His words shocked me. He was heartless right? Why would he care if I cried?

I stopped struggling to get out of his arms, but he was making me cold. His body was as cold as his personality. Or so I thought.

I shivered and he held me tighter. This can't be Ulquiorra.

I heard him mumble something, but I couldn't make it out. Between my sobbing and shivering I couldn't make out anything around me.

"Maaya, stop, you're safe," he told me.

I shook my head, afraid of what he could do to me. I need to get away. I need to be able to save myself without someone else. I have to if I want to protect Orihime, to protect everyone I care about.

"Dammit, listen to me woman. I'm not going to hurt you." He coldly said. He seemed like he was growing agitated but I couldn't tell without looking into his eyes.

I stilled in his arms again.

"Why did you save me?" I asked suddenly.

I waited for an answer. After a few minutes I still hadn't gotten one. He had me tightly against his chest and I couldn't look up at him.

"I don't know." He answered me after a few more minutes of silence.

I pulled my head back to look at him. His green eyes just seemed to be confused.

"I didn't want to. You, you've done a lot that you don't know about and a big part of me hates you. I wanted you to die."

Ouch. That hurt.

Wait why do I care? He's the person that took me hostage.

"But at the same time the other part of me wants to protect you. To make sure you're safe at all times."

My eyes snapped up to his face and scanned his eyes. He seems like he's being truthful but what the hell?

"I don't get what's going on. I can only assume it's because I started to feel emotions. It's all because of you. I can't tell if I want to kill you for bringing me these emotions or if I want to protect you. Emotions really are pointless," he said.

"That's not true," I said but quickly snapped my mouth shut.

"Oh?" He asked curiously. His cold arms loosening around me.

Now is my chance to run.

Don't be stupid Maaya, like you could ever outrun him.

"Emotions let us have some of the best experiences. Orihime and I. Yeah we get into trouble a lot but that girl and I have the best adventures. I mean you'll probably kill us anyways but being here? It's opened my eyes to a lot of things and mainly that I didn't want to die yet like I thought I did.

"Orihime makes me happy. Being happy is something that I haven't really experienced since my parents died, but it's something that truly is amazing. I know everything is worth it when me and her are having fun and smiling at each other," I said as I remembered everything me and Orihime have done.

"Happy?" He asked me. Oh, he probably didn't even know what it was.

"I don't know how to describe it, it's something you definitely feel more. But it's like being satisfied with life, with how everything is going."

"How do you know if it's happiness?"

"Most of the times you'll feel it throughout your whole body but you'll involuntarily smile most of the time," I explained to him as he watched me curiously.

Ulquiorra definitely could give you whiplash. One second he's talking about killing me and then next he wants to know about happiness.

His grip tightened on me all of a sudden and my eyes widened with fear.

"Relax," he told me as he stared at me. He hasn't taken his eyes off of me and it was creeping me out.

"I can't," I said.

"Why not? Afraid of me?" He asked. If this was the old Ulquiorra I knew I was supposed to answer yes. But this Ulquiorra looked like he wanted me to say no.

"I never know where you're going. You want me dead, then you tell me you want to protect me. Am I afraid of you? Yes, I don't know if my life is safe or if I just entered another pit of doom," I answered him.

I thought only Aizen would scare me. But Aizen was nothing compared to the Ulquiorra battling with emotions.

"I don't know how to control these things," he whispered.

His green eyes looked away from mine. Who is the real Ulquiorra?

"You know you can't control emotions."

His eye twitched and I involuntarily jumped back from him. He looked bewildered at my action and stood up, towering over me.

"You truly do fear me," he said, more to himself than to me.

He looked angry, but I could also see the hurt laced underneath.

Why?

He's so confusing. I don't get him. Nothing he has done has made any sense.

He started walking to the door and he beckoned me to follow him. I timidly stood up and followed him.

He was taking me back to my room. I let out a breath. This all showed me one thing.

What Ulquiorra said is true, that I need to protect myself, but I need to protect myself in order to protect Orihime.

If I can't take care of myself, I can't take care of her.

I'll never let her down again.

We reached my room and I walked in.

"Maaya!" Orihime yelled as she engulfed me in a hug. I hugged her tightly, trying not to cry.

"I'm so sorry for always making you worry and being an idiot," I told her as we hugged each other.

"It's okay," she said and she tightened her grip on me.

I felt my tears start to fall down my face, I can't believe I let her worry like this for weeks now.

Some friend I was.

"I just want to keep you safe," I told her and nuzzled my head into her shoulder.

"You always do Maaya, but think of yourself too, I can't stand seeing you getting hurt," she cried.

I stepped away to look at Orihime.

"I promise, we'll both be okay," I told her and she smiled back at me.

I knew Ulquiorra was watching us. I could still feel his spiritual pressure.

"I guess I have to keep a closer eye on the both of you." Ulquiorra said in his cold voice.

"What? We haven't done anything," I said to him. If anyone was likely to kill us by accident or on purpose it would be him.

"Oh would you like Grimmjow to come here again?" He taunted me and my eyes widened.

"Or maybe you would like Szayel to come here and pick your eyes from your sockets and tear you limb from limb to study you. Your choice," he said. His voice was monotone as usual and his eyes showing his emotions.

"Taking a page out of Grimmjow's book?" I answered, playing his little taunting game with him.

He glared at me, obviously agitated I compared him to Grimmjow.

"Trying to compare me to him?" Ulquiorra walked up to me.

"Maaya, stop," Orihime begged me. I took a breath and nodded. I took a step back from him.

She grabbed a hold of my arm, trying to warn me to watch what I say.

"If you are concerned with what will happen to us, why not go to Aizen?" I asked and Orihime squeezed my arm painfully.

"I normally say think for yourself, but you are a fool who needs to listen to others once in awhile," Ulquiorra said, looking tired of this situation.

He grabbed me and pulled me away from Orihime.

"If you want to disobey me, I can ruin that pretty little dream of you getting out alive," he threatened me. His cold green eyes bore into mine.

I flinched away, but he held my arm tightly. Not hard enough to break it, but hard enough to stop me from thinking of moving.

"Behave yourself, and maybe I'll let you live."

He released me. His eyes were enough to tell me he was hurt by the fear in my eyes.

This Ulquiorra was not the same.

The Ulquiorra with emotions sure seemed like a dick.