Bleach My Heart Was In Your Hands

She watched helplessly as Ichigo Kurosaki slashed Ulquiorra Cifer across the chest with crazed bloodlust, his yellow and black eyes gleaming.

Ulquiorra fell to the ground, and in her eyes, it was in slow motion.

Ulquiorra scoffed as he lay on the sand. "Curse you… I never imagined I would lose to a human who could transfer into a hollow. The very idea is ludicrous. " He gave a grunt of surprised pain as the beast rammed its foot against his head, and readied its cero. He continued to stare at his adversary, his eyes never wavering. "I see. You'll show no mercy. How very Hollow-like of you. "

The orb of red like glowed over Ulquiorra, increasing in momentum with each passing second, a clear promise of death.

She felt a shudder go through her as she watched the scene before her, and closed her eyes.

_**No.**_

_**Please…**_

Without thinking, she rose shakily to her feet, and rushed forward, ignoring Ishida's cry of protest.

_**I love him, **_she thought. _**Not the way I loved Kurosaki-kun, but more than that; I love him with all my heart.**_

Out of the corner of his eye, Ulquiorra caught a flash of white, and movement as she dashed behind the creature he'd fought. He felt his eyes widen in surprise as the reality of what she was going to do hit him. _**Don't, **_he pleaded silently. _**Not for me.**_

She reached Ichigo, and sprang forward. "Stop, Kurosaki-kun!"

Ulquiorra tried to rise against the pressure on his head, but it wouldn't relent. "Orihime…!"

Suddenly, a blinding flash of red light, followed by a searing pain hit the left side of his body, sending him flying several feet backwards as the impact blew a giant crater into the sand. As he was hurled through the air, he saw Orihime hanging on the long strands of Ichigo Kurosaki's hair for dear life. The creature howled in rage, trying to shake her off, but she held on. "Enough, Kurosaki-kun! You won! Stop! Please!" she implored.

Ulquiorra landed several feet away, his left arm and leg blown off. Gasping for air, ignoring the pain his wounds were causing, he spread his wings, and ascended into the air. _**I have to stop him, **_he thought. _**I have to save her. **_

The raging Hollow lashed out with its left hand, and caught Orihime across her left cheek. Her head snapped to the side with the force of its backhand, and the pain caused involuntary tears to spring to her eyes. _**I was too late,**_ she thought. Her grabbing Kurosaki's hair had deflected the cero aimed at Ulquiorra only so slightly, but it had struck his left side; she didn't know if he was alive or not.

Orihime felt the long strands slip from her grasp, but before she could regain her senses, a clawed hand clamped itself around the top of her head, and suspend her fall. She opened her eyes, and found an enraged pair of gold and black eyes burning into her own. _**Oh, no…**_

A dull, choking pain went right through her abdomen, and the Hollow let go of her head.

She was impaled on Zangetsu.

Ulquiorra circled around the base of the roof just in time to see his opponent run Orihime through. A sick feeling rose in the pit of his stomach as he maneuvered towards them, his eyes on the pale oval under the scarlet strands. She gave a choked cry of pain, and her agony was evident in her violet eyes as tears streamed down her cheeks.

It charged another cero.

Ulquiorra made a sharp turn towards them, determined to get her away from the monster she had saved him from.

He cried out in surprise as the cero was released, the blast driving him back in the air. Instinctively, he shielded his eyes from the glaring light, but not before seeing Orihime's shield which she had brought out at the last minute shatter under the full impact of the attack. Somewhere in the background, the Quincy shouted.

As the dust and rubble settled, Ulquiorra managed to levitate himself above the inferno, his eyes searching anxiously for the girl amidst the destruction. Seconds ticked by, agonizingly slow as he descended, searching.

And then he saw her.

She lay on her side in a broken heap, her clothing torn in certain places, the remaining cloth and parts of her exposed skin covered in blood. Even her beautiful hair was darker, and the dark substance pooled around her.

She was still.

Too still…

The Hollow was stalking towards her with deadly intent, sword in hand. As Ulquiorra neared them and charged up his lance, the stench of blood and burnt flesh reached his nostrils; he almost gagged as he recognized her reiatsu mingled with it.

