Author's Note: SORRY FOR THE DELAY EVERYBODY!!!!! I meant to update a lot sooner but I had a major debates with myself with what routes I should take with this story. I couldn't decide if I wanted to stick more with the original manga storyline or just entirely come up with my own thing. In the end, I decided to use just a few scenes from the actual manga/anime and have everything else be based on my own creative imagination. The scene is Ulquiorra and Orihime talking about Chad is the only thing I'm using directly from the anime/manga right now. The whole thing with Rukia and Kaien is going to take place at a different time which means Ulquiorra isn't going to provoke Ichigo into fighting him. So I hope this clears up a little bit of confusion! I only wanted to use the particular scene with Ulquiorra antagonizing Orihime to help deepen the plot further. So yeah, don't expect this story to have be parallel with the manga storyline. I hope you guys are okay with that Enjoy the chapter and I am SOOO sorry for the delay!! I'll try to update a lot faster as I normally promise Oh, and please read and review if you don't mind ^^ It certainly does encourage me to update quicker!! ^__^
Since when did Las Noches seem drearier than usual? The stark white walls had never bothered him before; in fact, they had even given him a sense of tranquility. So why did they seem so dull and lonely now?
The image of the woman standing nude in the moonlight played through the Cuarto Espada's mind. Her back was facing him as she turned her head to look at him over her shoulder, her flowing orange locks barely covering up her perfectly rounded backside. He tried to conceal his look of admiration upon her exposed form but was unsuccessful. Luckily, the girl had been far too bashful over her own unclothed body to notice the obvious desire in his eyes.
At that point, his mind was full of mixed sensations such as relief and desire. He had been relieved that she was alive and he had the strangest desire to reach out and touch her. He wasn't sure what had overcome him but the urge to embrace her had become too strong.
The girl had a strange power over him. A power that not even Aizen-sama himself could surpass.
Days after that incident, Ulquiorra had begun to distance himself from her completely. There was no way he was going to continue to allow the woman to have such a strong influence over him.
Distance was the only solution. He would temporarily place Aizen-sama's commands for him to be kind to the girl on hold… At least until he could fully understand what was happening to his body and just why this girl had a form of control over him.
Ulquiorra continued to stroll down the hallway with his chin tilted upwards in a cocky manner as he made his way towards the kitchen. He was an Espada. He just couldn't allow the woman to have such a strong hold on him.
It was time for her dinner and she had refused to eat. That was clearly unacceptable. As much as he didn't want to, he would result to force-feeding her once again if needed.
But who was he fooling? There were other reasons why he knew distancing himself was a wonderful idea…
If Ichimaru Gin was correct, he would soon be forced to impregnate her and when he did, she would die.
Getting any closer to the girl was not an option anymore.
He made his way to the grand kitchen, not even bothering to knock upon the massive door leading to it. None of the other Espada ever wandered into the kitchen—there was never a need. Ulquiorra was certain he was the only superior being to ever step foot in that place. Knocking wasn't necessary.
With a gentle push against the heavy door, Ulquiorra found himself in an unfamiliar room. It was a rather large room with various kitchen appliances such as ovens, refrigerators, and even microwaves. Aizen-sama was one of the only ones in Las Noches that actually ate. He must've had a wide variety of tastes in order to have so many ways of having his servants prepare him food…
Ulquiorra's green eyes fell upon a tiny servant Arrancar with a skeletal-like face and an emaciated body.
"You," he simply said, addressing the lesser being, "I need for you to prepare a meal for my prisoner. I don't care what you make—just make it quick."
With a polite nod, the frightened servant immediately sprung into action to prepare a small dinner. As he waited, Ulquiorra's eyes wandered the colossal room. Orihime would probably have a giggling fit if she knew they had a kitchen this big for only one man. Maybe if it was convenient for him one day, he would take her here to cook for herself. She would probably enjoy that…
He instantly snapped the thought away from his mind. He wasn't supposed to make the girl happy right now. He just needed to stay as far away from her as he possibly could without disobeying Aizen-sama's orders…
Ulquiorra delved deeper into his thoughts but was abruptly awaked by a sudden drop of spiritual pressure throughout Las Noches.
