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Author Notes:

This is my very first fan fic, so please go easy on me. I tried to keep the story as canonical as possible, while still adding in my own flavor to make it a proper fan fiction. The story was written for someone very special to me, and she thought it was good enough to share with more like-minded readers. So here it is! I hope you all enjoy, the Ulqui-Hime goodness within. HAPPY READING!

~GM

CHAPTER 1 - Revelation

Orihime held her breath, as she inspected the features of the one who had fallen asleep in her chamber, up close. His messy dark hair covered his nose and fell down past his ears. He had unique markings on his face, and a black lip color. The left side of his head covered with some kind of horned plate, made of bone.

"His features are surprisingly soft, with his eyes closed," Orihime thought to herself, "He's actually kind of-"

Suddenly his eyes flew open! Cutting her thought short.

"WAH!" Orihime screamed, out of shock.

"Is there some reason for your gawking?" Ulquiorra beckoned, unamused.

"N-NO! I had just woken up and was surprised to find you here...in my cell…" Orihime replied waving her hands in front of her body. "Did I wake you?"

"Hardly." He replied with haste.

"So did Aizen order you to sit in here with me?" She asked, perplexed.

"I suppose not." Ulquiorra stated, "Why, do you find my presence unsettling...woman?"

"N-No, I...I just don't think it's necessary, is all." Orihime pouted, turning her head to the side. "Surely there is something better for an Espada to do with his time. Besides, I've already sworn my allegiance to you. I'm not going anywhere."

"I see…" He replied, pausing for a moment, "Allow me then, to enlighten you; there are those among us, who do not possess the ability to recognize your importance to Lord Aizen. In other words, they would like nothing more than to have an innocent little human girl as their plaything. I'm simply here to detour that kind of ignorance."

"You're protecting me?" Orihime questioned.

"Tch…" he spat back, as he rose placing his hands in his coat pockets.

"Or maybe yo-"

"Enough...with this idle banter woman" He said cutting her off, as he made his way to the door and opened it.

"So much for your protection…" She teased.

"Nonsense…" He retorted, casually peering over his left shoulder, as he held the door open with his right. "I have just become aware of something that requires my attention more than you, at the moment."

Orihime watched Ulquiorra leave as the door closed behind him. She stood in the middle of her cell for but a few moments when she thought she could hear commotion coming from the hall outside of her room. Quietly, she snuck over to the door as she brushed her hair behind her right ear and pressed it up against the slab.

"That's Ulquiorra's voice!" She thought to herself, trying to make out the conversation. "But I don't recognize the other one…"

"I don't recall any orders being given for you to report to this location," Ulquiorra spoke sternly, "Tell me…what reason do you have?"

There was a long pause.

"Jeez! yer, so fucking testy, as usual Ulquiorra!" the unfamiliar voice taunted. "Still haven't broken in that pet of yer's I take it? It's a shame really...to let something so pure go to waste. Shit makes me drool just thinkin' about it!"

"I see...Then perhaps I was unclear the last time we spoke..." Ulquiorra's voice seemed to vibrate the very air itself, "My interests reside elsewhere with that woman. However difficult that may be for someone such as yourself to grasp…In truth I should be more sympathetic. For you to call yourself an Espada with such a disturbing absence of intellect is no doubt a heavy burden...Nnoitra."

"How about ya save your fuckin' sympathy for that bitch in there, after I'm through with her!" Nnoitra threatened.

Unbeknownst to Ulquiorra something stirred below his feat.

"Oh?" Ulquiorra scorned, unamused.

"That's just like you to be so nonchalant Ulquiorra. How about I let ya in on a little secret! Szayel has cooked something up to negate the use of Shunpo. BUT, the only thing he had to test on was Sonido. So there was some improvisin' involved. So...Ya finding it harder to move?" He mocked as he Sonido'd out of Ulquiorra's sight.

Suddenly Ulquiorra sense something was amiss, he couldn't move! He couldn't escape the viscous material that had formed at his feet. How could something have slipped through is pesquisa, let alone his Solita Vista? He turned his head just in time to watch, Nnoitra fire a peculiar looking cero straight at him.

"I see…" Ulquiorra said unable to move.

Unable to escape Ulquiorra was battered by the fierce wave of energy. The blast was so intense all of Las Noches quaked, while the hall at its epicenter collapsed into rubble. Ulquiorra's tattered coat was the only thing that remained; all other traces seemed to have been vaporized in the blast.

