Chizuru, quite unlike herself, was grumbling as she made her way down the familiar streets. How could Ryo suggest that she didn't love Orihime? The proposition was simply ridiculous. Unnerving, but ridiculous.
Sure, Chizuru checked out other girls. There were plenty of cuties out there; she was a sucker for the sweet, shy, innocent types like Michiru. And there were the bimbos with the big fake breasts and the super-thin waists, but that was all fabricated. Only Orihime had the kind, adorable, childish mind and the natural sexy hourglass shape that Chizuru's mouth watered over.
Orihime was everything that Chizuru wanted in a woman. It was love, plain and simple. This truth wasn't diminished just because Chizuru flirted around. How dare Ryo even conceive of it? It was as if her nose was buried too deep in those books of hers to have noticed the flaming hot passion she had for her Hime-chan, one-sided as it may be.
Chizuru walked into the familiar shop, willing herself to calm down and just finish the errand. She was bound to feel better when she returned home with her merchandise. The redhead strode along the magazine stands, confidently going towards her favourite section. When she arrived, staring disapprovingly at the rack, she frowned.
"Hey, mister," she called to the guy at the cash. "Where's the Sports Illustrated?" The young kid looked down, blushing just a bit.
"Um, Miss," the teenager said, "this month's issue of Sports Illustrated is the Swimsuit Addition…" Chizuru nearly rolled her eyes.
"I know that," Chizuru said. Obviously. "I want to know where it is." Before the kid could answer her, the door to the corner store opened with a chiming of the bells. A girl with braided black hair and a sailor uniform walked straight towards Chizuru, determination in her eyes.
"Move," the woman intoned coldly as she approached Chizuru, who, of course, didn't move. Her chin, however, did jut up the moment the two made eye contact. The woman took one look at the rack, and turned around on her heels, cool confidence in her every step.
"I need an issue of Sports Illustrated," the frightening woman said simply to the young clerk. Chizuru approached the cash also, her fist pounding upon the desk as she arrived.
"So do I," Chizuru declared. The woman looked at Chizuru with just a little annoyance in her eyes. This ticked Chizuru off to no end. What a prissy little bitch. "What's your problem?" The teenager at the cash, openly frightened, went off to go fetch the manager. He was sure that they must've been out of Sports Illustrated.
The woman, who looked no older than Chizuru, looked forward. "I have no problem," she dismissed easily.
"Ah, Risa-san," an older man proclaimed as he came out from the back of the store, "you're a little later than usual."
"There was some trouble on the way here," Risa replied vaguely. "Do you have what I want?"
"One left," the manager said, flashing the provocative magazine. "I saved it just for you."
"Hey, that's not fair," Chizuru complained sternly. "I was here before her, I should be the one to get it!" Risa shot the teenager a look.
"He saved it for me," she said flatly. "It's mine." She reached for the Sports Illustrated, but Chizuru was just as fast.
"No way am I going home without this," Chizuru proclaimed. She took her money out of her pocket, and practically threw it to the clerk. "No one is going to deny me my ladies!"
"They're my ladies," Risa growled back. "Hands off!" She tried to rip the magazine from Chizuru's hands, but Chizuru held a tight grip, staring pointedly into her rival's eyes.
"Ladies, ladies," the clerk begged. "Please don't cause a commotion. There will be some fresh issues delivered tomorrow morning…" But he was too late. It had become a point of pride.
"Let go," Chizuru demanded, as she yanked viciously on the magazine.
"No way," Risa shot back, pulling back hard. Chizuru bared her teeth in a growl.
"I'm afraid, sir," the teenage boy confessed. The older man patted his shoulder.
"You never want to get between a woman and her porn," the man replied sagely.
After a few more minutes of fruitless struggling, both women were getting tired of it. Chizuru proposed a settlement. "Look! Why don't we go half-way on the bill, and then we split the magazine up depending on which girl suits us?"
Risa considered this. "Alright." Risa paid her share to Chizuru, and, in response to the clerks pleading, they walked out of the store. They sat on a bench outside, side by side. The magazine was on their laps.
"Ok, first one…" They flipped to the first page, and both woman stared holes into the picture.
"Not enough curves for me," Chizuru decided. Risa nodded.
