Chapter 12

Matters of the Heart - Part 2

A/N: This is a very short chapter: part 2 of the previous chapter. It just seemed too long to have in one, so I split it. Special thanks to Isharaine for her help! If you haven't read her story Crush, you should.

The next morning, Orihime tumbled out of bed, realizing that she had pressed the snooze button at least twice in her sleep. She was going to be late for school again! Quickly she pulled on her uniform, shaking her head to fully wake herself.

"Ulquiorra!" she yelled, stumbling out of the bedroom. "We're going to be late!"

As she rushed into the kitchen to grab her breakfast, the events of the previous night suddenly came over her like a flood. How had she forgotten? She blushed a bright red and looked toward the living room. What would he think of her, waking him like that after last night? She had just burst into the room, yelling at him, and then moved to the kitchen. What must he be thinking right now?!

Well, then again, how else should she have awakened him? He had warned her to never again try to waken him with physical contact. Of course, there wasn't any physical contact that she thought would be appropriate to use to wake him now anyway, when she thought of it. After all, it wasn't like they had actually kissed, although she had certainly been ready to do so, caught up in the moment, as she had been. But then he hadn't wanted to do that, as he had made clear when he pushed her away, but he had still held onto her hand, showing that he wasn't trying to say that he didn't want to be near her, just that he didn't want to kiss her, right?

She clapped her hands against her cheeks to bring herself back to the present. What were they now? They weren't just friends anymore, were they? Well, had they been friends before last night? She had wanted to be his friend, but would he have said that he was her friend? Would he even know what friends meant? What about them now? Would he know what boyfriends and girlfriends were? He'd seen the way that the other girls at school looked at him, and he and she had discussed that, hadn't they? Yes, and he had said that he wasn't surprised that they were attracted to him, given that he was strong, but that they wouldn't be attracted to him if they knew what he was, but they didn't know, so that was why they were still attracted to him, but didn't that mean that he would think that she shouldn't be attracted to him, given that she did know what he was? Wait; she was attracted to him! She really and truly was attracted to Ulquiorra Cifer! Orihime shook her head again, trying to clear her thoughts.

"Is something wrong?" came a deep voice from the living room.

"Huh?" she gasped, startled from her thoughts. "Oh!" She realized that she'd been standing still, not making the normal sounds of a hurried breakfast and packing lunch. And, looking at the clock, she squealed in horror, realizing that she would definitely be late, no matter how quickly she ran!

Pushing everything else to the back of her mind to deal with it later, Orihime stuffed a banana into her mouth as she hurriedly packed her lunch and rushed to the front door. As usual, he was already there, dressed now in his gigai, looking perfectly calm and collected. Orihime was, not for the first time, so very jealous of him! If only she had a fake body that she could put on and be completely ready for school each morning! They stepped out of the apartment, and she quickly closed and locked the door.

Turning then, Orihime gasped as she was suddenly lifted from the ground. The world flew past her in a blur too swift comprehend, and suddenly all was still. She was in Ulquiorra's arms, her hands clasped behind his neck as if she was holding onto him for dear life, and she was staring into his emerald green eyes.

Everything around them faded. They were floating in the clouds with the sun shining brightly and no one else in the world. She could see nothing but his beautiful, majestic face framed by his gorgeous hair. Everything about him was perfect, as he held her like a fairytale prince would carry the rescued princess. He looked into her eyes, saying nothing. Orihime felt that she could lie there in his embrace forever, just staring at him. She didn't need to say anything; he didn't need to say anything. She was lost in his perfect gaze. She didn't even notice when he gently set her on her feet.

"Now you are not late," came his voice, gradually breaking through her thoughts.

"...huh?" she breathed, not really understanding what he had said.

"You can release me now."

Orihime blinked, the spell suddenly broken. They weren't in the clouds, and they certainly weren't the only people in the world. They were on the ground, and she could now hear voices not far away. Quickly she pulled her arms away from him and clasped her hands behind her back, blushing in embarrassment. She looked around herself and realized that they were in a side street, just outside the schoolyard. She wasn't late for school! She gasped and turned back with a radiant smile to thank him, but he was gone.

Orihime felt her heart sink as she realized that she had clearly misjudged his motives. He hadn't been being romantic; he had been being practical. He knew that she wouldn't make it to school on time, and so──

Wait! That was romantic! He had known that she would be late, and so he had helped her! He had carried her! Her smile widened again as she realized how truly sweet he had been.

Of course ... he was gone now. Where was he?

Looking toward the school building, Orihime saw his lean form walking casually up the stairs and into the building. Her smiled faded again. He couldn't even have waited and walked with her?

Never in such a short period of time, Orihime thought, had her emotions received so many jolts of ups and downs. How could he possibly expect her to simply walk into school and behave normally now?! Was he playing with her emotions? No, she realized, he surely wasn't. After all, she had been the one who had asked that they walk separately, never entering or leaving the schoolyard together so as not to attract attention. He was honoring her wishes, even now. Even after last night, that had clearly meant something to him as well as to her, and even after he had swept her off of her feet to carry her to school in his strong arms, he was still respecting her request to keep his distance in public. He really was sweet! And after all, she'd have him all to herself tonight to be able to tell him thank you. And the day after tomorrow was Friday, which meant no school the day after, which meant that they could, perhaps, go flying again!

