15 April 2007

A note from Starry: I bring you this Ulquiorra x Orihime story! It popped into my head while I was writing my Naruto story, Oh, Brother. The title was inspired by Can't Stop the Rain by Cascada. I really liked how this turned out and it's become a favorite. It's quite a long one-shot so please enjoy!

WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS UP TO CHAPTER 271 FROM THE MANGA. IF YOU'RE PICKY ABOUT THIS DO NOT READ. You have been warned.

Disclaimer: I don't own them, but I wish I did!! I'm not Kubo Tite.

Can't Stop the Heart

It was hopeless, she thought, as she rolled over on her side and stared at the darkness where the wall was supposed to be. One of her hands slowly slid down on her side until it reached the lower part of her stomach. Her stay here had made her lose weight due to the lack of delicious food, but she still held her 'full' figure.

Closing her eyes once more, his face slowly appeared and her focus went down to his lips. How would it feel to kiss them? How long had she been here already? A month? Two? She didn't know all she knew was that she desired to kiss him. Her mind took her to the next stage and she found herself pressing her lips against his. His eyes opened and his arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her clothes.

His scent was that of medicinal healing herbs and his mouth was warm making a small noise of pleasure escape her. Her hand went up to his orange hair and her fingers began running through it, combing it and then messing it up. His hold on her tightened and she let him deepen the kiss by allowing his tongue to roam freely inside her mouth.

"Mmm," she moaned, as he pulled away and began trailing small kisses down her neck. Their breathing was heavy and her chest rose and fell rapidly, but it didn't seem to stop them. Instead, it fueled them even more and the kisses he was giving her became even hungrier for more.

She threw her head back and continued massaging his head while he continued to roam even further down. It felt so right, she thought, as she opened her eyes and her heart stopped.

"What are you doing, woman?"

Her eyes widened and she quickly sat up and brought her arms up to cover her chest. What was he doing here at this time? Her chest was still rising and falling with her heavy breathing. She cast her gaze to the floor and bit her lip, feeling embarrassed and flustered. How could she let her imagination run that far? She should have remembered where she was.

"Well, what is your answer?"

Raising her attention back up to him, she opened her mouth to reply. "I-" How was she going to answer this? Her face was already hot and she was pretty sure the color matched the intensive heat. "I had a dream," she said, her gaze falling back on the floor.

She could feel his piercing gaze on her and she slightly shivered. Would he tell her something mean before getting out? It angered her a bit to know that she did not have privacy even at night. It's not like she was planning to run off in the middle of the night! Where would she go?

"Do you usually get that excited over stupid dreams?" His voice was flat and monotone like always. His expression showed no sign and that sometimes reminded her of him.

"No," she answered, her eyesight now on her legs, which where folded neatly beneath her. Her sleeping wear consisted of a white nightgown that had been given to her by her hosts. The girl was quite thankful seeing as it didn't go down all the way to expose too much cleavage and it wasn't too high up covering too much. It outlined her filled body up quite nice and at times she wondered why they'd given her this since there was no one to impress here. The person she wanted to impress was not here and she wondered if she'd ever see him again besides in her dreams.

He took a few steps towards her and when he reached her bed; he lifted a leg and rested his knee on it as he leaned in towards her, making her back her body up towards the wall. Their faces were just an inch away and Orihime wondered what he was trying to do.

"Eto," she said, her gaze moving from his face to the side. "Ulquior-"

Pressing his lips against hers, he didn't let her finish and he stayed connected with her for a few more seconds before pulling away. His green eyes studied her surprised face before he leaned in once more and claimed her lips.

It had been far too long, he thought, as he made the kiss a passionate one. Aizen-sama had stationed him outside her room every night to keep an eye on her and night after night he'd wondered what she was doing when he'd hear noises coming from inside the room. One night he'd entered to investigate where these noises were coming from and found that the one making them was the guest who was enjoying herself while she slept.

At first he was quite confused as to why she would do these things while being held prisoner here but after a few more nights of observation he figured she didn't care any more and just needed satisfaction. After that, every night after the lights were shut off, he'd wait an hour or so before going in to observe her nightly doings. He wasn't sure why he was doing this, he just did. The Fourth Espada began wondering who it was that drove her mad with passion every night and during the day he'd try to see who it was but could never figure it out.

Finally one night he held his breath unintentionally when he heard her moan, "Kurosaki-kun! Ah! Kurosaki-kuuuun!" He turned around and walked out of her room not really interested in staying to finish watching her.

It had been a week of not watching her and finally, once again tonight he stood there watching her and it happened. He couldn't take it anymore, he needed to touch her and kiss her. It was weird, he'd never really paid any attention to anyone of the opposite sex and he was void of all feelings but tonight, tonight he had had enough.