"Not my type either." They flipped the page. Chizuru's mouth fell open in awe.
"Such a delicate face," she cooed. "And those breasts! How delicious… I'm taking this one." Risa growled.
"No way," she shot down. "Redheads are my type."
"What," Chizuru shouted, incredulous. "Redheads are so my type!" Risa, grip on the magazine firm, tried to make a run for it. But Chizuru wasn't going to give up without a fight. "Oh, you are not going anywhere with my magazine," she shouted.
Chizuru tackled Risa to the ground. "Give me… my… magazine," she ground out, while struggling against the other girl's solid hold on her wrists. Risa's leg swung around, kicking Chizuru forcefully to the ground. Years of dealing with Tatsuki, however, had taught Chizuru how to bounce right back. She grasped for the magazine.
After a few more minutes of fighting for the Sports Illustrated, both women lay breathless on the ground.
"Stupid… Gigai…" Risa breathed. Chizuru turned her head to shoot Risa a glare.
"What did you call me," she demanded. Risa waved away the question with her hand.
"Yadomaru," Risa breathed. "Yadomaru Risa."
Chizuru blinked once, twice, before responding. "Honshou Chizuru," the redhead greeted.
"Wow, this is great, Ulquiorra," Orihime cheered as she strode briskly towards the fair, Ulquiorra in tow. Her eyes were dancing with an excitement that Ulquiorra couldn't bring himself to damper, despite the monstrosity he was faced with.
Well, Ulquiorra could admit, it wasn't like anything he'd ever seen. There were mechanical contraptions littered all over the parking lot of a nearby shopping center, motorized arms reaching out in odd ways that couldn't possibly be safe. The menace was carefully hidden behind bands of brightly coloured paint. Woven around the machines were stands overflowing with huge, oddly coloured stuffed animals.
Sometimes, Ulquiorra honestly had to wonder whether Orihime was trying to kill him.
"What'll it be today, Miss," the carnie with the protruding teeth asked when Orihime and Ulquiorra had made it to the front of the short line.
"We'll take it all," she cheered. "The week pass for me and my friend!"
Ulquiorra's frown grew just a little deeper. "Week pass? Meaning we will be back here?"
"Of course," Orihime said, as if it were more than obvious. "This is the Shibuyaki Fair!" Ulquiorra's objection died on his tongue as Orihime handed the man the money and took their bracelets.
"Let's go," she cheered, dragging the reluctant Arrancar into the fair. She sat him down on a bench, and stood before him, fussing with his bracelet.
They had changed when they had returned home to drop off the groceries. Ulquiorra was now wearing her brother's jeans and a plain black shirt beneath a black zip-up sweater Orihime had found. Orihime wore leggings, for warmth in the evening, under nice black pants, and a form-fitting hot pink turtleneck.
"The bracelets are green," Orihime noted, "just like your eyes."
Ulquiorra didn't understand for the life of him why that made her blush. He allowed her to attach the bracelet around his wrist and then helped her with hers, as her bright eyes darted around eagerly. Just like a child.
"What ride do you want to go on first, Ulquiorra," Orihime asked, very much like a kid in a candy shop. Ulquiorra looked around. He saw nothing familiar.
"How should I know, if this is my first time at the Shibuyaki Fair," he asked dryly. Orihime turned to him in a jolt, eyes wide and mouth open in an involuntary gasp.
"This is your first time," she breathed. "Your first time at a fair." Ulquiorra just nodded. A huge smile parted her lips as she took Ulquiorra into a hug. "I'm so excited for you! You're going to have so much fun, just wait and see!" She took him by the hand, and ran in a random direction.
The first ride they decided on was The Butterfly. They were standing in queue and Orihime continued to babble, as she was prone to doing when she was excited. "And it's a good thing we found out today, because it's Thursday, and most people won't come to a fair on a Thursday, because there's work or school the next day. So we won't have to wait in lines for too long!"
"But don't we also have school tomorrow," Ulquiorra asked.
Orihime brushed off the question. "Yea, but I've missed so much school already that I'm not worried about just being tired one Friday! Besides, we're only young once, Ulquiorra, we must enjoy life to the fullest!"
