"Oh, Ulquiorra!" Orihime burst into a fit of nervous laughter as she slapped him roughly on the back like old pals did, "Ha ha ha, you're such a jokester! For a second there, I thought you were serious about asking me that!"
"I am serious," Ulquiorra grumbled, startled over the fact that she actually smacked him on his back. The question must've taken her by surprise to the point where she had forgotten her place.
Orihime had hoped he was joking. Her jaw was slightly agape as her cheeks blushed brightly in mortification. Her thin eyebrows furrowed lightly as another nervous laugh escaped from her lips, "Eh heh heh…Good job, Ulquiorra! You had me going again…To actually think…that you're…serious…." Her words began to slow down as she stared blankly at the stern expression upon Ulquiorra's face.
He had seriously asked her what she knew about sex.
"Enough joking around, woman," Ulquiorra said flatly, reverting back to her old nickname. "Now tell me everything you know about the act of sexual intercourse."
Was this a trick question? How should she respond? Maybe her initial reaction wasn't the best way to respond either but she felt like laughing out again once more. She wanted to giggle but not because of the fact she thought the subject of sex was a laughing manner but simply because it was extremely unlike Ulquiorra to ask such awkward questions.
"So…you're not joking," Orihime stated flatly as if trying to double check to see if he was. The Espada just simply stared back at her, his empty green eyes bearing into her own.
"Well, um…Wow, I don't know where to start," Orihime admitted shamefacedly as she looked down at the floor. She nervously tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear as she shifted around uncomfortably. Why would he ask her such an awkward question? This puzzled her greatly.
"But would you mind telling me why you want to know this?" the girl asked in a bemused manner, her orange tresses falling over her shoulders.
"Yes, in fact, I do mind. Stop stalling and just go ahead and tell me, woman. This is an order," the male demanded as he stood up straight, eagerly awaiting the girl's response.
"Um…well….sex is when a guy and a girl…Er, you know. They do it," Orihime whispered out, her cheeks as red as a freshly bloomed rose. Ulquiorra wondered why the girl was so nervous and uptight towards his question. Wasn't sex something completely normal for humans to do?
"They do it," Ulquiorra repeated, his expression never wavering. "They do what exactly?"
How should she put this? She could feel herself getting slightly dizzy from the impact of the question. This was too much for her to handle!
"They…um…" Orihime stammered as she felt that her heart was about to beat right out of her chest. "It's when a guy and girl put their things together…And…um…"
The girl wasn't telling him what he wanted to know. He knew for a fact that she knew more than that…Why wasn't she willing to tell him? With a sudden movement, Ulquiorra was instantly a few inches from her, his tall form towering over her slightly.
"Woman, you are wasting my time," He simply said, eyes hooked upon hers. He tucked one of his slender fingers underneath her chin, forcing her to tilt her head up in order to look at him. "You can either tell me what you know now or I swear that you will never see another dango as long as you live."
The anxious redhead stared up at him with eyes full of humiliation. This wasn't fair! He had no right to thrust an embarrassing question upon her and then threaten to steal her one joy out of her life. And to think she was starting to like him.
With a small gulp, Orihime managed to mutter out, "When a guy and girl fall in love, they eventually have sex. They often play around with each other's private areas to make the other feel good. Um, and then the guy is supposed to place his you-know-what inside the girl's you-know-what. It's supposed to feel extremely good."
The girl felt ashamed for saying such taboo things. Ulquiorra didn't seem to be phased in the least as he just continued to stare down at her.
"Have you ever had sex with anybody?" Ulquiorra asked calmly. He was certain that girl hadn't but he wanted to make sure just in case…
Orihime's eyes grew slightly wider as she flushed an even darker shade of red, "N-No! Of course not! I'm…saving myself."
"Saving yourself?" The Espada questioned lightly, continuing to hold her chin in place as to make sure she wouldn't try look away from him. "For what?"
