Chapter 3

Convincing Takes Work

Ichigo knew that he might be taking his own life into his hands, but he was so bored that he was willing to try. Besides, he believed that he had finally figured out what it was that had struck him as different about the Arrancar. So it was that the afternoon after his return from the gateway world, he came straight home from school, already having decided what he would do. Back in his own room, he found a large piece of poster-board, and, in bold letters, he wrote, "Hanatarō: tell Ul-Sama that I want to talk to him." This done, he hung it prominently over his bed and waited.

For three days, he waited.

On the third day, he took down the poster with a sigh, turned it around, and wrote a new message: "Cipher: I figured out what's bothering you."

This produced a reaction. When he arrived home from school the next day, Ichigo found that the corner of the poster-board on which he'd written the Espada's first name in so casual and informal a manner had been slashed. The rest was still intact, but that small bit of destruction assured Ichigo that the intended recipient had gotten the message. He grinned in triumph.

Taking down the poster, he put up a new one in the same place.

"C: I know why you want to be left alone."

Again, the next day, he found evidence of someone having been there, but only by scratches in the poster-board. This time, however, they spelt words.

"Then leave me alone."

Having no more poster-board at hand and wanting to leave that one there rather than turn it around, Ichigo took a sheet of notebook paper and taped it under the scratched words.

"Let's talk."

Again, the answer awaited him after school the next day:

"No."

Again, Ichigo taped up his response. Each day, for almost a week, this continued, until the conversation could be read, snaking around the headboard of his bed:

"Just for a few minutes."

"No."

"You can bring me there again."

"No."

"I'll post your name all over my house. No honorifics."

"I'll kill you."

"I don't believe you."

"Try me."

"You're just proving my point."

After the last challenge, there was no response. Ichigo gave it an extra day, but there was nothing. He couldn't help but grin at that. After all, Ulquiorra would have to respond with a question, asking what Ichigo's point would be. He knew that the Espada wouldn't do that. Of course, it was possible that he guessed Ichigo's point and just wouldn't admit it.

Yes, Ichigo knew now what it was that was different about the Arrancar. It had taken a little thought in the beginning, but he was sure now. When he'd looked full in Ulquiorra's face, he'd seen there the same expression that Ichigo himself saw every day in the mirror: the look of someone with no purpose.

For how many years had Ulquiorra served Aizen blindly? Anyone who had ever met the Cuarta Espada would have said that he lived for one goal and one alone: to serve Aizen. Had it been ten years? Twenty? Fifty? Aizen had been planning his overthrow of Soul Society for well over a century. He had begun his experiments on his fellow Shinigami over a hundred years earlier. When had he begun experimenting on Hollows? Had it been even earlier? Ichigo wondered whether Ulquiorra could even remember a time before Aizen.

And now Aizen was gone.

Strange as it may seem, Ichigo felt a bizarre sort of comradery with this abandoned warrior: they had both lost everything.

Well, not quite. Ulquiorra had lost his comrades but retained his powers. Ichigo had lost his powers but retained his friends. Given the choice, Ichigo wouldn't switch places. Even so, both had suffered loss. Both had lost what had been their primary purpose in life.

It was this thought that drove Ichigo to make his next move.

"Inoue, may I ask you something that might be . . . painful?" asked Ichigo.

Orihime looked at him in surprise. It wasn't like Kurosaki-kun to be so serious around her. Of course, he was generally frowning around the rest of his classmates, but he was usually happy when with his close circle of friends. Also, no matter who was near him, he always seemed so sure of himself, even if he had lost his Shinigami powers. To see him acting so distinctly ill-at-ease made her nervous.

Of course, he hadn't said that he wanted to ask her something 'uncomfortable;' that would have made her blush, having no idea what it could be. Well, she might guess what it would be in that case, and she could certainly hope what it might be, but she wouldn't want to think that that would be what it was. Orihime felt a blush rising to her cheeks just thinking about the possibility of him suggesting the possibility that he might ask something like that.

"Inoue?" came Kurosaki's voice, breaking through the tumultuous rush that formed Orihime's typical thought pattern.

"Oh!" she exclaimed. "Yes, Kurosaki-kun. You wanted to ask me something?"

