Hello, friends! It's that time again! I first want to thank everyone for their amazing support. I appreciate all of the comments I received, and I am so thankful that people remained hopeful throughout my absence. I won't let you guys down like that again, I promise. With that being said, I have a quick announcement to make. I have an actual schedule now for this story, and I think my readers should be aware of it. Updates will probably be either monthly or every four weeks. I know that from an outside perspective that seems really slow, and I wish I could move faster, but I'm honestly too busy to publish more frequently than that. Sorry for anyone who wants updates sooner; I promise that when they come, they'll be good ones!

On an unrelated note, you guys don't even know how obsessed I am with Petscop right now. If anyone's curious, please please please look it up! Don't watch Game Theory's assessment of it if you do because it's subpar, but I would highly recommend the series to anyone who is into creepy stuff.

On to responses:)

rojy – Whoops, I think my brain quit for a second there. I fixed it the minute I saw your comment. A bit embarrassing that you caught my mistake, but thank you for pointing it out. Glad you like it!

KorraPanera - Thank you, I'm glad! Update schedule is enclosed above, for future reference.

Metallica - Thank you! I feel like we talked about this stuff already, ahaha. Hope you enjoy the chapter.

Jana – Aww, thank you so much. I'm just happy that people like my work, so thank you for reading what I've written so far! Yeah, I feel pretty strongly about the manga's ending, and not in a good way. I'm hyped (read: looking forward to with a mix of dread and amusement) for the live action film coming soon.

Akire - Thank you! My lips are sealed about future events, but we'll see! I agree, it became ridiculous. I appreciate your kind words, and I'm glad! Hope you enjoy it:)

Chapter 9

Las Noches, Hueco Mundo, one year before present. Approximately ten thirty pm

Orihime sat on the oversized couch, staring intently at the ground. She would never say it aloud, but she had to admit that the room she had been assigned to wasn't… terrible. It was definitely bigger than her own back in Karakura Town, and even had some rudimentary furniture items, like a miniature silver desk and matching chair. Orihime shook her head, and her brows furrowed. Despite her nicer than anticipated room, she doubted that she would ever feel comfortable in the desolate palace of Las Noches. It had been hours since she had arrived and her heart still thrummed with adrenaline underneath her stiff uniform.

She sighed, and looked up at the looming wall. One of the crueler features her room had been outfitted with was a small barred window, which she suspected had been placed there just to make her miss home even more. The view should have been beautiful, but the vast desert of Hueco Mundo was lifeless underneath the moonlit sky, and not for the first time she wished that she could be back in her shoddy apartment with Rangiku and Toshiro. It wasn't much – her aunt couldn't to pay for afford a proper house, like some of her friends had – but at least it was vibrant, practically overflowing with her guests' laughter and happiness. Orihime wondered how they were faring without her. Surely they had found her instructions by now, but… did they miss her? Did Ichigo miss her?

At the thought of Ichigo, Orihime bit her lip. What she had nearly done had been wrong, she knew that. It had been unfair to declare her feelings to him when he was asleep in the first place, especially when she knew that he would undoubtedly be confused when he awoke to find his injuries healed and her missing, but to almost kiss him was crossing a serious line. She knew he probably didn't reciprocate her feelings, yet she had been presumptuous enough to force them on him without his knowledge. Even so, she couldn't help but wonder whether he was worried about her, or if he had even noticed that she was gone at all.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a low grumble. Orihime looked around only to realize that her stomach had emitted the noise, much to her embarrassment. She hadn't eaten anything since her kidnapping, which she only now realized had been almost a full day ago. Was Aizen planning to starve her in exchange for information?

A sharp knock on the massive door interrupted her theorizing, and Orihime was drawn sharply out of her thoughts. "I'm coming in," a dull voice announced. Before she could reply, the door swung open to reveal the figure of her captor standing in its imposing frame. Behind him, an attendant stood, hands resting on a large cart of food.

