Chapter 24

Un Puente sobre Aguas Tormentosas ("The Bridge Over Troubled Waters")

The sound of someone padding across the wooden floor snapped through Orihime's consciousness, like a twig breaking between someone's fingers. She recognized it, nearly jumped at it, but quickly relaxed, realizing that the sound wasn't threatening. Her eyes opened slowly, more sounds registering around her. Even the quieter sounds of someone breathing she could hear. As her eyes adjusted to the room, Orihime recognized it. She was in a backroom in Urahara's Shop used almost solely for recovering souls.

Slowly, Orihime turned her head to look at the source of the breathing. Ulquiorra's sleeping form greeted her, his closed eyes and gentle breathing making him appear softer than usual. Locks of raven hair fell over his forehead and eyes, and Orihime resisted the urge to brush them with her hand.

"Inoue." Urahara's voice cut through the air, and Orihime brought her attention towards the wooden doors. A moment later, Urahara entered the room, his usual smile and amused eyes on his face. He took a seat at her side as she sat up. "Are you feeling rested?"

"Yes," Orihime answered, raking her brain. What happened? All she remembered was drinking tea and Urahara talking about her being the source of her own troubles. She couldn't recall anything else very clearly. "How did I get here?"

"I'm sorry, Inoue, but I put a sleeping powder in your tea," he admitted, earning a gasp from Orihime. He put his hands up in defense. "I did it to bring out the new power inside of you. She only appears when you're asleep."

Orihime lowered her gaze as her muddled thoughts ran through her mind. So, this side of her soul really existed. She knew, since the strange dream she shared with Ulquiorra, that something was underneath her skin, but she pushed it to the back of her mind. She didn't want to believe in that side of herself, to look at it straight in the face.

What she feared the most was herself. And now, with this new mysterious power, Orihime couldn't trust herself.

She remembered only bits and pieces of her unconsciousness, but the snippets were vivid. Seeing Orihime dressed in the Arrancar uniform again made Orihime's skin crawl, especially when it was just her and Ulquiorra talking to each other in hushed tones. Though she couldn't hear what they were saying clearly, Orihime was beside herself in that moment. Her blood seemed to boil with an uncontrollable anger she didn't know existed in the first place.

Only a few strings of thought echoed in her mind, playing like a scratched CD, until her will power forced the imposter out of the dream. Even the fear in the Arrancar Orihime's eyes etched into Orihime's mind as clearly as day.

"Inoue?"

She lifted her gaze to Urahara, who peered at her with concern. Immediately, she plastered a weak smile on her face as she raised her hands to wave away the bad thoughts in her head. "I'm sorry! I just spaced out for a second!"

He stared at her silently for a moment, seemingly debating what was going on in her head. Orihime always felt that though his concern came from a caring place, his watchful gaze came from a warped curiosity. He shrugged his shoulders just as she couldn't take the awkward silence anymore. "Well, you should be fine. After all, that special power of yours has disappeared on its own."

Orihime's grey eyes widened in surprise. "Disappeared? What do you mean?"

Urahara crossed his arms as he sat back comfortably. "Whatever happened after you and Ulquiorra fell asleep, I think that caused that side of you to behave. I don't really know since it all happened in your heads. We looked over both of you and found that there was nothing wrong. Not a single fluctuation in spiritual energy or anything like that."

Orihime broke into a smile. That side of herself…was gone. She didn't feel empty at all. Only relief swept through her body as she realized that she could rest easy. "Thank goodness."

Urahara nodded, but Orihime noticed his expression change. "Inoue, I think you should understand this power of yours," he remarked seriously, his arms unfolding. He rested his palms on his bent knees. "This power evolved from the Hougyoku's influence, but the source of all this comes from your own thoughts. That new power you created also went ahead and created one of your deepest desires. He's sleeping right next to you right now.

Even if you forced that power into dormancy, you can't do the same with Ulquiorra. He's really human, though with a few tricks up his sleeve. Even though she was being such a nuisance, that side of you was trying to tell you something. She wanted you to see realize what Ulquiorra means to you."

