There was a white light enveloping the fluffy cloud Ulquiorra was standing on. He was bare foot and wearing a pair of black, leather pants and a white, long sleeved shirt, much like the shirt he wore before he was cursed. Everything seemed so surreal as a gentle breeze rustled his hair and tugged playfully at his clothes.

He looked down and felt his torso. The bullet wounds were gone, is injuries were healed, and he was as crisp and clean as the day he was born. But how could this be? He was shot five times. How could he not have a scratch or drop of blood on him?

"Big Brother," a feminine voice exclaimed.

Ulquiorra turned around and his eyes grew wide with shock. There, running over mounds and mounds of white, fluffy cloud, was his little sister. She was wearing a white dress that flowed behind her, along with her long, chestnut brown hair, as she sprinted towards him. He laughter brought tears to his eyes as he ran up to her and embraced her gently.

"Lena," he cried silently, "it's you! After all these years, I finally get to see you."

Lena squeezed him tight and pulled away. Her eyes grew wide in confusion as she cupped his face and smiled. "Ulquiorra, you're crying."

Ulquiorra sighed and gently grasped his sister's hand. "I suppose I am," he held her tightly, "I am so sorry, Lena. I'm sorry for everything. For not being a good brother, for not protecting you when I should have, for killing you; I am so, so sorry."

"It is alright, Brother," Lena replied happily and gently returned his embrace. "I know you did not mean to. You were just doing what Father had wanted you to do; to be a full fledged fighter worthy of inheriting his kingdom. I do not blame you."

"Thank you, Lena," Ulquiorra choked, and slowly released his younger sister. "Thank you for everything."

A calloused hand rested on his shoulder. "You have done will, my son."

Ulquiorra turned around and his eyes widened. "Father?"

The old king smiled down at him with his old, crystal blue eyes. "Who else would it be? Do not tell me that you have forgotten your own father's face?"

"Never," Ulquiorra shook his head. All traces of surprise left his face and he turned fully towards him and stood up straight. "Forgive me, Sir," he knelt before the old king.

"No. Forgive me," the old king replied, lifting Ulquiorra to his feet. "If I had never given you up so easily to those mercenaries, you would have never felt such loneliness. I take full responsibility for the fates we have endured, and the hell you have been through," he knelt down, "please, forgive me."

Ulquiorra grasped the strap of the old king's armor and pulled him up. "Do not bow to me, Father. I am your son. There is no need for such an apology."

The old king clapped his son on the shoulder. "I believe you are right."

"Ulquiorra," an older woman's voice said.

Ulquiorra looked towards his sister and saw an older woman with brown hair and green eyes, also wearing a white dress, standing next to her. "Mother?"

"Come now, my brilliant little emerald, do not look at me like that," the old queen laughed slightly. "You used to give me that expression when you were three and I let you feel your sister kicking while she was inside my swollen belly. I am too old to be bearing children."

Ulquiorra slowly walked up to the old queen and bowed his head. "I-I apologize for the pain I put you through. If I had just died in battle like I was supposed to," he wiped his eyes with his sleeve, "none of you would have died."

The old queen cupped her son's face in her hands. "Shh, shh, do not say such things, my little emerald. If you had died in battle, you never would have known true happiness, or the love of a woman who cared deeply for you."

"Ulquiorra," a ghost-like voice cast through the air.

"Orihime," Ulquiorra scanned the cloud. She was here? No. He was the one who should have died. What was she doing here?

A bright light materialized from the cloud and Orihime's crying figure appeared withing the swirling mist. Ulquiorra knelt down next to the basin and stared down into the intangible picture with a heavy heart. She was crying because of him; hurting because of him.

"That woman has deep feelings for you," the old king said.

Ulquiorra quickly turned to see his mother, father, and sister standing side by side behind him. "She is better off without me," he said, turning his attention back to the shimmering whirlpool. "At least now she will be able to find someone worthy of such a princess."

"And you do not think that you, a prince, is worthy of such a kind and beautiful princess?" Lena giggled.

"I know I am not," Ulquiorra sighed. He dug his nails into the malleable, white basin. "No murderer is ever worthy of a princess such as her; much less a mercenary like me. I have killed so many, and she has never done anything more than slap a man across the face," he smiled as his cheek tingled in remembrance, "I am too much of a brute to be hers."

