Ichigo fingered the thin silver band around his neck as he lay on the white couch in his room.

It had already been three days since his encounter with Ichimaru Gin. In all that time he only ever saw one of the many double-digit numbered arrancar who had been given the task of delivering his meals. With his reiatsu constantly kept at such a low point, Aizen probably didn't see a point in sending anyone stronger.

Being kept in such a confining place was tiring, as strange as it sounds. Doing nothing felt even more wearisome than fighting hollow all day. So Ichigo slept when he wasn't pacing about the room, and tried to get used to his new surroundings, not that there was much to get used to.

'His' room was small, probably no larger than fourteen by fifteen feet, and furnished only with the large couch and a small table, which was bolted down to the floor. He'd discovered a modest bath and toilet in a room off to the side once he actually took the time to look around.

What disturbed him most was the collective reiatsu of his enemies. As horrible as he was at sensing spirit power, he knew he could feel Ulquiorra and Grimmjow out there, among others he didn't much care for. It was unnerving to have someone who'd tried to kill you so close to the place you slept.

Another thing that bothered him were the new clothes and that stupid silver band. The white arrancar uniform was more like his bankai, but it felt even more skintight than that; confining. It looked exactly like Grimmjow's – that ass – but for a high-necked tank top worn underneath the jacket. And the band! As if he weren't already painfully aware of being so weak, every time he turned his head he could feel it sliding smoothly against his skin.

However, there wasn't much he could do at this point. He couldn't even complain, because no one but arrancar ever came to his room.

"Not as if that's a bad thing," he muttered to himself.

The door opened.

Ichigo sat up to see Ulquiorra standing in the doorway. The cuarta espada merely glanced at him before averting his eyes back out the door as if Ichigo was not worthy of his attention.

"Come," he said in that infuriatingly calm, monotone voice. Purposefully trying to annoy the black-haired arrancar, Ichigo asked, "Why should I?"

Ulquiorra's eyes slid back to Ichigo's face.

"Aizen-sama wishes for your presence," he replied.

Ichigo thought he might as well go. After all, he might actually learn why they'd captured him. And, he thought wryly, it wasn't as if he could fight off Ulquiorra the way he was. He wasn't suicidal.

Ichigo followed Ulquiorra through the hallways, wondering how the hell anyone found their way around this place. Every hall looked the same, with no distinguishing feature in any of them. However, the silent commute was soon over and they reached a cavernous room.

As to be expected, Aizen was sitting in a large chair on a white dais, which Ichigo likened to a throne. It occurred to him that having a throne was just the slightest bit tacky on Aizen's part.

"Good morning, Ichigo-kun," Aizen greeted, chin propped in hand and a smile on his face.

"Don't act like I'm here on a social call," Ichigo spat. "Tell me why I'm here!"

"Ichigo-kun, did anyone ever teach you manners? You seem to be lacking severely." Aizen's smile slipped a bit, and he released his reiatsu, forcing Ichigo to his knees.

Ichigo slapped his hands down to the floor so he wouldn't fall on his face; they stung. Breathing was nearly impossible with such pressure weighing him down. It felt like hundreds of pounds were being applied to every inch of his body.

It was over in three seconds, but it felt like eternity. He still stood there on all fours as Aizen continued speaking.

"I expect my guests to be nothing but courteous when I show them courtesy, Ichigo-kun. You are no exception to this rule." Aizen paused, watching the young shinigami struggle to catch his breath. "However, I will answer your question. You are here because I wish it so. I want you to reconsider who you will be siding with in the upcoming war. As such, I summoned you here today to tell you that you will be free to explore Las Noches as you see fit for the next two days. After those two days, I expect an answer."

Ichigo, now standing, but leaning against one of the walls, glared at him. He hated being so helpless.

Even though it felt strange walking around in a place where he considered himself a prisoner, Ichigo took advantage of Aizen's offer if just to get out of that room. However, he wished the ex-captain had mentioned that one of the espada's fraccion would be accompanying him.

Lilinette sort of reminded him of Nel and Yachiru rolled into one. However, she was a little older, and a lot crazier. When Starrk had introduced him to her, she had hopped on him and given him a kiss on the cheek. Now she was showing him around the massive fortress.

"Ne, Strawberry, are you sad?" Lilinette asked, upside down, because she had somehow found her way onto Ichigo"s shoulders and was now leaning over his head to see his face.

Trying not to have a heart attack, Ichigo answered, "Just thinking."

"You sure?" she asked. "'Cause I could give ya another kiss ta cheer ya up!" She smiled and slid down his back, taking hold of his hand.

"Uh, n-no, I'm fine, Lilinette, I promise." Ichigo swore he would give Nel a hug when he saw her next for being so tame compared to this bundle of insanity.

"Well, how 'bout we play a game, then? Like... tag!" she exclaimed excitedly, swinging Ichigo's arm around like it was a jump rope. "Don'tcha wanna play tag, Strawberry?"

"Well, I guess, but-" Ichigo was cut off.

