The minutes drifted by, contentedness emanating from the two forms on the bed. Ulquiorra's semi-conscious figure, bathed in gentle sunlight, was wrapped up in Orihime's deep blue comforter. The redhead, her hands aching, sat on the edge of her bed, gazing down at the Arrancar in her care with warmth. His features were tense from the pain, but not as tense as before. Ulquiorra was breathing deeply, snuggled in all of Orihime's fluffy comforters, his mouth slightly agape.
Orihime, stunned by how vulnerable he looked, gently brushed a stray black lock of hair from Ulquiorra's eye. There was just no way in her mind that this was the same person who had so nearly killed Ichigo. She knew that the former forth espada was strong, but in so many ways, he was also gentle. Although his words were cold and curt, his arms as they encircled her were warm, protective, even. Somehow, Ulquiorra had known exactly what to tell her to help her find her way out of the shadows of the night prior, whether he realized it or not. There was no way that Orihime would ever forget that. Watching him there, Orihime's eyes shone with contentment. They truly could be friends.
He treated her like something precious, uninterested in the charade of happiness she had concealed herself in for the last few months, or even her godlike powers of rejection. His words, although not kind, sent a message that the redhead had desperately needed just at that point in time, a message that no one, not her nakama, the shinigami, or the Vizards had thought to give her. Orihime didn't know how she could ever repay Ulquiorra for making her feel needed again.
He was an Arrancar. He had worked for Aizen. He was the enemy. He had kidnapped her, stole the world from her, insulted her friends, humiliated her. He was the one who had given Ichigo that fatal blow. He was a monster, a cruel and merciless beast. That is what she should have thought of him as, that is what a normal person would think of him as.
But for some reason, Orihime couldn't bring herself to think of him that way. The only logical explanation was that she had come down with a serious case of Stockholm Syndrome, and he, she supposed, with an equally serious case of Lima Syndrome. It was the only way that Orihime could explain why she wasn't afraid of Ulquiorra, why she didn't hate Ulquiorra. Why he wasn't her enemy, but her hero in this twisted tale. And, why anyone as beautiful and deep and interesting as he could find interest in someone like her.
She wondered when it had happened. When exactly had she stopped seeing Ulquiorra as her enemy? When had he become a friend to her? Since when has her heart held only fondness towards him? Just two days ago, he had threatened to force her food down her throat. Back then, she had genuinely feared him. But why was it, then, that the next time she had seen him, when he had confronted Grimmjow and been trapped in the Caja Negacion, had she been filled with fear for him?
Although it was painful, Orihime thought back to her days in confinement. Whenever she had interacted with her ghostly captor, her first reaction to him had never been fear. Shock, yes. Surprise, yes. Fear or hatred, no. Those feelings only came later, when his cruel words inspired in her fear and hatred unlike any she had ever known. Although these uncharacteristic emotions of hers would always dissolve along with her tears after Ulquiorra had left the room, Orihime still knew no one who could affect her as much as he could.
The teenage healer was sure that Ulquiorra knew exactly how to manipulate her. So easily, he could make her burn with anger. With just a few words, he could make her drown in sorrow and despair… And with a simple motion, he could make her glow with pure happiness. Orihime smiled kindly, her eyes never leaving the former espada's delicate face. Ulquiorra really was one of a kind.
"Why are you staring at me, Orihime?" Ulquiorra's eyes were still closed as he murmured.
"Because you're pretty," Orihime murmured back with a giggle. "And I don't stare nearly as much as you do." Ulquiorra cracked an eye. He could have sworn he was seeing an angel. Orihime's heart-shaped face was glowing with incredible tenderness, her fiery hair cascading around her in waves.
"That is because you have never been faced with a goddess…" Ulquiorra's voice drifted as he closed his emerald eyes again, just missing Orihime's embarrassed blush. His head was still aching painfully.
"How are you feeling now, Ulquiorra?" The grey-eyed girl spoke softly after a moment of silence.
"The pressure in my abdomen has yet to subside." Ulquiorra stretched his arms beneath the covers, wary of how comfortable he felt in Orihime's bed. The soreness of his limbs was an interesting contrast to the warmth of the bed. All of this was so new to him.
