Chapter 1: Fairy Godfather

He woke up next to her. They both were clothed. He felt giddy as he jumped out of bed. His hotel room smelled like pizza and hot wings. It smelled like Orihime's soap. He couldn't believe this. He let her sleep as he hopped into the shower. As soon as he got out and wrapped a towel around his waist, Ulquiorra looked at himself. He looked happier. He appeared full of life instead of walking around with a pair of dead eyes.

As he brushed his teeth, his eyes landed on his newest tattoo. It was dark and stood out against how pale his skin appeared in the harsh lighting. He finished getting cleaned up and walked out into the hotel room.

Orihime groaned as the light from the bathroom flooded the dark room. "What time is it?" she grumbled with a hand over her eyes.

"It's a little before seven-thirty. I have autographs at nine," Ulquiorra said as he came over to the bed and sat down. "Get up, Sleeping Beauty."

"Fine," she complained, but despite her tone, she had a huge grin on her face. She rubbed her eyes and sat up with her hands in her lap, blinking a few times to adjust to the light since Ulquiorra had opened the black-out curtains, leaving the privacy sheers closed. Once she was able to see, she turned her smile toward him and then froze. "Whoa. That's a tattoo."

He raised an eyebrow and looked down at the IV tattooed on his chest. "Don't like it?"

She shook her head with a renewed smile. "As far as tattoos go, this one is very nice. Now it's like there's no doubt who ObscurasIV is."

Ulquiorra smiled at her briefly. "I wanted to get something, but didn't want to tattoo a four on me," he said.

"Well, I gotta say, it looks pretty… pretty. I like the bold black on you. I've never been very interested in tattoos, but you are pulling it off. Can I touch it?" she asked, slightly embarrassed.

He laid back and nodded. He really should have gotten dressed instead of just wearing the towel.

Orihime turned to face him, folding her legs in front of her and leaning forward, touching the fingertips of her right hand to the center of his chest and sliding them toward his left nipple. The tattoo was just above it. She paused when her fingers came in contact with the black portions of skin. "Oh, it feels the same," she commented, somewhat surprised.

He had to chuckle at that. "Well yeah, it's healed. It's just skin. What did you expect?" Ulquiorra asked, glancing up at her.

"Um, I don't know, I guess I thought it would be a bit rougher or harder." Her eyes found his again and then she giggled a bit. "You're naked."

"I'm not naked. I have a towel on," he said. "Naked would imply that I came out of the bathroom with nothing on. I covered the inappropriate bits."

"A technicality, I suppose. What time do you have to get going this morning?" she asked, looking down at herself. She was still wearing the same clothes she had worn the previous day. It did not feel very pleasant.

Ulquiorra reached over to the bedside table and looked at his phone. There was a text from Nemu, as he expected. "Eight-thirty. She's driving us to the place, so if you want to take my rental, you can," he said. "Why?"

She smiled and stretched before responding. "I was hoping to take a quick shower and change first. I don't usually sleep in my clothes, it feels kinda gross," she said and laughed in embarrassment. "I don't want to swipe your car, though. I can call Momo and find out what's going on today. Maybe I can meet them somewhere around here. Do you think I can leave some of my stuff here?"

His nerves eased a bit at her answer. Here he was thinking of all kinds of lewd activities that Orihime wanted to do before he had to leave. Not that he would mind, but they had agreed to take things slow. "If they're hungover, take the rental, okay? And absolutely. You can leave anything you want here. Hell, bring all your stuff here," he said with a smile, only partially kidding. "Mi casa su casa, or at least my hotel room is your hotel room."

She leaned over and kissed his forehead. "Okay. I better get moving. Um, okay. I'll try to call after I get out of the shower but if you have to go before I know what's going on, can I hang out here for a bit?"

"I'll let you know I'm leaving before I go, even if I have to barge into the bathroom," he said. Ulquiorra grabbed the back of Orihime's neck and pulled her down. The desire building inside of him was starting to affect his brain. Once again it was like someone flipped a switch on as he kissed her, opening his mouth slightly. He wanted to wrap himself up in her and never let go. He wanted to take her everywhere with him. He couldn't, and the buzz from his phone reminded him of that. "Fucking schedules," he muttered as he broke their kiss.

She smiled in his face before sitting back up. "Maybe be grateful to them; if we were free to do whatever we pleased this week, we'd end up rushing things." She leaned down once more and pecked his lips before getting off the bed and grabbing her bag. "I'll see you in a bit," she said, before disappearing into the bathroom.

He laid there for a minute, letting himself calm down. It took him another minute to find the outfit that Nemu had picked out for him for that day. He had to admit to himself she was rather efficient at her job. She had twelve outfits packed into bags along with four pairs of shoes. He was the one who threw his own boxers, socks and pajama pants into the suitcase. Yeah they were stacked in there nice and neat, but Nemu's organizational skills were beyond his own.

Ulquiorra was buckling his belt when the consultant walked into his room. "What the hell?" he hissed as she came in.

"Are you almost ready? Aaron and Ggio are ready to go," Nemu asked, not bothering to answer his question. "Oh, your tattoo is looking good."

