"ULQUIORRA! You can't leave me! Don't go!"

Their voice rang out to him as Ulquiorra reached out to them. He didn't understand why their words tore at him. Their face grew hazy in his vision, the sign that his time was near. He felt like he understood finally, after all this time.

'I see. So, this is it. This thing in the palm of my hand... is heart.' He thought to himself in his final moments.

The world around him was all white, except for the black dot in the middle.

~~~~~

Ulquiorra opened his eyes, blinking away the last remains of sleep in them. The dark skies of Hueco Mundo greeted him with the usual moon in the distance, the soft overcast light touching the sands of those around them. He felt sharp spines around him, looking down to see he was in the white tree he found all those years ago.

He forced himself up and jumped down from the white tree. He remembered it all too well, the sharp spines that destroyed half of his mask when he sank himself into the tree's embrace. His memories were hazy, he could have sworn he died, disappearing into the sands of Hueco Mundo.

Ulquiorra knew he felt... something different about himself. He reached up to feel where part of his mask was. His heart dropped in his stomach; it was gone. The familiar feel of his hollow mask was nowhere to be felt on the left side of his head.

His heart sped up in a confusing panic. He reached up to feel where his hollow hole was, and it too, was gone. His brain tried to wrap around his brain of what happened to him. He looked down at his own arms, they were a normal flesh color instead of the usual paleness.

Ulquiorra remembered just before in his final moments, you had poured a considerable amount of your own reiryoku inside him in an effort to save him. He had thought it was futile since all of his major internal organs were damaged beyond repair.

'Could it be... that their spiritual powers were strong enough to help me regenerate?' Ulquiorra thought to himself.

Ulquiorra didn't waste any time and started sensing your spiritual pressure around Hueco Mundo. His unease was becoming stronger by the minute, he didn't recognize anyone's spiritual pressure for miles on end. It was as if everyone had left Hueco Mundo and Las Noches for good.

You were Lord Aizen's child, so you went wherever your father went. Unless... Lord Aizen was defeated in battle. Ulquiorra tried to piece together where you could have possibly left too. He suddenly remembered you talking about how you grew up in the Human World with your mother before she passed away. It was his only chance since there was no way you would be willing to go to the Soul Society as Lord Aizen's only child.

Ulquiorra summoned Garganta with the remaining power he had left stored inside himself.

'Hmph, it seems I've retained my arrancar powers while looking like a regular human.' He thought to himself as he stepped through the portal.

He connected himself to the Human World as he stepped through. His ruined shoes made a crunch sound as he came into contact with the snow beneath him. The air of the Human World was colder than that of Heuco Mundo, which surprised him. The Human World seemed to be in the season of winter, a term he had heard from you before.

He reached out with his reiatsu to sense out your own. It took a little bit, but he saw the faint violet color of your reiatsu color in the distance, it was the same color as your father Aizen's, making it easier to sense out.

Ulquiorra used all of his remaining strength to summon the Garganta, so he started walking towards your spiritual pressure. He never minded the cold before, but now taking on the appearance of a human, he now understood why you wore hoodies and jackets while in Las Noches.

He was thankful it was night and there weren't any humans walking around the quiet streets, he wouldn't feel at ease being around other humans in his weak state. The walk was quite long, until he finally stumbled across a small shop. It read 'Urahara's Shop' on the sign.

You were inside watching TV in your own room watching the newest anime episode that you just recently got into. It was around two thirty in the morning, and you knew you were supposed to be in bed a long time ago, but one more episode turned into five more...

After your father Aizen's was sealed, Urahara took it upon himself to take care of you. He didn't think it was fair that you were to suffer the crimes of your father when you were innocent in all of his plans. Since then, you helped and worked in the shop with Urahara while you were getting your education to get a better job and live out on your own eventually. Urahara and the gang were on vacation and you were to shop sit while they were gone for two weeks.

You were drinking your second bottle of sake when there was a knock at the shop's front door. You turned towards your bedroom door, pausing, thinking to yourself that you just imagined it for a moment.

A minute went by later when the knocking was harder and more consistent. You groaned as you sat up from your bed and walked over to the store door, muttering under your breath. "Are they stupid? Don't they know it's two in the fucking morning?"

You opened the store door loudly, looking at the person who was knocking. The door light was dim since Urahara hadn't replaced it yet since he figured there was no need. You could only see the bottom half of Ulquiorra's face.

You gave Ulquiorra a glare, "The hell do you want?"

Ulquiorra was taken aback a bit. You looked slightly older than he remembered, confirming that time had passed since his death. He spoke quietly and softly. "It's me."

Your blood ran cold at the sound of his voice. You knew that voice from anywhere, even if it had been a couple years. You grabbed Ulquiorra by the arm, dragging him closer to your face. Your eyes widened in shock, it was him, without a doubt. His appearance looked to be of a human, but it was still him.

You let him go and staggered backwards, "H-How... I saw you die in front of my eyes...?"

Ulquiorra just stared at you, but it was softer. "It seemed your reiryoku was powerful enough to sustain my own, and I regenerated over time."

The tears suddenly poured down your eyes, the grief and anguish you felt at his death from four years ago felt fresh, like it just happened yesterday. "You idiot... I hate you... you left me all by myself."

Ulquiorra's heart ached at your words. He stepped forward and wrapped an arm around you. "I'm sorry. I want us to start over with this second chance at life I have. Now that your father isn't around, I want to act on my feelings and emotions for you without fear of you or I being in danger."

You shook your head as you looked up at him. "Yes... I would love that."

Ulquiorra gave you a small smile as he hugged you to his chest. He finally understood what it truly meant to have a heart; you gave him one.