Disclaimer: I don't own these lovely characters.

A/N: Thank you all for bearing with me! I know it's been a very long time since my last update, so forgive me. I've been fangirling in a different fandom. Never fear, I shall finish this story! Enough of me babbling, please enjoy yourselves.

Where She Belongs

By: Apherion

Chapter 18

-Orihime-

When I woke up, memories of the night before flooded me, and I groaned, covering my face with my hands.

We had almost had sex. If I had to press my finger and thumb any closer together, then it would probably show exactly how close we had been. We were so close it ashamed me to think about what a debacle the entire thing had been. Maybe it wasn't a complete disaster. After all, everything was fine for the half of the event that was to take place.

His words were like velvet, whispering lightly in my ear things that I could never possibly repeat and other things about how well I was doing. My cheeks flared remembering the phrases and sentiments he had perverted and felt my stomach clenching while heat coursed through me. Those words combined with the mere memory of his voice caused me to feel aroused.

If I imagined hard enough, I could recall perfectly the way it had felt to have him caressing me. I could even remember his fingers, and then his tongue.

I writhed on the bed, the sensations still to fresh for me. That's probably why I passed out; therefore, why we had almost had sex. He must hate me, I thought, tearing off the coverlet. I knew he wasn't in bed with me, so I figured he must have excused himself from it, and didn't return for the remainder of the night. I stumbled into the bathroom, and almost cried from relief and embarrassment as soon as I read the sticky note he had placed there.

Woman,

I did not wish to wake you. I was asked to come by Urahara's shop this morning and did not wish to disturb you. I apologize for not taking into account your inexperience. I will escort you home again.

Of course, he couldn't possibly call me by my name after murmuring it in my ear last night, I thought sarcastically after I was able to get over the mortifying fact that I passed out. Then I remembered it was Valentine's Day, and Tatsuki and I had planned yesterday to grab our chocolates together.

Oh no, I thought, racing through the house for my uniform, pulling a brush through my hair as I went. I downed a granola bar, something that Ulquiorra would have been proud of, with a glass of milk before rushing to brush my teeth. I felt like hell by the time I ran out the door, locking up hurriedly.

Tatsuki was there, thankfully. She wasn't angry or anxious; she was just looking at me.

"Oh I figured you'd be late," she appraised me as I got closer. "You're skin looks amazing, what did you do?" She asked me as she took my arm and led me into the chocolate shop already infiltrated with girls from every high school in the surrounding area, and some middle school girls, too. I had to work to conceal my blush. Apparently the rumor was true, even if you didn't go all the way.

"Um, nothing at all, just got some new facial cleanser," I lied quickly, and turned my back on her to begin eyeing the shelves stocked with the many sorts of chocolates. Tatsuki soon found herself among the chocolate selectors, too. I put a finger to my lips, contemplating hard between getting chocolates sprinkled with red chili powder—spicy and sweet would be a good combination, right?—or dark chocolate filled with mint. I pulled both packages off the shelves, noting both were relatively small, and within my budget if I couldn't decide. I mean, I was leaning towards the dark chocolate and mint because it reminded me of the stark contrast he was, but then again, he reminded me of the heat and passion he has, too. Oh, I wish I knew!

"If you ask me what I think, which I'm sure you don't, but I'm going to say it anyway," I turned to gaze at Tatsuki who was holding four boxes of chocolates. "I wouldn't buy Ichigo one this year." I raised an eyebrow, curious as to what she meant. The taller girl ran a hand through her spiky locks. "I mean, think about it. You've all but thrown yourself at that guy's feet and what does he do? He goes after Rukia. Here, hold these for a second." She piled her chocolates in my hand, and I was suddenly thankful for the array of colors each chocolate was wrapped in so that I'd be able to distinguish mine from the excess in my hands.

"Uh, Tatsuki, it's fine really I—"

"No, Orihime, you're going to hear me out this time. I'm so pissed off! You and Ichigo, he protected you when I couldn't, that's why I always wanted him to see that you liked him. But now—and it's not that I don't like him, it's just he could be dangerous Orihime. You barely know him, and it's Ichigo's fault that you're with him. I felt you were always safer with Ichigo, even though he's a complete dumbass." I knew Tatsuki was mad; she gave me the chocolates so she wouldn't break them, but I felt speechless. No, I was speechless. I stood there gaping at Tatsuki as she gave me a piece of her mind a quarter till first bell. I was numb hearing my best friend tell me she didn't trust Ulquiorra, and that she blamed Ichigo for allowing this all to happen.

