AN:/Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, everyone. I'm sorry that it took me this long to update a new chapter, but I had things going on, but you will be getting three chapters. Enjoy!

Chapter 30: Last Assignment

It was the last assignment for the competition, and Ulquiorra was content over having a couple of days left to go home to Orihime and have some good food again. Eric was in their shared bathroom in the hotel room while Ulquiorra took his medicine to fight off his cold. He went back to Hueco Mundo last night to see Aizen-sama in a happy mood. It seems like the war was almost over and was in their favor, but Ulquiorra was skeptical. He knew that Onna's 'friends,' especially Ichigo Kurosaki, were getting stronger with every battle they came across. Ulquiorra wanted Kurosaki to fall so his Onna could let go of this fantasy with the boy. Part of him wanted to join the fight to help his master and finally get to fight Ichigo, but he knew that that chance would never happen, which he accepted, but that didn't change the fact that the dream might come fruition. He was still peeved over what Orihime told him last time they spoke. He didn't understand why he needed to stay out of trouble. He was a warrior, but that doesn't mean that he would put himself in danger for no apparent reason. Ulquiorra wasn't Grimmjow, Nnoitra, or Yammi when it comes to getting in trouble. He played it safe by planning and thinking about his actions before taking action. Sure, there are times when he wants to fight her friends or the shinigami that keep following him when he has to meet Aizen-sama.

"Ulquiorra, it's your turn with the bathroom," Eric announced at the bathroom entrance.

Ulquiorra got off his bed and went to the bathroom to get ready for the day. While he was in the bathroom, his phone started to ring. Eric went over the nightstand where Ulquiorra's phone was, checked the caller id, and answered it.

"Hello, this Eric is answering Ulquiorra's phone. How can I help you today?"

"Oh, Mr. Eric, how are you today? It's Ulquiorra's father, Sosuke Aizen. Is Ulquiorra there by any chance?" Aizen asked.

"I'm doing well, sir. Ulquiorra is in the bathroom at the moment, but I can tell him you have called."

"That will be wonderful. Thank you, please tell him to call me back later. Have a nice day. Bye."

"Have a nice day, sir. Bye," Eric said, then hung up the phone.

He placed it back on the stand and went over to his side of the room to get his stuff ready, so when Ulquiorra gets out, they can leave with no delay. Eric checked his phone to see if Janette texted him. God, he missed her a lot. Sure, he loves Japan, but he missed Janette so much that he dreams about her every night. He wished that she was here with him. Eric started wondering if Ulquiorra missed Orihime by any chance. Sure, they don't call each other very often since Orihime doesn't want to disturb him from his work, but if that doesn't spell out I miss you, then Eric doesn't know what it means. Ulquiorra doesn't talk about her very often like Eric does about Janet. They don't sweet-talk to each other or say 'I love you' as most new couples do. Eric wanted to know if Orihime had texted Ulquiorra while he was in the bathroom, but he couldn't check since Ulquiorra had a passcode he couldn't look at. The bathroom door opened, and Ulquiorra came out looking fresh but still looked a little sick. The cold Ulquiorra had was kind of over. He only had hard coughs now and didn't sneeze anymore, which Ulquiorra was grateful for since it made him feel weak.

"Ulquiorra, your father called you and wants you to call him back. I'm sorry that I answered your phone without your consent, but I thought it was important, or it was Orihime," Eric explained.

"It's alright since you are my work partner only for that purpose but not for other things unless I give you permission," Ulquiorra said.

"You're okay with me answering your phone?" Eric asked, confused. He thought Ulquiorra would be upset with him for answering his phone without his permission. Having Ulquiorra being so calm and not verbally attacking him is confusing and scary to him.

"Remember when we first met you told me that we have to share everything except our wives?" Eric nodded. "Well, I perceive that goes with phone calls as well. I do want the calls from Orihime to be between her and me, so I'd rather you not mess with that, but if it's dealing with my father or work, then that is fine with me."

