Alrighty. So by popular request, more Arturo! (that makes me very happy. As I was thoroughly enjoying my little crack side pairing.) Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter and told me how they felt about it. There will be personal thank yous to each of you at the base of this chapter. So please go look for yours. ^w^
I'm not quite satisfied with the last part of this chapter. But I'll get to make up for it with lots of Ulquihime goodness in the next chapter. WOO!
(EDIT) I edited the end of this chapter, so if you already read it and are reading it again, it'll be a little different. For example, I felt it was a little rushed and I removed the kiss. Kissing will be reserved till the next chapter. Too bad.
Chapter Title: "Oh This Could Get Messy, But I Don't Seem to Mind" -Alanis Morsette
They arrived in the town in the early dawn before the sun had even peeked over the horizon. Orihime and Rukia had booked a hotel room nearby for the duration of their little vacation, and after departing from the train station they hailed a cab. Both girls were still groggy, emotionally stressed and exhausted, and as soon as they checked in and got their things in the hotel room, they collapsed on the beds.
Morning came all too quickly, but neither of them noticed. Instead the hours rolled by to noon before Rukia finally stirred from her bed.
"Morning Orihime." greeted the Kuchiki, as she swung her lower half out of bed and planted her feet on the floor. It had been months since she'd lost her leg, and it still caught her off guard every morning. It was the odd feeling of her fake foot meeting the ground, but she couldn't feel it. She only felt the floor and the carpet below one foot.
When will I be accustomed to this?
She received no response from Orihime, and looked over at her friend. The orange-haired girl was sprawled all over her bed, wrapped up in blankets, and snoring. Which wasn't suprising actually, Orihime was a strange sleeper. She was just surprised that her friend hadn't made a nest with the blankets. It had been a bad habit Orihime had developed after escaping Las Noches. Rukia just figured she must have been too tired.
Rukia took a moment to survey the room, and saw a flier laying on the floor near the door. She got up with the help of her ornate cane and walked over to it. The paper was covered in balloons and fireworks, and sported pictures of various festival foods. She picked it up and read the contents before looking over her shoulder at her friend.
"HEY! Orihime! Wake up!"
The ditzy girl sat up startled with her hands out in a fake karate pose. "I'm awake Tatsuke! And ready for battle!" With half-lidded eyes she surveyed the room, and promptly realized she was with Rukia in a hotel. "Oh.. Good morning Rukia!"
"We got a flier, and it says there's a festival happening tonight!" Rukia hopped over to Orihime's bed and put the paper in her friend's face.
Orihime grabbed it, and read it eagerly, stopping halfway through to fix Rukia with a happy grin. "How lucky! We chose to vacation at just the right time!"
"Get Ready!" Rukia rushed over to her suitcase and began flinging it's contents right and left.
"I'm gonna wear something super nice!"
"Don't make it too nice, Orihime. This is a western themed city. Formal is out of style."
Both girls continued to bicker back and forth while they got dressed. Rukia settled on a lovely long-sleeved pink shirt with a white-collar and a tan suede skirt that came down to her knees. She also wore a white belt, and matching tan suede knee-high boots.
Orihime on the other hand chose a dark green sleeveless shirt, with dark brown short jacket with fur along the sleeves and collar. She decided on a pair of black slacks and a bright lime green belt. Her boots were brown to match her jacket.
Even though it was summer, the nights tended to be a little chilly, so both girls had dressed lightly, but covered up enough that they wouldn't catch the chill.
Wasting no more time the girls grabbed their purses and wallets, and rushed to the door.
0000
Grimmjow and Ulquiorra had arrived at the city not long after the girl's train had. They could have easily followed the scent of the females, but decided to hang back, and let them sleep. Instead they investigated the town, and were surprised to find out that a festival was being held the next evening. The place was half prepped, with wooden structures erected but not yet decorated. And streamers here and there.
The nasty arrancar that Grimmjow was, couldn't resist messing with all the stuff. Like a devious little kitten he began redecorating with the streamers and decorations. Often times making penis shapes with them. He even made a couple designs with the lights, so that when people plugged them in tomorrow night, they'd light up in all their penis shaped glory.
