Well, everyone, this is the start of a three-chapter arc, and will serve as a final (and hopefully sexy) calm before the storm as we start the final arc and build towards the grand finale of the story.
With that out of the way, I'd just like to take this moment to say thank you to Ie-maru, RG-Guest, and TheBretonBookDragon for their recent feedback.
WARNING: This Chapter contains Explicit Sexual Content.
TO FORGE A
BETTER TOMORROW
Chapter LXXXIV: "Reflections, Pt 1"
Soul Society...
Division Twelve HQ...
Szayel squinted slightly as he looked up at the sky, towards the anomaly and the circular observation platform, just in time as an energy pulse was emitted from the distortion...
"These... pulses," the Octavio started. "They're becoming such a frequent occurrence, that it won't be long now... until they become a constant, continuous outpouring of power." The bespectacled Arrancar remarked to himself as he looked on from his vantage point within the Twelfth.
"Szayel-sama?" An all too familiar voice spoke.
He turned to the source. "Nemu." Szayel replied with a smile. "Is something troubling you?"
The fair-skinned woman merely shook her head. "No, Szayel-sama, on the contrary," she replied in her usual stoic tone of voice. "Rather, I must admit, I am worried about you."
Szayel nodded, adjusting his glasses. "That's very considerate of you, my darling butterfly."
He met her green eyes with his golden ones. "The truth is, that others are doing the real work, taking care of the logistics, while I'm the one that gets to stay hidden away- safe in my own proverbial tower- to watch, as other put their lives on the line in the face of the coming storm."
A chime sounded and he retrieved a phone from his lab-coat. "Hmm..."
There was an alert on the screen: "New Message! Sender: Cirucci."
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
The Living Realm, Karakura City...
Ulquiorra paused, sensing a familiar presence drawing close to him, placing a bookmark into the book that he was reading and setting it on the coffee table, just in time for him to look over to the source...
"Orihime?" He asked, acknowledging the gorgeous woman standing in the doorway.
Ever since he'd first met the woman, back in Las Noches, when he'd merely been her jailer, before he had become aware of just how much she would come to mean to him, Ulquiorra had been strangely and keenly aware of the woman. And this awareness had only grown with time.
Almost right from the very start, she'd been an enigma to him, a veritable wellspring of contradictions that somehow both vexed and intrigued him! And so, it was perhaps fitting that in spite of his efforts to drive her away, to achieve some certain philosophic victory over her. Ulquiorra never the less couldn't stop himself from invariably returning to her, like an addict to the intoxication she offered...
This was especially true as their dynamic had become an actual proper relationship, and gradually blossomed and deepened over the course of the the ensuing three years. Looking back, Ulquiorra fully understood that he was no longer the same creature that he had once been...
"Is something wrong?" He asked gently, looking into her eyes.
She didn't respond at first. She simply stepped forward without comment, as he noted an unusual look in her eyes as she appeared to to regard the man seated on the couch before her.
"Ulquiorra..." The sunset-haired woman entreated softly as she moved in.
Her long copper-colored hair was done up in it's usual style, with her bangs fixed in place in the front by the matching pair of six-point bright sea blue and gold Shun-Shun Rikka hairpins, and braided in the back. The human woman was dressed in a pair of snug black trousers and a maroon turtleneck sweater, her large breast bouncing ever so slightly beneath the fabric as she moved.
There was something about Orihime in that moment, that he realized immediately. And in that instant, Ulquiorra knew right away that there was something in the way the fiery redhead looked at him, some kind of unknown intent behind those soft brown eyes of hers, a strange potency that intrigued him.
The next moment, she shocked him as she leaned in to kiss him of her own volition!
A few pleasurable moments passed between them as he went on to reciprocate the gesture in an equal measure of passion, before the young woman at last drew back. "I don't know what's come over me..." Orihime spoke, her cheeks flushed faintly as she shifted restlessly. "Except... that I've been feeling sort of on edge these last few days, and my heart's also been racing for while."
"And then," Orihime hesitated, struggling to maintain eye-contact with him. "I can't help myself when I start thinking back on how it's been a while since we..."
She trailed off, and he immediately grasped the implication of her words. He more than understood her feelings, however the fact that she was being so forward was what gave him pause...
The disguised Arrancar rose to his feet, looking her in the eyes, before moving into plant a passionate kiss upon her soft rosy lips as he ran his slender fingers through her long flowing mane.
"I think I understand..." Ulquiorra continued in a low tone. "And, if I'm correct, I admit that I too have been feeling the same sort of restlessness you're talking about." He offered reassuringly. "The truth is, these last few months have been difficult... for both of us." The Espada continued. "Orihime?"