Orihime scrambled to her feet, heart beating heavily in her chest. "U-ulquiorra-san," she stuttered, bowing her head ever so slightly to avoid looking at him. Just the sight of the Arrancar made her nervous. He wasn't unpleasant to look at, but his deadpan expression made her uncomfortable. She had never met anyone like that, whose emptiness made her want to turn tail and flee when he was nearby. He was so different from Ichigo, who expressed himself so readily, who was passionate about the things he loved. No… this man was alien, incomprehensible, absurd.

Still, though, it was rude to ignore him when he was doing her a favor and bringing her food. She looked up hesitantly, meeting eyes with the stony-faced Arrancar. His expression was emotionless, as per usual, but she felt like he knew exactly what she was thinking. Unwittingly, a flush rose to her cheeks. It was strange to have someone's eyes fixed so fully on hers. She had never had someone examine her so thoroughly before.

"This is how your meals will be delivered, woman," he said finally, analytical gaze unwavering. "You will eat what Aizen-sama gives to you. I will see them to you personally as frequently as is necessary. Aizen-sama has ordered me to report on your progress, so I am monitoring you for the time being. You will obey the instructions Aizen-sama gives to you, and therefore those that I give you as well. Do not attempt to leave this room without supervision, or you will be punished."

Orihime's brows furrowed lightly, and she retorted, "No one has explained to me why I'm here or what I'm supposed to be doing, so how can I make any progress?"

Ulquiorra's cold green eyes bored into hers, and he said, without missing a single beat, "Do not ask stupid questions, woman. It is not your place to ask about things that are none of your concern. If there is information you need to know, I will deliver it to you at Aizen's behest."

Righteous anger flared within Orihime, and she was about to respond when he turned on his heel and left, hands shoved deep in his pockets. The aide looked at her apologetically before following, letting the door slam shut behind him.

Just as soon as it had appeared, Orihime's anger dissipated. She sank back down onto the bed, dazed. She couldn't believe that she had just snapped at someone who held her and her friends' lives in the palm of his hand. He hadn't seemed fazed by her show of rebelliousness, but the consequences could have been disastrous.

"I have to try to go along with what Aizen tells me to do," she reminded herself. "I have to do it for Kurosaki-kun, and Tatsuki-chan, and everyone who's waiting for me at home. Even if I have to do what that man orders, it's not because I want to. It's because I need to."

She nodded resolutely, and got to her feet again. Though she hadn't noticed before, she was glad that the cart was still in her room. "At least dinner is still here," she remarked to herself, lips quirking into a small smile. "Let's eat, I'm starving!"

Karakura High, present. Approximately three pm

Orihime was dozing off in class when the bell rang, signaling the end of the period. She was glad to have a free period and not another class, because she had been half-asleep the entire day. She wasn't proud to admit that the other half had been spent reflecting on the events that had occurred in Karakura Town over the past several weeks, and not on her schoolwork. She knew she couldn't lag behind on her studies, but her mind always gravitated to the horrific situation unfolding whether she wanted it to or not.

She stood and gathered her stuff, sliding her neatly organized notebooks into her bag. Tatsuki had karate, Ichigo had another class period, and the rest of their friends had already gone home for the day, so it was going to be a solitary walk to her apartment. She had become so accustomed to being surrounded by friends that going home alone felt strange, which seemed odd to her. Before she had gone to Hueco Mundo, she had walked home by herself nearly every day. These days, she was seldom alone.

Orihime frowned as she realized that she was probably flanked so heavily because of her kidnapping. She was lucky to have such loyal friends, but she felt like she was dragging them down. They definitely had better things to do than looking after her; all she was doing was contributing to their already heavy burdens.

"That changes today," she announced happily. "I'm going to prove to them that they don't have to help me all the time!"

A few classmates shot her weird looks, and Orihime blushed. She hadn't meant to say that aloud. Her classmates already thought she was odd enough after disappearing for seven months over an inexplicable 'illness.' Making strange declarations out of nowhere was not helping her reputation.

In a hurry to avoid further public humiliation, Orihime rushed out the door, bag slung haphazardly over her shoulder. A few minutes later, after she had escaped from the judgement of her peers, she reached the main road, and started on her journey home.

