It has been pointed out that I have some grammatical errors within my writing, so I am extremely sorry for that. Another review also said that they want a "moment" between Sayuri and Ulquiorra. Though I cannot give those weak-in-the-knees, I-am-in-love kind of moments just yet (Ulquiorra does not move that fast when it comes to romance), I will try my best to give you a little taste every now and then.
I now present to you the much anticipated chapter of "Let the Night Rise and Fall."
Be prepared, it's a long one.
Enjoy!
-O-
Chapter 12:
Black Smoke of Confession
"Ulquiorra!" a rather excited voice exclaimed, "Where have you been?"
The said man looked at a clock that read 3 a.m. He had believed that he would be the only one awake once he returned, and yet, here he is, face to face with a sleepy looking Sayuri.
Sayuri tilted her head, which was crowned with messy black hair, at Ulquiorra's silence.
"Is something the matter?"
Ulquiorra allowed his gaze to settle on her form, her legs covered in her thick blanket and her eyes looking at him through half opened lids.
"No," he finally answered.
She frowned. "You're drenched."
Before he could reply, she had already stood up with the help of her new crutches; her little dip in the river had not helped her ankle in any way. She limped to one of her drawers.
"Here," she began once she had turned around to face him once more, "Shin left these in my room, so you have spare clothes whenever you need them."
She took hold of his hands, and gently laid a set of black pants, dark green shirt, and a white towel on it.
"We thought that green, black, and white were your colors," she laughed. "We did not know if you would like pajamas to sleep in, but those are also in the drawers if you need them."
When Ulquiorra did not reply, Sayuri looked down at her feet, fumbling with her hands.
"I, uh, I will let you get dressed now."
She walked out of the room with her shouldered drooped. Out in the hall, she placed her crutches beside her and sat by her door waiting patiently for Ulquiorra to change.
'He seems irritated with me,' she noted, 'I wonder what I did wrong.'
Sayuri laid her head on her raised knees, contemplating as to what she could have possibly done to displease the ashen man.
-O-
He stared murderously at the door before him. It was now 4 a.m. and yet that girl still had not returned.
When he heard an almost inaudible thud right outside the room, he allowed his curiosity to take reign. Upon opening the door, he was met with the strange sight of the female in question sprawled on the floor in a semi fetal position.
Ulquiorra's face remained blank. After staring at the shivering form for several moments, he finally lifted the light load into his arms and placed her on her bed. He threw her blanket on top of her body haphazardly before settling himself in his normal position by the foot of her bed.
He allowed his eyes to close, and willingly permitted sleep to overwhelm him so as to escape the thoughts plaguing his mind.
-O-
Sayuri entered her room trying to balance the plate of omelets and rice balls, which she laid on her night stand.
"I do not know if you would eat this, considering what your...preferences in food are," she tried to choose her words carefully, "But I will leave these here for you if you feel the need for a light snack."
She hoped that he would say something, but when he did not, she felt her mood sink.
"Are you still angry with me for what happened at the hospital?" she asked.
They watched each other.
"I truly mean it when I say that I do not fear you. I do not have a reason to be scared of you. You have only done good things to me. You have protected me, saved me, stayed with me...You are a good person to me."
Finally, after what seemed like eternity, Sayuri heard his baritone voice grace the room.
"I do not look back on such trivialities."
She was euphoric that he had at least spoken real words to her, but the content of his words was less than kind.
Ulquiorra noticed her attempt to give a genuine smile, but all she managed was a strained upward curve of her lips.
"I see," she answered, "I just hope that what I just said was at least a little less...trivial than our encounter at the hospital. Just know that I am sorry."
After several awkward minutes of silence, Sayuri excused herself in the pretence that she was late for school.
Ulquiorra sensed her spiritual pressure grow fainter once she left the white house. He stood up, and exited the house via the window in search of hollows to sharpen his sword. Besides, he did not have anything else to do in this human world.
As he raced through the skies for a few short seconds, he realized that walking just below him was Sayuri. She passed through a large set of black gates that surrounded a rather large white building with endless windows. Crowds of young adults flooded the area.
The ashen man descended so that he may better observe the chaotic scene below him. It seems to him that he has taken a fancy to the trivialities that is called a human life.
