Hey everyone! Sorry for the wait. Just a heads up… lost of mature content in the next few chapters! Once again Thanks to everyone who has read and stayed with my story! The pieces are really moving now!

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Chapter 10

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ulquiorra was in a bad mood. He was being ignored. Orihime was trying her best to avoid him. She had left before he woke up on Monday morning and left a note. He gave her space that day and was hoping to talk to her on Tuesday when classes resumed. He was wrong. For some unknown reason Mr. Stark decided he felt like doing his job that week and was very active in class. There was no way he could give Orihime a signal or a note this way. He couldn't even ask for her to stay after class with Mr. Stark so awake. Even so, Orihime tried not to make eye contact and she also rushed out of class when the bell rang. He often thought about knocking on her apartment door but went against that idea for now. He knew she was going through something. He didn't want to be overbearing to her. It was difficult to contain himself.

When Ulquiorra woke up on Friday morning he had had enough. No matter what he was going to talk to her. Ulquiorra's schedule for the week was rather simple. He had classes at the college in the morning and after lunch he worked at Los Noches High school. He could hardly listen to his professor's talk. His mind was on Orihime. He decided he would confess his feelings… maybe not into all the embarrassing details but confess nonetheless.

As soon as Ulquiorra reached the high school, it felt like time was moving at a snails pace. A minute seemed like an hour. He grew more and more annoyed that it wasn't the last period yet. So far Mr. Stark appeared to be in his regular sleeping comma. Ulquiorra just hoped he stayed that way.

It was finally time. The bell had rung and he was walking down the hall to the classroom. He was determined to get her attention today. He was ready to use any means necessary!

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Orihime was in a complete daze. She had a lot going on in her head. Currently Ulquiorra was occupying her mind. She had unintentionally avoided him all week. She didn't mean to do it but she couldn't put her thoughts together, She had so many questions. What was he doing with the melon candy? The more she thought about it, it had to be him. There were too many coincidences. He had to be the one that had given them to her. She had only gotten the candies for 6 months 4 years ago. Never again did she receive any. Ulquiorra was a senior at the time. It added up. But why did he do it? That was the question she wanted to know. She also didn't know how to convey how much that little action had meant to her at the time. What did she mean to him? Orihime feared the worst here. After Sunday he must have been disgusted by her behavior. She really wanted to talk everything out but at the same time she didn't. What happens if it went horribly? Orihime was too much in her own head. The only positives she saw were the picture and Ichigo's texts were pushed aside in her thoughts.

It was now Friday. Orihime was ashamed of her behavior and decided today was the day. She would go up to Ulquiorra and talk to him. If that failed, she was going to march on up to his apartment and talk to him then. Enough was enough. She had been pep talking herself all week. She was going to ask about the candy…confess, because she really couldn't even deny her feelings at this point, and open up a little about her past situation. She was prepared for the worst about the confession.

Orihime was very determined when she walked into History class. She sat and stared down the door waiting for him to come in. she could also hear her heart beat. She had hoped Mr. Stark was going to sleep this class. He had been way too lively lately, much to Orihime's annoyance. He was at his desk looking lethargic. That was a good sign. When the bell rang Orihime was sitting at the edge of her seat waiting for Ulquiorra to come in. She decided she would make eye contact as much as she could. She just hoped her ignoring him hadn't upset him.

Ulquiorra finally walked in. To the average person, he looked the same. To Orihime, he looked irritated. She watched him as he went to the podium to settle himself. When he finally looked up she made sure her eyes would match his. It took a while for him to look at her as he began class. She could see aggravation in his eyes almost as if saying "what the hell…." Throughout class their eyes had met numerous times. There was no note or motions this time. Mr Stark stayed awake the whole lesson and kept looking around the room. All Ulquiorra could do was briefly stare at her. Despite that, Orihime was sure her message was clear. She was waiting for the end. When the bell chimed, Orihime started to get excited yet nervous.. Nel had to go to the doctor so Orihime didn't need to worry about her. It was also Friday so most of her classmates would leave quickly. When only a few kids remained, Orihime made her way up to the front of the room. Ulquiorra seemed like he was preparing himself to talk to her. Mr. Stark was occupied with a student asking a question, so Orihime's timing was perfect. Her heart was thumping more and more rapidly the closer she got to him.

"Hello.."

"Ms Inoue."

His voice was stern yet soft. She didn't realize she actually missed talking to him. Orihime kept looking at Mr. Stark to make sure he was still busy before she started talking. Orihime was going to be bold and discretely invite over to her place for a talk.