"All I have to do is put on my shirt and shoes, grab my shit and a-"

She cut him off. "You won't need a jacket, so the leather jacket thing can stay here," she said. Nemu cocked her head to the side and appeared to be listening to something. "Is someone here?"

"A hooker. I paid for a hooker last night. She's taking a shower."

"Oh." Nemu straightened her spine and huffed. "Well get ready and we'll be waiting in the lobby."

Ulquiorra watched as the dark-haired woman left the room. Why the hell did she have a keycard to his room? He finished getting dressed and then knocked on the bathroom door. "Can I come in?" he asked.

"Sure," Orihime said. She was still in the shower, behind the curtain.

He entered and walked over to the shower, pulling back the curtain just enough to get a peek. "Nemu just came by," he said as he gazed at her.

Orihime had her elbows up as she was lathering shampoo into her hair, and had her eyes closed to protect them from the burning suds. She turned toward the voice and replied, "Oh, is it time to go already?"

"Yeah, but I wish it wasn't," he said. She had taken care of herself during their time apart. Orihime still looked gorgeous. Ulquiorra bit his lip before reaching out with a hand, letting the back of his fingers ghost over one of her nipples. He felt like a pervert, but it was whatever to him.

"Oh!" she peeped, then cracked an eye open. "Well, hello to you too." She smiled and closed her eyes again. It was nothing he hadn't seen before; she had just been surprised. "I didn't know you were watching."

He laughed. "Well, seeing as you got to cop a feel last night and this morning, it's only fair, right? I love you. I'll see you later then?"

"Hold on just a second!" she said, putting her head under the stream of water and washing the suds out of her scalp as quickly as she could, then wiped her face off marginally with her wet hands and turned to face him, opening her eyes and using the shower curtain to shield his clothes as she stepped toward him. "Give me a kiss first."

"Okay," he said. Ulquiorra didn't care if he did get wet. He kissed Orihime, allowing one hand to ghost down the side of her body. Once he reached her hip, his heart was beating rapidly.

Orihime was feeling it too, glad she was in the shower. Her body was responding to his touch. She hummed a little whine into his mouth and then pulled back. "That was evil, Ulquiorra," she scolded. "I'm going to be thinking about that all day."

A smirk spread over his mouth. "Good, because I'm going to be thinking about it too, along with how you were touching my chest. I've got to go."

"Okay, where are you going to leave the keys? I don't want to rifle through your stuff. Also, do you just want to text me about meeting up later? Can I be any more clingy?" She laughed at herself, but she was a bit worried about it.

"I left the keys on the bedside table along with my keycard, just in case you want to come back here. I'll text you my schedule for today when I get it and then we can decide what matches up, okay?"

"Okay. I love you. Have a good morning!" she said, smiling at him.

He gave her a brilliant smile before leaving the bathroom. Ulquiorra made sure he had everything before he went downstairs.

After Orihime was showered and dressed, she called Momo. Ulquiorra was right; they were all hung over. The mandolinist promised to call back later and maybe meet up for a late lunch. It was fine with Orihime; she wanted to get a bite to eat and walk around to get a feel for the area before deciding whether or not to drive the half hour back to Momo's place. She grabbed Ulquiorra's keycard, and after carefully tucking it into her wallet, she walked down to the elevators and out the lobby.

There was a grocery store across the street, so she stopped there and got an energy bar and an iced coffee. The sun was up and it was already seventy degrees. Orihime took a walk around; a lot of places weren't open yet because it was still early. About forty-five minutes later, she was back at the hotel and making her way back up to the room. She let herself in and decided to rest for a bit; the night before had been emotional and they had stayed up a bit late, so she took off her shoes and climbed back into bed.

Two hours later her phone started ringing.

"Hello?" Orihime said in a sleepy voice before clearing it. She had fallen asleep.

"Hey, it's Mo. Where are you?"

"Um, the Hyatt on Third Street. Where are you?"

"We're gonna go get some food. Wanna meet there? We're about ten minutes out."

"Yeah, okay, just let me get cleaned up and I can be down there around then."

"Okay. Late night?" Momo asked suggestively.

"Uh, not how you think, but kinda. I'll see you soon," Orihime said and hung up, not up to chatting at the moment. After cleaning the sleep out of her eyes and rebrushing her hair and teeth, Orihime grabbed Ulquiorra's key card again and headed down to meet her group.

His hand hurt after an hour of signing photographs of himself. It also hurt because he wrote with the same hand he had hit Shuhei with. He turned in his seat and motioned to Nemu, who had been standing at the back of the booth. "Can you get me one of those shakes?"

"Flavor?"

"Uh, strawberry, I guess."

"Anything else for the king?" she asked. Her tone was slightly bitchy.

"Can you get me something for a headache?" Ulquiorra asked. He also tacked on, "Please?"

The look on her face softened a bit and she nodded. He didn't miss it. Shit. Why did he attract the crazy ones? Or at least the ones who thought they had a chance with him? Why was Nemu mad, anyway? Because he said he had paid a hooker? Orihime was not a hooker, but it wasn't Nemu's business who the fuck was in his shower that morning. He had paid for his own hotel room and the rental car out of the savings account his father had finally given him access to. There was a sizeable amount in there. His dad had sent him a text explaining that every bit of child support that his mother had sent to him had been deposited to the account with interest. No call. No hey can we talk… A fucking text.

