"Please don't, Ulquiorra-sama!" Orihime pleaded, jerking her head away from him.
The girl was becoming more and more of a nuisance with each passing hour. Ulquiorra's patience had completely evaporated into oblivion. He had told the girl that he would force her to eat and by all means, she was going to eat.
By that moment, Orihime had been completely restrained by ropes. It wasn't the easiest of tasks but Ulquiorra had managed to get the job done. The girl was lying on her back, her wrists tied together by tight ropes above her head. Her ankles were also tied together, causing her movements to be limited. She had previously attempted to roll off the bed and onto the floor. That didn't accomplish anything…The Espada just simply scooped her back up and dumped her back on the couch.
"You chose your fate," the insipid man retorted as he held the spoonful of vegetables to her lips. He figured using chopsticks would have been too much trouble and he would have ended up stabbing her if he used a fork. Not that he cared if she bled, that is. But Lord Aizen might question him if the girl's mouth was bloody by the next time he summoned her.
"But it wasn't my fault! I just—" Orihime tried to protest but was cut off by the spoon pummeling into her mouth. Ulquiorra had been waiting for the opportune moment for her to open her mouth. The girl talked way too much.
"If you had only just listened to my orders in the first place and ate all I had instructed you to, you would not be in this position," the black haired male replied flatly.
Orihime gagged slightly on the spoon, finding it very difficult to chew and swallow while lying on her back. The whole situation appeared rather promiscuous…There she was, lying on a couch with ropes restraining her. To make matters even more scandalous, Ulquiorra was hovering over her, shoveling spoonfuls of rice and vegetables into her mouth.
This was an awkward situation. An extremely awkward situation.
Orihime was indeed a virgin but even she was able to indentify when an awkward situation turned into a kinky situation.
Ulquiorra; however, seemed completely oblivious towards the whole matter. His objective was only to get the girl eating and nothing more. The man was just simply unaware of the fact that Orihime couldn't help but misunderstand his motives.
"Please don't touch me! Or-or-or you'll be sorry!" Orihime managed to stammer out as she struggled against the binding of the ropes.
Ulquiorra ignored her empty threat as he seized the moment to propel more food against her lips. Orihime groaned loudly against the metal spoon inside her mouth.
"I have no desire to touch you, woman," the Espada said after a moment, setting the spoon down back on the tray.
Orihime felt no shame in assuming the worst. After all, many Arrancar had made indecent gestures towards her. It was only natural for Ulquiorra Schiffer to desire her busty body as well!
The girl managed to swallow another mouthful before glaring at him, "All you boys are only after one thing!"
A look of sheer puzzlement crossed over the usually blank Espada. The girl never ceased to make him feel things he had never felt before: anger, irritation, and confusion. Damn her for that…
"And what, woman, would that one thing be?" Ulquiorra asked, trying to hide any further sensations that the girl was forcing him to experience.
"Oh, you know! Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about! You're just like Nnoitra and Grimmjow!" Orihime's cheeks were slightly red as she stared back at Ulquiorra. If she wasn't mistaken, he seemed a bit perplexed about the whole thing. Did he really not know?
"How am I like those despicable Arrancar?" The Espada glowered at the girl before he reached for a chunk of meat with his bare hands.
The redhead stared in horror at what the male was about to do her again. In seconds, his icy hands were smashed against her lips, shoving the piece of meat between them.
"Resisting is futile," his dull voice rang out as his fingers slipped into her warm mouth, pressing the meat down her throat further.
The girl began to gag lightly as she continued to jerk her head away from him. Never again would she deny his orders to eat! His fingers were hard and bitter against her warm tongue. He was right—resisting was futile. With a defeated look, Orihime looked up to him pleadingly. He withdrew his fingers as he reached for a napkin to wipe the saliva off his fingers. Humans are disgusting, the male couldn't help but think to himself.
Orihime managed to swallow the portion of the meat before piping out, "I can eat by myself, Ulquiorra-sama. I promise to eat all my food without any problems! I'll never go against you again!"
Her words did not affect him in the least. The male simply extended his hand to grab another piece of meat, placing it near her lips again. So as to not have him shove it down her throat again, Orihime opened her mouth slightly. Ulquiorra slid his fingers into her mouth, staring at her with intensified eyes. She had ceased her struggling and acknowledged him as the superior being apparently. He indirectly praised her by not shoving it towards the back of her throat.
