Ch. 12

Orihime had gasped the moment the shield had surrounded her. It was transparent like her own orange shield, but instead it was a crimson color. Panicked, she looked to Ulquiorra who had flown towards her, his eyes searching for the shield's source. He didn't touch it at first, afraid of what it might do, but his heart thundered rapidly in his chest seeing Orihime on the opposite side of it.

"Ulquiorra!" she called, a scared edge to her voice. He looked up at her to see the cause of her fear. The screen now displayed a number that was slowly counting down. It was a timer. They stared at the screen, horrified. She was trapped inside with what appeared to be a ticking time bomb.

"Woman, get back," he commanded her, preparing to strike at the shield with all he had.

"W-wait!" she begged, her eyes wide with fear. "We don't know anything about this!"

"There is no time," he shot back while knowing she was right. He had limited options, but just waiting for her demise was not one he was willing to take. Fear like he had never known gripped him now and destruction, the only solution he could muster, called to him.

"Just let me think!"

She looked around wildly, first to the faint red light that flashed within her box and then at the warning sign crossing the screen around the timer that had now ticked past 110. Everything seemed so over the top, and it made no sense to her why there would be a defense like this in place. What was the purpose of the timer? The signature was definitely Urahara's. In her minds eye she saw him, smiling and waving his fan coyly. It was just like him to be so dramatic. Dramatic, yet frightening.

Then, a thought struck her and her eyes widened.

"It's…it's a trick!" She swung around to look at Ulquoirra who looked doubtfully back at her. "This is all set up so you panic and do something rash!"

Her mind was already running forward. Yes, it seemed to be a great possibility. To anyone unaware, like themselves, it would seem obvious to just attack. Thus the timer would drive them to do so in fear of what might happen when it reached 0. But if he truly didn't want anyone using the access point, it would have been easier to just close it down rather than keeping it activated and installing a trap. She knew that this access point was still in operation and was thus usable.

"I'm sure of it!" she called, deciding. Taking even breaths, she tried to calm herself so that perhaps he might as well. His eyes looked abnormally large, and she knew he must be on edge. She had never seen such a look from him; it was wild, and Ulquiorra was always so collected.

"You have no way of knowing for sure," he shot back, still desiring to strike at the barrier and be done with it.

"I know I can't be completely sure," she told him steadily, meeting his gaze. "But this is something I am willing to stake my life on at this point."

"Do not be a fool," he told her, his pulse racing faster as the timer continued to tick down. It had passed 40 seconds.

Orihime squared her shoulders and lifted her chin. Her eyes never left his. "You should trust me. I'm going to be fine."

There was nothing he could do now, she had decided. If he acted now and something did happen to her because of it, he was not sure how he could go on from there. Everything seemed to be coming to a point in this one moment. Ulquiorra realized with a settling fear that if the person before him died, he would not ever be the same. He wanted to curse Aizen and himself and her for this situation. It was causing reactions of which he did not think himself capable. And there she was, standing calmly, unafraid, while he was crumbling, exploding from within as he could only watch her.

He hated it, hated that feeling of helplessness, and she was the cause. Why had he been such a fool? Why had he allowed himself to become attached?

He readied to strike when the timer reach 10, but her eyes made him stop.

"It's ok," she told him with a small smile, and she closed her eyes, waiting for whatever would occur.

4…3….2…1…

At once the red light stopped flashing and there was a loud noise as the red shield shattered. The same cool voice from before issued a 'thank you', and the screen lit up, ready for use. And there stood Orihime, unharmed and free, a confident smile on her face.

"See. I knew Urahara-san would do the complete opposite of what you might expect."

But in an instant he had grabbed her wrist tightly. "We should retreat."

She was looking away however, already moving towards the keyboard. "No, I've got this."

Her dismissal angered him, and he wanted to drag her away and tell her to listen. She was under his command, not the other way around. He decided what they would do. He decided how she would act. Faintly he realized his hands were shaking, but with anger or nerves, he did not know.

"Woman," he told her, his voice dangerously low, but she seemed to not have heard him.

"I think it's…oh, here it is!" she exclaimed, watching the screen closely. "I'm retrieving it now."

Ulquiorra loosened his grip but did not leave her side, instead allowing his attention to fall away as he checked his other cameras. The halls near them were still clear, but the battle between Grimmjow and Ichigo had become very heated. There was blood caked on both of them, and a short girl lay bleeding on the ground. Ulquiorra recognized the girl as being one from Soul Systems, Rukia Kuchiki. She seemed to be alive, but in great pain.

