Hello friends.

So sorry I've been away for a while. My cousin's health took a turn for the worse last week. She got pneumonia in her left lung and because of the chemo, her body couldn't produce the blood cells needed to fight off the infection. She passed away the 1st of December.

Needless to say it's been a very difficult time for my family and me.

I've had the next couple chapters written for a while but it's taken a bit for me to just get on the computer and upload them so I apologize. I should have them up for you soon.

Thank you for your understanding.


"Good morning!" Ururu said cheerfully as she entered the room where Ulquiorra lay resting. She sat down the tray of food she had been carrying beside him and smiled. "How did you sleep?"

"I slept?" Ulquiorra sat up quickly and blinked at Ururu nervously. "How long?"

"Only about six hours." Ururu walked over to the window and pulled back the shades to let some light in. "How are you feeling?"

Ulquiorra groaned as the light reached his eyes and he covered his face with his hands. "Horrible. I need coffee."

"Sorry, no more coffee. Kisuke's orders. He says you need to learn to fight with your own endurance and not with the boost coffee gives you." Ururu motioned to the tray of food. "I made you breakfast. Kisuke said you could have tea instead so I made some tea. I also made eggs and bacon and sausage and waffles. You need to build up your strength because the next three days are going to be pretty rough on you so you need all that protein. Though I wonder... do Shinigami process foods the same as humans?"

Ulquiorra looked to Ururu in confusion. "What is so important about the next three days that I need all of this food?" He turned his attention to the tray stacked high with food. It was void of anything fresh like fruits or vegetables which was irritating. "Can't I just have plain toast and grapefruit?" He picked up his cup of tea and began sipping it slowly.

"But you have Bankai training." Ururu smiled but the smile was short lived as Ulquiorra began to cough and sputter on the tea he had been drinking. She rushed over and patted his back gently. "Are you alright?"

"D-did you say Bankai training?" Ulquiorra continued to cough until he cleared his airway of the liquid he had accidentally inhaled. "Already?"

"Kisuke said you're ready. He said after watching you fight with Mr. Kurosaki he knew you were ready for Bankai training." Ururu stood and started toward the door. "I should get things ready."

"Wait." Ulquiorra looked to Ururu curiously. "When Ikkaku said I needed to fight at the level of strength that a Captain could I assumed that meant only my strength. I could get strong without my Bankai and I don't have that kind of time. Doesn't Bankai take years to master?"

"Kisuke has a device called a Tenshintai. You can forcibly materialize the spirit of your Zanpakutō with it. It's a dangerous method and it needs to be completed within the three days time. If you can't... well, we'll have to think of something else."

"I can do it." Ulquiorra turned back to his tray and began eating slowly. "I have to."

...

"Matsumoto." Tōshirō Hitsugaya looked to his Lieutenant as she stared off into the distance. "When was the last break you took?"

Rangiku glanced at her Captain with tired eyes before turning her gaze back out at the horizon. "I don't know."

"You can't keep pushing yourself like this. You're no good to Inoue if you can't keep your eyes open." Tōshirō sighed and put a hand on Rangiku's shoulder. "Why don't you go rest?"

"I have to find her. If he was that concerned then she really must be in big trouble." Rangiku continued to scan the distance for any sign of Orihime.

"You mean the Hollow?" Tōshirō looked at Rangiku curiously. "Do you still believe he is innocent?"

"I don't know what to believe. All I know is that I've never seen him so full of emotion. The fear in his eyes was almost tangible." Rangiku looked at Tōshirō sadly. "I don't know."

"I've been in contact with Hinamori. She promised that she would inform me the instant anyone involved shows up in Soul Society." Tōshirō glanced at Rangiku. "I find it hard to believe that Zaraki just took Inoue, but then again, after Aizen I don't think we can trust anyone completely. It just doesn't make any sense. I would expect Aizen to be involved somehow but nobody has made any effort to reach him. I thought for sure that the Hollow would-"

"Ulquiorra." Rangiku turned her eyes forward and sighed. "His name is Ulquiorra, not Hollow. I think it's time we started treating him more like a Shinigami and less like a Hollow. He isn't one anymore. Orihime always used to say that and she's right. We keep expecting him to prove his loyalty to us but what have we really done to make him feel loyal? Ostracizing him for his past is not a good way to build feelings of trust. It's likely that the only one of us he trusted was his Captain and now the man has betrayed him."

"So you do believe him." Tōshirō mused quietly to himself and crossed his arms. "We can't ignore his past, Matsumoto. It isn't as though he came to us without a memory. He remembered everything from his time as a Hollow and while he was an Espada he did some truly atrocious things."

