It was a quiet night in Karakura, the stars shining down on the quaint town. There was an odd sense of peace that filled the air, as though the city had never been in danger of being completely destroyed. Orihime knew better.

Even though they had managed to stop Aizen from creating the King's Key, they had not been able to destroy him before he hid once more, this time deeper into Hueco Mundo. Gin and Tousen, the other Shinigami traitors, followed behind him, neither looking worried at this slight set back.

All the Espada that he had so "lovingly" created had been killed, something that Soul Society took as a victory, albeit a small one. Orihime wasn't sure she agreed with them, not completely. While many of the Arrancar she had met were cruel, heartless, or blood-lusting creatures, not all of them were. He had been different.

"Are you afraid of me, woman?"

Those were the words he had asked while his hand reached out towards her. Not to strike her down, not to cause her bodily harm in anyway, but almost...pleading. It had shocked her, if only for a moment, to see such an unguarded expression on his face. Then again, it seemed everything he did, everything he said, surprised her in some way. He was not what she had expected of her enemies; yes, he was cold and ruthless with his words, but he had never been cruel just to be cruel.

"I'm not afraid."

It was true; she hadn't been afraid of him. Still, her actions confused her when she saw her hand reaching out to touch his, like some invisible force was pulling her towards him. But before she could touch him, his hand and the rest of his being had turned to ash.

"From ashes to ashes; from dust to dust," she whispered to no one. She stared up at the ceiling, her body begging for sleep. But it eluded her, like trying to catch sunlight in a jar.

She sat up in her bed and looked to the nightstand to the right. Her alarm clock read 2:34 a.m. She sighed as she let herself fall back down, covering her eyes with her hands.

This was becoming a more common occurrence as the weeks passed, she noticed. With each passing day she would fall asleep later and later. It didn't cause her much worry at first; she had attributed it to the stress of being taken to Hueco Mundo and back and everything in-between. However, now it was starting to take a toll on her body, and even her grades were beginning to suffer.

Orihime took in a deep breath then released it, trying to relax every muscle in her body. Slowly, she felt herself slip into the beginnings of sleep. She could still sense everything around her, but her whole body felt heavier, as though it were sinking into the bed sheets. She smiled contently.

She was on the edge of sweet, dreamless sleep when the alarm next to her rang. She nearly jumped at the sound, her eyes popping open. She turned towards the clock. Surely it couldn't be time for school already, could it?

The numbers flashed back at her: 4:00 a.m.

Orihime squeezed her eyes shut, thinking that perhaps her mind was playing tricks on her, and looked at the clock again. But no, it still read 4:00. Sitting up and swinging her legs over the sides, she scooted to the edge of the bed. She leaned over to the alarm clock and switched it off, confusion running through her head.

Hadn't she set the alarm for 7:00? She was almost certain she had, but then, considering her state of mind, maybe she had somehow set it to 4:00 instead. In her half-waken state, she decided that answer was good enough. Setting the alarm to the correct time, she climbed back into bed. She just hoped she'd be able to get enough sleep before her alarm went off again.

"You called for me, and now you're going back to sleep? What a strange human you are, woman."

That speech pattern, that voice--she knew it all too well. She sat up, confused, and turned to her left, towards the large window that looked out over Karakura town. Her eyes widened as her gaze settled onto a familiar form.

"Ul...quiorra?" she said, her breath slightly airy.

He didn't look like he had the last time she'd seen him, in his released form. Instead, he was in the form that she had grown to know best: his half mask on the left side of his head, his tear marks smaller and green, his clothes intact and pristine, and his eyes...

Still as piercing as ever.

The lack of sleep must have caused her to go crazy, Orihime decided. Or maybe this was just a dream--a really weird dream, to be sure--which would mean she had finally been able to get to sleep after all.

Well, there was only one way to find out. She pinched the back of her hand, hard. She let out a small cry, having not expected any pain.

"Woman, what are you doing?" His tone was neutral, but somehow he managed to make her feel foolish all the same.

Blushing, she said, "I had to make sure I wasn't dreaming."

"And are you?" he asked lazily.

She shook her head, a couple of stands sticking to her face. "It seems not."

Silence quickly filled the room.

"How are you here?" she asked after a few minutes. "I mean, you're--" She stopped herself before she could finish. She realized she had never admitted to anyone, even to herself, that he was--

"Dead?" Ulquiorra finished for her, closing his eyes. His voice was too calm to her, like he was talking about the weather. "That is correct."

She looked at him, ready to ask him something else, when she noticed it: there was something off about him. The room itself was dark, but he...wasn't. Somehow, the image of him looked almost surreal compared to everything else, though she couldn't quite put her finger on why. After a moment, Orihime figured it out. There was a slight glow to his body, like he was reflecting light from some unknown source.

She slid off the bed, standing a few feet away from him. "Are you...a ghost or something?"

"No," he said, with the slightest shake of his head. "A ghost would imply that I'm a spirit, a soul that has not yet found their way to wherever they belong, whether it be to Soul Society or elsewhere."

Orihime shudder at the implication. "Then what are you?"

"A shadow."

"A...shadow?" she repeated, tilting her head to the side. "What's that supposed to mean?"

He stood there for a moment, thinking how best to explain it to her. "I am a remnant of the one you call 'Ulquiorra.' I am the culmination of his memories, his thoughts, his feelings, his hopes, and his dreams, nothing more. I am not real. I have never existed as a living thing. I cannot think of the future, for it does not exist for me."

