Hey all, sorry for the wait! Thanks for reading! Hope you like it!

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Chapter 4: Explosion

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The night was silent, almost too silent for Orihime's liking. The forest was dense making walking a straight line difficult. She walked alongside her horse as she followed her pale-faced companion. There were no words spoken between them. It wasn't that Orihime didn't have questions, she had many, but she was too exhausted to properly hold a conversation. She couldn't let her guard down now. She decided to follow him to get answers. Where they were going, she didn't know. All Orihime knew was that she needed to hold just a little while longer. The sun would be up within the hour. She would finally be able to rest.

Orihime looked ahead at the raven-haired man. What is he exactly? He said he was not a human. Is he a demon? Are all of the Darkness the same? Is there anything else under his cloak? Orihime mind pondered about him. She wanted to ask but had a feeling she wouldn't get many answer out of him, at least not yet.

Orihime had to admit; his attractiveness had thrown her off guard. She expected that the Darkness would look like goblins. What threw her off the most was his voice. It was so deep and somber it made her body shake. His voice was unlike any she had heard at her village. She hated that her eyes wanted to follow him. Even though she only heard a few sentences from him, she wanted to hear him speak again. She couldn't figure out why but she felt like this was all supposed to happen. Like she was meant see him and be with him now.

"We will stop here. The sun will rise soon," his deep voice had cut through her thoughts. Her wish was granted faster then she assumed. Without realizing it, they had traveled out of the forest and were now at the edge of the mountain range. Orihime inspected her surroundings trying to get her mind straight. You are only thinking he of him because you are tired….

Ulquiorra was now facing Orihime. His cold stare was going unnoticed by the red head. He stood in front of a small cave opening. He waited for her attention to be turned to him. Time was running out. Growing impatient, Ulquiorra broke the long silence between them.

"Go inside. Now," his voice seemed to ring in Orihime ears. She shot up and looked at him with a stunned expression and a slight blush. She looked confused and then a serious look came over her. "I will not go into the caves," Orihime said finally.

"What? It is not a suggestion. It is an order," he sounded mildly annoyed but her disobedience.

"I will not go into the caves," Orihime repeated again.

"And why is that?" he questioned more seriously.

"I don't want to," was all Orihime could get out as an explanation. She couldn't explain it, but she had a feeling if she went in the caves now she would never see light again. It just felt dangerous. This was clearly an answer Ulquiorra didn't want to hear.

"I don't want to is not an excuse. Get in… Now," Although he didn't raise his voice, it almost seemed like he was yelling this command to her. Orihime didn't know what to say. She didn't want to admit to him that she was currently weak. She didn't think he would harm her yet, but she wanted to be careful. He didn't seem like the type of man who enjoyed vague justifications. Taking a deep breath she decided honest.

" I am so tired. I don't want to rest in the caves after exhausting my powers. I-I want to be at my best… please let me sleep where I know I am safe."

Ulquiorra looked at Orihime for a few moments. Her face was pale and her eyes seemed heavy. The girl was indeed fatigued. No matter what, she wouldn't last being awake for much longer. This was an inconvenience to him but he had no other choice.

"Do as you wish" was all he said as he turned and entered the cave. Ulquiorra sat down close enough to the opening that he could still see her. Upon hearing his words she had quickly went in her bag and got out a blanket and pillow. Without thinking much of where to sleep she dropped down instantly where she stood.

Within minutes she was fast asleep and the sun had risen. Ulquiorra watched her from inside the safety of the cave. He never slept nor was he ever drained of his energy. It was hard to sympathize with her humans needs.

Ulquiorra was a little surprised by the girl. He expected her to bombard him with questions the moment they had started walking. He too had questions for her. He wanted to know why she didn't seem afraid at all. He had never encountered a human like her before. There were no pleas or fright in her eyes. He saw none of that. What he did see was curiosity and excitement. She must be defective….

His eyes were still glued to the girls sleeping figure. He thought it was peculiar how his eyes always found her. He had watched the Light Village for years and he always seemed drawn to her aura. On the battlefield he had no reason to get close to her. His body had moved on his own. He didn't exactly understand his movements. But after finding out she was the healer, Ulquiorra decided that was the reason for his actions and he turned her body away as the sun started to rise.