He noticed Sayuri stop in her tracks as another human girl ran towards her. This human had shoulder length light brown hair and abysmal black eyes. A glint of familiarity crossed ever so slightly on Ulquiorra's face as he cemented the female's appearance in his mind.
He noted that the two females greeted each other as though they were close friends.
"Are you really alright?" the girl questioned, "I ran into Hiro earlier, and he had told me that you hurt your leg and that you had been incredibly ill yesterday."
Sayuri let out an embarrassed laugh. "Yes, I feel much better now. You know how my health is. Besides, the doctor said that my bone is healing quite nicely."
"I have told you that you need to take better care of yourself Sai," the female lightly scolded her friend.
"I know. You nag me about it practically every day Mai. Eventually, it should sink in to my thick skull," Sayuri joked.
The pair laughed and continued their conversation as they walked towards the building. Just as they entered the double doors, Ulquiorra heard a muffled explosion and an annoyingly shrill cry echoing about the bleached school facility.
Suddenly, students rushed out of the building in a panicked heap as black smoke leaked from the back of the building.
His sharp hearing heard the frantic cries of a panicked voice below him.
"Mai! Mai! Where are you!?" Sayuri yelled as she attempted to fight against the rush of students pushing to leave the area. In her current condition, this was quite a feat as her crutches were such a hindrance in the massive crowd.
Out of instinct, Ulquiorra rushed towards the struggling girl who was slowly being carried towards the black gates regardless of her attempts to reenter the school building. He watched as a rather bulky boy clumsily tripped on an unseen rock, and collided with Sayuri's smaller form. The large male was able to maintain his balance, but with a rush of students pushing against her, Sayuri felt herself fall backwards in slow motion, the numerous faces becoming like a dull blur.
Once her back had hit the ground, the blue eyed teen watched in horror, helplessness, and shock as dozens of shoes kicked her legs and body, not realizing that, in their frenzy, they were injuring a classmate of theirs. Sayuri attempted to stand, but only managed to be knocked back down once more.
Her attention zeroed in on a set of feet that were about to step on her throat.
The whirlwind of passing students, the endless shouts of the fire alarm, and the echoes of her classmates loud cries quickly silenced in the blink of an eye.
Rather than meeting the sight of the underside of hundreds of shoes, Sayuri was met with the calming sight of green.
"Are you alright woman?" she heard him say.
Her hands tightly clutched around his neck, but as her fear ebbed away, she willed herself to loosen her hold around him. Those green eyes were so assuring.
"Y-yes," she answered.
His facial expression, however, showed his disbelief. He set her next to him, but one hand remained wrapped around her waist. She watched as he lifted his freed hand to her face, and gently rubbed something wet away. Sayuri blinked at the salty liquid at the tip of Ulquiorra's forefinger.
"This," he sarcastically stated, "proves you are lying."
The former Espada eyed the distraught young girl. Though he would never admit it, her antics were somewhat amusing. Being this close to her, he also became reminded of her rather mouthwatering soul. He could now more clearly detect the purity of her spirit. Like he had deduced earlier, her soul smelled appetizing. Her spirit would be like drug to a hollow: addicting and delicious.
"I-I, uh, I..," she began while attempting to free herself from his grasp around her waist.
She was never this close to him for such a long period of time -when she was conscious anyway.
"Do you want to fall?" he blandly asked the rhetorical question.
She stopped her struggling and realized that her feet did not feel like they were standing on solid ground.
Her eyes widened in renewed shock and fear as she realized that they -rather, he - was standing on air about twenty stories from the ground.
A small squeak escaped her lips as her hands tightly latched onto Ulquiorra's waist.
"P-Please take me d-down," she asked while she buried her face in his chest in fear.
"You are afraid," he noted.
She kept her head buried in the clothes covering her chest, but quickly nodded in response.
"So p-please," she begged, "Please take m-me down."
"Calm yourself woman," he said, "You can release me now."
Sayuri locked her gaze with his and blinked in confusion. The soles of her shoes suddenly came into contact with the familiar softness of grass. She looked at her feet as though in a daze.
"I-I did not even feel us move," she muttered to herself.
"Release me now," she heard him repeat himself.
