Ulquiorra didn't scold Eriko. He went about his normal mannerisms for her when he arrived home. He did not give anything away that he knew about her skipping school. When Friday arrived, he drove that morning with the girl in the backseat of the car and parked it close to Halcyon. From there, he and Eriko walked to school.
He sent Orihime a text message about how he had driven to Karakura and would be prepared to leave with the two gingers whenever she was ready after work.
She smiled, returning the text message that she'd be waiting. The night before she talked to Kazui again. He was quiet for the most part, but listened. She gave him a fresh notebook and a pen and told him to write down his questions and concerns. She also said he could write his private thoughts in there, on a separate page. Kazui had nodded and went to bed early. When Orihime had finally gone to bed she could see the light was still on in his room through the crack at the bottom of the door.
She packed a bag for herself and Kazui with more clothes than usual. She had decided that maybe a trip to the cemetery was in order. Maybe Kazui needed to talk to Ichigo, too. After that, she had planned to take the family to the zoo. It was on the other side of the hill between Karakura and Naruki that the cemetery sat on top of, anyway.
The day was a normal mix of sassy students and papers, and when it was finally time to go home, Ulquiorra met Eriko at the front of the school. "Where is Kazui?"
Eriko shrugged. "I don't know; he seems mad at me."
Poor girl. "Well we'll see him in a bit; we should get to the cafe."
"Why are we having a sleepover again? It seems like every weekend we spend at the Kurosakis' or they come to our house," Eriko asked as they began to walk.
"Well, this weekend is something very important. We have to talk about things as a unit; as one. This is a discussion that cannot be taken lightly nor can it be discussed as separate persons," Ulquiorra explained.
"You're going to tell us you're dating, aren't you?"
A polite cough left him. "Among other things. Do you have any concerns?"
"I don't want to lose Kazui as a friend or Orihime."
Ulquiorra stopped walking and looked at his daughter. She seemed incredibly wise at that moment.
"Oi! Ulquiorra!"
Two heads of black hair whipped around to stare at the person who had addressed him. A petite woman with short black hair styled into a bob walked towards the pair. "Eriko, please go," he demanded.
"Who is that, Dad?"
"Eriko, please go to the cafe-"
"But who is it?"
"Ulquiorra Cifer. I've not seen you in twelve-No, thirteen years," the woman said coming to a stop in front of them. "You're still attractive."
"I-"
"Who are you to address my father like that?" Eriko asked, placing herself between this woman and her father. She was glaring at the other female. No one had the right to act this way towards her dad. The familiarity was astounding.
Instead of being intimidated, the smile on the woman's face became broader. "Oh my god. Is this-"
"I'm asking the questions and you will answer them! Who are you?" Eriko demanded.
"Eriko, please."
"I'm your mother, kid."
Eriko's brows furrowed and she turned to look at her father then the woman. "What?"
"Yuko, this isn't a good time."
"THIS IS YUKO?" Eriko screamed.
Ulquiorra nodded, unable to look at his offspring. "Yuko, please. Just go."
"Go? I want to see my daughter, and you're telling me to go?"
Something dark swirled inside of Eriko. Who did this woman think she was? A mother? No. The girl hadn't spent even five minutes in the other woman's company and she snapped. "Daughter? I don't think so. Orihime is more of a mom than you've attempted to be," Eriko sneered, not caring if she was being rude. She gave the woman a dirty look before she took off running in the direction of the cafe, trying not to cry, but it was useless.
As Ulquiorra watched Eriko flee, he sighed. This was not what he needed this week. He did not need this woman walking back into his life. "How did you find us, Yuko?"
Kazui was hanging out in that park near the school, avoiding going home. He saw Eriko run past, obviously upset, then climbed down the tree he had been perched on and looked down the sidewalk in the direction she had come from.
There was his teacher. His teacher, standing with some woman he didn't know. Kazui decided right away that he didn't like this woman. Her smile was too familiar. She was too pretty. She was standing too close to the guy his mom said she liked.
