She'd watched the battle from the sidelines, so far, with only a few shouts having disrupted her stunned stillness. She'd watched the man she thought she loved turn in to something from nightmares and phobias. She'd watched her kidnapper and protector unveil the true immensity of his power, only to end up on the ground under the monster that Kurosaki had become. Fear had been her constant companion during the duration of the duel.
But not fear for her safety.
Fear of Kurosaki.
Fear for the rest of her friends, the telltale sounds of their nearby battle clear and audible.
Fear for Ishida.
And one more fear that was just as strong as the previous, if not stronger.
Fear for Ulquiorra.
Not of him, but for him.
He was now standing, his body regenerating from Kurosaki's many blows. Kurosaki had reverted back to his normal self. They were talking, exchanging words of a compromise that would still end in death. Their cooperation was ironic, marred by the fact that they spoke of removing limbs in order to fight on equal ground. It made Orihime sick.
Ulquiorra moved to resume the battle, but froze, his eyes widening in shock before filling with resignation. His wings started to dissolve and turn to ash.
"I guess that's it for me," he murmured.
The Espada and Shinigami then proceeded to argue about the subject they'd just been compromising on. Orihime continued to watch, their quiet voices and Kurosaki's shout rising over the sounds of nearby battle and Ishida's injury-spurred coughs. Her eyes darted back and forth between them as if she were observing a mere tennis match.
All the while, her guardian and enemy continued to blow away.
Resignation filled his gaze again and he turned toward her.
"Are you scared of me, woman?"
Woman. What a ridiculous thing to call someone. It seemed that no one would call her by her name—her friends called her Inoue, no matter how many times she implored them to do different. But when he called her that…it was him. It was something that only he did, and it didn't upset her for some reason. She'd never even thought of asking him to call her by her first name.
"I'm not scared," she replied, not even having to think about it.
"I see," he said after a slight hesitation. She recognized the double-meaning behind his words.
"What is a heart?"
She knew now that he understood.
His hand, still chalk-white, reached out to her. His eyes rested solely on her as if challenging her. This was him seeking confirmation, confirmation that she indeed wasn't afraid of him and confirmation that he'd discovered the true meaning of a heart. There was something indiscernible in his eyes, something that told her that he was seeking something else, something more. She didn't know what.
She was suddenly struck by the fact that he was about to be gone from her forever, and his eyes weren't green.
That emerald gaze that would fluctuate with emotions he claimed not to have when he was frustrated, angry, amused, or the rare occasions when he was confused or nervous. Those solidly green eyes that would remain trained on her when she ate, ensuring that she finished every bite. The eyes that had become so familiar and her only solace in Hueco Mundo.
His eyes weren't green, and she couldn't let him die without seeing his green eyes again.
He continued to disintegrate.
She suddenly lunged forward, calling for her fairies as her hand grabbed onto his.
A golden glow encompassed their clasping hands, clinging to Ulquiorra. Orihime heard his strangled gasp. She shut her eyes as the glow intensified, becoming painful to look at. Kurosaki called her name.
She poured all her power into her grasp on her guardian's hand.
The glow faded.
She opened her eyes to find him gone. Her hand was still curved as if she still held his fingers.
Despite the two presences behind her, Orihime had never felt so alone.