Chapter 35

Ulquiorra didn't go to work the next morning. He even called those employed at the cafe and told them they weren't opening that day. It was a rare occurrence, but everyone needed a day to recover from this. He sat on his bed with Orihime and waited for her to wake up. He had a white box sitting beside him.

When he couldn't take it anymore, he gently shook her shoulder. "Orihime, wake up."

She opened her bleary eyes slowly. "Hey, what time is it?" It had been mid-afternoon when she fell asleep.

"Almost ten. Don't worry about the cafe. We're closed today."

"Whoa!" Orihime said, rising up on her elbow. "I know I overdid it yesterday, but I didn't think I slept through the night." She spotted the box then, distracting her. "What's that?"

He didn't answer right away. He helped Orihime sit up and made her a comfortable spot to lean against the headboard. When he was finished, Ulquiorra looked at her. "You showed me those journals, remember? This is my side of that bargain."

Orihime smiled. She was excited for this. "Open it!" she urged.

She was like a kid in a candy store. He gave her a stern look before he picked up the medium sized box and handed it to her, placing it on her lap. "You open it."

So she did. She lifted the lid and set it to the side with some care before pulling aside some tissue paper that obscured her view of what was inside. The first thing she saw was a pure white horn, set at an aerodynamic angle, leading her eyes down to a smooth half-dome framed with ridges around the perimeter.

Using a delicate touch, she lifted the object out of the box. It was not as heavy as she anticipated it would be, but it did have some heft to it. Once it cleared the box, she was able to truly appreciate that this was the thing he had shown her before in a photograph. It looked like art.

"Why don't you display this in the house somewhere? It's really quite beautiful," she murmured as she examined it, tilting it to appreciate the angles.

"Because it's morbid to have a part of my head on display," Ulquiorra replied. He cleared his throat. "For some reason, I'm stuck in my Segunda Etapa form. The big black bat creature you saw in Urahara's bunker is not what I looked like as an Espada."

Orihime frowned and looked back down at the helmet. If that wasn't what he looked like, no wonder she still couldn't remember. Maybe… "Does it still fit? Could you wear it now?"

Ulquiorra always wondered why he had searched the sands around Las Noches for this thing. It seemed like it was calling his name to retrieve it. An Arrancar going into its Resurreccion was like a snake shedding its skin, but it happened rapidly. In a blink of an eye a new form appeared while the last was left in the dust.

He took the horned helmet from Orihime and looked at her. "I was short as an Arrancar. Probably the shortest Espada. All the other Espada towered over me. My hair wasn't quite as long. I had Estigma that went down my face. This thing brought me comfort."

It brought a smile to the woman's face to hear him speak of the object fondly. "I'd like to see it," she encouraged.

With a nod, Ulquiorra turned his helmet around and placed the thing on his head. He could feel the ridge digging into his scalp. When he spoke the words that would release Murcielago, he knew the helmet had snapped off. A new one had appeared. When he did his second release, that one had cracked in half to fall away. Two horns grew then.

When he was comfortable with the fact that the thing would stay on his head, he looked at Orihime.

Her heart twisted and her mind balked. "I know you. I know you, I know I know you! Why? Why won't my brain cooperate?" she cried, tears springing from her eyes. It was a strong, sudden reaction. "I want to remember," she whimpered, her hands tracing the path those teal tear marks once traveled down his cheeks.

Orihime slowly made her way into his lap, still silently crying as her hands and fingers explored his face and the helmet. When she was close enough, she kissed him, her lips lingering on his as her breath struggled to stay steady. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders and held tightly. "All I can remember is the sadness. The crushing, overwhelming sadness. And, knowing that I know you; that I was never afraid of you… I need to remember," she hissed the last part as her face fell into his neck. "I need to remember you."

Ulquiorra sat there. He held Orihime, letting her take comfort in him. "I'm sorry that you feel that. If need be, I will find this Tsukishima and I will have him lift whatever he's done to you. Before our child is born, I will do that."

Orihime shuddered. "I don't know why it's so important, but it just is. I would go myself. Maybe I can ask some friends for help. I don't want to be separated from you for any great length of time." She sighed and let go to look at him again. "You are so beautiful to me," she whispered, once more tracing the ridge of his helmet toward his jaw. "I wouldn't be surprised to learn that I had fallen in love with you then."

"Do not worry about it, Orihime. I'm going to confer with Isshin and Urahara to see what can be done. Maybe I can get Yoruichi-san to go in my place to retrieve him."

