The moment Orihime got inside her apartment, she ran directly to her room and plopped on her bed, rethinking the day's events over and over again. Flipping herself around on her back, she dropped the bag with the book she got by the side of her bed and starred up at the ceiling.

She had a date. A date.

No wait. It wasn't a date. It was just her spending time with…with…

Ulquiorra.

What would they even talk about? Well…it didn't matter; she was going to be with him, that was all that really mattered.

She looked at the clock; the poor girl still had three hours before their meet. The anxiety was already killing her. There she was; someone who wept nearly every night and every time another's name swept through her mind, when suddenly that same other person suddenly came back.

Those former feelings, she didn't know if she should be jumping for joy or feeling bad like Ichigo. Orihime supposed she should just go with the flow and along with whatever her heart is feeling at the time; that's how she got along before.

Sighing, she decided she had nothing better to do than to read her new book. Getting ready could wait two and a half hours.

The redhead leaned over to her side, picked up the bag, and took the book out that she bought not so long ago. She swept her hand over the cover, taking in the name. Love in the Times of Cholera.

Yes, it wasn't quite a fantasy novel like she had originally planned, but she figured a love story once and a while would rekindle her passionate flame that had seemed to die with the espada. She had read almost all of the books in the other particular section anyway.

Opening to the first chapter, she rested against her pillow and began to read.


Well, it seems like everything's covered.

Rukia had been running through every possibility of how Soul Society would find out about the arrancar coming back to life. Nobody else had fought Ulquiorra save Ichigo and Uryu, so they did not know what he looked like enough to recognize him. The only one who really fought with Harribel was Hitsugaya…she doubted he would need to come to the World of the Living any time soon. As for Matsumoto…well…she'd have to find a way to cover, should the woman come back.

However, Rukia highly doubted Rangiku would want to see more of this town, after what happened…

Now she just needed to come up with a convincing lie, just in case.

'Oh, hello! These people? They're not what you think! They are Orihime's foreign friends…from Mexico? Yeah, I know, they share the same names…strange, isn't it?'

Damn It.

A hollow cry was heard from her spot on a random rooftop in the town. Leaving her gigai behind her, Rukia pulled out her zanpaktou and ran to where the threatening being was.

She would just think of something later.


"Abarai."

Byakuya Kuchiki's voice was deep, silky, and commanding as always, but Renji would never admit that small detail. Hurriedly, as to not risk being sarcastically commented on, or scorned, or being held under that gaze, the pineapple head perked up at the Captain's voice.

"Y-Yes Kuchiki Taichou!"

"I have orders that you are being sent off to Karakura Town for a week to check out hollow activity. You will be leaving tomorrow morning."

Hollow activity? Isn't Rukia already down there? Taichou probably signed me up for it so he wouldn't have to deal with me! That bastard! Of course the reiatsu's off; we just fought a war down there!

"Abarai, are you going to begin afternoon training or will you just be staring at me all day?"

Byakuya had a raised eyebrow, indifferent yet slightly amused features on his face, but so slight that no one could possibly notice. Renji's face turned red at being caught lost in thought, and right before he ran off to the six squad training grounds he bowed slightly and gave a "Sorry, Taichou!", to which Byakuya had to refrain from rolling his blue grey eyes.


And…Perfect!

It was now 5:45, and Orihime was looking at herself in the long mirror, glad with what she found. She wasn't wearing anything too special, just a deep blue halter dress that brought out both her flame red hair and her grey eyes. Her hairpins were attached to the left strap, bright sky blue shining off the deeper background.

She was ready to go.

Taking her wallet and throwing it in her dress pocket, she locked her front door and left to meet Ulquiorra at the bookstore once more.


Ulquiorra sighed and took his nametag off, depositing it in his wallet. That was unbelievably…boring. Such was life, he thought.

After saying goodbye to the joyful boss, he opened the door and left the building, choosing to stand outside of the store on the sidewalk, for the Onna to notice. Putting his hands in his pockets, he wondered what she thought of him. Why did she want to spend so much time with him? He was the one that captured her and hurt her friends, so what were this girl's thoughts?

Before he could even process these thoughts, however, he saw a blur of red hair and automatically knew that she was there.

