I personally like this chapter because "something" starts to begin. Haha. Sorry for being vague, but I know you all understand what I am referring to. Wink wink.

Also, I changed Sayuri's reaction in Chapter 8 since I thought WorldisMine was completely correct with his or her statement. I finally figured out how I should change Sayuri's big reaction, so I did. Do not worry too much about it though. It does not change the course of the story.

Again, here are the people I would like to thank for their kind reviews and assessment of Chapter 8 in which Sayuri shows of her humanity.

BANEHiwatari

indescribable music

blue eyed lullabye

music watch

KYVampire

WorldisMine

And just to let everyone know, all of you (not just those I listed) are wonderful fans. If I could list all my readers I would, but I think you would all rather read the story.

So without further adieu, here is Chapter 9!

-O-

Chapter 9:

Painful Guilt

Time was incredibly cruel. Days passed and then it was a week, but the course of the week felt slow and painful. The days seemed endless and uneasy as though the balance of the world was thrown off.

To Shin and Sayuri, the balance in their everyday lives was gone and trying to restore it seemed nearly impossible.

Sayuri had left the hospital the day following her attack.

She had told her parents, who surprisingly believed her, that her ankle and lower left leg had broken after it collided with the back portion of a bench when she had fallen off a tree during her daring rescue attempt to get a cat down from a tree. A kind stranger had then guided her home.

The young girl was only thankful that her brother had not personally asked what had truly transpired that day and had left her unable to be ambulatory.

Nowadays, she just lived like a barren vessel searching for her lost soul.

She even felt disconnected from Hiro and her friends.

Ulquiorra had essentially disappeared from her life. Thus, life itself seemed so ordinary.

Who knew that one strange man would have such a profound effect on her and her life?

She just could not seem to find him. She had been limping around the town with her crutches during her free time, hoping that miracles did happen and that the testament to that would be that she would find him. Or at least, he would find her. Shin had even gone with her on numerous occasions to search for the missing man.

Alas, it seemed miracles were not probable in this case.

Sayuri, however, did not have the heart to tell her brother that the mysterious stranger had left because she had, well, she had essentially driven him off. Instead, she allowed her brother to believe that Ulquiorra had disappeared merely because he had healed enough to finally depart.

'Is he even completely healed yet? I just...' Sayuri thought, 'I just want to at least have the chance to apologize to him... and to thank him for bringing me home.'

She found herself looking at the park once more as she had done over the course of the week.

Though the once peaceful setting is now equated with fear for her, she still felt attracted to it -to this place of good and bad memories -where her first meeting with Ulquiorra had taken place.

Her crutches helped her limp down the pathway to a bench. There, she watched mockingbirds sing their festive songs.

Life truly did seem like it had moved on, but she would not do so until she appropriately apologized to the man to whom she committed wrong towards.

She sighed. The sun was due to set within the hour as the sky became painted with glorious hues of pinks, purples, and reds.

Deciding that it was best to return home, she began limping down the pathway by the river whose watery mirror reflected the beauty of the skies.

A sour whisper in the wind, however, sent a familiar terror down her spine.

Since that incident at the hospital that had left her guilty and torn, she had begun to suppress that feeling of horror and helplessness that had enveloped her during her near death experience with the monster at the park.

But try as she might, she can never forget that numbing feeling of pure emptiness that radiated from that monster, or as Ulquiorra called it, that hollow.

The strange sounds in the wind brought this familiar numbing sensation back to the forefront of Sayuri's thoughts.

'Another one is coming,' she realized though how she was able to determine that was beyond her.

Unconsciously, she moved her crutches faster as the numbing sensation grew stronger and the whisper of the wind grew harsher.

Eventually, the piercing roar can be heard somewhere in the distance.

Sayuri froze.

Would she die this time?

'I seem to be some sort of attraction to these creatures,' she commented to herself uneasily.

The hoarse roar sounded from everywhere.

Beads of sweat formed at Sayuri's forehead; she did not know where to run. She could not possibly even think of going home for fear that the hollow would attack her family.

No, she would not let that happen.

If she died alone, then so be it.

Sayuri finally spotted the two monstrous figures of the hollows. They had wings this time as they soared in circles above her like vultures.

Holding her breath, Sayuri watched the movements of the enormous bird-like creatures carefully, taking notice of their long talons and sharpened wings and beak. Their white mask contained the same empty and ravenous bloodred eyes as the previous hollow.

Were it not for the fact that these monstrosities were attempting to devour her soul, she would find it interesting that these two hollows appear to be twins.

As one of the birds began to dive straight towards her position, Sayuri examined the creature's red ones.

'How could I have mistaken that thing as Ulquiorra?' she asked herself, feeling revelation wash over her as she faces death once more, 'Ulquiorra is not a mindless monstrosity. I was merely fearful -cowardly- and foolish.'

She realized that the dull bloody beads of this creature did not compare to the mesmerizing emeralds of the ashen man.

'Ulquiorra's eyes were alive. This monster's eyes are empty -dead.'

She smiled at her epiphany.

She knew that she had no right to fear Ulquiorra. At the hospital, she had already cemented in her mind that if he had wanted her or her family's souls, he would have already forcefully taken them. Rather than being a cold hearted killer, he had become part of their family. He was becoming a friend, or he would be a friend right now if he was still with them.

