Hello all! Sorry for the wait. Like always life got in the way!

Thank you to everyone who supports this story. I always like when people leave comments… makes it so much easier to write haha!

There is only one more chapter after this so Melon Candy will soon end.

Please read my other story I am writing. When the Darkness Comes. It is a fantasy Romance with Ulquiorra and Orihime 3

Hope you enjoy this chapter!

Warning: Language

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Nel and Orihime happily started walking down the street to get to the party. Orihime was in a much better mood then she was before. The thought of seeing Ulquiorra made her very blissful. It had been a long day. All she wanted to do was see him and hang out with her friends. Looking ahead she saw both Ulquiorra and Grimmjow outside already.

"Hey Nel look! The boys are outside."

"Haha Grimmy is calling me again…"

"Answer it, we can surprise them. They probably think we aren't coming or something."

Nel picked up her phone and started talking with Grimmjow. Orihime watched the boys in the distance and noticed Ulquiorra grab the phone quickly.

Haha aww he must have missed me all day..

"Haha turn around silly!"

Nel was giggling into the phone. Both Nel and Orihime waved their hands in the air and yelled out surprise to their boyfriends. Orihime's smiled started to fade after she saw Ulquiorra's face. Rather then happy or excited he looked like he was panicked. He started to come toward her in a quickened pace. Orihime became worried. She had never seen this expression before. Her mind searched for any reasoning.

"Ulquiorra?"

"Orihime…..We should leave…Ichigo is here"

"What?!"

Both Nel and Orihime said at the same time. They looked wide-eyed at each other until Nel broke the silence.

"He is here too?! Orihime how did he know?"

"Wait.. What do you mean?"

"When we left school today…he was waiting by the gates. He said he wanted to talk to me but before anything Nel showed up and got me out of there….I don't know how he found me. Out of all the places…"

"Who are you guys talking about?"

Grimmjow was now standing next to Nel with a very confused look on his face. Ulquiorra decided to fill him in.

"Ikkaku's cousin and friends went to high school with Orihime and aren't exactly on good terms…"

"Huh? You mean Renji?"

"Renji? He is here, too?"

"Yea, he is Ikkaku's cousin. He came with two of his friends.

Orihime felt slightly less rattled then before. Renji was never apart of her high school torment. In fact she had only fond memories with him and remembered being sad when he went off for college. She hadn't kept in touch, though. Orihime wondered if he had any idea what had happened. She didn't think he would be harsh about all that, but then again, she didn't think any of her "friends" would have acted the way they did.

The other friend must have been Rukia. There wasn't a doubt in Orihime's mind that she was with them tonight. Those three were very close. Rukia wasted no time in texting Orihime after the rumor was out in the open about her being a whore. Even in college she put Orihime down. She had never been super close with Rukia, mainly because Rukia hated her for dating Ichigo. Orihime's head began to swirl.

What do I do? Should I leave? Would I have to deal with Ichigo trying to find me again? Do I confront him? Should it all end now?

Orihime looked at Ulquiorra. He was holding her hand and looking at her with concern. Her heart almost burst every time she saw him. As much as this was terrible for her, it must have not been easy on him either. He was so supportive. He had helped her heal herself. There relationship was going so well and she didn't see that ending anytime soon. She wanted nothing weighing it down. She gave his hand a little squeeze to ease his tension. Orihime reached out her other hand and grabbed Nel's, her true friend. With a huge sigh, Orihime closed her eyes

Enough….

"Let's go inside…"

Nel and Ulquiorra stared at her dumbfounded. Grimmjow was still baffled by what was happening. It was then she felt a slight pressure in both her hands from Ulquiorra and Nel. They remained silent but both looked at her. Their eyes showed nothing but love and encouragement. It made Orihime stronger knowing that whatever happens now they will be there for her and respect her choice.

"Let's go…"

"Wait! What is going on!"

Grimmjow yelled loudly. He didn't like to be left out of things. Orihime let out a small smile and looked at Nel to fill him in. Orihime began to walk with Ulquiorra hand in hand. She was terrified of what was about to happen but she felt brave with Ulquiorra next to her. As they walked Ulquiorra spoke.