"Done!" Orihime declared, stepping back, and he quickly grabbed her away from the access point. She looked up, wide eyed at his rough behavior, but he said nothing as he clicked a button on the bracelet to conceal her once more.

"We're leaving." Quickly they left, entering the hall and not stopping to be careful with their footsteps. Ulquiorra needed to get as far away as possible. Taking out his phone, he called Starrk, speaking one curt command. "Pick us up."

"Ulquiorra," she said weakly, her hand twisting in his tight grasp, but he did not stop.

He set off through the doors, causing a man to look around confused when it opened on its own. They kept up the quick pace as they crossed the street towards Starrks vehicle.

Swinging the door open caused the driver to jump, since he had been unable to see them. When Ulquiorra shoved Orihime in, he revealed himself as he left the area of projection.

"Take her back," he commanded, and Orihime revealed herself as well when she tore off the bracelet.

"I sent the retreat message," Starrk said hurriedly, his head looking back at them from the driver's seat. "You might want to check on Grimmjow."

"What are you-" Orihime began, confused, but he had closed the door, cutting off her query and watched from the curb as the car sped away. Next, he called Nnoitra, making sure he had complied with the retreat message. Surprisingly, he did not argue and instead said he would find his way back.

Then he set off, recognizing the surroundings his eye showed him. He was still furious at the entire situation, and he almost felt excited to be taking his anger out on someone else, namely Grimmjow. He flickered out of existence, reappearing much further down the street only to disappear again. Moving so fast was difficult in the crowded streets, but he was agile enough to avoid hitting anyone. Such movements took great concentration, but were worth it when he arrived soon after near a large crowd of people fleeing the area surrounding an alley between two buildings. Windows broke on a building nearby, and looking towards the source of the damage revealed a blue-haired streak.

There were sirens blaring faintly in the distance, signaling the involvement of the police. He stepped towards the fighters, the only figure moving in that direction as several people ran in the opposite. There were three now. Grimmjow seemed to have attracted someone else. A blonde, lanky man stood opposite him with Ichigo. The girl from Soul Systems lay nearby, clutching a wound in her stomach but otherwise conscious.

Ulquiorra moved again, appearing right behind Grimmjow, who recognized his signature and turned to him with wide eyes.

"You know it is time to retreat. Do not be difficult."

"Fuck off! I'm staying, I don't give a-"

"You!" Ichigo had noticed Ulquiorra's arrival and immediately remembered him. "You took Inoue didn't you, you bastard!"

The sirens were coming nearer, the noise pounding in his head along with the anger that was boiling up. His attention remained on Grimmjow, and in a movement the other man couldn't see, he clutched his arm tightly in his grasp.

"If you wish to stay," he began steadily, staring into Grimmjows eyes with a look that was nothing less than livid. "I will take this arm back. It is owed to that woman." He tightened his grip as Grimmjow tried to wrench his arm away, not allowing him to move.

"Ichigo!" the call from the blonde man was what warned him of the young mans movements. He was now rushing forward, his black sword in hand.

"Let Inoue go!"

"Decide," he told Grimmjow, who had not moved, but now watched Ichigo running towards them furiously.

Both knew Grimmjow would be left severely outnumbered and damaged in a way that would insure his defeat.

"Shit, fine!" he conceded, and they moved apart, each delivering a cero towards Ichigo. The red head rushed through it, unheeded, and Ulquiorra noticed there was something different about him. The whites of his eyes had darkened. There were white pieces of what seemed to be bone-like material clinging to his face.

Ulquiorra's instincts kicked in recognizing what was happening. He dug his feet into the concrete and sprang up, flipping in the air to appear behind Ichigo while facing the blonde man who was now coming near. With his elbows, he sent a heavy blow towards Ichigo's back and he crashed to the ground. A black blur of a batcam flew in front of the approaching man, distracting him, and Ulquiorra moved further away from the two. Grimmjow was nearby, looking back before reluctantly getting on his bike.

There were police cars coming to a screeching halt on the nearby street, and Grimmjow, seeing them, revved his engine.

"I won't let you get away!" Ichigo was back up, but a dark cloud was collecting around his sword. He was going to shoot it at them. Everything he had. Ulquiorra stood on the opposite side of the street now, looking between where Ichigo stood and the approaching police officers. He pointed a finger, readying a cero.

A moment later, the street was filled with something new. A wave of water now approached, seemingly out of no where, sweeping away all the cars and people in its wake. Fire hydrants exploded, sending streaming water into the air. Ichigo had been forced to stop as water rushed towards him, throwing him off balance as it rushed around his ankles. By the time he looked up, Ulquiorra and Grimmjow were gone.