"Hello, Ulquiorra!" Orihime called out to him before taking a few more quick steps to reach him.

"Onna." He replied, indifferent as always.

She smiled at him, "I know the perfect place to go to! They have the best coffee ever!"

Coffee? Is that some kind of human drink?

Orihime noticed the confused look in his eyes. That was how she deciphered him; she knew his face wouldn't give anything away.

"Oh, well it's a hot beverage that makes people…" Biting her lip, she thought for a quick moment before snapping her hands in closed fists, putting them next to her closed eyes, and snapping both fists and eyes open to make her point. "Wake up!"

It was literally the cutest expression he ever saw, if he would acknowledge things being "cute". He raised an eyebrow.

"But we are already awake."

She gave an exasperated sigh.

"I know that, but still, it's a good drink once you get used to the flavor! Let's go!"

Orihime happily led the way, Ulquiorra by her side but back a step to tell where she was going.

It was odd, walking with her in a nonchalant fashion like this. Whenever they were to walk somewhere, he would be the one leading her way; dominance, one would call it. Now they were on the same level, in fact, she was more powerful than him now. He had lost all of his powers the moment he became a human, which was probably one of the most frustrating things.

Yet still, he must go with the flow.

After a few minutes of walking through the streets, Orihime opened the door to this medium sized coffee shop with an interesting name.

Moonbucks.

What?

"Mmm, the smell in here is amazing!" Orihime smiled and, out of another instinctive act, took Ulquiorra's hand and dragged him through the place to get to the counter.

At the moment of contact, all voices drowned out of Ulquiorra's mind. He no longer possessed any other senses besides that of the feel of the woman's hands in his own. He tried to stop it, but a pink blush worked its way across his upper cheeks. He didn't say anything though, nor did he pull away like he usually would. Why? He did not know…but he liked the feeling of her hand in his…

"Two Mocha Lattes please!"

He looked down at her once they reached the counter to see that she was ordering their drinks. The woman at the register told her the price, to which Orihime began to dig out of her wallet the money needed. Ulquiorra sighed, remembering his manners.

"Onna, I will not allow you to pay, especially for me like I cannot handle myself. Here."

With that, he gave the worker the appropriate money and put his hand back in his pocket, leaving Orihime shocked that he actually paid for her.

"Thank you, Ulquiorra…you didn't have to do that for me!"

"It's nothing."

The cashier smiled, muttering something about how lucky Orihime was to have such a generous boyfriend, to which Orihime blushed profusely, and Ulquiorra furrowed his brow in confusion. Getting their drinks, the redhead led them to a small two-person table by the window, where no one was really around.

"Now, it's hot, so you are going to have to wait a little bit for it to cool!"

"I am not a child, Onna." Ulquiorra sighed, and Orihime chuckled.

"You're right…"

Next came a short silence, where the two of them were trying to get their thoughts together of what was happening. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Ulquiorra spoke, shocking both he and the auburn haired girl.

"Why did you bring me here, Onna? Why are you so intent on seeing me…?"

Another silence as Orihime tried to muster together a plausible answer, and to get over her own shock at the question. Then finally…

"I don't know exactly, Ulquiorra. I suppose it is just…I…I was just so shocked at seeing you again, I had to make sure you were real…"

At this Ulquiorra gained an even more confused expression.

"Why do you not hate me? It is logical that you should. I kidnapped you, I made you suffer, and I tried to kill your friends. Yet, you seem to not take that into account at all, considering how easily you accepted the news at the park."

"I don't hate you, just like I wasn't afraid. I do not know why either, actually. I can admit however that I was always more of…a heart reliant person then a mind reliant one. I just go with my feelings, and though I can't explain it with logic, all I know is that I don't have it in me to hate you. And I know what you're thinking," she cut in quickly after the mention of the heart, seeing Ulquiorra's expression.

"The heart was a metaphor; I guess…a metaphor for emotions. I have always had a greater emotional sensitivity than most. Well, until after the war, anyway. I truly believe in the ineffable feelings, however; the feelings that cannot be put into words, because those are the purest of feelings."

Ulquiorra's voice dropped to a lower volume.

"An emotional heart…? Onna, why do you rely on such unreliable things when they end up hurting you? Were you at least…happy at my death?"

