Thank you so much for all the support for Ch. 29! I was really moved by the reviews, new faves and follows. Your feedback means so much to me. I always thank everyone individually who logs in, but I want to extend my gratitude to the lovely guest reviews I received as well. THANK YOU! ^_^

Notes: Some of you may notice the homage to Kubo Tite's Lucca sketch of Ulquiorra in the first few paragraphs ;-). Also, a rough JPY- USD exchange formula is to put a decimal point after the last 2 digits, ex.: 5000 yen= $50 USD give or take. Last: kotatsu=table with a heating element underneath the tabletop, where the heat is trapped using a blanket.

WARNING: KIND OF MANGA SPOILERS, IN A VERY LOOSE SENSE.

Chapter 30: Intro to Training Day

Saturday, January 31st, 9:30 a.m.

Ulquiorra stood blindly before the full-length mirror next to the door, more interested in observing the mid-frequency currents of nervous energy now flowing through his gigai than his reflection. He had taken great care selecting his clothes today: a dark blue Henley and black jeans. He had played with the shirt's three buttons, ultimately deciding to leave the top two undone. Once again he felt his living world inexperience hindered his ability to objectively evaluate his appearance, but he felt his attire, at least, was acceptable. His confidence was bolstered by the fact that the woman had chosen all the pieces; it was just a matter of putting them together in pleasing combination.

Given the foregoing, he reckoned his clothes weren't the cause of the mildly unpleasant sensation he was currently experiencing. He refocused his attention to his reflection and noted that his hair had grown longer during the month plus that he had lived in the gigai, and it flopped around his shoulders in a shapeless curtain. Displeased, he slid open his bedroom door and walked the two steps across the hallway to Ururu's room, knocking twice on her door.

Ururu opened her door, mildly surprised. "Yes?" she whispered.

"By what means are you able to bind your hair?" Ulquiorra asked with a distinct lack of delicacy.

Ururu silently turned her head and pointed to the elastic band keeping her ponytail in place.

Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes for a moment and nodded. "Could you do something similar to my hair?" he asked in a way that sounded more like an order. His uncertainty was setting him on edge.

Ururu nodded and disappeared into her room. She returned a moment later with a brush and hairband. She waited expressionlessly for a moment, then looking down and blushing slightly, she asked, "Could you sit down? I can't reach."

Ulquiorra nearly startled at his obliviousness. "Oh, of course," he answered, before sitting with his back to Ururu on the floor of the hallway.

She gently began brushing his hair, and he closed his eyes, finding the sensation pleasant. All too quickly for him, he felt a slight tug and heard Ururu's soft voice say, "All done."

Ulquiorra opened his eyes and reached a hand behind his head, feeling the hair gathered at the base of his skull in a short ponytail. He turned his shoulders around, meeting Ururu at her eye level. "How does it look?"

Ururu only blushed brightly and nodded vigorously before disappearing into her room and slamming the sliding door shut behind her. Ulquiorra didn't understand her behavior but he did understand the soft warmth emanating from within him in reaction to her. He smiled to himself, stood, and approached her door. Without opening it he spoke in a clear voice, "Thank you, Ururu."

After a pause, he heard a soft, "Hnn!" in acknowledgement from the other side of the door.

Satisfied, he returned to his room to check out Ururu's handiwork. She had neatly tied his hair back, but not too tightly; it was not plastered to his head, and some pieces toward the front had already fallen loose, dangling in front of his nose. It looked kind of ridiculous, he thought, to let so much hair hang in front when the rest was tied back. He played with the loose pieces a bit, finally deciding to just pull them all to one side and tuck the ends behind his right ear, creating a side part. Satisfied, he appreciated his how his exposed forehead changed his look. His eyes then caught a glimpse of the digital alarm clock reflected in the mirror, and he decided it was time to get going.

His "errand" had just been an excuse to pick up the woman at her residence, of course. There were supermarkets much closer to Urahara Shoten than the one near her home, and although Urahara's refrigerator wasn't especially well-stocked at the moment, Ulquiorra and the kids could have made do with its current contents for a day or two. Nevertheless, Ulquiorra took 5000 yen from Urahara's desk, put on his peacoat and a gray scarf, and started walking.