The Murcielego on the other hand was not so easily amused. After seeing how immature Grimmjow was going to be, he decided to slink away and see if he could find some clothes to help hide his ghastly appearance. It didn't take long of course, he slipped inside a nearby clothing store, and began foraging for something suitable.
0000
Rukia and Orihime spent the earlier part of the day grabbing a bite to eat, and finding out the different activities that the evening would have in store. Over a hamburger and fries they decided that both girls would definitely attend the fireworks show. It was set to take place late in the evening when it would be super dark. So until then, they just had to figure out what other activities they would do. Which was actually harder for them to agree on then they first thought.
Orihime wanted to go dancing in the main square, and Rukia wanted to stay as far away from dancing as she could. On the other hand, Rukia wanted to go see some vendors, and attend a horse show, and Orihime wanted to go see a performance that was happening on an outdoor stage. Neither of them could decide on a course of action, and as fate would have it, they spent the entire time arguing over what they should do.
And so it came to be that the two girls started out together when the festival began that evening, and ended up wrapped up in their own little adventures that night.
0000
The two friends went to an art gallery together, that was displayed in a nearby pub. Then proceeded to a street performance, and even happened upon a group of guys trying to untangle some lights and streamers that looked like they had been hung in the shape of male genitalia. At one of the street vendors that bought each other bracelets, Rukia's had a little bunny on it. And The one Orihime got had a kitty on it. Orihime was hoping there was a bat one, but there wasn't. Apparently bats weren't very popular.
The swarming and jovial crowds of the mid summer festival were thick, and eventually carried Rukia and Orihime apart. Rukia had rushed off into some back alleys to escape the crowds and get her bearings. Orihime on the other hand had bolted head long into the crowd with an excited, "Weee!" And was promptly lost from sight.
The alleys were dark, and officers dressed in bright blue and red apparel dipped in and out of the passageways as they both attended the festivities and helped keep the peace among the crowds. Here the roads were inhabited by flirtatious couples seeking some source of privacy, or annoying partiers who had partaken in a little too much alcohol already. Fireworks were supposed to be set off in a gorgeous park near the main street that evening so Rukia picked her route accordingly, in hopes of meeting up with Orihime there eventually.
It wasn't long before the young Kuchiki became overwhelmed with the notion that she was being followed. She took several unplanned turns, and stepped up her pace to a brisk skip. A sharp rounding of a corner and she vanished into and alcove and behind some empty beer barrels. There she awaited her stalker, sure that they would round the corner in pursue of her before long. She was not to be disappointed, as a tall gentleman in well-tailored clothes strode by the barrels in nonchalant manner, only minutes after she had taken to hiding.
Rukia immediately recognized him as the man from the train. The boring man with the gold eyes. She was no fool, and she was no helpless victim. She was a death god, a trained hollow killer, and no human stranger was going to prey upon her.
It took scarce seconds for Rukia to coax her faux body from hiding, her hand reached into her pink and white shirt and retrieved a knife from between her cleavage. Using her small body and fast reflexes she managed to knock the man off his feet and onto the ground, with her legs straddling his torso. Her hands rushed to his neck, pressing the cold metal against his more sensitive skin with one hand, while the other gripped; her thumb pressing on his throat.
"I will not hesitate to slide my blade into your flesh, should you try to harm me." She hissed at him. But it was at the fall of these words that she made a mistake. She let her lavender eyes meet the startling sinful gold of the stranger. His eyes were so intense and hungry, she had to tear her gaze away, and that's when she saw his hair. At some point during the time when she tackled him, and then upon pinning him, her stalker had lost his pin stripe fedora. It had rolled away along the ground, and now teal-aqua hair spilled out and framed his face.
"Arturo!" The name threatened to catch in Rukia's throat. She had finally recognized her pursuer. A slight twinge of fear also threatened to bubble up, but she was able to swallow it back down. There was no way in hell she would show weakness to him. Even if her defeat was inevitable.
