Gunfire & Paper Hearts

Chapter 6: Touching the Untouchable

A/N: Hello out there. Okay, it's now official… I'm not dead xD I'm just extremely busy with real-life stuff at the moment. My family is one big mess, I've had several ups and downs in my love life, and the whole thing concerning Christmas and new year's eve has been consuming my time as well ^^' I just wanted to make it clear to all of you, that I haven't stopped writing fan fiction x) Not at all… It's just gonna be less frequently ^^' So please bear with me, and enjoy the new chapter if possible ^^


Orihime had never felt more awkward in her whole life.

The dim light from the chandelier above the dining table did nothing to make her feel comfortable, and even though the night's dinner was supposed to be enjoyable and fun, she couldn't help but feel restless.

She wore an outfit consisting of a long light blue dress, white stockings, and a normal pair of flat black shoes. The dinner in itself wasn't anything special… just another evening shared with her father and the man she was engaged to. The only thing that was different this time, one tiny little detail, was the fact that a certain green eyed male sat next to her – his presence alone making her feel much more vulnerable, uncertain and awkward than she had ever done before.

She remembered vividly the previous evening. How could she possibly forget? No matter what she did, she remembered it all; every luscious stroke, the feeling of his body pressed against her own, and the terrible sin of the actions she had done nothing to stop.

Disgust was the first feeling that filled her body; she was an engaged woman, to be married in less than 6 months. Couldn't she have more decency? And why couldn't she push her lust aside and tell her bodyguard, the man who worked under her, that his actions were not permitted?

Orihime had a hard time opening her eyes to the truth that hid underneath her skin and clawed at her conscience every time the green eyed male, Ulquiorra, gazed at her. She simply couldn't accept it… the fact that maybe the deep green eyes, those terribly stoic and yet passionate eyes, had entranced her and made her forget about reality and decency. Maybe it was just lust? Maybe it was more? But Orihime couldn't open towards those feelings.

She wouldn't be weak once again… or, that was what she told herself.

"Orihime?"

Orihime blinked her eyes lightly and turned her head towards the voice in question. Emilio smiled at her, with his glass of white wine lifted towards her. "A toast for our future happiness and wealth."

Orihime lifted her own glass, eyes still directed just below the older male's face, and with a weak smile adorning her lips. They toasted, and Orihime finally found the courage to turn her head, and look at the man who sat next to her.

All it took was one glance, and she realized that he was staring at her; deep green piercing her soft brown eyes. She forced a smile upon her lips, to keep her happy façade in place, but he didn't flinch.

How could he be so… unaffected?

It actually annoyed her a bit. They had been more than intimate, or at least he had been towards her, but while she felt awkward and strange around him, he appeared totally unaffected. It was not the least fair that she had to shiver when meeting his eyes, when he could just sit there, and stare at her like nothing had happened in the first place!

"So, Orihime, how was the party?" Orihime held back a soft sigh, and was forced to look away from her 'subject of annoyance' when Aldo's voice resounded in her ears. "I heard that you and mister Acosta got along very well."

"I suppose…" Orihime didn't feel like talking at all. To be honest, she just wanted to go to sleep; to hide underneath her soft linen sheets and allow the darkness to take her away; to a place where there was no Emilio, no Ulquiorra, and no laws that made her involvement with one man more wrong than the other.

Aldo paused the movement of his fork just as he was about to devour another piece of meat. "You suppose?" He laughed softly. "Don't be shy Orihime, I know that you're not too fond of parties, but I heard from mister Acosta that you were out dancing and seemed to be enjoying yourself?"

Orihime glanced towards her fiancé, just to receive an immediate smile from the older man. "And she was wonderful; if you hadn't told me, I would have assumed that she had danced her whole life."

For some reason, Orihime just couldn't feel happy with such a compliment. It felt like she was deceiving both of them… simply because what she remembered from the evening, and what she had found enjoyable, wasn't the dancing or the closeness of her fiancé, but the closeness of another certain male who sat quietly next to her.

It would have been so much easier to come clean with everything, but for some reason Orihime couldn't bring herself to stab the green eyed male in the back. She hoped that her protector would understand that his actions were wrong and unwanted and that she would be able to suppress her own conflicted emotions at the same time.

If not, she would have to talk to him about it, and she could only see such a conversation turning out one way…

"Mister Acosta dances beautifully as well." Orihime mustered her most genuine smile all the while faking her voice into sounding happy and cheerful. "The suit he wore was absolutely beautiful." She laughed softly. "I couldn't help but feel inferior to him the whole night."

Mister Acosta straightened his back by the very direct compliments; his ego getting more than a light boost from the young woman's sudden flattering.

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself." Aldo quickly stated as his eyes darted to the green eyed male whose eyes were directed at his adoptive daughter the whole time. Despite the dangers from the previous 'outing', he couldn't help but feel content with the fact that the party had gone so well. "Did you enjoy yourself as well, mister Cifer?"

