A/N: Another trillion apologies. I pretty much wrote the ending for this a long while ago, back in February perhaps, and forgot about it for a while because I've been doing lots of fun stuff and also a lot of work. But I keep getting alerts and emails that there's still people who enjoy this story so here's the ending.

Ever since she was a young girl, Orihime had the spiritual awareness of a soul reaper. But never in her life, even when standing next to the great Aizen when he left his reiatsu unchecked, had she felt a power that made her feel completely drained and crushed.

When Orihime held the hougyoku in her hands, a tingling spread from her fingertips throughout her entire body like electricity. Stormy grey eyes shining with doubt and despair watched the intricate swirls of light and cloud move within its shallow depths.

Running her thumbs delicately over its glassy surface, Orihime wondered silently how a mere object could generate enough spiritual energy to sap her own.

That's why I'll die if I reject it… It would take all of my reiatsu to negate its existence… Orihime mused silently. Tears began to well up in the corners of her eyes. Sacrificing her life to save all of her nakama and win the war for the Soul Society was something she would do without hesitation.

But the only thing on her mind was Ulquiorra, how much she loved him and how he had learned to love her, the human prisoner.

Orihime closed her eyes and visualized her powers in her mind's eye. Such a large rejection would take all the concentration she possessed. She put aside all other thoughts, the most difficult to banish being the fact that she could never look into those emerald eyes ever again, and began to gather reiatsu at her temples.

A surge of Ulquiorra's spiritual pressure broke her concentration, and Orihime quickly shoved the orb into her pocket. She let out a breath she hadn't even known she'd been holding. A few seconds later would have been too late.

"Ulqui-chan!" Orihime cried out, sprinting across the room to the spot where he had materialized and throwing her arms around his neck.

"Hime-chan," replied the stoic fourth quietly, embracing her. "Why are you crying? Surely you must know by now that I will always come back for you."

Orihime's lower lip trembled and she fell silent as Ulquiorra brushed the tears gently off of her cheeks, using his other arm to hold her body closer.

"I know... I just... It's like… We need to get out of here," choked Orihime, her fists balled around the white of Ulquiorra's arrancar coat. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks. "We need to leave… I have the orb, we just need to get to the human world now."

Ulquiorra closed his eyes and his frown deepened. "The garaganta portals have been sealed and only Aizen has the power to reopen them."

"What do we do?" asked Orihime quietly.

Soundlessly, he crushed his lips against hers and squeezed Orihime impossibly close, their bodies seamless against one another. Ulquiorra's tongue immediately found its way into Orihime's mouth and he kissed her with all of his passion. The redhead lost herself in the heat and raked her nails into the rough skin of Ulquiorra's back and neck, eyes squeezed shut and mouth moving in perfect time with his.

Orihime felt as if every inch of her body and soul was set aflame, until that moment she hadn't known the deepest, truest meaning of love.

The kiss broke off and both lovers were gasping for air.

Orihime stared up into Ulquiorra's wide eyes unblinkingly and the severity of their situation weighed her down like she'd swallowed lead.

"All I want is to be with you," she whispered. "We have to find a way."

Ulquiorra gently took both of her hands in his own.

"Inoue Orihime, there is no place for our love in this world or your own. This fire will burn us both to death."

Orihime's eyes were wide and her body trembled as the words fell from his lips. Ulquiorra was so close to her that he could count each individual droplet of water that clung to her eyelashes.

"How romantic," drawled a cold voice. The two lovers' grip didn't falter as they turned their heads to face Aizen Sosuke. "Ulquiorra, as you must be aware, I foresaw your treason. What I hadn't anticipated is you taking your sweet time to put any sort of plan into action, nor had I expected you to bother at all with the the hougyoku."

There was no trace of a smile on the chestnut haired man's stone cold expression. Tousen stood obediently at his side like an attack dog waiting for its master's command, and Gin was in his typical spot at Aizen's right hand, grinning slyly.

"Nothing more can be gained by following you," said Ulquiorra tonelessly. He gave Orihime's hands a quick squeeze before stepping protectively in front of her.

Aizen laughed coldly. "How naively brave of you. You will pay for your mistakes with your life."

Orihime's grip on the orb of distortion resting inside of her pockets tightened. She noticed Ulquiorra's body tense and the dark-haired arrancar continued to stare unblinkingly at Aizen. He moved to shield more of Orihime.

The ex-shinigami captain grinned. "Your protection of Orihime-chan is unnecessary. Unless she foolishly refuses to hand over my treasure, I have no reason to harm her. She makes a wonderful pet," he said, winking at Orihime.

Said girl slowly backed away from Ulquiorra. He noticed her movement, with a flash of sonido, their bodies were in contact again.

