Beside You In Time Ch. 12

Chapter 12
An Angry Quincy, Pt. 2

Orihime ignored the sudden shot of pain in her wrist as she flexed her sprained hand to grab her Shun Shun Rikka and put them in her hair.
"Bye for now!" And with that she was out the door and skipping home.


Ulquiorra sensed his Onna's reiatsu drawing nearer and went to open the door when she approached the door.
"Hi, Ulquiorra-san!" Orihime beamed. He just nodded and stepped aside to let her in before shutting the door behind them.
"Santen Kesshun, I reject!" Orihime called out her Shun Shun Rikka to heal her injured arms.

Finally! After a day of being a handicap because of my injuries, I can heal myself! Orihime shook her head, remembering how she had stupidly forgotten about her powers when she had hurt herself.

It never ceased to amaze Ulquiorra Cifer that a normal human woman could possess the powers that his Onna did. Possibly it was the mysterious air surrounding the powers? Since no one knew exactly how they worked, Ulquiorra was not satisfied with the hypotheses that had already been made. It was obvious his Onna's techniques weren't ordinary healing techniques. Aizen Sosuke had hinted at the possibility of time reversal; but there was an instinct in side of the Cuatro Espada that told him that it was something no one had thought of.
Perhaps it is this mystery surrounding the Onna, along with the never-ending mystery of the heart, that mystifies me and fascinates me about her, Ulquiorra pondered. He watched interestedly as his Onna began to move her arms again, free of pain.
Orihime smiled widely. She was finally able to use her arms again. As she removed the sling around one of her arms and unwrapped the bandages, one at a time, from both of her arms, she glanced up at Ulquiorra and shot him a look that was completely foreign to the Espada.
He couldn't place it, yet the reaction that that simple glance had evoked was more than enough to send him spiraling into thought, wondering why his Onna had looked at him like that.
"What is it?" Orihime watched Ulquiorra stare at her, obviously deep in thought.
That was another disadvantage to the gigai the Espada had gotten from Urahara; Ulquiorra noticed that it was harder to multitask. He could no longer be deep in thought without the Onna noticing. Ulquiorra knew though, that she was the only person with the ability to tell his miniscule facial expressions apart.
While Orihime waited for a reply she doubted would come, she unwrapped the last bandage, the one from the glass cut, and flexed her arms and hands.
I'd never had thought I'd miss being able to move my arms this much! Orihime felt as if she could do two hundred push-ups. Newly energized, she hopped to the kitchen and threw the bandages away, folded the sling up, and set it on the counter.
I'll have to give that back to Kurosaki-san's dad… Orihime's mind wandered to her friend. How much longer was he going to be in that coma-like state? She couldn't help but wonder how he would react to Ulquiorra's being alive, in the World of the Living, and living in Orihime's apartment.
She decided not to concern herself with that just yet as she walked over to her backpack and looked for her homework.
Orihime sighed as she looked at the list of homework in her planner, Math and Latin…
Along with several complex math problems, she had to translate the beginning of a Latin book for class. Orihime didn't dislike Math or Latin, she just wasn't very good at either. Actually, she really liked Latin. Orihime found that it was a very intriguing language and subject. The only problem was that she could never remember her vocabulary words.
Carrying the needed books, a pencil, and several pieces of paper over to the couch, she kneeled on the floor in front of the couch and placed her materials on the coffee table in front of her.
Orihime smiled up at Ulquiorra, who had sad down on the couch while she was in the kitchen removing her bandages and getting her homework. He was nonchalantly watching her, not showing the slightest hint of interest in what she was going to do.

About an hour later…
Ulquiorra sighed, "Would you like my assistance, Onna?"
Orihime looked up from her Latin work, eyebrows still knit together in frustration. She hadn't been able to translate the title…
"Wait," Orihime tilted her head, "you speak Latin?"
The Cuatro Espada just nodded. Unknown to the Onna, he spoke not only Japanese and English, but also German, Latin, French, Russian, and Italian. Over the centuries, Ulquiorra had studied many languages, with the goal of stumbling across a piece of literature written in on of those languages that would unravel the mysterious thing humans called a "heart" for him.
Ulquiorra moved himself to sit directly next to his Onna, but still on the couch, and leaned forward to see the portion of the text in her Latin book that Orihime had to translate for homework.
He read in his head…

Regina et Daemon

In primo tempore, regina, quae forma optima laeto animoque afficiebat, vivebat. Haec tantum aurum, tantum pecuniae habet. Sed non feliciter est.
Quondam in silvam ambulabat, qoud arbores et plantas amabat.
Dum autem pulcherimmam rosam contemplavit, regina de daemonem terribilem abduciebatur...