His fingers lingered in her mouth before he withdrew them. Orihime chewed the meat thoughtfully and swallowed it slowly before opening her mouth again, reluctantly welcoming another piece of meat.
"By obeying me, you will make your stay in Las Noches easier," Ulquiorra assured as he continued to feed her. Now that she was succumbing to him, his gestures were more gentle towards her. "After all, you will be staying here forever."
Orihime felt a stab of pain shoot through her chest as the word "forever" rang through her ears. Kurosaki-kun and the others were probably on their way to rescue her right at that very moment! There was no way she would remain in Hueco Mundo forever.
"I know what you're thinking, woman. Your friends are indeed on their way to rescue you; however, their attempts are fruitless. There is no way they will make it to Las Noches alive," the male said, jade eyes glowering down at the girl underneath him.
Orihime said nothing as her eyes averted his gaze. Debating against him would only cause him to say more hurtful words. More than anything Orihime wanted to be comforted—she wanted to be told that help was on its way and that her friends would overcome any obstacle they faced just to save her.
As if reading her mind, Ulquiorra said, "I'm not here to comfort you. I am only here to bring you the truth. The sooner you accept your fate, the better."
The girl remained silent as she inwardly wished he would say no more. His words were even more unpleasant then the food she was forced to eat. As if to block him out, Orihime closed her eyes gently, praying that he would go away.
"You cannot ignore me, woman," Ulquiorra grumbled as he quickly heaved another hunk of meat into her mouth. Orihime gasped before giving him a small glare as she chewed the food reluctantly.
For some odd reason, Ulquiorra didn't mind the cold looks she occasionally gave him. If he was capable of such emotions, he would have gone as far as saying that he actually enjoyed messing with her mind. Knowing that he had such a great effect on her gave him a strange sense of power. When she had first arrived here, the girl was full of optimism and she possessed a strong, unwavering spirit. Every time he entered in her room, Orihime would be gazing at the moon, almost as if she was praying to it for a miracle.
Nowadays, the girl simply had a blank stare. Hope was draining from her eyes each and every day and Ulquiorra could not help but feel that he was partially responsible for stripping her of her precious optimism.
Perhaps even some day, Orihime would become just like him: completely void of any emotion.
"I believe," Orihime began, breaking Ulquiorra away from his thoughts, "that they will surely rescue me. I cannot give up on my friends…They are trying their very best to save me and I know that we'll all go back to Karakura Town together!"
For a moment, Ulquiorra wondered if she was forcing herself to believe those words. Surely she was smart enough to realize that nobody was a match for the Espada. Even so, he could see it clearly in her eyes: hope, determination, and perseverance.
"What makes you think they will be able to defeat Lord Aizen's army?" Ulquiorra questioned, desperate to find out the reasoning behind the strange emotions in her eyes.
Instead of glaring at him or spouting out some childish nonsense about their power levels, Orihime simply smiled at him. A smile that he had not seen since the first day she had arrived in Hueco Mundo. A smile that made the hole in his chest burn ever so lightly. A smile that puzzled him to no extent.
"Because they're my friends!" Orihime beamed brightly, her smile widening with each word she spoke, "They'd risk everything to protect me just as I would do the same for them!"
Ulquiorra found himself withdrawing from her, finding the burning sensation in his chest to be unappealing. Why did he feel such an outlandish tingling feeling course through his cold veins? None of it made sense. Just because the damn woman smiled didn't mean a thing to him at all.
He wanted it to stop. With a swift movement, he untied the ropes restraining Orihime, leaving the girl completely baffled.
"I must go," the Espada stated as he straightened himself up and shoved his hands into his pockets once more.
"But I didn't finish eating all my food…" Orihime blinked a few times in confusion, wondering why it seemed so urgent for him to leave all of a sudden. Was it something she said? Was it something she did?
"I have more important matters to attend to than listening to your babbling," Ulquiorra replied, making Orihime feel that he could read her mind once again. In seconds, the man had turned on heels and left the room.
Now that she was free of the ropes, Orihime sat up on the couch, rubbing where the ropes had left marks on her wrists. She was silently grateful that he left in such a hurry. After all, she didn't want to eat anymore of that pitiful excuse for food.