Orihime was now on her back with his legs on each side of her and her mouth was still covered with his. Her eyes were wide open and her heart was now pounding even harder against her chest than it had been before. What was he doing kissing her? She thought, before her eyes widened when she felt his cool skin brush against the warmth of her stomach going up, to her breasts.

Moving her head to the side, she broke the kiss and gasped for breath. "W-what are you doing?" she asked, her voice coming out in breaths.

"Your heart," his voice the same as it was before. "It's beating quite fast." No, duh, Ulquiorra! He thought, as he leaned in once more and began kissing her jaw line and then down her neck. She was so warm, he noted, as he came to her chest just above the nightgown boundary.

She didn't want to, but she couldn't stop her eyes from slowly closing as she felt that wonderful feeling she'd imagined before become reality. Her right arm slowly went up and she touched his raven black hair as he pulled her nightgown down to get access to her breasts. She gasped as he came in contact with them and wondered if he'd ever done this before.

"U-U-Ulquiorra…" she moaned, moving her head to the side and opening her eyes. "W-what-"

"Is this not what you desire, woman?" He stopped; his left arm holding him up above her while his right hand was on her left breast.

Flushed, Orihime turned to look up at him and found that she didn't want him to stop but at the same time… this was just all so wrong!

"I…" She moved her head to the side once more and gazed out towards the darkness. Her mind was blank and her eyes were now filling up with tears. Why?

"Is 'I' all you say?" his voice was still flat but if you listened carefully, you could hear the slightest hint of annoyance in it. Without waiting for a reply, the Fourth Espada continued doing his previous task.

Once again, her body began sending pleasurable signals to her brain and she slowly closed her eyes, her hand resting on his head.

--

Opening her eyes, Orihime found that the light in her room was now on, signaling the beginning of the new day. Getting up, she yawned and stretched her arms before sliding her legs over the bed and standing. What a dream! She thought, as she walked over to the door that lead to a small bathroom. Not too long ago, Aizen had been nice enough to order a bathroom for her as well as a small kitchen area for her. She'd been a good 'pet-sama' so Aizen had said she needed good rewarding.

After brushing her teeth and using the toilet, Orihime turned on the water and prepared to bathe. Throwing her clothes in the corner of the restroom, she turned around and gasped when she saw her reflection.

"It wasn't a dream!" She leaned in towards the mirror and inspected what she was seeing. They looked like bruises but they weren't… they were hickies and they were all over her chest and neck. She blushed at the memory of the night before and quickly turned away from the mirror. The water continued to run, filling the tub, but Orihime ignored it and stared at her hands. What had she done?

He'd already knocked and no answer had come from inside so he figured she was still sleeping so he invited himself in. The Espada noticed the girl wasn't inside and his attention moved to the slightly open door that led to the bathroom. He could see a bit of her backside and he wondered what she was doing just standing there.

"What are you doing?" he asked, not taking a step towards her or anywhere else.

"Iie!" Orihime quickly turned around and covered her front side with her arms before hiding herself behind the door. She peeked through the edge and looked at Ulquiorra with wide eyes. "I –I"

Ulquiorra just stared at her, his eyes never leaving hers. Why did she say that letter all the time he asked her a question?

"Aizen-sama wishes to speak with you." He turned to face her bed for a brief moment before turning back towards her. "So it would be of best interest to finish what you're doing now as quickly as possible. He does not like to wait." With one last glance at her, he turned around and left the room.

Relieved that he was gone, Orihime slowly closed the bathroom door and locked it before sighing. Was she still a virgin? She asked herself, as she stepped into the tub. The warm water felt good against her skin and it relaxed her. As she scrubbed her body, her mind began wandering back to the previous night. Had they gone all the way? No, she remembered that after he satisfied her he got up and left.

Yokkatta! She felt relieved to know that she was still pure for Ichigo. Ichigo… she felt sad remembering her friends. After coming here to rescue her, a lot of them had ended up in critical conditions after difficult battles and outside help had come and rescued them. It had been two months since she last heard about them but deep in her heart she knew they were up to something and she would see them in the near future.

Still, it hurt to not see them, especially Ichigo. Turning the water off, Orihime grabbed a white towel and began drying her body up. Stepping out of the bathtub, she went over to the small cabinet that held her already washed outfit that she always needed to wear. Looking up at the mirror she saw the hickies once more and she blushed, tearing her eyes away from it. She really needed to stop thinking those kinds of thoughts at night! Starting tonight, no more dirty thoughts! Nodding, Orihime finished off dressing and brushed her hair before walking out to wait for Ulquiorra to pick her up.

--

It was awkward to be around him after what had happened the night before. He didn't mention anything and his behavior hadn't changed towards her. Orihime was pretty sure it was a dream but then how could she have gotten those marks on her body? Her hands? No, she was pretty sure if it had been her hands she would have had marks since the first time she began fantasizing.

