"Where are we headed to now?" Ichigo yelled. The screeching tires were making it hard to hear.
"H-how should I know?" Nel called back.
"You are the one driving," Rukia said.
"We could try finding our parents," Tatsuki said from the back.
Uryu shook his head. "That would be practically impossible. There are six of us, meaning we'd have to travel hundreds of miles across the country to six different locations. And even then, there's no guarantee that our parents will even be at home any more."
Orihime gasped. "Are you saying that they could be dead?"
"More like…evacuating."
Nel turned around to face the kids. "You know, we could always stay over at my place, it's not far from—" BUMP.
"What was that?" Ichigo whispered. Everyone slowly turned around.
"Aww, I really hope that wasn't a student!" Nel cried. "That would be very bad for my car."
Ichigo rolled his eyes. "We just ran over something and you're concerned about your car?"
"Hey, we can't go anywhere without it," Tatsuki murmured.
Nel scratched her forehead. "Hmm. Should I go back?"
"Well DUH!" Rukia yelled. "If we really did hit someone, we need to see if they're okay."
"It'll slow us down, though!" Keigo moaned.
Tatsuki sighed. "Ignore the idiot and just turn back."
"Okaaaay, fine," Nel grumbled. She jerked the steering wheel sharply to the left and everyone squished onto the side of the car.
"Watch it!" Ichigo yelled.
"R-Rukia, you're kind of crushing me," Orihime squeaked.
Rukia and Ichigo both scooted to the right. "Sorry about that."
"I see people!" Keigo cried as they approached the site of the "accident".
"Hmm, but no one's dead," Nel muttered. "I guess we can go back now."
Rukia's jaw dropped. "How can you be so nonchalant about this?"
Uryu grabbed Nel's arm to keep her from driving away. "Hey, someone's coming up to the car. You'd better stop."
"I suppose so," Nel said boredly. She swerved the car to the side just as a tall blue-haired kid walked forward. He tapped on the window and Nel rolled it down.
"What the hell was that for?" he yelled exasperatedly. "You just ran over the only bat we had!" The kid held up a strip of metal that was squished like a pancake.
Nel's attitude flared up. "Ha! It was your fault that you left it in the middle of the road."
"You could've at least actually looked at the road while you were driving instead of cruising around like a maniac—"
"We're in the middle of a ZOMBIE APOCAPLYPSE and you expect me to drive like a cautious old woman? I actually care about living, believe it or not—"
Mr. Blue Hair facepalmed himself. "Look, lady—"
"Grimmjow," said a calm voice from behind him.
"What is it, Ulquiorra?" The man named Grimmjow snapped. Orihime craned her neck and looked at the person who had shown up: a tall, pale figure with long, messy black hair and brilliant green eyes.
"Try not to be so short-tempered." Ulquiorra smirked. He leaned forward and whispered in Grimmjow's ear.
"Tch! Like hell they will."
"You could always ask."
Grimmjow inhaled deeply and rolled his eyes, leaning further into the window of the car. "Okay, look. How about we make you guys a deal? You give us a ride to wherever the hell you're going, and I'll forget all about the bat incident."
Nel glared at him for a few seconds. "No."
Grimmjow opened his mouth to retort until he saw Uryu tap Nel on the shoulder. "Nel, surely we could make room for them."
With a "hmph," Nel crossed her arms over her large chest and frowned. "I don't want someone with a bad attitude like him in my car."
"Maybe if you did the face," Ulquiorra suggested with a cold look that almost resembled a smile.
"No freaking way."
Ulquiorra shoved his hands in his pockets and began to walk away. "Then let's go. I'm tired of waiting here like trash."
"Fine. You've left me no choice." Grimmjow sighed and clasped his hands together, then looked up at Nel with giant baby-blue eyes. "Please let us get in your car and follow you around like creepers. I really don't want to die." He added in one last comical sniff and waited for her answer.
She was silent for a few seconds before the whole car exploded with laughter. "Aww!" Nel squealed. "That was probably the cutest thing I've seen all week!"
"Does that mean yes? Because if I had to do that retarded face for nothing—"
"Yeah, you guys can come in." Uryu slid open the back door and the two boys climbed inside. Ulquiorra sat next to Orihime, who blushed and scooted closer to Rukia, and Grimmjow lazily plopped down in the back seat next to Keigo.
A small giggle came from up front. "You looked kind of like a kitty when you did the face," Nel said.
"DON'T call me a kitty!" Grimmjow snapped. He ran a hand through his spiky blue hair and rolled his eyes again.
Ichigo turned to face him. "What should we call you guys, then?"
"Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez."
"Ulquiorra Cifer."
"Weird names," Ichigo muttered. "I'm Kurosaki. Ichigo Kurosaki."
"Nice hair, Kurosaki. Talk about weird."
"Like you're hair's any more normal."
