Hello and welcome, everyone!
This is my FIRST Bleach fic (holy crap!) so I hope you'll all bear with me while I get into the groove of things.
Seeing as this is a different fandom from where I usually dwell, I'm assuming I'm going to be getting at least a handful of new readers so I feel it's appropriate to give you new readers a run down of how I operate.
I don't respond to reviews directly. I just don't and I'm sorry. That isn't to say that I don't love EACH AND EVERY review that I get because I do. I adore them! But I just don't think it is fair to respond to some reviews and not others, therefore I respond to none. Instead, I address the reviews in the following chapter which means if you leave a review asking a question on chapter three, it will be addressed in the AN for chapter four.
That being said, I will never ask for reviews. I believe that having the respect and courage to write a review is up to the reader and nobody should feel pressured to do something they aren't comfortable with. Review if you wish to. I will appreciate it greatly.
Updates will come fairly regularly, at least once a week if not more. The only time I deviate from this pattern is if I am going on vacation or if there are some kind of unavoidable happenings in my life that prevent me from doing so. Having said that, please don't pester me with "update soons." It's a waste of a review when you could have so many more things to say. I don't mind you saying "update soon" in a review as long as you have something more valid to say but please make sure that isn't the only thing your review consists of.
I'm prone to go on long winded rants at any given moment about things that have nothing to do with the story at all so please just bear with that. I like to have close and personal relationship with my readers.
It shouldn't need to be said but if you have any negative feelings about UlqHime, don't be the idiot that complains about it in a review. Seriously. Just hit the backspace button and go find a fic that appeals to your particular ship because nobody here that enjoys UlqHime is going to have the time, nor the want to deal with your idiocy.
Moving along to the actual story itself:
I hate song fics. I hate them! But that doesn't mean I can't feel inspired by songs that help influence a story. Music right now is fueling this story so in the AN before each chapter you will likely see a * or 4 symbol with a song title somewhere beside it. As you read through the story you will see these symbols again. Just know that they are there for you (if you so wish) to look up the lyrics/listen to the song that the particular scene corrilates with. This is the first time I've tried this method so we'll see how it works. The symbols of course represent who's point of view the song represents; * being Orihime and 4 being Ulquiorra
For all intents and purposes of information, TEN YEARS have passed since Chapter 353/Episode 272. IF YOU HAVE NOT READ/SEEN PAST THIS POINT DO NOT READ THIS FIC. THERE ARE SPOILERS!
I dropped all the honorifics (with the exception of Yachiru) for two reasons. One, I was too lazy to go back and figure each and every different honorific the characters refered to each other with. The second reason is that I figured they've all known each other long enough by now that they're sort of all close enough to drop all of the formalities. So, if it truly bothers you that all the honorifics aren't there... well, use your IMAGINATION.
And before this AN gets to be longer than the chapter, PLEASE ENJOY THE STORY!
4 Walk- Foo Fighters
(4) Ulquiorra Cifer had been with the Gotei 13 for nearly six years and that in itself was quite a feat. Achieving a position as a seated officer in the eleventh division was an even greater accomplishment when one took everything into consideration.
When he first came to Soul Society not a single person would look his way. He found himself waking up in the slums of Rukongai with no sense of where he was or how he had arrived there. He had no recollection of anything, even of his former self. He'd spent his first few days wandering around until slowly, bit by bit his memories came piecing back together.
He was Ulquiorra Cifer, Quatro Espada and he was a Hollow. And yet his Hollow hole had completely disappeared. In fact, many things about his appearance had changed. He no longer resembled a Hollow. His flesh was no longer pale and the remnants of his mask were nowhere to be found. His hair and eyes had stayed the same but everything else seemingly changed. It was then that it dawned upon him that he must be in Soul Society.
If he had been forced to guess as to how his former enemies would receive him, he wouldn't have been too far from the reality of it all.