The boy's brow furrowed. Why was Ulquiorra entertaining this woman? He decided to eavesdrop, sneaking up behind Ulquiorra and hiding in plain sight, somewhat behind a post box, pretending to look at something in his hands. What were they talking about?
"Hi Eriko! Where are the boys?" Orihime asked as the girl came into the cafe.
"My dad-my dad-" she couldn't get out the words, only crying more. "I don't know!"
"Honey, honey, come here," Orihime cooed at her in a maternal fashion, walking toward the girl and putting her arms around her shoulders. She was worried, though. Eriko was an emotional girl, but this was above and beyond her normal outbursts. "Can you tell me what happened? Do we need to get into the car?"
Eriko shook her head and clung to the woman. "Yuko..." she managed to say. Listening to the woman's voice and seeing her own face mirrored in that other female had upset her greatly. Actually hearing Yuko call her a daughter was too much. "Yuko saw us."
"Yuko?" It took a moment for Orihime to make the connection. Neither of the Cifers mentioned that woman by name often. "Oh," she said, alarmed, when she realized. "Are you okay, Eri? Do you need to talk about it? Where's your dad?"
"I left him with her. She had the nerve to call me her daughter."
Orihime nodded in understanding. "Should we go find them and make sure your dad is okay? He might need rescuing. Me and my fireflies can chase her away, if you like."
"It's called the internet. That's how I found you." Yuko smirked at him.
"Wonderful. Why?"
Yuko reached out and put her hand on Ulquiorra's arm which he jerked away from her. "I'm ready to be a mom."
He scoffed. "More like you're probably broke and need someone to lean on. I'm sorry, Yuko but you walked out, and you used me," Ulquiorra replied. He was having vivid flashbacks of that night. "You left our daughter in front of my door."
"Oh please, that old lady next door came out and got her. How is uh, what's her face?" Yuko said, waving a hand.
"Sato? She's dead. She took the place of Eriko's grandmother. She was invaluable to me; to my daughter. You do not get to walk-"
"Oh, but I can," Yuko replied.
Ulquiorra scowled. "No you don't; not after almost twelve years. Get the fuck out of my face. Leave me alone."
"I could threaten your job. Call your boss, tell him what a disgrace you are. How you treat Eriko when you're at home," the woman said.
His nostrils flared and his eyes narrowed further. Ulquiorra took a step towards Yuko. "You know nothing about Eriko's home life. Nothing. You have been absent for her entire life. What makes you so sure I want you back in our lives? Don't you remember that letter that you left me?"
Yuko scowled up at him. "She was a freak. What child is born with green eyes? She was a mistake on my part. I miscalculated my cycle."
"You're a whore, Yuko. Leave me alone. Leave my daughter alone."
Orihime held Eriko's hand as they turned the corner and saw Kazui first, then past him, saw the back of Ulquiorra's head. There was a woman standing in front of him, obscured by his body. Based on their proximity, they appeared to be engaged in an intimate discussion.
Orihime stepped in front of Eriko, intent to keep her from being seen by the other woman. "Is that her, Eriko?"
"Yes," Eriko whispered, holding onto the back of Orihime's top. She flinched as she heard her father yell. She never liked it when he yelled.
"I DON'T GIVE A DAMN! "
Orihime spoke in low tones to Eriko. "Don't worry, baby girl. You go to the park. I'll send Kazui after you," she said, walking toward her son.
Eriko stood there, pouting as tears filled her eyes again. She had to turn away from the redhead. She did as Orihime said, walking towards the park. Why was Yuko here?
"Kazui."
The boy jumped, hearing his mother's voice right behind him. He turned around quietly. He knew that tone of voice. There was no back-talking to that tone of voice.
"Eriko is in the park. Go keep her company. Now, please." The please was not indicative of her phrase being a request. It was merely to let him know that he wasn't in trouble.