"I'm saving my virginity until I find someone that I'm really in love with. I don't want to have sex with just anyone. It's something you do with the one person you love and no one else. I would really like to wait until marriage but who's to say that'll ever happen?" A nervous smile tugged at her lips as she maintained her gaze upon him.
"I see," was all the Espada said as he released her. He took a step away from the girl as his hands found their way to his pockets once more. "Can you tell me anything else?"
He wanted to know more? As if he hadn't humiliated her enough for one day! Orihime sighed lightly as she bit the inside of her cheek lightly in thought. What else was there to say? She had never done it before so she obviously didn't know as much about sex as much as others did. Why didn't he ask someone like Grimmjow or Nnoitra?
"Umm…during intercourse, there's supposed to be a big moment that you try to work for. I hear that once a girl and guy have their big moment, it's like an explosion of pleasure…" Orihime mumbled lightly as she was finally able to look away from him. "It's called an orgasm and apparently, that's what makes girls get pregnant."
"I see…Are you sure that is all you know, woman?" Ulquiorra asked as he stared at her uneasy form. The girl just nodded in response, praying he wouldn't ask her anything else.
"Very well, then. I must learn more about this orgasm. I will return in a few hours to see how you are doing," the Espada said as he headed towards the door. "When I return, let me know if there is anything you need."
Why did he want to know about that kind of stuff so badly? His every word embarrassed her more and more as she tried her best to ignore it. And then it her…
"Actually, Ulquiorra," Orihime piped up, her hopeful smile returning, "I have a favor to ask you."
He wasn't keen on favors. However, she had answered his question to the best of her abilities. The least he could do was hear her out.
"As you may know, it gets extremely boring in here. Is there any way you could bring me a book or a crossword puzzle game or something of the sort? Just something to keep myself occupied!" Orihime smiled pleadingly, batting her eyelashes in an innocent manner as if to provoke any emotion within the Espada.
He appeared to be untouched by her attempts to be cute. However, Aizen-sama did instruct him to show kindness towards her. Not to mention that the foolish book Ichimaru Gin wrote also suggested that getting women gifts was a way to win their heart.
Not that he wanted to win her heart in any form possible, that is.
Even so, the young man nodded once, "I will see what I can find." With that said he turned sharply and left the cold, dark room.
"Thank you, Ulquiorra," the redhead replied with a smile as the door was silently shut.
Ulquiorra made his way to the library, hands nonchalantly placed within his pockets (as usual) with his head held up high. He wasn't going to let this little "predicament" bother him. If no one was going to give him any direct answers, he would find them himself. Surely there were books on the process of mating that could help further his knowledge.
He stepped into the vast library, wondering where he should start looking.
Rows and rows of bookshelves that reached the high ceiling were spread out across the entire room. Ulquiorra had heard that the previous King of Las Noches, Barragan, spent a lot of his time reading. His love for reading was certainly was expressed through his acquirement of millions of books, apparently.
Ulquiorra headed towards the non-fiction section first. Perhaps he could find an educational book on the matter. Certainly they existed—Szayel Apporro Granz could only obtain his widely expanded information from scientific books, he assumed.
Fortunately for him, it didn't take long to find various books on sex.
With surprising grace, Ulquiorra was able to balance ten thick books in the palm of his hand as he continued browsing for more. Much to his dismay, there didn't appear to be any more books on that particular subject in the non-fiction section. Even so, he figured there was one more section of the Las Noches Library that could prove useful to him.
The romance novel section.
Ulquiorra had never read any himself, per se, but he had passed that section many times in his occasional visits to the library. His eyes scanned the titles of the novels as he looked for something of interest.
Lost in Your Eyes. Captivated by Love. Wrapped in Your Embrace. Trembling with Desire. The Count and His Wife. Betrayal by Love. In The Midst of the Night. Please Me. Trapped By Your Love. Sex in the Night. Chocolate Flavor. A Bed of Roses. Night of Seduction. Deadly Captor.
What nonsense, Ulquiorra thought to himself as he read the titles in his mind. It was a foolish thought to believe that such ineffectual stories would actually help him understand the process of love-making. He was about to walk away when a particular title caught his eye.
