When the massive gate opened slightly, causing a loud creaking for each and every slow movement, she couldn't stop herself from smiling, her legs eager and palms clenched together into tiny fists in order to conceal her excitement. Orihime knew that her bubbly manner was probably more or less obvious but she couldn't care less because this day was the awaited and lovely moment when she was allowed to walk out from the gloomy castle of Las Noches and into the cosmic desert that was Hueco Mundo.
Her heart skipped a beat or maybe it was two but she didn't mind when the vast land was finally revealed and the ever glowing moon shone on the nightfall, making the land and dunes look ethereal to touch. Her two feet moved on its own and Orihime practically pranced from the main hall onto the gateway with a big smile covering her heart-shaped face when she felt a hand grab her right shoulder and forced her to stop in her steps.
"Woman."
"Why, yes Ulquiorra, what is the matter this time?"
The girl—woman—in front of him pouted slightly as if trying to look innocent of what was to come, but he knew better. Ulquiorra sighed heavily and released his grip on her shoulder and withdrew his pale hand with haste, gracefully putting it in his pocket before answering. "You can't just waltz out there. You were given this generous opportunity of freedom for the rest of the day, and you thought it be fitting to put yourself in harm's way the first thing you do?"
Orihime patted the pale man in front of her lightly on his left shoulder as to reassure him. "Relax. It's refreshing to see you actually care—"
"I'm just following orders." Ulquiorra muttered out through gritted teeth.
"—but I'm completely capable of taking care of myself, so hush."
He resisted the urge to snort. This woman was the living embodiment of naivety and innocence, and here she dared to say that she was capable of taking care of herself. Ulquiorra mentally groaned, his escorting mission had just started and he already wanted to retreat to his room where he knew there was absolute and complete silence. She had apparently taken his inaudible answer as a sign of approval and starting walking yet again across the gate and into the enormous land of Hueco Mundo. When she passed the two guards that each stood positioned on each side of the massive, ivory gate she gently bowed to each of them and greeted them with a smile and a gentle wave of her hand. Ulquiorra grunted as he saw the two men (no they were hollows men is what they were and not what they are but sometimes he could look at someone and see their past selves but when he looked into a mirror all he saw was black) being taken aback by her sudden greeting but quickly saluted her, mirroring her actions as a wide grin was slowly growing on each of their faces. Ulquiorra sighed as he brushed past them, the two hollows reverting back to their original positions and nodded when he walked by.
A few metres in front of him stood the woman, auburn hair swaying in the warm wind and the dress fluttering in perfect sync, the ivory material showing off her delicate and long legs and Ulquiorra quickly averted his gaze and focused on sensing any nearby reiatsu. He brushed off the jolting in his stomach when a rather strong breeze passed them and the hem of the dress fluttered even higher up, her pale backside now visible to the world—or, in this case, Ulquiorra and two distressed guards—as Orihime let out a loud shriek and quickly grabbed the dress and held it down, and he couldn't decide whether he was relieved or disappointed maybe it was a tad of both but nonetheless he marched forward and passed her with ease. "Woman."
Orihime looked up; eyes wide and cheeks tainted with a wonderful shade of red. "Y—yes?"
"Follow me."
She simply nodded and started to walk in an even pace behind him, grimacing a little when the wind started to increase in speed again.
"And for god's sake, hold your dress down."
…
…
…
Orihime found it surprisingly hot in the air for such a cold and deserted land, and gently lifted the top of her dress slightly to release some warmth, welcoming a light breeze and emitted a blissful sigh. She and Ulquiorra had been walking for what felt like hours, but every time she turned her head around, that forsaken castle that was Las Noches was still in sight and she felt like she couldn't escape her prison cell no matter where she went in Hueco Mundo; it would always be in sight. It would always be imbedded in her like an invisible scar, a painful memory that would never pass away but always linger in the back of her head.
Her thoughts were interrupted when Ulquiorra stopped in his steps, twirled around gracefully and met her gaze. "We're here."
Orihime yelped as she almost walked into his broad shoulders and bit her lip when Ulquiorra silently raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow and grunted. She gave him a quick, apologetic smile and decided to divert her gaze to her surroundings. Desolate, never ending dunes covered the area with the everlasting moon proudly present in the sky, shining down on the vacant desert and Orihime emitted a gasp when she realized how beautiful everything was. Being used to the stark white walls in her room, she was not used to seeing a change of landscape but it was very welcomed. Her eyes went back to the pale man in front of her, and Orihime held her breath when she saw that halo of silver light surround him, the light of the moon reflecting off him as he stood in silence. His skin looked shimmering she couldn't help but notice, and when he met her gaze she quickly exhaled and tried to keep her composure.