The woman in question smiled. "It's only a single word," she responded as they stood in the center of the living room. "And yet, just hearing you say my name... It's such a turn-on for me!"
He smiled at this, giving a satisfied expression. "I see." The Arrancar answered coolly, as he went on to draw her in close, her body flush against his own. "I'll try and remember that." Ulquiorra continued playfully, brushing a strand of copper hair aside as he listened to her exhale- as his fingertips brushed against he cheek. "With that said, what exactly is it that you want, what do you need?"
She rested her head against his chest. "You." She started. "I just keep wondering... Do you have any idea just how much of an effect you have on me?" She mused. "You're not playing fair, how effortlessly you turn me on, how you make me want you more than anything that I've ever wanted in my life?"
"And I do want you!" Orihime continued determinedly, looking into his eyes."But not just you, I want more- I want to feel more of you..." She paused. "I... I want to feel close to you."
The Espada raised a lone dark brow at the bluntness of the declaration. "Well now, how unusually forward of you." Ulquiorra countered, looking into her eyes. "Though, if it's any consolation, you're the person who's ever truly turned me on, the only one able to draw out the feelings and desires from me," he added, taking her hand and pressing the palm against his chest. "Do you feel that?"
"You gave me this heart, and it could only beat like this for you." The raven-haired Arrancar spoke in a breathy whisper. "Because you alone are the only one capable of stoking these feelings."
The buxom girl blushed at the tactile sensation she felt in her hand. "Still, Orihime... I must say, if this new-found honesty is anything to go by, than I more than appreciate this change."
"Now," he continued slyly, leaving her stammering momentarily in the wake of the declaration as he leaned in to kiss her. "Just what can I do to put you at ease?"
A moment passed, in which she wrapped her arms around him. "What I want," Orihime entreated in a hushed tone, reaching up to run her fingers through his raven locks. "Is... Murcielago."
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
Division Four HQ, Medical Center...
Hanataro Yamada, the young Third-Seat Officer of the Fourth, was standing alone in one of the many back rooms of the Medical Facility, as he wordlessly washed his hands...
With that simple task finished and out of the way, he then turned away from the sink and regarded the smaller half of the Primera Espada as she entered the room, and smiled at the young female Arrancar as she paused to return the smile. "Lillynette," he started with a smile. "Is something up?"
The girl in question simply shook her head and smiled. "No, Hanataro, nothing's wrong." Lillynette replied softly as she stepped forward. "I've just been thinking..."
"Oh really?" The dark-haired Shinigami asked, smirking. "...About anything in particular?"
She reacted with one of her usual confident smiles. "Oh, just about... Us."
He didn't respond immediately, leading her to continue. "Hey, Taro," she started, a mischievous glint in her visible eye as she moved in, placing the palm of her hand on his chest. "Do you remember how things were, all those years back, when we first met?"
The young man nodded, meeting her gaze. "Well, Lilly, I've never really thought of three years being all that long a period of time." Hanataro responded, smiling at her. "Still, when I stop and think back on everything that's happened, I guess that you and I have both changed a lot."
"I mean, I'm far from the timid and directionless kid you first met back then." Hanataro admitted to her with a knowing smile. "Always so nervous, so uncertain of myself, always afraid of possibly saying the wrong thing or even of just tripping over my own feet."
"Indeed." She countered, nodding. "In the same way that I'm far from the obnoxious pest I must have come across as when you and I first met." Lillynette similarly confided. "And in the same way that I've grown up- as an individual and also as a female- you've grown as a male and as your own person."
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
"Now, just what can I do to put you at ease?" Ulquiorra had asked with a smile, before kissing her.
They drew back from another, and a moment passed between them, and she returned the smile with one of her own. "What I want..." Orihime started. "...is Murcielago."
Ulquiorra didn't react right away, however in short order, his normally guarded expression turned into one of uncharacteristic excitement. "You're saying you want the demon?" He asked her, before cupping her cheek with his pale hand as he looked deep into her brown eyes.
Orihime held fast and simply nodded. "Yes." The young woman replied softly, as she reached up to wordlessly caress his jaw with her smaller hand. "I'm not sure why, but ever since you made love to me in your Released form... It was almost as if the connection between us, in that moment, was somehow deeper- like I was able to get... closer to the real you."
"What a strange woman you are." The Arrancar responded.
"Only you would be able to look up and and regard a form crafted to instill despair, in such a way..." He went on, still smiling. "And yet, rather than terror, you're saying that my transformed state through Murcielago instead fills you with desire? How very interesting."