"I did." Orihime felt the staring more than ever before, and she couldn't help but look towards her 'protector' when his dark and yet calm voice filled her ears. They were placed about a half meter from each other, and the closeness from his voice made her shiver lightly… it was first now that she noticed how sensual his voice was, and she inwardly damned herself for thinking so all of a sudden. "The party in itself was nothing special, but the interior and location was quite enjoyable."

While Mister Acosta devoured the food on his plate, Aldo's face lightened up by a smile. "The location you say?" he chuckled. "How so?"

Orihime could feel her heart sink when the green eyed male spoke casually and unaffected once again. "The balcony in particular was quite the sight." Deep green eyes finally moved from Orihime, and instead found hold at mister Acosta. "You should have taken your time to enjoy it as well, mister Acosta, I'm sure you would have enjoyed the marvelous sight beyond belief."

Orihime suddenly felt extremely cold and she buried her hands in her lap. She had no idea that Ulquiorra would target her fiancée like that; indirectly insinuating that maybe he should have paid closer attention to what was happening at the balcony than he had originally done.

Ulquiorra was cruel beyond belief. How could he be so casual and unaffected, but yet put up a show like that?

The silence threatened to choke Orihime, and she swallowed hard; so hard that she was afraid that the people around the table would hear it.

However, when the silence was finally broken, it was not in the way Orihime had originally expected. Mister Acosta's characteristic thick laughter filled the dining table, and even Aldo paused his fork just as he was about to swallow another piece of meat.

"I hadn't expected such a thing from you." Mister Acosta waved his fork towards the green eyed male, smiling brightly. "To be interested in architecture, that is, maybe I should have paid closer attention than I did, but Orihime simply stole the spotlight."

Orihime breathed a sigh of relief and her deep brown eyes closed just as Aldo started chitchatting with Mister Acosta about architecture from the 16th century. It was ironic that she had to be saved by her fiancée's naivety; one of the traits she loathed the most about herself. But for how long would she be saved like that? For how long would it stay a secret if Ulquiorra deemed it necessary to give suggestive hints like that from time to time?

She would have to talk to him about it. There was simply no way around it. If she didn't make it clear to him that she couldn't accept his behavior, there would be no guarantee that the same episode wouldn't repeat itself.

Orihime slowly turned her head to the side, to cast a quick glance at Ulquiorra as he casually drank his cup of tea – not the least affected by the other males. Even though she was still slightly upset, she couldn't ignore the fact that her whole being got warmer from seeing him like that.

It was such a simple thing, and yet so delicate and elegant.

His eyes were half-lidded; leaving just a hint of that beautiful deep green color visible, and emphasizing his long lashes in the process. His lips were pressed to the tea cup, and his long slim fingers locked around the porcelain carefully, as if he was handling something very precious. He looked so… gentle. Orihime felt utterly entranced by his appearance; so entranced that she first discovered his eyes directing towards her, once the cup left his lips, and his deep voice rang in her ears;

"What is it?"

Orihime blinked her eyes several times, and shook her head flustered. She had to do it now. She had to get his attention, and let him know how she felt about his behavior at the party. She had! to be strong and fierce.

While imagining all sorts of superhero scenarios where she saved the day and could handle anything, she forced her eyes open, and moved closer to the green eyed male who sat next to her. It took all of her strength to appear calm and collected, as she grabbed his sleeve and pulled at it gently – the whole action hidden beneath the tablecloth.

"I need to talk to you… in private…"

The words left her lips quickly and were just barely audible. However, Orihime was sure that the message had arrived at its destination. Deep emerald eyes softened in a matter of a second, and the male in question stared at her for what seemed like an eternity. It made her feel slightly uncomfortable, but Orihime managed to keep up her guards and appear strong.

"Orihime, you haven't eaten your meal."

Orihime's eyes snapped away from the green eyed male, towards the owner of the voice, her adoptive father, and she laughed apologetic.

"I'm sorry father, I'm simply not hungry…" The chair squeaked underneath her, when she rose from her seat. "Is it okay if I go to bed? I don't feel very well."

Orihime didn't like lying at all, but she practically had no other choice in the particular situation. She couldn't handle the tension at the dinner table anymore, and she had to talk to Ulquiorra before her courage would weaken or completely disappear. It had to be now.

"Are you feeling okay?" Aldo rose from his seat as well.

Orihime felt horrible knowing that her adoptive father's worry originated from her lie… but she couldn't back out now.

"It's not that bad, don't worry about me." Orihime laughed, as if to assure her adoptive father that she was okay, before leaving the dinner table with hurried steps. Even when she heard the sound of a second chair squeaking, and she knew who was gonna follow her, she kept her happy facade in place, and she quickly turned towards the still seated Mister Acosta.