"I—it's really beautiful here, Ulquiorra." She said softly and laughed quietly, clasping her petite hands together behind her back, turning slightly away from him. The words and so are you tried to escape her throat but she quickly pushed them down into that bottomless pit somewhere in her body where her thoughts of Ulquiorra usually went. "Any reason you chose this particular place?"
As a reply, he leered at her for a moment before bending down, sitting down without a single sound on the mattress of white sand and looks at the endless desert with a smug face.
I take that as a no, Orihime thought dryly. She continued to stand upright for a while, gazing at the horizon before she finally admitted defeat in the soundless battle of replies and positioned herself next to him, the thud of her and the soil meeting being the only sound emitted for what felt like eternity, as they sat in silence and did nothing but exchange glances now and then.
.
Hours had passed when Orihime awoke, the dream filled with orange locks and consoling words faltering away as she finds herself lying down on the soft sand and realizes that she has been sound asleep for god knows how long, and sits up with a gasp. It isn't until she looks up at the sky, now painted a shade of grey and then looks to her left that she sees him. Ulquiorra is lying down as well; eyes closed and long lashes fluttering against his ivory skin whilst his lips are slightly parted, and Orihime tries to stop the shiver that overcomes her when she sees his white teeth emerging behind his onyx lips. She'd lost count of times when she ponders whether they are naturally black or if he paints them in the morning (the mental image of Ulquiorra standing in front of a mirror and picking up a black lipstick from a drawer to use like it's the most natural thing in the world makes her snicker) and when she raises her hand and places a digit against his lips—surprisingly soft, she muses—she smiles when she realizes he was born with it.
She retreats her hand with haste, the fear of him awakening with her hand caressing his lips being well enough reason to do so, but the urge to touch him feel him to see all of him is growing like a parasite in her mind and Orihime has to bit her lip in frustration when she finally lets the more rational side of her brain win and stands up, silently brushing of the sand clinging to her for dear life.
As she turns around, she is greeted by the castle—her home—falling into view and she suppresses a sigh. Knowing she wasted almost the entire day walking to this specific dune that seemed as un-special you could get and then falling asleep, she struts down the ridge and starts walking. The moon shone upon the hills and she let herself smile, for as boring and vast this white desert may be, it made up for it by being absolutely beautiful. She walked with her hands entwined behind her back, glancing and pouting as she was starting to get bored when she saw something out of the ordinary that caught her eye.
It looked like a bush, and knowing the terrain of Hueco Mundo, she gasped in surprise. She had only seen two lonely trees so far during her stay here, and do see a gathering of so many brought her happiness. She approached it slowly, heels digging into the sand and when she reached it, it was so gigantic she could almost not see the hills behind it. The branches were white, and thorns embodied them like armor but there was a beauty to it that almost brought her to tears. How long had this been here, she wondered, and how long had it took it to grow this big. Must have been centuries or even more Orihime realized.
She brought up her right hand to touch the branch closest to her and she could almost feel it caress her, the ivory thorn inches away when she was jerked away with such force she couldn't help but exclaim her surprise.
Orihime braced herself when falling backwards, and collided with something big and warm that made her yelp. Looking up slowly, she met Ulquiorra's gaze and she swallowed, hands gripping his shirt for some reason she couldn't explain. "Ulquiorra?"
"What are you doing out here, woman?"
His chilly voice turned her veins to ice and his eyes made her knees go weak but she inhaled sharply and gave him an apologetic smile. "I was… going for a walk?"
Ulquiorra rolled his eyes and gripped her shoulders with his right hand, making Orihime wince but she stood her ground and held his gaze. "You thought that by going for a walk all by yourself, without supervision, that you would not be harmed?"
When he uttered the word supervision it made her feel like she was standing in front of her babysitter and had walked to the other end of the room without telling her, and she pouted. "When we walked out here I didn't see any other hollows so I just thought—"
"Of course you didn't—they felt my reiatsu and scattered. By going alone out here, you just invited everyone over for dinner." He gritted his teeth and averted his gaze, looking over at the horizon, "and you just happen to be the main course."
Orihime clenched her petite hands into fists and grunted. "Well, I'm sorry but my bodyguard happened to be asleep, so don't come yelling at me for disappearing just because you can't do your job properly—"
Her words were cut off midsentence by his large, pale hand covering her mouth. Her eyes widened at the sudden motion and looked up to meet his eyes and blinked when he brought a finger up to his mouth and pressed it to his lips. "Quiet, woman."