He closed his empty green eyes and focused lightly, trying to detect whose reiatsu it was that dropped so drastically.
Yasutora Chad. One of Orihime's supposed nakama. Apparently, he just lost to Nnoitra. The spiritual pressure hadn't completely dispersed so it was possible the human was still alive.
"Nnoitra," Ulquiorra whispered to himself. He was the cause of the boy's death. Not that it mattered to him but wasn't Nnoitra ordered to stay in his own chambers as punishment for what he did to the woman awhile ago?
Orihime was probably in a fit by now, consumed with woe over her friend's possible death. She was most likely staring out the window, drowning in a pit of uncontrollable tears. He needed to get to her right away and…
…and what? What could he do? Tell her that her friend was alive and that everything would be okay? He was not about to comfort the woman in any way possible. He glanced at the busy Arrancar servant who was hurriedly trying to prepare a meal. It seemed nearly complete…
Ulquiorra let out a muted sigh as he leaned his back against the doorway. Why did his chest burn at the thought of the girl weeping to herself? He knew for a fact now that he was indeed sexually attracted to the woman, as much as the thought repulsed him. According to one of the books he had borrowed from the library, his penis would grow erect when sexually stimulated by a member of the opposite sex by either visual stimulation or physical stimulation. If the very thought of Orihime's exposed body caused his groin to tingle, then there was no way the book was incorrect on that assumption.
And yet, none of the books explained the aching in his chest. Perhaps he cared about the girl in more ways other than sexual attraction?
Impossible.
"Bring the food to the girl's room when it's ready," Ulquiorra told the servant as he once again made his way back to the Orihime's quarters.
He didn't care about the girl. He couldn't. He hadn't a heart to do so.
"I'm coming in," he said from outside the door before walking in. Just as he suspected, the girl was staring out her window liked the caged bird she was. For some reason, he never grew tired of seeing her fiery red hair dance in the draft that had been let in.
She turned to face him with intense gray eyes. Much to his surprise, she hadn't been crying. He silently wondered why as he took another step inside the room. "So you've noticed," he replied calmly as he buried his hands in his pockets. "That fool Nnoitra got impatient. He had been ordered to stay put in his chambers."
"Sado-kun isn't dead," Orihime bluntly stated as her silver eyes narrowed at him slightly. "He's not.." Once she felt his eyes upon her, she looked away while bringing up one of her arms to embrace the other. His steely gaze made her more uncomfortable with each passing second…
Ulquiorra couldn't tell if she was trying to convince him of Chad's state or herself… His enchanting green eyes watched her intensely as she continued to look away from him. Ulquiorra could hear the footsteps of the Arrancar servant bringing her the cart of food. "Enter," he plainly told the servant.
The sound of the rolling cart provided the only noise as Orihime continued to look away from her captor.
"Here is your meal," Ulquiorra said, peeling his eyes away from her apprehensive form, "Eat."
"I don't want it," Orihime replied, eyes narrowing at him once again.
That's what he was afraid she'd say… "Until Aizen-sama says otherwise, staying alive is also one of your duties. Eat." Ulquiorra matched her stubborn gaze with his own, causing her to flinch lightly.
He was being harsh once again. With a determined look, Orihime simply shook her head lightly.
Did she honestly want to have a repeat of their previous encounters? He had thought she had grown tired of it by now. "Shall I force it down your throat?" he asked blankly, eyes never leaving her figure. "Or would you rather be strapped down and given IV's?" Perhaps a new threat would be enough to jolt her back into taking orders.
The girl never turned to face him as she nearly burned a hole in the ground with her concentrated staring. "Sado-kun isn't dead," she repeated in a calm tone.
