WestSide Story From Hell

Chapter 14

I must've dozed off when he was rubbing my back, because when I came to, I was alone in this white room that was meant for healing. Sitting up, I fixed my shirt a little so it wasn't all wrinkly. I felt much better than I had at the beginning of school, but I also knew that right now, I was feeding off of impulses.

Going with the flow, I let my feet carry me to wherever my destination was. Hearing chatter in the cafeteria, I pushed opened the doors. With my eyes zeroing in on Nel, I walked towards our table. Sitting down in front of her, I felt her not-very-discreet stares at me.

"Where've you been?" Grimmjow asked cockily, before trying to see how much of his cheeseburger could fit in his mouth.

"I fell asleep in the Nurse's room." I said giggling, tilting my head a little to the side. Turning my attention, I caught her eye.

"So…about yesterday?" I asked her as soon as our eyes met. Her eyes seemed to widen before answering my question.

"We're okay, silly." She said, with a smile.

"What happened?" Grimmjow intervened with his mouth full. Nel glanced at him and had an expression of disgust and amusement. Elbowing him on his side, I watched in silent laughter as he began to choke with Nel laughing beside him while trying to wipe the continuous flow of mirth from her eyes.

I smiled, knowing that perhaps I had just fixed whatever patches I had created in my relationship with Nel. It's just like they said, if you wanted it done right, you do it yourself.

Satisfied for clearing this up, and ending my turmoil that seemed to probe my mind, I turned my attention to Grimmjow.

"So, Grimmjow," I said, getting his attention while crossing my arms over my chest with a smirk. I watched as he stiffened a little bit when meeting my eyes before composing himself. Nel, oblivious to Grimmjow's slight discomfort, gave me questioning stares. "You and Nel, huh?" I ask, answering Nel's unspoken question.

"W-what?" Nel asked with her voice raised and slightly squeaky. The obvious embarrassment for questioning her relationship between her and Grimmjow showed through how much blood could make it to her face.

Grimmjow, glancing between the two of us, was deemed speechless. The rest of his food was now tasteless and his throat began to constrict even with bits and parts of his burger still stuck in his esophagus.

"Orihime! You can't just ask that." Nel said, trying to blow off the question.

"Why? Don't you want to know? I bet Grimmjow's confused as well. With all these signals." I said, waving my hands around for the effect.

"What signals? I'm not sending mixed–," Nel stated promptly before being interrupted.

"Actually, what are we?" Grimmjow asked turning to Nel, hesitantly licking his lips in confusion.

"And this is why we need to have this talk." I pointed out.

"We are…we are…"She trailed off, biting her lip looking at Grimmjow. "I don't know what we are." She admitted. Grimmjow, who seemed a little ticked by this answer, opened his mouth to speak in slight rage.

"You don't understand, do you?" I intervened, asking Grimmjow a question. Grimmjow turned his attention from me to Nel as he shut his mouth and gave a discreet nod of the head.

"You won't come out and say you like her. Therefore she doesn't want to assume you like her and get her hopes up only to have them plummet to the ground. But she also doesn't want to say that you're just friends, just in case you actually do like her." I explained smugly. Getting them together OFFICIALLY would be a piece of cake, after the slightly awkward confrontation.

"But then how will I know that she likes me?" Grimmjow replied rudely with a snort.

"You just have to take a chance," I said softly, propping my elbow on the table to cradle my face. "Both of you." I said, with my eyes drifting down to look at the table.

Silence ensued shortly afterwards, and it stayed there for quite awhile.

The lunch bell rang telling us to go to class, and Grimmjow or Nel hadn't spoken a word to each other.

I guess waiting for one of them to get off their high horse by themselves wasn't going to work.

The rest of the school day was uneventful. With the occasional glares from Rukia, with her arm in a sling, to the worried glances of the rest group, I gave up. If I went up to them now, it would be like me trying to feed them a white flag and let it be a war between us friends, or this raging war between our groups. I wasn't going to give in to the pressure. I wasn't going to surrender but I wasn't going to fight back either.

Walking back to my home, I also began to thank Ulquiorra for taking my car keys away from me. If I drove with my mind clouded, I couldn't ensure my safety. Plus, it gave me time to think.

Perhaps I should listen to my own advice as well, I thought. I needed to take a chance, too.

If I thought about it, Ulquiorra had been there for me a lot. Since high school started and I became the watcher, we'd seen each other a lot. We even talked to each other that one time on the last day of school, and he remembered it. If that moment was unimportant to him, he would deem it worthless and forget about it, wouldn't he?

Though, we actually started talking to each other as friends about four days ago and it was only because Gin assigned him to me as a mission because he was an Espada. I mean, we both knew of each other's presence, but never acted on it before.

There's no way he could possibly like me in that time frame, I thought to myself in the mist of walking. Four days was too short, it would be labeled a fling if anything, and I didn't want to be just another girl. I sighed, knowing that my inner demons were trying to make me doubt his feelings for me.

He may have not said them out loud, but the way he touched me spoke loud enough words. The gentle caresses, the way he worried, the way he stared, how he tried to smile for me, the words he spoke. They had to mean something.

I'm not going to kiss you yet, Orihime. Not yet, but I will."

"You should stay home tonight." He spoke softly, opening his eyes to stare at me and move some of my hair behind my ear.