Smiling, she embraced her future -her only regret was that he had not heard her apology prior to her depart from this was also smiling at death, because now, she no longer feared it. She had already faced death once. If it wants her, then let it try and take her. Death was inevitable, so fear was useless in the face of such an unstoppable opponent.

Her smile then turned into a short, but light chuckle. It truly was hilarious how at the face of danger, humans become enlightened over the most random of subjects.

A sudden gust of wind, however, blew around her, sending her ebony bangs into a flurry of action.

"You are foolish."

Sayuri smiled at the voice.

"I know," she agreed.

Ulquiorra glanced blankly at the girl behind him as the hollow halted in its dive due to his unexpected appearance.

With easy grace and elegance, Ulquiorra jumped up from his position on the ground and wrapped his hands around the weaker hollow's neck. With a light squeeze, its head separated from its body before withering into the howling wind.

Sayuri watched in awe at the raw power that Ulquiorra displayed with ease. For him, death seemed easy to defeat for he had saved her from it with just a squeeze of his hands.

Unfortunately, just as Ulquiorra defeated the lowly opponent, its twin had managed to sneak behind Sayuri and wrap its talons around her petite form.

It began to take flight over the river with a flap of its enormous wings.

The young girl struggled in the talons that held her. She punched as hard as she could at the monster's legs and pulled at whatever feathers she could reach. Her attempts seemed futile as the thing merely gave off an annoyed shriek rather than a pained one.

Unwilling to become food after finding the man she had long sought, Sayuri used one of her crutches and stabbed the creature at its throat. The creature cried in alarm, opening its talons slightly enough to allow Sayuri to slip through.

Sayuri let out the scream that had been building within the walls of her throat. She always did hate heights.

With a splash, Sayuri fell into the river.

It was lucky that the thing had not flown too high or else the fall may have killed her. Luck, however, was not truly on her side. She did not know how to swim, and the heavy cast on her leg further made it difficult to stay afloat. Gradually, she felt her body unwillingly sink beneath the liquid surface.

The bird-like hollow dove with a roaring screech towards the river in search of its lost prey, refusing to lose its meal. Due to its preoccupation with its search, the weak hollow failed to detect Ulquiorra materialize on its back.

The bird hollow disappeared, much like its twin, when its neck was pierced my Ulquiorra's strong jab before it had any chance to realize its own death.

He then set his gaze on the river as though expecting the young female to break the surface to breathe. When she did not, the ashen man stepped down on the river and used his spiritual pressure to part the water.

There, at the bottom of the river, was an unconscious Sayuri.

He sauntered towards her soaked and still figure, and leaning down, he sat her straight up by using his hand as a support for her back.

Closed eyes snapped open, as lungs began to hungrily inhale air and expel the water that had obstructed its airways. After ridding herself of the excess liquid that she had swallowed, Sayuri's gasps and coughs subsided to be replaced by gradually evening breaths.

Scanning her surroundings, Sayuri gaped at the parted water around them.

Ulquiorra then stood and walked towards the bank of the river with Sayuri limping as close to him as possible for fear that the water would swallow her once more if she trailed too far from him.

Casually, he paused for only a mere moment with his back facing the saturated girl once they reached the bank.

"Thank y-you," Sayuri coughed up as her throat still felt raw from the forceful entrance of the water to her lungs.

With those words, the strange man began to take his leave.

As he began walking away, Sayuri quickly limped to him before he could disappear from her life once more.

Sayuri reached for the cloth on Ulquiorra's back, like an unbalanced and clumsy child, for support as pain raced up her injured left leg.

"W-wait," she cried gasping in pain and weariness, "Why are you leaving?"

"I no longer have business with you," he said coldly without bothering to face her, "My debt is repaid."

Sayuri felt her lips quiver, "So you're going to disappear..."

"That is none of your concern."

"I-I'm sorry," she managed to choke out, "I'm sorry I was scared of you. I know that I have no reason to be scared. A-And also thank you for bringing me home that day that I was attacked, as well as for rescuing me t-today."

It was beginning to get cold and her wet clothes were of no help under the circumstances. Sayuri's body began to shiver uncontrollably as she waited for an answer.

"Hn," was his only reply.

Just like that, Ulquiorra began walking once more, releasing Sayuri's hold on his clothing.

Sayuri, however, followed persistently after him, not saying a word of complaint as each step she took further increased the pain that shot from her still broken bones.

Ulquiorra discretely glanced back at the gasping and coughing girl behind him. She had continued to trail him even after the sun had long since set.

Her still moist hair clung to her paled face and her eyes looked red from strain and exhaustion. The white coat she wore was now a patch of cloth littered with dirt, and it drooped towards the ground due to the water that had invaded its material.

To describe it simply, she looked faint and sickly.

Sayuri eventually felt her left leg give way due to the long agony of the walk. Her knees met the unforgiving cement sidewalk, but she did not feel the pain for the cold had numbed her. The petite body soon feel forward and met the harsh floor as well.

Still, she did not ask for his help. He was no longer indebted to her after all.

Her mind began to collapse from the cold, exhaustion, and pain.

Her world became dark, but for some reason, she did not mind.

She finally had found him.

Her pain and exhaustion did not compare to her euphoria.

-O-

Thank you for reading!