"Okay, I can do that." Ulquiorra nodded in confirmation and went to grab his stuff so they could leave. Eric followed him and made sure to lock their room. They went downstairs to meet their team at the terrible buffet with their disgusting boss. Ulquiorra wanted to skip breakfast and just go to the site so they could begin working, but he knew Orihime would be on him about eating breakfast. He was still getting over his cold, and having something of a nutritious value would help get rid of it. Still, the food that he was consuming wasn't helping and didn't sit well with his stomach except for the places that Orihime had recommended for him to try, which were good and inexpensive, but too bad he couldn't go back right now. Eric sighed at their boss and about having an uninteresting breakfast again, but at least it was their last day here, he hoped. They finished their building yesterday and checked the cameras that Adam put up to see if any of their competitors would sabotage their work, which nothing has happened yet. Eric wants everything to be peaceful and go smoothly to leave and go back home to his wife and some food made specially by Orihime. Which made him think, what kind of dishes was Orihime going to make for them? Eric decided to ask Ulquiorra later on this since they both want some decent food. Ulquiorra sat down next to John and gazed over the menu to see what he wanted. He went for the congee again and green tea with honey. Eric went for the same thing as Ulquiorra. Everyone was quiet at the table, eating and looking at their phones. Ulquiorra left the table to go call Aizen-sama back. He went into the hotel lobby and sat on one of the furniture and redialed Aizen-sama's number.

"Hello, this is the future Spirit King Sosouke Aizen. How can I help you?"

"Greetings, father, it's Ulquiorra speaking," Ulquiorra announced, ignoring the outrageous introduction.

"My dear Quatro, how are you doing?"

"I'm doing fine, father. How is it back home? Did everything go as you planned?"

"Well, almost. Yammi decided to let his anger consume him, went on a rampage, and destroyed an important instrument needed for this war. He was punished accordingly," Aizen exclaimed.

"As he should be for causing your plans to be disrupted. I'm sorry, Aizen-sama, I have to go back to this competition. I will attend the meeting later on tonight."

"Understandable dear Quatro. I will see you later tonight. You're dismissed from this call," Aizen-sama sighed.

"So long," Ulquiorra replied and pressed the end button on his phone.

He got up from his seat and went back to his team to leave for this part of their assignment. Ulquiorra was ready to go back to Hueco Mundo and Florida. He was starting to feel what humans could call 'homesickness.' Ulquiorra has always been in Hueco Mundo and would only leave to do missions for Aizen-sama. He was used to being by himself, except when Yammi decided to bug him, with no responsibilities until Orihime came along into his life, which disrupted everything he stood for. After being around her, Ulquiorra became used to having her around him, and not being with her made him experience uneasiness. Ulquiorra was her guardian and protector, but now he is in Japan while she is back in Florida unprotected. Well, Murcielago is with her making sure that everything is in order, but that doesn't stop the uneasiness. He hadn't talked to her since the last conversation they had. There weren't any text messages from her or Murcielago this morning or last night, and to Ulquiorra, it was odd. Orihime has a set pattern that he recognizes and accepts since he also has a set pattern that directs his life, but while doing this mission, they both had to change, which caused them to add new actions to their patterns. Texting to each other is now part of the new action, so not having her communicate with him for this long was stifling. Ulquiorra checked his messages to see if, by chance, Orihime or Murcielago had sent him anything. Nothing.

"Onna might be still resting from the flight. I'll contact her later, but I better leave a message, " Ulquiorra murmured.

He left a small text message and went back to his team to leave and start with the competition's next step. Ulquiorra couldn't wait until he got back to Miami. He wanted to protect Orihime properly, and he wanted to get away from her stalking friends. Ulquiorra knew that Orihime's Nakama was watching him, and it was getting on his last nerve. Does he understand his enemies' perspective on who he is, what he is, and who he is serving? Yes, they do. Does he have valuable information that could aid them in this war? Not much. Aizen-sama hasn't given any of his Espadas what he was planning with this war. They have been told bits and pieces of his master plan so that Ulquiorra wouldn't be of any good use to Soul Society for that information. Does he know where Orihime is located? Of course, but he wasn't informing them about her whereabouts so that Orihime could be taken away from him. Right now, his team needs him focused and alert. He will try to contact Orihime later. Ulquiorra went back to the dining area. Eric saw him and had the cough medicine ready for him to take before they left. Ulquiorra finished the little bit of his breakfast and then took medicine. His phone dinged to let him know there was a message. He grabbed his phone out of his pocket and saw that Orihime replied to him.

