"No, no, no, no, NO!"

Ulquiorra should have known from the start that the stubborn female would have been against it.

"I absolutely REFUSE to play any more parts of Aizen's crazy schemes!" The girl's voice was rising in intonation, echoing throughout Ulquiorra's bedroom.

It was only moments ago that Ulquiorra had engaged in a very troubling conversation with Aizen Sousuke. Aizen's words kept ringing through the Espada's ears, causing deep concern to fester deep within his chest every time he focused on it.

"I know what you're thinking—at this rate, it is a lose-lose situation for Orihime Inoue. If she complies and has a child, she dies. If she goes against my wishes, she dies. Well I will let you in on a little secret: with the power of the restored Hogyoku, I can make it so that Orihime survives during child birth. With my help, she can live. I will spare her life and ensure that she is granted a long life under the protection of the remaining Espada."

Even though Aizen's presence had completely vanished from Las Noches for the time being, Ulquiorra could still feel the male's piercing eyes upon him. He wasn't sure if the sovereign was really watching them or not but the very thought of the man's malicious, amber eyes caused shivers to form on his cold, white skin. In addition, Aizen was a sly and devious one; it wouldn't surprise Ulquiorra if the man was indeed spying on them in some mysterious way.

"I can see you don't trust me. But what other choice do you have? I am giving you an option on how to save Orihime Inoue's life. Whether you choose to comply with this option is entirely up to you, Ulquiorra. Would you like to know the best part? All Orihime has to do right now is restore the Hogyoku to its original state. Sounds simple enough, doesn't it? If she does so then she will be guaranteed a long life. I will also grant her permission to take care of the child and be a proper mother for it. She can also help prepare the child for my future plans. You can think of her as the Queen of Las Noches, if you will."

Aizen's voice continued to burn through his mind as he retold his entire conversation with Aizen to the apricot haired woman before him. At this point, he wasn't going to spare her any details. He didn't fail to mention his role in the matter, either—including the part about releasing his memories.

"He's INSANE if he thinks I'm going to be the Queen of Las Noches! There is nothing he can do to make me restore the Hogyouku! NOTHING!" Orihime snapped, pounding her fist angrily in the pillow of Ulquiorra's bed. "And if he thinks you're going to turn against the good guys and willingly go along with it, he's just plain stupid!"

It just wasn't fair… She was so set on making sure their plan was going to succeed this time. They were going to trick Aizen and then use her Shun Shun Rikka to reverse the demonic effects of her beastly infant to buy them time. And with the help of Ichigo Kurosaki and the others, she and Ulquiorra were going to put an end to Aizen and his devious plans once and for all.

Why couldn't things just work out the way she wanted them to? Hadn't they suffered enough?

Beating her fist into Ulquiorra's pillow was all she could do at the moment. She felt so powerless; so helpess.

"It's not fair…Why can't luck just be on our side for once?!" Orihime grunted as hot tears began to sting at the corner of her eyes. Her fists clutched on tightly to the hem of her silky night gown in which she had slipped into once Ulquiorra returned. She looked down at herself as her body shook lightly with poignant tremors.

Ulquiorra watched the love of his life break down before his very eyes. It was true—he felt powerless and hopeless as well. He should have known better than to go against Lord Aizen in the first place.

But a force even more power than Lord Aizen was love itself. And frankly, fighting for love was worth all the trouble he had been encountering.

Even so, they were running out of options.

"Orihime, I know that playing into Aizen's hands doesn't seem very desirable at the moment, but what other choice do we have? At this rate, he's going to kill you, me, and our unborn child," the Espada said bluntly as he ran a few slender fingers through his dark, cropped hair in frustration.

The young maiden bit her lower lip as her silver eyes cast downwards to the floor, a heavy sigh forming in her chest as she tried to blink away the tears. Ulquiorra was right—they were lacking in options now. This was a tough predicament they were in and anytime they seemed to be ahead of the game, Aizen was two steps ahead of all their moves. It was like he predicted everything that they were planning to do before they even thought of it.

