It's was just a few days ago that Ulquiorra had finally awoke from his coma-like state, and now he was being forced to the place humans go for most of their miserable lives, school—as the loony shop keeper would say it would help him "blend in." But he particularly didn't mind doing this being as he had nothing to do for the time being; Urahara had him under strict orders not to be left alone and Orihime did just that. For the past few days she was always hanging around him like a pest, the only time he had time to be left alone was when he went to the rest room, but you could be sure that Orihime was just outside those very doors.

"Woman," he had said to her as he came out, "I understand that you behaving this way are only under Urahara's orders to keep me out of sight from Soul Society but you don't have to be so thorough."

Pink splashed across her face as she grunted, "You can never be too careful!" clutching the bracelet that swayed upon her wrist. He stared at her and down to it, which she seemed to notice as her eyes went wide to this realization; she quickly pulled the sleeves of her school jacket over the bracelet and walked away as she did. "Well…It's almost time for your first day of school Ulquiorra!" she said cheerfully skipping towards the front door waving him forward. "Come on! Hurry and change into the clothes I laid out for you in the bedroom. You don't wanna be late."

"I'll be right out then," he called back rather softly, walking towards Orihime's bedroom door.

"Kay! I'll wait down stairs!" She closed the door behind her, he sighed rather relieved that he had a moment actually left completely alone. Again, he thought back to when he had awoken from his surreal dream with Murcielago and what he had said to him. Orihime had not known this, both Ulquiorra and Urahara thought it best to leave her in the dark. They believed ignorance for the time being would benefit them both if they were to live together, for now at least until they find a solution.

Back at the shop just days ago…

"Orihime, I need to speak with Urahara," he said as she stared a bit alarmed at the sound of the urgency in his voice for she had never heard him sound almost desperate and almost sad, maybe? From behind Orihime appeared the man Ulquiorra sought for, in such a swift entry that neither of them could hear or sense him. "Well well, good morning sleeping beauty!" he said sarcastically.

"Orihime," he continued with a smile on his face "would you help Tessai prepare dinner. I'm sure Ulquiorra is starving! Being fed through IV's is just not like the real thing don't you agree?"

She gasped and bolted up from Ulquiorra's bedside and marched towards the door "You're absolutely right! Poor Ulquiorra, I'm sorry I didn't realize! I'll get right on it." As she disappeared and as soon as they knew she was out of ear shot Ulquiorra skipped right to the chase.

"I need to restore my power," his eyes burning with intensity and urgency. "Is there a way that you can help me do that?" Urahara smiled in an almost cruel way and that was all they answer he needed. All the same the shop keeper answered "But of course." He shrugged as if it was no big deal, sighed and walked closer to Ulquiorra. "The question is do you have what it takes? To achieve Ichigo's Zangetsu himself took somewhat of work he even hollowfied," he said thinking back as to when Ichigo struggled to reconcile with his zanpakuto. "He was one tough cookie but Murcielago…I reckon he'll be even more headstrong and all the more powerful to subdue being as he originated from within you as a Hollow yourself." He paused, "And because of that you may revert back to being a Hollow if you're not strong enough to suppress Him. The least that will happen is you'll become a vizard I suppose." He sat next to him cross-legged and continued "Now tell me," he leaned in closer "what did your inner world look like? Or better yet, what did he say?"

Ulquiorra twitched; the man knew he would encounter his zanpakuto during the ordeal he put him through, but all the same he told him everything he experienced in that damp cold dark abyss-like inner world of his. "Also he continuously mentioned that I 'could not see'—I see perfectly fine." Urahara sat there unmoving; he said "I don't think sight is what he meant, per se." Ulquiorra waited for him to continue but rather he changed the subject drastically "Well," he sighed happily "we'll discuss this later on. But for right now you need to recover because if Orihime is cooking—well we both know we're gonna need all our strength for that! Hahaha! Oh and you'll be going to school starting the following Monday I'm sure you'll do great! We'll discuss this over din—"

"Mr. Kisuke Uraha—"

"One or the other, Urahara or Kisuke. No suffix please I sound old," the shop keeper gaged at the word as he walked towards the door.

"Urahara, will you assist me?"

Urahara turned as he opened the door and said solemnly "Yes, but..."

