"What…will happen?" Ulquiorra asked, his gaze locked upon Ichimaru as he stared at him with such intensity.
"Death," Gin replied, slamming his cup down on the table to emphasize his dramatic point. And then the room fell silent…
Neither of them exchanged any words for a moment. Ulquiorra felt like there was a huge lump in his throat that traveled down all the way to the empty Hollow hole in his chest.
Orihime would have to get pregnant to produce an infant with her extraordinary healing powers and the strength of an Arrancar.
And then she would die.
In mere seconds, maniacal snickers filled the room. Ulquiorra shot the chuckling Ichimaru a cold glare with his piercing jade eyes. "This is not a laughing matter," the fourth Espada told him monotonously, "I don't see any humor in this situation."
The silver haired man couldn't wipe the grin off of his face as his eyes locked upon Ulquiorra, "Sorry, Ulqui-san. It's just that you actually looked like you cared for a moment."
The fair skinned Espada said nothing as his eyes fell to the ground, his hands balling into fists as they rested neatly upon his lap. He breathed in and out of his nostrils slowly and deeply, as if hoping it would ease his aggravation with the other man.
"But I'll be honest with 'ya, Ulqui-san," Gin said, continuing to wear that snide smirk, "The thing about her dying during childbirth is just a speculation. We're actually not even sure what will happen to the girl."
The green eyed male shot his gaze back to the previous third squad captain. Was this man trying to pull his strings?
"Well, we're only basing this theory upon something that happened not too long ago. Not mentioning any names, but one of Aizen-sama's most trusted men developed some form of an affair with a human. I don't know the entire story but one way or another, that human girl found herself pregnant with that Arrancar's child," Ichimaru added, picking up his small cup of sake once more. When he had slammed it down earlier, a lot of the liquid splashed out of it and onto the table. He finished off the last drop with a sigh before standing up and heading over to a small, wooden cabinet.
"And then what?" Ulquiorra asked, finding it a very difficult task to mask his curiosity.
"It wasn't a regular baby, as you could guess. Arrancar aren't meant to be born through a natural state as it defies their laws of creation. Aizen-sama is an Arrancar's one true father, of course. Naturally, the weird human-Arrancar baby couldn't survive in the woman's stomach for very long," Ichimaru continued as he reached for a bottle of sake in the cabinet. After he closed the cabinet doors, he walked back over to the table and plopped himself down on the cushion on the floor.
Ulquiorra didn't know much about pregnancy and childbirth. He read about it vaguely in a few books before but the only information that he could grasp was the fact that a baby would remain in a "magical" place in a woman's stomach for nine months before venturing out into the world.
"So if the baby won't survive in a woman's stomach for very long, then that means it would just simply die out eventually during the nine month interval," Ulquiorra theorized out loud. That would mean Aizen-sama's plan would be absolutely pointless. Surely the man was aware of that…
"Not exactly, Ulqui-san," Ichimaru beamed, popping the top off the sake bottle before guzzling down a few gulps of the alcoholic beverage. He set the bottle down as he chuckled darkly once more, "I think you're underestimating the power of a Hollow based creature."
Ulqui-san. Ulquiorra hated the nicknames his comrades gave him. If Szayel wasn't calling him brother, then Nnoitra Jiruga was calling him Emospada. Whatever that meant…
"Just get to the point, Ichimaru. It's almost time for the woman's next meal. If I don't attend to her needs as instructed, it will only provoke Aizen-sama's anger," the black haired Espada said, trying to conceal an irritated sigh.
"Since Arrancar aren't meant to be born naturally, it means that they'll grow three times quicker than a regular human baby," Gin carried on, scratching the back of his head mindlessly.
Ulquiorra turned his eyes back towards the gray haired male. It was true…Arrancar were far more powerful than regular humans. An Arrancar would age differently than a human if they aged at all, he supposed. Even a human-Arrancar hybrid would age differently than just a regular human, it seemed.
"So instead of taking nine months to grow inside a woman, it will only take three," Ulquiorra added, wondering if he was on the right track. Gin just nodded with a grin—the boy was sharp and caught on quickly.
"So at just three months, it will be more than just a fully developed baby. By that time, it will already have gained its Hollow-like instincts. If it realizes that it cannot bear to stay a moment longer within a woman's belly…" Gin paused to take another swig of the bottle of sake. He noted that the male sitting across from him was staring impatiently at him. Ulquiorra desperately yearned to know more…Why did this Espada want to know what would happen so badly, Gin wondered to himself. It wasn't like he was competent of feeling anything.
"…It will then claw itself out of her like the little beast it is," Ichimaru finished, his lips twisting into a malicious smile. "It happened before, that it did. Ripped up all the woman's organs it could as it made its way to the surface." It was all humorous to him, really. Humans were pathetic and he didn't care if they died in grotesque and morbid ways or not.