With another wide grin and a somewhat distracted air, Orihime waltzed forward, her feet scarcely touching the ground as she made her way to the school.

Sitting in class that day, Orihime found it impossible to focus on the lesson. She found herself gazing out of the window at the white fluffy clouds drifting through the sky. She imagined her special castle in the clouds, only now in the sunshine, where she lived with Ulquiorra. Everything was bright and beautiful. It was all white, just like Las Noches, so Ulquiorra would actually feel at home there, but there wasn't any black there, because the sun kept everything bright and happy. It wasn't like the fake sun either, because this sun was warm and real and made everyone feel so alive! Ulquiorra could fly back and forth between the castle and the Earth whenever they needed anything, and Orihime would spend her time building new rooms and new decorations with the smaller clouds that would float by them. One day, she wanted to invite Tatsuki-chan and all her friends to come and visit, but Ulquiorra said that the cloud castle wasn't big enough, so she wanted him to gather more clouds to make it larger, but he was tired from his last trip and just wanted to take a nap, and she supposed that she shouldn't argue with that, because he really did work hard to make her happy, so she just let him go and lie down while she fixed supper. Of course, in the clouds, the kitchen was different, because they didn't have electricity up there, so cooking anything was difficult, because there wouldn't be a stove or an oven, or, if there was, then there wouldn't be any way to use it. But, then again, they did have the heat from the sun, and even though it wasn't as hot as an oven, perhaps she could make a special cloud-oven that would collect the heat from the sun and then get very, very hot, at least enough to be able to cook their meals, so long as she──

"Inoue Orihime!"

Orihime jumped and looked at the instructor, startled.

"Yes, Sensei!" she exclaimed.

"Please try to pay attention."

"Yes, Sensei," she blushed, lowering her eyes as a few students snickered.

Orihime quickly buried her nose in her book, listening intently as the lesson continued. She was able to do so for almost an entire minute, before she found her gaze wandering to the seat a little in front and to the left of her. She gazed at him, losing herself again in her thoughts and imaginations. How badly she wanted to reach forward and just brush the tips of her fingers against his luscious black hair! No, she thought, dropping her eyes again. She mustn't do that, especially here at school! Also, she knew that he wouldn't like it anyway, even if they weren't at school. She remembered how sensitive he'd been about the absence of his Hollow mask fragment in the gigai, and she knew that he still didn't like to be reminded of it. She mustn't touch his hair while he was wearing the gigai.

Stealing another glance at him, she smiled. She was glad that his gigai looked like him otherwise. It was special that she could always see him when she looked at him, rather than something that didn't even look like him, like when he had worn Urahara-san's gigai. Yes, he might not look completely human now, but that didn't matter. After all, he wasn't human; he was her fairy prince.

Focus! she thought, forcing her eyes back to her textbook. Why can't I focus? What do I normally think about during school? Let's see; I think about lunch, and what we're learning, and...

Almost unconsciously, her eyes again lifted to look at a bright shock of orange hair ahead and to her right. Yes, that was the face that usually occupied her thoughts. As she looked at him, she felt the familiar skip of her heart and butterflies in her stomach. In horror, she stared at Kurosaki-kun. Why was she feeling this way? She looked back at Ulquiorra and felt the peace and joy, the serenity and excitement of the morning. It was contradictory, she supposed, but that's what she felt. But then, looking at Kurosaki-kun, she felt ... something. Why would she feel like this for two different men? That wasn't right! She was only supposed to be in love with one man. And, right now, she wanted that one to be Ulquiorra, not Kurosaki-kun, even though that realization surprised her.

Again she looked discreetly from one to the other. Yes, she felt for each of them, but she noticed now that she felt differently for each of them. What was the difference? Looking at Ulquiorra, she felt the calm love that she had felt with Sora mixed with something more exciting and fanciful. Looking at Kurosaki-kun, she felt a strong bond of friendship and ... like she was looking at Yamada Takayuki*. Or maybe Clark Kent. Yes, that was truly how she felt. It burst upon her suddenly: what she had felt for all these years. It wasn't love; it was infatuation mixed with friendship. He was a close and dear friend, and she loved him truly in that way, but he was also a superhero, in his own way, and she was infatuated with him for that. It was like the girls who thought that they were in love with Ulquiorra. They didn't even know him! They loved what they saw, what they felt, and what they imagined, but they didn't really love him. Orihime really did love him! She loved the real him! She knew what he was, and she still loved him. With Kurosaki-kun, she cared for him, but, for the first time, she realized that she didn't truly love him. It was a schoolgirl crush; nothing more.

She gazed at her long-time hero, smiling absently as she felt a peace with her own feelings that she hadn't felt in years. How long had she tortured herself, believing that she was in love with Kurosaki-kun and crying that he was not in love with her? She had confused friendship and infatuation with love, and now she saw that. How was it different from the tears that other girls had shed when Yamada Takayuki had married? How would it be different from how the other girls here would feel when she and Ulquiorra really did──

Feeling a sharp poke, Orihime turned to look at the frowning face of Tatsuki.

