Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo, not me.
Six months had passed since the end of the winter war. Aizen had been defeated, and was currently imprisoned. Though the Soul Society and its allies had suffered many injuries, they didn't have to deal with any casualties. The same could not be said for Aizen's arrancar army. Many espada and lesser arrancar had lost their lives in the war, though some remained alive.
It hadn't been easy for anyone to go back to their old routines- and old lives – after the war. This was especially true for Orihime Inoue. When left with no other choice, she went to Hueco Mundo voluntarily in order to protect her friends. Much to her dismay, they insisted on bringing her back. Orihime felt she failed to protect her friends because of their actions. After all, they had suffered serious injuries in their rescue attempt.
Surprisingly, grief was the dominant emotion Orihime felt for at least a month after the war. Her grief stemmed from the death of Ulquiorra Schiffer, fourth espada and her former caretaker. Despite his cold- and sometimes condescending – nature, Orihime had come to care for him. After watching him turn to ash, Orihime used her powers in an attempt to revive him. Unfortunately, her efforts failed, which didn't make things any easier to deal with.
However, her grief wasn't meant to last forever. By some unknown miracle, Ulquiorra had returned. Orihime often took time to remember that day, and also reminisced about why he chose to stay in the living world.
About a month after resuming her normal routines, Orihime had taken a job at a local bakery. Her job paid well, and helped her pay her own rent. Orihime's relatives still supported her, but less than they did before she began working. Having a job also kept Orihime's thoughts away from her grief over Ulquiorra's death. At least, it kept her thoughts focused on other things while she was working.
Much to her surprise, she had found Ulquiorra waiting patiently outside her apartment one day when she got home from work. Orihime had been shocked to see him, since he had turned to ash right in front of her. Actually, she'd thought she was seeing things at first. Especially since Ulquiorra looked like a normal human, except for the unusually pale skin. Upon realizing that she wasn't seeing things, Orihime had been overjoyed. When asked why he was there, Ulquiorra took the liberty of explaining his situation.
Ulquiorra had two reasons for showing up at Orihime's apartment, of all places. Following Aizen's defeat and his body's reconstitution, Ulquiorra found he no longer had a reason to remain in Las Noches. Ulquiorra only remained in Las Noches for as long as he had because he served Aizen. Now that Aizen was gone, nothing tied him to Las Noches or Hueco Mundo. He remained curious about a certain red-haired, grey-eyed woman who had been in his care. Initially, Ulquiorra hadn't been pleased with his second reason for being in the living world.
Before entering the living world, Ulquiorra knew that he had to deal with the Soul Society. When he finished contemplating his circumstances, only one plan stood out in his mind. Ulquiorra would have to ally himself with the Soul Society. The thought of doing this left a bad taste in his mouth- he wasn't one to pick sides -but he had no choice. Knowing the possible consequences of his actions, Ulquiorra opened a garganta to the Soul Society.
Ulquiorra had expected a negative reaction from the Soul Society upon his arrival. Even though he had not harmed anyone, he was soon surrounded by the ten remaining captains of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. Knowing they saw him as a threat, Ulquiorra placed his Zanpakuto on the ground as a sign of surrender. He had not wished to be parted from his weapon, but it was the only way he could convince them to listen. An offer to fight hollows and arrancars that invaded Karakura Town was the last thing the captains expected to hear.
After much debate, Soul Society saw how they could use his offer to their advantage. If Ulquiorra sided with them, it would be one less powerful enemy for Soul Society to deal with. Additionally, both parties knew that the remainder of Aizen's army was still a threat. The arrancars had never been completely loyal to Aizen, and no one knew if they would cause trouble in the living world in the absence of his authority. With these things in mind, Soul Society accepted Ulquiorra's offer, but not without conditions of their own. Soul Society had forced him to use a gigai that sealed his spiritual powers as long as he was in it, and the seal would only be lifted when Ulquiorra was given an order to fight hollows. The gigai also allowed Soul Society to keep track of Ulquiorra's location. These restrictions would be in place until Ulquiorra earned Soul Society's trust. Once he earned their trust, he would be free to do as he wished.
