Chapter 10

First Contact

Thunk.

"Ow! Tatsuki-chan!" Orihime rubbed her head painfully.

"Come on, Orihime, you were spaced out again. Where was your brain this time?"

"Oh, um, I was just daydreaming," grinned Orihime, trying to hide her blush behind a huge smile.

"I could see that," snorted Tatsuki. "Come on; it's time for lunch."

Looking around herself, Orihime realized with a start that most of the other students had left the classroom already. Quickly she snatched up her lunchbox and followed Tatsuki out to the yard where the rest of their friends sat.

Orihime didn't say a word as they walked. Her mind instead went back to the distracting thoughts she been having for the last several days. More and more, she had found herself thinking about her pale roommate. Ever since that night that they spent together above the clouds, she had found her thoughts about him shifting. She had been happy to see him becoming acclimated to the Land of the Living. When he'd first arrived, her main concern had been to see that he was comfortable here, so far from his home. She wanted him to feel at ease, or as much so as was possible for the stiff Cuatro Espada. Mostly she had felt sorry for him. After all, she had witnessed first-hand how dedicated he was to Aizen-Taichō, and now the Shinigami was gone forever. All of the other Espada were gone too. Ulquiorra was all alone. Orihime had hated the thought of him being all alone, having no friends. Of course, he hadn't had any real 'friends' even among the Espada, so far as she could tell, but at least he had had comrades. Now, he had nothing and no one. The thought that she and her friends might be able to give him that which he had never had was exciting and invigorating. She had wanted to be able to be his friend. She had wanted to see him happy, if that was even possible.

By the time they had had their little outing among the stars, Orihime had become so used to his presence that she had scarcely thought of her original goal anymore. He had melded into life here so well that he seemed as though he belonged. Each morning, she would rise quickly to get ready for school. After dressing herself and brushing her hair, she would wake him, very carefully. She had only once awakened him by grasping his shoulder roughly (after all, she was running a little late that day), and she had nearly lost her own arm in consequence. After that, she had learned to simply call his name loudly as she exited her own room each morning. It was far safer and just as effective. He would then rise, moving as calmly and fluidly as usual, don his Espada jacket, his black stockings, and his white sandals before putting on his human gigai. Orihime would usually have finished hurriedly preparing her breakfast and packing her lunch (usually the previous night's leftovers, seeing that she always made enough for two, but he would never eat more than a single bite). As Ulquiorra methodically gathered his book bag and supplies and ran a comb through his luscious black hair, Orihime would wolf down her breakfast, exclaiming that they were surely going to be late. At last, as Ulquiorra would walk calmly from the apartment, still unrushed, Orihime would snatch up her own bag and lunch box, following him quickly and locking the door behind them. From there, their paths diverged. He would take his own route, probably using sonido as least part of the way, and she would run down the streets in as direct a route as possible, always arriving just in time to see him disappear into the school building ahead of her.

There at school, he generally remained silent, saying nothing unless the teacher called on him. Even in those cases, he would say as little as was necessary. Some days, Orihime was amazed with his patience, in that he could play the part of a human teenager without any show of arrogance or distain. Given his power, his real age, and his identity, it still surprised her when he would answer calmly and quietly to what must seem to him to be foolish and pointless questions. At lunch, he would go to the roof with the other boys, and many were the days that Orihime wished that she could sneak up the staircase and just watch to see how that went. Did he talk to them? Did he eat anything? (He never allowed her to pack him a lunch.) Were the other boys friendly to him? She had asked him some of these questions a few times, but he hadn't responded with more than a single word or a simple shrug, and she hadn't come up with a good enough reason to spy on them. After all, if she did, even if they didn't see her, she knew that he and probably Ishida-kun would sense her presence, and either might call out to her or ask her later, and she would have to have a good reason for being there ... and she couldn't think of one. So, they never spoke at school.