"Great! I'll be it! You've got ten seconds to run!" she told him, bouncing up and down.

"What?" he asked, now completely confused by the situation.

"Ten, nine, eight..."

Ichigo ran for all he was worth.

Hours later, Ichigo collapsed on his couch. Lilinette had just let him go after their eleventh game of tag because she claimed he wasn't any fun anymore. Truth was, he couldn't move anymore. However, he knew he smelled and he hated wallowing in his own sweat, so the shinigami pushed himself to walk into the bathroom and take a shower. He waited a few minutes for the water to get warm, then stepped in.

He didn't like this. Ichigo had not expected to find someone as child-like and carefree as Lilinette living in Las Noches serving Aizen. He had expected all of them to be monsters like the insane Grimmjow, or the cold and callous Ulquiorra. He didn't like finding a humane side to Aizen's minions, or his cause.

After the fifth time Lilinette had caught Ichigo, she sat on top of his stomach while he tried to catch his breath. She told him about how Aizen was going to make the shinigami pay for destroying other people just because they were different. He was going to make a new world where hollows, who had thoughts and feelings too, were not automatically hunted down because of what they were. He told his children, for this is what the arrancar undoubtedly were, that he would save them and make Soul Society a better place, where all people could coexist in relative peace.

After telling all of this to Ichigo, Lilinette grabbed him by his jacket and threw him about fifty feet or so, telling him to get running already.

Ichigo had a lot to think about in the way of Aizen's side of this war. Was he in the right? Was it Soul Society that was actually corrupt?

He hated these doubts that were popping up, but he couldn't deny what he had seen or heard today. Lilinette was obviously honest with him; she just had that certain truthful feeling about her. She couldn't be the only exception here in Hueco Mundo. Nel was a prime example. If Soul Society saw her, they wouldn't take the time to get to know her. They would kill her as soon as they got the chance, and she was just as innocent as any human child, if not more so.

Ichigo turned off the shower, stepped out, and toweled down, now clean. He noticed that his dirty clothes had disappeared; a new set lay on the edge of the sink. Not lingering on how they must have gotten there, he dressed swiftly and went back into his room. A tray of food now sat on the little table. Suddenly intense hunger hit him, and Ichigo realized that he'd skipped lunch running around with Lilinette.

He ate slowly, still wondering over the new things he'd discovered about Las Noches and the arrancar. Ichigo still had another day to decide, but he was sure he already knew what choice he was going to make.

The next day, Lilinette woke Ichigo up at eight by using a feather to tickle his nose, after which she dragged him off to explore Las Noches again. She took him back to his room so he could eat lunch, but then promptly dragged him back out when he was done.

"Hey," he said, as the girl was leading him somewhere. "Lilinette, do you know where Orihime's room is? The human girl?" Ichigo didn't know why he hadn't thought of this sooner.

Lilinette stopped walking and thought, eyebrows furrowed. Then she smiled.

"Yup! I know exactly where her room is," she announced, feeling triumphant. Then she added, "But I can't take you there."

"Why not?" he almost shouted. "If you know where it is, then you should be able to take me-"

"It's not that I won't," she said, showing a level of understanding he didn't think she could possess, "it's that I can't. Ulquiorra won't let anyone see her now that she was almost taken from us. I think he's afraid of Aizen-sama getting mad at him."

"Oh." Ichigo felt like saying many things, but nothing in front of Lilinette. He frowned.

"C'mon, Strawberry!" Lilinette urged as she tugged on his hand. Reluctantly, Ichigo followed her, only half listening to her words as she babbled about Starrk and the other Espada.

There had to be a way he could see Orihime without getting his ass kicked by Ulquiorra. When he had first seen her after being captured, she didn't look very happy. She couldn't be any happier now. Since he'd been in Las Noches, he'd only see her once, and that was when he'd been injured. Ichigo wasn't sure what to do, but he really didn't want to provoke any of the arrancar into attacking him.

There had to be another way.

That night, Ulquiorra came for him again. They walked in silence to the same room, and the cuarta espada stood by the door once more. However, Aizen was not alone this time.

Ichimaru Gin was sitting on the edge of the dais Aizen's throne sat upon, swinging his feet in a childlike manner. He looked rather gleeful to Ichigo, a feeling that probably meant nothing good for him.

"Have you made your decision, Ichigo-kun?" Aizen asked.

Ichigo nodded. "Yeah."

"And?" The leader of the arrancar seemed to lean forward in his seat, as if in great anticipation.

"You can find someone else to help you with your war," Ichigo said calmly, looking the brown-haired man straight in the eye.

"I told ya he'd say that, Aizen-sama," Gin said excitedly, his ever-present fox smile broadening. "Din't I?"

"You did, Gin." Aizen looked at Ichigo once more. "Are you sure that is your answer?"

In reply, Ichigo proclaimed, "I'd never betray my friends."

"Indeed... Gin?"

"Yeah, Aizen-sama?"

Aizen smiled, and it promised a world of pain. "Don't kill him."