AN: And here is another chapter my dear readers (and a much bigger one than last to make up for the coming delay)! The next update might really be a week or two from now, if not more. For one, I have a major deadline in an already busy month, which draws all my energy, leaving too little to write this. Second, the next few chapters are crucial in terms of developing the plot but also all the four main characters, and there are some difficult scenes, which seemed simple enough when I wrote the outline, but as I write them, I am realizing that I am not satisfied with what I have and they need more work. So the next update might not be in another 2 weeks or so. I will try to make it earlier, but there is an off chance it'll be later.

Now, for some thoughts on the obvious head start I have given Ulquiorra. Given that this is a romantic drama, I always wanted to have Orihime have much deeper interactions with the three male characters (and I dont just mean sexual ones, but more than surface level interactions and her considering which one is best). And that would need one of them to have a head start. Ichigo already seems to have a major advantage when it comes to Orihime, because in order to keep Orihime close to canon and in character, one has to write her deeply in love with Ichigo. In my mind, it almost seems like a relationship that starts high despite being one sided, but cannot be explored unless it has a fair share of lows.

Byakuya making a move on Orihime (beyond his first rather crafty move) would have been out of character for me. Despite his occasional quirks, I see Byakuya as a very stoic and composed person (much more so than Ulquiorra). Ulquiorra, on the other hand, always seemed on equal footing with Orihime in the manga. Maybe because he only ever interacted with her. And hence the obvious head start.

This story is now somewhere mid-way and as I mentioned things will get more dramatic. The next few chapters will bring back the other contenders in a major way and delve more into Orihime's conflicting feelings.

This chapter though, is primarily Orihime, her work and UlquiHime. There is a semi lemon, if thats not your kind of thing. I hope you guys enjoy.

And again, thank you to my reviewers. I do take your feedback very seriously and it helps me develop this plot better in terms of foreshadowing/clarifying things that aren't clear in the story. Love you all and have a great start of the week!

Disclaimer: Tite Kubo created these characters. I created the plot and AU so they can make love not war. ;)

Chapter 9: Second time lucky

Ichimaru Gin was the right hand man of Aizen and assisted Ulquiorra with his work. Secretary might not have been the best way to describe him, but that was the official post he occupied. With silver hair and piercing blue eyes, the man had a bit of a creepy aura around him. He also happened to be married to a complete knock out in the HR department, Rangiku Matsumoto, who had made it a habit to stop by Orihime's office before every break to gossip about the going ons in the office.

"Did you hear Hime? I heard Starrk has been trying to woo Ise san from USJF. If he succeeds, you guys might loose the contract no matter what you do!" Rangiku whispered conspiratorially on yet another trip to Orihime's office. Orihime was glad that she spent most of the time off site with Ulquiorra. With Rangiku interrupting her she always wondered how she got anything done.

"Huh? Ise san is in Tokyo. How is Starrk wooing her exactly?"

"Ise san travelled to Tokyo for the presentation silly! She is Kyoraku san's secretary. She lives here. They met because Aizen works with USJF a lot. But Kyoraku san is rather possessive of Ise san, if you know what I mean." Rangiku winked. Orihime didn't know what she meant but she could tell.

Realizing that her audience was unimpressed, Rangiku ploughed on.

"Oh and btw, have you seen Cifer san today?"

"Yes Rangiku chan. He came in the morning, but had a meeting with Aizen." Orihime supplied. Wasn't her husband Ulquiorra's assistant and in possession of his calendar? Orihime grabbed herself a drink. Whatever this was, was going to take long.

"Well… I bet a thousand bucks the guy got laid this weekend."

Orihime spluttered the water she was drinking.

"Rangiku cchhaaaan!"

"Its ok Hime. Adults do these kinds of things." Rangiku winked. "I mean just last night Gin and I were.."

"Inoue san." Came the crisp voice of Ulquiorra as he walked into Orihime's office.

"Err, yes! Cifer san!"

"Please come to my office. We need to discuss the project plan. Aizen sama had a few suggestions." With that he gave Rangiku a sharp glance and walked out.

"Shit he definitely got some this weekend Hime. Typically he would have killed me for wasting the time of his employee. He was always so uptight. I always told Gin it was because the man was a virgin.."

"Ano… I ll talk to you later Rangiku chan!" Orihime smiled and started walking towards the inner door that connected her and Ulquiorra's office.

