Title: Miniature Murcielago
Pairing: Ulquiorra x Orihime
Read: NOW!
A curse is brought upon them. But can you really consider it that? A second chance at life? Or a time to see how the grass is greener? In the end, it can all be taken away with the ticking of time.
Grimmjow was resting on Ichigo's shoulder as the substitute shinigami made his way through town running small errands.
The pantera was confused, maybe more then Ulquiorra…he wasn't sure where this was heading. Love was a concept he didn't understand. Where the barrier passed friendship and where it marked it. Did this curse mark it in it's own way? That was where he got confused.
Not knowing what to feel, or how he should feel, he glanced upwards to face Ichigo, who was talking to a clerk.
Knowing all that he does know, the best that he does understand is, he respects Ichigo deeply.
"How will you be king if there's no one left to rule?"
That question was spinning threw Grimmjow's mind as he was left on the ground for dead once Nnoitra struck him down.
The blood was leaving his body and his heartbeat slowed down. The only thing he could hear were Ichigo's words repeating in his mind,
"I'll fight you whenever you want…but, what will be left once you have defeated everyone? How will you be a king if there's no one left to rule?"
That was where he realized….the connection that was made. Not like Ulquiorra and Orihime. But something different, not a heart being gained, but a sense of understanding.
"I understand." Grimmjow spoke aloud, then in his mind he added, 'The respect I have for you Ichigo and the friendship that I know was born.'
Not in love, but being loved with the bond of friendship.
Ichigo was walking out of the store with a bag in hand.
"What's the matter?" The orange head spoke. Grimmjow looked up slightly surprised. They had been walking in silence the whole time, the suddenness of Ichigo's voice shook him.
"Nothing." Grimmjow answered hoarsely.
-And yet after the time they have spent together, they cannot communicate-
Ulquiorra sat on the windowsill of Orihime's small house.
Currently, his enemy was himself. These…thoughts had whisked through his mind all day.
After his soup incident, he hadn't said much, while Orihime was doing some extra cleaning around the house. Not wanting to get her in way once more, he decided to just sit on this windowsill and sort threw his thoughts.
A hollow is a soul without a heart….and a monster is born. He gained a heart. What is he now?
That thought bugged him.
Ulquiorra leaned on the wall behind him as his claw rested on his knee.
If he was still a hollow, how can he have what parts him from being a hollow. A heart.
He sighed in frustration. Still only 5 days left and he was just heading in the wrong direction. "What am I?" and "What am I trying to pursue?"
Ulquiorra glanced to the right and saw Orihime trying to dust a bookshelf. The dust whisked around her face and got in her eyes. She reached her hand up to shield her face and sneezed while doing so.
That was when the murcielago remembered….
He leapt off the windowsill and spread his wings towards the human girl.
Orihime was still rubbing her eyes and tried to take a breath of air through her noise, only to remember that it was still stuffy because-
"You're still sick."
The auburn haired girl yelped in surprise by Ulquiorra's voice and his proximity to her. "Why are you cleaning woman? You're not going to get well if you refuse to rest." At that, he snatched the feather duster from her hand.
She blinked in disclosure when Ulquiorra had her finger in his hand and began pulling her with all the strength he could muster up, which wasn't much. But she walked with him, noticing his annoyed expression.
He continued his way into her bedroom, his agitated expression still present. Orihime frowned because of it.
Once they reached the bed, Ulquiorra flew behind the girl and tried to push her onto is. His strength couldn't do anything but it was telling her that she needed to rest.
Orihime sat on the edge of her bed, he knees over the side, still dressed in her pajamas. She stared at Ulquiorra as he glided onto her nightstand; he turned and faced her as well.
His annoyed expression was still there and the auburn haired girl didn't like it. "What's the matter?" She asked, out of the currently present silence. The murcielago blinked in surprise by the sound of her voice. He was still sorting through his thoughts.
"Nothing."
His tone of voice struck a nerve in Orihime. Not by the fact that there were more behind his words, but because there was none. She turned away and laid on her side, facing the wall opposite of Ulquiorra.
The bat was about to take off and leave her to rest, but he couldn't find himself to do so. He was standing on his two, his head turned slightly to face her.
Orihime's breathing died down, and after a few minutes of just standing still staring at her, he had come to the conclusion that she had fallen asleep, and still he could not take a step away from her.
His earlier dreams coursed through his mind, but he was able to drain it out as he shut his eyes tightly. His foot took a step forward, as if on it's own accord. Soon he found himself standing on Orihime's bed, next to her sleeping form.
She stirred lightly.
Currently, he felt tainted, spoiled, a nuisance, and a burden. It could be the only explanation used to explain why he was acting the way he was. He was only pushing Orihime away.
He took a step closer towards her.
It was time to stop complaining about what he couldn't do, and start working towards what he could, and that was helping Orihime.
Another step.
It didn't matter what he was now. A hollow or not, the curse will either make or break him in five days. That is all that mattered.
No…what mattered was Orihime. She was all that mattered to him.
With a decision set in mine, the murcielago abruptly took a turn on his heal and dashed into the living room at amazing speeds, doing lord knows what.
Ichigo was in his bedroom, doing some schoolwork. Odd because there hasn't been any school recently….
Grimmjow was thinking deeply, sitting on the windowsill (wow, just like Ulquiorra was). He wasn't much of a thinker, nor a deep one. One might even suggest he was thinking of his current situation, but no. His thoughts were on something completely different.
"I'm so hungry….." The mini pantera mumbled under his breath. His everlasting sky colored locks fell over his face as he sighed. His stomach had been grumbling for quite a while now, but Ichigo had been to busy with his 'homework' to notice anything.
"Ichigo!" Grimmjow called out.
"Hmm…what is it?" The substitute shinigami replied, still nose in with what he was doing.
