Orihime stared at the outstretched hand in front of her. She tried to breathe normally, but each breath caught in the growing lump in her throat. She didn't understand what she was doing when she locked her hand with his.
Memories of her imprisonment in Hueco Mundo came back to her. Her friends who had come to rescue her suffered greatly because of her. The final, horrible, bloody battle which made Ichigo suffer the worst…
…at the hands of her captor.
Orihime smacked Komori across the face. She retreated as quickly as possible to her apartment and slammed the door behind her.
Her emotions where swirling in her head so fast she couldn't stand. She sunk to the floor, her knees to her chest, and began sobbing.
"There's no way!" Orihime cried. "He's dead. He died…his hand…it…it's just coincidence…"
Ulquiorra's eyes pleaded with Orihime as he slowly faded into dust. He didn't have the energy to walk, but he had reached a hand out for her with the last bit of consciousness he had left.
"Do I frighten you, girl?"
"Uryu, I need to talk to you."
Uryu seemed a bit surprised at Orihime's request. "Oh? About what?" He asked. It was after school, and they both were the last two left in the handicrafts club room.
Orihime twisted her fingers together. "It's about…the new student Komori…"
Uryu's brow furrowed. "Yes…what little reiatsu he has is…a little odd."
"Uryu he…looks just like Ulquiorra," Orihime said.
The Quincy looked bewildered. "The Espada? The one that captured you?" He placed a hand on his arm, as if recalling it being torn off by the arrancar during their long battle.
Orihime nodded, then shook her head. "I-I know that he's dead and it's not possible but…Komori reminds me of him somehow. He…followed me home yesterday."
"That bastard did what?!" Uryu exclaimed.
"Oh, haha it's okay he didn't do anything," Orihime assured him. "I think he just wanted to talk." She blushed in shame before she admitted what she had done. "I kinda…slapped him."
"Well good. That creep deserved it," Uryu stated as he pushed up his glasses. "From now on I'll walk you home from school, okay Orihime?"
Orihime smiled. "Oh no I don't want to bother you. It's okay I can take care of myself. Really!" She paused. But what if it really was Ulquiorra somehow? What if…when he died he came back as a human? No, that doesn't sound right. Maybe Komori was a relative of Ulquiorra when he was alive? Maybe…
But then how did he know about Ulquiorra's last moments?
Orihime covered her face with her hands.
She felt a warm, gentle hand on her shoulder. Uryu had gone out of his comfort zone to console her, to make her feel safe. He was such a good friend, even to Ichigo, even though he often didn't show it.
"I'm walking you home," Uryu stated. "I won't take no for an answer."
Kisuke set down the device he had in his hands, various tools and parts spread out on his work table. He was prying apart some other component, trying to figure out how it was going to work. He glanced over detailed diagrams he had made, specifying what needed to be done. The last prototype worked only briefly, but he was on the right track.
"Just gotta put this piece here very carefully…" Kisuke muttered to keep himself steady, sticking out his tongue in concentration.
"Yo! Urahara!"
Kisuke, startled, jammed the piece in too tightly. He dropped the prototype again and buried his face into his hands. "Welcome back, Grimmjow."
An arrancar had oh so rudely opened a garganta in Kisuke's work room and stepped out of it. Papers went flying, and some bottles fell off the shelf, crashing onto the ground.
Kisuke turned to face the arrancar in his presence. He was tall, had a constant furrowed brow, and had slicked back and dirty blue hair. He was barely dressed, save for the white hakama Aizen had assigned them, but his were badly tattered and covered with blood stains.
"What did I tell you about opening one of those things in the house?" Kisuke scolded. These arrancar…are worse than children…
"Oh. Right," Grimmjow grumbled. He dragged a chair and turned it around, so that the back of it was facing Kisuke, sitting down by straddling it. "Halibel's adjusting well. She's got everything back in order."
Kisuke looked at Grimmjow's clothing. "Still wearing those when you have better clothes?"
"I ain't wearin' human lookin clothes in Hueco Mundo you dumbass," Grimmjow snarled.
"Hmm…well, I have a request for you," Kisuke continued. "I need you to bring Nel here to stay with me until further notice. I'm having some issues with the bracelet prototype and I need her nearby for testing."
