I suggest you listen to "Almost Lover" by A Fine Frenzy when reading this.

Watching them fight, Orihime felt as though she was asleep.

Green and black met Orange and hazel in a duel she always thought she would have a clear side on.

Hearts? You humans are always talking about hearts. Its as if you have them in your hand. But my eye sees everything. Nothing can escape it.

Ichigo sidestepped Ulquiorra's blade, parrying it with ease as he returned the attacks the Espada had sent his way tenfold. Orihime's hands fisted in the white of her skirt.

What did he see when he looked at her? She knew what everyone else saw, what did he see?

What it doesn't see doesn't exist. That's how I've always fought

There was no doubt, nothing but a simple, methodical statement of the facts. He sounded like one of her science professors back in school, one in a particularly boring class she always had to struggle to stay awake in. But unlike that class Orihime was transfixed.

What is a heart?

Oh God, what was a heart. How was she supposed to describe the thing that had ruled her life? The thing that had made her seek her brother for comfort when her parents screamed at each other, the thing that gave her her power and at the same time ripped it away.

If I rip open your chest will I see it?

Perhaps.

If I crack open your skull, will I find it in there?

She wished he would. It would be easier than watching the man she loved so much it hurt fight--fight someone who she didn't know what he meant.

Get away from Inoue

Inoue to one, woman to the other--why couldn't anyone call her by her name? Or-i-him-e, it wasn't that hard to pronounce. But to Ichigo she would always always be Inoue, never Orihime. And to Ulquiorra she would always be woman. For some reason she couldn't decide which hurt worse.

I plan to

Orihime looked at him, horrified. "I plan to" as in "you don't matter anymore". Could he really be so cold? Was it even possible? Why did he have to make her question him now? Now when he was about to die? Now when she was supposed to prove her strength, to help Ichigo, to--she didn't know what she was supposed to do anymore. Just that the thought of either of them dying was just, it was unbearable. Unbearable and yet, somehow, she could not move.

"S-stop," she whispered, her voice barely audible to her own ears, much less over the din of the swords clashing, "oh please, stop," she whispered clutching her skirts in a desperate attempt at stability.

The fervor increased as she felt their Spiritual Pressures soar. She felt the familiar fluctuations in Ichigo's and knew what was coming. In a few moments his power would soar, it would roar up and consume whoever got in his way. He would shout something nobel and wonderful and he would defeat Ulquiorra with a single strike. But there was none of the anticipation she usually felt watching him fight, there was none of the thrill that maybe, just maybe this time he'd call her 'Orihime' or do one of the silly romatic things she seen in movies.

It was like watching the fight he had with Grimmjow. She had cried for him, begged him not to get hurt but when he stabbed Grimmjow all she could feel was fear and worry. Not for the orange haired man but for the blue haired Espada who had always been loud and funny, who had brought her to heal Ichigo so they could have a fair fight, who saved her from the two Arrancar who would have done God knows what if he hadn't shown up. And then he had struggled forward with the same determination that Ichigo always showed. Only he wasn't the hero, there was no powerful surge of Spiritual Pressure to aide him, just the silver half-moon of Nnoitra's blade that sliced through him with far too much ease.

She had just left him there.

Now she was watching another duel and the sickening feeling was back, only this time it was tenfold. She felt like she was going to faint or be sick or--Ichigo's Spiritual Pressure spiked as he began to glow. Dizziness surged through Orihime. He was going to kill him, he was going to kill Ulquiorra and she couldn't do anything but watch. He deserved to die, he kidnapped her and he put her friends through hell. He deserved Zangetsu slicing through him.

The blast of Getsuga Tensho hurt her eyes but she couldn't look away as it knocked Ulquiorra back. When it cleared the Fourth Espada was slumped against the wall, blood seeping through him from numerous cuts. When had he gotten so hurt? Ichigo surged forward, Zangetsu glinting with deadly purpose as the blade streaked towards the fourth Espada.

"Stop it!"

Orihime barely recognized the sob-choked scream that spilled from her lips. Ulquiorra's eyes remained closed as Zangetsu was as frozen as its wielder. Orihime saw the world waver as tears slipped down her cheeks but she couldn't stop them. Before she realized what she was doing she raced forward, planting herself firmly between Ichigo and Ulquiorra. Unable to point Zangetsu at her, Ichigo lowered his wrist slowly, horror painted all over his features.

"Orhime?" he whispered, his voice full of fear and confusion. She heard the rest of them, of her Namaka running into the room but she didn't care. She couldn't care, "what are you doing? What's he done to you?"

"He protected me!" she cried, her voice still choked, "He's hurt, he's not a threat--" she was rambling but she didn't care. They wouldn't see her as anything but foolish anyway, "you can't kill him."

"Woman," the raspy voice behind her made her turn to see Ulquiorra's eyes open, one hand grasping feebly for the rubble to pull himself up.

"No!" she struck his hand away, turning back to Ichigo, "I'll leave with you but please, you can't kill him. He's dying anyway, please," she repeated clasping her hands, "just don't kill him."

"I don't know what that bastard's done to you but I'm gonna kill him," Ichigo snapped bringing Zangetsu up, "get out of the way," Orihime shook her head, "Get out of the way! Orihime!"

"I won't!" she cried spreading her arms. Her fairies sparked, waiting for her command, "I won't go with you if you kill him," she quickly wiped her tears, not caring that they were replaced by more quickly, "I won't."

Ichigo looked at her, horror in his hazel eyes. Orihime didn't care. If she had no time to explain to Ulquiorra what a heart was, she would show him.

"Rukia!" Ichigo called kicking Ulquiorra's Zanpakto to another corner of the room, "encase him. We're going."

A blast of ice sealed Ulquiorra behind her. Orihime lowered her hands and nodded her consent. The two of them hurried to their friends, to those who had come to rescue her. Orihime offered them a weak smile which they all returned, pity bright in their eyes. Orihime knew she deserved worse, she deserved the hate, the anger, the horror in Ichigo's eyes. But there was a war to fight, a war to win and that was the most important thing. As the group ran off Orihime's steps faltered as she looked back at Ulquiorra who was watching her from Rukia's ice barrier.

My eye sees everything.

But what does it see when it looks at me?