The next day, Orihime asked Stark if he would mind trading again. He said that it was fine with him. He didn't particularly care. So she returned to Ichigo's house with Stark. After greeting Ichigo, Orihime glanced around, hoping to see Ulquiorra. Ichigo noticed this. "Sorry, Inou, but Ulquiorra isn't here right now. He left when he sensed some spiritual pressure. Grimmjow left as well. They sensed two different spiritual pressures, so they split up," Ichigo said. Orihime looked disappointed.

"Will you call me when he comes back?" Orihime asked.

"Sure," Ichigo said. Orihime said good-bye to both Ichigo and Stark, who was leaving to search for one of the hollows, and then left to go back home.

Elsewhere

Both Ulquiorra and Grimmjow were still searching for the hollows. After a little while, Grimmjow caught up with his and killed it. Unfortunately, it was not the hollow they were searching for. Ulquiorra found his as well, and once again, it was the wrong one. Grimmjow and Ulquiorra then returned to Ichigo's house. Ichigo called Orihime and told her that Ulquiorra had returned. Ulquiorra heard them talking over the phone and suddenly decided it would be a good idea to search for the hollow until evening. Needless to say, Orihime was upset when she discovered Ulquiorra had snuck off. She left feeling very disappointed.

Later That Evening

Orihime had left her house to go pick up some items at the grocery store. Ulquiorra had still not returned to Ichigo's house. How much longer will this search take? Is the hollow even in this area anymore? Ulquiorra wondered as he wandered through a nearby park. The sun was setting, so there weren't many people left in the park. The area was silent, except for the breeze rustling through the trees. Suddenly, Ulquiorra heard footsteps behind him. The footsteps sounded as if the person was trying to be stealthy. He turned around and saw a young man with short brown hair, pale skin, and glowing red eyes. "You're the hollow," Ulquiorra stated. The man grinned.

"A shame you noticed me before I could devour you. Oh well, either way, you will soon be dead," the man said.

"Why have you decided to show yourself now?" Ulquiorra questioned.

"Because you're quite far away from your friends. So far away, in fact, that I can barely sense them," the man stated.

"I see. Divide and conquer."

"Yes, I have divided and now I must conquer," the man said with a sinister grin. He transformed into his hollow form and attacked. Ulquiorra fought back but quickly realized that this hollow was far stronger and faster than the others. He blocked one of its attacks, but it nearly ripped his sword from his hands. "What's wrong, shinigami? Why don't you use your Shikai?" it asked. Ulquiorra didn't respond. It swung its clawed hand at him again. He barely managed to duck in time to avoid the blow. "Are you going to stay on the defensive forever? You'll tire in no time if you keep fighting like that," it mocked. Ulquiorra moved forward only to have to step back to dodge another attack.

He's right; I'll never win like this. I have to fight back Ulquiorra thought. He lept into the air and tried to come down on top of the hollow, hoping to split its skull with his sword. The hollow simply laughed and swatted him out of the air. He hit the ground with a thud.

"You are truly the most pathetic shinigami I've ever fought," the hollow said. Ulquiorra glared at it as he stood back up. He gritted his teeth as pain shot through his side.

It seems to have broken a few of my ribs... I have to end this soon he thought.

Elsewhere

I wonder if Ulquiorra-kun was purposely avoiding me Orihime thought with a frown. She was walking through a store. She held a shopping list in her hand but she wasn't paying much attention to it. She sighed as she walked through one of the isles. Maybe it really isn't possible. Maybe I can't change him. I thought it would be easier, him being a good guy now and all, but it's just as hard. Suddenly, she felt a surge of spirit pressure. That felt like Ulquiorra-kun! she thought excitedly. She dropped her groceries and dashed out the door. She ran into the park. She ran even faster when she spotted him in the distance. "Ulquiorra-kun!" she called out. He glanced back at her with a slightly confused expression. The hollow noticed his momentary distraction and slashed at him with its claws. He tried to dodge, but it managed to slice his shoulder. Ulquiorra stumbled back and winced in pain as he clutched his shoulder. "Ulquiorra-kun! Are you all right?" Orihime asked.

"No thanks to you, woman," Ulquiorra snapped. Orihime looked hurt.

"I'm sorry, let me heal it for you," she said. He glared at her and moved away when she came towards him. The hollow laughed, catching both of their attention.

"Refusing healing? You're not only the weakest shinigami I've ever faced, you're the dumbest one too!" it said.