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

Starrk had taken them back to the front of HM Global. Once inside, she had moved the file onto his offered flash drive, and then the two waited for the others to return.

"He seemed mad…" she said anxiously as they waited.

Starrk was eying the small flash drive in his hand. "I don't think I've ever seen Ulquiorra mad." He frowned and looked up. "Or much of anything, I guess."

She wrung her hands worriedly, not feeling any better from Starrk's answer. "He was definitely mad."

He could only offer a shrug. "I'd be mad too if I had to deal with this troublesome mission." The plastic rolled between his fingers. "Whatever this file is about, it was really important."

"I've never heard of it," she admitted, confused. " Hogyoku'. Urahara-san never mentioned anything like that."

Starrk sighed and straightened himself. "I guess I'd better get it to him. He doesn't like to wait." When Orihime didn't move, instead looking steadily down the drive, he said, "You'll have to at least wait in the lobby."

"O-oh, ok." She followed him, taking one of the white plush chairs near the door. For a moment Starrk hesitated, but then seeing how easily she waited, he realized she was someone that was highly trustworthy.

She's here because of her friends. He thought to himself. But…she is also worrying about Ulquiorra. He snorted through his nose humorously. Did Ulquiorra realize how important he had become to her? Starrk truly doubted it.

Not long after Starrk left, Grimmjow arrived. He looked quite a bit more disheveled than he had been when he left. His clothes were torn in a few places, but otherwise only a few minor cuts and bruises.

As she watched him cross the large room, he stopped and sneered angrily in her direction. "What're you looking at?" When she didn't answer he stalked off.

Nnoitra and Tesra came in next, both looking fairly grim. They too seemed mostly unharmed, but then her attention moved to the figure entering after them. It was Ulquiorra.

She had to fight back the urge to call his name, not wanting to sound too worried over him when he looked completely fine. At first he didn't look at her, instead directing his attention straight ahead. But when she stood, he glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes.

"Come."

She bit her lip, feeling guilty somehow, but nodded and hurried after him. They were headed to the elevators where Grimmjow and Nnoitra were talking.

"…and after that, I knew that mop-haired kid wouldn't be getting back up again. Pretty much a waste."

Her head shot up to see Nnoitra looking annoyed as he got on an elevator.

"That's one less we have to worry about, I guess."

The doors slid shut smoothly, but she stood there, frozen in her spot. "What did he just say?" she demanded to know.

He stared at her, as if she had grown another head. "I am not interested in whatever Nnoitra was talking about," he told her flatly. "Do you not realize how dangerous that situation was? You had no reason to believe you were safe and no way of knowing what would happen."

She didn't appear to have heard him, instead watching the now closed elevator doors. "What was that…about…?" She couldn't say his name, hot tears were already forming in her eyes.

"Did you hear me, woman?" he responded, moving to stand in her eyesight so she had to look at him.

"H-he has to be alright…" she said, looking into his face with despair so great it made him falter briefly. "S-Sado-kun can't be…can't be…"

"What does it matter?" he pressed, his anger controlling his words. She was not listening, not seeing the problem. She had been so close to ceasing to exist altogether, and all she could focus on now were a few words. Ulquiorra knew, in the back of his mind, he should expect such a reaction from her. Had he not gone to great lengths to try and prevent it? But now he didn't care about that. He did not care about people he did not know. It was that woman who had stood behind a thin barrier and might have not ever returned from it.

"If he had been smart he would have fled rather than challenge an Espada. If he had done that, he might still be alive."

"No!" she cried in desperation, her hands flying to her face. "Sado-kun's not dead!"

"If he is dead or alive…it should mean nothing to you," he told her, coldly, his eyes dark.

She squeezed her eyes shut, her fingers trembling against her face. "N-no…"

"All of your friends will die anyways." He could not stop the chilling words coming out of his mouth. He threw them at her, unrelenting, wanting her to feel his anger. "It is only a matter of time."

"Stop!" she gasped, looking up at him again, her hands clamped against her ears as tears streamed down her face. In her eyes she held insurmountable betrayal directly solely at him. Her expression made his teal tear streaks burn, but he would not stop.

"Honestly," he said, directly in front of her hunched form. "If I were you, I'd be furious at their stupidity."

Her wail of anguish had distracted him to the point where he had missed her movement. There was a hand slamming against his cheek by the time he realized, and his face was wrenched away from her. And just like that, the anger was gone and he was left with a sudden, profound emptiness.

She had turned away from him, clutching her hand, her shoulders shaking. She could not bear to look at him any longer.

