Written from second POV. From Ulquiorra's View. A look on Ulquihime, through the years.

Idea was inspired from Zulka. She wrote it for a different fandom. I took her permission, before penning this down.

Written for Day 06 of Ulquihime week: Hand Holding.

Chapter 01
It Had to be You

The last thing you saw were her words escaping out from her lips, followed by her hand reaching out for you. Then came the pressing darkness. The confession 'No, I am not afraid of you' faintly echoed in a blank space before finally disappearing all together.

You were dead.

You were now where you always wanted to be; the void.

Though for some unknown reasons, it felt unfamiliar. It didn't felt anything like home.

Yes, you were used to emptiness. But this wasn't the same. It carried something else too. It was tainted. But with what? You couldn't tell.

You didn't have to ponder at it because all of a sudden, you got blinded by a bright light. A wave of warmth immersed you. You felt yourself being pulled forward by an invisible rope.

Something wet fell on your face. A raindrop. But while raindrops were constant, this one was in erratic pattern. One fell directly on your lips. It tasted salty.

At once you opened your eyes. And saw her.

Orihime Inoue.

The woman was leaning over you, eyes brimming with tears, nose red. She looked a picture of complete mess.

"You are alive Ulquiorra! You are alive" She kept chanting, still sobbing all the while cradling you in her arms.

You wanted to stop her. Her cries were starting to give you a headache. This and added to the fact that your body felt like a lead wasn't helping matters much.

But then you saw her watery smile, her eyes filled with unbridled relief.

You decided to stay quiet. Because apart from receiving attention, the unfamiliar entity that was gnawing on you from edges before vanished as well.

Sooner than expected you were now standing inside a living room furnished with a lone brown couch, a coffee table, two side tables and a small TV. A shelf stood on one side of the wall, it edges decorated with strings of fairy lights and was stocked with books and various assortments. There was a window behind the couch, framed with lace curtains. A Japanese lantern was perched on the rail of the curtains, unlit.

"It's not much, so sorry for that" you heard Orihime apologize.

You shook your head. You were never the one to care for surroundings or anything related to it for that matter. As long there were four walls and a roof above your head, it was more than okay.

It was difficult in the beginning, but somehow you manage to adjust to the mundane life on earth. Still every now and then, a lot of things still perplexed you like people smoking on cigarettes despite clear warnings on the packaging or people complaining about working overtime only to do it the very next day.

It was true after all; Humans were full of contradictions.

During this whole process, Orihime was very patient with you. No matter how many questions you asked, she would always answer with a smile on her face.

However, you were aware of the whispers. Of suspicious gazes. Of mistrustful body language. From Kurosaki, From Ishida, From Rukia. From every one of them.

You were once an Arrancar, A deadly Espada, Rank No 4.

They had every right to be doubtful of you.

The woman wasn't. Because whenever you asked her this question "Are you afraid of me?" Her answer would always be the same "No, I am not"

In the midst of doing homework together, sharing dinner or simply sitting idly side by side, you fell for her. By now, you knew your roommate like a book. That the woman loved cooking strange dishes every now and then. She had the tendency to daydream about completely ridiculous things and that she would cry each time over Titanic ending despite watching the movie 17 times. She loved stitching woolen dolls as a pastime and would go absolutely feral over a box of freshly baked donuts.

You also knew her heart belonged to someone. And because of this, you never hoped anything with her except for friendship.

But why was it that when the time came to move out for higher studies, the woman wouldn't stop crying. Despite several assurances of keeping in contact, the woman's eyes wouldn't stop streaming tears.

You then clasped her hands and immediately Orihime calmed down.

"I give you my word…I will come back" You told her.
"You will?" She sniffed.
"I will. I promise"

For the first time, you were afraid. Terrified that as soon you would leave the place, the woman would forget about you.

No such thing happened. On the contrary, the messaging became constant. Calls on weekend were a must otherwise you wouldn't hear the end of it that why you didn't make the time for it at the first place? And when you returned to the town for so-called Christmas holidays, you were engulfed with a tight hug. The woman was all over you.

Breaking the hug, you finally get to look at her. The woman was the same as always but with a few perceptible differences like the faint dark circles beneath her eyes and that she appeared a little taller. And lighter too.

You asked whether she was eating properly to which she give an ambiguous answer.

'Eating kind of becomes difficult when you are alone'

She wasn't alone. She had so many friends here, including Ichigo Kurosaki.

You pointed this out and wished you hadn't, because sudden sadness marred the woman's face.

You didn't ask further. You will know. Soon.

When she was ready, Orihime told you everything. Her apprenticeship was going well in the bakery and then she often gets to meet Tatsuki, Chad and Uryuu from time to time. Rukia would pay a visit once in a month. But things got complicated with Kurosaki.

One, he didn't seem ready in a relationship. Secondly, both he and she had a big fight. Over him.

Turns out that, Ichigo didn't one bit approve of her friendship with you. He still suspected you. And that you were dangerous.

"It got messy. But whatever happens…I won't give up on you" the woman fessed.
At this, your heart soared. You felt a light tingling to your stomach. You felt like smiling. You did, but when you were alone in bed.

'Is this being in love feels like?'

You have made up your mind. That as soon you would graduate, you would propose to the woman. Books about love and romance instructed that you should first date before settling down. You disagreed with them.

You already knew about your soon-to-be-woman from every angle. What was there more to her?

Buying the ring wasn't a difficult feat. The proposal was. You had three plans back to back. None of them worked.