"You're annoying me," Ulquiorra retorted, containing a sigh that was building up in his throat. "It doesn't matter one way or another. What do you want me to say? 'Don't worry. I'm sure he's still alive.' Pathetic." The words came out more ruthless than he had intended them to.
"I'm not here to pamper you," the Espada continued on as he noticed the look of gloom appearing on her face more vividly with every word he uttered. The girl's emotions never seemed to make sense to him. She should have abandoned all hope of her friends' survival from the beginning.
'That's what happens when you cling to hope,' the pale skinned Espada thought silently to himself. 'You set yourself up for despair.'
When Orihime didn't reply, he began to antagonize her even more. "I don't understand you," he began, "Why do you care so much about whether or not he's alive?"
Orihime sharply turned around to face him, startled by his question. Before she could even answer, he continued on once again.
"Before long, all your friends will be dead anyway," he told her ruthlessly. If she hadn't realized that yet than now was the time. "What does it matter if one was killed a bit sooner than planned? They should have realized that this would have happened from the start."
"Stop it…" Orihime whispered quietly as she turned her pale eyes away from him once more. His words were too painful—there was no way she wanted to believe that.
"And if they didn't, they were fools," he told her. If the woman didn't understand that much then she too was a fool.
Orihime turned to face him once again, a look of horror filling her eyes as a small gasp emitted from her lips.
"You should be able to laugh all this off if you think of them as such," Ulquiorra carried on as his eyes never left her form. "Why can't you do that? I would be angry at their stupidity of entering Hueco Mundo without first considering the limits of their strength."
Something began to stir inside Orihime's soul, causing her eyes to widen in fury and her body to react on impulse. She wouldn't hear any more of it. She couldn't take it anymore. Without another single thought, the frail girl lashed out at him with all her might.
SMACK.
The sound of the girl's tender palm slapping against the cold, hard cheek of the Espada echoed throughout the room. Neither said anything for a moment as the heavy breathing of the girl provided the only source of sound.
To say he was shocked would have been an understatement. Many of the other Espada would have sliced off her head right then and there if she had slapped them instead. To actually lash out at a superior like Ulquiorra was just unheard of!
Ulquiorra's vibrant green eyes just stared at her in disbelief for a moment as he watched her pant heavily. Orihime's eyes were filled with anger as she glared at him as coldly as she could.
Wait. That wasn't anger in her eyes…
It was hurt. Agony.
His words had sliced through her heart like a sword. Instead of crying, Orihime had resorted to a violent act. Through her mental suffering, she had actually lashed out at him in hopes of inflicting pain. It didn't work, however. If a mere slap could cause Ulquiorra to cringe, then he wouldn't be the fourth Espada.
He stared at her for a moment, no form of emotion flickering in his eyes. With a swift movement, he then turned sharply on his heels and walked towards the door. "I will return in one hour," He said, "If you have not eaten by then, I will strap you down and force it down your throat. Keep that in mind."
As he walked out the door, he could hear her sobs echoing down the hallway. It was pointless to shed any tears for her fallen comrades. After all, her impending doom was just around the corner. Once Aizen-sama gave the order, he'd be on her like a lion pouncing on a helpless rabbit.
And a few months later, she would die.
He took a few more steps down the hallway before turning his head around to get one more glance at her door.
"Orihime," he whispered quietly under his breath, "I'm…sorry."
As to why he felt compelled to mutter those words to himself, he was unsure. Even so, it just felt like the right thing to do. He was the cause of her pain. He was the one that brought her here. He was the reason she was going to die.
"Ulquiorra," said a voice from down the hallway. "What are you doing?"
With a sharp turn, Ulquiorra jerked around to see just who the voice belonged to.
Espada Numero Tres: Tia Harribel.
What was she doing? There she was, standing about fifty feet from him with a look of accusation in her bright turquoise eyes. Her messy blonde hair hung behind her back in three tight pigtails as her long eyelashes kissed her cheeks tenderly. She folded her perfectly sculpted arms over her enormously large chest while she continued to stare at him. Her entire midriff, as well as a great portion of her breasts, was exposed from her rather revealing outfit, yet part of her face was hidden behind the collar of her top. Ulquiorra had often wondered why such a quiet, reserved woman like Harribel would wear such a trashy outfit.
