bChapter 16

/b

i"My stealth forces have confirmed the reiatsus in the apartment. They belong to the human, Orihime Inoue, and the Cuatro Espada of Aizen Sosuke's army, Ulquiorra Cifer," one of the captains explained.

"That was one hell of a waste of time!" the other captain complained. "I wish that damn Espada would have been there… That'd have been the fight of my life!"

A demonic smile spread across the captain's face.

"Very well," Yamamoto ignored the comments of the latter captain. "I will decide our next moves and call a captain's meeting when I have come to a decision concerning this matter. You are dismissed."

/i

Several days after the final battle against Aizen Sosuke, Kurosaki Ichigo continued to lay motionless in his coma-like state of being…

iEverything is black. This place is a huge empty void. My mind is a huge empty void. There's no sound, no light, no life. My energy is quickly draining, I can't breathe. It feels as if I'm going to suffocate from the sheer power of the darkness.

Wait… what's that? There's a crack of light… a rush of air! But my strength, my power, it only seems to drain from me faster, now seeping out of the crack in this darkness. What is happening to me?/i

Kuchiki Rukia and Kurosaki Isshin watched Ichigo, worried. How long was it going to take him to wake up?

"Pfew!" Orihime breathed. She had finally finished cleaning up the groceries she had bought that morning and cut the tags off of all the clothes before sticking them in the washer. It was only then that she realized that strange mood that was radiating off of the Ulquiorra Cifer.

Orihime Inoue had always been good at reading people's emotions, even the stoic Cuatro Espada's; but this emotion was so confused, so… pained, that Orihime couldn't figure it out.

iWhat is this pain? This anger? This hatred? This confusion for feeling all of this at once and for a reason I do not fathom, nor do I think I could fathom at the moment?/i the Espada sat on his Onna's couch pondering his emotions and trying to convince himself that the Shinigami hadn't visited the very apartment he was sitting in just hours ago. The intelligent green-eyed arrancar had already come up with several highly possibly theories as to why the said people would visit, but his heart refused to accept the consequences that both Ulquiorra and his heart knew would come, extremely soon.

Orihime frowned for a split second before smiling enormously and skipping over to lay against Ulquiorra with her arms wrapped around his torso on the couch. She sighed contently, forgetting the Espada's strange mood.

iWhat is my Onna doing?/i No matter how many times Orihime touched him, Ulquiorra always felt the same jolt of electricity in his chest. It was almost as if she had jump started his heart…

How many more times was it going to take him to get used to this? How many more times was he going to make his Onna wait for a simple hug to come naturally? Ulquiorra Cifer knew it was his duty now to not only protect his Onna, but also to take care of her and give her everything she wanted. If she wanted a hug, then so be it.

An image of the couple that had passed by him while shopping flashed through his mind as he secretly vowed to himself that he would do nothing but make this Onna happy, if it cost him his life.

But… was he now truly human? Was he like his Onna, like the Quincy, like Sado Yasutora? Was the Cuatro Espada no longer the Cuatro Espada, but instead a human with superhuman powers?

These thoughts utterly disgusted Ulquiorra, but he couldn't get the strange feeling out of his heart that he had felt when he saw the couple holding hands…

Consciously knowing it was illogical to succumb to his human "half", he wrapped his arm around his Onna, who sighed and slumped against him comfortably.

Ulquiorra knew he only acted this way around his Onna… He knew that she was the only reason he was human. He did not hate her for it, nor did he regret becoming human, as strange as that sounded to him.

Out of the ruins of the wall Orihime had destroyed singlehandedly, the Espada began to build a new wall, one out of an indestructible resolve to protect and give everything for her.

Ulquiorra Cifer was slowly tasting the rich savory flavor of what humans referred to as "love".

Several hours later, Orihime nearly began to fall asleep. Ulquiorra saw this, and wanting to provide as much comfort for his Onna as possible, gently picked her up, like a porcelain doll that would break if he held her to roughly, and carried her to her bedroom. Setting Orihime down on one side of the rather large, queen-sized bed, Ulquiorra pulled the sheets back, picked up his Onna once more, and placed her carefully under the sheets. He turned to walk out of the room.

As the Espada's hand reached the light switch and flicked it off, he froze when he heard Orihime's voice call out to him.