His orders were clear, bring her back to Lord Aizen. This girl was the answer they had been waiting for. It had been hundreds of years since the last healer was born. They had been waiting in the darkness. That time was now over.

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"Chief Yamamoto. I would like to go out and try and find her…" Uryu stood before the leaders of the village. He hadn't seen Orihime in days and was unbelievably worried. He saw what happened that night. Her powers were unlike anything he had ever seen before. She had never mentioned it to him at all. Uryu was in complete shock. He had gone to her hut after receiving medical treatment that morning only to see that she had vanished. Uryu had hoped she was just out and would return, but each day there was no sign of her. He feared the worse. But he had hope she was out there and alive.

"I forbid it. You have no idea where she is or even if she could be alive. We cannot waste a life of a good warrior!" Chief Yamamoto spat. The disappearance of Orihime and her defiance was a very sore subject for the chief. He took it as her turning her back on her people.

Chief Yamamoto continued "Orihime Inoue is lost to us now. If she is alive she will return on her own. We must pray that she doesn't end up killing us all."

Uryu looked at the chief in disbelief. His heart sank to the bottom of his stomach. They were going to do nothing. They acted like they were angry with Orihime. His mind raced as he shot them one more pleading look. The other leaders sat behind chief Yamamoto not matching Uryu's gaze. Uryu knew that their conversation was finished. His emotions were rising up inside of him as he walked away.

Uryu had been in love with Orihime for years. He couldn't just sit by and wait knowing that she could be out there alone, or worse, with the Darkness. The night of the battle was supposed to be his confession. After seeing Ichigo's and Rukia's relationship progress from friends to lovers, it gave him some confidence to confess his feelings. He was hoping that his heart would reach her even a little. In all the years he had known her, she never shown interest in anybody. Many men pined after her. She was the village beauty. But she was so much more then that. Not many of them knew how strong she was. That's why Uryu knew deep down that she was alive.

He walked through the village after his unsuccessful campaign. Everything seemed like it was back to normal. The hunters went out to hunt, bakers made their bread and the young laughed and played. None of that seemed natural to him anymore. If this was life without her here, he didn't want it His decision was clear. If the village leaders weren't going to put together a search party, he was going to have to do it alone.

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The last beam of light disappeared behind the pointed peaks of the mountains. Ulquiorra stirred from his sitting position deep in the cave. He had made himself as comfortable as he possibly could. He had taken off his thick protective cloak to help ease his mind. The cloaks helped in battle but they were far from pleasant to have on. Ulquiorra was upset because he had watched the woman far too much for his liking, again. He had ventured deep inside to rid his mind of any ridiculous thoughts.

Ulquiorra concluded that the woman must have awoken by now. When he approached the entrance he had noticed that Orihime had moved slightly. She was closer to the cave opening but still fast asleep. She had slept throughout the whole day.

"Girl…it is time," he made his voice loud so she would wake from it. There was no response. Moving a little closer he spoke again. "Wake up." She moved faintly, but gave no indication that she had woken up. Ulquiorra walked around her body to get a better view of her face. Her eyes were closed but her expression got Ulquiorra's attention. She was crying and gritting her teeth like she was trying to hold in a scream.

"No…." a faint whisper passed through her lips. "Stop…"

A nightmare?

"NO…NO" her voice became louder and louder.

"Woman. Wake up. You are having a nightmare" His words did nothing as she smarted to move around more violently. He needed to stop her from potentially hurting herself. He reached out then paused.

I cannot touch her…

"So-" her voice became hushed suddenly. Her body started to glow a light orange color. Ulquiorra paused. He had seen her light before but this wasn't the same. The light brought him a bad feeling and started to gather up in an angry fashion. He had no idea what was happening as the light started growing bigger and bigger. He needed to get away. Something was wrong. He wasn't safe.

"SORA!" Her scream echoed through the forest as a large orange explosion erupted around her. Everything in its path was destroyed in a fiery blaze. Trees were reduced to ash and the mountainside, including the cave, was pulverized into fine sand. The eruption as fast as it had happen then suddenly evaporated.

