Chapter 11; Learning Tolerance.
Ulquiorra had fallen asleep in the middle of the afternoon, and he didn't know how. All he remembered waking up to was that annoying ass alarm much like the one in the woman's house.
If he still had his powers, he would've cero'd that fucker to obvilion.
Instead, he slammed it off, and threw it. That'll have to do for now.
He stood up and stretched. 'First day, note to self; Expect annoyances, expect disappointment, and expect the unexpected.' he mentally noted as he grabbed the ridiculous school outfit he needed to wear, and walked into the bathroom.
The second he finished dressing himself out of his kimono, he gained a really tight scowl at the outfit. He hadn't had to wear something other than a replica of his kimono or a kimono itself. He adjusted the two flaps at the top of the pocketed shirt, then slid on the grey jacket he was given.
He didn't bother to zip it up, and just slid on the leather shoes and walked downstairs. He grabbed the backpack Kisuke had provided, along with a protein bar, then departed the house.
The sunrise blared down on him, as he reached his hand up to block the sun. He had his backpack over one shoulder, and eventually slid his hands in the pockets of the jeans. Not as roomy and comfortable as his kimono pockets, but it'll do. He began to see the highschool building come into view, and he mentally sighed.
Reminding himself; 'Expect annoyances, expect disappointment, and expect the unexpected.
Orihime nervously waited at the gates of Karakura highschool, nervously fidgeting. She was hoping he'd show up soon so she could help him navigate to the first class.
What if he wasn't coming? She bit her lip nervously at the thought, would Ulquiorra really skip class?
While he probably thinks this is some kind of lowly irrelevant human thing, he doesn't really seem like the type to skip school. Or in Ulquiorra words… disobey his orders.
She glanced at her watch;
15 minutes.
She sighed, he might have to navigate alone. She didn't want to be late to class along with the ex-Espada. She decided to wait another 5 minutes, nervously fidgeting and biting her lip.
She let out a sigh of relief as she saw Ulquiorra come into view, hands in pockets, posture confident, steps graceful, and backpack over shoulder. She had to admit, he looked really good in the school outfit.
She really was going to school with Ulquiorra Cifer, the ex-Cuatro Espada. Nonetheless being his little tour guide of the school! She giggled at the thought, oh how things have really changed!
Oh how the turns have tabled…
Wait, no. How the tables have turned.
"Hi, Ulquiorra-san!" she beamed as she ran over to him, and almost gave him a hug, before realizing just who she was about to hug. She ended up slumping her arms to the side and just settling with giving him a nervous smile.
"I have told you not to refer to me as that, just my first name." he said monotonously, lush green eyes meeting stormy grey ones. Orihime bit her lip and rubbed her arm. "Well… since you're a human now…"
Ulquiorra frowned, and Orihime quickly shut her mouth. With that, the two began to make their way towards the highschool.
Suddenly, and surprisingly, Ulquiorra broke the silence.
"How do you believe you are going to deal with my name being the same as your 'cousin'?" Orihime stopped, that was a good point. She stood in thought for a moment, as Ulquiorra stopped and looked back at her.
She waved her hand dismissively, "I'll just say it's a coincidence." she said as she caught up to the ex-Espada, and he raised his eyebrow at her. "Are humans truly that foolish and clueless?" he asked, as they made their way up the steps
She let out a sigh, "Not like there's any other explanation to those who don't know." she mumbled, as they stopped at the doors.
"Very well…" he said as he pushed the doors open.
The two were instantly met with the slightly crowded halls of the school, and the strong smell of paper, ink and a weird school smell that no one can ever identify. Orihime grabbed his hand, and he glared at the two hands. Did she think he'd get lost in the crowd like a child at the zoo?
Before he could question, she dove into the halls of students. Luckily for Ulquiorra, the walk didn't take long until they arrived at a classroom of students settling down. He instantly recognized a few; Ichigo Kurosaki, Sado Yasutora, and Uryu Ishida.
