So chapter 5 has arrived! Hope you're all liking so far! Once again I am sorry for any mistakes and I do not own bleach etc…

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Slowly a pair of emerald eyes opened and began to focus on the scene before them. It seemed slightly odd, the owner of the eyes thought, that everything was on it's side. And then he remembered. Just a few minutes ago he had sensed the flaring reiatsu of his master, who didn't seem at all pleased to see his most loyal subordinate resurrected.

Ulquiorra Cifer rolled over on to his back with an almost inaudible sigh and was greeted back to the conscious world by the face of Sosuke Aizen staring straight at him disgustedly.

"Aizen-Sama" He said hurriedly as he jumped up to attention to properly acknowledge his lords return. Part of Ulquiorra was deeply concerned by the look on Aizen's face, but the other part of him was busy feeling disdain for his new found worry. When had he, the indifferent 4th Espada ever felt worry? It made him feel quite weak, another feeling he loathed.

"Greetings Ulquiorra, I think it would be most wise of you to tell what has come to pass since my absence in Las Noches. Omitting information would be most foolish." The lord stared on, a glint in his eye.

And so Ulquiorra began to tell the man before him about the showdown with Kurosaki and although Aizen had said it would be foolhardy to omit details, he could not bring himself to tell him about his second release. And he also found it unnecessary to tell the lord of his discovery of the meaning of heart. Lord Aizen stopped Ulquiorra as he began to talk of Kurosaki's transformation into his second form of his hollow self.

"So Kurosaki had an ace up his sleeve indeed. How intruiging…" He mused.

"Aizen-Sama, I believe the boy was unaware he had this ability. It would appear that his hollow side completely took over. Although this second hollow seemed incapable of proper speech, it's power was un-matched. Even by myself…" Ulquiorra replied tentatively.

The Lord chucked to himself. "Yes I'm quite aware of your shortcomings Ulquiorra, the reverberations of what happened could be felt all the way over in the real world by anyone who cared to listen. What I do wonder however, is how you were brought back from the dust. It seemed the girl's power was exactly what we expected. However, the gained result was not quite so predictable."

Ulquiorra looked on, not quite sure what Lord Aizen was getting at.

"I'm sure that you have realized Ulquiorra, that a heart now beats in your chest. Your Hollow mask has miraculously disappeared, your hollow hole is… not so hollow anymore. To cut a long story short, you're human now. And although your reiatsu remains, the fact you're now human makes you utterly dispensable."

The Cuatro Espada's eyes flew wide open. Dispensable?! After all the loyalty he had shown the man before him, just because he was now human he was no longer needed!? Ulquiorra wasn't sure he actually wanted to return to Aizen's side, but his true nature was quite shocking. Ulquiorra supposed he had been blind to it as an Arrancar. With no emotions, he followed orders without question and so had never really seen Aizen as cruel, he had just seen him as the top of the food chain. To disobey would mean death, or worse and as an Arrancar he strived for power, not to perish at the hands of a rogue shinigami.

"I am… dispensable?" Ulquiorra repeated slowly, still not quite able to believe what he had heard.

"Hmm? Yes I'm afraid so. Now that you've got those oh so bothersome emotions to deal with, I just don't need you anymore. Your emotions could very much get in the way of your orders and I just can't have that. Gin would joke and say I'm being heartless, but hearts don't win battles so I'm sorry to say that I'm releasing you from my service." Aizen replied with a glint in his maroon tinted eyes.

Released from service… No one was ever just released from service. Ulquiorra tried to calculate what would happen next. He could sense the spiritual pressure of the man before him building. To be released would surely mean death, which was cruel, considering Ulquiorra had only been alive again for a short while. Slowly, he tried to inconspicuously bring his hand to the hilt of Murcielago. Aizen smiled a pitiless smile.

"Ah, so I see you understand. Draw your sword Ulquiorra, let us finish this quickly."

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As Orihime Inoue stared back at the piercing gazes of her two treasured friends, she tried in vain to think of an excuse for what had just happened. But in the end all she could say was I'm sorry before breaking down in tears.

"Inoue, please don't cry. Just tell us what happened." Ichigo said gently. No matter what he thought had just happened, Orihime was his friend, a friend who he had battled for even in the most hopeless situations, and he hated to see her cry. She would have a good reason for whatever she had just tried to do, he was sure.

As Orihime's sobs subsided she looked up pleadingly at Ichigo's face. She had to make him understand why she'd done what she had done. But every time she looked at him, all she could think of was what he had become during his last battle, which made her almost too nervous to string a sentence together.

"Ichigo, please understand I didn't do anything to hurt you. After you became… after you changed, Ulquiorra changed too. He realized what a heart is, why we fight for our friends. He… he wanted forgiveness." Orihime began, shaking.

Ichigo looked shocked. Although he knew Orihime would never lie, he could not, would not believe that something as huge as a hollow having a heart would ever be possible.

"Inoue, I…" He tried to reply, but was cut off by Orihime trying to explain what had happened.