"That was embarrassing," she said aloud, giggling to herself. "At least Kuchiki-san acts weirder than I do. I still can't figure out why she uses that voice in school!"

"She probably doesn't want to be detected, Inoue-san," said an eerily familiar voice from behind her.

Orihime whirled around to see a tall man in heavy blue makeup leaning on a nearby tree, his busty companion nearby as always. "Kurotsuchi-san," she exclaimed, relieved. "I didn't notice you! And Nemu-san, as well! You really scared me!"

Mayuri grinned broadly. "Oh, relax," he said, waving his hand dismissively. "I didn't mean any harm. Nemu and I were actually trying to find you, so we were just as surprised to see you!"

Orihime blinked quizzically. She hadn't spent any time with Mayuri before now, and from what she knew of him, he wasn't to seek anyone out. Other people went to him with their problems, not the other way around. Finally, she bit the bullet and asked, "You were looking for me? Why?"

Mayuri's garish grin widened. "Why don't you accompany us back through the Senkaimon and visit our lab? I can explain once we arrive."

Orihime got the feeling that this was less a request and more an order, and though she was reluctant to go, she knew that Mayuri would probably make her accompany him no matter what she said. "Okay," she agreed warily. "I'll go with you, Kurotsuchi-san."

"Excellent," he replied. "Nemu! Go help our guest with her things. We want to make her as comfortable as possible."

Las Noches, Hueco Mundo, approximately five pm

Nel sat cross-legged on her bed, re-reading a chapter of a book she had been recommended by Mila Rose. There wasn't much good literature around Hueco Mundo, not after Grimmjow had impulsively burned Aizen's library, so she took what she could get. The book was actually pretty interesting, for once. It was a standard romance novel, but heavily featured two characters who were a 'vampire' and a 'werewolf' respectively. Nel was less interested in the romantic relationship between the insipid female protagonist and her various mythical babes than she was in the creatures the author had created. Nel had lived as a Hollow and then as an Arrancar for many years, but she had never heard of these fascinating species.

"Yo, Nel," a gruff voice called from behind the door. "Lemme in. It's freezing out here."

Nel groaned, and placed her book down on the bed. "Coming!" she hollered, jogging over to the door. She twisted the knob to reveal Grimmjow on the other side, shivering intensely. "Why are you so cold?" she asked, brows raised. "We live in a desert, Grimmjow."

"Shaddap," he said. "Sharkface had me on patrol all day today. I had to go all the way to the outskirts of Hueco Mundo. It's practically frozen out there." He looked her up and down, and smirked. "Well, hey! You're looking surprisingly green today."

Nel scowled, and shut the door behind him, making her way back to the bed. "That's no thanks to you, asshole. It took me three hours to get the dye out of my hair. I don't think I'll ever trust you again."

Grimmjow threw his head back and laughed. "I told you I'd be getting my revenge. I don't think you can top that, so don't even try to get me back." He flopped back onto her bed, and noticed the abandoned book laying on her pillow. "What's this? I didn't know you knew how to read, kiddo."

Nel rolled her eyes. "Obviously I can read, Grimmjow. I'm a Vasto Lorde, so watch your tone around me, kiddo." She stuck her tongue out at her companion, before continuing, "The book is fascinating, though! I just finished it. It's all about these undiscovered species being hidden from a community – the author invented them all by herself, too. There's some romance, but it's really minor. You should give it a read!"

Grimmjow scrunched up his nose, and shook his head. "Nah. Twilight is a stupid name. Sounds cool, though."

Nel shrugged, and replied, "Your loss. I'm gonna give it to Harribel-sama. She asked me about it the other day, and I promised I would lend it to her when I finished reading. You coming?"

Grimmjow let out a pained grunt. "I just got here. Do I really have to leave?"

Nel was already halfway out the door of her quarters when she turned to look back at him. "Suit yourself. I'll be back soon."

Grimmjow jumped to his feet, and said desperately, "Alright, alright! I'm coming, jeez!"