The teacher glanced at the two. "Hello, Mr. Cifer. I got the report that you'll be seated next to Orihime Inoue throughout the classes, so please, go make yourself comfortable. You are early." he said almost boredly, as Ichigo, Sado, Uryu and Tatsuki all shot their heads up at the teacher's sentence.
Tatsuki gave Orihime a concerned look, and she returned it with a nervous chuckle, as they made their way to their seats. "Oh my gosh Hime you look adorable when you're walkin-!" Before the redhead could tackle the auburn haired girl into a hug, both Tatsuki and Ulquiorra punched Chizuru off, then looked at each other.
Tatsuki had a flustered and shocked look on her face, and Ulquiorra's eyes merely shrunk. Orihime glanced between the red haired girl on the floor, Ulquiorra, and her purple haired friend nervously. Tatsuki had to stifle a gasp meeting those all so familiar lush green eyes. "What the-"
"Please take your seats, students. Unless you are willing to take this fiasco to detention." All four of them quickly seated themselves, but Tatsuki kept looking back at Orihime with a "What the heck?" look, but also baring a ton of concern.
Ichigo and Uryu kept staring at the now teenage body Ulquiorra, and Ichigo kept glancing at the back of Orihime's head in concern. 'Why was he here? Why did he come in with his hand in Orihime's?' he scowled at the terrible thoughts that came through his head, as he venomously stared at the raven haired ex-Espada's back head that sat next to Orihime.
As per usual, the class was boring and dragging along for Orihime. She kept finding her eyes slowly shifting to the raven haired beauty sitting next to her. He elegantly noted down exactly what the teacher said, and every illustration he wrote on the board about physics. His pale fingers held the pencil tightly but softly at the same time, quickly jotting things down.
Her eyes slowly shifted up to his face; he was in complete focus, lush green eyes going back and forth between the teacher and his notes, as locks of black hair slowly shifted in front of his face with each glance up at the teacher.
'When in the green-bean casserole did he get so hot?!' she thought as she blushed at him.
Suddenly, lush green eyes met stormy grey ones, as Ulquiorra noticed her staring at him. Instantly she shot her gaze down at the blank piece of paper that was supposed to be her notes. He looked down at the blank notes, then thought nothing of it.
Tatsuki didn't care about class, all she cared about was the pattern going on with the new raven haired guy and Orihime. What the hell was going on? She couldn't tell if Orihime was keeping an eye on him or in deep thoughts, or both. Ulquiorra caught Orihime mid-stare then she shot her gaze down, then he kept glancing up.
If it weren't the new student, she would've thought the whole interaction was a tiny bit sweet. It was clear that the two knew each other, especially with the way they entered the classroom, Orihime's hand grabbing his and leading him to the seats. Not to mention they didn't react to being put next to each other, as if they knew it was going to happen.
Something was definitely happening, and Tatsuki wanted to get to the bottom of it.
First things first, once lunch rolls around, talk to Orihime.
Suddenly, the new student turned his head to the side, and darted the visible pupil to look at Tatsuki. Those eyes. It looked so much like the brat that Orihime had brought, not to mention the coincidence of them having the same name. She couldn't determine if the personalities were similar just yet.
That stare said a lot though.
She turned her gaze down from the raven haired male and focused on homework, yet couldn't get those unnatural green feline eyes out of her mind. What was up with that guy?
The second the bell went off, Orihime sprung up. Despite being accompanied by Ulquiorra throughout the weekend, she still missed talking to her friends. She caught two of the usual groups making their ways out of the classroom and turned to Ulquiorra.
"If you need me, I'll be in the group of kids near the largest tree in the field, you should catch me pretty easily!" she beamed as she waved at him. She ran down the hall towards the group of girls, and once she reached them, they all turned to look at her. Tatsuki put her hands on her hips and glared at her friend. "Mind explaining?"
"E- Explain what, Tatsuki?"
"You know what!" she snipped, as they began to make their way down the hall. Orihime fidgeted with her fingers nervously. She knew she was going to have to tell her best friend sooner or later.
"W- well… What do you want to know about him?" she asked nervously, as she looked up at her best friend.
Tatsuki's eyes softened and she let out a frustrated sigh. "I'm sorry, I'm just frustrated. You usually tell me when something like this happens."