In the afternoon, they would again leave the school separately, both meeting again at the apartment. The evenings would vary from day to day; sometimes Orihime would go out with Tatsuki and some of the other girls, leaving Ulquiorra there alone. Other times, Orihime would remain home and Ulquiorra would disappear somewhere, always leaving his gigai at the apartment. Orihime had noticed that he didn't seem to like the faux body. He would only don it when they were leaving for school, and he would almost always remove it as soon as they returned. His objection to the soul candies, saying that there were "a limited number there" now made far more sense to her. If Urahara could see how frequently the Espada would discard the gigai like an unwanted jacket, he would likely be hurt. After all of the work he had put into it, to have it still so unwanted would likely not be pleasant. Still, if Ulquiorra was spending time on the roof as he did, not infrequently, or moving from rooftop to rooftop in his nightly wanderings, Orihime agreed that it was probably better that he left the gigai behind. Since the night of their little adventure, however, she began to wish that he wouldn't leave her behind.

When had she started to feel differently about him? She could sense that she now felt differently about him, but she wasn't sure when it had started. It wasn't like what she felt for any of her other friends; with Tatsuki-chan, she felt a deep bond of friendship; with Sado-kun, she felt a sense of care; with Ishida-kun, she felt a special sense of protection; with Kurosaki-kun, she felt fireworks! With Ulquiorra, it was different. It was calm like a deep lake or even an ocean, but it was strong and unmoving like a boulder or a mountain. At first, she had described it to herself like what she felt with Sora: a sense of security and caring, a sense of peace, the feeling that so long as he was there, everything would be fine. But Ulquiorra wasn't Sora; he wasn't even human! Why would she feel like this around him? She wasn't sure. She didn't know. But there was one thing that she did know and that was becoming more and more apparent to her with every passing day:

She didn't want him to leave.

From the start, it had been stated that this was temporary, for as long as Ulquiorra cared to stay. Orihime didn't know how long that was going to be nor how long he had planned that to be, but she found that she now wished it would never end. Couldn't he just stay with her always and never leave? It seemed so strange to wish such a thing, but there it was. She couldn't bear the thought of him leaving one day and her being all alone again. No, he had to stay! Somehow, she had to convince him to stay. But every time she thought about talking to him about it, she blushed, realizing that she had no reason other than her own illogical emotions, and surely he wouldn't accept that. What could she say?

This was the secret that she bore and that so often consumed her thoughts now. At first, it had been just at night, as she lay in bed, trying to fall asleep, but now it was interfering with her thoughts during the day as well. At school, she would intentionally not look at him, focusing on her desk or on the window when necessary, but the thoughts would still come over her at times. And so they had today, apparently, as Tatsuki had had to break her from them to take her to lunch. Even sitting outside in the bright sunlight, the other girls likewise became concerned with her mental distance, seeing that she apparently ignored the rest of them as she ate.

"Oh, Hime-chan!" exclaimed Chizuru, grasping her suddenly from behind. "You're so adorable when you have that far-away look! I have to know what you're thinking! What are you──"

"Back off, pervert!" snapped Tatsuki, smacking Chizuru into the ground face-first. "I guarantee she wasn't thinking about you!"

"Tatsuki-chan!" exclaimed Orihime in surprise. "It's okay; I guess I was a little spaced-out."

"What's wrong, Orihime-chan?" asked Mahana. "You seem distracted today."

"You do seem quiet," agreed Michiru.

"Oh, it's nothing!" smiled Orihime, waving her hands dismissively. "I was just thinking about how bright the sun is today, and I was wondering if he was happy about something, because he's shining so brightly."

The girls looked at her in confusion.

"You see," continued Orihime, falling into her habit of babbling nervously to hide her true thoughts, "when it gets cold, it feels like the sun must be sad, because he seems so far away, but then when the sun is too close and hot, I think maybe he is angry, and he wants everyone to feel it with him, but when the weather is nice and comfortable, but the sun is still shining brightly, not hiding behind the clouds or anything, then that makes me think that sun must be happy! Doesn't he look happy today?"

"But, if that's what you're thinking," queried Mahana, "then why were you looking at the ground?"

"Oh. Well..." Orihime scrunched her brow in thought momentarily. "Um, I suppose I was thinking about the grass too, now that you mention it. After all, when the sun shines very brightly, it would make the grass happy too, right? After all, the grass needs lots of sunlight to grow." She gasped. "But then the sun has to be careful too! If it shines too much for too long, then the grass will get too dry, and then it would all wilt and die! So ... I wonder if the grass really is happy when the sun shines brightly, or whether it is more afraid, because it doesn't know if it is going to get stronger or weaker. Hmm. What do you think, Tatsuki?"

