Decided to upload this story on AO3, my name on there is Pantastically_me23 on there for future reference. I hope everyone likes this, it took me a while, but the words were flowing faster than reuniting the family. I'm almost halfway done with that, stuck on the type of torture mostly. Don't know what to do to orihime. If you have suggestions, I'll take 'em, and give you credit for it or course. Enjoy!
Toshiro didn't know where he was, all he knew was that it was dark. Well, dark except for the small light that shone green. It was never there before in the dark place.
As he floated, he heard pounding footsteps and raised voices. Three of them. One was a little timid, while another was confident. The last however, was serious with a playful undertone. He knew these voices, but didn't understand what they were talking about. He needed to leave the darkness. It took him several tries, but on the last one he was slowly coming to, the green light still in the dark place when he looked back. After a minute one eye cracked open, then another. He groaned at the bright lights and the ache in his stomach.
Small dainty hands moved on their own, sliding down a small torso, only to be stopped by a strong hand. "Stop it toshiro, let orihime finish healing you. You're pretty banged up." that was the last thing he heard before a warmth enveloped him, and he was back in the darkness, the light slowly making its way to him. He would awaken several times for three days, his healing taking longer than usual.
Ulquiorra was pacing. He had been doing it for two days now. The figure splayed out on his bed found it amusing at first, but now, he was irritated. The shirtless man got off the bed and made his way towards his pacing friend, grabbing the ravens shoulder and forcing him to stop. "Fucking finally. Ya been pacing a hole in the floor." irate blue eyes looked into worried green. "Ulquiorra, friend, buddy, I don't like being the reasonable one. That's you. So you get yer shit together and go check on the midget, got it?"
Ulquiorra took a deep breath, closed his eyes and relaxed. His friend was right. When he opened his eyes, grimmjow saw the resolve and sighed. He didn't like being the voice of reason, felt weird. "Grimmjow, where is your jacket?" the raven espada asked dryly. He should've expected this, the man was an exhibitionist.
The bluenette grinned at the question, that meant his emo friend was back. "Don't matter, now get going. I gotta nap to take." grimmjow sauntered back to bed and under the covers, falling asleep almost instantly.
A black brow twitched.
He sighed. He forgot the bluenette slept where he wanted, no matter whose bed it was. Opening a garganta, ulquiorra stepped into it. "Change my sheets before you go, I don't need fleas on my bed." a hand shot out of the covers, flipping him off.
It was on the second day that orihime walked into her apartment, tired and drained. She had healed toshiro as best she could the day he was hurt. It took longer than usual, but the strange thing was that she didn't have to heal the wound in the captain's stomach much, the interior was being healed slowly by a foreign reiatsu. She tried to reject it, but it held fast. The ditsy redhead informed urahara, who said that if it wasn't harming the man, then leave it be.
So, today she had just let captain hitsugaya rest, but attempted to bring him out of his own mind, that's what had her drained.
She stepped into her apartment, not noticing the shadows that shouldn't be there, and locked her door. As soon as she turned around she gasped in surprise and fright. An espada was in her apartment, and not just any espada, the one that fought ichigo in the park. Orihime began to shake, fear taking grip of her mind. "W-what are you doing here?" she swallowed harshly. "Are you..are you going to kill me?"
Ulquiorra resisted the urge to roll his eyes. This woman was the one his lord aizen wanted? He only found her annoying, and he just officially met her. Ignoring the smell of fear drifting off of her in waves, ulquiorra sat by the elevated table in the girl's dining room, motioning for her to sit. She carefully did so, making sure to keep her distance. "I won't kill you, I am merely here to check up on a...friend."
Orihime tilted her head just a bit, trying to understand how a hollow had friends. "A friend? Um, who exactly is your friend?"
The fourth espada let out a breath. "I am speaking of toshiro hitsugaya. You healed him, yes?"
Orihime's eyes went wide, her breath picking up at the realization that, not only is this man a hollow, but the arrancar that hurt captain hitsugaya. She decided then, that she would try to be brave, though it might seem stupid to do so in the face of a being extremely stronger than her. She squared her shoulders and narrowed her eyes. "I'm not going to tell you anything, you hurt and tried to kill him!"
Ulquiorra raised a black brow. He guessed she was alright, standing up to him for her friends.
"You do understand that I'm more powerful than you, and can kill you where you sit?" he didn't let her respond, giving her one of his rare smiles only reserved for people close to him. "I admire that you are standing up to me. To tell you the truth, I only hurt toshiro, to save him."
The healer was stunned by the smile, she assumed that the man didn't do it often, if at all. But what he said confused her. "I don't understand, how can hurting him save him too?"
"He was sent to kill me, but elected not too, because I wasn't harming anyone. By doing that, he put himself in danger with soul society. They don't tolerate different ideas and people."
Orihime frowned. "I noticed." oh she knew that well, with the way they reacted to rukia helping ichigo. She didn't like soul society all that much, but she had friends that lived there, so she had to put up with them. That, and with ichigo helping them out. Looking into doe like green eyes, she could see the sincerity behind his words. "I'll tell you. He wasn't hurt as bad as he looked, and hearing you speak, it's obvious that you made it that way. But," she paused, biting her lip. "It took longer than usual for me to heal him, and not even all of his wounds. The surface healed like expected, but the inside was different. There was a foreign reiatsu. I couldn't reject it, but it was slowly healing him. I guess to make sure he wasn't too damaged." she murmured that last part.
"That 'foreign' reiatsu is actually mine. And you are right in your assumption."
"How?"
Placing his small hands on his lap, ulquiorra explained. "While fighting, I injected my reiatsu into the last wound I made. I made sure that it would heal him steadily."
