This is for Brittanie (randomfan17). This is my second het story, as I tend to write yaoi more often than not. I happen to love the idea of these two together very much, so when she requested it, I was more than up to the challenge. Characters belong to Kubo Tite, and the story...well...I suppose it's mine. We'll say it's set after the events of Hueco Mundo, as an offshoot of what may have happened in another universe. I hope you all enjoy. This will be a two-part story.

...

Staring down at her thumbnail, noticing that the emerald polish she had taken to wearing since returning from the world that was trapped in darkness was beginning to chip, Orihime Inoue barely heard her friend speaking to her. All she could see was the eternal night in her mind, and of the one person that had yet to leave her mind, even though he had left her completely alone.

"Earth to Orihime!" A hand waved in front of her face as her eyes shifted their focus from her hand to the person standing directly in front of her desk. "Where are you right now?"

She gave a small shrug of her shoulders, sighing softly. "Nowhere, Tatsuki-chan." As of late, her mind kept losing focus, with her thoughts still lingering on other matters. Grabbing her school bag, she placed the strap over her shoulder and gave her friend her million watt smile. "Did you bring your lunch?"

"I did, but that doesn't answer my question," Tatsuki said, giving her friend a quizzical look. "Why didn't you bounce up out of your chair like you always do?"

They had only been back for a couple of weeks, and Orihime was still having trouble trying to adjust to her life. Acting as if nothing had happened while she was gone, when a lot happened, was not a very easy task. She could barely keep her attention on anything that was happening, as she kept feeling like she was still trapped in the white walls of her prison. She had taken to wearing a lot of green, as that's the color she saw most in her mind, those eyes that looked back at her with such utter sadness as he disappeared. Ulquiorra. She walked out of the classroom with her best friend, surprised at how well adjusted everyone else that had gone to save her was acting.

Her burnt orange hair swung behind her back, the length now longer than she's ever worn it. She didn't want to cut it, just in case she ever... "Inoue-san! Watch where you're going!"

Ishida Uyru grabbed her arm before she walked off the side of the building, so lost in thought, she hadn't realized that they had already arrived outside. Giggling, she shook her head and looked up at her friend. "Arigatou, Ishida-kun. I guess I should pay more attention, huh?" She gave him the same smile she had given Tatsuki before leaving the classroom for lunch.

"What is going on with you?" Tatsuki muttered, shaking her head as she sat down on the ground. "One minute you're spaced out, the next, you're laughing like it's nothing. Orihime, what is going on?"

A silence came over the group, as both Keigo and Mizuiro were there, along with Ichigo, Sado and the man who had just stopped her from falling off the building. Orihime couldn't look over at the three men, whose stares she could feel on her face, but refused to look at them. "Nothing, Tatsuki-chan. I'm just really tired today, okay?" Instead of her bright smile, she gave her friend a smaller one, the corners of her lips barely turning upward. Silently hoping that would satisfy her friend's inquest, she pulled her brown bag out of her school bag and began to eat.

"Inoue."

Her heart clenched as she heard the voice she was hoping wouldn't add to the finished conversation. Glancing up, she looked at his auburn eyes, but could only see the white persona he had become in order to save them back in Hueco Mundo, taking the one person she couldn't seem to stop thinking about. Even though, in her heart, she knew that he was a bad man, she couldn't help but feel this utter despair whenever he came to her mind. I bet he would just laugh and make fun of me. No, not laugh. I don't think I ever heard him laugh. She kept her eyes on his, without saying anything.

"Are you sure you're feeling alright?"

She could hear the hidden meaning in his words. "If you can't handle the trauma you've been through, no one would blame you." "Quit being strong." "Stop acting like nothing happened." Orihime couldn't take the hidden meaning behind his words. She blinked back tears quickly, not wanting the others to see her falter in her confidence. I won't be that girl anymore. "I am, Kurosaki-kun." Smiling brightly, she kept her eyes on his, never wavering, as much as her brain told her to stop looking at him. "I'm just sleepy today."

"Not getting much sleep?" Yasutora Sado asked, glancing at her.

"Hai." Not bothering to lie, she began to pick at her sandwich. Her unique taste had not faltered, as she sat there eating a red bean paste and avocado sandwich, the avocados just ripe enough where they were almost too soft, but tasted delicious with the paste. Sitting quieting, she just listened to what the others were saying around her, not really focusing on any one conversation.

The bell rang, signaling their lunch period was over, and that it was time to go back to class. Orihime balled up her foil and made a move to toss it out, and his voice materialized in her head, just the simplest word, and one that had been meant to be an insult to her. Trash. It sent a shiver down her spine, as she closed her eyes and instantly saw those bright emerald eyes staring back at her. Her feet guided her back down to their classroom without any further incidents, her friends blissfully unaware of her inner turmoil.