"I think that you have to go to the bathroom," Orihime's tone was full of implication, but a foreboding feeling was creeping into her gut. Even if Ulquiorra didn't know how it felt to have to go, he should know what to do, right? The redhead couldn't imagine that the Arrancar would be so helpless, especially since Aizen had made him her caretaker.
"What good will that do me?" Ulquiorra tried to lift himself up, only to feel a sharp pain in his back.
"Wh-what?" Orihime looked down, dreading where this conversation was going. "You know how to use the bathroom, don't you, Ulquiorra?"
"I know nothing of your worthless human rituals," Ulquiorra continued to struggle into a seated position on the cushiony bed, the strain of it taking a toll on his nerves.
"But…" Orihime felt so helpless. Despite herself, panic seeped into her voice. "Aizen put you in charge of taking care of me. You must know about human stuff like eating, drinking, and going to the bathroom, right?"
"I was the one who arranged for your capture, therefore I was naturally the one to watch over you." Hadn't he explained this already? He owned her. He really couldn't care less about anything else. "I know that humans must eat three meals and drink eight glasses of water a day to stay alive and healthy. That was all that mattered to me."
"But what about the bathroom, the one in my room?" Orihime pleaded desperately, struggling to keep her voice a soft whisper. This could not be happening.
"Aizen was the one to prepare your room, along with your 'bathroom.'" Ulquiorra looked at Orihime with big emerald eyes, clearly confused as to why she looked like she was about to cry.
"So, um, Ulquiorra…" There was no way around this after all. Orihime would have to teach Ulquiorra all about being human… Although this was something the grey-eyed girl looked forward to, she had hoped that Ulquiorra would at least already know that part…
At that moment, the distraught Orihime wished that she were a guy. That would have made this so much more bearable. "You wouldn't be familiar with… urination, would you?"
"That word is unfamiliar to me," was his simple reply, as he looked up expectantly from where he sat on the bed. He saw the orange-haired girl sigh as she blushed a deep red, trying to find the words to explain.
"Urination is something that humans need to do to get rid of toxins…" Orihime tried to keep her cool, speaking calmly so that he would understand. "You know that… pressure? You need to let it out. The pressure is your body telling you that you need to urinate." The Arrancar just looked at her dumbly, too many years of Hollow existence between his human life and now for him to comprehend the meaning of her words.
"Just go to the bathroom," Orihime spluttered, her face beat red as she took his pallid hand and pulled him from his navy cocoon on the bed into the washroom.
Within the imposing confines of the small apartment bathroom, Orihime and Ulquiorra faced the toilet. Orihime's face was redder than the pink of the walls. Emerald eyes stared at the girl questioningly, confusion over her obvious embarrassment evident. Orihime wrung her hands nervously as she stared at the floor. She had never talked about anything so intimate. Orihime was uncomfortable with intimacy. Very uncomfortable. She still called the guy she was in love with 'Kurosaki-kun,' even in her head.
"You pu-pull down your pants and yo-your underwear, and…" The redhead stuttered as she tried to form the words. Orihime looked up pleadingly, her eyes begging Ulquiorra to somehow understand.
Ulquiorra gazed back down at her, the now-evident suffering in his eyes the only thing in the world that could make Orihime speak the next words.
"And… point your thing at that." Orihime tried to explain in complete embarrassment, as she pointed to the toilet bowl. Ulquiorra gazed down at the bowl for a moment, analyzing the instruction. After a very long, very intense moment, Ulquiorra's gaze again met Orihime's.
"What 'thing' are you talking about, Orihime," Ulquiorra said, furrowing his brow slightly. Why was this so difficult for her to explain? Why was she red as a tomato? Meanwhile, the redhead in question was cursing the Fates that he had asked that question. Orihime took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.
"Umm, this might sound weird," Orihime started after another long moment, finding no other way to explain. "Bu-But do Arrancar have… sex?" As she asked her question, the ginger-haired girl dropped her head, begging whatever god existed to open a hole in the white tiles below her feet so that she could hide in there forever.
"Sex?" Ulquiorra was just getting more and more confused. What in the world was this woman getting at? With a talent only he had, the Arrancar's words finally made Orihime crack.
