Swimming Pool: Chapter II

                     swimming pools

       ∞ negative creeper ∞

               standard disclaimer implied
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                        But I'm a creature of a culture that I create
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Ulquiorra woke the next morning with a sense of serenity and warmth. The warmth being more physical than he originally thought. He woke to the sight of Orihime sleeping soundly on his bare chest. Her damp hair splayed across her face like a veil; she reminded him of one of those china dolls that sat on the highest shelf in a person house. Out of everyone's reach.

He remembered visiting his grandmother's house when he was younger and having to sit directly in front of her shelves of dolls that stood like glass buildings ready to tumble and crash at any given moment. He remembered the way they stared at him, their eyes sizing him up and screaming his secrets in the silence of the room. He remembered tearing each one of them off their stand and throwing them to hardwood floor; tilting every shelf over and the feeling of relief that washed over him when he looked at their broken faces. His grandmother cried when she came back into the room, his mother gave him a look of disdain as his father pulled him out the door, embarrassed. And that was the last time he saw his grandmother.

His musing ended there when Orihime rolled over and was practically lying on top of him. He sighed, unsure of what course of action to take at the moment. He could push her off and in the process wake her up or lay and wait until she woke on her own. He subtly reached over toward his desk to pick up his cell phone to check the time and it was twelve in the afternoon. Luckily, he didn't have any classes today, but it was a rule not to sleep pass twelve.

Though he could have been gentle about it, he wasn't. He sat up abruptly causing her to land on his lap, wide awake. Recognizing her surrounding, she popped up surprised jumping up and off the bed. She stood facing the wall as her face burnt brighter than a tomato. Ulquiorra ignored her reaction, before getting up and walking to the bathroom. After she finished scolding herself for her wild sleeping habits, she picked up her stray shorts that were still damp. Even though, that didn't stop her from slipping her legs into their rightful places.

She sat on the bed and thought of last night's events; she almost drowned, again. This is why she doesn't like pools, because she always ended up almost drowning. The last time however, she was with her brother, Sora; before he died he was determined to teach her how to swim. But for some reason she was made to sink, and every time she sank, Sora would save her. But every time he saved her, she hated swimming just a little bit more. She found her heels tucked under the bed and slipped her sore feet into them while making a promise to never wear them again.

Orihime was testing her ability to walk in her heels with aching feet, when she heard the repetitive ringing coming from Ulquiorra's desk. Curiously, she tumbled over the mattress to peer down at the white smart phone. The screen held an icon of a little green phone and below it read in white text 'Mother.' Concerned, she wondered if the call was important, she looked at the closed bathroom door and debated whether or not she should notified him.

She picked up the thin phone and wobbled her way to the bathroom door. When she raised her hand to knock on the door, the door swung in and she came face to face with another shirtless Ulquiorra; however this time he was also pants less with only a towel hanging from his hips and another sitting atop his head almost like a hood.

She held his phone in front of his face and said cheerfully, "It's your Mother."

The minuscule piece of serenity he had awoken with all but dematerialized at that very moment. The last thing he wanted to do this morning was talk to his Mother. He glared at the screen for a few moments longer hoping the ringing would stop, but then he remembered this was his Mother after all and she would stay on the phone for days until he answered. After losing the battle, he took the phone from her grasp before walking toward his bed, leaving her very disoriented.

"Mother." He said into the phone as sat on the edge of the bed.

"Ulquiorra, what took you so long to answer the phone? I hope you aren't sleeping pass twelve every day," She said patronizing him over the phone, "Never mind that, I am calling to inform you that I will be marrying this Sunday and I need you to come." She said with her monotonous voice.

"Who are you marrying?" he asked uninterested.

"Kurosaki Isshin, the doctor at Kurosaki Clinic."

"What time does it start?" he said faintly remembering the eccentric physician.

"Eleven sharp, and since you are my only child and my Father is deceased; I need you to walk me down the aisle."

"Very well, is there anything else?"

"Yes, I want you to bring a date. You are twenty years old. You need to start a committed relationship before it is too late." She nagged for the millionth time. She was for some reason overly concerned about his love life, because every time she called, she always found a way to bring up this particular topic. Kind of funny, seeing as this is his first time hearing of her current relationship status.

"I can try, but I cannot make any promises."

"Well then you better try hard." She said before hanging up without so much as a goodbye.

Ulquiorra sighed and ran a hand through his black hair, removing the towel from his head at the same time. Orihime noticed the change in his demeanor and looked at him with concern.