Orihime sat for a moment, taking in the whole situation. She didn't know much about hollows, except what soul society told them. And seeing this, him, and hearing him talk...she was more confused. He didn't act like what she expected. "You're nice." she said in a small voice, that sounded suspiciously like awe.
Ulquiorra tilted his head in a cat like manner.
"Only to certain people. I have a reputation to keep up." it was silent for a while longer, until he asked a question orihime didn't know how to answer. "Do you think I could see him?"
It was the third day that toshiro awakened, panting and somewhat disoriented. He opened his eyes, closing them immediately against the too bright lights. What he would do for those to be off right now. And like an answer to his silent thought, the lights dimmed and he sighed.
"I didn't think the captain of the tenth division would be," a voice hummed. "Afraid of light."
The white haired man groaned. Kisuke was just trying to bug him. "I'm not, it just hurts, idiot." he breathed deep for a while. "How long was I out?"
"Oh, about two days." came the cheery response. "We were a little worried there, but you seemed fine. Now," the shopkeeper clapped his hands deliberately loud. "Let's get you fed and downstairs, you have a visitor."
A visitor? He guessed it could be orihime checking on him, maybe even ichigo. But if they were in the basement, it couldn't be the redheads. The white haired soul reaper sincerely hoped it wasn't rangiku coming to 'save' him. He believed he would surely suffocate from her breast. Stretching his wound up muscles, he got up and followed the blonde to the kitchen, greeting tessai as he sat.
They ate in silence, kisuke watching the shorter man. Once they were done, he began to talk. "So, are you ready to see your visitor?"
"About that. Who is this 'visitor'?" he narrowed his eyes. "Is this your way of experimenting on me? Did you drug my food? Because I will fight you!" the spunk toshiro always exhibited amused kisuke to no end. That's one of the main reasons he always riled up the tenth captain.
Kisuke waved his fan, hiding his grin poorly. "Oh do stop your threats, I think I might split my sides." he chuckled at the pissed look he received, then sobered up, becoming serious quickly. "Now, I do want to warn you, this person is very dangerous. I have their zanpakuto, but you can never be too careful. Keep your guard up, toshiro."
To say toshiro was slightly confused would be a blatant lie. He was beyond confused, really. He has someone willing to go through urahara to see him, but was told to keep his guard up. He didn't think he wanted to see this person, but his curiosity was strong. Nodding, he got up and, still wearing loaned pajamas from the living world, descended the stairs to the basement, flash stepping the rest of the way down. When he landed he stopped in his tracks, eyes going wide.
There, sitting on a boulder, was ulquiorra, watching him with a small smile on his face.
Ulquiorra was surprised that the blonde shopkeeper had agreed so easily, to let him see the little captain. Well, not easily. When he had opened a garganta in the middle of the infamous underground basement, he had to hold back the urge to fight back, what with having a sharp object pressed to his throat. The raven just stood there, waiting.
It wasn't long before the blonde spoke, playfulness still there in his voice. Which unnerved the espada, though he wouldn't say it. "And to what, do I owe the pleasure of this surprise visit, espada?"
The raven swallowed, causing a line of almost black blood to flow. This was rather nostalgic, in a way. "I came to see captain hitsugaya."
The zanpakuto pressed closer. "Oh? To finish the job, perhaps? I don't think that was rather smart."
When he told the man that he only had come to check on toshiro, he was rightfully skeptical. In order to convince the shopkeeper, he told the man what transpired during their 'battle', and also about the reiatsu he injected into the little captain. After several quiet moments, kisuke lowered his sword and stepped back, still alert.
He agreed to let the raven visit, with the exception that he give up murcielago. He did so without hesitation. Now he waited patiently atop a boulder.
Ulquiorra hadn't expected the slight flutter in his chest at the feel of icey reiatsu getting closer to him. Then he was there, watching with wide eyes. The espada couldn't help the faint smile that graced his face, the captain was the cause of that.
"W-what are you doing here?" toshiro looked around frantically, afraid that the stealth force would burst out any second, killing the espada. "You have to leave, now!"
Ulquiorra did something that would seem uncharacteristic to those that knew nothing of him truly. He laughed. It was soft and airy. "I came all this way to make sure you were alright, and now I'm rather touched. Your concern makes my nonexistent heart beat, toshiro."
Toshiro watched, pissed, as the espada lept off the boulder and made his way towards him. "It is fine, no one from soul society knows I'm here. The ex reaper knows I'm here, and has let me visit."
The white haired man let out a relieved breath. He was upset at the teasing he received, but was relieved that it was safe. Then he paused. Visit? "Why would you want to visit me?"
Ulquiorra stepped closer, head tilted in a feline manner once again. "Because, we are friends. Or at least starting a friendship, in my opinion."
Toshiros breath catches. That was surprising. He actually wouldn't mind to be friends with ulquiorra, the raven could teach him more of the truth about hollows. But he didn't think the espadaconsidered them friends already. And just from meeting only once? Was his first impression that strong? "But, why would you want to be my friend?"
That soft smile was back again. "As I've told you, you intrigue me, I want to know more about you. And if you want, I would teach you more about hollows and...how we feel! That everything isn't as it seems. That's if you would like."
The captain found his head moving on its own, agreeing wholeheartedly.
Ulquiorra nodded too, making his way back to the boulder he previously occupied. Sending a smirk over his shoulder, he said something that would have the smaller captain questioning his home more so than he already was. "And the fact that you are attractive, didn't hurt me wanting to be closer to you."
HA! I figured out how to do a line break on my phone! (Twenty years and twelve stories later) I feel...accomplished.