He could barely keep his surprise from breaking the sweetly smiling mask plastered on his face. He hadn't expceted her to be so...pleasant...to look at. Her long hair glowed silver in the moonlight, her round eyes gazing at him in terror, her curvy figure stiff beneath the white fabric clinging to her skin.

He took a moment to look her over before resting his gaze on her deep grey eyes, stiffling a chuckle as they stretched even wider across her face. He slide his hands into his pocket, walking towards her slowly, taking his time to reach her.

"I see you've been given your new robes. I'm glad. Do you like them?" His inquired in his kind and calming voice, bent to perfection from centuries of practice. When she didn't reply, he leaned forward so that their faces were nearly level. "It's alright, Orihime. You can speak to me."

"...Yes, Lord Aizen." Her voice was small and squeaky as she managed a responce, dropping her eyes to the floor at their sudden closeness. He smiled as he stood straight once more. She was a rather curious girl, this one.

"Thank you. I understand, of course, how words can fail you. It must have been such a hard day for you." As expected, her eyes flashed up to him once more as his words reached her ears, coated in sympathy. "But don't worry. You belong to us now, and we'll be taking good care of you."


How had she forgotten this man's face?

The day he had stolen the Hogyoku from Rukia and acended into the sky, she had been there watching. She'd heard every word he had spoken, seen every movement he'd made, so how was it that she didn't recignize a single thing about the man before her?

She stared up into his face, which was a good foot above her own, and focused all her might on remaining on her feet. She was...confused, to say the least. Her brain felt mushy inside her skull, and her body felt numb.

Why is he being so nice to me? I thought this was an evil man, set on destroying Soul Society? I thought he wanted to murder my friends? So why on earth is he being so...

Click. Her eyes widened even more as the realization struck her.

Instantly the confusion and mush that had been tumbling through her head vanished, almost as if it had never even exsisted. How had she been so careless? When had she let her guard down?

Forcing herself to focus, she immersed herself in her own warm reiatsu and returned Aizen's steady gaze. She could see how Soul Society had been fooled by him. As her reiatsu swirled around her, Orihime blinked in surprise as it brushed against another mass of energy, already encircling her. It quickly pulled away from her curious touch.

She barely caught the flash of surprise that flashed across Aizen's face. Was that his reiatsu she had felt? She swallowed nervously.

"Ulquiorra." The door slide open, and she spun in surprise as the Espada knelt to the floor before them.

"Lord Aizen?"

"Thank you for your presence tonight, Orihime Inoue. I have placed Ulquiorra in charge of your direct care. If you are in need of something, he will provide it."

"Come with me, woman." Ulquiorra commanded as he rose, his back to her. She hesitated, flashing a look back at Aizen once more. He was already walking away from her.

"Woman."

"...Yes, sir."


The doors closed behind them with a soft clicking noise. Aizen leaned back into his chair, resting his head in his hand. Tonight had proved his assumptions correct.

She was strong, stronger than she herself even realized. Her reiatsu was unbelievably powerful, moving without her conscious control or direction. If she learned how to command it...

A long, satisfied grin stretched across his face. Tonight's tests had confirmed all of his suspicions about the human. She was, indeed, the perfect candidate.