"I was tending to the girl," the green eyed Espada replied, placing his hands in his pockets. "However, I don't see how it is any business of yours."
Harribel said nothing as her deep eyes never left him. She remained quiet for a moment before she spoke out from behind the cloth covering her mouth, "Its Aizen-sama's business. He sent me here to find you to tell you he needed to speak with you."
Ulquiorra said nothing as he walked right past her, a look of insouciance upon his face.
Tia Harribel watched him as he walked by her, eyes staring at him with great interest, "I'll give you a warning. He's not happy with you."
"Once again, I don't see how that is any business of yours," Ulquiorra replied, trying to hide the slight worry in his voice. Why was Aizen-sama upset with him? Hadn't he performed all his duties to the best of his ability? What had he done wrong?
"I'm only trying to warn you, Numero Cuarto. I'm sure she'd be very sad should something happen to you," the dark skinned blonde said in a hushed tone.
"She?" Ulquiorra asked, stopping his tracks for a moment to glance over his shoulder at the woman.
"The girl. Orihime. She'd be beside herself should Aizen-sama punish you," Harribel was grinning slightly underneath her collar, knowing good and well Ulquiorra wouldn't be able to see it.
"The girl would not be inconvenienced. In case you were unaware of it, the girl detests me with her every being," Ulquiorra answered before he began walking down the hallway once again. He glanced over his shoulder once more to see if Harribel was still there. As he had expected, she had completely vanished.
"Women," he groaned to himself in annoyance.
Why? Why would he say such things? Why did he want to hurt her so badly? What did she do to deserve it?
Orihime sat down on the cold, cement floor, eyes looking up at the sky outside her window. She could feel it—Chad's reiatsu. It was very small…but she could still feel it. He was alive.
Ulquiorra had known it, too, and yet he didn't bother to try to reassure her.
"I'm not here to pamper you."
His frozen words echoed through her mind, coursing through her brain like a deadly poison.
"Of course I know you're not here to pamper me…I'm not here on vacation or anything," Orihime mumbled to herself in frustration. Tears continued to fall from her eyes like rain drops, drenching her cheeks. "But I thought we were friends."
He had begun to become her only source of hope. Every time she saw him, something in her chest would flutter like she was going down a roller coaster with many exciting loops. Something about him stirred something warm in her chest which baffled her greatly. Ulquiorra was her captor—nothing more.
And yet, there was something about his iridescent green eyes that made her drawn to him. Each and every time he looked upon her, goose bumps would shoot across her flesh like fireworks. Orihime was unsure if it was because his cold gaze frightened her or if it excited her. Being with Ulquiorra was definitely thrilling—she never knew what he was going to do next. Was he going to act friendly towards her? Was he going to threaten her? His constant mood swings would indeed leave her dizzy but it at least would ease her boredom by keeping her wondering as to what he would surprise her with.
Even though most of his surprises left her heart aching…
She should have known better than to befriend an enemy. She was definitely suffering from Stockholm Syndrome—there was no doubt about it.
"I can't believe I thought he may have been suffering from Lima Syndrome…I can't believe I thought he might have cared about me," she whispered quietly to herself. She wondered if her precious fairies could hear her from inside her hairclips. When she had first arrived to Las Noches, she had summoned her fairies to have someone to talk to from inside her lonely prison cell. Ulquiorra had instantly scolded her and told her to never call upon them again unless instructed by him or Aizen-sama to do so.
"I'm so stupid," she muttered out. "He really is a bad guy but here I am wishing he'd be my best friend. Oh, if only he'd smile! If Ulquiorra were to show me one kind smile, why, I might even fall for him!"