At the store he picked up some basic sundries: a bag of prewashed romaine lettuce, a few oranges, milk, cup noodles, some prepackaged bentos, and some assorted mini cupcakes from the bakery department of which he had grown fond. Although the trip had been unnecessary, he figured he may as well make the most of it and buy some items that may come in handy if Tessai didn't get back in time for dinner. Ulquiorra could boil water and operate the microwave, poorly. Those being the extent of his cooking abilities, it was only practical to invest in items that required little preparation. He took his selections to a register and paid the cashier, completely oblivious to her conspicuous eye-batting, received his 2048 yen change, and left toward Orihime's place. He glanced at his phone: 10:13 a.m. In his anxiousness, he had completed his shopping too quickly. He decided to circle the block one more time to avoid arriving early.

xXxXx

Despite her resolution that Ulquiorra was strictly a friend, Orihime couldn't completely shake the feeling that she ought to put some extra effort into her appearance today. She played it off as practicality: 'One must always put one's best foot forward!' and 'If someone sees us walking together I don't want to look poorly in comparison!' were among the phrases she used to quell her self-doubt relative to her motivations.

She wasn't entirely wrong to be concerned about her appearance anyway; she had helped Ulquiorra shop for his wardrobe, so she knew it was much nicer than her own. She had decided to go with her newest pieces, thinking at least they wouldn't look shabby. She stood before her full-length mirror in darkwash jeans and ivory turtleneck sweater, feeling less than satisfied. She thought she looked a bit drab. She looked through the dish on her dresser that held her non-hairpin accessories: a floral handkerchief, the silver necklace she had bought with Rukia, a beaded bracelet, a couple fabric hair-ties, and the i.d. bracelet she got from Ichigo for her birthday. She took the latter out and examined it, expecting to be hit by a wave of loss. Surprisingly, she merely felt annoyed. She sat on the edge of her bed, still staring at the object, and recalling how good her relationship with Ichigo had been until she received it. The day he had given it to her was the day after his hollow had first manifested - the beginning of the end of their relationship. Her brows knit and her face reddened as she angrily recalled how every day after that one was actually another step toward their ultimate break-up. She couldn't put all the blame on Ichigo - she knew there were powers at work that were beyond his control - but she couldn't forgive him right now either. He had lied to her; used her, and she had moved past the initial crushing sadness over their breakup enough to feel wronged by his actions. She raised her chin indignantly and marched the bracelet toward her closet. She had saved the box it came in and found it on a shelf, stuffed the offending object back inside, and pushed it deep behind a pile of sweaters where it would be out of view.

Returning to her mirror, she ran her brush through her hair, taking a small section near the front and tucking it behind one ear, pinning it in place with both hairpins, when she heard a knock on the door. "Just a minute," she called, pulling her silver necklace over her head and giving herself one last look in the mirror. Satisfied, she grabbed her phone and left all her previous irksome thoughts behind her as she left her bedroom.

"Hello?" she asked before opening the door, looking at her phone to check the time. It was 10:31. He must have been exactly on time.

"Hello, woman." Ulquiorra's rich voice penetrated through the door.

Orihime opened it and smiled, until she saw how red his nose was. He looked uncomfortably cold. "Oh, you look like you are freezing! Please come in a minute and warm up," she insisted, stepping aside so he could comply.

Ulquiorra did not protest. His walk around the block had placed him against a frigid headwind coming off the river. The cold, damp air had made its way to his bones. He stepped inside, silently setting down his groceries and closing the door behind him before wrapping his arms around himself. "This gigai is perhaps a bit too sensitive," he said, granting Orihime a tiny, self-conscious, smile.

Orihime giggled and gestured toward the sofa. "Have a seat and I'll make you a cup of tea. Oh! You could turn on the kotatsu. The dial is on the side close to the bookshelf. Is there anything in your bags that needs to stay cold?"

"Thank you. Er, there is milk, but it should be fine. This shouldn't take long," he answered, sitting with his back to the sofa and pulling the kotatsu blanket up to his shoulders. He found the dial and set it to maximum power. Before Orihime came back with the tea, his feet were already toasty and the rest of his body was starting to thaw as well.

