Hello, my loyal readers! So I know what you must be thinking – deviating from the schedule so fast, Millie? Uh, yeah. I have some free time, so I'm going to publish a chapter! Yay! This probably won't happen too frequently, but I'm glad I got the chance to do it now. Feels great to upload again.

Now onto some responses!

Kalliko - So glad! I love that you always start your reviews with 'Oh wow!' It definitely makes me feel satisfied with my work, ahahaha. I know! I said he would, eventually. I'm happy that you liked my portrayal – I based it on his original incarnation in the series, of course.

rojy – You did mention it before, but I'm really glad! Hopefully you'll continue to appreciate their little snippets.

LylithB – Thank you! I really appreciate all the reviews I get. I definitely will, don't worry. And the next chapter came early! Haha, yeah… Common theme in his work, unfortunately. Glad to hear it. I'll do my best to!

XxCrimsonShadowX - Happy to hear it. Updated on the day you reviewed, guess it's your lucky day!

Chapter 10

Las Noches, Hueco Mundo. Ten months before the present. Approximately twelve thirty am

Orihime stood at the window, hands clutching the elaborate skirts of her uniform. She had been awake for countless hours, but she could not bring herself to go to bed. Not when everyone from home, all of her beloved friends, were making the treacherous journey to Hueco Mundo to rescue her.

She stifled a sob, and released the crumpled white fabric. She had dared to hope, desperately, that they would be safe at home; after all, Aizen had gone to great lengths to make her seem like a traitor. But they were too loyal, too good - she should have known that they would come after her regardless of whether she was a traitor or not.

"Kurosaki-kun," she whispered, voice wavering, "please, turn back now. If you can hear me at all, or sense my voice – please, please just go home. There's nothing for you here but pain and darkness." She paused to take a shuddering breath, tears now flowing freely down her face, before continuing, "If you d-die, then I w-won't be able to carry on any longer."

From somewhere behind her, a steady knock on the door sounded. "I'm coming in," declared a low, monotone voice. Orihime spun around just in time to see the door open and Ulquiorra enter.

"H-hello, Ulquiorra-san," she said, attempting to steady her tone. "I – um, I didn't hear you come in." She hastily wiped her tears with her sleeve, hoping that he had not seen her puffy face. It would only give him more ammunition if he knew how despondent and lost she was feeling.

Ulquiorra, if he noticed her crying, said nothing about it. "You have not finished your dinner," he said, instead. "This is not the first time that this has happened. I will stay here until you eat the entirety of your meal, as you clearly cannot do it on your own."

Orihime frowned. She had been trying to finish everything that had been given to her, but she found it difficult to eat when she was so worried. She averted her eyes to the ground, and said quietly, "I'm doing my best, but sometimes it's too much for me."

Ulquiorra stared her down, unreadable eyes fixed on her face. After a few moments' silence, he said, "I am not responsible for your emotional wellbeing. If you have a problem, resolve it by yourself. You will finish your meal, if not for your own health then because Aizen-sama has commanded it."

Orihime swallowed, and shook her head. "I can't eat this food, not while Kurosaki-san and the rest of them are out there. I need – I need to know if they're safe, I can't just be here and do nothing!" As she blinked, tears rolled down her hot cheeks, much to her dismay. Ulquiorra was already annoyed with her; there was no telling what he would say now that she had blatantly disrespected him.

The Arrancar did nothing for several seconds, observing the crying girl before him. Then, he turned and walked out of the room, shutting the door silently behind him.

Orihime let out a shaky breath she hadn't known she had been holding, and stared at the space that her captor had occupied seconds before in bewilderment. "Okay," she whispered to herself. "I…I think I need to sit down." She made her way over to the couch slowly, unsteady on her feet.

A few minutes later, there were more raps at the door. Orihime looked up to see Ulquiorra entering again, an aide in tow. "Ulquiorra-san?" she said, stunned. "I thought –"

"You thought incorrectly," interrupted Ulquiorra, voice flat. "I have provided for you some tea, and a book from Aizen-sama's personal library, as obviously you are incapable of regulating your own emotions. When you are done, finish the meal – I will leave only when everything on the plate has been eaten. Do not make me regret this decision, woman."

Orihime's heart pounded in her chest, and a deep flush rose to her cheeks. "I don't – I mean, um. T-thank you, Ulquiorra-san," she stuttered, looking intently at her elaborate shoes.

The aide wheeled over the cart to the couch, and handed her the steaming cup of tea. Orihime took it from him, gently fingering the ceramic handle. She stared into its murky depths, and said, "Thank you."