She instantly covered her mouth with her hands after she uttered those forsaken words. There was no way she'd ever get a crush on Ulquiorra Schiffer! Even if he was in fact more handsome than Ichigo Kurosaki. He was also cooler, manly, and more enthralling than Kurosaki-kun, too. And those strong arms of his seemed so inviting to the point where she could be happy lying in them all day. And those dazzling eyes of his! Oh, how she could be lost in them forever!
There she was again—daydreaming about the wrong guy. Kurosaki-kun was her hero! He was her knight in shining armor! Ulquiorra was just the dark, evil prince that had kidnapped her to this God-forsaken place.
Dark, evil prince.
Orihime looked up at her desk, eyes falling upon the fairytale book that she had been reading earlier. The girl rubbed lightly at her reddened eyes that had swollen from her painful tears. After forcing herself up from the cold ground, she then sauntered over to the book, picking it up with a small frown.
"What happens to the princess at the end, I wonder?" Orihime spoke to herself as she flipped over the book. She turned to the very last page, deciding that she would read the middle of the story another day when she wasn't feeling so depressed.
Her eyes scanned over the last few words on the page. As she suspected, the only words on that final page were, "And they lived happily ever after."
That was reassuring. If the princess in the story could have a happy ending, maybe she could, too. She assumed a knight in shining armor from a neighboring kingdom rescued the princess from the evil kingdom after slaying the evil king and the evil prince.
Out of curiosity, she turned a few pages back, her eyes widening in disbelief at what she saw.
There was a picture on of the pages of the beautiful princess placing her lips upon the evil prince. However, the illustration of the dark prince was painted differently than he had been before. His black hair was longer and two long horns stuck out from the top of his head. He was covered in strange fur from his waist down as long, bat-like wings jutted out from his bare back.
"'Don't worry, I forgive you,' the beautiful princess told the transformed dark prince. 'I love you very much as you are! I know you'd never hurt me. If it means to rescue you from a horrible fate, I will gladly sacrifice myself.' With a tender kiss, the princess gladly obliged to the dark prince's request.
What did this mean?! What was happening?! Orihime flipped a page only to realize that a few more pages had been torn out. The next scene was of the dark prince battling many soldiers while in his original, human-like form that he had bore during the beginning of the story.
"The dark prince began to battle his father's forces, rebelling against him with everything he had. Although fatally wounded, he managed to overcome many of the evil king's strongest soldiers."
Much to her dismay, the next few pages were also torn out. The following page was an illustration of the princess back in her own kingdom. Even though she was back in her own beautiful country, she possessed a sorrowful look upon her beautiful features as her blonde hair blew faintly in the wind.
"The princess was constantly distressed over the loss of her lover. She vowed to never love again until the day she would pass on into the afterlife where she swore to find him again."
Once again, the next few pages were torn out. How could somebody massacre such an important book such as this?! Where were the missing pages?!
"And they lived happily ever after."
No illustrations were on that final page—just empty words. Who were the ones that were granted the happily ever after?
With a frustrated groan, Orihime slouched down against the floor. "So I guess this story isn't talking about me after all. Why did the princess fall in love with the dark prince? That's not how fairy tales are supposed to go…No princess has ever fallen in love with the bad guy," she whined to herself. At least the story had made her get her mind off of Chad's injuries and Ulquiorra's harsh words temporarily.
"What a…childish story," Orihime whispered as she leaned her head up against the wall, "There are no happy endings when you get close to the enemy."
"You wished to see me, Aizen-sama?" Ulquiorra asked once he was inside his master's all-to-familiar chambers.
Sousuke Aizen sat upon his throne inside his large, empty room. His eyes were narrowed to slits as he stared down at his minion. Never before had he glared so intently at his loyal servant before—especially when Ulquiorra was certain that he hadn't done anything wrong.
"You've disobeyed me, Ulquiorra," the man said sternly, his eyes locked upon Ulquiorra's kneeling form.
"Forgive me, my Lord, but may I ask what I have done to provoke such wrath with you?" the Espada asked politely, his head bowed down low in respect.
