A/N: By the way, this chapter will be a bit different. You'll see why.

"Oooh! Ulquiorra, look! Sunflowers!"

Ulquiorra watched as the goddess twirled around in the meadow. This was one of those rare places they would find that was untainted by violence and bloodshed; it was pure and beautiful, like the woman that holds his heart.

They'd left their company to explore on their own. It was shown on the map that this was quite a large landmark, covering a cave system in a knoll, this meadow, an ancient palace by the name of "Las Noches" and several abandoned towns. Of course, they had first pick on what place to explore, and hence chose this. It was as good an opportunity to spend some time relaxing with his woman.

Said woman had summoned her animal out of thin air and was forcing it to sniff some of the flowers she had collected. Ulquiorra almost pitied the belldeer. Almost, if not for the fact that it seemed to enjoy chewing on it a moment later. He closed his eyes in contentment as he leant into a tree, the goddess' childish expression imprinting into the darkness of his close lids.

"Ulqui!"

Her cheery voice was suddenly right before him, and her delicate hands on his chest. He opened his eyes only to be greeted with a myriad of colours.

"Look, there's even rainbow roses!" The flower in question was quickly swapped. "And look, spider lilies! …Dandelions…Magenta buttercups…A-And –"

She really was getting way too excited about these flowers. He leant forward and claimed her lips, withdrawing before she even realised he had done it. The realization sinks in when a deep blush colours her cheeks.

"Ulqui...Y-You!"

To this day, he still finds it amusing when such a powerful being such as her loses control of her emotions like that. It was…endearing. Although... "Stop referring to me as you would an animal," he directed a stern gaze downwards.

"Ulquiorra…" Her timid gaze morphed to one of mischief. "I'm just so happy, you know." She said, breathing evenly onto his cool neck.

Damn…she knows his weakness. He shivered involuntarily, tensing for what was to come.

Instead she giggled and pulled away. The warmth of her body seeping through his uniform too disappeared.

As she took another step back however, she tripped. Ulquiorra smirked and recalled Murcielago from its resting spot where the over-accidental goddess had tripped over. She looked up at him with a challenging glare, her hair and tunic a sprawled mess. He scanned her over slowly before finally, with a heavy gaze on her silvery ones, hovered himself over her entire body. One of his knees settled between her parted legs as he kissed her again. His right hand cradled the crook of her face as the display of love deepened.

The warrior was suddenly flipped onto his back and his woman smiled down at him when she felt his body's reactions. "It's Midsummer, a day bountiful in magic." She recited, as though it was the answer to every problem in the world. Then, she kissed him again and all was forgotten.

Green eyes opened to a bright day. Strange, had they slept through an entire day? He glanced around to find no one beside him. It was eerily quiet and just as he was about to go search for the goddess, a suffocating pressure enveloped him. He'd grown used to Orihime's reiatsu by now that it shouldn't have bothered him, unless…

"My, my." A slick voice greeted his ears.

No…

He attempted to stand, only to fall on his knees, head bowed. But he had caught a glimpse of the god who greets him now. Aizen Sousuke.

The god tsked. "Thou shalt kneel in the presence of your god, human."

"You are not my god." Ulquiorra gritted out. "I would never worship you, demon!"

"But you worship your goddess, yes?" He could almost hear the snark within the demon king's words. "What if I let you in on a little secret about her?"

"I don't want to hear your lies, demon." The warrior fought for autonomous control, but to no avail. At this rate, he was doomed to listen to whatever lies that would spew out of the arrogant bastard's lips. No matter how anyone denied it, they would fall for those lies. Him included.

"You should, because it concerns her. And if you truly love her, you would do what is best for her. Correct?"

"Fine…" he answered with finality. The demon wanted his attention and so he would give it. "Release me and I'll give you my attention."

Immediately, the pressure lessened to a point where his request could be fulfilled. He didn't attempt to form his sword, seeing no logical point to it.

"Quite the ideal soldier." Aizen remarked to which he stiffened. "Relax, human, I am here to with an offer.

"You see…gods and goddesses are immortal beings. But they also have their own domain to guard and protect. Only, these domains are not so simple as you would think. The real purpose of a domain is to act as a life tether. Gods are only immortal when they reside in their domain. When they leave it – which rarely have they done – they would slowly lose their immortality and thus, become human.

