Stepping into her body is… there is really no way to describe it. It is nostalgic in a way, taking her mind back to when she'd first become a Shinigami. It reminds her of better days, days where– for all that there was a war going on– they still had lives. But this body, it doesn't fit her right. Not anymore. It isn't just that it's younger, either. She'd lost her body three years ago, felt as it withered and died. This body, it's too small. Tight. For all that she's simply a spirit stepping into a body, she can feel where the body doesn't fit, where the skin feels drawn too tight, where it doesn't expand the way it's supposed to, compressing her and making her fit in a space too small. It makes her itch, she keeps wanting to scratch in the hope that it will alleviate the feeling of wrongness, too tightness, but she knows it won't help.

Kisuke had warned her this might be the case but there wasn't much he could do for her other than recommend a special lotion that she can get from his shop. Well, a lotion that Rangiku can get, since it is specially developed for gigai. He'd warned all four of them that there would be things they'd have to prepare for before they came back. They'd spent six months not only breaking down every moment of the war, but trying to mentally prepare themselves for being back in the thick of it, of going back and being surrounded by the dead.

When Yuzu had tentatively knocked on her door and she and Karin had come in to eat their dinner with her, Ichigo nearly broken down. Rukia being there, watching from the doorway, was the only thing that had kept her in line. Preparing for something doesn't necessarily mean you're ready, Ichigo scoffs to herself. It still hurts. It hurts to have all of these memories of time spent together that no one else will remember now, to remember comforting them in a time of loss, of fighting beside them… of watching them die. Not only are they all alive again, but they are young. Her sisters… Kami, she'd known that they would only be eleven, but to see them… She'd never forget anything about her sisters, they'd always been her world, but she'd forgotten just how young they were. Not just physically, but mentally as well.

Her bed isn't nearly big enough for them but they'd been as reluctant to leave as Ichigo had been to see them leave so Ichigo had pulled them in with her and now they are curled around her, both cognizant of her wounds. She holds them close, breathing in their familiar scents. She feels Shiro purring in the back of her head, his temper settling as they are surrounded by what he affectionately (though he swears it's anything but) calls their packmates.

"Got room for one more?"

Ichigo peeks an eye open to see Grimmjow lounging in her window, a smirk on his lips as he leers down at her. She rolls her eyes, "There's not even room for the three of us, no way is your fat ass going to fit too."

Grimmjow scoffs and carefully maneuvers himself onto the bed, slipping her feet into his lap and nudging Yuzu's feet until they are nestled under his legs. Ichigo rolls her eyes again but doesn't bother saying anything, letting the room fall into a companionable silence. A look at the clock reveals it is almost the time that Orihime had originally visited. Taking a deep breath, Ichigo closes her eyes and concentrates, getting a feel for her reiatsu and locking it firmly in place. Once she has it, she slowly unfurls her hold on Shiro, letting their reiryoku mix.

"You're getting good at that." She can hear the smirk in his voice. "If I weren't so attuned to your reiatsu by now I wouldn't've known."

Ichigo opens her eyes and stares down at him, confirming he is indeed smirking. Everything around her is covered in a light tinting of red, some in varying shades depending on when they were last touched. She knows that if she wasn't in her physical body, she'd look more like Shiro than herself right now. It had taken her forever to master it with the bracelet in full effect.

"It's weird as fuck to see young you with that look on your face," Grimmjow says conversationally. "I'm used to her looking like a weak little shit."

Shiro growls in her head and Ichigo shifts her foot, digging her heel into Grimmjow's thigh. He curses, snatching her foot up and away from him. Before any more can be said, her curtains start rippling and they both hold their breath as Orihime slowly steps through.

She takes one look at the wide awake Ichigo and promptly flushes, waving her arms around and spluttering.

"Che, I almost forgot how jumpy she was," Grimmjow makes a low growling noise, flashing his fangs.

Orihime's head jerks towards Grimmjow as the noise draws her attention and she promptly lets out a small squeak and jumps away, squeezing herself into the corner. Grimmjow smiles widely at the reaction, his growl turning into a chuckle.

"It's all right, Orihime," Ichigo assures her friend. "Grimm's here to help."

"But isn't he–" Orihime's voice fades as she seems to finally notice Yuzu and Karin sleeping. She glances from the twins, to Grimmjow, to Ichigo, back to Grimmjow, to the twins, and then Ichigo again. She blushes deeper, her hands coming together, the tips of her index fingers gently touching repetitively as she turns her gaze to a stretch of comforter not occupied.