"I see," she said. She took a step back and sat on the edge of the bed, sighing. She could feel herself becoming overwhelmed by his explanation. "I'm sorry, but I really don't understand it at all."

He said nothing, looking at her with his blank, fixed stare.

"You're not Ulquiorra, then."

"No. And yes."

That wasn't confusing at all. She sighed heavily. "Which is it?"

"Both."

She laughed sadly. "For not really being Ulquiorra, you certainly sound like him. Not just the sound of his voice, but the way he spoke as well. Always so cryptic. I felt like I needed a translator to understand what he was saying."

"If it makes it easier for you, just think of me as him," he said, though she sensed that he was somewhat irritated by this. After all, as he said himself, he wasn't really Ulquiorra.

Still, that didn't stop the rush of words from coming out of her, words she hadn't even realized she wanted to say until that very moment. "There's so much I wanted to ask you when we were in Las Noches. I had kept a list in the back of mind, but I never found the time." She paused. "Would you even know the answers?"

"That depends on the question. What did you wish to ask?"

Orihime shook her head. "I can't ask them now. They seem so silly."

"Hm," he said noncommittally. "If there's nothing else, then."

Those words, so familiar to her ears. How many times had she heard him say that when she was in that gilded cage of a room?

"Wait!" she called to him, stopping him before he could reach the window. "There...there is one thing I want to know."

Ulquiorra turned around, a small flicker of curiosity flashing across his face before it disappeared.

"Why--" Her voice caught in her throat. "Why couldn't I save you?"

Her hand was still stretched out to touch his, but he was already gone. She could hear Ichigo and Ishida call to her, feel their hands on her shoulders, but the sensations were dull. It was like they weren't even there. All she could focus on was the spot in front of her.

She summoned Ayame and Shun'no, placing the shield where he once stood. She had heard whispers while she was there about the extent of her powers; Godlike, one of the lower Arrancar had said. She could reject anything, from a person's existence to any event that had happened, as long as her powers were strong enough. If that were the case, then maybe, just maybe she could bring him back.

"I-Inoue," Ichigo said, his voice bewildered. "What are you doing?"

She knew she could bring Ulquiorra back. She knew it. Still, nothing happened. His body didn't start to come back like she hoped it would. The ash didn't return. She could feel her eyes well up in frustration.

"Inoue-san," Ishida's soft voice said. His hand was covering the wound on his stomach. "Let it go. You can't save everyone, especially our enemies."

Why was she so desperate to have him back?

Before Ulquiorra could respond, she shook her head. "Never mind. I don't think you'd know anyway."

He looked at her, an odd expression on his face that she had seen only once, just before he disappeared. "I must go soon."

"Huh?" she said, feeling almost hurt. "Why?"

"It will be morning," he said, looking at her alarm clock. She followed his gaze and realized he was right. It was only a few minutes before 5:00, and while it was still fairly dark outside, the sun would be rising soon. "I can only come to you when it is the moon's time to rule the sky."

"Will you come tomorrow night?" she asked hopefully.

"If you call for me, I have no choice but to come."

"Um," she started, just as he was making his way to the window again. She blushed. "Can you do something for me before you go?"

He turned around, his eyes fixed onto hers. "What?"

"Can...can you put your hand out?" Orihime held her arm out to him, her fingers twitching slightly. "Like this?"

It was a silly request to satisfy a silly hunch, but he did it, his fingers mere inches from her own. Taking a deep breath, Orihime started walking towards him, closer, expecting at any moment for her fingers to go straight through his hand.

But they didn't. She could feel them, warm and solid against her own. Then, with the slightest of movements, she closed her hand, interlocking it with his. His eyes widened, his mouth slightly parted, before he did the same.

She looked down, the peachy color of her hand contrasting starkly against his white skin and black nails. The image burned itself into the back of her mind. It looked...right. More importantly, it felt right, the sensation of warmth flowing between them. She never wanted to let go.

Glancing up at him, she could feel that same pull, the one that had made her hand reach out for his in the first place. What was this feeling? It was like...coming home.

Finally, and somewhat reluctantly, they loosened their grip on each other, letting their hands fall to the sides. She sighed. Why did her heart seem to ache, just a bit, when they let go?

"Sleep. You humans need it," he told her. "Especially you."

"Is...it that obvious?" she asked sheepishly.

He pointed to the spot beneath her eyes. "Yes."

Orihime nodded and started heading towards the bed. Once she was situated, she turned back to him, already in front of her bedroom window facing her. She looked at him curiously, wondering if he still had something to say to her, when she noticed the tips of his fingers. They were fading, then the hand connected to them did the same. Soon, his whole body was transparent, to the point that she could barely make out the outline of his form. It continued to fade, revealing more of the view from the window behind him.

The moon, full and bright, was creeping toward the horizon, relinquishing his dominion over the land to the sun once more.

Then he was gone.

She stared at the spot for a moment before laying down in her bed, where she had been a little over an hour ago. However, this time she felt more at peace, and when she closed her eyes, she easily fell asleep.

"It's already noon?!" Orihime exclaimed as she held her alarm clock in disbelief. "But I know I set the alarm for 7:00!" She hung her head in dismay. "School will be out soon. Is it even worth it to go there this late?"

A scrap of paper on the floor near the nightstand caught her attention. It couldn't have been there yesterday, since she had cleaned before going to bed. Leaning over, she picked it up. Her eyes moved across it, reading the words that had been quickly scrawled in black ink, before her hand shot up to her mouth, her eyes welling with tears. She couldn't stop them, the tears trailing down her cheeks and landing on her lap. So he had known the answer.

Because you already have.