"Enjoy the rest of your meal Mister Acosta."

Curtsying quickly towards her fiancée, she left the room.


Ulquiorra followed Orihime down the long corridors; His eyes never straying from her back. Even though he hadn't been particularly focused on the young woman at the dinner table, at least not when compared to his normal awareness, he had clearly noticed how her behavior had changed. She seemed much more nervous than usual; fumbling with the silverware with every bite, her hands shaking lightly, and her eyes nervously glancing from side to side as if, she was constantly being watched. Had she grown paranoid? Was her paranoia reasonable?

Ulquiorra kept his eyes at Orihime's back most of the time, but even so, managed to analyze his surroundings quickly. If her life had been in danger, he would have noticed it. Her paranoia had to be unfounded.

"Ulquiorra…"

The sound of his name made Ulquiorra stop in his tracks; His eyes once again returning to the soft curve that defined the young woman's back. They were alone in her bedroom, a place where they had been alone several times before. However, this time things felt different. Tension was shrouding the dim room, and Ulquiorra had no trouble in concluding that Orihime had something important to talk to him about. He could practically taste the bitterness in the way her voice had changed.

"The things that happened yesterday…" Orihime's voice stuttered slightly. "… I don't want them to happen again."

Ulquiorra heard a harsh intake of breath, and noted the light shrug from the young girl's shoulders. She was nervous and bewildered. Ulquiorra had never been a good judge of character; in fact, he had never been too interested in other people's emotions before. However, even Ulquiorra, the impassive and indifferent Ulquiorra, had no trouble in concluding Orihime's state of mind… and it didn't please him one bit.

"I… I still want you to be here with me it's just…" Orihime continued. "It's just that you can't do… such a thing again."

Ulquiorra approached the young girl with casual steps. What she asked for was an easy task to complete; Ulquiorra was still able to control the desires that ached in his heart and he would be able to refrain from getting too close to her again, if that was what she wanted. But honestly, he didn't want to put restraints on himself. It would be too easy to simply succumb to the system, and allow desires to be chocked by regulations. He had lived such a life for too long.

Orihime turned around upon hearing the sound of familiar steps, and her deep brown eyes immediately fell upon the green emeralds that constantly made her knees weak.

"You don't want me to touch you? But you still want me close?"

Ulquiorra's question was simple but none the less, held a darker tone than usual.

Orihime moved backwards with every step from the green eyed male; her eyes unfocused and her breath so heavy that it was painfully evident in the silence of the room.

When Ulquiorra didn't receive an answer, he quickened his steps, and took the girl by surprise when she was forced into the cupboard next to her bed; the old wood creaking upon the sudden impact. However, he didn't touch her. He simply held her in place there with his body just centimeters from her. The warmth from her breath against his neck made his skin tingle, but he refused from showing it.

"So, you don't want me to touch you?" He repeated, and even though their bodies weren't touching, he could see her shiver. "Isn't that hypocritical of you; to ask me to stay close, but not touch you?"

He awaited her reply for many fateful moments, but the young girl had lost her ability to speak. Her mouth was locked shut, and her eyes immediately lowered to the floor when he tried to regain eye-contact. He hated it when she didn't look him in the eyes; when all she did was to avoid him and the truth he spoke of.

Ulquiorra tilted his head slightly, while his deep green eyes studied the silent young woman who stood impassively with her back against the cupboard. Did he really have to push her across the line?

"If you want me close like this, it'll be impossible for me not to touch you from time to time." He moved closer; his arms both secluding and trapping the young woman against the cupboard, while allowing him to place his lips just next to her ear. The words left his lips in the form of whispering; "You can't ask for such a thing; Orihime Inoue."

Ulquiorra's goal of provoking a reaction out of the young woman had been successful, and he felt oddly triumphant when Orihime finally spoke; her voice filled to the brim with pure defiance.

"I'm engaged Ulquiorra!" Deep brown eyes snapped upwards to meet terrifying but yet entrancing green, and even though Orihime had insisted that he wasn't allowed to touch her, she broke her own so called 'rule' and Ulquiorra felt small delicate fingers lock against the fabric his shirt consisted of. "Do you know what will happen if any of this is exposed?"

Ulquiorra's eyes narrowed slightly, but he kept silent when Orihime continued; "You will be thrown out! Maybe even killed! We can't do this!"

The grip around Ulquiorra's shirt was enforced, and the green eyed male could practically feel nails scrapping against the skin underneath. It was a pleasant feeling despite the young woman's distress. He didn't like it when she was sad or worried, but he couldn't help but be more focused on the sudden power in her voice and her scent that lingered in his nose.

"Now please, put some distance between us in the future, you're only putting yourself in danger with this."