Grimmjow's smile sharpens and Ichigo quickly kicks him to keep him quiet. "Yes, Grimmjow is the one who hurt me in the first place, but he's on our side. We know Ulquiorra intercepted you in the Precipice World."

Orihime gasps, her hand jumping to the bracelet. Her eyes widen in realization. "How can you see me, Kurosaki-kun? The Espada, he said only Arrancar would be able to see me."

"Turns out Arrancar and Visored really aren't that different," Ichigo offers her friend a smile of reassurance. "We don't have the time to explain now, but I promise I will explain later. For now, you need to know that I can't stop Ulquiorra from taking you to Aizen."

Orihime looks lost, her brows furrowing as she stares at Ichigo. "But, if you know, why–"

"You're not a fighter, Orihime," Ichigo says, trying to keep her words gentle. She sees Orihime's flinch and is reminded of how they'd treated her the first time around. "One day, you can be, but right now we need the person you are now. You're not a liability; if I thought you were a liability I would never consider letting you go to Hueco Mundo. You are strong, Orihime. Right now, you're probably one of the strongest players we have. You are more than capable of defending yourself, but what we need right now isn't a fighter."

Orihime seems to straighten a little, gathering her courage back around her. "What do you need?"

"We need you to be you." Ichigo smiles at the look of confusion. "If there's even a shred of good in someone, you see it. You have this natural allure that can make even the most unfeeling person in the world feel. I know that not everyone fighting with Aizen is loyal to him. They can be swayed."

"You want me to convince them to switch sides?"

"More or less," Grimmjow shrugs. "The main one you gotta work on is Ulquiorra."

"Watch the Arrancar, see which ones you think might be willing to switch or who you think could be convinced to switch. Grimmjow will check on you from time to time, when he does let him know what you've seen."

Orihime looks from Ichigo to Grimmjow. "How am I supposed to convince them to switch sides?"

"Just be yourself," Ichigo assures her. "I'm not saying this will be easy for you because it really won't, you'll be surrounded by Arrancar while you're in Los Noches. Some of them might even try to attack you, but keep in mind that you aren't alone, Orihime."

"Yea, Ulquiorra has been assigned to protect you," Grimmjow says. "And while I can't be open about it and shit, I'll be keeping an eye on ya too."

"And we will be coming for you," Ichigo adds. "Not just me, Uryū, and Chad either, but Renji and Rukia and a number of the Taicho from Soul Society will be coming as well. But this is only if you think you can handle it. If you don't want to, I'll keep Ulquiorra from getting you and we'll find another way of getting to the Arrancar. I won't put you in a situation that you aren't willing to go into yourself."

Orihime leans back against the wall, her arms coming up so she can clutch them. She nibbles on her lip, her eyes unfocused as she seems to take everything in. Ichigo can tell the moment she's decided to do it, a steely look of determination coming over her face and her eyes hardening in resolve.

"You'll come for me?" She asks.

"Always," Ichigo answers immediately. "We can't let Soul Society know that we knew, so I'll wait until they realize you've gone in the morning and then I'll go to Kisuke and have him start on creating a pathway to Hueco Mundo. It will be a little while, but we will be coming. You're nakama, Hime-chan, there's no way in Hell we'd leave you with Aizen. We will come for you."

Orihime nods, dropping her hands to her sides. "Alright. I'll do it."

Ichigo feels a small smile on her lips, "Good. First things first, would you mind healing me?"

Orihime flushes and quickly apologizes, summoning her healing Rikka. She continues to apologize as she heals and Ichigo feels another wave of nostalgia. When all of Ichigo's injuries are gone, Orihime redirects her Rikka to Grimmjow without any prompting, her eyes closing in concentration. Ichigo casts a pointed look from his missing arm to his bracelet and Grimmjow rolls his eyes in acknowledgement. He glances at Orihime to be sure her eyes are still closed before he feels along the bracelet, carefully feeling for the appropriate switch.

"Fuck, that feels much better," Grimmjow smiles widely, all teeth. "Not even a full day but already I was startin' to go crazy. I can handle havin' my power limited but bein' down an arm is bullshit."

Orihime opens her eyes and gasps, her hands coming together as she leans forward. "Oh, your arm is back! I'm so happy it worked!"

"Yea, yea, whatever. Thanks and all that," Grimmjow scoffs. "C'mon, we ain't got much time. Anything else you want to tell her?"

Ichigo shakes her head. "Not that needs told now. You can fill her in on anything you think might be important. Just remember to be careful; Aizen likes his little spies."

"Don't worry, I like squishing flies of all kinds," Grimmjow grins again.

Translations:

nakama- friend, comrade, compatriot, etc.