"Is this the hollow you were looking for?" Orihime asked. Ulquiorra nodded. Orihime stepped forward. "I'll fight you," she said to the hollow.

"You? Ha! Don't make me laugh," it said. Ulquiorra stepped in front of her.

"Stay out of this, woman. This is my fight," he said.

"But-" she began. He ran toward the hollow before she could finish. The hollow swung at him but she put up a shield to protect him. They both stopped in surprise and glanced at her. Ulquiorra quickly made use of the hollows distraction and swung his sword at it. It jerked back before his sword could hit it. Once again it attacked, and once again she blocked its attack. As the shield shattered, Ulquiorra dashed toward it. Every time it attacked, Orihime would block it and then Ulquiorra would move closer to it. After another shield shattered, Ulquiorra jumped into the air above it again. When it tried to attack him, Orihime once again blocked its attack. As the final shield shattered, Ulquiorra split its skull with his sword.

"Blast you, you stupid woman," it groaned as it died. Orihime cheered and ran toward Ulquiorra. He tried to back away but instead, he grunted in pain and grabbed his side. She quickly put her healing bubble around him. He looked at it warily.

"Don't worry, it will heal you," she said.

"...Why are you helping me? I didn't ask for your help. I told you to leave me alone," Ulquiorra questioned.

"I helped you because I wanted to. Sometimes people need help even when they don't want it. Pride isn't worth dying for," she said.

"Why did you want to help?" he asked.

"Because I don't like seeing people get hurt. And because I want to help you change. I know you don't understand emotion, but I want to help you understand. Believe me, you will be much happier if you do. It might seem like an inconvenience, but it's worth it," she said. He simply stared at her like she was some alien from another planet. She sighed. "I know I've been really pushy, making you watch all those movies and bugging you all the time. But I'll stop that, I just want to talk to you, to know you better," she said.

"Why are you so concerned with my mental and emotional state?" he asked.

"There is a reason, but I can't tell you," she replied. He looked at her suspiciously. "I know you've got to go back to Soul Society soon, but could you just stay at my house tonight?" she asked. Ulquiorra hesitated for a moment, but nodded.

"Fine..." he muttered. She squealed in delight. She trotted off toward her house, and he slowly followed her.

At Orihime's House

Ulquiorra and Orihime sat in the living room in silence. She was about to burst with things she wanted to say but she kept quiet. I'm going to give him some peace and quiet. I'll listen to what Stark said and not pester him too much she decided. Ulquiorra was somewhat confused as to why she wasn't talking, but he wasn't going to complain. Eventually, his curiosity got the better of him.

"Why are you not talking? I thought you invited me here to talk," he asked.

"Uh, well, I thought you liked silence, so I stayed quiet..." she said.

"This is true, but why did you invite me here if you are not going to speak to me?" he questioned.

"Well, I thought I'd let you start a conversation. After all, I did say I wanted to get to know you," she said.

"What is it exactly you want to know? My likes, dislikes, and hobbies? I have no hobbies, I don't particularly like anything, and I dislike a lot of things. Is that good enough for you?" he asked.

"Surely there's something you enjoy. Reading? Training? Eating? It can be anything," she said. Ulquiorra thought for a moment.

"I do read, but not for enjoyment. I read to learn," he said.

"Then do you like to learn?" she asked.

"No, I simply consider it necessary," he answered.

"Maybe you should read something fictional. You can learn things from fictional books. I could let you borrow a book," she suggested. He looked uncertain. "I promise it won't be a romance novel," she said.

"...Fine," he muttered.

"Great! I'll go pick one out for you!" she said cheerfully. She dashed to her room to retrieve a book. She came back holding a paperback novel. "This is called Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. It's about wizards and witches," she said. He took it from her and examined it.

That doesn't sound too bad he thought. "Fine. I'll take it," he said.

"Great! I'll go to bed now. You can stay up and read if you like," she said. He just nodded and then looked back at the book.

I guess I can give it a try he thought. He opened it to the first page and began reading.

AN: Unfortunately, this fic will probably remain unfinished. I apologize to anyone who was hoping for future updates. The reason for this is that I lost all interest in Bleach. I no longer have the motivation to keep writing because I no longer watch the anime or read the manga. I never wanted to have a dead fic, but unless something happens and I get back into Bleach, it's highly unlikely that I will ever write another chapter.