Orihime Inoue

Orihime x Ulquiorra: Pressed flowers.

Lately Orihime had been confided to her room more then most days. It was staring to have an affect on her soul. She wished more than anything to be let out of her cage, and as if her prayers were answered, the door to her room opened. From where she sat on the arm of the couch she casted her gaze at the new occupant in her room. Ulquiorra looked back at her. Seeing the internal distress she was in. He breathed deeply bothered by the emotion expressed. He couldn't quite understand emotions to begin with but he decided that the state she was in made him uncomfortable. He found himself wanting to see the light shine in her eyes brightly, instead of them resembling a dying ember. "It is decided that you have been confided to this room for a much longer time then necessary. You will come with me and we will spend time out of Las Noches." Ulquiorra said. His voice monotone and not shedding light on the fact that this was a personal wish of his. Not waiting for a reply Ulquiorra left the door open and walked out the door slowly, waiting for her to join him. In no time Orihime caught up with him and walked all the way through the doors of Las Noches; finally she could feel like she a free. Even if it was only temporary. The sands of Hueco Mundo were nothing special, but to her it was the most amazing thing. "Do you take walks like this often?" She asked. Ulquiorra glanced at her and said nothing. "Do you prefer to do something else to past the time?" She asked. Still no response came from him. "Are you going to say anything to me?" She asked. Ulquiorra stopped walking at this moment. He turned his head toward the questioning gaze of the woman. "I am here to accompany you on this walk. I didn't say I would engage in a conversation with you woman." He said. "But the fact that you answered that question means you're willing to engage in a conversation with me." She replied with a smile. He acknowledged her comment and resumed his footsteps to walking again. The smile on her face dimmed and she followed closely  behind him. No words were spoken between each other for the next few minutes. Orihime's eyes scanned the sandy lands all around, but stopped when her eyes caught a patch of color on the ground. Breaking away from the path she ran over to the unknown color. Almost immediately Ulquiorra felt the missing presence of the woman. He quickly turned around and didn't see her on the path. Turning his gaze to the surrounding area he saw her kneeling down on the ground. Orihime carefully brushed the sand off of the curious item in the color purple. Her eyes widened in amazement when she realized that what she had found was a purple flower. How was it possible for something to delicate and pretty to grown in a place as empty as this? Maybe this was a sign, that even in the deadly and dark something beautiful could come out of it. Sadly that small flower had been weighted down so much by the sand that the flower had wilted and now lay on the brink of death. She ignored the new presence of the man behind her, closed her eyes, and held her hands over the flower. "I reject." She softly said. A small glowing golden dome covered the flower. Slowly the flower became more vibrant and started to lift off the ground. When she could feel that the flower had been revived, she opened her eyes, and removed her hands. Now there stood a vibrant morning glory. She smiled and looked up into the green eyes of the Espada. "Have you seen flowers before?" She asked. He was silent for some time, not able to turn his gaze away from the woman. "Once or twice yes. It was not a priority to learn of nature in your world." He finally replied. "Well this can be your third time seeing a flower." She smiled. Standing from the ground and brushing the sand off her dress. She wished that she could bring the flower with her, but felt that it was selfish to take such a pure thing from this dark place. She lifted her gaze from the flower and looked into the green eyes of her traveling companion. They stared at each other for a time. Not really sure what captivated their gazes. Orihime was the first to break eye contact and returned to the path. Ulquiorra's eyes followed her form the whole time and eventually he tore his eyes away and glanced at the flower again. A sort time later Orihime returned her gaze to the Espada when he joined her on the path again. "We have spent a fair bit of time away from Las Noches. It is about time you had your second meal." He stated. The woman nodded, knowing what he was implying. Looking down at the ground she brushed passed him and walked forward making her way back to the palace. Ulquiorra followed in her footsteps and the return trip was silent between the two. Just like he predicted, her food was waiting for her in her room. Making sure that she was settled in and satisfied with her meal he made his way out of the room.
What surprised him though was the sudden warmth on his arm. He focus his defensive eyes on the woman gently gripping his arm. Orihime's hand loosed on his bicep, seeing that she should've asked him. When he didn't remove her hand, she took that as permission to do something more. Tentatively she moved in front of him and wound her arms around his torso. He didn't respond in the slightest. Just stared at the woman displaying a form of physical comfort that was foreign to him. She pressed her face against his chest and hugged him a little tighter. "Thank you. I hope that we can go for a walk again sometime." She said. Ulquiorra wasn't sure how to react. Inside he felt like he couldn't breath, that her gentle hug was a vice that he couldn't escape. The sent of her hair was a drug, he became addicted to it. He was convinced that this woman was an enchantress in disguise that had placed a spell on him. A part of him screamed to tear her grasp away from him and leave her in the loneliness of her room. But the need to hold her close overpowered his want of separation. Ever so carefully and agonizingly slowly he wrapped his arms around her small form. Placing one hand on the center of her back and the other into the lushness of the woman's vibrant hair. He barely trusted himself with being this close to her. The warmth emitting from her leeched into his very soul. Not able to bare having Orihime that close to him anymore, he grasped her shoulders with purpose and pushed her body away. He kept his face blank, his eyes empty and uninterested; but for a moment it was hard to maintain the facade when her eyes seemed to look through him. "I will return when you have finished your meal woman." He said, letting her go and leaving the room, closing the door behind him. Silently he made his way to his chambers, having no where pressing to be at the moment. Shutting himself in his room and away from prying eyes he pulled out a purple morning glory. The one that Orihime had restored life back to it's stem and petals. Ulquiorra held the flower up to eye level and became lost in thought. When he couldn't find the answer he was looking for in his head, he tore his gaze away from it's purple hue. Soon the Espada had an idea. Dragging his eyes to the nearby bookshelf in his chambers, he strode over and selected the thickest book he had in his possession. Opening to the center most part of the book Ulquiorra placed the flower within it's pages. Closing the book he returned it to it's place on the shelf. Taking a moment to collect himself, he glanced at the clock on his wall and confirmed the time. With that he left the room and started making his way towards the meeting room where Lord Aizen would deliver his daily update of their progress over tea.
Ulquiorra convinced himself that the feelings she displayed to him were nothing more then that of a confused mind. The fact that he was the only constant physical presence during the time she was there, he believed that whatever feelings she had towards him were a trick a lie that she was making herself believe. This was his excuse to ignore his strong, growing feelings for the woman. But you see Orihime's heart is so big and she cares for so many, that she was strong enough to keep her mind free of thoughts that she knew to be lies. She could see the emptiness in his eyes, and if his hollow hole proved anything that emptiness was real. Most think that Orihime isn't that intelligent, that she is a useless character and weak, but her grasp of emotions and understanding of others goes to show that she is one of the most strongest people in the story. The dynamic between Ulquiorra and Orihime is unique and and complex. You have to understand that you have one who is use to feeling and knowing love, while the other has only known loneliness and violence for most of his life. Could they have learned to love each other? Yes, I believe I do. But before love can grow one must both show tenderness when it counts and understanding when it's needed.
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Third one up. Hope you enjoy this piece, it was a lot of fun to write. Below in another link a song that inspired this piece.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QB3pxBDZvf4