Those gray eyes. They stared at him in pity, even though he was her enemy, her kidnapper. He did not understand. Could not understand as tears welled up in her soulful eyes.

As he pulled away, she had reached out to grasp his hand.

"Do I scare you, woman?"

"I'm not afraid." She repeated. "I'm not afraid."

His eyes closed. "I see…"

Her heart had been right in his hands.

Peaceful.

That's how Ulquiorra felt when he woke up lying flat on his back. He opened his eyes to reveal long grass dancing around him and a blue sky above. He continued to stay in that position as he contemplated. He remembered his final moments in Hueco Mundo, turning to ash as his fight with Kurosaki Ichigo came to an end. Just as he had almost grasped the meaning of heart. Ulquiorra raised his right hand to his line of sight, pale skin stark against the vibrant blue of the sky. He had reached out to the woman with his hand, attempting one last touch before his inevitable end. Even though he felt himself fade away, Ulquiorra was still whole instead of the black nothingness that he believed would come after his death as an Arrancar. Ulquiorra became more aware of his own body, now back in his sealed state. His Hollow bone fragment rested on top of his head and his sword pressed uncomfortably against his hip. He sat up and further observed his surroundings.

The lively setting was completely opposite of the Hollow world, with rolling green hills replacing endless dunes of sand, yet he could tell that this was not the Living World. Was this meant to be his final resting place? He found it... lacking. No other sentient creature in sight. Ulquiorra smoothly stood and held a hand in front of him. He snapped his fingers yet no Garganta appeared before him. He didn't expect it to. It was clear that this was a different world from his own, disconnected from Las Noches, Soul Society, or the Living World. Ulquiorra glanced around and picked a random direction to start walking. It was pointless to remain in the same spot. The Hollow would walk until he found information about the place he was in. He would travel like he did back when he lived as a Vasto Lorde, to wander without purpose, without heart.

The sun didn't move from its place as he walked, making it seem like no time was passing by. Yet he could tell he was making progress as gray mountains and lush trees started to decorate the landscape. Even so, the entire time he wandered this place, the Arrancar hadn't seen nor sensed any other being. He knew other Espada had perished before him, yet he didn't find any evidence of others being with him in this strange place. His thoughts returned to the war waging on without him. Lord Aizen would have finished his invasion of Karakura Town by now with the other Espada that joined him. The Hollow wondered what the result was. Ulquiorra expected his master to win, yet when his mind brought up Kurosaki Ichigo he began to doubt.

He wondered if this was Hell, meant to torture him with a taste of what heart could be, but no one to teach him. His hand brushed against his Hollow hole hidden beneath his uniform, briefly feeling... something. His lips turned downward. Some kind of emotion. Dissatisfaction? He stopped walking, pausing in the middle of a dense forest.

Out of the corner of his eye, something shifted. When he turned to face the disturbance, there was now a building there. One that was definitely not there before. It was medium sized house, made out of white stone and pillars with green accents. Ulquiorra heard humming come from inside, a low pitch carrying a meaningless tune. He stepped closer to the entrance. If it was a trap, the Hollow didn't doubt that he could easily deal with whatever was inside. He brushed aside the green cloth marked with two eastern dragons that acted as the door to the house and stepped inside.

The room was just as unassuming as the outside, with low tables with green pillows crammed into the area. At the far back with his back turned to the entrance was a portly, old man, still humming to himself as steam rose from whatever he was doing. The man turned around, looking down at a steaming cup of tea and still not noticing Ulquiorra standing in the doorway. The man had a white hair and a beard. Human trash. The Hollow turned to leave.

"Oh, I didn't notice you standing there!" The man called out to him. "Please come sit down, welcome to the Jasmine Dragon." Ulquiorra glanced at the old man. If the man didn't fear his appearance of stark white skin with a glowing green eyes and green tear marks on his cheeks, perhaps he would provide some answers to what this place was. He carefully sat cross-legged on one of the pillows on the floor closest to the door. The man brought over a teapot with cups and placed them down on the low table before him. Lord Aizen had served a type of black tea during the Espada meetings. Dark, opaque, and heavy.

The tea that was poured in front of him was a pale green, softly flowing into his cup. The man sat opposite of him, settling down with a loud sigh.