The aide nodded curtly, and wheeled the tray out of the room, leaving the dinner cart behind. Orihime didn't look up, but she heard the door close as he left. Ulquiorra stood mere feet from her, his pale face bathed in the harsh moonlight. She realized that, for all that it mattered, they were alone together.

Orihime bit her lip, resolutely avoiding her captor's gaze. He was absolutely incomprehensible – one moment he was so cold, telling her that her friends would die on their journey to rescue her, and the other he was delivering things to her room to comfort her when she was upset. Either way, if I drag this out, I'll annoy him even more, she thought, taking a sip of the tea. She was pleasantly surprised by the taste – it was minty, but nothing like the cheap brew that she bought from the convenience store around the corner. "This is delicious, Ulquiorra-san," she said, daring to lift her head and make eye contact with the stoic Hollow.

"It was not difficult to prepare," said Ulquiorra. "I assume that you've never had it before."

Orihime shook her head, and said sheepishly, "I can't afford tea this nice. Back home, I can only buy store-brand. It's not bad, but this… this is amazing."

Ulquiorra leveled a dispassionate glance at the cup, and replied, "It's not a tea you can find in the stores that human trash frequent. The leaves are from a plant that only grows in Hueco Mundo. It is through the abilities of the Espada Zommari that we are able to cultivate it."

"Zommari," she repeated slowly, rolling the name around in her mouth. "That's interesting. I didn't think anything could grow here."

Ulquiorra's lips twitched for a moment, but he looked away too quickly for Orihime to read his expression. When his eyes met hers a moment later, they were chillingly empty. "Finish your meal quickly," he said. "Aizen-sama prefers when you are well rested, and you have already taken up far too much of my time tonight."

Orihime's brows furrowed, and she said quietly, "Okay."

The rest of the meal was finished in silence.

Seireitei, Soul Society, present. Approximately six am

Mayuri led the small group through the 12th Division's barracks, explaining the various buildings animatedly to his companions. Orihime walked several paces behind him, arms wrapped tightly around herself to stave off the cold. Nemu, school bag slung over her narrow shoulders, flanked them, seemingly unfazed by the strong winds.

After a few minutes of guided tour, Mayuri stopped in front of a large wooden gate, embossed with gold lettering. "Here we are," he announced loudly. "The Shinigami Research and Development Institute."

"It's so big," said Orihime, eyes widening at the sight of the sprawling block of buildings.

"Well said, Inoue-san," remarked Mayuri. "Now, if you'd be so kind as to follow me, I would love to show you to the lab."

Orihime nodded, and began to walk towards the Institute. Mayuri lagged behind a moment, waiting for Nemu to catch up with him. When she did, he hissed in her ear, "When we get inside, show her to my office. I'll be in the lab, monitoring the specimen. I don't want her to see it just yet."

Nemu nodded briskly. "Yes, Mayuri-sama."

Mayuri beamed, and patted her on the back. "Excellent. You'll see, Nemu – we'll figure out what exactly this creature is doing."

Orihime paused at the building's entrance, waiting for the Captain and his lieutenant to catch up. There was no doubt in her mind that they were discussing her, but all she knew was that it probably had to do with the mysterious reason she was brought there in the first place. There was no point in asking Mayuri - she doubted he would tell her the truth, and she didn't want to risk irritating the powerful Captain. She wasn't sure how much he liked her even now, and she definitely didn't want to end up on his bad side.

Mayuri joined her in front of the Institute and grinned, yellow teeth standing out against his navy face paint. "I have to make a brief detour, so Nemu will lead you to my office," he said. "If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to ask her."

"Okay," responded Orihime, smiling hesitantly at Mayuri. "Thank you for your hospitality."

"Oh, no need to thank me," said Mayuri. "In fact, I should thank you. This visit should prove enlightening for the both of us." He strolled towards the doors, and opened them dramatically. "After you," he said with facetious chivalry, holding them open for her and Nemu, who had caught up to the pair.

"I'll show you to Mayuri-sama's office," said Nemu emotionlessly, walking with Orihime through the opened doors. "Follow me."

"You two have fun!" yelled Mayuri as he sauntered into the building, taking a sharp right down the Institute's cavernous hallways.

The two women walked in the opposite direction to Mayuri, finally stopping in front of a large steel door. "We've arrived," said Nemu, pushing open the door for her companion.

Orihime stood for a moment in awe, examining the huge room. She now understood why Mayuri liked it so much – it was outfitted with a giant organ, a series of computers, and a swivel chair. There was nothing she could conceive in her mind that would better fit a mad scientist.