"Ulquiorra!" Orihime shouted from a distance. "Dinner is ready boys!"

"But tell me Ulquiorra…What about Orihime made you think of her in the darkness?"

Ulquiorra didn't really know himself but he still felt connected to her not only by the bond but also a bond that may have formed in Las Noches and also... "I had a duty to protect her in Las Noches and that's all there is to it, my job was never accomplished back then and now I must complete it."

Urahara sighed heavily in disappointment of his stoic response, "So you still believe it's only because you're indebted to her?" Ulquiorra said but stared blankly into his eyes.

"Well for now Orihime is going to be hovering over you for a while keep you out of sight. You gave her quite a scare and now as you know Soul Society is going to catch wind of your return, and I don't have the tools at my disposal at the moment to aid your request. But I will soon. When you awoke the spiritual pressure you emanated wasn't vast enough for them to notice but since your awakening…"

An all too familiar roaring cry was heard from a further distance. "Your presence has been attracting a lot of their attention, Mr. Popular. Hollows have been coming more frequent than not, and might catch other unwanted attention. So for now," the shaggy-haired man said stopping as he walked through the threshold and continued "let's lay low. For now, kay?" and with that he vanished in a swish and from Ulquiorra's bed he heard the sound of a firecracker-like* screech followed by another monster-like screech.

[Present time: walking to school]

"Hey," Orihime said calling Ulquiorra back to reality as they approached the school gate. "Yes?" he answered unfazed. "Here is your schedule, and well you already have your books and your uniform…" taking a moment stopping in her tracks to take a look at him. The white button up pressed and ironed, tucked nicely into his grey slacks. His tie tied perfectly almost all the way to the neckline with one button left undone at the top covered by the grey blazer making him look like the studious-handsome type. She smiled warm-heartedly stirring up his curiosity—which had been increasing with each day, "What is it?" he asked.

"It's nothing you look great," she said with a sigh. "So I was thinking I'll take this chance to go over your alibi: You studied abroad in Spain for the last 2 years—by the way do you speak Spanish?"

"Fluent."

"Wow, really? Could you speak some right now for me?"

"No."

"Aw you're a meanie! And would you smile once in a while?"

"No," he said abruptly and bluntly.

Orihime pouted "Your no fun. Well you studied in Spain, your living with your 'father' here in Japan—that would be Mr. Urahara. Oh no your names are different! Well uh—"

"I have my mother's name, my parents divorced and I came here to get to know my father who I knew so little about as a child," he interjected and continued into the school gates leaving Orihime bewildered.

"OH WOW! That's a great story," she said and ran to catch up but with too much enthusiasm that it made the wandering students in the court yard turn heads noticing a new student walking through their school gates with their uniform. The girls noticing and gawking at his dashing good looks and distant demeanor.

The whispers started:

"Oh my gosh!" one girl said to her group of friends followed by the rest of the girl student body all asking and saying the same things "I never seen him before. He must be a new student."

"Maybe he's mixed! Just look at his eyes, it's a dead giveaway!"

The guys on the other hand didn't really acknowledge it until they saw the prettiest girl in school strolling beside him.

"What is our princess (hime) doing with the new kid?"

"Maybe they already knew each other?!"

"She's so cute today!" the guys said as their eyes moved from her face going lower and lower drooling as they reached her voluptuous breasts bouncing as she walked.

Ulquiorra noticed and had an itch to block their view but held himself back thinking "It's no business of mine." But to ease the itch instead he simply stared causing them to snap out of their possibly disturbing boy fantasies about Orihime.

"Orihime!"

"Good morning Ichigo!"

Ichigo smiled briefly to Orihime and turned to Ulquiorra sending him a glare "Tch, I can't believe you're actually here…" he said under his breath as he turned to see Uryu and Chad walking towards them looking just as grim.

Tatsuki came behind Orihime "Hey Orihime!"

"Oh hi Tatsuki! How was your competition the other day..."

Their conversation stayed between them, as they converse Chad and Uryu came up to Ulquiorra with a nasty look. It's no surprise to Ulquiorra that Uryu confronted him first "Just so we're clear, I'm only going along with this for Orihime's sake. Even though she believes you have good in you. With or without your powers I still don't trust you." Chad said nothing but nodded in agreement.

