AN: I've been traumatized by what happened to this possible pairing, but particularly watching/reading about Orihime, to the point that I could not get myself to watch reruns or read the manga without flinching. So I've decided to write a story that would redeem our orange haired heroine, as I don't believe she is as helpless as she is portrayed to be. Although this is my first fanfic, hopefully I can pull something out of the magician's hat and make this a worthy read for you.

I would like to point out that this is not in anyway related to a popular published book of a similar name, storyline or otherwise. There is a reason for the title, which would become clearer as the story progresses. The M rating is for character language and expletives. Additionally, just as a warning, I prefer to develop characters through chapters than make them immediately meet and fall in love at first sight. So if you are looking for that type of fanfic, well... sorry, but this is not it. ^_^

This is my take on what would happen if hollows and soul reapers did not exist, and everyone is, for better or worse, tragically or blessedly human. Angst, despair, conflict, humor, happiness, and everything in between. This is for all the ulquihime fans out there.

For those who are starting this story, a warning of progressive development and other pairings aside from Ulquihime, before you go ahead with this fanfic. This is a love story, but... how should I say it. A love story, but not a typical romance story. I have a related announcement on this in my deviantart account, you may head there to read it.

Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo

Shades of Gray

Prologue: The Call

It was a Wednesday, almost near the stroke of midnight.

It was a clean, functional well-lighted room. Several books were open, some of them on the veneered study table, and some sprawled on the floor, a few closed books piled up on both the single bed and the side table, all of them bookmarked with index flags of different colors and shapes. There were little brown laughing teddy bear flags, green cartoony snakes with its tongue stuck out, little pink sakura ends, funny orange long necked giraffes, yellow smiling stars. Various colored markers were littered on the said table, all of them uncapped, most of them looking like they have seen better days.

It was a girl's room, a bedroom, a residence, and more importantly, tonight, it was a serious study room. Very likely it was only one of a handful of rooms in the whole of university dormitories that was still awake at this late an hour. Which showed how much the occupant was dedicated in making sure that she got the grades she wanted – as high as possible, and hopefully, with enough hard work, even perfect.

Inoue Orihime was studying for an upcoming midterms exams for the coming Friday, and was idly twirling her pencil with her index and middle finger as she tried to recall the details of the textbook she was reading. It was a quiet night, a good night for reviewing. She had been at it since six in the evening, and was slowly, but surely, going through the each of the coverage of the upcoming exams. She didn't look tired, she didn't look bored, she didn't look stressed – if there was anything of exceptional interest, it was that her eyes held some sort of secret determination that was fueling her through the night. As she did the previous nights, for the past two weeks. Sometimes she hummed to herself, sometimes she mumbled, on occasion she would stand up and stretch her legs and neck, but she never took her eyes off from her textbook.

She was in the process of turning to the next page when her phone rang. The pencil in her hands slipped off her fingers and fell on the floor with a sharp crack, rolling itself in opposite directions trying to gain some sort of equilibrium on the bedroom floor. Orihime, on the other hand, reached for her phone.

"Hello?" She answered, wondering who could be calling her at this time of the night.

"May I speak to Inoue Orihime?" An unfamiliar voice replied.

"Yes, this is she, may I know who is calling?"

"This is calling from Karakura General Hospital Emergency Room. You were listed as next of kin for Inoue Sora. I'm sorry, miss, but your brother has been in an accident earlier. He is currently in surgery."

"I see…." Her heart thumped, wondering what kind of accident her brother got into.

She hesitated.

"May I find out what surgery he is in, and what is the status? I am currently out of Karakura, at Tokyo University, and I may need time to travel back."

"He was in a traffic accident earlier this evening, Miss, and a driver crashed into his car. He is currently under emergency surgery. I'm sorry, but we may need you urgently. There is a some chance that we may need to get your permission to perform a brain canal, as we suspect there may be swelling in his brain."