Her mind, still attempting to catch up with everything that has happened, felt unbelievably slow. She stared at her arms that wrapped around his waist and felt the cloth that her hands were tightly clutching at his back.
Finally, her mind caught up just a little, and her face reddened. She released her grasp on him immediately, and stumbled away from him. She immediately had to cling onto a nearby tree's trunk as pain still shocked her ankles.
"I am so sorry," she apologized while awkwardly bowing low at her back while still holding onto the tree.
"Hn."
"Thank you," she began once she had raised herself, "I think that I am making a bad habit of a being a damsel in distress, but thank you for putting up with my troublesomeness."
"Just do not overstep your boundaries with me woman."
Sayuri blushed. "Y-yes."
Ulquiorra began walking while Sayuri had to limp from tree to tree. That was the second pair of crutches she had lost, and she knew her parents were going to scold her for being so irresponsible. Well, it was not as though she could stop herself from being such an accident magnet.
As they walked, Sayuri could not help but ask what had been bothering her lately.
"Ulquiorra, why did you seem angry with me earlier today?" she asked in a faint voice.
Ulquiorra gazed at her bowed head. "It was nothing of consequence."
She looked at his expression, trying to read any meaning beneath that pale skin and emerald depths.
"I see."
Sayuri did not know where they were heading, but she knew that they were in the forest. Her brain was functioning faster, but it had yet to truly grasp everything. As such, she let the man next to him lead. It was the only thing she could do not to get lost in her own confused head.
They made it to a street that Sayuri knew lead to her school.
Out of curiosity, she asked, "Why are we heading back to school? School would probably be cancelled for a few days due to that small fire."
"Are you not curious about that girl?" Ulquiorra inquired.
"Girl..." Sayuri repeated, trying to process it. Suddenly, a spark fueled her mind, and then she was able to recall everything in a blinding flash of memories.
"Mai!" she exclaimed before running- limping- as quickly as she could in the direction of the still rising black smoke in the distance; she had to use the walls for support and ignore the sting rising from her injury, but Mai was her priority at the moment.
She had to find her and make sure she was alright.
She knew Ulquiorra was right behind her because she felt his presence regardless of how far she ran, and so she continued on.
The ashen man truly did not comprehend why he willingly followed this girl back to that burning human facility. It was not any of his business, and yet here he was, following some human girl to check on her human friend. He felt as though he had fallen out of his apathetic facade that had characterized him as a heartless Espada.
"I hope she is alright," he heard her muttered to herself.
He watched as her limping grew worse, but did not feel obligated to help her. Why should he?
The loud commotion of students and fire trucks bombarded his hears sooner than it had reached Sayuri's senses.
They were close, and from the looks of it, things were still as chaotic as it had been when the fire first started.
-O-
Ulquiorra watched through his peripheral vision as Sayuri's hands twisted in obvious anxiety. They had been walking around the perimeter of the school for any signs of that other human girl.
Though they had managed to find the lost crutches, the human female was still nowhere to be seen.
The perimedics had said that they had not treated any student that fit the description of Sayuri's friend, and this information had managed to calm the nervous female some. Still, Ulquiorra knew that she would continue on with her endeavor and scour the city until she finds the human.
"I wonder where she could be..."
As they turned a corner that led back to the front entrance of the school, Sayuri caught a glimpse of the light brown hair that she had been seeking.
"Mai!" she called over as she ran towards the figure.
Two heads turned at her call, one had chocolate eyes and the other looked at her running form through the darkest shade of black irises.
Two wide smiles greeted her.
"I am so glad that you are safe," Sayuri hugged the girl, "I did not know what happened. All of a sudden, you were gone."
Slender arms returned the hug. "With all the students running, I guess we just got split up. Hiro ran into me during all the anarchy. He helped me get out of the school safely."
Sayuri held the girl at arm's distance, inspecting her form for any apparent bruises and injuries. "You are not hurt right?"
Mai let out a small laugh. "No, no. I am not as clumsy as you are Sayuri."
Ulquiorra noticed the frustrated blush that had marked Sayuri's face disappear, and her tense shoulder began to relax. He supposed that this was what humans called friendship. He unfamiliar with such a thing. He had never had a need for such a thing.