Grimmjow's eyes narrowed. "How long are ya gonna keep her here?"
"Oh don't tell me you're worried about her!" Kisuke grinned.
"Gimme a break. The brat saved my life so the least I can do is make sure some asshole doesn't carve her up or something," Grimmjoe replied. "She…already has been mistreated enough." He motioned to his head, where Kisuke knew was where Nel's hideous crack and scar in her hollow mask was located.
"Yes, which is why I am trying to help her," Kisuke said, picking up the prototype.
"I'll stay here with her," Grimmjow stated.
Kisuke raised his eyebrows. "Oh? Really now?"
Grimmjow rubbed the back of his neck. "You're just gonna poke and prod her ya know? And what, would you rather have me or those two idiots who follow her around all the time? I can probably…convince them…that I'm the stronger choice. Besides they're not really keen on you fixing her up to fight. I kinda wanna take her on myself, seeing how she almost flattened Noitra."
"All right, but you've gotta earn your keep here," Kisuke said. "I wanna give Tessai a vacation, but I really need-"
The door opened and Ulquiorra, who had returned from school, walked in the room. "Urahara, I have a question about what algebr-" he stopped and froze when he saw Grimmjow.
"Who the-ULQUIORRA?!" Grimmjow cried, jumping up and knocking over the chair he was previously seated in.
Ulquiorra threw a worried glance in Kisuke's direction.
"At least you recognize him, despite being in a gigai," said Kisuke. "He is part of...the program, Grimmjow, and I don't want any fights breaking out."
"Program?" Ulquiorra asked.
"He calls it somethin' like, arrancar rehab," said Grimmjow. "He's helpin' us for some reason, but not as a Soul Reaper."
"'Arrancar Rehabilitation Program'," Kisuke corrected. "I am helping willing arrancar because…well it's complicated. But, I want to do it because no one else will."
"Don't try to understand," Ulquiorra said to Grimmjow. "I don't follow his logic at all, and most certainly a simple minded creature such as your self wouldn't be able to grasp the concept either."
"At least I'm not an unfeeling, stone faced freak," Grimmjow snarled. "The hell you doin' in a human body anyway? Your reiatsu's next to nothin'!"
Ulquiorra rolled his eyes. "I will speak with you later Urahara. I have homework to do."
It had been over a week since Ulquiorra had been slapped by Orihime. He tried to think of ways he could apologize, often practicing in front of the bathroom mirror at home, but never seemed to be able to do so in person. He kept coming up with excuses as to why it was a useless attempt. He was satisfied with staying in the same room as her, getting to observe her as she went on her daily routine. He was glad his reiatsu was nonexistent, as it made following Orihime around easier, especially since that damn Quincy seemed glued to her.
Grimmjow and the little arrancar Nel had moved into Urahara's shop. Ulquiorra was only concerned with Grimmjow's destructive nature and worried about what would happen if he had an outburst. Ulquiorra offered to Urahara that he would subdue the former 6th espada if he ever got out of hand, but Urahara only laughed in response. Ulquiorra was furious, once he realized he still was without a sword; Grimmjow still had his.
Tessai had departed on a vacation, Urahara nearly forcing the man out the door. He seemed nervous leaving the management of the shop in the hands of the sleepy Urahara, two children, and a couple of arrancars, but Urahara assured him not to worry. Grimmjow and Ulquiorra mostly were in charge of inventory and stocking, as well as cleaning up with Jinta, while Ururu handled the front of the store. Ulquiorra went to school during the day, and worked at the shop in the evening and on weekends.
"Is this what a human life would be like?" Ulquiorra said to himself as he was stacking heavy boxes.
Grimmjow, who had heard him, finished putting down the large stack of boxes he was carrying. He was wearing a t-shirt and jeans, hiding his hollow hole. If it wasn't for the broken mask on his right cheek, he nearly could pass for a human-if people could see him, that is. "Well if this is what human life is like then it's the most boring crap I've ever experienced," he said as he aggressively stomped on a pile of wooden pallets, splintering the wood and sending one half of it flying.
Ulquiorra casually sidestepped the broken wood headed in his direction. "Perhaps you would like to try school?"