"You are an amazing fearless strong woman. No matter what will be said remember that…and that I love you."

"Haha I think I've gone crazy…"

"No you haven't. If this is what you feel needs to be done…then so be it."

"Don't let go of me okay?"

"Never"

With that they pushed through the door and into the party. Orihime remained calm as they walked. Shortly after Nel and Grimmjow had walked in. This time Grimmjow's face was more serious. The group made their way to the table with drinks. Each grabbed one and cheered each other. Orihime felt she might need a little bit of liquid courage if she was going to face any of her old "friends" tonight. She let her eyes casually scan the room for any signs of them. Nothing.

"So …Orihime. In all seriousness, who do you want me to beat up? Carrot top? Shorty? Or the flaming hot Cheeto?"

Orihime looked up at Grimmjow, who was glancing around the room. She couldn't help but laugh at him.

"haha nice nicknames Grim"

"Names are my specialty… isn't that right batman?"

"I honestly can't figure out how that name relates to me in any way. I am not batman nor do I even like batman. Naming specialty? Please. How creative is shorty?"

"You're just jealous. What would you name them then, huh..BATMAN?"

"You are ridiculous.."

"I bet you would be like… 'Ah yes this is female who is with male 1 and 2' or better yet, you would just call them by their hair colors, black, red, and orange"

"I know what this is about. You want your own nickname is that right?"

"No-"

"Little Blue Kitty"

" Hey st-"

"hmmmm, you are right, too long. Just Kitty.

"Oh piss off you green eyed bastard"

"Orihime our boyfriends are hopeless…"

"Yep"

The friends laughed together. Orihime was so caught up with it all she had almost forgotten about Ichigo. She still had no clue what she would say or even do. All she hoped was that if she had to run into them, that Rukia would be the last person she saw. For some reason she had a feeling Rukia would be brutal. Mostly for the fact that Ichigo said he still had feelings for Orihime.

Orihime continued to laugh and chat with her friends when out of the corner of her eye she saw red hair. She turned her head quickly to make sure her eyes weren't playing tricks on her. But there he was. His hair had grown even longer and his eyebrows were still as crazy as before. It was Renji. His eyes connected to hers. Both pairs of eyes grew wide.

"Orihime?"

"Hi Renji…"

"OMG ORIHIME! It has been so long! I haven't talked to you in like what? A year!? What are you doing here in Los Noches? Needed a vacation from good ole Karakura?"

Karakura? Does he still think I live there? Does he know nothing?

"I live here now….I have since January…"

"What really? Why? No one ever mentioned anything… Hey Ichigo and Rukia are here too. That might be a little awkward though right? I heard you and Ichigo have been fighting… maybe that's why he really wanted to come with me to see my cousin. He wanted to talk to you maybe?"

Orihime was shocked. He really knew nothing. He must have also thought that she was still dating Ichigo. She really couldn't believe it. Orihime turned around to look at Ulquiorra, Nel, and Grimmjow, who were standing behind her. They looked as surprised as she was. It definitely seemed that Renji was out of the loop.

"ummm Renji? Do you…. not know anything that happened?

Orihime was unsure how to go about this topic or if she even should. Just by looking at his face she could tell he had no idea what she was talking about.

"What do you mean? Did something happen?"

"I don't know how or if I should even tell you or get you involved in anyway.."

"Orihime. Tell me"

"Well umm. I had to leave Karakura Town because some terrible rumors were spread about me. And everyone turned their backs on me…so I left."

"What? Are you serious? What rumor?"

Orihime decided instead of telling him she would show him the picture of the desk. She went into her purse and got out her phone. She opened up the picture and looked at it for a few moments before turning it to show Renji. His face went pale and his body stiffened.

"Orihime…. I think you should go outside."

"What?"

"Go outside…. I don't want to make a scene around everyone else…"

What the hell is he talking about?

Confused, Orihime nodded and went toward the door. Renji stormed off quickly and disappeared into one of the rooms. Ulquiorra, Nel, and Grimmjow followed her outside too.