"I see," Ulquiorra noted. "Are… there not other things we could do to enjoy life to the fullest?" Something that perhaps kept Orihime away from dangerous heavy machinery?
"Oh, there are lots of things," Orihime replied, completely missing the subtext of his words. "Endless things, really! We played in a park, and went to Karaoke, and now we're at a fair, so next time, we'll go to the movies!"
"Have we not already seen a movie," Ulquiorra asked, as they moved forward in line yet again.
"We've seen a movie," Orihime answered, "but seeing a movie in theatres is a completely different experience! The screen is really really big, and there's surround sound and everything!"
"How big is the screen," Ulquiorra asked. Orihime pointed from one end of the ride to the other saying "that big!". Ulquiorra nodded. "That is rather big."
"Yea," Orihime cheered. "It's great, you'll like it! And then what should we do after that…" Her gaze drifted to Ulquiorra, as she examined him closely. "I'm not going to let you play video games."
Ulquiorra raised an eyebrow. "What did you say?"
"You'd find it boring," she decided with a nod. "And if you don't you might become addicted… I should also limit TV time…" She drifted off, wondering about which books Ulquiorra should read to form his human knowledge in a productive way. However, she was soon jogged from her contemplation.
"Tickets," the carnie running the ride exclaimed for all to here. Orihime fidgeted in excitement as she took Ulquiorra's hand in hers and showed the carnie their green bracelets.
Once they were cleared, Orihime dashed ahead to get her favourite red pod, Ulquiorra following at a more relaxed pace behind her. He got in with her. "So we simply hold onto the bar?"
"The bar is going to come down over our laps," Orihime clarified. "It'll hold us down, and, if you're scared, you can hold onto the red bar over here!"
"As if I would be scared," Ulquiorra bristled. Who did she think he was? Orihime only laughed as the silver bar descended, indicating that they were about to take off. Her hands took firm hold of the red bar. Ulquiorra's remained in his pockets.
The Butterfly started with a jerk. The two were propelled into the air, as the ride spun them around and around in circles. In wave motions, they rose and fell in the air.
"This isn't scary," Ulquiorra stated blandly, as Orihime's grip on the bar tightened.
Orihime laughed again. "I suggest you take your hands out of your pockets for this."
Suddenly, the red pod that they were in began to spin on its axis, moving violently with such a start that Ulquiorra's mortal heart nearly shot out of this chest. He was forced to do something he hadn't done in the longest time.
Both hands shot out of his pockets in an effort to save his life amidst Orihime's cries of joy. He held onto the red bar as if his life depended on it, sure that if he loosened his grip for even just a moment, he would be propelled from the pod.
A few exhilarating minutes later, the pod began to slow as it descended to the floor. "That was totally awesome," Orihime cheered, as she threw her now free hands into the air. She turned towards Ulquiorra with a smile that could stun the blind. "Don't you think, Ulquiorra?"
Slowly, very slowly, Ulquiorra turned to look at Orihime with empty eyes. His hands still held a tight grip on the bar. It took him a moment to appropriately phrase his response to this situation. "Do you realize that human bodies cannot survive being projected from this height?"
Orihime laughed at his words. "C'mon, let's go on another one!" She pried his fingers from the bar, and pushed him out of the pod.
"Are you suicidal," Ulquiorra demanded, as he was dragged towards an even bigger ride. "What will you do if you loose your grip, or if one of those cords snaps –"
"You sound like a mother," Orihime interrupted with a giggle. He glared at her. "It's a compliment!"
"You would die, is what you would do," Ulquiorra continued, his hard glare the only evidence that he had heard her. "You would become a Plus." Orihime laughed again, as they made it to another queue.
"Nothing's going to happen," Orihime assured. "And I'm sure that if something did happen, you could just get out of your gigai, and I could just use my Shun Shun Rika!"
"How will your Shun Shun Rika," Ulquiorra asked, not entirely sure he wanted to hear the answer, "help you break a fall?" Orihime winked.
"They can help with all sorts of things," Orihime exclaimed. "You just need to do what feels right!"
Ulquiorra stared. "In other words, you don't know."
Orihime smiled a smug smile. "I'm saying I would know when the time came. It's called improvisation!"