A feeling of irony and unexpected guilt washed over the Cuatro Espada.
Orihime pointed at the line Ulquiorra had just finished reading and said, "I have to translate the story till there."
She sighed.
"Do you want me to translate it, Onna?" Ulquiorra monotonously asked, for some reason driven by his unexpected guilt to help his Onna in any way possible.
"If you don't mind, Ulquiorra-san," Orihime smiled sheepishly at the Espada. She didn't really like other people doing her homework for her, but she was completely lost and confused.
And so Ulquiorra began to speak…

The Queen and The Demon

In early time, lived a queen, who was extremely beautiful. This queen had huge amounts of gold and money; but she was not happy.
Once she took a walk in the forest, because she loved the trees and flowers.
But as she was looking at the most beautiful rose, the queen was abducted by a terrible demon…

An odd silence settled over Orihime Inoue's living room as Ulquiorra spoke the last word.
Ulquiorra despised his heart at the moment. He despised the guilt he felt, and he despised the urge to reach out and comfort his Onna sitting next to him. These human emotions were only further entangling the term "mysterious" to the concept "heart".
After a millennium of searching, I thought I had found the answer; if so, them why does it seem as if I'm only striding further away from the end, from the answer? Ulquiorra struggled to keep his nonchalant mask from cracking even the slightest bit.
"Thanks," Orihime said quietly. Ulquiorra knew that his Onna understood the ironic connection between the story and her (and the Espada's) past.
Orihime quickly scribbled down the translation, oddly able to remember every word exactly the way Ulquiorra has spoken them moments before. Placing the last period, she set her pencil down and let out a breath that had been obviously pent up for a while now.
"Umm…" the Onna stood up and shifted nervously, "Do you want to eat something, Ulquiorra-san?"
Orihime's stomach growled betraying her hunger, making her blush embarrassedly.
"Yes, Onna," the Cuatro Espada simply said, nodding his head once. Orihime rushed off to the kitchen. Ulquiorra didn't fail to see the nervous way she walked; her stride was much different now than from her usual joyful skipping gait.

Several hours later, Orihime Inoue was lying in bed. Ulquiorra had refused to switch sleeping arrangements with her, which would have meant her sleeping on the couch and his sleeping in her bed. Memories and aching thoughts kept racing through her head, making it unable for the orange-haired girl to fall asleep.
Orihime had made another pizza, remembering the obvious delight Ulquiorra found in the simple dish's flavor. Afterwards, she had taken a long bath and changed into her pajamas. Showing the Espada the bath-room and giving him a towel and a change of clothes (Orihime had kept several outfits that had belonged to her late brother, Sora. This outfit consisted of his favorite green sweatpants and a white t-shirt that said "Smile".), Orihime had left him to take a bath himself.
Glancing at the clock, Orihime saw it was 11:30. It was a good hour later that she finally dozed off, eventually falling into a deep sleep.

Long after Orihime had fallen asleep, Ulquiorra Cifer still lay awake, staring at the ceiling of his Onna's living room. He was trying to figure out why the guilty feeling in his chest hadn't gone away since reading the story earlier. The Espada felt the exhaustion from the day pressing down on his mind, but he couldn't fall asleep no matter how much he tried.
Ulquiorra had also been pondering a recent realization for several hours now. He appeared to be about 17 years old, the age of a normal high schooler. The Cuatro Espada was going to have to go to high school… soon.
He internally growled at the stupidity that his heart and gigai brought with them. Ulquiorra was usually composed, confident, and fearless; but at this moment in time, he was nervous about starting school. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't pinpoint the reason for her nervousness.
The Cuatro Espada took a deep breath, commanding himself to return to his normal self, to his nonchalant and fearless self. Finally able to quiet his mind enough to allow the Espada some internal peace, Ulquiorra dozed off some time after 3:00 AM…