It was only a few moments later when Renji busted through the door with two extra people. Renji was forcing Ichigo and Rukia out the door. They looked very annoyed and were arguing and yelling at him. All their bickering stopped once they saw Orihime standing out on the front lawn. Ichigo eyes widen and Rukia seemed to become more pissed off.

"What is she doing here?!"

"Be quite Rukia…. Orihime, can I see that picture again?"

Perplexed, Orihime handed her phone to Renji. He seemed angry. He took the phone and shoved it in Rukia's face.

"Does this picture seem familiar, Rukia?"

"Get that out of my face! No it doesn't"

"We both know that is a lie…"

"Renji has gone crazy, lets go back in, Ichigo.."

"Oh you aren't going anywhere. This is the SAME photo I saw on your phone months ago…. I even asked you about it because I thought it was strange you had a picture message from Loly…"

"That is impossible… why would I even?"

"It is your damn number that sent the photo. So yea…why the hell did you?

Orihime mouth was agape. Rukia had sent her the photo. She could hardly believe what she was hearing. Rukia was glaring daggers at Renji. Ichigo was looking at the ground with a pained expression on his face. After a long period of silence, Orihime spoke.

"Why did you send this to me? How did you even get my number anyway? Why would you do this?"

Rukia was silent. Her arms were crossed and her face seemed irritated. She didn't seem like she would talk. Renji decided to talk for her.

"I think I know why. It is because Ichigo loved her and not you isn't it? God! Seriously, Rukia? Did you start the rumors too? What is wrong with you?!"

" There is nothing wrong with me. Its not my fault people turned on her…"

"But you wanted to potentially ruin her life all over a BOY?!"

Rukia rolled her eyes. Orihime felt her stomach drop. This person was supposed to have been a friend at one point. Finding out she is the reason your problems started was hard to shallow. What made things worse was that Rukia didn't seem sorry at all. Orihime felt Ulquiorra's hand wrap around hers. It helped her calm down. She started to fill with confidence. Her mind was wrapping around what words to say. Before she could open her mouth, Ichigo took a step forward. He looked very distraught. He faced Rukia.

"I used to think you were amazing, Rukia. You were tough and confident. You were one of my best friends. I used to go to you for advice… I have never doubted you….but when you started saying stuff about Orihime and her brothers friends… that she was sleeping with them for money….. I didn't want to believe you. But we have been friends for so long, I trusted you…I trusted you… now I am thinking what other lies did you feed me? What other things about Orihime did you twist…"

"Ichigo ..no, please…let me explain"

"No…. What is it that you have to explain? When I told you I missed her…and wanted to see her. Get her back… did you send that photo? Was the reason you came with Renji and I on this trip…was it because you wanted to stop me from seeing her?"

"You were not right for each other…"

After hearing Rukia's response, Orihime decided to chime into the conversation. Something about what she said made her angry.

"Not right for each other? So you spread rumors about me? Why didn't you just talk with me like a normal human would? Did you know that the rumors did not just affect me? They became an issue for my brother's friends as well…."

"You want me to apologize? I wont. I hate you. You have ruined my relationship with Ichigo.."

"You did that all by yourself"

"Fuck you, Orihime. You know I really do think you are a whore… look you already have a new man! And he was from our old school! But he was just some nerd you spread your legs for….you damn slu- aghhh"

All Orihime saw was Nel's green hair flash before her eyes. Nel had lunched forward and punched Rukia in the face. There was a loud smacking sound and the small black haired woman flew backwards. She landed on the ground with a loud thump. She was hit so hard she was passed out. Nel stood by Rukia's feet rubbing her hand that punched. It was bright red from the encounter. She glared down at Rukia intensely.

"No one talks about my friends that way!"

Everyone was beyond stunned at what just happened. Orihime always pegged Nel as a calm and gentle person. Although she hated violence she couldn't help but love Nel 100 times more in that moment. Grimmjow started to laugh.

