"Hello there, pet-sama," rang out a familiar voice. A voice that made Orihime almost wish Ulquiorra was back in the room. Almost.
"Nnoitra-san," Orihime whispered quietly before looking down to the shattered remains of the plate. He had startled her so badly to the point where the plate had just slipped out of her fingers. She got on her hands and knees on the floor and began picking up the broken shards, careful as to not slice herself on the jagged glass.
"Having a rough morning?" The slender Espada asked, a devilish grin playing on his narrow lips, "I just saw Numero Cuatro walking out of here. He seemed a bit angry…Just between us, I think he's getting rather irritated with you."
Nnoitra Jiruga was a tall and lanky Arrancar with long, jet black hair. An eye patch covered one of his snakelike eyes while the other stared up and down lecherously at the young woman before him. He was the Fifth Espada and for good reason to—his spiritual pressure was impressive. It even caused Orihime to grow slightly weak in the knees.
Orihime knew better than to acknowledge this particular Arrancar. Nnoitra enjoyed nothing more than harassing her when Ulquiorra was gone. He had yet to physically touch her but his sinister gaze always unnerved her. It was always if he was trying to undress her with his eyes and the way he licked his lips whenever he stared at her was just downright unpleasant. The less she spoke to him the better.
"I still wonder why Aizen-sama appointed him to be your caretaker. A beauty such as yourself deserves someone who can actually enjoy you." Nnoitra's smirk continued to widen as he approached the girl slowly. She was like a helpless bunny and he was a hawk—any sudden movement could frighten her into a burrow. He needed to approach her calmly, and slowly…
Orihime continued to pick up the shards before placing them neatly on the table. She would have to apologize to Ulquiorra later as to not anger him any more than she had. For the time being, the girl needed to focus on not provoking the Quinto Espada in any way. Politely ignoring him had always helped her in the past but even then Ulquiorra had always been around.
"Why, if you were under my care, I'd be giving you special attention every night! I would even give you the honors of sharing my bed with me each and every night," Nnoitra snickered, sliding his tongue across his lips. He continued to leer towards her, finding her silence to be even more intriguing. Perhaps the girl wouldn't scream if he reached out so slowly; so gently…
His long fingers began to stroke her hair gently, causing Orihime to jump back with a small, startled squeal, "Please leave me be!" the girl cried out, forgetting about her attempt to completely ignore him.
Nnoitra continued to smirk before jerking his head back in a dark, sinister laugh. His black hair swayed lightly as he cackled while his eyes never left her beautiful, frightened face.
"Oh, I love it when they scream!" The lanky man chuckled before he lashed out at her, gripping a handful of her hair. He yanked her towards him with one hand while his other shot out to cover her mouth. "But this time, I can't let you scream. You see, it'd be awful for your babysitter to come in and witness all the things I'm about to do to you.." His breath tickled against her earlobe as he flicked out his tongue to lightly grace against her cheek.
Orihime's eyes widened even more as she struggled to get away; however, his grip on her was just too strong. The fifth Espada had never laid a finger on her before, and yet here he was wrapping his grimy fingers over her mouth. Orihime attempted to let out a muffled scream but Nnoitra was one step ahead of her. In seconds, he had the girl pinned against the wall. Her back was pressed roughly against the hard concrete as Nnoitra began to hastily undress her.
Forget almost wishing Ulquiorra Schiffer was there. More than ever, she wanted to hear his cold voice say, "I'm coming in." Only to her dismay, it did not appear as if luck was on her side.
"Just keep quiet for a little longer, Pet-sama, and this will all be over soon," Nnoitra giggled, completely removing her of Ulquiorra's coat. His eyes flickered in amusement as he was able to recognize just who that cloak belonged to. Had Ulquiorra gone soft, giving his coat to the poor girl? Maybe the fourth Espada had had his way with this girl before, only trying to let on that he didn't?
"The sneaky bastard," the long haired man spat as he continued to yank off Orihime's robes.
It was all Orihime could do but not scream. She continuously tried to wriggle her away out of his slimy grasp, but he was still the fifth strongest of Las Noches. She was simply no match for the tall man. Before she knew it, her entire top layer camisole had been stripped of her, leaving only her shoulders and arms exposed with her strapless dress.
"Please, Nnoitra! Don't do this!" The girl managed to whimper out as her hands gripped tightly into fists. Where was Ulquiorra?! He was supposed to look out for her! He was supposed to make sure she was kept alive!
"What the hell are you doing, you sick freak?!" shouted a masculine voice.
Ulquiorra-sama?! Orihime wondered, trying to turn her neck so she could see. A pang of hope began to well in her chest but completely dispersed once she saw who it really was.
Grimmjow Jeagerjacquez. The second Arrancar Orihime despised the most…
Nnoitra pulled away from Orihime, causing her to slide limply down the wall onto the floor. "What does it look like I'm doing, Numero Sexta?" Nnoitra spat, running his fingers through his dark hair in annoyance.