"Sure Hime! How about dinner tonight?"

"Umm, I already made plans. But lets have lunch tomorrow ok?" With that she waved at the blonde woman and walked into Ulquiorra's office.

His office was a large room not dissimilar from the conference room in the Tokyo office, with one side entirely made of glass, facing the Manhattan skyline. While the main office was minimal, with his desk, chair and sofas for guests, there was an inner chamber that had a larger sofa and some food. Aizen had had it converted because Ulquiorra had a habit of staying back at work overnight. Apparently he would just shower in the office gym.

"You called me, Cifer san?" Orihime said, looking at Ulquiorra meaningfully. He wasn't going to talk to Aizen about USJF. That could only mean that he had used it as an excuse.

"Yeah I did. I thought I would help you escape the mindless banter of Matsumoto Rangiku." He said evenly.

"Right."

"By the way, you do realize that we have neither the place, nor the idea and the presentation is in three weeks right? How is the roundup on city permits coming along?"

Orihime sighed. What had she been expecting? There was no way in hell Ulquiorra would get frisky during work. They had been so passionate all weekend, only breaking up to grab food and shower, that she was finding the lack of intimacy hard to get used to. In this business like environment, she was unsure how to deal with Ulquiorra after what had transpired between them in the last two days.

Orihime also wished she had a friend to talk to. She was really missing Rukia and even Tatsuki. However both her friends were resolutely against using social networking sites and this wasn't something that could be discussed on e mail.

Rangiku was friendly enough, but Orihime worried that if she even let it slip that she was the reason Ulquiorra got "laid" that weekend, the whole of Aizen Corp, US AND Japan offices would know of hers and Ulquiorra's tryst within an hour.

Orihime tried to focus back on work. That was the main purpose of her coming to New York after all.

"I listed all the areas where we could get a city permit for the sakura park. Ichimaru san even liaised with the city council about it. I am particularly partial to Central Park." She handed Ulquiorra her documents.

"Hmmm, I like that. Its grand enough.." Ulquiorra was pensive for a while.

"We need to brainstorm some more Inoue san. With the time running out, even if we cover our grounds enough it might be tough convincing USJF. I also suggest that we meet Kyoraku san once. He has shown interest in informing us a bit more about what they want and why they didn't go with your previous idea. Apparently Ise san had taken a particular liking to it."

"Mmm Hmm." Orihime sighed. Ulquiorra was worried. And knowing him, that usually meant he would just work longer and do more, possibly bleeding the work into the weekend. It looked like this was going to be a long, long week.

"Aaaargh! I don't know what to do Ulquiorra! You keep rejecting everything I suggest! The only thing you agreed on was Central Park." It was midnight and Orihime and Ulquiorra had been in the office "brain storming" since 8 in the morning. She was tired, dizzy and after Ulquiorra turned down her fifth idea, fast loosing her patience with the pale man.

"I wouldn't be rejecting them if you had absorbed a sliver of what I said in your skull woman!" Apparently she wasn't the only one loosing her patience.

Orihime shot Ulquiorra a dirty look. It was funny how they resumed their bickering when they were away from the eyes of their coworkers.

"What's wrong with this japanese bridge idea?"

"It looks like a normal bridge. People wont recognise it."

"But I suggested the exact same design as the one in memoirs of a geisha! Isn't that movie supposed to be very popular amongst Americans? Half the people here have asked me about it. They don't even know that the lead actors aren't even Japanese…"

"Must you test my patience woman?! The bridge is too impractical, too subtle and uncreative even by your standards."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Orihime walked over to Ulquiorra, glowering over him.

"It means the idea sucks. I am beginning to think that's more the norm with you though.."

"Am I supposed to be intimidated by your unnecessary rudeness?!" Now she was cowering over Ulquiorra, giving him a fantastic view of her cleavage. Ulquiorra felt his throat clench. I will not think with my penis!

But Orihime had noticed Ulquiorra's gaze shift from her eyes to her chest. She smirked inwardly. He was a guy after all. And after more than 14 hours of useless brainstorming, Orihime needed a release. She bent closer to Ulquiorra.

"You are the one who lacks the ability to think outside the box" she said, her voice almost a purr. She could see Ulquiorra's pupils dilate a bit, but he huffed at this retort anyways.

" I don't care what you think about my creative abilities woman." He raised a brow, his eyes till focused on Orihime's chest. I will not think with my penis!

