"Let the Night Rise and Fall" continues on with Chapter 4.
Enjoy!
Chapter 4:
Sweet Aroma
I'm sorry I couldn't stay. I had to leave for school. I left three plates of food by my desk if you get hungry. I will be home in the afternoon.
Sayuri
Ulquiorra read the neat little note left near his head. He had remembered hearing her leave several hours ago after she had applied ointment on the small cuts that still littered his body, but he did not care enough to bother to see if she was actually gone.
Not to mention, his sense of time had gone terribly off since his body has been feeling exhausted as it is desperately attempting to heal the major wounds he had sustained.
He set the note down and positioned his head on the pillow so that he can quickly catch a glimpse of the food mentioned in the note.
He was hungry. If he does not eat soon, his body will take far longer to heal even with his regeneration abilities, especially since his internal organs had been tremendously damaged. Even more so, his power would decline if he does not receive sustenance. Unfortunately, the food she had left was not appetizing. He needed souls; he was craving hollows.
The green-eyed man felt the pang of emptiness in his body. He knew he needed food, but he also knew he was in no condition to hunt down hollows, or humans for that matter.
'I can always eat those annoying little weaklings below,' he contemplated, but he doubted that eating his "savior's" family would be a good way to repay his debt.
As a result, he decided against it. But the emptiness he felt inside of him was difficult to ignore. He sat up on his bed, his eyes slightly twitching from the sudden pang of pain that attacked his chest.
Ulquiorra then took one plate of food Sayuri had left –it was rice and dumplings –and forced himself to eat the human food. His body was hungry, and hungriness does not differentiate between appetizing and disgusting.
His pride was rather bruised at having been left to such a weakened and vulnerable state, but if he was going to survive, he had to accept his state, regardless of his pride.
He then set the plate down, and looked out the window near the bed that he remained sitting on.
"It's different here," he concluded.
It was true. There were no arrancars constantly fighting for status. There were no orders that he had to consummate. There were no gray sands constantly swirling about. It was different –peaceful…
But regardless, he knew that he had to heal soon, because there was no way of telling when someone or something would try to attack him in his vulnerable state.
'But for now, I simply need to rest,' he decided before lying down and hiding his emerald eyes behind porcelain skin once more.
-O-
Pale blue eyes stared randomly at the solemn sky.
'It's going to rain again,' she thought, 'I hope he's feeling better, at least. His outwards wounds had fully healed, but it seems he is still hurt in the inside.'
Sayuri mentally reflected on the past night. It was rather eventful that's for sure.
School seemed so dull and boring to her now –not that it was not dull and boring to begin with.
A sigh escaped her rosy lips unconsciously. She was worried about the boy.
'Is he even going to be there when I get home?' she asked herself mentally.
She hoped he would be. He had added a splash of color in her otherwise dull life.
The heavens began to cry in colorless liquid just as the bell signaling the end of the school day rang.
"Make sure you study the formulas for calculus and review the novels we have read this year. And do the problems on the board as well," the teacher instructed as the students passed by.
Sayuri walked towards the exit of the building deep in thought, not noticing the pair of feet that soon moved in rhythm with hers.
"You ok?" she heard.
Sayuri gazed up from her stare towards the ground, and saw the large friendly smile aimed at her by the student beside of her.
"Yeah, I'm fine Hiro. Just stressed is all," Sayuri laughed.
"Exams?" the young man responded.
She lied, "Mm yea."
She could not tell him that she had some invisible guy in her room.
"Can I walk you home?" he began, "It feels like we have not spent time with each other with the both of us busy studying for the exams and all."
"Sure," she smiled.
The two reached the door leading to the stormy outside.
Hiro opened up an umbrella and held it so that it protected both Sayuri and himself from the onslaught of rain.
The pair walked towards the site of Sayuri's white home, Hiro constantly speaking to no one. Sayuri was deep in thought about her patient, disregarding the words flowing through the young male teen's mouth.
"Sai?" he asked, realizing the distant look in the female's eyes.
Snapped out of her reverie, Sayuri could only make the weak reply, "Yeah?"
Hiro's brown eyebrows furrowed. "You weren't listening were you?"
"I'm sorry. I just feel so…not myself right now," she responded in an apologetic tone.
"Don't worry about the exams. You will do just fine. You always do great!" he tried to reassure her, believing that her source of despair was the upcoming exams.
Sayuri smiled. "Thank you."