"What Ulquiorra…means to me?" Orihime thought the words sounded strange spoken out loud. She didn't think too much about his purpose in her life. She only realized that he was there, standing next to her. Was he supposed to mean something more? Urahara was right; the Arrancar Orihime was trying to tell her to open her eyes and see what was in front of her. Orihime turned to look at Ulquiorra. He slept quietly next to her on his own futon.

Ulquiorra was her friend, wasn't he? Even in Hueco Mundo, she felt that there was something that drew her in, something that made them reach out to one another. In that way, Orihime understood that they weren't just friends. But if she thought of him as more than a friend, Orihime knew that they couldn't live together anymore. He couldn't be by her side anymore.

People that she loved unconditionally always disappeared from her life. Her awful parents, her older brother—they made her realize that important people could vanish with a blink of an eye. She didn't blame them because she understood it as the nature of life, but she couldn't accept losing another important person. When Kurosaki nearly died, Orihime felt like her insides were collapsing, her breath shortening, because she saw him as an important person.

But Ulquiorra is different, a small voice inside of her replied.

If Ulquiorra was injured, strength entered her body and she attacked. Wasn't that something she would do for her older brother or even her parents if a Hollow attacked them? Was Ulquiorra an important person in her life? Maybe they were simply just friends who had grown to live with each other peacefully. Orihime was growing more and more confused as she thought about it.

"Well, Inoue," Urahara began, pulling Orihime back into reality, "I do believe that whatever is going on in your heart, you'll realize it soon. I felt that she wasn't so patient."

Orihime's eyes settled onto Urahara's face. "The Hollow…they were after me, weren't they?"

"Yes," Urahara answered. "Or, I should say, the other Orihime Inoue. After Ulquiorra came to the Living World, I don't think she could contain your spiritual energy as well. It's only a theory, so stay on guard. Even without her, you and Ulquiorra both have rich spiritual energies." Urahara climbed to his feet, a smile playing on his lips again. "For now, rest. It is a little late, so you two can stay here until tomorrow morning." He gave her an encouraging smile before heading out of the room, leaving Orihime and Ulquiorra alone.

Peering at Ulquiorra, Orihime could only look at him worriedly. What was Ulquiorra to her? Had he become an important person to her? Orihime wasn't sure. She only knew that he was special to her in an illogical way, one she couldn't understand. As she gazed at him, she touched his silky raven hair. Though his human life was revealed, Ulquiorra was truly a mystery to Orihime.

Her hand wandered down to his white cheek. Unlike porcelain, his skin was soft and warm. Being so close to Ulquiorra, Orihime felt strangely comforted by his sleeping presence. He seemed more human, more fragile, than she first thought of him. His mind was rigid—she knew this without a doubt—but she never imagined him accompanying her in their daily lives. Whenever she saw him waiting for her at the school gate or listening patiently to her rambling, Orihime couldn't help but feel thankful for having such a companion next to her.

"Orihime…"

She gasped, suddenly realizing that she had drifted into her thoughts again. Turning red, Orihime tried to stammer a weak apology, but she quickly noticed that Ulquiorra slept on. He was talking in his sleep, saying her name. She would had appreciated it more if he said her name in reality, but she wasn't complaining. At least in his dreams he addressed her by name.

"What…rice ball..." His half-formed sentence came out in broken whispers. His lips moved slowly, and Orihime thought they were beautiful. She couldn't help but watch him breathe out careless words in his sleep with a small smile. He really was handsome.

She stroked the locks on his forehead, hoping to relax his mind. His eyebrows moved slightly, as if he were agitated, before she removed her hand. "Ulquiorra…"

"Orihime." He moved towards her, his arms lifting from underneath his blanket. Orihime only had time to gasp before Ulquiorra wrapped his thin but strong arms around her shoulders and pulled her into an embrace. For a moment, Orihime was too stunned to move. Here was the stern Ulquiorra suddenly hugging her against his face without reserve. With their bodies pressed together, Orihime could feel the smoothness of his warmed flesh. She could smell his hair and the scent that was only Ulquiorra. Her heart began to race as her own body heat rose.

