Frozen Sun
Summary: Orihime has since moved on from the events of Heuce Mundo, but her feelings for Ulquiorra have not. Attempts to bring him back result in years of wasted hope. Yet...he shows up one day, but it's too late.
Prolouge: Beyond the Stream of Time
At age 19, Orihime successfully got a job as a nurse at the hospital, where she would look after the sick and injured. Somehow, it just seemed to fit her. Between her return from Heuco Mundo three years ago, and now, she attempted to bring back the one person she could not forget; Ulquiorra.
At the age of 22, her childhood crush, Ichigo, proposed to her. She happily accepted and married him a year later.
At the age of 24, Orihime gave birth to their first child, a young girl. Ichigo was sometimes away, which led her and her daughter to forming a special, close bond.
At the age of 27, Orihime gave birth to twins, two boys. Ichigo seemed to be away more than ever by this point. Both his shinigami duties and his job kept him busy. Often lonely, Orihime spent the most time with her children.
At age 32, Orihime decided to go back to school to get her PhD. She succeed and 6 years later became a doctor.
40 years later...
Alone in her small little apartment, Orihime cleaned up the leftovers that she had made the other night for her daughter and grandchildren who came over for a visit. She had lived, in her opinion, a wonderful, full life.
She looked outside at the clear blue sky. A perfect day for a walk, she thought. She grabbed her jacket and slowly walked out of her apartment, locking the door. Outside, she saw young children playing, and young couples walking about. She smiled sadly at them. "Oh, Ichigo-san...how I miss you," she sighed, looking sadly at the clouds. Most of her friends no longer existed in this world, either, except for Tatsuki and Keigo.
But today, she felt like being by herself. She rarely felt like this, but today, she just felt too lonely. As she walked to the park, she saw several children playing together happily. She smiled when some of them came over to her. She recognized them as her grandchildren's friends. "Kurosaki-oba-san!"
She reached into her purse and pulled out a few little treats she usually had on her for this very reason. "Enjoy them," she smiled, as she sat down on the bench. They thanked her and ran off.
"So you're Kurosaki Orihime?" Orihime looked up to see a young man with mid-length black hair, and piercing green eyes, standing right where the children had been.
He looks so much like...Ulquiorra...She could feel her heart lurch in pain. Even after she had married her beloved Ichigo, part of her would always love Ulquiorra...and she still hurt thinking about him too. "I am," she said quietly.
"People around here told me that you know an Inoue Orihime? I have been looking for her for quite some time. At first, I thought you might be her, since your name is Orihime, but, you are not her."
She smiled sadly. "I am Inoue Orihime, rather, I was before I got married." The young man looked at her in shock. This old woman? Wrinkled, with white hair? It couldn't be possible...! The woman he remembered was...not like this. She gave a small laugh. "Anyway, how can I help you?"
He wasn't quite sure how to react. "It is nothing. I suppose you aren't who I was looking for after all." He put his hands in his pocket and walked off. From behind, his posture reminded her of Ulquiorra.
"If I may ask, what is your name?" She just had to be sure, or it would probably haunt her for not finding out.
"It is Ulquiorra Cifer." He said, without turning back. She quickly stood up and tried to run after him, only to remember...she was old now. She fell forward, tears streaming down her face in anger, shock and sadness. It couldn't be, it can't be, it isn't possible...
He looked behind him, only to see the face he remembered; young, vibrant and full of sadness as was the last time he saw her. Her hand was out-stretched to him. His eyes widened, but his expression stayed much the same.
"Onna..."