Orihime sighed and nodded, starting to pull the blankets away from her to get get up. "I'm sorry to be crude, but I need to use the bathroom," Orihime admitted, feeling the need urgently. She felt some pain and was unable to bear it anymore. "The baby doesn't allow for me to choose the timing on my own," she began as an excuse as she moved her legs to the side of the bed.

It wasn't until her feet were on the floor and she tried to stand that she knew that something else was wrong. She gasped as she felt something warm trickle down her leg, and she felt a tug in her belly before she turned around and saw red on the mattress. "No!" she cried in a tiny voice.

Seeing the smear on the sheets in the spot where Orihime was laying, Ulquiorra began to freak out. He removed the helmet from his head and stood up next to her. "Um, you're injured. I need to call Isshin. You need to go to the hospital. This is not normal," he said.

"I can't wait for Isshin," Orihime's voice trembled as she felt a coldness grip her body, fear racing through her veins. "I need to get to the nearest hospital, now," she was still whispering, terrified that if she said what she was thinking too loudly, it would come true. "I might be losing Three," she choked on her words, covering her mouth and trying to get to the door.

"No," he stated, in flat out denial. They were almost halfway through this pregnancy. Ulquiorra wouldn't allow her to lose the child. He would do everything in his power to help her hold onto it. "I will take you now. I will call Isshin once we're at the hospital. Eriko! Kazui!"

It was only seconds later that the girl was in the doorway of the bedroom. "What? Oh my god," she said, eyes growing wide. It looked like Orihime had done battle and lost. "What's going on?"

"We're going to the hospital. There might be a problem with the baby. We need to go now and make sure everything is alright," Orihime's voice warbled, trying to be brave but not convincing anyone that she was anything other than terrified. "We're going now. Eriko, get your phone and please pack a bag for me with clothes and underwear and we will call you when we know where we are. Run and take the cash out of my wallet now while we go downstairs, Kazui."

The boy's breath stuck in his throat and he could only nod before turning to race down the stairs to where his mother kept her purse.

Eriko nodded and waited as Ulquiorra picked the redheaded woman up and started walking towards the stairs. She found an overnight bag that had never been used and looked through the dresser, gathering what the woman would need. It only took her several moments to finish that task and run down the stairs. Her dad was putting Orihime into his car. "Here," she said, holding out the bag.

Her father took it and placed it on the backseat. "Go inside. Make sure you two eat lunch and not just junk."

It figured, her dad was going through another crisis and he was focused on their nutrition. She gave a nod though.

Kazui ran out with Orihime's purse as the car started. "Ul-Ulquiorra," the boy stuttered. "Take care of my mom, please."

"Don't worry, Kaz," Ulquiorra said, putting the car into gear. "We will call when we know what is going on. Go back inside."

Orihime lay on a hospital bed with a fetal monitor strapped around her belly. The bleeding had stopped, but they were waiting for a doctor to come in and tell them what had happened. All that they knew so far was that Three was still alive, but that was all that mattered to Orihime.

They had been waiting quietly for about half an hour when Orihime turned to Ulquiorra and murmured, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. From what I understand, things like this happen. I think you overextended yourself. You haven't been getting proper rest and I'm sure you used your powers yesterday," Ulquiorra said.

Now that the kids and doctors were scarce, it would be a good time to tell him the truth. "I… I used powers I didn't know I had. I think Three had an influence. I didn't stop. I could have killed him," she choked on a sob.

What? What did she mean? "Orihime, what powers?"

"I'm not sure. When I arrived, Yuko was dead. Eriko's spiritual pressure was too strong. I couldn't let her live with that," Orihime started. She needed to take a moment before she got to the rest.

Eriko had killed Yuko? Was the girl that strong? A heavy sigh left him as he thought about this. His daughter probably had been scared. It would make sense if her spiritual pressure was rampant and unchecked. "It was a choice she had to make. But you're right, Eriko shouldn't have to live with it. You should have called me to help you."

"There was nothing else I could do; that's what I thought, anyway. After Yuko woke up, she was saying awful things. She had…". Orihime swallowed hard. "She had made Eriko up to look like a prostitute. I couldn't forgive her, Ulquiorra. Especially when she showed no remorse. There was a man in that room with them."

Ulquiorra's hands tightened on the arms of the chair, making them crack from the pressure. Yuko had done a lot of bad things to him. Some of them he could brush aside, but the fact that she had done some heinous things to their daughter… "Is she still alive?" he asked.