However, loneliness began to strike her once again. Ulquiorra Schiffer wasn't the best of company but he was still company nonetheless. Her fingers reached up the lightly trace her lips where Ulquiorra's frozen fingers had once been.
Orihime's thoughts fluttered to his facial expression when she smiled at him. He looked surprised, to say the least. It was as if he wasn't expecting such a reply…His eyes seemed to widen in the slightest amount and she could have even sworn that she saw his eyebrows furrow a tiny bit. His entire expression seemed rather cute, she thought.
Wait. Cute? The fourth Espada was cute?
The girl shook her head quickly, trying to disband all of those thoughts away. Of course Ulquiorra-sama wasn't cute! He was cold, mean, and even cruel at times…So many words could describe his callous nature and cute was not one of those words.
Even so, the way he looked at her was different from his usual stoic expression. That was the first time ever that she could see some form of emotion in his eyes. Maybe he was indeed capable of feeling emotion?
"I am indeed not capable of feeling emotions," Ulquiorra said quietly to himself as he paced down the narrow hallway. Damn that girl! All she ever did was force him to suffer annoyance, irritation, and perplexity. Irritation was not all that uncommon for him to experience, what with living under the same roof as trash like Grimmjow and Nnoitra, but the fact that she was the reasoning behind his emotions only further aggravated him.
But never had he felt any frustration such as this! The girl was trash and nothing more. How was one lowly piece of trash able to influence him in such a horrendous way?! His mind flashed back to that smile of hers; the smile that reflected true hope in the darkest of times.
How foolish, he thought. The woman was only going to end up hurting herself more when she realized that her friends were all destined to die here. Ulquiorra could clearly feel their presence. Apparently, they had winded up in Forest of Menos. There would be no chance of survival for them there. If they were wise, they would abandon all hopes of rescuing Orihime Inoue and focus on finding a way back.
"Because they're my friends! They'd risk everything to protect me just as I would do the same for them!"
His mind once again drifted to the girl's words. Friendship was just another thing that Ulquiorra Schiffer did not have any use for. He did not understand the concept of friendship nor did he care to learn about it.
"Oi, Ulquiorra," a voice called out through the hallway, causing a loud echo. Ulquiorra would know that obnoxious voice anywhere…
"What is it, Yammy?" the Fourth Espada replied calmly, trying to hide any forms of agitation in his voice. He turned to face the immensely vast Espada. It was needless to say that the tenth Espada was indeed ugly and seeing his very face caused Ulquiorra to feel slight disgust; however, he still acknowledged his presence.
"Aizen-sama needs 'ya," the obese man chuckled, scratching his belly in the process. "What'd you do to piss 'em off?"
Ulquiorra simply walked past Yammy without a word. Lord Aizen was probably angered over the fact that he had attacked his fellow Espada. He was only following his orders, though. He was the one that ordered him-of all the Espada-to watch over the girl. Surely he wasn't angry over such a trivial matter.
The slender male continued to make his way down the hall, pondering on what else he could have possibly done to upset Lord Aizen in any way. His pace was rather swift and rapid but elegant all the same. He felt that he had no need to worry about punishment.
Ulquiorra approached the large white doors that led to Aizen's chambers. Everything in Las Noches was white and cold, yet the doors to Sousuke Aizen's domain should have been painted black. Aizen's heart was darker then the sky of Hueco Mundo. Why he chose to have everything white would always remain a mystery to Ulquiorra and the other Arrancar.
"Ah, Ulquiorra," Aizen's silky voice rang out as the pale Espada entered his quarters. "So nice of you to pay me a visit."
If the man was angry, he certainly did not let on. His mahogany eyes focused on Ulquiorra with much interest as an extensive smirk lingered on his lips. The man was far more menacing than he appeared to be. He was sitting on his usual throne, chin propped elegantly against his knuckles and he leaned forward in his chair.
"I heard from Yammy that you desired to see me, Aizen-sama?" Ulquiorra asked, bowing politely to the man before him.
"Of course. I heard from Nnoitra and Grimmjow a most troubling story," Aizen grinned with eyes scanning Ulquiorra's entire being, searching for some sign of emotion. As usual, there was no emotion to be detected.
