Author's Notes: This is it, the last chapter of Heartless Love. The conclusion to my first chapter story, and boy, was it a blast! Spoiler alert, If you are not up to date on current Bleach events, this one spoils them all, so don't read if you're not updated, I don't like to spoil surprises, but I also want you to enjoy the final chapter, so I'll leave it at read at your own risk. It brings me, the author, great honor to present to you, the reader, the heart-rendering conclusion of the outstanding tale of humor and romance: Heartless Love. *sniff* Enjoy! This proud author will be bringing you more stories of great soon, and until then...FMASTA9...out.
Chapter 7: Eventually, war came, and the need for a relationship for anyone and everyone was forgotten. Couples broke up in order to focus their goals for battle, which lead to the inevitable break-up of the three couples. They all seemed to take it overly well. Apache broke up with Szayel Aporro, or rather, Szayel Aporro broke up with Apache that night at the café, so it was made simple for them. Yammy pouted a little when Mila-rose broke the news to him, but let her go, which made Mila-rose proud of his strong will power. It was Ulquiorra that broke up with Sun-sun, however, but the results were as expected. They closed their eyes in one last embrace, Sun-sun shedding a single tear, before walking in opposite directions, neither showing any emotion as to their actions (disregarding the single tear as a mistake in her weakness). Several long months past, the events of yesterday long forgotten in the preparation for war, neither male nor female arrancars paid the slightest mind to thoughts of love. Even the three couples showed little indication of ever having a relationship with each other chance they met face to face for whatever reason, acting as if nothing had ever happened between them being the norm for both persons in their interaction with the other. There was only the battle, there was to be no other focus, such was the will of Lord Aizen. One by one, comrade after comrade fell to the power of their foes, the soul reapers. Though few cared for their deaths, there were some who did for specific fallen. Aaroniero and Grimmjow were shockers, especially Grimmjow, who had been taken down by his own ally, espada number five, Nnoitra Jiruga. Their deaths were of concern to most, unlike those of lowly arrancars, as they were espada, the ones who stood on the top of the food chain, which meant their foes were quite powerful. Eventually, the girls were forced to fight, ending their battle with the inevitable scene of death, Apache, Mila-rose, and Sun-sun lay dying amongst the rubble, yearning for the loving protection of their boyfriends in hopes they would save them from their agony. When Apache perished, Szayel Aporro sensed it, but paid it no mind, as he had no regrets, unlike her. He simply focused his released form's power on destroying his enemies who mocked his genius; after all, love was merely a needless emotion in the brain that made arrancars weak and people stupid. He had no need for it. When Mila-rose met her death, it came as a sensation of loss to Yammy, who was in the middle of scarfing down his humongous lunch at his house. Of course, due to the fight they had weeks before, his only reaction came out to be: "Dumv vitch! Vway do get youzelf gilled!," Yammy cursed, his mouth still full of food. He heaved a big sigh and downed another cream roll, pondering her death for an estimated two minutes before considering it weak and shoving it out of his mind. He then decided to go for a walk in order to sort out his thoughts, as well as find something to beat up or make fun of to cure his boredom. And when Sun-sun breathed her last, Ulquiorra sensed her despair of dying immediately, despite being in another dimension, compliments of Grimmjow. He decided to mourn Sun-sun's loss by increasing his spiritual pressure; as to break through the wall he had spent hours trying to get out of faster. Ulquiorra seemed more angry then sad. Perhaps because he looked so sad all the time he had unusually high potential for anger. When he finally got out, arriving conveniently in the throne room, he was informed of his new position: Protector of Los Noches. Of course he'd accept Lord Aizen's command without hesitation, he even enjoyed the idea, his feelings of servitude masking his feelings of leadership that emerged when the order was received. It was his passion since creation to lead all of Hueco Mundo, but his natural chivalry stance always got in the way. The only other person in the room was Orihime Inoue, the arrancar's P.O.W. and one of the primary causes for the war. He had slightly less respect for her now, feeling she was a main factor in Sun-sun's death, but he didn't show it, his calculating mind treating the last thought as utter nonsense and his natural sad expression masked his thinking to an extreme. His