A/N: Heeeey guys! Thanks so much for the hits and thanks so much for your critiques, Ulquiorra. They help…a lot. And thanks for the reminder. Enjooooy! :3
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. Kubo does. I do however own fanart xD
Orihime's body twisted and turned as the night progressed. Images of her beloved Ichigo were haunting her dreams. She saw Ichigo smiling, Ichigo determined, Ichigo tired, Ichigo annoyed, Ichigo sincere. The last image made her uneasy as beams of sweat dripped down the side of her forehead. Ichigo was bleeding. There was a subtle laugh that only grew and grew until the ash-colored princess woke up. Her heart was pounding out of her chest and her hands leaked blood from squeezing them violently. Orihime turned to the ordinary crescent moon. It was only a nightmare. Her head tilted toward the door and was surprised to see it slightly ajar. Didn't that Espada lock it?
Orihime swung her legs to the side of the bed and walked up to the colorless door. She peaked out into the hallway. The starkness was overwhelming and left an empty feeling in her heart that only deepened by each passing breath. Orihime swiftly turned around and closed the door behind her. She scanned the room until her eyes delayed to the corner of her room. His mask covered half of his pallid face as brilliant permanent green tears fell down his cheeks.
"Where you there the whole time?" she asked the Espada, the same Espada that took her to her room, the same Espada that took her away from Ichigo.
"Only for a short portion of time. You were stirring in your slumber. I wanted to see if everything was alright." He answered in a feigned tone, "But seeing that you are unharmed. There is no reason for me to stay. Aizen-sama has appointed me to take care of you so expect me to come later on with your breakfast."
"I can take care of myself. I don't need you to treat me like a baby." Orihime responded sternly. Her arms hung around her waist as her lips began to pout. Her hair floated around her as she showed the captor her back. Orange locks fell on her face. "What you can do for me is bring back my hairpins." She said while putting a few stands behind her ear.
"I'm not here to cater very single need. I will only see that you are healthy enough to fulfill whatever Aizen-sama requests you to do." The cold arrancar said close to a whisper, "Azien-sama has a reason for keeping your hairclips. He doesn't want you to escape. You haven't yet earned all of his trust."
"I just thought that you could at least do me a nice favor." Orihime replied, "Can you at least find something that will keep my hair in place?" Nervous fingers again pulled strands of hair away.
"No. Go back to bed, woman." The arrancar said, pushing Orihime aside so he can proceed through the door. His long cream colored coat got caught, preventing him to escape the princess' room.
"Could you just stay a little longer?" Orihime asked, "I had a nightmare."
"No. Go to bed, woman." He repeated and left Orihime alone in her room once again. She wanted him to stay. For some odd reason, she felt comfortable around him. She had no clue why. He's so bitter.
"What's your name?" Orihime asked into the halls.
"Ulquiorra." He answered before suddenly disappearing.
Ulquiorra. What a pretty name. Orihime decided to climb back into bed and shut her eyes.
"What do you do for fun around here?" the busty teenager asked her captor cheerfully, "This place is so bland. If only I had tubs of paint. Then I could just splatter it everywhere! It would be so much fun!"
"Fun? Fun sounds so petty. It's none of your business of how I spend my time." Ulquiorra asked with a tray in his hands, "Here. Eat." Surprisingly the food had vibrant colors.
"Sushi?" Orihime asked. She leaned toward the Espada to stare at the glistening silver plate. Indeed it was sushi. The red fish was wrapped neatly around sweet rice and dark green seaweed. The green were two shades deeper than Ulquiorra's eyes. The red reminded her of her uniform. She missed school so much. I wonder what class work I need to make up when all of this is over.
"Yes. Do you not prefer it? Would you rather have the other option?" The arrancar asked. Orihime gritted her teeth, thinking how awful the grey mush was.
"No it's fine. Sushi is fine!" The redhead teenager said waving her hands in front of her.
Ulquiorra dumped the plate on the crystal table five feet away from her table. He walked toward the door, but only remained on the threshold with his hands deep in his pockets. Orihime took her seat and vigorously ate every piece of fish within minutes. Ulquiorra only gaped at what he just witnessed but somehow remained the perfect static statuette.
"You eat more than Grimmjow." Ulquiorra stated. Orihime suddenly stopped chewing and immediately turned the color of a rose. Ulquiorra noticed this and looked around to say something, anything that would make her face the color of a peach again, although he did enjoy making her into a bright cherry.
"But that's good. You're still young. You need your nutrients. I thought I wouldn't need to resort to this. Would you like dessert? " He asked in a nonchalant voice. Orihime still remained ruby red, speechless, but managed a slight nod of the head. Ulquiorra disappeared out of the room and returned back in a matter of seconds. He held a small plastic container. Inside held something familiar…
"A donut?" Orihime asked quietly before she released the fruity pastry out of its confinement.
"Why do you find the need to ask the obvious?" Ulquiorra sighed as she pulled out the donut and popped it in her jubilant mouth.
Orihime was so happy that she had something sweet. The sushi was nice, but the donut made everything so much better. As she closed her beautiful grey eyes, she could almost see her favorite donut shop back home. Tasuki would chide her for blowing her lunch money for the week just on the warm pastries with holes. When she got to the center, she opened her eyes again, surprised on what she found.
"Strawberry?" Orihime mentally asked herself. Strawberry. Kurosaki-kun. She could feel tears cascade her flawless cheeks.
"What's wrong now? It isn't poisoned." Ulquiorra insisted.
"The jelly…" Orihime trailed off before looking down just like her first night at Hueco Mundo.
"What is it? Do you hate strawberry?" Ulquiorra asked.
"No. I love it…it's just that..." Orihime scolded herself her crying in front of her captor. Why was I so emotional? "Kurosaki-kun. I…I…miss him."
"Foolishness." The pale Espada replied, "That part of you is gone now. You serve Aizen-sama now. Kurosaki Ichigo is not here to save you. You can't always be the damsel in distress."
The words struck her like a brick wall and the only thing that was left to do was to crumble down. Tears rolled down faster than before. She wiped the apples of her cheeks only to find more in her sockets.
"You should forget about him. I'll be back with dinner later." Ulquiorra said, taking the plate and plastic container with him. He locked to door knowing that she would weep more before taking a nap…and she did. He lingered behind the door, hearing her loud moans and sniffs. He then began to feel something indescribable. What is it? He sighed before walking into Aizen's thrown room for his weekly report.