It only took Orihime a couple minutes to return with two cups of tea, setting one in front of Ulquiorra, and then awkwardly standing with her own cup in hand at the side of the kotatsu. Ulquiorra took his cup gratefully and held it under his nose, allowing the steam to warm it up. It was just what he needed. He sighed contentedly, catching Orihime's attention.

She watched, somewhat mesmerized, as he brought his cup down to his mouth a moment later and took an unhurried sip. His long black eyelashes fluttered twice before slowly raising, allowing his shimmering emerald irises to peek out from beneath the black fringe.

Ulquiorra noticed that the woman stood still to the side of him. Although he was loathe to take his face away from his cup, his interest in her overruled his other desires. He dragged his eyes over to her feet first. She stood with one overlapping the other, two of her small socked toes wiggling slightly under the black fabric. His sight then rose up her long legs, which her dark, modestly fitted jeans made look even longer than usual. When his gaze met the swell of her hips, he quickly skipped up to her face, already familiar with the effect that area of her anatomy had on his own. He smiled awkwardly at her cloudy, unreadable expression, and asked gently, "Why do you not sit?"

Orihime was startled out of her trance. Blinking twice, she nodded as she said, "Oh, yes, sorry, I kind of spaced out for a minute there…" before taking a seat on the far side of the sofa. She tucked her toes under the kotatsu blanket and started to relax - Ulquiorra did not seem to have notice that she had been studying him. He looked back down at his cup to take another sip, and she took the opportunity to observe him again. Now warm, he tugged on his scarf a bit, revealing his hair style. Before she even recognized what she saw, she asked in a loud, surprised voice, "Did you do something to your hair?"

Ulquiorra raised an eyebrow at her and slowly turned his head in her direction, worried that it displeased her. Her voice and expression were indecipherable. When her eyebrows shot up and her cheeks turned pink, he understood that she had just been curious. He smiled, allowing a short 'hn' of a chuckle to escape through his nose. In response, her eyes took on a more mirthful light, although her eyebrows indicated yet more surprise, pulling together as she tucked her chin in a comical expression. Ulquiorra felt a strange sensation in his gut. His diaphragm was spasming, and his cheek muscles pulled his lips up enough to reveal his teeth. He heard his own voice leave his throat in short, unfamiliar, bubbling bursts. He was laughing.

Orihime's heart felt like it was going to burst. With the sound of his laughter, all the darkness in her heart born from his death was washed away. Ulquiorra was alive and had found his heart. Her soul was sure of it now. She began to giggle, and the grin that overtook her face was of the blinding, ear-to-ear variety that left no doubt that she was truly happy in that moment.

Ulquiorra's laughter died down and a gentle sigh escaped his still-smiling lips. His eyes softened as he watched her. She had never looked more beautiful.

Orihime caught him looking serenely at her out of the corner of her eye as her own giggling calmed down. "What's that face for?" she asked playfully.

Ulquiorra cleared his throat. He was not ready to answer her question honestly. "The purpose of my face is mostly to protect the muscles and blood vessels underneath, but it also serves to enhance non-verbal communication," he deadpanned.

Orihime looked at him slack-jawed for a moment, totally shocked by the abrupt change in his demeanor and his answer, until he cracked. Her reaction had been too funny; too cute. He couldn't hold in his smirk at her gobsmacked expression.

Orihime saw the smirk creep across his face and drew her mouth into a sour expression. "You!" she accused.

"Me?" he asked with an air of innocence, taking another sip of tea.

"Yes, you! When did you start being funny?" she asked, trying to put on an angry face but failing after about two seconds.

Ulquiorra did not answer, but looked down and shut off the kotatsu. He pushed the blanket off himself and stood, taking his cup with him. He gestured toward Orihime's cup with his other hand, which she handed to him, confused. He walked silently into her kitchen and deposited the cups into the sink. He returned to the living room to see Orihime still sitting on the sofa, still very much perplexed.

"When I found out you like to laugh," he finally answered, matter-of-factly. "Let's go," he added, turning his back to her and making his way to the genkan.

Orihime didn't know what to think about that admission, so she nodded mutely as she grabbed her purse and put on her coat. Ulquiorra slipped on his shoes, picked up his bags, and was about to let himself out first, when she finally regained her voice, saying, "Wait."