"Ulquiorra, I would like to remind you of something before I begin," the king of Las Noches said, propping his chin into his fist as he leaned on the arm of the chair. "There are hidden video cameras everywhere in Las Noches. You should know that nothing escapes my eyes, Ulquiorra. Do you understand that?"
The Espada continued to bow in the utmost respect as his eyes stared down at the floor beneath him. What was his Lord talking about? What had he done wrong?
"I had given you strict orders to treat Orihime Inoue with kindness, did I not? You have no heart and even though you are incapable of feeling anything, I actually believed you could carry out this simple task. All you needed to do was bring her food, fill her ears up with kind words, or even be a shoulder for her to cry on," Aizen continued, his eyes glaring down more angrily with every passing moment.
"I beg of your forgiveness, Aizen-sama," Ulquiorra replied calmly, knowing where this was going. Aizen-sama had just heard his previous conversation with the woman…
But who could blame him? The girl was a fool for placing her trust in such worthless mortals. She should have known they would all be killed eventually—it's not like Ulquiorra himself was responsible for their demise. He had only told her the truth whether or not she wanted to hear it.
"You should have reassured her, Ulquiorra," the slick haired man grunted in annoyance. "Would it have killed to say just one kind thing to her? Do you understand the severity of the situation?"
Ulquiorra said nothing as he simply continued to bow. To be truthful, he was unaware of the 'severity' of the situation. He didn't see how befriending Orihime would make any difference to Aizen-sama's master plan.
"The girl is only here of her own will for one reason—her friends' lives. Originally, if she had refused to come with you to Hueco Mundo, her friends would have been killed, correct? The same thing goes for her here. If she refuses to comply with orders, her friends will be killed relentlessly," Aizen-sama said as he began to pick at his fingernails. He hated having to explain everything…And to Ulquiorra, one of his most intellectual servants, no less.
"But her friends' deaths are inevitable. They will all die here eventually," Ulquiorra said to his master in a gentle tone.
"And when that happens, she will have no reason to follow our orders anymore. Through her despair, she will end up disobeying me which will lead to her death," the ex-shinigami captain added, "That is why she needs something else to live for. Someone else to live for."
Aizen-sama's intense gaze fell upon Ulquiorra. The Espada's silence lead him to believe that there was nothing else to be said. Surely he must've understood by now…
"You are dismissed, Ulquiorra. Go correct your mistake and make amends with our princess. I will see you in one day to check on her status. Do not disappoint me."
"As you wish, my Lord," Ulquiorra answered politely as he stood up to leave. The only words going through his mind were damn it, damn it, damn it over and over again.
"Woma—I mean, Orihime. I'm coming in," Ulquiorra said from outside the girl's door. He couldn't hear any sobbing so she must have calmed down by now, thankfully.
His white hands pushed open the door to the dark room quietly as he peered inside. Instead of staring dreamily out the window, the girl lay fast asleep on the couch. The moonlight crept in from outside the window, gleaming on her sleeping form.
Why was it that the moon always seemed to shed its luminance upon the girl in the most glorious of ways? She looked like a sleeping angel as her eyes remained gracefully closed while her lips parted from each other ever so lightly.
The young male stepped in silently, his footsteps barely making a noise as he made his way over to her.
He managed to get a closer look at her which allowed him to realize that Orihime's cheeks were wet as tears still played in the corner of her eyes. The pitiful girl had cried herself to sleep apparently…
Making amends with her didn't seem to be the best option right now. She looked too peaceful to be disturbed…Besides, she probably wasn't ready to forgive and forget what he said so easily just yet.
He was about to make his way back to the door before he heard soft mumbling emit from her tender lips.
"Please…don't go…" the girl whispered out in her slumber. Ulquiorra's deep green orbs locked on her sleeping form, wondering what she was dreaming about. Probably one of her pathetic friends, the Espada assumed. She was probably begging for the one named Chad to do not go away or die.