"Like what you see?" He said with a slight smirk and a tilt of the chin.

"I don't believe that." He whispered to me, before placing his mouth against my forehead and leaving.

"If you can't handle it anymore, then don't. Forget it, Orihime. Let it go."

"But I'll curl up and die with you." He said with a smile.

"Because you're not just my assignment," He spoke gently, trying to persuade me to believe him.

"What bothers you?"

"You're afraid to like me," he paused, staring at me, "If you want to touch me, then touch me. Don't hide behind those little girl slaps."

Feeling slightly out of it suddenly, I picked up my pace and tried to get home as fast as I could. A few long minutes with me battling my mind on what I should ponder about, I made it to the Library. Unlocking the door, I flipped the sign to open, and started turning the lights on. After setting my stuff down in my bedroom, I came back down the stairs and began rechecking the books that were dropped off, back in.

Finishing the easy chore, I could feel my anxiousness course through my veins. I wanted to move, to do something, but I had nothing I could do. I could only wait. Running my fingers through my hair, I began to loiter around the Library, unbeknownst to me; I had led myself to the spot where I spied on Ulquiorra a few days ago. With a smile on my face and an ache in my chest, I shook my head.

Ulquiorra, I thought to myself, you weren't just invading my mind without permission, you seem to have already made your mark in my heart.

I could only hope that he wasn't stringing me along.

Later that night, after I had closed up the Library, I walked into the bathroom and went to take off my shirt. Sliding my cotton shirt off, I turned my back to the mirror and looked over my shoulder at my back.

My eyes widen in slight horror, my back was still red, and if you looked close enough you would be able to tell it was dry as well. Stretching my arm muscles a little bit, I watched as my skin tried to move with my muscles only to have them create little stretch marks. Much to my relief though, I had no blisters.

I stood there with my back to the mirror staring in fascination and horror of what I had done to myself. I watched my bones rub under my skin and how my muscles tried to move my skin as much as it possibly could.

Pulling my shirt down, I mulled over the idea of having a shower tonight. Opening the cabinet behind the mirror, I reached in there to get some ointment for my back. Not bothering to look up, I let my hand feel around the selves, only to have them touch something flimsy and plastic.

Scrunching my eyebrows together, I pulled it out.

I froze. My heart stopped. My fear was back again. I was scared.

By the time you read this, I'll be dead was in my hands.

Soul Society Correctional Facility; 11:43 pm.

A young seventeen year old boy opened his car door, and leaned his head back on his seat trying to cool his head. He had been thinking of what he could say when he came face to face to the man inside the facility. Even after several long hours, he still came up with nothing.

Sighing, he got out and slammed his car door. Making sure he had locked it, he walked towards the facility. The facility was, thankfully, located in a rural area; with no traffic for miles, he was able to relieve some of his stress by speeding on the dirt roads.

Taking in his surroundings, he headed towards the fence just outside the facility. Stopping before it, he stared at the electrical wire at the top and the password keypad to open the gate. He closed his eyes, and tried to purge himself into the eyes of others, inside the building. He started with the ones whose abilities were to hop from mind to mind, knowing that mere humans wouldn't be able to feel the little probe he made in their brain.

Following the signals of all the brain waves, he trailed the one that kept going towards the last floor in the rear. He slowly removed himself from the wave and tried to move into the mind that lay inside the cell. He had his brain right in synch to the person, before Ulquiorra's mind began to be bombarded by thoughts.

What are you doing here, boy?

You really shouldn't be so far away from her.

If Gin finds out you've come to me, you won't be able to protect her.

How does that sound?

Would you like to be there to hear her scream?

Perhaps beg my name in mercy?

Or shall she beg of yours?

He released himself from the man inside the facility. He angrily slammed his body against the fence, yelling angry profanities. Huffing and puffing, he turned around to walk back to his car. He had gotten what he wanted to know.

He yanked his car door opened only for it to be stopped instantly by a frail pale hand. He froze altogether, wondering who could've snuck up on him without being able to hear their thoughts.

He faced the direction of the owner of the pale hand. Two adults stood before him, one with long white hair and the other wearing pink.

"Now, what might you be doing here?"

So..what...two weeks without an update? A little lazy on my part... *cringe*
I thank each and everyone that has favorite/alerted/reivewed. :)

tanakaL : Thank you! :D

Strawberry-Chappy Forever : Hanataro is pretty deep if you think about it. He's a, unfortunately, minor character, but when he says something, he means it.

BlessedRain : I hope he comes back real soon too! But he may be over there for awhile...it's all apart of the big picture :) I'm quoting Maximum Ride now :D

splitheart1120 : That, my friend, is a good question.

ladycifer: Poor Hime, indeed. It's a terrible feeling...

MusicBeyondHorizons : I would go with that feeling :) It's on the right track.

Nightkill : Hehe :D

katlove78 : Yeah, I changed Hime just a little bit. In the anime, she's more withdrawn probably because she's not there all the time. And then in Heuco Mundo, you get to see that little spark in her. So if she actually has some backbone she wasn't showing us, maybe this is how she really is when she's alone? Plot twists are so much fun to write :)

I'll probably be updating again this week so look for it! :D You know, to make up for leaving you guys hanging for two weeks.