The boy nodded and ran after the girl. He caught up to her a few moments later. "Eri! Eri, are you okay?" he asked, seeing the state of her face.
"No. That woman," Eriko took a shuddering breath, "that's the woman who gave birth to me."
"Well, I figured that out, but why are you so upset?" the boy was at a loss, and came closer to Eriko slowly, putting a hand on her shoulder. His mother's reaction and Eriko's, in combination with Ulquiorra's anger made him feel distress. He needed comfort as much as he was willing to give it at this point.
Eriko turned her head away from Kazui. "She hasn't been around since I was born. She called me her daughter. She's never been a mom!"
Kazui nodded. "Your dad was saying some really nasty things to her. I guess they are true, huh?"
"Good. She deserves it," Eriko snapped. She did not like Yuko. She did not like talking about the woman. The venom was rather evident in her voice. "I hate her. I hope every nasty thing my father has said is true."
"Well, if my mom is as angry as she looks, hopefully that woman will disappear forever after getting a taste of it," he offered, hoping it might cheer his friend up.
"What did you hear my dad say to her?"
"He called her a whore. He said she didn't get to be part of your life. He said to leave both of you alone."
Eriko turned back and looked at Kazui. "He really said that?"
The boy nodded. "He did."
"There you are," Orihime said in her sweetest, most loving voice. "The kids said something about you getting caught up with something," she added, threading her arm through Ulquiorra's as she approached from behind. She was glad she had already gotten dressed nicely and had her face and hair done for the day.
His automatic response was to stiffen before he relaxed. Ulquiorra turned his head and looked at Orihime. "Hello Woman," he said before turning his attention back to Yuko with a deadly scowl.
Orihime let her face follow Ulquiorra's. She took a short breath, taking in the sight of the woman who had given birth to Eriko. Ulquiorra had mentioned once that she was beautiful. It was no lie. The woman had a sweet face and was well put-together. She bore a strong resemblance to Eriko, but there was something in her expression or aura that was sour, almost poisonous. Orihime smiled at her gently, anyway. "Hello," she said. "We have plans so, we'll need to get going soon."
"Who is this?" Yuko asked pointing rudely at Orihime.
"She is my girlfriend," Ulquiorra stated.
"Bullshit. You don't date, nor do you have girlfriends."
"It's been over a decade since you've seen me. People change, Yuko," Ulquiorra replied with a sneer.
"You listen here, Ulquiorra Cifer-"
"No, Yuko." With that, Ulquiorra turned and looked at Orihime. "Let's go and leave this trash here."
Orihime gave his arm a squeeze. "As you wish," she said. She didn't spare another glance toward the other woman.
The drive to the Cifer house was quiet. Ulquiorra had decided to wait to apologize to Eriko until they were somewhere the kid felt safe. He kept glancing at Orihime, wondering if he had done the right thing or said the right words. When they got out of the car, Ulquiorra pulled the redhead to the side. "I feel like a failure of a parent," he said.
She shook her head at him. "You are not a failure as a parent. Look at her," she said, casting her eyes at the kids as they walked down to the post box at the end of the driveway together. "You've been an excellent father. You've protected her all this time. You've raised her well. It's not your fault that that woman found you. What did she want, anyway?"
"She wants Eriko. She says that she's ready to be a mom," Ulquiorra said. He looked at Orihime with fear in his eyes. "I don't know what to do."
Orihime shook her head. "She can't do that. She can't just take her away. I will adopt her myself. Eriko doesn't need someone like that in her life. She came to me so upset. We can't let that happen, Ulquiorra. I'm willing to put up a fight. I'm sure you are."
"I would kill Yuko before she could take Eriko away from me," Ulquiorra admitted.
Orihime exhaled slowly. "You can't. She's human. But there are other ways. There is no way she'll take her away from us." She sighed. Maybe they needed to consider more drastic options, if it was that bad. "What did she say, exactly?"