After her small meeting with Aizen, where all he did was ask how her stay was going and if she was enjoying herself, Orihime was given permission to go to a small courtyard not to far from her room. Of course she would be supervised, but not by Ulquiorra, but by Grimmjow.

She shuddered slightly at the reminder of what the blue haired Espada could do and hoped she didn't do anything to annoy him. Sitting on a concrete bench, Orihime looked up at the Hueco Mundo sky and noticed the stars and the half moon. It was really a beautiful sight, but considering the conditions she was in, it kind of took the whole special feeling away. Sighing, Orihime turned to look at her hands that were resting on her lap, and her mind began to drift off to Ulquiorra.

Why would he do such a thing? Should she report him to Aizen? Aizen had said to tell him if she was being mistreated by any of his followers, but every time she'd say, "Oh, no, I'm being treated just fine." But today she'd hesitated before responding. Still, it confused her as to why Ulquiorra would do that. He is always so serious and quiet…

"It's always the quiet ones," she muttered.

"What about the quiet ones?"

Orihime had forgotten about Grimmjow so when he spoke up, she jumped and her heart had nearly stopped from fright.

"Oh, err," A blush rose to her cheeks and she quickly shook her head. "Nothing. I was just muttering nonsense." She gave him a small smile before getting up. "I'm ready to go back!" She chirped, walking towards the Sixth Espada, ready to be lead back to her prison… err room.

Grimmjow gave her a glare before sticking his hands in his pockets and turning around to take her back. "Tsk, yer such a weird one." Weird but man did she have a nice rack! Ulquiorra was one lucky bastard to be able to watch her over night. Then again, that idiot was favored by Aizen so of course he'd get lucky to stay and watch this nice bird over night. All he got to do was just watch her when she was asked to go out and see Aizen. He wondered if that emo idiot took advantage of the situation he was in, but guessed no seeing as Ulquiorra was one boring being.

Reaching her door, he turned and looked at her as she walked up to her door and opened it. He checked her out from head to toe and stopped at her breasts for about ten seconds before going up to her face.

"Thank you, Jaggerjack-san," she bowed to him and gave him a small smile before walking into her room.

"Yeah, whatever," he said, as he watched her close the door. "Someday, I'll get you." He smirked and with that, Grimmjow disappeared in the darkness of the corridors.

The lights weren't as bright as before so Orihime knew that the time for bed would soon be here. Going into the kitchen, she fixed herself a small dinner and began eating. As she ate, the memories of her old friends popped into her head and she wondered what they were up to. Knowing Ichigo, she knew he was probably training to become even stronger to come and rescue her along with Rukia, Ishida and Chad.

Aizen had told her that the time for her to do her job was coming and that was something that Orihime was dreading and looking forward to. She'd reject the existence of the Hougyoku and hope that everything fell into the favor of Ichigo and the others.

She finished eating her dinner and decided to change into her nightgown before sitting on her bed to wait for the lights to come off. Her nightgown had been washed and it felt soft against her skin. Remembering his touch, Orihime shivered a bit and decided it was just best to forget what had happened before. She brushed her orange hair and decided that tonight, she would braid it.

Once she was done fixing herself for bed, Orihime walked over to her bed and lay down while pulling the covers over her. She laid awake thinking of Ulquiorra and the actions he'd done to her. A blush rose to her cheeks and she turned on her side to stare at the wall. Soon, the lights turned off and she was left in the darkness. Normally, she'd be sleepy by now but tonight she wasn't. She wondered if he'd actually turn up again and surprise her just like he had the previous night.

Everything was silent and it had been a while since the lights had shut off and there was still no sign of the Fourth Espada. Yawning, Orihime pulled the covers up even more and closed her eyes. Tonight, she'd sleep. But, her eyes shot open when she felt a hand on her cheek. Moving her gaze over, she saw Ulquiorra slowly leaning in towards her. Her eyes automatically closed before feeling his lips meet hers.

This time, Orihime did not object to anything he was doing to her. He repeated everything he'd done the previous night and she was relieved. Her breathing was fast and Ulquiorra leaned in and kissed her once more.

After this, he'll leave, just like he did last night, Orihime said to herself. And sure enough, he left. Leaving Orihime satisfied to seek sleep comfortably and without any frustrations. Over the nights, this sort of action continued and Orihime didn't bother to cover herself with the covers since Ulquiorra would just uncover her. The big breasted girl even found herself anticipating the arrival of the night to be able to have him on her bed doing those things to her. She no longer questioned why he did this and she no longer cared.

A month after the beginning of their 'secret relationship', if that's what it was, something different happened. Orihime noticed it when he first gave her the kiss. It was a lot more passionate and much needier than the ones he'd given her before. His touch was no longer hard but soft and he was caressing her in a way he'd never done before. She wasn't going to complain, but her mind began to wonder why.