"Penis. You know what a penis is, right?" Orihime glared up at Ulquiorra, frustration and stress finally driving her off the edge. There was no way that the conversation could possibly get any more awkward, so she might as well come out and say it. She found it very difficult not to blame all of this on Ulquiorra.
"Of course," Ulquiorra replied calmly. "It is the organ that distinguishes a male from a female of the same species." Orihime suddenly felt like banging her head against the wall. Why couldn't I think of that? Why did I have to mention sex? It must be because of my dream this morning… And, knowing Ulquiorra he's going to go right out and ask—
"What does the penis have to do with 'sex'?" Ulquiorra asked, trying to piece together the bits of their conversation, even though his headache was pounding away at him. He gazed at the woman before him questioningly, and could swear that her face had somehow found a way to turn even redder.
"Ne-Never mind that!" Orihime exclaimed, with a little more energy than was necessary as she tried to end the discussion. "Yo-You just pull do-down your pants, and point your pe-penis at the toilet, and let go of the pressure." To this, the flabbergasted grey-eyed girl only received a confused look.
"Just… try it. A liquid should come out, and you aim it into the bowl. Once you're done, you wash your hands in the sink, okay?" Orihime tried to catch her breath, as her reflection in the bathroom mirror revealed to her that her face was as red as it felt. The tiny and cluttered bathroom seemed incredibly hot to her.
A few moments later, as Ulquiorra, due to his fever, took longer than usual to process his thoughts, Orihime breathed a sigh of relief, glad that she had finally gotten past the difficult part. The Arrancar's empty eyes shifted their gaze from Orihime, to the toilet bowl, to the sink, then back again. This shouldn't be too difficult…
"Very well, Orihime," Ulquiorra's serene voice sounded as he quickly undid the buckle of his belt and let his grey school pants fall to the floor. Revealed were slender, although muscular, strong legs, and a rather prominent bulge concealed beneath close-fitting white boxers.
Ulquiorra was about to remove his boxers, when Orihime, eyes like saucers and face redder than ever before, dove out of the washroom and scampered on all fours to the living room. Ulquiorra watched impassively for a moment from over his shoulder as she scurried away desperately, as if the devil himself were at her heels. He then turned back to the toilet with a sigh and pulled down his underwear. Such an odd woman…
At the other end of the apartment, Orihime balled herself up into a foetal position in her living room. Her heartbeat was drumming furiously in her chest; she was unable to process what had just happened. A guy had actually pulled down his pants in front of her! This was by far the most embarrassing thing that Orihime had ever experienced. Doesn't Ulquiorra know that girls and guys aren't supposed to do that in the same room! But, he doesn't know what sex is, so it wasn't like he was trying to…
Immediately, the redhead's mind conjured images of the dream she had had that morning. Writhing in embarrassment at her own train of thought, Orihime clenched her eyes shut, held her head in her hands, and ducked her face behind her knees. Although she tried her best to stop it, heat was coursing through her shapely body, pooling in one place in particular.
The pale, slender man was on top of her, touching her, feeling her, giving her all the attention she had always yearned for, and was unable to believe she deserved. Her moans, her sighs, her gasps, inciting him, propelling him to offer more caresses, more sensual touches and licks and kisses and bites. It had all felt so realistic, and even now, each warm touch was burned into Orihime's memory.
The gorgeous girl's subconscious was blinded by instinctual lust and desire unlike any Orihime had ever felt. Ulquiorra removed his clothing slowly, giving her the chance to soak in his magnificent chest, and his surprisingly broad shoulders. Although the Arrancar was slender, he was also muscled in an incredibly satisfying manner. Those thin hands, with long, artistic fingers, removed her clothing gently, showering her in soft, yet hungry kisses, handling her luscious body like a delicate flower. A flower that he then surged into, gently, at first, as the blood of her innocence seeped through the white sheets, and then more forcefully, each pleasurable thrust sending wave after wave of unimaginable ecstasy through every crevice of her body…
"Orihime, I have successfully 'urinated.'" Ulquiorra's deep and unintentionally seductive voice shook Orihime from her daze, and did nothing to quell the heat now coursing through her veins. I'm going to have to change my underwear, Orihime realized with a sigh. There is just so much wrong with this… I've never even thought of Kurosaki-kun that way, and here I am daydreaming about Ulquiorra…
"All right, Ulquiorra," Orihime murmured as she tried to get up without stumbling. The still-blushing girl approached the Arrancar and held him by the hand, ignoring her irrational desires, as she lead him once again towards her bedroom.