Orihime nodded meekly and tried to ignore the butterflies going rampage in her stomach as she was pressed up against his body, his hand touching her shoulder and bringing her closer to him, banishing the barely non-existing gap between them. The digits placed over her mouth retreats and she inhales slowly. "What is happening?" she lowers her voice so it resembles a whisper, but the stammering lingers throughout the words and she curses herself for being so affected by a single motion as being chest to chest with him. Ulquiorra looks at her and she can feel herself pressing into him, feeling his warmth radiating throughout his entire body and she can't decide between the surprise of finding out despite his chilly endeavour he is actually pretty warm to the touch, or actually standing so close to him and see his chest rise and fall with every breath is more pleasant. She settles for that both are just as good.
After what felt like a lifetime he looks up—and away from her—and the butterflies makes loops in disarray and protest, but stops when she feels his voice against her hair rather than hearing it. "Hollows. A dozen of them."
Orihime's eyes widen in shock. "Oh my god…" She looks around but she can't spot any but she hears them, their distant voices echoing in the wind and her petite hand grips Ulquiorra's shirt harder without her realizing it and without him protesting it. "This is all my fault."
"Hm. I agree."
She pouts and lightly pushes him with her hand placed on his chest but soon stops when she fails to find any menace in his words. Orihime opens her mouth to speak but when no words come out, she closes it again. From this angle, she can see him from another point of view she hasn't seen him like before; his sharp cheekbones looks like they would cut your skin on impact, and his onyx locks are resting on his shoulders, some of them twirling in the wind and she concludes that she doesn't want to cut his hair anymore, it's perfect like it is. He's a head taller than her so she just about reaches his collarbones, and she can't help but blush when she sees his collar zipped up to the top and she knows she is staring at his hole, hidden beneath the fabric and a part of her wants to touch it. She sighs and slowly tilts her head forward and too soon or is it too late her forehead meets the junction of his neck and she feels him stiffen underneath her touch.
She bits her lip and lets her lashes meet her cheek, frowning. "I'm sorry… I didn't mean for this to happen… I just..."
He says nothing but she can feel his breath on her auburn locks and Orihime slowly opens her eyes again, not looking at anything in particular but just keeps them open in fear of him being here is just maybe her imagination, the continuation of her dream from before because the reality of her being her alone frightens her. Ulquiorra may not be a knight in shining armor but somehow she knows that he would protect her, and it is that thought that keeps her at bay.
Moments passes by until she feels him inhale deeply and lets his right arm encircle her and it takes all of her willpower not to falter and not to lean into him. "I shouldn't have taken you here." At this, Orihime raises her head and parts her lips slightly as to question him but he opens his mouth yet again. "I apologize."
She wants to protest—what are you apologizing for, I was the one that walked away from you and almost got eaten, you are the blameless one here you shouldn't you look so sad—but the words die in her throat when out of the corner of her eye, she sees a shadow. Ulquiorra reacts faster than she does and with a single motion, his right hand leaves her waist and points it to the creature behind them and fires of a cero without so much as blinking. Orihime yelps and turns around, the explosion causing the wind to speed up and both her dress and hair dances with the current until it eventually falters away and she gapes at the scene. Nothing is left of the hollow, the sand where he supposedly stood has turned black from Ulquiorra's attack, but from a distance she sees four—no, five—six—more sprinting down the rocky foundation and towards them. And it's not human speed Orihime realizes when she sees how fast they are approaching them and the urge to touch her hairpins and summon a wall between them overcomes her, but Ulquiorra seems to understand this as he places his hand on her shoulder, making her look up in surprise.
"Don't. It's not necessary."
She nods slowly as a reply but doesn't quite understand his words but knows better than to oppose him. He seems satisfied with her silent answer and pushes her away, creating a gap between them and she tried to hide her disappointment. It isn't until he is a few metres away that she sees another pack of hollows approaching them from the west, and she meets his gaze. His dark voice rumbles in the distance. "Shield yourself, and wait for my signal."
Orihime raises her eyebrows, the words and what is the signal forming in her head but before she has a chance to speak them, Ulquiorra gracefully brings out his sword from its sheath and darts at the hollows to their right, leaving Orihime alone and utterly terrified. As asked, she brings out the shun shun rikka and mutters "Santen kesshun", forming a rather long wall between her and the hollows.
