TeslaHime Drabble- Please
The brawny Shinigami that had saved them had ordered her to heal him, and of course, she would obey. But the entire time, her focus lay on the blond Arrancar bleeding sluggishly into the sands not ten yards away. Kurosaki-kun, Kenpachi-taichou, and Yachiru-chan had all seemed to have forgotten about him, but Orihime could not help but stare. The look in his remaining brown eye twisted her heart and stomach into knots; so full of pain, love, and sadness, she almost felt like crying herself. As she thought about it, she came to the realization that she had never seen an Arrancar cry before. Ulquiorra’s cheeks were eternally stained with emerald tears, and his face never seemed to deviate from its lachrymose countenance. But this boy who had been so calm and in control a short while ago was now honestly crying, tears dripping from his eyelashes onto his forehead, as if the whole world had been turned upside down in his agony and confusion. Her heart went out to him, and so did Shun’ou and Ayame. Orihime could have sworn she saw doubt on the fairies’ faces; it was certainly accompanied by shock on those of her companions. Nonetheless, she strode back over to the Arrancar- Tesla, that was his name- and knelt beside him. A small part of her asked her why she was doing this for someone who had captured her, who had hurt Kurosaki-kun.
It was because he had said please, she decided. Since Ulquiorra accosted her in the Daigon, no one had asked her politely for anything. As a prisoner, she had hardly expected it, but it nonetheless conjured up memories of middle school, the angry upperclassmen that had grabbed her hair in hanks and sawed it off, cackling like crows. They had not asked her permission, they had not been kind. Yet somehow, this Arrancar, despite having held her hostage, did not harm her when she had been planning to deviate from her own morals to attack him. It had still been a threat, of course, but she could not remove his simple “please” from her mind. He was staring her at utter shock from the other side of her Souten Kisshun, a mix of disbelief, fear, and gratitude swirling about in his lone brown eye. Awkwardly, she smiled at him, not knowing how to express her sentiment. He might find it foolish, but kindness was enough of a reason for her to save a life. He sat up to look at her closer, and on pure impulse, she dropped the barrier between them. When he spoke, his voice was hoarse; whether with gratitude or sadness, she could not tell. Maybe both? Orihime knew all too well how it was to feel so many things at once.
“Why?” He asked simply. He didn’t sound angry, she decided, he just wanted to know. She waited a moment before coming up with a suitable reply.
“You said please,” she responded, completely unaware that she was now crying, too.
Augh, finally! A new drabble! And, as promised, from Orihime's POV~ I think the next one is going to be this series of events, but from Tesla's perspective~ This is what I thought would have happened had Starrk not intercepted Hime- TeslaHime headcanon or not. Orihime isn't brainless, but I think she would have saved him. Also, thanks to everybody who has reviewed these so far! It makes me happy to get your feedback, since I write for obscure ships, and hence never get reviews.
~Naoko