Orihime rolled her eyes. So much for Ichigo thinking that Ulquiorra was into other men.

"My face is up here… Ciferrr saaaan." Orihime purred some more, bending forward so that Uquiorra could practically see inside her shirt.

Ulquiorra felt his member throb with need. What was wrong with him?! It wasn't that he hadn't encountered these sorts of situations before? Being standoffish, he either scared women, or every once in a while attracted the sort that would go beyond the limits to decency just to get a rise out of him. Yet he had never reacted like a hormonal fifteen-year-old virgin in these situations. But somehow, Inoue Orihime had ensured again, that he would make a fool of himself.

As if noticing his turmoil, Orihime decided to tip the scales completely, reaching over him to grab something so that her chest was firmly planted in front of Ulquiorra's face. That did it.

He didn't care if he was acting like a hormonal teenager or thinking with his penis. By the time he was done with the woman she would never dare pull such stunts with him again.

Without warning, he grabbed Orihime's breasts and ripped the shirt off of them, then latched his mouth on one of her bare nipples, using the leverage to pull her entire body close to him.

Orihime squealed, completely shocked. But before she had time to recover, he was nipping and kissing her chest and stomach, while frantically dragging her skirt below her knees.

"Aaaaah, Ull.. Ulquiorra.. ss..sstttop! What… what if!"

"What if what woman?" he huffed. "You should have thought of the consequences when you were acting all coy a few moments ago." He said, sliding her skirt off and then ripping her stockings cleanly off her. He then proceeded to lift her in his arms and placed her on his desk, ripping her panties off in the process.

Then he inserted a finger in her already wet folds.

"Already ready, I see." He smirked at Orihime. She pouted and turned her face away. Her body might have chosen to betray her, but she was not giving Ulquiorra Cifer the satisfaction of winning over her.

"Ho… defiant again?"

Orihime glared at him.

"Why? Because I said your ideas were unimaginative?" Ulquiorra said as he entered her. Orihime stifled a pleasured moan.

"Or because… I expected ….more…. from you." He said, rocking into her.

"Stop talk..t..talking batman..aaaaaaghh"

"Sure… Orihime." Ulquiorra said, now practically pounding into her as Orihime wailed wantonly. Soon after, Ulquiorra picked Orihime from the desk, turning her around so she was face down on it, entering her again, slowing his movements as her cries became more drawn out.

"Ul…Ulquiorrraaaa…aaaah…aaaaaah.." He felt Orihime's walls clench tightly around his member, almost painfully.

They went at it for what seemed like eternity, her cries echoing off his office walls as she felt strangely exposed due to the manhattan night sky that lay to her left.

Soon after, Ulquiorra had taken her in his inner chamber, and Orihime was now precariously propped on him, her balance held by the mere fact that their bodies were still joined as one. Ulquiorra started pounding into her again, making her bounce such that each time she felt she might slip off and fall.

As if understanding the situation, her folds started clamping around Ulquiorra's member, holding onto it for dear life. Orihime wailed without abandon, knowing full well that no one could see or hear them.

Orihime rejoiced in these sensations fully. She loved the feeling of Ulquiorra throbbing inside her, the abandon with which she could scream her hearts desires and he would fulfill them the very next second. She loved the chill caused by freezing sweat on her naked body, the angles at which she saw herself joined together with Ulquiorra.

It was as if she had suddenly been woken up to the realization that she was, indeed a woman. A confident, sexy woman who was exploring all that her body was capable of and admiring and savoring all the pleasures the male form could offer. Briefly, Orihime wondered why sex had been such a taboo issue, frequently used as a tool to suppress women, when it could be so absolutely, completely liberating.

Maybe it mattered that your partner was in sync with you, reading your movements, willing to understand your desires and being non judgemental about your needs. And Ulquiorra was all of that, if not more. Orihime smiled at the thought gently, as Ulquiorra hit a particularly sweet spot inside her.

"Aaaaaaahhh, Oh my god! There! Ulqui rrrrright there. Please!"

Not needing further prodding, Ulquiorra slid out and slammed into her again, trying to hit the same spot, eliciting another moan. He soon fell into a rhythm, hitting the same sweet spot again and again till Orihimes fractured moans coalesced to become a song of intense pleasure. As was becoming the norm, she soon lost track of the times she came, and before he could stop himself, Ulquiorra came hard too. They fell in a heap, panting and utterly exhilarated.