He finished her off and she lifted her head up from the pillow and kissed him, like she always did. After this, he'd leave and she'd go to sleep… but after she kissed him, Ulquiorra did not move. She gave him a questioning look and wondered if he was tired of not getting pleased? Every time she tried to do something to him, he stopped her and held her arms above her head while he continued to please her. Every night he focused on her and her only and then left, but tonight, he was still there.

"Are you alright?" she whispered, her chest rising and falling slowly as it went back to its original tempo. Her hand went up to touch his cheek and she was surprised that he let her touch him. Something was definitely wrong, she noted.

Leaning in, Ulquiorra rested his chin on her shoulder before whispering in her ear. "Your Nakama have entered Hueco Mundo once more, and it seems like they've gotten stronger."

His breath was cool against the nape of her neck and it made chills run down her spine. Her heart began beating once more and her eyes were widened. Ichigo, Rukia, Ishida, Chad and Renji were back? How come she didn't feel their spirit power?

"Aren't you going to say something, woman?"

Her eyes slowly closed as he breathed down her neck and she shuddered. Forcing them to open, Orihime turned her head and faced him, her focus going to his lips for a brief moment before going back to his eyes. What was she going to say? She was glad that they were here for her but worry began creeping in. Last time, Chad, Renji and Rukia had almost died! She didn't want them to get hurt anymore, especially Ichigo.

"Why are you doing this?" she said, studying his eyes, her heart beating a bit faster now.

"I know about your feelings towards Kurosaki Ichigo," his gaze continued to stay locked with hers. "I know how much you desire to have him touch you and make you his."

Orihime swallowed back a knot and she did not turn away. They were both still and all she could feel was his breath on her and her heart against her chest… what was that? Her right hand went up and rested up towards Ulquiorra's chest. Her gaze moved from his face down to his chest and they slowly widened when she realized what it was.

"Do you see what you've done to me woman?"

Looking back up at him, she felt speechless and she was confused on what to do. "Your heart," she swallowed back, "is beating quite fast."

"I will take you as mine tonight, before I go out and kill him." His voice was emotionless and his gaze continued to hold hers.

"What?" she whispered, "What do you mean? I-"

He didn't let her finish because he closed the distance between them and began kissing her, while his hands went down to begin to take off her underwear. She shivered when he touched her and a moan escaped, making her close her eyes and arch her back a bit.

No! Ichigo was the one she loved! And only Ichigo was the one that was allowed to enter down there! "Stop-" she breathed out. Only Ichigo was going to take her, because he was the one she loved. Ichigo was the one she loved, right? Right?

Ulquiorra ignored what she was saying because her body was giving him a different answer. He listened to her body and continued his actions. After removing her garments, Ulquiorra proceeded in taking off his hakama.

Feeling what he was doing, Orihime opened her eyes and tried to sit up. "Stop!" She felt him settle himself in between her legs and her body quickly became hot. No, Ichigo was the one she loved so he deserved all of her, not Ulquiorra. She loved Ichigo, right? So why was she letting Ulquiorra continue. Sure she'd said stop but if she really wanted him to stop she would have slapped him or pushed him off, right?

"Do you really want me to stop, Orihime?"

Her eyes locked with his and her mouth hung open. He'd called her by her real name! Orihime felt as tears began to fill up her eyes and she was about to look away when he entered her, making her throw her head back and cry out in desire.

The groans and the moans soon stopped and two bodies lay one on top of another motionless, besides the breathing, on a bed. Her gaze was on the wall and even though her body wanted it, sleep was not coming to her. She looked down at Ulquiorra and wondered when it had happened. When had she sprouted feelings for him? Her thought was interrupted when he got up and climbed off the bed to put on his hakama back.

"Where are you going?" her voice was weak and it almost sounded like a whisper. She knew it was a stupid question but she still asked it.

The light turned on and Ulquiorra finished dressing and with his back facing her, he said, "I must protect Aizen-sama and keep the intruders from coming in to get you. Being an Espada and the only one closest to him, I'll be commencing a battle with Kurosaki Ichigo." The Fourth Espada was now at the door and had not looked at Orihime. "Don't do anything stupid, woman. I will return later to see how you are doing." Without a glance, Ulquiorra walked out of the room.

After hearing the door close, Orihime turned to face her pillow and began crying.

Why was she crying? Was it because she'd given herself to someone other than Ichigo? Or was it because she had a feeling that she was never going to see Ulquiorra again?

An hour after Ulquiorra left, Orihime was still on her bed staring at the wall, her thoughts running around her head. She'd managed to stop crying and was about to get out of bed, when the lights suddenly flickered for a brief moment before going out. Her hand fell back to her side and her heart nearly stopped. Quickly, she closed her eyes and opened her mind to begin searching for Ulquiorra's spirit power. Not a second after closing them, they were back open with tears once more. This time, her tears flowed out even more and sobs accompanied them.