TRIGGER WARNING: PHYSICAL ASSAULT

Chapter 19: Death in the Afternoon

Orihime noticed that Grimmjow was tense during dinner. Lucy had been hospitable and they had a nice chat cleaning up after dinner together while Grimmjow got Brady settled down in bed. They talked about their work and Grimmjow's new job a bit. He wouldn't be working "for" Lucy, like he kept saying; he'd just be working in her department, she clarified. Yes, she ran the department, but he'd be an account manager. He'd be focusing on her company's cosmetics branding as well. It wasn't a huge company; not yet, anyway. They had big plans for expansion, though.

Lucy was a good talker. Orihime didn't notice how much time had passed and how long Grimmjow had taken getting Brady to sleep. When he finally came out of the boy's room, it was nearly ten o'clock. "Wow, you took a long time," Lucy said. "Did he give you any trouble?"

"Read me another one, Daddy, and then he looks at me with those huge blue eyes and you know I can't say no to him, Luce. He's…" Grimmjow trailed off then sighed. "Anyway, thank you for dinner. I'm glad he eats actual chicken and not just processed chicken. If you two are done, Orihime and I can get out of your hair. I'll see you two Saturday and Sunday."

"Yeah, or earlier if you need to come back into town to sign a lease! I've got my fingers crossed!" Lucy cheered quietly. "Thanks for your help, Orihime. It was really nice getting to know you."

Orihime smiled at the blonde. "It was nice getting to know you, too, Lucy. I'll see you soon, I'm sure," she said, leading the way towards the door and putting on her coat.

Grimmjow actually winced at her words. He didn't bother to correct Orihime. He knew she wouldn't see Lucy again unless Louise died. That old bitch was hanging on, so it probably wasn't in the cards that she would die anytime soon. "See ya Luce," Grimmjow said before he led Orihime back to the car.

It was late when they got back to his place in Evanston. The next morning, Grimmjow was sitting at his desk at work, drinking coffee, when his phone rang with the news of the apartment. Just like Lucy said, he got the place. It was on the fourth floor. He was going to miss his lucky number apartment, though. He told the rental agency that he would be down to sign on Friday. He didn't tell Orihime anything.

It was no secret between him and Lucy that they had history and they had chemistry. They had a kid together. Grimmjow knew his feelings for the woman went deeper than his feelings for Orihime. He was a shitty person for this.

It was several weeks later, when Orihime's spring break started and they were in their new apartment, that it all started. "Have you found a job yet? Have you been looking?" he asked as he looked at her one morning. "Have you been going up to Evanston? Where did you get that bruise?"

She looked at him like he was somewhat stupid. "Of course I've been going to Evanston. I've got school to attend and work to go to. I've been looking for something down here and so far it's hard; making things work around my school schedule makes me unattractive to a lot of employers. I ran into Louise at Starrk's yesterday. She goes in there on her own these days and deals with Nnoitra herself. He has no standards, does he?"

"Starrk's? Why the hell are you walking into a bar?" Grimmjow snapped at her. He sighed. This entire relationship was becoming tedious. "I'm footing the bills down here and trying to raise my kid and trying to maintain a friendly relationship with his mother and deal with you and you're going into bars? Having school and a job up there doesn't require a fucking drink."

She scowled at him. "What the hell, Grimmjow? I'm not allowed to stop into a familiar place once in a rare while and have a drink? We used to go there all the time! It's not like I'm asking you for money or trying to get between you and your family. What is your problem with me?"

He scowled right back at her. "What is my problem? My problem is your druggie-ass mother is hindering my relationship with Lucy. Do you know why you've not been around Brady? Courtney knows you -or knew you- in high school and spilled all your fucking dirty laundry out to Lucy. She told me to pick between you and Brady. Now you're conveniently running into Louise at a bar? This is fucking perfect. I fucking rearrange my life to get away from the fucking craziness and you're just inviting it back in."

"What? And… What?" Orihime felt blindsided. She didn't even know where to start. "Let me assure you that there is nothing convenient about me running into my mother. Ever."

"Right. Because that's where her dealer is. Are you fucking Nnoitra behind my back?" Grimmjow was livid.

