A/N: Hi, it's been a couple years since I last posted something. I'd thought I'd post something now because I haven't and I still love this site and fanfiction. This story's been sitting around on my computer for a while, and so I'm putting it to good use. Now, I know it's not perfect (in fact, this is not my best work ever. I was at work and bored, end of story) so there will be issues with the story, blah, blah, blah. Not to mention, I'm not that great at writing one-shots. But I'm improving. (I hope.) Well, enough chatter. On with the story!

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Bleach, nothing in the story that comes from the original Bleach universe. I only own the main character of this story. And I also own every single typo, both grammatical and spelling.

Warning: OOCness

Rose Petals

She walked with her head held high, strode with the arrogance equivalent to that of an Espada. However, she was anything but a high ranking Arrancar. She was not a Fraccion either. She was merely an Arrancar. That's all she was: a double digit numbered Arrancar, but she still had that overconfident air that lifted her hair off her back as she walked by. How did she come across this aura and yet no Arrancar touched her?

There were rumors surrounding this female Arrancar. They said that she had constantly gotten into fights, but when the fights were over, the opponent wouldn't ever say a word again, especially concerning what happened. This said that she was powerful, a devil in battle. They also said that she had a fierce temper, a temper that starts when she gets calm. Her yelling and seeming tantrum is not her anger. When she gets angry, it's when she's silky smooth with her voice and languid in her movements. Many smaller rumors circulated, but none as consequential as those two.

Her name was Rose. No one knew what her surname was; she had never told a soul. She was pretty, considering that she was an Arrancar. Her long dirty blonde hair was twisted up into an elaborate weaving in intricate hair ornaments the colors of bright red and dark green. Her black eyes were like a void every time someone stared into them or hot coals when she was in a temper. Her nearly white skin contrasted greatly with her eyes, making her just a tad scarier than she would have been. Her body was long and lean, though no hint of muscle to confirm the horrific rumors surrounding her. But then again, everyone knew looks could be deceiving. Her mask remnants bordered her hair line, spikes coming upwards like a crown.

Rose was adorned in mostly white with bits of black, like every other Arrancar. Only hers had more flow to it than the usual outfit. Her pull on sleeves were like bells and covered her hands, the ends being black and the rest being white. Her top was a halter, but it was light and flew in the breeze when she walked, only the edges were black on that and the straps. Her skirt hugged her hips until it reached her knees where it flared out like a mermaid with only the waistband black. Despite appearances, it was real easy to fight in, because she wore this outfit every time she fought. It looked hard to fight in, but who knows? Everybody she fought wouldn't say a thing about it.

Rose walked down a hall in Las Noches, the palace where most of the Arrancar dwelt. She was as unconcerned as ever as someone very important walked past her. She cast a quick glance to see who it was as they passed, but she paid him no mind. Or so it seemed to everyone else. In her mind she turned over the appearance of that very important person, analyzing everything from head to toe. Who was this very important Arrancar that passed her by? Why, it was Shiffer Ulquiorra.

Unbeknownst to the Arrancar population, Rose actually admired Ulquiorra very much, always wondering how he stayed so calm and cold all the time. It was a talent, she supposed. Rose also guessed that, by what she knew of Ulquiorra, Ulquiorra disapproved of her, obviously having heard the rumors about her. Rose figured that he thought of her as trash (as he did almost everybody) that did not require any attention. It was upsetting to know this, but Rose dealt with it and kept her thoughts to herself. If anything was to be avoided, it would be revealing feelings only to have them crushed.

Later, in her room that she shared with three other Arrancar, who, of course, wouldn't even look at her much less talk to her, Rose stared at her ceiling, dreaming off all the impossibilities in the world. Sometimes, while she laid there like that, wondered what it would be like to be human again. Other times she wondered what it would be like to crush every single shinigami in existence. Then, there were the rare times when she thought about Shiffer Ulquiorra.

When she had first heard the name Shiffer Ulquiorra, she thought it sounded vaguely familiar to her, but she could never place the name to a memory. And then, when she first saw him, she thought him worthy to look at. Finally there were a couple times that were made necessary that they crossed paths and spoke to each other, Rose thought that Ulquiorra was worth admiring. Of course, his power was to be feared as well.

Now that she had riled herself up so much that she wasn't even remotely tired anymore, Rose threw off her sheets, and crossed the room in a whisper. She opened and closed the door with absolute stealth, and began to wander the long, changeable hallways. She managed to weave her way into the dome of Las Noches, the bright painted sky beat down on her, and, frankly, it annoyed Rose to no end.

About ten minutes into her walk, Rose froze in place. She had noticed something up ahead. Not just something, but somebody. And not just any somebody either; it was Shiffer Ulquiorra. Once Rose's brain started back up again, she immediately turned around and started walking back down the hall. Something unusual caused her to stop again.