"You wonder why she speaks of Midsummer." Ulquiorra's eyes were narrowed as the demon king spoke his next words. "You are quite fortunate to have found this beautiful meadow. Her immortality is replenished, but she is many moons' journey from her domain. It is dwindling; soon, she will become the mortal creature that you are. She will know the true pains of aging and she will know death. She has seen death and she had hated it, what do you imagine will happen when she learns that she too, will experience death?"

"What do you want, demon?" Ulquiorra asked coldly. While he appeared outwardly collected, within he was furiously building and remaking plans. When he realised that, as a god, Aizen would be able to read his mind, he forced himself to erase everything. He clenched a fist.

"I have the power to guarantee your lover her immortal life. I will make sure she lives to be as young and chaste as she was. In exchange, you shall surrender to my army, where I will gift you power and remake you into my general."

"…I will consider." He answered simply.

Aizen smiled hollowly. "Of course you will. Her fate rests in your hands afterall." He said, fading away. "I will hear your decision on the battlefield then, warrior."

When darkness enveloped him after the encounter, he realised that the entire ordeal had happened in his mind. There was evidence of it when he awoke with a repulsive feeling.

This time, green eyes settled on a pair loving silver eyes. Her warm gaze soothed his troubled mind, while her gentle hands brushed through his hair as he stared up at her from his position on her lap. Her tunic was draped carelessly over her shoulders, torn slightly from their lovemaking and revealing the slight swell of her curves. But Ulquiorra was only interested in her eyes.

"Orihime, tell me the truth…" He spoke softly and she looked at him curiously. "Are you losing your immortality?"

She was shocked by the seriousness of this address. "Y-Yes…how did you know?"

Ulquiorra jerked abruptly away from her touch, shattering their silent connection. He averted his eyes as he stood up and dressed himself, his entire demeanour hardened to that of his former self's. Taking advantage of the woman's state, he started walking away.

"Ulquiorra, wait! Wh-What are you doing?" Her hurt voice called out to him. Halting him in his advance.

"Do not associate with me further, Orihime Inoue." He said coldly without turning back. As he walked away, his next words bit out with harsh clarity. "I have only used you."

Cold and callous. To say he had reverted to his former self, when she first met him, was a severe understatement.

In the past, his mind was a complicated map that pointed to his search for the heart. Currently, she could find nothing at all. It was strange and disconcerting because only demons have minds comparable to this.

And yet here is another contradict: ever since Midsummer, he has been intensely focused on battle. The others – Uryuu, Kenpachi, and even timid Ururu – have all commented on his current 'efficiency'.

She wondered what she had done wrong. What exactly transpired in Midsummer? And was it true what he said, that he had only used her?

A tear slipped again from her closed lids. Was she afterall just a useless object, as she was to Urahara, and now to him?

"What depressing piss place is this?" observed a blue-haired warrior as he and Ulquiorra went exploring through the white halls of Las Noches. It had taken their entire crew 2 days just to find all the bedrooms for the people, and before that, half a day to find the hall or throne room or whatever it was with those massive pillars and the crumbling chair.

It was eerie enough to be walking through this haunting palace, but to have a guy looking like a ghost beside him…it almost gave him the shivers.

"Hey, something happened? Trouble with the princess?" Grimmjow leered towards the man. But he was seriously concerned by his comrade's behaviour. Usually he would have been irritated with every comment he makes and would make it known by word.

Now though…

Grimmjow intercepted the man's brisk advance. "Hey! Answer the damn question! You seem…terrible." For lack of a better word.

Those viridian eyes didn't even shift. "Get out of my way."

Shocked by the passivity in his voice, Grimmjow refused to budge. "What is wrong with you, batshit? Everyone is kinda worried about you." He put his hands on the shorter man's shoulder to prevent him from escaping. It was only two of them here and it would be the perfect moment of truth. He knew Ulquiorra didn't like discussing his problems, much less with a crowd around.

But the man just stared straight ahead. He would say he was in deep thought but there was a tension in both his body and spirit pressure that was all-too consuming, and aware.

Without warning, Grimmjow was slammed onto his back into the side wall. As the breath left his lips, he watched his comrade retract his hand into the deep bowels of his pocket. He'd been slapped into a wall, he wanted to laugh – but oh fuck – did his ribs hurt.

"Hinder me again, and I will kill you without hesitation." He heard the little freak say.

There was something seriously wrong here. After peeling himself from the wall, the blue-haired warrior trailed behind quietly. A frown sat on his lips as he stared at black hair and straight posture. Ulquiorra felt like a ticking time bomb, but for what?

Another overly glamourous party, Ulquiorra would be thinking this evening. Or that was how Uryuu perceived him to be thinking in the past.