Ulquiorra closed his eyes, as if he were pretending not to have heard that, as he shook his head. "I don't understand how you managed to stay alive up to now."
Orihime crossed her arms cutely. "Improvisation takes skills! I'd like to see you try," she huffed. Ulquiorra cocked an eyebrow.
"Was that a challenge?"
Orihime cracked a smile. "Of course it was."
Ulquiorra considered this, as Orihime cheered. "Look, Ulquiorra! We'll definitely be able to go with this batch!"
As she predicted, Orihime and Ulquiorra were one of the last to go on for that round. With enthusiasm, Orihime lifted her and Ulquiorra's hands for the carnie, flashing their green bracelets. She towed him into the yellow seat.
"What is this ride called," Ulquiorra asked as they were seated.
"This one is The Dragon," she replied. "It's a lot of fun!"
Just like the last one, Ulquiorra thought. He wondered whether this ride would be more life-threatening than the last, since a dragon was much more terrifying relative to a butterfly. His eyes went to Orihime, who was literally bouncing in her seat. He had to be prepared…
The bar descended over their laps. Ulquiorra and Orihime brought their hands to the red bar. The ride began moving forward, slowly at first, but accelerating fast. Before Ulquiorra knew what was happening, they where rounding sharp corners, thrown outwards by the force of it. It was a small track, which made the speed at which they were going all the more insane. Orihime was screaming in exhilaration beside him.
The ride stopped very suddenly, so suddenly that Ulquiorra's and Orihime's heads were thrown forward. Ulquiorra and Orihime looked towards each other at the same moment. Orihime's smile widened. "What do you want to go on next?"
Fortunately for Ulquiorra, there were a finite number of rides in the park. After they had done each at least twice, they decided to take a break for snacks.
"So, which was your favourite, Ulquiorra," Orihime asked, cotton candy between her fingers.
"None of them," Ulquiorra stated flatly. Orihime pouted.
"C'mon, Ulquiorra," she wined, "you've got to lighten up! What's wrong with these rides?"
"They are unnecessary." Orihime gasped. How could he say that?
"They are necessary: for fun," Orihime exclaimed.
Ulquiorra frowned. Orihime was covered in pieces of the blue cotton candy. "Why would you enjoy doing something that makes your heart feel as if it is about to burst through your chest?"
Orihime smiled in return. "Because of the exhilaration! The wind in your hair! The rush of adrenaline!"
"One could say the same of combat," Ulquiorra noted, as he ate his honey-topped hotdog.
"It's nothing like combat though," Orihime countered logically, "because nobody gets hurt." Ulquiorra threw her a glare, and her lips pursed as she hid a smile. "Look! You're fine now, aren't you?"
"After The Monster," Ulquiorra intoned flatly. "I thought I was going to vomit." Orihime laughed.
"If you can't handle these small-time rides," Orihime said, "I don't know how you're going to survive when we go to a real amusement park next summer…"
"Who said we are going anywhere," Ulquiorra replied flatly. Orihime smiled at him again. He wondered if it hurt doing that with her face all the time.
"We are going to the amusement park," Orihime said definitively. "And we're also going to the water park. And I want to bring you to see Tokyo. And a road trip to the beach would be fun, too…"
Ulquiorra glared at Orihime for a minute as they ambled around. "How much is the government giving you, that you can throw it away so easily?"
Orihime patted his back. "You don't need to worry about that. Not until I'm eighteen."
"What happens when you are eighteen," Ulquiorra wondered.
"The government won't pay me anymore," Orihime replied, "and you and I will have to get jobs to survive." Ulquiorra frowned. A job. Extensive contact with trash.
Orihime peered at him from below her bangs. "You are still going to be here, aren't you, Ulquiorra? In two years?"
"Of course," he replied. "I said I would be, didn't I?" Orihime sighed.
"I know," she assured, just a little wistful, "it's just that there was someone else who promised me forever."
Ulquiorra took Orihime's hand. "Do you realize that you are covered with cotton candy," he asked after a moment.