"Stop."

It was a calm, emotionless voice. One that could belong only to one person: the person who was now behind her. She couldn't do anything but stay still like a statue. In a split second, she felt Ulquiorra's presence inches behind her. She would have gasped if she didn't have good self control. Rose took in a deep breath, and controlled her surprised face. Slowly, she dared to turn around.

Rose kept her face under control when she saw the surprisingly intense look in Ulquiorra's face. It was intense, but she couldn't quite tell why. It was a very intense look, not quite the unemotional face he usually carried. Rose stood there for another minute before she gathered her nerve to speak.

"Yes, Shiffer-sama?" she said respectfully. It was either death or give respect to the Espada.

"Come with me," he commanded simply.

Ulquiorra walked down the hall and Rose trotted after him. She asked nothing, she said nothing; she merely walked behind the Fourth Espada. Rose became interested when the turned into a hallway that Rose had never been down before. Where was he leading her? More importantly, why was he leading her down this hall and to wherever they were going? This was entirely out of character for him from what she gathered.

Ulquiorra finally stopped in front of a door with the number four imprinted on it. Rose's eyes grew wide. His bedroom? Why in the world would Ulquiorra lead her, her, to his bedroom? This made no sense! Rose furrowed her eyebrows for a fraction of a second, but they smoothed out in time for Ulquiorra to turn around and look at her. She appeared calm, and Rose decided in that moment it didn't matter why or what he wanted. She would just deal with this as she always did, though circumstances were a bit unusual.

Though Ulquiorra did not touch the doors nor turn around to look at it, the door to Ulquiorra's private chambers swung open. Rose was barely aware of this, as she was still staring at Ulquiorra's face. She blinked and Ulquiorra had his back turned and was walking into his bedroom. Rose started to follow before Ulquiorra could command her to do so. The door closed behind her, and the room was dark except for the little bit of moonlight spilling in from the high window across the room. The moonlight was enough to make out the furniture and the other Arrancar in the room.

Ulquiorra, who was facing Rose with that smoldering look in his eyes that Rose couldn't decipher, took a step towards Rose. Rose did not move, for she did not want to do something Ulquiorra didn't want her to do. One false move and she was dead. Even though she could defend herself, she knew she could not last one minute against an Espada; she was strong, exceptionally so, for a regular double digit Arrancar, it was nowhere near the power that an Espada had. Or even an ex-Espada for that matter.

Ulquiorra took another step towards Rose and still Rose did nothing. Ulquiorra continued to walk towards Rose until he was arms length from her. Once there, he stopped and put his hand on the hilt of his sword. Rose did not even notice that Ulquiorra had been carrying it with him. That figured. Espada almost did not go anywhere without their zanpakuto. Rose did that same thing, so she supposed she should not have been surprised. Reflexively, Rose went for the hilt of her zanpakuto. Were they going to fight? In Ulquiorra's bedroom?

"Hmmm." Ulquiorra paused, his hand not lifting from the hilt. He was thinking, and Rose narrowed her eyes, suspicious about what he could now want and what he was thinking about. Rose did not take a step back, for that showed weakness, even when going into a battle stance. Instead, she took a step forward, her other hand now on the sheath of her sword. When Ulquiorra scanned Rose's posture and appearance, he dropped his hand from his sword. Rose did not. She knew that in an instant, Ulquiorra could replace his hand on his sword, draw it, and kill her if she wasn't on guard.

"So you're still the same," he remarked at last.

Rose's eyebrows furrowed, confused. What did he meant by that? The same? They had barely even talked to each other, yet he's saying this as if they had known each other forever! Rose's confusion caused her to loosen her grip on her zanpakuto.

Ulquiorra seemed to sense Rose's confusion like some kind of animal, for he quickly scanned Rose up and down again. He was thinking, obvious by the look in his eyes and his silence. Whatever Ulquiorra was thinking, Rose thought that maybe she didn't want to know what it was for the Espada's eyes had narrowed as he considered. Rose gripped her sword tightly again.

"You don't seem to remember," he commented after a while.

"Remember what, Shiffer-sama?"

The moment the words were out of Rose's mouth, something came crashing down onto it. Lips, she realized, a pair of lips were on hers. Rose's eyes flung open wide with shock as she noticed that Shiffer Ulquiorra was kissing her! What could have led him to...

Reflexively, Rose's eyes closed, her arms wound their way behind Ulquiorra's neck, and brought her body closer to his. As she did so, images began to flash in her mind's eye.

It was in the eternal night that she found him. He was wounded severely and half buried in the white sand that comprised most of Hueco Mundo. Rose approached him, but then stopped. She sensed the power that rolled off him in waves. He was more powerful than she, but whatever had injured him had been more powerful. Even in his state, this Hollow could snap her in two along with whatever had injured him that was lurking in the shadows.