In what seemed like moments, the bell rang once more, signalling the end of the day. Standing up quickly, Orihime gathered her books and placed them in her bag. "I'll see you guys later?" She gave Keigo and Mizuiro a smile, while Tatsuki tried to block their other friend, Chizuru, away from her.

"May I walk you home?"

It seemed the substitute shinigami was waiting for her outside their classroom door. Orihime clutched her book bag tightly, shaking her head. "I will be okay, Kurosaki-kun. I just would like to get home."

"Do you mind if I follow you then?"

There was going to be no way out of it, as she knew his will was stronger than hers was. She gave a small nod of her head, and continued down the hallway, exiting the doors and heading out into the cool winter sunshine. She walked briskly to her apartment, hating that the orange-haired teen wasn't allowing her the space that she desperately needed. As she stuck her key in the lock of her front door, she felt him next to her.

She unlocked the lock and turned to him. "I can't invite you in. I appreciate you walking me home. But I'd like to be alone now." Entering her apartment, she dropped her book bag on the floor and as she closed the door, an object stopped her.

"Please, Inoue..." Ichigo said, keeping his foot firmly planted in the doorway. "I don't know what I've done."

Touching her hairpin, she called Tsubaki out, the male fairy appearing in front of Ichigo's face. "You need to leave her alone, she doesn't want to speak right now!" The tiny fairy pushed the tip of Ichigo's nose, making him move out of the doorway.

"I got it," Ichigo said, turning around. "For what it's worth, Inoue...I'm sorry."

Once Tsubaki came back in, she quickly closed the door, sinking to the floor as a soft sob escaped her throat. "Orihime-chan," Shun'ō said, appearing in front of her. "Are you really okay?"

"I think I need a nap," she spoke to the fairy, her legs wobbling as she stood up from the floor. "My mind is so tired right now, Shun." She shortened her fairy's name, barely able to keep her eyes open as she stumbled towards her bedroom.

Orihime fell onto her bed, her hair fanning out around her cool pillow, as it hadn't been touched since she got up this morning. Sighing softly, her eyes closed completely, the stress of the day washing away as she fell into a deep sleep. She found comfort in her dreams, as she was reliving the moments in Las Noches, the Espada with the emerald green eyes a constant fixture in her memories. Reliving the moment, remembering how she had cried and cried for the orange-haired teen to come back and help her, only to turn into that monster. She looked at the winged version of her captor, not at all scared of what she saw there, as it had been when she was experiencing it first hand. She watched him raise his right hand up towards her, as his surviving wing began to turn to dust.

"You know what you have to do, onna."

Sitting up, Orihime clutched her heart as she panted hard, awakening herself up from her dream. Disoriented, she saw that it was only 7 in the evening, her heart still beating rapidly in her chest. The last part of her dream hadn't happened, and she had no idea what it meant. Hearing his voice echo over and over in her mind, she struggled to get out of her school clothes and into something more comfortable. Putting on a pair of jeans and an oversized sweatshirt, she glanced around her room, grabbing a pair of shoes before she closed the door.

Anxious to be on her way, Orihime tied her shoelaces quickly and grabbed her house key, putting it in her pocket as she turned off the lights and put her winter coat on over her sweatshirt. Stepping outside, she looked around and saw no one was waiting for her, even though she felt like someone was watching her. Shivering, she zipped up her coat and doubled checked her door, making sure it had locked properly. Unable to stop the sounds of his voice repeating over and over in her mind, she walked at a brisk pace towards the one place she hoped would be able to help her figure out what was happening to her.

Turning down an alley, she saw that the light was still on in the shoten, and could see the shape of the shop owner standing outside, a cigarette in his hand. "Orihime-chan, what a pleasant surprise," the shoten's owner, Urahara Kisuke, said softly. She stood a few feet away, hugging herself tightly to keep herself warm. "Would you like to come inside for some tea?"

"I..." Orihime gave a firm nod of her head as she stepped up to the shōji, stepping through the minimal crack, her bosom pushing against the frame. Urahara was behind her, the faint smell of cigarette smoke still lingering on his clothes as he pushed it open more. Blushing, she turned her body and walked into the shop with more ease at the extra room. Looking around the shop, she saw that no one appeared to be there, except for, "Konbanwa, Yoruichi-san!" She reached down and gave the black kitty a pet on her head.

A gruff voice gave her a short greeting, "And to you, Inoue-chan."

