Sorry about the long wait for this chapter ^^; It's not as long as the last one..but I hope you guys like it all the same.

Grimm-Inuoka004 - It's not going to have any lemons so no worries. The M is just there just in case for things like violence, gore, etc.

mitsuki - I don't speak spanish much, but I'm glad you like the story so far ^^

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author of this story. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter 1

Hushed voices from the next room stir Orihime from her sleep. The voices were loud enough to hear, but not loud enough for her to make out what they are saying. She peeks through the door and sees her cousin Tatsuki's parents, speaking to the Count and the Countess. They look terrified, worried, anxious. The Countess cries uncontrollably in the arms of Tatsuki's mother who seems to be trying to calm her down. Then she remembers. 'Big bwother Sora is…' She shook her head violently as tears began making their way down her soft blushed cheeks.

A muffled cry startled Ulquiorra from his sleep. He looked over on the other couch opposite of him to see that Orihime had finally awoken, and was now crying her heart out. Orihime… Ulquiorra stood up and walked over to the little girl, picking her up—startling her slightly before she realized who was holding her—and hugged her to his chest.

"I'm sorry…Miss Inoue…" began Ulquiorra as he tightened his grip around the shaking girl.

"U-Ulqui-chan. Bwother Sora is-"

"Yes…Miss Inoue. Your brother is no longer with us."

"Where did Mommy and Daddy go?" she turned up her face to look at him. Her eyes were large, innocent and filled with so many questions.

"They too have been…Your parents are no lo-"

"NO! NO! NO!" screamed Orihime as she buried her face into Ulquiorra's shirt; her cries muffling into his chest.

"I'm sorry…"

"NOOO!"

Footsteps could be heard coming towards their room, when the door flung open. Tatsuki's mother ran over to Orihime to comfort her. She refused to look at her Aunt, and so kept her face hidden in Ulquiorra's shirt.

"Orihime…Please come to Aunt Akiko. Ulquiorra needs to leave with his parents. He can't stay here forever." Cooed Orihime's Aunt as she rubbed circles onto the small of the child's back.

"Hime will go with Ulqui-chan too!" exclaimed the girl as she tightened her hug around Ulquiorra's torso.

"No sweetheart…You are going to live with us. You will get to see Tatsuki everyday! Don't you want to see your cousin?"

"NO!"

"She's just in shock…and Ulquiorra was with her during the incident. Her attachment to him is understandable." Stated Kyouhei as he watched the girl cry in his son's arms.

"Maybe we should wait till she calms down some more dear? It might do her some good." Suggested Orihime's Uncle as he watched Akiko walk back over to him.

"I suppose you're right. Ulquiorra dear, we will be in the next room with your parents. Let us know when she's calmed down some." Said Akiko as she blinked her eyes a few times to stop herself from crying. She had to be strong for Orihime.

Ulquiorra nodded as he watched them go back into the adjoining room. He worried for his mother, she had yet to calm down and kept shaking constantly. He wondered why he himself had not also been acting in that manner. Probably because-

"Ulqui-chan…will you weave Hime?" Orihime asked as she slowly sat up in his lap to look at him.

"Just for today. Miss Inoue. But I promise you that I will come back to visit." He replied hurriedly. He places his hands on top of her shoulders to reassure her.

"You pwomise..?"

"I promise. Miss Inoue."

Heavy breathing filled the room as she awoke suddenly, shooting up from her bed into a sitting position. 'You never did come back to visit me…Ulquiorra…' A tiny yawn escaped from her as she stretched, flopping back into the soft sheets of her bed. She then shot right back up in bed—a smile gracing her faces as her silver eyes widened considerably. 'It's today!' Hurriedly, she flung open her door, startling her handmaidens that had been waiting to wake her, and ushered them inside her room.

"Make haste! Today is the day that I will meet the infamous Royal Guards of the Inoue Family—The Espada." exclaimed Orihime as she began undressing from her nightgown, without waiting on her handmaidens to help her.

"Today is also your 16th birthday Milady. And tomorrow you will move back into the Inoue Mansion after all these years." stated one of her handmaidens as she began assisting her in her excitement.

"Oh my…You are right. I…I had completely forgotten!"

"Is your birthday not important to you Milady?"

"Ever since I lost my family to those monsters, it hasn't been. I go along with the parties that Aunt and Uncle throw for me but I would be perfectly happy if the parties stopped altogether. Today, the only thing that interests me is…" 'The Espada…and the possibility that Ulquiorra is among them…'

"The Espada. Yes Milady. If I may..?"

"Continue."

"Why is Milady so excited to see The Espada?"

"Because…my best friend is among them… or so I hope." She replied as she stood up to have her corset adjusted.

"Oh, you mean that young man, the son of Count and Countess Schiffer who brought you here the night of the incident?" asked one of her handmaidens as they finished tightening her corset.

"Yes. His name is Ulquiorra. He's very important to me. He promised me that day that he would come back to visit, but he never did…"

"Ah. Young love is it Milady?" giggled another handmaiden. She began applying makeup to the now enflamed face of Orihime. It had turned a dark shade of red in her embarrassment.

"N-no! It is not! I didn't have any friends when I lived at the Inoue Mansion. Well, except for Tatsuki and Rukia. But I couldn't see them very often since they lived rather far away. Ulquiorra's parents, the Count and Countess, visited very often due to their ties to our family. And Ulquiorra was always with them, so I became rather attached to him."