Good morning Ulquiorra! I'm sorry that I didn't answer right away. Murcielago and I were dozing off the jet lag. I hope your last day will be great and you win. I will call you later tonight.

Ulquiorra was satisfied with her answer and said, 'I thought so. I will wait for your call.'

Ulquiorra and the team left the hotel to get to their building. Eric got out of the car first and decided to look around the structure to ensure that there wasn't any damage done overnight.

"Everything seems to be in order outside, but what about inside?"

"Tommy is already in there checking," Mark answered.

Eric nodded at Mark in understanding. He went over to Ulquiorra, who set up his table to place blueprints and other things he might need before the interior designers arrived. Tommy came out and gave the okay on the inside. Eric nodded and gave Ulquiorra the sign that everything is ready to go. Ulquiorra accepted the news and made sure that every piece of equipment he needed for the professionals. Eric noticed that Ulquiorra hating being alone to deal with the designers because they surround him, which can be very suffocating, so Eric decided to stay near him when they do come.

"When are the designer professionals arriving?" Joe implored. Nick glanced at his wristwatch to see the time. "They're supposed to be here at 9:30 with trucks full of the furniture and other things that were ordered."

"Are we getting that horrible desk?" Eric asked.

"I hope not. That desk doesn't fit the theme of the decor the client wants, but I don't doubt that it will be in that truck," Joe said.

"Ulquiorra closed his eyes and started to clear his mind from any distractions around him so he could focus on the spiritual pressures that a couple of miles away from his location. "It seems like Onna's Nakama are at the learning building. Good, now I can do my job without any interference from them."

Eric noticed from the corner of his eyes that trucks were coming towards them. "That must be our stuff," Eric announced, "let's get ready for them."

They waited for the trucks to park, get settled, and be ready for the heavy lifting. Before any of the guys could step out, Eric's phone rang. He took it out of his pocket and answered, "Hello?"

"Konnichiwa, kono Erikku desu ka?" (Hello, is this Eric?)

"Um, I'm sorry. I don't understand Japanese. Ulquiorra, I need help."

Ulquiorra took the phone away from Eric and answered, "Konnichiwa, Ulquiorra desu." (Hello, this is Ulquiorra speaking.)

"Ahh, Ulquiorra-san, watashinonamaeha Kaiōdesu. Shinsa-in o daihyō shite, kontesuto no kono saigo no bubun ni tsuite shiji o ataeru yō yobikakete imasu." (Ahh, Ulquiorra-san, my name is Kaio. On behalf of the judges, I'm calling to give you instructions on this last part of the competition.)

"Hai," replied Ulquiorra while grabbing a pen and paper to translate for his team so they won't be left out.

"Yoi. Dakara, kyō wa anata o tasukeru tame ni anata ni Nihon de saikō no dezainā o okurimasu. Watashi wa anata ni keikoku shinakereba narimasen, kono tokutei no dezainā wa issho ni hataraku no ga muzukashī to uwasa sa rete irunode, watashi wa anata ni kanojo no yoi soba ni todomaru koto o susumemasu. Shinsa-in wa atode anata no kuraianto to issho ni anata no basho ni ite, sore o mite mimashou. Karera wa karera ga owatta toki ni anata ni karera no hyōketsu o ataerudeshou." (Good. So, today we are sending you the best designer in Japan to help you. I must warn you, this particular designer is rumored to be hard to work with, so I advise you to stay on her good side. The judges will be at your location later on with your client to give it a look-see. They will give you their verdict when they're done.)

"Soredesu ka?" Ulquiorra asked. (Is that it?)

"Hai, ganbatte kudasai? Sayonara." (Yes, please do your best! Goodbye.)

"Sayonara." Ulquiorra hung up the phone and gave it back to Eric.

"So, will it be better if we took sections of the building so it can be faster? Each of us can take two rooms with some workers while the rest give directions," Adam instructed. They all agreed unanimously until the designers came in with a serious look on their faces, which was supposed to be scary, but the effect didn't work.