"Umm listen so-"

"Ahh Ulquiorra, sorry to interrupt but I need to ask you a few things about the upcoming test…"

Mr. Stark in all his glory made his way up to both of them with a smile on his face. This man had the worst timing. Orihime was wide-eyed and not sure what to do next. Ulquiorra had kept looking at her and back at Mr. Stark with a very upset look on his face. With Mr. Stark now next to them it would be impossible to ask him anything personal. Orihime slowly backed away and started to walk to the door. She felt slightly defeated but her resolve about talking to him tonight was as strong as ever. She walked down the hallway quickly as she thought of different things to say when she went to his door that night.

Don't panic Hime… just a small bump in the road. You will go up tonight over and over again until he is home. Maybe I should bring up the candy first? No…why I avoided him…no…CONFESS! Do I say anything about the past? Oh god maybe I should apologize again for being drunk that one night… this will be much harder then I though..don't panic…DON'T PAN-

Orihime's thoughts were interrupted when she felt a hand on her shoulder turning her around. Orihime almost let out a surprised scream but was silenced when she saw two green eyes staring down at her intensely.

"Ulquior-"

Without letting her finish he had grabbed her by the arm and walked them into the dark empty classroom to the right. The room was slightly dark but enough light came in from the windows. It seemed to be one of the rooms that remained unused with its barren walls and stacks of boxes. Orihime was silent. She had no clue what Ulquiorra was thinking. Or why he had gone after her. He still hadn't spoken as he shut the door behind himself. Orihime watched him closely; his back was still to her. Only the sounds of people walking in the hallway could be heard. After what felt like eternity Ulquiorra finally faced her. His eyes seemed intense as he gradually walked over to Orihime. The closer he came the further back Orihime pressed into the wall behind her. He was only a few feet away. His hands left his pockets and planted then on the wall; leaving Orihime trapped between them. She wasn't scared or anything. She felt rather intrigued by his dominant behavior. Orihime looked up at his face. He stared at her back, firmly.

"Do you care to explain to me your behavior this week Ms. Inoue?"

Orihime looked down. She couldn't match his eye. She was regretful of her behavior and still hadn't thought of a perfect response for this question. Ulquiorra's tone sounded angry and it made Orihime start to forget her ambition.

"I…I..don't know…I had to work out my thoughts…I am sorry"

"So because you have thoughts that means you can't even look me in the face for a week?"

"I am sorry…."

Ulquiorra gave a long sigh and let his head sink down. Both of them were silent again. Orihime's mind was racing. She wanted to explain everything but didn't know how to start anymore. When Ulquiorra raised his head again he almost seemed closer then before.

"No…I shouldn't be angry. It's just….I was so worried,"

"Worried?"

"How could I not…. when you came over….an- ….you started…..I hated it… I cou-"

"Oh…I shouldn't have done that…"

Orihime's heart broke. The word hated it stuck out in her mind. What else would he be talking about but the touching? He must have not liked any of it…. This confirmed Orihime's fear; he didn't feel the same. It was all once sided. She imagined all of it. Ulquiorra looked down at her with a confused look

"Shouldn't of done what?"

"All of it I guess….Of course being touched by someone you don't like would make you hate it"

"What?"

"I am sorr-"

"Wait, Orihime I think you mi-"

"I promise I won't ever again.."

"Stop"

"I am sorr-"

"Orihime!"

"I think I will go.."

"Damnit women!"

Ulquiorra grabbed both sides of Orihime's head and urgently crashed his lips on to hers. Orihime could hardly believe what was happening. Her eyes were wide with disbelief. All she knew was that Ulquiorra's lips were touching hers, Ulquiorra slowly pulled away before Orihime could register what had just happened. He strongly looked at her trying to gage her reaction. It was then Orihime was snapped back into reality from a loud bang in the hallway. It was the cleaning crew. She saw slight panic on Ulquiorra's face.

"Listen…I need to talk to you but..not here. Come to my apartment tonight around 7…please….. Leave a few minutes after me"

Orihime managed to give a small nod. Ulquiorra then turned on his heel and left the classroom. Orihime stood still. Her mind was still trying to processes what had just happened. She raised her hand and touched her lips with her fingers

He kissed me…

XXXXXXXX

Ulquiorra looked at the clock, 6:50pm. Orihime would be at his door any minute now. He kept pacing back and forth. He had to admit he was a little nervous. It was all or nothing time. He was also nervous about what her mood would be when she would come in. She seemed to misunderstand something. Ulquiorra's mind shot to the kiss. He covered his face and groaned. It shouldn't have happened like that. Ulquiorra always imagined his first kiss with her to be very romantic, not sudden and fast. A sudden knock on the door made him jump. She was here. When he opened the door, Orihime stood there still in her school uniform. Her face didn't show much emotion and it put Ulquiorra on edge. She walked in without words and headed over to the couch and sat down. She seemed deep in thought. Ulquiorra wasn't sure how to start out either. He really just wanted to give her a proper kiss. He decided to go and sit next to her on the couch. It wasn't long after that she spoke.

