Chapter Three: Ulquiorra Decision
Ulquiorra just like before raised his right hand, reaching out to Orihime with his last strength, "So let me ask you again girl, Are you afraid of me?"
Orihime gave him a tearful and compassionate look and said, No I'm not afraid really I'm not.
Ulquiorra carefully listened to her answer, "I understand." He replied. Then Orihime slowly raise her right hand and tried to grab Ulquiorra hand but just as their hands were about to touch, when suddenly Ulquiorra right hand slowly started to dissolve with the rest of his body. ("I see now.") Ulquiorra thought as his body continued to dissolve at a fast pace. ("In the palm of my hand...is a heart.") With that final thought his body completely turned to ash and began to vanish from Hueco Mundo forever.
Ulquiorra was now in a void of pure nothingness, he could neither see anything nor feel anything he could not touch nor taste he could neither feel nor see his body in the void. It reminded him when he was a hollow as he could hear nothing, taste nothing and feel nothing.
He keeps thinking how much time has pass since he had been in this endless void?
He keeps on thinking about the heart. ("In the palm of my hand is a heart") he thought. He wishes he could have more time to discover the true meaning of the heart.
"You seem busy with your thoughts" a voice that sounded like a female. Ulquiorra instinctively reached for Murcièlago but was rewarded with nothing. He had no body to move, to use to defend himself. He has never felt so helpless in the entirety of his existence, not even when he fought the losing battle against the Hollowfied Ichigo Kurosaki.
"There's no need to worry, I'm not here to harm you." again came the voice out of nowhere sounding rather amused.
("Who is this person?" "What business does it want from me?") Ulquiorra thought since he did not have a body he could not speak.
"Must be difficult to talk without a body?" again the voice asks. If Ulquiorra had eyes right now, he would just be calmly staring at the stranger in silence.
"Allow me to help you with that." The stranger's voice calmly replied.Suddenly Ulquiorra saw that he was whole again and also notice that he was wearing his Arrancar uniform which was a white jacket with long coattails and high collar along with his white hakama and black sash and on his feet was a pair of black socks and white Arrancar sandals.
Ulquiorra then turned his attention to the stranger and was surprise to see it was a young girl with long orange hair and grey eyes, standing right in front of him. She resembled the girl who showed him a heart, Orihime, in every way but her voice. This woman's voice had evidence of great knowledge and wisdom in it.
"You must have many questions, but before we begin I want to ask you do you know who I am?" she said.
"I assume you must be kami correct." he replied in his monotonic voice.
"I'm surprise you would guess that I would have though you would have said Soul King first so why didn't you?"she said sounding rather surprise.
"I was once told by lord Aizen that the soul king lives in a place called the soul king palace and is protected by an organization called The Royal Guards so if you really were the soul king then wouldn't I be surrounded by The Royal Guards by now?" Ulquiorra calmly answered.
"Then you would be correct I am kami." She replied. "But before we continue further into our little conversation I assume you're wondering why you are alive?" she said to which Ulquiorra nodded.
"Well, it's because you've caught my interest, Ulquiorra.I've been watching you from the time you were reborn as a Hollow to the time of your defeat by the hands of Ichigo Kurosaki. I was about to give up on you, your opinion about others were unchanging you saw everyone around you as trash. I know this is due to the great suffering you had to endure for such a long timethen at the very last moment, you surprised me. Your last words and thoughts, and most importantly your feelings at finding your heart because of the human girl named Orhime whether you know it or not, you were full of regret and remorse at having finally understood the heart only to die moments later." Ulquiorra listened to every word that Kami said.
"So I have decided to give you another chance at life. But in a different world. You cannot return to your world Ulquiorra, your time there has ended and I won't break the very cycle I've established in that world."
Ulquiorra was speechless. He was going to be given a second chance and he could not believe it.
"Instead I am going to send you to a place called Yokai Academy it's a separate dimension where Soul reapers and Hollows don't exist so do you accept this offer?" she said.
After being silent for quite a while, Ulquiorra finally declared his answer, "I am willing to do anything to understand more about the heart so yes I accept Kami-sama." Ulquiorra then saw kami who was now smiling
"That's good to hear Ulquiorra but before I do that can you hold out your right hand." She asked
Ulquiorra hold out his right hand then suddenly a bright light shine on his hand after that the light stop shining on his right hand he then notices on his right index finger was a small silver ring which had a small green eye on the middle of it and he notice that it was similar to his eyes.
"That ring on your finger is now your Zanpakutō." She stated. "By taking off that ring off your finger will let to be able summon your Zanpakutō.
Ulquiorra took a good look at the ring on his finger. "Mind if I test it?" he asked, to which she replied with a nod. He then took off the ring, he then watch as black smoke with violet sparks started to surround his hand.
After the smoke finally died down, Ulquiorra saw that he had his Zanpakutō once more which was is a standard sized katana with a green handle and sheath. The guard has two curved extensions from its long sides with a line going through both sides, giving it an eye-like appearance.
"To return the Zanpakutō back into its sealed state simply place it on your index finger where the ring was before." She stated. Ulquiorra did what she said and placed his Zanpakutō on his right index finger and then black smoke and violet sparks started to appear around his hand once more. After the smoke had vanished, he saw that he saw that his sword had gone back to its ring state. "Now before I send you to your new world, I'm going to explain you're others powers first." She stated to him.
"Firstly your Cero and Bala Abilities should be powerful as they always been." She began explaining to him. "That goes the same for your Sonído and your High-Speed Regeneration ability as well. You're Hierro will still work, however regarding your Pesquisa it should be able to work but it won't work most of the time due to it being charge to sense other things instead of spiritual energy. You're also still able to open a Garganta but you can't not be able to go back to your world."
Ulquiorra listen to every word that Kami had said regarding about his abilities.
"Now that you've now have an understanding of where you're about to go and as well as an understanding of your powers. Are you ready Ulquiorra?" she asked the Espada.
"Yes I'm ready Kami-sama." Ulquiorra answered her. He then saw Kami raise her right and then a portal which was made of bright light appeared behind him, he then it getting closer to him.
"This is the last time will see each other, enjoy the life I have given you. Try to understand the human heart, try to use your powers for good. Farewell Former Espada number four Ulquiorra Cifer." Kami said to the Espada as he slowly started to disappear in the bright light.
After that Ulquiorra was completely gone. Then suddenly Kami had a shock expression on her face. "Oh no. I forgot to him something that will help him in the new world he's in." Then kami made a bright light appear around her left hand. After the light had faded she now had a strange jar in her hands.
"I guess I'll have to send it to him." She said, as she made a small bright portal appear on the strange jar. "Hopefully he gives them to him in time." She said with an almost worried expression.