The arrancar in question just lay there splayed on the ground as if this was some sexual roleplay. "Hello, little Kuchiki." He put extra emphasis on her name, to show her he remembered.
Rukia bit back her doubts in one on one combat, and pressed the blade harder against his throat. "All of Soul Society is hunting you, I am no exception. I will kill you if you fight me." Her words were threatening and cold but even Arturo knew there was no truth behind them. She was no match for him, even in this compromising position.
"You go ahead and do what you feel needs done..." He bared more of his neck to her in invitation, but at the same time he lifted one of his hands to touch one of hers. Gently he slipped the hand without the knife, away from his neck, and manipulated it to grasp his wrist instead. When she only responded with confused curiosity, he did the same with her knifed hand, until she was now pinning him to the ground by his wrists instead of his neck. "That's a good reaper."
In this new position, Rukia's mind pondered how odd they must look, a small woman straddling a man's chest, and pinning down his wrists. The situation seemed more erotic than hostile. Somehow he'd managed to defuse the situation, and boil it down to an awkward moment.
"Why are following me?" She was determined not to let him take control, anymore then he already had. "What do you want, and why?" There was venom in her voice, even as small as she was, she was never one to admit defeat, even to a stronger opponent.
Arturo's first reply was a chuckle of amusement. But it was quickly followed by a reply, low and growling, "I came to fulfill our agreement from back in Hueco Mundo. I hate to leave loose ends unattended to." His sentence ended with a hungry snear, sharp teeth bared for her to see.
"I was unable to keep up, and you got away. What else is there to clear up?" Rukia hated to admit how weak she'd been.
"I seem to remember an agreement, where I told you I wouldn't hesitate to kill you if you became a burden to me. And burden you've been since I left you in the care of those Soul Reapers." The arrancar suddenly shot up into a sitting position and Rukia slid down into his lap. Somehow in the movement, he'd taken control of the situation and his hands were now grasping hers. "I've come to rectify that, in one way or another."
Even with the loss of the high ground, Rukia was ready with a haughty retort. "I'm surprised Arturo Plateado, letting a pathetic reaper steal away so much of your attention. I'd think an arrancar as powerful as you would have better things to do." She was defiant to the end, even daring to meet his eyes with equal determination.
"I've taken back Hueco Mundo, and drove out you pesky reapers, I think I can spare some time for menial hunting."
"So what are you waiting for? I'm in gigai, I'm easy game. Even if I wasn't, I'm nowhere near a match for you. Not now anyway, maybe I wasn't ever." Her eyes fell, the fighting light slipping out of them like oil off of water.
"The shame you bring upon yourself with those words!" Arturo was suddenly very angry and passionate. "What happened to that Soul Reaper in Hueco Mundo? Have I been tracking an imposter?! The Kuchiki I remember was a brat, and a nuisance, but she met the opposition with the ferocity of men twice her size! She bared way for no man, and plotted the exploitation of weakness. What I see before me now is a sniveling broken whelp." Arturo released her hands, a look of disgust and even disappointment adorning his features.
The sudden movement and release of her arms caused Rukia to tumble out of his lap and onto the ground. She tried to bite back the pain of his words. He pointed out a weakness she failed to see she had cultivated. The awkward motions of their encounter had caused her synthetic leg to pop out of place, and in an attempt to hide her embarrassment and shame she focused her attention on reconnecting the appendage.
"What is this?" Arturo placed his hand on her fake leg, realizing for the first time that she had never fully recovered from their encounter in Hueco Mundo. "I left explicit instructions with the orange haired reaper, and his pathetic arrancar rival, to make sure you healed."
Rukia fixed some of the connections, and popped one of the joints back into place. "They did what they could." She defended.
"They crippled you, mind and body." Arturo was furious. So sure her crippled limb was the source of this parasitic weakness in her.
"I don't even remember how it happened..." Rukia's words were hollow now.
