So, sorry this is a little late into the night. I was sick all day, I had my computer go missing for the first part of the day, and there was a horrible party thrown in my honor that I had the pleasure of baking for. XD It was a nice thought, but I really don't like big events... I mean, I'd rather just sit and watch TV with everyone while we have popcorn. Anywho, enough of my whining! On with the story!

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The sands of the desert were supposed to be hot- scorching, even. Orihime had been to the beach. She loved the feel of the burning sand under her feet- it kept you hoping from foot to foot, trying to find a spot of shade of water washed up and cooled from the ocean. Orihime had always really liked the hot sand against her skin, the suntan seeping into her skin. She loved the warmth of the sands.

Here the sands were cold- brittle, dry. The winds were chilled and harsh, the moon the only light in the sky. The moon itself seemed to shine beams of ice over the endless expanse of the desert. The cold, cold desert.

She had never liked the cold.

About her the sands whipped in the wind, stirring her hair up and getting in her dress, the dry hard grains scathing over her skin uncomfortably. She could tell she was dreaming- there was no Los Noches anywhere in the distance, even when she turned all the way around twice.

"Princess."

She turned around again, this spin the third. Her sandals were getting full of sand, the cold specks almost painful freezing in between her toes and chafing the skin there.

Orihime was surprised to find the leader of her Shun Shun Rika right behind her; his red robes the only color other than his blond hair. In the world of black and white, even her powers had been robbed of most their color.

"Shun'Ō." She said, blinking in surprise. He wasn't his usual small self- he was just as tall as any other human. A strand of her orange hair whipped out in front of her face, which she quickly tucked behind her ear.

"You're not happy hear." He said, crossing his arms with a soft from.

She felt her eyes widen slightly. "I'm not unhappy." She said honestly. "I'm really happy here with Ulquiorra-kun and the others."

The fairy turned his back to her, searching far off in the distance. "You will be."

She tilted her head to the side, confused. "What…?"

He turned back to her, eyes beseeching her. "You should go home. Before you…" He stopped, slowly trailing off. He looked off into the distance, and then sighed.

"You're going to have to make a choice." He eventually said. "And when the time comes, I hope that you'll go back home. It's not good for us to be here- not you, not anyone."

She slowly frowned. "But… I…"

"Just think about it, okay?" He looked up at her, seeming ages ahead of himself, hollow bone like wings a testament to skin a shade paler than it had been. "Because… we don't like seeing you unhappy; none of us. And things are going to become very… lonely. And we…" He just shook his head, turning away from her again.

"What… I don't understand." Orihime stepped forward, a hand outstretched to the leader of her powers. "Can you explain it to me, please? I want to understand-"

"He's waiting for you."

"What?"

Shun'ō looked waved a hand in the air, his usual smile returning. "Bye, princess. We'll see you when the time comes!"

She blinked, and suddenly, it was just she in the sands again. The bleak desert sands.

~)o0o(~

"Onna?"

Orihime blinked open her eyes to see Ulquiorra's number four tattoo- they had once again slept curled around each other for the night, finding comfort in the touch of the other. There was a quiet hunger bubbling up in her stomach, and suddenly she found herself wishing for real food. Peppered strawberries with mint, honey, and fried rice sounded like the perfect thing for the morning.

"Good morning, Ulquiorra." She yawned, stretching her body out alongside his, curling her toes as her eyes slid shut lazily.

He wasn't in as pleasant a mood as she was. "They're demanding to see you."

She scrunched up her face in confusion. "Hmm?"

"The shinigami boy and his companion. They- especially he- are demanding to see you." He said it somberly, slightly agitated. "Tia Halibel has been keeping them all night, but there is only so much even she can do."

Orihime pouted. "You're talking like they're annoying."

His blank stare told her how right her guess was.

She stuck her bottom lip out even further. "Ulquiorra!"

"That is completely unattractive." He informed her tightly. "And if you do not get out of bed and dress yourself now, when the brash Soul Reaper trash storms my door you will be put in an awkward situation."

She sighed, dropping her head back onto his warm chest, not minding all too much that there was no heartbeat pulsing under her ear. "I just want to lay here a little longer- I'll get up before Kurosaki-kun gets here." She smiled a little, wrapping her arms around his torso, smiling even wider when he returned the gesture. "How did she manage to get him to leave you alone all night?"

"He would not leave the other Soul Reaper's side, and she was talking with the intruder from yesterday, the one that fool Grimmjow is so infatuated with." She was sure that if he were fully emotionally functioning, Ulquiorra would have rolled his eyes. "She was quiet intrigued with talk of the Soul Society."

Orihime nodded slightly. "Yeah. Rukia-san is like that some times." She smiled, thinking fondly of the man who had once been the object of her heart's desires- she was happy for him and Rukia; they made each other happy. She realized that Rukia was the only one who could keep Ichigo happy long, long ago, but she was ready to accept that the woman was with her childhood crush now with no embarrassment- she just looked back on her times fawning over Ichigo with happiness, glad that he hadn't been one to take advantage of her or return her feelings. If he had, where would she be with Ulquiorra?

"You should get yourself ready." He reminded her again.

"Just a few more minutes." She was warm and content, all of the battling from the day before had taken its toll on her. "I thought you weren't a morning person, anyway."

"I am merely concerned for you, Onna." He leaned further back into the bed, his hand running over her head and smoothing out her hair. "This is the last time I will tell you to rise."

"In a second." She closed her eyes, pulling the blankets back over her shoulder. After a moment of silence, she started to speak, her eyes still closed. "Can we get some things from the World of the Living for my stay here? Like maybe the blankets from my bed? Oh! And my books and stuffed animals. And Sora's picture."

"Sora. That is your brother?"

She looked up at Ulquiorra, lightly smiling to herself. He actually cared. Ulquiorra Cifer- the man without a heart. He cared. It made her deliriously happy. "Yeah. He passed away when I was younger. Then he came back as a hollow. That's how I really came to know Kurosaki-kun and Rukia-san. He saved me. But, really, in the end, I guess it was really Sora who saved me from himself. He didn't choose to become hollow, so he was able to change back for just a second and then pass on."

He nodded, listening intently to her. That was another thing that she loved about him- he actually listened to her and considered her stories. He didn't ask if she was scared, or how it made her feel. He just listened and let her explain herself.

"I guess I was kind of scared at first, but… He was still Sora. I love him, not matter what form he is. It doesn't matter if he's hollow, or human, or shinigami. I still love him anyway he is."

For a second there was a pause, and she was able to be comfortable in his arms as he stroked her hair. Finally, after a moment or so, he asked "Does the same go for everyone you know? Does it matter to you whether they are human, Soul Reaper, or hollow?"

She looked up into his eyes at the question, knowing that he wasn't really interested in how she thought of 'everyone'. He was asking because he wanted to know if the same went for him. So, of course, she gave him a quick happy answer.

"No... it doesn't matter what form. I only care about their hearts."

And then, of course, the moment had to be ruined.

BAM!

The door to the living room flew in, the sound loud even in the bedroom. Orihime jumped, her head flying up to look at the door dividing the bedroom from the other room the only thing left between them and the intruder.

BAM!

And then it was gone, too, and Ichigo was standing there looking pissed as hell with Rukia yelling for him to wait as she ran to him from the hallway.

Whoa. Dejavu.

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Sorry the chapters are so small lately...

355 reviews. You guys. I. Am. Dying. You are amazing! I never thought I would ever get this far! Thank you so, so much! / I hope everyone continues to like this story- next chapter up on Wednesday!