"Orihime." His voice, husky and deep, made Orihime's heart nearly explode in her chest. Though his voice was usually appealing to the ears, this time, she thought his voice sounded sexy. She blushed fiercely just thinking about him as they were. With his arms around her shoulders, her chest against his chest, her lips at his ear, Orihime couldn't think straight. What could she do?

His head moved, and she suddenly felt a breath on her ear as the skin at the base of her neck prickled with goosebumps. "I...care…I care…Orihime." Those words sent a feverish sensation through her senses. She couldn't move. Was this a confession? She couldn't decide. She could barely breathe.

Ulquiorra Schiffer…cared?

Something hot brushed against her earlobe, and she gasped from the sheer sensation. Swiftly, she recognized the source: Ulquiorra's lips. His heated lips touched her earlobe again, slowly and softly caressing it, causing her to shiver with…pleasure. Orihime didn't understand this feeling, but she wanted it to continue. The action, she knew, was gradually breaking down something inside of her, and soon, she would become helpless against its will.

Bringing a shaky hand against Ulquiorra's chest, Orihime tried to push herself away. His hold on her shoulders tightened and the lips on her ear slipped to the space where her jaw and neck joined. She gasped, a new sensation shocking her senses. This was getting dangerous, though she didn't know why. Just the feeling of something big before her sent her to push harder against his chest.

Her actions forced the lips away from her flesh, ceasing his soft and pleasurable assault. She found herself facing Ulquiorra at eye level, his surprised green eyes staring back at her. It occurred to Orihime that she had jolted Ulquiorra awake suddenly.

Her skin felt unbearably hot as his eyes searched her face. She was just as bewildered as he looked. Why did he kiss her on the ear, on the neck? She wanted an answer.

"Why?" she murmured, trying to keep her voice even. "Why did you kiss me?"

As if realizing the situation, Ulquiorra removed his hands from her shoulders, a confused expression filling his handsome guise. "I…I apologize." He sat up, turning away and avoiding eye contact. "I was dreaming."

This side of Ulquiorra she wasn't used to. If she knew how to properly respond, she would have done so, but that moment, Orihime felt weak against him. In front of her, a man who had nothing and no one to support himself, was revealing something no one else would ever see. She didn't know how to speak. She couldn't will herself to look away from his perplexed profile.

"What were you dreaming about?" she inquired, curious and wanting to break the silence.

Ulquiorra's hand dropped as he looked down at the blankets. "You."

"Me? Or the other me?"

"You."

Orihime's eyes widened in surprise. "How do you know it was me? She looks just like me."

Ulquiorra tilted his head towards her, his eyes meeting hers with a simmering intensity. Orihime didn't know what to make of the look. "She looks like you, but she is not you," he simply replied coolly. Again, his eyes left her face. "She is cold. You are warm. Those things alone separate you from her and her from you."

Orihime could only peer at him in disbelief. This man, a man of rigidity and emptiness, could understand her. Even at times when it seemed like he would abandon her over trivial matters, this man accepted her all along. And in her own way, she had trampled on his thoughts without knowing it, without giving him any credit. Why hadn't she realized him to be more than what he was? How did he get to know her this well that he could tell between two versions of herself?

Before she could stop herself, tears formed in her eyes and fell onto the pillow. "Ulquiorra." She couldn't seem to stop the tears from flowing down her face. But she wasn't sad. Strangely, Orihime felt relieved, like a weight being lifted from her shoulders. She had been walking around her whole life, always feeling like people wouldn't listen to her, wouldn't understand her. And after all these years, someone understood her using the simplest words. As though the walls that guarded her big heart were knocked down and escaped her body by her tears, Orihime felt lighter.

"Orihime." His deep voice and his thin hand touching her tear-stained cheeks brought her eyes to his piercing eyes.

"Ulquiorra!" Orihime threw away her inhibitions and flung her arms around Ulquiorra's neck, bringing him into a tight embrace. A stunned silence filled the room, but Orihime continued to hold Ulquiorra. Although they didn't allow each other to willingly touch each other randomly, she always wanted to hold him this way, but she didn't want to intrude on his private space. Now, they seemed closer, more open with each other, especially after facing her strange new power.

