My name is Keiko Fukui and this is my story of how I got from being an ordinary twenty year-old to having my own personal maid in roughly an hour.

I don't know why this happened to me of all people but one night while I was trying to get some sleep in the peaceful town of Karakura Town where I lived, I was rudely awakened when I heard a crashing noise erupting from nearby. I jumped up from bed and immediately turned on the light. I lived alone so it was really strange to hear a noise that loud and sounding so close from where I was. My first thought was that it was just the tenants downstairs partying (I live in an apartment) and some drunk dude fell over or something, though something about that crashing noise got me curious.

Kicking my feet out of bed and into my bunny slippers that were just on the floor by the bed, I left my room and wandered into the kitchen where everything seemed to be perfectly fine. Yet, when I looked over to the right, where my living room merged with the kitchen and the doorway, I noticed a silhouetted figure was lying on the ground and the window that led to the balcony of my second-storey apartment was smashed, glass littering the floor.

Though I was about to cry from how much damage whoever landed in my apartment made of my place, I was wary of confronting them – considering the fact that they were unmoving and they were also wearing the strangest clothing I had ever seen. They were wearing an all-white outfit with black stitching; and their pants were either just very baggy or my impression was wrong and it was actually a skirt they were wearing. I couldn't get anything else of what they looked at from where I was.

Even though I was still kind of scared as to who or what they were, I tiptoed a bit closer to where they were to get a better look. Soon I was squatting just above their unmoving form and noticed that they had short black hair and sort of a half-helmet thing over their head. The part that got me was the fact that he had a sword on his hip. My eyes widened when I noticed it – why would he be carrying a sword? And more importantly, how the heck did he burst through the window like that?! He'd had to have been flying or launched from a catapult in order to get here! Despite breaking through solid glass, though, he didn't seem to have any injuries on his body.

Suddenly, before I could react, I had a sword up to my throat. My eyes widened and I stared down at the figure who had burst through my window just moments before was not moving but now had his sword casually up to my throat without a single emotion flickering across his face. My heart pounded in my chest as I stared back at his incredibly green eyes. Finally, he said to me, "You can see me?"

Personally, I thought that was a dumb question to ask someone when you had your sword up to their throat, but that was just my opinion. I managed to squeak out, "Y-yeah…? Why… wouldn't I?" Just as quickly as he got his sword out, he put it away again.

Without another word, he tried to get to his feet but he suddenly wavered and fell again. I broke his fall, but he just simply brushed me off with such strength that knocked me to the ground even though he seemed weak, "Don't interfere. I can... stand up by–," He cut himself off as his legs seemed to give out on him again. I didn't bother catching him this time and let him fall to the ground; I didn't know what happened to him to make him this weak but whatever the case, he wasn't going to be able to go anywhere in that state.

"Do you want me to drive you to the hospital, or…?" I asked, trailing off as I looked over at his form which was flat on the floor. He turned his head to me.

"That's not necessary, human; I don't need your sympathy." He told me firmly.

"Well, it may not be sympathy you need, but you certainly need some sort of treatment." I shrugged, "The best I have is Chicken Noodle Soup; care for some?" Of course I wasn't actually going to give this stranger Chicken Noodle Soup, but I waited for him to decide for himself. He sighed, closing his eyes and obviously disregarded my comment. He brought his hand up to his face and clenched his fist.

"What is happening…?" He murmured to himself, which was probably for his ears only, but I listened in anyway, "It's as if… as if my powers just vanished…," He went on and on about stuff that didn't really make any sense at all to me. 'Spirit Particles'? 'Spiritual Pressure'? 'Lord Aizen'? 'Heuco Mundo'? As I watched him talking to himself, I put a hand on my cheek and wondered silently to myself if he was a cosplayer or something.

When he finished talking to himself and was just staring at his hand, I butted in, "So are you needing a drive to the hospital? The soup? 911? Come on, buddy, I want to get back to sleep." He dropped his hand and looked at me.

"I need none of those things. I merely need rest, I believe." He replied.