"Oh and work some more around a bunch of weaklings!?" Grimmjow growled.
"I take it back," Ulquiorra said. "You wouldn't last a day. It requires thinking, oh and of course self control which you seem to lack."
"You're talkin mad shit for a dead arrancar with no sword," Grimmjow said as he roughly grabbed Ulquiorra by the collar, lifting him several inches off the ground.
Ulquiorra went limp and said nothing.
"Tch." Grimmjow threw Ulquiorra aside. "The hell is wrong with you anyway? You're not even that creepy cold statue anymore who followed orders blindly. You're like a ragdoll."
Ulquiorra had landed in some splintered wood and gashed his hand. He pulled the wood from his palm, and blood trickled down his arm. He waited for it to heal, but then realized that he was still in his gigai.
Grimmjow picked him up again, this time by the left arm. He was so rough Ulquiorra thought he probably dislocated his shoulder. "And what's with you bein' in this meat suit all the time?"
Ulquiorra sighed. "I simply wear it to adjust to it so that when I am at school it is more comfortable," he replied. Grimmjow seemed satisfied with his answer and let go of his arm, which went limp. Ulquiorra couldn't move it.
"You…probably should get that checked out…" Grimmjow said gruffly. "It would be a real pain if you couldn't help me with the work around here!"
Ulquiorra dragged himself towards Kisuke's workroom.
"Oh no, Komori! What happened to your arm?"
Ulquiorra had to go to school, his hands bandaged and his left arm in a sling. Urahara gave Grimmjow a huge scolding about "breaking my hard work". He also explained that unfortunately he wasn't skilled in healing arts, and Tessai wouldn't be returning for some time. So, Ulquiorra would have to let the gigai heal naturally, and Urahara provided a sling. The arrancar found this to be an annoyance, and not to mention painful. He had never dealt with having extended injuries that stayed for longer than a few moments, due to his regenerative capabilities. The over the counter medication Urahara gave him wasn't helping much at all.
Some of the girls in class had approached Ulquiorra. He had become a popular subject of gossip, and many of the girls harbored a crush on him. Ulquiorra never knew that he was attractive to humans as a potential mate. It unsettled him.
"Just an accident at work," Ulquiorra said briskly. "I was-"
Ulquiorra's voice caught in his throat when he saw that Orihime had been listening to him intently. Her eyes showed pity for his injuries, a similar expression she gave him when he was dying. He looked away once their eyes had made contact, and his face burned with heat for some unknown reason. The gigai was an absolute pain to deal with. It had so much maintenance it needed, and not to mention he didn't know why it seemed to constantly malfunction.
The girls in front of Ulquiorra exchanged looks. "Oh…I see," said one of them, getting upset and leaving the classroom.
"Wait!" Called one of her friends.
The rest of the girls followed the two out of the classroom.
Ulquiorra couldn't work that weekend with a busted arm, so Urahara gave him a piece of Soul Candy. He explained that it was swallowed and would allow the user to evacuate their gigai, leaving behind an artificial soul. After Ulquiorra had gotten home from school, he immediately took this candy.
"Finally rid of that garbage thing," Ulquiorra exhaled. He looked in the mirror. He was still wearing his prison garments, the plain and thin white yukata, but he didn't care. He was sick of staring at the human version of his face. His hand rested on his chest where his hollow hole was located. He was…disappointed?
The Soul Candy Urahara had programmed for Ulquiorra was mellow and nearly lifeless. It spoke in a monotone voice, and usually only responded to yes or no questions. Ulquiorra wondered if that's how he appeared to people.
He began his work, Grimmjow making some comment about his appearance. Ulquiorra kept at his work and tuned out most of Grimmjow's griping about "being reduced to this" and "we used to be a couple of badasses".
The front door opened, a little bell going off to signal a new arrival. Ulquiorra was curious who would be visiting at this hour, so he went to see who it was. Ururu had greeted them warmly, and skipped off to tell Urahara.
Ulquiorra, who had made no effort to hide himself as he was used to being in a gigai, was in plain view to the visitors. Ulquiorra's eyes widened in shock, and his chest tightened when he recognized them. They were the Quincy Uryu and…
Orihime.