But the green eyed male didn't remove his arms from the cupboard; in fact, he only closed in on the young woman whose eyes were still filled to the brim with defiance.

The quick hint of a smirk adorned Ulquiorra's lips. "Woman, you're underestimating me." His voice was slick. "If the wrath from your family, or your fiancées, would pose any genuine threat towards me, I wouldn't have chosen to work underneath them in the first place." He placed his fingers lightly underneath Orihime's chin. "I would have eliminated them."

Orihime tried to move back, further towards the cupboard, but was instead caught off-guard by the soft sensation of the green eyes male's fingers. She could already see where his actions were going, and she didn't like it one bit.

"That's not relevant Ulquiorra!" She met the killer's gaze directly before continuing. "You may think that you have all the power in the world and that you can just do this without thinking about the consequences but… but…" Orihime tried to find the proper words. "But you just can't."

Orihime finally removed her fingers from the green eyed male's shirt, just a bit reluctantly, and that was when she noticed the minimal amount of space between them. She could feel his pants and the outline of his right leg press against her own bare one; forcing a soft shiver down her spine, while his breath tickled her cheek with every calm intake for air. Oddly enough, his breath was hot; a thing that bewildered the young woman slightly, since everything else about him appeared and felt so incredibly cold.

"N-now please…"

But Orihime didn't manage to utter another word or even finish her own sentence, before 2 strong hands locked around her wrists. Her arms were forced high above her head, and she heard and felt the harsh slamming of her hands against the cupboard behind her. She felt paralyzed, but refused to show fear. After all, she didn't fear him and never would.

"I can't?" Orihime met his gaze, just to discover that his face was dangerously close to her own once again. His low whispering voice penetrated her ears even though she wanted to refrain from listening, and she allowed a deep breath to escape her lips, when the invading feeling of a knee was added between her legs. "What makes you think that you have the power to dictate my every move, Hime?"

Orihime wanted to deny him the pleasure of seeing her succumb to the sound of his voice, and the added intensity of his body against her own, but it became harder and harder with every passing second. She inwardly damned herself. She had never regarded herself, as an indecent woman who would feel lust so easily, but somehow it was different around Ulquiorra…

He was just… different in general.

"I'm not trying to dictate you into doing anything…" Orihime mumbled under her breath; still maintaining her defiance, despite the fact that her body was starting to work against her. "It's just that I don't want to… lose you." Orihime sighed softly upon hearing those precious words slip from her lips. "I don't want to see you thrown out… killed… or something worse. I just want you to stay here with me, while time still is, and this whole… 'Affair', is jeopardizing that."

Silence followed.

"Do you really want to put your job on the line, just to satisfy simple lust?"

The green eyed male's grip around the young woman's wrists was enforced, almost enough to leave bruises, and deep green eyes narrowed dangerously. His frame was still, his breath non-existent and he honestly felt like shaking her.

She thought it was all about… lust?

Sorrow filled the otherwise emotionless killer's being; a feeling long forgotten, and highly unwanted. He felt hurt, but not surprised. He knew that many males followed the surge of lust based on physical attraction and nothing more, and because of that, he couldn't fully blame her for putting him in the same category…

But he was different now. He had discovered joy, fascination, and pleasure in much more complex things than simple lust. Needs based on lust alone, were simple and easy to fulfill, but the aching in his heart had been unfulfilled his whole life… that was, until the day he had met her, and discovered the sensation of feeling complete.

It was not about claiming her body anymore. No, he wanted to claim every single thing about her;

He wanted to dig his nails deeply into her hips, and savor the feeling of her skin. He wanted to press their lips together, and feel her tongue against his own. He wanted to thrust repeatedly into her sinfully proportioned body, until she screamed his name in ecstasy… and while doing so, he wanted to make her come back for more. Every night he would provide her with the pleasures they both craved. The friction they both longed for and needed. But he wouldn't do so because of the sinful curves of her body, because of her deep brown eyes, or because of the fullness of her lips… He would do it because he loved her with every fiber of his body.


Had he become obsessed?

Did he put too much into their relationship?

Was she actually right?

Did he jeopardize her safety, simply because of his own selfish desires?

Desires which were not mutual?


"You're right." Orihime felt the green eyed male's grip around her wrists grow weaker. "It's not worth it."

And then he was gone. Like the always present ghost in her life, he disappeared. The feeling of his body left, the shivers ceased, and she felt alone once again.

The ending of the conversation had been to her advantage; she had received what she wanted all along, and Ulquiorra had admitted that the affair wasn't worth it in the long run… so why did she feel like something wasn't right? That something was horribly wrong?

Orihime barely got any sleep that night, and woke up just to realize exactly what was wrong.

Ulquiorra was nowhere to be found.


A/N: Suspense! *The disappearance of Ulquiorra Cifer* XD Leave a review to lighten up my day ^^ *Bows*