Glancing to her right, she sees Ulquiorra effortless cutting down a hollow and even though he is more or less surrounded by them she knows that he will come out on top. One appears behind him and Ulquiorra twirls around and blasts a cero in his torso whilst another one lunges at him from above, making Ulquiorra bring up his sword and cut off his head without breaking a sweat. Soon enough, he is standing alone and picks out his sword from the last hollow that he pierced through the neck and lets it slid into its sheath without a sound.
Only seventeen seconds has passed.
With the hollows from the west fighting through her shield, she sees Ulquiorra from the corner of her eye reappear next to her and she turns around to meet his gaze and gives him a quick smile. He simply nods and uses sonido to appear on the other side of the shield, standing behind the rather large hollow that stood at the front of the pack. The hollow—that slightly resembled a lizard—realized this a second too late and is annihilated by Ulquiorra's bala. Even though the other hollows seem startled, they don't hesitate and rushes towards Ulquiorra, claws and sharp instruments alike raised in the air but it doesn't take more than a blink of an eye before his cero empowers them, a few uttering incoherent words before vanishing into thin air and some lying on the ground, twitching and bleeding from various places. Orihime draw a sharp inhale of breath and takes a few steps forward, unsure of what to do next. While Ulquiorra finishes the remaining hollows off by using his cero, Orihime gulps as she is greeted by a horrible sight.
At least forty hollows approaching on the horizon, the dim moonlight shining down on them as they sprint towards their target—her. Orihime gasps as she starts to run to Ulquiorra who looks up to meet her, just finishing his last touches on the remaining hollow that finally gave up struggling and his breaths silently vanishing. "Ulquiorra! More are coming! Up there, on the bank—"
"I'm not blind, woman, nor deaf. Come."
Orihime nods, mostly to herself in reassurance, and lets her shield scatter into millions of pieces as she runs through it and towards her bodyguard—captor, she scolds herself, he's your captor and nothing more but the words taste forced and bitter and she swallows them in silence—and when she is a few metres away, he suddenly un-sheaths his sword again and she stops in her tracks, blinking. He brings it up to his face and even though he whispers, she hears him mutter the word "enclose" and the sword bursts with green and black spiritual energy and she tries her best not to show on her face how heavy it is, it feels like it's trying to suffocate her and she just gapes in amazement as it falls around them like rain on a summer afternoon, shielding her face with her arms. When the rain stops she brings down her arms from her eyes and can't hold back her surprise when she is greeted by Ulquiorra who looks nothing like him at all. His cloak is longer, just as ivory as before but more beautiful if possible. His hair is longer, brushing past his broad shoulders and down his chest and the tear marks on his porcelain skin are wider and darker. His hollow mask is bigger and covers the top of his head like a helmet, two long horns sprouting out from the top but the largest change is the two black wings that have somehow emerged from his back.
She was speechless. He looked nothing like himself, yet she couldn't point out one thing that wasn't him. And he was beautiful. God damned beautiful.
He seemed to notice how flabbergasted she looked because he sheathed his sword and raised his head slightly to meet her wandering gaze. Orihime holds her breath as those piercing emerald eyes look at her, scrutinizing her like so many times before and somehow just this single notion makes her feel safe because it is now she is fully convinced that it is him standing before her, even though he looks so different. He slowly raises his right arm and extends it to her, palm out as an invite.
"Come to me, woman."
Biting her lip, she slowly walks forward and it takes but a moment before she is standing in front of him, wings and horns alike. Maybe it's the helmet but he also seems taller, which sparks annoyance in Orihime since her growing spurt faltered years ago and she feels smaller and more insignificant than usual. Giving him an unsure smile, she lifts her hand and gently places it in his open one, trying to ignore the shudders that grip her like electricity when the two of them meet. As she walks one step forward, eyes filled with hesitance, she yelps when Ulquiorra suddenly snakes his other arm around her and closes the gap between their bodies, bringing her as close as possible to him. Orihime can feel a blush creeping up on her face but she fights it even when she knows it's a lost cause. Instinctively she lifts her hands and encircles them behind Ulquiorra's neck, unsure what to do next. She hears him scoff and she wonders if maybe she's taking it a tad too far. "Ulquiorra, what are we—"
"Are you afraid of me?"
Orihime blinks in shock and tilts her head back so she can see him, face hovering dangerously close above hers and she can see every line and imperfection on his face—if he had any, of course. She pauses for a moment and all they do is looking at each other, hearing the voices of hollows approaching in the distance when glancing back, she sees how dangerously close they are getting, and she lets herself smile a little as the presses into him with her body and tightens her grip around his neck, leaning into him as humanly possible.