Her friends all stared at her.

"Oh, Hime-chan!" murmured Chizuru with a twisted grin. "That's just like you! To be worried about the grass. Of course, you're right!"

"I think that the sun and the grass are both happy today, Orihime," smiled Tatsuki, sending a very brief glare toward Chizuru. "After all, if you're smiling and thinking of them, then who wouldn't be happy?"

"Oh, Tatsuki-chan!" blushed Orihime, extremely glad that her friend didn't know the real subject of her thoughts. "That's ... very sweet of you to say." She turned back to her lunch quickly and hoped that the girls wouldn't question her further.

Fortunately for her, they didn't. The talk turned to other matters, and Orihime did find her eyes wandering upward, not to look at the sun, but rather to gaze at the roof of the school, wondering what conversations might be happening up there.

"Here," said Uryū, extending a packaged rice ball to Ulquiorra.

The Arrancar stood calmly, hands in his pockets and eyes lidded, leaning against the wall near the other boys. Most days, he said nothing, and every day he ate nothing. The others had pressed him on this in the beginning, but they quickly became accustomed to his emotional distance and so left him alone.

"I am not hungry," replied Ulquiorra, barely glancing at Uryū.

"So you always say," replied Uryū, "but I have an extra today, and I don't want it to go to waste. Take it."

Ulquiorra opened his eyes to look fully at the young man.

"Then give it to someone who desires it," he intoned.

"I'll take it, Ishida!" exclaimed Keigo, snatching the rice ball from Uyrū's hand before the other could protest. "After all, Ulquiorra-san can't keep up his figure if he actually eats, can he?"

"Cifer does eat," put in Ichigo. "He probably just doesn't like people watching."

"Have you ever seen him eat?" asked Keigo pointedly.

"Sure, I ... um..." Ichigo trailed off, twisting his eyebrows as he thought.

"Hm?" pressed Keigo, smirking at him now.

"Well, maybe he doesn't like Japanese food," shrugged Ichigo at last. "After all, if you went to Europe, Keigo, you wouldn't like the food there."

"Hey! I have a great appreciation for food from different cultures!" exclaimed Keigo. "And even if I didn't, I wouldn't starve myself for that. I'd find something I could eat. Ulquiorra-san never eats!"

"I've seen Ulquiorra-san eat," said Mizuiro calmly.

"You have?! When?" demanded Keigo. "He never eats at school, and when would you have been with him outside of school? Are you two hanging out together without the rest of us? What is this: a secret friendship? Why didn't you tell me?!"

"It wouldn't be secret, if he told you," muttered Ishida.

"We weren't together, Asano-san," smiled Mizuiro. "I was walking through the market, and I saw him with Inoue-san. She handed him a piece of fruit, and he ate it."

"WHAT?!" screamed Keigo, turning to Ulquiorra in shock. "You went out with Orihime-chan?! How did you do that? Why would she go out with you?!"

"More importantly, why were you watching Inoue-san?" asked Ishida, frowning at Mizuiro. "I thought your interests were with older women."

"Mizuiro!" exclaimed Keigo, distracted again. "Are you going after Orihime-chan?! How many──"

"Maybe he wasn't watching Inoue," grinned Ichigo. "Maybe he was watching Ulquiorra. Maybe he's had us all fooled all this time."

"AHH!" screamed Keigo, gripping his head. "What's really going on?!"

"You should finish eating, Asano-san," said Mizuiro calmly. "We have to go back inside soon, and you don't want the rice ball that Ishida was so kind as to give you to go to waste."

"Stop calling me Asano-san!" wailed Keigo.

The lunch hour was nearly over, so the boys soon gathered their belongings and returned to the classroom, the conversation having ended after Keigo finished bemoaning the fact that his friends never told him anything that was happening.

After the sun had set that night, the town quieted considerably. The autumn air was crisp without being too cold. The wind rustled gently through the trees, as if encouraging the changing colors to quicken their pace and paint the town with beautiful shades of fall. The crickets chirped, and the little creatures of the night began to emerge from their sleeping places to hunt for their nightly snacks. A few of these paused in their hunts to observe a strange duo, moving silently through the less-well-traveled areas of Karakura Town.