"Please…don't leave me here alone…" the redhead continued to whisper out softly, "Ulquiorra."
Ulquiorra froze in his place as he kept on staring at her. Did he hear her right? Did she actually mutter out his name? Surely not. He was probably the last person she ever wanted to stay with her.
"Ulquiorra-sama," she mumbled out once again, "Please don't go…Stay with me."
She had said it again. There was no doubt about it—she was dreaming of him.
Ulquiorra bent down on one knee as he knelt down closer to her. "Don't worry, Orihime. I'm not going anywhere," he reassured in a hushed tone. Why did the girl care about him so much; especially after all the cruel things he had said to her?
"Silly girl…You shouldn't be calling out for me. Call out for your precious Kurosaki-kun," he grunted as he reached out porcelain hand to stroke through her fiery locks tenderly. "I only cause you pain."
As if she heard what he said, the girl replied back in her sleep, "Ulquiorra…You're cuter than Kurosaki-kun."
Ulquiorra actually blinked a few times in confusion by the girl's words. She thought…he was cute? Out of all the adjectives to describe him, she had chosen cute. It made him wonder what she was actually dreaming about…
Then again, he probably didn't want to know.
The girl would be mortified if she ever found out what she had told him in her sleep. To prevent her from embarrassing herself any further, the Espada shook her lightly.
"Woman. Get up," he quietly told her. She didn't seem to budge as she continued to mutter out more strange words.
"…all you have to do is smile…and then…it'll happen…can't help it…smile and…I'll do it…" Orihime uttered out as she twitched slightly in her sleep.
"Woman. Wake up now. Do not make me drag you up by your hair," Ulquiorra grumbled. Wait—maybe he shouldn't have said that. Just how many video cameras did Aizen-sama have placed in here anyway?
"I'll do it…if you smile…can't help it…it'll happen…be careful…it will…" the girl's sleeping form muttered out. She didn't seem to be phased by his threats in the least.
With an ounce of curiosity, Ulquiorra leaned in closer to the girl, placing his black-stained lips near her ear, "What will happen if I smile, woman?" he asked out of curiosity.
"I can't help it…I won't be able to stop it…no matter what…" She grumbled in her sleep, shifting lightly as she did so.
"What will you not be able to help, woman? Tell me," he mumbled, his warm breath tickling her ear.
"I'll fall for you," the girl replied before shooting her eyes open. Ulquiorra jerked back in the nick of time as the girl jumped up into a sitting position, a heavy gasp escaping her lips.
"U-U-U-U-U-," the girl stuttered as she stared at him with a horrified expression. Her cheeks were bright red as she felt her heart beating as fast as the speed of light. She couldn't even manage to cry out his name in shock in her stunned state.
"It's all right. I didn't do anything to you. You were just calling out my name in your sleep and I decided to check on you," the Espada said calmly as he stood up from his keeling position, dusting off his white hakama pants in the process.
"I said my name in your sleep?" Orihime blinked a few times in puzzlement as she looked at him in disbelief. "Are you…sure?"
"What reason would I have to lie to you, woman?" Ulquiorra asked as he shoved his hands in his pockets once again.
Orihime began to panic slightly. She knew she had been dreaming about him but she had no idea she actually talked in her sleep about him! Oh no…This was bad! "A-Are you sure I said 'Ulquiorra'? Maybe I said something like 'U-key-door-a' or 'Ukie-dukie' or—"
"What reason would you have to say such foolish nonsense like that in your sleep?" The pokerfaced Espada inquired as his jade eyes peered down at her in interest. Was the girl trying to cover herself up? She had spoken about him in her dream yet here she was denying it for some strange reason.
"I..uh…well…" the ginger haired female stammered as she fiddled with a few strands of her hair nervously. "What all did I say about you, Ulquiorra-sama?" Her cheeks were tinted with the slightest hint of pink as her eyes focused on the floor.