"I won't let you take her," said Ulquiorra, his usually monotone voice dripping with venom. A hand moved from the inside of his pockets and rested on the handle of his sheathed zampaktou.

"Its funny how ya speak as if ya got choices," chuckled Gin.

"Hand over the girl or I will simply take her from you," commanded Aizen, letting a wave of his massive reiatsu leak.

"I'll love you forever.. Thank you for saving my life," whispered Orihime, voice strangled against the spiritual pressure that rattled through her bones. She pecked a small kiss on the back of Ulquiorra's neck before, to his immense surprise, she sprinted across the room with startling speed and grace.

Facial expression full of determination and confidence as never before, Orihime tossed the hougyoku high into the air and screamed, "Soten Kisshun, I reject!"

Ulquiorra's eyes burned with the blinding whiteness that consumed every inch of the room. The only sounds to reach his ears were loud explosions and the high pitched sound of Orihime's shrill cries.

"Hime-chan!" Ulquiorra rasped, fighting the immeasurably dense and widespread concoction of reiatsu flaring wildly throughout the large room. It felt toxic, as if the pressure was burning his lungs each time he drew beath. Grinding his teeth together, Ulquiorra fought against the winds whipping him backwards and made his way towards the source of Orihime's cries.

It took a few good minutes before the thick spiritual pressure permeating the air settled enough for Aizen to breathe and see again. Glancing across his throne room, he saw Ulquiorra standing over Orihime's limp body, still as if he were a statue.

He didn't even have time to process the fact that all of his plans had been completely and utterly foiled before Ulquiorra made a move.

The fourth espada pointed upwards, and a radiant blast of green cero demolished what was left of the ceiling. Artificial rays of sunlight permeated the dark, dusty room. He took great care when setting down Orihime's corpse, shedding his jacket to wrap her up and keep her head off of the dusty marble floor.

Ulquiorra stood before Aizen, Gin and Tousen. Their eyes all grew wide as a completely uncharacteristic cruel smirk settled upon Ulquiorra's perpetually emotionless face.

"Bind, Murus Hierago."

With those three words, the first release of unbridled fury, hell, and despair unleashed itself upon the throne room of Lost Noches.

Ulquiorra sheathed his scarlet soaked zampakutou. The deft clicking noise resounded loudly through the hollow and lifeless chamber. He made his way towards Aizen's mutilated body, not taking care to either walk around or step on the corpse. He didn't even notice the fragments of Tousen that were scattered across his path, nor the fact that Gin Ichimaru had somehow escaped the furious rampage of his unprecedented double release form. The only being in the shadow of an arrancar's mind and sight was Orihime Inoue.

Panting, bruised, and profusely bleeding, Ulquiorra made his way across the room in his typical fashion of swiftness despite a slight limp. The bloodied claws on the tips of his toes clicked against the dusty, rubble coated marble floors and drips of crimson gushed down his arms flew from his fingertips to stain the room with color.

Ulquiorra returned to Orihime's side. The fourth swept up her limp body, running his clawed black fingers instinctively through her vibrant locks of hair.

His black-rimmed emerald orbs slid closed and he fell to his knees, clutching Orihime's frail form to his chest. His large black wings seemed to wilt and fold like a malnourished flower, tail lying flat on the ground.

The burnt patches of darkness soiling what remained of Ulquiorra's cocaine white skin, the scarlet stains of blood covering his body, the immense darkness of his release form, and the shocking orange of Orihime's hair popped against the abysmal backdrop of grey ashes and remnants of pure white architecture.

Orihime was still, a small trail of blood leaking out the corner of her mouth, but her facial expression was peaceful and emanated beauty.

Ulquiorra's soul-chain hole gave the horrific sight strangely akin to a severed heart that bled black down his chest and spilled over his dead lover.

They were the spark in the pitch black night, the contrasting shard of existence in a capacity of death and despair.

::hides behind a barricade::

heh… for all you love optimists, I'm sorry, but it just had to be like this. Plus, there will (obviously) be no sequel. But I may be writing more UlquiHime in the future so add me to your author alerts if you wanna keep up with that.

THIS was the first story I wrote from start to finish that exceeds like ten chapters and took more than a year so I'm really kind of proud right now :3 :3 :3

Thanks to all my reviewers who have been with me since the beginning, those who jumped in somewhere during the story, and to everyone who will read this in the future. I LOVE YOU ALL.

Special shout out to my lovely beta whitehitsugaya, too! She went through almost all of my chapters quickly and picked up on every error that I missed, haha.

I appreciate everyone leaving a review if you read and enjoyed the story... Or even if you didn't like it. Your input is very important to me.

Uh… What happens now?