"Batman!" Orihime suddenly shot up and looked at Ulquiorra, her eyes alight. "I know what to do for the USJF project!"

"Huh? Wha..?" Ulquiorra was still disoriented from his orgasm.

"Seriously. Even YOU wont be able to find a fault with this one!" Orihime winked.

The idea was to develop a replica of one of the sections of Ueno park surrounding the Kiyomizu Kanon temple; including a smaller version of the shrine and sakura park, in Central Park. This section and Ueno itself were not only famous in Tokyo, but also represented Japanese architecture. On the other hand, one of the wilder sections of Ueno would be converted to look like Strawberry Fields in Central Park.

Ulquiorra had to admit, he was amazed by the woman's ingenuity. To create a section instead of plain sakura field, would ensure that the park goers experienced japan and not just in the spring. On the other hand, the proposal to convert a part of Ueno into replica of strawberry fields, a momentous central park location meant that Japanese citizens too could experience New York right in Tokyo. It would also give USJF more leverage. Simply asking to modify a chunk of central park might not have gone down so well with the city. However the idea that a section of central park would be immortalised in one of Tokyo's most famous parks seemed like a much more equitable deal. Also, Yamamoto had enough influence in Japan to make the Tokyo bit happen. Finally, a mutual replica like this was bound to make headlines, enough to mollify Yamamoto who was a stickler for tradition and loved grand gestures.

And to think that the woman had had this idea right after they had finished making love. Suddenly the strange ways scientists made discoveries sitting underneath an apple tree or while taking a bath didn't seem so preposterous to Ulquiorra.

Once they had settled on the idea (this being the ONLY time they agreed on something), Ulquiorra and Orihime were possessed with a sense of newfound purpose. They stayed in office, planning out every little detail or wandered around Central Park scoping out the potential location of the Ueno replica. Ulquiorra spent most of his nights at Orihime's hotel room, or they roomed in together in his office. It wasn't that Ulquiorra minded taking Orihime back to his apartment. However after that one time they had made love in his apartment, his neighbours had e mailed him, complaining to keep the noise to the minimum.

Ulquiorra smirked at this. Orihime was a screamer, and each night she became bolder, screaming stuff that could make him turn red. Ulquiorra had wondered what his relationship with this woman was. Till now they had maintained the professional and distant relationship in front of the world. However the moment they were alone, they would naturally slip into a routine of bickering, debating ideas and leg pulling that would almost always end in passionate love making. Even though it had only been two weeks since they had been physical, it felt like they had been doing this for years.

However, Ulquiorra hadn't broached the subject of the nature of their relationship since his first conversation with Orihime. She hadn't seemed very keen on it then, and he could tell that she didn't know. Even in their conversations, which meandered outside of work related stuff frequently, he had noticed that she steered clear of any conversation about love or relationships. And although he knew she was unattached, he couldn't help but feel a sense of unease at the fact that not once in the two weeks had orihime mentioned the orange haired man.

Ulquiorra looked at the view of East river and Manhattan from his office window, letting out a long sigh. For now it was all right this way. Ulquiorra liked what they had too much to complicate things. Also, who was to say they couldn't carry on a no strings attached sort of relationship? After all, that was all it was to the woman, at least from the looks of it. Again, Ulquiorra felt a painful pulling in his chest. He wished for once he could understand his feelings. He had never been very good at it, mostly because he didn't have many "feelings". He had always been distant, had very few friends and had never been romantically or even sexually attached with someone. Even those close to him had not been as intimate as Orihime was, and not just physically. Their conversations were as enjoyable for Ulquiorra as the sex was.

Orihime whom he had deemed as uninspired and airheaded on their first meeting, was actually quite passionate about the things she cared for. She seemed to genuinely think that urban planning could help make life better for people, which surprised Ulquiorra as even though he knew Orihime was competent, she had never shown much interest in the business aspect of Aizen corps work. And although he disagreed with Orihime's viewpoints, calling them idealistic at best, he still found them exciting and puzzling, just like the woman herself. Either ways, no matter what he felt, he knew that the woman wasn't in the mood for discussing her feelings. And so they had continued their relationship, implicitly understanding not to wonder or question anything.