"Is everything okay?" she said as she mustered up a smile, "You said someone was getting married, isn't that a good thing? I've never been to a wedding," she spoke as she crawled across the bed in his direction, before settling beside him, "Although, I did hear it's supposed to be beautiful and it's supposed to be the happiest day of the bride's life, and there's dancing, cake, and champagne." she continued looking up at the ceiling with a wide grin spread across her face.

She continued to rant as Ulquiorra found her words irrelevant seeing as this will not be the first wedding he has attended; however, her inconsistent babbling made a light go off in his head.

"Would you like to go?" he asked rather suddenly. He found this the perfect opportunity; all he had to do was make his Mother believe they were a serious couple and maybe she would leave him alone. But of course he wouldn't inform her of this plan. People do not take too kindly to being used.

"Really? Yes! It's going to be so much fun and we can–."

"Yes, we will do all of those things, but I should tell you this is a date." He said rising from the mattress and making his way toward his closet to find something to wear, and Orihime's face for the trillionth time this morning shined like the lights on a Christmas tree.

"O-okay." She said eyeing her feet.
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After Ulquiorra finished getting dress, he announced that he would be taking her home. Although she said she could make it home by herself, he insisted. They left the safety of his room and descended the stairs. The house had cups, cans, glass, puddles of unknown liquids, and even a few people laid unconscious across the floor. When they arrived at the bottom of the stairs three people sat at the dining room table. The first she recall as Nnoitra – from the night before, the guy that threw her in the pool, whose name she never learnt, and the last guy wore glasses and had light pink hair.

"Well look who decided to sleep in." Nnoitra taunted with a huge grin. Ulquiorra didn't pay them any heed.

"Taking her home, what a gentleman?" Szayelaporro said with a snicker.

"Ah shit! Can't you assholes just shut up for once?" Grimmjow howled in pain as he gripped the side of his head, clearly hung over. Ulquiorra didn't even glance in their direction while Orihime tried to hide her face behind her hair.

She followed him out the door and around the side of the house where several cars were parked on the lawn. Orihime wasn't very knowledgeable when it came to cars, but the car he walked up to was gorgeous. Ulquiorra found it absurd to say he loved his car, but he really, really, really did like his car. He had gotten the car when he was sixteen, it was a present from his Father. Although, his Mother thought it illogical to buy a sports car for someone who just learned how to drive; there was nothing she could do about it.

Orihime stared at the car dreamily before pulling open the passenger door. The sleek black outside matched the inside to a T. Orihime stared at the dashboard somewhat envious, because her car was, in fact built in the late eighty's and very rusty.

Once they were on the road she gave him directions, but after that the silence of the car became uncomfortable for her. Ulquiorra on the other hand enjoyed the silence and he was very much so basking in it before she suddenly began to feel the air with her voice. He was starting to think this was a part of her character. Was it too late to go to the wedding alone?

"Let's play a game." she said turning to look at him.

"I suppose."

"Okay, the name of the game is 21 questions. I'll go first." she said with a smile. He only replied with a nod.

"What's your favorite colour?"

"I do not have a favorite colour."

"Yeah, I don't think I could choose either, but I like bright colours the most."

"Okay next question, Hmm... I never learned your last name." she said, despite the fact that she didn't state it as a question.

"Schiffer." he answered.

"Ulqui orra Schi ffer," she said sounding out the syllables as the sharp left turn when unnoticed.

"My last name's Inoue. Okay next question, do you have any siblings?"

"No."

"Oh, I had an older brother, Sora, we used to do everything together and he-." she said before Ulquiorra cut in.

"Had?" he questioned.

"Yea, he died when I was twelve, in a car accident." the atmosphere became tense and all the more awkward.

"Well anyway, next question." she said.

"We are here." he said before she could finish. Without her knowing, he had already pulled up to the door of her dorm.

"Oh, thank you, Ulquiorra-kun." she said unbuckling her seat belt as he noticed the added suffix to his name.

"Woman," he called to her before she could open the car door, "I will arrive at nine sharp this Sunday. Be ready." he finished.

"Okay, I can't wait. Bye bye, Ulquiorra-kun." she gushed as she got out the car. She watched him back out the small parking lot and realized that Nel's car wasn't in it's usual parking spot, or in the parking lot at all. She shrugged guessing she left earlier and retrieved her car before returning home.

Orihime sighed and decided all she needed right now was a nice hot shower.