"Are . . . are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine!" she exclaimed with a wide smile, quickly fanning her face to diminish the blush, if possible. "What did you want to ask me?"

"Do you remember that Espada who took care of you in Hueco Mundo?" he asked abruptly, as if he didn't want to lose his confidence.

Orihime blinked in surprise. "You mean Ulquiorra-san?" she asked.

"Yes," nodded Ichigo. "Him."

Orihime again blinked at him in surprise. "Um, yes, I remember him." She frowned in mild confusion. "Why?"

"I guess, I just wondered," he hesitated, scratching his head. "If you could talk to him again, that is, if he was, um, still alive, uh, then . . . ."

"It wasn't your fault," murmured Orihime, thinking now that she understood what he was saying.

Ichigo turned to look at her in surprise, but Orihime kept her eyes on the sidewalk.

"It was my fault."

"What?" asked Ichigo. "What do you mean? What was your fault?"

"What happened." Orihime pushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear, still not looking at him. "When you turned into that . . . that monster . . . and killed him. I know that you wouldn't have done what you did, if it had been you. You wouldn't have killed him . . . like that. But what you became . . . it was my fault for calling for you. It wasn't──"

"Inoue!" exclaimed Ichigo. "No! That's not what I meant at all!" He stopped walking, turning to look at her full in the face. "It wasn't your fault either. No one was to blame for that but me. Please, Inoue, I had no idea that you felt like this!"

"Oh, it's alright, Kurosaki-kun," exclaimed Orihime with another forced smile, waving her arms nervously. "It's all over now, and it doesn't matter anymore. Please, don't worry about me!"

Ichigo didn't answer, but he still looked at her seriously, as if he wasn't sure whether to believe her when she said it was alright. Orihime simply turned away and continued walking, nervous under his gaze. Why had he brought that up? She hadn't thought about all of that in months, other than a few times when she was lying alone in bed at night. It was so painful! After all, she knew that she was the reason that Kurosaki-kun had turned into a monster. Yes, it had enabled him to win the fight, but it was almost at the cost of his own humanity. In the end, after he came to his senses, she was happy that he hadn't struck down Ulquiorra in cold blood, even when the other had asked him to do so. She knew that her Espada guard had had to be defeated in order for them to leave, but she was glad that Kurosaki hadn't known what he was doing when he had mortally wounded him. If he had, she wasn't sure that she could still look at him.

"Inoue," began Ichigo again, hesitantly. "If you could talk to Ulquiorra again, would you want to?"

Again, Orihime didn't answer right away. Into her mind flooded so many memories. She remembered a cold, unfeeling voice that told her to follow him, unless she wanted to watch her friends die. She remembered an empty presence, visiting her each day to bring her food, occasionally accompanied by cruel threats. She remembered deep, emerald eyes, looking at her with a strong desire simply to understand what made her what she was: asking her about her emotions, her friends, her . . . heart. Finally, she remembered the pure white hand, disintegrating into dust as she reached for it, and the simple words, "I see." She bit her lip.

"Yes," she nodded. "Yes, I would."

To her surprise, Ichigo suddenly caught hold of her hand, dragging her forward with a smile.

"Come on!" he exclaimed, grinning back at her as he led her quickly down the street.

As they entered Kurosaki's bedroom, Orihime again felt a blush rise to her cheeks. Ichigo, however, seemed completely oblivious to her discomfort. He stepped to his bed and pulled down a sheet of poster-board that had been hanging over it. He then quickly ripped down a few sheets of notebook paper that had been likewise taped to the wall. Orihime had seen that there was writing on them, but she hadn't had time to catch what they said. The papers were immediately crumpled and tossed onto the desk, while the poster-board remained in his hand. Catching up a pen, he turned to Orihime and plopped down on the floor, laying the large, white sheet between them, blank side upward.

"Here," he grinned, extending the pen to her. "Would you write it?"

Orihime just looked at him, confused.

"Write what?" she asked.

"What you'd want to say to Ulquiorra."

"I . . . what?"

"Oh, I-I mean," he stammered, looking suddenly uncomfortable. "That is, if it's something, um, that's, uh, okay for me to read. I mean──"

"Oh!" exclaimed Orihime, horrified at what he might be thinking. "No! I don't mind." Of course she couldn't have Kurosaki-kun thinking that she'd want to say something like that to her former guard. Quickly she caught the pen and dropped to the floor before the board, determined to set his mind at ease immediately. Then she paused. What had she wanted to say?