"If you don't want everyone to know you have a crush on him," she hissed quietly, "stop staring at him so dreamily!"

Orihime blinked in horror. Quickly she buried her face in her book, blushing again. Had Tatsuki seen her staring at Ulquiorra? No one even knew that they knew each other yet! Not even Tatsuki! What must her friend think of her?

Suddenly she realized: she hadn't been staring at Ulquiorra; she'd been staring at Kurosaki-kun. Tatsuki still thought she was in love with Kurosaki-kun! A burst of laughter escaped her lips before she could catch herself. Sensei frowned as Orihime clapped her hands over her mouth, trying to suppress her giggles.

"Inoue Orihime," came the sensei's sharp reproof. "Do you need to stand in the hall, until you can control yourself?"

Orihime shook her head. "N-n-no, Sensei," she all but gasped, still trying to get herself under control. "I'm fine."

Several of the students turned to look at her as she fought to contain her laughter. Even Ulquiorra turned slightly, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. Returning his momentary gaze, Orihime smiled, calming herself at last. She was so happy. She was happier right now than she could ever remember being. She had wonderful friends. She had someone whom she loved and who loved her in return. He wasn't ever going to leave her. She had everything she could ever want.

Nothing can spoil this, she thought happily. Nothing.

The captains of the first and second squads were waiting when Tōshirō entered.

"What have you found, Hitsugaya-Taichō?" asked the First Captain.

"Yamamoto-Taichō," answered Tōshirō with a respectful bow. "I have confirmed beyond any doubt the reports of the earlier scouts: one of Aizen's Espada survived the war and is currently maintaining a presence in Karakura Town. When confronted, he was non-hostile at first but made it clear that he would fight if provoked. He said that he has no intention of leaving that area nor of returning to Hueco Mundo, though he refused to give any hint as to his reason for being in the Land of the Living now."

"Were you able to determine the threat that this Espada poses?"

"I believe him to be Ulquiorra Cifer, the Fourth Espada. His strength is surpassed only by those three who fought with us above the Fake Karakura Town. According to Kurosaki Ichigo's report, he has a second Zanpakutō release beyond his first, so it would be difficult to say exactly how strong he truly is. I do feel fairly certain that if he were to enter into a true battle against the Shinigami in Karakura Town, then much of the city would be destroyed."

"In other words," put in the Second Captain, "we must take him by surprise, before he has a chance to release his Zanpakutō."

"If we want to avoid great destruction and loss of life in the Land of the Living, then yes," agreed Tōshirō. "But this Espada may not be so easily overcome. With the Gentei Reiin in place, no Shinigami Taichō would stand a chance, even against his unreleased state."

"Gentei Kaijo will be granted before the battle is entered," Yamamoto assured them. "Suí-Fēng-Taichō," he continued, turning to the other captain. "You will go to Karakura Town and confront the Espada. See to it that you avoid destruction to the city, as much as possible."

"Some damage will likely be unavoidable, First Captain, no matter how quickly the battle finishes," remarked Tōshirō. "Also, if he is able to release his Zanpakutō before he is defeated, it may require more than one captain to finish him."

"Have you forgotten, Tenth Captain," snapped Suí-Fēng, "that you defeated the Third Espada on your own? I can handle the Fourth."

Hitsugaya pressed his lips together and didn't answer. His scowl, however, indicated that he still would have liked to argue the point.

"If you can defeat the Espada before he can release his Zanpakutō, do so, Second Captain," ordered Yamamoto. "We must prevent the destruction to Karakura Town that was inflicted upon the Fake Karakura Town during the last Espada battle there. Try to draw him away from the city before the battle. If he believes that he can easily defeat you, he may be more willing to follow."

"If I may, First Captain," interposed Tōshirō again. "This Espada does not seem inclined to attack Shinigami when he is unprovoked. Even when I offered mild provocation, he contented himself with a mere threat in response; he did not attack me, though he could have done so. Whatever his reason for being there, he is not hiding his presence, but he also does not seem to be ready to enter into battle against Soul Society. I doubt that he will pursue a Shinigami into a battle, even supposing that he will win. I believe that he would rather allow his adversary to flee than to give chase."

"We can't afford to wait until he is ready to fight," replied Suí-Fēng roughly. "Whatever his reason for being there, we can't allow him to complete it. By the time he is prepared to attack, it may be too late."

"I agree," nodded Yamamoto-Taichō. "Suí-Fēng-Taichō. Destroy the Espada immediately. If you can discover anything of his plans, especially whether he has other Arrancar under his control and whether any of the other Espada survived, then do so. However, the elimination of the Espada is the first priority."

Bowing to the First Captain, the Second Captain stated confidently, "I will not fail you, Yamamoto-Taichō. He will die at my hand."

A/N: * Yamada Takayuki is a famous Japanese actor, considered to be a teen heartthrob. Coincidentally, he and Ulquiorra are the same height: 169 cm (5' 6½").