His comrade in arms was leaning on a wall, and he supposed that the Commander was only here out of his sense of duty. Uryuu noted the lax stance and dull eyes, but his reiatsu was the opposite. It was leaking an ominous pressure as though he wasn't really paying attention to his spiritual and mental control. Well, not that anyone wanted to go up to him and mutter a 'could you keep it down please'. The Commander was downright frightening these past four weeks.

Deciding not to get overly concerned over his moody comrade, he approached a certain lovely woman who had also just entered the room. "Lady Inoue," he greeted.

The woman turned to him with a brilliant smile and they exchanged pleasantries. He could tell it was a little forced from her part. No doubt something had happened between her and the Commander.

Before he met the goddess, he already heard stories about the man she holds in her heart. A ruthless man who could cut down an army of humans and demons alike without batting an eye. Back then, Ulquiorra Schiffer was the most efficient soldier any king could possess. But alas, he only belonged to and trained under one – an outcast just like him, a master of all knowledge. And that made him an unpredictable pawn for a kingdom; who's to say he won't kill the king next? From these stories, many had felt both fear and awe of this godlike human. However, for Uryuu, when he first met Ulquiorra in flesh, he felt none of those things…

Testing the waters, the bespectacled man put his hands on the goddess' waist. "A dance, my lady?" He asked, meeting her glittering gaze.

She was truly beautiful woman – in soul, body and mind – with a kind and honest personality so unlike the other celestial beings that he heard about. She wasn't haughty or rude even with her incomparable powers and physical beauty. Uryuu blushed slightly thinking about it as he led her to a slow cadence.

Throughout the first part of the dance, he could tell the goddess wasn't really into it. She was looking around whenever they did a turn. "Are you feeling alright?" He asked gently.

She startled but replied evenly, "Of course. Why wouldn't I be?" Then winced. "Ouch. I'm sorry! I didn't mean to come out as rude. I'm really fine though, thanks for asking, Uryuu." She gave a genuine beam. "You're a real gentleman."

Uryuu only managed to blush. He didn't dare speak, for fear of embarrassing himself in front this person he greatly admired.

"I'm sure many of the ladies would like to dance with you tonight," the goddess pointed out lightly. Uryuu followed her line of sight and saw many of the women indeed eyeing his dance partner enviously. He, however, didn't care for any of them as he gripped her hand tighter, hoping that she understood his invisible message.

This was it. When he first met Ulquiorra, he was jealous.

Seeing the goddess' blush was worth it. He flicked his eyes towards the green-eyed warrior who he knew was watching everything. The man was strangely tense. When he caught his eye, his expression remained unchanged as he simply walked away. But Uryuu thought for a moment that the fabric of his pocket moved as if a hand had curled.

Unknown to both of them though, the goddess had cast a look of forlorn longing at the coattails of the quickly disappearing uniform.

One full moon since Midsummer yet no word from the man she most wanted to hear from. Orihime tried to push the boundaries of his mind but there was always a thick impenetrable wall. That, or he'd stay at an unreachable distance where she couldn't have tried it in the first place.

It frustrates her that she couldn't quite figure out what has happened. While it looked like he was pushing her away, it just felt like he was distancing himself to prevent something from happening.

After concealing her own reiatsu and tailing him back to his room, she now holds his attention. He faced her with a furious aura but she's not going to back down.

"What are you doing here?" Ulquiorra demanded.

"I want to know the truth."

"What is there to know? I used you and that's all there is. You are nothing to me." He said in a bored, careless tone.

"I thought…" Orihime took a deep breath. "Did you ever love me? Was it all a lie?" She asked in a whisper.

Ulquiorra looked down at her. What she saw in his eyes made her shiver but she still stepped closer towards him.

"I thought we were happy. I thought you were happy." She continued, searching his abysmal gaze.

After a long moment of silence, he grounded out: "Then you are but a naïve fool. Merely a doll that clings to men of significant power, merely a tool to be toyed until it has no more purpose, merely an object of no worth. You say we were happy? Then you fool yourself again. I was merely excited in the prospect of sleeping with you." He paused and said maliciously. "Then again, who wouldn't? I expect that next you'd be clinging to that 'gentleman' of a Knight! And he'd sure to receive y–"

SLAP!

Loud. Unflinching. Too passionate.

Who had she been trying to save in the end?

Ulquiorra didn't even spare her a glance as he brushed past her. She heaved a shaky breath; she didn't want him to see this messed up side of hers anyway.