Hiro continued on with his incessant talking until they finally reached the familiar white building. He smiled affectionately before Sayuri disappeared behind the wooden doors with a "Bye, Hiro."
She ran up the stairs as soon as the door had closed.
'Please still be there,' she begged in her mind.
She held her breath as she turned the knob on her door and pushed it slowly open.
He was there, sleeping, resting. A relieved smile graced her lips. She took the three empty plates and chopsticks littering her desk and quickly rushed towards the kitchen to wash them. Immediately after she was done, she filled a plate with warm food and rushed back up the stairs, feeling like he would disappear if she left him too long.
He was her savior from her boring life.
Sayuri set the plateful of food on her desk once more so that he would have food once he wakes up again. She decided that it would be best to check on his wounds when he wakes up, so that he can sleep peacefully and undisturbed.
In the mean time, she settled herself on the floor, and surrounded herself with homework and study material.
"Ok, time to work," she said as she began to tackle the work she had to finish.
Sayuri really detested school. She could not understand the logic behind it. They give her homework to do and then expect her to find time to study for exams as well. It was downright abuse.
She sighed heavily after she had stared at the same page for ten minutes. She had been working for four hours and she still was not done. It was not because she procrastinated. It was just a lot of work.
"I need to do this. Come on Sai, you can do it!" she encouraged herself.
She had hoped that Ulquiorra would have woken up two hours ago so that she can have an excuse to take a break, but fate was not on her favor.
"Ok, back to the maximizing area using derivatives," she sighed morosely.
She tried learning the material again, but her eyes only managed to get blurry. Her eyes were tired. She was tired.
Before she could stop herself, her body gradually fell to the ground into a sleeping position, her eyes drooping to a close and her books carelessly dropped from her hands.
-O-
Something smelled sweet.
'What is it?'
A strong, sweet, and comforting aroma found its way to his senses.
Begged to be woken by the aroma, unwilling eyelids opened.
The lean young man rose from his position in the bed, scanning his surroundings for the source of the smell.
There was food on the desk again, but it was not the source of the aroma.
He looked down before him and saw the little pile of warmth soundly sleeping on the carpet, her breath deep and steady as strands of loose hair graced her face.
Ulquiorra slowly stood up on his feet, and began walking towards the form. The more he closed the gap between Sayuri and himself, the stronger the scent became.
'This girl,' he thought, 'smells…delicious.'
He was rather perplexed. No human he had ever encountered smelled as appetizing as she. It was odd that he had not noticed earlier.
'The rain probably covered her scent,' he concluded.
His emerald eyes gazed intently at the form. Her smell was incredibly enticing after he had gone so long without a proper meal for an Espada.
Should he eat her?
He closed his eyes, and breathed out.
'I need to control myself,' he thought, 'I will not be weak.'
When he lifted his eyelids once more, he saw that the ball of warmth was shivering from the frigid night air.
He turned around and retrieved the neatly folded blanket set at the foot of the bed. He had seen her use it the night before, and so he allowed the blanket to slowly fall around her shape.
'That should cover her smell a bit,' he reasoned.
The Espada then turned around and began devouring the large plate of food. It was not as appetizing as her smell, but it would have to do for the mean time.
As he ate, he heard the familiar sound of the young girl stirring.
Sayuri was woken up by a warm feeling enveloping her. Her sapphire eyes were met with the sight of her blanket placed on top of her and the interesting view of Ulquiorra eating.
'He looks really well mannered,' she thought randomly.
Ulquiorra did not bother turning to look at her.
"Hello," she said, trying to birth a conversation.
Ulquiorra merely turned his head, took one glance at her, and then went back to eating the food.
"Thank you for the blanket," she tried again.
He did not respond.
She waited until he had finished the food. Then she took the empty plate and left the room.
Ulquiorra stared at her form analytically.
Minutes later, Sayuri returned with another plate filled with food. She placed the food on the table again without a word. She had realized that he did not like talking, so she merely abided to his wish.
The black haired girl then sat back down on the floor and began her studies once more.
Ulquiorra glanced at the strange girl secretly as he ate the food.
'How odd.'
"I need more food, woman," he said after he had eaten all the food again.
Sayuri looked up from her studies and smiled.
"Sure."
-O-
I really hope that all of you following this story like it so far.
I'm talking my time writing the story so that it comes out as best as I could possibly make it.
Please lend me your thought and suggestions for the story. I would truly appreciate it!
Midnight4595 out for now.