I have never written a fan fiction before. Nor have I tried romance as a genre. Somehow this couple (Ulquiorra to be specific) caught my attention. Therefore, here's my first attempt at both these genres. Please feel free to point out any mistakes that I may have made.

All the characters here belong to Tite Kubo
Also included is a small reference to One Piece. One Piece belongs to Eiichiro Oda

She woke up slowly, opening her eyes to her dull peach colored roof. Sighing softly, she pushed herself off her bed. She folded her sheet mechanically and made the bed. A memory pushed it's way into her consciousness- she used to make her bed herself as he watched, his arms tucked in his pockets, his face inscrutable- she shook her head to force the image out of her mind and walked over to her bathroom. She freshened up quickly, a habit she had picked up from back then. She had to shower quick, because he would be waiting outside. Not that he ever showed any signs of impatience when she took long, but she hated to keep anyone waiting. She tied the bath robe firmly across her waist, forcing herself to concentrate on the tasks at hand. She knew it was useless. He would invariably creep into her thoughts, unbidden. Try as she might, she couldn't keep him out of her mind.

Walking across the hall she poured herself a glass of milk, toasted two slices of bread and fished out some M&Ms. She was running out of bread. She wrote it down on the list that she had started to keep attached on her refrigerator door off late. Her mind retained so little these days, mental notes wouldn't suffice. She carried her meager breakfast in front of the TV set, remembering how he would get breakfast for her every day. He would stand and make sure she ate all of it. She switched the TV on and slammed the remote with more force than necessary. The channel was playing an episode of One Piece. She allowed herself a small smile. She liked seeing Luffy being Luffy- he made her laugh, and God knew she could do with a few of those. The episode showed a scene with the green haired Zoro. Green, the color of his eyes. She almost screamed in desperation. She switched the TV off and gulped down her breakfast. As she was finishing the last bit of her milk, her phone rang. Glad for the distraction, she picked it up.

"Orihime" It was Tatsuki

"Yes Tatsuki chan?"

"You remember the plans, right?"

Plans? Damn! She did tell her friends that she'd meet them for an outing of sorts. She completely forgot. She closed her eyes and said "Yes Tatsuki chan. I remember. I will be at your house in about forty minutes."

"Alright, see you then."

"Yes."

She washed her plate and glass, singing to herself tunelessly. She knew she was just trying not to think, because her thoughts would invariably lead in only one direction. She walked up to the closet and picked out a green skirt with white flowers and a white top. She changed quickly. As she brushed her long orange hair, she looked at herself for the first time in the day. She had dark circles under her eyes. She knew she hadn't slept properly in a while, and she knew why. She noticed the color combination she had absently picked up and smiled sadly. Green and white- these were the two colors she associated with him. Finally she allowed herself the luxury of his name on her lips.

"Ulquiorra!" she whispered. Saying his name momentarily eased the ache inside her, allowing her to finally step out of the house and start walking towards Tatsuki's house.

She almost made it to Tatsuki's house in a relative peace of mind when she bumped on to a man she hadn't noticed.

"Watch where you are going, woman" the stranger said irritably.

She stood rooted in her spot. Woman. That's what he called her. A sob was forming somewhere in the base of her throat when she heard a familiar voice called out

"Inoue san!"

Turning around she saw Chad and Ishida make their way towards her. Chad, the gentle soul and Ishida, the compassionate one. She smiled at both of them, blinking away the tears, that were threatening to come out any minute. Couple of steps behind them were Ichigo and Rukia, arguing as usual. Tatsuki stepped out of her house with Chizuru, who rushed upto her, screaming her name. Tatsuki intervened in time and she was saved from Chizuru's hugs. All of them talked with each other (argued in Rukia and Ichigo's case), as they made their way slowly towards the park they intended to spend the day in.

"It's almost a year now, Inoue san." Ishida whispered, when he was sure nobody could hear them "You still haven't recovered fully, have you?"

"Ishida kun," She had no idea how to respond. Recovered? How does one recover from what ailed her? "I am fine Ishida kun. Thank you for asking." She lied, feeling bad for lying to him.

She tried to think back when was it that she realised just how much she loved him. She had thought she loved Ichigo, but seeing him now, in front of her, arguing with Rukia, she knew whatever she felt for him, it wasn't love. Love was what she felt for the one she'd lost. She hadn't realised it when he first met her. Nor had she understood when he first touched her. He was there, all the time, whenever she needed someone, and yet, she didn't understand. Fool that she was, she didn't even understand when he reached out to her for the last time. Even when he faded into nothingness, she did not get it. She realised it when she returned to her 'normal life'. Her world. Everything started reminding her of the quiet Arrancar. His memories had become a constant companion, much like he himself had been. They were a dull ache that wouldn't go away. When she had returned from Hueco Mundo, her friends seemed to have made an unspoken agreement of never leaving her alone. They tried to be as inconspicuous about it as they could, but she figured they didn't want to let her off their sight. When the pain of his death and the loneliness had just started to creep in, she had tried to talk about it to Ichigo, because she still believed she was in love with him. But Ichigo's reaction told her volumes. He didn't like her to remember what he thought were the most painful time in her life. He probably thought that Ulquiorra had hurt her in some way. It was the only time she had ever tried to speak about it to someone. Now she tried her best to shut out the pain when in company, allowing it to surface only when she was alone.