"Sit down," said Nemu, gesturing to the swivel chair. "Mayuri-sama will join us shortly."

Mayuri descended down the stairs of the Institute, unable to contain his excitement. If he could discover how his specimen was regenerating itself, he could build new Arrancar from preexisting cells with ease. He knew how to bring them back to life, of course; that was easy. But to create new life as easily as this creature was doing it? That would be the discovery of a lifetime.

Upon reaching the entry to the lab, Mayuri rushed through the door to the glass screen to examine the body from afar. It had completely regenerated, from its curled horns to its clawed feet, and its eyes were open, staring vacantly at the lab's ceiling. More interesting than the growth of the Arrancar, however, was the growth of the shield – it was glowing more intensely than ever before, and had expanded in its breadth. Mayuri crossed through the doors, and approached the apparatus in which the specimen was being contained. The shield was presumably still completely impenetrable, which was annoying. Still, though, it did call some interesting thoughts to mind. Mayuri had brought Orihime Inoue in order to bring it down, but it seemed to have gotten even stronger with her arrival.

Mayuri paused in his inspection of the shield. If the girl were here, then it would be easier to determine her effect on it. He still was apprehensive to actually show her the specimen, but if she were close enough, then her impact on its growth could still be observed.

He strode out of the lab and over to his office, where he found Nemu and Orihime sitting in awkward silence. "Inoue-san," he said, catching her attention. "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. Would you like to come downstairs for a moment, to see my private labs?"

Orihime almost jumped at the sound of the scientist's voice. Nemu was many things, but a conversationalist was definitely not one of them. They hadn't exchanged a single word for nearly ten minutes. "Of course," she said. She didn't really want to see the lab, but she got the feeling that Mayuri wasn't really asking.

"Wonderful," said Mayuri. "Come with me, then." He shot a meaningful glance to Nemu, and added, "You too, Nemu."

The trio walked down the hallway, and down the winding staircase leading to Mayuri's private labs. "I'm going to have to ask you to wait here, Inoue-san," said Mayuri, as they reached a large black door. "Nemu, keep our esteemed guest company. We wouldn't want her to be alone."

Nemu nodded. "Of course, Mayuri-sama."

Mayuri grinned, and opened the door, allowing himself just enough room to slip through. As soon as it shut behind him, he was at the glass screen. As he had suspected, the shield was effulgent, radiating hot orange light. It had expanded to cover almost half of the small laboratory, guarding the creature from view. This could only mean one thing. Orihime Inoue was –

From outside the lab, Mayuri heard a loud thump. "What is it, Nemu?" he yelled. Before he could turn around, however, he noticed something. In the time since he had heard the noise, the shield surrounding the specimen had lost its unnatural, and had shrunk to only about half of its initial size.

"It seems Inoue-san has fainted, Mayuri-sama," said Nemu, opening the door. She was telling the truth – Orihime had crumpled to the ground, face red and sweaty, uniform now rumpled.

"Take her upstairs," said Mayuri absently, after looking briefly at his unconscious guest. "I think I've discovered how our specimen is regenerating."

Hueco Mundo, approximately seven am

Nel walked at the front of the patrol, long blue hair pulled up in a tight bun. She was outfitted in full Arrancar garb, foregoing her usual shorts and short-sleeved top. Normally she wouldn't have dressed for battle just to go on patrol, but there had been several violent attacks by starving Hollows over the past several, and she didn't particularly want to die just yet.

Grimmjow, who was trailing several steps behind, jogged up to meet her. "Yo, Nel," he greeted. "Have you had time to consult with Sharkface-in-chief recently?"

Nel turned to him, and sighed dramatically. "For the last time, Grimmjow, don't call her that! But actually, to answer your question, I haven't. I've been busy with patrols all day, every day."

Grimmjow frowned, and began tentatively, "Me neither. This is so stupid, but I…" he paused, and shook his head in frustration. "I'm worried about her, alright? She's been so busy, dealing with the fluctuations. I'm not… usually like this, but somethin' about it is just rubbing me the wrong way."

"You know, you're actually kind of right, for once," said Nel pensively. "Come to think of it, I haven't met with her in ages. Do you think we should schedule a meeting?"

Grimmjow shook his head, and said, "Nah, I just think –" His words were drowned out by a loud rumble emanating from somewhere beneath the patrol, shaking across the entirety of Hueco Mundo.

Nel grabbed his arm, alarmed. "What's going on?" she yelled, struggling to make herself heard above the din.

"I don't know," shouted Grimmjow, "but I sure as fuck don't like it!"