In the end, you settled for buying a duck shaped snow mould. The shop didn't have a heart shaped snow mould, saying that they ran out of stock; of all the misery!

Still you weren't deterred. The last night snow was still in the morning. You spent an hour before you were finally able to procure a perfectly shaped snow duck. In it, you inserted a gold ring.

Orihime was delighted when she held the snow duck between her hands. But her expression of joy soon transformed to that of an intense surprise when the snow melted, the gold ring resting in her palm.

She looks at you with utter confusion. Before you could finish the question, you are once again submerged in an embrace. This time you didn't brace for an impact and now you were lying on snow and mush. But it didn't matter. One thing did.

The word 'Yes' slipping from her lips. She leaned forward and you closed your eyes.

That was your first kiss. And it was wonderful. After all these years, you still remember it; the softness and warmth of it, how it became difficult to breathe and all you could hear was your and hers' heartbeat.

You thought things would be more or less going to be same once you both married each other. There won't be newness.

You were once again proven wrong. There were lots of cuddles and kissing. And sharing to the point that pieces of your laundry went missing until you saw your wife wearing your pair of shorts. Saturdays were spent in sleeping in because both of you were too tired to do anything after all that lovemaking the previous night. Once a month you both went out as couple. Since you both were saving to buy a house and a car, an outing was still considered a luxury.

At nights she would wash your hair and your back. You would return the favor by toweling and drying her long red hair. Orihime wouldn't read but she would insist you to read aloud whatever book you were reading. For the sound of your voice lulled her into sleep.

You both rarely fought with each other but when the fights happened, it always ended up with you leaving the apartment for a couple of hours. You needed some space and so did your wife. But no matter how late it got, you would still return home. You wouldn't find your wife in the bedroom. She would be lying in the middle of the living room, all curled up in a futon. Instead of waking her up or carrying her to the bed, you would slip in the futon next to her, keeping your leg over hers and interlacing your fingers with hers. You would wake next morning with kisses on your forehead and soft murmurings of I am sorry. You would reply by hugging her whilst caressing her peach scented hair. This was your way of saying sorry.

You got a job as a professor in a renowned university. You were living with your loving wife in the house you were finally able to afford. Life was perfect but incomplete.

That was soon going to change when Orihime broke the news to you. You were soon going to become a father.

You looked forward to it, but deep down you were scared. Your wife consoled you. It's going to work out, you will see, she said. You grabbed on to that sentence as if it was a lifeline.

The day finally arrived, with yet another surprise. Orihime ended up birthing not one but two babies. You both became parents to twin daughters.

The babies were tiny and so so fragile. Both had tufts of brightly auburn colored hair. They were sleeping at the moment. You sincerely hoped that they inherited their mothers' eyes.

All was good, except for one thing. The distress was visible on your face because Orihime asked that what's wrong.

"I only thought of one name….." You blurted it out.

At this Orihime laughed and said "I thought of only one too…."

You both shared a knowing smile and knew what you had to do. The twins were named; Irma and Noor.

First it was Orihime only. Now you have two more people to protect and watch over.

Much to your dismay and to Orihime's delight; the twins inherited your eye color. The daughters were like you and Orihime and not like you and Orihime at the same time. They had their own personalities. They were their own persons.

Both of you watched your daughters grow. You loved them even though they proved to be difficult at times, but in the end it was worth it as you watch them succeed in their career paths and left to make their own families. You were immensely proud of them.

Then once again, it was just you and her. Time started stealing your years by etching lines on your face and crow feet at the corner of your eyes. Orihime's hair was getting streaked too. In a few months, they went from red to silver.
Strength was rapidly seeping away from you. It was seeping much quicker from your wife. You saw her slip away, bit by bit. Orihime would no longer sing in the mornings like she used to. Neither she would stay awake to watch the stars in night. Instead she would be in bed at six in the evening. She gave up on sugar a long time ago.

Soon she lost her memories. But despite not remembering you, she would still hold your hand.

As you lay a fresh bouquet of hibiscus on her grave, you think about her vivid red hair and her smile. The entity which earlier clung to you was back again. But by now, you knew what it was and accepted it. It was loneliness.

But you weren't lonely per say. Because you felt hands pressing on your shoulder blades. You turn around to see your daughters smiling at you, each carrying a bouquet of flowers. Of course, they have come to visit their mother on her birthday.

You are sitting in a garden on a wooden chair, all bundled up in a thick sweater and a scarf while grandchildren ran around you and played. You were there, but your mind was elsewhere. You were remembering your woman.

A lot of things were still left undone, but both of you managed to tick most of the boxes in your wish list. You published your book. She opened her own bakery plus café. You both travelled around the world with your off-springs. You saw the northern lights bursting in vast skies before your very eyes. You watched the sunrises and sunsets of many days. And in all those moments, your woman was there, holding your hand.

Rare it was, but the thought still caught you unguarded; You still wonder what made you fall for the woman. And you are sure, the woman did too when she was alive. But so much has happened and now you don't really think about it. The love between you and her only grew stronger.

The side next to you is empty and cold as you slip under the covers but this doesn't bother you. You will soon join with your beloved on the other side.

She would be waiting for you on the other side. Standing on the edge, her hand outstretched, a smile threatening to spill from her lips and trying to mimic your serious expression only to fail miserably at it.

"Are you afraid of me, man?" She asks in a mock tone before bursting into giggles.

And you, instead of admonishing her, would only shook his head before running toward her, gathering her in your arms and giving her the tightest hug because you were finally there where she was.

The End.

Hope you guys liked it :D

~Noni.