"Yes, I think, but she will never walk or talk again. I… I think I scrambled her nervous system. She can breathe, that's about it. Death is too good for her."

"Tch. She deserves a whore's death, meaning dying on the street where no one cares about her," he stated. He was already trying to restrain his anger. "You should have rejected her existence."

"I don't know if I could have; I was running low on spiritual pressure. But unless someone is willing to take care of her or pay her medical bills, you'll get your wish in a matter of days." She paused and found his eyes. "I used a technique I did not recognize. It came from my eyes…"

"Your eyes?" Ulquiorra scowled. "Was it like your other powers?"

"Yes and no? I summoned it like a cero; but it was nothing like a cero. I called it Belladonna. I cried it out and it traveled over my skin into her mind. It was a rejection technique I think, but it was none of my Shun Shun Rikka."

The man went quiet. There was nothing hollow about Orihime. Maybe it was Three. How powerful was the fetus? "I think we need to take you to Urahara. He needs to check out Three. What if the baby is the complete opposite of Eriko?"

Orihime thought he was jumping the gun, but she wouldn't deny him answers. "I need to have my own spiritual pressure evaluated. I think it's dangerously low at the moment. I think that's what caused the bleeding. Either using it so much or not having enough to keep Three safe."

Closing his eyes, Ulquiorra focused on the spiritual pressure in the room. Orihime was right. Hers was low, but he caught a glimpse of another. It was much like Eriko's. There were times he could feel that and other times he couldn't. "Three has spiritual pressure. I can feel it now. It's steady. Other times I can't feel it. Maybe Three can block it? It's all speculation, but it might be good to brainstorm theories to keep me from going insane."

Orihime nodded. She was impressed that he hadn't burned through his gigai after telling him what she saw when she went into that VIP room. "Do you know that once a woman carries a male fetus, she carries male DNA in her bloodstream for the rest of her life?"

"No," he said, shaking his head. Before now he had no use for knowledge like that. Ulquiorra wasn't one for useless trivia, although Eriko loved it. "Are you some hybrid now?"

He managed to get her to chuckle a bit. "No, it's just there. But that fact led me to a theory that Three's makeup perhaps has left a permanent mark on me. I don't think that Three is capable of fighting, or even aware of what is going on outside of me. I don't think he is a god. I could be wrong, but c'mon. Anyway, I think this Belladonna is a product of his innate qualities seeping into me."

It made sense. It was a scary idea. but it explained things. Ulquiorra got up from the chair and walked over to where Orihime was laying. "Do not do this again. I will come to you if you need assistance, Woman. My desire to protect you is strong."

Her heart melted. She reached the hand that didn't have a needle in it to him. "I promise. I will never jeopardize Three again. I just couldn't let Yuko live after what she did to Eriko."

Ulquiorra nodded. He would not have let Yuko live either. Her death would have been painful, though. "I'll make it a point to talk to Eriko privately when we return home. She needs a chance to tell her side of what happened."

Orihime nodded as a doctor entered the room.

Now that was settled, Ulquiorra stared at the doctor. He was hoping for good news.

"Well, Kurosaki-san, Cifer-san, I have good news and bad news. The good news is your baby is just fine. The heart rate is stable and your pelvic exam didn't reveal any cervical incompetence or premature labor or anything like that," the young male physician said with a smile that seemed out-of-place.

"What's the bad news?" Orihime asked.

The doctor's face grew serious. "You are clearly stressed, Kurosaki-san. Cifer-san told me you are on your feet all day and carrying things around in addition to caring for your two other children. In order to preserve your pregnancy, you're going to have to go on physical restrictions."

Orihime's eyes nearly popped out of her skull. "Physical restrictions?! What does that mean?"

"It means no working more than two hours without taking two hours off. Lie down more. Keep your feet up. No lifting anything over ten pounds. Sleep more. Drink more fluids; you were dangerously dehydrated when you came in here."

"I can't do that!" Orihime protested.

"It's that or risk your baby's health. If that happens, you'll be put on full bedrest; no work, no sex, no exercise; you'll be basically strapped to a bed. Be reasonable."

Orihime put a hand on her forehead. What were they going to do now? "Of course, Doctor," she finally said in defeat.

Ulquiorra was relieved. "Orihime, it's better this way. I can always pick up the slack. I'll come to the cafe right after school. Kazui and Eriko can also help out."

