Chapter 1

The sound of laughter finally caught his attention and Ulquiorra took his eyes away from his book looking at the all too familiar red head sitting on the grass surrounded by her friends. Orihime's shoulders shook with mirth as that tomboy friend of hers whispered something in her ear.

"He did WHAT?" she giggled.

"That's right!" Tatsuki smirked, "And then…" she leaned over and continued whispering with even more enthusiasm.

Ulquiorra shut his book and got off the bench picking up his bag. Humans annoyed him, plain and simple, their idleness, their stupidity, and their vices. Ever since he agreed to this ridiculous plan, he immediately wished he went to Soul Society instead. At least, it did not have her in it. And more than anything, Ulquiorra wished to have less of her in his life.

Ever since he met Inoue Orihime, he felt confused and jaded, his control was slipping, and the heavy sensation in the pit of his stomach kept returning whenever she was around. And just when he thought that the last couple of years of separation fixed it, he realized that nothing was fixed as soon as he laid eyes on her again.

Back in Las Noches, he often found himself standing outside of her door and just listening. Yet he couldn't understand why, but one thing was clear, it pissed him off. That woman was like a hurricane, a relentless force that stirred him, tormented him, and reminded him of the things he wanted but could not have. But what was worse, she made him question himself. His life was a void, but her presence turned on the light and opened up a window letting in a draft that turned everything upside down. Ulquiorra tried to shut it out, but imposing his views on her proved to be useless as the woman was tough and cunning. On the outside she looked timid and weak, but that was just a façade to hide a deep seeded defiance that even he couldn't break.

When he killed Kurosaki Ichigo, he thought that it was finished, he proved his point and his will was absolute. But the battle turned against him once more and he was completely defeated. Ulquiorra couldn't believe it; he couldn't accept that the humans got the best of him, him, a supreme being who surpassed them in everything. But facts were facts, and he was forced to admit his failure. And just when he thought that it was over, despite his resolve, he had to look at her again, immediately cursing himself for his weakness. She looked back with the sympathy he thought he would detest. But something stirred again making him reach for her, a force that he could not control that pulled them to each other like magnets. She reached back and then he thought he saw something, something that perhaps he was looking for, but before he could understand what it was, everything started to fade. And just when Ulquiorra thought he found peace, his hopes were shattered again. Nothing ever went the way he wanted, and he blamed her for it. And now he was back to square one, gazing at her smiling face, the source of his unrest.

It all started two years ago after the winter war ended and all of the Espada were defeated and presumed dead. The Shinigami cheered throwing a celebration to commemorate their victory over Aizen and to forever condemn the already damned. Yet, something unexpected happened, something that even Soul Society could not foresee. Inoue Orihime. The woman surprised everyone by doing something completely unpredictable; she attempted to bring some of the fallen Arrancar back to life and actually succeeded at it. And before he knew it, Ulquiorra was standing in Urahara's shop next to Grimmjow, Nnoitra, and Szayel, facing a lot of angry Shinigami.

At that very moment the door flew open and she appeared before him smiling the same obnoxious smile that he wanted to wipe off her face. Suddenly, Ulquiorra knew why he was back. It was her, it was all the woman's doing and he cursed her for it. His one purpose was to serve Aizen, and now that he was dead, why did she bring him back? To mock his defeat? To have Soul Society use him for their twisted experiments? What did Inoue Orihime want from him?

But her answer wasn't something he had anticipated.

"Everyone needs a second chance." she said simply. "I didn't think you deserved that kind of fate."

And that's all there was to it.

But even though Soul Society was angry at her actions, their anger could not compare to Ulquiorra's fury. Did she actually pity him? More than anything he despised pity, especially from her. She witnessed his most pathetic moment, she saw him die, wasn't that enough for her? Why couldn't she let him go and continue with her life? What did she plan to accomplish by deciding his fate for him? And what was he supposed to do now?

And then Soul Society gave them a choice. They could either serve them in Seireitei or live in the human world under Urahara's watch, but that meant they would have to wear gigai that suppressed most of their reiatsu, virtually stripping them of all their power.