He understood that his dad was going through a hard time, but the guy also needed to reach out if they were to repair their relationship.

Ulquiorra shook his head. He couldn't think of his dad or his mom right now. He had to finish this autograph session. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and Nemu put the carton on the table by his elbow. "Thanks," he said.

"I'm going to have to go somewhere and get you something for a headache," she said, the hand still on his shoulder. Ulquiorra had a feeling if he tilted his head back, he'd get a faceful of tits. "Is it bad?"

He shrugged. "See if Aaron or Ggio need anything," Ulquiorra said. "It's not fair that I get all the attention from you."

The minutes ticked by and he sipped on the drink. All the people who came up for a photo of the band seemed really excited to meet him. Ulquiorra smiled and nodded while making small talk. The host of the signing finally thanked everyone for coming and announced the next act that would be showing up to give up their signatures.

Nemu ushered them out of the room and the building they were in. It was hotter than Ulquiorra expected for March.

"I should have worn shorts or something," Aaron said as they walked to the car.

Ulquiorra had to agree, but he never wore shorts, even on the hottest day in Ohio. "What are we doing next? Can we go back to the hotel? Maybe get a iced coffee?"

Nemu answered, "You guys have got an intimate sessions at a coffee shop. We sold about a hundred tickets for this."

"What?" Ulquiorra asked. "Hold up, we're playing a show?"

"It's not a show, it is a session. Three to five songs, depending on the crowd."

It was Aaron who piped up from the back. "So what songs are we doing?"

"Where the fuck is Komamura?" Ulquiorra asked. He hadn't seen his manager for at least three weeks now.

"He should be here tomorrow. He had some family stuff to take care of," Nemu said. "Once he shows up, I'll go back to Los Angeles and start getting things together for your tour."

Ulquiorra felt railroaded by all this information. He really hadn't been paying attention during those meetings and briefings that had happened. "I mean,I know we're going on that ten city tour, but what the fuck do you mean get things together?"

"Ulquiorra, I'm an image consultant. I'm putting looks together for each of you. The label wants you to look a certain way, thus it's my job to plan outfits. Don't worry, I'm not going with you on tour. That's all Nanao and Komamura's job," Nemu said

Oh. Okay. She wasn't doing anything funny. Nemu was doing her job. He could accept that. "Ah, so we're going to have a makeup artist and stuff with us?"

Nemu hummed for a moment. "The most makeup you'll need is eyeliner, and lots of it. You'll just sweat out any product that is put in your hair. Gin was somewhat adamant about some points when he was dictating what he wanted for you guys. White and black, Aaron gets a face mask, Ggio a headband, and you… well you'll have to see what Gin has in store for you."

Ulquiorra could already tell that he didn't like this idea.

"It has a wing on it."

"A wing? Like Sephiroth, one winged angel kind of bullshit?"

"How do you know who Sephiroth is?"

"My dad had the games. I popped them into my PS2 and played through it. It's practically how I learned to read," Ulquiorra answered. "How do you know who he is?"

"Oh darling. I was almost in fourth grade when I got my hands on Final Fantasy seven."

It was silent in the car. Orihime was right. This bitch was at least thirty years old and Ulquiorra kissed her? He had contemplated and even joked around about dicking her down? "Nemu… How old are you?"

"I'll be thirty-three this year."

He had to keep from visually cringing. Fourteen years. The idea made his skin crawl. He pulled out his phone and sent a text to Orihime. "Can we stop somewhere for the headache stuff?" he asked after he sent it.

- You were right… she's 33. (frown)

"We were going to play this really great dive bar, but Shu insisted that we can't play somewhere that Orihime couldn't get into, so we're doing this bar and grill place we play at occasionally anyway. Lame," Ikkaku complained as the group left the tex-mex place where they had just eaten lunch.

"Sorry. You guys didn't have to do that."

"Fact of the matter is, Orihime, you've got a decent YouTube presence, and you and Shu have generated a bit of a buzz. We promised the venue you'd be there. Please come or we're screwed," Momo pleaded, although it sounded more like a demand.

"Well, if it's all set up I don't mind. Am I dressed okay though? I left all my stuff at the hotel," Orihime replied.

Shu rolled his eyes. The bruise on his face was not as bad as Orihime had expected it to look. Momo must have taken good care of him, she thought.

"Yeah, you look fine. Can't really go wrong with a black sundress," Momo replied. "So, where's your boyfriend, anyway?"

"Um, he had some autograph event this morning, and then some other appearance? He wasn't sure. His weird old image consultant is dragging him around all over the place. He said he'll text me later to let me know what's up and he'll meet up."

"Maybe he can come watch the show? I heard there might be some industry people there. The place has really good ribs and it's near a couple nicer hotels. The only problem is we're playing kind of earlier… not cool enough for top billing."