Less than five minutes later, the pencil had stopped rolling on the floor. The markers were still uncapped, and the books were still open, with the teddy bears flags still laughing, and the yellow stars smiling. It was still a well-lighted study room, but it didn't function as one anymore – The one important factor that made it what was, the occupant of the room, was no where to be found.

A few hours later, Inoue Orihime looked at her brother through the hospital windows, fragile and helpless, surrounded by disinfected walls and strapped to heart rate monitors and life support. His chest rises and falls, following the rhythm of the machine attached, wholly dependent on them. She stared on, mirroring the same helplessness, as she looked on, and waited. Waited for the time when he would come back and regain some semblance of consciousness.

"We found out from a standard blood test that Sora has chronic lymphocytic leukemia, Inoue-san, and already in the late stages. Normally it is not a concern, but the accident has severely affected his body, and his condition is not improving. Infection has set in, and his body is not healing fast enough."

She blankly looked up at Ishida Ryuuken, and knew that the worst hasn't been said, yet. She knew he was just waiting for her to come out of her stupor, waiting for her to inquire further, so he can pass on further details. She wasn't studying pre-medicine for nothing. But everything seemed like a dream. Like it was happening now, but it wasn't, later. Her head told her Ishida Ryuuken was trying to break it to her gently, but she already knew what he's implying. She also knew what lay ahead, and what the odds are for her brother's situation. And she was certain it was not very good. It really did feel like a dream.

But … she asks anyway.

"I understand… What options does he have?"

"Its good that he has regained consciousness a few hours ago and his faculties still intact. But with regards to leukemia, although he may be too weak to keep up with chemotherapy or radiotherapy treatments, it would still be my recommendation to try. It may give him fighting chance."

Yes, and a small one at that, she thought. But she kept the thought to herself. It would be rude to lash out her frustration at Ishida Ryuuken, he was only the bearer of unfortunate news. He didn't even need to be there – directors have more important things to do than attend to their son's friends.

Thankful, yes, she had to be thankful.

"Thank you, Ishida-san. If its ok with you, I would like to explain the situation with my brother first…"

"My dear sister, we seem to be getting all the luck in the world…"

Sora smiled weakly, giving her hands a slight squeeze. Her brother was pale, and shrunken - a far cry from her fond memories of him. Two months. Two months since the accident. It was already a miracle he lasted this long. But she didn't know if she should be thankful or not. Her brother looked so frail. But she looked at him and recognized the smile was always what it was – heartfelt with joy for his little sister. But even now she can also see those eyes fraught with apology.

She felt wetness in her eyes again. All she ever did was let the tears fall. What good is an education if you don't finish it at the right time to save the ones you love? She only had one family, one brother, and now its being taken away from her, too. Her only brother, Sora. Her only family. The only one that connected with her both by the heart that she gave, and he had given in return, and the blood that runs through both their veins.

She loved her brother. And he was lying at death's door, and was still apologizing to her. Nothing was more precious, and irreplaceable for her, than her brother Sora. She sobbed.

"Orihime-chan… please don't cry…"

Hearing his broken and dry voice, weak from unresponsive treatments that further eroded his body, opened the floodgates of helplessness she felt for both their lives. It wasn't fair. She knew life was never fair, and now, where was destiny leaving her this time? They were both already left abandoned by their abusive parents, and now destiny dictated that she was to be the one to carry on without him.

"Things are never as bad as you think they are. You're the real princess, my little sister. Not a trophy princess like in the fairy tales, destined to fall in love with the prince that sweeps you away… but a strong one that stories should have been made of, a strong one, with the right heart and a clear mind, one that weaves and wills her own story, spins the most majestic hand-woven cloth for the king of the heavens, and free to live and love as you please. We both know not all stories have to end in tragedy… up until recently, weren't we a testament of that?"

He smiled and strained to raise his hand feebly, and she carefully caught his halfway and held on. Yes, she knew where to place them.

