goal in life.

No, Ulquiorra wanted much more. Many of his dreams were all centered on one person: Orihime. Before, he had never imagined simply talking to a girl without any detest. The boy never understood ties such as marriage, dating, or even the concept of love. Now, he was in a loving relationship with the girl of his dreams, the only person that could truly keep him sane. Images of Orihime walking down the aisle in a white, ball-gown dress seemed to pop into Ulquiorra's head much more frequently lately. He wanted to marry her, have kids, all of the things normal couples did. He wanted to share all of it with Orihime.

Just as he was finishing the last sentence of one of his paragraphs, Ulquiorra's phone rang. Picking it up, the boy saw it was Orihime calling him for the second time that day.

"Orihime," he started the moment he answered, "I love you, but I am not coming over again to gossip."

"Hi, Ulquiorra!" Orihime's voice rang through the phone. "Don't worry, I don't need you to come over I just wanted to tell you about the plan Tatsuki and I came up with! It'll ensure us complete victory!"

Ulquoirra sighed though the corner of his lips were tugged upwards into a smile. "You sound as if you are going to war. Now, why must I know of this plan? Are you asking for my help?" Ulquiorra could hear Tatsuki whispering orders to Orihime of what to say.

"Well, I guess you could say that! We need you to bring Grimmjow-kun to the party!"

"Party?"

"Yes, party! Oh, bring Nnoitra-kun too, that way it's not as obvious!"

"Orihime what do you mean by party?"

"Oh, I didn't tell you? OK, well me and Tatsuki are going to have a small party at my house and play a lot of games! The main goal is to start playing truth or dare! Do you see where I'm going with this?"

"No, but I will figure out tomorrow apparently. Is that all?"

"Yep!"

"Alright. Have fun with Tatsuki, general."

"Tatsuki!" Orihime called out, hurting Ulquiorra's ears. "Ulquiorra just made a joke! You have to hear it! Ulquiorra could you say that again now that the phone is on speaker?"

"Goodnight, Orihime. I love you."

With that, Ulquiorra hung up, a small smile spread across his face. Though he wasn't exactly looking forward to a party, it did amuse him to see Orihime try so hard to put Tatsuki and Grimmjow together. Though Tatsuki wasn't his favorite person to be around, the boy would be lying if he said he didn't care for her at all- along with Grimmjow, of course.

Typing away with intense speed once again, Ulquiorra began to wonder what the next day had in store for them. "I have never played truth or dare before. This shall be interesting."

Orihime frantically scurried around her small apartment, picking up everything off of the floor and putting things where they belonged. With a limited amount of time, the girl had managed to contact her dearest friends and invite them over for a party. She was ecstatic to find they could all come, but now she was forced to clean everything from her sleepover with Tatsuki before they arrived. Her best friend offered to help, of course, but Orihime shooed her away to get the supplies instead. The girl's heart beat with an unbelievable speed thinking of what was to occur. She finally had the chance to help Tatsuki with boy issues instead of vice versa.

"Oh my gosh I am just too excited!" she let out with a squeal. "I guess this place is clean enough!"

And that was an understatement. Orihime had done every possible chore she could think of to prepare. She did the dishes, vacuumed, dusted, washed her dirty clothes, and even began to scrub the walls when she couldn't think of anything else to do. While others were more likely to shy from such responsibilities, the auburn-haired girl found it calming while she absolutely had to be moving to keep her excitement level at bay. Finally, there was a knock at the door.

"Did you get the snacks already, Tatsuki?" Orihime cried out as she walked towards the door. "I hope you remembered my advice that boys are probably more willing to talk if they have yummy food!" Opening the door, Orihime was surprised to see Ulquiorra standing in front of her instead of the spikey haired teen she was expecting. "Ulquiorra! What are you doing here? The party isn't starting for another half hour!"

Ulquiorra sighed as he walked past the girl and sat on his spot on the couch. His emerald eyes followed Orihime's figure until she sat right beside him.

"It is nice to see you too, Orihime," he said with a small smirk.

Orihime blushed and replied, "Sorry. I just wasn't expecting you. It's nice to see you, Ulquiorra! Oh, are you ready to hear the battle plan!? Don't tell Tatsuki though because she's not entirely aware of the plan!"