He was shunned initially. As soon as he made any effort to contact the Shinigami he was entirely shut off from them. It wasn't as though he didn't understand their treatment of him. In fact it made the most sense of everything that was happening to him. However that didn't mean that he was planning on giving up. He had questions and he wanted answers. Nobody outside of the Shinigami would have enough knowledge to tell him just exactly what was occurring to him. It had to be them.
It took three years and numerous tries to get any sort of acknowledgment from the Shinigami but when he finally did, it came in the form of Kenpachi Zaraki.
The bizarre Captain of the eleventh division had become intrigued when he learned that Ulquiorra, the Espada that had nearly defeated Ichigo Kurosaki was now in Soul Society. He took an immediate interest in the former Arrancar and allowed him to enter Seireitei against the wishes of Captain-Commander Yamamoto.
Understandably, Kenpachi was reprimanded for his impudence but in the end the result was in Ulquiorra's favor. He would be allowed to apply to Shinō Academy although Central 46 would be keeping a very close watch over him.
He passed the entrance exam with ease and was placed in Class #1; the special accelerated program. He was at both an advantage and a disadvantage as a former Hollow. Unlike his classmates, he knew how to harness and use his Reiatsu but the way the Arrancar used their Reiatsu was significantly different from the Shinigami. He had to retrain his body to use its abilities in a different way. Fortunately he was a fast learner.
He was an outcast from the rest of his class. Many of them had either heard the truth about him or they believed some form of horrid exaggeration about him. Either way it only gave him incentive to finish his training as fast as he could. He was able to graduate in a little over a year at the academy, an achievement that would have earned him praise had he not already been condemned by most of the members of the Gotei 13.
When Central 46 finally gave him approval to apply to one of the divisions of the Gotei 13, finding a squad that would accept him proved to be another challenge. The 6th, 7th and 10th divisions piqued his interest initially but all denied him, directing him to apply at either the 4th or 12th division instead. Likely, these were squads that he was considered to do the least amount of damage in should things go awry.
It was then that Kenpachi Zaraki showed his face again. He claimed Ulquiorra for his own squad and although the former Hollow had no interest in joining a division that specialized in violence, he acknowledged that he had little other choice. He was soon after seated as an officer in the fourth seat; an idea that served to amuse and yet unnerve him.
More than anything, he was concerned with learning why he simply had not disappeared. Every ounce of logic dictated that he should be dead. Yet here he was in Soul Society, a Shinigami no less. It was a concept he struggled to grasp, especially because the moment of his supposed death was the most vibrant and forthright memory in his mind. He couldn't let anything get in his way of finding his answers.
Six years later and his search for resolution proved fruitless. What little information he was allowed access to said very little about Hollows and Mayuri Kurotsuchi, the man he considered to be most knowledgeable on such matters seemingly loved to taunt him with vague answers to his questions.
Instead he spent a lot of his days wandering around in Seireitei doing menial tasks and performing guard duties in the evening. His Captain, Kenpachi had insisted that Ulquiorra grow to be as strong as he had been previously but he had no interest in that. He already had the eyes of all the Shinigami watching and waiting for him to give them an excuse to eject him from the Gotei 13. The last thing he wanted was to give them a legitimate reason. It was also unsettling to him that Kenpachi's only concern in his strength seemed to stem from the man's own desire to fight against Ulquiorra, an idea which the former Espada wanted no part of.
Ulquiorra had just about adjusted to the idea that the rest of his existence would follow a path of unanswered questions and simple tasks but in one instant everything would be turned upside down.
It was on a day just like any other day in Seireitei. The sun was out, the wind was mild. It was a decidedly very boring day and it was just how Ulquiorra had become accustomed to liking it. Quiet and boring meant little potential for something to go awry. He stood at his post as alert as he could be and watched quietly as a few clouds passed overhead. He heard the sound of footfall in the distance and no sooner had he turned to look did his Lieutenant round the corner. "Lieutenant Kusajishi, is there an emergency?"