The black haired teen turned to her male classmate. "Thank you Hiro for taking care of her."
She threw her arms around him in happiness.
However, at such a sickening sight of affection, the handsome hollow turned his back on the disgusting scene and took to the skies. He hated such open portrayals of weakness. Humans often had a saying that friendships strengthen individuals, but to hollows, this was a misguided way of life that was merely for weaklings who are unable to stand on their own -and he was not weak. In fact, he was far from it.
Sayuri did not notice his muscular form gradually becoming smaller with distance as she continued on with her reunion with her friends.
"Do you guys want to walk home together? The principal told us earlier that we can leave, and that they will send a mass phone call to all our parents about the incident. Besides, I did promise to walk you home today Sayuri."
Both females agreed immediately. It had been quite an exhausting day.
As Hiro and Mai turned around to begin their short journey to their homes, Sayuri told them that she would catch up once she consummated an unfinished task at the school.
Sayuri looked behind her to talk to Ulquiorra, whom she had believed was still with her, when she was sure that her companions were at a safe distance away.
Her gaze, however, only met with an empty street.
Black brows curved upwards.
"Ulquiorra?" she called out.
"Ulquiorra?" her delicate voice tried once more.
When no answer came after several minutes of standing alone in the middle of the street, Sayuri forced her legs to follow after Hiro and Mai.
She knew that he was not coming.
-O-
"Hiro?"
"Yes?"
"What kind of girls do guys prefer or find attractive?"
The young male raised confused brows at his female companion. They had already dropped off Mai at her home, which was closest to the school, and now, Hiro was accompanying Sayuri to her own abode. The sun was setting, signaling the end to a very long day. Well, to Hiro, it was not over quite just yet.
"Do you like someone?" he asked her.
"I, uh, I will let you know..." she answered rather vaguely.
A small latent smirk found its way to Hiro's lips. "Guys like girls who are forward but not overbearingly so. If I were you, I would let your feelings be known."
Sayuri frowned. "But that would make girls vulnerable..."
"How about I even out the playing field then," Hiro stated before placing himself directly in front of the ebony haired female's path.
"W-what?" the young teen squeaked in surprised at his unorthodox behavior.
Sayuri felt large hands cover her slender ones. Slowly, Hiro brought one of her hands to his lips and gave it a light kiss, and she could only watch the scene unfold in shock and confusion.
"W-what are you doing H-Hiro?" she managed to choke out.
Eyes glazed in sincerity, Hiro confessed, "I love you Sai."
The moment froze in Sayuri's point of view as the intense bloodred rays of the sun engulfed their bodies in one last cry of light before sinking below the horizon. Darkness, in its excitement, quickly replaced the last warmth of sun with its own intense chill.
Sayuri felt her body shiver as a merciless wind swept around their still figures.
"Sai," she faintly heard his voice continue, "Would you be my girlfriend?"
She felt her jaw drop slightly at his request. Hiro had been surprising her a lot recently, but this one made her chest scream painfully.
When she did not respond, Hiro looked at her pleadingly. "Do you not want to be with me?"
Though she could not answer, her heart silently gave its own response as its ache intensified to a dull pain.
Rather than saying what her heart was obviously telling her to do, the teenage girl blurted out, "Why now?"
Taken aback by her odd answer, Hiro dropped her hands that had been imprisoned in his.
"I...," he began, "I realized, after all the recent events, that I want to be with you."
His brown eyes began to smolder as they took hold of hers.
"Would you be with me Sai?" he asked again.
Feeling the air harshly bite her skin, Sayuri was snapped out of her daze caused by the suddenness of his confession.
She needed to answer him, but she did now know what answer was correct.
Sayuri lowered her head in acquiescence to her predicament. She needed to say something, but what she was supposed to say. She had absolutely no clue.
Her chest was throbbing, her mind was aching, and her skin was unforgiveable being bitten by the frosty air.
"Give me some time," she finally said, "I n-need to think about...everything."
Her bowed head was unable to see the deep downward curve of Hiro's lips at her statement.
"I see," Sayuri heard him say through a distant voice, "I will wait."
"I will wait for you," he added on.
-O-
This concludes Chapter 12!
Please review!
Thank you for reading. Have a nice day!