Firstly, I want to say that I'm not a HUGE fan of Bleach, so I imagine that there'll probably be some mistakes in this. Still, I do like the series well enough. I really admire Tite Kubo's art style and I think he's come up with some of the best looking and most unique characters in a long time. (I personally find Kukaku to be very sexy!)

Recently, I've become a devoted member of the Ulquihime fandom. This is all thanks to some amazing fan works I've came across online, specifically the works of a particular talented artists. (I'll post a link at the bottom of the chapter). I hope you guys will enjoy this and won't be too hard on me.

BLEACH
The Human Condition

Chapter 1:
"Rebirth, Pt 1"

Ulquiorra Schiffer was a mess, his entire body felt battered and broken...

He slowly opened his eyes and cast his gaze upwards, towards the sky of Las Noches. His vision was blurry and unfocused at first, but the image of a familiar figure looming over him gradually became clear. He knew in an instant who it was, it was her...Orihime Inoue. He was laying prone on the ground, his head resting in her lap.

Orihime's long auburn hair hung down around her (spilling down her back and shoulders). The reddish-brown locks contrasted sharply with the antiseptic white color of the battered remnants of her imposed Arrancar uniform. Ulquiorra groaned, unable to do little more then look up at her, into her silver-gray eyes. He could tell that he'd been crying recently, he knew from the redness around her eyes and the streaking from dried tears down her cheeks.

Still, he could see that she was doing her best to put on a brave face for him. Ulquiorra sighed and closed his eyes, frustrated at how helpless and weak he felt. "You, woman... you've been crying, haven't you?" He asked in a tired voice, opening his eyes to look up at her. "Your tears... they're wasted on a monster like myself." He remarked in his usual emotionless tone, closing his eyes.

He glanced down at himself, noting that his jacket and hakama had returned- though torn and battered, with the front of the jacket hanging open. "Typical human foolishness..." He remarked, his lips curving in a small smile. "I'm an Arrancar, the enemy of your kind... Throughout, I've done nothing but bring you grief and hardship." He paused for a moment, taking a breath. "And yet, after all you've been put through, you still shed tears over me."

Orihime shook her head. "But they're my tears to shed." The human girl countered, her tone was gentle yet firm. "And please don't call yourself a monster, because you're not... not to me at least." She added, a small smile suddenly playing across her face as she brushed her hands gently against his dark hair while cradling his head in her lap.

She looked directly into his dark green eyes. "Ulquiorra, for the time being, it's important that to stay here and rest... It'll be a while before you're well enough to even move." She commented, managing to keep herself composed before the battered Espada. "I'm at the limit of my abilities... So it's important that you just rest for the time being."

Ulquiorra suddenly realized that he could no longer feel the familiar weight of his 'mask' on the left side of his head. He didn't even want to think about the status of his Hollow Hole. The Arrancar groaned inwardly, pushing back the matter for the moment, and looked up at Orihime. "How, how am I even here...?" He asked with some effort. "I... I remember being destroyed."

She shook her head and sighed. "I'm not sure if I can explain it, it doesn't really make sense to me either..." The girl began slightly nervous. "Like you said, I was there when you just turned to dust right before me..." She paused, almost stumbling over the last part. "As the fighting got worse, all I could think about was loosing you..." Orihime became silent, collecting her thoughts. "I had this feeling that I had to do something..."

Ulquiorra looked up at her as she struggled with her words. "...It's just that my powers, they shouldn't have been enough- you were too far gone for me to able to restore you. But somehow, you came back from out of nothing." Orihime explained. "And since then, you've been unconscious for hours..."

The pale-skinned warrior mulled over everything she'd told him. "...But that still doesn't explain how or why I'm still alive." He remarked in frustration.

Orihime gave him an odd smile. "I feel a little embarrassed to say this, but it was almost like something read my thoughts... and lent me the strength to bring you back to life." She offered, blushing faintly at her own words.

Ulquiorra looked up at her for a moment. "You... You had me in your thoughts?" He asked, his tone almost humorous as he spoke.

Her blush darkened and she was about to respond when a voice called out to her. Orihime turned in time to see the beat-up form of Ichigo approach the two of them (the remnants of his robes literally hanging off him). "What the hell? How can he still be alive?" The swordsman exclaimed.

Ichigo drew his sword with an unsteady hand. "Orihime, what are you doing... Quick, get away from him- now!" He exclaimed, taking a step towards the two of them.

Orihime suddenly felt a surge of anger overtake her. "No! Stop it Ichigo!" She exclaimed, glaring at up at him as she spoke. "Just stop it! W-we've all been through enough!"

The orange-haired Shinigami frowned at the girl before him. "We don't have time for this, Orihime... Just get away from him so-"

"So what, so that you can kill him?" She interrupted, glaring at him defiantly. "No, I won't let you! So if you're that serious about killing Ulquiorra, then you'll have to go through me to do it!"

Ichigo was taken back by this, and seemed ready to respond, when suddenly Ishida appeared beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "She's right..." The dark-haired Quince began. "There's been enough deaths... I think we've all been through quite enough already." He offered in a weary tone.

After a moment, Ichigo lowered his sword and stepped back. Orihime let out a sigh of relief while Ishida sat down in the sand. Ichigo buried the end of his sword in the ground and plopped down, leaning against the large weapon to catch his breath.

(- End of Chapter 1 -)

I realize this was a short first chapter, but it's more of a pacing issue. I hope you guys enjoyed this so far and will stick around for the next chapter. Hopefully, things will start making more sense as the story goes on. There should also be some more Ulquihime in the next chapter.

-Bojack727