Down several streets and into some of the surrounding areas, the two figures had been moving at a casual pace for nearly an hour after the sun set. From the time that they had started until now, neither had said a word. One seemed to ignore the other, and the other seemed content to be ignored. Although there may have been a bit of tension between them in the beginning of the evening, it had quickly dissipated, leaving what would eventually develop into an interesting rather than awkward silence. By the time the moon had fully risen, illuminating the more open spaces of the town with its ghostly light, one might almost say that it had become a sort of contest between the two individuals: who would break the silence first? Each of them was quiet by nature; each of them was remarkably patient; and each of them might be considered at least a little stubborn. At last, they came to a stand-still, shrouded by the late-night darkness in the middle of an empty park. There they remained for some time more, neither of them speaking nor moving.

Ulquiorra ─ the figure leading ─ had known that various Shinigami had been observing him for the last few days, and he had ignored them. His release of his second form that night above the clouds ─ even as high and far from the town as it had been ─ could not have gone unnoticed. Naturally Soul Society would be curious about the presence of an Arrancar in the Land of the Living. It had not been Ulquiorra's intention to attract attention, but neither was it his goal to live in hiding. Eventually, they would learn of his presence here; why not allow it to be sooner than later? He had no fear of Soul Society. Likewise, however, he had no desire to provoke them. He was simply indifferent to them. He had now revealed his presence, and he had waited simply to see what move they would make in response. For some time, however, they had done nothing other than to observe him, as if they were waiting for him to make another move. Tonight, that feeling was even more pronounced.

When, this evening, a high-level Shinigami had begun following him, Ulquiorra had been aware of the other's presence immediately. He had taken a walk this evening as usual and had not been surprised with his follower, seeing that this was almost normal now. When, however, the other had persisted in remaining close to him throughout the evening ─ close enough that Ulquiorra knew that the other desired him to know that he was being followed ─ he had found himself mildly irked. If the Shinigami had had something to say to him, then he could do so. And yet the other remained silent, staying always a short distance away from Ulquiorra, though always very plainly present. It was, therefore, quite intentional that Ulquiorra eventually came to the open space in the middle of Karakura Town, precisely where he and Yami had landed so long ago now, and waited silently, not moving.

For half an hour, he stood thus.

When the silence and stillness persisted, the Shinigami giving no sign that he wished to make the first move, Ulquiorra had to consider whether he was himself prepared to wait out the other. The idea was not unpleasant to him. He suspected that his enemy would grow impatient far earlier than Ulquiorra would himself, however there were other factors at play: Ulquiorra knew that Orihime would wonder if he did not return; she would probably seek him or call one of her friends, either of which would be unpleasant and should be avoided. Likewise, the Shinigami might have summoned reinforcements and be simply waiting for them to arrive, though this seemed unlikely and would be merely an uncomfortable inconvenience rather than a real threat.

As Ulquiorra considered, he knew too that the confrontation with Soul Society was going to come eventually. At some point, he would have to speak with the Shinigami concerning his presence here, and he had decided that it would be less inconvenient if it were not in the midst of a battle. Perhaps, if both parties were calm, a temporary truce would be less unlikely an outcome.

So it was that Ulquiorra finally decided to end the stalemate himself.

Tōshirō had been content to observe the Arrancar for as long as the other chose to stand there. He was himself in no position to fight the Espada at this time, being currently alone and having his reiatsu severely limited by the Gentei Reiin. He had, however, wondered how long the other's patience would hold. He was already a little surprised at the calm, cool nature of this Hollow, although he had been informed of how this Arrancar had backed away from fights in the past that he could easily have won. He had not seemed inclined to violence, even when provoked. That was cautiously comforting, but the fact remained that he was a Hollow; an Espada. His strength and power were easy to sense, and Tōshirō knew that there was far more beneath the surface. Was this patience he displayed a result of centuries of practiced self-control? Or was it a calculated measure, designed for battle? No matter how non-threatening the other's demeanor might seem, Tōshirō knew that to lower his guard for even an instant could spell his own death. So he continued to watch silently and carefully as the Espada stood, perfectly still, doing and saying nothing.