"It's okay. It's nice to perform early sometimes," Orihime said with a pleasant smile, then felt her phone buzz. She took it out to see Ulquiorra's text about Nemu and cackled. "I knew it," she murmured and replied.

- Told you so, lol. Sorry that's gross. Any idea what your plan is for today?

Ulquiorra was sucking down an iced coffee with the addition of a protein shake from the place they were playing at. Medici was a nice place with a second floor where the performance would be taking place. There were people with cameras milling about. Ggio and Aaron were setting up, since it took them longer. They usually screwed around until it was actually time to perform.

He had taken the pain pills for his hand and the beginning of a headache. Nemu hovered in the corner sipping something in a cup. She kept staring at him.

His phone buzzed, which was good, because Ulquiorra didn't know how much more of the older woman's attention he could take.

- Don't remind me. I actually joked to Nanao that I wanted to call her up for a booty call. YUCK. No thanks. I'll pass on that. Seriously I want to go take several hot showers. Playing a coffee shop in about 10 mins. Then we've got a couple of interviews. Apparently I missed a lot while I checked out during the past couple of months. Tomorrow Komamura will be here and Nemu's going back to LA.

Orihime read his message as they piled back into Ikkaku's van.

- Busy! I've been roped into playing a show at this bar and grill a few blocks north of your hotel at around 5. Speaking of which, I still have your keycard. You have another one, right?

Ulquiorra thought about this morning in his hotel room and he shifted on the stool he was sitting on. That's all he needed, to get hard while in public. He took the plastic to go cup from his mouth and set it on the floor beside his seat.

- I have one, which you have and… Nem has the other one. I was only given one when she handed them out. Also… thinking about this morning has me in a way. IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN.

Orihime frowned, then laughed, then frowned again while reading his message.

- Well, sorry… you're going to have to deal for a bit. (wink) Also, WTF? Why does she have one of your keys? That's just creepy. Did the label pay for her to make sure you don't die in a room they paid for or something? I don't get it.

Scoffing, Ulquiorra shook his head. He glanced in Nemu's direction and saw that she was still looking at him.

- This can go both ways Veggs. I can make you want it just as much as I do. Also I think since she's playing the role of assistant she thinks she needs to do wake up calls. She heard the shower this morning. I said I had a woman in there… technically I said hooker but in no way shape or form do I think of you like that. You're an angel and I love you. I said that so she wouldn't bust my balls. It's none of her fucking business who is in my room. I paid for the damn thing.

Orihime frowned harder.

- she is f'n weird. I get a seriously bad vibe. It's your room. Demand she hands the key over if you want. You're entitled. As for the other thing… I came back to the room after my solo foray into the wilds of Austin. I should be good to go for several more hours ;)

It was a fib, but he didn't have to know that.

Hmph. His mouth formed a thin line, and he was going to respond, but Ggio signaled they were ready. Ulquiorra nodded and picked up the acoustic guitar he had brought along for this trip. He put his phone back into his pocket. He'd deal with Orihime later.

They played several songs from the album and then a couple of other covers of songs. It took an hour to get through six songs. The crowd wanted more, but the owner of the coffeeshop shooed them off the stage saying there would be more bands along to play.

He was downstairs at the counter buying another iced coffee when Nemu stood beside him. "What, Nem?"

"I hope you wore protection," she said quietly.

"None of your business," Ulquiorra replied.

"If you get something or get sick, that's on me. I was told to keep you safe," she stated. Nemu's chest pressed against his arm as she moved closer. "You didn't have to pay anyone."

Ulquiorra rolled his eyes and looked away. "You're like almost fifteen years older than me. It's kind of creepy." Nemu was silent but he could feel the indignant air coming off her. "I mean, I'm flattered, Nem, but come on; I could see if you were like, I don't know… twenty-five. That's like my limit for anyone."

"You're the one who kept kissing me the day you came back from Ohio," she said.

"Okay, and we've already established I was an asshole for doing that, okay? I apologized for it. I just wanted to see if I could feel something for someone else," Ulquiorra sighed, wishing that the people making his drink would hurry up. "What's the schedule look like for the rest of the day?"

Nemu took a step back. She must have gotten the message. "You have an interview for a magazine in the conference room at the Hyatt," she replied. "That happens at three. After that you're free until tomorrow afternoon. OIV-"

"CIFER?!" a voice called out, holding up his cup of coffee.

Ulquiorra wasted no time in grabbing the cup and walking out of the coffee shop. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, quickly texting Orihime.

- Maybe I should do the same thing? Go back to the room and just think about you. Should tide me over for a couple of months since it's been that long. Come get me for your gig or text me the address? I can be there to watch you.

She smiled at his text.

- well, if you wanna clean your pipes, have at it. I was kidding before, btw. Trying to get a reaction. Lol. Anyway, I'll have Momo send you the info when she sends it to me. I left the car with you, although if you can't get to your room a lot of good that does. Hmmm… I can probably pick you up. I don't want to have to play nurse Hime again so no more fisticuffs with Shu?

That saved him a lot of time. He wanted to relieve the tension in his body, but he would be able to put it off until they were ready to be together like that. Again, that wave of desire rippled through him and he sighed.