Orihime looked at the alarm clock. 7 AM. It was still early. However she had been feeling buzzed as the presentation was in two days. She was excited about it this time. But not in the same way she had been the previous time. This time she felt more calm than brazen confidence, mostly because she and Ulquiorra had worked on it together. And as much as she found his views heartless and arrogant, she knew that he understood the way corporations worked better than her. He was ruthlessly objective and had a critical eye for detail. Nothing ever missed his emerald green eyes and having him approve (or point out flaws they could correct) made her feel significantly more confident that oversights like the ones she had made in her past presentation to Yamamoto wouldn't happen.

Ulquiorra had also asked her every single question possible in the book for the presentation, and coached her till her ears were ringing, about how to answer them. He had also assured her that he would jump in, lest she find herself in trouble.

Ulquiorra… They had slept in his apartment last night, mostly because it was late and they had been convinced that they were too tired to engage in any other activities. This hadn't stopped Ulquiorra from "forgetting" to give the cab driver the address to Orihime's hotel and then casually offering that she stay at his place as they should take the day before the presentation off, now that they were by all accounts, over prepared.

So shocked was Orihime at the fact that Ulquiorra had suggested they take a break, that she hadn't bothered questioning his flimsy logic, and walked in his apartment like an innocent lamb. They had fallen asleep immediately after. However in the middle of the night, Ulquiorra had gotten frisky again and they had made love till the wee hours of the morning, with orihime shutting her mouth with her hands to muffle her moans.

Orihime had only been in Ulquiorra's apartment once, early on. However apparently they had been way too loud for the neighbours and had to keep their nighttime activities to Orihime's hotel room, which had better noise cancellation that NYC apartments. However she had liked Ulquiorra's space. The apartment was simple and unassuming, with white walls interspersed with sections painted completely black. He seemed to like clear geometric shapes and had minimal furniture, the most notable of which was a gorgeous emerald rug. His bedroom was similar hues of black, white and emerald green. For New York standards, the apartment was extremely well lit, with large windows facing the Hudson river and allowing lots of sunshine, and furnished with very new and modern furniture.

Strangely, it had lacked any personal touch. No graduation pictures or baseball medals. Nothing to indicate that the person occupying them had a past. Orihime had learnt from Nel and Grimmjow that Ulquiorra was an orphan, and had been in the orphanage till he got into Keio on full scholarship and left. They also said that he never mentioned any friends back in Keio and had only once mentioned that he had a Keio alumna as a mentor whom he got along with pretty well; possibly because he had finished a four year degree in two years, interning for Aizen in his summers. The only time Ulquiorra had spoken about his past was when he had joked to Orihime that it was his straight face that had scared potential sappy parents from adopting him.

Even though interacting with the stoic Ulquiorra every day gave an impression of a man who was very self assured, these details about his life, the apartment lacking in personal touch, the fact that he had remained in an orphanage while those around him got picked up to have families, the reality that Nel and Grimmjow were possibly his only friends in the whole wide world; always gnawed at Orihime and made her feel a strange ache in her chest.

It was not that she felt sorry for Ulquiorra, although it was hard not to. But Ulquiorra wasn't pitiful. She saw the care with which he treated Nel and Grimmjow and even her. The attention he paid to those he called friends.

Even with her, Orihime realized that the reason she never minded Ulquiorra's bluntness and criticisms was because the fact that he found faults with her work meant that he cared enough to look closer. He took her seriously and treated her as if he would an equal, always had from the first time they had met. Orihime knew that even her friends, including sometimes Rukia had always been overprotective about her. Although the degree to which they did this varied (with Ichigo and Tatsuki being the most overprotective and Rukia being the sole one who treated her like a person and not a fragile piece of glass), Orihime had often felt that her friends loved her but did not respect her. Yet she had felt this respect from Ulquiorra, despite his sour attitude and blunt remarks, and it made her feel that she was strong by herself and capable to taking care of herself.

Orihime yawned again and turned around, to find that Ulquiorra was already out of bed.

"Good morning batman." She whispered. Ulquiorra looked back at her, his heart skipping a beat. He mused over this. They had woken up together almost every day in the past three weeks. Why had he reacted this way today of all days? Was it because the woman was in his bed (their previous tryst at his apartment had taken them across the apartment and ended on his green rug) wishing him good morning? Ulquiorra shrugged. He didn't know, but he knew that he liked this feeling.

"Good morning woman. Oatmeal or pancakes?"