"Hollow Man!" Yachiru said excitedly. "Did you hear? Did you hear?"
Ulquiorra grit his teeth at the term "Hollow man" but he ignored it. It wasn't as though anybody called him by his actual name anyhow and it was the least of his concerns now with his Lieutenant standing before him flustered and in a hurry. "Hear what, Lieutenant?"
"She's here! She's here!" Yachiru exclaimed but Ulquiorra seemed even more confused than he had been a few seconds prior. She huffed in irritation and reached up to grab his hand. "Come on! You have to see!"
Ulquiorra pulled his hand from his Lieutenant's and shook his head. "I can't leave my post."
"Sure you can! Ken-chan won't mind!" Yachiru recaptured Ulquiorra's hand and began to tug at him. "Come on! Come on! It's an order!"
Ulquiorra let out a small sigh and relented to follow the Lieutenant. He let her drag him around for half an hour, leading him to dead end after dead end before he finally put a halt to the running. "Lieutenant, where are you leading me?"
"Shinō Academy!" Yachiru said as she continued along. "It's this way! Let's go!"
But Yachiru was headed in the wrong direction and unfortunately for Ulquiorra, he couldn't correct the Lieutenant. He had seen her wrath first hand when Makizō Aramaki had once tried to correct her directional skills. He knew it would likely be a full hour before they arrived at the academy. In that time, there was no telling what they would be missing at the academy that Yachiru wanted to see so badly. But soon after they had stopped, they ran into Ikkaku Madarame and Yumichika Ayasegawa; either a stroke of extreme luck or extreme misfortune.
"Hey Lieutenant! Hey Hollow boy." Ikkaku greeted the two with a wave. "Where you headed?"
"To the same place as us, no doubt." Yumichika answered for the two. He quickly turned his eyes from Yachiru to Ulquiorra and back again. "Lieutenant, do you really think it wise to bring him along considering... the circumstances?"
"Of course I do! It'll be fun!" Yachiru replied cheerfully.
"And if Captain-Commander Yamamoto is there?" Yumichika asked. "The situation could turn ugly. That would be unfortunate."
"Silly Yun-Yun! I wouldn't be bringing him if I thought Gramps was going to be there! All the Captains are having a meeting." Yachiru smiled cutely. "You should go with us! It'll be fun!"
Yumichika sighed and shrugged. "If you say so Lieutenant. I just hope that there aren't any incidents."
"Incidents?" Ulquiorra looked to Yumichika curiously. The Lieutenant and the fifth seat officer were being strangely cryptic and he couldn't shake the feeling that it all had to do with him and whatever was happening at the academy. The last thing he wanted was to be involved in any incidents. To anger the Shinigami now meant imprisonment. "Perhaps I shouldn't go."
"Perhaps you shouldn't." Yumichika agreed in a cheerful tone but the look on his face was as cold as ice. "Either way, we'll be continuing on. Let's go Ikkaku."
"You don't have to be such a meany head!" Yachiru said as she stuck her tongue out at the two retreating officers. "Come on, let's follow them!" She began to pull Ulquiorra along but he wasn't budging so she turned to look back at him.
Yachiru's questioning eyes looked up at Ulquiorra and he knew he had to answer her so he decided to be straight to the point. "I shouldn't go. I became a Shinigami because I wanted to find the reason for my existence here. In all logic, I should not have survived the fight with Ichigo Kurosaki. Despite that, I'm here and all I wanted was answers. I'd be foolish to think that the Shinigami have accepted me as one of their ranks. In fact, I know they have only let me this close because they realized it was more beneficial to keep me under their thumb than at a distance. All they need is one excuse to imprison me so I do whatever it takes to stay out of trouble."
