Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its characters!

A/N: Thank you guys for the wonderful comments so far! I apologize for the inconsistent updates. I'm hoping in the next few weeks, I'll get onto a more regular schedule since I am currently traveling overseas and the time difference gets so confusing sometimes! Hope you guys enjoy this next chapter.

Chapter 3

Virtuous

Inoue Household, approximately eleven fifty pm, Wednesday

Had it not have been for the odd weather pattern over Karakura Town, everyone would have immediately sensed the powerful foreign entity which seemingly appeared out of thin air. Even in the dead of the night, any sudden changes in the atmosphere would have had her comrades jumping out of their beds and rushing to ground zero.

However, this was not the circumstance.

Despite the weatherman indicating that there had been a less than ten percent chance of rain with clear skies and no cloud in sight and despite that they weren't in the middle of the rainy season, Karakura Town was met with an assault of rain, thunder, and lightning. But forecasters were never one hundred percent correct, and let's face it: weirder things have happened.

The first to arrive was Shihouin Yoruichi in human form, for obvious reasons, having sensed Ulquiorra's presence when he first appeared and tracked him to the abode. Though the Arrancar said nothing upon her arrival, he quickly realized she and the black cat he'd seen on his journey here were one and the same.

For a long while, none of them exchanged any words, not until Orihime broke the silence, handing the former Cuatro Espada a set of dry clothes. "Here, wear these." She stared down at her feet, after having swapped into new attire herself. While her feet were warm and comfy, the atmosphere was cold and, well, to say the least, awkward.

With his hands in his pockets, Ulquiorra stared at the ridiculous attire.

"You'll get sick."

"I don't get sick."

"He speaks," Yoruichi ooh'd sarcastically from the kitchen, trying to find something to eat.

"Ah..." Orihime started, puffing out her cheeks. Can Hollows get sick? "Mmm, then, you're getting my floorboard wet." She pointed down at the wooden panels. "If it gets damaged, I'll lose my deposit fee."

He stared at her, unblinking. "I don't understand."

"Mmm...Please don't damage my home?" The younger female finally glanced up at her male guest, a nervous smile flitted across her lips. Her heart skipped a beat. It was the first time she really looked at him in a lit room, not that she had much of an opportunity to really take in his appearance. Yoruichi made herself a guest the moment after they stepped into the apartment.

A minute after Ulquiorra took her offering, the second set of visitors, who came in a very loud and destructive wave, arrived. The group consisted of Kurosaki Ichigo, Kuchiki Rukia, Arisawa Tatsuki, and Yasutora Sado. They lived closest to Orihime, being a block away at most. Even then, there were some days where it felt like a ten minute walk was still too far; tonight being one of those nights.

"Let me in!" Tatsuki snapped, attempting to squeeze through the pileup at the doorway. The tomboy shoved the heel of her palm against Ichigo, as she contorted her body to fit through the tiny space. All four bodies trying to get into the apartment at the same time.

"I was here first!" the Shinigami snapped with a hand gripping onto the doorframe.

"I'm her best friend!"

And lastly, Ishida Uryuu, who claimed he would have arrived sooner if he wasn't almost struck by lightning.

"Ah, no wonder your hair looks like a deep fried bird's nest," sniggered Rukia behind her palm.

Only ten seconds elapsed between the second group and Uryuu's arrival.

"It seems like you're all getting a little rusty," the shapeshifter purred nonchalantly, still in the kitchen. She pulled out the carton of half consumed milk from the refrigerator and twisted open the cap, chugging down the remaining beverage. "Ah!" exclaimed the dark-skinned woman with a wide grin. A white moustache rested on her upper lip. "That hit the spot."

Exasperated, Orihime made a mental note to herself to buy more milk.

Ignoring the comment from Yoruichi, Ichigo spoke to Orihime. "Where is he?" the short-tempered Shinigami quickly recognized the unique reiatsu. His sword was drawn as his eyes quickly scanned the room. It was more than obvious that spiritual pressure didn't belong to any of them. "There's only six of us."

"Put the sword down," Tatsuki snapped as she lept as far as she could from the blade wielder. "You're going to get us killed!"

"Seven," Uryuu muttered as he pulled out a blue cloth, drying his glasses. "There's seven of us."

"Are you stupid? Six!"

"Seven."

Ichigo rudely pointed at each individual in the room, counting loudly to prove his point. "Suh-ix. Idiot."

The Quincy pointed at his classmate. "Seh-ven. Imbecile."

Rukia choked on her cackle as she watched Ichigo's face redden like a Christmas light being plugged in. "Fool! Who forgets to count themselves?"

"How are you top twenty in our year? Idiot!" Tatsuki chimed in on the fun.

"..."

"You, too, Chad?" Ichigo exclaimed, baffled at his friends' agreement with one another. The tip of his ears glowed with chagrin.

For a moment, they had forgotten the dire situation which gathered them all to Orihime's apartment. Poking fun at the spiky haired teen always seemed to ease up any jitters.

The knob to the guest bedroom turned, and all laughter ceased. Seven pairs of eyes focused their attention onto the wooden door as it squeaked open. Tension was heavy between all the individuals.

"Ah!" Orihime shouted suddenly, catching her companions off guard and ran over to the door. "Oh-oh, how odd. Why would, hahaha, why would this be opening on its own?" She grabbed the knob and pulled the door shut. "It must be a - a ghost! Yeah! Wait-" The healer paused, thinking it was a terrible idea to say a ghost was on the other side. Ghosts couldn't open doors! They flew through them!

"Inoue, move aside." Ichigo demanded as he stepped forward, Zangetsu still in his hands.