He shifted his head to look at her, his cheek burning from the impact. No words came to him now; his body felt like a shell that he had ceased to inhabit.

"What is going on here?" He looked over to find Harribel approaching, a stern look on her face when she noticed Orihime crying.

He stepped away, removing himself from the situation and summoned his usual cloak of disinterest. "I'm sure you can ask her."

The tall woman approached, gently placing her hand upon Orihime's back to get her attention.

"H-Harribel-san?" she stuttered, her voice shaky from emotion.

"Come with me, you may stay in my section." She clicked the down arrow and an elevator immediately opened for her.

Orihime nodded faintly, her back still turned. Ulquiorra made no move to stop them, turning himself away to the opposite bank of elevators. He heard them walk on as his elevator opened invitingly, and he stood stiffly, tensely, waiting for something he did not understand.

But the door at his back closed without another sound, taking its occupants away. As he stepped into his elevator alone, his body feeling as heavy as lead, reality finally sank over him crushingly.

She was gone.

A/N: Well, I might have a lot of upset readers, but yes, this is the 'big change' I hinted at. Sorry for the short chapter with minimal UlquiHime, but it was sorta meant to be transitional/actiony. Next chapter will be a bit longer, and it will cover how everyone is handling the new arrangements.

Beta'd by a chu singing the star trek rap.

wielbiciel: Yeah, I don't like it if Orihime is written overly…air-headed. She is the second smartest girl in her class. She just has a big imagination sometimes. Otherwise she can be very perceptive of others and their feelings. Ulquiorra has that keen ability to notice her strengths, though, which is a big positive. He saw her defiance as being strong especially. And yes, he does obviously care for her now, to the point where the thought of losing her is extremely painful for him (as shown in this chapter). Thanks for reading!

nypsy: Hehe, I can't help but throw in cliffies… Yes, Ulquiorra was being extremely careful for her sake, wasn't he? Going through all the possibilities to ensure not only she is kept in tact, but that she doesn't suffer emotional loss as well. It's like he is striving to keep her as she is because that is the Orihime he enjoys seeing. I love the Espada acting like a team. I feel there is a lot that can be explored about their relationships with one another. About Tesra's paleness: it was mostly due to his own inner struggle between doing what Nnoitra desires (he is extremely dutiful to him) and not hurting Orihime (since she saved him). Not to mention Ulquiorra is breathing down his neck over doing the right thing…so yeah, that's why he was nervous.

As far as Orihime is concerned, I didn't have her try to escape because she is still acting on the assurance that her friends are being protected from directly being targeted for death due to her working for Aizen. As long as she believes she is helping them, she would not move to save herself. Thanks for reviewing!

RAHbooks: I tried to think of what types of vehicles the Espada would drive. I knew I wanted Starrk to drive something with the wolves silhouette, but I needed a large vehicle for the operation so I chose an SUV. Grimmjow, as usual, does things his own way. He sort of seems like a biker sort of guy; rebel, works with a gang of similar rebels, etc, so I chose a motorcycle. Just a little tidbit: I will also reveal what Ulquiorra's car looks like. :) Thanks for reviewing!

Rialaea: Thank you! I think a lot of aspects of canon are just too perfect to change, but I wanted a different setting. I'm glad you think I do the characterization well! It's definitely one of the more important points I strive for in my writing. And I agree, their dynamic is so powerful, isn't it? Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Pardon the Insanity: Haha, well, no, ok, you got me. I wasn't that sorry about the cliffie ;)

Yeah, Ulquiorra is still thinking and thinking and thinking…and all the while he is starting to feel too, because his feelings are making him…think some more. That line you pulled out, I'm glad you liked it. It's an extremely important point that was pulled from UNMASKED: that Ulquiorra's idea of the void as 'happiness' has to change in order for him to be able to satisfy himself in what he wants from Orihime. Orihime and void do no exist together. It's important that he reached that moment of realization, because at that he knows he is dangling on the edge of something huge. He just has to make that one final step…

I know what you mean about skimming through the non-pairing related scenes (I do that too…heh). I don't want to assume everyone reads them, but I try to draw some sort of tie into the pairing and/or bond development that people want to see. Thanks also for the POV switching comment! I'm glad I'm doing alright transitions, since I tend to do them a lot.

The bracelet scene, hah, I tried to think of how Orihime would act upon receiving such an item. I think it's safe to say she'd immediately misunderstand, which helped provide a little light-heartedness in the midst of all these serious activities.

Thanks for being patient! :)

Ok, now everyone go review. We'll do this whole dance again next chapter, hehe.

-Miss Soupy