"Now, tea. Would you prefer green or black?" Urahara went over to the electric tea kettle and began to boil some water. "Please, take a seat. This can't be a friendly visit, as you've never just shown up here without Kurosaki and the others." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his fan, fanning himself playfully. "Sit, sit!" He gestured to the empty table, Orihime taking the place she always sat whenever she did visit with the others.

Pushing her hair back behind her ears, she sighed softly. "I...I'm not sure why I'm here, Urahara-san. I didn't know where else to go."

"What seems to be the trouble? Are you having vivid dreams? Can't seem to keep your concentration while in class since you came back from Hueco Mundo?"

Leave it to the shopkeeper to know just exactly why she was there. The tea kettle began to whistle, and while the shopkeeper busied himself with making two cups, and a saucer for the kitty, Orihime started to speak rapidly. "It isn't that I'm having vivid dreams. It's that I keep having the same dreams over and over. And they're not really dreams, Urahara-san. They're of what happened while I was there." She took off her jacket and set it to the side, already becoming warmer in the shoten than she had been at home.

"There being...Hueco Mundo?" Yoruichi asked, sitting next to her, her yellow eyes shining in the darkness. "Or before then?"

A cup of tea was placed in front of Orihime, which she grabbed quickly and took a tentative sip. "The first one, Yoruichi-san." She looked down at the table, unable to look at either of them. She knew that Urahara was aware of what had happened while they were gone, but none of them had ever spoken about it, as they all tried to get back into having a normal life.

"Did you have a dream this evening?" Urahara asked, the brim of his bucket hat shading his eyes in darkness. "Did something different happen?"

She set the cup down, staring at him. "W-Why would you ask that? Is there something wrong with me? There is, isn't there? He was right. They did something to me while I was there, didn't they? In my sleep? Is that why I can't seem to stop thinking about hi-them?" She almost let it slip that she had been thinking of the emerald-eyed Espada on more than a constant basis, but didn't want the two of them to find her weak for thinking about the person she was supposed to hate.

"Orihime-chan," Urahara fanned his face, before slapping his fan closed. "There is nothing wrong with you. They did not do anything to you. Whatever you may have heard, it was them trying to outsmart the 'enemy', and in this case, Kurosaki-san was just that. The enemy. Both Mayuri-san and I checked you over, and there appeared to be nothing wrong."

Her chestnut colored eyes widened. "Kurotsuchi?" She practically screeched his name, hating that the creepy taichou had examined her. "But...but why?"

"Because we couldn't trust them," Yoruichi said, lapping up some of the tea on her saucer. "Even though you went on your own accord, we still had to make sure that nothing was done to you."

Orihime gulped the rest of her tea down. "So, what does this all mean?"

"Well, did you dream something different? Is that why you've finally decided to show up at my door?" Urahara asked, tipping his hat backwards to show her his grey eyes. "Because, Orihime-chan, I expected this meeting a lot sooner."

"I...Hai. I did. And if you were expecting me, then why didn't you just ask me earlier?" Orihime asked, tilting her head to the side quizzically. "Because I've been here with the others a lot more times since we got back from there."

Chuckling, the shopkeeper gave a shrug of his shoulders. "Because, I couldn't force you to see something, if you were not willing to see it." He stood up, brushing his backside off. "Come with me, Orihime-chan. I've got something I'd like for you to see."

She followed him out of the side room and watched him open the trapdoor in the floor, and began to descend downwards. Doing as she was told, she followed him down the stairs, her stomach beginning to twist as she made her way down. When she came to the bottom, she squealed as Urahara grabbed her waist and set her gently down on the ground. "Urahara-san!"

"He was doing that because of me," Yoruichi said, hopping down onto the ground. "Kisuke, why do you have to be so vague with her? Just tell her why you wanted to bring her down here, instead of making a big production of it."

Orihime stared, as the shopkeeper leapt upwards, landing on one of the wooden posts, that was jutting out from the face of the boulder it was embedded in. She could hear him speaking softly, as he placed his zanpakuto on the wooden post.

"My right hand is the stone that bridges worlds. My left hand is the blade that binds reality. The black-haired shepherd is hung from a chair. Stratus clouds come, and I strike down the ibis". The sound of fabric splitting resonated in the air, as a black void opened between the post Urahara was standing on, and the post opposite to it. "Now, Orihime-chan," he called down to her, "you will have twenty-four hours the moment you get to your destination. Once that twenty-four hours is up, I will open this once more, so you can come home. Do you understand?"

The normally bubbly teen shook her head. "Wh-What are you doing?" She let out another squeal as she felt herself being lifted up by someone.