The outing had gone on almost without a hitch. She had managed to keep his thoughts at bay. It had been tough, but she managed it. After almost a year's practice, she had learned to keep her face happy when in company. Today too, she had managed to pull it off almost flawlessly. Except on one occasion. She was sitting with the girls for a while and the conversation had moved to colors.

"What's your favorite color, Orihime?" Rukia asked.

"Green." She said without thinking.

"Green? Since when did that become your favorite color? I thought you liked orange." Tatsuki said looking at her strangely. "Coming to think of it, you do wear a lot of green these days, and white."

She realised her slip up. She had been thinking of those eyes, and how they looked. And she had blurted out green without thinking. Thinking quickly she stammered

"I-I- ju-just started to like that color. What's your favorite color, Chizuru san?"

The conversation picked up again. Tatsuki continued to stare strangely at her for a while, shrugged and resumed the conversation. Orihime let out the breath she was holding

Stop torturing me so, Ulquiorra. She thought a little vehemently.

The friends had spend almost all of the day together. The outing had served it's purpose and she was much more at ease than she was in the morning. She knew that the pain would return sooner than later but for now, she was happy to have been able to go almost all of the day without thinking of him. That was an achievement. The night was going to be a different matter though. As the group was walking back home, it started to snow. She looked up and a flake settled on her cheek. The icy cold prick reminded her of his touch. She brushed it away slightly, realising that the tears had betrayed her. She was crying. The last thing she wanted was for someone to see her cry. She turned around hastily, but it was too late. Ichigo had seen it.

"Inoue" he said "What's wrong?"

"N-n-nothing Kurosaki kun."

He grabbed her upper arm and pulled her away slightly. Ishida eyed them curiously but said nothing. As they fell behind the rest of the group, Ichigo asked.

"Inoue, do you hate me?"

"What? No, why should I?" She was stunned

Not meeting her eyes he said "Because I killed him."

She recoiled as if slapped.

"You love him, don't you? I didn't see it then. But I see it now. You miss him terribly. You hurt inside, I know. I wish I could undo what I have done, bring him back to you. But..."

"Kurosaki kun." She cut him off "I will not deny that I love him. Will always do so. But I don't hate you. Please do not think so. The fault is mine, for not seeing the obvious when I could have made a difference. When I did realise it, it was too late. I need to learn to live without him, Kurosaki kun. I am trying, it's tough, but I am trying. God has kept me alive even though he's gone, there must be a reason for it. I just need to find it. Now I will take your leave. Thank you Kurosaki kun."

She did not stop, or look back at the surprised faces of her friends when she walked away without a proper goodbye.

She wandered around aimlessly for as long as she could. The last thing she wanted was to go into her lonely apartment. She did not wish to stay with her friends, but did not wish to stay alone either. She hated her life like this where she neither lived, nor died. Ultimately, at around 10:30 in the night, she slowly climbed her stairs and walked to her door. As she was about to unlock it, she felt a strange tingling at the back of her neck. Looking at her hand she realised that she has goosebumps. Unsure of what just happened, she opened her door and flicked her light on.

"Hello there, Woman"

She gasped. There he was, sitting on a chair with his legs crossed and his hands resting on his left knee, his fingers crossed.

No, this isn't happening. He's dead, long gone. I am hallucinating. She thought. Firmly closing her eyes, she turned away from him.

"You don't seem too happy to see me, Woman" the Arrancar's voice had a hint of chuckle in it.

"You don't exist. You are just a figment of my overactive imagination." She muttered fervently.

"I most decidedly am not."

Her heart thumped so loud that she feared everyone in the neighborhood would wake up. She slowly turned. He was smiling, slightly. The effect on her was devastating.

"You are really back?"

"Yes I am."

"How?"

"Remember what I told your Shinigami friend, it wasn't over yet? I meant he hadn't killed me. I had the power to regenerate. And so, I regenerated."

"And what took you so long?"

"I didn't have enough energy to do so."

"And you got it suddenly? Just like that?"

He smiled a small smile- most she had ever seen him smile. He stood up from his chair and walked up to her. Stopping a foot or so away from her, he stuffed his hands in his pockets in a very familiar gesture.

"No. It took me a long time to gather the energy.I regenerated slowly, bit by bit, as I gathered the energy. Although, I had help."

"From whom?"

"You of-course."

"Me?"

"Yes you. You who thought of me all this while. You who gave me strength. You who mourned my loss more than anyone else ever could. It was you Orihime. Your pain brought me back."

"How did you know?"

"I have been with you, all this while. I saw." He said softly, closing in the little distance that was there between them. He then asked the familiar question,

"Are you afraid of me?" his voice barely audible.

"No. I never was."

He looked at her for a long time. She stood looking at him, drinking in those green eyes. Slowly he raised a hand to her chin and tilted her head up slightly and placed his lips on her. She now knew why God had kept her alive.