Title: After Five Lifetimes
Pairings: UlquiHime and IchiHime
Rating: K
Spoilers: Most recent chapters of Bleach

Wow, I am SO sorry that I haven't posted this here yet! It's been on dA for over a month now and I've been meaning to post it here, but...life got in the way. Please forgive me for my airheaded-ness.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

" Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime yelled with a gasp, putting her hands over mouth.

She watched as he was tossed across the room, flinching as he slammed against one of the many pillars scattered about the room. She wanted to run to him, to make sure that he was still okay, but she forced herself to stay. Out the corner of her eyes, sauntering up to the injured boy was...

" You honestly believed you would be able to defeat me, Shinigami?" Ulquiorra said emotionlessly, tilting his head slightly as he glared at the orange-haired teen. He gripped his zanpakuto tightly, pointing the tip of it at Ichigo's throat. " Foolishness. It's that conceit that will bring about your downfall."

Ichigo glared at the Cuatra Espada from his spot on the ground, clutching a gaping wound in his stomach. His face contorted with pain. " You bastard."

" Hm," the green-eyed Espada responded, throwing him one last piercing glance before turn around and settled his eyes on Orihime. " Woman."

She could feel her eyes widen, her posture become more rigid, and her heart beating frantically. Still, Orihime refused to give him the pleasure of knowing that he elicited these responses fin her. Instead of looking away uncomfortably or wringing her hands together nervously, she forced herself to stand tall, breathe evenly, and look him straight in the eyes.

" Yes, Ulquiorra?" she asked, her glare never faltering even as get closer.

His eyebrow twitched as she said his name. " Now that your precious nakama has been defeated, I have a question for you."

" What is it?"

They were close, much closer than they'd been since he'd first taken her to Las Noches. She could almost feel his breath on her face as he leaned over her imposingly.

" You say you wish you could live five times over," he started slowly. " Then, you'd be born in five different cities, you'd stuff yourself with different cuisines five times each, you'd have five different jobs-"

Orihime's breath quickened and her limbs started shaking, whether from rage or some other emotion she couldn't quite name. For reasons she couldn't understand, it almost felt like betrayal or an invasion of privacy. She felt a warmth rush to her cheeks as the Cuatra Espada continued on.

" Most importantly, though," Ulquiorra stated, his head almost leaning against hers. " For those five lifetimes, you'd fall in love with the same person, correct?"

" Yes," she gritted out, her fists balled by her sides. The urge to slap the him again was almost unbearable. " Why?"

Ulquiorra took a step back, an odd look on his face as he questioned, " And after those five times? What about then?"

" Wha-what are you talking about?"

" It would make more sense to show you than to tell you," Ulquiorra replied, raising his left hand and taking out his eye.

Orihime flinched as she stared at the green orb in his hand. After a moment or two, he closed his fingers, crushing it. She was surprised when the eyeball fractured into tiny fragments, floating around in the air instead of squishing like normal eyes did when they were crushed.

Fragments of memories flashed through her mind, almost causing her to faint at their sudden intrusion, but still she stood, slightly hunched over. Closing her eyes, she could see, could feel, the images more clearly. There was a twinge of pain in her chest as she saw an Egyptian princess in the moonlight, sharing an intimate kiss with one of the palace guards. The images flash forwarded to Rome, where a soldier and his lover were sharing a meaningful embrace before an important battle. Again, the scene changed, much too quickly for Orihime's taste, to somewhere in Europe, where a young wife was morning the loss of her husband who died in the Crusades. The next two scenes she couldn't even focus on what was going on, the pain in her chest becoming too great. It almost brought her to her knees. Vaguely, she could feel a pair of hands holding her up, keeping her from falling to the ground.

As suddenly as it started, it was over. Orihime's face was covered in sweat as she looked up at Ulquiorra.

" I've waited five lifetimes for you, watching as you fell in love with the same person each time," he muttered, his fingers trailing over skin and causing her to shudder. " Your five lifetimes are up. So, I ask you, what are you going to do now?"

There was a long pause, her mouth opening and closing a few times before she shook her head in dismay. Orihime licked her lips and whispered softly, " I don't know."

Then, for the first time since she'd known him, the pale, green-teared monster standing before her smirked widely.