"That is not what I have seen," the old queen contradicted. She knelt down next to him and waved her hand over the basin. Pictures of Ulquiorra and Orihime slowly swirled in and out of focus; the night they danced in the Takas' living-room, the night before the play when they had shared more than just a caste kiss, the evening of the play, all of the times he had saved her, they all played before his eyes. "You see? I think you are a gentleman worthy of a princess."

"But," Ulquiorra knelt his head down in shame, "how can I be her's? I died in order to save her life. I sacrificed myself to protect her." His mother, father, and sister all came up to him and placed their hands on his shoulders.

"Do you love her?" the old king asked.

"More than life itself," Ulquiorra replied.

"Then you shall be reunited with her," Lena said happily.

Ulquiorra furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and turned around. They all hugged him tightly and threw him into the basin.

* * *

It was dark. There was a clean, lemon scent filling Ulquiorra's nostrils as the air slowly, painfully, filled his lungs. His ribs, chest, abdomen, thigh, and shoulder hurt, and he could feel something wet dabbing his forehead.

His eyes suddenly snapped open and he bolted upright. "Ah," he fell onto his elbow and clutched his torso. There were bandages wrapped around his stomach, ribs, and shoulder and he was lying on a soft bed covered in pearl white sheets. It was completely dark outside as the moon shined through the window, and the only other light was coming from a small candle on the bedside table.

"Look who finally woke up," a voice laughed slightly.

Ulquiorra turned his head. There was a white haired woman with midnight blue eyes sitting on the edge of the bed, holding a yellow sponge. "Mademoiselle," he sat upright and doubled over in pain.

Mademoiselle smiled kindly at him. "Come now, Ulquiorra. You should know better than to call me by that name. Call me Lied," she dipped the sponge in a basin of cool water, ringed it out, and gently dabbed it on Ulquiorra's face, neck, and chest. "And I would recommend keeping your movements to a minimum, your wounds may re-open."

"Of course, Lied, I apologize." Ulquiorra slowly leaned back against the headboard and breathed deeply. "How am I alive?"

"Oh," Lied dipped the sponge in the basin again and rang it out, "I was not about to let you die. What point would there be for you to learn the art of self sacrifice if you would only end up dying in the end?" She dabbed his forehead.

Ulquiorra stared at her in disbelief. "You knew this would happen. You knew that I would end up sacrificing my life for another from the very beginning."

Lied smiled slyly. "Perhaps I did, but what does that matter? There would not have been any point in having you sacrifice your life for someone you love to regain your humanity if you were just going to die once the lesson was learned. That is why I kept a close eye on you all these years; to make sure that when the lesson was learned that you would be able to live." She gently dabbed his neck.

Ulquiorra could not help but feel furious at the woman sitting in front of him. She had played him like a chess piece as she toyed with his life, knowing that he would die, and yet he could not bring himself to hate her. If she had not predicted such an outcome he would not be alive right now, nor would he have done so many other things.

He smiled and rested his head against the wall. "You truly are full of surprises," he chuckled slightly.

"I never said I was not," Lied said. She replaced the sponge back in the basin and folded her hands in her lap. "So, how does it feel to be human once again?"

"It feels," Ulquiorra leaned forward slightly and winced, "painful."

Lied laughed heartily. "Well, you would think it would be painful. Your wounds are not going to heal as quickly anymore. But," she pressed her hand against his stomach, "I still need to grant you one wish."

"A wish," Ulquiorra stared at her questioningly, "I do not remember that ever being a reward."

"I only grant one wish to those who I feel have truly learned their lessons and have changed for the better. There have been others who have broken my curse and never attained any reward other than their old lives back," she played his ribs like a skilled pianist, "If you so wish, I can return your high-speed regeneration."

Ulquiorra winced at the pain Lied was inflicting on his ribs. "On one condition."

"Oh," Lied pulled her hand away, "and what is your condition?"

"I will only receive your gift if you promise that it will not interfere with my mortality," Ulquiorra informed. "I wish to die in the future-"

"At Orihime's side," Lied finished. She closed her eyes and smiled. "You know. It is rather odd receiving certain conditions upon which I can cast my spells. Normally I am the one encrypting them."