"hmmm… bagel! With cream cheese! Oh and one with eggs and cheese and some.."

"Sure. Get dressed then." Ulquiorra said shaking his head and walking to the shower.

"Mmmmm, I am too lazy Ulquiiii"

Ulquiorra looked at Orihime stifle a fake yawn and sighed.

"Fine then, I'll get it. But get up and get dressed. I am not getting another one if this one gets cold."

Orihime smiled. Funny how for treating her as an equal, Ulquiorra could be strangely chauvinistic sometimes.

It was 7 AM and Orihime was already dressed for her mid day presentation. She felt her hands shaking. This had a strange sense of déjà vu.

"Its going to be all right." She heard Ulquiorra from behind her. He was looking at her reflection in the mirror.

"I don't know Ulquiorra. What if this time they think it's a horrible idea and Yamamoto looses his head and shoves me out of the building? Do you know what its like to fall from the 55th floor?!"

"No I don't think anyone KNOWS what its like to fall from that high, as they surely wouldn't survive that woman. As I said, don't worry. Kyoraku san isn't Yamaoto san." Orihime turned back and looked at Ulquiorra, not convinced.

"But that old geezer is also coming right?"

Ulquiorra smirked at this.

"Yeah. But you need not worry about him. I'll take his questions."

"But what if he has you fired Ulquiorra?" Ulquiorra felt a warm sensation in his chest. The woman was worried for him. Uncharacteristic to him, a very small smile graced his face.

"Don't worry, Orihime. I can protect myself from the likes of Yamamoto." His voice assured her and she heaved a sigh of relief.

"And, I promise that if any of them try to shove you out of the window I will show them hell."

"Well, if you were Spiderman I would feel a bit better since he can jump along tall buildings, but batman can't even fly.."

"Batman has batmobile and uses technology. In my opinion that's a much safer bet than some mutation.."

"Aa ha! I KNEW you liked Batman.."

"I never said that woman!" Ulquiorra looked at Orihime sternly.

"Yeah Yeah whatever. Deny it as much as you want." Orihime pulled out her tongue. Ulquiorra felt himself relax. Orihime was going to be fine.

Within the first few minutes, Ulquiorra knew they had this in the bag. Kyoraku Shunsui had a notoriously short attention span. Yet, he was constantly asking Orihime questions about the feasibility of the plan. So much so that the 30 minute presentation lasted for more than an hour. Yamamoto on the other hand was quiet throughout. Orihime seemed unnerved by this but Ulquiorra took it as a good sign.

The fact that Yamaoto was quiet could only mean one thing. He was upset because he was finding it hard to reject this proposal. When they got up to let the client discuss the next steps, he quickly gave Orihime's hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Your leave wont be necessary Mr Cifer. We have made our decision." Kyoraku interrupted the duo.

"Shunshui.." Yamamoto grumbled.

"You know this is a brilliant idea, even if it isn't as grand. I had liked Orihime chan's previous idea too. But I do admit, this one is without any flaw. Not to mention the idea of sister park replicas is quite novel and genuine. Or do you not like it Yamaji." Kyoraku looked at Yamamoto knowingly.

" I think it is the best one we have seen so far." The old man grumbled.

Was she hearing right?! Had that ancient dementor just complimented her and Ulquiorra?! Yamamoto looked and Ulquiorra and grimaced and it took her a while to realize that he may be smiling.

"I suppose Aizen Corp has redeemed itself after the last debacle. As I would expect from you Cifer san." He nodded.

"If you must compliment anyone it should be Inoue san. This project was entirely her idea." Ulquiorra nodded towards Orihime. Now both Yamamoto and Kyoraku were looking at Orihime. Yamamoto gave her a curt nod while Kyoraku gave her a wide smile and winked.

"Good job Inoue san. Now then, I must find Aizen dono and congratulate him on getting the USJF contract." With that Yamamoto walked out.

"I am glad we will be working closely from now Orihime chan. You surely are a sight for sore eyes." Kyoraku stood rather closely to Orihime as he winked at her.

" Ise san.." upon hearing Ulquiorra say this, Kyoraku whipped his head towards Ulquiorra, alert and took a few steps away from Orihime.

"What about Ise san, Cifer san?" he asked pointedly.

"Ise san would be liaising with us for this, correct?" Ulquiorra asked innocently. Orihime gave him a grateful look.