"But that would make Ken-chan sad." Yachiru said with a pout. "Ken-chan wants you to be your strongest! You can't be your strongest if you try to stay out of trouble! You shouldn't worry about what the others think. When Ken-chan came here he killed the old Captain and that's how he became Captain. A lot of people were mad at Ken-chan but Ken-chan just got new friends that didn't care about what he did. You're Ken-chan's friend like Icchi is Ken-chan's friend! That means you're my friend and I don't care about what you did. Ken-chan and I will protect you!"
Ulquiorra felt impacted by Yachiru's words. For the first time in a long time he understood an emotion. Yachiru's words had made him feel happy. Most times he just felt unease. He stared down at the Lieutenant and nodded slowly.
"Good! Now let's go before you miss your chance to see something you might never have the chance to see again!" Yachiru gripped Ulquiorra's hand and dragged him after Ikkaku and Yumichika.
Following the two seated officers lead them quickly in the right direction of Shinō Academy. When they arrived at the academy there was a large crowd of students and fellow Shinigami alike. All of them were huddled around something and the commotion was so loud that Ulquiorra could barely hear Yachiru's demand to get closer.
Ulquiorra allowed Yachiru to pull him into the sea of bustling people but because of his average height it was hard to see much in front of him. He could vaguely make out the forms of Rangiku Matsumoto and Shūhei Hisagi at the center of the group. It was clear they were talking to someone but he couldn't see who.
Yachiru tugged at Ulquiorra's sleeve eagerly. "Can you see? Can you see?"
Ulquiorra looked down at his Lieutenant and shook his head. He turned his eyes back to the center of the massive group and just as the crowd parted enough for him to get a glance at who the two Lieutenants were talking to, he felt a shove from behind and he went rocketing into the center of the ruckus. Everything went silent as his hands hit the ground, the sound echoing through the courtyard. Ulquiorra kept his gaze down as whispers started to fly around him. It wasn't until he heard an eerily familiar voice that he looked up.
"U-ulquiorra... Cifer?"
A panic filled the former Hollow in a way that he had never felt before. He could feel the stares of all those around him burrowing into him but none was more intense than the gaze of the person before him. "W-woman..." He made a motion to stand quickly and as soon as he did he felt himself being restrained. He looked to either side of him to find Momo Hinamori and Izuru Kira keeping him held back. In just those few moments he had gotten himself into more trouble than he had ever bargained for. He felt the two Lieutenants dragging him away and he knew he was going to be locked away forever, assuming they didn't decide to kill him. But before he could be taken completely away he heard the most beautiful sound. Orihime Inoue was calling out in his defense.
"Wait! Please stop!" Orihime bolted through the crowd after the three. She stopped just short of them and stared at Ulquiorra in disbelief. "Please, would you let him go? I want to speak to him."
Izuru looked from Orihime to Momo and nodded slowly. He released his grip on the former Espada and bowed to Orihime. "We'll be just a few feet away if you need us."
"Thank you." Orihime bowed her head to Izuru and Momo before turning her eyes to Ulquiorra. "I never thought I'd see you again. I'm... so happy."
Ulquiorra took a step back from Orihime and stared at the woman in wonder. "What are you doing here?"
"I..." Orihime smiled softly to hide the sadness that she knew was evident in her voice. "I died."
Ulquiorra looked her over curiously. "How?"
"It's not important." Orihime took a step toward Ulquiorra but he only took a step back from her. She forced a smile and placed her hands behind her back. "You've changed. You look different. I wouldn't have even recognized you if it wasn't for your eyes. You always looked so melancholy."
Ulquiorra stood staring at the woman before him. It had been ten long years since he last saw her face. Her appearance hadn't changed and yet she seemed infinitely older. It seemed likely that her experiences in Hueco Mundo and afterward had aged her significantly but even still, she retained a child-like sense about her.
He didn't know what he should say to her. It was true that from time to time he would think back on the occurrences in Hueco Mundo, especially his own death. He remembered how he had come to understand the concept of the human heart and that understanding stemmed from his relationship with her. He even pondered what it might be like should he ever get the chance to tell her just how much she had impacted him. Now he stood within five feet of her and he couldn't even bring himself to speak.
