Orihime woke up happy, her legs tangled up in Ulquiorra's. The man was silently sleeping with his head pressed over her heart and his arms around her waist. Orihime didn't blushed as much as she would think she should have. It was just that it was starting to feel natural to be like that with Ulquiorra.
She giggled softly and ran her hands through his black hair, the silky strands slipping between her fingers. He cracked open a tired green eye, silently watching her.
"Woman, what are you doing?" He moaned. "It is much to early for any of your games."
She giggled again, watching as his head rose and fell with each sound she made. "Good morning Ulquiorra." She cheered quietly.
"The morning is anything but 'good', onna." He growled.
"Aw, don't be like that, Ulquiorra." She pouted, pushing his hair out of his face. "I'm just happy."
"You're always happy." He grumbled.
"Maybe it'll rub off on you one day." She joked with a bright smile.
He glared at her, softly. "I highly doubt it."
"Just imagine it," She went on, her smile spreading wider. "Ulquiorra- happily smiling and leaping from bed every morning! Singing of the great day ahead and twirling around! And- eep!"
Ulquiorra gently nipped the skin just under her collarbone to shut her up. "You will cease your chattering and be silent or I will not be responsible for my actions following."
She blushed bright red. "U-Ulquiorra!"
He sighed. "Yes, woman, what is it?"
"I, uh, you, uh I mean-"
With a soft growl he untangled one of his legs underneath the covers and threw it over her waist, turning them both so that he was on top of her. He supported himself with his arms on ether side of her cherry-red face. "Yes, woman?" He breathed in her ear.
"N-nothing!"
"As I assumed." He rolled off of her, lying on his front, and pushed his face back into the pillows on his side of the bed. "I will return to sleep, now."
She lay there for a moment, just looking at the ceiling. She suddenly stuck out her bottom lip. "But we have to get up." She pouted to herself. "I told Nel-san we would do hair this morning…"
He did not answer.
"I suppose I could go by myself…" She said out loud. She sighed. "I don't know the way."
She rolled over in bed, so that she on her side right next to Ulquiorra. "Ne, Ulquiorra? Will you get up and take me there please?"
He was silent.
"Ulquiorra?"
He reached out blindly and grabbed the pillow she was using, pulling it out from under her head with the flick of his wrist. Taking the pillow into both hands, he slammed it down over his head, completely cutting him off from the rest of the world.
Orihime frowned. "Ulquiorra!" She whined. "Please!"
It looked like he couldn't hear her- he didn't even flinch or stir.
She sat up in bed, her hair a brilliant orange static, and then turned so that she was sitting on her knees. "Ulquiorra?" She scooted a little closer, poking his shoulder. She knew what was sure to get his attention. "Ulquiorrrrraaaaa-kuuuuun!"
She was amazed to see him not even change his breathing pace. Could he really somehow not hear her?
She poked him a couple more times, but he didn't seem to care. He was apparently adamant to keep from waking.
She decided to do just what he had.
She pushed a leg up over his back, slipping back down and on top of him. She lay down over his back, her legs on ether side of his body. She slid one leg underneath his, twining the two of them together, and then snaked her hand underneath his arms. With her head on his neck she breathed out a warm breath, watching as it stirred the hair on his neck.
"Ulquiorra?" she breathed.
He still didn't move.
Puffing out her cheeks she sat up on his back, hands on her hips. How was she going to do this? She really wanted to have her hair braided! And it had been a long time since she did anyone's hair. Tatsuki's had grown out over her time in Hueco Mundo, sure, but it had still been too short to do anything with last time the girl had come over. She missed doing hair with her friends. And Nel's hair was just… perfect.
She wasn't going to give up.
She grabbed the pillow he was holding to his head and pulled it with all her strength, laughing once in satisfaction when it popped right out of his hands.
"Ha-ha!" She declared, holding the pillow in the air.
Ulquiorra eye opened, glaring up at her. "Woman…" His hand snapped out behind him before she could blink, taking back the pillow. She held it up over her head just a single millisecond before he grabbed it.
He really was slower when he was tired.
She would hold onto the piece of information for the future.
She wacked his hands away with the pillow, sticking out her bottom lip as some form of warning. "Please?"
He made another grab for the pillow and she again hit his hands with the pillow.
"No." She warned playfully. She added another hit with the pillow to the back of his head for good measure.
He looked back at her. "Are you instigating something, woman?"
She bit back a smile. "Maaaaybe."