"No… I'm not."
He doesn't reply but she sees something in his eyes that she's never seen before and it scares her to know that maybe there is a side of Ulquiorra Cifer that actually—maybe—perhaps care a little bit about her, and it feels like her heart stopped at the sudden thought. She can feel his hand clutch her waist, as if to hold on to her tighter and she winces in surprise and anticipation and she is just about to open her mouth again to question his intentions when rather than seeing it—she feels his wings moving, fluttering in the night sky whilst Ulquiorra buries his nose in her hair and it takes everything she got to keep breathing in normal pace. Then she hears him murmur the words "Hold on" and before she knows it, Ulquiorra lifts from the ground gracefully and suddenly she can't feel the earth beneath her feet anymore.
Orihime feel her heart flutter and drop at the same time, the butterflies whirling around within her like a storm and she decides to hold on for dear life and closes her eyes. The wind brushes past them and she can feel her hair and dress living their own life as the currents approaches them from all around them—beneath and above and around and she is dimly aware of her feet placed over his and she looks up, forcing her eyes to open and she drops her mouth in awe when she looks around them. While Hueco Mundo may be beautiful down below, it is nothing compared to seeing it from above.
The hollows beneath them resemble ants and as Ulquiorra fly higher, they are soon out of sight and all that is left to see is the ivory and lonely bush that is still within sight and she suppresses a sigh, wondering if she will able to see it again. Her arms snaked around Ulquiorra's neck tighten and Orihime rests her head on his shoulder, feeling something slightly resembling bliss creep up her body and linger in her veins. As they soar through the black sky with the endless white desert beneath them, she lets herself smile a little and her gaze dart to the man in her arms, his eyes focused on the stark white building in front of them but somehow she knows that he can see her gazing at him, and he doesn't say anything and he doesn't mind.
Without a sound, she presses her lips to his pale throat, at the junction of his neck and jaw and she feels him yet again stiffen beneath this simple touch and from the corner of her eye she sees his lips tighten into a thin line. Her soft lips caress his throat as she nuzzles into his touch, eyes closing on its own accord and as she kisses him on the exact same spot slowly, his grip on her tightens and she realizes that he's not aware of his own actions and lets her lips linger, smiling into the warmth of his throat.
She murmurs "Thank you" into the kiss and Ulquiorra re-adjusts his grip on her, taking all that is her closer to his body and tries not to inhale her scent; the smell of linen, peaches and something extremely and outright her infiltrating his senses and he does all that he can not to get thrown off his balance and tries to fly as steady as possible. Too little too soon they are back at the ivory gate, and Ulquiorra silently decreases his speed and they land as perfect as anyone with a distressed young girl clinging to his body and kissing his neck could possibly do. As soon they touch the ground of Las Noches, he gracefully picks her up and away from his embrace and setting her down on the ground, creating the necessary gap between them in order to maintain his stoic behaviour. She pouts slightly and tucks an auburn lock behind her right ear, but her eyes are smiling at him.
The guards notice them and salute Ulquiorra on sight, earning a grunt from said espada. How much did they see, he ponders and leers at them with narrowed eyes. The woman in front of him however practically prances to the guards and does what she do best—talking. She tells the two guards about their walk, how they fell asleep—this is the moment where Ulquiorra tunes her and the two guards out and starts to think of an explanation for Aizen, preferably one that leaves out letting the woman going on a walk all by herself whilst Ulquiorra was sleeping and running into a pack of hollows—and she makes grand gestures when she starts talking about the ivory bush she ran into and Ulquiorra suppresses another sigh. He only has himself to blame for escorting her to that place and he is aware of that fact. When they had started walking, he actually didn't know where to take her as Hueco Mundo was in itself the definition of gloomy and vast and utterly boring, but when that place came into mind his feet started walking in its direction without Ulquiorra acknowledging it.
Looking back, it may have been one of his least favourable ideas but no matter how he looked at it, he didn't regret going there. Being overwhelmed by his old memories, pictures of him walking and walking all alone and sleeping in that godforsaken bush with its thorns not piercing him but embracing him, Ulquiorra had not only managed to feel at ease—he had fallen asleep. And dreamt. But only this time, it wasn't filled with spectres of being alone and having nowhere to go; it was filled with warmth and even though the everlasting moon lives in Hueco Mundo, he saw the sun, big and warm and filled with life and Ulquiorra tried to reach for it but it always seemed out of grasp. His lips had burned and he had seen auburn locks descending from the sky, walking towards him but they never reached him and suddenly the sky turned black and the sun disappeared along with the auburn locks. He woke up empty and alone and the fear that crept up within him like the plague when he discovered the woman with the auburn locks was no longer next to him nearly had him choke.