- I'll get Nemu to give me her keycard. Text me the address. Maybe if he keeps his mouth shut? No promises. Pretty boy needs to keep his hands off my woman.

Something akin to arousal flooded her body as she read his text.

- hnngh, I like it when you talk tough. And you are the pretty boy, btw. (heart)

Ulquiorra took a photo of himself biting his lip while smiling and sent it to her. Let's see how she likes that, he thought.

- Awww she thinks I'm pretty! You're pretty damn gorgeous yourself Vega. (heart) see you soon-ish.

The place they were setting up in looked kind of goofy but smelled awesome. Smoky meat was the predominant aroma. It made Orihime's mouth water.

"Stop drooling, Orihime," Shu said to her, a bit kinder than he had been for the past couple of days. "You can eat after we play."

Orihime rolled her eyes and smiled at him. "So, did you guys rehearse? Which songs are we doing?"

"All our YouTube ones and Tonight Tonight, Cecelia, The Scientist, and some other classics. By the time we move past our regular fare it will basically just be glorified karaoke for us, so don't worry."

Orihime looked offended. "I do not perform "glorified karaoke". Karaoke is glorious in its own right, but I don't slack off. Who's got the set list?"

Shu directed her to Momo as the guys started setting up. "So, um, Momo, did you and Shu…?" Orihime asked after she approached.

Momo smirked at her. "Sorta, we were both pretty trashed, but we made out a bit. Should be able to seal the deal tonight, though. Speaking of which, can you crash with Ulq again tonight?"

Orihime sighed and nodded, pretending like it was an inconvenience. She asked to see the set list and checked mics, and before she knew it, it was time to start.

"Tonight we're starting off early with Vega Strife and Shu Hisagi of recent YouTube fame, backed by I. Kira and Austin's own Peach Cobbler. Take it away, Vega," a restaurant staffer said into a mic and then walked off stage.

Orihime smiled and scanned the crowd. She was only looking for one person.

He and Nemu fought about the keycard. What if he decided to oversleep and no one could get into his room? She was told by Komamura to keep one key to each of their rooms just in case. Ulquiorra didn't believe that bullshit for one minute, but Nanao confirmed the story. It was Espada Records' policy for the assistant to hold onto keycards just in case there was an artist who had a drug problem, or in Ulquiorra's case, got drunk and overslept. Nanao told him that they were more worried about something going wrong with him and not eating than anything else.

He had been eating. He'd been drinking the shakes!

Nanao told him over the phone, "One week of eating and being around your girlfriend doesn't equate to progress. Once we can put some weight on you, you can keep your second card."

He threw a fit about it and called his mother. She echoed the same thing Nanao said. It was the label's policy. Someone had to be able to get into their rooms. It made rescue efforts faster and it was a method that saved lives.

Nemu let him into his room. Ulquiorra grabbed the car keys and a light jacket since it looked like it was going to rain. He didn't want to be caught out in it.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"Nineteen, not nine. Don't need to tell you my every move, but I am going to see a really awesome band play. I'll be back before lights out," Ulquiorra said as the elevator doors closed.

He got there as the person introduced the band. He meant to get there sooner, but the damn traffic around Austin was shitty. There were a lot of people going places. He saw Orihime and both of his brows went up as he looked at her. That was a cute but simple little black dress she wore.

Orihime's eyes found his finally, and her smile widened as she spoke. "Thanks for coming out, everyone, especially you," she said, not taking her eyes off of him, but getting a mild chuckle from a few other patrons who thought she was just trying to be charming. "I'm Vega Strife zero zero on YouTube, and this is Shu Hisagi and Kira, and beside us is Peach Cobbler. We're going to play some familiar tunes for you tonight, so sit back, enjoy, and feel free to sing along," she said, then looked back at Shu and the others and nodded to begin. They started with "Heaven". It sounded great. Momo's mandolin playing really added to the song, and Ikkaku's percussion helped hold everyone together as a unit. It sounded different, and less intimate, than the recordings done at Shu's place, but more interesting.

Ulquiorra grabbed a table but kept his eyes on the redhead singing. She sounded really good with those guys. It was almost magical… The only thing that kept it from being out of this world was that the green-eyed musician knew that the people standing up on that stage were a bunch of assholes. Orihime sounded amazing though. She was singing from her heart, he knew that much.

They did "Cecelia" next, just to raise the energy in the room, only to slam it back down with their cover of "Best I Ever Had." It was the one song Orihime sang that night during which she refused to look at Ulquiorra. It was too painful as it was, just to remember the feelings the song conjured. After that song, she took a break to let Momo do some talking and rewarming up the crowd while she turned around and drank some water and dabbed her eyes. They came back after that and did "Photograph", "We Don't Talk Anymore", "Tonight, Tonight" and "The Scientist", then circling back into Orihime's solo repertoire, doing "Looking Too Closely" and "You've Got a Friend." After those songs, Peach Cobbler took over and Orihime and Shu stuck to back up vocals.

