:::::Rejection & Negacion:::::


"Heal those injuries on your face. …NOW!"

The girl shuddered slightly upon hearing his command. The shrillness and urgency of his voice brought her out of the shock she had been in moments before. Her hands trembled as she brushed her hand softly against her face, which felt foreign to her, and tender to the slightest touch. She realized she must look pretty awful, if the pain was any indication. Her face felt like it was on fire and her lips were torn and unnaturally swollen. She had to admit though, of the three of women, she wasn't the worst off by far. After all, it wasn't her lying face down on the floor or missing half her body from a point-blank cero.

She knew little of this man, this Espada-class Arrancar, her would-be hero, "Grimmjow". He had saved her from being massacred by the two females who entered her room with intent to beat her, if not kill. Still, his methods were cruel and his anger seemed …displaced somehow.

His conversation and manner had been rather casual up and until the moment he backhanded the Arrancar, Loly. Orihime watched helplessly as the woman's body flew across the room. And she continued to watch in horror as the other girl, Menoly, had attempted to exact revenge with a cero that had cost her the remainder of her life. Hearing the tortured screams of their suffering would haunt Orihime for the rest of her life.

Would this waking nightmare never end? It was so maddeningly painful and frustrating when she sensed the lights go out of her dear friends, one by one; Chad, Rukia, and finally…Ichigo. It was all too much to bear. Here she was ready and able, but locked away and completely useless to them…

…But now? Orihime began to look around the room, once more, at the carnage in front of her. True, the two women had provoked and attacked her, but look at them now. Nobody deserved to be left to such a cruel fate. And here she was, standing right in front of them, and in a position to help. She so desperately needed to be of help to someone …anyone.

She quickly assessed her situation…surely, Grimmjow didn't save her out of benevolence. No, he had said he only saved her because he was returning the favor for restoring his left arm…but there was more to it than that, he needed her for something. Perhaps, it would it be enough to stop him from killing her… She decided to chance it, after all, she really had nothing left to lose.

She ran toward the raven-haired girl, still half-conscious on the floor. The female arrancar shook more out of fear than anger, as Orihime approached her.

"What're you going to do to me?" the struggling hollow cried out.

Orihime began her healing mantra as her powers began to engulf the body in front of her. Suddenly, just as she brought her hands up to guide the golden sphere, the hysterical arrancar struck the left side of Orihime's face. She gasped as her tender skin throbbed with searing pain. …But, despite the agony she was in, her powers continued to heal her opponent with all of her remaining strength. Loly's eyes widened in astonishment and realization as she felt her injuries disappear one after the next. The healing only took seconds before Orihime moved onto the next girl, whose wounds were much more severe.

The human girl had never been more focused in her entire life. She secretly vowed from this moment on, she would never allow another being to suffer as long as she was physically capable of healing it. Her determination was unwavering and her body responded in kind. Her rejection abilities no longer needed a chant, they began to follow instruction from her very thought. Loly watched in fear and fascination as the human's power seemed to grow from within. She watched with awe as Menoly's body became whole once more. Loly regarded Orihime with horror…this ability was not the natural order of things. This human prisoner was a freak, a monster.

At last, having quickly healed Menoly as well as her own minor injuries, Orihime had finished. She looked up briefly to find Grimmjow directly behind her, mere inches from her body. Before she could explain her reasons for insubordination, he had forced a thin strip of white cloth within her mouth and secured it over her head before she could struggle. In the next moment, he had bound her hands with chains. He then used the remainder of her shredded blanket to wrap her up tightly, she could barely breathe. Within a mere minute, he had her in almost total sensory deprivation, save for her hearing. Grimmjow tucked her neatly under one arm and pressed his lips to the soft white blanket where he knew her head to be.

"You better pray, for your own sake, that you didn't waste too much juice on them… or you're going to wish you would've just let those bitches rot! Jesus, stop shaking, if I wanted to kill you…or worse…believe me, I'd have already done it! *sigh* …Besides, if you knew where I was taking you, you'd just relax and enjoy the ride."

...

As they approached their destination, she heard a child crying. Without giving her advanced warning, Grimmjow hurled the contents of the blanket onto the cold floor of the decimated building. The impact with the concrete floor was painful, but she thought little of it as she stared at the remains of the lifeless figure lying prone on the ground. Her eyes widened as recognition and terror wrenched at her heartstrings.

"I-Ichigo-"

"Well? Heal Him."

She looked back at Grimmjow…had she heard him correctly?
…Her suspicions had been confirmed, Grimmjow had not done this. After all, why kill a man just to turn around and save him? But if it wasn't Grimmjow, then…oh please no, she thought. As she began to heal, dread and curiosity gnawed at her, she just had to know…

"Who did this to him?"

"Ulquiorra."

It was just as she'd feared. The rest of the conversation was brief. Grimmjow explained, what he believed, was Ulquiorra's rationale for destroying Ichigo. Orihime remained silent as she continued healing…only she knew differently. She knew it was her defiance and love for her friends that had spurned Ulquiorra's anger and hatred on Ichigo.

Grimmjow further went on to explain how the Fourth Espada had marked Ichigo in such a manner as to clearly claim him, a strategically placed hole in the victim's chest was Ulquiorra's signature alone. It was at this point, the hollow child became inconsolable. Little Nel cried and shrieked her way through the entire epic story of the battle. Orihime couldn't help but note the irony, as the child shouldered the blame of Ichigo's death on herself. Nel felt Ichigo's efforts to protect her impeded his ability to fight…Orihime knew better though. She tried her best to block out the lamenting child and focus her remaining strength into rejecting that damning mark left behind on Ichigo's body.