So that was how Ulquiorra ended up in the living world, inhabiting a gigai and living with his former captive. Orihime had been quick to offer him residence as soon as he had arrived, and they now lived together like roommates. The crushing grief Orihime felt over Ulquiorra's death had quickly faded away, since he was no longer the one person she couldn't save. This knowledge brought peace to Orihime's troubled mind, and she soon began to heal.
It wasn't long before Orihime was back to her old self, more or less. She was still the goofy bubbly girl everyone knew and loved. However, she had matured and honed her powers during the months since Ulquiorra's return. In fact, Orihime had taken to fighting alongside Ulquiorra whenever he went to fight hollows. Ichigo and the rest of her friends had been nervous and slightly over-protective at first, seeing how Ulquiorra had kidnapped her and everything. Thankfully, they soon realized how happy he made her, and accepted him into their group. Orihime's friends also began to accept her as a fighter due to the fact that she fought hollows alongside Ulquiorra.
Living with Ulquiorra was occasionally awkward, but Orihime still enjoyed it. More than anything, she enjoyed his company. Before he moved in, she often felt lonely in her apartment. Thankfully, this was no longer the case. Ulquiorra still wasn't very out-spoken, but he had been opening up to her more and more. It also seemed like he had come to tolerate working for the Soul Society, but she didn't think he'd ever admit it. However, Orihime didn't care if he ever fully opened up to her. He was still alive, and she was thankful for that.
Everything seemed to be fine in Ulquiorra and Orihime's relationship, but there was one thing that still troubled the cheerful red-head. It was a question that always lurked in the back of her mind, though she didn't always think about it. Before his "death" in Hueco Mundo, Ulquiorra had shown a genuine curiosity about the heart. Orihime had been more than willing to teach him about it, but she never had a chance to do so. So she couldn't help but wonder about two things.
Had Ulquiorra gained a heart after being revived? And if he had, would he ever understand it? Since Ulquiorra never gave her any indication that he had gained a heart, she was certain she would never know.
On a seemingly average fall night, Ulquiorra and Orihime were preparing to watch a movie in her apartment. Things like this were routine for them. But this time, a squabble had broken out over the movie Orihime wanted to watch.
"But Ulquiorra, scary movies are fun!" Orihime whined over Ulquiorra's opposition when she had chosen Saw 3 as the movie they were going to watch.
"Woman, I fail to see the point in this. Why on earth would you watch a movie in order to frighten yourself?" Ulquiorra stated calmly. Though from the look in his eyes, Orihime could tell he was tired of arguing with her.
"Well, I think there is! Horror movies are…" Orihime's response was cut off by the harsh blaring of Ulquiorra's pager. Both parties knew that the alarm could only mean one thing. A hollow was about to appear in Karakura Town.
"This is unexpected. It seems that we have to deal with an arrancar instead." A hint of surprise was present in Ulquiorra's eyes as he said this; something Orihime did not fail to notice. Thought the two of them had fought many hollows together, they had never fought an arrancar. This was simply due to the fact that no arrancars had invaded Karakura Town since the end of the war.
Honestly, fighting an arrancar was the last thing Orihime wanted to do that night. She was not opposed to fighting; the unexpected call from Soul Society had interrupted their plans. "I suppose we'd better go, then."
Shortly after receiving the message, the seal on Ulquiorra's spiritual powers was removed. Swallowing a piece of soul candy, Ulquiorra phased out of the gigai and returned to his original form. He had gotten used to being in a gigai, but returning to his spirit form always felt liberating.
Ulquiorra grabbed Orihime's arm and sonidoed away with her.
The pair soon arrived at the designated location. Several abandoned warehouses surrounded them, and Orihime was thankful for this. She knew how much destruction resulted from battle, and their location ensured that no innocent people would be harmed.
Orihime and Ulquiorra didn't have to wait long for the fight to begin. The ripping sound that characterized the opening of a garganta caused them to look into the sky.
"Are you afraid?" Ulquiorra asked; a hint of concern evident in his tone.
"No, I'm not scared! Why should I be? This arrancar won't stand a chance against us!"
Their opponent stepped out of the garganta, a cocky smirk evident on his face. Orihime was slightly unnerved at his presence; she knew how he fought in battle. He was violent and recklessly impulsive. On the other hand, Ulquiorra was trying very hard to suppress his annoyance at the situation. Of all the arrancar that could have attacked, it had to be this blue-haired idiot.