She opened her eyes and drew her hand back slowly. "Very well, Ulquiorra, I promise you that this healing power will not interfere with your mortality. Do you have any other conditions for me?"

"Well, as a matter of fact," Ulquiorra smirked, "I do have one other condition, but it is more of a request."

Lied raised an eyebrow and stared at him skeptically. "What is your request?"

Ulquiorra motioned for her to come closer. She complied to his gesture and he whispered in her ear.

"Me?" she exclaimed in disbelief. "You must be mad? Do you honestly expect me to do that?"

Ulquiorra shrugged. "It is a request. Are you saying that someone as powerful as yourself would not be able to handle such a simple task?"

Lied blushed a bright pink. "I never said that I could not complete such a simple task!" she said firmly. "It is just," she stared down at her hands, "I have never truly settled down anywhere. If I agree to comply to your request, I will be forced to remain close by at all times. I will not be able to leave and help others the way I have helped you."

"Perhaps your duty has become your own curse," Ulquiorra suggested and gently placed his hand over her's. "If you agree to execute my request, you might be able to break the curse which binds you as well."

Lied turned her head and smiled at him with tears in her eyes. "Very well, I shall comply to your request. Now then," she faced him and held her hand up, "shall I bestow you my gift, or do you have another request for me?"

"Do as you wish," Ulquiorra ordered.

"Do not bark orders at me, Ulquiorra Schiffer," Lied warned. "You never know if they might BACKFIRE!" She slammed her palm into his torso and a blazing fire ignited throughout his body.

Ulquiorra could barely move as the fire spread from his chest to the tips of his appendages. It burned everywhere, but seared his flesh as he felt the bullet wounds stitch together. It was a brief moment of severe pain, but the flame was quickly extinguished as his injuries finished healing.

"What the hell was that?" he growled at the woman smirking in front of him.

"I warned you not to bark orders at me, did I not?" Lied stood up in one swift motion and walked to the door. "I would wipe that look off your face if I were you," she informed. "You have a visitor."

He had a visitor? Ulquiorra straightened up, feeling his newly healed wounds pull slightly as he did so. Who would be visiting him at this time of night?

Lied opened the door and his eyes widened as the room filled with the warm light shining behind the young red haired girl. "Orihime?"

Orihime stepped into the dully light room and felt tears prick at her eyes. Ulquiorra was alright. Mademoiselle had kept her promise and brought him back. She could hardly believe it.

She quickly rushed over and tackled him onto the soft mattress. "Ulquiorra!"

Ulquiorra felt a jolt of pain as she toppled him over and plastered herself to his chest. "Ah, Orihime, that hurts!" He felt her tears soak through his bandages and quickly forgot about the agonizing pain. He gently wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

"Whoa, whoa, take it easy, Orihime!" Tatsuki shouted in the doorway. "The guy's still fragile!"

Lied put a hand on her shoulder and pulled her out of the room. "Come along, Tatsuki. I think we should give them some privacy."

Tatsuki glanced back at the two love birds and sighed. "Yeah, I guess you're right." She followed Lied out of the room and closed the door behind her.

Orihime clung to Ulquiorra's bandages as the tears flowed from her eyes like rivers. "I'm so happy you're alright," she sobbed incoherently. "I thought you were dead. You were dead, but now you're alive. I'm so glad you're alright."

Ulquiorra could hardly understand her muffled ramblings as she cried into his chest, but he did not care. He was alive, and he was able to comfort her the way he should have comforted her from the very beginning. The way any man should comfort the woman he loves.

"It's alright," he whispered into her strawberry scented hair. "Everything will be alright. I'm here now, and I will always be here."

Orihime looked up at him through tear filled eyes. "You promised me that you wouldn't leave."

"I am here now, am I not?" Ulquiorra replied, brushing a tear from her eye, "and I promise you that I will never leave you; no matter what." He bent down and gently kissed her lips. She immediately kissed him back with a hunger he had never known she could ever possess. For the time being, everything was right.

* * * One Year Later * * *

"Come on, you guys!" Tatsuki yelled. "We're gonna be late for the fireworks if you don't hurry it up!"

Ulquiorra and Orihime slowly walked through the snowy streets of Karakura town as their friends waited for them at the stoplight at the end of the block. It was New Year's Eve and they, along with Tatsuki, Chizuru, Rukia, Renji, Uryu, Chad, and Lied were all going down to the riverside to watch the fireworks.