~ meanwhile ~

Ulquiorra had destroyed the human shinigami only minutes before. He needed recovery time, the battle with the Kurosaki boy had taken more out of him than he thought possible. Before going to his quarters to gather himself, curiosity overcame him. He had pushed Orihime towards violence...the manner in which he'd manipulated her...it was unforgivable. He was wracked with guilt and desperately needed to hear her in her room once more. He assumed by now she'd have cried herself to sleep, it wouldn't have been the first time. Walking by her room and hearing her peaceful, rhythmic breathing would do much to soothe his frayed nerves. His only remaining salvation was in knowing she would survive all this. He had achieved the necessary task of removing the only threat to Aizen's plans, therefore, the girl would no longer be considered a bargaining chip. Soon now, he would see her back to her world safely. …However, as he walked down the hallway leading to her room, he heard arguing in the distance.

"-dare you put this on me! I never even wanted to come here, I thought you'd calm down after a few hours went by. I mean. sure, we'd beat on her a bit… But then we were supposed to leave! I didn't know you planned to kill her!"

"YOU KNEW SHE HAD POWERS AND YOU NEVER, ONCE, SAID SHIT ABOUT THEM! WE ARE DISGRACED NOW! LORD AIZEN WILL FIND OUT! DO YOU KNOW WHAT HE'LL FUCKING DO TO-"

Despite the worry which now filled his mind, Ulquiorra remained stoic. He calmly walked into Orihime's room, or rather, what was left of it. He scrutinized the two women remaining in it, his eyes never left their faces for a moment. They looked back at him with palpable apprehension and fear, awaiting judgment from Lord Aizen's executioner.

"Tell me what is the meaning of this."

Their blank stares and quivering lips told him everything.

"Who did this?," Ulquiorra asked as he surveyed the cracked walls, the bloodstained couch, and the pieces of blanket scattered throughout what remained of Orihime's living quarters. The two women briefly exchanged a glance at one another, and finally, Loly spoke up.

"Grimmjow."

"…I see."

~ minutes later ~

Grimmjow was still voicing his disgruntlement at having been cheated of his due "prey," when suddenly, Ichigo's hand moved. Nel and Orihime watched in wonder as Ichigo's eyes began twitching and his lips pursed. His eyes were concentrated solely on Orihime.

"Ichigo-"

Grimmjow looked on with a greedy smile. He clasped his hands together in anticipation and chose that moment to reveal his true intentions.

"I want to fight him when he's in peak condition, so shut the hell up and heal him faster! Ulquiorra will be here the minute he recognizes an increase in that riatsu, so hurry up before that-"

And suddenly, the Fourth Espada appeared directly behind Grimmjow, before he could even utter another word. Ulquiorra's anger was palpable, though still his voice remained in control and betrayed nothing.

"What are you doing, Grimmjow? I'm asking you a question. Why are you intentionally healing an enemy that I defeated? …No answer?"

An uncomfortably long silence followed when he stared down both Grimmjow and Orihime. She looked away from him. Deep inside, she felt as though she was betraying both of the men she loved. She was healing Ichigo only to be slaughtered once more…and she was healing Ulquiorra's enemy. It was a no win situation for all involved.
The arguing escalated.

"...In any case, that woman has been entrusted to my care by Lord Aizen, hand her over."

"Blow me!"

The battle between Grimmjow and Ulquiorra began quickly afterwards. As ceros began to fly and explode around the room, Orihime clutched the child to her and put a shield between herself and the onslaught. The riatsu released inside the room was overwhelming and it was all she could do to maintain the shield. She could barely hear snippets of Grimmjow's barrage of insults, as they were periodically interrupted by the sounds of pillar structures collapsing.

It appeared as though Ulquiorra had the upper hand until Grimmjow made an odd move towards Ulquiorra's chest cavity. Then, a black void filled the space around and engulfed him. As quickly as the battle had begun, it was now over.

The space was now open as blue skylight poured over them. Orihime removed the comforting golden shield. She now anxiously awaited an explanation as Grimmjow brushed himself off.

"What did you do to him?" Orihime's mind was reeling, she caught as much of his response as she was able to, given the overwhelming worry she now felt for Ulquiorra.

"I used a Caja Negacion… …it's another dimension… …not meant to be used against powerful Espada… …he'll break out of it in two or three hours max …so hurry up and heal him."

As he explained everything, Orihime's mind was filled with relief, she'd gotten the gist of things. She knew that although Ulquiorra was not here, he would survive and return soon. She was almost through healing Ichigo. She was able to reject the hollow hole on his chest and his wounds were all but a memory. She had been able to do some good, at least.

It was small comfort to her, still, Orihime would take her meager victories wherever she could find them. She knew her worries were far from over. She prayed that, somehow when this was all over, Ulquiorra would forgive her…


Author's Comments:

Ok, I'll be the first to say "it's really hard to re-invent the wheel" ...but, I kinda had to write the chapter like this or else risk leaving a huge gaping hole which many would find inconsistent and distracting. (I know I would've.) You'll have to trust me that leaving a hole like that really would've taken away from this fan-fic. ...I really felt like Orihime here..."my hands were tied!"In any case,

I hope you enjoyed it,

-nic ;-)

p.s. please R&R!