"Who is in charge of this exhibition," asked one of the designers.

"That would be me, Ulquiorra claimed, "and you are?"

"My name is Gumi, and these people are my colleagues. I assume that you're going to help us get things in order?" the men nodded, and Jake explained the plan to Gumi, but she didn't like it. "No, we're not doing that. Here's what I want us to do. We need to get all the equipment in this room and then separate it into all the rooms. I figure we will be done by 1 or 2 o'clock. Any disagreements on this one?" She dared them to disagree with her. Gumi wanted this to be over and not have to deal with any problems like she does every year, but to her surprise, they agreed and went to work.

"Excuse me, Miss Gumi. Ulquiorra is getting over a cold, so there might be a chance that he might be coughing uncontrollably, but we do have cough drops with us," Eric explained. She nodded and let them go. Ulquiorra popped a cough drop in his mouth before following Eric outside to bring all that they needed inside then off to do some work. Miss Gumi's plan was productive, and they ended a lot earlier than she anticipated. She was pleased with the results, then left with her crew. Ulquiorra's team was famished from all the heavy lifting. Mark got a message from the judges saying they were arriving in twenty minutes so that they couldn't get any food. Eric wasn't happy about that. He wanted to eat from the places Orihime recommended for them to go, and now he had to wait after the verdict from the judges to get any food. Ulquiorra began cleaning up so it would be spotless when the judges came. He finished in record timing because the three judges arrived along with the client.

"Hello, team America. I got to say; we're impressed by work so far doing these past weeks. With that being said, we're going to see your latest work." The judges went inside to check out the layout and ready for the client who stayed behind. It felt forever to Eric, and it's kind of the reason why Eric hated when their work had to be inspected, and he had to wait, especially when he's hungry. Ulquiorra didn't really pay attention to his partner but instead checked his phone to see if he got notifications from Aizen-sama or Orihime. There was one from his master. It seemed like he needed him for something dealing with the war. The adrenaline rush came over Ulquiorra. The urge to fight was strong. Ulquiorra wants to hurt someone since being followed by Onna's Nakama. He didn't see anything from her yet, so he figured that she might still be asleep. With the phone put away, Ulquiorra watched their client go inside the building. An hour passed when the judges and the client came out. They seemed pleased with the construction.

"The place looks amazing. Team America, you outdid yourselves this time. Mr. Bushin, your client, would like to give you something." Mr. Bushin walked over to them with a trophy and a check for $2 million.

"Congratulations, you are the winners of this competition."

Ulquiorra bowed and accepted the prize. "Thank you very much for this great honor to compete," he said.

"You're welcome. Now, we're going to let you celebrate." The judges left with Mr. Bushin, and Eric wanted food. So he said, "Can we eat now?"

"Yes, we can go eat now," Tommy exasperated. They left to get something to eat, and Ulquiorra called Aizen-sama to see what he needed him to do. "I need you to sneak in Soul Society to grab an important item," Aizen-sama ordered, "I will send the description to you later on tonight." Ulquiorra hummed in acknowledgment. He hanged up and texted Orihime about contacting her later. They ended up going to one of the places Orihime recommended to eat a meal before leaving to go home. Food was ordered, and Eric's stomach growled from hunger. He didn't eat a lot of food at breakfast, but he was ready to chow down. Ulquiorra glanced over the menu to see what he wanted. Orihime did give praise to one of the food items, and Ulquiorra decided to get that and took a sip of his water. The team talked about what they were going to do when they got back home, and Eric was texting his wife.

"What time do we leave?" Ulquiorra inquired, "my father wants to see me before we leave."

"I think about 5 or 6," Nick answered unsurely.

"6," Mark corrected. Ulquiorra nodded, and the waiter brought their food. They ate quietly, enjoying a delicious second meal.

"Ulquiorra, next time we come to Japan, let's bring Orihime along," Eric said, "I think we'll be able to survive here better."