"I don't know, Ulquiorra….It's just, I can't go on like this much more… I can't keep doing what he wants me to do. And plus, if I restore the Hogyoku, then that completely destroys all chances for Ichigo and the others to defeat Aizen and his minions," Orihime whispered solemnly as she lay down on her back on Ulquiorra's bed, closing her eyes tightly in thought.

"I really hate to crush your hope, Orihime, but I do not believe there were any chances for the shinigami boy to defeat Aizen in the first place. Whether you restore the Hogyoku or not, their fates have already been sealed," the pale skinned male told her softly. He didn't mean to be so blunt or callous towards her beliefs, but he needed to go ahead and bring her back to reality so she wouldn't place all of her hopes on just one substitute shinigami.

Orihime couldn't help but flinch at his words. Was now really the time to be such a pessimist? He wasn't helping at all…

"I disagree with you. I think there's still a chance that Ichigo, Rukia, Chad, Uryuu, and the others will overcome Aizen…After all, we've been able to overcome all our enemies by working together and uniting as one. If there's a will, there's a way. And if there's a way, I know Ichigo and the others will find it," the girl replied with confidence to her soft, angelic voice.

Even though Aizen had done nothing but cause Orihime despair, he was still unable to crush her spirit. Things weren't exactly looking up for them at the moment but Orihime hadn't doubted her friends even once and she wasn't about to start either.

"I understand that it's hard for you to grasp but Aizen is such a strong enemy. I really do not believe anyone could spar against him at this point and turn out victorious," Ulquiorra replied hastily as he sat down at the edge of the bed, locking his jade eyes upon Orihime. She could be so naive at times to the point he felt great sympathy towards her. She had such an innocent demeanor that it almost hurt him to try to explain the actuality of the situation.

Orihime continued to lie down as she stared up at the ceiling in thought, trying to push Ulquiorra's condescending words out of her mind for a moment. Aizen was truly powerful indeed but something still didn't seem right about all this. If Aizen was so incredibly strong, then why did he even need an heir in the first place? Couldn't he just rule over Soul Society by himself since he was practically immortal anyways? Not to mention, according to Ulquiorra's words, Aizen seemed to be pretty adamant on getting Ulquiorra to aid him on his endeavors. If Aizen was invincible, then why would he need Ulquiorra's help?

"Maybe…we're overestimating Aizen…" Orihime whispered as she began to voice her thoughts. "Sure, he's a strong guy. But from the looks of it, you're pretty strong, too, Ulquiorra. I mean, Aizen was determined to keep your memories sealed because you'd be extremely powerful if they were released, right?"

Ulquiorra stared at the woman point blank. Where was she getting at? "I suppose I am strong. But I still believe I am far weaker compared to Aizen's strength. You're even forgetting the fact that there are stronger Espada than I that are still alive. I am only four, sadly," he replied, unable to avert his gaze from her.

Orihime nodded in response before sitting up quickly, "You might be only number four as you are now. What if you're like, the absolute STRONGEST if you were to let all your power go free?!" Her voice was beginning to grow more animated as a light twinkle began to form in her eye. Was she onto something here?

"If you are thinking that I could handle Aizen all on my own, then you're wrong. Even if Aizen did unseal my memories and I unleashed my fury onto him, I'm still not sure that would be enough to stop him… Plus, I would probably not be able to control my own strength. I can only predict that my battle tactics would be rather tactless and clumsy," the male said with a sigh as he folded his hands neatly in his pockets. "I think we're better off doing as Aizen says. If we play our cards carefully, we might all be able to come out of this alive," he told her calmly.

The girl was beginning to grow rather impatient with the Espada's need to just give into Aizen's wishes. She lightly bit the inside of her cheek as she huffed lightly, folding her arms over her chest. "Ulquiorra! Will you listen to yourself?! Don't you realize what will happen if we all just gave up and let Aizen have his way?"

Ulquiorra had to think lightly for a moment in response to the girl's question. He never exactly thought of it but what would happen? "If I could venture a guess, I would say that Aizen would end up taking over Soul Society and create an even bigger army of minions. I believe that would be the end of shinigamis as we know it. I could also say that he would destroy a lot of the human world with his chaos. However, our lives would be spared and we could learn to live our lives peacefully as long as we do not rebel."