Grimmjow Jeagerjacquez, the sixth Espada, wasn't the friendliest Arrancar Orihime encountered during her agonizing days in Las Noches. He had a fowl mouth and a rough attitude—Orihime always found it best to leave this guy alone. Especially when he was in a bad mood…His spiky blue hair matched his radiant blue eyes that appeared to have a bit of amusement in them.
He was probably here to have his way with her as well…Orihime began to crawl on her knees, trying her best to scurry away from the menacing Arrancar.
Did she really believe he was going to let her go just because Grimmjow showed up? Nnoitra snatched Orihime's leg, dragging her back to him. Her stomach slid across the floor, fraying her white dress ever so slightly.
"If you must know, Grimmjow Jaguarjeeves," the tall Arrancar continued while mocking his name, "I am simply just getting to know Pet-sama. You see, it's just not fair for Schiffer to have her all to himself."
Grimmjow looked down at Orihime, his brows furrowing lightly. The girl looked like she was about to burst out in tears any second. She looked so weak, so helpless. The sixth Espada was never much into chivalry but he knew an unfair battle when he saw it. And Nnoitra ravishing Orihime was simply an unfair situation. She had nothing to protect herself with and if Nnoitra wasn't careful, he could rip off her limbs with incredible ease.
And that would not make Sousuke Aizen happy.
With a sigh, Grimmjow cracked his knuckles before churning his neck and popping that, too. "Really? 'Cause it doesn't look that way to me…The way I see it, it looks like Nnoitra Jigglyballs is about to get his ass kicked."
Nnoitra quirked a brow, releasing his grasp on Orihime's leg while folding his arms over his chest, "Do you really think you can beat me, Numero Sexta? You know as well as I do that I can beat you without a second thou—"
Nnoitra wasn't even granted a second thought as his cheek was pounded roughly by the fist of Grimmjow. That was always his downfall—he talked too much and gave his enemies the perfect opportunity to strike.
Speaking of opportunities, Orihime was not about to let this one slide. Without even picking up the jacket part of her dress, Orihime dashed for the door. Maybe she could find someone—anyone—to stop this madness!
"Don't you dare leave, Pet-sama!" Nnoitra shouted, reaching out one of his long arms towards her. Grimmjow seized that moment to grab the other male's arm, twisting it behind his back. "Don't be such a dumbass," Grimmjow snapped, "Ulquiorra would've fried you if you touched her!"
"That's what you think! The boy's already had her! He even left his coat here," Nnoitra snarled, instantly yanking himself out of Grimmjow's tight grasp.
While the two continued to bicker and fight, Orihime managed to slip outside the door. She dashed through the hallway as fast as her nimble legs could carry her. The spiritual pressure of Arrancar lurked everywhere in the long hallways of Las Noches, yet she couldn't see anybody. She could always run to Lord Aizen's chambers…but that could be a fatal mistake. Maybe she should just hide out in the hallway until the two stopped fighting and then sneak back in there once they left. Or, she could try to find an escape route! Or maybe even some one that would be willing to help her—
"Why are you out of your room?" came the chilling voice of a familiar Arrancar. Orihime turned around to come face to face with her captor. Instead of feeling a sense of dread over the sight of the fourth Espada, Orihime could only feel relief. She hadn't even felt his spiritual pressure yet there he was standing a few feet in front of her, fully clothed in another coat identical to the one he had been wearing previously.
"U-Ulquiorra-sama!" Orihime exclaimed running towards him, "It's terrible! Grimmjow and Nnoitra—they're in my room! They're fighting! Nnoitra tried to do some awful things to me but Grimmjow came and! And! And! And!" Her voice began to panic as she described to him what was going on. Instead of looking angry or annoyed, Ulquiorra simply sighed. He actually sighed.
"Stay here. If I come back and find that you have moved in the slightest, there will be severe punishment," the Espada calmly said as he turned his back to her and walked slowly towards her room.
Orihime was still in shock that the Espada just sighed at her. An exasperated sigh, for that one! He didn't seem angry with her or anything…just, a bit aloof. Did something happen to him? She watched him walk off as she simply stood there in the hallway while trying to register what all had just happened those previous ten minutes.
Ulquiorra sauntered quietly back over to her room before opening the door at a normal pace, "Has Lord Aizen instructed either of you to be in here?" He didn't even bother looking inside before speaking to the two men who were lurking inside. He knew exactly what was going on…
Grimmjow had Nnoitra pinned to the wall by his neck while Nnoitra struggled fiercely to get out of his grasp. They looked like two children childishly fighting…What pieces of trash, Ulquiorra thought to himself.
In seconds, Grimmjow was the one slammed against the wall while Nnoitra had been flown out of the room, blasted by a green burst of Cero. Ulquiorra was apparently in no mood to deal with them in any form of civil manner.