Orihime looked down to her chest, where she usually got her food all over. Wisps of blue were caught in the pink. Ulquiorra watched her as she picked them off one by one and put them into her mouth. Ulquiorra felt something fuzzy grow in his chest. What was the word Orihime had used that day…
"Orihime, you are adorable," he ran his hands admiringly over her shoulders and upper arms. She looked up at him in surprise, a blush burning her cheeks the same pink as her shirt. His eyes were trained on her face, just a little unfocused. She smiled at him.
"Do you want some, Ulquiorra," she offered, heart thumping in her chest. She held out the cotton candy in her hand, but Ulquiorra went straight for her face. He brought his lips to the corner of her mouth, and carefully licked off some of the cotton candy there. His hooded eyes continued to watch hers, pale fingers tightening around her shoulders and drawing her body closer to his. Even when he drew back from her, he kept his hands on her and watched her with appraising eyes, as if admiring a piece of art. Her heart thumped erratically in her chest. She could do nothing other than stare into his emerald eyes.
"Now," he said, still watching her, "do you want to go into the haunted house?" A smile broke through her face like dawn, and she led him away by the hand.
The two flashed their green bracelets. By now, Ulquiorra was resigned to his fate and was doing it himself, although his apathy compared to her enthusiasm provided a startling contrast. They strode into the haunted house.
"Take my hand, Ulquiorra," Orihime demanded, as they entered the dark passageway. She was scared already. "Take my hand, take my hand." She felt the familiar squeeze.
"Orihime," Ulquiorra started, trying to put into words something that was too blatantly obvious to explain. "You have just spent seven days prisoner in a fortress that housed Aizen Sousuke. You were completely defenceless in a hall filled with the strongest Hollows ever born. Do you expect me to believe that what will pull a scream from you is –"
As if on queue, a skeleton popped out before them amidst shrill laughter. Orihime shrieked in terror, practically jumping onto Ulquiorra in pure fright. Ulquiorra, after a moment, closed his eyes, as if to sigh. He patted Orihime's back soothingly.
Orihime was still jittery when they finally exited the haunted house. "I'm never going back there. I am not going back in there," she repeated to herself, eyes still shifting nervously. "I don't know what I was thinking, wanting to go in there."
Ulquiorra watched Orihime with scepticism. "Could you really be so afraid?"
Orihime could hardly believe that she had once found Ulquiorra so scary. (How long ago was that?) He was nothing compared to what she had just experienced. She was sure to have nightmares. "Do you want to go on the Ferris wheel before we leave?"
It was getting cold, and the crisp autumn twilight hung in the air. The sun was setting slowly, the blue-green sky a kaleidoscope of magenta and cyan. Orihime wanted Ulquiorra to get the chance to see the scenery from higher ground.
They got in line for the Ferris wheel. Orihime found it very fitting that the pod that they were offered was a forest green colour. The two were silent as they entered. Orihime's eyes were on the sky. She hummed a song to herself.
"What are you singing," Ulquiorra asked, unsure where Orihime's thoughtful mood had brought her.
"Evening has come earlier in the sky," Orihime sang, eyes never leaving the sunset, "dying the clouds in colour."
The two were silent for a moment, as the wheel began its rotation. "Isn't it beautiful, Ulquiorra?"
He watched the scenery a little longer, every fibre of his being telling him that this was just the world. It was completely normal, as it should be. He looked back to Orihime, and saw the fiery orange sun reflected in her wide eyes. He moved towards her, and wrapped his arms around her.
"I find beauty elsewhere," he said simply, and she leaned her head against his shoulder. The two watched the sun slip beyond the horizon and the clouds turn dark in the still-bright sky. Orihime turned around in his arms to face him. Ever so gently, she brought her lips to his. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to simply be grateful that he could hold her in his arms.
Orihime and Ulquiorra practically threw themselves unto the door of their apartment. "Key," Ulquiorra muttered against the skin of her neck, as Orihime searched frantically through her pockets. After some fumbling, she got it out, and Ulquiorra shoved the piece of metal into the lock. Orihime yanked open the door, and the two stumbled into the apartment, neither noticing the white envelope clearly visible on the floor.
Orihime took Ulquiorra by the collar, practically dragging him behind her. "Bedroom, Ulquiorra," she rasped. Encouraged, he took her by the waist and lifted her feet off the ground. She was still kissing him, her hands running through his hair and over his neck and reaching down his back. She knew she would probably scold herself for this in the morning, but that didn't seem to bother her too much now.