"Where am I?" Ulquiorra asked bluntly.

The elder only let out a chuckle at his question. "Please, drink first. I promise to answer all your questions."

The Hollow glanced down at the steaming cup before him. It had no handle unlike the teacups Aizen had used. He grasped it and brought it to his lips but did not take a sip. He looked back up to the old man who was enthusiastically drinking his tea. Not poisoned then. As the warm liquid slid down his throat, he felt something again. It was warm, almost a fuzzy kind of emotion. Soothing.

"I'm glad you're enjoying my jasmine tea, it's my house signature. Then again I can't really call this place a tea shop without paying customers." The man let out another chuckle. "My name is Iroh. What about you, young man?"

"Ulquiorra. Where am I?" He repeated.

Iroh blinked. "That's quite an interesting name. As for where you are, this is the spirit world."

"Impossible. Unless this is the Sereitei or Hell, this is no spirit world."

The old man hummed thoughtfully. "I've never heard of places like those before. All I know is that there is simply this one spirit world."

"I see." Ulquiorra sipped at his tea. This was no longer his world, that was clear. No mention of Soul Reapers or Hollows.

"You look troubled, Ulquiorra. Why don't you tell this old man some of your worries? If they're lady troubles, I can happily give you a few pointers." Iroh wiggled his eyebrows as a large grin spread across his face.

There had been no change of expression on the Hollow's face since the conversation had started. Ulquiorra didn't bother pointing out that he was most likely multiple times older than this man, but the Hollow didn't find any fault in telling the tea maker his wish. Perhaps this interaction would be useful towards his goal. "I wish to find the meaning of heart." Iroh's face lost its smile. "What is this "heart"? If I tear open a human's chest, will I see it there? If I smash open their skull, will I see it there?" He briefly unzipped his top so that Iroh could see his Hollow hole before hiding it once more. The man almost lost his grip on his teacup. "I have never been able to grasp this concept until recently. A woman and a man trying to save her allowed me to observe such a notion. In the end, I perished, too late to understand that emotions do exist within. My kind is meant to be hollow, yet time after time I see them express themselves using human emotions. I am the only one who remains completely devoid of such feelings. I wish to learn about the heart."

Iroh's expression shifted to one of pity instead of fear or confusion. "I see. Unfortunately, I don't think I can help you."

Ulquiorra abruptly stood. This had been a waste of his time.

"Please wait! You're almost as impatient as my nephew," Iroh murmured under his breath. "Although I believe I cannot completely help you in your quest, I can certainly direct you in the right direction." The old man slowly stood up and brush off invisible dust from his robes.

Iroh passed by him and went to the entrance of his tea shop, holding open one of the entrance flaps. "Follow me."

When Ulquiorra exited the house, he realized they were in a completely different place than when he entered. On the horizon, he could make out a large tree trunk as well as two craters on either side. The landmarks were still quite far from their current location. "We'll be headed over there. It's quite a long journey." The old man patted his rotund stomach. "Though, I could use a nice walk."

Together they headed through lands filled with jagged pillars of stone, almost if mountain tops had toppled over in various degrees. Ulquiorra had no reason to trust this old man, yet Iroh had been his only source of information so far. With his willingness to help him find heart, the Hollow could detect no lies coming from the human spirit. As they walked, the old man started telling stories about his life, wanting to fill the silence between them. The man could hold a one-sided conversation very well and was definitely less annoying than Yammy. And so, when Iroh spoke of his adventures with his nephew as well as the tale of the Avatar and his companions, Ulquiorra listened to closely. It seemed even the living world was different from his own, filled with humans that could control one of four elements, excluding the Avatar, who could control all four. Although he had never paid attention to the humans of his own world, the Hollow knew developing special powers was not the norm. The woman and her friends seemed to be the exception. Iroh allowed Ulquiorra's brief questions, explaining his answers in great detail. Even though Iroh would sometimes go on and on about one story or another, the old general was a good source of information.