Ulquiorra pondered inwardly to himself on whether or not he should tell her the truth. Had the girl not admitted that she would fall for him should he ever show a smile? She probably was dreaming something absolutely outrageous for her to actually say something like that in her sleep. It was probably just a fluke—nothing to be taken seriously.
"You said something would happen should I ever smile. Something you would be unable to help," Ulquiorra told her, "and that was all."
At least part of it was true. Ulquiorra found that there was no need to tell her anything else. The girl was humiliated enough over the fact she actually dreamt about him, it seemed. At least those were the vibes she was giving off…
"I see…" Orihime whispered quietly, her cheeks turning slightly darker as she continued to look down embarrassedly.
Ulquiorra failed to mention that the girl had also called him cute. There was no need for him to tell her that either…
"If it makes you feel any better," the dark haired male said in a bleak tone, "there is absolutely no chance of me ever smiling."
Orihime frowned at his words as she forced herself to look at him, "Oh, I see…that really saddens me to hear you say that. Everyone needs to find something they can smile about."
"And what, Orihime Inoue, makes you smile?" He questioned, effervescent eyes gazing upon her with mild amusement.
The question took the girl by surprise as she looked up towards the ceiling in thought, "Hmmm…That's a good question! Just about anything can make me smile! Just seeing the bright sun gleaming in the sky is enough to make me grin! Or a vanilla ice cream cone on a hot, summer day! Puppy dogs and kitty cats can also make me smile…Oh, even silly commercials on the television make me smile, too! Come to think of it, it's very easy to make me smile!" the girl exclaimed, completely lost in her thoughts.
"So basically nothing that Hueco Mundo offers you will make you smile," Ulquiorra replied sharply as he turned his back to her. "We have no sunshine, ice cream cones, puppies, nor kittens."
Orihime sighed lightly as her eyes fell upon the moon outside the window once again, "Just because Hueco Mundo doesn't have any happy and cute things doesn't mean there isn't anything here that could make me smile."
With his back faced to her, Ulquiorra pondered on whether or not he should drop the conversation here. The girl was miserable in Las Noches, no doubt. She was a prisoner to the Arrancar in the land of the dead. No one but Gin Ichimaru or Aizen-sama himself ever smiled while in Hueco Mundo.
"For example," Orihime continued, her sweet voice tearing Ulquiorra away from his thoughts, "whenever you come to visit me, I can't help but want to smile. Like now! See? I'm smiling, aren't I?"
It was true—there was a cheerful smile planted upon her lips. "No one else here can make me smile but you, Ulquiorra-sama, because you have been the only one to show me an ounce of kindness. Sure, what you said earlier really hurt me but even Tatsuki-chan has said mean things to me before…" Her smile continued to beam brightly as she stared at Ulquiorra's back.
He turned his head to glance at her but instantly regretted it as he did so. Because of her brilliant smile, his Hollow hole began to ache once again as his stomach churned. What was it about the girl's smile that stimulated something in him so greatly?
"Enough of this talk about smiling, woman," Ulquiorra said, completely changing the subject, "I have something to show you. Consider it a gift of apology to repent for the cruel words I have spoken to you today."
Orihime ogled at him for a moment in confusion, "An…apology?" Was Ulquiorra trying to make it up to her for all he said to her today? "You really don't need to do that, Ulquiorra-sama! Really! It's okay—I completely forgive you!" She waved her hands in the air in dismissal, not wanting to be a burden on him. He didn't have to provide her with a gift of apology in order to win her forgiveness…
But why did he want to repent to her for what he said? He certainly didn't seem very apologetic about it earlier…Why the sudden change of heart? Why the sudden possession of a heart?
"Woman," Ulquiorra breathed out as he snapped his fingers, causing the garganta to rip open through empty space once again. "How many times do I have to tell you to not call me Ulquiorra-sama? Now silence yourself and come with me."
His marble-like hand outstretched towards the girl once again. Without hesitation, the girl happily took it and walked into the dark abyss of the portal, excited about what her dear friend had to show her.