He put her down once they got through the door of the bedroom. His hands were on her hips but he looked conflicted. She couldn't do this; he couldn't do this. Orihime smiled breathlessly at him. "There's nothing to be worried about," she assured as she kissed him again. She led him towards the bed.
When the back of his knees touched the side of the bed, Ulquiorra allowed Orihime to push him into a seated position. "We're doing everything backwards," she said as she took off her watch and put it on the bedside table. "If I wasn't meant for Kurosaki-kun, I was supposed to get over him before falling in love. I was supposed to go on a few dates with him before kissing him, and I was supposed to wait at least a few years before doing it with him." She took her shirt off, as Ulquiorra's hands trailed up and down her sides.
"Don't you see what's happening, Ulquiorra? It's all happening at once," she continued to babble nervously. "I love him, but I don't love him, and I think I'm falling in love with you, but you're Ulquiorra, and we're kissing and we're touching and nothing's resolved and nothing makes sense…"
"Don't think you are the only one," Ulquiorra cut in in a hushed, hurried voice. He pulled Orihime closer to him as she pulled his shirt over his head. "I was supposed to look right by you. I wasn't supposed to admire your colour or guess at the thoughts in your eyes. I've lived for myself for all these years, and even now I don't know what I'm doing here…"
"You belong here now, you can't leave," Orihime whispered as she let Ulquiorra unzip her pants. "You promised." He looked up at her.
"I know, I'm not leaving," Ulquiorra murmured back, as he trailed the pants down her legs, revealing the leggings beneath. "I cannot leave, I realize that. Inexplicably, I find no appeal in returning to Hueco Mundo. There's no colour." Orihime laughed shakily as she lifted a foot to allow Ulquiorra to remove a pant leg.
"I thought you didn't like colour," Orihime teased with a flushed smile.
"I don't," Ulquiorra replied, all the more confounded by the contradiction. He pulled Orihime onto his lap. Their lips met again, roughly, urgently. And yet so smoothly. As if they fit.
"Ulquiorra," Orihime murmured against his lips as his nimble fingers unlatched her bra. She pushed him down beneath her, her red hair pouring freely down her bare shoulders. His hands slid the straps down her arms. The bra fell to the floor, and Ulquiorra leant up towards her, trailing kisses down her throat and to her chest. Her fingers latched onto his hair, drawing him closer to her.
He rolled Orihime over onto her back. She was blushing so beautifully, her hands fearlessly trailing over his muscled chest and back. He kissed her, allowing his hands again to trail lower down her body. Her hips rose to meet his. He liked the feeling. "Oh, Ulquiorra," she sighed.
He brought his hips down on her. The pressure was spectacular. Orihime's hands made their way to his hips, forcing him closer. She spread her legs. "Ulquiorra, just… just…" Her hands ran through his hair and pulled him down for another kiss. She wrapped her legs around his hips, and his hands found her clothed thighs. "Orihime," he breathed against her lips, "Orihime, I need…" Her hips pushed against his again. He rose off of her.
"Ulquiorra," she pleaded, as she stripped the tight black cloth off her legs. He opened his pants in haste and removed them completely. Orihime was just about to start removing her underwear when Ulquiorra's hand shot down into his maroon boxers. Shocked by the action, she could only watch haplessly and with slight disappointment as his hand began to move in a jerking motion, abusing the sensitive appendage.
"Ulquiorra," Orihime gasped, rising to her knees before him. He pulled her onto his lap, continuing his wild motion. He brought his lips forcefully to hers, moaning into her mouth. She snaked a hand between their bodies and down into the scorching heat inside his boxers. She hesitated for only a second before taking firm hold of his member.
Ulquiorra gasped into her mouth, and Orihime smiled. She liked this. Her hand moved with his, until she became confident enough to gently remove his hand from his member and handle him on her own. "Orihime," he moaned freely, his now-free hands tangling in her hair and gripping her breasts and her behind and running over her back and sides and face.
He jerked his hips up into her hands, desperately craving release. "Something… something is…" He was overcome with a heated groan before he could finish, his seed spilling out into his boxers. When his eyes had regained the ability to focus, he saw Orihime looking down upon him with the most unfathomable expression.