"Well, nevertheless," the Gigai-clad Arrancar continued, producing the 'candy' that would release him from the containment of his human disguise. "If that's what you wish, than we'll need to go somewhere a bit more private- somewhere beyond the reach of prying eyes."
She looked eagerly into his inhuman green eyes. "Where did you have in mind?"
Now free and in his original form, he wasted little time as he drew her in close. "Quick, now hold on." Ulquiorra informed the young woman. "You'll understand soon enough... I know of somewhere, a place the two of us can go- where we can take our time and enjoy ourselves without any interruptions."
Orihime felt a familiar rush of giddy anticipation, expecting to experience the same sensation that had come when Ulquiorra had first spirited her away in a sudden flash of Sonido, in anticipation of the Arrancar making love to her while in his released demonic form- that she couldn't resist!
However, as the two of them locked eyes in that moment, the young woman saw something more in his gaze that she knew all too well- an expression of longing and desire!- as the Cuatro Espada smiled back and held up his hand, all in preparation for the summoning of a Gargantua!
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
Meanwhile, back in Karakura...
The dusky-skinned former Shinigami stepped through the doorway, triggering a small bell above the door as she ventured into the shop. Immediately, Yoruichi registered the sound of footsteps...
Without comment, the golden-eyed woman glanced over, in time to watch as another figure arrived at the foot of a flight of steps that lead up into the floor above the shop.
"Ikumi," she started, giving a polite nod. "I apologize, if I'm intruding."
"Yoruichi." The other woman returned the acknowledgment. "Not at all... But how can I help you?"
"The truth is," she shape-shifting woman began. "With everything that's going on, right now, I felt it was still important that I go check in on various people- yourself and your son included."
Ikumi didn't react at first. "A- are you saying there's some kind of threat to us?"
Yoruichi shook her head. "That's just it... Right now, we don't know." She offered. "Though, based on everything that's transpired," the woman elaborated. "While I don't believe either you or your son is in any provable danger, I still felt that you were owed at least a heads-up."
The other woman nodded. "So then, where are you headed next?"
"To be honest," Yoruichi exhaled, taking a deep breath. "It's the visit that I've consistently been putting off for a while now... That is, checking in with the Kurosaki family." She explained to her.
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
The Ukitake Estate...
Retsu smiled softly, feeling the comforting reiki of her husband Jushiro as he appeared at her side, the two of them silently gazing down at their son, as he lay safe and asleep in his bed.
Looking to one another, they exchanged smiles. "Retsu, you've given me so much, more than I could ever possibly hope to repay." Jushiro began, their dark eyes meeting. "There's nothing I wouldn't do, be it for you, or for our son." The white-haired man continued, taking her hands in his own as he leaned in close to kiss her. "The two of you, you're my family, you're everything to me."
For her part, the serene woman in question blushed and returned the kiss. "Jushiro, honestly, I can't think of anyone else I'd want in life as a companion." Retsu replied gently. "Regardless of weather it's a partner or lover, I can say here and now that there's no one better I could hope for other than you."
Interlinking his arm with hers, they then turned and stepped away. "My dear, how fortunate we've both been, these last few years." Jushiro remarked to his wife and fellow Captain.
"Indeed, my love." Retsu responded cheerfully, resting her head upon his shoulder as the two of them ventured out onto the patio overlooking the rear courtyard. "I've gained so much since I've known you- and not just a partner and a son, but also close friends, and a certain young lady who's become like a daughter to both of us- and in the process, I've gained a family."
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
Huecco Mundo, Unknown Location...
He'd scooped her up into his arms before departing into the otherworldly gateway...
"Ulquiorra," the young woman had entreated. "Wh- where are we?"
The Espada gave a charismatic smile, briefly glancing down to the woman in his arms as he swooped across the landscape. "I'd think you need only look to the sky, above, to realize where we are."
Sure enough, as soon as she cast her brown eyes upwards, she was first met by the endless expanse of darkness that was the eternal night sky, and the form of the silver crescent moon.
She looked around, at their immediate surroundings... They were standing atop a stony bluff, with a slight incline, the end reaching out like the beak of some giant bird, looking out on the endless curves and slopes of the dunes, like a vast silent ocean of white sand
"Huecco Mundo?" Orihime spoke, receiving a simple nod from him. "Why... did you bring us here?"
Setting her down, he stepped back. "This is my homeland," Ulquiorra answered. "The white sands, the eternity of the endless night," the Arrancar went on. "Most would find this land frightening, but I find it to be beautiful, and, I think... there's a part of you, Orihime, that also finds it beautiful."