He released the doorknob and looked down at her as she paused in zipping up her ankle boots. She wondered to herself what it was she wanted to know. After a beat she decided she would figure it out later, looking up at him and asking only, "you never answered my question about your hair."

xXxXx

"I need to explain something to you," Urahara said, looking hard at Ichigo. They had been sparring for over three hours already, and all it served to do was tire them both out to the point of irritation. Ichigo threw his dummy sword to the side, not bothering to watch as it got bent around a rock. "Have a seat, Kurosaki-san," Urahara demanded in his usual softspoken manner that somehow left no room for argument.

Ichigo stormed over to the aforementioned rock, sparing the now ruined sword an impassive glance. He sat crossing his ankle over his knee, and resting an elbow at the juncture. "What is it?"

"You seem to misunderstand. All this time, have you believed your shinigami abilities were completely gone?"

"It's not called 'Final Getsugatensho' for nothing," Ichigo replied, louder than necessary.

"Kurosaki-san, have you forgotten? Your father is a shinigami. Despite not being able to access your abilities, they can never be lost. They are omnipresent. If the shinigami part of you died, you would be dead."

"Huh?"

"Did you know that hollows are poison to Quincy?"

"Again, huh?"

Urahara shook his head. "I'll give you the short version. Quincies kill Hollows because Hollow energy is poison to them. Your mother was attacked by a hollow before you were born and was dying. Your father saved her by binding his shinigami soul to her body, which acted as an antidote to the hollow's poison so long as the bind held. As a trade-off, your father could not use his shinigami abilities until your mother's death."

"I don't follow. What does that have to do with me?"

Urahara sighed in exasperation. "Your hollow power and your Quincy power were passed down to you from your mother. Your shinigami power was passed down from your father, and your mother by proxy. Without the shinigami component, the hollow part of you would kill the Quincy part of you, and you would die."

"Ok, I get how I got here, but how do I recover my shinigami abilities?"

"You don't. Your abilities are merely dormant. Obviously, our attempts to reawaken them via physical means have been fruitless, but that is just a matter of methods. Now it's time to move to Plan B."

Ichigo's face perked up at this. "What is it?"

"Well, honestly, it is something I had hoped to avoid, because it carries a great deal of risk. You're going to have to get back to your inner world and figure it out the answer on your own."

"Why didn't we try that first? It seems simple enough. What is the risk?"

"Kurosaki-san, without your zanpakuto, you'll be facing your hollow in your inner world unarmed. He may be able to subjugate your consciousness with his own before you find your answers."

"You mean he'll make me the horse?"

"Pardon?"

"I mean, he could take permanent possession of my body?"

"Precisely."

Ichigo looked away thoughtfully before looking back to Urahara with a cautious expression. "Do you think I can do it?"

Urahara tipped up the brim of his hat enough so that Ichigo could see his eyes clearly. "I don't know, but I have prepared you as best as I can. Every person's inner world is unique, with its own laws and properties. I do not know whether you'll be able to use your Quincy abilities against your hollow, but I have hope. You'll recall when you and your friends first came to Soul Society to free Rukia-san, you were the only one of your friends to travel here in spirit form. You had left your actual body in Karakura with Kon."

Ichigo nodded, waiting for him to continue.

"Your friends traveled through the senkaimon in their physical bodies, as you have now. As a body passes through the senkaimon, its composition changes carbon and water and the other building blocks of a physical body into spirit particles so it will be compatible with life in Soul Society. A garganta performs a similar process, so when Inoue-san and the rest of your friends went to Hueco Mundo, they underwent the process again. This time, it has happened to you. What I never needed to tell any of you before is this: in this altered composition, you'll be able to enter your inner world the same way you could when you were separated from your physical body. My hope is that the weapons on your physical body will follow you into your inner world, so you won't be completely defenseless. The Ishidas have kindly lent us some items for this purpose."

"Ok, I'm not sure I follow, but it'll be similar to how it was when I trained with the Visoreds, right?"

"Kind of, except, now you'll have to try to summon your zanpakuto and keep your hollow contained, and if you're lucky you'll have your Quincy powers to draw on. If not, you'll have to improvise. I must once again tell you that this has the potential to be extremely dangerous."