"So much for my 'intellect,' ya fucking bitch." Nnoitra gloated.

Orihime was startled by the unexpected explosion, which rattled her cell so hard that she had lost her balance and fell to the ground. As she picked herself up the door burst open. Her heart sank when she saw it wasn't Ulquiorra who re-entered, but who could only be Nnoitra! As he bent down in order to enter through the doorway to her chamber, his tall slender form was revealed. He stood just over seven feet tall, with an eye patch covering his left eye. His arrancar jacket seemed to be modified with a spoon-like hood that jutted up from the back. Equipped with his giant dual bladed crescent scythe, he was truly a foreboding individual. However, what made Orihime's skin crawl and her stomach churn was his perpetual maniacal grin.

"If it isn't the fuckin' princess of Las Noches herself." He mocked, as saliva dripped from his long tongue, which now hung out of his mouth. "I've been waitin' a long time, to see what makes you tick. Maybe I'll find out why yer so important if ya let me explore between your legs. What do ya say?"

She withdrew into the chamber, further, in an attempt to distance herself from him. She instinctively summoned her Santen Kesshun, as her back pressed up against the cell wall.

"Who the fuck am I kidding," He scoffed, as he effortlessly cracked through her barrier, "you have no say, but I will let ya screa-."

Nnoitra's words were cut short, as he was complete taken by surprise. In the blink of an eye, Ulquiorra appeared in between he and his prey, and seized, his wrist in the process.

Orihime's gaze became transfixed on Ulquiorra, as she peered at him from behind. She couldn't help her heart from skipping a beat at the sight of him. Ulquiorra's coat was gone completely gone; all that was left were his tattered Hakama, boots, and sash. His body showed signs of minimal burns, but nothing fatal. She kept noticing, her eyes were drawn to his unclad upper body. He was thin, but his muscled physique caught her attention; everything thing about his figure attracted her.

"How the fuck!" Nnoitra spat, eyes wide with disbelief.

"It seems even your Gran Rey Cero had little effect..." Ulquiorra taunted. "What will you do now?"

"You little fuckin' prick! Don't mock me!" Nnoitra screamed enraged, as he brought down his giant dual bladed, crescent scythe onto Ulquiorra with such force, the very air around the cell vibrated.

*CLANG!*

With speed that Orihime's eyes could not perceive, Ulquiorra managed to draw his blade and catch Nnoitra's own, locking their weapons together. What surprised her even more was Ulquiorra's strength, for Nnoitra was at least two feet taller, and his weapon much larger. The ease at which Ulquiorra was able to stop such a vicious attack, with such little effort, was nothing short of amazing.

She couldn't help but feel even more attracted to him. She kept telling herself it was just out of admiration, but something told her, it was much deeper.

With relentless force Ulquiorra overpowered Nnoitra knocking his weapon up. As their weapons separated he brought his sword across Nnoitra's body. He then raked it's blade back down, diagonally, along Nnoitra's exposed chest; causing blood to immediately erupted from the wound.

Screaming in pain, Nnoitra recovered, this time sweeping his crescent scythe parallel, straight for Ulquiorra's neck. Though the attack was much stronger than his first, it still met a similar fate. Ulquiorra quickly brought his own weapon up and stopped the attack dead in its tracks. More blood began pouring out of the wound that expanded Nnoitra's rib cage...

"The strongest Hierro of all the Espada...and yet," Ulquiorra murmured sarcastically, as their blades locked once more. "It gave way so easily, to my blade."

"Damn you!" Nnoitra uttered, gritting his teeth.

"Oh?" Ulquiorra mused. "It's seems you didn't anticipate this outcome."

"As if!" Nnoitra spat, unlocking his weapon with Ulquiorra's again, jumping several feet back. "Ya seem to be pretty reluctant to do anything other than defend...could it be that you're afraid it will leave that bitch open for an attack?"

"Nonsense." Ulquiorra retorted, "Tell me...How do you presume Lord Aizen will treat this blatant act of defiance?"

"HA! 'Spose if I killed ya, that would make me number four. I'm sure Aizen would understand. The bitch is just a bonus!" Nnoitra yelled, as he shot a cero at Ulquiorra, from his tongue.