As she tucked Ulquiorra back into her bed, Orihime tried to force the dirty thoughts from her mind. She looked down at the former espada in her care, and saw that his features were slightly more relaxed. His soft inky hair contrasted with the light blue of the fluffy pillow. His eyes closed tightly as he tried to block out the light of the window that was assaulting his head like a hammer. He's so beautiful…
"You rest here, and try to sleep, Ulquiorra," Orihime murmured softly from just above him, her grey eyes inexplicably glazed over. "A lot of the food that I have here has gone bad while I was gone, and I'm out of a lot of stuff, too."
Orihime stretched up to full height, and leaned over the bed, closing the blinds of her window. Crouching back down quietly, she brought her comforter up to cover more of Ulquiorra's outstretched throat, and he gave out a deep humming sound in response.
"I'm going to go to the supermarket and get some food for you. I won't be gone long, so stay in the apartment, and don't leave the bed unless you have to go to the bathroom or get more water." The orange-haired girl smiled warmly at the almost-sleeping figure, tenderness spreading across her heart-shaped face. "I will be back soon with dinner, so just rest until then. I promise you'll feel better soon."
With those words, Orihime left her bedroom, headed to the supermarket. Ulquiorra drifted off to sleep, the image of the soft-spoken angel lingering gently before his tired eyes.
"Ori…hime…"
"Owie-owie-owieee!"
The straps of Orihime's shopping bags dug mercilessly into her shoulders and fingers as she tried to keep the food inside from falling everywhere. Her heavy load, as well as her obvious clumsiness, earned her worried looks from the cashier and the other shoppers as she walked out of the supermarket.
The redhead, who usually bought food only for the day, was not used to carrying around huge shopping bags full of food, not alone at least. When Rangiku and Toushiro had stayed over, Rangiku had always gone shopping with her, and without exception had begged her to buy all kinds of treats. This time, she had gotten excited over Ulquiorra's new status as her roommate and went way overboard. She had no idea what kinds of food the Arrancar would like, so the simple solution was to buy a little bit of everything.
If it weren't for the heavy bags, Orihime would be skipping home. She had so many things she wanted to show Ulquiorra, so many foods that she wanted him to try. After that, there were also so many games to play, and people to meet, and places to go. So many streets to walk, so many parks and beaches and forests. Orihime wanted to show Ulquiorra the sunrises and the sunsets; she wondered how he looked when he was in awe. They could go eat apple pie, or lie in the grass, or go to the movies, or…
"Inoue-san?" Uryuu's calm voice broke through Orihime's reverie as he came up behind her. He was still in his school uniform, which wasn't surprising, because it wasn't even three o'clock yet. "What a coincidence meeting you here, I was just doing some shopping."
"Hello, Ishida-kun. Where are your shopping bags?" Orihime asked innocently, noticing that, unlike her, Uryuu wasn't carrying a single bag. There was a momentary pause, short but heavy.
"I was going to do some grocery shopping, but, happening across you carrying all these heavy bags, I figured I could shop later." Uryuu pushed his glasses higher on the bridge of his nose, congratulating himself for dodging a bullet. He wouldn't want Orihime to know that he had been keeping track of her reiatsu all day, and ditched school as soon as he felt her distancing herself from the former Arrancar.
"Oh, that's nice of you!" Orihime offered a friendly smile to her classmate. He skipped school to make sure I was alright… As she spoke, Uryuu approached her and took the bags from her hands. The Quincy insisted on taking all the bags, leaving only one light one in Orihime's small thin hands. Together, they began to walk towards her apartment. For a long time, a poignant silence hung in the air.
"So, Inoue-san, why do you have so many groceries?" Uryuu asked with purposeful casualness, trying unsuccessfully to hide the true meaning behind his question. Although Orihime knew what he was getting at, she played along as usual.
"Ulquiorra's staying at my house from now on, so I'm going to be needing a lot more food!" Orihime smiled enthusiastically, settling into her ditzy persona in an attempt to avoid the awkward discussion she could feel looming. "Everyone knows that healthy teenage boys need lots of food to grow up big and strong!"
