god. i really do love that Ulquiorra gets back up bc Orihime screams.
like. up to this point, Orihime hasn't screamed, she hasn't been that scared in her situation. Even when she gets attacked by Melony and Loly in her room, even when Grimmjow pulverizes Loly, when she finds Ichigo's cadaver, no big reaction, no screaming. like, she should, it's all horrible, but she's not that scared, she's dealt with these things before, girls bullying her, people dying before her eyes, it's stuff she's used to.
but then! Ichigo turns into a textbook description of a monster in appearance and behaviour and that's what gets her scared. he's killing indiscriminately, has no recognition of friend or foe, kinda functioning on instincts (protect and defend) alone. he's terrifying.
and it's like. this entire time Ulquiorra has been studying Orihime like a bug, trying to figure her out, she's so interesting to him, but he's like, a monster himself, made from feelings of rejection and abandonment as all hollows are, so he's not very nice doing it. and he hasn't figured out what would get her scared!
"I've got no reason to be alive after being defeated by you, kill me" he tells monster Ichigo, reserved to dying, genuinely believing he's got nothing else to live for
but then Orihime screams and as instinctively as Ichigo is trying to protect Orihime, Ulquiorra gets back up to protect her from whatever made her react like that.
like, he knows she's strong. he believes this bc he sees it. she didn't scream when Melony and Loly started attacking her when he was fighting Ichigo, she wasn't scared, so she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself.
but she actually screams after Ichigo beats his ass? she's scared now?
and then, when he's dying, he's asking Orihime if she's scared of him, who's done just as bad if not worse than Ichigo just had, looks just as monstrous, and she says no!!
god. the fucking heart. tite kubo when i get you