Orihime couldn't believe what she was hearing. Aizen would destroy Soul Society and the human world and Ulquiorra was just okay with that?!

"He would destroy all my friends and family! I wouldn't have a home anymore! And there wouldn't be any more malls, beaches, or any fun hang out places if he destroyed it all! And Tatsuki…He would hurt Tatsuki!" Orihime shouted, beginning to grow into a panic. How could Ulquiorra be calm about this?! Didn't life on the human realm matter to him at all?! Did her values even matter?!

Ulquiorra realized he must have hit a nerve. A frantic look of dread was beginning to form in the girl's silver orbs as she began to punch Ulquiorra roughly in the shoulder.

"How can you be so uncaring towards it all?! Ulquiorra, that is my life we are talking about here! I don't want my life back home to be destroyed! I don't want him to hurt anymore humans anymore! It's just not fair!" the girl shouted, continuing to punch him in the shoulder, believing it would cause him some sort of pain. In reality, her punches were too weak for him to even bother with it. It almost tickled…

"I'm sorry, Orihime. I don't mean to sound so coldhearted but you are forgetting one thing. The human world does not matter to me. The existence of humans or shinigami is not exactly of my concern. However, preserving your life is my only interest. I would be willing to sacrifice one thousand humans if it meant to save your life," the Espada said in a cool voice as he grabbed Orihime's wrist, forcing her to stop her futile attempts at hurting him.

The girl weakly looked up at her lover, a look of pain crossing over her delicate features. "You just don't get it, do you? You may be willing to sacrifice a thousand humans to save me…but I would rather die than have just one person become hurt because of me." At this point, crystal tears had already begun to pour out of her eyes and drip down her chin without restraint.

The girl had never appeared so heartbroken before. Was he the cause of her pain? Was his indifference towards her race truly that heart wrenching for her?

He didn't like the look of anguish upon her beautiful face. Orihime was at her best when she smiled. Why was it that he always seemed to cause her pain, even when he didn't mean to? All he wanted was for her to know how precious she was to him. Perhaps he had come across too strong and had grown apathetic towards the girl's feelings towards her race.

"I apologize, Orihime," Ulquiorra responded softly as he reached up a gentle hand to wipe away her tears, "I did not mean to cause you such pain. Although I am beginning to learn what the heart is, I am still just a monster on the inside. Humans have never mattered much to me. It was only until I met you that I have seen your race as something other than trash."

Orihime nimbly looked up at him, knowing that he was trying to be sweet. He would sacrifice a thousand people for her sake; not because he was cruel, but simply because he valued her more than anything. It was touching, really, in a morbid kind of sense.

Even so, Orihime wasn't about to sacrifice anyone for her sake. Not Ichigo, nor Rukia, nor anyone else.

"Ulquiorra…I think it's time we started planning realistically. We must accept the fact that there is no happy ending for us," the girl mumbled softly, cringing softly as she tore her eyes away from him.

"What do you mean, my love?" The Espada asked softly.

"What I mean is that I would rather die than let Aizen have his way. I would rather die than be under his control as he destroys the human realm. I just can't do it anymore," she answered as her voice dropped solemnly. "Please understand. I want to be with you—I really do! It's just, well, there's no way we can be together at this point. In fact, there's really not a good chance of me surviving anyways. It was a nice thought and I would have loved to raise a child with you but…it's just not going to happen anymore…"

The tension in the room began to rise like a thick fog; threatening to suffocate them both. Ulquiorra couldn't peel his eyes off her as he watched her slowly fall apart like a withering flower. The girl who once shined so bright with the radiance of optimism was now facing the reality of their doomed future.

"Why would you say that, Orihime? You are far stronger than that," Ulquiorra replied back, his dark brows furrowing slightly. He didn't like seeing her looking so vulnerable. He had hoped that perhaps she wasn't truly thinking before speaking and those were not in fact her true feelings.