Ulquiorra shook his head, he didn't want to relive the conversation. "She called herself Eriko's mother. She said that Eriko was her daughter. She told me she was ready to be a mom. She used me and I cannot allow her to be in my life. What if she decided that it was too much and left again? Besides, I have you… Why would I want her?"
Orihime rubbed his arm. He was getting all worked up. "You're worrying about things that aren't a problem unless you allow them to be. There is absolutely no reason you have to even consider letting her into your life. The only reason that would be an issue would be if you wanted to entertain the possibility. No one can force you to be with them. As for the things she said, she is allowed to say them. She is her biological mother. That is a fact. If she is ready to be a mother, though, she can go out and get pregnant again. She gave away her right to be a mother to Eriko when she walked out on her and never came back for ten plus years."
"I don't want her to be in my life. I don't want her to be in Eriko's life. You've been a motherly figure in her life and you've only been around for a couple of months. Not Yuko. I really think that Yuko needs a place to stay and that's why she found me. She needs money. Something." Ulquiorra rubbed his face and then pulled that same hand through his hair. "I didn't want to be found by her again, that's why when Sato-san mentioned moving up here from Kanagawa, I agreed to it because I thought that Yuko wouldn't find me."
Orihime sighed. "Well, if she keeps pressing this issue, she'll have to deal with me. Or I could always have Riruka lock her up in a dollhouse. If she needs somewhere to stay, that might kill two birds with one stone."
"Dollhouse?"
Orihime chuckled darkly. "It's Riruka's Fullbring. She can trap someone or something inside of an object that she thinks is cute; often a dollhouse."
"Are you a Fullbringer?"
"Yes. I only found out a few years ago; Urahara made the connection in his research. Both Sado-kun and I are Fullbringers. It's a wide classification category, though. I don't think my power is similar to any other Fullbring."
He nodded in response and then pulled her into his arms. "Thank you for rescuing me. If I had spent any longer around her I would have punched her or something."
She squeezed him back. "I would do anything for you. Almost ," she added the caveat with a chuckle..
"What are you two doing?" Eriko asked.
"Hugging," Orihime responded, her voice muffled slightly by Ulquiorra's shirt. She didn't even bother trying to let go. "Why don't you join us, I think we could all use it after what happened earlier." She then let go of him with one arm and made eye contact with both children, gesturing with her free hand for them to join her.
Kazui was used to this kind of thing from his mother and rolled his eyes. He sighed but walked toward her. "C'mon, Eri. She's not going to let this go."
Eriko followed Kazui and joined the hug, grumbling the entire time she was in the embrace. When she finally pushed away from her dad, the girl looked at him. "I don't want to see Yuko ever again, do you understand?"
Ulquiorra nodded. "I will try my best to keep you safe from her. Orihime will too. Kazui will protect you, also."
Kazui's eyes snapped to the man's, the vote of confidence in him having a profound effect. He stared for a long moment, taking slow breaths through flared nostrils, before he screwed up his brow and looked back to Eriko. "Your dad is right. I won't let you down, Eri," he declared with all the ten-year-old earnesty he could muster.
"Your father is right, Eri. We're all here for you. Nobody is going to bother you without coming through us," Orihime added, squeezing the girl's arm.
The girl nodded. "Okay."
"Now that is settled, how about we decide what we will dine on and entertain ourselves with tonight?" Ulquiorra suggested.
"I think Eri should pick," Kazui said, now somewhat full of himself after having his teacher's verbal approval.
"Um, I'm not sure," Eriko said. "How about Kazui picks the food and I pick the activity?"
Ulquiorra looked at his daughter. "Is that okay with you Kazui?"
"Sure! We can grill some yakiniku outside! Right? Meat and rice on a hot night like this?" He waggled his eyebrows at his mother. It was something of a tradition between the two of them to grill out on hot nights. She'd have a beer and he'd have a soda and they'd eat and do fireworks.