"Where is Kohaku?"

"Sleeping in my bedroom…I suppose"

"Oh, I see,"

Once again they were quite. Who would have thought it would be so hard to talk about things? Ulquiorra took a deep breath. It was time to lay it all out.

"Listen… I think you misunderstood something before I didn't hate that you had touched me"

"What was it then…"

"I hated that I saw you crying and couldn't do anything about it…"

"Ah…"

Orihime went back into thought. She slowly went into her bag and put something in her hand. Ulquiorra couldn't see what it was but just waited for her to act. Orihime faced Ulquiorra and held out her hand. In her palm was the melon candy Ulquiorra had given to her all those years ago. His mind went into a blank How? Where did she get that? How did she….

"I found this at your desk when I was looking for paper….I was very surprised to see the same candy that was put in my shoe cubby for months at a time years ago…to be there. I…I always wondered who would do this and what their motives were…"

Ulquiorra's mouth went dry. He couldn't read her expression. He feared the worst. The candy was one thing that Ulquiorra wasn't so keen on sharing with her. It reminded him of his pathetic self. She probably thought it was creepy. He honestly didn't know how to respond. Oh yea It was me! I was loving you from afar and never talked to you so I put candies in your locker. I swear I am not a stalker!

"I am going to say… you have me very confused. I have so many questions and things I want to say to you. But first…let ask you this…Was it you that put them there, Ulquiorra?"

"….yes…"

"Why did you do it?"

Ulquiorra looked at Orihime in the face. Her expression had turned soft and her eyes glassy. Maybe he had thought wrong about her reaction to it. He paused for a while to figure out his thoughts. He wasn't sure how to put it.

"I….saw you around sometimes. I guess it was because you stood out. I heard about your brother's condition…and..I..I wanted to somehow comfort you. All I could think of was candy. I know looking back on it was very strange. But that was all I could do at the time."

A small tear was rolling down Orihime's face causing Ulquiorra to stop talking. He became concerned again. He was a little puzzled but she then gave a small smile.

"Do you have any idea what those candies did for my brother? He was so sick and hardly ate….But He loved them. He would always wait for more….They..They meant so much to him…and me. I always wanted to know who gave them to me…. I wanted to thank them from the bottom of my heart. But still why would you go so far for someone you barely knew?"

"I..ummm…well.."

"Please…. I want to know, Ulquiorra."

"…I was in love with you…"

"Wha-"

"And ….I still….do"

Ulquiorra felt his stomach do flips. He finally said it to her after 5 years of keeping it to himself. He saw that Orihime was in shock.

"You love me?"

"…yes"

"Oh my god…"

Then something unexpected happened. Orihime started to cry and giggle at the same time. Without any warning she lunged at Ulquiorra and wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace.

"That makes me so happy"

She squeezed him tightly. Ulquiorra felt his self-control start to break down. He could feel her heart beat. It was beating rapidly. Ulquiorra had never felt so worm inside. It wasn't a onesided love anymore.

When Orihime started to pull back to look at him, Ulquiorra took action. He softly grasped the side of her face. He had leaned in looking her in the eyes waiting for a go ahead. She closed her eyes and turned her head up towards him giving him the OK. With that he closed the distance, softly pressing his lips against hers.

This wasn't like the rushed impulsive kiss he had given her in the classroom. This kiss set a fire in him. He could feel the electricity of merging passion between them. It was something that he had wanted for 5 years. He couldn't get enough. He wanted to feel more of her velvet lips against his. He started to deepen the kiss and Orihime followed suit. She tightened her grip around his neck causing him to press harder onto her. Ulquiorra knew they should probably stop and talk more but he ignored that part of his mind.

Orihime's hands were stroking his back in a seductive matter making Ulquiorra want her more. He pinned her back onto the couch and finally let go of the kiss. She looked stunning. Her lips red from their make out session; cheeks flushed; and soft panting. He wanted to touch her. Before he could make a move, Orihime grabbed his head and forced it down to meet her lips once again. Ulquiorra gladly obliged tasting her fully once more. The longer they kissed the more intense it had become. Almost as if two lost souls had found each other after an eternity apart.

Orihime bit on his lower lip causing him to groan in pleasure. Ulquiorra paid her back by grinding his hips into hers, making her moan. He started to get annoyed by the layer of clothes between them. He wanted every bit of her and he wanted it now. He broke the kiss and lifted his body slightly to look at her again. Her eye stared at him with lust. She put her hands on his stomach and shifted her hips.

"What is it that you want women.."

His voice almost sounded like a growl by how turned on he was. She looked up at him. Her hands that were on his stomach started to move south as she smiled devilishly.

"Touch me…"