"My Master's Voice," He read aloud to himself quietly as he reached for the book. He pulled it out from its neat place on the bookshelf before staring at the cover. A bare woman was spread out upon a canopy of bed sheets with a shirtless young man towering over her. In the male's hands was a chain that was securely wrapped around the woman's throat. The Espada's eyes flickered in interest for a moment before he tucked the small book in one of his pockets—he would save this one for later. Perhaps it could be of some use to him.
He was about to take his exit before a fleeting thought passed through his mind.
"As you may know, it gets extremely boring in here. Is there any way you could bring me a book or something or a crossword puzzle game? Just something to keep myself occupied!"
Orihime's soft voice echoed through his mind as he set his textbooks down on the floor. He had one more thing to look for before he could leave.
With a quick pace, Ulquiorra browsed down a few aisles, looking for anything that could potentially strike the girl's fancy. Orihime didn't appear to be the type to enjoy reading complicated books—thick books about Quantum Physics wouldn't be her cup of tea.
Orihime seemed to have a wild imagination that any five year old human would be jealous of. If only Las Noches possessed children's picture books…
There didn't appear to be anything that would ease the girl's boredom. He figured her brain wouldn't have the capacity to complete any thick, scientific novel nor a biography of some useless historic figure…The hunt for a book for Orihime seemed helpless until a tiny section in the corner caught his attention.
A small bookshelf a fourth of the size of the other shelves lay hidden in a corner full of brightly colored books. They didn't appear to be books intended for children but perhaps he could find something in that shelf that could appeal to the girl.
He reached for one of the novels only to find that it was indeed full of pictures. It seemed to be some sort of a fairy tale book…
He detested fairy tales.
Nonetheless, Orihime Inoue was just the kind of girl that could lose herself in one of those. With an inaudible groan, Ulquiorra took a handful of those books while balancing them perfectly in the palm of his hand once again.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't the girl's babysitter," chuckled out a voice from behind Ulquiorra. "First you give her your coat as a blankie and now you're tucking her into bed and reading her stories. Really, Ulquiorra, I didn't realize what a softie' you've become!"
"I have better things to do than to waste my time in your presence, Grimmjow," the fourth Espada replied quietly, not even bothering to turn around and face the man behind him.
"Better things like screwin' your little girlfriend," spat the taller man with the hair the color of a clear sky.
"I will only screw the woman if I am ordered to," Ulquiorra retorted as he made his way past Grimmjow.
"Hey, don't walk past me, you little shit! I've got somethin' to tell you!" Grimmjow shouted after him as he clenched his fist tightly.
What gave Ulquiorra the right to talk down to him like that? Just because he was of a higher number than he didn't make a difference to Grimmjow in the least. The taller man stomped his foot roughly before reaching for Ulquiorra's collar. He was able to drag the raven haired Espada towards him but was slung against the wall by a blast of powerful cero before for doing so. The impact didn't injure him; however, as it only knocked him back away a few feet.
"Damn it you're fast, Ulquiorra…Fuck you! You think you're just so fuckin' strong," he growled irately as he glowered at the other male, eyes blazing with the fires of hatred.
"Don't waste my time, Grimmjow. I am in no mood to fight with you. I have much more important things to take care of," Ulquiorra stated as he walked over to the spot where he had left his other books on the floor.
"Well, I got somethin' to tell 'ya," the blue haired Espada snapped, trudging after his comrade.
"If it's another comment about the woman and I, then I really do not wish to hear it," Ulquiorra answered bluntly as he scooped up all his books.
"Well, I just thought you should know that I just saw Aizen walk into the girl's room. I don't think he saw me but I followed your reiatsu just so to tell you that. I just thought you might want to know…" Grimmjow snorted while scratching the top of his spiky hair in the process.
CRASH.