"Errr.. yes, I think. Umm.. Thank you both. Great work! I ll talk soon." With that Kyoraku and the last of the USJF delegates left the room.

Orihime turned to Ulquiorra, her expression a mixture of gratitude and relief.

"That was… what you did…thank.. and what you said… and I was.. and OH MY GOD I AM SO GLAD YOU WONT BE FIRED!" She sighed heavily.

Ulquiorra's eyes widened. That's what the woman was concerned about? His wellbeing? Few weeks ago he would have scoffed at such declarations. However to his surprise, he found himself feeling glad and happy that she had cared about his wellbeing.

"I am glad your hard work didn't go to waste either, woman." He said softly, taking a step closer to Orihime, feeling a sudden urge to take her in his arms.

"And thank you Ulquiorra. Truly."

"For what? This was all you."

"No it wasn't. The idea may have been mine, but we developed it together and you prepared me for every single one of those questions, you kept me on track, you pointed out things I would not have thought important. More importantly, you challenged me enough so that even I wouldn't be able to settle for anything but the best for me."

It was becoming hard for Ulquiorra to breathe or resist his urge to crush the woman in his arms and..

"I.. Things between us… I don't just see you as some fling…"

His heart stopped.

"I.. You are a very special friend and I don't know… partner in crime? Sorry, I may not be very articulate, and my feelings have been a confused mess these days but..just, thank you for being you."

Ulquiorra felt his heart clench coldly. Of course, their "fling" had been just that. Them fulfilling their physical needs. He supposed it was good that at least he had acquired a new friend? But did making new friends always make one feel so cold, like a rotten, clammy hand was clenching their heart, squeezing the very life out of it?

"Woooot! Here is a toast the success of my stuck up friend, on his what ever the fuck project that I don't give a damn about. " Grimmjow toasted Ulquiorra and Orihime as he downed his shot.

"You could at least TRY Grimmy! They worked so hard! I am suuuupppper happy Ulqui and Hime! I KNEW you would nail it!" Nel was already quite tipsy as she grabbed Orihime in a tight hug and then went on to hug Ulquiorra, planting a kiss right on his lips.

"Stop coddling me Nelliel." Ulquiorra seemed unfazed by this, however Orihime's jaw had hit the floor. Nel had kissed Ulquiorra?! She felt a mad urge to throttle Nel.

"But I missed you Ulquiiii!" Nel said, now hanging on Ulquiorra's arms.

"Ummm, its ok Nel chan, we are here now. Ehehehe." Orihime tried holding Nel's hand, unsuccessfully.

"But you don't know Hime. Ulqui, Grimmy and I hang out every weekend. Yet he hasn't been around and he made you work too! And now you guys are going back to Tokyo! Nel is going to be so lonely! Ulquiiiiii." She grabbed Ulquiorra in another bone crushing hug. Grimmjow was about to go to Ulquiorra's rescue but Orihime got there first, freeing him from Nel's tight hold.

"Its OK Nel chan! Come visit me in Tokyo! You said you would right? You can stay with me.. and..and.. we can go out every night if you want.."

"Holy shit mother of god you guys are fucking!" Grimmjow's mouth was wide open, his eyes holding a look of utter shock in them.

"Wha"

"What nonsense. Keep your mouth shut Grimmjow." Ulquiorra shot him a look. Which only made Grimmjow's shocked look turn into a feline and raucous laughter. The exchange shocked Nel enough to let go of Ulquiorra as she too started watching Orihime and Ulquiorra closely.

"Its written ALL over her face dude! She was practically eye stabbing Nel when Nel kissed you! I KNEW IT! I KNEW you two would be at it before the week was up! Who jumped who?"

Ulquiorra sighed. It was no use hiding things from Grimmjow. He always had a way of knowing when it came to Ulquiorra. He shot Orihime an apologetic look, but she had turned completely red.

"It was princess wasn't it?" Grimmjow said almost incredulously. As if on cue, Orihime turned even redder and practically hid her face with her hand.

"Shit! That's crazy! Princess you have some whack taste in men, if ya know what I mean! Nel, gimme my 100!"

"100?" Ulquiorra looked confused as Nel regained some of her composure, sighed and took out a 100 dollar bill and handed it to Grimmjow.

"I bet that the princess would jump you first. Nel said Hime is too pure to do such a thing. Pure my ass, damn you are a vixen princess! Who would have known."

