A Whole New World

Another year had passed.

When Orihime had written in her notebook "Goodbye Halcyon Days" even she had not realized the truth in her words. The past year had been a whirlwind as she had proven herself to be different than the naive little girl who had gone to Hueco Mundo to save her friends. At first everyone believed that it was sadness and hurt in her eyes coming from the confusion after her kidnapping and subsequent imprisonment. But it was clear that it wasn't. No, it seemed that after years of delaying it, Orihime Inoue had finally started to grow up. She may have not been the innocent little Princess with the wide eyes anymore but she was still Orihime.

Which she demanded everyone call her now.

She was sick of people calling her Inoue, her name was Orihime. Ichigo had been the slowest to adjust but eventually he too had obliged her. Now she couldn't remember the last time he had called her Inoue. Everyone called her Orihime now. Everyone except the one person she wanted to hear it from. She had learned to use Tsubaki, to survive in the world that existed outside of her head. She still had her strange taste in food and her bright smile but now when someone asked about her future self she said she wasn't sure but she didn't say anything about herself being a robot.

She had told Tatsuki about what happened to her in Las Noches. Her oldest, closest friend had listened quietly. When she was finished Orihime held her breath, expecting the same horrible reaction from everyone else. Much to her shock Tatsuki dropped her head to her chin and gave a very girlish sigh before saying it was possibly the most romantic thing she had ever heard in her entire life. Orihime had been stunned but a brief replay of the events told her that despite keeping her captive Ulquiorra had been her protector. He had chased after her when she was kidnapped, he had kept her alive when she refused to do it herself. Plus he had made her angry which was no small feat in itself. He had made her angry and, as Tatsuki pointed out, he had made her care so much she was really sad when she left. She had also stood up to Ichigo for him, something Orihime never ever did.

Orihime hadn't really thought about her story with Ulquiorra as romantic. Even if she had done all those things, even if he had protected her, she hadn't thought of it that way. And somehow Tatsuki--the least romantic person Orihime knew--saw it that way. Orihime had pushed the thought as far out of her mind for as long as she could until the annual festival came around. A bit before butterflies had started in her stomach and by the time it came around she had been almost beside herself with excitement.

Standing in front of the mirror she tugged at the kimono she wore, wondering why she was so excited. It was a festival and even if it was her favorite she didn't know why she was more excited about it than ever before. Still she was dressed in a beautiful kimono of rose silk embroidered with pale gold butterflies. The colors worked beautifully with her hair which she wore unbound down her back. Wrapped snugly around her waist was a creme colored sash, a warmer tone than her robes in Las Noches but reminiscent of them all the same. For some reason it was not a bad color, no horrible memories stirred at the sight of it.

"Orihime! You ready?!" Ichigo demanded loudly pounding on the door.

"Coming!" she called back giving herself one last encouraging smile before opening the door. Ichiog was standing there with Rukia and Ishida and Tatsuki, "where's Renji and Sado?" she asked.

"Meeting us there along with Keigo, come on," he said.

The group walked to the festival. Sure enough their friends were waiting for them there. August was just as warm and humid as it had been last year. It wasn't dark enough out to see the stars yet but Orihime knew they would be up there soon enough. Hikoboshi and Orihime, the weaver Princess and the Cow Herder reunited at long last for a single night. They wandered through the candy colored paper lanterns and vendors selling all sorts of things. As it got a bit closer to dusk food vendors came out and started to sell food. Delicious smells wafted up around them. Orihime closed her eyes and inhaled gratefully before opening her eyes. Her heart skipped a beat.

In a previously unoccupied space eating noodles was Grimmjow Jeagerjaques.

"Grimmjow!" she gasped.

The Sixth Espada was whole and alive and given the lack of mask, in a gigai. Hollows didn't need to eat food but that clearly wasn't stopping him. The sight of him, mouth full of noodles and chopsticks raised to shovel more into his mouth would have been comical if the last time Orihime had seen him hadn't been when he was lying, bleeding on the desert of Las Noches.

"Eh--oof!" Orihime collided with his chest, her arms going around him, "fuck woman! What's wrong with you?!"

"You're alive!" she cried, too overjoyed to care about the demand. He seemed stunned at her joy at seeing him, "I thought you were dead!"

"Yeah, well," he trailed off, awkwardly raising a hand to pat her back before she stepped back and put her hands on her hips.

"Are you still hurt? How did you get healed? Why are you here?!"

"You ask a lot of questions woman," he said rolling his eyes.

"My name is Orihime," she said glaring.

"Fine! Orihime," he rolled his eyes, "long story. It'd take all night," he shrugged, "and given who I'm talking to, despite the obvious superiority, I'm not the one you want to spend all night with."

"Grimmjow!" Ichigo stalked over to him, "what the fuck are you doing here?"

"Damn it I'm trying to eat!" he snarled, motioning to the plate he held in his hand.