"I could never be happy at such a terrible thing! I blamed myself for not being able to save you…I hated myself after the war, I was drowned in sorrow…"

This was the most shocking thing Ulquiorra may have ever heard. She felt sorrow for not saving me? How foolish…

He noticed her eyes look downward, almost a glassy look to them. She was fighting back tears. Something in him fought to get the man to comfort her, but it was such a foreign feeling he could barely comprehend it. She smiled and looked back into his green orbs; possibly the saddest smile he had ever seen.

"I'm sorry. I know you must think this is so foolish, especially since we were enemies at one point, but still…I always felt as though you were special, like you were just going with the flow, just trying to survive or just doing what you can in the life you call meaningless. I don't blame you for the things that happened. I know you were on the opposing side, but Ichigo tried to kill you as much as you tried to kill Ichigo. That is the excuse I make for myself.

I realize that you must have had centuries of enduring in Hueco Mundo, and I felt terrible for that…that you could never have a second chance at having a nicer life. That is why I was happy at your return."

Ulquiorra took a moment to let everything she said sink in. He actually understood now why she felt that way…almost, anyway. If he was not hardened with years of loneliness and emptiness, he probably would have completely understood.

"You were right about one thing at least, Onna. It changes people, living for so long in a barren wasteland such as Hueco Mundo. But the fact that you are so quick to…to forgive something so terrible even though one had a hard past…I cannot classify whether that is the epitome of magnanimity or foolishness."

Orihime sighed, and took a sip of her coffee.

"I have finally begun to understand a glimpse of your feelings. I can see why you believe that everything is meaningless, and I can see how you believe that hope is useless. I personally see it as that we don't know. Whether or not we all have a greater meaning, we put meaning on the things that we feel need to have meaning. No one knows anything for sure, so we all quickly scramble about trying to figure out what everything means when we should just be enjoying life. I see that, but not to the degree you do. Hope distracts one from what they are doing, in a way…but it was because of hope that I was able to keep moving."

Ulquiorra intervened.

"It is because of your mental strength that bordered on ignorance that you were able to keep moving."

Orihime blushed at the compliment, whether he meant it to be or not.

"When you are hopeful, you become hopeless. When you are forced to rely on such a concept based off of luck, no one else can put hope in you, because you have given up on being able to get out of whatever situation yourself."

Orihime nodded her head. "I suppose that makes sense, and though I have so many sorrows and dealt with loneliness…I still try to look at a brighter side, to keep me from just giving up on life."

There is some wisdom to her words, Ulquiorra decided. Although so inexperienced compared to him, she seemed to know both schools of thought, and mixed them both as well.

"There is something I want to know now, though," Orihime decided.

"How do you feel about becoming a human?"

It took a while for him to respond. He could barely answer that question when he asked it to himself.

"I…I am not quite sure. I just went with my hollow instinct and went to the best place of survival, so right now it feels…weird. I feel considerably weaker, I feel like I have so much less control over my body let alone my "emotions" which are amplified in this state as well. There is nothing 'glamorous' about being a human, though you already know that, I'm sure. It overall feels strange."

Orihime smiled lightly at this. "Well, at least you are feeling, Ulquiorra."

He nearly glared at her for this comment, while she just chuckled.

No matter what, she was never completely fazed by him. As to why, he would probably never know.

After that intense conversation, they were both quiet for the most part. The rest of the outing included what Orihime would call an orientation to the human world. She tried to tell him everything he wanted to know and more while they finished their drinks. Ulquiorra did have to admit, it was a good drink after getting over the initial taste.

Finally, as it was starting to get dark out, the two decided to leave and get back to their respective places. Being the gentleman, Ulquiorra insisted that he make sure she got back to her own place alright, even if she was more powerful than him at the time. Perhaps it was just a former instinct when he had to escort her everywhere; maybe it was something more…

Either way, when they were walking down the sidewalk, neither of them could miss all of the giggles and comments about them being the "cutest couple", which they blissfully ignored.


Gah! Sorry it took a little while longer for this one to come out, this was actually a toughie believe it or not! But thank you to everyone who is reading and a special thanks to all the reviewers, you guys are awesome, and I really appreciate the feedback! I am glad you are enjoying the story!

~CelestialAngelOfSorrow