"Tatsuki, I…I was just buying these for Ulquiorra." My voice was timid and I must have looked like a beaten dog because Tatsuki embraced me, hard.

"Please don't cry, Orihime, please don't." Tatsuki's expression shifted dramatically from anger to comforting. Chagrinned she began again. "I didn't mean to upset you. I just had to tell you what's been going on through my mind. And how that Ulquiorra guy was acting yesterday, trying to make you cry in front of all of us; you know how I get. I'm sorry," the tomboy that had been my savoir since elementary school held me a moment longer before letting go to retrieve her packages from my hands.

"I—I know," I choked out. "But Ulquiorra…he was upset, too. He's…jealous," I giggled as the words escaped my lips. We began to move to the front of the store to the cashier as I talked. "He doesn't really understand about Chizuru, and he knows more than I'd care to admit about Ichigo." We separated at the checkout line, which was mercifully short, letting the discussion drop for the moment. After we had checked out, and my change clinking in my purse, I continued the conversation.

"Tatsuki," I grabbed her hands, looking up into her eyes, hoping for her to believe me. "I know that it may seem hard to believe, but Ulquiorra and I protect each other. He looks after me in a way Ichigo…I don't think ever could. He's a good man, Tatsuki. I know it's hard to see it, but he truly is." Tatsuki nodded, and squared her shoulders in the direction of school.

"All right, let's see what he gets you for White Day, then." Seeing that we only had ten minutes to get to school, we ran the entire way, barely entering homeroom on time.

-Ulquiorra-

When he had arrived at the shop, he expected the little girl to swoop down on him with buckets of cleaning water or a hammer and nails or even a broomstick. However, he had not been expecting the shopkeeper to grab him, and pull him into the basement of the shop—which turned out to not be a basement at all.

Ulquiorra looked at the desert wasteland filled with varying plateaus. It was there the girl was suited up in boxing gear, and Urahara quickly followed him into the arena. He looked a bit too cheerful. Narrowing his eyes, Ulquiorra gazed at the man.

"Whoa, no need to be suspicious. I just have a feeling that we need to see your powers should you have to use them." His green eyes stared hard into the brown.

"I don't think it wise for me to betray her trust so soon." Urahara's tone shifted, darkened into someone who really did have the wisdom of a captain.

"Look, I know this is not a life or death situation, but it will become that way. I don't want Ichigo worried about Orihime during this fight." Ulquiorra scoffed, but did not expound on his derision. "I know that you want to show that you won't have to break her trust, but for her life wouldn't you want to know if you are able to fight at the capacity of a Vasto Lorde?" The man had a point. He hadn't attempted bearing arms against anyone in almost two month's time. To think this woman's made me sedentary, he thought wryly. Begrudgingly, Ulquiorra nodded.

"I cannot say for sure that my powers are at that level or not. It was a lifetime ago, even though it was only two months." The shopkeeper gave affirmation to the statement, and chose his words carefully.

"I'd…like to see how you fair against Ururu. Don't be afraid of harming her, she'll be able to handle herself. I just need to gauge your power. That's why we're down here. I don't have to worry about us being found out by the others in this compression area." The girl stepped up beside Urahara and said meekly.

"Mr. Ulquiorra can go all out on me; I'll be able to handle it."

"However, the restriction is no swords. Ururu is strongest at hand-to-hand combat." Ulquiorra allowed the terms, shrugging out of his coat. The shopkeeper laughed out loud, and once more green eyes glowered at him.

"There's no need for that. Just swallow one of those capsules in the gikongan and you'll be in your soul…well, I'm not exactly sure what to call you. You're not a hollow, and neither are you a soul reaper." He saw then a man that was capable of creating such outlandish things as the gigai he wore now and the Hogyoku. Ulquiorra saw the shopkeeper for what he truly was in that instance, a scientist thirsty for information, feedback…data.

