"Woman this is completely un-necessary."

Orihime kept her eyes focused on the ebony arm in her lap. Regeneration was one thing but even she knew that everyone on the roof was almost out of power. She had fixed Uryuu's hand. The Quincy was standing nearby, his eyes still full of confusion at the fight that had just happened. Ichgio had given them one tortured, guilt filled look and bolted, probably to help their friends. Orihime couldn't help but be glad. After what she had seen she did not know if she would ever be able to look at Kurosaki the same way again. When he had ran off she had made no move to follow him. She had healed Uryuu and then she had turned to her emerald eyed---

She wasn't sure what to call him.

Captor, guardian, protector--they all seemed to fit his all too unclear job description. He had already regenerated part of the wing and his horn that Ichigo had ripped off but she could tell that the adrenaline was wearing off and with that the pain was setting in. Orihime had healed the others, just leaving him there as he was seemed wrong. Just because he did not know what a heart was did not mean that she had to act like she had none. So she sat down next to him and began to heal the remaining wounds. Now she was just helping to mature his arm to the point where it wouldn't hurt for him to take his normal form again. He did not fight her, she doubted that he had the strength to do so.

"You can't regenerate anymore," she said, going on the hunch that was the case.

"That is beside the point," he told her cooly.

"Thats completely the point!" she said looking at him, "if you can't regenerate it'll hurt to go back to your sealed form! Why would you want to try to do that if I can help you?"

"Why?" he questioned looking at his captive, his charge, his mission.

"Why not?" she asked returning his gaze evenly before pink stained her cheeks and she looked back at the arm she was healing, "okay I think you're healed," she said finally withdrawing her shield.

Getting to her feet she walked over to where Uryuu was standing, flexing the fingers of his new hand. His eyes followed her movements. When they were not fighting she sometimes caught Uryuu looking at her but he always looked away. When they were fighting though or when she was in danger his eyes never really left hers. Clearly he felt that Ulquiorra was a threat. She walked over calmly though, she did not want to lend into his suspicion and have it look like she was running away from a predator. She extended her hands to him. His cheeks seemed to stain a faint pink but he extended his hand for her. She released her shield, allowing the glow to cover his new limb. She had healed the worst of the injuries first, not sure how long she would be able to keep the healing up. She didn't want anyone to be in pain, especially not Uryuu.

"I'm alright Inoue," he said.

"Its okay Uryuu," she said looking at the glow, "I want to make sure your hand doesn't hurt when that anesthesia wears off."

Uryuu nodded his understanding. His eyes went up to where Ulquiorra was. The Espada had returned to his form, Murcielago tied to his waist. Aside from all their torn cloths, none of them looked like they had been in a battle thanks to Orihime's healing. Orihime gently withdrew her hands from Uryuu's limb when she was satisfied that it was completely healed. Her shield returned to her hairpins. He looked at her anxiously, wondering if the effort of healing one man near death and the other injured far more grievously than he would admit had taxed her but it did not seem that way. The three of them stood on the remains of the place that should have been a graveyard, unsure of what to do.

Orihime reached up and tore off the tattered sleeves and fabric that connected the neckpiece of her dress to the bodice. The fabric came away easily, leaving her in a strapless version of her white dress. She tossed the fabric to the ground, ignoring how the white became red with the spilled blood. Everyone was still alive. War loomed in front of them, this was only the first of many many battles but they had made it through this one. Everyone had made it through. They were all alive. For that, Orihime felt for the first time optimistic about the situation. Not terribly hopeful but hopeful enough that she did not want to throw herself on the ground and sob.

"We should rejoin the others," Uryuu said finally looking down at her.

"Alright," she said, "but there's something I need to do first," she told him turning around and walking over to where Ulquiorra stood.

He watched her with the same cool emerald gaze that he usually tended to, completely unaffected even if the truth was that she had just saved his life. She was a healer, something that for all his regeneration, he would never be. She stopped when they were close enough that if she wanted too she could reach out and touch him. Aside from the time when she had backhanded him and he had touched her when he asked her that question, it was the closest they had ever been. He did not step away without an excuse as to why closeness was not allowed. He simply stood there and watched her.

"Are you going to fight with the others?" she asked him finally.

"No," he said, "my orders are to defend Las Noches," he hesitated for a moment before continuing, "finish your business here and I will allow you to leave."

