A/N: Hokayy so I'm watching Bleach on adultswim right now... The bount arc is sucky, and animated poorly compared to the rest.

OH WELL enjoy the UlquiHime goodness. This chapter is a set-up for something freaking awesome so get on the r and r pleaseeee.

Massive thanks to whitehitsugaya for being a really awesome beta


"Ulquiorra, as you know, I am sending a number of my espada to battle tomorrow. This group heavily relies on your involvement," said Aizen calmly. He smirked. "Ichigo Kurosaki is clearly the leader of the shinigami who have invaded our castle."

Anybody who didn't know the black void that existed in lieu of Aizen's heart would find his smile endearing. But Ulquiorra could see the malicious, violent greed harbored within the expression.

"I want you to stop him cold," he said calmly.

Ichigo Kurosaki... The orange-haired shinigami was one of Orihime's closest nakama. A first love of sorts, Ulquiorra had concluded from the way the woman had described their relationship.

The fourth stood up straight and nodded. "Yes, Aizen-sama. Consider it done."

"Thank you Ulquiorra. I put all of my faith into you for this mission," replied the ex-captain. Aizen leaned back in his marble throne and strummed his fingers against the arm rest, still meticulously watching Ulquiorra's every move. Something as subtle as the twitch of the hand stuffed deep in his pocket, to the slightest upward arc of his eyebrows. Aizen knew that Ulquiorra showed minimal signs of emotion.

But the stoic fourth kept his body perfectly motionless.

"It is an honor," Ulquiorra replied tonelessly, lowering his upper half in a subservient bow. "When am I to leave?"

"Tomorrow afternoon. You are to get a good night's rest tonight."

"Yes, Aizen-sama."

The loyalty of Ulquiorra's dialect flowed freely in their conversation, but he was already dissecting the phrasing of his lord's message. Scanning Aizen's exact words for some sort of loophole.

"Will you be requiring anything else of me today?" the emerald-eyed espada asked.

"Report back to me before you leave for the mission. That will be all."


Grimmjow watched from his position, obscured by a large, ionic style column as Ulquiorra exited Aizen's throne room. His melancholic features were as untelling as always, but the green-eyed espada was wringing his hands nervously together as opposed to placing them within the depths of his coat pockets.

He was truly frazzled.

Grimmjow smirked. For once, he had used Aizen's power to his advantage rather than completely rejecting his lord altogether. Aizen was malicious by nature and deeply enjoyed playing games. The sixth used this to his advantage in order to completely screw over Ulquiorra.

It was obvious by his distressed behavior that the fourth espada had been ordered to slaughter one of Orihime's nakama, a vital part in Grimmjow's plan. The teal-haired espada wanted nothing more than to gain the gratification and satisfaction of getting the best of Ulquiorra. And to date, every direct conflict ended in his humiliation.

But this time was different, thought Grimmjow. He had Ulquiorra by the heartstrings and he was ready to yank.


Ulquiorra roamed the corridors for the rest of the evening, with no particular destination or purpose. That in itself was very irregular behavior for the uneasy fourth.

Ulquiorra's mind was busy formulating a plan, thinking through details and weighing consequences. The predicament of his romantic feelings for the woman was growing deeper with each passing day.

Avoiding ichigo's death to spare Inoue from more grief and irreparable emotional damage was Ulquiorra's main objective.

Aizen's phrasing, 'stop cold', didn't necessarily mean kill. The order could easily be interpreted as Injure fatally or immobilize.

But would his actions of pity serve as evidence of his compassion for Orihime? The fact that Ulquiorra was assigned the fight Ichigo was a fairly good indication of the man's suspicion of his closeness with Orihime.

He could have assigned any of the three espada superceeding Ulquiorra in rank to defeat the front man of the shinigami resistance, but Aizen chose his favorite. The stoic black-haired arrancar who had easily defeated all of those who stood before him in battle.

Maybe his over-thinking of the situation was leading Ulquiorra to jump to unnecessary conclusions...


When Ulquiorra brought Orihime her dinner, he entered the room to see the red-headed girl jumping rope. Her oversized breasts jiggled up and down each time Orihime leaped into the air.