"What?!" She was offended. "Absolutely not! I am disgusted by him, and you know that! I went in there because I'm exhausted! I'm tired of worrying about what is happening to us all the time. I needed to have a drink and slow my thoughts down. I thought things were supposed to be better since we moved, but you just keep pushing me away, Grimmjow," she said, starting to cry. She knew she had to ask him why, but she was too chickenshit to do it.

"Maybe you needed -no, wanted- to see Nnoitra, or even Ulquiorra. Was that it? Did you want the little playboy around to give you money to feed your mom's habit?" Grimmjow yelled. He knew where this anger was coming from. He just didn't want to admit it.

Now she was fuming, and she made sure he knew it, shouting, "What are you talking about?! I'm not friends with him anymore. He doesn't talk to me anymore! He's with Rangiku. They're getting married, for all I know! I don't even go in there for coffee anymore, and for your information, the last time I saw him he refused to talk to me and that was in what, December?" She sighed emphatically. "This is bullshit. I've always been faithful to you. You have no justification for suspecting me."

Grimmjow slammed a hand down on the table. "Bullshit. I've always suspected you two. I know he has feelings for you. I know something happened between you two but I've never brought it up. He's sent you flowers. He confessed to me that he wanted you. I even have photos of you two cuddling each other at Starrk's and then him going into your apartment." He scoffed.

"Oh my god, we've been through this! Yes, he had a little crush on me. It's over. Nothing happened with it. He tried and I shot him down," she said, still crying, but now with renewed bitterness. "I have been faithful to you, Grimmjow. He gave up. He moved on. It's time for you to let this go!"

"He tried? And you let him try? What about Halloween when he pulled his bullshit?" Grimmjow shook his head. "You're right that I should let this go. I want to be with Lucy."

She inhaled sharply and stared at him, holding her breath for a moment as his words rattled around in her head. She took several more breaths before she managed to screw up the courage to ask, "Did you ever love me?" It was a very quiet question.

"No. I held onto you out of spite. I didn't want Ulquiorra to have you." This was delivered in a matter of fact way.

She could not comprehend this. She reached out behind herself and grabbed for a chair but slowly fell beside it as she tried to sit in it. She shook her head as she did the math. It had been six months. "Six fucking months. You've been lying to me and wasting my time just to break my heart now? Why would you do this to me, Grimmjow?" she squeaked as she started to weep.

Grimmjow wasn't affected by her tears. He had had enough. "Because it's either you or Brady. You have to go. Run back to him if you want. You just need to get out of my life. I love my son and I… I love his mother."

She felt like she was trapped by something very heavy. She didn't know what to say. She didn't know what to do. It was only his name on the lease, so he had every legal right to kick her out. She looked around the space. It hadn't really occurred to her before that he never let her unpack a lot of her stuff. All her art remained packed in boxes and crates. Her art supplies mainly stayed in a classroom on campus and her the rest were boxed up. She only had enough space to use her iPad here.

As she thought this over, she realized her predicament. "I'm going to have to rent a car or something to bring this stuff back," she murmured, glancing at Grimmjow briefly through blurry eyes and standing up, going to their room to start to pack.

"I can have someone bring it up to you," Grimmjow called out.

"When?" she asked in a tired voice.

"Soon. Whenever you find a place wherever you're going."

She had thrown most of her clothes into a large piece of luggage as he watched her silently. She took her most important artwork and put them in there too. She unplugged her laptop and got it in there and then put on her coat and grabbed her tote and backpack. "Just send it to Rotten as soon as possible," she said, and let herself out.


Orihime got back to Evanston late that afternoon. School was closed. The office was closing up. She didn't know what to do. She didn't want to go back to her apartment. She didn't feel welcome at Coffee & Sadness. She didn't want to go to Starrk's. At the moment, she didn't want to go into Rotten, either. That's where she had met her now ex-boyfriend. She was at a loss. She felt numb. Despite the cold, she plopped her ass on the polished granite steps leading up to the entrance to RBM and thought about what Grimmjow had said to her.

He never loved her.

Never.

She couldn't fathom it. He had acted like he loved her plenty of times. Why would he fake it? Why would he lie to her? Well, he'd lied about a lot, she found out during the course of their relationship.

She let these thoughts swirl around her head as she stared out into space, not realizing she was looking at that angry bird logo she had designed months ago. It was staring right back at her from its perch above the entrance to Coffee & Sadness. Ulquiorra had ultimately decided to let Julie finish the project after he rejected Susan.