"If you intend to fight me…" He trailed off, leaving the sentence to hang in the open air.
She waked him again.
"I see."
So fast she didn't see it coming he flipped over, using one hand to hold her up for a moment, so that she was suddenly sitting in his lap, straddling his hips. He grabbed the pillow from behind him and waked her upside the head- lightly enough to not hurt, but hard enough to show he wasn't going to woos around.
"HAHA!" She cried, jumping up to her feet, still standing over him. She hit him over the head before jumping forward, intent on taking refuge on her side of the bed.
Ulquiorra quickly caught Orihime's ankle in one hand and with a slight tug he had her sprawled out over the bed, her legs in his lap. He hit the back of her head again.
"You were saying?"
Orihime spun around quickly, kicking at the pillow in Ulquiorra's hand in an attempt to disarm him. She launched forward at the same time, trying to get him in the face.
She over-estimated her balance in climbing over his body though, and with a loud thump she fell over Ulquiorra and off the side of the bed, hitting the ground face-first.
"Ow…"
Ulquiorra lay back down, head resting on his pillow, as he idly made circles on her heal with his index finger. "I am amused." He informed her.
"It's a good thing I have such a hard head!" She cheerfully said, popping right back up. "Otherwise I may have hurt myself!"
"I do not think you are aware of how difficult it is to injure an arrancar."
"Anyway!" ignoring his comment, she skipped into the bathroom. "I'm going to get dressed so that you can take me to see Nel since you're up now." She closed the bathroom door with a giggle, her clothing in hand.
He sighed. "There was a time when I slept to my content…"
Orihime came out of the bathroom moments later, settling in between his claves, one leg draped over his shin and off the edge of the bed, her back to the other leg.
"Are you still tired?" She asked.
He closed his eyes. "What would lead you to believe that?" He deadpanned.
She laughed again. "See! You are funny! And people say-"
Ulquiorra suddenly sat up, eyes wide. "Something is wrong." He said.
Orihime put a hand on her stomach, suddenly feeling nauseas. "You're right." She moaned. The spiritual pressure in the air was sickening- completely wrong.
Ulquiorra hurriedly dressed, not even bothering to go into the bathroom to change. Orihime was too busy putting on her sandals to notice or be embarrassed.
"Come." He grabbed her hand as soon as he was done and pulled her form the bed.
They flashed to the meeting hall in a couple steps of sonido. Others flashed into the room just as quickly as they did.
"What is happening?" Ulquiorra snapped at Halibel.
"I don't know!" She seethed. She, too, was holding her stomach in pain. The spiritual pressure in the air was making her dizzy. "Something big."
Neliel was calm, strangely. "Nnoitora is here." She said. With a sigh, she looked away from the rest. "I will engage him in combat. I will be enough to over throw him."
Halibel nodded.
Stark looked around, frowning, as Lillinette lay down on the ground beside him. "There are many more arrancar invading the palace. None are here yet.
The ground moved, and everyone stumbled.
"What the hell was that?!" Gimmjow roared.
"Did the ground just move?" Ichigo yelled.
Rukia looked pale. "This… it feels like…"
"Squad twelve's doing." Soi Fon finished. "It feels as if they are tampering with the space. I have felt this before."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Toshiro snapped, having just arrived. "What is going on?"
"The kido in the air… it reeks." Momo complained, looking sick.
"We can't afford to just stand around." Ulquiorra said, voice calm. "We will find out what is going on." He told them, speaking of himself and Orihime.
"The rest of us shall engage the enemy." Halibel shouted. "Everyone, go!"
The room emptied fast, leaving Ulquiorra and Orihime alone.
"Ulquiorra…?" She asked, looking up at him in slight fear.
"Come." He started forwards, walking fast. "I am able to pinpoint a spiritual pressure much stronger than that fool, Nnoitora's."
Orihime bit her lip, hurrying along. Things were finally unfolding.
She didn't like it one bit.
.
Updating at 4:30 a.m because sometimes I think I should update before bedtime for me. XD Anyway, I just want to give out another round of thanks. You guys are completely amazing sticking with me for so long. :) I really appreciate the support. I simply cannot believe the amount of reviews we have or follows or even favorites... I'm just completely blown away. Thank you again to every single one of you! I hope everyone has a good Wednesday. (P.S. sorry for all my whining lately... I'm trying to pull myself out of my little bout of depression but... meh. I'll be over it soon, I hope. ) Thanks again!
