You know the drill... don't own Bleach or Soul Eater, or otherwise it'd be a new world I'd mesh in to make these two awesome series become more... awesome than awesome. XD And thanks to Zaru for helping me out and being my beta reader... So, okay, it's on with the show! XD

Prologue: The Final Thought

It is generally understood that a beat, a single heart beat, can be heard by everyone. Even the most cold-hearted creature can hear it in spite of their own denial.

In the midst of the duel, Ichigo stood there, panting. It was obvious that he was beyond fine. Bruises, cuts, blood... it was plastered all over his body. His opponent, Ulquiorra... he looked fine. Other than the horn and the other missing limbs from his body... well, not exactly. Both of them were in heavy combat, and both Uryu and Orihime were horrified to see what just happened a few moments before. After that blast that was directed at him and the commotion that occurred after it (especially with Ichigo's so-called 'Inner Hollow' decided to intervene and almost did him a number that was beyond imaginable) it seemed that the fourth Espada had the upper hand. He had the sword, and yet... he wasn't able to walk normally. Almost.

And to make things more awkward than ever, Ichigo presented the opportunity to make things even. Cut off his arm and leg. And his opponent accepted the offer. Ulquiorra had the blade, Ichigo's zankputo, in his hands. It was almost time that Ichigo, the 'trash', should be finished off. He was about to proceed with Ichigo's wish when something burned. Almost like ash. Why? Why the burn? He shouldn't feel such things, and yet... he could feel it, for the first time as a Hollow. Damn it. Damn the woman.

A cold-hearted creature can hear it in spite of their own denial...

"What..." Ulquiorra wanted to breathe out loud, but he knew that the last move that Ichigo did made him the victor, no argument needed. He tried to give Ichigo a direct order: kill him. Make it swift. That way, he wouldn't feel things. Human things, emotions. He questioned Orihime once why she always had such useless and impractical things, emotions. A Hollow couldn't possibly understand it, and yet he knew, when he spent some time with her, there was some odd conclusion that... that everyone has emotions, including him. And Ulquiorra is still in denial about that. Ulquiorra tried to convince him, pleaded... nothing. Just like a Hollow. Damn him. Damn everyone. And damn himself for his human curiosity...

No one can run away from it, no matter how hard they try...

As his body turned to ashes, Ulquiorra couldn't do anything, not his regenerative healing powers, to keep his own body. So, he sought for the kind eyes of Orihime, reaching towards him with one hand as she looked at him, sadly, as though she was disappointed in herself. Knowing that he didn't have enough time left, he had to ask her something. It was only a quick question, but it was something that was worthwhile.

They don't want to tell it to you, but, they can understand it... if they only listened to it...

"Tell me... are you still afraid of me?" he asked as he saw her lips, moving. It was soundless, voiceless just like the wind and the void that he was used to. Nothing. No sound. Nothing that meant something to him. He had no idea what the answer was, but he knew that he was already gone as she tried to reach for his hand. His emerald eyes had indicated it. By the time that he disintegrated away for good, his heart lay there, in the hands of Orihime. As he felt his body being scattered to the winds, his mind began to think. He opened his mouth, as though he was thinking out loud. Damn the woman... he had made him feel like a human.

The beat goes on and on and on... like the beat of a drum, it calls out to live...

"I see... this... yes... this thing in my hand... is the heart?" Ulquiorra pondered in his mind as he felt his heart being placed in good hands. He felt the tears of Orihime dripping onto his heart, the cold, icy heart of his... being tear-stained with tears from a human woman. Her... is this what being human is? A heart beat? A single beat? He had no understanding of the beat, oh, no... he needed to know more.

Even an empty creature like them can hear it.

Even when they don't have a heart, they do.

It's in their dreams, their lives. No one can escape from it, even if they tried...

It was known, after that battle, that Orihime had placed that heart somewhere in that desert. It was a place that was a dwelling underneath the grounds of that place. Quite suited for his final resting place, since the icicles and the water drips down as Ulquiorra's heart was placed in a wooden box, the interior of red velvet hugging it as though it was meant to keep it warm. No one suspected that Ulquiorra would return to the surface once more. And no-one would have suspected that Ulquiorra's attitude towards humans had changed for the better. Or worse. Who knew?

It would have been at least a thousand years or so later when that box was retrieved by someone. And someone reviving him. There was no idea how or why Ulquiorra was resurrected once more, but he was given a second chance. And this time, he knew that he had to keep Orihime's words, the silent promise between the two of them. As if he had a choice in the matter.

To understand the beat.

The human heart beat.