"What happened to the child?" Ulquiorra asked, finding his throat to be rather dry. He swallowed the lump in his throat to try to ease the pain, yet, unfortunately, it just caused a huge knot to form in the pits of his stomach.
"Well, I'm not exactly sure. I have a feeling the father didn't bother taking care of it so I assume it eventually died. Arrancar or not, if a baby doesn't have a parent to care for it, it'll die," Gin answered with a nod, a small yawn forming on his lips. "Anyways, we're not entirely sure if that'll happen to Orihime-san as well or not. Aizen-sama has ordered me to not inform anyone of his plan yet—not even our scientific genius, Szayel. All in due time, he told me. I wasn't even supposed to tell you but I know that you can keep this a secret, Ulqui-san."
Ulquiorra silently stood up and turned his back towards the other male as he made his way towards the door. Ichimaru stared at the other male intently, a sigh emitting from his lips.
"Aizen-sama chose you to be the father because he knew you wouldn't care if the girl died or not. No worries—if she does indeed die like the other human mother did, you won't be in charge of taking care of the infant. We have plenty of servants to do that for you. You're only job is to mate with her and—"
"I will perform my duties as Aizen-sama orders. He has not yet directly instructed me to do anything of the sort so until I receive a firm order from him, I will do no such thing," the Numero Cuarto Espada answered as he left Ichimaru's room in a hurry.
Gin just sat there, smirking all the while as Ulquiorra took his leave. He snickered to himself lightly as he traced an invisible checkmark in the air with the tip of his finger, "Plan three: perfectly executed."
What had compelled her to do such a thing? To actually kiss him on the cheek?!
It was just a random urge…He was so nice to her. He took her to the sea out of the goodness of his heart without being ordered to. Well, even if he claimed to not have a heart, she knew otherwise. Everyone had a heart beating somewhere inside their soul allowing them to perform random acts of kindness—even Ulquiorra Schiffer.
He had made her so incredibly happy by allowing her to actually get a glimpse of the clear, blue sky once again. And the sun…it was so incredible! Had it always felt that great upon her skin?
As joyful as he made her, did that honestly mean she needed to go as far as to kiss him? She had never even kissed Kurosaki-kun on the cheek yet!
Orihime sighed heavily as she lay down on her back upon the couch, eyes gazing up mindlessly at the ceiling.
Why couldn't she get her mind off that certain Espada? It wasn't that she had any romantic feelings towards the guy…He was just her caretaker. Her babysitter. Her friend.
And friends don't kiss each other on the cheek. Well, some might…But that didn't mean she had to.
So what if Ulquiorra was attractive for an Arrancar? He wasn't nearly as good looking as Kurosaki-kun! Who cared if Ulquiorra's skin was as smooth and white like a porcelain china doll or that his eyes were as green and mesmerizing as a peaceful forest? And who cared if his voice was as smooth and deep as the ocean or that his hair was as dark and soft as the night sky over Hueco Mundo? Not she. She didn't care one bit.
And yet, she couldn't ease the rapid beating of her heart when she thought about him. When she first arrived at Las Noches, she often daydreamed about her friends back home. Naturally, Kurosaki-kun was the center of her pleasant thoughts.
Nowadays, her mind would often replay certain events that always had to do with Ulquiorra. Whether it was the first time he shoved food down or throat or the time he had pushed her down and climbed atop of her, she just couldn't quit thinking about him. Her cheeks faded into a pink, rosy color as she recalled the time he inhaled her scent after her shower. His breath upon her skin was so tantalizing, so alluring.
The redhead sighed heavily, shaking her head furiously. She had to stop thinking about him. She most definitely did not have a crush on Ulquiorra Schiffer. She wouldn't allow it! Not ever! Her heart belonged to Kurosaki-kun and he was on his way to save her at that very moment!
Ulquiorra had told her that Ichigo and the others were already at Las Noches. He was right since she often felt random bursts of their spiritual pressure. They must have been doing a lot of fighting these past few days…
Orihime felt guilty for constantly thinking about Ulquiorra. She needed to focus on her friends and perhaps her thoughts would reach them. If anything, she at least needed to be constantly praying for their safety. They were risking their lives to save her and yet here she was fantasizing about the enemy.
"Kurosaki-kun…Please hurry…If he shows anymore kindness towards me, I won't be able to stop myself. I won't be able to stop myself from betraying my love for you. Please, please hurry and take me away from here," the ginger haired girl whimpered lightly to herself.
"I'm coming in," called out a familiar voice from the outside of her door.
