No, I'm not afraid.
His footstep echoed through the large hall Aizen calls his throne room. Her heart sped as she watched him approach her slowly. Every footstep vibrated like a drum beat inside her chest.
"Are you scared…? Onna?" he stopped a short distance away from her.
His deep, steady, monotonous voice drifted towards her in the midst of the storm that is running in her mind.
"Aizen –sama no longer has any need of you. There is no one to protect you anymore."
She kept her eyes unblinkingly on his green catlike ones. Standing few meters apart, they stared at each other in silence. It felt like they were the last two people in the universe.
"You'll die here alone, with no one to hold on to", something about that sounded sad coming from him.
She kept her eyes on him, unmoving.
"I asked, are you afraid, onna?
"No."A flicker of emotion shot across his eyes. "My friends are here to rescue me. My heart is already one with theirs. I'm not afraid."
Ulquiorra's composed face returned and he immediately replied, "Heart? How foolish! You know that none of you are leaving here alive. Your feelings for each other is not going to keep you alive".
In a flash he was standing right in front of her. His eyes that are the deepest shades of ocean green were looking straight through her soul. "What is a heart?" He moved his right hand out of his pocket and slightly touched her chest. "Would it be here in your chest if I slice you open? Is it inside your skull if I smash it?" he touched between her eyes.
Her heartbeat quickened a bit, she felt shivers on her skin. At the same time, an intense feeling of sadness came over her. She felt, pity.
Before any of them could move, the floor and the ceiling shook with tremendous force. With an explosion the concrete shot outwards and under a cloak of dust and rubble stood an orange haired lone figure, holding his zanpaktou with both of his hands.
Ulquiorra turned away to look at him, still standing a heartbeat away from her. His face still composed, unchanged and sad.
"Kurosaki kun!" exclaimed Orihime.
Slight smile played over the person's mouth. He was relieved to see her unharmed. "Get away from Inoue." Calmly said Kurosaki Ichigo.
"My job is to protect Las Noches. This woman isn't my concern anymore. She may live, for now."
Orihime's moved her hands on her chest, eyes widen with shock.
"But you, are an enemy of Las Noches. You, I will have to kill". Ulquiorra unsheathes his sword.
In an instant an adrenaline rush shot up through her body. Her "fight or flight" mechanism took over and she moved. She pushed past Ulquiorra and stood in front of him facing him with her hands wide open in a protective gesture.
"Inoue!" Shouted Ichigo.
"No… Kurosaki-kun. You have to stop."
Ulquiorra's hand on the hilt of his naked sword twitched a bit. The look on his eyes flickered a little. He wasn't expecting this.
"Inoue, get away from him. He will cut you down in one move". Screamed Ichigo. He can't let anything happen to Inoue. She's here because of him.
"No... Kurosaki-kun. Stay away. I don't care if he cuts me down". She yelled back, still keeping her eyes on Ulquiorra.
Ulquiorra was intently looking at Orihime, while she stared him back, working hard to keep the tears away.
"Why do you have to fight him, Ulquiorra? What is it that you'll get?" Her tears started falling. "Is it the satisfaction of winning a battle? To proof to yourself and others that you are strong? You ARE strong, Ulquiorra. You almost killed him once, how many times do you want to win?"
Ulquiorra lowered his sword, still looking at her, trying hard to understand what she is trying to say.
"Inoueee… "Ichigo started yelling but interrupted by Orihime.
"You asked me what heart is. You look at him and tell me if you can't see it."
A shot of surprise played across Ulquiorra's face.
"You look at faces of these all these people, who came here to rescue me, even when they know the chances of their survival is slim, even when they thought I wasn't kidnapped, I left them and choose to be here. But they came anyway. Do you really not see what heart is...? Ulquiorra?"
Orihime was struggling to stay on her feet, her tears are overflowing and it seems that there isn't any stopping to them.
"You… you told me that it is nothing but a sad attempt at fooling ourselves against sadness and despair. Can you answer why then these people are still fighting to their death to take me away?" her breathing quickened, she felt like her knees are about to give up.
"If you don't know the answer can you at least tell me why you are fighting for Aizen, Ulquiorra. Is that loyalty, love, devotion you feel for him? Is that gratitude? Is it because he gave you your power? Made you stronger? Or is it only a business deal? Do you know whether Aizen cares what happens to you? Whether you live or die or win in this battle?"
Orihime starts breathing heavily.
"Inoue?" Ichigo stares at the back of her head with a puzzled face.
"Did you know Aizen betrayed the people who trained him, who made him stronger? What makes you think he will do anything for you? What makes you think he won't hesitate to dispose of you when he won't need you anymore… just like me? Are you afraid of his power…? Ulquiorra. Are you... Sure... You want to… follow his lead… a man like that…."
Orihimes world started spinning, she started falling towards the ground.
"INOUE" shouted Ichigo, jumped towards her to catch her. But he didn't have to.
Orihime was resting on Ulquiorra's hands. His sword is lying by his side while he's kneeing on the floor with Orihime's body resting on his arms.
Ichigo was there in a flash. He couldn't understand what is happening. He dumbly stared at unconscious Orihime in Ulquiorra's arms. What is happening?
"What are you doing? What did you bastards do to Orihime"? Ichigo's anger started firing up. His grip on his sword became stronger.
Ulquiorra did not answer. He is still staring at Orihime's face, wet from all the tears. Why did I catch her? She is nothing to me. Why isn't she scared of me?
Orihime stirred slightly, and opened her eyes to see the pair of green eyes staring back at hers. His expression still unchanged. "What would you do now, Ulquiorra? Why did you catch me?" she muttered and felt the tears are again swelling up inside.
Ulquiorra couldn't move or speak. All he could do is stare at her eyes. Next to him Ichigo is continuously cursing the life out of all of his and the other espada's ancestors. Why does it feel so strange?
Orihime sat up, and looked up to his face first, then Ichigo's.
"Inoue are you okay?" the kindness in Ichigo's voice made her tears finally fall down her cheeks.
Ulquiorra's motionless body moved. He stood up and picked up his sword. Before Ichigo could point his to him and shout another threat, he sheathed his sword. And turned his back towards them.
"Hey… I'm talking to you. Where are you going?" Ichigo's veins are almost popping out from under his skin.
What is he doing? Ulquiorra's comfortable sadness and despair that surrounded him since he gained his consciousness, suddenly became too hard to bare. He started walking away.
Orihime started at his back and wondered what is so sad about this scenario. She couldn't help it, she called his name "Ulquiorra… san?"
He didn't stop, or looked back.
"Take her."
Both Ichigo and Orihime couldn't believe their ears. WHAT?
"Take the woman and leave. She's the reason you are here, so, take her and leave Las Noches. This is not a place for foolish humans." He kept walking away towards the darkness.
Why does it feel so wrong, Orihime? Why does it feel like I have known what a heart is all these time? Ulquiorra walked away. He couldn't or wouldn't turn around to see the woman leave with the orange haired boy.
The End
28/5/2012