"You don't get it, do you, Ulquiorra?" Orihime grumbled as she looked up at him with eyes full of cascading tears. "I can't just let Aizen win! I can't be his pawn anymore! I have to fight back! I may not survive if I do but at least I can go down with the rest of my friends! I'm not going to sit back and watch as he destroys everything I love! I would rather die with honor and dignity!" Her tiny hands clenched into a tight fist as she trembled softly. All of this was beginning to be too much for her to bear anymore…

All this time, she simply followed orders and gave into Aizen's will. She never tried to escape nor even try to fight the other Arrancar. She just let them do to her as they wished…

That was going to end. If sneaking around and plotting against Aizen wouldn't work, she was going to resort to force. During her entire stay in Hueco Mundo, Ichigo Kurosaki and the others were risking their lives trying to prevent the grim future that Aizen so desperately yearned for everyone. All the while Orihime had stayed locked up in a cage like an obedient puppy.

She wasn't going to be his princess anymore.

"Ulquiorra," the girl whispered, "I want to fight against Aizen. I want to destroy the Hogyoku and cause him to suffer a great loss. I may die trying but if you have any ounce of love for me, you will respect my wishes."

It was too much for her to ask of him. All Ulquiorra could do was stare at his lover who told him to let her die trying to fight for what she believed was right. Did she really expect him to just stand there and watch her foolishly sacrifice herself?! What if she died in vain?! He just couldn't let that happen.

"Orihime, listen to yourself. If you try to revert the Hogyoku's existence, you will perish. Your body cannot handle such a feat. I understand your feelings but please understand mine," the Espada replied harshly, his emerald eyes hardening into a glare.

He wasn't going to let Orihime destroy herself. He had only recently begun regaining his heart. All of that would shatter into a million pieces should Orihime sacrifice herself. Without her, life had no meaning; no purpose.

He had rebelled against his master and his comrades for her—the very master that had sealed his painful past away so that it would not haunt him for the rest of his existence. A master that he had sworn loyalty to until the very end.

A master that he was willing to slaughter to protect the one he loved.

"What other options do we have, Ulquiorra? I think if we combined our strength together, we could do enough damage to Lord Aizen to weaken him. And then, Ichigo and the others would have a better chance at putting a stop to him once and for all!" Orihime reached out her hand lightly to caress the top of Ulquiorra's palm, hoping he would be able to understand.

Her voice dropped to a whisper as she leaned in close to him; her lips just centimeters away from his lips. "I know you probably don't want to do this but let Aizen unlock your memories. It might be painful for you but instead of using your unleashed power to aid Aizen you really could use it to destroy him."

"But Orihime, I still don't think that would be enough to stop him," he answered quietly, closing his eyes as he listened to the sound of her gentle voice.

"Maybe not. But while you distract him, I could work on erasing the Hogyoku's existence. You could fight Aizen using all of your strength while I use my Shun Shun Rikka. If Aizen begins to overpower you, you could open one of your portals and escape. Then, we could leave the rest up to Ichigo and the other members of Soul Society," the girl continued, a small smile forming on her lips.

Their defensive techniques did not work in the past. Perhaps now was the time to stop holding back and stop plotting. Perhaps now was simply just the the time to attack.

"But Orihime, you will die trying to erase the Hogyoku," the apprehensive male said as he bit his lower lip. He did not like where this was going; not in the least.

"Then at least I know I died trying to protect those that matter most to me. I think the reason Aizen is still alive and at large is because we've been holding back because we were afraid to die. Well, I'm no longer afraid. I'm more afraid of standing by and doing nothing as Aizen destroys everything precious to me," the girl admitted as she planted a soft kiss upon her lover's cheek.

The soft feeling of her lips pressing against his cold skin caused the Espada to jerk away roughly and leap to his feet. "Orihime, this is insanity! You do not want to watch and do nothing as Aizen destroys what you love. Do you believe I want to sit back and watch him destroy what I love?! You are the only thing that matters to me in this world! If I do not have you then I have nothing!"

