Author's Note: I've unintentionally been updating this every four days. I seriously don't mean to, and it's beginning to freak me out a bit. Next thing you know they'll be making a movie about it: "The Number Four". (It will star Cuba Gooding, Jr.)
IV. "The Present"
"It's December 24th," she told him, her voice a melancholy drone as she sat on her bed, looking wistfully out her window.
"What does that signify?" Ulquiorra asked, not really interested but remembering Aizen's order to keep Orihime sane.
"It's Christmas Eve in the Living World," she said. "Do you know what that is?"
Despite himself, he replied, "No."
Orihime seemed to perk up at this, and went on to tell him all the Christmas traditions such as gift-giving, and tree decorating, and making cookies and pies. She spent an egregious amount of time describing all the different types of food one would eat at Christmas, usually with family and friends. When the part of "love thy neighbor" came about, he knew a deep longing was tugging at her heartstrings, but found it difficult to care.
"It sounds pointless," he said once she had finished, not meeting her gaze.
She pouted indignantly. "It is not! It's a great holiday with lots of colors and decorations. People go out in the street to make snow angels, or sing on doorsteps, or they stay in and sit in front of a fire. You can exchange gifts with your friends, and there's nothing like seeing their face light up when you've given them what they really want!" Despite the conviction of her words, her tone was watery and her eyes stared aimlessly at her hands as they kneaded the fabric of her hakama. "There's nothing like it…"
Sighing, Ulquiorra wiped away her tears with his thumb, tipping her chin up with his fingers. Surprised by his delicateness, she had little time to react when he placed the lightest, most innocent of kisses on her lips. When he withdrew, he brushed a few absent strands of hair from her eyes and tried to muster something resembling compassion into his gaze.
"That will be your Christmas present," he told her adamantly, though the words conveyed what his voice could not.
Orihime's cheeks pinkened as her lips widened into a smile, and he hadn't a moment to move before she launched herself onto him, wrapping her arms around his neck and muttering, "You shouldn't have."