When, suddenly, the Arrancar disappeared from where he was standing, Tōshirō felt only a split-second of fear. He had not followed the movement, but he sensed instantly the other's new location: he was now standing only a few yards behind Tōshirō himself, again not moving. Taking a breath, the young Shinigami sighed quietly.

"You've finally decided to acknowledge me," muttered the young tenth captain, not turning.

"You could not have thought that I was unaware of your presence," replied the other tonelessly.

Tōshirō turned, looking at the Espada carefully. The Hollow stood, hands in his pockets, watching Tōshirō with cold, expressionless eyes.

"Do you mean to attack me?" asked the Shinigami.

"I have no reason to fight you," answered the Espada.

"Do you expect me to attack you then?"

"I have no expectation in that regard one way or the other. I can sense that your reiatsu is not enough to defeat me, but I know nothing of your intellect: whether you are foolish enough to try regardless."

Tōshirō regarded him for a moment silently.

"As a Shinigami," he said at last, "it is my duty to eliminate Hollows: to cleanse their souls and to send them on their way. If you remain in the Land of the Living, I will have no choice but to destroy you."

"You may try."

"I know what you are, Espada," continued Tōshirō, his voice lowering as his annoyance grew. "I am not foolish enough to fight you alone, but even you must know that you cannot stand against all of Soul Society. Aizen tried and failed."

"Aizen was defeated by the hand of one of whom I have no fear," replied the other. "And as for standing against all of Soul Society, I am unconcerned. I do not believe that the Shinigami would launch the sort of attack on myself that they would on one of their own who turned against them. Whatever I am, I am not the threat that Aizen was. I have no interest in Soul Society whatsoever."

"That may be, but your being here in the Land of the Living is a threat to all humans here. We cannot allow that."

"As an Espada, I no longer need consume human souls. I likewise have no desire to commit meaningless acts of violence. I am no threat to the humans here."

Tōshirō frowned. Was this Hollow actually arguing that he should be allowed to remain here in the Land of the Living? Ridiculous! But he was clearly trying to imply that Soul Society should leave him alone. Well, he was foolish if he thought that that was going to happen.

"Why are you here, Espada?" demanded Tōshirō. "What business could a Hollow have in the Land of the Living that is not a threat to the humans here?"

"My business is my own," replied the other tonelessly. "It concerns neither Soul Society nor the Land of the Living, beyond my presence here. And I repeat: my presence here is and will continue to be no threat to the humans nor to the Land of the Living nor to Soul Society."

"Soul Society will not allow you to stay here, Espada," growled Tōshirō. "If you wish to continue living as you are, then go back to Hueco Mundo where you belong."

The Arrancar gazed at him unblinkingly. The silence lasted long enough that Tōshirō wondered whether their silent contest of earlier had recommenced.

At last, the Espada replied simply, "I refuse."

Tōshirō's eyes narrowed. "You would do well to consider the implications of your decision."

His hand moved to the hilt of his Zanpakutō in warning, but, before he could touch it, he felt a set of cold fingers pressed lightly to his throat. Again, he had not seen the Espada move, but the latter now stood right next to him, looking past him, one hand resting gently against Tōshirō's throat.

"You likewise would do well to consider the implications of attacking me, Shinigami," came the cold voice. "I have no reason to fight you. I suggest that you do nothing that would create such a reason."

No sooner was the warning given than the touch vanished and the Hollow with it. The night was again empty and silent all around him.

Tōshirō released a slow breath. He could no longer sense the Espada's reiatsu. He knew that he could leave to search for him, but he believed that he now had as much information as he needed. Regardless, so long as his Gentei Reiin was in place, keeping him at no more than twenty-percent of his own full strength, it was clear that it would be suicide to provoke this particular Hollow into a fight. Their brief conversation had provided sufficient data for now: the Arrancar was not looking for a fight. More information could be gathered later. With that thought in mind, Tōshirō left the park likewise, returning to the Senkaimon.

A/N: Before anyone flames me for making Tōshirō so much weaker than Ulquiorra, remember that without the Gentei Kaijo (spiritual release), even after releasing his bankai, Tōshirō was unable even to defeat a single one of Grimmjow's fracciones in a one-on-one battle. There's no way he could touch Ulquiorra.