His voice was rising and beginning to grow harsher. He couldn't believe what his ears were hearing! How could humans be so selfish?! Orihime was only thinking of herself!

In truth, Ulquiorra knew it was just the opposite. Orihime was tired of worrying about her friend's safety. He could easily recall all those times that he would come into her room, watching her as she stared at the moon and cried to herself softly. She was always so worried about her loved ones. It was clear that she valued them more than her own life as she selflessly sacrificed her freedom to ensure their safety.

Was this what it meant to have a heart? To love others more than thy own self? To rather give up thy own life to protect the ones most precious?

A deep burning sensation ached in Ulquiorra's chest—the same feeling that had been antagonizing him from the moment he had met Orihime Inoue.

"You would truly sacrifice yourself to save your friends back home? You would really give up your own life just to help them out, even though you're not completely certain it will even work?" Ulquiorra asked quietly, a dry lump forming in his throat.

Orihime didn't even need to think before she answered. With a smile upon her tear stained face, the girl nodded her head firmly. "Of course! And not just for them but for you as well, Ulquiorra," she responded as she used one of her hands to wipe at her flowing tears.

She was scared of dying but she knew what she had to do. In fact, deep down, she had been preparing for this day for a long time. From the moment Aizen had showed her the Hogyoku personally, Orihime knew she had the power to destroy it. She knew that one day she would be asked to restore it to its original, powerful state. However, she had prepared to use her powers to reverse its existence and put a stop to Aizen's vicious plans.

"Orihime, is this what you truly want?" the Espada asked as he reached up to clutch on tightly to his chest, his fingers gripping at his Hollow hole underneath his shirt. The pain was beginning to become unbearable as it ached and burned. Was this what humans called despair? It was a feeling that he had long forgotten since he had abandoned his human past.

With another firm nod, Orihime gave him a weak, painful smile, "What other choice do we have? Aizen is probably waiting for us right now to help him out. If we don't strike now, we won't get another chance. He'll just kill us easily himself before we even have time to react. I think we should just act now and not hold back any longer…No more getting cold feet…No more trying to protect a future that was never meant to be."

The room fell dead silent for a moment.

Neither of the two said anything for what felt like an eternity as they both stared at the floor, incapable of meeting gazes with one another.

"If you're willing to sacrifice yourself to protect what is important to you then I will do the same," Ulquiorra muttered, breaking the temporary silence. "If you are so foolish enough to use up all your strength to negate the Hogyoku's being, then I shall be just as foolish as you. I will use every drop of my strength to fight against Lord Aizen. I will not escape as you instructed me to. I shall not leave until one of us is completely destroyed. As long as I am still breathing, I will continue to fight no matter how hopeless it is."

At the sound of his words, Orihime's body completely tensed up. She should have known he would say that. Ulquiorra wasn't the type to just give up on a battle; he would fight until the very end.

By the end of all this, both of them would mostly likely perish.

"We really have no other options, do we?" Orihime said softly through gritted teeth. "I don't doubt that our sacrifices will be in vain. I believe that we will cause enough damage to Aizen to finish him for good. You're strong, Ulquiorra. I know that once you're done with him, he won't have any strength to carry on." Her voice kept cracking as the tears continuously flowed freely down her cheeks once again.

"It would be very fortunate if I was strong enough to finish Aizen off myself. I'm not sure of what I will be like once I unleash my memories. I could be twice the strength of Aizen and I could finish him off with just the flick of my wrist. That would be ironic, would it not?" The Espada said, a light smirk forming on the corner of his lips. It wasn't a very likely chance, but it was a chance nonetheless.

Orihime couldn't help but let out a tiny giggle as she wiped at a few teardrops using her sleeve. "Yeah! What if you really are stronger than Aizen? What if you really can beat him on your own? How funny would that be!"

"There's always a possibility," Ulquiorra said as his smirk quickly dropped as his eyes fell on the floor once again.

"Hey, Ulquiorra? If we really don't make it out of this alive, let's make a promise," Orihime piped out, as she stood up from the bed to wrap her arms tightly around his waist. She rested her head upon his masculine chest, inhaling his scent lightly. Her silver, watery eyes closed softly as she exhaled a serene sigh.

