Chapter 3

The uninvited one

Steps echoed throughout the ivory walls of Las Noches as he took his time heading toward her room. Ulquiorra had been wondering around the place for several hours now, still analyzing the fact that he was bothered by the increasing interest that Grimmjow had towards that girl. The very idea of that stupid feline kissing her incredibly annoyed him. He felt that Grimmjow was somehow making a mockery of what Aizen was trying to accomplish.

She was a strong woman, Ulquiorra knew that, and he was very aware that she was becoming stronger with her fighting skills, for that, he was pleased. She will be a great asset for Aizen-sama's army, he thought. He also felt that if the blue-haired twit kept interfering with Orihime's progress, Ulquiorra would have no choice but to eliminate him. Yet another thought that irked him was why that girl had not pulled away from Grimmjow when he had interrupted her fighting session.

He finally reached her door and he paused. He recalled how he had startled the girl when she had first arrived, so he stood there for another moment. As he was about to announce that he was coming in, he suddenly froze as he thought he heard a moan coming from inside her room. Ulquiorra's ears perked up as he heard yet breathy moan. He stepped as close as he could to the door and tried to ignore the fact that his mouth had suddenly gone dry.

xx

The big comfortable couch had been calling Orihime's name since after she finished dinner. She had quickly eaten and was glad when Ulquiorra had finally left her room. She took a shower, massaging the sore muscles that begun to ache from that day's intense fight with Loly. She had never imagined that she would one day consider herself a warrior, the very thought made her giggle a little. She raised her arms to flex her biceps and laughed even more. Her mind went back to how she had struggled emotionally every time that she had hurt Melony and Loly. Once she would strike them, the need to heal them slowly crept up on her and made her slow down. Doing so, only made those two want to punch and kick her harder.

She stepped out of the shower and toweled herself dry, glancing at her body and checked for all the bruises that she needed to heal. She changed into the nightgown that had been given to her to sleep in and headed toward the couch. Grabbing the down comforter from the arm rest, she wrapped herself around it and jumped on the couch. She found herself slowly relaxing and found that her mind began to wander on thoughts of how she had been kept so busy that she had not had the chance to focus on anything else. She recalled the day that Grimmjow kissed her and that memory itself sent a strange wave of chills down her spine. She cuddled the comforter closer to her body. The very thought of his being her first kiss intensified the tingling sensation down her spine and she smiled. His strong hands holding her own small delicate ones, his lips gently kissing her own, Orihime was lulled to sleep with these fading thoughts of a certain blue haired espada.

The door opened and Ulquiorra immediately located Orihime on the couch. He looked down to where the blanket lay on the floor and his eyes rose again to where her body rested. Her nightgown, which had ridden up to expose her thighs and her slim shapely legs, seemed to hypnotize Ulquiorra. He stood there with his hands in his pockets, silently watching her. A small moan escaped Orihime's lips, which caused an odd sensation to arise in his nether region. He took a step forward, still examining her, he admired her silhouette. His eyes focused on the rising and falling of her chest, which reposed her delicate right hand and as if for the first time, Ulquiorra noticed how intense the color of her hair was. He wasn't sure if it was due to the lighting streaming from the hall way behind him or the lack thereof. The tangled mane held her other arm which casually lay above her head. She turned her head toward him and her movement caused Ulquiorra to freeze but quickly relaxed as he noticed that her eyes were still closed. She must be dreaming, Ulquiorra observed Orihime's rapid eye movement.

He couldn't help being drawn to her, his daily observance of her always sprung up questions that he wanted to ask her. Usually, after her intense training, there would be her dinner, in which Ulquiorra always made it a point to question her about why she did the things she did, why she thought the way she did. Her answers never made sense to him, this caused a great confusion within him and he felt irritated by it. He noticed that she fought hard, but at times held back because she didn't want to hurt her, now colleagues, Loly and Melony. She no longer spoke of her friends yet she still would often stare out the window in her room as if waiting for something. She insisted that the incident with Grimmjow was nothing and yet when that maniac would pass by, he always noticed that their glances would hold far more than they should, and it made Ulquiorra feel as if he was interrupting something. That interruption he didn't like. Ulquiorra's eyes snapped back to attention as she stirred again.