"Haha that's my girl! Glad you did it…. I was about to do it, even Ulquiorra had his fist ready to go!"

"I am not a violent person, but I will not tolerate anyone talking about my girlfriend that way… as much as I enjoy this trash being knocked out on the floor. Perhaps someone should take her inside?"

"I guess that should be me…"

Renji slowly bent down and picked up Rukia. There was a black eye that was starting for form. Her body was limp in Renji's arms as he carried her into the house. She was knocked out cold. The punch didn't solve anything but it did make her feel a little better. Rukia would never apologize. But in a twisted fate, Rukia lost all she held dear, Renji and Ichigo. Orihime always wanted to know why or how this all started. Now she knew. It still hurt, but a small weight was lifted. There was only one loose string left to take care of, Ichigo.

"You guys can go in…I am going to talk with Ichigo.."

There was a collective stare between Grimmjow and Nel. They almost seemed uneasy with the decision. Just then, Orihime felt Ulquiorra give her a light kiss on the side of her forehead. He gave her a slight smiled before we walked off taking Nel and Grimmjow with him. Only a brief look reminded her of how confident she really was. A short while later, it was just the two of them.

"Orihime…I didn't know…Rukia… I am sorry"

"I know"

"I never thought someone could be so cruel…"

"I can… I dealt with nothing but cruelty for a months.."

"….."

"How did you find me? Or get my number?"

"Well…your old landlord gave me your new number."

Ugh I knew it, Mrs. Tanka…

"Did she also tell you where I was?"

"No. I asked but she didn't tell me.."

"Then how did you find me?"

"Facebook…."

"I don't have one.."

"No, ummm well I am friends with Ikkaku on Facebook. And your two friends are in a lot of pictures with him and one time when I was looking through… I saw you. Then I went to your green haired friend's page and you were on there a lot…"

"I see, so that's why you came with Renji? To find me?"

"Yes"

"Did you give Rukia my number?"

"NO! She must have looked at my phone after I told her I sent you a message.."

"Well that does make sense. Her photo message and your text all came around the same time.."

"That desk picture….I had no idea it was that bad."

"That was one of many desks, Ichigo"

"…."

"Why contact me after so long?"

"I missed you…and I realized how stupid I was"

"Ichigo, I have a new life. I love it. I have real friends and a man who truly loves me-"

"I truly loved you…I still love you. We were together for about 3 years…."

"If you truly loved me, you would have believed me, fought for me, and not ignored me. No matter how many years we dated that doesn't change the fact you abandoned me."

"I..I was a coward."

"Yes you were"

"I don't know what to say"

"I will leave you with this…what you did was unforgiveable. You will never get forgiveness from me, but I do not blame you. You are not a bad person deep down, Ichigo. Just weak minded. I hope you will be stronger in the future. "

"I am sorry I never did anything…I wanted to….I just couldn't"

"Well there is nothing you can do about that now…"

"I want to make it up to you…I need to do something…I don't know.."

" You gave a final ending. I don't want anything else from you. This is all the closure we need"

"It feels like this will be the last time we ever talk…"

"It is. There isn't anything left to say."

"Orihime…"

"I have my life… go find yours"

"….."

"Goodbye Ichigo…"

"…Goodbye"

Ichigo took a slight step backwards as he was hit with the reality of those words. He looked at Orihime with tears welding in his eyes. Orihime gave him one last smile before she turned to go back into the house. When at the door she turned to look at Ichigo. He had started to walk away from the party. At that moment she felt a huge release. She knew why this had happened to her. She had closure with Ichigo. She had two amazing friends. She had Ulquiorra. The most perfect man she had ever met. She started to happy cry.

Opening the door she walked into the party. She wanted to find Nel, Grimmjow and Ulquiorra right away. They were not far from the door. Orihime suspected they might have been looking out the window, checking on her. She ran up to them and immediately pulling them into a group hug. Her happy tears had turned into a happy sob.

"Are you okay?!"

She held them all closer. In the midst of the group hug, Ulquiorra held her hand and looked at her lovingly. Orihime began to laugh through her tears.

"I am free"