Chapter 5

El Contendiente Cuidado ("The Cautious Contender")

He couldn't say he saw them coming, but Ulquiorra expected Orihime's friends to suddenly appear and give him a rather difficult time. If he weren't in his human shell, Ulquiorra wouldn't give a moment's thought to conveying an emotion other than disgust towards the other humans. Since he was in a strange situation—being without any powers and having a weak, mortal body—the former Espada opted for a calmer solution: speak to Ichigo Kurosaki and his friends with as much civility as he could muster.

However, the moment he opened his mouth, Kurosaki leapt over the stunned Orihime and Tatsuki, his rage apparent in his brown, narrowed eyes. "Ulquiorra!" he bellowed with a fist pulled back, ready to strike, not hiding his intention to hurt Ulquiorra.

In spite of leaving on a single term of understanding in Hueco Mundo, Ulquiorra knew the meaning of Kurosaki's desire to pummel him without hesitation. Ulquiorra nearly killed the orange-haired boy, Orihime, and anyone else who posed a threat to Aizen's master plan. Even in a human body, Ulquiorra, an outsider, was a threat to everyone around him.

And Kurosaki must've known that.

But existing within his personality, Ulquiorra's pride wouldn't allow Kurosaki the satisfaction of actually hitting him. He prepared to dodge the angered fist, and if need rose, he would defend himself with his own fists.

"Kurosaki!" Orihime's high-pitched voice tore through the air. Kurosaki's eyes widened. Ulquiorra remained rooted in his place, unperturbed by Orihime's actions. A mass of long, orange hair blocked his view of Kurosaki, and Orihime lifted her arms to stop.

To Ulquiorra, this was typical of her to step in without thinking. For all she knew, Kurosaki could break one of her shields and hurt her, making him feel guilty or angry. Ulquiorra did not care for how Kurosaki felt, but he had come to understand Orihime's reactions since they first met. She just disliked violence and darkness and sad things in general. It was this quality in her that Ulquiorra began to respond to. Now, as Kurosaki stopped his attack and stood back, bewildered by Orihime's predictable intervention, Ulquiorra wondered how someone who was her friend didn't think that she would shield him.

"Inoue," Kurosaki murmured in disbelief before he composed himself. Anger replaced the surprise, and Kurosaki took a step towards Orhime. "Why are you protecting him? He was an Espada!"

"But he's not one anymore!" Orihime fired back, surprising Kurosaki again. Ulquiorra noted how everyone seemed to react as swiftly as Orihime, their expressions changing like the wind. It was rather comical to see them so emotional. "He's not a bad person, Kurosaki."

This statement seemed to irk Kurosaki. "What're you talking about? He's the one who kidnapped you! He wanted all of us dead!" he screamed as if trying to push his words into Orihime's body. "He's a Hol—"

Before Kurosaki could finish his irate speech, a wave of murky spiritual energy moved through the air, causing everyone in Orihime's home to shudder with fear. Even Ulquiorra wasn't immune to the depth of spiritual energy that signified the presence of a powerful Hollow.

A loud crash was heard from the outside of Orihime's home, and Ulquiorra caught a glimpse of a grey arm moving behind Orihime's group of friends.

"Kurosaki." It was all Ulquiorra could say to get his attention before the grey arm suddenly entered the home, knocking everyone in its way, until its burly fingers wrapped around Orihime and pulled her out of the place. Kurosaki, in his slow and weak human form, called out Orihime's name and dashed out of the home. The others quickly pursued Kurosaki, screaming Orihime's name along the way. Ulquiorra, on the other hand, calmly exited the home and looked over the edge of the building.

The Hollow wasn't as big as he expected, but his arms were very long. His white mask was wide, making the black holes appear more like slits. It screamed, sending a current of dark energy into the air, as it stamped around mindlessly, leaving deep footprints into the street. The others were running towards him, Kurosaki already in his Soul Reaper uniform and his dark-skinned friend with his purple arm ready to strike.

Ulquiorra watched as the Hollow remembered the prize in his hand, giving Orihime a toothy smile. It began to laugh gleefully, and Ulquiorra felt disgusted at the monster. "Now I have you!" growled the Hollow.

"Inoue!" Kurosaki yelled, raising his Zanpakutou to fire an attack. The Hollow laughed again, a grey tail emerging from behind it and striking the moving Soul Reaper. The tail moved so quickly that Kurosaki didn't have time to dodge it, falling back.

"Kurosaki!" Orihime cried out, frightened.

The Hollow laughed as he swatted the dark boy away with his tail. This Hollow wasn't as dumb as the one Ulquiorra encountered the night before. It meant that this monster was more dangerous, and thus, should be removed from existence.

"Sado!"

Despite these thoughts, Ulquiorra remained still. He contemplated how he, a human, could defeat a Hollow without any powers.

"Help me!"

But he wasn't so powerless. He knew he wasn't. He felt it in his body. There was something inside him that said he wasn't weak.

Ulquiorra found himself running for the stairs. His human legs were strange, like they weren't steady and reliable, but he didn't stop to find out why. Stepping onto the street, Ulquiorra couldn't see the Hollow as clearly, but he noticed Tatsuki near the stairs, tending to Kurosaki's human body. She watched the scene with worried eyes. Like him, this girl was only a human, but it seemed she had already resigned herself to keeping her distance.

Ulquiorra didn't want to be like her. What do I want to be? The question entered his mind without permission. What do I want to do?

He saw tears in Orihime's eyes as she was held by the Hollow, her friends climbing to their feet as its tail rose in the air to hit them again.

"Kurosaki! Sado!"

The soul that Ulquiorra held an interest in Orihime, and Orihime alone, but her friends were people she held dear, close to the heart that intrigued him in the first place. From his perspective, Ulquiorra acknowledged that her heart lied within the beating hearts of her friends. If he didn't save them, she would surely die as well.

But he was only human, and humans were weak.

A familiar feeling washed over him as he watched the Hollow batted the other humans away with its massive tail. Her eyes filled with tears flashed in front of his eyes. Back Hueco Mundo, she wanted to save him. From what, he wasn't sure. But he suddenly understood Orihime. They wanted the same thing. They didn't want to be weak. They didn't want their lives held hostage by the powerful. What they had was something that no one else could rip away simply by gouging out their hearts.

At that moment, within a small distance, Ulquiorra could hear Orihime's heart.

Someone save me.

She was calling out to him, and Ulquiorra wanted to respond. His body seemed to react on its own will, a pressure building within his heart as if something new had pierced with strength. Although faint, a green light began to emerge from his skin like smoke.

He knew what he wanted.

Next chapter: Los Manos de los Reales

Orihime and Ulquiorra are taken through deja vu.

A/N: Please review!