"Hmm," considered Orihime, pressing the pen to her lips. There were just so many things that she'd want to say, if she could. How could she choose? Finally, taking a breath, she began writing.

"Ulquiorra-kun," she wrote. "I'm sorry I couldn't show you what a heart was. I hope that you understood, there at the end. I wish I could ask you: when you said, 'I see,' did you mean that you understood?" She paused momentarily, gnawing on the pen in thought. "I'm sorry I couldn't take your hand at the end either. If I had been quicker, then maybe"

"What are you doing?" came a toneless voice from behind her, interrupting her writing.

Walking down the sidewalk, heading in the general direction of the park, Ishida turned over his schedule in his mind. There wasn't anything out of the ordinary to consider: there was school tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after. Thursday afternoon he had set aside for archery practice, and the following Monday afternoon as well. He had a bit of extra homework that would need to be completed, and he had determined to do half of it tonight and the remaining half tomorrow. Of course, if there was to be a significant Hollow attack this week, he'd find himself with even more homework, but that was why he had left three hours open in his Saturday schedule.

It was comforting to have everything neatly organized. Even for unexpected events he was adequately prepared with his various contingency plans. Nothing could frustrate the equanimity in which he lived, or at least not for long.

Glancing at his watch, he saw that he had twenty minutes before he needed to be back home. He mustn't be late, or else he wouldn't have time to accomplish his self-assigned duties tonight, but he refused to be early, knowing that Ryūken would be home this evening. He would spend no more time in that man's presence than was necessary. Knowing his father's schedule well in advance, he could plan his occasional "refresher" walks ─ times where he would stroll through the less crowded sections of Karakura town and simply enjoy the fresh air and sunshine, thereby refreshing both his body and spirit ─ for such evenings as might otherwise require him to be in his father's presence longer than should be necessary. Tonight was one of those nights.

Again, he glanced at his watch. Fifteen minutes now. He took a deep breath, feeling that the walk was accomplishing its purpose. He was feeling calmer, more refreshed. Today had been a moderately quiet day, on the whole. No Hollow attacks; no significant distractions at school; no unexpected events at all. It was only the thought of seeing Ryūken at home that could agitate him, and he wouldn't allow it to do so. He even resisted the urge to look at his watch again, informing himself that it had surely been only three minutes since he had last done so. Sneaking a quick glance, he felt a smirk curve his lips; his sense of time was as accurate as ever.

As abruptly as a blow to the stomach, Uryū stopped and nearly staggered. The reiatsu that he suddenly sensed was like nothing he had felt in months. This wasn't a Hollow! It . . . it was an Arrancar!

Turning to look in the direction from which he felt the presence, he tried to convince himself that he was imagining things. It couldn't be! The Arrancar had all been destroyed! The Quincy's exceptional spiritual sense, however, told him otherwise. There was an Arrancar still alive, and it was here in Karakura town.

All thoughts of schedule, father, and walks left him as he turned and dashed down the street in the direction of the fearsome reiatsu.

The pen had fallen, forgotten, from Orihime's numb hand as she stared into the calm, green eyes of her one-time guard. He stood exactly as she had remembered him: posture erect, hands in his pockets, a calm, almost bored expression in his deep eyes. The horned half-helmet covered the left side of his black-haired head, and the familiar green markings traced their way down either side of his face. His question too had been simple, just like what she would have expected from him: asking for information, and yet almost disapproving at the same time.

"What are you doing?"

For a long moment, Orihime could do nothing but gape at him. Was he real? How?

"Ul . . .qui . . . orra," she breathed.

"What?!" exclaimed Ichigo. "He's here? Ulquiorra, are you here?!"

The Espada's gaze never left Orihime, and she seemed not even to notice the agitation of the only other human in the room as she stared into the endless expanse that was his eyes. He was alive! He was here!

"Seriously!" continued Ichigo, starting to his feet and glaring in the direction he saw Orihime looking. "You flat-out refuse to speak even a word to me for almost two weeks, and now you're showing up to talk to her, and she hasn't even finished her message? What's with that?!"