"I was merely protecting the girl, just as you wished, my Lord," Ulquiorra got down on one knee as he bowed his head low. Damn those two…What did they hope to accomplish by ratting him out?! They should have kept their woes to themselves. After all, they were the ones who defied Lord Aizen! They were the ones who were injured in the end—
"I don't believe I instructed you to give the girl your coat," Aizen calmly said, interrupting the Espada's thoughts.
That's what this is about? Ulquiorra could not help but lift his head in the slightest, staring up at his master with questioning eyes.
"It baffles me…My ever-faithful Ulquiorra has never shown the slightest bit of kindness towards anyone but me. But to give a mere human your coat? Why, it seems to me you're growing interested in the human," Aizen stood up from his royal "throne" as he approached the kneeling male before him. Ulquiorra could say nothing in his defense…No, he did not, in fact, find any form of interest in the girl. At least, none that he was willing to admit. The girl did, however, intrigue him.
"I'm surprised at you, Ulquiorra. If I didn't know better, I'd suspect you were going soft on this girl," Aizen emitted a deep chuckle from his throat as he bent down until he was eye-level with the genuflecting Espada before him.
"But I do know better—Ulquiorra Schiffer does not possess a heart in any way. But for the record," the young man reached out his hand so that his fingers traced along the male's jaw line tenderly, "I think you should go soft on our little princess."
Ulquiorra stared into the eyes of his master, struggling to find the words to say. What was Aizen talking about? He wanted him to be kind towards her?
"So tell me, how is our princess coping with being caged up all the time?" The dark haired man asked, continuing to grin with his wicked smile, "She must be getting restless especially now that she knows her friends are already here in Hueco Mundo."
"She refuses to eat. I've done what you suggested and applied force upon her to make her do so. Today I even had to go as far as restraining her with ropes. After a while, she gave in and ceased her struggling," Ulquiorra reported as he stood up from his bowing position. "She is very stubborn and continues to believe that her "friends" will rescue her."
"How very interesting," Aizen replied, trying to picture Ulquiorra tying her up and forcing food upon her. A small twinkle in his eye formed as he continued to stare at the Espada facing him. "However, I fear that her determination will ruin her allegiance to me. If she refuses to work for me, I'll have no choice but to kill her."
Ulquiorra flinched lightly at his master's words as the same pain from earlier coursed along his chest. He wordlessly cursed himself for his thoughtless movement, knowing for a fact that Aizen detected it. The other man simply grinned as he ran his fingers through his own dark brown, slicked hair.
"Would it bother you, Ulquiorra, if I were to kill our princess?" His voice was smooth as silk as once again his fingers were tracing the other male's flesh. His fingers slid across Ulquiorra's face, outlining the teardrop marks along his cheeks. The Espada didn't flinch as he merely stared emotionless into his master's eyes.
"I have no desire for the girl to remain in Las Noches other than for her powers," Ulquiorra responded after a moment, the fist in his pocket clenched tightly as he awaited his master's reply. He was, in fact, not lying. He had no attachment to the girl in any form possible. Orihime Inoue was simply a task that had been assigned to him—a mission, one could say. She just happened to be a "mission" that caused the flesh around the hole in his chest to burn when he was around her.
"Well, for the time being, her powers are indeed useful to me. I have no desire to kill her if she cooperates. That will be your assignment," Aizen pulled his fingers away from his minion's pastel skin, that wide smirk still remaining upon his lips. "Treat our princess with respect. Make her feel that she is valuable to us and that we appreciate her help. When she cooperates, reward her with anything she desires." The tall man then folded his arms over his chest and looked up at the ceiling, as if absorbed in thought.
"Nevertheless, she is still our prisoner. If she disobeys any commands given to her, punish her," Aizen continued.
Ulquiorra had already taken care of that last part. The Fourth Espada was never the type to let one get away with disobeying orders.
"Find a punishment suitable—it can be anything you deem worthy. Find her weaknesses and use it against her. However, do not harm that pretty face of hers." The leader of the Arrancar strode back over to his throne, making himself comfortable once again.
"As you wish, Aizen-sama," Ulquiorra replied, bowing to him once again in respect. The Espada turned to leave but was stopped by Aizen's voice breaking out once again.
"Oh, and Ulquiorra? One more thing…"
Author's Note: Hellooooo! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter as well! Once again, I'm the only one who proofread this chapter so if there are any more mistakes, please bring them to my attention! And so the plot thickens! Look forward to the next chapter sometime later this week!