He had to take a deep breath to keep himself in check. It wouldn't do to be seen out in public crying his eyes out. Not once during that Vertical Horizon song did Orihime look at him. The lyrics stabbed him over and over in the heart, because he knew… He absolutely knew that she was speaking to him. It hurt. They had done so much wrong to each other. Mostly it was his fault, and he blamed himself.

Ulquiorra had been an idiot. He had been stupid. Thankfully, he had opened his eyes so that he didn't get taken on the same ride with Nemu. That would have been a great conversation to have if he had actually taken her up on the offer in the steam room. He would have noped out of that faster than anything. It bothered him that he even kissed her. Yes, he had taken it upon himself to throw himself at her, but she should have known better.

He shook his head. He didn't want to think of the consultant while he was with Orihime. He sat back and listened to the group's music. It was nice hearing other bands play.

They were done before seven, and Orihime took the time to thank everyone she played with, giving Momo a hug. She even smiled and had a small laugh with Shu before leaving everyone else behind on the stage to clean up their instruments. They didn't mind; she was the reason they were getting paid for this instead of doing it for "exposure".

Orihime didn't waste anymore time before coming directly up to Ulquiorra and taking the seat in the chair across from him with a smile. She was slightly flushed, and there was a light sheen of sweat on her hairline, which she wiped off with the back of her hand before asking, "Well, what did you think?"

"You want my real opinion?" Ulquiorra asked, watching her nod once. "Okay, you sounded great with them. I said in that YouTube comment that you sounded better with Hisagi than you did with me, which was the truth, but..."

"But?" she asked, a small smile playing on the corners of her mouth.

"Why the hell did you pick him? Kurosaki I can understand, but... " He trailed off, not wanting to seem like a brat. "It hurt that you performed with someone else."

That tentative smile turned into a sympathetic pout as she reached across the table and grabbed his hand. "I'm sorry. If it makes you feel any better, it hurt me to perform with someone else, too. But I have to perform. It's who I am. It was slim pickings in your hometown."

Ulquiorra nodded. He knew what that town was like in terms of musical culture. It was practically microscopic, and if anyone had any talent, they left and never returned. "Question for you though."

"What?"

"Are you going to keep performing with him? Are you gonna go back to Ohio and keep singing with him?" Ulquiorra asked.

Orihime made kind of a stink face and looked to the side before looking back at Ulquiorra. "I can't. He kissed me. I'm going to have to get my stuff out of his place and maybe go back to Columbus until I figure out my next move. Tier has a couch I could crash on for a bit. Shu's gonna be fine… Momo has already made her move," she chuckled. "But he only needed me for the push and, frankly, a bit of bonus exposure. If he wants to make music his thing instead of baking, he's set up. He doesn't need me." She knew Ulquiorra didn't care about what Shu wanted or needed, but she didn't like feeling like a person who chewed people up and spit them out, so she felt compelled to justify her decisions.

Tilting his head to the side, Ulquiorra cracked his neck and relaxed. As long as she wasn't going to continue doing this with Hisagi, he could drop the grudge he felt against the guy. It wouldn't be easy for him, but he had to try. "Did you want to eat here or did you have other plans for tonight?"

"I don't have any plans, but this place looks a bit rich for my blood…" she trailed off, uncomfortable.

"My treat, or if you want to, we can go somewhere else," he replied.

"Really? In that case let's stay here, it smells amazing." She grinned and wiggled in anticipation. "Thank you, Ulquiorra."

He smiled. After they ordered and started eating, a waitress came over and set a champagne glass full of a pale beige-colored liquid in front of Orihime.

"Oh, I think there's been a mistake, I didn't order anything," Orihime said, holding her palms up to the woman.

The waitress shook her head and set a business card on the table. "I know. The gentleman over there would like a word with you before you leave," she said with a smile before leaning down and murmuring to the singer, "And don't worry, the bartender knows you're underage; this is ginger ale." She smiled at Orihime and nodded to Ulquiorra before she left.

Orihime looked at the card, which read, K. Urahara, Senior Talent Developer, Soul Society Music Group, Los Angeles. Orihime's head popped up and she scanned the room. An older man with sandy blonde hair and a striped bucket hat caught her eye with a small wave and a tip of the head. "Interesting," she murmured, then looked at Ulquiorra. "Do you think I should go talk to him?"

He took the card and looked at it. He'd heard Tosen and Gin bitch about this label. Something about how their methods weren't the best and how they thought they could make anyone into a star. He frowned. "Do you want to go talk to him?" Ulquiorra said, glancing at the strange man. He looked like a bum.

"Well, kind of. I'm curious at least. Will you come with me, in case they're weird?"

"Of course. I want to finish eating though."

Orihime nodded. "I agree. This is really good," she said before taking another bite of her barbecue sandwich.

Ulquiorra had ordered the chicken. He wondered if there were any places in Los Angeles that cooked food like this. It tasted awesome. It should taste awesome for the prices he was paying. "So after we talk to him, did you want to go back to the hotel room or did you want to go somewhere else?"

Orihime finished chewing before answering. "Well, seeing as though I plan to finish every bite of this badboy, a walk around the block or so wouldn't be a bad idea, but… Wait a second, are you assuming I'm coming back with you?" she asked with an impish smile. "I mean, I am. I've been asked to make myself scarce from Momo's. She is planning phase two of Operation: Seduce Shuhei, so… I was going to ask if I could stay again."