"Quincy," Ulquiorra started. "I don't think I ever asked for your trust nor your aid in this façade but as of now I follow this woman's orders," he said glancing over to Orihime who was still in deep conversation. "So you see I don't need your trust only your cooperation."

Uryu looked annoyed at his reply. Chad asked something they all wondered "Why do you follow her anyway?" Ulquiorra didn't answer only looked over his shoulder to see her smiling face laughing. As his gaze still locked on her face he said "I'm not certain only that I know I can't leave her side." Orihime seemed to notice a pair of unmistakably emerald eyes burning a hole into her. His expression was so focused and alluring she couldn't say or do anything except feel the blood flooding into her face as say pondered "Why is he staring so intently? Is there maybe something on my face? But it feels…" she couldn't fill in the blank for that last thought because she has never felt something so indescribable something he didn't even know yet, or since.

Tatsuki looked to Orihime and to Ulquiorra noticing their seemingly unbreakable gaze. Waving her hands in front of her face to snap her out for the trance she called out "Orihime!"

Orihime shake her head bringing her back to reality "Oh I'm sorry," taking one last look at Ulquiorra to see if he it was a hallucination; but he just stood there looking towards the school building which reminded her.

"Oh right sorry Tatsuki but I'll see you in class I gotta take Ulquiorra to the office so they know he's here for his first day see you," she said waving her good bye but reaching for Ulquiorra's shoulder at the same time. "Come on," as he felt that single touch he quickly about-faced to fellow her lead walking slightly beside her but keeping a good distance, as a good subordinate would do—to not overshadow their commanding officer.

(Moments later in the classroom…)

"Alright class settle down," the teacher called out other the chatter, and whispers about the new mysterious student "We have a new student joining us today. You may come in young man," motioning to the door. As the door slid open the room became silent and the student sat on the edge of their seats craning their necks trying to get the first look of the new student. Ulquiorra walked in with a graceful stride as he made his way to the front of the class turning to face his new peers he searched for one in particular. Orihime sat right in the middle of the class surrounded by the boys who he noticed were from this morning, she noticed him looking at her and she simply smiled.

The teacher motioned Ulquiorra to the class "Go ahead and introduce yourself."

Ulquiorra bowed slightly to the class straightening up he said "It's a pleasure to meet you all, my name is Ulquiorra Schiffer," and as he said that he looked to the teacher for further instruction.

"Tell us more about yourself, son. Where are you from?"

"I've just arrived from Spain," keeping his composure he looked back at the teacher signaling he did not wish to go on. Seeing this, the teacher sighed and motioned to an open seat next the window behind Ichigo. He bowed to his teacher and was just about to make his way to his seat when the class erupted into a parade of questions primarily from his female counterparts,

"Ulquiorra are you mixed?"

"Can you speak Spanish?"

"Your skin so pale and radiant, what products do you apply?"

The teacher raised his hands towards the class signaling them simmer down, "Now class we must continue on with class!" And it took all but one question to lose control of his class.

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

The girls squeled but leaned in to entice an answer from him since he didn't seem to want to talk about him self, and with good reason, these girls wouldn't leave him alone if he did. "If you answer this one question we won't ask anymore!" murmurs of yeah's and yes's filled the room and the class became silent again. Ulquiorra stopped as a he reached his seat, looked over to Orihime who wasn't looking at him but fiddling with something under her desk, but he could see a splash of color creeping into her cheeks. He knew if he answered the question the questions wouldn't stop he knew that much for sure but he wanted to see Orihime's reaction. so he answered in an enticing voice that Orihime never noticed before making her turn her attention to him waiting for his answer.

"No I don't have one at the moment," Orihime blushed feeling silly that she thought he would say something other than the obvious. "But" he continued but paused hold her eyes with the immense gaze he gave her making her heart sped up watching his lips as he said dropping the gaze and looked out to the class again "my heart belongs to someone already." And remarkably to Orihime's surprise as he said those words his expression seemed softer somehow…

"Why would you say that?" she thought.

"Why did I say that?" he said to himself as he took his seat and tuned out the classroom that was gushing and exaggerating the situation. Yet again feeling that warm comfortable feeilg he felt before.