Tears brimmed again and she was suddenly so tired of it all. She turned to exit the stifling silence of this whitewashed chamber until quite suddenly, a voice appeared.

"Ah."

Orihime stopped in her tracks when she noticed the walls glimmering and shifting. The floor melted into nothingness, creating a sense that she was floating on air. Her view of the hallway outside disappeared as well, and orbs of light manifested itself on the walls. This…could only mean one thing.

"I recently paid a visit to a human filth, and look at what has happened in such short time." Her attention rested on the sole person in this conjuration of the mind. Of course, since only a powerful being was capable of such magic, she wasn't surprised that it would be a god.

Her pupils dilated and no sound could escape her lips. "Aiz..."

Brown eyes, brown hair and a fatherly expression. The conjurer was none other than…it couldn't be…the overseer of the demons himself. The God of Manipulation smirked, "Ulquiorra Schiffer, was it?"

Despite knowing he was named thusly for a reason, despite knowing she needed to reject him immediately from her mind…Despite it all, when he brought up Ulquiorra, she knew she was doomed. Afterall, what was worse? To grasp at straws or to endure this little underhanded trick? She just needed some information, regardless of the consequences or the schemes behind them.

"What did you tell him?" The young goddess hissed.

She knew he could see through all pretence. "Just a little secret." He paused, directing a sly gaze in her direction. Yes, this ageless being could see all of her. Down to the little bits that were hesitating at every word he has spoken. "The only bane of our existence. A hint of what awaits you, when you lose your immortality."

No, that couldn't be all. Ulquiorra wouldn't overreact to this. Her own choice to stay.

Aizen cocked his head. "You catch on. And here's the interesting part. Do not worry, I didn't inflict any harm on that puny human. His mind blanked of his own will. Like my demons, utterly blank." He divulged with a strange frown. "Perhaps there is truth as to why he claims himself to be 'inhuman'."

"You're lying! He's human, I felt it."

"Felt? Goddaughter, even the human has advised against this foolish naïveté of yours." The god admonished as though addressing a child while she narrowed her eyes as he abused her childhood nickname. "Don't you find it strange we never knew what his history was? His mind has shuttered us from it –"

"Not everyone has had a pleasant childhood." She rebutted, recalling different tragic tales.

"But can't you feel it right now, goddaughter? He is as empty as a hollowed-out shell. Even I have failed to read his mind." His chiselled features displayed an arrogant smirk. "He would make the perfect soldier."

No! she screamed in her mind. Even if his behaviour was questionable or if he never loved her, she would never forgive herself if she just stood by while he became a demon. "Who do you truly want, Sousuke?"

The god closed his eyes in thought. "On one hand, it would be advantageous for a human of his calibre to become my general. On the other, you would serve as my lovely queen." When his eyes reopened, they were dark with schemes. "Both would be ideal, but both have no real wish to do so willingly."

Her eyes widened at this reveal. Ulquiorra…unwilling?

"I see I've let slip. No matter, it wouldn't amount to any effect." He said with a smile full of sharp teeth. He was standing close to her but so distracted was she from the hidden clues within his speech that she failed to notice. He reached out a hand and slid a finger through a lock of her hair, catching her unawares. "He's different…he has potential. Just like you did…

"So empty,

"and unfeeling.

"Restrained.

"So dead.

"Why waste your soul for such a mirror of yourself?" The back of his palm touched her cold cheek. His brown eyes shimmered into a menacing purple as he leant closer and closer–

Orihime jerked away in disgust. How could she leave herself so unguarded like that?

"Koten Zanshun, I reject!" She yelled, directing the attack towards herself. Her fairy shot through and the magic immediately crumbled like glass around her. Aizen's distorted image watched her calmly even as it faded away. She couldn't be sure but she thought for a second he had multiple white arms which snapped with sharp teeth.

She stumbled, falling to the ground, shaken by the ordeal.

Regardless of what will happen next, she must save Ulquiorra. There was no doubt to her resolve.

A/N: Hello again! I haven't updated since December, and this chapter seems a little depressing, huh? But trust me, they will get a good ending. We just need to go through the tough bits first. There's this meme I keep seeing: "No grit, no pearl". Guess it applies here?

Anyway, I want to thank my reviewers and followers. It's really fun reading reviews, no matter how short! So...as usual, all reviews and criticisms appreciated :D

(Btw, tell me whenever Ulquiorra is too OOC. And I really tried with Aizen. I rewatched some anime scenes but he doesn't talk much so his personality is a little vague...)