She sat there until it was late. She didn't notice the familiar faces that passed by, giving her worried glances. She just sat there, staring and thinking and freezing.

It was Byakuya Kuchiki who finally told her to stand up and follow him. He marched her into the coffee shop and bought her a cup. "Rangiku," he said to the woman behind the counter. "Do you have any, um, make-up wipes or anything? My employee has had a rough day."

Rangiku was working a double shift to cover for Izuru, who was sick. She looked at the man who addressed her and then at the woman he had brought in. Oh shit. "Um, yeah. If you want, you can follow me to the break room, Orihime," the busty blonde said. She told one of the boys behind the counter to keep an eye on things as she motioned for Orihime to follow her.

Orihime protested at first, but her boss insisted. "Rangiku is a friend, Orihime. She'll take care of you."

The redhead couldn't refuse her boss, but she wanted to die. He had no idea how much Rangiku was not her friend. She kept a flat expression as she followed the older woman.

Rangiku also kept a neutral expression as she let the redhead into the small break room where she kept her purse. It was one of those huge knock off designer bags that almost looked legit. "Sit down and let me find my wipes. It seems like Byakuya saying you had a rough day was an understatement, huh?"

Orihime didn't answer, but did sit down. The last thing she wanted to do was entertain Ulquiorra Cifer's fucking girlfriend.

"Okay, l get it." The blonde woman rummaged through her bag and finally found the makeup wipes. She took several out and handed them to Orihime, then put her bag back. "I'll give you a few minutes to get cleaned up and composed."

Then she walked to the door and left.

Orihime muttered a thanks after her but didn't really care if she heard it or not. She wiped her face off and threw the dirty wipes into a small trash can, and then stood up again. She had never been in this room before. She didn't want to be here. Her stomach flipped around and she suddenly had a strong urge to run.

She couldn't do that. Her boss was probably still waiting for her.

There was a small mirror above a sink in the room that she used to look at herself. She looked dead inside. It was fitting, she thought, as she opened the door and made her way back to Mr. Kuchiki.

"I'm going to call Susan," the elegant man said, pushing the cup of coffee toward Orihime. "I know she has a spare room for you. I do not wish to pry, but I understand that when Grimmjow left Rotten, he asked you to move to Chicago with him?"

Orihime nodded.

"And what about your own apartment?"

She cleared her throat. "Um, I, uh, sublet it."

He nodded. "Well, I'm sure Susan wouldn't mind the company. Take a few days off from work if you need it, Orihime. Rotten is on your side, alright?" Byakuya offered her a tiny smile and dialed Susan's number.


She dreamt of rectangular glasses and black hair. She dreamt of broad shoulders and blue hair. She saw flashes of green eyes. The voices attached to the figures seemed to echo one another:

"I don't want you."

"I never loved you."

"He's dating Rangiku."

"Miss Inoue."

She would wake up and stare at the ceiling in Susan's spare room. This was the third morning she woke up here, the words of the three men she had cared for in her life drifting through her consciousness and reminding her that she was incapable of being loved.

Well, at least her employer was a decent person. For as much as Grimmjow had always bitched about Kuchiki, Orihime found him to be fair and interested in keeping his employees at peak productivity. To that end, he had called her yesterday to talk about her living arrangements.

"So, I have heard some rumors, Miss Inoue. You're not exactly subletting your apartment, are you? I took the liberty of asking my personal attorney about specific landlord/tenant issues. Is there a time of day that your, er, houseguest is generally gone?"

And that was how the plan was put into place. Orihime called her landlord and explained the situation. They made an appointment for a locksmith to come and change the locks and install a new deadbolt for today when Louise was going to be at the doctor's office.

She brought her things to the office from Susan's and waited for Kuchiki's executive assistant to drive her and her things, including the stuff that Grimmjow had sent from Chicago, to her place. He would stay until the locks were changed.

Renji Abarai was a nice-looking man with eccentric red hair that he generally piled on top of his head in a kind of sloppy, spiky man bun. He was tall and muscular, though. He could have an intimidating aura if he tried, and that's why Byakuya was lending him to Orihime for this.

The locksmith arrived on time, and within an hour, Orihime was back in her place and Louise was locked out.

"Remember, Byakuya wants you to call the police if she tries to get in again, Orihime. You gonna be okay if I get back to work?"