Ulquiorra dropped his entire handful of books as he slung Grimmjow against the wall once more. This time, however, Ulquiorra had his hands gripped on the other male's collar, pinning him against the hard wall, "What did you see?" The jade eyed male asked coldly. Grimmjow just stared back at the Fourth Espada in bewilderment, too astonished by his actions to even react in a harsh way.
"He was carrying a box. I dunno' what was in it," Grimmjow replied, his jaw clenching tightly as his eyebrows twitched.
Ulquiorra released his grip on the other male's collar as he took a step away from him. "Aizen-sama…walked into the woman's room," he repeated to himself quietly. Aizen-sama never went to anyone's room. He always expected his loyal subjects to come to him in his own chambers if he needed them. But never would he fetch someone himself.
It could only mean one thing…
"I had a feeling that was the case," Grimmjow grumbled as if he could read Ulquiorra's mind. Usually, he would have tried to punch Ulquiorra in the face if he pulled a stunt like slinging him around as if he were a ragdoll. This time, he would let it slide for he knew what it meant for Aizen-sama to actually fetch the girl himself. "Don't get the wrong idea, I don't care that he killed your little girlfriend. It's just…I thought you might wanted to know beforehand. In case you just walked in there and she's a twisted corpse," the six Espada grunted, looking away from Ulquiorra.
"It doesn't make sense," Ulquiorra muttered out in a whisper, "He had a plan for us. Why would he go through all the trouble of trying to make me mate with the girl just to find that he has no use for her anymore? Or, he could have at least ordered me to take care of the girl myself…"
"What the hell are you talkin' about? Aizen wanted you guys to fuck?" The cat-like male's jaw dropped slightly as he stared at the other Espada in doubt.
"I never received direct orders from Aizen-sama himself but he wanted the girl to produce a child for him. That is all you need to know," Ulquiorra said he left headed towards the exit of the library. He didn't bother picking up the books he dropped…He had no use for them anymore.
Grimmjow watched as Ulquiorra left the library. He let out a frustrated sigh as his arms folded over his chest. That Ulquiorra…he was obviously upset by the fact that it was certain the girl was dead. Why else would Aizen go after her himself?
Not that he cared in the least what happened to her. Grimmjow wasn't even worried about Ulquiorra… "She was just a human. Don't let it get to 'ya," the brawny Espada grumbled to himself as he sat down on the floor, his back rested against the wall. "Guys like you and me just aren't meant for sentiment…"
Ulquiorra stood outside the room that once belonged to Orihime. Aizen-sama should have left her by now—it wouldn't have taken him long to take her out. She was always so feeble…Anything could have killed her.
His green eyes stared longingly at the door. Her body was probably still in there; there was no way Aizen-sama would have cleaned up the mess himself and enough time hadn't passed for him to summon a servant to clean it up for him.
Ulquiorra placed a pale hand on the doorknob. He needed to see her one last time even though the thought of her mangled corpse distressed him. The Espada was not sure why he had a sinking feeling in his stomach. He should be glad Aizen-sama disposed of the girl. She was only a mere nuisance—he should be grateful he no longer had to worry about bringing her food everyday or listen to her idle jabber.
And yet, the thought of her smiling caused the area around his Hollow hole to burn like fire. He unzipped his jacket partly to expose his gaping hole. Much to his surprise, there was nothing inside his hole that could cause aggravation—just emptiness. He traced the edges of the hole with the tips of his black fingernails gently, as if hoping it would ease the throbbing pain.
Unfortunately, the aching in his chest did not subside. With a frustrated sigh, he zipped up his jacket and placed his hand back on the doorknob. He decided that he would clean up the girl's corpse himself if needed…The thought of one of the servants throwing her cadaver down a garbage chute just didn't seem appealing. Perhaps he would bring the girl's corpse back to her own world for a proper burial. It would be the least he could do after she suffered a horrendous death by Aizen's hands…
With a small gulp, he pushed opened the door awaiting the horrifying image of her lying lifeless on the cold, hard floor.