"It's fine by me, but Eri's picking the activity. If she doesn't want to do fireworks, no fireworks ," Orihime said sternly.
"Fireworks are dangerous," Ulquiorra stated. He looked at his girlfriend. "You will need to go to the store."
Orihime nodded. "It's getting late so I'll go get the things for dinner if you want to put the rice on. If you decide you need anything else from the store, just call me, okay? Can I use your car?"
He didn't even realize who was standing around them. Ulquiorra handed Orihime his keys and then kissed her. "Please be careful," he said.
Orihime nodded and left without another word.
Kazui's mouth fell open. He wasn't sure if he saw what he thought he saw properly. He elbowed Eri. He elbowed her three or four times.
"What?" she hissed and looked at him. Her dad was clearly ignoring the two kids as he walked up to the front door.
He elbowed her twice more before he found his voice. "Did you- Did they- Was that-" He huffed. "What is your dad doing kissing my mom!?" he finally snapped at her.
"I've been trying to tell you!" Eriko whined. "You never listen to me! You're always like, "What? No way"!" The girl crossed her arms over her chest.
"I can't believe this. Next thing you're going to tell me is that they're going to get married and we're going to be brother and sister," Kazui said as if the idea was repulsive.
Eriko shook her head. "I don't think my dad will ever get married. And if we become brother and sister, at least I'm older than you!" She stuck out her tongue at Kazui.
Kazui scoffed, throwing his arms across his chest dramatically. "Whatever. Barely. And besides, what do you mean he'd never get married? You don't think my mom is good enough?" He was getting agitated.
"Oh my god. Your mom is awesome and my dad thinks that," Eriko said. She sighed like the weight of the world was on her shoulders. "Sometimes I think my dad thinks he's not good enough."
Kazui snaked his neck forward, barking at Eri, "It doesn't matter! He kissed her! People don't do that unless they're going to get married!"
"THEY DON'T HAVE SEX UNLESS THEY'RE IN LOVE, YOU DOLT!" Eriko yelled. She turned on her heel and started stomping her way to the house. Before she went inside, she decided to use a line she had heard in one of her television shows. "You live life with blinders on, Kazui!"
"What's that supposed to mean!? What are blinders!? Hey! Eri! Answer me!" he called out, trotting into the house after her. He knew what sex was. Kind of. His grandfather had explained that it was how babies were made. His mother had explained that he had private parts that were not for anyone to see or touch except for himself or the doctor. She had told him that private parts were used for making babies and that only married people did that if they loved each other very much. Surely his mother would never do something like that with someone she wasn't married to. Besides, He was still a bit too unaware and naive to really comprehend what that all meant, so the sex part didn't bother him as much as the blinders comment. At least not at the moment.
Eriko didn't stop. She made her way down the hall and through the kitchen where Ulquiorra was standing with a bottle of water. "Boys are dumb!" she snapped at her dad and then stomped upstairs.
Ulquiorra raised his eyebrows and looked at Kazui as he came into the room. "What was that?" he asked.
"I'm not dumb! Eri is making fun of me!"
"Why do you think that?" Ulquiorra replied. He wasn't a psychologist or a therapist, but he was worried about his daughter's outburst. "You're not dumb, Kazui. You're rather brilliant when you put your mind to a task."
"See!?" the boy called up to Eriko, sticking his tongue out momentarily, then turning to her father. "She said I have blinders on. That's not even a real word, is it?"
Ulquiorra heard the girl's bedroom door slam shut several seconds later in response to Kazui's words and actions. "She means you're oblivious. Most guys are at your age. You're too busy taking in the world around you to pay attention the the little things."
Kazui sighed. "Is she right?" he asked, climbing up onto one of the kitchen island stools.
"Right about what?"