"Don't leave," there was a painful expression in her sleepy eyes that shot him to the core as Ulquiorra turned to look at her.

iWhy would my Onna want me to stay?/i Ulquiorra would never grasp or fathom why Orihime had fallen for him.

"Please," she whispered again, more painfully than the first time. "Don't go…"

Ulquiorra could bring himself to leave. His heart was on a chain which was in the hands of the Onna who was so pleadingly pulling him towards her, like an inescapable black hole. The Espada didn't even feel his feet move as he walked back towards the Onna's side, taking a seat on the edge of the bed.

Orihime's next move would have surprised even her if he hadn't been half asleep. She gently tugged at Ulquiorra's torso, wanting so desperately just to hold him like a giant, breathing teddy bear.

Slightly surprised by the boldness of his Onna, Ulquiorra complied, continuously building his new wall of resolve brick by brick. How long was it going to take for this wall to be complete?

Stiffly, he laid down next to Orihime with his back on the mattress and facing the ceiling. Letting out a sigh he didn't know he had kept pent up, he slowly relaxed into his Onna's embrace.

There was an all too familiar butterfly sensation in Ulquiorra's stomach; the Espada half of him was utterly disgusted by it, while the now-human half of him wanted to feel those butterflies for the rest of eternity.

Ulquiorra Cifer knew all too well that he was becoming human. He was becoming weak, emotional human trash. For some reason that thought didn't bother the Espada as much as it should have as he drifted off to sleep embracing his Onna…

iIt's the same darkness as before. There's absolutely nothing here… Why am I here again? What happened to the brilliant light that flashed across the sky for a mere second? Wait… there it is again! The light, the life, the colors… they're all coming back! But why is it traveling further away? I'm being dragged by the darkness that consumes this place.

Let go of me! I need to get to the light so I too can have color and light and life in this meaningless existence! Don't drag me away…/i

Ulquiorra woke with a start. It was only several seconds later that he realized that Orihime had been trying to shake him awake. He looked into his Onna's concerned eyes, trying to figure out why she had been trying to wake him. Then he noticed the tears in her eyes and on her cheeks.

"Ulquiorra-san," relief spread across her face as she buried her tear stained face in the Espada's chest.

"What is it, Onna?" Ulquiorra was becoming used to humans' habits of curiosity and caring.

"I… I," new sobs interrupted what Orihime was trying to tell the Cuatro Espada.

Ulquiorra knew he was supposed to comfort his Onna; that was part of his new resolve after all. But how was he supposed to comfort when all he had known just a month ago was stoicism and hatred? Trying to mimic what he had seen his Onna do several times to try and comfort her friends after a battle, he wrapped his arms around her and held her against his chest, letting her cry it out.

After what seemed like hours, Orihime's breathing he returned to normal, and the tears had stopped streaming like a waterfall. Taking a deep breath, she found the strength to explain what had had her so upset.

"I had a dream," she began, keeping her head nestled against the Espada's chest. "I had a dream that… that I was the only light and color in an empty void of darkness. But I didn't mind… because I… I loved the darkness. But then the darkness was being pulled away from me, and I couldn't tell if it was my fault, if my light and color were seeping into the darkness and tainting it, or if it was being stolen from the void by and unseen force…"

Ulquiorra listened and didn't bother to hide his shock.

iMy Onna had the same dream as I, except she saw things out of a different perspective. While I observed things from the darkness, she saw things from the light.

What is the meaning behind this?/i Ulquiorra's mind was racing. Perhaps it had something to do with the Shinigami who had visited the apartment yesterday?

At the thought of the Shinigami, the Espada was wide awake and alert as ever. What if the enemy had decided to make their move while he and the Onna were sleeping? Ulquiorra frantically searched every last inch of Karakura Town for Shinigami reiatsu. It took less than a minute for the Cuatro Espada to confirm that the only Shinigami reiatsus in the area were Urahara Kisuke, Kurosaki Ichigo, Kurosaki Isshin, and Kurumadani Zennosuke (Note to Readers: You'll probably know him as "Afro-san".). Breathing a sigh of relief, he focused back on his Onna who was still in his arms.

"What is it, Ulquiorra-san?" Orihime didn't miss a single mood change, did she? Ulquiorra couldn't understand a single thing about his Onna.