"Got it. Is there any way you can stop it once it starts?"

"I can kill you."

"I'd rather you didn't."

So would I."

Ichigo stood. "Alright, hat-n-clogs, let's get on with it."

"Very well. Please find a comfortable spot to sit, and then begin your meditation."

xXxXx

Karakura, approximately 11:00 a.m.

Orihime and Ulquiorra had just arrived at the Urahara Shoten. Ulquiorra took her coat and led her to the main living area near the kitchen and offered her a seat at the dining table while he put the groceries away. Orihime sat and smiled, recalling how during their walk Ulquiorra had told her the adorable tale of little Ururu doing his hair for him, and why. She had offered to set an appointment for him to get his haircut with her stylist, which he accepted gratefully. She had called while they were walking and had it scheduled by the time they arrived.

Orihime looked up and started – while she had been reminiscing Ulquiorra had finished his task and now stood across the table staring into her eyes. "Oh! Sorry, I spaced out again, Ulquiorra!"

Ulquiorra merely half-smiled and asked, "Tell me, woman, how have you occupied yourself since our last encounter?"

Orihime cast Ulquiorra an amused look before answering. "I've kept busy with school and my club activity. Sometimes I hung out with Tatsuki-chan. The rest of the time was just studying and housekeeping, I suppose."

"What is a club activity?" he asked, genuinely curious.

"Oh! I forgot, you wouldn't know. Well, a club activity could be any number of things, but basically it's a group that meets after school to practice a particular activity. Tatsuki-chan is a member of the Karate Club, obviously," Orihime giggled and paused to gage Ulquiorra's interest in her explanation. Ulquiorra appeared interested, so she continued. "Ishida-kun and I are in the Handicrafts Club together. We sew things and help to make decorations for various school events."

Ulquiorra furrowed his brows slightly, looking a bit disturbed. "You and the Quincy practice these activities alone?"

"No, there are a lot of other girls in the club. Ishida-kun is the only boy."

Ulquiorra's expression relaxed a bit at that. "What other clubs are there?"

"Well, there is flower-arranging, and cooking… oh, and there are lots of music-related clubs and drama club. And of course, there are a lot of sports, like baseball and soccer and karate, as I said before, then there's kyudo, judo, and kendo…"

Ulquiorra perked up at the last item she listed. "Students at your school may study sword fighting as a 'club activity'?"

"Yes," Orihime said and nodded as if it were obvious. Ulquiorra felt a slight pang of envy. Although it was from another lifetime, he missed Murciélago.

Ulquiorra let too much time lapse before responding for it to go unnoticed by Orihime. "Is something wrong, Ulquiorra?"

"No, nothing is wrong. I was merely remembering something from my past life."

"Oh, what is it?" Orihime asked, interested.

"My zanpakuto," he replied without inflection.

"Oh, do you miss it?"

Ulquiorra was stunned at her question for a moment, but then reminded himself that it was natural; the woman was quite perceptive. "Yes, but only sometimes."

Orihime nodded thoughtfully. She was just getting to know Ulquiorra as a friend and didn't want to pry too much, so she left it at that before changing the topic. "What have you been up to since last time?"

"Nothing noteworthy. I did contact Chad a week ago, and sometimes we correspond via text-"

Orihime interrupted. "Wait a minute – you texted him a week before you texted me?!" She was clearly vexed.

Ulquiorra's eyes went wide and he took a step back, completely unprepared for the woman's displeasure. He opened his mouth to speak but was silenced again by a swift change in the woman's demeanor. Instead of looking angry, she suddenly looked dejected. Ulquiorra began to panic a bit, unsure what to do. He did not like to be the cause of her distress. "Woman… woman, have I offended you?" he asked very carefully.

Orihime's eyes slid back to his and he saw hurt in them. Immediately he was consumed by a dreadful emotion, one that felt like an enormous weight had been tethered to his heart and was dragging him down to the depths of hell with it. He wasn't sure how he knew, but he knew this feeling: guilt.