"How can you not be hungry? You haven't eaten since yesterday at lunch!" The pantera bellowed.
His tone caused Ichigo to drop his pen and turn to face him, his eyebrows furrowed, and his elbows rested on his knees in a slouched position.
Ichigo sighed and said, "I did eat…while you were napping ealier. If you're hungry then you should have said something." He pointed to a plate of food on the other side of the room, Grimmjow's eyes followed his finger, "I saved you some."
The pantera's eyes widened, as drool began to drip down the corner of his lip. Quickly, he jumped off the windowsill and darted over to the table with the plate.
Ichigo watched from across the room as Grimmjow climbed up the dresser, almost like a cat, and started eating.
"Gosh, you're such a handful." The shinigami muttered. The pantera frowned at his statement, enjoying his meal. Ichigo continued, "I bet it'll be easier if you were just normal size for crying out loud."
"What do you mean?" The blue haired mini espada inquired, mouth full.
"Well, " Ichigo started, "I was going to hang with Uryu and Renji today. We were gonna get a suit for the ball."
'Ball?' Grimmjow asked himself. The shinigami caught his confused expression. "Yeah…I just received an invitation from soul society. It's to honor the defeat of Aizen." The ex espada cringed at the name…..
"Looks like I ain't going." Grimmjow muttered hoarsely. "Yep." Ichigo said. The pantera narrowed his eyes, half expecting him to at least ask him if he wanted to go or not.
"Unless…" The shinigami started, he turned and reached for the sheet of paper on his desk he was writing on earlier, "You agree to follow these rules for the ball I made."
The pantera cocked an eyebrow.
Ichigo began reading, "I will not sneak under girl's dresses. I will not bathe in the soup. I will not insult anybody. I will not-"
5 min later….
"and, I will not run off without permission." The shinigami set the paper down and faced Grimmjow, "You sign that contract and you can go."
"What if I don't wanna go?" Grimmow growled. Ichigo shrugged, "Then I'll leave you home alone. And you don't wanna know what happened to Kon when I did that last time ….."
"Kon?"
Suddenly, Ichigo's bedroom door swung open to the sight of a stuffed lion. "Ichigo!" The animal roared. His left eye was torn out and stuffing was coming out of his side. Shaking his fists menacingly he shouted, "Your sisters! They won't leave me alone!" He began walking towards the shinigami, Grimmjow watched him curiously from the top of the table.
"I say lock you door when you leave, you say you did! I said to check, you said it was fine! Then why when you leave, your sisters come in? I've been gone a week and you didn't and try to find me! And anoth-"
Ichigo threw a textbook at the screaming lion, breaking his sentence. He turned to face Grimmjow, "That's Kon…and that's what happens whenever I leave him home alone."
The pantera quickly understood. He made his way to the contract on Ichigo's desk and took hold of the pen, although it was too big for him, he managed to sign his name sloppily on the line provided.
Kon shook the book off of him, "What the hell?" He caught sight of the pantera on Ichigo's desk, "Oh great! Another mod soul! You know what you are? You're irresponsible, that's what you are. You can't even take care of me and here you go getting another one. I need a new care taker! Like Orihime or Rukia!"
Ichigo sighed and rubbed his temples.
"Oh Orihime! Like a beautiful full blossomed rose how I just want too-Ughhf"
The shinigami stepped angrily on the lion, once again breaking his sentence. "Shut up Kon!"
From the table, Grimmjow broke out in laughter. It was eerily similar to ones he had during his fight with Ichigo in the past. He could probably get used to this…
"Yo!" The pantera called out.
Still squishing Kon's face into the floor, Ichigo turned to Grimmjow.
"When's this ball?"
"Five days." That was Ichigo's answer.
'Five days until its up for me….' Grimmjow spoke in his mind, understanding this realization.
Orihime's tummy growled in her sleep. Although it was in the middle of the day, she had just been so tired she fell asleep.
She was partially awake now, but her eyes were still closed. She didn't want to leave the haziness of sleep or the comfort of her bed, but…there was just so much that needs to be done.
She hadn't finished cleaning her house, she was unable to even eat breakfast this morning, and she knew Ulquiorra would be hungry too, and….
Her mind was quick to stop it's wandering when she heard something, still in her bed, and eyes closed, she heard something. Something close…it sounded like her name.
"Ori~hi~me…" She heard it again, and surely, she opened her eyes and. Turning to her side, her orbs or silver tripled in size when she saw Ulquiorra, curled up in a little ball, sleeping on her shoulder.
She was about to sit up when she realized it would only awake him from his slumber.
"Hime.." He mumbled again.
Orihime's eyes remained widened at the sound of his voice. Unlike before, when his words held no meaning behind them, she was able to feel, to hear, something behind his words now.
His face was hidden underneath his arms, resting against her skin, and she was able to feel him rubbing his noise against it, affectionately. It reminded her just like when she was first confronted with his miniature form.
The reason he had been pulling himself away was puzzling her, and it hurt her too. The lack of depth behind his words, everything, it was like in Hueco Mundo, he always wore a mask, hiding himself.
During his fight with Ichigo, glimpses of emotion could be shown across his face. Ichigo's remarks as to how he became more human, and the guilty look he owned when he saw Orihime crying over Ichigo's dead body.
Then when he reached out to her. His eyes contained….remorse, guilt, and, words were hidden behind his eyes. As he reached out to her, "Are you afraid of me?" She could see in his eyes…the words…I'm sorry…
"I'm not scared." She reached back out. That was when he realized what it meant. That was when he was forgiven. That was when….
But now…in his sleep, he was not hiding behind a mask, and this... made Orihime happy.
AN:
Thank you for taking the time to read! If you enjoyed please let me know what you think :)