"I wouldn't really consider Ulquiorra a 'teenage boy,' Inoue-san." Although Uryuu's tone was detached, his navy eyes betrayed his concern. "I don't know what happened between you two in Hueco Mundo, but he is an Arrancar. He's dangerous, Inoue-san." There was another pregnant silence.
"I know, Ishida-kun…" Orihime's voice came out as only a mumble. There was no way that her nakama would ever accept Ulquiorra. She looked up, her eyes meeting the eyes of the young Quincy. "He is an Arrancar, but he isn't dangerous. I can't believe that he's dangerous…
"I don't know how to explain this to you, but I just know that he would never hurt me… I know that that sounds really stupid, since he kidnapped me and almost killed Kurosaki-kun, but…" Orihime looked down, feeling almost ashamed to say the next words. She couldn't bear to look Ishida in the eye. "I can't help the way I feel about him. He's my friend."
"Inoue-san…" Uryuu let his voice trail off. He really didn't know what to say.
"But, you know, Ishida-kun," Orihime forced her tone to be light and cheery, both as a reprieve from the heavy conversation and as an attempt to reassure him. She started walking faster. "I think that if you got to know Ulquiorra, you'd like him, too! He's kind of cold and mean on the outside, but he has a good heart, you know!"
"Inoue-san, you realize that he is a Hollow, right? He doesn't have a heart." His voice came out cold, and a little more callous than he had intended. Uryuu was trying to be subtle and take it slow, but he just couldn't sit back and let his friend be deceived by an Arrancar. Uryuu had to jog to keep up with Orihime, who was now desperate to get home. "We have no idea what he's doing in the human world, or what he plans to do with you. It is not prudent to allow him to be so close to you –"
Uryuu cut himself off when he realized that Orihime was crying, her frustration taking its toll. A few rogue tears had betrayed her commands and spilled from her eyes, rounding the curve of her cheek. The Quincy's harsh gaze softened, he hadn't intended to hurt her feelings. He was only trying to protect her… "Inoue-san…"
"You don't understand, Ishida-kun…" Orihime said, willing her voice not to shake, infusing it with more strength than she felt. Her quick pace didn't relent. She just had to get home… "Ulquiorra is my friend. He's mean or irritated sometimes, but he's also funny and cute and nice.
"You're only judging him like you are because he's an Arrancar." Orihime's voice gained volume, as she looked the shocked Uryuu in the eye. "You used to think that all shinigami were evil, but once you got to know some, you realized that they're individuals just like everyone else, right!
"It's the same with Hollows! You can't judge them all the same way, it's just not right!" More tears spilt down her peach cheeks as Orihime continued to speed walk towards her home. She had never spoken to Uryuu like this, and she could tell that he was taken aback. "Ulquiorra is an individual, with his own free will, so why is it so hard to believe that he's here just because he wants to be my friend?"
Uryuu wanted to stop Orihime before she got home, but his hands were full. Seeing no other alternative, the Quincy ran ahead of his orange-haired friend and blocked her passage right as she was about to turn onto her street.
"Inoue-san, it is in the nature of Hollows to devour human souls." Uryuu's eyes were hard as they bore into Orihime's. He had to make his point clear, if she didn't understand, she could wind up… "And it is in the nature of higher-level Hollows like Ulquiorra to seek power. There is no way that an Arrancar can show up in the human world just to 'make friends.' Can't you see that he is just manipulating you?"
"Ishida Uryuu." A deep threatening voice sounded tonelessly from behind Uryuu, and the Quincy turned reflexively towards the sound. Standing just a few paces behind him, ashen hands in the pockets of his grey uniform, was the Cuatro Espada, Ulquiorra Schiffer. His piercing emerald eyes shone with nothing but pure killing intent. Or, at least, that's what Uryuu thought. The grocery bags fell to the floor.
"Ulquiorra." Coolly, the teenage Quincy drew his spirit arrow, aiming it directly at his opponent. "I don't know what you're up to, but I will not let you lay a finger on Inoue-san."
"Lay a finger? Aren't you the one who is hurting her?" Ulquiorra's legs felt weak, but he refused to wobble. This trash had made Orihime cry, and for that he was going to pay. "You have obviously done something to upset her."