The two grew silent as the van drove out of the small neighborhood they had been cruising through and into the city. Pillars of smoke rose up from practically every building and zombies lurked all around them.
"Ishida was right," Tatsuki whispered.
"Oh no," Orihime choked. She buried her face in her hands and cried.
Uryu looked down at his lap solemnly. "Where to now?" he asked emotionlessly.
"It's six o'clock," Nel said. "We need to find somewhere to stay for the night."
Ichigo nodded. "Somewhere away from the city."
Keigo shook his head. "I can't believe this is happening," he said.
"You should just be glad that I got you out of the school," Tatsuki said proudly.
"Yeah, speaking of that," he started. "Why did you decide to save me?" His large, wide brown eyes stared into hers curiously.
"Um…well," Tatsuki looked away nervously for a second. "Because Ichigo told me to get you. Duh," she lied, whipping back around to face him.
"I heard my name," Ichigo said from the row in front. "What's going on?"
"We're just talking about how you told Tatsuki to get me out of the school. I honestly didn't know you liked me that much, Ichi-kun!"
Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "I didn't tell her that. I just said to bring anyone she cared about."
Keigo turned around and looked at Tatsuki. "Huh? You mean—?"
"S-stop jumping to conclusions, idiot. It's not like I saved you because I like you or anything. I just thought it was the right thing to do."
"I swear, Tatsuki, you just turned seven different shades of red."
"Shut it, Kurosaki."
They reached Nel's house before nightfall. It was a small apartment-sized home with large, open rooms covered top to bottom with windows.
"This place is tiny," Grimmjow grumbled. "How are all of us supposed to fit?"
"You're not," Nel snapped.
"Hey! What do you mean?"
"You're complete and total strangers that I've known for forty consecutive minutes. I am not letting you in my house. You can sleep in the car!" she added cheerfully.
"We do need someone to keep watch," Uryu said. "I guess that could be your job."
"I don't think so, four-eyes. I'm not staying up all night and watching over your sorry ass."
"Acting like a fool isn't helping the situation, Grimmjow," Ulquiorra said coldly.
Ichigo sighed. "I guess it IS kind of unfair to just have one person to keep watch. I can rotate out with you at midnight."
"Good," Grimmjow said. Ichigo shot him a look as if to say, "what, no 'thank you'?" which he ignored. "Come on, Ulquiorra, let's get back in."
"I never said the black-haired kid couldn't stay inside," Nel spoke up.
Grimmjow shook his head angrily. "Aw, hell no—"
He felt a hand on his shoulder. "Just give up, kid," Rukia muttered, "Because she certainly won't."
Orihime felt something shuffle across the room. She looked up sleepily and glanced at the clock: midnight. Ichigo must be leaving.
She stumbled haphazardly across the room, careful not to step on anyone. "Ichigo."
"Orihime?" he asked.
"Yes."
"Do you need something?" Ichigo said gently.
Orihime felt tears well up in her eyes again. She needed to stop crying so much. "A-are you going to be okay when you go out there?"
He breathed a sigh of relief. "Of course I am. I'll be in the car with my bat. Plus, Nel's house is in the woods. As long as we stay quiet, it'll be hard for anything to find us."
"C-can I go with you?" she asked hopefully. "That way, I know you'll be safe!"
"Sorry, Orihime, but no. You need to get some rest. I swear I'll be fine. You have my word." Ichigo smiled kindly at her before walking out the door to take over the watch.
I need more than your word, Ichigo, she thought. I need to be there to protect you. Slowly, Orihime walked back to her designated sleeping spot. She was surprised to see that the slightly creepy kid called Ulquiorra was up.
"Have you been awake this entire time?" she whispered.
He nodded. "You stepped on my head when you went to go talk to Kurosaki."
"So that was what I felt under my foot! Sorry," she added.
"That Kurosaki kid," he started. "Do you really care about him?"
She looked at him with wide eyes and blushed. "Y-yeah…is it obvious that I'm in love with him?"
"I never said 'love'," Ulquiorra said, staring ahead blankly.
"O-oh. So it's not obvious?"
He studied her with those green eyes of his. They were beautiful and creepy at the same time. "I wouldn't know anything about love, woman."
Ulquiorra seemed to be finished talking with her, because on that confusing note, he slowly laid his head back down on the small pillow he had been given and closed his eyes.
"Uh, goodnight! Sleep well!" Orihime said quietly as she walked back to her spot.
"Goodnight," Ulquiorra breathed. "You really are a strange girl…"
Author's Note
GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH . Sorry, sorry, SORRY! Long time no update. I had trouble writing this chapter.
Anyway, I hope the Espada being there will add to the story and make it a whole lot better.
Chapter 4 will come after I update Ghosts and Death Notes and Just Another Dramatic Love Story, so I'd say... a week to a week and a half.
Later!
REVIEWS=ME GUSTA.
-Potter/JediEspada