"Please do not look at me that way, woman. It was not my intention to offend you. Corresponding with Chad was just easier." He watched in horror as Orihime's expression grew more pained. Desperate to make it stop, he said his next words without thinking, "I am sorry, please desist with your pitiful expression. I only meant that I had nothing to lose when corresponding with Chad. When it came to corresponding with you, the stakes were higher."

Orihime was confused by his wording, and felt a little like he was putting her down at first until she heard the bit about higher stakes, but she wasn't sure what he was getting at. "What do you mean the stakes were higher to correspond with me?"

Ulquiorra sighed and turned his back to her. "It means, although I find Chad's company pleasant, if I offended him and lost his company, it would be a recoverable loss. However, if I displease you," he paused, turning around and looking into her eyes, willing her to understand through his lack of eloquence before continuing, "I risk losing your company permanently, which loss I would find unacceptable."

Orihime blushed in spite of herself. She was still a bit puzzled by what he meant, but was able to ascertain that he had just admitted that she was important to him. She took a few deep breaths, and then said, "Ulquiorra, I'm not sure I know what you mean, but if you are worried that I will stop being your friend because of a misunderstood text, then don't be. I would certainly give you a chance to explain yourself if you said something that could be misinterpreted." She paused, smiling for emphasis, before continuing, "Besides, I lost you once, and I am not interested in letting something as petty as a mixed message allow me to lose you again so easily!"

It was Ulquiorra's turn to blush now. It was unbearable. He had to change the subject. He turned and looked to the kitchen clock. "The children will return soon for lunch. If you don't mind, would you help me to prepare the midday meal for them? I have purchased a variety of prepackaged meals but I am unsure how long it will take to properly reheat them. If you agree to assist me, I will allow you the first choice of the meals," he had to pause to take a breath here. He had been babbling.

"Oh, really?! Thank you! Of course I would help you anyway, silly!" she answered before he could continue, bounding over to his side as he opened the refrigerator. He pulled out the meals and she examined each one.

"Hmm, curry rice… no, with this white shirt, I'd be likely to spill on myself and stain it," she said as she passed on the first bento she pulled out of the fridge. "grilled fish, pass… Ooooh, rice balls and octopus-shaped sausages! I'll take this one, if it's alright," she declared as she brought her desired bento to herself.

Ulquiorra was about to answer when Jinta swaggered through the door, Ururu following close behind.

"Hello Jinta-kun, Ururu-chan!" Orihime sang to the room's new occupants.

Ururu nodded to Orihime and sat at the dining table while Jinta ignored Orihime, going straight to the fridge and trying to push Ulquiorra out of the way. Ulquiorra scowled and stood his ground.

"Hey, move over and let me see what you picked up for lunch, shorty!" Jinta shouted.

"Who said I picked up anything for you? And who are you calling short?" Ulquiorra shot back, already seething.

"Truth hurts, doesn't it?" Jinta teased, "Oh, sorry, I guess I shouldn't be making fun of you in front of your girlfriend," he mocked, adding kissy noises.

Ulquiorra ignored his taunt but his reiatsu was starting to leak in dangerous quantities. Ururu silently went to a drawer and pulled out one of the necklaces that had been used during Ichigo's intervention, pulling a chair over to where Ulquiorra stood and slipping it over his head. He didn't even seem to notice.

"You are the most obnoxious brat I have ever had the misfortune of knowing in two lifetimes," Ulquiorra finally hissed at Jinta, his reiatsu now being safely recycled back to himself.

Orihime was horrified. She stood and was about to interrupt when Ururu placed a hand on her forearm and pulled her to the side. She put a hand to her mouth, indicating that she wanted Orihime to come closer. Orihime complied, and Ururu whispered, "This is how they show affection to one another. Jinta-kun and Ulquiorra-kun fight like brothers."

Orihime's eyes widened and she followed Ururu back to the dining table. By the time she sat, Ulquiorra and Jinta had finished bickering, and Jinta was already heating up a bento in the microwave, telling Ulquiorra about some other kids they had run into while they were outside. Ulquiorra nodded along, showing mild interest. When the microwave beeped, Jinta stopped talking and took his bento to the seat next to Orihime and sat down, starting to eat immediately.

"Ururu, I purchased the meatball spaghetti bento for you. Is that agreeable?" Ulquiorra asked from the refrigerator. A small smile escaped her as she nodded in response. Meatball spaghetti was her favorite.