Orihime nodded at Renji and braced herself for the inevitable. Louise would probably return in less than half an hour. This wasn't going to be pretty.


Grimmjow pushed his way into Starrk's. Was he dumb for coming up here? Sure. He sighed as he saw Nnoitra and Ulquiorra sitting at the bar. At least he thought it was Ulquiorra. The guy's head was practically shaved. "Nnoi… Uh, Ulq?"

Green eyes gave the blue-haired man a side-eyed glance. "Yes?" Ulquiorra said in a drawn out manner.

"What the fuck happened to your head?" He asked as he sat down beside the man. "Where is your hair?"

Nnoitra laughed gleefully. "Ooooh I know the answer to this one! He and Rangiku were having sex and she yanked on his hair so he kicked her out and-"

"Shut up, Nnoitra." Ulquiorra's words were flat. He knew he shouldn't have told the man what happened when he was drunk. "I decided it was time for a change. I've had long hair since… Since I can remember."

Grimmjow raised his eyebrows but said nothing to Ulquiorra. Instead he turned to Nnoitra and said, "Uh, give me one of Starrk's homebrews. I've got to drive back to Chicago tonight."

"'Kay, be right back."

"Where's Orihime? Did you leave her in Chicago tonight to come up here?" Ulquiorra asked, staring straight ahead. He was taking a long sip from his glass of whiskey.

"We broke up about a week and a half ago. She was causing problems-"

"That must be why I watched her on Coffee & Sadness' security feeds looking devastated. Rangiku helped her that night. Why?" Ulquiorra asked.

"Why what?"

Ulquiorra finally turned his head to look at his friend with a stern expression. "Why did you break up with her? What kind of problems was she causing? Or did you finally sleep with Lucy?"

Grimmjow seemed to sputter for a moment before he stuttered. "Look, she was supposed to find a job in Chicago. She was coming in here and seeing her mom, probably buying drugs for her, and I had had it. I won't have anyone come between-Wait a fucking minute. How do you know about Lucy?"

"I did some snooping… That's a cute kid on her Facebook. Looks kind of like-"

Grimmjow's nostrils flared in anger. "I swear to God if you do not shut up, I will beat your ass."

The smug smirk on Ulquiorra's face was faint, but it was there. "And jeopardize being father of the year? Did you even tell Orihime you had a kid?"

"No. She wasn't supposed to find out. No one was supposed to find out. How did you find out?" Grimmjow asked.

"She drunk dialed me one night. Told me all about Lucy; how perfect she was and other bullshit," Ulquiorra replied. He drained the rest of the alcohol in the glass and placed it back on the wooden counter. "It was nice seeing you, Grimmjow, but I have stuff to do."

As Ulquiorra got his coat on and put a hat on his head, Grimmjow watched him. "So, you going to go after her now that she's single?"

"No."

"Why not? You're free to have her."

"She didn't want me."


This was the third time in ten days that she waited for the cops to take Louise away from her door. It was killing her. Yes, she hated her mom's presence, but it was her mom. What kind of person was she, turning her out in this chilly early April weather?

Byakuya told her to stay strong. He would make sure that if worse came to worse, Susan or someone would put her up for a few days again, but that Orihime's mother was not her problem to fix.

It was hard, though. She couldn't even talk to her aunt about this; Kathy would probably demand that Orihime move down south with her. That wouldn't work. She had only a little over a month to go before graduation.

Another couple days passed, and Orihime hadn't heard from Louise again. Maybe the old hag had finally gotten the message and looked up some old friends to scam. When she walked into RBM that afternoon after class, she looked at Susan with a smile that she thought she had lost.

Susan gave her a pinched smile in return.

Byakuya's office doors opened. Two police officers stood beside him. "Orihime? Could you step into my office?"


"Eyy, Lulu, how's my favorite customer?" Nnoitra asked as he spied Orihime's mother coming through the door. The woman paid him in blowjobs and promises, and it was about time she paid up.

"Shitty. That bitch still won't let me in to get my money. I have needs, though, Baby. Can we go in the back?" the grotesque woman purred at the young man.

His stomach did a flip and Nnoitra felt kind of sick. Nah, he didn't want to go in the back. He had a job to do. Aizen wanted his money for the drugs anyway. "No can do. I need the money," Nnoitra replied. "I can give you a sample size of your stuff, but I need the money by Friday."