Ishida opened his mouth to give a pointed retort, but was stopped by Orihime's worried wail.
"Ulquiorra, you shouldn't be up! You're not well!" The grey-eyed girl dashed to the Arrancar's side, using her body to steady him against her. She could tell that he was having trouble standing, and she was afraid that he would faint from anaemia if he didn't lie down quickly. One of her hands held him up by his shoulder, and the other was pressed against his warm forehead.
"I'm fine, Orihime." Although the words sounded firm in anyone else's ear, Orihime knew that he was bluffing. His glazed-over eyes searched her face as one slender finger wiped away her tears distractedly. "I need to have a word with this 'nakama' of yours."
"I'd be more than happy to oblige, Arrancar." Uryuu narrowed his eyes as he drew the string of his spirit bow further back. "Step aside, Inoue-san-"
"No way!" Couldn't Uryuu see that Ulquiorra was in no shape to fight? Not only was he in a gigai, he was terribly sick! The grey-eyed girl, without wasting any more time, turned around to face her Quincy comrade. "Ulquiorra has a fever, he needs to get inside quickly. If you try to hurt him now, I will never forgive you." Without another word, Orihime began to drag Ulquiorra back down the street towards her apartment.
"Orihime, that trash made you cry." Ulquiorra was still enraged at the Quincy, but put up no resistance as Orihime brought him home. Unlike that so-called nakama of hers, he understood that killing one of the woman's friends would only serve to hurt Orihime's feelings even more. "Do not associate with him anymore."
Despite her tears, Orihime smiled. His protectiveness was really quite endearing. It seemed to be a complete turn-around from when they were in Las Noches. There, how many times had Ulquiorra made her cry? Of course, Orihime didn't know that there was only one time that Ulquiorra actually knew that he had made her cry, which was after she had slapped him. She also didn't know that Ulquiorra had waited for a long moment outside her door that time, listening to her sobs, and had promised to himself that he would never again put himself through that sort of pain.
They entered the house, and Orihime sat Ulquiorra down on the couch. Although he wouldn't admit it, he was relieved to be sitting down. The emerald-eyed teenager's head was spinning, and he felt like he was going to lose consciousness. Some indefinite amount of time later, his eyes focused on Orihime's hovering form bringing a glass of water to his lips.
Vaguely, Ulquiorra could hear Orihime ordering Uryuu to put on the rice cooker and to make some onigiri, which made him feel like smiling. It was about time that that silly girl took charge of things… The black-haired man suddenly felt the seat of the couch beneath his head. And then a splash of cold water.
"-orra! Ulquiorra!" What is this woman yelling about…Why must she be so loud… Ulquiorra opened his big emerald eyes and was faced with full pink lips. He stared intently. He could feel her warm breath on his face, and it was very distracting.
"Ulquiorra! Are you OK?" Orihime was frantic, Ulquiorra had just fallen over. "Ishida-kun, get me some bread, it's in that bag over there…" Uryuu had never seen Orihime like this, and, with a talent all her own, she had thrown him off too much for him to wonder whether he should be helping the Arrancar. I suppose that he isn't a threat in this condition…
With Orihime's help, Ulquiorra was able to get into a seated position and swallow a bite-full of bread. Once he tasted the fresh bun, he wolfed the rest of it down ravenously. The orange-haired girl dashed to the kitchen, where Uryuu had dropped the bags, and came back with the rest of the buns in a large brown bag.
"Eat these for now, while I make you something more filling." The moment Orihime stepped into the kitchen, the apartment living room fell quiet, the air becoming heavy. Ulquiorra didn't look up from his food, his mind suddenly empty of everything except the desire to ingest as many of the fluffy buns as possible, as quickly as possible. Watching him incredulously was Uryuu, amazed that the famously cold and arrogant forth espada was devouring bread rolls like would a wild animal.
"What are you looking at, Ishida Uryuu?" Although it was a question, Ulquiorra's tone was so deadly flat that it sounded more like a statement. With just a few words on the Arrancar's part, the air froze.
"I don't know. What am I looking at?" Uryuu's voice was as hard as his eyes. With Orihime out of the room and the bustling atmosphere dissolved, Uryuu put his focus once again on the purpose of his visit.