When she was five, she cried all the way home when she heard her teachers tell the story of Tanabata. Orihime the Sky Princess, and the fate she was destined to live throughout her life separated from her true love, Hikoboshi, because they neglected their duties. It was only during the on the day of Tanabata, the seventh of the seventh month of every year, her father the emperor allows her to rejoin with her beloved. Everyone in her class thought it was wonderful and romantic, but Inoue Sora came home to find his little sister's tear streaked face, and swollen eyes, frightened to death in a corner, thinking to be punished and taken away from her brother.

So, he explained it the way he did, cradling his sister and quietly explaining to soothe his baby sister: It was a fate that Orihime and Hikoboshi had brought to themselves, absolving responsibility and angering her father for their short-sightedness. It was their destiny because they both made it so… their hearts, although true, were only selfish for each other, and their actions had caused them to shape their final destinies, as they had forgotten about the important balance of the heart and mind, not only for themselves, but also for other people.

Then he would quietly point out to Orihime that they were different – they were not Orihime and Hikoboshi of the Tanabata. The secret story of brother and sister Sora and Orihime was much more special, because even if they loved each other very much, and they never neglected their duties towards people around them. They stayed together because they had clear minds and more importantly, kind hearts. Sora always touched her heart then, to make sure his little sister would understand. They made their own destiny themselves, one that was unlike and could never be the same as the fates of Orihime and Hikoboshi.

Despite being without parents, they have grown up together in happiness as much as they could. Every time she was in doubt, Sora would see through his little sister's forced smiles, and gently raise his fingers and reach out for the area where the heart was. It was not her biological heart. It was her true heart he pointed and connected to. And she would feel better, always.

That is, … until now.

She carefully brought her brother's feeble hands, hands that have always reassured her in the past and always strong enough to move them on his own. And now I have to do it myself. She tenderly placed her brother's hands to her heart, acknowledging she understood.

Sora's done this many times before, to remind her of who she was, her strength, her destiny, but she knew this time will be the last. And she promised herself never to forget – because, that was what a strong willed Orihime in their secret story would do, the real Orihime that wove her own destiny the way she wanted it to.

She looked down at her hands enveloping his. Yes, her heart.

"Yes, little sister. You always had the right heart… a kind and determined one…"

Despite what others thought, she knew that she took on her brother. Both of them were souls that looked kindly with others.

She glanced up at her brother, seeing the apology still creased on his face. It was not because he was about to pass away, but because he was leaving her alone to fend for herself in the mess of reality that would be left behind. They were not well off, but they made do… but she also had to take a leave from school to handle everything. She was unfamiliar with them at first, but she was sure it was nothing she couldn't learn and take care of.

Wiping her tears aside, she gently curled up the tips of her lips and gave her brother a reassuring smile. He loved seeing his sister smile, that special warm, enveloping smile that came so naturally to her. She knew he loved seeing them because they never fail to stop him from following suit - he gave his own tender smile and unfailingly grabbed the tops of her orange mop of hair, and tugged her cheeks and let out a silly laugh. He at least tried to tug her cheeks now. He was still the brother, after all.

"I've already handled most the paperwork, brother. Everything is in order, don't worry. I can take care of myself. Please don't worry."

Sora nodded feebly.

"Its just that… I know I will miss you." her voice cracked as she held on to his warm hands for a little while longer. Yes, please… a little while longer, she wished.

"Don't worry, Hime-chan …. It will just be like I was away for a little while… like on a trip, that's all."

Thirty minutes later, the only thing that can be heard in the intensive care ward, were the absence of the humming machinations of the life support, and the sound of soft irregular sobs in between.

AN: Yes, I know Ulquiorra is not here yet. Its merely a prologue, after all :) He's obviously one of shining pieces of this story, so he's going to be around soon enough.

I'd be really happy if you could leave reviews and comments - I'd like to improve my writing to make this piece an enjoyable one for everybody, and your input would really be appreciated!