"Friday is payday. It shouldn't be a problem. In the meantime, I am fresh as a daisy and willing to help you take the edge off if you help me. I need something a bit stronger. I can take it."

The tall man narrowed his eyes before he huffed a sigh. "I want my eight hundred dollars on Friday, Louise. No more delays," Nnoitra stated before he reached into the pocket of his jeans and produced a small baggie. "Listen, do not take this all at once. It's not been cut with anything, so a small amount should last you all fucking week, got it?"

"Yeah yeah. And don't worry about the money. Do you know how much perverts will pay to break down a door and choke someone? They get off on it. A friend of mine runs a website. Anyway if you want a go, Orihime is open on Saturday. Five hundred for you, that's the friends and family discount."

"Eight hundred on Friday. My supplier wants his money. Get out of here, I've got a bar to run."

"Your loss," Louise said as she walked out of the bar. The door closed behind her, and that was the last time anyone saw Louise Miller alive.


Orihime could not believe it. She looked at her mother's bloated and blue corpse at the morgue, and after she identified her body, she had to excuse herself to throw up.

They wanted to know everything. Did she know her mom was using illegal substances? Yes. Did she know what kind? No. Did she know how much or how often she used? No.

Did she know who her supplier was?

She lied. She knew who was responsible for this, but she was afraid of it coming back to her or Starrk. She told the police that her mother sometimes took money from her, but obtained her drugs on her own. At least that had been true recently.

She had a lot of paperwork to sign and decisions to make. Death was expensive. She wouldn't have a service or anything, but she'd have the body cremated. Maybe she'd go back to Warrenville and sprinkle the ashes near where her brother's had gone. They had no burial plots or ash entombment spots.

But all that would be dealt with next week. By the time she left the police station, she was at her wits end. It was Friday. It was payday. She was not mentally prepared to deal with what happened. She knew of only one place to go to numb her mind.

She hoped the asshole who killed her mother wasn't there. Oh well if he was; in the end it was her fault, anyway.

She didn't even stop at home. She walked straight to Starrk's. Of course he was there. Luckily for her, it was a bit more crowded than usual and she was able to skirt Nnoitra's section of the bar to find Starrk himself. "A Death in the Afternoon, please," she said, sliding her card across the bar to the owner of the establishment. She flared her nostrils at the dark irony, and waited for the quiet man to return.

Of course Nnoitra saw her and came sauntering over. "Hime… Where's ya momma? Me and her need to have words," he said leaning on the counter, taking a glance around the bar.

Orihime's eyes slid over to his slowly, and regarded him without emotion. She looked into his eyes for a very long moment, then answered, "At the morgue."

"What? Really?" Fucking hell. That meant the idiot hadn't listened to him and probably overdosed. Nnoitra had to think quickly. Aizen was expecting his money tonight. "She said you had my money. I need it."

"She lied. Plus dying isn't free. She left me with debt," she said, furrowing her brows. Even in death, her mother was a colossal disappointment.

"And? I'm going to get my money one way or another. You had no problem paying me before. You're here ordering drinks, so you must have some money." Nnoitra's expression turned mean.

"I do. It's not hers or yours. I'm not buying anything from you," she retorted defensively.

His mouth turned up into a slightly sadistic smile. "Yeah? You're going to pay one way or another, bitch. Count on it."

Orihime tried not to be too obvious about diverting her gaze or swallowing down her fear. She looked past Nnoitra's shoulder for Starrk and ignored the taller man.

Nnoitra stood up to his full height and then went back to work, wiping down the bar top and servicing the other customers. He would keep an eye on Orihime tonight. Her dumbass mom had racked up a bill and Orihime was going to pay it, either with cash or ass. He could easily deliver the redhead to Aizen.

What Nnoitra didn't realize was that there was another pair of eyes watching Orihime that night. Green eyes with thick straight brows that watched everything she did.

Orihime shuddered with relief after Starrk sat her drink on the counter. She picked it up and walked over to a high top in the room further to the back of the bar and took a long drink, wiping the occasional tear that escaped as she tried to forget about everything. When her drink was done, she flagged down a waitress for another. She didn't want to run into Nnoitra again. A half hour later she ordered another.

By the time that one was done, she needed to use the restroom. She climbed down from the high top on wobbly legs and went to the dimly lit hall.