Grimmjow and Nnoitra yelled in protest. Szayel shook his head, and Ulquiorra remained silent. He should've been angry with their manipulations, but he did not care at all. His anger was now transferred elsewhere, and he was determined to pay her back for this insolence. Ulquiorra never considered himself to be spiteful, prideful yes, but never spiteful. Holding grudges was beneath him. That was something that only the lower hollows would do, like Grimmjow. Yet, here he was bitter and angry, and he felt disgusted with himself. How could a mere human woman make him stoop so low?

"We'll take the deal." he finally said loud enough for everyone to hear, "We will live in the human world."

"Fuck you!" Grimmjow hissed, "I am not giving up my power for these shitheads!"

"A gigai does not take your power away; it suppresses it," Ulquiorra answered calmly, "But if you would rather live as a servant to the Shinigami, go ahead. I am staying here."

Grimmjow cursed under his breath, Nnoitra glared at him, Szayel nodded in agreement. And the next day, all three of them were moved to a large house across from the candy shop.

At first, the gigai was hard to adjust to. It limited his movement and coordination. He couldn't fly, move large objects, and smash through walls. And not only that, it made him look like them. Now, his skin had color, there were no tear marks, no hollow hole, and no helmet. The last remains of his identity were completely gone. But while his power was significantly limited, Ulquiorra was still stronger than an average human male. At least that was something to be comforted by.

One day, the door bell rang and she was standing on the other side flashing him a smile. Ulquiorra felt his insides twist at the sight of her.

"Good morning!" Orihime said cheerfully and stepped inside without an invitation.

"What is it?" Ulquiorra responded with perfect indifference.

"Now that you are almost like a human, you need to adjust. So, I thought you and the rest would enroll into Karakura High and learn how to be like us."

Ulquiorra stared at her feeling his anger returning. Not only did she subject him to this existence, she also wanted him to fraternize with the trash. He had no intention of mixing himself up with human adolescents and their stupidity.

"I have no desire of going to your school."

"Why not? It will be fun and you can learn a lot."

Are you mocking me?

"My knowledge far surpasses the kind of education you receive there."

Orihime blinked twice before processing his words. Did he actually mean that he already knew everything they studied at school?

"It's ok if you already know the material. It will still be better than staying here all day."

"No." Ulquiorra said flatly.

Orihime's face fell at the finality in his words. There was absolutely no way to even negotiate with him. Ulquiorra was still difficult to deal with even after he became a human, sort of. And it would take a lot of work for him to change and learn the meaning of the word "flexibility". But right now it wasn't the time because he was still new to everything. Orihime was patient, she would wait and see.

Politely excusing herself, she stepped out of the house and started walking away without looking back. Ulquiorra was probably angry and he seemed uncomfortable around her. He needed space and she was going to give it to him, all the space he needed. But, the next time she came by, she will not take "no" for an answer.

Orihime did not return the next day, or the next week, or the next month. And Ulquiorra finally felt relief that he did not have to see her face. The woman irritated him, sometimes to the point of insanity, and it took a lot of self-control not to push her against the wall and…. And what? What was he planning to do to her afterwards? If he was still an Espada, he would've been able to seriously hurt her, and even kill her without much effort. But did he really want to do it to her? What would it accomplish aside from angering the Shinigami and getting himself arrested? No, physical violence was out of the question, and neither did he find it tasteful unless it was absolutely necessary. Distancing himself from her was the only option, and perhaps after seeing that he had no intention of humoring her whims, she would give up on the idea of being his friend.

And that's how it was for the next two years. Orihime never bothered him and he only sometimes saw glimpses of the red hair when her and her friends came to visit Urahara across the street. Other than that, Ulquiorra and the rest of the former Espada were free to do whatever they wanted. He read books and learned how to use the computer and Internet. Such primitive beings like humans sure had a lot of trends that he needed to understand. Then, he spent hours in the gym room making sure that his muscles did not become weak. There was no point doing it since he wasn't an Espada anymore, but old warrior habits died hard. Soul Society never bothered them and they kept to themselves trying to avoid any unnecessary confrontations with Kurosaki Ichigo and his friends. Everything was fine until one day it finally happened.

"Soul Society has been generous with providing the accommodations for the four of you for the last two years." Urahara said standing in the middle of their living room, "But now that you've learned the human ways and adjusted to your new life, some changes will be made."

"What kind of changes?" Ulquiorra asked.

"You look like healthy young adults and you will start living like ones. Coming this September, all of you will begin attending the Karakura Town University."