Orihime didn't hear the rest of the exchange. Not the one she wanted to spend the night with meant one thing: Ulquiorra was here. She was sure that Ichgio and Grimmjow would eventually have a rematch but the two wouldn't fight during the festival. She wasn't alone anymore and she had a feeling that if they tried anything Rukia was going to murder them both. Weaving her way through the crowed Orihime tried to ignore the feelings that raced through her. But she didn't see him. Not a flash of emerald or white or ebony, nothing. After embarrassing herself in front of every ebony haired man she saw Orihime was still not ready to give up. On a whim she headed to the outskirts of the festival, to the lake where the view of the stars was the best.

And there he was.

Hades waiting for Persephone to come home.

Hikoboshi waiting for when he could be reunited with Orihime.

Ulquiorra waiting for Orihime.

Standing on the riverbank, his eyes focused on the faint stars above he was there. He was in a gigiai as well, his skin just pale instead of chalk white, his broken helmet nowhere to be seen. Orihime's heart felt as though it would beat right out of her chest. He was really there. As though aware of eyes on him he turned his head to look at her. Before she could loose her nerve Orihime stepped along the grass until she came next to him.

"I didn't know if you'd come," she said.

"I don't like crowds," he said glancing over his shoulder at the festival before focusing his gaze on her.

"Me neither," she said, "you can see the stars much better here anyway."

"You can't see them yet," he said looking at the sky that was just starting to darken.

"Don't worry," she said, her lip curving into the brightest smile she had given in a year, "you will," she held out her hand, "here, I'll show you."

After a moment's hesitation, Ulquiorra extended his hand. Just like her brother had done she traced the outline of the stars with their fingers, explaining the legend as she did despite the fact that Ulquiorra clearly knew it already. He said nothing to contradict her, letting her instead guide his hand and tell him the legend. He knew it was the first time in so long that she had touched him and she seemed to know it as well but somehow it did not seem odd. Just as Orihime in the legend did not weep when she saw Hikoboshi, Orihime did not seem sad or afraid around him anymore. When she finished the stars had fully come out, throwing the velvety sky into a dazzling display.

"I wanted to thank you for saving me," he said after a moment of silence.

"Well I should thank you for protecting me," she said.

"I kidnapped you."

"I hit you."

"Woman--"

"Orhime," she corrected firmly.

Ulquiorra said nothing. It took a second for him to realize she was demanding he call her by her name. He had always called her 'woman'. He had always thought of her as 'woman'. At least he had until the end, when she had saved him. He saw her smile, her eyes soft as though she already knew the chanced of him denying her were slim to none. He had, after all, come to the festival in a gigai. There wasn't much he wouldn't do after doing that.

"Orihime," he said finally, her name falling very easily from his lips. Orihime smiled and dipped her head before he could see the rosy blush that stained her cheeks. Ulquiorra felt something twist inside him. He had made her cry and he had made her smile but now he made her blush as well., "thank you," he said finally.

"Y-you're welcome," she said raising her eyes to his finally.

She had so many questions to ask him. What had he been doing for the past year? What were the remaining Espada doing now that Aizen was gone? How had he gotten out of the ice that they left him in? Had he thought of her? Did he miss her? But all that came out of her lips was the one question that really mattered.

"How long are you here for?" she questioned looking up at him.

"A while," he said.

"Not just one night?" she asked, her heart pounding in wild hope.

"No," he said, "the war's over," he looked at the lake and then at her, "there's nothing in Hueco Mundo anymore."

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

"When did Urahara find you?"

"His cat woman came three days ago," he said after a moment, "she seemed to think tonight would be the best time to come up to the transient world," he shifted slightly.

"Is it strange being in a Gigai?" she asked. He looked at her strangely, wondering how she had figured it out, "its okay, when we went to save Rukia from Soul Society, I had to be in a Spirit Form and it felt very weird," she smiled, "It took me a bit to get used to it," he looked at his hand and then at her again, "you'll get used to it too."

"Its strange," he said after a moment, his voice almost, well, unsure.

"I know," she said stepping closer to him, "but strange isn't always bad."

His lips curved into a small smile that set Orihime's heart pounding.

"You've become wiser, Orihime," he said.

"That's another thing I have to thank you for," she replied easily, "come on," she said, "lets go eat."

"Your friends--" he began.

"They'll adjust," she said, "I saw Grimmjow eating noodles before I found you."

"Like I said," Ulquiorra sighed, "its been strange."

"That's okay," Orihime said as they walked towards the bright festival, "strange isn't always bad, its just--" she smiled, "its strange."

The back of Ulquiorra's hand touched her and before he could move away she reached out and took his hand in hers. Together they walked back towards the festival. It was strange and different and a thousand things that filled Orihime with both hope and fear. But walking towards the rest of them with her hand clasped in Ulquiorra's, Orihime felt truly hopeful for the first time. Strange wasn't necessarily bad, it was just strange and she was glad she did not have to face it alone.

High above them the lovers in the stars twinkled, happy for their single night of reunion.

Down below Orihime tightened her fingers on Ulquiorra's and was glad that they had much longer than one night to spend together.