Nnoitra watched as Orihime drunkenly made her way to the restroom. He made a gesture to the other person behind the bar with him and then slipped into the hallway right behind the tiny woman, grabbing her arm and dragging her towards the door that would lead to the back room. He did it quickly, not giving her any time to scream or run. "I want my fucking money. I don't care if your whore mom is dead. She owes me, which means you owe me. If I can't get the money, I'm going to beat the fuck out of you," he growled, throwing Orihime to the floor of the room as soon as the door shut.

She gasped to catch her breath and coughed, the burn of the alcohol she consumed coming back up her esophagus from the impact. After she swallowed it back down, she struggled to her knees, and grasped at a chair to help her regain her balance. "You can't do this, Nnoitra. You know Grimmjow would…" she trailed off. Grimmjow would do absolutely nothing.

"What's he gonna do? Nothing, because he's down in Chicago with his new bitch. He left you. I can totally do this. You act like I haven't done this before," he sneered.

"What are you going to do? How much does she owe you?" Orihime was not sober enough to deal with this well, and even if she was, she knew she'd be at a disadvantage. Her vision swam as her eyes swept the room for an exit. The only one was right behind him.

He watched her like a hawk. "Only one way in, Princess. Sucks to be you. She owes me over eight hundred dollars. Your mom went through a lot of dope."

"I could just tell the cops you were the one who sold it to her. They were asking, by the way," she said, taking slow breaths as she prepared herself.

Nnoitra crouched down. He knew what his striking radius was, and Orihime was short. There wasn't really a way for her to reach him. "So do it. You have no proof. I'm just a bartender."

"It's your word against mine. I like those odds," she said in a tense voice before she bolted towards the door, scurrying as close to the wall as she could to avoid him.

Bitches had to be dumb. Nnoitra had her down on the ground, pinned there with his body. He had a fistful of hair in his hand and was pressing her face into the wood floor. He pulled back his other hand and made a fist. "I didn't want to do this. I know you have money. You coulda' been a nice little lay but no, you want to do things the hard way. Moron."

He started letting the blows rain down on her face, and when her eye was swollen, he flipped her over. "Maybe-"

The door slowly came open. Ulquiorra stood there with an unimpressed look on his face. "Get off of her, Trash. How much does she owe you?"

Orihime heard a voice but didn't really place it. When Nnoitra started hitting her, she had gone slack, the same as she did when Louise hit her. She had been thinking of coffee and art and the final project she was working on. When the voice spoke, she cracked her eye open and saw a dark figure from the illustration she was drawing, or would draw, if she survived this encounter. She groaned and closed her eyes again.

"Eight." Nnoitra's answer was short and simple.

Ulquiorra sighed and pulled out his wallet. Eight one-hundred dollar bills flew to the floor. "I have the conversation you and Orihime just had recorded on my phone. If you ever come near her again, she will take this information to the police and you can go back to prison, this time for murder. Get off of Miss Inoue and get the fuck back to work."

Nnoitra glanced at the woman below him and gave her head a yank before he got up and picked up the money. He then pushed Ulquiorra to the side before he went back to the front of the bar.

It was silent in the room for a moment. "Can you walk? I've already settled your tab and got your card," Ulquiorra said.

Orihime didn't say anything. Her face hurt a lot. She pushed herself up to a seated position and sat there for a moment before saying, "Thank you," then carefully got to her feet. The room was spinning. She took one step forward and staggered, then grasped her knees as she gagged, but did not throw up. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'll pay you back."

There was a sigh from Ulquiorra as he stepped forward and waited by the redhead, just in case she decided to faceplant. "No, you won't. Don't thank me either; I'd help out any of my friends anytime I could. Can you walk? We need to get some ice on your face. I don't feel comfortable leaving you by yourself."

When he implied that she was his friend, she turned her ugly face toward him, her swollen lip quivering. She nodded slowly, and tried to keep her voice from cracking. "I can, I think."

Ulquiorra nodded and offered Orihime his elbow just in case she needed to stabilize herself. "I'm sorry to hear about your mother. I only met her twice, but I don't think the world is going to miss her."

"How did you know?" she asked. She took a couple of steps and then accepted his arm. She was too drunk and too beat up to manage by herself.

