"Ulquiorra?" the familiar voice said. The darkness I have been trapped in for so, so long made her voice a gentle knife cutting away the final pieces of nothing.

I gradually opened my eyes, wanting desperately to see the woman. I saw her face, and happiness washed over me. This feeling was... unnatural.

She was as beautiful as ever. She looked older than when I last saw her by a few years, but still beautiful. Then I noticed she wasn't in her Espada uniform. When had she found the time to change?

"O-Orihime?" my hoarse, unused voice croaked as her name slipped off my tongue without my permission. Strange. My voice stays calm and monotone. Not once has it ever cracked. Until now.

She gasped in relief. "You really are alive!" she exclaimed as she covered her mouth, her eyes starting to become shiny.

"What do you mean... I really am alive?" I asked, my voice returning to normal. "I do not remember much from before I blacked out."

"You don't remember?" she asked carefully.

"No, I do not. What happened?" I questioned, moving to a sitting position.

Orihime averted her eyes, hesitant to answer. "Do you remember fighting Ichigo?"

"Yes," I answered immediately. I looked down at myself, expecting to be in my resurrection form.

I was not.

The woman glanced at me, uneasily. "Do you remember winning... or losing?"

"Lose? Impossible. I am the 4th Espada. I was created by Lord Aizen himself."

"Do you remember beating Ichigo?" she persisted, as if I had lost.

I looked at the women straight in the eye. "For a time. Then he... came back," I added the last part quietly, "as a hollow." My memory of what happened during the fight started coming back to me in small waves.

Orihime looked down and spoke quietly. "I thought you were dead. When hollow Ichigo went back to Ichigo after that, you two were supposed to fight again. But hollow Ichigo did more damage to you then we originally thought. You disappeared, and it was all my fault." Liquid started spilling from her eyes, down her cheeks.

I wiped away the watery subject with the back of my hand. "How is it your fault? You did not fight me." As an afterthought, I added, "What is this water in your eyes?"

She laughed at my question, as if it was ridiculous. "It's called tears, silly. People cry when they're happy or sad." Then she turned serious. "It's my fault because I'm the reason Ichigo came back as a full hollow. If I wasn't calling his name, Ichigo wouldn't have felt the need to protect me."

"Why did you call his name?" I asked, my foolish anger and jealousy starting to rise.

"I was convinced you were going to kill Uryu," she answered quietly.

My anger collapsed. "Then it is my fault I disappeared. If I had not been keen on killing the people who hold your heart, then I would not have died."

She peered at me through her eyelashes. "The people who hold my heart?" she asked, confused.

"Do you not remember?" It was my turn to be confused. "You are the one that taught me about the heart you humans posses. I thought it was what made you weak, but I was wrong. The heart is what makes you humans strong."

"No, I do remember," Orihime said, slowly starting to get happier. "I'm just surprised you remember."

"I died with your heart in the palm of my hand. Of course I remember."

She nodded. I wrapped my arms around the woman, and embraced her. It was odd, but I enjoyed the feeling of having her in my arms.

When I was going to pull away, Orihime wrapped me in her own arms, and held me closer.

We stayed in the position for a long time.

I pulled away. "How did you find me if I had been dead?"

"You were calling for me," she answered.

I looked at her confused. "I was? I do not recall doing so."

"The first time I came to Hueco Mundo after you died," she explained. "I came to rescue the hollows, with Ichigo, Chad, and Kisuke. Some Quincies had tried to destroy the world, and Hueco Mundo was a part of the process.

"When I entered here, I could hear you calling for me. I wanted to ignore everything and find you, but I couldn't. We had to defeat the Quincy. When the Quincies here were dealt with, I wanted to go find you, but we had to go to the Soul Society. The Quincy, ruled by Yhwach, declared war on the soul reapers, so I was forced to leave Hueco Mundo and go to the Soul Society.

"When we finally defeated Yhwach, with the help of Uryu, Haschwach, and some of the other Quincy, we returned to the World of the Living.

"It took a while, but I was able to convince Kisuke to let me come here again, so I could find you.

"Ichigo and Chad came, too, to protect me, just in case. Right now, they're with Nel.

"Did you know Yoruichi has a brother?" Orihime suddenly changed the subject. "His name is Yuushirou, and he looks just like Yoruichi!"

"Woman!" I interrupted her, a strange smile tugging at the sides of my mouth. "I have no idea who Yoruichi is. Keep explaining how you found me."

"Oh, right," she giggled. "Sorry. That was pretty much it. When I came the second time, you were calling for me, only louder and more urgent. I came rushing here, but asked Ichigo to keep a distance for a bit, because I didn't want you to fight again. When I found you, you begged me to use Soten Kisshun so that you were no longer in pain. That was all there is to it."

"Thank you," I whispered. Then, I placed the insides of my hands on the side of her head, and leaned closer to her. Gently, I kissed her forehead.

Orihime gasped, this time out of surprise.

"I love you," I whispered in her ear, not expecting her to feel the same way. "My Princess."

I pulled away from her, thinking she would be disgusted. After all, she is human. I am a hollow.

Orihime jumped on top of me, and we landed on the ground with a thud. "I love you, too," she whispered back, joy growing more with each word. "Even if it's a little too soon to claim that."

We kissed for the first time, this one on the lips.

When she pulled away, she asked, "What will you do now?"

I looked at her thoughtfully. "If it is alright with you, I would like to move to the World of the Living."

She smiled, "Of course it's alright with me!"

I smiled, a real one. "Good. I do not wish to be the Espada of Nihilism anymore, but I fear staying in Los Noches would not help me."

She laughed. "I agree. Hueco Mundo isn't the cheeriest place you could stay."

"Shall we go tell your friends?" I asked. I was uncertain of how Ichigo Kurosaki or the soul reapers would react to this arrangement.

My Princess nodded. "We should. After this." She leaned in and we kissed again.

I have always been convinced that I was incapable of love. I was wrong about that my entire existence. I want to be with this women. She is the only one capable of making me smile. Is this enough of a reason to let me live?

I believe that it is.

A/N
So how was it? Did you think I rushed into it, or did you love it? Did you feel like I copyrighted someone (I hope not)? Was there too much talking? Too cheesy?? I love reading comments, so please tell me what you thought!! (Sorry. I'm excited. I ship Ulquhime [is that the right ship name??], so this short story makes me happy!!!)
The timeline is after the Quincy arc, but I have no idea how the arc ends. I don't know if Uryu and Haschwach really do help the soul reapers defeat the Quincy, it was just a guess.
I hope you enjoyed the short story!!