Arturo wanted to tell her. But he silenced himself, fearful he'd let something slip out. There were things he wanted unsaid. "To kill you now would be a nothing more then striking down an apparition of my torment." The arrancar rose to his feet in a fluid and predatory motion. He reached down and grasp Rukia's wrist and forced her to her feet as well, mindful of the synthetic leg. "I will not let the loss of your limb, be the downfall of your indomitable spirit. If I cannot destroy you, then I will rebuild you. You owe me that much, Little Reaper."
She wasn't quite sure what he meant, She had thought Arturo to be a blood thirsty arrancar, and had tried to pass him off as nothing more. But now he was complicating things. Did he want her dead? Or did her want her alive? It was all so confusing.
She didn't have long to ponder his confuzzling statement, because a loud burst of music sounded nearby, and laughter and rhythmic foot steps echoed back to the alley they were in. The music had a very spanish feel about it, like an inspiring heated salsa.
As if the music had been a switch, Arturo's whole demeanor seemed to dissolve and change. Suddenly his eyes became heated again, as if mischief had been set ablaze behind them. He drew close to Rukia, claiming her hands again, and pulling her close to his body. When she looked up at his face with question, there was that hunger, once again in his eyes. "You will Salsa with me." His words held no question, only demand.
"I can't dance-" She started.
"No excuses! Dance with me, or I smear the walls with your blood." He interjected. And with that he swept her into the motions of the dance, keeping his body close to guide her. This was no conquest over soul society, or scheme or grandeur. This was only one man's passion to resurrect a spirit he so admired. And secretly desired.
0000
Meanwhile, Orihime had begun her own little adventure. After losing track of Rukia in the crowds, she decided she'd go see the out-door performance. It was going to be on a stage near the main square, where all the dancing was going to take place. Even though she was a gentle soul, Orihime was adept at slithering and pushing her way through the crowds. And it didn't take her long to get to the square.
The out-door performance turned out to be a band playing, and some really good stage dancers putting on some shows. She spent an hour or so observing, and cheering before deciding to move on. She figured it was time to go do some dancing in the square, maybe she could even find someone to dance with.
And that was when she saw him. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a figure, and a tremor of recognition washed over her like an ocean wake. And that's all the motivation she needed. She bolted through the crowd after him as if she were an angry bull in Spain.
0000
Ulquiorra had been following Orhime from the time she first entered the festival. He tried to keep a low profile, And keep to the sides. He was still in his soul form, so that normal humans could not see him. but he wore modern cloths to cover his ghastly appearance, and so that Orihime wouldn't be able to pick him out from the crowd.
Of course modern wasn't entirely accurate. He wore a white suit, and a long black trench coat to hide his wings. He kept his tail wrapped around his waist like a belt. And a white fedora pulled down over his head, the brim bent low. The murcielago had painfully sawed off the horns on his head, so they wouldn't poke out. And it had been a challenge stuffing all his fur in, so that the suit fit properly. He looked rather like a 1930's gangster.
But it worked like he wanted it to, in a crowd as zany as this one, he was just another man. And nothing more.
At least that's what he had assumed, until she had fixed her eyes upon him later in the main square. He was fast, and as soon as she had spotted him, he bolted. Rushing through the crowds, past some vendors and into a large empty building. The place was decorated for the festival, but whatever event was taking place, wasn't going on yet, and subsequently there were no jovial people here. Once inside he bolted for some doors in the back, only to realize they were bathrooms, and not an escape.
He turned away and back to the entrance of the building, and dare he felt a tremor of surprise, and possibly fear. There standing in the threshold was Orihime, the light reflected off her orange hair and made it look bright like fire. Not yet, he thought. I'm not ready to face her yet. I don't remember everything.
The Murcielago tried to make a dash for the door, and hope to get by her. But just as he came up to her, he was knocked on his ass. He sat there rubbing his face and nose and looked up to see that she'd erected a force field using her flowers, and had efficiently blocked his escape.