"Woman, if you please, I require your assistance," Ulquiorra called out from in front of the microwave.

Orihime grinned and joined Ulquiorra, taking the spaghetti bento and putting it into the microwave for the proper time, and delivering the meal to Ururu when complete. She smiled and whispered her thanks before digging in.

By the time Ulquiorra and Orihime had finished reheating their meals the younger two were finished. "We're going back out. Smell you later, turdburger!" Jinta called, pulling Ururu along with him to the front door. Ururu merely looked back and waved with her typical morose expression.

"Wow, that was… dynamic," Orihime said, bringing her bento back to her seat at the side of the table.

"To put it mildly," Ulquiorra agreed, joining her on the adjacent head chair.

"I have to say, you and Jinta-kun really do act like siblings," she said longingly, starting to eat.

"Does this sadden you?" Uquiorra asked, perceiving her wistfulness.

Orihime then told him about her brother, working backwards from his death to his escape with her from their abusive parents, and circling back to him turning into a hollow. By the time she was done with the story, they had finished eating.

"You are truly an incredible woman, Orihime."

"What?" Orihime asked, stunned by his bold words.

"You have experienced much tragedy, and yet you among all people I have met have the strongest heart." He paused, looking her over briefly, before returning his eyes to hers. "You have always fascinated me."

Orihime blushed profusely. "You have it all wrong, Ulquiorra, I'm boring! I'm not strong like Sado-kun, or skilled like Tatsuki-chan. I'm not brave like Kurosaki-kun or as smart as Ishida-kun. And I am definitely not as powerful as you!" She laughed awkwardly, trying to play down his apparent praise.

"You are the one who is wrong, woman. You have been conditioned throughout your life to think little of yourself, but you are powerful, strong, brave, and smart, and with some more training, you could become more skilled," he countered matter-of-factly, in a way that minimized Orihime's embarrassment.

"I guess I could practice karate with Tatsuki-chan some more, but I'll still never be-"

Ulquiorra cut her off. "No. Not karate. Come with me," he said decisively, taking her by the hand and leading her to Urahara's office, opening the door to the underground training area. He released her hand, saying, "I believe the phrase is, 'ladies first'."

"You really want to train with me?!" Orihime asked, cautiously hopeful.

"Yes. You have your hairpins. Urahara-san left this," he said, holding up the soul separation glove, "and this," he pointed to the reiatsu dampening necklace. "Let's go."

Orihime beamed and began climbing down the ladder with enthusiasm. Ulquiorra followed, sealing the door behind them.

xXxXx

Ichigo opened his eyes to his inner world. At first all he saw were the sideways skyscrapers and gray, drizzling skies. He stood up and looked to his wrist – the Quincy cross Urahara had provided was in place. Slightly relieved, he began looking around. He didn't have to look far – a half-turn – before he found himself eye to eye with his white-faced counterpart.

"Looking for something?" its shrill voice asked, swinging a black metallic object past Ichigo's face, before laughing maniacally.

Ichigo took a step back and his eyes focused on what he suspected: his zanpakuto, in the hands of his hollow. Immediately, he conjured a bow and began to draw an arrow, when his hollow spoke again in its watery garble, "Believe it or not, King, this time, I'm on your side," he paused as a distant roar could be heard. "We need to talk, but not here." The hollow took Ichigo by the shoulder and they were instantly transported to an underwater version of Ichigo's inner world.

Ichigo started to panic, until his hollow spoke again. "This water isn't real, you can breathe, idiot King."

Ichigo continued to hold his breath until he was close to the point of passing out, then inhaled sharply. His hollow had been right, he could breathe just fine.

"What are we doing here, and why do you have my zanpakuto?" Ichigo shouted.

"And people say horses are stupid. Newsflash, King, I am your zanpakuto!"

Cliffhanger! Sorry for the delay. I have had one interruption after another and my family member is still in the hospital but is slowly stabilizing. Please let me know what you think.

PS: I had to go back and change a couple details from earlier in the story that would conflict with this chapter, specifically hollow Ichigo's soliloquy in Ch. 14, but if you don't remember, don't bother going back and reading it because it is only a minor fix.