Speak of the devil…
Orihime shot up from her lying position and sat up straight. Hopefully, he didn't hear her babbling to herself about Kurosaki-kun… She instinctively began to comb through the tangles of her orange hair with her fingers, trying to make herself appear more presentable for the Espada. Once she realized what she had unconsciously done, the girl sighed heavily while neatly placing her hands back in her lap. What was she doing? She shouldn't care how she looked in front of Ulquiorra…
The door opened as Ulquiorra walked inside, his face appearing emotionless and blank as usual. "I've brought you your meal. It's not as exquisite as before but you will eat every bite of it as I instruct you to," said the cold Espada as he beckoned the servant Arrancar to wheel in the cart of food.
No, it was not as grand as Orihime had hoped. There were a few riceballs on a plate and a few pieces of sushi. It was better than what she had been served before and for that she was grateful; however, a small bowl off to the corner of the tray caught her attention. Instantly, she felt her heart pound against her chest as her cheeks flushed brightly in happiness—dango. He had given her a bowl of sweet bean dango.
Ulquiorra noticed the girl was staring at the delicious dumplings. He had told the servants to prepare the girl whatever they deemed fit just so long as they had made her some more dango. "Apparently, we didn't have any spare ingredients to make you a spectacular feast. Even so, I made sure you at least had something delectable to eat."
"This is more than I could ask for! I absolutely love dango but riceballs and sushi are extremely yummy, too!" Orihime exclaimed happily, clasping her hands together in a joyous movement.
With a polite bow, the servant Arrancar took its exit and left the Espada and the human alone. In no time at all, Orihime was popping a riceball into her mouth, chewing it thoughtfully.
Ulquiorra was slightly envious of the girl for enjoying something so trifle. Arrancar didn't need to eat regular so there was no need for him to engage in such an activity.
The redhead noticed Ulquiorra's intense gaze upon her causing her to feel a little self conscious. She blushed a little in embarrassment while averting his gaze as she continued to nibble on the delicious ball of rice. Once she finished the riceballs and the sushi, the girl reached for the delicious course of dango.
Ulquiorra's eyes never wavered as she popped a few into her mouth. Wondering what he wanted, Orihime glanced up at him with a nervous smile, "Would…you like one, Ulquiorra-sama?"
"It's Ulquiorra," the Espada replied flatly.
"I'm sorry but come again?" the girl asked in confusion, staring up at him blankly.
"It's just Ulquiorra—not Ulquiorra-sama," he said once more, turning his eyes away as to avoid her confounded gaze.
"What about Ulquiorra-san?" Orihime asked, wondering if that would do.
"No, just Ulquiorra," he replied with a bit more firmness in his tone.
"Ulquiorra-kun?" she piped out, hoping he would at least allow that.
"No, woman. Ulquiorra," he grunted, annoyed with the girl's persistence.
"Ulquiorra-chan?" She was unable to resist as she threw it out there, wanting to see just how 'Ulquiorra-chan' would sound coming from her mouth.
"You are mocking me, woman," the Espada sighed as he reached for a dango. He shoved it towards the girl's lips, forcing her to not say another word as it pummeled into her mouth.
Orihime tried to contain a giggle at Ulquiorra's obvious irritation at her. Once she swallowed the scrumptious sweet dumpling, she smiled up at him cheerfully, "All right then, Ulquiorra, if you want me to call you by your name, then you'll have to call me by mine."
"'Woman' suits you just fine," the raven haired male simply stated as he placed his hands back into his pockets.
"But that's not fair! You're making me call you Ulquiorra so why can't you call me Orihime? It's not hard. It's just Oh-Ree-Hee-Meh," the redhead said matter-of-factly as she sounded out her syllables.
"I will call you whatever I see fit," he merely replied as his eyes locked upon her. The girl pouted lightly, puckering out her lower lip in a puppy-like manner.
Ulquiorra sighed lightly, thinking back on the past few days' events from what Szayel Apporro Granz had told him to Gin Ichimaru's latest news. Nothing was set it stone yet…There was no way he would perform any sexual activity with the girl until ordered to.
"Ulquiorra?" Orihime asked as she peered up at him, "What's wrong? You look troubled…"
He looked away from her, avoiding her curious gray eyes. "I need to ask you something," he answered as he brought up one of his hands to wipe a few strands of his black hair from his eyes.
"Go ahead—ask me anything!" the redhead replied happily as she rocked back and forth on her toes and heels.
"Orihime," Ulquiorra began, that same nervous knot forming in his throat again, "What do you know about sex?"
Author's Note: WHOOOOO!!! What a way to end a chapter XD Thank you to all who reviewed!!! I'm almost at a 100 reviews and I've only been writing this fic a little over a month! You guys are amazing! Everything you guys say keeps me writing this and makes me update quickly It makes me sooooo happy that you all enjoy reading my story! I hope you all will continue to read this until the very end! :D There's a lot more to come so I promise to not disappoint!! As usual, let me know if I made any grammatical mistakes or if anything is a little off THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL THE WONDERFUL REVIEWS!!!! YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING!!!!