"Oh, Grimmjow," she moaned and slowly moved her arms over her body as she lightly caressed herself. Her exposed legs moved against each other as if she intended to create heat between them. Ulquiorra's eyes widened in surprise and he suddenly felt heat rising within him that was generally reserved for someone who was about to get pierced in the heart by his own hand. He decided that he was too interested in this woman to let some arrogant bastard use her for his disgusting motives.

Orihime suddenly rubbed her eyes as she tried to slowly adjust her eyesight from the light filtering in from the hallway outside her room. "U-Ulquiorra? Is that you?" she asked groggily. He finally took notice of the glittering moonbeam that spilled into her room. Orihime's sleepy gaze followed him as he walked across the room and stood underneath the window. She continued to watch him as he stood there, hands in his pockets, looking out the barred opening in her room. She quickly brushed away the thought that he looked like a very pretty statue.

"Is it morning yet?" she asked with a yawn, she suddenly noticed the disarray of her hair and nightgown and hurriedly covered herself. Ulquiorra stole one last glance of the silky ivory legs then looked away. "Mornings do not exist in Hueco Mundo. You have not yet slept the required amount of hours necessary to feel rested. That is why your body still feels tired." He replied.

"Oh, okay…is-is something wrong, then?" Orihime found it very odd that he would visit this late at night. All his visits were usually to bring her food or to inquire about her well being before he reported to Aizen, which at times made her think that Aizen worried very much about her, due to the frequency of his visits. When she didn't get a response, she swung her legs off the couch and straightened her hair. As she started to rise from the couch, Ulquiorra slowly turned.

"Sit…for I will not be staying long." Orihime, wide-eyed, froze in mid-air at Ulquiorra's instruction. She slowly sat back down. Ulquiorra looked away from the girl and focused on the small particles that floated within the moon's beam. The silence continued to thicken and hung heavily in the air. "That day that Grimmjow interrupted your fight, why did you not resist him?"

Orihime tried to register the question in her mind, she wasn't sure if she heard him correctly. Ulquiorra looked to her with a heavy gaze. She swallowed hard then glanced at the floor, she suddenly felt as if she was being reprimanded. When she first had come to Hueco Mundo, she had always viewed Ulquiorra's demeanor as very cold and aloof. As many weeks had passed, she had slowly realized that, somewhere deep inside of him, there was someone who was incredibly lonely and it made her terribly sad. She frequently spoke with him, or should she say, answered his curious questions about her feelings. She was honest and sincere with her responses. She even once confirmed to him that she would never lose hope that maybe one day her friends would come and save her; even though she thought it unlikely, considering that it had been a long time with no sign of rescue. She was sure they now considered her a traitor. One thing that she found very peculiar was that he would stare at her more often after the incident with Grimmjow.

"Why do you not answer? Is the question too difficult for you? Should I rephrase it in a way that you would understand?" As Orihime was snapped back to attention, Ulquiorra slowly closed the space that was between them. "I-I don't know," her reply just above a whisper.

"Do you find yourself attracted to him? Do you prefer men with savage impulses? He is not far off from your dear Kurosaki-kun," he stepped closer, "does he not also fight without thinking things rationally through?" He now stood next to her. She looked up at him with a surprised look on her face, which somehow encouraged his interrogation. "Why you are asking me this, I don't unders-"

"Should I be a savage with you as well?" He instantly grabbed her by the shoulders and brought her face close to his. "NO! What are you doing? Please stop!" Orihime struggled from his iron grip, trying to get away, much to her avail, she was unsuccessful. She began sobbing due to the pain that was being inflicted on her shoulders. "Answer my question, woman!" She could feel his warm breath against her cheek. "Y-YES! Okay? I am! Please stop!" Ulquiorra slowly put her down and her body fell limp on the couch as she continued to cry. A whirlwind of emotions erupted in his chest. He didn't want her crying but the need to eliminate was much stronger than the need to comfort. He finally had his answer.