The redhead smirked. "Well, it certainly appears to have inspired you." Orihime replied coyly, taking a moment to look around as she moved in to rest against him. "And, I'd be lying if I said that there wasn't a certain something about this place that inspires me."
"I... hoped you'd say that." The raven-haired Espada replied lustily. "Take a moment... Do you feel it, the 'call' of this place?" Ulquiorra asked, taking a step back. "Tell me that you feel it, the siren's cry of this land, the same force that makes my pulse race and my blood sing? Do you feel it as well?"
Orihime closed her eyes and took a moment to breath deeply...
Surprisingly, despite being human, the sunset-haired girl somehow still felt affected by the unearthly essence of her surroundings. But why? Was it some aspect she'd acquired during her captivity, or was it something related to her connection- her bond- to Ulquiorra? Or, possibly even something else...?
Ultimately, any further speculation was immaterial. The plain and simple truth was, that she was most definitely feeling something right now, and that was more than enough!
"Whatever it is," the young woman started restlessly. "This sensation, I'm feeling it right now!"
The pale-skinned Hollow advanced towards her. "That's all I needed to hear!"
She looked into his eyes. "Careful," Orihime cautioned him playfully. "It can get pretty cold here."
"Don't worry." Ulquiorra countered suavely, gripping the handle of his Zanpakuto, his spiritual energy starting to rise as he started to draw his sword from its sheath . "I'll keep you warm!"
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
"Considering that it's you, Shihoin-san, rather than Urahara-san," Isshin Kurosaki started, as he spoke to the woman standing in the entry way to his home. "I'm guessing that he's busy elsewhere?"
She nodded, resting her hands on her hips. "Since this morning, I've already spoken with a few others, including Ikumi Unagiya," Yoruichi responded. "And so, now, I'm just wrapping things up by dropping in and making sure that you and the girls are going to be alright."
"You spoke with Ikumi-san?" A voice spoke up.
Both adults looked to the source, revealing Yuzu Kurosaki!
"Yuzu-chan, what are-?" Her father started to say.
"Karin's busy with soccer practice," the adolescent blonde-haired girl explained. "And I was just about to go out and run some errands, when I overheard you talking."
"How do you know Unagiya-san?" Yoruichi asked, curious.
"We met a little while ago when I was running errands." The girl replied. "And while I wasn't sure what to make of her at first, I realized that Ikumi-san was a good person."
"Yuzu," her father began. "I- I'm sorry for not trusting you."
She shook her, then smiled. "There's nothing to apologize for," Yuzu countered. "The truth is, that I've felt incredibly isolated these last few years..." The more girlish of the twins continued. "And, finally, to meet someone like her, Ikumi-san, she understands me, in a way that others don't."
"But, please don't think I want people to feel sorry for me." She offered. "Yoruichi-san, if you see her again by chance, please let her know I'd like to visit with her again, once things settle down."
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
In the Officers' Mess of the Medical Center...
Hanataro set the tray (laden with food) down on the table, while Lillynette mirrored the young man as she took her seat across from him with her own tray of food.
"So," the female Arrancar started. "How are things goin' for you and the the rest of the Fourth?"
"Not too bad, everything considered." He replied as he picked up his chopsticks. "The Captain's been busy preparing for the coming conflict, and Kotetsu-san is handling the ground-level administration of the Fourth, which leaves me to make sure that this facility is up to snuff."
"Which, in turn, means that it's up to me to ensure that we have sufficient manpower and supplies to effectively receive and treat a large number of wounded." Hanataro explained. "Aside from our regular members, we've raised a significant force of volunteer medics, including Miss Sungsun."
Lillynette smirked as she picked up her own chopsticks. "It's funny that you mentioned Sungsun," she commented as she dipped into her bowl of noodles. "After all, the Tercera's three Fraccions are all quite striking- each in their own way." She remarked as she took a bite of food. "If I didn't know better, then I'd be tempted to think that you must really like her?"
Instantly, the Soul Reaper blanched, dropping his chopsticks. "Wa- what are you talking about?!"
Avoiding his gaze, her grin widened. "Well, you're a guy, and she's really pretty," the slender female continued in a teasing tone. "So, it only makes sense that you'd be attracted to her..."
"How can you say that, Lilly?" Hanataro countered, straining to contain himself. "Even if it's just a joke, hearing you say something like that..." He went on in a heartfelt tone. "It really bothers me, you know, because..." He hesitated, blushing. "You- you're the only person... I think about in that way."