Orihime was feeling guilty. "I know, but none of you should have to."

"It's half my cafe. It's my responsibility also." He gave her a stern look as if he were scolding a child.

Orihime sighed. She knew she was being stubborn because she didn't like this. She also knew she would comply because she didn't want to risk her baby's health. She closed her eyes and nodded before murmuring, "I know."

The green eyed man nodded. He would make arrangements for a chair to be placed in the cafe for her. "You could always get an office chair to work in the kitchen, you know, one of those rolling kinds."

"I'd rather you just not twist much, if possible," the doctor interjected while watching the couple. Orihime has almost forgotten that he was there. "Two hours up, two hours down. No lifting. Hire someone."

"We'll have to hire two new people," Ulquiorra muttered. He thought about it and then sighed. "Maybe Satomi knows someone."

"Well despite the bad timing, I can't say I'm sorry to see Yamada go. Maybe Yuzu can help until we find someone. She can wear the baby." Orihime said with an uncertain expression. Then she shook her head and huffed. The cafe could fail and they would be fine. If anything happened to Three… She needed to get her priorities straight. "It's gonna be fine. We might need to change our hours of operation for a bit, but it will be fine. The baby is what's important," she said with a nod of assurance.

A hint of a smile came over Ulquiorra's mouth. He leaned over and kissed Orihime's temple and squeezed her hand. "Everything will be fine."

They called the kids on the way home later in the afternoon. Orihime called Satomi and Endo-san to explain the situation. It was no surprise that the women were supportive. They were good people and loyal to Orihime. She just wished they were more available. Still, she felt relieved that they were on board with the new circumstances.

When they arrived home, Ulquiorra carried the woman into the house and placed her on the sofa, then he called for the kids. The two distinctly different children presented themselves right away. "We know we told you two what happened, but there will be some changes around here. You are growing older and that means more responsibilities."

Kazui was worried about his mom. He had seen the bloody sheets; he had been the one to strip them off and bring them down to the laundry. He wasn't sure what Ulquiorra was getting at, but he was attentive and eager to know what he could do.

"You two will be required to help out with the housework, not just keeping your rooms clean. We can keep up the house while Orihime rests. On the weekends, I would like you to help out at the cafe," Ulquiorra said.

Orihime was feeling guilty again, and piped in, "We'll be looking to hire people for the cafe, so it will be short-term at the cafe, hopefully. But I'm sorry you're going to be on your own for laundry and I'm only going to be able to prepare things that are simple to make for food. I'll need you two to share the vacuuming and dusting and bathroom cleaning…" she trailed off, seeing an unreadable look on Eriko's face.

"It's fine," the girl said. She had done most of that when it was just her and her dad. "Kaz and I can do it. We can all take turns preparing meals. This will be a good experience for us."

Ulquiorra reached out with a hand and placed it on Orihime's shoulder. "You two may return to whatever you were doing. Orihime and I must talk."

Kazui got up and hugged his mother and then gave Ulquiorra a one-armed hug, before blowing out a deep breath and announcing, "Well I'm glad everything is okay now. Can we all just be normal for a couple weeks now? The stress is killing me!" He turned then, and ran up the stairs, leaving Orihime bewildered and amused.

"Oh, Eriko?"

The girl turned and looked at her father. "Yeah?"

"We need to talk later."

She nodded before also running upstairs, leaving the adults alone.

"So, what are you thinking?" Orihime asked as she turned her attention back to Ulquiorra. He had been all business since they got to the hospital.

He sighed and sat in the armchair. "You will follow the doctor's orders. Full bed rest means that we cannot be intimate. This will lead to both of us becoming irritable. I also do not want to see you harm yourself," he stated.

She nodded. "I know. I may need some reminders, though. Ten pounds is not a lot."

"I know that. First order of business is hydration. I will get you a bottle of water. Would you like anything else before I start on some work?"

"A notepad? The remote? I am going to need distraction."

He nodded and got her the items she requested along with a bottle of water. Ulquiorra also brought her a snack of peanut butter and crackers. He always wondered if Orihime liked the stuff. "If you need anything, let me know."

"A kiss, please?"

He could not deny her request, so he bent down and captured her lips with his, letting his hand tangle in the hair at the base of her neck. "Later I will make love to you. You need to rest now."

She blushed and nodded, grateful for him and his love. "What are you going to do now?" she asked.