"Kurosa-" She tried to plead, holding a hand out towards the small crowd while the other remained on the brass doorknob. But, the door swung open despite her attempt to keep it shut. "Ulquio-" Orihime turned to the man standing on the other side. "Ulquiorra?"

Although animosity was at an all time high, everyone stared at the Arrancar, mouth agape. Even Ichigo's offensive stance slacked. It wasn't that he made an appearance. No, everyone already knew who it was just by sensing his energy, but it was his entire disposition that had the party dumbfounded.

"Your hole," she broke the silence with a shuddered exhale. "And...estigma." Orihime gestured towards his cheeks where the tear like tattoos once streaked down his face. "They're...gone?" She turned towards her friends. Was she hallucinating?

Nope. They were just as shocked as she was.

The once-Hollow glanced down, but since he couldn't see the empty space that used to sit between his collarbone, he reached up, pale fingers touching the area. What should have been a hole was replace with...skin. The pads of his digits traced along the edge of the missing hollow, discovering it wasn't all entirely smooth. Uneven bumps outlined the circle. A scar. He applied pressure, wondering if the skin was merely a facade. How odd. His expression stayed the same, but just like the others, he was quite confused.

Ulquiorra pulled away at the collar of his shirt. His cuatro tattoo was still there. The once proud symbol of the Espada contrasted against his pale grey skin. His attention turned to the hostess, noticing her focus had been on his tattoo as well. Her distant look told him she'd been reminiscing over painful pasts.

"Damn it, Ulquiorra!" the Shinigami snapped out of his daze with a shout, causing everyone, except the former Arrancar, to nearly jump out of their skin. "How did you come back? We saw you die. We saw you get turned to dust!" The grip on his sword tightened when an answer wasn't immediately received.

Orihime looked away, her brows furrowed. Why did he had to bring back bitter memories?

"More importantly, what are you doing here?" the Quincy chimed in.

Suddenly, everyone had a comment and began shouting over each other. "Are the Espada on the rise again?" "Who sent you here?" "Why are you here?" "Kidnapping again?" Except for Yoruichi who opened the fridge once again, hoping to find more milk hidden in the back. "Do you have anymore milk?"

"Who are you even?" Tatsuki shouted, confused and obviously having no idea what was going on. The tomboy had once met Ulquiorra and his giant companion in the past. Her memories had been fuzzy, after nearly getting knocked out from their foreboding reiatsu. Despite her fear of a part two of the previous encounter, Tatsuki still joined the group. After all, she would do anything for Orihime, even if it meant risking her own life.

"Shut up!" Ichigo yelled, immediately silencing the room. His frustration was palpable as his reiatsu flared.

"Do you have any alcohol?" Yoruichi asked, unphased by the hot head's annoyance.

"We're underaged!" the entire lot, sans Rukia, responded in unison.

"Can we focus? Just what is your business here, Ulquiorra?" The orange haired Shinigami raised his blade and pointed it at the unenthused former Espada.

"You expect me to know?" He drawled, slipping his hands into the pocket-wait, these pants had no pockets. He stared down at his loungewear. "I don't have pockets," he said flatly, turning his attention towards Orihime, irked.

"Ah, well, those are called-"

"Stop it with the chit chat!" With a yell, Ichigo lunged forward towards the couple in front of him. The mere sight of the Arrancar made his blood boil, and his frankness with their healer pissed him off even more. It was time to end this little reunion once and for all. "You died once. You can die again!" The Shinigami pulled back his blade, ready to strike.

"STOP!" Orihime jumped in front of Ulquiorra. She could feel their energies spike as they both prepped for an offensive attack. "Santen Kesshun-" Three fairy like creatures dashed out from her hair clip, forming a yellow large barrier between her and Ichigo.

Unable to stop himself in time, Zangetsu lacerated the shield, shattering it into pieces before they vanished. "Shit-" the force of his attack shoved her back, knocking her against the pale man. "Inoue-" Ichigo started, immediately regretting his actions.

The fairies returned to Orihime as she dropped her stance. "-Kurosaki-kun." Her pupils were blown to the nines as her heart palpitated. It felt like it was going to burst out of her chest. Though there'd been a few times where she'd been on the accidental receiving end of one of his attacks, never had she willingly stepped in front of an assault. To say the least, it terrified her. Anyone who would willingly fight against Ichigo must have been out of their minds.

She glanced back towards Ulquiorra who held onto her when she collided into him. Curious, she thought. It seemed as if he was also in discomfort as he glared at the opposing redhead. She blushed suddenly, realizing it must have been her weight that made him uncomfortable. "Are you okay? I'm so sorry, I must be so heavy-"

"Y-you!" Tatsuki and Rukia shouted simultaneously, both throwing a punch at Ichigo's head from both sides. "How dare you!" Friend or foe, anyone who would raise a blade against Orihime was an automatic asshole.

"Why are you protecting him?" Uryuu spoke as Ichigo soon became indisposed due to the other two livid female. He fixed his glasses, pushing it up the bridge of his nose. "You know what happened in Hueco Mundo. You remember what they did to us." His blue eyes shot towards his adversary. "So, Inoue-chan, why are you defending him?"

Uryuu knew, despite her affinity towards the hot blooded Shinigami, he was always able to resonate with her on a more reasoned level. It was known that Ichigo thought more with his fists than his brain. On the other hand, Orihime might seem like an airhead to those who didn't know her well, was really smart, thoughtful, and among all else the kindest person he knew. Uryuu already knew her answer, but clearly, there were those who were a bit denser than others.

Her eyes drew away from the captivating green orbs and turned her attention back towards the class president and her friends.

"Because, Ishida-kun, it's the right thing to do."