JC: Another short fic inspired by another one of elevenfreckles' UIquiHime fanarts. Seriously, this artist is amazing. The style and concept of this artist's work is powered with deep emotions. The artwork that gave me the inspiration to write this is entitled Infinite Nightmare. I'm happy that I was able to get this done already. It was sort of a mess when I started this out. This is something I pictured out during the time skip in Bleach.

Link:Check out the art at http: /elevenfreckles. deviantart. com/gallery/#/d2yci3b (remove spaces)

Disclaimer: I don't own Orihime Inoue and Ulquiorra Cifer.

Infinite Nightmare

In the dark corner of the room, she sat on the floor, knees hugged closely against her chest. Her face was fresh from the burst of tears that dripped on the pallor of her night gown. The pale light of the moon shone through the window, reminding her once more of the nightmares she had experienced. The memories of her encounters, the scent of blood, the overwhelming desire and lust for power continued to sully her mind, her heart, and her spirit. And she kept hearing voices in her head—the voices of her comrades, the roar and taunts of her enemies, and the whispers of his voice.

She sat, still sobbing and sniffing back the tears.

She had so many regrets but nobody was there to comfort her. She had so many mistakes but nobody was there to help her atone for it. She had emerged physically unharmed from the battle, yet she was hurt and bruised badly, deeply. The sadness was cutting through her.

She blamed herself for his death.

It had been weeks since the war. The peaceful days have already returned. However, she could not find peace with herself and she knew exactly why. The nightmares continued to haunt her. The scene of his death was like a plague to her. It kept playing back over and over again like a broken recorder. It was too much for her to bear.

She came to know him as a cold and callous being. He was her captor, her guard, and she was his prisoner. But, to her amazement, something sparked between them the moment he reached out to her.

"Are you afraid of me, woman?"

An emotion so strong poured out of him and touched her heart. She remembered it well.

"I'm not afraid... I'm not afraid..."

He was turning into ashes right in front of her. But there was contentment in his eyes.

"I see..."

Nothing possessed her to lift her hand and reach out to him. It wasn't pity or simple compassion that led her to such act. The words she spoke out and the tears she shed were all genuine, and he knew all of that. She reached out for him, but she reached in vain.

This nightmare does not end, no matter how hard she tried to distract herself. Her friends were still there. They still surrounded her. They still cared for her. And everyday she would face them with a smile. The nightmare was her own problem. There was no need to concern her friends of that matter. She did not want to burden them. At school she would act as if she was the happiest girl alive, but when she gets home she would fall apart.

"Ulquiorra, everyone...I'm sorry..." Sorry for causing his death. Sorry for lying. Sorry for everything. She was a complete mess. She was a shattered glass, a wittered flower that deserves to be forgotten. "Let the nightmares end..." Tears continued to flow like a violent stream as she raised her head to look up at the moon.

She lifted a hand to her face and felt the warm, salty liquid of her tears with her fingertips. These tears fell down like the rain. She had cried countless nights. But the tears could never wash away the pain in her heart.

"Why can't I move on?"

She buried her face in her palms.

"Why? Why? Why don't the nightmares end?"

Pitter-patter...The tears dripped on the floor.

"Impressive. You can heal injures to this extent."

"That outfit unexpectedly suits you."

"What is the heart?"

"Are you afraid?"

His voice echoed in her head. She shuddered violently. If this was punishment, she knew she deserved it, even though it would not be enough to make up for everything.

"Stop fussing over everything. It's quite annoying."

"Why, you ask? Isn't it obvious? Your friends are here to save you."

"That woman is one of us now."

Her heart ached. Her mind was in a complete chaos. She couldn't think straight anymore and soon dizziness took over.

"Ulquiorra..." She collapsed and lay still on the floor.

The voice has not stopped.

"What a strong-willed woman."

It was something she had never heard him say before.

"Her heart was right here...in my hands..."

A smile graced her delicate face. "Now I understand..." She raised her arm, reaching for the ceiling of her room. "Ulquiorra, please let me reach you..." She felt herself drifting off to sleep slowly.

She closed her eyes and dreamt of the nightmare again. Desperately she tried, yet the inevitable prevented her from letting him disappear. She had reached out to him, yet reached out in vain.

As morning came, she woke up with tears in her eyes. The infinite nightmares—will they continue to haunt her?

THE END

JC: Sad, isn't it? She failed once again to reach him. I hate to see Orihime go through so much pain, but somehow I've imagined how hurt she was after the dome incident. Even with her sunny smiles right now, we all know how much she's changed inside. Ulquiorra played a big part in her life, to be honest. I really hope Kubo will give Ulquiorra a chance. Okay, let's stop there now. I want to see some reviews. No flaming!