Ulquiorra's instinct told him to use Sonido, but that would leave Orihime vulnerable. This wasn't just an outburst, Nnoitra was banking on Ulquiorra not dodging; on the other hand firing a cero to negate Nnoitra's could result in her death as well. Ulquiorra did the only thing that he could think of; he raised both hands and prepared to hold back the blast.

The wave of immense energy collided with Ulquiorra's palms as his feet were pushed into the stone floor. Telling her to run was useless, he knew if he told her to move out of the way, Nnoitra's superior speed would make quick work her.

Orihime screamed as the wind and violently swept around her. She stared helplessly as she watched Ulquiorra do everything in his power to keep her from harm.

"Again?" she thought to herself, "he's protecting me...again…"

The energy began to bend around Ulquiorra, as if it knew Orihime was its target. Just when things looked like they couldn't get any worse, Nnoitra did the unthinkable. He Sonido'd up into the air, his head almost scraping the ceiling, and shot another Cero straight at them; it was positioned at such an angle, that it would pass over Ulquiorra and collide with Orihime.

Again Ulquiorra's instincts urged him to use Sonido, if he had; this threat would have been extinguished long ago. His next thought was releasing his Zanpakuto...But even then, he risked destroying Las Noches and Orihime in the process. Still something else urged Ulquiorra to protect her, completely unrelated to Aizen's orders. He had never felt this sensation before as it came from a place that he could not fully identify. Regardless, seeing no other alternative, he turned his head, to face Orihime.

In that single moment, their eyes met. Even if the gaze only lasted a split second, Orihime could see happiness in his eyes for the first time.

With the same extraordinary speed Ulquiorra displayed earlier, he threw his arms around her. He knew his Hierro would be strong enough to absorb both attacks but, beyond that, it was uncertain.

Orihime let out a gasp as he embraced her. Immediately afterwards a rush of wind, heat, and reiatsu violently shook the air around her. Her ears rang, as the air pressure became more and more unstable. It felt like the whole cell was going to implode.

When the barrage finally subsided, Orihime saw Ulquiorra's neck go limp, as his forehead fell onto her breasts. His arms still wrapped tightly around he, causing her to blushed uncontrollably, despite the grim circumstance.

Without warning Nnoitra hurled his weapon at them, it's crescent blade, sliced into Ulquiorra's back, as it pinned both of them up against the wall. The force caused Ulquiorra to press tighter, onto Orihime, while his right arm fell limp to his side.

"Ulquiorra!" She cried frantically, as tears began to roll down her cheeks. "Please Ulquiorra...Ulquorra-k-kun….please!"

There was no response, he had gone completely comatose

"This is just too fucking good!" Nnoitra taunted, as he began to walk across the cell towards her "That fucking idiot takes his orders way too seriously. By the way, if ya even think about using yer 'special' powers on him, I'll rip his head fucking head off and make ya watch!"

"Why Ulquiorra? Why did you do that to yourself over me?" She pleaded, completely ignoring Nnoitra. "You can't be dead, you can't die! You're…You're…all I have…in this place..."

Her tears fell onto Ulquiorra's face, as Nnoitra continued to advanced, the chain that linked his weapon to his belt, clanking, with every step. Nnoitra was nearly upon them when suddenly Ulquiorra spoke. Ulquiorra's right hand had moved at such speed that, Nnoitra failed to noticed, the hidden attack.

"Gran...Rey...Cero…" He uttered weakly, as a violent torrent of green energy shot out of his lower back angled, up at Nnoitra. It was indeed no ordinary Cero.

Forcing the blast to be absorbed directly into his body, Ulquiorra ensured that Orihime was safe from any repercussions, despite their intimate proximity. In doing so, however, he resigned himself to the same fate that would befall Nnoitra.

Orihime was left speechless, after witnessing the sacrificial act, just displayed by Ulquiorra.

The blast caught Nnoitra so off guard that he was unable to see it, let alone react. Never would he have thought, Ulquiorra would sacrifice so much, to defend this woman. He was jettisoned backward, as the energy wave tore through his chest. His weapon, still linked to his sash, traveled with him, releasing Ulquiorra and Orihime in the process.

Orihime slid down the wall to a sitting position, as Ulquiorra's listless body pressed up against her; his head resting on her lap.

"Ulquiorra-kun!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, as she summoned Shun'o and Ayame's time reversing barrier around him.