"Your dream was similar to mine, that is all. I am certain there is no significance behind it," Ulquiorra easily lied, deceiving his Onna. It hurt him to lie for some odd reason; he had been able to lie without a second thought for centuries, so why did he feel this guilt now?

Sighing, Orihime Inoue, who, as always, was naïve and gullible, believed Ulquiorra and took comfort in his simple lie.

"Ulquiorra-san?" Orihime look the Espada in the eye. She never ceased to marvel the beautiful green color of his eyes.

"Yes, Onna?" Ulquiorra snapped his attention back to her.

"Do you want some breakfast?" Orihime's stomach growling gave away her own hunger.

"Yes," was Ulquiorra's simple reply.

iMy Onna eats tremendous portions, yet her stomach always seems to be making strange noises…/i Ulquiorra was slightly amused at the huge appetite Orihime possessed.

iMeanwhile in Soul Society…/i

"Let us begin," Head Captain Yamamoto Genryuusai had called a Captains' Meeting to inform the Gotei 13 about his decision regarding Ulquiorra Cifer in the World of the Living.

The twelve captains watched the head captain, anxiously awaiting the elder's decision.

"As many of you have heard, the Cuatro Espada is currently living in the World of the Living with the human, Orihime Inoue," several gasps and murmurs went through the line of captains. Why would Inoue-san be allowing the enemy to sleep under her roof?

"Silence," Yamamoto commanded. "I have come to a decision regarding this matter. I will send several of you, the Stealth Forces, and some of the vice-captains to the World of the Living to capture the Espada and bring him back. He is to be kept alive. Anyone who objects to this will be considered an enemy and treated as one."

Several of the captains who closely knew Orihime Inoue exchanged anxious and worried glances. What had the human girl gotten herself into?

"The captains Kuchiki Byakuya, Kyoraku Shunsui, Ukitake Jushiro, Soi Fon, and Hitsugaya Toushiro, along with the vice-captains Abarai Renji and Hisagi Shuhei will be part of the special unit being sent to capture Ulquiorra Cifer, the Cuatro Espada," the captains were shocked at the large number of captain- and vice-captain-class Shinigami being sent out.

"The special unit will leave in 48 hours, when the human, Orihime Inoue, is in school and won't be able to cause any trouble concerning Ulquiorra Cifer's capture. That is all."

The captains bowed and began making their way out of the meeting room, some of them going to inform their vice-captain that they will be part of the special unit sent out, some of them talking amongst one another.

iBack in Karakura Town…/i

"That was delicious!" Orihime purred. She had just finished eating what seemed like her millionth bowl of ramen. (Of course it was homemade ramen… meaning there had been unusual combinations swimming around in the bowl. Alongside the normal Chinese cabbage, Orihime had added carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, chocolate ice cream, and rice. Poor Ulquiorra didn't know that his Onna's food was considered "unusual" in the human world, and ate every single bite out of his bowl.)

It was then that the girl realized what time it was.

"It's only 6:00 AM!" Orihime exclaimed. Had she really woken up so early?

The door bell prevented Orihime from pondering the time, so she jumped up and skipped to the door.

"Tatsuki-chan!" Orihime exclaimed, hugging her friend.

"Good morning, Inoue-chan," Tatsuki smiled at the buoyant girl in front of her. "I was just out on my morning jog and noticed the light was on so I decided to drop by… did I interrupt something?"

Tatsuki glanced nervously around Orihime to see Ulquiorra sitting at the kitchen table, sipping coffee and nonchalantly watching the two girls.

"Oh no!" Orihime smiled. "We just finished breakfast."

"Oh okay…" Tatsuki turned her attention back to her friend. "I was wondering if you wanted to come to the Karate Dojo with me later."

"Sure!" Orihime chimed. "What time?"

"How about 11:00?"

"Sure!"

"Alright, see you then! Bye!" Tatsuki waved and jogged off down the street.

iAnd back in Soul Society…/i

Emergency Hell's Butterflies were sent off to all of the members of the special unit.

iAll special unit members are to meet at the Senkai Gate in 5 hours sharp. The scheduled time has been changed./i

Kurotsuchi-taichou grinned maniacally. Oh how he loved his "spying" equipment…