mind, however, was confused with the sudden change in emotion, making his previous blame for her overlap his logic. He stared at her with enraged eyes for her purpose in this war, blaming her once again as a primary cause for the death of his loved one: Sun-sun, who was possibly the only one he ever could, ever would, truly love with the passion they shared. Ulquiorra sat in the throne and placed his hands to his face. Never would he have anyone to look forward to if he were to survive this war, the thought transformed his newfound rage into the usual depression, only much more intense, so much so that it made his mind race with emotion and thought, all centered around his loss. He breathed in and gave a great sigh of despair, realizing he was alone once again, alone in the moment of the realization of his dream where he hoped someone were their to share his happiness. Instead, there was no one…just a worthless human he didn't even care about. All he really wanted was to hold Sun-sun in his arms again, passionately hold her in their feelings of true love in the moment of his coronation as protector of all of Los Noches. But it was a feeling he knew would never come. She was gone from his life…forever, and it made him feel empty, truly empty, more hollow than he had ever felt in all of his existence as a hollow, a being symbolic of emptiness. This was his nature…and he cherished the feeling, for it would be the feeling he would carry with him into battle. Feeling that he would spread to his foes across the battlefield, making them feel true despair for their loss, a feeling he knew all to naturally would be known to his enemy as well, of that he would assure them when he joined the battle. Orihime walked up to him and saw his troubled state, which naturally aroused feelings of concern in her, despite Ulquiorra being her enemy. "Are you…okay?" Ulquiorra paused, removed his hands from his expressionless face, and stood up from his seat on the throne. Without even looking at her, Ulquiorra shot a pure green cero from his finger. It passed through the wall and into the seemingly endless desert, which was followed by the resonating sound of a building in the distance blowing up, leaving doubt as to anything remaining of it's existence judging by the power of his cero. Orihime shuddered at his power. Ulquiorra's finger, the one that the cero was fired from seconds ago, lay just above her shoulder. He could have obliterated her from existence if he truly wanted too. Ignoring her expression of those who have seen death stare back at them, Ulquiorra moved his finger to her chest. "What is a heart?" Orihime snapped back into reality at his question, but hesitated to answer him out of fear. "If I tear open your chest, will I find it there? If I smash open your skull, will I find it there? You humans speak of this heart as if hold it in your hand. I, however, refuse to believe in such nonsense. Unless you can somehow prove me wrong, I will deny the existence of this heart." His cold tone froze her in fear. Orihime was currently unable to comprehend his questions and answer him in a way that would make him understand and not seriously injure or even kill her. Ulquiorra's death stare wasn't helping her situation either, she felt ready to beg for her life in hopes he wouldn't kill her, even if it wasn't his intention to. Her silence acted as proof of doubt in his mind, he scoffed at this, and proceeded down the empty hallway in content for his correct state of mind. "I sense Ichigo is on his way, I must warn you, be prepared for the inevitable if he appears before me, for it is unlikely he will be alive in the end. This time…there will be 'no mercy'." Orihime gasped at his statement, the statement having the desired effect: Preparing her mind for the agonizing experience of despair she would receive from his killing of 'her' loved ones. He did this not out of a motive for revenge, but out of habit for those he wished to instill sorrow into. He admitted himself to be slightly nervous, however, for the anticipation of his fight at full power with Ichigo. Knowing his power stemmed from his drive to protect his friends and loved ones, counting Orihime as a loved one, he will likely be forced to do the forbidden: Releasing his Resurrección within Los Noches, something he would likely see to finding a loop-hole of sorts as to allow it without abandoning his pride for his home. He would most likely reveal his trump card as well: Segunda Etapa, Ulquiorra's second Resurrección unique to himself alone amongst his fellow espada and the true form of his emotion, that of pure agony and despair. Ulquiorra would prove that love conquers all, through the loss of his own, by the power he held secret for so long. He would be relentless in his rage for the death of his loved one, expressing his feelings whether he had a heart or not. It would be a true testament to his kind's form of…heartless love.