AN:/ HEY GUYS, I've started a new class so wish me luck. Listen to So Alone by Ann Blue while reading the story so you can know what Orihime feels about Ulquiorra.
Recap:
"Now now Orihime ... it's okay... I'm there for you... alright." She pet her head and drew soothing circles into her back." Let's go to my place, okay?"she asked and Orihime choked out an incomprehensible yes. The two ladies walked out the airport, the ginger head being supported by the other. She looked over her shoulder, into the growing swarm of people, trying to locate him," Take care, Ulqui, and come back to me soon..."
Chapter 18 : Great Idea
"It seems like my favourite Espada is finally coming home . I hope he visits." Aizen said, his cold calculating eyes never leaving the screen. Groans were heard around the main theatre room.
"The masters' pet is coming back."
"Joy," Noitora grumbled, a look of annoyance on his face.
And the screen flicks on (again)
"You have a lovely home Janette," said Orihime, eyes bright with excitement, observing her surroundings like a small child would eye his favourite candy in the candy store.
"Why thank you Orihime. It's my dream house, Eric and I went house shopping and I saw this house and I couldn't help but love it so I looked over at Eric and gave him that look saying we're- buying-this- house -today and he looked over at the dealer saying we will buy it," said Janette, as she beamed at the pleasant memory.
Orihime took a sip of her tea and set the cup gently on the table. She looked around and enjoyed the way the house was designed. The living room was an earth toned styled; the couches and recliners were dark brown, the carpet, a vivid forest green with black vines," just like Ulquiorra's eyes," thought Orihime suddenly. "Oh," she thought with an audible sigh," I mustn't think about him, or else..." her thought train trailed off as she continued to take in her surroundings with just a tad little less enthusiasm...
"You have a great taste," Orihime praised, still trying to completely see the interior decor. Janette smiled sheepishly, a blush making its way to her face, "Why, thank you. We couldn't decide on the theme for the house. Eric wanted a forest theme and I wanted a beach theme so he got his theme down here and I got mine upstairs. Mind walking a bit?" she asked, excitement clear as day on her face.
Uhhum, why not," Orihime nodded, springing up from her seat, the tea abandoned and forgotten about for the time being.
Janette proceeded to give Orihime the "tour de upstairs" as she called it. Every room upstairs was beach themed. The walls were ocean blue, the carpet a beautiful sand colour, and the dressers were white and had seashells on top. Orihime ooh'ed and aah'ed at the way the rooms made her feel like she was at the beach.
Suddenly, Janette brought up the topic Orihime wasn't hoping to discuss for a while, out of the blue.
"Orihime, if you don't mind me asking, how do you feel about Ulquiorra being away for a month or so?" Janette asked curiously.
Though, Orihime had sobered down a bit after returning from the report , but the older woman could clearly see, that even though she had been marvelling at her sense of colours and styles for the past 2 hours or so that she'd been there,, smiling like an idiot, gawking at the beautiful rooms and sighing and wishing for Ulquiorra to be a little more romantic and open,the smile , the laughs, the weird antics... all looked made up, just like a facade. None of them pretty much reached her eyes. Her eyes , when they'd met for the first time, had been sparkling, sparkling with a joy known only to the one had returned from staying apart from their loved ones. Her heart warming aura was so intense that a person had to be truly dead in order not to feel it, cause it had the power to reach even the most cold hearts. But today, that glimmer, that shine, that sparkle, that warmth,... it was all kinda missing...as if her life, her everything depended upon Ulquiorra, the one she loved. " you would have to do better than that girl, hiding that stuff isn't an amateurs job, you see." Janette thought with a small sad smile.
After an inner turmoil of waging through her emotions, Orihime finally let go of her facade. Her lower lip trembled, tears on the verge of spilling through the carefully kajal-lined boundary of her eyes." I ... i.. feel .. unsafe, "her voice failed her and cracked a bit,"...I .. I ..Feel lonely.. i .. mean alone, without there being anyone to depend upon... but when he came into my life.. though he's stubborn and unreasonable at times and i..it was hard t..to live with him,...h...h..he slowly in his own little way ... eased my loneliness.. he rid my heart of the burden.. the burden of being useless.. he's .. my brother and he.. have so much in common... I already lost my bro.. other, I don't want to lose him..."she buried her face into her hands, her shoulders shaking violently, hiccups marring her speech." It's har..hard...t..to go back.. to an... to an ..empty apartment...i..its hard to mmmove on ... wi..without .. him.. by my s..sside .. it's hard t..to live ..on alone.."