Finally able to tear away her gaze, Orihime turned to Ichigo in shock.

"Kurosaki-kun," she gasped. "You . . . you knew?"

"I wasn't going to tell you yet, but, yeah, I knew," replied Ichigo.

"How?"

"Well," he looked up at where he assumed the Espada to be standing, "you want to answer that?"

Orihime looked back at Ulquiorra, but the latter still refused to acknowledge the former substitute Shinigami.

"Are . . . are you going to answer him?" she asked hesitantly.

"He can neither see nor hear me," replied the Hollow calmly. "There is no reason for me to speak to him."

Orihime blinked. "But . . . how . . . ?" She shook her head as if trying to clear her thoughts. "I don't understand! What's going on?!"

"You were composing a message to me. Did you not intend for me to receive it?"

"I thought you were dead! I . . . I . . . ." Orihime paused. "I don't know," she whimpered. "I'm confused. I don't know what to think now."

Ulquiorra continued to look at her in silence. At last, Orihime rose to her feet.

"How?" she asked softly.

The Espada didn't answer. He merely returned her gaze calmly.

As the initial shock began to wear away, Orihime again felt emotions flood her being. The guilt, the pity, the longing to help, the pain of watching him die alone; everything washed over her afresh. Here he was! She could say everything that she had wanted to say and had started to write. And yet . . . seeing him here now, looking so perfectly normal, she felt that it would be very awkward to try to say any of it. She licked her lips, trying to decide what to say.

"You?!" came a sudden ejaculation from the other side of the room.

Turning, Orihime and Ichigo were both surprised to see their Quincy friend, crouched on the frame of the open window.

"Get away from Inoue-san!" he hissed. "Have you come to take her again?"

"And if I have?" came the quiet but firm reply. "You attempted to stop me once, in case you've forgotten."

"Damn you!" hissed Uryū. His hand twitched, obviously wanted to form his Quincy bow, but he knew that Ulquiorra could simply remove his limb once more if he so much as tried.

"Hey, it's okay, Ishida," waved Ichigo calmly. "He's not here for anything like that."

"Kurosaki!" gasped Uryū. "You can see him?!"

"Uh, no, um, I can't," admitted Ichigo, looking a little uncomfortable. "But I had a talk with him week-before-last, and he's here because I asked him to come. At least, I think so."

"Ichigo!" Another friend burst into the room suddenly, this one coming through the door, rather than the window. At sight of the Espada, the tall, muscular boy froze.

"Oy," Ichigo greeted him. "It's okay, Chad. No danger this time."

The three humans who still retained their spiritual powers looked at Ichigo in shock and wonder, then looked at each other in confusion, then turned to look again at Ulquiorra, still standing calmly in their midst, hands in his pockets, not moving. None seemed to know what to say. Or do.

"Ulquiorra," came Ichigo's voice, breaking the awkward silence. "You didn't give me a chance to say it last time, so I'll say it now." He stepped forward, his face serious now, until he was standing just in front of where he assumed (from the angles of their glances) that the Espada was standing. "Aizen's gone," he continued. "You know that now. The other Espada are gone too. I know you're not after power, or you'd have taken over Hueco Mundo already. After all, you'd be the strongest one there now. Anyway, there's no reason for you to be just sitting there in exile, doing nothing. So . . . come and stay here for a while. Who knows? You might end up liking it." He paused. "I know that I'm probably the last person you'd ever want to trust, but you've already seen that I can't hurt you. Really, you could hurt me if you wanted, but," he grinned, "after our last meeting, I don't believe you will. So I'm asking you honestly to come and try life on this side. Just for a while, anyway."

Ichigo had made his best guess as to Ulquiorra's position, but he'd been off by a little more than a foot. So it was that for most of this monologue, he'd stood practically next to Ulquiorra, their shoulders nearly touching, staring intently at nothing. Ulquiorra had clearly not thought it worth his while to correct Ichigo's mistake, and he maintained his own bored stare at the opposite wall.

The sight of this was so amusing to Orihime ─ Ichigo speaking so meaningfully to his bedroom wall while the Espada ignored him ─ that she had to press her hands to her mouth to suppress a giggle. Enough of a sound got through that Ichigo turned to look at her in mild confusion.

"What?" he asked.