Lied had changed her appearance, not very much, to make her appear the same age as Orihime and was now going by her real name instead of Mademoiselle Leroux. She had gotten Ulquiorra a job as a combat instructor by saying that he was her cousin, and also made him a fake birth certificate, driver's license, and high school diploma, so now he was only two years older than Orihime instead of four-hundred and two.

Ichigo was busy waiting out a two year sentence in jail and would be eligible for parole in half a year. The only reason the judge had gone so easy on him was because they had no solid evidence that he had conspired with a group of hit-men to take Ulquiorra out. The man with the slicked back hair had covered his tracks well.

"We're coming, Tatsuki!" Orihime shouted in reply. She slipped her hand into Ulquiorra's back pocket and rested her head on his shoulder. It had taken three weeks for him to be healed enough to able to leave Mademoiselle- Lied's house since the shooting almost a year ago. In that time everyone at the school had sent him flowers, 'thank you' and 'get well soon' cards, and other gifts. To them, he was a hero, and her's as well.

Once he had finally returned to her apartment though, he was immediately attacked by a shower of hugs and kisses from a hysterical Mrs. Taka, and hugged to the point of passing out by Mr. Taka. They had heard about what had happened on the news and constantly asked Orihime for updates on Ulquiorra's condition. You couldn't blame them though. They had already lost two children; hearing that Ulquiorra had been shot five times in a school shooting probably brought back memories they had desperately tried to forget.

The small group of teenagers finally reached the riverbed next to the bridge where Orihime and Ulquiorra had first met all those months ago, and huddled together for warmth.

"Who thought of putting on a fireworks display in the middle of the night on the coldest day of the year?" Rukia complained.

Renji unzipped his coat and pulled her inside. "Don't worry, Rukia, I'll keep you warm." He zipped his jacket just enough to come up to her chin and bent over to kiss her.

"Hey, come on, you two," Tatsuki scolded. "I see enough of that when I'm around Orihime and Ulquiorra. I don't need to see you two getting overly friendly."

"Hey, we do not get overly friendly!" Orihime squeaked, blushing redder than Renji's hair.

"At least we haven't since before the play last year," Ulquiorra corrected.

Orihime turned around and pounded her hands frantically on his chest. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!"

Ulquiorra caught her wrists with ease and kissed her on the nose. "Why are you getting so upset? Everyone here already knows what happened after Kurosaki's outburst in court. What difference does it make if I simply repeat what they already know?"

"They don't need a confirmation!" Orihime screamed as her blush turned from blazing red to a deep crimson. She flailed her arms in an attempt to hit him again but was interrupted as he kissed her fully on the lips.

"Come on, you two," Lied laughed in a bell-like tone that made Uryu and Chad blush, "can't you wait until you get home to partake in such activities?"

Ulquiorra pulled away from a dazed Orihime and wrapped an arm around her waist. "Excuse us." He quickly led her down to the edge of the frozen river.

"Perhaps not," Lied giggled.

Tatsuki and Chizuru rolled their eyes with disgusted looks on their faces.

"Ulquiorra," Orihime laughed slightly, "what's gotten into you? It's not like you to suddenly rush away from people. It's not like you to rush at all."

"It is nothing," Ulquiorra replied, then thought for a moment. "Actually, it is something; something very important."

He turned to Orihime and looked her up and down. She was wearing a pinkish-red coat, red earmuffs, light blue jeans, red boots, and pink mittens. He could see her shivering as her breath crystallized in the icy air.

He unwrapped the black scarf he had around his shoulders and tied it snugly around her neck. "You are going to catch a cold if you do not dress warmly," he informed. His black, fingerless gloves allowing him to gently brush his fingertips along the smooth, delicate skin of her throat.

Orihime blushed a bright pink and shivered at the touch of his fingers along her neck. "T-thank you." She pulled the scarf up to her face to try and hide the obvious embarrassment coloring her face and sighed at the warm scent radiating off the fabric. It smelled just like him.

Ulquiorra wrapped his arm around her shoulder and carefully checked his watch so she would not see. "It is almost time," he thought as the electric clock indicated 11:58 pm. He glanced at Lied standing on the hill behind the group of huddled teenagers behind them and winked.