Orihime looked down sadly. "I know… but this time it's different."
Tatsuki looked over at her friend and smiled, "If you're not ready to tell me about how you guys are dating then it's alright, Orihime!" she beamed and hit her auburn haired friend on the back, as she looked up at her flustered and blushing. "No! It's not like thaaatt!"
Tatsuki smiled, "Well? If it's not like that, do you like him?! I saw the way you looked at him in class!" Orihime rubbed her arm nervously. "I don't know… He's… complicated."
"I'd think so. He looked back at me in class and I swear he was burning a hole through my eye sockets, I mean have you seen those eyes?! He looks more like a cat than a human with them!" Orihime giggled at her friend, "Yeah…"
"But if you do end up liking him, who am I to judge? Despite his creepy ass eyes, he seems like a pretty chill dude." she said as she put her arms behind her head.
'Chill is an understatement…' Orihime thought as she looked at her purple haired friend.
"Though, if he breaks your heart or takes one wrong step, his head will be the gym's basketball before he can even say help!" she snipped as her eyes turned into fiery rage. Orihime giggled at her friend as they stopped at the tree.
Ulquiorra was surprised that the woman just up and ran off, wasn't she supposed to be watching him? If so, she was not doing an effective job. He could've done better.
He cringed. Correction, he did do better.
Ulquiorra heard the woman and that purple haired tomboy from before talking, so he decided to stay lean against the wall and listen until they passed. "Well? If it's not like that, do you like him?! I saw the way you looked at him in class!" the tomboy asked as Orihime rubbed her arm.
"I don't know… He's… complicated." Ulquiorra noted; Kurosaki. More than likely the two were talking about that orange haired trash. They were out of earshot by the time Tatsuki spoke up again.
He decided to continue making his way towards the field to eat, preferably alone. Unfortunately for our dear ex-Espada, that was too much to ask for.
"Hey! New guy!" an annoying voice asked from behind him, and Ulquiorra's eyes shadowed over as he clenched his fists. His patience was beginning to get thin. His face turned back to its usual monotone and he turned to look over at the keeper of the voice.
"Come join us for lunch! Us guys usually gather up on the top of the building to eat, ya' down?" Keigo asked as Ichigo rushed over with an annoyed look. "I told you not to ask him, Keigo!" he snipped at him.
Keigo smirked, "That's exactly why I'm asking him! It's like when you and Uryu, when you guys first met, you despised each other! But look at you two now, best buds!" As if this were scripted, Uryu just showed up behind Ichigo, with a huge frown. "We are not best buds!" he snapped at Keigo.
"Close enough… Anyways, whaddya say, uhh… what was it, Cifer?" Ulquiorra frowned.
"Ulquiorra." he corrected him, as he turned his piercing gaze to Ichigo, who returned it. "Great!" Keigo beamed, as he snatched Ulquiorra's and Ichigo's arm and bolted down the halls.
"I didn't even say yes-" but before Ulquiorra could finish, they turned a sharp corner and he had to dodge a drinking fountain. "Telling us your name was enough already!" he said as he ran up the stairs with the two teens in tow, who kept shooting each other daggers while they were dragged up the stairs.
Ulquiorra wasn't sure how he ended up allowing this to happen, but he honestly didn't care. He leaned up against the tall railing and closed his eyes, as the guys talked amongst themselves. "Hey, Ulquiorra! Are you and Orihime dating?" Keigo asked
Silence. Everyone went silent. Specifically mostly Sado, Uryu and especially Ichigo.
"No, the woma- Orihime, and I are not in an intimate relationship." he said casually, then took a bite out of his protein bar.
"Funny way of wording it… but alright! Do you two know each other?"
Ichigo shot Keigo a 'shut the fuck up' look, and Ulquiorra closed his eyes. "Yes, we do." he said simply, then took another bite out of his protein bar.