"You seem to have unsettled business back in Hueco Mundo," Yoruichi said, no longer a kitten but her human self. "I'm going to lead you there, as it will be a far easier task for me to do so, than have you stumble on your way there by yourself."

Her heart began to pound in her chest, making it almost impossible for her to breathe. Looking around, she saw that she was now in the void, moving between the two worlds. Unlike the time she left with him, they had just made a few steps, and had ended up in Hueco Mundo. However, the way Urahara had them traveling, it would probably take a lot longer.

Looking down, she saw that she was running along a light blue path. "Yoruichi-san? What exactly are we running on?" She asked, trying to keep pace with the fast Shinigami.

"I'm focusing the reishi, so we have a stable path. Which is why I'm guiding you in this form, as I didn't want to risk trying to do this in my cat form. We're not in the Dangai, so there's no worries of the cleaner coming to sweep us up." Yoruichi turned and smiled at her. "I'd rather have a stable path, than have you try and find your footing on your own."

Feeling her stomach begin to twist more, she could barely keep the excitement out of her voice. Except, she wasn't sure why she was so excited. There would be nothing there. She had no idea why Urahara thought she had to go there. It was going to be pointless. Shaking her head clear of the negative thoughts, she smiled at Yoruichi. "Will you be there for me in 24 hours, then? And why 24 hours? Why is Urahara-san doing this?"

"Let's just say he's operating on a hunch. And his hunches are pretty accurate, Orihime." Yoruichi began to slow down as a hole began to appear. "It looks like we're almost there. You are wearing a watch, yes?"

Orihime glanced down at her wrist and panicked when she didn't see her wristwatch. "No!" She cried out, afraid that all was going to be lost because she had forgotten to put it on when she left her apartment in a hurry. "Yoruichi-san! What am I going to do? How will I know when it's been long enough?!"

"Here," the shinigami handed her a pocket watch. "Just make sure that you keep your eye on the time. Are you ready?"

She didn't know what to say. There was a part of her that was more than ready, and there was the doubtful part, the one that was screaming to just go back with Yoruichi. "I..." She cried out as she was pushed through the wall, given no choice in the matter.

"Be safe, Orihime-chan." Yoruichi said, as she fell down, landing in soft sand.

The sound of fabric splitting happened once more, as Orihime looked up to see the hole she had fallen out of zip back up, as if nothing had ever been there. Looking up, she saw that she was back in the one place she didn't think she'd be seeing again, the permanent night sky a welcoming sight. All the angst she had been feeling in the world of the Living seemed to be suddenly gone, as she gazed up at the crescent moon. Looking back, she saw the remnants of Las Noches, after the fierce battle between...

Shaking her head of the memories, hating to see him disappear with the wind, Orihime began to walk towards Las Noches, hoping that her feet would remember where to go. She felt completely alien as she walked through the empty halls, heading towards the room she had stayed in when she had come here willingly. There was still a hole in the wall, from the blast that Grimmjow had produced, coming to her rescue when those two girls had tried to hurt her.

Orihime stepped into the room, and saw that the rug was still in its same place, as was the couch, and the small table for one. She walked over to the high window, staring between the bars, looking at the night sky once more. Sighing, she moved away and walked over to the small wardrobe that had held multiple versions of the clothes Aizen-sama had wanted her to wear. Without thinking twice, she began to strip out of her clothes, kicking her shoes off without bothering to untie them, as she slipped her jeans down her legs. Grabbing the white hakama, she slipped them on, the feel of the cool fabric against her legs a warm welcome. She hadn't realized how badly she had missed the feel of the cloth, having been in it for so long, that not being in it made her feel off. She slipped her sweatshirt off, pulling her shirt off with it, as she grabbed the black and white corset, putting it on over her head. She tucked the garment under the black waistband of her hakama, grabbing the cloak from its hanger, and slipped it onto her arms. Clasping it above her bosom, she grabbed the last piece, the skirt that rested on top of the hakama she wore, and stepped into it.

With a soft sigh of being comfortable, she left her discarded clothes on the floor and made her way back to the window, a calm finally settling over her. Orihime still didn't understand why Urahara had sent her back, but she was thankful to finally no longer feel as off-kilter as she had been. Perhaps it was Stockholm Syndrome, or perhaps there was something inside of her that neither brilliant mind could detect. Whatever it was, she didn't care. She felt her heart begin to beat faster, her stomach dancing an unknown dance, as she felt someone watching her. Almost too terrified to turn around and see nothing, Orihime began to turn her head towards the left, looking over her shoulder as her body followed. Her mouth dropped open as she stared at the apparition at the door.

"Welcome back...Onna."

...

A/N: Up next, the conclusion. :D Thank you for reading!