His thoughts were interrupted by the woman calling his name—Ulquiorra, come on, I need something to eat! I'm staaarving, god natto sounds so good right now, you think they could make me some? Or spaghetti, that would be lovely—and he grunted, heels digging into the concrete and he slowly walked towards her and her endless chatting. When he is a few metres away he has to stop in his tracks as she twirls around, hair dancing along with her dress and gives him a smile—a simple smile but something within him starts to jolt—and she holds down her dress as the currents brushes past them like they are in a hurry. "Thank you, Ulquiorra. This day was…" Orihime chuckles and he supresses another sigh, why was she is such a joyful mood he wondered, her almost being killed and all. "Well, it was great."
He simply nods at her and starts to walk again, catching up with her at the end and together they walk to the barren, stark doors—side by side and whilst listening to her talking about how she almost can't remember what spaghetti taste like between huffs and puffs regarding the lack of colourful meals she never receives, Ulquiorra reminisces about his old self and his old life, being born in a bottomless pit with no light shining down on him, and feeling nothing—being nothing—whilst walking alone for several lifetimes, and finding happiness in form of a stark white bush, he looks to his right and even though he doesn't listen to her and probably never will he realizes that she is more than the woman he captured all those years ago.
She is the sun that doesn't fit in on the night sky yet shines on all of them, giving them strength and hope and gumption while he looks at himself as the void he used to call home, with thorns brought up like a armor he hopes no one could brush by but when she appeared, he welcomed her like life itself and embraced her with the intention of never letting her go.
Happiness, he ponders. In all of its form, he would never have guessed he would find it again, only this time in the form of a weak, fragile human girl that shines brighter than the stark moon in the sky.
...
...
...
OH MY GOD IT'S FINALLY FINISHED
You have no idea how long I've been sitting with this thing for this past month. It wasn't until last night that I actually sat down, opened my laptop and sat for HOURS and finished it! Thank god, I've been wanting to do that for so long and now it's finally finished. Of course, more chapters are coming!
Oh, and for those that haven't read Unmasked by Tite Kubo (also known as God) this may be a little confusing. Well, Unmasked is a short story if you can call it that about Ulquiorra and his past life before becoming a espada. Oh, and it's written by Tite Kubo. IT'S LIKE CANON I MEAN IT'S AWESOME
If you google Unmasked (plus Ulquiorra and Bleach) you will find a link to a deviantart who has all the pages (it's like a regular Bleach chapter, if not shorter) and translated it into english! Yes, she's awesome and GO READ IT. It's beautiful and Ulquiorra is such an interesting character, but what makes Unmasked so fantastic is that Ulquiorra is actually dreaming about his past and is woken...up...by...ORIHIME!
LIKE YES
HE'S SLEEPING IN HER ROOM
And she calls him Ulquiorra-kun for gods sake. THAT IS NOT HOW YOU TREAT SOMEONE YOU HATE AND HE JUST SHRUGS IT OFF if anything, I think you remember what happened when Ichigo called Ulquiorra "you're becoming more human" (and I'm sorry but if he isn't reffering to him spending time with Orihime I don't know what life is) and he smashes the floor to pieces and when Orihime calls him Ulquiorra-kun, he simply says "Don't use your human manners on me. When you call me, call me only Ulquiorra."
ASDFGHJKLFRWEotF0YHJE+0DASPÅXFSDÖMV
God, it's just... why did he have to die. Meh. Such a beautiful pairing. Anyway, the thing about the bush is that he walks alone for like forever until he finds a white bush that he calls "the void" and he says it's the first thing he ever looked twice at and he finds it beautiful, and as he falls asleep in it he experiences happiness for the first time. I really wanted to use that bush (which is the one Orihime finds) as a connection between Ulquiorra and Orihime because in the chapter, when he thinks happiness, the next page is him awakening and she hovering above him and comments that she is glad she knows "Ulquiorra-kun" can sleep.
There has to be something there. Tite Kubo wouldn't write and draw this chapter about his past and then including her.
OK ANYWAY
Thoughts? Was it horrible? Maybe not? Just remember that I'm not english and therefore it is not something I write or speak on a regular basis so if there's grammatical errors and whatnot, leave them and concentrate on the story.
Lots of love!
jerkez