"You do not trust me not to hurt Orihime." Toxic green eyes narrowed threateningly.
"Why should I?" The Quincy's navy eyes followed suit. Ulquiorra closed his eyes, sighing internally. He could crush this piece of trash in an instant, but instead he was put in the position where he had to gain the Quincy's approval. It was very difficult for Ulquiorra not to blame Orihime for all this.
"Because if anything were to happen to Orihime, my life would become meaningless." This was Ulquiorra's great weakness. Bonds make you weak. They're fetters, liabilities. Ulquiorra had bonded with Orihime. Orihime made him weak.
Ulquiorra opened his eyes, and realized that the Quincy wasn't convinced. Uryuu, unlike Orihime, was unable to detect the disarming honesty in his voice, or the softening of his piercing eyes. He, like everyone else, would see Ulquiorra only as an emotionless bastard.
"Than why did you abduct her?" Uryuu's voice was cold, yet harsh. He was sick of these games.
"Orihime came to me of her own free will."
"Liar. What are you really planning for her?" Suddenly, a realization struck the blue-eyed teenager. Ulquiorra was supposed to be Aizen's most trusted espada, wasn't he? "You're not planning on using her powers to somehow reject Aizen's death, are you?" Ulquiorra would have rolled his eyes.
"Fool. Aizen is of no use to me anymore. Orihime is all that I desire." Uryuu wasn't convinced, but it was undeniable that Ulquiorra and Orihime held some sort of intimate relationship, judging from Orihime's words earlier.
"What happened between the two of you in Las Noches?" Once again, poisonous green eyes looked at the Quincy like he was a complete idiot.
"I was her caretaker. I made certain that she was well-fed and well-rested." Ulquiorra glared hard.
"Nothing romantic?" Uryuu almost dreaded the answer, but kept his voice firm.
"Do not associate your race's idiotic fantasies with me." Ulquiorra didn't know a whole lot about romance, but reasoned that anything so distinctly human could not make its way into his character. A heavy silence fell around the two.
"I will never harm Orihime." Ulquiorra knew that Uryuu was very fond of the girl, and knew that he wasn't going to settle for less than a complete confession. "If I were to return to Hueco Mundo, I would be the forth most powerful Hollow. I could conquer and devour the world without effort. If I had needed Orihime for these plans, as you suspect I do, I could have reclaimed her the moment I emerged from the Caja Negacion.
"But instead I am here, in this restraining gigai, surrounded by shinigami and human trash. I have wilfully allowed myself to take the form of a powerless human. There is nothing that I can gain from this situation, aside from Orihime's company."
Uryuu took a moment of consideration. He still suspected that the Arrancar was up to something, but Ulquiorra also had a point. If he had wanted something from Orihime, he would have already taken it, either immediately after escaping the Caja Negacion, or after the high-level captains had returned to Soul Society. Really, by giving Orihime space to return home alone, her nakama had made her easy picking. Ulquiorra could have stolen her away without effort.
Staring at the emerald-eyed former espada, Uryuu noticed he still seemed to be under strain. Orihime was right, he really was in no shape to fight, which made his behaviour earlier all the more peculiar. Why had Ulquiorra confronted him so directly if he could hardly stand? Could it really be that he was only looking out for Orihime?
Deciding that there were too many unknown factors and unanswered questions, Uryuu decided to let things play out for a little longer. He'd continue to keep track of Orihime and Ulquiorra's reiatsu, and would never be too far to intervene if something went awry, as, he figured, it was bound to. In the mean time, the Quincy decided, he should shake some answers out of that Urahara Kisuke.
"The miso soup is ready!" Orihime poked her head out from the kitchen, seemingly oblivious to the tense atmosphere she had intruded into. "Do you want some too, Ishida-kun?"
"That's quite alright, Inoue-san," Uryuu offered politely, before his tone turned curt as he looked down at Ulquiorra. "I have some other business to attend to, so please excuse me." With a nod in Orihime's direction, Uryuu strode out of the apartment, closing the door behind him.
"Oh well!" Orihime exclaimed with a smile, her mood unhampered. "Come, Ulquiorra, sit at the table!"