"The Shihakushō looks good on you." Orihime said to break the silence. Ulquiorra seemed uncharacteristically timid to her. Every small movement she made seemed to send him back a step. He wasn't the same Ulquiorra she had known in Hueco Mundo. The old Ulquiorra showed no fear, not even in the face of death and certainly not toward the likes of her. Now he looked defeated and helpless, a fraction of the man he once was. His gaze had always had a sense of sadness to it but now he looked all out broken. She couldn't help but wonder what he had been through in the past ten years that he had been in Soul Society to make him seem so crushed. She took another step toward him but this caused him to completely flee. She watched sadly as he disappeared quickly into the distance. The silence that had surrounded them erupted into a loud chatter and soon she had some of the Lieutenants at her side.
Izuru looked to Orihime with concern. "Are you alright?"
Orihime nodded quickly and turned her gaze from the distance to Izuru. "Yes. I'm fine."
Izuru nodded and forced a smile. "That's good. Shall I escort you to where you can take the entrance exam? I think the time has passed but they'll probably make a special exception for you."
"Oh no you don't, Izuru!" Rangiku scolded as she came walking up. "There's no way I'm going to let you try to talk Orihime into joining your squad! She and I are kindred spirits! She's going to join the 10th division when she graduates. Isn't that right Orihime?"
Orihime smiled sweetly and shrugged. "That's still quite a long time from now. I don't know which squad I want to join yet but I'm probably best suited to join the 4th."
Isane Kotetsu smiled at this and nodded to Orihime. "We would love to have you. You would be a great asset and I think the division suits you."
"Shame on all of you Lieutenants." Ikkaku said as he clapped his hands to gain their attention. "The poor girl is barely here a day and already she's ambushed as a celebrity by her future classmates and here you're all trying to recruit her before she even gets accepted to the academy."
"You're one to talk, Madarame." Rangiku replied with crossed arms and a look of irritation. "Your Lieutenant is here too."
Ikkaku shrugged. "Mischievous purposes, no doubt. She wouldn't be here to recruit Inoue. There's no place for her in our squad. I agree, she'd be better suited for the 4th division but that's a long way from now. Isn't it Inoue?"
Orihime nodded quickly. "I have a long time to decide."
"Meanwhile, I think we should all let Inoue get some rest. I'm sure it has been a very long and very tiring past couple of days." Yumichika smiled to Orihime. "I bet you'd like to rest, right Inoue?"
"I suppose I should before I take my entrance exam." Orihime smiled as Yumichika and Ikkaku ushered all the other Shinigami away and the students returned reluctantly to their classes. "I'll see you soon, everyone!" She watched as the members of the Gotei 13 disappeared in the same direction Ulquiorra had and she let out a heavy sigh. "Ulquiorra..."
"Don't be sad, Jiggles!" Yachiru said happily as she jumped up to latch onto Orihime. "Hollow Man is just worried because none of the Shinigami like him besides me and Ken-chan."
"Y-yachiru!" Orihime was taken by surprise when the pink haired Lieutenant seemed to appear out of nowhere. She looked down at Yachiru before turning her gaze back to the distance. "None of them... like him?"
"Not even our squad." Yachiru said plainly. "Some people are nice to him because they want to please Ken-chan. Others are nice to him because they fear him. But nobody really likes him."
Orihime felt strangely overwhelmed by sadness at hearing this. "I wonder why."
"That's a funny thing to say!" Yachiru said with a giggle. "The why is because he used to be our enemy! He kidnapped you and he made everybody believe you betrayed us. He used to be a real meany!"
"But you said you and Zaraki like him." Orihime smiled down at Yachiru. "So that means maybe the others could grow to like him too!"
Yachiru looked up at Orihime curiously. "Did you grow to like him when he was still being a meany?"
Orihime nodded. "Yes I did... very much."