Lied winked back and gave him a two finger salute. She slid down the embankment to Tatsuki and whispered in her ear before quickly jumping to the top of the hill. It was almost time.

Tatsuki pulled a camcorder out of her coat pocket and turned it on; kneeling down to get a better view of the sky, the frozen river, and Ulquiorra and Orihime. It was almost time.

Ulquiorra took a deep breath and turned to face Orihime. "I have something to say."

Orihime tore her gaze from the crystal clear, black, night sky and turned her attention to him. "What is it? Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing is wrong," Ulquiorra replied. He checked his watch discreetly and cursed himself. He was shaking so much that he could hardly make out the glowing 11:59 pm on his watch. Why was he so nervous? He had only practiced this in front of the mirror and in front of Tatsuki and Lied so many times he lost count, so why was he so nervous?

He brushed a strand of hair out of Orihime's eyes with a shaking hand and kissed her gently. "I love you."

Orihime was slightly put off by this statement. She knew he loved her, even though he did not say it often. But this time was different, he was acting so strange. Was he shaking?

Ulquiorra suddenly turned her so she was facing the frozen water as sparks fired into the sky. He quickly stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist so she could not move.

That was the first signal.

Lied clapped her hands together as the first thunderous explosion from the fireworks ripped through the night sky and swept a flurry of star-like orbs into the atmosphere. They formed in unison high above the frozen river so everyone, including Orihime, could see it.

Orihime gazed at the flaming display of color flashing through the sky with child-like wonder. "Oh, Ulquiorra, this is so beautiful! Do you see-" she suddenly cut off in mid sentence. Something was happening in the sky other than the fireworks display.

There were suddenly stars falling from the sky in unique, intricate patterns. They spun, swirled, and zigzagged into all kinds of different shapes to catch her attention before coming together in a huge, floating orb of ghostly light.

"What is that?" Orihime asked breathlessly.

Ulquiorra stepped away from her and knelt down on one knee while keeping one hand on her waist. He dug in his pocket and pulled out a small, black, velvet box and opened the lid with his teeth.

That was the second signal.

Lied held her hands up and clapped them a second time. The great ball of stars suddenly exploded, casting shooting stars all across the sky, and formed a giant heart. Orihime gasped in shock as the shooting stars suddenly formed a message inside the glowing symbol:

ORIHIME, WILL YOU MARRY ME?

Orihime turned around and plastered her hand over her mouth to stifle her cry of shock.

Ulquiorra was kneeling before her. His whole body was shaking, there was a bead of sweat slowly running down his face despite the freezing temperature, and there, in his hand, was a small, black box containing a delicate, diamond ring.

"Orihime Inoue," he said shakily and swallowed hard to compose himself, "I...I..." What was he supposed to say? His mind had suddenly gone blank. But he had to say something, she was staring right at him. "Come on, you coward, say something!" he mentally kicked himself.

"I love you, and vow to try and be the kind of man a princess like you deserves, will you marry me?"

"You Dumb-Ass," he scolded himself severely, "what kind of proposal was that? You might as well have just-"

Orihime flung her arms around his neck and tackled him to the ground. "Yes!" she cried through tears of joy. "Yes! Of course, I'll marry you!"

Ulquiorra's eyes widened in a mixture of shock and unbridled joy. She said yes. She said YES! He picked her up by the waist and spun around in circles before setting her down and kissing her passionately.

"It looks like she said yes," Tatsuki laughed and turned off her camera.

"Did you have any doubts?" Lied smiled. "I am just surprised that it took him a year to finally build up the courage to propose. For an ex-mercenary captain, he sure worries about the strangest things."

"I still can't believe that he decided to save up the money to buy her that ring," Uryu commented. "Wouldn't it have been easier to propose with his mother or sister's ring?"

"He said he's saving those for something else," Tatsuki replied.

Lied gazed down at Ulquiorra and Orihime as they stood and gazed across the frozen water at the blazing night sky. "And I think I know what he is saving them for," She held her hand out, palm up, and conjured a butterfly out of starlight, "Happy New Year, everyone."

The butterfly fluttered out of her hand and shot across the night sky. A dark man wearing a hooded robe stared into the stone basin and grinned beneath the shadow cast over his face. "Yes," he said in a deep, raspy voice, "Happy New Year indeed."