"Rather attached is quite the understatement, my dear cousin. You were holding onto him for dear life the day his family brought you here." Interrupted a giggling Tatsuki as she entered her cousin's room; closing the door behind her.

"Tatsuki! That's not true! I was just a very…affectionate…demanding child. Oh poor Ulquiorra…I hope it wasn't my fault that he never came to visit." Sighed Orihime as she pierced her lips together.

"I doubt it. It was probably because of the intense training his father put him through in order for him to join The Espada. You've heard the stories. Their training sounds terrifying. What with hunting down those monsters, being trained to use all sorts of weaponry, as well as having to master a wide variety of fighting techniques and magic of sorts…I'd assume that would take up most of their time."

"True…I suppose I thought that he'd be able to visit at least once. Oh well…hopefully I shall be seeing him among my Royal Guard once we reach the mansion." Orihime as she tried to picture what her old friend looked like now.

"Well even if you don't get to see him today, I can assure you that you will be seeing the infamous Kurosaki Ichigo!"

"What! Are you serious Tatsuki? Kurosaki Ichigo? Oh he is a fine man."

"I am! He will be accompanying Rukia and her brother Byakuya. He is a part of Rukia's Royal Guard after all; not to mention they have become quite the couple."

"I see. I always did envy cousin Rukia. Being able to be by that man's side ever since they were children. Who else is on her Royal Guard?"

"Uryuu Ishida, Yasutora Sado and Abarai Renji." Stated Tatsuki, matter-of-factly.

"So do they just follow her around everywhere?"

"It seems that way."

"Seems like an awful lot of people just for one person. I wonder how many people there are in The Espada."

"Well you will have to learn to get used to it. I'm sure you will have even more than Rukia, seeing as how you have yet to receive your powers."

"Who's to say that I will even get any powers? I'm 16 today. I would've figured that if I was going to receive my powers that I would have already. And I have not. My mother never received them either but her Royal Guard was no bigger than Rukia's own."

"Your mother's Royal Guard also were not trained to fight those monsters like yours have been either."

"I suppose you're right." Sighed Orihime as she grabbed onto Tatsuki's arm. "Well then, shall we continue this conversation at breakfast?"

"My dear cousin, it is nearly 10 o'clock. It will soon be time for brunch." Laughed Tatsuki, shaking her head at her cousin as they walked out of her room.

"Silly me."

Servants rushed back and forth throughout the Inoue Mansion; hurrying to fix all the last minute preparations. Today was the day their beloved Duchess was coming back after all. It had been 10 long years since she had been there. There could be no room for mistakes today. None whatsoever. The dark figure standing in the middle of the Grand Hall of the mansion would not stand for it. Everything must be perfect. One could not have anything bad happening on this day. If someone even dared to mention anything negative today, he would have their heads.

A spiky blue-haired man walked over to the slightly shorter man, who did nothing to acknowledge his presence. The man glanced at the servants, then back down at the man next to him, who seemed to be emanating a dark aura that almost seemed to have substance. He shivered slightly before clearing his voice.

"Um…you know this really isn't any of my business…" he started as he waited for some form of acknowledgement from the seemingly unemotional man. Having received none, he decided to continue.

"Isn't this somewhat extravagant? I mean, I know she's a Duchess. Our High Duchess, whom we will be protecting, and this is her 16th birthday and she hasn't been here in years and all but-"

"What is your point Grimmjow?" he replied; his voice holding zero emotion. One would assume he was uninterested or bored, which he probably was.

"The decorations, the food, the preparations—they all seem perfectly fine to me. Is it necessary to watch them like this? I'm pretty sure you've scared these pricks to death just by glaring at them."

Green eyes glanced at the man briefly before flickering back to watching the servants. He stared at them like a predator would it's prey. "One does not assume that they will do as told if not under constant surveillance."

"And you're doing this because-"

"Lord Aizen ordered it."

"Do you do everything you're-"

"Seeing as I am ranked higher than you, it'd do you some good to do the same"

"Stop interrupting me! Bloody hell!"

"You'd do well fixing that short temper of yours as well. If you offend our High Duchess, I will be forced to dispose of you."

"Oh you'd like that wouldn't you. One less man to worry about." He stated; smirking as he watched the man's shimmery green eyes widen marginally.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I've heard the rumours. You and the Duchess were friends as children." Grimmjow began as he watched the man's expression turn into a blank stare, "You're quite taken with her aren't you."

"I will not deny that we were once acquainted but that was—as you know—many years ago. I am in no way 'taken with her' as you have assumed. She was an acquaintance, and now she is coming back here to resume her place as the High Duchess. I am part of her Royal Guard as it has been my family's duty to serve the Inoue family for generations. The relation ends there. This illusion you came up with is nothing but that—simply an illusion. You would do well to remember that." He replied as he started walking away.

"Ulquiorra. I did come here for a reason." Expressed the blue haired man as he watched Ulquiorra stop and incline his head towards him slightly; an indication that he was listening.

"Szayel wanted to know if you would accompany him on the trip to retrieve the Duchess and bring her back."

"I won't." replied Ulquiorra without a second thought.

"But she knows you the best, and it'd be easier to-"

"Please do refrain from asking me again Grimmjow. This conversation is null and void." Snapped Ulquiorra as he promptly made his way out of the Grand Hall.

'What's his problem?' thought Grimmjow as he turned to leave in the opposite direction.

AN:/ Like I said, I'm sorry about this chapter being shorter than the last, but hopefully you guys like it. Please remember to review~like I said before, I won't update unless I get reviews.