Ulquiorra lifted an eyebrow as he stared at the girl. "Are you sure that is a good idea?"

"Of course!"

Ulquiorra could only hope his girlfriend knew what she was doing.

Finally, people starting to show up, the first being Uryu, who always made sure to be exactly on time. Sado arrived soon after, followed by Ichigo and Rukia. The seven of them sat rather awkwardly as they waited for Grimmjow and Nnoitra to come. Orihime quickly glanced at Tatsuki and could immediately tell she was nervous, probably because the two were already 20 minutes late.

Suddenly, there was a loud knock at the door and they could hear Grimmjow yell, "Oi, open up already!"

Orihime let out a sigh of relief at the sound of the blue-haired teen's voice, though she would definitely have to scold him for being late and making her worry. When the two boys walked into the living room, the group of nine sat in a circle on the floor, everyone wondering what exactly they were supposed to be doing.

"Alright!" Orihime started after clearing her throat. "Now that everyone is here, let's start!" The girl looked back at Tatsuki and Ulquiorra and winked- the former face-palming because of how obvious it was while the latter let out a sigh at his girlfriend's antics. "First we are going to play truth or dare! I'm sure everyone already knows the rules, so I'll go first! Hmm… Ishida-kun! Truth or dare?"

Uryu sighed as he pushed his glasses up. It was clear that he was not fond of the game. "Truth," he finally said.

Orihime tapped her chin with her finger as she thought. "Hmm… Is it true that you are dating an older woman?"

Uryu's mouth dropped open just as everyone else's- besides Ulquiorra and Sado- as the question as startled all of them. "I-I don't know what you are talking about. I am not dating anyone."

"Oh but you like her?"

Uryu gave the girl a gentle smile, which quickly turned into a smirk. "Sorry, Inoue-san, I already answered the question. Next is my turn. Sado, truth or dare?"

"…Truth," the tanned boy said after while of uncomfortable silence.

"Do you happen to like anyone?"

Without saying a word, Sado shook his head, not surprising anyone. They could never imagine him actually having romantic feelings for a girl- that would be more surprising than when they found out Ulquiorra liked Orihime. Finally, Sado spoke up once again to ask somebody else. "Ichigo, truth or dare?"

Ichigo gave an anticipated grin as he answered, "Dare!"

"I dare you to eat some of Inoue's leftovers."

Ulquiorra barely suppressed a laugh as he watched Ichigo's face scrunch up in disgust as sweat dropped down his face. Though he loved his girlfriend more than anything, her cooking was absolutely horrendous. Speaking of Orihime, the boy looked to find her pouting grumpily with her arms crossed.

"My cooking isn't even bad…" she mumbled, earning a smirk from Ulquiorra. She then got up to quickly heat up her most recent masterpiece: chicken stuffed with grape jelly with wasabi spread on top as if it were buttered bread. Handing it to her friend, she took her seat between Ulquiorra and Tatsuki and began to watch the hilarious scene unfold.

Ichigo eyed the… meat with terrified eyes. Glancing at Sado, he gave him a nasty glare. With a loud gulp, the carrot-top picked up the fork, his fingers trembling. Taking a small piece of the chicken, which had both the jelly and the wasabi, the boy opened his mouth and let the food enter. The group watched Ichigo chew ever-so-slowly until his face turned into a tint of green. Suddenly, the boy quickly stood up and ran past the group towards the bathroom. They could hear the door slam behind him, followed by loud gags and screams for water.

"I-It tastes delicious!" Orihime cried out, her face red from embarrassment. Taking the plate of inedible food, she took a big bit and said, "See!?"

Ulquiorra quickly looked away from the sight, his stomach churning just thinking about what Orihime ate whenever he wasn't there.

When Ichigo finally came back, he gave one last glare to Sado before asking, "Hey, pipsqueak, truth or dare?"

Rukia punched her boyfriend, smirking at the sight of him hunched over in pain and answered, "Dare, of course."

"Alright, I dare you to prank call your brother."

Rukia's mouth dropped as she quickly stammered, "N-No I change my mind I want truth! You know I can't do that, Ichigo!"

"Sorry, pipsqueak! Can't change your mind! Rules are rules!"