"Let's promise to meet in the next life. Let's promise to meet again and fall in love again. Let's have lots and lots of children and live in a big house with a big yard. We'll take frequent vacations to the beach and work hard to give our children a happy future."

Ulquiorra's body began to relax softly as he felt her tender embrace. He could feel the love radiating off her form as she snuggled close against him. He couldn't explain it but he could feel the desperate need to release his sorrow in the same way that Orihime was doing—by crying. Of course, he wasn't human. No matter how much he wanted to, he knew he was incapable of doing such a humane act such as crying.

"I will promise on only one condition," he whispered softly as he turned around to face her straight on. His emerald eyes flickered with sadness and Orihime could see that quite clearly. The girl entwined her fingers around his, holding on tightly to his hand.

"Yes? What is it, love?" Orihime responded quietly.

She didn't even have time to react before Ulquiorra pressed his cold lips against hers once more in a passionate kiss. His lips had met hers with such a swift motion that it left the girl rather breathless and caught off guard. The Espada snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her onto his lap while devouring her with a heated kiss. His tongue quickly delved into his lover's opening, hungrily exploring every part of her mouth.

The impact of the passionate kiss caused Orihime's head to begin to swivel. Caught up in the moment, she hastily wrapped her arms around his neck, trying to close the distance between them even more. She returned the kiss with just as much fury that he had been providing her with, engaging in a tongue wrestling match as she moaned softly.

Ulquiorra's troubled eyes closed daintily as he focused on the woman's burning touch.

He was going to miss her. Everything about her. He was going to miss the way her cheeks blushed anytime they engaged in romantic activity. He would miss the feeling of her body pressed against him whenever they embraced. He would miss the feeling of burying his fingers into her long, luscious orange locks. He would miss the way she would smile and how the moonlight always seemed to gleam in the midst of her pewter eyes. He would miss the sound of her laugh and how it always seemed to make the area surrounding his Hollow hole warm. He would miss listening to the gentle sound of her breathing whenever she fell into a soft slumber. He would miss her voice, her smile, her touch, her beautiful face, her scent, her kind eyes, her flawless body, her overactive imagination, her innocence…

There wasn't a single thing about her that he wasn't going to miss.

The Espada scooped up the tiny woman in his arms as he stood up from the bed, not wanting to break the kiss just yet. His lips continued to mingle upon hers for a few more moments until he finally pulled away only to get one last look at her gorgeous face.

"Orihime, promise me that you will take care of yourself. Promise me that once Aizen is defeated, you'll live a long, happy life. Promise me that you'll find a new man that is more deserving of your love than I could have ever hoped to be. But also promise to not be angry at me for what I am about to do…" Ulquiorra said hastily as he held his beloved tightly in his arms.

"H-huh? W-what?" Orihime stammered, giving Ulquiorra a puzzled look. Her mind had fogged over from the intensity of the heated kiss. "What on Earth are you talking about?"

Once again, the Espada gave the woman no time to respond to his actions. Within a split second, Ulquiorra had opened a dark portal from behind him; a garganta big enough for a single person to walk through.

Moments later, he set the woman down on her feet as two strong hands gripped her shoulders. Orihime's eyes grew as wide as saucers as her lover planted a gentle kiss on her lips for the last time. When he pulled away, the girl pressed her hands against his chest in attempt to shove him away. "W-what?! What are you doing Ulquiorra?!"

Before she even had time to register what exactly was happening, the Espada gave her a light push into the garganta as a pained look filled his piercing eyes. "I can't let you die, Orihime Inoue. I love you too much for that. Continue to believe in your friends and myself—I promise we shall defeat Aizen. When you find Ichigo, tell him that if I don't make it then the rest is up to him," the pastel male instructed out as he began to close up the portal.

"Ulquiorra! What are you doing?!" She screamed out as she reached for him, stretching her arm as far as she could as the portal began to seal up around her like a brick wall that was forming out of nowhere.