The Arrancar obeyed, unsettled at how much authority over him the woman was exerting. He was going to have to change that. Making himself comfortable on the floor pillow, Ulquiorra swore he was going to find a way to dominate her somehow. But before then, there were some things that needed to be cleared up.
"What happened to me earlier?" The emerald-eyed teenager sounded. He realized that there were gaps in his memory, something that the Arrancar was very uncomfortable with.
"You fainted from hunger," Orihime responded as she set the bowl of miso soup carefully before him. "This will make you feel better. It will also help your throat. And the onigiri is coming too."
Ulquiorra looked down at the steaming soup sceptically. Slowly, he picked up the silver spoon set in front of him, and dipped the tip into the liquid. Under Orihime's expectant gaze, he brought the spoon to his black lips, and sipped hesitantly.
"This…" Orihime perked up, eager. "Tastes disgusting." Furrowing her brow, Orihime tasted some of her own soup in front of her.
"You're right. It tastes so bland," Orihime replied, grimacing playfully, as she set down her spoon. "These store-made products lack inspiration. Don't worry, I'll fix it!" The redhead then got up and glided into the kitchen.
"That's pretty odd, though," the teenager called out to her companion as she rummaged through her grocery bags. "Most people like the boring store-made stuff…" Orihime then burst through the kitchen threshold with a jar of diluted sour cream and a bag of bread crumbs.
"This is how I eat my miso soup!" Orihime explained excitedly as she plopped a spoonful of sour cream into Ulquiorra's soup and began stirring, dissolving it in the hot watery liquid. She then sprinkled some of the bread crumbs into the thick and creamy concoction. Satisfied, Orihime began to do the same to her own meal.
"Try it! You'll like it better like that!" Ulquiorra looked down at the white glump of food in distaste. This definitely did not look like anything he had ever fed the woman. If Ulquiorra didn't know Orihime better, he would have suspected that she was trying to poison him, especially since she hadn't yet taken even a bite of her serving as she gazed at him intently.
Carefully, he once again brought the mixture to his lips and swallowed it. Raising his eyes, he saw that Orihime was eager for a reaction.
"Slightly more tasteful," Ulquiorra replied calmly, internally relishing in Orihime's exuberant cheers and her spontaneous tears of delight. He hadn't lied; he did prefer the soup the way the redhead made it.
"I'm so happy! I thought it was only me and Rangiku-san who liked my cooking!" Orihime smiled brightly, her eyes shining as she thought of all the food she could make for Ulquiorra. "Oh! I'm going to make you some of my favourite dishes!"
Ulquiorra continued eating as Orihime sprang to her feet and dashed again to the kitchen, her own soup lying forgotten. From where he sat in the living room, Ulquiorra could hear the loud clamour of pans, and the tearing of plastic seals. Also, there were the occasional surprised yelps as Orihime dropped something or tripped over her own feet in excitement.
The slender former espada finished his soup slowly while Orihime shouted out to him from the kitchen. There was something about the feeling filling his torso that made him feel comfortable, at home. Which was odd, because he had never felt 'at home' anywhere.
Every few minutes, Orihime would come bustling through the doorway with some sort of strange-looking dish, and would insist that Ulquiorra try it before she returned to the kitchen to continue preparing her other dishes.
That night, Ulquiorra was served a seventeen course meal. The two talked for a full three hours as Orihime stuffed Ulquiorra with all of her favourite foods. She was delighted to learn that, although he wasn't partial to anything, he didn't dislike her cooking. Ulquiorra had never thought one person could laugh so much, especially when no one else around them was laughing. Orihime's excitement only grew as the red sun fell further towards the horizon, and Ulquiorra had to physically stop Orihime from cooking him an eighteenth dish.
As Ulquiorra held Orihime's wrists, trapping her arms behind her back, she struggled playfully to free herself. There really was no quelling her excitement. Ulquiorra pinned Orihime against the wall of the kitchen, careful not to hurt her.
"Please, Ulquiorra, just one more!" Orihime turned towards her friend, her fiery hair brushing against his face. "I'll make it extra delicious!"
For some reason, Ulquiorra never felt more alive than at that moment. He didn't know if it was the absolute trust she placed in him, or the way that her sparkling grey eyes held not a trace of fear, but Ulquiorra knew then and there that he would never, ever leave Orihime's side.