She slowly began her tale, Ichigo and Uryu gasping open mouthed at the right places, although Uryu was not in the state to do much else and so did not join in when Ichigo jumped up in shock after Orihime told them how Ulquiorra now appeared to be human.

"He's WHAT?!" Ichigo exclaimed, shocking Orihime back into silence. The Cuatro Espada has now human! As the rest of what had happened was told, Ichigo began to worry. Orihime clearly thought that the former Arrancar was now redeemed but Ichigo was not so sure. Where had he ran off to if he was so redeemed? Surely he would wish to stay with the one person who had helped him find his so called heart. Ichigo couldn't help but suspect that Ulquiorra had ran off back to his master like a good little lap dog. But he didn't voice these concerns to Orihime, who had now set about healing Uryu, as he was worried that in her current state anymore blows to her resolve would cause her to completely crumble.

Ichigo made a snap decision. Seeing that the healing process was almost complete he grabbed Orihime by the arm, gently but with a sense of authority.

"Kurosa-" shocked, she began to revert back to her honorific use of Ichigo's name but he cut her off with a small smile.

"No time Inoue, we've got to get back to the real world, the battle's just beginning!"

At first, Orihime could not quite grasp what he was saying. Return to the real world? Ridiculous. They couldn't go back, not until they found Ulquiorra anyway! He could be out there all alone, and vulnerable now he was no longer a hollow. No, she couldn't go back, not yet anyway.

As Ichigo began to drag her away she snapped out of her reverie and realized she had to take action to stop her Nakama from dragging her all the way back to Karakura.

"Koten Zanshun – I reject!" She cried as Tsubaki leapt from her hairpins. He did not shoot to kill, but used enough power to shock Kurosaki into dropping Orihime's hand.

Ichigo looked on in awe as Orihime ran off into the desert, back towards Las Noches, the place he had just come to rescue her from.

"I'm sorry Ichigo, but I have to find him!" She called out as she ran, looking back only for an instant.

A groan came from behind him. Turning he saw that Uryu had fallen to the ground once again. He was in worse shape than he'd originally thought. Better try and find Hanataro he thought, sensing his reiatsu somewhere in the area. Orihime seems pretty determined to find the Espada, but if I don't get Uryu to a healer he's not gonna make it…

And so with one last look of regret he flash stepped back the way he came – the opposite way to Orihime.

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Draw your sword Ulquiorra,, let us finish this quickly. Sosuke Aizen's words echoed in Ulquiorra's ears as he grasped Murcielargo's viridian hilt and drew out his sword.

Anger flared up in him as he looked into the eyes of his now former master as he drew Kyoka Suigetsu from it's sheath. Ulquiorra was not one to let his anger show in his face, as impassive as it was but his reiatsu did all the talking for him.

"My my, what a temper you've developed" Aizen mocked as Ulquiorra's grip tightened on his sword. With a roar the former Espada leapt at his enemy with intent to drive Murcielargo straight through Aizen's shriveled heart.

But Aizen was quick, he leapt aside and landed a straight shop with his hand against Ulquiorra's back which sent him flying into one of the crumbling pillars. He rose from the rubble, battered but still willing to continue and faced the Shinigami once again.

"Is that all you've got Ulquiorra? How weak you are. I must say I'm shocked, I thought even as a human you'd have quicker reactions than that at." Aizen taunted from the other side of the room.

Ulquiorra said nothing. He deemed words unnecessary at this point, and instead focused his efforts on how he would defeat the man before him. Deciding he would make one last attempt at a direct hit, Ulquiorra raced towards the chestnut haired man who stood stoic, waiting for his attack. Too slow Ulquiorra thought as he brought his sword up above his head, ready to strike. And then, just as he brought his sword down to Aizen's neck he felt a slash rip across his back. A searing pain took over his entire body as he felt blood gush freely from his wound.

"What a disappointment" Aizen sneered, now behind him, sheathing Kyoka Suigetsu once more. "I would of thought you'd at least realize I released my Shikai. But no, what trash you've become. Farewell, former Cuatro" And with that Lord Aizen opened a garganta and returned to the battle of fake Karakura, his laugh echoing around the walls of Las Noches.

A short battle indeed…

Crimson pooled around the body of the defeated man, his uniform stained red. Aizen had been ruthless, and accurate. An artery had been opened and the blood poured by the bucket load as the hollow turned human prepared to die from loss of blood. As his eyes began to glaze over, Ulquiorra swore he saw an angel appear in the doorway before him. A yellowy white light surrounded her, her auburn hair blowing gently in the wind.

"ULQUIORRA!" Her voice rang out. She knows my name he thought sadly. Fading slowly into the black abyss of unconsciousness the last thing Ulquiorra heard was the echo of the angel's feet running towards him and then… nothing.

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Our poor Ulquiorra isn't having much luck is he! But fear not, I have some good plans for the next few chapters ;)

Please let me know what you think!