Fading…fading away slowly. My body is at its limit. I can exist no longer. My time has come.
'No, I won't let that happen! I can't let you die!' The words of a human meant nothing to the espada, but something about the woman's voice intrigued him.
'Does my death sadden you?'
'Of course it does! No one should die like this.' The woman's words confused him. Wasn't she an enemy?
'Did you not see when I struck your friend down? I almost killed him. I even held you hostage.' Suddenly she was in front of him, a strange orange glow surrounding him. 'If you are trying to heal me, there is no use. I am done in this world.'
'No you're not!' The woman protested, tears staining her delicate skin. 'If…Aizen…ordered you to not to touch me or hurt me in any way, would you do so?'
'Aizen-sama would never—'
'If...' The human cut him off, using all of her powers to heal his damaged body. 'If, he did…would you protect me?' There was a long and dreadful sentence as Orihime watched as her enemy slowly turned to dust, her power having no effect.
'Yes…I would.' He said as he closed his eyes. Ulquiorra let the darkness consume him as he felt his body slowly faded away. A bright flash of light was the last thing he remembered until he fell into a deep and long sleep.
Pale green eyes shot open to a brightly lit room. He winced, the luminance suddenly becoming overwhelming. As the man's eyed adjusted to the settings around him, he noticed he was in a Japanese style room, lying upon a futon.
Strange, I thought I died? Before he could examine his surroundings any further, one of the sliding doors slammed open with a tall man standing in the doorway. Ulquiorra vaguely remembered Aizen telling him to be wary of a man wearing a strange green hat.
"Arara, looks like someone is finally awake~" The tall man said, holding a fan over his face. Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes, ready to attack the man who had invaded the room.
"Who are you…and why am I here?" He asked, his monotone voice coming out in a low and vaguely animalistic.
"My my, I guess I should introduce myself. My name is Urahara, and I own this very room you are sleeping in, young espada." He said, putting emphasis on the last word. So my identity is already discovered? That's not surprise. The raven unconsciously reached for his sword, but his eyes widened slightly when he felt nothing at his hip.
"Silly espada, as if I would allow you to carry your weapon. Although now, you don't pose a threat to me or anyone in this world for that matter." He said, folding the fan and slipping inside his yukata. Ulquiorra was quite puzzled by the blonde. After a small moment of silence, Urahara spoke up.
"You might not realize the situation you're in now. You have been asleep for quite a few months." Asleep? A few months? "Then again, if it wasn't for Miss Inoue, you wouldn't be here."
The pale man's eyes widened slightly. Was he referring to the woman with the healing powers? Did she manage to save him after all?
"She didn't exactly save you." Urahara said, as if reading the young man's thoughts. "But nonetheless, you are alive. You should be grateful to her. She even gave you a heart."
"A heart, that's impossible. I am an arrancar." He stated, moving his hand to place on his chest where his hole was. Where his hole was…
The raven frantically felt his chest, feeling something strange. He looked down and noticed his hole that should have been there was not. Instead, it was replaced with this…strange beating.
"What is this?" He asked, his voice staying relatively calm despite his surprise at this new discovery.
"That, Mr. Former Fourth Espada, is a heart."