"Not everything is so black and white, Captain." Rangiku smiled sadly. "Gin betrayed us too but in the end, his reasoning was..." She paused and shook her head. "Never mind. This isn't about Gin or even Ulquiorra. This is just about finding Orihime regardless of who has her and brining her home safe."

"Matsumoto! Captain Hitsugaya!" Izuru gasped for breath as he stopped before the two. "Inoue! Sh-she's..."

Rangiku's eyes bulged and she grasped Izuru by his shoulders. "What about Orihime? Did you find her!"

Izuru continued to gasp for air and looked up at Rangiku. "T-ten miles south of here. Her Reiatsu showed itself faintly, only for a moment. We couldn't pinpoint her exact location but we have a general area."

"Where!" Rangiku looked at Izuru in a panic.

"A forest like area. Lots of trees and natural cover. We could spend days searching if we don't know the area." Izuru looked at Rangiku hopefully. "Someone or something is clearly blocking out her Reiatsu but she's alive."

"Lieutenants Kuchiki and Abarai have already informed Ichigo Kurosaki of the situation. With any luck, he might know the area well enough." Tōshirō gripped Rangiku's shoulder to reassure her. "We're a step closer to finding her. Lieutenant Kira, inform the others immediately."

...

"What were you thinking?" Yachiru demanded as she stamped her foot angrily at Yumichika.

"I was thinking that the poor girl needed to see a bit of sunlight. It's depressing sitting down in the dark of a cave. The air is stale and it's all around unpleasant. It isn't as though I let her completely out of the cave!" Yumichika crossed his arms and huffed. "If we had cloaks like you and the Captain, we wouldn't be forced to hide in this cave."

"These cloaks aren't easy to come by, you know. That Urahara man only made two that were confiscated. It was hard enough breaking in just to steal them from the research and development creeps!" Yachiru stepped into the cave and stripped herself of her cloak. She handed the Reiatsu blocking fabric to Yumichika and sighed. "We have to move her now. Go knock her out."

"I don't particularly like having to cause harm to the poor thing." Yumichika sighed and accepted the cloak from his Lieutenant's hands. "Can't you do it?"

Yachiru put her hands on her hips and stared up at Yumichika angrily. "No way! She can't know that Ken-chan and I are involved. She's smarter than she looks and if she puts two and two together-"

"Alright! I'll do it. Where am I taking her?" Yumichika asked in irritation.

"The other side of town. I've been scouting and it seems like the whole area surrounding this town has rock formations with this Reiatsu hiding stuff." Yachiru stared up at Yumichika seriously. "And this time, no more going soft. For some reason Ken-chan insisted that you have the right touch for this but I think we should have got Cueball to do it instead."

Yumichika chuckled to himself. "I'm sure Ikkaku has a role of his own to play. Whether he knows it or not remains to be seen. I assure you, I can do what is required of me." He turned away from Yachiru and started back into the depths of the cave. He approached Orihime quietly and smiled. "I'm back."

"So soon?" Orihime looked to Yumichika grumpily. "Did you happen to find what you were looking for out there?"

"I did." Yumichika held up the cloak and sighed. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to render you unconscious again."

"What?" Orihime's look of irritation turned to one of all out fury. "What for?"

"I have to move you. Unfortunately I made the mistake of letting you get too close to the entrance. Your Reiatsu became mildly detectable and there's just no way of knowing if someone was able to detect you." Yumichika sat down across from Orihime and stared at her calmly. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way."

"You know, for as many cruel things as you had to say about him, Ulquiorra was never this wretched to me when he kidnapped me. He made threats but he never followed through with them and he never once got violent with me!" Orihime stared at Yumichika defiantly. "I'm not just going to comply with you."

Yumichika mused to himself and grinned widely. "You're a bag of surprises, Inoue. Everyone believes that your feelings toward Ulquiorra are the result of something called Stockholm syndrome. Did you know that?" He took note of the unamused look on her face and laughed. "Do you even know what that is? It's what happens to pretty little ladies like you who find themselves being held captive by handsome men like me and your beloved Ulquiorra. You see, first it starts out as compliance with our demands. Then you get to know us, you mistake any act of kindness as us being genuinely good people who care for you. Finally you start to see us as your friend, even going so far as to see those who might rescue you as the enemy. You feel beholden to us and convince yourself that what you're feeling is love."

"That's not how it happened at all!" Orihime stared hard at Yumichika and clenched her fists. "And that's certainly not the situation with you!"

"No it isn't, is it?" Yumichika smiled. "That's why it's so interesting. One would expect that if Stockholm syndrome affected you the first time, it would affect you again. But that was never the case with you and Ulquiorra, was it? Oh sure, maybe to a small degree you misread his actions but... well, you made your own decisions about him regardless of your situation. It's all very romantic though. I envy you both."