"I was eavesdropping on your conversation with Nnoi. Sorry," he said. Instead of taking Orihime through the bar, he went through a different door that led out to the street. "My car is up the block. I'm sober. I wasn't drinking. Do you want my help?" Ulquiorra asked.

"Yes," she said in a pathetic little voice as her tenative composure broke and she started sniffling and crying quietly. Her body shook. The cool night air didn't help as the fear of what just happened became realized by her.

He said nothing. She needed to work through her trauma, and everything that had happened to her in the past year was probably going to catch up to her soon. He just patted the hand that was on his arm before leading her to the car.

Ulquiorra opened the passenger side door for her. He helped her in and fastened the seatbelt for Orihime. It took him about fifteen minutes to drive home, parking in the spot behind Coffee & Sadness. After he shut the car off, he sat there staring out the windshield. "Can you walk up the stairs or do you want me to carry you?"

"I can do it," she replied. She was in no shape to consider the consequences or potential problems this might cause for him. She was barely hanging on to her sanity at the moment. "I'll just follow you."

"And fall down the stairs and sue me? Tch, I think not. I'll help you up the stairs. I'll get you some coffee and an ice pack. Probably a painkiller or two," Ulquiorra stated. He got out of the car and waited patiently for her, opening the car door when she was ready to get out.

She struggled a bit as she rose from the seat, but was steady on her legs when she stood. "I had a lot to drink. I should have been more careful, but… I don't know what to do…" she rambled.

Ulquiorra went slowly as he walked her to the door and unlocked it. There were a lot of things she should have done but it wasn't his business to comment on it. They were merely friends… Friends who had practically destroyed their friendship. Going up the stairs was a process. "You rest and decide what to do in the morning. I think that's for the best."

"Okay. Okay," she said quietly and then let him lead her the rest of the way inside in silence. His place seemed different. She wasn't sure if it was the booze or the swelling or for real, but it wasn't the same place he had invited her to for lasagna and cheesecake.

Ulquiorra took off his coat and hat, not bothering to hang them up in the closet. He just draped them on a bench near the door. He took off his boots, too. "Sit down and take your shoes off. I'm going to get you something for pain, sit here." It wasn't a suggestion. It was an order.

The male ran his hand over his short hair before he went into the bathroom to rummage around the cabinets. The only thing he found was some aspirin. It would have to do. He got out two of the white capsules and took them to Orihime. "Water?"

"Yes, please."

Now that she was seated, she could tilt her head up a bit without falling over. His place was different. Was someone else living here? There was a rose gold fleece throw blanket tucked over one arm of the sofa. Oh right. Right. She sighed and slumped back into the cushions. He was probably being kind to her because he was a decent person. That's all this was. He had a life. It didn't actually include her. It was him and Rangiku, now. She closed her eyes so she could live in her fantasies of good coffee and mysterious baristos. This reality would be gone tomorrow anyway.

Ulquiorra followed her gaze and then sighed, too. "Rangiku's horrible attempt at a gift for me. I told her pink has no place in my apartment. We got into a fight about it." He went to the kitchen and came back with a glass of water. He also started the drip coffee pot. It wasn't the espresso machine, but he didn't have the patience to do all of that. All his anger and emotions were surfacing, and all Ulquiorra wanted to do was punch Nnoitra. But no, he had just thrown the money at the man. He was a fucking idiot.

Orihime didn't want him, yet he was trying to save her and show her what she missed out on. "Do you want to sleep in my bed? It's more comfortable than this thing you're sitting on."

"Yeah, I do," she said, her eyes still closed. "Will you stay with me tonight?" As long as her eyes stayed closed, none of this was real. She could say whatever she wanted.

"If you want me to. Let's get you up and get a cup of coffee… Also an ice pack. Then I'll tuck you in."

"Okay." She let him give her a cup of coffee. It wasn't the same. It wasn't his coffee. It was okay; she could imagine it was. After he brought her the ice pack she held it to her face, taking slow sips of the beverage and keeping her eyes shut. Something else about this was different.

She opened one eye and was able to see him a bit clearly. "You changed your hair," she said. "I like it."

He gave her a smile that only lifted one side of his mouth. "Thanks. Rangiku hates it, which makes it the new style for me," he admitted.


A/N: Sorry. Trust me though, it hurt more to write it than it did to read it. Let us know what you think about everything!