Without waiting for him to be prompted, Ulquiorra swallowed one of the pills and had the strangest sensation overwhelm him. His soul—his essence—felt as though a powerful wind had knocked it forward, separating it from the skin he had come to call his. That part of him staggered backwards, blinking, but remaining very much like him by appearing stoic and not speaking. Shock abounded as he was experiencing sensory overload. Now the veil had lifted, he saw not only plateaus, but the holes that riddled each one from previous fights held down here. He saw where rocks had broken and fallen about each platform due to certain attacks causing them to buckle. He saw the cracked ground for every push off. He felt the warmth that the light generated here possessed. He felt so very alive; unleashed.

He noticed with some delay as he marveled at the feeling of feeling again that Urahara was tending to the girl. Turning, he finally felt them. They caught the soft current of wind caused by his movement. He focused on them, forcing them to fully open. The sharp fut as they snapped open was a welcome noise indeed. He looked down at his hands, seeing his stark white body. His eyes widened, alarmed. The fur that Murcielago had provided had been bleached white.

He could sense Urahara's gaze on him, and he caught it, seeing how wide the eyes had become. His stare flicked to the girl who had been knocked down by his spiritual pressure. Her eyes were tightly closed in the effort of holding herself up, and she was leaning heavily on the shopkeeper. Urahara drew his attention once again by speaking.

"Interesting," he remarked, dark eyes intent on him.

"What is?" His voice had transformed, too, somehow becoming much more velvety than it had been inside the gigai. Urahara coughed before explaining.

"You spiritual pressure is off the charts…so to speak."

"Oh?" Purposely being obtuse to this fact, he flexed his fingers, summoning the energy that formed Lanza del Relámpago. It felt lighter than it had, and he proved this by the vellicative motion his wrist made as he released it to his right. When it struck a plateau roughly a mile away, it exploded the rock formation. The pressure broke through the ground, quickly making the area they were located a compromising position. Swift thinking, Urahara leapt into the air with the girl tight in his grasp. Ulquiorra barely pushed against the earth to become aloft.

He observed the magnitude his every movement had on this pseudo-world the shopkeeper had erected beneath his house, and he was surprised to see that it was still standing under the influence of his reiatsu levels.

"Well, at least your gikongan knew to get out of the way." Urahara's nonchalant voice interrupted his musings momentarily.

"I suppose it is fortunate, for all of our sakes." The raw power he felt was intoxicating, and the statement was half-hearted because of this. Think of her, he reprimanded himself. Gray eyes, almost like stardust and red hair that seemed to be a fire. She tethered him once more to what he had to do, and the promises he had made.

"Urahara, I assume you've all the data you need," he uttered resolutely, not looking at the man in question.

"Perhaps not all of the data, but you will be able to fight." The tone the man had in his voice was wistful, as if he planned to experiment on him further once Aizen was finished. It was not relevant for now, so Ulquiorra put it from his mind to bring himself to the predicament of returning to her. He searched the ruined earth for his body, which was standing just out of harm's way. He smirked, deciding he condoned the oddity. He dove down to it, embracing the body, reconnecting himself with the second skin.

The veil melded to him, making his wings fill nonexistent once more, hiding his spiritual pressure once again. His breath caught as he regained the necessity to inhale, and he felt the pill dissolving on his tongue. He looked to the sky, seeing both the girl and her guardian descending.

"Don't worry about the soul candy," Urahara said casually. "It regenerates into the dispenser once you've reclaimed your gigai." Ulquiorra nodded, blinking repeatedly for his sight to revert back to normal as he retrieved his coat from the rubble. Urahara then led him and the girl back into the shop, discussing what should be done if he was called upon to engage.

He heard the bell ring, and the chattering students filed enthusiastically out of the school today. The area around the high school was congested with girls who had yet to give their chocolates to the boys they fancied and the boys waiting about to receive said chocolates. However, red hair whipped into sight, and he watched like a hawk as she pushed her way through the crowd, in her hand the same token of affection.

He smiled ruefully when she came to a halt in front of him, bowing as she proffered the chocolate. He pulled his hands out of his pockets, ignoring the rest of the assembly, including her friends. Ulquiorra grasped the parcel with his right hand as he cupped the nape of her neck in his left. Her head lifted infinitesimally, and he leaned into her, pressing his lips hard against hers. But the moment couldn't last, and she felt it, too.

Breaking the kiss, he pulled her into him as if he would be the one to shield her as the sky ripped apart. The brat and the rest of the group filed in next to them, watching the same scene as Aizen and his army of Espada poured into the world of the living.

TBC...