"If that's the case then why don't you let me go? I don't even understand why you're doing this! You used to be so nice. I used to consider you a friend." Orihime drew her knees up to her chest. She was feeling vulnerable but she didn't want to cry or show weakness to Yumichika.

"I am your friend and I hope that in the near future you'll consider me one as well." Yumichika sighed and stood slowly. "I really hate to do these things to you, Inoue. I'm just following orders."

Orihime's heart skipped a beat and she looked up at Yumichika in shock. "Orders?" A memory flashed through her mind of the night he kidnapped her and she gasped. She remembered him saying that before. "Orders from who!"

"Now, you see? You've made me say too much." Yumichika reached out and hit Orihime on the back of her head, rendering her unconscious. "I really do hate these ugly actions I have to take."

...

"This is the Tenshintai. It's a device what will help you materialize your Zanpakutō spirit." Kisuke said as he motioned to the doll beside him. Once you stab it with your Zanpakutō, you'll have only three days to conquer Murciélago. If the data I received is correct, you were the only Espada capable of achieving what you called Segunda Etapa which I'm assuming is the Arrancar equivalent of a Shinigami's Bankai so you should have no trouble."

"Unfortunately that isn't necessarily the case. To the Arrancar, the Zanpakutō was merely a catalyst. We didn't borrow our power from our Zanpakutō. We used the power of the Zanpakutō to unleash our own abilities. Outside of learning the name of the Zanpakutō, the Arrancar never communicated with their swords like Shinigami do. All their power came from brute strength. They wanted to distance themselves as much as possible from the ways of the Shinigami so they didn't form relationships with their swords." Ulquiorra paused and looked down at Murciélago. "I was the one exception. I was intrigued by the power that I could gain if I chose to forge a relationship with Murciélago. Even still, the relationship was limited and consisted of little more than a few encounters to synchronize our powers. The outcome was my Segunda Etapa but I never had to materialize or conquer Murciélago to achieve that. It was more akin to a Shikai type of relationship."

"Hmm. Frightening to think how strong all of the Espada could have become if only they hadn't been so stubborn." Kisuke put his hand to his chin in thought before shrugging. "All of that is regardless. Go ahead and pierce the doll with your Zanpakutō."

Ulquiorra nodded and stepped toward the Tenshintai. He thrust Murciélago into the doll and was instantly blown back by a massive force. A green rain of Reiatsu began to fall to the ground and when it stopped the surrounding area grew dark and it became hard to see. It was almost as if a black mist had formed from the rain. Ulquiorra glanced to the others but they were nowhere in sight. It was then that he began to feel something akin to panic. He didn't know if this was normal or if he had messed up with the Tenshintai. "What's going on Urahara?"

"They can't hear you. They can't see you. They can't help you." Murciélago said calmly as he materialized before Ulquiorra.

Ulquiorra stared up in awe at Murciélago. It was hard to see the spirit shrouded in darkness but he could see the two glowing green eyes staring down at him. He could also distinctly hear the sound of wings flapping. "Murciélago-"

"Don't speak to me. For years you've let me be locked away. You never even once tried to free me. I leant you my power and you repaid me with nothing." Murciélago let out a screech which reverberated off of Ulquiorra and showed the Shinigami's location to the spirit. "I'll destroy you."

Ulquiorra's eyes bulged as Murciélago let loose a blast of green Reiatsu from what appeared to be his mouth. He dodged the attack by a few inches and rolled away from the spirit. He knew then that this would not be an easy fight. He made a dash for the barrier placed around them and noticed as he drew closer that it was made of thousands of lances. He reached out and grabbed one and threw it at Murciélago but the Zanpakutō spirit dodged it easily. He grabbed another one to arm himself and looked around for the dark creature but he couldn't see him. Murciélago's back was turned and Ulquiorra couldn't understand why the spirit wasn't coming after him. That was when he heard a low, unsettling clicking noise followed by a moment of silence. In that small instant, Murciélago whirled around and shot off another blast of Reiatsu which Ulquiorra managed to dodge.

Murciélago flew in the direction of Ulquiorra with claws ready. He couldn't see in the mist of his own darkness but with his ability to use echolocation, he could find his prey just fine. He let out a few more clicks to confirm the Shinigami's location before he dove in with full force.

Ulquiorra barely avoided Murciélago's grasp. He stabbed at the dark figure with the lance but the strike did no damage and caused the lance to dissipate. He jumped away from the spirit and realized in horror that Murciélago now stood between him and the lances but the creature still wasn't attacking. It was then that it dawned upon Ulquiorra. Murciélago couldn't see in the darkness any more than he could. The clicking noise that he had been making must have been used as a form of sonar. Ulquiorra smiled to himself. He knew exactly what he had to do now.