The petite girl cursed under her breath as she pulled out her phone. Blocking her number so he wouldn't know it was her, she began to call Byakuya. It rang four times before it was finally answered, a deep and mysterious voice answering.

"Who is this?" was all Byakuya asked, skipping the greetings.

"U-Uhh," Rukia started, altering her voice so that it was higher pitched. "Hello, this is your insurance company! I regret to inform you that you have a stifling amount of debt to pay that we are no longer able to insure you! You have 48 hours to pay us back before we send a representative." She said the last word with a hint of a threat to scare the older man.

"Hmm… Rukia, may I ask why you are trying to pretend you work for my insurance company?"

"W-What? I am not Rukia! I am-"

"Make sure you are back for dinner."

With that, Byakuya hung up, leaving a disappointed Rukia. "Was it really that obvious?"

Orihime giggled and answered, "A little."

The petite girl sighed before looking at Tatsuki and asking, "Truth or dare?"

Tatsuki grinned and answered, "Dare."

"I dare you to ask that weird guy from kendo club out on a date. The one that's been eyeing you nonstop and trying to get your number."

"Eew! Kuchiki, that guy is creepy!" Tatsuki exclaimed as she covered her face with her hands.

Ichigo laughed at his childhood friend and asked, "What's the matter, Tatsuki? Are you too much of a wimp?"

Tatsuki grimaced at the last word as she reluctantly pulled out her phone. She was undoubtedly the most competitive in the group, and since she was captain of the kendo team, she had to have everyone's number. Sighing as she clicked the phone icon by the contact called "Creep", Tatsuki waited for an answer. The phone only rang once as a boy with a high-pitched voice answered.

"C-Captain!?" he excitedly asked. "Did you need something?"

The spikey haired teen glared at Ichigo, Rukia, and Nnoitra, who were all laughing at her expense. "Y-Yeah. Wanna go out on a… date?" Her stomach churned and she wanted to throw up from the last word.

"O-Oh my of course! I am so shocked! I have been waiting for this moment forev-"

With that, Tatsuki quickly hung up and shuddered at the short conversation. Seeing the accusing glances from some of the group, she quickly said, "You only said I had to ask, you never said I had to actually plan a date and go with him!" Tatsuki then glanced at Grimmjow, whose face was scrunched up for some reason. Was he jealous? "Anyways, Nnoitra! Truth or dare?"

"I'm too exhausted for a dare. Truth," the lengthy boy answered lazily, his typical huge grin missing.

"Alright, do a fuck, marry, or kill with the three of us girls."

Nnoitra scoffed as he replied, "That's too easy. Kill the shrimp, fuck the princess, and marry the feisty one."

Grimmjow let out a growl, which did not go unnoticed by the three that planned this party. He was definitely jealous.

Nnoitra ignored the blue-haired boy sitting beside him and smiled mischievously at Orihime. "Truth or dare, princess?"

Orihime gulped loudly as she answered, "Truth."

"How far have you and Ulquiorra gone?"

Orihime could feel her face gaining warmth by the second. Glancing at her boyfriend, she wasn't surprised to see he was unfazed by the question. Unlike her, he never saw anything wrong with answering these kinds of questions. He was an open book, while she clearly was not.

"U-Uhh…" she started as she played with the hem of her skirt, unable to lift her gaze because of how embarrassed she was, "we-we've kissed for long times and t-touched some places. I-I don't know what base that is considered…" Quickly deciding to change the topic, she looked at her boyfriend and frantically explained, "I already asked Uryu a question so you go now, Ulquiorra!"

Ulquiorra sighed. Orihime was just too easily embarrassed. Looking at Grimmjow, he uninterestedly asked, "Truth or dare?"

Grimmjow appeared unentertained as he answered, "Truth." This surprised everyone in the room since he was always so adventurous and daring.

Ulquiorra never broke his steady gaze away as he calmly asked, "Are you in love with Tatsuki?"

Silence fell upon the group as they awaited the answer, most thinking the eccentric teen was going to cackle or something similar. Jaws were dropped quickly, however, as they heard his response.

"Duh."

AN: I promise there'll be more ulquihime in the next chapter! For now, please review :)