"We are trapped here," Uryuu said, "Aizen locked us all down here," Ulquiorra's emerald eyes slid to him.

"Then I will give you an exit," he said.

"You'll what?!"

"I will give you an exit," he said, "back to Soul Society. My concern is my mission."

Orihime tried not to bite her lip. She remembered when she had been his concern, his mission. But Aizen had told her she was free to go. She doubted that Ulquiorra would have asked her such a candid question if he was still responsible for her general well being. He was not, not anymore. She was supposed to leave with her friends, never to return to the place of nightmares. She always thought that when the day came she would be happy, that she would rejoice and being saved and taken away from this place. But there had been no joy in being taken away. There had been no joy in knowing that she was going to be leaving the place, especially not when it was going to be at the hands of that thing Kurosaki had become.

Twice she had seen him transform into the creature from nightmares, once it was just a mask but the second time. the second time it was so much more. She had been terrified both times, scared of the man she thought she was in love with. But she had seen Ulquiorra undergo the same things, once to a nightmare creature and then again to something that should have been infinitely more terrifying. And yet, she was not afraid. Not of that. Not of what he was. She knew why as well. He might have a broken mask on his head but Ulquiorra Schiffer had never lied to her. He had never worn the mask of a prince, of a hero. He had never been anything but honest to her. In some strange way he had been the first person in a very long time who did not let her lie to herself. There were no rainbows or fairies or robots in Ulquiorra's world. He had forced her to see the truth.

He hadn't given her strength, he had shown her she had her own.

Something silver flashed in her eye. Orihime turned her head to see the bracelet Ulquiorra had given her dangling from his fingers as he extended his hand to her. Automatically she held her hands out as the bracelet dropped from his fingers to her palms. He immediately withdrew his hand, slipping it back into his pocket. Orihime stared at the bracelet and then back at Ulquiorra. The bracelet was the one that made her invisible to people and allowed solid objects to pass through her--it would probably let attacks pass through her as well.

"You are useless in battle, woman," he said, 'this will keep you safe."

"But I--" she looked up at him, feeling tears prick her eyes, "we're not on the same side."

"Regardless, you saved my life," he said it with such disgust Orihime wondered if she had done the right thing, "I would prefer to be in the debt of as few people as possible."

Orihime closed her hand around the bracelet, not wanting to put it on just yet. She looked up at him, her gaze unwavering as he looked down at her.

"You don't need me to tell you what a heart is," she said.

"It is useless," he said.

She shook her head.

"No," she smiled, "its not," she felt the cool circle of metal in palm, "yours and mine," she continued, "everyones," she paused, "they're a bit broken right now. But that's okay. I don't think that anyone has a whole heart."

He said nothing but confusion showed in his eyes.

"Well if they did," she said, "how could they fit together with another person's heart?"

Ulquiorra's eyes widened. Orihime continued to stand there in the rubble, a smile playing on her lips. Uryuu stood behind her, her new guard. Ulquiorra looked at the two of them and realized, for the first time, that he would never really understand Orihime Inoue.

"I will find your friends and give them a way back to Soul Society," he said finally, "I suggest you hurry if you wish to travel back with them."

He turned to go.

A pair of warm arms locked around his chest as Orihime hugged him tightly, her chest against his spine. He stood ramrod strait, wondering what she was possibly doing. He could feel the warmth, the life from her through the fabric of their cloths. She could probably only feel the cold bone of his hardened skin. But she still hugged him, her arms tight around his body, the hand with the bracelet pressed right over his heart.

"Thank you," she whispered.

As if on its own accord one of his hands came up and touched her tightly clasped ones. He felt wetness hit the cloth that covered his back right under her squeezed him, if possible, tighter for a moment before she gently withdrew her arms. It was difficult to step out of her embrace but he forced himself to do it anyway. Without looking back he walked forward a handful of steps before he used Sonido to vanish.

Orihime remained where she was for a moment longer, her hands pressed tightly to her chest as she stared at the spot where he had vanished from. A warm hand touched her shoulder and she turned to see Uryuu standing there, his other hand extended to her.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked.

"Yes," she said with a smile, "I'm ready."

The two of them left as well.

Orihime did not look back once.

*Sob*

Wahh! Batspada!!

*ahem*

Sorry.

Hope you enjoyed!

Venetian refers to Venice which is a place where a famous carnival takes place.