Orihime shot up gasping for air. Her mind was a mess. She had dreamt of Sora's death. It repeated over and over again in her mind. Tormenting her. She felt like she was going to suffocate. Her body felt like it had snapped in two and was being pulled apart. Catching her breath, she lifted up her head and noticed something was off. There was smoke everywhere and the ground was ash ridden where grass once was. Orihime's eyes broadened as the haze cleared around her reveling the damage she had unknowingly done.

How did this happen?

The clouds moved passed the moon, uncovering its brightness. It showed Orihime the extent of the damage. Her jaw dropped and her eyes filled with tears. Everything around her in a 100-foot radius was destroyed. The crumbling mountain had a massive chunk taken out of it and the earth was scorched from an inferno. Orihime stood up hardly believing her eyes. It was unlike anything that had ever happened before. It took her a while for her head to think straight again and gain her whereabouts. Her breathing stopped as she looked at the mountain where the cave used to be.

Ulquiorra! Realization hit that he might have been in the cave during this phenomenon. It filled her body with a sense of dread. No! Oh please no!

"Ulquiorra?" she called out into the night. Her panting was loud as she kept turning her body in hope that he would come out the forest unscathed. She was met with a sickening silence. The sight of the destruction overwhelmed her. She didn't know if Ulquiorra or if her horse were caught up in the blast. Every passing second her heart shattered even more.

Out of view to Orihime, Ulquiorra sat against a tree. A thick pool of black blood surrounded him. He had gotten away from her quickly but he underestimated the blasts speed and distance. The explosion took off his entire right arm and leg. He had lost limps before during a battle, but he always grew back his appendages within seconds. Unlike most of his comrades, he had extremely fast regeneration. If the body party was not vital to live, he can revitalize it. It had been well past his normal healing speed and nothing had grown back. He couldn't stop the bleeding either. He was one of the strongest among his companions but in the three hundred years he had been alive he never felt so close to death.

He watched Orihime as she started restoring the mountain and the surrounding trees. She had called out Ulquiorra's name countless times. He just observed her. There were tears in her eyes. Tears for me? How foolish. Ulquiorra started to feel lightheaded. It was a feeling he had never experienced before. He looked down at his wounds to see his any part of his body was turning to ash. He saw nothing but his thick pitch-black blood oozing from where his arm and leg should have been.

"Ulquiorra!" her voice made him raise his head. It sounded closer then before. His eyes had widened when he saw that she had finished repairing the destroyed area. It looked like nothing had happened. Every tree or blade of grass was back in its original state. Her power is stronger then we had imagined. Orihime was now searching the forest: for him. Ulquiorra's stare followed her as she moved around franticly. He had half a thought to call out to her but stopped himself. His pride got in the way.

"Ulquiorra! Oh..no…Don't move!" She had spotted him. He slowly turned his face toward her. He watched as she ran as fast as she could to where he rested. He knew her speed but it all seemed to be in slow motion. Her hair moved behind her looking like the blaze itself while her eye seemed to shine brighter then the moon. You must be close to death..

"Oh no, no no…there is so much blood!" Ulquiorra didn't think it was possible but her eyes seemed to have filled with more tears. Orihime immediately kneeled down beside him inspecting his wounds. She was taken back for a moment by his murky blood. He had lost a lot, more then she had ever seen. She was astonished that he was still awake.

"It is fine woman." Ulquiorra lied through his teeth.

"I-I- can heal you…" she paused and her voice trailed off. Ulquiorra knew what her hesitations were.

" You think it will kill me because I am a demon?" he mocked as he tried to shift his body. "I don't know woman." His voice became hoarse and his body was running cold. How pathetic. This is how you meet your end? Blood loss? Inflicted to you by some crying girl…..

Without a word Orihime rose to her feet. Her legs were stained from the blood that gathered on the ground. She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes. Heal him… you want to heal him. Don't hurt Ulquiorra. She repeated those words over and over again. She needed to believe in herself.

With one last exhale, she shot her eyes open and an orange glow started to engulf around his figure.

Heal him