Ulquiorra blinked and tried to tear his eyes away. But mind over matter wasn't sufficient in such a situation. "Inoue?"

"Hi Ulqui-chan!!" greeted Orihime. She was smiling, cheeks flushed pink from exercise. "Nniotra and Grimmjow brought me this jump rope, isn't that nice of them?"

"Strangely so. Stop for now so you can eat your meal," commanded Ulquiorra. He moved farther into the room, averting his gaze as he instead focused on the food tray in his hands.

"Oh, alright," replied Orihime. She set the jump-rope carefully aside and took a seat across from Ulquiorra. "What's for dinner? Teriyaki again?"

"Don't get spoiled. Maybe one day you will return to the kitchen. If not, this food will sustain you."

Orihime pouted. "Okay, you're right. I'm sorry. But I've been good lately, haven't I? I don't want to cause you any problems. But ever since we bonded things have been super fun between us so I've had no reason to."

As endearing as it was, Orihime's rants were unnecessary. She used so many words to convey a small statement. But Ulquiorra had grown quite fond of the girl's mannerisms, to the point where it didn't irk him in the slightest.

"It is appreciated." Using his chopsticks, Ulquiorra picked up a pocket of brown rice and placed it in his mouth.

Orihime threw her vibrant locks of hair over her shoulders, sighing softly. She smiled up at Ulquiorra.

He wanted so badly to tell Orihime about his departure the following afternoon. But Ulquiorra knew that she would be worried sick. Possibly, if he could complete the mission in good time, Ulquiorra could return in the evening before she even knew that he had left.

Subduing the shinigami would definitely not be too time consuming of a task if he was close to the main castle.

"I have someplace different for us to walk to tonight. If you would like," said the fourth. His wide emerald orbs watched Orihime's smile curve upward like a scythe.

"Of course I'll go, it sound exciting," replied the redhead. She ate a couple pieces of teriyaki and took a long swig of water. "So where is are we going to go? Someplace I've never been... Hmm... Maybe to the training rooms?"

"That would put you in a dangerous position," he replied. "Enough questions about this, you will know soon enough."

Ulquiorra picked at his meal, although he wasn't hungry. Food didn't satisfy him in any way, neither the taste of it in particular or in the sustenance it would provide to humans.

With such a decisive night ahead of him, Ulquiorra's appetite seemed completely nonexistent.

Tonight, he mused silently. Could very well be my last with Orihime on such positive terms.

"Well I have to talk a lot because you sit in silence most of the time," said Orihime. "And things are so confusing around here, how can I not ask questions?

Ulquiorra felt her foot nudge his own from under the table. After a brief hesitation, he nudged back, eliciting a giggle from Orihime.

"Words are not entirely necessary sometimes."

"That's true... I bet I could sit here in silence with you and still be totally happy."

Orihime was glancing up into Ulquiorra's wide viridian eyes. His perpetually sad expression was the same as it always was, but she noticed that he was tapping his fingers on the table. Ulquiorra never fidgeted.

"Is something wrong, Ulquiorra?" Orihime asked, her brows knitting together with concern.

"I am just restless. Today has been a particularly slow day," replied the stoic espada seated before her. Lies just flowed freely from his lips with no remorse as to their consequences. But lying to Orihime seemed a little different... Uncomfortable.

It must have been her radiant, innocent smile and trusting nature. It emanated submission and vulnerability. But her warm grey eyes held a deviant gleam in them when she looked at Ulquiorra.

The kind of look that one would only give to a lover.

Orihime picked up a piece of sushi. "Well it's been pretty exciting around here since I got that jump rope. Grimmjow used to come by just to rude to me, but this morning he and Nniotra dropped in for a couple minutes just to say hi. Although he is still totally creepy and greasy with an ugly smirk. I've also been getting my exercise in so that when it's summer I can wear a cute bikini."

Ulquiorra was unsure what exactly a bikini was, but if it showed off Orihime's body like the connotation of the word suggested, he would be okay with that.


A/N: What chu guys thinkkk

Concrit and reviews are loved!