On and on, Iroh told the tales of his adventure with his nephew. How the two were exiled from their home nation on an impossible quest to find the Avatar, who had not been seen for a hundred years. How, later into their journey, his nephew had a change of heart and became an ally of the Avatar instead, going against his own father. It was an interesting story, one that allowed Ulquiorra some more insight into the human heart. The story concluded with the Fire Lord's defeat and the restoration of peace between the four nations.

They stopped on the edge of the barren crater, jagged rocks sprouted up around them. The tree in the center was thick and knotted. No leaves stayed on its branches and a hole was in the center of the trunk. A thick coat of reiatsu was in the air, saturating the area. Most of it came from the tree, yet two points on either side of the tree also radiated a good about of spiritual energy. Ribbons of pointed rocks and rivers of water ran through the crater, swirling around each point.

"I'm afraid this is as far as I can go." Iroh sighed. "The place you see before you is an intersection between the spirit world and the physical world. In the center holds the Tree of Time, whose roots are said to bind the two worlds together." He motioned to the two glowing points. "Those are the spirit portals that lead back to the physical world's North and South Pole. I believe that if you cross over, you can find a person who can help you with your heart." Iroh reached up and patted the Hollow's thin shoulder. "Although they are sealed at the moment, I think you came just right at the moment."

Ulquiorra stepped forward and nodded over his shoulder back at Iroh. "Thank you."

The old man grinned back. "You're a strong boy, Ulquiorra." Just before the Arrancar used Sonido to reach the point closest to him, he heard Iroh call out. "Find the Avatar! Help her and she will help you." And so, the Hollow vanished, reappearing closer to the glowing white spot.

Disappearing and reappearing, he came closer and closer to the supposed portal. He finally stopped on the rim of the light, shining so brightly that he had to squint. Its containment was rounded almost like a bubble, ready to burst. Now standing closer to the tree as well as the portal, the pressure nearly made his knees buckle. The Hollow knew the power contained was dangerous, yet he had nothing to lose. Either he would find the meaning of heart or simply die once more, maybe permanently this time. He pressed his hand against the light. It turned out the barrier sealing away the portal was more solid than it seemed. He flicked it, with more than enough power to shatter a wall in Las Noches. There was no change in the seal. He formed his hand into a piercing stance, ready to puncture through just like he did with most of his victims. Ulquiorra's hand blurred as he stabbed forward but was stopped once more by the barrier. It would seem that it would take more power to break the seal.

While Ulquiorra consolidated a small sphere of glowing green energy, in the physical world, a teenage girl fought against dark spirits that attempted to deter her from reaching the South Pole's spirit portal. Her eyes glowed a brilliant white as she hung upside down from the strands of dark spirits. Her hand reached towards the glowing light below the unbreakable ice. Reaching, reaching, reaching.

Contact.

"Cero."

Green mixed with the pillar of light that expanded to swallow the area around it. Ulquiorra was too slow to Sonido away, succumbing to the green-tinted light. It burned away at his body, so much so that Ulquiorra gritted his teeth in pain. His regeneration did nothing to stop the light from eating away at his form. He would die a second time. He could feel his Hollow mask fragment disintegrate, fading from his head. Yet, the white ash of his mask surrounded him, swirling about as he travelled through the light. The ash suddenly attacked his Hollow hole, filling it completely. The pain started to subside.

The harsh light faded from his vision, leaving behind him standing in the center of a soft green glow. Ulquiorra straightened from his crouching position, almost stumbling. He felt his Hollow hole through his white uniform. It was gone, yet he could feel the hardness of his Hollow mask where his hole originally was, feeling the difference between his own skin and the filled hole. Luckily his zanpakuto still rested by his side. His reiatsu had also exponentially decreased, now being as weak as perhaps a fifth seat Soul Reaper. How pitiful.

The Hollow carefully stepped out of the pillar of gentle light, revealing him to be standing in an arctic region. Trees surrounded him, sprouting from the ice and snow below and thawing from the ice that had encased them before. Those that had been fully freed from their icy prison started to grow leaves at an accelerated rate, leaving him standing in the middle of a forest. It was startling to him that he started to feel cold. As a spirit, he should be immune to the weather of the environment, yet a stinging pain ran across his skin. He ignored it for the time being.

