Four-hundred years passed. The world had changed immensely and with it, and so did the cursed mercenary who dwelled in the parks, forests, dark allies, train stations, gas stations, and underground subways of the continually changing countries and cities.

Ulquiorra now padded over a great bridge leading to a busy city named Karakura Town. He had learned over three-hundred years ago how to shape-shift, and found it to be less of a nuisance to travel as an animal by day and fly through the cool, night air as a winged demon by night. This allowed him to travel from city to city, country to country, without drawing any suspicion to himself.

His claws clicked against the cement sidewalk as he slipped between small groups of people. Another thing he learned was that many people never suspected a stray dog that was wandering around. Actually on a couple of occasions a few families or individuals took him in, giving him ridiculous names like Shadow, Fritzy, Killer, Domino, or Sage, but he never stayed with those people more than a month.

There was this one woman who took him in and had somehow missed that he was a male and had named him Princess and put him in a ghastly pink collar. He was able to put up with her for three days before he had finally had enough and slipped through the back gate.

Ulquiorra caught his reflection in a car window. It really was not a surprise that so many people would want him as a pet. He was a medium-large dog that could have been mistaken as a black husky. He had slightly shaggy, ink black fur, a muscular build along with a couple of scars he got from the constant traveling and occasional fight with other dogs, and gorgeous, bright green eyes. He was every dog show judge's greatest dream, even with the few scars he had obtained over the centuries.

He finally made it over the bridge and made his way down to the riverbed. The sun was setting now and he was tired from three days and nights of nonstop travel. He lowered his muzzle down to the rippling water and lapped up the cold water until his belly was full.

A little boy with brown hair wearing a pair of blue coveralls and a blue and yellow stripped, long-sleeved shirt walked past on the sidewalk on top of the bank. "Mommy, Mommy," he exclaimed, "look at the pretty doggie!"

The woman took one look at Ulquiorra and hurried her son along. Not all humans were so trusting towards him.

Ulquiorra laid down under the bridge and watched the red, orange, and gold hues cast from the setting sun dance on the water. He absolutely despised large towns like this. The air was polluted, there was constant noise, and countless people rushing their lives away. If he had the luxury of limited time like they did, he would be using it wisely; unlike the majority of people he had met throughout the years.

A young woman who must have been in her teens suddenly skidded down the bank and stood at the water's edge. She had long, orange-red hair, an hourglass figure that was slightly more top heavy, shining gray eyes, and light blue hairpins. She was smiling and holding her hand up to shield her eyes from the sun that was now perpendicular to her.

"Wow, Tatsuki, you've got to look at this!" She exclaimed. Her voice was kind, sweet, and warm. It gently hummed in Ulquiorra's ears like a lullaby.

Another girl walked down the stone steps leading to the water. She had short, spiky black hair and had just enough of a figure to distinguish that she was, indeed, a female. Both girls were wearing gray skirts and white t-shirts with a red sash tied around their necks.

"What, it's just a sunset, Orihime," the second girl named Tatsuki said. "They happen every day."

"I know," the first girl, Orihime, said, "but they're so pretty! I just can't help but stare at them whenever I'm here!"

Ulquiorra inhaled deeply and released all of the air out of his nose. This woman was definitely something else. He closed his eyes and was starting to drift off to sleep when the voices got close, really close.

"Tatsuki, come here! Quick!" Orihime yelled.

"What is it, Orihime?" Tatsuki asked, her voice filled with worry.

"Look at this dog! Do you think it's dead? The poor thing. It's all alone and living under the bridge."

Ulquiorra heard the gravel at his nose crunch as someone stepped in front of him. The smell of strawberries filled his nostrils and he opened his eyes. The orange-red haired woman was kneeling in front of him.

"Maybe I should bring her home," Orihime suggested. Ulquiorra huffed at being called a female.

"Come on, Orihime," Tatsuki scolded. "The dog's obviously a stray. Who knows what kind of diseases it has."

Ulquiorra growled deep in his throat. "I do not have any diseases, you trash."

Tatsuki jumped back and Orihime lost her balance; earning her a slightly painful landing on her butt.

"Orihime, get away from that thing!" Tatsuki shouted, but she didn't. She just sat there and stared at Ulquiorra with a blank expression on her face.

Ulquiorra rolled his eyes and stood up.

"Move, Orihime," Tatsuki yelled, "he's gonna bite you!"

Ulquiorra huffed again at the annoying girl who was yelling like an idiot and walked over to the water's edge. He laid down in the grass and watched the stars twinkle in the water.

Tatsuki pulled Orihime up on her feet and pulled her over to the stone steps. "Come on, Orihime, we're getting out of her. That dog seriously has some issues and it's getting late. My mom will throw a fit if I'm not back before curfew."

"A-alright," Orihime followed her friend up the steps and looked back at the dog lying beside the river. She couldn't quite tell what it was, but something about it seemed strange. It was almost as if the dog had been alive for hundreds, if not thousands, of years.

An hour passed and Ulquiorra grew restless. That girl, Orihime, kept popping into his mind. If he dozed off, she was there. If he looked at the stars on the water, she was there. If he closed his eyes, she was there. It was madening.

He finally stood up and morphed back into the winged demon form he was more comfortable in and launched into the air. It was a calm, cool night, despite the heat from earlier that afternoon, and that made it easier for him to catch wind of the girl's aura. It was warm and as bright as the sun. It would have been impossible for a blind man to miss it.

He followed the trail to a small apartment complex and changed back into a dog behind a shed in a yard across the street. It was a fairly nice neighborhood, but there was still obvious signs of crime as he crossed the road to the housing complex. Trashcans were covered in graffiti, suspicious cars with even shadier people sitting inside them were parked on the road, and there was a faint odor that Ulquiorra could not place, neither did he want to.

He climbed up the stairs, following the fresh smell of strawberries, and found himself standing outside one of the doors on the third level or so. There was a light on inside and he heard the faint sound of footsteps scuttling around inside.

"So she did make it home," Ulquiorra thought, and walked back down the staircase. He found a large box sitting underneath the stairs and laid down inside. It was late and he was tired. Who cared if he was just two stories below the girl he followed? He was going to get a good night's sleep.

If only his mind would let him.