"You can always stay with me," Ulquiorra replied. "I told you to stay with me when we were on the phone. And good for Mo. She's been harboring a crush on Hisagi and every other male in that group."

"Well here's to a girl with a wide strike zone," she said, raising her ginger ale glass and taking a sip. "I can't imagine liking more than one person at a time, though. It's consuming enough with just one," she said casually, leaning back and taking another sip.

She was right. It was consuming. Ulquiorra raised his glass of iced tea waiting for Orihime to clink her glass against it. "Here's to the first day of South by Southwest in the books," he said. "And it looks like something good might come out of it for you."

She leaned forward and smiled, touching her glass to his. "Cheers to that. I'll keep my fingers crossed."

They finished their meal talking about Ulquiorra's events that day. "So, was it weird to do a signing? It seems weird. I was recognized a couple times at Occhi Verdi, and it was weird," Orihime said before taking the last bite of her sandwich.

Ulquiorra shook his head. "My fans knew I was going to be here. I put out a video, and I guess Nanao put it up on whatever social media I have. I know my website was updated with the information and schedule of where I would be this week. What was weird was having people telling me they were my number one fan."

"Ha! Little do they know," Orihime said with a huge grin, wiping her hands off on her napkin before dabbing it at the corners of her mouth. "Did I miss anything?" she asked, tilting her face from side to side for his inspection.

He held up his phone and snapped a photo of Orihime and then pointed to her chin. "I think this is going on Instagram," he laughed.

"No!' she hollered, holding a hand out toward his phone and using the other to wipe off her chin. "Don't you dare! You finish eating so we can go meet Gilligan and the Skipper and get out of here."

Ulquiorra slipped the device into his pocket and signaled for the waiter. "I've been done. I'm like, so overfull, it's not funny. It was good, but I can't eat anymore."

Orihime eyed his plate. He had eaten a decent amount. The portions at this place were huge. She hadn't touched more than two of the home fries that came with her sandwich. "Okay then, shall we, after this?" she asked as the bill was left.

He said nothing as he slipped a credit card into the folder and handed it back to the waiter. "Besides what it says on the card, who do you think that is? Some weirdo?"

"I dunno. I'm always skeptical about stuff, you know how I am. I was like that with your deal, too."

"Yeah, but my deal has turned out to be legit. After my album drops, I get my money. Espada Records hasn't been awful to me."

"Glad to hear it. I've heard of Soul Society Music Group. My aunt did a recording with them; they have a classical division under the name Seireitei. Sounds fancier, I guess. It was just one track of a compilation album, but she didn't complain about it, so there is that, I guess."

Ulquiorra scowled at the mention of Orihime's aunt. "You don't suppose that's where your aunt knows Aizen from, do you?"

"Could be. I don't know. I never met him before last semester. Speaking of, I haven't heard from the lawyer for awhile. I hope that's going okay. She never called you, did she? I know we weren't together at the time, but I gave her your name and number in case they wanted to use you as a witness."

He shook his head. "No one from Ohio has contacted me. The only people who I talked to on the phone were my mom, Nan, Nem, and you."

"Well that's an easy-to-manage contact list," Orihime said as the waiter returned with the credit card and receipt.

Ulquiorra signed it and took his card back. He stood up and offered Orihime his hand. "Shall we go see what Mister Ginger Ale wants?"

"Here goes nothing," she said with a smile and took his hand as they weaved their way through the tables toward the man in question. He had been watching the current performer finish his set, and applauded as he took a bow. After the applause died down, Orihime spoke.

"Hi, um, you wanted to see me?" Orihime asked, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

The older man and his large, spectacled male companion looked up from the table and smiled at the young woman as each of them stood. "Ah yes, Ms. Strife. What a pleasure! And Mr. Obscuras IV, a rare treat indeed. Please, have a seat," the blonde man said, eyeing the man with cornrows seated across from him. "This is my dear friend and associate, Tessai Tsukabishi," he said, gesturing to the man who was currently moving one chair over to allow Ulquiorra to fill the one that he had occupied, while the blonde man pulled out the chair beside himself to allow Orihime to take a seat. "Tessai lives here in Austin, which makes me sad," he said, making a show of sticking out his lower lip as he pushed Orihime's chair in as she took a seat. "But how silly of me, I haven't introduced myself yet, I'm Kisuke Urahara."

"Kisuke Urahara… No way. Um, do you know who I am?"

The older man took his seat and pushed the brim of his hat back a bit, knitting his brows and inspecting the young woman. "I can't say that I do, Ms. Strife. I've seen your YouTube channel. I've seen your performance with your companion as Vega IV. Should I know you?"

"My real name is Orihime Inoue," Orihime said, waiting for the man to make the connection. If he didn't, then it was just a strange coincidence.