The Quincy was struggling out from under the rubble, his eyes desperate. "Kurosaki!" he shouted. "It's Inoue-san you attacked!"

Ichigo Kurosaki didn't hear him, and the Hollow's eyes glowed with anticipation as they focused on its intended prey. Another cero began forming as the Hollow neared the fallen girl…

Ulquiorra dived in, his green lance at the ready, his jaw set. Slicing off one of the creature's horns, he ducked under the blast of the misfired cero as it flew into the sky, and snatched Orihime off the ground with his good arm. Without breaking his glide, he flew away from the scene, never bothering to see if they were being followed, not caring…

He entered the empty halls of Las Noches, cradling her in his lap as he collapsed against one of the pillars. Her reiatsu was weak, barely there, actually, and her head slumped against his good shoulder, like that of a broken doll…

Ulquiorra held her to him, trying to swallow the lump in his throat as he saw the telltale sign of blood trickling from the side of her mouth. He folded his wings around them, trying to shield them from the world around them.

"Ul…quiorra…?"

He turned towards the sound of her voice, and saw her gazing up at him weakly. A faint smile graced her lips. "You're alive…" she whispered. "I thought…"

"You foolish girl," he admonished, feeling his grief overwhelm him. "Why did you do that?" He tightened his hold. "Why?"

"Because I love you."

Ulquiorra stared at her, stunned. A look of concern crossed her beautiful face as she gazed at him, and she reached up, even though the movement must have caused her a lot of pain. It was only when her hand touched his face that he realized that his vision had been blurred, and twin streaks of moisture were tricking down his cheeks. As she wiped his tears away, he caved in at the agony filling his heart, turning his face inward, and kissing her palm.

_As he withdrew from her body, and pulled her to him, she wept quietly in his embrace. He wiped the silver streaks of moisture from her face with his thumb, concerned._

"_Did I hurt you?" he asked. _

_Orihime smiled at him through her tears. "The first time always hurts," she answered softly. "But it's alright, Ulquiorra." She added gently, seeing the look of alarm in his beautiful emerald eyes. "I… it was beautiful." Leaning up, she kissed him chastely on the lips. "I'm glad that it's you I gave it to."_

_Their lips met in another passionate kiss as he prepared to take her again…_

Just as he had wiped away her tears after the first time they made love, she was now wiping away **his** tears.

But this time, it was different.

As she struggled to sit up, a sudden hissing sound caught their attention, and they both turned to see the wing he had used to support her dissolving into ash. The sight was terrifying, and she _shrank_ against him, instinctively placing her hand on his chest, over his hollow hole.

"Orihime…"

She turned to look up at him, tears in her eyes. He saw the sadness in them – for him, for her, for everything they'd lost, and would never have.

He bent down to kiss her as she craned her neck towards him, their lips meeting for what they knew would be the last time. The hand she'd used to wipe his tears away, now cupped his cheek tenderly as they fought desperately to hold onto this moment…

_Ulquiorra felt something warm on his shoulder as consciousness slowly came back to him._

_He opened his eyes._

_Orihime was bending over him, a hand on his shoulder, her brow creased with worry. "Are you alright?" she asked, her tone echoing her expression. "You were talking in your sleep…"_

_He regarded her absently, and she realized what she was doing. She straightened, and withdrew her hand, her cheeks turning red with embarrassment. "I'm sorry," she said. "I…" She backed away as he sat up, his eyes never leaving her. "But I thought you were having a nightmare, so I was going to wake you.." she explained. "I know you don't like it when I fuss over such trivial things, so I'm sorry…"_

_Ulquiorra grabbed her wrist, startling her. Was he going to kill her? Fear began to flood her, along with a sense of panic as she tried to pull away. "Ulquiorra…!"_

"_Stay."_

_Orihime stopped struggling, and gawked at him. Had she just heard him right? "Eh?"_

"_Stay with me."_

_Those words were startling enough, but when she saw his eyes, she forgot her fear. The despair in them seemed to pierce her, and she realized that his grip was firm, but not painful; he was just holding her._