"What the hell?" Grimmjow glared at him, "Why the fuck do we need to do that?"

"Because that's what humans do. They get an education and find suitable jobs afterwards." Urahara smiled, "Besides, Kurosaki Ichigo and the rest of his friends are starting college this year as well, and they will attend the same university as you. It might do you some good to be nice to each other," he hesitated, "for mutual growth."

"This is ridiculous…" Ulquiorra murmured.

Not only will he have to be around the annoying humans, but there was a good chance he would run into her again. And just the thought made his blood boil. Inoue Orihime, the same person who brought him into this wretched existence, and whom he spent the last two years trying to erase from his memory.

"You can't spend all of your time doing nothing." Urahara continued, "You chose to assimilate into this world and you need to start living like them. Perhaps going to high school, when Inoue made the offer, would've been a wise choice giving you an opportunity to socialize, but it's better late than never."

"I did not choose this," Grimmjow yelled angrily, "He chose it for all of us." He said pointing at Ulquiorra.

"It doesn't matter. The admission papers have already been submitted and your acceptance is finalized."

"I can't believe this…" Grimmjow muttered in frustration.

"Hold on, I actually like the idea." Szayel said to the surprise of his comrades. "Think of it as an experiment, a way to see how much we've really learned and a chance to pick on something that we missed."

"What do we need to study?" Nnoitra asked.

"Whatever you want." Urahara answered, "A university is a place where humans get to experiment with different subjects and find out what they like best. You will do the same."

"I already know what that asshole is going to study." Nnoitra said pointing at Szayel.

Ulquiorra ignored them, putting his hands into his pockets and coming to stand by the window. He was a fool for thinking that Soul Society would let them live like this indefinitely, that Inoue Orihime would remain nothing more than a remnant of a long lost memory. It was obvious that eventually he would have to come to terms with his resentment towards her and accept it, just like the fact that he would one day have to see her again. And right now it was pointless to dwell on it. He made a mistake once allowing her to ignite unwelcome emotions within him; and he will not make the same mistake again.

The distant sound of her laughter brought him out of his thoughts. Even though he walked away from her, he could still hear it, the same infectious sound that followed her everywhere. It's been two months since their first semester started, and Ulquiorra found himself having three classes with her. How was it possible? They had different interests, different majors, different everything, yet by some cruel twist of fate he had to spend almost every day with the person he could barely tolerate.

Inoue Orihime was nineteen years old now. She was a full grown woman who still maintained some of her teenage charm that most males found attractive. She joked, laughed, and flirted with them, yet never involved herself with anyone, even after her infatuation with Kurosaki Ichigo came to a closing halt. The childish school uniform was replaced by a stylish wardrobe and makeup. She wore miniskirts and jeans that hugged every curve of her voluptuous figure. And whenever Ulquiorra looked at her, his gaze lingered on her lips covered with shinny lip-gloss, full, wet, red lips. The damn woman did everything to be noticed by him.

And notice her he did, her long legs, her curvy figure, her auburn hair, and the seductive movement of her hips as she walked. Ulquiorra noticed it all, and with each passing heartbeat his resentment grew even stronger. But no matter how much he hated her, Orihime was never rude to him. She smiled, offered help, and even sat next to him in every damn class they had together. Every time she walked into the room, everything came to life. She waved, greeted her friends, and chatted happily with the classmates, completely unaware of the effect she had when she crossed her legs while wearing a miniskirt.

And every time she crossed her legs, Ulquiorra was in a foul mood. He never talked much, but at that moment he did not talk at all or gave her very curt and dismissive replies. She did not understand his behavior, and sometimes seemed even hurt, yet Orihime never held it against him for too long and went back to her usual happy self in no time. Ulquiorra was disgusted by that. He wanted to hurt her, to make her detest him, to have her switch seats and never talk to him again. But no matter what he did, she never changed her attitude towards him which made it even harder to be near her.

He did not want this life, he did not ask for it, yet she brought him back turning him into something that he always looked down on. She made him sacrifice his power for his freedom, she made him learn things that he already knew, she made him weak just like all of those wretched humans and he could not stand it. Yet, Ulquiorra never showed his true feelings, even to his housemates. It was his own weight to bear, and he only hoped that with time it would get easier.