"Get out," the pale Espada stated, "and do not come back unless it is under Aizen-sama's orders. If I find either of you in here again, then there will be punishment. However, it will not be from me but from Lord Aizen himself." After the damage was done, Ulquiorra shoved in hands in his pockets once more, eyes gazing menacingly at the newly injured Grimmjow.
"Damn you!" Grimmjow cursed, spitting out a mouthful of blood onto the floor. "Just you wait, Schiffer. One day I'll be the one sporting around with the title of Number Four and you'll be the one taking orders from me."
Grimmjow's hatred for the fourth Espada ran deeper than his hatred for any other Arrancar. Even so, he knew he was no match for him…At least, until they could fight in a one-on-one match fairly. But until then, he wasn't foolish enough to challenge his orders. After a few more curse words, Grimmjow stalked out of the room, scratching the back of his head. "This is what I get for helping out the damn human girl…" the blue haired man grumbled under his breath.
Orihime waited impatiently for Ulquiorra's return, her anxiety of being left alone in the hallway getting the best of her. Instantly, another wave of relief washed over her as she saw him slowly strolling back down the hallway.
"Ulquiorra-sama—" Orihime tried to call out but was instantly silenced as the Espada held up his hand to signal her to be quiet.
"You disobeyed me, woman," Ulquiorra proclaimed as he handed her back her camisole. Orihime looked down anxiously as she retrieved part of her clothing, wrapping it around her bare shoulders once more. She fastened it in the front before adjusting the sleeves with a look of discouragement crossing over her features.
"I clearly remember instructing you to never leave your room under any circumstances. However, I shall let it slide this time." He reached for her slender wrist, wrapping his fingers around it as he dragged her down the hall way. "I also noticed the broken plate of food. However, that is one thing I shall not be able to ignore."
"But, Ulquiorra-sama, " Orihime attempted to defend herself but once again silenced by the cold, hard glare of his piercing emerald eyes. It wasn't her fault that the plate broke but Ulquiorra wouldn't hear of it. With a defeated sigh, the girl looked down towards the floor, her orange hair falling over her shoulders and obscuring her face.
"As your punishment, I will retrieve you more food. Everything must be devoured in a timely manner. The only difference is that this time you will be restrained." The fourth Espada wasn't the type to give second chances. He had already been gracious enough…He was almost positive that Nnoitra caused her to break the plate, but he had given her direct instructions to eat everything he had ordered her to. If he had let this slide without going unpunished then he might be under the impression that he had gone soft.
Ulquiorra Schiffer does not go soft on anyone. He was going to have to make this known to the girl one way or another.
"Ulquiorra-sama?" Orihime asked in a soft tone, her deep gray eyes looking towards him pleadingly. His eyes turned to meet hers as he continued walking, acknowledging her desire to speak.
"Thank you…for getting rid of Nnoitra and Grimmjow…" the girl mumbled quietly, continuing to allow him to drag her down the long, narrow hallway.
"Do not misunderstand my intentions. My orders are to keep you alive, as I have said before," the male responded as they arrived at the door to her room. By that time, Nnoitra and Grimmjow were nowhere in sight. Hopefully, they learned their lesson and would never approach his prisoner again.
"It doesn't matter why you did it…What's important is the fact that you did do it," Orihime had a hard time resisting a small smile. Even though his intentions were not pure, this was the second good deed he had performed to her. "So I thank you for that…"
Ulquiorra was at a loss of words as he unlocked her door and led her inside. Instead of responding to her gratitude in a positive way, the Espada replied with a small grunt, "Showing gratitude towards me will not dwindle your punishment."
That's not why I thanked you, Orihime wanted to say but decided against it. Maybe one day this man would realize that not everything humans did was out of purely selfish intentions.
"I will return in no less than twenty minutes. If you do not have an appetite, you better start developing one by the time I get back." In seconds, the man was gone. Once again, Orihime was left entirely alone…
The flaming haired prisoner walked over to where Ulquiorra's jacket was lying uselessly on the floor. She scooped it up in her arms, embracing it as if it were a security blanket. She wished for nothing more than to return the warm sanctity of her own home. As she sat down on the couch, she wrapped his coat around her frail body.
She was grateful for Ulquiorra loaning his coat to her as well as his acts of protection; however, she had nothing more to be grateful to him about…
…even though she wished she did. If she was not granted the opportunity to go home, then she would have been perfectly satisfied to at least have one person she could truly believe in. Someone she could claim as a friend. Someone she could love and trust just as she could her friends back home.
A small tear trickled down her cheek as she realized she would not find a friend in Ulquiorra Schiffer nor Grimmjow Jeagerjacquez. And most definitely not Nnoitra Jiruga.
"I'll wait forever if I have to, Kurosaki-kun…" Orihime whispered as she wrapped the long white cloak around herself tighter, "I promise…"
Author's Note: Thank you to who all reviewed! It means so much to me! I hope you liked this chapter and I really hope I didn't get too OOC for Grimmjow, Nnoitra, and Ulquiorra ^^;; If you see any mistakes, please bring it to my attention.