Suddenly another Arrancar appeared. This time Orihime recognized this one, as Halibel. As Halibel had stood over her, Orihime was unsure of her intention and motive. Halibel was an imposing woman, with blonde hair, tan skin, and piercing green eyes. The lower half of her face was mysteriously covered by a veil, attached to her coat, barely covering the bottoms of her breasts. Unlike most of the Espada, her outfit left little to the imagination, exposing all of her midsection and thighs.

"So…" She cooed, as she inspected the damages. "He sacrificed enough blood to defeat Nnoitra in one blow, while barely keeping himself alive, at the same time. All of this to keep you from harm...A sacrifice for a sacrifice...I didn't think he was capable of such emotions."

"I'm so sorry!" Orihime pleaded. "If it wasn't for me, none of this would have happened!"

"Oh?" Halibel responded, intrigued, as she knelt down closer to Orihime. "Apologizing to your kidnappers? You are too cute. It's no wonder all of Las Noches is up in arms over you."

"I just, don't want to see harm done anyone, friend or foe. Especially when I am involved." Orihime said softly. "I wish there could be some sort of peace."

Halibel looked at her warmly.

"Such a beautiful sense of naiveté you posses. However, this 'peace' you speak of is only an illusion. True peace comes from sacrifice, and can only be obtained as such. Being at peace with the hand you're dealt is the only true salvation in this world. I have come to terms with what I am. Have you, human?" Halibel replied "I have come to terms with what I am. Have you, human?"

"You're wrong…" Orihime shot back. "Peace is absolution...Who cares if you were born a Hollow, that doesn't mean you have to fight like one! We all have a choice, no matter what! Ulquiorra chose to protect me, whether he was ordered to or not! That alone doesn't fit the definition of a Hollow!"

"Hmmm." Halibel cooed again. "You are such an intriguing little girl."

All of the sudden, another unexpected guest beckoned outside the doorway. The strange thing about him was that his mask was still completely intact, as large bull-like horns rose out from the sides. Behind him were several other masked individuals that seemed to be arrancar themselves, but all shared the same features.

"Halibel-sama" He began as his deep voice echoed through the chamber. "Lord Aizen, requests Nnoitra be brought before him to further decide his fate and punishment. I shall take him..."

"That won't be necessary Rudbornn. I'll be the one to bring him before Aizen." She replied, not even sparing him a passing glance.

"As you wish." He complied, as he and his comrades disappeared again.

Halibel sighed.

"Continue healing Ulquiorra. Lord Aizen, nor myself...wish to replace the current number four. If anything this proves we made the right choice entrusting you with him. We will prepare a new chamber for you." Halibel said, as she placed her hand on the top of Orihime's head; her stunning green eyes fixated on her. "You owe him your life. Never forget that, Orihime Inoue."

"Yes!" She replied.

I have found something extraordinary. It is, to some extent, the birthplace for those translucent objects that envelop this world. It was the first time my eyes have been captivated. With no color, with no sound, with no scent, it only exists.

Happiness.

The word played through Orihime's mind over and over again, while she knelt down with her arms straddled over Ulquiorra. He was still fast asleep, as he had not woken up since his fight with Nnoitra. However, just like before, she was so intrigued with him while he was asleep. It was like she saw him for who he really was in this state. It was akin to the look he gave her before. She couldn't get the image out of her head. The way he looked at her, right before he was struck. It was a look of happiness.

She could not help herself, as her eyes became transfixed on his lips. Her heart began pounding, as she clutched the sheets on either side of him. Orihime couldn't believe what was going through her head, but something within, compelled her to act. Slowly, she leaned down, as she prepared to press her lips against his.

Suddenly his eyes flew open!

"Wah!" She screamed as she quickly reared back from on top of him. "You scared me!"

He continued to stare blankly at her.

Orihime stood up, nervously, as she picked up the tray of food she had next to her, in an attempt to hide the fact she had been watching him sleep the entire time.

"I was worried, that you were going to sleep forever!" She teased with a smile, as she walked towards the open door. "But I was also relieved to know that Ulquiorra-kun could actually sleep/dream."

"It's Ulquiorra….." He uttered as he sat up.

She abruptly stopped, causing the glasses on the tray to clatter, and turned to face his direction.

"Don't refer to me as you would a human." He continued. "When you call me, call me 'Ulquiorra.' Call me only that."

"Hmf! Well U-l-q-u-i-o-r-r-a" She mocked, annoyed with him. "It's time to eat."