"Just what are you doing here?" Ulquiorra asked calmly. He had to admit, suppressing his annoyance at the situation was getting very difficult.
"Me? I got sick of beating up lowly arrancars and causing trouble in Hueco Mundo, so I came here to have fun instead!" Grimmjow drawled in a bored tone.
"I guess I arrived at just the right time. I've always wanted to prove that I'm stronger than you!" The implications of Grimmjow's words were not misunderstood. Despite the difference in their rank and strength, Grimmjow hoped to prove that he was stronger than Ulquiorra.
"You will not leave until I accept your challenge, will you Grimmjow?"
"You got that right! So are you going to accept or not?" Though Grimmjow's confrontational attitude was getting annoying, Ulquiorra knew he couldn't lose his cool.
"Very well, I will accept your challenge if it means you will leave." Ulquiorra drew his sword as he said this. Grimmjow smiled when he saw this. It was a well-known fact that Ulquiorra only drew his sword against worthy opponents.
"Woman," Ulquiorra said as he turned to address Orihime, "put up a shield." Orihime knew Ulquiorra did not think she was weak when he made that statement. Though he often acted cold or indifferent, she knew he was concerned for her. She also knew that this was his fight, and that it wouldn't be right for her to interfere. Those thoughts filled her head as she summoned her protective shield.
Before drawing his sword, Ulquiorra assumed the fight would be easy. Grimmjow had been- and to his knowledge, still was –lower ranked tan himself. Naturally, this meant Grimmjow was the weaker of the two combatants. However, Grimmjow fought like a maniac, forcing Ulquiorra to go on the defensive. Sparks flew as steel clashed against steel. To an outsider, the fight would have looked like an even match.
After battering against Ulquiorra's defenses, Grimmjow finally managed to slip through them. He slashed across Ulquiorra's chest, leaving only a small scratch on his opponent. Without the strength of his hierro, Ulquiorra knew the injury would have been far more serious.
'Damn it.' Ulquiorra cursed inwardly at the situation. He didn't like knowing that he was cut by someone he could defeat easily.
Due to Grimmjow's incessant boasting over landing a blow, Ulquiorra saw a chance to end the fight and took it. He thrust his sword into Grimmjow's right shoulder. The injury disabled Grimmjow's sword arm, and also forced him to use his left hand to cover the wound. It was a swift victory, though not as swift as Ulquiorra would have hoped. After all, Ulquiorra disliked fighting.
"It seems I have won." Victory indeed belonged to Ulquiorra, yet he felt he had to spell it out for Grimmjow. His skull could be rather thick at times.
"You may have won this time, but I'll be back! And when I challenge you again, I'll kick your puny little ass!" Grimmjow swore furiously, angered by his defeat.
Wounded and angry, Grimmjow retreated into Hueco Mundo. Ulquiorra knew the blue-haired idiot would return, but it wouldn't be any time soon.
With the battle over, Orihime was finally able to drop her shield. She had to admit, she was impressed. Of all the fighters she had witnessed in battle, none were as graceful or elegant as Ulquiorra. He may have been injured, but she didn't think any less of him because of it.
"Ulquiorra, you're hurt… Do you need me to heal you?" Orihime asked as she walked toward him; his back facing her.
"It was kind of you to offer, but that will not be necessary. I have already healed due to my regeneration abilities." Ulquiorra said this as he turned around to face her.
Nothing could have prepared Orihime for what she saw when he faced her. Ulquiorra's uniform had been partly torn open by Grimmjow's attack, exposing the snow-white skin of his sternum. And that was all she saw. His hollow hole was gone; filled in by flesh and bone.
"H-How is this possible? How did this happen?" Orihime's fingers traced the skin gently. She could feel the thrum of his pulse beneath her fingertips.
In response to her question, Ulquiorra covered her hand with his own. And in that instant, she knew the answer to her own question. Unintentionally, she had given him the greatest gift he could ever receive; his heart. Orihime once thought Ulquiorra would leave when he earned Soul Society's trust. Now, she knew she had been wrong.