She kissed him, fully and passionately. He pulled her onto him, loving the heat of her skin against his. Her legs instinctually wrapped around one of his legs as she tried to draw him closer to her heat. Ulquiorra noticed the moisture, and sat up in the bed.
"What is that," he asked against Orihime's lips. The redhead looked up at him, confused.
"What is what," she asked. Ulquiorra rolled Orihime back onto her back, and his hands immediately went to her groin.
As his fingers trailed lightly over the warmth, he looked at her with questioning eyes. "Why does this get so wet?" Orihime, despite all that happened already, blushed.
"It's because of you," she admitted. She took his hand in hers, and guided it into her panties. He was amazed at the wetness, and now that he was so close to it, the smell also. "Only you can do this to me." Ulquiorra liked that idea. He felt around his territory, Orihime's hand on his his guide.
He leaned forward again to hover over her. She took him into a kiss, continuing to guide his exploration. But Ulquiorra wanted to go further. One of his fingers began to penetrate her. "Oh, Ulquiorra," she gasped. "Ulquiorra!" Despite the large excess of fluids, his finger had difficulty entering her. He felt her insides pressing and tensing and tightening against his intrusion, and he didn't know for the life of him why that was making his member hard again.
Orihime cried out against Ulquiorra's lips, but it wasn't in pain. She continued to guide his bone-white finger deeper into her. He started feeling confident in a motion, going in, going out, going in and going out again. When he was going too quickly for her to bear, she removed her hand from his, and instead grabbed firm hold of his shoulders. He felt drawn into her, relishing in every moan and every gasp and every syllable when she called out his name against his lips.
She moved her hips up to meet his hand and her back arched up against his chest, her hardened nipples catching beautifully against Ulquiorra's bare chest. She was crying out more loudly now, her body rocking against his as if demanding more contact. He moved down her body, his finger still working its magic inside her, and began licking roughly on her nipple. Orihime's hands ran through his hair. She tried to push herself farther into him until finally the sensation was too much for her and that maddening tension in her groan was released with a cry. "Ulquiorra!"
Wiped out, Orihime collapsed back onto her back, only vaguely aware of Ulquiorra's curious gaze on her. Her ragged breathing made him uneasy. "Are you feeling alright?"
Orihime tiredly threw an arm around his shoulders and pulled him onto her. She pressed her lips against his. "I'm feeling better than alright," she said in a quiet dreamy voice. "Could you please hand me the pillow, Ulquiorra?" By the time she had finished the request, she felt Ulquiorra's gentle hands lift her head and place the pillow gently beneath it.
She held onto him as he lied down beside her, quickly abandoning her pillow and snuggling into the warmth of his chest. She threw a leg over his hips. Ulquiorra looked at the woman cuddled against him. He was silent for a long while as he thought. "Is this what Arisawa was trying to prevent us from doing?"
Orihime looked up from his chest, and smiled at him warmly. "Not this precisely. I think we've both shown marvellous restraint tonight. So far, at least." She moved up along his chest to plant a kiss on his lips. "Overall, though," she laughed, "we're still pretty much incapable of controlling our hormones."
"I don't mind," Ulquiorra assured, hand trailing down the length of Orihime's body. She slumped her head down on his chest again, closing her eyes.
"Neither do I," Orihime sighed. "Good night, Ulquiorra."
"Good night, Orihime." Never had three words felt so inadequate as they fell asleep in each other's arms.
A few hours later, Orihime was already fast asleep, her mouth hanging open just slightly as she breathed deeply. Ulquiorra stroked her hair now and then. He was tired, but he couldn't seem to fall asleep. Or maybe he had just been falling in and out of a light sleep all this time.
At some point in those hours that he'd spent just watching Orihime sleep, Ulquiorra felt a disturbance in the dimension, followed by a familiar, yet unfamiliar reiatsu. In the time it took to put some clothes on, find the house key in all the chaos, and kiss Orihime fondly on the lips, Ulquiorra was out of the apartment door. In the black of night he set out to investigate the commotion, his shadow following faithfully behind him.