She had offered him some of her power, and in return he had promised not to kill her. He recovered in no time at all, and he introduced himself as Shiffer Ulquiorra. She in turn told him her name was Rose. No surname, but Ulquiorra didn't press for it. He found it unimportant to know, she thought. Later he had confirmed it with his own mouth. This was the start of a wary friendship.

A year later and they were both Adjuchas, and therefore had more human aspects to them. They talked easily to each other, familiarly. It was as though the last two months of absence had not diminished anything about their relationship. No other Hollows were around to witness this exchange, as it had for a year. It was a curious thing, but neither Hollow thought about or noticed it.

Five months later and the two were sitting together on the sand, watching the permanent crescent moon that never changed and never faded from the sky. Neither Rose nor Ulquiorra said a word all the while. Rose eventually laid down, tired of keeping her back up. Ulquiorra continued to sit up. Both were silent for many hours to come.

He had confessed, just confessed, and Rose was frozen in place. Friends she understood, rather unusual amongst Hollows, but more than that? Lovers? What was he thinking? More importantly what did she really feel for Ulquiorra? She never really thought about it since she stopped being cautious around Ulquiorra. Love? Was that possible being a Hollow? Rose wasn't entirely sure. She told that to Ulquiorra, and he nodded, understanding her answer. But she wondered if he really understood; it was hard to tell with Ulquiorra.

Ulquiorra hadn't been around. She couldn't find him anywhere. She searched and searched, wanting to tell him that she finally got a proper answer for Ulquiorra. That she loved him. Rose searched and searched and searched. She searched for months and not a speck, hint, or sign of him anywhere. Rose felt horribly guilty that she never told him. She soon began to lose hope that she would find him at all and that she would live her feelings and the guilt that he would never know how she felt for the rest of her life.

Rose sat on top of a large sand dune, her long, lanky arms wrapped around her disproportionate body. Her head was hung, her depression settling in. It had taken a while to settle into her body, but now she was really starting to feel it. By now, she couldn't exactly remember why she felt that way. It had been two years that she was left with this feeling. Footsteps whispering across the sand alerted Rose. She got onto her feet, and growled as she saw a figure approach her. He was tall, with slicked back brown hair, and dark eyes the same color as his hair. His white billowing jacket and white hakama made him seem harmless yet powerful at the same time. Rose narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

He offered her power, more power than she could have possibly imagined. Power…maybe that would help, help this depression she seemed to have fallen into. She was willing to do anything to get rid of this horrid feeling, she was surprised to realize. Even if this stranger was suspicious; how could this stranger give her power? What would it entail? She wasn't entirely sure. Yet, that need for power was overwhelming.

Rose accepted.

She woke up as an Arrancar for the first time and Aizen Sosuke asked her for her name. She merely replied, "Rose." She discovered for the first time that she didn't know her last name. She did not remember it, along with a good deal of other memories. Things were blank, but she felt at peace, which she figured was the first time in a long time. Therefore, Rose assumed that this was what she wanted; memory loss. And power; of course power.

Ulquiorra broke away first and Rose untangled herself from him. She stared at him with wide, unbelieving eyes. She remembered everything now, and was incredulous that just a kiss made her remember everything just like that. Maybe it was an ability of his, who knows? But she had finally found him, after three years, she had found him. Though they hadn't had much contact since she had become an Arrancar, they were together again. Rose smiled confidently, Ulquiorra stared at her cautiously.

"Thanks, Ulquiorra," she replied casually. "I've always needed that."

"Oh?" was his simply reply.

"Yes. And I'm glad I've found you. I've always wanted to tell you, since you went away, that I love you, too."

Though she said it articulately and confidently, she felt anything but. She was nervous. Did he feel the same? Or did his feelings change since then? After all, she almost rejected him — might as well have, in the end. What was he going to do now? These questions swam in her mind, nearly making her dizzy.

Again Ulquiorra's green eyes smoldered with that same emotion again. It was concealed lust and love. It was a mixture, something that must've been boiling inside him for a while, but had such great self-control that he hid it behind an emotionless mask the entire time he had been around. Rose smiled wider, confident now, and stepped forward as Ulquiorra stepped forward.

Rose grabbed Ulquiorra's face and pulled it down to hers. Ulquiorra's arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her forward into Ulquiorra. He kissed Rose with careful passion, his control still there. Rose matched the control but put more fire into the kiss than Ulquiorra was. Just a little extra something to make up for what she had let happen. They stood there kissing in the moonlight whilst the others slept for a long time, hours. The next day, everyone felt something change in the atmosphere, but could not for the life of them figure out what it was. This amused Rose immensely. And of course, she and Ulquiorra continued to make out for the rest of their days.

THE END