"That's enough Grimmjow! You are making the…"'

"Yada yada, I know I know. I'll go out, do my little dance and come back. But about time kids. Welcome to the adults club." With that Grimmjow slapped Ulquiorra on his back, hugged orihime and walked out to take a smoke, dragging Nel with him.

"ano.. errr.."

"Don't worry about them. I apologize if it made you uncomfortable."

"No! I mean.. Nel chan and Grimmjow kun are my friends too. I don't mind. I mean.. I am just a bit.. shy.. about these things."

Ulquiorra raised an eyebrowas if saying 'Shy? About sex.. that's new' to which Orihime scowled.

"You all right? You need to change that expression of yours." Grimmjow held out a cigarette for Nel.

"Thanks Grimmy. Do I look that obvious?"

"well, yeah. God Nel! Ulquiorra?! What is it about that nerd that makes two absolute knock outs nuts for him?!"

"Well, for one he doesn't treat women like pieces of meat." Nel put her tongue out.

"Ya ya whatever. Will ya be all right? Its princess's last day ya know.."

"I know Grimmy. And I'll be fine. I knew I didn't stand a chance anyways, especially since he went to Tokyo. You remember that e mail he sent us?"

"Which one, emo sends us a lot of random crap and forwards ya know."

"Not one of his 'Fun facts to increase Nel and Grimmjow's IQ' series you dummy. I meant the one he sent us a few days after he arrived in Tokyo."

"Aaaaah, yeah I remember that. Mentioned some airheaded bimbo and how annoying she was in it."

"He was talking about Orihime."

"Oh shit."

"Yeah, Grimmy. I lost before I ever tried." Nel mumbled.

"I do feel sorry for ya. If it makes ya feel better, Ulquiorra was a major improvement over Nnoitra. Reckon your taste in men might be improving! Try looking for a less egotistical and err maybe less virginal man next time?"

Nel playfully shoved Grimmjow, wiping a lone tear from her cheek.

"Do you think they know Grimmy?"

"Know what?"

"What they have with each other?"

"Do you even know Ulquiorra?! No way in hell does HE know for sure. Dude can be rather dense sometimes."

"What about Hime?"

Grimmjow shrugged. "Don't know honestly. Princess seems less dense than that dunce. But she seems to be going through some issues."

"You are surprisingly insightful Grimmy! You mean I still have a chance then?"

"Hell if I know Nel. The man who raised me took my mother in when my biological father dumped her five months pregnant. They are still the tightest couple I know. One thing I know is, sharing your life with someone is a lot more than falling in love. Now clean up and lets go in."

Grimmjow grabbed one of Nel's hands and dragged her back into the club.

The next evening Orihime and Ulquiorra arrived in Tokyo to complete the rest of the project.

"Hmm, it seems Urahara wasn't expecting us soon and didn't booking a hotel for me tonight. I wonder if these airport hotels are any good?" Ulquiorra mumbled, looking around trying to find a kiosk for hotel information at the arrivals area.

"You can stay with me if you want?" Orihime looked at him. Ulquiorra raised an eyebrow. They hadn't discussed what would happen to their "little fling" once they reached Tokyo. Did this mean that the woman wanted to continue? Not that he would mind. He was feeling especially restless during the whole plane ride but Orihime had categorically refused to "have a quickie" in the airplane toilet.

"Just let me make a quick phone call ok?" with that Orihime moved aside to call Rukia.

"Hime! Its been so long! I was going to sign up on that facejournal thing just to get in touch with you! Ichigo has been asking about you lately. Oh and nii sama was trying to reach you, unsuccessfully so I told him you are away for work and will be back in a month. He said to let him know when you are back. But.. Ichigo has been bugging me persistently for a week now. What happened?"

"Umm… Rukia chan it's facebook. Also, its hard talking right now. We'll talk tomorrow night? My place? I ll get some donuts"

"Hmmm, sounds like we have a lot to catch up on! See you soon Orihime! Oh and okairi"

"tadaima" Orihime smiled, hanging up. Tokyo. The place she had left behind with all her troubles. She would miss New York. She looked for Ulquiorra, wanting to inform him that they could catch a cab to her place, only to be stopped by a voice.

"Inoue…"

Orihime turned around and almost blanched. Standing at the arrivals, giving her his most brilliant smile, was Kurosaki Ichigo.

okairi: welcome home. tadaima: I am home.