"I'm going to run some numbers and see if I cannot find a suitable chair for you to rest in while at the cafe," Ulquiorra responded. "Then I'm going to go over my lesson plan for tomorrow. I probably should figure out what I am going to teach them. After that, cleaning."

"Don't forget to rest, yourself. You're not running on full gas either. You've had a very hard couple of days," Orihime reminded him.

He gave her a smile before he walked over to the kitchen island, where his phone sat, along with his bag. "I will, Orihime."

Orihime woke up on the sofa later that evening as the family was cleaning up after dinner. She stood and followed the sound of plates clanking and the smell of cooked pumpkin and sweet potatoes. "What did you guys eat?" she asked with a yawn as she entered the kitchen.

Eriko answered with a grin. She was portioning out rice and vegetables along with some meat into bento boxes. "We made chicken and vegetables and rice! Dad helped."

Orihime smiled at the girl. She seemed to have bounced back from her ordeal with Yuko quickly. She was sure Eriko would still have to work through some of it, but overall she was coping well. "Well, it smells delicious. Did you save a plate for me or was it an each man for himself dinner tonight?" she asked with a chuckle.

Ulquiorra came into the kitchen with a basket of unfolded laundry. He scowled when he saw the redhead was walking. "Eriko requested enough ingredients to make everyone a plate and leftovers for lunch tomorrow," he replied. "Why are you up? You should be resting. I could have brought you a plate."

Orihime sighed and smiled at him. "I have to get up and move around from time to time, otherwise my blood won't circulate properly. I've been lying down since we got back." She looked at the laundry basket and back at him. "I can fold that, if you put it by the sofa. Kazui can bring it upstairs when I'm done."

"Are you certain? I can fold-"

"Dad, you're smothering her. Didn't you say the doctor said she could be up for two hours before taking a break?" Eriko said. She walked over to the microwave and opened it, retrieving Orihime's plate. She also got out a pair of chopsticks for her before looking at the older woman. "Where do you want to sit? In here, or at the table?"

"I'll eat in here; I need a change of scenery," she said, smiling wider at Eriko's attitude. The girl knew how to take charge, that was for sure. A first child all the way. "Anyway, after dinner I was thinking I should call Isshin or Urahara-san and set up a time to meet with one of them tomorrow. What do you think?"

Ulquiorra glared at his child briefly before he turned to his girlfriend. "I think that would be the best course of action. Do you think you can manage the visit on your own, or make it for a day when I am not needed at school?"

"Well, if we meet with either of them tomorrow, I could probably arrange it for the early evening. I think if I talk to Isshin he'll insist on having us over for dinner anyway so then everyone can have a break tomorrow. I wouldn't mind the second opinion, anyway. But…" she trailed off, not sure she wanted to say this next part in front of Eriko, and trying to come up with a way to put it that would not make her worry.

His eyes darted from Orihime to his child. She was pretending to be busy, but he knew Eriko was listening in. "Are you done, Eriko? I'll finish up here. Go take a bath. After you're done, we will speak."

The girl pouted before she slumped out of the room slowly. Ulquiorra waited until he heard the bathroom door close before he studied Orihime. "But what?"

She turned to him and took a step closer, just in case, before she spoke. "But I think we need Urahara. Not only to evaluate the state of my spiritual pressure, but to talk about my new ability."

"We need both of them, Orihime." It made sense to have Isshin look her over, but also to see Urahara for the spiritual pressure thing. "I would see Urahara first. When is this gender revelation supposed to happen?"

"Not for another three weeks. I don't want to wait that long before we talk to them, for sure."

He shook his head. "You need to see Urahara immediately. Call Isshin and explain the circumstances and request to see him next week."

Orihime nodded. "I'll ask Isshin if he has any time tomorrow to come and visit me here, then. I think for the next couple of days I should take it very easy. I can feel that my spiritual pressure is weak. I need to replenish it."

Ulquiorra knew about weakened spiritual pressure. He knew the only way to replenish it was to eat those who had spiritual pressure or rest. "I fell asleep in your quarters one time. I had been on patrol on the outskirts of Las Noches. I didn't sleep as an Arrancar. It was unheard of for me to do so. I ate and I drank but never slept. You called me Ulquiorra-kun after I woke up."

Orihime looked shocked at that. "I did? What was I thinking? There is nothing about you that makes me feel like I would have- Oh wait. You said you were shorter then?" she wrinkled her nose a bit, anticipating his embarrassing answer.

"One hundred and sixty-nine centimeters."