"EEEEEEEK! DON'T COME IN! I'M NOT DRESSED YET!" shrieked out a familiar, high-pitched voice.
The Espada caught a glimpse of shimmering red hair as a figure inside the room quickly turned her back towards him. "What ever happened to announcing your entrance, Ulquiorra-sama?!" cried out the voice of a particular female.
"It's just Ulquiorra. There is no suffix needed," the green eyed male replied impassively as he stared at Orihime Inoue's bare back, her long locks barely covering up her rear end.
She was alive. Aizen-sama didn't kill her.
"It's not like you to barge in here," Orihime said weakly as she stood underneath the window, her skin glimmering lightly from the moonlight's reflection, "Now I'm trying to change clothes so could I have a minute by myself, please?" Her cheeks were blushing brightly as she concealed her face from him, praying he would turn away.
If he didn't kill her, then why was Aizen-sama in her room? Ulquiorra took one small step towards the young woman, his hands reaching out instinctively. Orihime nearly gasped when she felt strong arms wrap around her waist to pull her back towards him, crashing her body against his powerfully built chest.
"U-Ulquiorra-sama! What are you doing?! I'm not dressed!" The ginger haired girl cried out, struggling against his embrace. Ulquiorra seemed to be unbothered by her pathetic attempts to free herself as he wrapped his arms around her tighter.
"He didn't kill you…" He whispered quietly, his lips inches from her ear, "You're alive…"
"Of course I am," Orihime reassured, her cheeks darkening with every passing second. What was up with Ulquiorra? Why he was hugging her? Orihime had never been held by a guy like this before—and by Ulquiorra, nonetheless! And she was naked, too!
Just as quickly as he had grabbed her, he released her. With agile speed, he left the room in one movement. Orihime turned around instantly to gaze upon her captor but only saw empty space where he had once been. Ulquiorra was certainly a quick one…
He left her standing in her room alone, a dumbfounded look upon her features. Her orange locks blew slightly from the breeze let in by the window, causing a few goose bumps to form along her uncovered body. She trembled lightly—but not from the wind.
She was trembling from his embrace. Ulquiorra Schiffer actually hugged her. But why did he believe she was dead? Why would Aizen-sama kill her? And more importantly, why did Ulquiorra care?
Orihime managed to stumble over to the small wooden table as she picked up a white, rectangular cardboard box.
"I have a request for you, Orihime-chan," Aizen had told her once he walked unannounced into her room, "I want you to wear this whenever you are in my presence." He handed her the box, a sly smirk upon his lips. Orihime looked up at him questioningly, an oblivious look on her facial features. This only made Aizen grin even more.
"You're our princess, Orihime. A princess deserves the most beautiful gowns when in the presence of her king. Also, why don't you show Ulquiorra how it looks on you when he comes back to check on you, hm? I'm sure he'd be most delighted to see you look ravishing."
The man had left as abruptly as he had come. Not long after he left her room had she opened the box with innocent curiosity. Inside it was a beautiful white, silky gown. She held the dress up against her, inspecting it more clearly with gray eyes full of surprise and wonder. It was a strapless formal gown that reached the floor with glistening sequins that covered it in gorgeous sparkles.
Why did Aizen-sama present her with such a lovely gift? She most certainly didn't deserve it. She had only healed a handful of Arrancar during her stay and it wasn't quite time for her to restore the Hogyoku yet (not that she planned on restoring it anyways). It was such a spectacular gown…It just didn't make sense as to why he would present it to her himself.
She had begun to undress until Ulquiorra disturbed her with the most shocking of actions.
The girl's mind played over the scene a few times over before she forced herself to dress herself in the lovely gown. Much to her surprise, it fit her body's composition perfectly. It clung to her skin in a tight, accentuating way while complimenting her figure. The dress made her breasts appear fuller while highlighting her perfectly rounded rear.
Orihime secretly wished for a mirror as she admired herself. Even when she was in the human realm, it wasn't often that she was able to wear such glamorous attire! She smiled lightly to herself as she tucked her hair behind her ears.