Back in the hall of Las Noches:
"Wow ! that's just great! The damsel in distress shows up again for not the first but the second i repeat the second time in the same day! How can someone have so much of water in their bodies to waste upon such useless things as tears I don't understand!" Szayel screamed, waving his hands so furiously that at any given moment they might have come apart.
"Yeah I agree with ya." Yammy said in a husky and sleepy monotone.
"I still don't get it. Why should we sit through this whole agonizing piece of shit!" Lilynette finally spoke through clenched teeth.
"The princess has finally accepted that she's all gaga over our Ulqui . now what kinda sappy romance is this gonna be. I could give her all the pleasure of the world by just rubbi..." "Nnoitora, shut the fuck up or I'll sock that bastard mouth of yours and allow you to die so painfully," Grimmjow cut him off "that your body will remember it even in your afterlife."
"Wanna try pussy cat," Nnoitora leered at grimmjow, who glared back with equal ferocity, but at the precise moment "Now now, there. I think that you 2 should not bother lord Aizen and the others who are willing to see what happens next." Gin interrupted, with his everlasting eerie smile.
Back in the world of the living:
Her sobs resounded and reverberated in the empty halls of the building. Orihime would have never thought she would say something like this. She had thought of Ulquiorra as a companion? For how long? She didn't know. Wasn't she supposed to hate the man who had tricked her, kidnapped her ad taken her to that horrible place of white sands and the never changing moon, the man who hurt her friends, who worked for the man who was hell bent upon destroying the world? No, she certainly did not think of it that way.
What she did know, though, was that she liked the way he talked to her, told her the truth and did not feed her sugary lies, she liked the way he looked at her and replied to her antics and blabbering with those smart ass replies of his, she liked the way he occasionally popped into her day dreams, she liked the scent of him- so comforting and warm, though nothing like his cold self, she liked the way his hair fell on his forehead, the colour of his eyes, his possessiveness... and most of all, the way he called her onna. Something about that word made her feel reassured so safe, so wanted , not like the wretched being that she was. Such a casual word , though when said from his lips it sounded so endearing... she smiled a bit through her tears ,and smacked herself on the head lightly, blushing as the realization of her thoughts dawned on her. She no longer loved Kurosaki Ichigo. She had carelessly fallen in love with a man who would never return her feelings, however hard she tried, he wouldn't even notice them. She would be the last thing on his mind, far away in the "only friends list" whereas his heart would always be with the same woman. She had tried relentlessly to stay by his side, to stay "in love", so much so that she had crushed and pushed herself to the limit, and now had carelessly wandered "out of love". She felt a degree of sadness at this. Why, in her naivety, she'd even promised him five lifetimes of her love, even when being in love with him had caused her nothing but pain, and had suffocated her. He'd made her feel soooo small . Ulquiorra ... was... different , though. In his presence, though oppressed, she found a new sense of liberation, something she had longed for.
"Silly! you are acting like you're in love." She giggled at that thought , and butterflies flew all around her stomach, making her heart flutter just a bit and miss a beat.
Janette could see how much her new friend loved her husband. By this time , Orihime had stopped shaking and was on the floor. Janette sat by her side , hugging her tightly. She racked her brains in an attempt to find something to lighten her mood. She pulled her even closer, smoothing her auburn tresses "how do I make her feel less lonely..." the pain , the helplessness , she saw it all on her beautiful young face." That's what being separated from your loved one does to you.." she thought and suddenly her eyes lit up with a mischievous gleam.
"Hey how about we surprise our husbands," Janette said excited. She had left her place beside Orihime and had begun pacing the floor with one long manicured finger tapping her chin, the other hand resting on the small of her back.
"Like *sniff* what? I don't think Ulquiorra enjoys surprises," Orihime croaked.
She was a 100% sure that he didn't, how she knew that? She had been using her ovaries to think.
"Oh well Eric doesn't either but they'll have to get over it. We can make them a private room or a man cave somewhere in our homes so they can go there to be themselves, what do you think about that?" Janette waited with baited breath. It was orihime's turn to ponder upon the idea. After a few occasional sniffs she had finally come to a conclusion
"I like it. *sniff* I think Ulquiorra's going to enjoy that very much," Orihime smiled. " yeah, Ulqui would actually love to be away from me, lest my stupidity rubbed off on him." She giggled, as she thought about his possible reactions.
AN/: Review please and listen to So Alone by Ann Blue while reading this chapter.