Ulquiorra agreed with that statement. Onna would be the best food guide since they had so much trouble on their own. The plates were empty and crumb-free. They left the establishment to go back to the hotel to get ready to leave. Ulquiorra left to see his 'father' and do whatever he bid him do. He went in Orihime's apartment's directions, but he only wished that her friends would stop following him and do something else. Disappearing on them wouldn't work twice if they were smart. He might do it to see if they would fall for it again. Ulquiorra sonidos to the alley did it again to be inside Orihime's apartment and opened a Garganta rift to Hueco Mundo. "I can't believe they fell for that again."

"Did those idiots fall for it again?" Grimmjow asked, inspecting his nails. Ulquiorra nodded and waited at the door of the meeting room to be given entry. Aizen released his spiritual pressure to indicate for Ulquiorra to come in.

"Evening, my dear fourth. How was the competition?"

"We won the contest. The other contestants didn't have a chance against us," Ulquiorra said.

A smile crept on Aizen-sama's face with amusement. "Good to hear, my fourth, but now let's get straight to business." Ulquiorra gave his full attention to his master, so Aizen-sama continued. "I need you to sneak into Soul Society to get something out of Mayuri's lab. I got information that he has invented something that would benefit them in this war."

"You want me to grab ahold of this device and bring it here so we can use it to our advantage," Ulquiorra finished.

"As usual, you understand me very well, Ulquiorra," Aizen praised, "after you're done, you can go back home to Florida. You're dismissed.." Ulquiorra left the room through another dimension rift and entered Soul Society.

Orihime

The sunlight landed on Orihime's face. She groaned from displeasure, pulled the covers over her head to block the sun. Murcielago scooted closer to Orihime to the point that his face was in her bosoms, and he could hear her heart beating. Her breathing soothed him back into dreamland. They stayed like that for a few more hours. Orihime was the first to get up. She stretched as much as she could so she wouldn't disturb Murcielago. Orihime gently removed him from her bosom and stretched one last time before leaving the room. She went downstairs to the kitchen. Turning on the lights, Orihime covered her yawn and opened the fridge to take out all the ingredients for the potluck for Ulquiorra and Eric when they come back tomorrow. She started with doing the side dishes that would need to be warmed up, while the rest will need to be cooked on the day of, so she just prepped and marinated the food but made the desserts. Murcielago did come downstairs, rubbing his eyes to remove the sleep, climbed on his chair, and sat down at the table. Orihime had his lunch all ready for him since it was past noon. She gave him udon with some corn and melted cheese, strawberries, and a cup of water.

"Hime-chan, what are you making?" Murcielago asked.

"I'm preparing for tomorrow's dinner when Ulquiorra comes back," she answered, washing her hands. Murcielago hummed and went back to eating his food. After eating, Murcielago went into the living room to watch tv, leaving Orihime to continue cooking.

At the Airport

Eric and the rest of the guys were waiting for Ulquiorra. One of his siblings went to the hotel to get Ulquiorra's belongings for him since he was still talking to his father. Th at was an hour or so ago. They were getting worried. He hasn't contacted them to say he's going to be late or if he was on his way.

"Do you think Ulquiorra would get here on time?" John asked Eric.

"I don't know. Maybe he ran in -Oh, there he is. Ulquiorra, what took you so long?"

"I apologize for my lateness. My father wanted to talk to me about Orihime and how my new home is fairing," Ulquiorra explained, "but I'm ready to board if you are."

They all got their suitcase and boarded the flight. Ulquiorra found his seat and made sure to get the window seat so Eric would have to. Not only that but also to check if Onna's Nakama was still following him. He couldn't see or sense them. No sight of them either, so Ulquiorra leaned back in the seat. He felt tired all of a sudden. Ulquiorra made sure to text Orihime before going to sleep. His day was so exhausting. From decorating the building, intruding into Mayuri's lab to get an instrument for Aizen-sama, going to Unohana's office and the SS library to get books for Onna on healing/kido/spirit control/ defense-offense fighting techniques, and getting to the airport in a hurry after leaving Hueco Mundo. Eric could tell Ulquiorra was tired, so he left him alone and decided to go to sleep. Ulquiorra followed suit.

AN:/Ulquiorra is on his way home. Finally. Sorry for the translation; I used Google Translate because my translation app wasn't helping me. I hope that it is, but if not, I would like to know the real translations, and I will put them in the edited version of this chapter. Please, review and give me some feedback.