Both pairs of eyes snapped open as Orihime Inoue's alarm clock when off at 6:30 AM sharp. Even though Ulquiorra Cifer was now in a gigai, he still had the exceptional hearing of the Espada he was. Sitting up, the Cuatro Espada frowned; sleeping on his Onna's couch wasn't the world's most comfortable thing, and he now had a crick in his neck. He stood up and walked into the kitchen. Since he was a quick learner and had watched Orihime making coffee yesterday, he immediately started a cup of coffee for her (though he had his doubts that he would drink a cup of the brown concoction himself).
A yawn escaped the tired Espada's mouth, making him rethink his idea of not drinking any coffee. He remembered his Onna telling him that coffee helped tired humans wake up and feel more alert when they were tired.
Hearing a shuffling of feet walking down the hallway, Ulquiorra turned and watched as Orihime walked in, sleep still in her eyes, but smiling her usual brilliant smile. It seemed that sleep had worked out the awkward atmosphere between the two ever since Ulquiorra translated Orihime's homework for her.
"Ohayou Gozaimasu, Ulquiorra-san!" Orihime sang, yawning hugely afterwards.
"Good morning, Onna. I have made coffee." Orihime giggled at the stiff way he spoke. She didn't know why, but his monotonous voice seemed humorous to her. Perhaps it was the fact that his tone of voice completely contradicted his current appearance of disheveled hair and wrinkled clothes.
"I have decided to enroll myself in you high school today, Onna. I will accompany you to school and then go to the main office." Orihime blinked. Not only had Ulquiorra spoken more than she had, but he was also going to enroll in school.
"Okay!" She beamed, making Ulquiorra feel something building up in his chest that he had felt several times since he had gained a heart.
When the coffee was finished, Orihime poured herself a cup and added a heap of sugar and milk to it and began stirring it with a spoon. Following suite, the Cuatro Espada took a mug, poured some coffee in it and added just milk. Ulquiorra had decided to experiment with different combinations of the three ingredients.
Taking a sip of the coffee, he found that he preferred these combinations more than his Onna's horrendous-tasting liquid. Downing his cup of coffee in less than a minute, ignoring the slightly too hot drink burning his mouth, he set the mug in the sink like he had seen Orihime do with all of the dishes.  

Forty-five minutes later…
Orihime rushed into the school building, saying something about how she should have left her apartment earlier, with Ulquiorra following slightly slower.
"Bye, Ulquiorra-san!" Orihime called, waving behind her as she dove into a classroom.
Ulquiorra walked with determination towards the school's main office. Walking into the room, the Espada stood in the back of the room until all of the people waiting in line slowly filtered out of the room as a bell rang, announcing the official beginning of class.
"May I help you?" A woman with short, spiky red hair (who was obviously the secretary) asked, smiling warmly at Ulquiorra.
"Yes, I would like to know what procedures I would need to take to enroll myself in this high school," the woman ignored his emotionless tone and beamed.
"It's not very complicated," she reached under the desk at which she sat and grabbed a stack of paper that must have contained at least 50 pieces of paper. "Just fill these out with the information asked for and return them. Do you want to take them home or fill them out here? Oh! And you'll also need to give me a copy of your birth certificate."
Handing the Espada the paperwork, he replied nonchalantly, "I will take them with me. The papers will be returned by the end of the day."
Without another word, Ulquiorra walked out the door, carrying the huge stack of papers.
"What an odd young man…" the secretary thought, staring at the door. The phone ran, interrupting her train of thought, bringing her back to earth and letting her focus on her job again.

The Cuatro Espada strode through the school hallways, heading to the exit. Suddenly the bathroom door off to his right side swung open.
"You," a black-haired man with glasses hissed. "What the hell are you doing her?!"
Ignoring the Quincy, Ulquiorra walked the last few meters to the exit and when he was sure no one would see him, he Sonidoed back to his Onna's apartment.

An angered Ishida Uryuu entered his classroom going back to his seat. He was steaming, making it impossible for him to focus on the rest of the math lesson. When the bell signaling lunch break rang, he followed Orihime to the tree where she, Tatsuki and Chizuru usually ate lunch at.
"Inoue-san, can I talk to you for a minute?" Orihime was slightly puzzled as to why the Quincy was so angry, and nodded.
"What is it Ishida-kun?" she tilted her head.
Uryuu couldn't hold it in and snapped, trying to keep his voice down, "I ran into Ulquiorra Cifer when I went to the bathroom during math. What was he doing in our school?"
The Quincy dreaded the answer he knew was coming.
"He's enrolling himself as a student," Orihime simple stated, wondering where her friend was going with this.
"What was he doing in your house? Why is he living in your apartment?" Ishida couldn't stop the words that slipped out of his mouth next. "That vermin has no right to be your friend."
A split second later, Ishida stumbled back, a stinging red mark on his cheek from where an enraged, offended Orihime had slapped him.
"He's not a vermin and has every right to be my friend! He's living in my apartment because he has nowhere else to stay and I actually pity that!" Orihime stormed off, trying to fight back the tears that had already started running down her cheeks. She didn't stop to grab her lunchbox or explain a thing to Arisawa or Chizuru, who stared after her, concerned.
Ishida Uryuu watched her walk off, shocked that the usually calm Orihime had slapped him, hard.