Orihime didn't say anything, her eyes were huge and she looked very frightened. She almost looked as if she were staring at a ghost. She just approached him slowly, and pushed the hat off his head, till it fell lightly onto the floor. Hesitantly his gold-green eyes looked up at her soft grey ones. And it was as if all those months apart had just melted away. Recognition played in both of their eyes, Orihime began crying uncontrollably, and against Ulquiorra's will, black blood tears began escaping his eyes and sliding down his face.
His tears however were not of sadness, nor were they happy. These tears were caused by the final barrier in his pain addled mind as it came down. So long after he had heeled, he blocked out the pain, refusing to remember himself or his purpose in fear that all that torturous pain would return. And now that his defenses were completely gone, he was laid bare to that memory. The pain of getting his arm and leg torn off, the pain of bleeding on the ground, and worse then all the rest, the pain of Szayels drug. That horrible agonizing, tortuously slow process of forced limb regeneration. Regeneration pain that had driven him mad for almost a month.
He let out an agonizing gasp and a choked scream. The sight of Orihime so close to him, and touching his hair... it had been the catalyst for his memory. He stopped looking at her and his eyes became far away.
"Ulquiorra?" Her voice was quiet and a little choked up, she had been so determined to track him down, and now that she had found him, she wasn't sure what was happening. "They said you were dead... I thought... But then I saw you in the crowds, I thought I was crazy... But I was right... I was right..." She reached out in a very familiar way, and pushed back the collar of his suit. There, where it always had been, was that gaping hole. His hueco. And that was all the proof she needed. Only one hollow had a hole right there between the collar bone. Only her Ulquiorra. She couldn't resist putting her finger on the edge of it. Feeling that void empty presence that surrounded it.
But his response was not the pleasured moan that she was so accustomed to hearing. In response to her actions, he seized her hand and bared his razor sharp teeth. A snarl following after. This startled her and she pulled back away from him.
But Ulquiorra seemed to recover quite quickly, and the bat arrancar had other plans. He pulled himself off his hind end gracefully,and tore the trench coat from his shoulders. Once free he used his wings to trap Orihime and cradle her to him.
In a swift and rough movement, he leaned in and brought his black lips to her ear. He didn't say anything at first, and all she could hear was uneven labored breathing. Kinda like the mix of someone fighting for air, and yet sniffing. It was rather awkward, and the arrancar was far from gentle.
"Don't come after me, I need time to sort all these memories." He hissed. After a short moment, he pulled away, his eyes glowing like a demon. The pain of the unsorted events and emotions driving him mad and causing him to clutch his head. "I will find you. Tonight." He stepped away from her and scooped his hat off the floor. "You are rather forward, undressing a man like that." He placed the fedora on his head, and fixed his collar. "Just as I remembered you were..." As he spoke the final word he leapt into the rafters of the building, and disappeared out a window near the top.
Orihime just stared after him, numb. It was a miracle that no one had stumbled upon them.
To "Random fan girl," Thank you, I appreciate the review. I'm happy to bring back the main pairing in this chapter. And I hope it was worth the wait. Thank you for your support on my side pairing.
To "Tamu-chan," WOO! I hope this was a soon enough update. XD Thanks so much for all the reviews.
To "A Guest" Yes I finally came out of the closet! Look at me and my obsession with RukiaxArturo! Its laid bare for you all to see. -falls to my knees and flings my arms wide- Anyway, I'm glad you like the side pairing. And I'm glad I was able to introduce Arturo to some people. He's a kick ass character, IMO. And I think he needed more love then just a villain in the video games of Bleach. Thanks for telling me you like the pairing.
To "Ana Cii Bunny" Your review has tempted me to start another fic after this one is finished, and maybe write a couple one shots between Arturo and Rukia. thanks so much.
To "Naomy" Thanks for being the first to review and say you like the pairing. It meant the most to me.
I appreciate Everyone's input, and I'm happy to be able to continue this fic with both pairings. The next chapter will be ALL about Ulquiorra and Orihime! WOOOOOOO! Things are finally starting to look up for these love doves. Once again, your Author, Saij Spellhart. Find me on Deviantart.