The Espada continued to watch her as he reached out his own hand to brush against her fingers, "You will be fine, Orihime. Just remember what you said to me earlier about believing in your friends. Don't be afraid. I will always be with you…in your heart."

Darkness began to surround Orihime, almost engulfing her completely. She continued to reach out to Ulquiorra before the darkness entirely sealed up her vision. The last thing she saw was a gentle smile on Ulquiorra's face as he watched her disappear into the garganta that he had created. She tried to call out to him again and again but it was no use—the portal had completely closed up, leaving her purged into a pit of obscurity.

"I promise I will find my way to you again, Orihime. I love you," Ulquiorra whispered under his breath, watching as the portal disappeared into thin air. He could still feel the sensation of the girl wrapped in his arms and still smell the faint scent of her as it lingered on his jacket. He clenched his fist tightly as he closed his eyes, picturing the way she looked during their last moments together. Her eyes were wide and confused; he hadn't even given her enough time to comprehend that he was releasing her from the entrapment of Hueco Mundo and sending her somewhere safe.

She would probably hate him forever for this…but he just couldn't let her die so recklessly. If she rejected the Hogyoku's existence, she would undoubtedly die.

At least this way, there was still a chance she would survive. He had opened a garganta that lead straight to Ichigo Kurosaki. If she took one step into the darkness, she would fall deep into the portal where it would re-open at the bottom, pummeling her right on top of that cursed shinigami. If there was one thing Ulquiorra was good at, it was commanding portals to an exact location. He knew that if there was anywhere that she would be safe, it would be by that boy's side.

Ulquiorra Schiffer was an Arrancar—a being without hope. He wasn't the type to believe in anything as he had always simply accepted the fate of nihilism. He feared nothing and he believed in nothing.

Until he met Orihime Inoue.

"You better win, Ichigo Kurosaki. If not, I will personally come back from the dead and rip you to shreds myself if Aizen doesn't do it first," the Espada grumbled under his breath as he shoved his hands into his pockets.

Now that Orihime was out of harm's way, he needed to act fast. It wouldn't take Aizen long to realize that he had singlehandedly purged Aizen's most precious asset out of Hueco Mundo and into the arms of her friends. Most likely, Aizen would charge towards Ichgio quickly to retrieve his stolen princess but Ulquiorra wasn't about to let that happen. He needed to challenge Aizen before that happened. He may not be able to defeat the Lord of Hueco Mundo on his own, but maybe he could weaken Aizen just enough to let Ichigo land the final blow.

For once in his entire existence, Ulquiorra began to hope for something. He began to hope for victory. The love of his life depended on it. If he didn't strike now, he would lose his chance and Orihime would still meet her perilous fate. However, should he weaken Aizen, it just might be enough for Ichigo and the others to defeat him. He told Orihime not to give up hope and neither would he at this point. Hope was all they had now.

In seconds, another portal opened right in front of the fourth Espada. He took a swift step inside, knowing precisely where this portal would lead him to. No doubt it was going to lead him to his death but none of that mattered anymore. He needed to find Aizen Sousuke and fight with every fiber of his being.

The love of his life depended on it.

Author's Note:

Hey everybody! Long time, no talk! I just want to apologize for such a HUGE delay in an update! I was literally traveling abroad and even doing an internship in Walt Disney World…With so much going on, I really didn't have time to write anything. But HERE IT IS! Um…I'm sure you guys were expecting the final chapter but this isn't it…I know I said I'd end the fic in about two chapters but plans changed and I kinda didn't know where I was going with this fic. I feel more on track now and I've even started on the very final chapter so it shouldn't be too much longer! Thank you so much for sticking with me all this time! I appreciate EVERY review and it really is my biggest motivation for writing this fic (other than my love for UlquiHime, that is!). I'm sorry if there are any spelling and grammar mistakes and I appreciate any criticism or input about my writing!

I can't thank you guys enough for sticking with me! The last chapter is going to be pretty long so just sit tight for a little bit! I promise to deliver! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and I hope you liked the update!