Well, that was certainly a bit shorter than he was now, but still as tall as most of her male classmates, her own towering male friends notwithstanding. "Did you look younger as an Espada? Or ageless? I just can't for the life of me imagine what I would have been thinking to call you -kun. -San, sure. -Sama, perhaps, if I was afraid of you, but you said I was never afraid." She paused as she considered it. "I really called you Ulquiorra-kun?"

He nodded. Ulquiorra sighed and set the basket down on the island. "I'm not certain why you called me that. I must have appeared younger than my several centuries-old self."

"That or I was just extremely awkward and had a raging crush on you. We may never know," she said with a smile that was part sad, part sassy.

"I doubt I instilled warm feelings in you, Woman. One of these days we might find out." Ulquiorra leaned over and kissed her temple. "Eat now; we can talk more while you take in nutrients."

Orihime took a mouthful of food and hummed her appreciation as she chewed. "So," she started after she swallowed and held another bite of rice in front of her mouth, "Were you shocked when I said that? Did you find me totally insolent?" She finished her question by stuffing her mouth full.

Ulquiorra shook his head. "I think you were going to touch my mask fragment. I woke up. You said that ridiculous word. I told you to call me as you always have. I wasn't sure what to think. After that day, you became bolder, more self assured. You slapped me. You defied me."

Orihime narrowed her eyes. "Maybe I thought you had potential for rehabilitation." She took a bite of the vegetables and chewed thoughtfully. After she swallowed, she said, "You know, I didn't have an easy childhood. I wasn't very naive. I tried to be positive and I held on to some overly-innocent affectations, but I wasn't fooling myself. I knew that there were bad people. I knew that Nnoitra was very bad. I would have never stood up to him; I had enough sense and self-preservation to know better." She took a drink of water before meeting his eyes. "If I defied and slapped you, I must have seen something in you that I did not see in the others."

"You seem to forget that I knew everything you were doing before I took you. I knew that you prayed to your brother every night. I knew that you cooked weird food. I knew that you worried about Kurosaki's and Kuchiki's behaviors towards each other. Maybe that's why I tried..." Ulquiorra sighed and shook his head again.

"That's why you tried what?" she asked, letting her chopsticks lower to her plate.

He remained tightlipped. Ulquiorra didn't want to trigger an episode. "You don't remember so why should we talk about this?"

Her shoulders dropped before her face fell. She didn't feel very hungry, pushing her plate back slightly and focusing on her water as she took a long drink. When the bottle was empty, she set it down and shrugged. "I want to remember," was all she said before picking up her plate and bringing it toward the sink. She set about getting containers to put the leftovers into with her back to him. He didn't deserve to see how hurt she felt. She was sure he didn't mean it.

"Woman," Ulquiorra said. He stood up and moved behind her. His arms went around her waist, making sure there was little room between their bodies. "It's too soon. I do not want to put you through another stressful episode."

"I know," she sighed, leaning back into him. "It's just, not knowing is stressing me out, too. I think I could live without knowing if I didn't remember anything at all. But knowing that it's just you that I can't remember… It makes me feel like I'm constantly forgetting something. Something important. It gives me anxiety."

Ulquiorra used a hand to move her hair away from her neck and placed a kiss there. He stayed that way for several moments. "You know me now. The present is more important than the past."

"I know. I know that very well," she said as her hands came to lay atop his over her belly. "But the part of my mind that is in a cage wants to get out. I just don't know how to unlock it." She turned in his arms and kissed him. "But I do know how to shut it up for awhile," she said with a smile as she lowered back down on her heels.

"Are you trying to tempt me, Orihime? I would indulge you, but I must see to my duties of having a conversation with our daughter," he stated before kissing her again. Ulquiorra moved his hands under the t-shirt Eriko had packed for Orihime in that bag they brought to the hospital. "I promised you tonight, after the children are asleep, I will make your body surrender to me."

Her eyelids fluttered closed as she breathed heavily through a smile. "You keep talking like that. Just… You better go now." She blushed, biting her lower lip and placing her palms on his chest. Her body was already surrendering to him.

He chuckled in a seductive way before letting her go. "Eat, I do not want to see you waste away. Three needs the nourishment. After you are done, fold the clothes and call Kazui down to carry it up. If you wish, I can run you a bath and we can retire to our room."

Orihime made an unintelligent sounding laugh. She couldn't take her eyes off his lips. "Alright, you're the boss," she finally murmured. She was hungry again anyway.

Thanks for reading!