_Orihime began to relax, and took a hesitant step towards him. Then another. And another. His eyes never left her face, and he drew her down on the couch so that she was sitting beside him. "Are you alright?" she asked again. Although he had frightened her from the moment of their first meeting, she couldn't help but feel concerned. This was a side of the emotionless Arrancar she had never seen before, and she began to wonder if he only made himself seem that way because of the pain he'd gone through in the past. Had it been that painful? What had he gone through?_

"_What do humans do when another is troubled in your world?" he asked. For the second time, he startled her._

_She stared at him, bewildered. Then it dawned on her. "Well, it depends," she said quietly. "Sometimes, we give words of encouragement, sometimes we embrace that person, sometimes both…"_

_She stopped when she saw him close his eyes, and exhale. He looked like he wanted to ask her something, but didn't know how to. She suddenly felt a tug on her hand, and realized that he still held her, although his hand had slid down her wrist to her hand, although he didn't seem to be aware of it._

_He looked so lost…_

_Hesitantly, she reached up with her other hand, and touched his face. He opened his eyes, and looked at her, before leaning into her touch, and closing his eyes again. _

_She never knew who made the first move, but looking back, she didn't care anymore. All she knew was that one moment, their eyes held, the next moment, she was holding him in her arms, his face buried in her neck._

_She gasped when he suddenly turned, maneuvering her so she ended up lying on the couch, and he was hovering over her. His emerald eyes held her violet ones as he touched the spot above her heart, feeling it as it beat against his palm, his expression contemplative. Then, as if satisfied with whatever answer he discerned from her heartbeat, he tore his gaze from hers, his eyes coming to rest on the spot where his hand had been._

_He bent down._

_Orihime gasped. "Ulquiorra...?"_

_She blushed as he rested his forehead on her chest before placing a gentle kiss on the spot above her heart before turning his head, resting it on that same place._

_"Such a strange onna." he whispered, closing his eyes._

_Feeling her heart swell with tenderness for him, she reached up, and threaded her fingers through his hair, reveling in their silkiness, and embracing him with her other arm. He lifted one of his hands, and grasped her forearm, as if searching for something to hold on to before he fell into slumber, his breathing steady._

_Orihime placed a soft kiss on the spot near his helmet._

_"Goodnight, Ulquiorra."_

_They remained like that for a long time, and that's how they eventually slept…_

Orihime's hand fell limply to the cold floor, her last breath leaving her in a soft sigh.

_**I see,**_ Ulquiorra thought as the last of his ashes faded into the wind.

_**Her heart…**_

_**Was right in my hands…**_

Ichigo Kurosaki had come back to his senses not long after Ulquiorra carried Orihime to safety, and as he and Uryu Ishida followed the trail of her reiatsu, the latter filled him in on what had taken place. Gritting his teeth, they sped up their pace, and rounded the corner just as she breathed her last.

Their footfalls were the only sound in the otherwise silent corridor, and as they neared her, they noticed the serene look on her face.

They stopped, unable to believe their eyes.

"Inoue…"

"Inoue-san…"

Ishida bent over, and felt for a pulse, even though he knew it was hopeless. The bleak look in his eyes was answer enough as he straightened up, and looked at Ichigo. "She's gone," he said.

_**Inoue,**_ Ichigo thought the grief would kill him. _**I'm so sorry…**_

Silently, he gathered her in his arms, gazing at her peaceful expression.

Ishida cleared his throat, trying not to let his own grief show. "We should go, Kurosaki," he said. "A proper burial is the least we can do for her."

Ichigo's shoulders slumped, even when he nodded, and rose to his feet.

United in their grief over their departed friend, both men made their way out of Las Noches.

_Ulquiorra made his way down the dark path, aware of the predators lurking in the dark on either side of him. Something kept him on the path, making sure he never strayed._

_Something gripped his right hand._

_Something warm._

_He walked on for some time before he saw a faint ray of light in the distance. As he neared it, it became bigger, and as he reached it, he realized that he was standing on the moonlit shore of a lake. _

_He wasn't alone._

_She was there, holding his hand, and smiling brightly at him. "Ulquiorra…"_

"_Orihime…"_

_Her arms wound around his neck just as his wound around her waist, and he lifted her in the air before they embraced._

_When he put her back on the ground, he drew her to him, and bent towards her._

_Their kiss was filled with their relief at being reunited, and a promise never to be parted again…_


End file.