"Perfect, so do I. Do you want me to get you a room at the inn so we can both get on with our lives?" I wondered. He shook his head; well, as well as he could when he head was pressed against the floor. I furrowed my eyebrows, predicting what he was going to say next and not wanting to be right.

"That would only cause problems. I'll stay here for tonight and be on my way by the morrow." He was so matter-of-fact that it made me angry. What made him believe he could get away with bursting through my window and then rooming in my apartment?! Before I could shout out something I would regret, something popped into my head and a sneaky smile spread across my lips.

"All right, if that's what you want to do, I have a little request." I crossed my arms, but there wasn't a hint of fright or even curiosity on his face. I continued, a little daunted by his emotionless mask, "If you're going to stay here for the night after breaking into my apartment, I need to you pay me back in full for destroying my window!"

He was silent for a moment; so much so that I thought we were having an unknown staring contest. Finally, he spoke up, "That's blackmail."

"It's not blackmail! It's called… equivalent exchange! You know, you get what you want and I get what I want. Fair's fair, right?" I suggested, but he didn't seem too delighted by it when he closed his eyes and sighed again. He was quiet again for a long time which made me speak up, "So, do we got a deal or what? If not, I can still get you a room at the inn and leave you there all by your lonesome."

He opened his eyes again, "That wouldn't bother me in the slightest. But I'd rather be away from a crowd of humans while in this state. Very well, you shall get what you wish; how much do you want?" I had to think about that for a moment; I didn't know how much it would cost to replace the broken window, so I didn't want to give the wrong amount in case I ripped the guy off or in case I had too little money. So… to avoid that, I could… Ah-ha!

"Become my man-servant!" I called out suddenly.

Still no emotion flickered across his face even as he said, "Man… servant?"

"Yeah! Since I don't know how much it's going to cost to replace the window you broke, I'm just going to have to settle with you doing manual labor as my man-servant until I get the funds to replace the window!" Adrenaline rushed through my veins at the thought of someone else getting my groceries, cleaning the dishes, cleaning out my room, fixing my bed, doing my laundry, cleaning up after me, cooking my meals – everything! I wouldn't have to lift a finger, all I had to do was go to work and bring home the money while he was forced to do mundane tasks I'd rather not do! Maybe now I could finish that video game I started three years ago but didn't have time for!

"I refuse."

It took a while, but his voice suddenly broke through my happy thoughts. My mouth fell agape, "Wh-what?! You refuse?! B-but, you agreed to pay me back in full!"

"Yes, I said I'd pay you back in full, but I didn't say I would be your slave. Tell me the amount you want me to pay and I'll pay you when I get the chance." He stated. I frowned; oh-no you don't – you're not going to ruin my great idea like that!

"Well, it's being my man-servant or going off to the inn. Your choice." I compromised. I gauged his reaction but found none, like usual. He just seemed to glare at me from the floor, but in a very… subtle way since he couldn't quite seem to express himself.

"Very well. But only until you get the funds." He finally caved in. My eyes lit up with those words and I celebrated silently in my head.

"Perfect!" I clapped my hands together, "You're hired! You start tomorrow at dawn. Make me breakfast and we'll discuss your duties as my man-servant then. Oh, and don't forget to make my coffee or I'll skin you." I was just about to triumphantly allow him to rest and go back to my own bed, when suddenly I remembered I had absolutely no idea what his name was, "Oh, by the way, my name is Keiko Fukui. But 'Mistress Fukui' should be suitable enough for you. What's yours?"

"Ulquiorra Cifer." He replied simply. I was a little curious as to what kind of name that was, but I decided not to pry. After all, if I was crazy enough to let a complete stranger (armed with a sword, no less) into my apartment for a place to stay and make him be my man-servant in order to pay me back for breaking my window, then who the heck was I to say he had a weird name? Anyway, I took his name with a nod in recognition and made my way back to my room to get back to sleep somehow.

And from there, my days of being an ordinary twenty-year old was over.