"That even though you kissed my mom, you would never marry her?" The boy looked down at his hands and picked at his cuticles. He was out of his depth and extremely uncomfortable. The questions he was asking were at the very edge of his understanding, but he knew that Ulquiorra's answers would have a great deal of impact on his and his mother's lives.
Ulquiorra looked at the boy. That was a heavy question to answer. He swallowed. "I don't know if your mother wants to do that. I just know that I do love her and I care for her. I care for you both."
Kazui's cheeks colored and his lips twisted to the side. He fidgeted in his seat, the toes on his socked feet raising and lowering repeatedly. "I don't understand. She told me…" Kazui stopped. He had walked out on his mother for that conversation before it was over. She hadn't been able to tell him everything that he clearly needed to know. "My mom tried to tell me. I mean, I noticed that she was a lot happier. I mean, a lot . She sings again…" The boy's shoulders fell. Part of him was sad that he hadn't been enough to make his mother sing.
"Do you want to see something?" Ulquiorra asked, putting his bottle of water on the counter. Maybe it was time to treat the boy more like his own kid. He'd been saving this for a better occasion, but Kazui seemed to need this now.
The boy looked up, not all the way to Ulquiorra's eyes, but to his face, revealing red eyes and a pouty lower lip. "Okay," he said quietly. He looked very much like his mother with that face.
"C'mon kiddo. It's upstairs." When the two males reached the top of the stairs, Ulquiorra led Kazui to the end of the hallway to the door across from Eriko's room. "Kazui, I want you to feel welcome here. I know that you two spend a lot of time here. It's not fair to let you sleep on the couch while we all get beds."
The boy looked at him, unsure what he was hinting at. "Is there some kind of surprise in there?"
Ulquiorra opened the door to reveal a bedroom. "This is your room to use when you're here. I want you to know that I am not trying to replace your father. I only want to be your friend and help guide you."
The boy said nothing as he took a few slow steps into the room. It was very nice. It was about the same size as his room at home, but cleaner and newer. It reminded him a lot of his room at his old house, before Orihime had sold it. It was plain, though. "Do you think I could bring a few of my toys here?" he finally said after exploring a bit.
"Absolutely, you may decorate it however you see fit, except for trashing the place. I've seen your room at your mother's. If we are going to be disciplined, we need to learn how to maintain our spaces," Ulquiorra replied.
"Yes, sensei," Kazui responded out of habit toward Ulquiorra's tone and topic, bowing slightly. He was too busy imagining what he could do, and how, to make this space seem like his room at his old house. "Do you think…" he trailed off, unsure how to phrase his question.
"Say anything. You have freedom to state your opinion."
The boy's brow knitted. He wanted to know the answer to his question desperately, but he was afraid to say it out loud. He was afraid that if he did, it would somehow hurt his father. "Do you think my dad would be sad that we're happy?" he asked in a tiny voice, staring decidedly at the floor.
Ulquiorra crouched down so that he could look at Kazui. It wasn't his place to say this, but maybe the boy needed to hear it. "Your dad was a brave man. He was kind and caring, doing the best that he could for others. He just wanted people to be safe, happy and healthy. Ichigo Kurosaki was selfless. I do not know if he would be sad or not, but he would want the best for you and your mother."
Kazui tried to be brave. He really did. His mouth trembled as he nodded at his teacher's words. He pressed the back of his fists against his eyes. He swallowed several times at the lump in his throat, but when push came to shove, he was just a little boy who missed his daddy. A small cry turned into a long, loud one, and he took a step toward Ulquiorra and crumpled against his shoulder, wailing into his shirt.
The green-eyed man did what any father figure would do and hugged the kid, rubbing his back and letting him cry. "It's okay, Kaz. We're all here for you just like we're all here for Eri. I know it's hard, missing people. I miss Sato-san and her conversations. I know you miss your dad and the fights right? It's okay to cry."