A groan brought his attention to the body lying in front of him. A teenage girl was sprawled out in front of him. She was dressed in a thick blue coat and pants, made for handling such a cold environment. Though when Ulquiorra looked at her using his Pesquisa, she was a glowing beacon, holding the power of a Soul Reaper ranked Lieutenant or even Captain. But it was muted, hidden deep within the girl's spirit.

The girl groaned again and started to climb back to her feet. The Hollow continued to stare as she rubbed the back of her head to soothe her pain. She finally opened her eyes, revealing bright blue color beneath. The girl first caught sight of the green light shooting out of the ground and sprawling out in various tendrils in the night sky. She gasped at such a beautiful sight. "The spirits dancing in the sky."

However, her eyes drifted back down and landed upon his pale form, almost blending into the snow around them. She let out a loud scream and blasted fire from her fists.

Ulquiorra's eyes marginally widened in surprise as he dodged out of the way with Sonido. As he landed slightly to the right, he felt slightly winded. He almost rolled his eyes at his weaken state.

When girl realized that he wasn't going to attack, she slowly lowered her hands yet kept them ready to attack at a moment's notice. "Who are you? Where did you come from?"

Ulquiorra placed his hands in his pockets. Now that the girl was awake, the glowing bundle of energy within her almost disappeared, leaving behind a regular human. He hoped this wasn't the human he was sent to find, but something told him otherwise. "I have come from the spirit world. I am looking for the Avatar."

She let out a soft gasp, "A spirit!" Since he technically was a spirit, Ulquiorra didn't bother correcting her. The girl straightened up in an attempt to look more serious. She cleared her throat. "Ah, yes! I am Avatar Korra, how can I assist you, noble spirit?"

Ulquiorra stared at her blankly.

-WH-

"Noble spirit"?! Korra, what is wrong with you? The young Avatar thought to herself, wanting to slap herself in the face. She wanted to make a good impression on the first spirit that hadn't attack her, not make a fool of herself. Korra observed the spirit more closely.

He could almost pass as a human if one could ignore all of his odd features. His skin was practically white, with no hint of pigment to it, and his hair was an inky black. In his outfit of black and white, the spirit looked as if he came from black and white photograph. The only hint of color on him was his eyes and marks on his face. His eyes were green and cat-like, revealing no emotions within. Green lines trailed down his face from his eyes, almost like tear tracks. A sword hung from a black sash at his waist, marking him as a warrior. But other than that, there were no other odd features about him. He was small and thin, probably even the same height as her.

He even asked for her by title! This was going to be her first task in becoming the bridge between the spirit and physical world. Helping a lost spirit would definitely qualify her as a spiritual guide.

A few moments passed by in silence. Finally, the spirit answered her. "I am Ulquiorra, and I require you to teach me about the human heart and its emotions."

…huh?

He continued, most likely see the confusion on her face, speaking again in that monotonous tone. "I have never been able to grasp human emotions like others of my kind. They fought for reasons I do not understand. I wish to understand."

It was… sad. A spirit that couldn't understand feelings like love or happiness. Korra couldn't comprehend living such a life. Those blank green eyes told her the truth. Her fists clenched. She was resolved. "Then I'll teach you!"

The spirit blinked.

She pointed at herself with her thumb. "Stick with me, Ulquiorra, and my friends and I will get you that human heart in no time!" She relaxed her pose. "Not literally, of course."

Ulquiorra kept that blank, creepy stare on her for another moment before nodding. He turned towards the way that she came in and started walking away. "Your companions are waiting for you."

Korra rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Oh yeah, almost forgot about them. You're going to have a great time with us. You see we're kind of a big de-" She realized that Ulquiorra was still walking farther away from her. "Hey, wait up!"

Starting a new fanfiction while my other one gathers up some dust? That's meeeee. This was just a random idea, and I've only written one other chapter, so don't expect this one to be updated too often.

Ulquiorra is a tough cookie to write. Also had to keep him from slaughtering all of Korra's enemies in a punch, so gotta restrict those powers somehow.

Want sneak peaks and random updates about my life? Check out my Tumblr, the-simplest-writer.

Reviews and constructive criticism are always welcome!

The Simplest Writer

Fun Fact: Bleach was probably the first fandom I ever joined, being the very first anime I watched.