* If I were the rain…

"So, when will I see you again?" I followed the voice.

"Promise?" There were two people standing there, looking at one another.

"See you soon." The girl hugged the boy before running off, leaving him standing alone.

"Who are you?" I called out to the boy. He turned his head and stared.

"I promise…" he said, reaching his hand towards me.

Then winter fell into nothingness… before I could touch him.

"WAIT!" I screamed. My tear-drenched eyes flashed open and I breathed in, gasping for air.

"I am here, woman." But I woke up holding on...

I looked into his eyes and they were filled with concern. "T-this dream… it keeps coming back" I said in sobs.

"Dream?" he questioned.

"I… don't remember." And just like that, it would become a void. 'What just… happened?'

"We should ready ourselves" he said simply. I hadn't realized it… but the sun made his upper body radiant. I could feel my face flush the more I stared. 'Was he shirtless the whole time?'

"Y-yes, you're right" I said awkwardly, letting go of him. When the light dimmed from my eyes, I noticed something on the right of his chest. 'The number four?' Without realizing it, my hand began to reach for the black, intricate tattoo. But in an instant, his hand grasped onto mine and stopped it in its place. He stared at me before releasing his hold. Without another word, he stood up and walked away. 'What's wrong with me?' I thought, trying to calm myself.

"Are you capable of walking on your own?" he asked as we exited my apartment.

"As long as I take it easy, I should be fine." The morning air was crisp and I could feel the chill against my cheeks. We were silent as the frozen leaves crunched beneath our feet. 'I told him I could walk by myself…' Then I looked at our joined hands. 'But, I don't mind' I thought happily.

"I-Inoue Orihime" I said, finally introducing myself; that almost took the entire walk to do. He just gave me a long stare before looking back to the streets...

"Cifer" he finally announced. "Cifer Ulquiorra."

I gaped at him like an idiot. Then I turned away and blushed in disgrace. 'Humph!' I thought, exasperated. But, I couldn't help but smile in the end.

We entered through the central doors and walked to the middle of the main hall.

"We will depart here" he said.

"Okay…" I said with a hint of disappointment. His hand slowly left mine.

At that moment, he reached for one of my hairpins while looking into my eyes. 'He's so… perfect' I thought. Then he suddenly kissed the top of my forehead. "Orihime…" he whispered through his lips; it was an incredible feeling. Although there were people staring and gossiping around me, it felt like it was just the two of us... Then he turned and walked away.

"Orihime!" someone called. I could hear their footsteps hurrying towards me.

"T-Tatsuki" I replied, still a bit dazed. Tatsuki has been my best friend for as long as I could remember.

"Who the heck was that?" she asked as she stood beside me. I could see her eyes glaring down the hallway.

"Who?" I asked, confused. I was still overwhelmed by that kiss.

"Don't play games with me!" she said, raising her voice. "You know who I'm talking about... Who the hell was he?"

(Click)"O-oh that was C-Cifer Ulquiorra" I answered carefully, a bit frightened too.

I gulped as she gave me the 'I'm DEAD serious' face. Then she sighed impatiently. "We'll talk about this later."

That day, Tatsuki and I almost had every class together so I was able to tell her everything. It was kind of funny (and scary)to see her reactions. First, she'd be worried to death about me. Then, she'd want to punch me in the face for being so stupid… And at times, I thought she was going to go on a rampage and destroy whatever was in sight. But when I finally finished, she was rather speechless and deep in contemplation. "So, that's Cifer Ulquiorra… sort of" I said nervously.

Tatsuki made this face like she didn't want to say what was next on her mind. "Do you… like this guy?" she finally asked. The question took me by surprise more than I thought it would. "Well?" she pressed.

'Do I like… Ulquiorra?' I thought profoundly.

'I had to admit… almost every day since that time, the day he caught me from falling, he has constantly been on my mind. I remembered the way he looked at me… like we've met before. But I was positive that that was our first time. Though, it felt like… I knew him too.'

"Orihime?"

As I looked into her eyes, I started to smile. *

The glistening of her hairpins was conspicuous. "Ulquiorra" she called before taking hold of my hand.

"How is your well-being?" I asked.

"A little sore but I'm okay" she said with a smile. Her cheeks frequently had a tint of red on them, a fairly attractive quality in my opinion. "Umm, Ulquiorra, I-" she said rather timidly.

I placed a finger over her lips, silencing her. "Firstly, I will escort you home. There is a matter I want to discu-"

"Happy Birthday, you bastard!" Kurosaki shouted from behind.

* "It's your birthday?" I asked, surprised. He placed a hand slightly over his face, trying to hide his frustration.

"Happy Birthday, Ulquiorra" Rukia said as she arrived beside Ichigo. Then she looked at me with an ecstatic smile. "Orihime, I haven't seen you all day!" Suddenly, her eyes flickered down. Curiously, I followed her gaze and then I blushed like mad as she was looking at our connected hands. She giggled and gave me a wink. I met Rukia in our first class of Psychology; we were partnered up to do a project together and became close ever since.

"I bet you have big plans for the weekend" Ichigo said with a sly smile.

"Not particularly" Ulquiorra answered modestly.

"Oh no?" Ichigo said with a devious tone. Then he looked at me. "Hey there, Orihime."

"H-hi, Ichigo" I replied, a bit confused by the whole thing.

"It does not concern you" Ulquiorra said, redirecting the topic back at him.

"I know, I know…" Ichigo said, rather annoyed as he rested his arms behind his head. "You don't like to celebrate your birthday, 'blah blah' and all that crap." Then he sighed. "Ever since high school, man… You should try living a little, especially today." He took Rukia by the hand. "Anyways, we got to get going. Happy Birthday." After that, they turned and left through the central doors.

While we were heading to my place, Ulquiorra's hand was uncomfortably stiff, like it held a grudge. I stayed quiet for most of the walk because I was too afraid to say anything. "So, you were born on December 1st" I said with a smile. 'But today was special.' "That makes you a Sagittarius." He remained silent. "I'm a Virgo."

We didn't talk the rest of the way or even when we entered into the dimness of my apartment. As I untangled myself from my scarf, I tried to think of something, anything that I could do for him. 'I'm useless…' I thought, disheartened. But the moment my scarf fell to the floor, he spun me around, taking a hold of my wrists with each of his hands.

Though it was dark, I could still see the vibrant green in his eyes. He looked deeply into mine and made sure I was lost in his gaze. It was awfully embarrassing how he could take me in like this, such a simple spell too and it drove my heart wild... He brought my hands up to his chest and started pushing me back, never taking his eyes off me for a moment. As I felt my back rest against a wall, he brought his face close to mine. The feeling of his breath made me tremble all over. While my hands remained on his chest, he released my wrists and placed his hands around my waist, hugging our bodies close. Lastly, he leaned in and our foreheads met. "Orihime…" he whispered, just like before. But the effects were all the same. "If I may?"

It took me a moment to understand the meaning in his words. "I'm yours" I replied openly. 'I'm yours' I repeated in my mind. It came out more naturally than I expected and I meant every bit of it.

He slowly moved back and stared at me with wide eyes. Suddenly, I felt embarrassed. "T-that's if you don't mind me being of course!" The awkward giggling that followed didn't help either... But his eyes were different now; I felt them burning with desire.

As he placed a hand on the side of my head, the other tightened its hold around my waist. I could feel his fingers pressing against my hairpin. "I cannot resist any longer..."

And then, his lips were upon mine. *