Kazui nodded and hugged Ulquiorra back, still crying but not as hard as before. He had been trying to be strong for his mom. He had been trying to be strong for himself and Orihime. But with Ulquiorra there, he felt like he could be weak. He knew he could trust his teacher to put him back together again if he fell apart. He knew his mom didn't need him to be strong all the time if she had someone else to lean on.
After a few minutes, the boy sniffed and wiped his nose with the back of his hand and took a step back. He nodded then, looking into Ulquiorra's eyes with his own swollen ones. "I think you're right. I think he would want mom to smile and be happy."
"He would want you to be happy too. You're a great kid Kazui. Your mother and father raised you to be a decent young man, except when you egg me on to fight you," Ulquiorra said with a smile. It was probably weird for the kid to see since Ulquiorra never really smiled in front of his students.
Kazui snorted, then covered up his own smile as he laughed despite himself. He took a deep breath and sighed, saying, "Thanks for letting me use this room, Cifer-sensei."
Ulquiorra stood and patted Kazui on the head. "Call me Ulquiorra, you only need to address me as sensei while in school and during your kendo lessons. I'm going back downstairs. You check out your new room and let me know if you need anything."
The boy nodded and sat on the bed. He needed a couple minutes to cool down.
Orihime returned a few moments later, arms laden with groceries and a small packet of dangling sparklers. She looked both ways before coming inside, and saw only Ulquiorra in the kitchen. "Where are the kids?" she asked.
"Hello, Woman. The kids? They had a little disagreement so Eri is in her room throwing a temper tantrum and Kazui is in his room checking it out." Ulquiorra said, taking the items from her before giving her a kiss. "He and I had a talk."
"His room? A talk? Wow, I wasn't gone that long, was I?" she asked, smiling and bewildered. "How did it go?"
"Tears. Questions; the usual. You should go talk to him."
"Okay, I will. There are a couple beers in there for you if you need one. Don't swipe my non-alcoholic one, though," she said before kissing him again and going upstairs.
She went to the room that wasn't Eriko's or Ulquiorra's and looked into the open door. Kazui was lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling. "Everything okay, Monkey? Cifer-sensei told me you had a talk with him."
"Yeah, it's okay, Mom. Ulquiorra said I could bring some of my stuff over here and make this room feel like mine."
Orihime climbed onto the foot of the bed and patted her son's knee. "Well, that was awfully nice. Did you say thank you? And did you just call him Ulquiorra?"
Kazui chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, he said to call him that normally, when it's not at school or during lessons." The boy looked over at his mother then. "I know he makes you happy. I'm glad you're happier."
Orihime smiled at her son. "I want you to be happy, too, Kazui. You're my baby boy. It's important to me that you are happy."
Kazui sighed and looked back up at the ceiling. "I think he's pretty cool. He can be pretty nice sometimes, too. I'm glad he knew dad. He said nice things about him. I guess I don't mind if you love him."
Orihime grinned at him and laid down next to him, tickling his sides. "Not as much as I love you, Monkey," she whispered to him before giving him a hug and sitting back up. "Come back downstairs in a couple minutes, okay? I may or may not have gotten a couple fireworks - just the baby kind," she said with a wink before leaving the room and knocking on Eri's door.
"What?" the girl said in a sharp tone.
"It's Orihime. Do you want to talk?"
Oh it wasn't a stupid boy. She sighed and got off the bed, taking the few steps to the door and opened it. "Hi."
"Hi," Orihime chirped back. "Someone get on your nerves?"
"Kaz. He's spastic about my dad kissing you," Eriko answered as she made her way back to her bed to sit down.
Orihime came in and closed the door behind her, smiling at the girl. "It's going to take some time for him to get over it, but he's already starting to come around," she said. "You have to remember, you're a lot more mature than he is, even though you're only a year older. When you're young every month makes a big difference. Try to be patient, even if it is annoying," she added with a sympathetic groan.
Eriko nodded. She knew what Orihime was saying was true but still, it bothered her. "Kazui got mad because he said you only kiss when you're going to get married and I told him that my dad was probably never going to get married. He doesn't think he's good enough at times. He says he's hollow inside or something."