"Ulquiorra, thank you," she told him from his shoulder. "You're one of the first people to understand me, even if it's just a little part of me. You don't judge me or look down on me. You just accept me, and it makes me feel happy." She clutched him tighter, a darker emotion bubbling to the surface. "And I'm sorry. I never expected you to be this kind, so please forgive me for underestimating you."

For a moment, all was quiet, a strange tension suddenly forming in the air. Even Ulquiorra's gentle scent couldn't calm Orihime. Would he reprimand her? Would he push her away and never return to her side?

She felt his hands on her shoulders, gripping them, before pushing her back. "Orihime." Slowly, he pushed her back until his eyes met Orihime's surprised eyes. "I will forgive you only if you promise not to touch me so willfully."

Orihime blushed fiercely at his words, but she understood why he said them. She was getting too close, and it would make anyone uncomfortable. "I-I'm sorry." She sniffed loudly before donning a serious expression. "I won't do it again, Mr. Ulquiorra, sir!"

Though Ulquiorra returned to his usual cool, distant demeanor, Orihime watched as something magnificent happened. Ulquiorra's small lips moved—quivered even—before one side of his mouth went up. The other side followed, and his whole mouth formed a small, timid smile. Orihime's eyes widened in astonishment. Just like the time he laughed, his smile made her heart flutter. Such amiable expressions made him more human, more handsome.

But he always suppressed his smiles and laughter. They were a neat step out of his persona, and they were both aware of it. Only Orihime relished those moments like precious memories. His smile faded, leaving only a stern appearance on his face that Orihime was used to. His eyes, however, seemed to soften as they rested on her. "I forgive you," he said huskily. Orihime quickly realized that his face neared hers slowly until he disappeared from her vision. His strong shoulder touched her chin and his arms wrapped around her waist, bringing her flush against him. "But I will still punish you."

Orihime couldn't help the bewildered expression on her face. Conscious, Ulquiorra willingly touched her. Nothing interfered with them there, embracing on the futon. Orihime would surely be punished. But somehow, she was fine with it, as long as it was Ulquiorra.

Something was unraveling within her. She didn't know what it was. Only one thought entered her mind: How could Ulquiorra not be an important person to me?

She allowed him to ease her into a lying position next to him, their noses inches apart. She could hear her heart pounding in her chest as his eyes settled on her. Orihime couldn't pull her gaze away from those soft, green eyes. They were hypnotizing, like a spell being put on her. He pulled his arms away from her before pulling the blanket over them.

Orihime's skin flushed with nervousness, her hands going to her mouth in an attempt to protect herself. Did he want to punish her by…doing it? Was he really that sadistic?

"I will not do such things." His voice shattered her thoughts, and she stared at him with wide eyes. He peered at her without any bad intentions in his expression. "However, I will still punish." Slowly, he brought a hand to Orihime's cheek and brushed it with his finger. His finger wandered to her mouth, tracing her lips lightly with his fingertip.

Orihime liked the sensations his actions were creating, but was he really trying to punish her? Was he playing around with her? Teasing her even? Was this what he called punishment?

"You're just playing with me, right, Ulquiorra?" she found herself saying with a weak smile. "I mean, I already said I've never been kissed before and you're teasing me about it, right?"

Ulquiorra's eyebrows furrowed down in confusion. "What is the purpose of teasing you about something so trivial?"

"Trivial?" Orihime's smile disappeared as she peered at Ulquiorra in disbelief. She never expected him to care about the same things she cared about, but to trample on something she thought was important so carelessly seemed a bit too much for Orihime. "A person's first kiss isn't trivial. It's important. It might not be important for you, but for me, it means a lot." Angry tears sprang to her eyes as she looked away. "Just because you don't care about it doesn't mean you can stomp on the things that I think are important."

Ulquiorra's white hand touched her cheek, brushing away the new tears gently. "I apologize." She felt him shift on the futon. A moment later, his face filled her vision and his lips softly pressed against her own, his scent filling her nose. Their lips lingered together, Orihime's heart beating like a hammer in her chest.

Next chapter: El Puente Colapsa

Ulquiorra and Orihime get really honest with each other.

A/N: I know, a short chapter again. Please review!