"What?! Kenta and Allison's Orihime?!" the blonde man beamed a smile as Orihime nodded a bit. "Tessai! You won't believe this. This is little Hime-chan, my goddaughter!" The man reached over and gave Orihime's forearm a squeeze before leaning back in his chair and chuckling. "What a small world! Have you enjoyed my birthday cards over the years? Yoruichi helps me pick them out." The older man turned his attention back to his companion. "Kenta and I were college roommates. I was best man at his and Allison's wedding! This is just… This is wonderful," he said, resting his hands on his belly and sighing. "So, tell me, Mr. Obscuras, how do you know our little Hime-chan?"

Ulquiorra didn't think his bosses would like it if he talked to the man with the blond hair, but he didn't want to seem rude. He had heard of Urahara. "We were internet friends, then we found each other at OSU," he answered with his arms folded over his chest.

"I see," he said. Urahara had been around the block enough times to understand when someone was shutting down, and when to apply pressure and when to back off. This was a back off situation. "So, Orihime, or do you prefer Vega?"

"Orihime is fine," she responded, somewhat awed by this revelation.

"Of course. So, Orihime, where's your partner with the golden voice? I'd like to speak with him, too."

Orihime's smile faltered a bit, and she bit the inside of her cheek, her head looking around the restaurant. "I'm going to guess that he went out with the rest of the band. I'm too young to go out to bars with them. What do you want with Shu?"

"I don't want him. I want both of you. I want to record an album with your perfectly balanced voices singing in harmony to songs that are manufactured to be best-sellers. It doesn't hurt that you look good together."

Orihime's face fell completely. "I'm sorry Uncle Kisuke, but that's a non-starter."

Urahara's face fell. "But why not?" He sounded stricken.

"Because she said so. Orihime doesn't want to be around Hisagi," Ulquiorra replied.

"Oh, that's a shame. You have amazing chemistry on camera."

"I assure you that's where it ends," Orihime said firmly. "Shuhei and I do not share the same artistic vision and he is not free to travel at will. I'm sure he would love to talk to you again in about… um, eighteen or twenty months."

Urahara rose an eyebrow at the redhead. "Grand theft? Assault?"

"Possession," Orihime answered.

"Oh, is that all?" Urahara laughed in a relieved sort of way. "A small block in the road. Regardless, I would like to meet with him, if you wouldn't mind passing along one of my cards. Also, I'd like to take my favorite goddaughter out to dinner while we're both in town. We can talk more then." Urahara pulled out his phone. "Are you free on Wednesday?"

Orihime looked to Ulquiorra with a questioning expression. "You get first dibs on my time during this trip. Are you busy Wednesday?"

Ulquiorra had his phone out before Orihime finished speaking. He hoped that Nanao had updated his calendar. "Wednesday… Radio interview at noon. Dirty Dog Bar at seven and then a party… Ugh… I don't want to go to a party."

Urahara let his hat shadow his eyes as he turned his gaze on Ulquiorra. "Espada Records has you running ragged, do they? Typical. Next time you run into Gin, tell him Kisuke says hi."

The green-eyed musician huffed. "I don't think they're running me ragged. I'm willing to put in the work to make a name for myself."

Urahara held his palms up. "Good for you, Mr. Obscuras. I'm sure you'll have much success. We at Soul Society Music Group tend to focus more on the craft of making music than the development of a brand, but that is merely a difference in philosophy. I'm a purist. I'm not the richest or most commercially successful record executive, but I do what I love, and that's finding and developing artists with potential into professionals with a distinct sound they can call their own. I think it's important for a performer to be true to his or herself. I think authenticity is a vital part of a musician's repertoire. I don't think artificially manipulating an image to fit a record executive's idea of what might sell creates good music, and I love good music," the man finished by tipping his glass to Tessai and taking a drink.

"I'm not letting anyone manipulate me. No one in that company has successfully cowed me into doing anything," Ulquiorra replied. He sighed, not liking this guy at all. "I'm in this to get my voice heard, not make people money. I want to play music and that's what I'm doing."

The blonde man smiled. "Glad to hear it. And do not get me wrong, Mr. Obscuras, I do not think Espada Records is a bad outfit. There is room for both types of approaches. Just… be aware of your limits and boundaries and don't let the excitement carry you away to a place you don't want to go. I've seen too many artists get burned that way. And that's not something exclusive to Espada." Urahara shook his head. "I'm getting old, Tessai. Old and world-weary. Let's go get drunk," he said, standing and taking Orihime's hand and kissing it. "Text me your number, dear goddaughter. You are the spitting image of Allison. So lovely," he paused to smile at her. "We'll have dinner Wednesday, and you can tell me how your horrible aunt is doing and we can talk about your future. It was a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Obscuras," he said, tipping his hat to Ulquiorra.

A sneer threatened to surface on his face. Ulquiorra had to hold back. Nope. He didn't like this guy at all. He turned to Orihime. "You're going to hear what he has to say, aren't you?"

"Yeah, why?" she asked, turning to Ulquiorra after waving after the older men.

"I don't like him. He seems shady… shifty, almost." Ulquiorra stood up. "C'mon, let's go see what Austin is all about, maybe we can poke our heads into a coffee shop or club and get to hear some more live music."

Orihime let Ulquiorra's negative comment go. He was free to think what he wanted. "Okay, lead the way."

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