Ulquiorra: What have you done to me, Author? *death glare*

Scarlet: *Hides behind Orihime* I didn't do anything… not really .

Orihime: Let's just get on with the story *giggles* ^^

Everyone: *bows deeply* Bleach is owned by the amazing Kubo Tite. Please take care of us, as this is this eccentric authors first Ulquihime fan fiction. All helpful reviews are appreciated m(_ _)m

When I was younger

I saw my daddy cry

And curse at the wind

He broke his own heart

And I watched

As he tried to reassemble it

And my momma swore that

She would never let herself forget

And that was the day that I promised

I'd never sing of love

If it does not exist

But darlin'

You are the only exception

You are the only exception

You are the only exception

You are the only exception

Maybe I know, somewhere

Deep in my soul

That love never lasts

And we've got to find other ways to make it alone

To make it alone

Or keep a straight face

And I've always lived like this

Keeping comfortable, distance

And up until now

I has sworn myself that I'm content

With loneliness

Because none of it was ever worth the risk

You are the only exception

You are the only exception

You are the only exception

You are the only exception

I've got a tight grip on reality

But I can't let go of what's in front of me here

I know you're leaving in the morning, when you wake up

Leave me some kind of proof it's not a dream

Ooh Ooh…

You are the only exception

You are the only exception

You are the only exception

You are the only exception

And I'm on my way to believing

Oh, and I'm on my way to believing

-Paramore: The only exception

Prologue

Ulquiorra ran his long fingers through his raven hair, allowing the soft tendrils to calm his fraying nerves. His head ached, as if it was a piece of feverish iron, being beaten with a hammer. He needed to breath. He needed to think but the pounding inside his ears resonated through his body, like an old aquaintance you never liked but tolerated, coming back to you. It was familiar to him, like a dream from another life… a dream he didn't want to remember.

The quivering mass of his body trembled excessively as he choked down another raspy vomit. He used the back of his hand to wipe away the saliva that was seeping between his lips..

Lifting his head, he looked around him, at the faces of his comrades who, by all rights, should have been dead. Hell, he should have been dead with them… but he wasn't. He was alive and breathing and feeling a deep pain through his body that he thought he would never feel again.

He could feel every minute particle in his body, every misshapen vein, every quivering vessel… everything. His lungs ached and every spirit particle in his body felt as if they were made out of lead; solidified and heavy. He could barely lift his legs off the floor as the heaviness weighed him down.

Ulquiorra tried his best to listen carefully; he felt almost as if he might have strained a muscle in his ear as he picked up the shallow sounds approaching, growing nearer and nearer until it made his stomach churn like a vat. The muted thud of shoes lightly beating against a concrete floor sounded somewhere ahead of him.

Ulquiorra groaned silently before falling to the ground, barely aware of a familiar, female voice calling out his name.

For some reason, the voice sent shivers down his spine…