At that, Orihime burst out laughing. Ichigo continued to look at her, while Ishida pushed his glasses back minutely and sighed.

"You're talking to the wall, idiot," he said simply.

"Huh? What?! You could have said something!"

"I hated to interrupt such a passionate speech," smirked Ishida.

"Okay, so where is he?"

As if in answer, Ulquiorra finally pulled a hand from his pocket and flicked a single finger against Ichigo's forehead, just hard enough that it didn't quite knock the other off of his feet.

"What was that for?!" demanded Ichigo, regaining his balance and rubbing his forehead while staring at where he now knew Ulquiorra would be standing.

The Espada returned his hand to his pocket and closed his eyes, going back to ignoring the fiery-haired young man beside him. Ichigo muttered a curse under his breath, then turned to Ishida.

"Did he answer? Or is he ignoring me?"

"I'll let you guess."

"Ulquiorra-san," came Orihime's voice, surprising most of the males in the room. "I still don't understand what's happening . . . but I think that Kurosaki-kun would like for you to stay."

Ulquiorra ─ the only one who hadn't reacted to her speaking ─ turned to look at her.

"Why?" he asked simply.

"He wants to know why, Kurosaki," repeated Ishida, knowing that the other hadn't heard the question.

"You remember what I said when you wanted me to fight you the first time, Ulquiorra?" answered Ichigo. "I said you hadn't hurt any of my friends. You said that you forced Inoue to go to Hueco Mundo, and I know that that's true, but I also know that you only did it because Aizen made you. You also fought me, but I did more to you than you did to me. So, short of that, you still haven't hurt any of my friends."

"Excuse me?" interrupted Ishida, clearly irritated. "Have you forgotten a matter of a certain left hand?" He waved the repaired limb by way of illustration.

"I said my 'friends,'" sneered Ichigo. "Since when would a Quincy call a Shinigami 'friend'?"

"Try former, substitute Shinigami," snorted Ishida. "But you're right; I wouldn't call you a friend; more like a 'former rival, fallen from glory.'"

"Hey!"

"In that sense," continued Ishida, turning to Ulquiorra, "I suppose that you and I have something in common."

"Shut up!" snapped Ichigo.

"You started this, Kurosaki," smirked Ishida. "And now you don't want to finish it?"

"Ishida, Ichigo," came the quiet voice of Chad. As the two turned to look at him, he asked simply, "The Arrancar?"

Ulquiorra still didn't react to being discussed, but Ichigo and Uryū managed to bring themselves back to the matter at hand.

"Very well," sighed Uryū. "I suppose you have some sort of plan in mind, Kurosaki? Or is this merely as well thought-out as your invasion of Hueco Mundo?"

"Hey! At least it worked!" snapped Ichigo. "And yes, I did think this out. We'll go to Urahara-san's shop and ask him for a gigai for Ulquiorra to use while he's here."

"And then?"

"And then what?"

Again, Ishida sighed. "Yes, this is as well thought-out as Hueco Mundo," he nodded. Turning to Ulquiorra, he continued, "Quite apart from the dangers you would face here from Soul Society when they discover that you're here ─ and they will discover it, I've no doubt ─ I would like to warn you that, should you decide to stay, you may well be subjected to Kurosaki's insanity often enough to drive the steadiest mind from its moorings. With that being said, the fact that you're able to remain indifferent through all of this so far indicates to me that you have amazing powers of self-control, something I wouldn't have expected in an Espada. I suppose the true question is this: do you want to stay?"

All of the humans looked at the Hollow in their midst (though one still couldn't see him), and the latter returned their gazes. After short consideration, Ulquiorra sighed.

"I am willing to try it, as he says," he conceded. "Although Kurosaki Ichigo is not a person with whom I would care to associate, yet he has an uncanny ability to survive and even succeed in the most unusual circumstances. I find that fascinating and would be willing to──"

The person being discussed chose this moment to interrupt.

"Well?" he asked. "Did he say yes?"

"Kurosaki-kun," scolded Orihime. "You interrupted Ulquiorra-san while he was speaking."

"Huh? Well, what was he saying? Someone needs to translate for me!"

Ulquiorra simply sighed resignedly and again closed his eyes. "Tell him I said 'yes,'" he said simply.