He wasn't the first incredulous onlooker to arrive at the scene. Standing there in a stupor were Ichigo, Rukia and Uryuu. As Ulquiorra looked on from a distance, frozen in shock for the first time in an eternity, Yasutora ran past him into the clearing that the Hollow had manifested in.
Ulquiorra looked into the face of his former comrade. It was monstrous. Like a man on death row, he approached the Hollow he recognized as Barragan, and the others barely registered his presence even as he stood right beside them. All were too shell-shocked to speak so much as a word.
Although the creature before the unmoving teenagers held definitive traces of Barragan's reiatsu, its form was grotesque; a vile distortion of the Espada's released form. Copious amounts of blood was already gushing from open wounds all over the creature's body, scalpels and scissors and leather bindings protruding out of surgically cut flesh.
It panted in exhaustion, grabbing hold of a nearby fountain to steady itself. The Hollow's eyes seemed unable to focus. Hollow or not, it was difficult for them to watch the old soul suffer. The five warriors stood paralyzed.
"Ishida Uryuu, Sado Yasutora" Ulquiorra called out to the people standing next to him.
"What is the meaning of this, Ulquiorra," Uryuu responded as he was jerked from his stupor, eyes wide with horror.
"Please don't kill this Hollow," Ulquiorra continued, eyes never leaving the unbearably mutilated form of the former Espada. "Allow Kurosaki Ichigo or Kuchiki Rukia to purify him."
"Why," Uryuu pressed. "What is this?" He didn't get an answer. Looking into Ulquiorra's vacant, defiant eyes, Uryuu decided for himself that he wouldn't give the Hollow its finishing blow. He closed his mouth hung open with shock, and his face twisted into an angry scowl. And just when he had thought…
"I-I thought he was supposed to be dead," Rukia stuttered. "How…?"
Despite the incredible reiatsu of the Barragan-like Hollow, its movements were sluggish, its reactions delayed. The being was already dying. When it sensed the presence of the shinigami close-by, it threw what was left of its arms around randomly, like a blind man trying to swat away tiny mosquitoes. The attached plastic tubes flew through the air, some getting caught painfully on nearby tree branches. The Hollow's attempts at defence were pitiful.
"What the fuck is going on," Ichigo exclaimed suddenly, gesturing wildly at the decimated Hollow. "What happened to this thing?" Hollow or not, this guy was a sentient being, someone who had, just a few days ago, fought alongside him. Ichigo could hardly speak past his outrage.
The Barragan-like Hollow turned towards the booming voice. He seemed to take notice of something. "U-Ul-quio-rra…?" He coughed as he spoke, blood pouring from his open mouth. He seemed to choke on the dark blood.
"Kurosaki Ichigo," Ulquiorra stated, closing his eyes. "Please put him out of his misery."
"U-lu-qui-orra," the being gurgled again, stumbling on broken feet towards the Arrancar. "G-get jya hell ou-a ear, heel… heel…" More blood erupted from the old man's mouth. The spectators were frozen in horror.
"Please put him out of his misery," Ulquiorra repeated in what was for him a strained voice. His eyes still shut out the scene before him. This time, Ichigo was jerked from his repulsion.
He brought Zangetsu down upon the Hollow, eyes revealing deep misgivings about what was occurring. The Hollow disintegrated with a pained screech that rang in their ears for a long moment, a moment that stayed with each of them the whole night long.
Captain Hitsugaya remained perched on the high branch from which he had watched the foray even after the group of stunned teenagers had silently dispersed. None of them quite knew how to react to what they had just seen, and the Captain was no exception. He only knew that something was very, very wrong here. Eventually, he followed the jarred Ulquiorra back to Orihime's apartment.
Ulquiorra was exhausted. He was exhausted, and angry and incredulous and defiant, and more than anything else angry. How could they do this? Why now? He felt lost in the world, so abruptly alone, and frustrated and vulnerable and angry.
And afraid.
When Ulquiorra arrived back home, he didn't even bother striping down again before returning to bed. He simply crawled under the blankets and held the deep-sleeping Orihime tightly in his arms, his eyes wide open. He didn't fall asleep for a very long time.
The song Hime was humming was Senya Ichiya ("A Thousand and One Nights"), a beautiful song by See-Saw that I don't own (lol, just in case).