Orihime raised her eyebrows and sighed. "That's not something you two need to worry about. You two can leave the grown up stuff to us grown ups. Anyway, Kazui thinks like that because that's all he's ever seen until now. His grandfather has never had a girlfriend. His Aunt Karin never brings any boyfriends around. I was married to his dad and his Aunt Yuzu is married, and I'm sure we are the only people he has ever seen kiss in real life. And he isn't interested in the shows and stories you like, so he's not really with it, if you know what I mean."
The girl nodded and smiled. "I know. I only watch them because Sato-san watched them. It reminds me of her and since she's gone, it makes me feel closer to her." Eriko looked up at Orihime with a frown. "I'm okay if you and my dad kiss. I know you two love each other."
"Good, because I like to kiss him a lot," Orihime teased, patting the girl's knee and giving her a wide, cheesy grin. "Do you have any questions about my relationship with your dad? I'm sure you've picked up on it, but things are getting more serious between him and me and we want you kids to feel comfortable with it and not feel confused about anything. In fact, the point of this weekend is to kind of bring us all together as a group. So, ask away," Orihime offered, only slightly nervous.
"No, you pretty much answered my questions the first time. You love him. He loves you and there won't be any babies."
Shit. Sorry, Ulquiorra, she thought. I am not stepping onto that land mine alone. "Okay, well, come downstairs soon," she said with a nervous laugh, backing out of the room quickly and then jogging down the stairs.
Ulquiorra watched as she came downstairs, with a slight smile on his face. "Everything okay?"
Orihime stretched her lips out to the sides widely. "We may have an easier time with Kazui than with Eri. It's too soon to tell, though," she answered.
"Oh? You said the other day we had some other things to discuss," Ulquiorra said as he closed the lid of the rice cooker. "What exactly did we need to discuss?"
"Well, our living situation. We're going to have to merge our households for us to function as a family. We'll have to decide whether to move everyone here, or above the shop, or find a new place. We'll have to be a bit careful about that."
"This place is paid off. Sato used Reo's life insurance to buy it. I think we need to wait for that to happen though. We need to have confirmation of Three before we do that," Ulquiorra said. He put his hands on the countertop. "Maybe when Three is old enough to need their own room, we can look into a different dwelling."
Orihime tried not to laugh while he was talking, and she was proud that she managed, but as soon as he finished, she couldn't help it. "Three? Really? I hope you're not married to that name."
Ulquiorra gave her an unimpressed stare. "No. I merely named it that for now because we cannot call it the baby until we… you know. It will be named Three until we decide on a name."
"Okay then," she said, amused. "You are funnier in this life." She turned to the bags of groceries and did not even notice what she said, or that she had had a memory of him, too caught up in the moment.
His head tilted to the side and Ulquiorra's eyebrows rose. He was funnier in this life? Did that mean… Ulquiorra shook his head and walked up behind Orihime and kissed her shoulder. "You are remarkable," he murmured as his arms went around her waist.
She turned her face toward him and smiled gently. "What makes you say that?"
"No reason," he replied. "You're taking all of this rather well, though."
She sighed in a content sort of way, leaning into his embrace. "There's no use stressing over it, is there? Not more than necessary, anyway. We love each other. We love our children. We do our best. That's all anyone can ask."
He kissed her neck this time. "I have loved you since my dying moments. I have been falling deeper in love with you since I saw you back in March. I care for your son. I'm glad that Eriko thinks of you as a mother. As much as Three is a surprise, I'm happy that it's with you."
She turned in his arms then and kissed him deeply, holding onto him tightly. "So am I," she said as she heard a pair of feet come down the stairs and broke the kiss. "I always wanted another one. I'm glad it's yours."
Who do you think is going to take the news better? Kaz or Eri? Let us know, and thanks for reading!