Uryu cleared his throat and pushed his glasses up, "Perhaps you shouldn't jump so fast into his personal life, Keigo." the quincy said dangerously, as Keigo sat down. "You know, Ulquiorra, you remind me of the time that a new kid showed up to the school and joined us for lunch…"
Ulquiorra wasn't listening to the kid talk, instead he just simply closed his eyes and blocked all noise out. As he delved into his thoughts, auburn hair came through his head. He had to remind himself that this would be over soon, and hopefully he would be able to talk to her.
…Why was he looking forward to that when he never looks forward to anything, just simply accepts it?
He didn't know.
Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his chest and he nearly collapsed. His eyes shot open and he grabbed the bars and slammed his hand against his chest and groaned in pain. Keigo and Uryu shot up as Ulquiorra slowly slumped against the wall, clenching at his chest. "What the heck?" Uryu asked as he rushed over.
"Don't… touch me." Ulquiorra snapped weakly, pushing the quincy hand away. Ichigo sat up and bent over. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"
Ulquiorra leaned his head against the wall, tightly closing his eyes. "I don't know…" he hissed as he clenched his chest, as the pain grew larger. Sado grabbed his phone, and quickly started to dial, "I'll call Orihime."
He weakly opened his eyes, and quickly realized his sight was beginning to get blurry.
Fear and pain.
That's all he could feel, as a strong ringing shot through his ears, and everything went black.
"The fuck?" Keigo asked as he bent next to the now limp Ulquiorra, and laid him on his back. Chad closed his phone and walked over, "Orihimes on her way, I told her not to panic." he said as Ichigo put his finger against the crook of Ulquiorra's neck. "What is happening to him?" Uryu asked and Ichigo sat back. "I have no fucking clue! He's still alive, so that's good, but it might be a heart failure. If Orihime can't do anything, I'll call an ambulance. He's still breathing and his heart is still beating, so that's good." Ichigo said as he put his head back.
"So Ichigo, why are you saving him? I thought he killed you twice?" Uryu asked casually, pushing his glasses up. Mizuiro and Keigo looked at the quincy horrified, and Ichigo sighed. "Because Orihime would be upset if I let the fucker die."
Uryu hmphed amusingly, "Are you sure it's not because you like him? Maybe him being at the lunch and the party made you warm up to him?" Uryu asked snarkily as Ichigo shot him a death glare, "Hell no! He was nothing but a brat at the party!" he snipped.
"This isn't the time to be arguing, you two." Chad said, as he inspected Ulquiorra, "His breathing is becoming raspy and slow, his life might be in danger if Orihime doesn't get here quickly." The two teens rushed over next to the unconscious Ulquiorra, and Ichigo inspected him. "Oh shit, you're not wrong."
With that, Orihime rushed through the top floor door and rushed towards him. Without hesitation, her two fairies shot out and formed a bubble around him as she bent over at his side. "How did this happen?!" she asked worryingly, as the boys looked at each other.
"He just randomly burst into pain clenching his chest, then collapsed. Ichigo said it might be a heart failure." Keigo said as Orihime concentrated on the bubble. Suddenly, Tatsuki came running through the door too and collapsed next to Orihime, and looked over at Ichigo and Uryu. "What the hell happened to him?!"
Keigo face palmed, "It might be heart failure, he passed out randomly." He said simplified, and Tatsuki looked down at the unconscious boy, and then at the concentrated Orihime. Suddenly, a cold wind came through the air, and Orihime's hair blew into her face, and she flipped it out of her face, making the bubble flicker.
"It might be best if we got him back to your place, Orihime." Chad recommended, as Uryu and Ichigo looked at him horrified, "Are you insane?!" They both snapped at the same time. Orihime smiled, "That's a good idea, Chad. Could you help me carry him?" With that, Chad threw the unconscious ex-Espada over his shoulder, and Orihime continued to use Shun Shun Rikka as the two began to run their way towards the stairs.
Orihime looked back at the group, "Just tell them all three of us got sick!" she yelled behind her and waved.
Uh oh, what happened to Ulquiorra?! Well, too bad, wait for next chapter. Hopefully you'll enjoy what I have in stock, because right now I'm jumping off the walls to write it!
As always, reviews are appreciated; negative and positive.