Maybe Aizen-sama wasn't all that bad. He was trying to make her feel less and less like a prisoner. Even so, she knew his kindness would only go so far. The man was an evil criminal and would soon be stopped by Kurosaki-kun and the others—she was certain of that.
And yet, she was grateful he hadn't turned her into a sex slave for the Espada or forced her to be their maid. He was actually trying to pamper her.
"Are you dressed yet? I'm coming in," said a voice from behind her door.
Ulquiorra. She had forgotten all about him.
"Also, why don't you show Ulquiorra when he comes back to check on you, hm? I'm sure he'd be most delighted to see you look ravishing."
Orihime didn't have any time to react as Ulquiorra made his way into her room. Much to his surprise, the girl wasn't wearing her usual clothing.
"What is the meaning of this, woman?" the Espada grumbled as he ran one of his hands through his thick black hair in annoyance.
"Oh, um, you see, Aizen-sama brought me this. He told me to wear it while in his presence and I thought I'd just try it on," the girl said in a sheepish manner, an uneasy smile making its way upon her lips.
Ulquiorra's green eyes fastened upon the girl's remarkable form. Never before had he laid eyes on such a gorgeous creature. "Aizen-sama came all the way to your room…just to bring you that wretched outfit?" The Espada didn't mean for the words to come out so harshly but he wasn't about to admit that he had never seen such a beautiful garment upon a woman before. But perhaps it wasn't the garment that was beautiful but the wearer herself…
"You…really don't like it, Ulquiorra-sama?" Orihime asked quietly, a solemn look crossing over her features.
With a silent sigh, the Espada turned his back towards her, "It's Ulquiorra. Do not make me correct you again, Orihime."
The sorrowful look in her eyes didn't last long as she instantly perked up by the sound of her name.
"I am going to retrieve the books I left in the library. By the time I come back, you better be dressed in your usual uniform. Understand?" His typical unemotional voice returned back as he headed towards the door.
"But wait—Ulquiorra!" Orihime called out shyly as she fidgeted nervously with her hands, "I want you to tell me one thing first before you leave…"
Ulquiorra glanced at the girl over his shoulder, his hand resting neatly on the doorknob, "If your question regards to Aizen-sama's visit, then the answer is no, I was not worried about your well being. It would just have been highly inconvenient for you to be dead after all the trouble you have put me through. For Aizen-sama to come to your room at this unexpected time of the day just to bring you a present is highly unusual. Even though that may be, do not believe it is because he is infatuated with you. He probably only wanted to flatter you into making sure you would perform your duties as usual. Think of it as a motivational gift."
Orihime looked down at the floor, shifting uncomfortably, "That's not what I was going to ask…It has nothing to do with Aizen-sama." Her voice grew incredibly softer as she could feel her heart's pace quicken ever so lightly.
"Then what is it, woman?" the Espada asked in a monotonous tone.
"Do you think…I look pretty?" the human asked quietly as she brought her gaze up to meet his.
The question caught the Espada completely off guard. What should he say? Should he tell her that the very sight of her caused the area beneath his waist to pound awkwardly? Or that he felt a slight swelling in his chest when he realized that the girl was still under the mercy of Aizen-sama?
In the end, he chose his words carefully and precisely.
"No," Ulquiorra simply stated as he opened the door. Orihime felt her heart sank by his sharp words, feeling as if her confidence was just trampled on by a stampede of raging horses.
"You look beautiful," the Espada corrected before he shut the door behind him, leaving Orihime with tears of unexpected joy welling up in her eyes.
Author's Note: SQUEEEEEEE!!!!! I hope you guys like this one Sorry it took a few days for me to update…I made it a bit longer than the others ^.^ Oh, and thank you all for letting this story reach over 120 reviews! It means so much to me w I still have a lot more to write for this story but once it is over, I plan on making a lot of UlquiHime one-shots!! So be on the lookout ^_~ And once again, THANK YOU TO ALL WHO REVIEWED!!!! ^_____^