"Oh." The Arrancar responded after a moment, herself blushing. "I- I didn't think you'd actually just come forward and flat-out say it." Lillynette admitted. "I don't know why I keep doing this, why I keep being such a shit- why I'm always saying and doing all these things that are so clearly hurtful..." She trailed off, for a moment. "Or... why exactly that you've stuck with me."
"Lilly?" The dark-haired young man responded. "What exactly are you saying?"
She brushed a hand through her yellow-green hair. "I'm saying... that after everything I've said and done, after how mean I've been to you," Lillynette continued. "That in spite of everything we've been through together, there's still a part of me- full of selfishness and doubt- that I can't shake off."
"I can't help but ask myself: why are you sticking with me?" The female Arrancar went on to recall as she looked to the youth before her. "And, just what exactly have I done to deserve any of this, or you?" Lillynette further elaborated to the Shinigami. "All I can say... is that, I'm genuinely moved."
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
Orihime looked upwards, breathless, her back against the cool smooth surface of the rocky plateau they were on, as the distinctly demonic figure loomed directly above her...
Her clothing had been neatly folded and set aside nearby. The Arrancar's giant bat-like wings unfurled and were moving reflexively, stirring up a slight breeze as he took a moment to savor the image of the curvy woman's slightly flushed skin, including her large breasts- both capped off by stiff pink buds- and the flowing molten copper strands of her main of fiery reddish-orange hair.
Her breath instantly hitched upon seeing the combination of those long bone-white horns, his golden eyes- with their cat-like slits- set against green sclera, and the thick dark black 'lines' running down his face, the same as it 'poured' down from the Hollow Hole in his chest.
He reached down, brushing the clawed fingers of his hand tenderly against the pristine flesh of her face, before gently cupping it as he leaned in to capture her supple lips in a passionate kiss. Drawing back from her after a moment, he smiled uncharacteristically at the woman beneath him.
"You'd better be ready..." Ulquiorra spoke to her in a devilish tone, before taking a moment to center himself before he continued further. "I hope you understand fully just what it is that you've unleashed, because I have no intention of letting you off any time soon."
The redhead smiled impishly. "Oh really?" She countered lustily in a low tone. "Then, I'll be sure to hold you to that promise." Orihime continued, watching as the figure of the Espada moved in between her thighs, leading the young woman to respond by wrapping her legs around his waste.
Ulquiorra was struck by a bout of inspiration, leading him to make his next move. Without another word, his tale came to life, just in time as he moved between her thighs. This earned the transformed Espada a shriek of pleasure from this mate, crying out in ecstasy as soon as she felt the tip of his tail cresting along her inner thigh, before moving to brush teasingly along the outer lips of her sex!
He gazed at his partner as a tremor wracked her already sensitive body, causing in the woman to buck her hips against him in the face of the stimulation Ulquiorra offered her body. Nevertheless, the Cuatro Espada was determined to take his time, using pleasure as a means to drive her to the very brink of her limits as the hardness of his shaft slid against her sex- each time drawing little mewls of pleasure from the ecstatic woman as they continued to move against one another.
By now, her body was fully responding to him, first in the increased flush of her skin, and even more tellingly by the fact that her nether lips were beginning to part- like flower petals- becoming slick and glistening from the growing state of arousal that she increasingly found herself in. Orihime gasped as she felt his tail withdrawing from her sex, and the Arrancar shifted their positions so that her legs were draped over his shoulders as he carefully reached down to draw back her folds, exposing the delicate flesh that lay within. Next, the sunset-haired girl felt his breath against her core...
The unsealed Espada's next move was begin diligently lapping at her sex with is tongue, following up by slipping it inside of her, and making her body bow upwards as she cried out. Orihime next unloaded a particularly potent moan right as his lips and tongue found her clit, encircling and skillfully teasing the sensitive bundle of nerves, all the while as he plunged his fingers rhythmically into her!
And then, she let out a series of staggered moans, before finishing off with a scream as she came!
Breathless, her chest rose and fell repeated in a quick succession of gasps as her lungs sought to draw in the oxygen they so badly needed. "That..." She rasped between breaths. "Was amazing!"
"And we're only just beginning." Ulquiorra remarked as he leaned in. "So, I certainly hope your not implying that you're already spent!" He continued with a cocky smile. "I already warned you earlier, I have no intention of letting you off the hook any time soon."
To his surprise, she shifted into a sitting posture. "Good." She smiled. "Now, let's continue..."
(- End of Chapter LXXXIV... -)
This is the first of three chapters exploring the different types of romance between the various couples- from young budding love, to passionate desire, to the love between long-time partners, and more. So I hope you guys will enjoy this, and I look forwards to your feedback.