Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, The Wizard of Oz, or any other copyrighted material mentioned in this story.

Oz

By: Princess Kitty1

A Matter of Trust

"La-la-la… throwing pebbles and my daddy said stay away from Juliet, and I was… da-da-da… begging you, please don't go!" Nel sang loudly as the not-so-merry troop ventured towards the mountains of Oz. It had been two days since they had set out for Overton, and after several campaigns of "I'm bored!" the munchkin had finally been given something to entertain herself with: Orihime's iPod. Miraculously, it had been spared Ulquiorra's wrath – he'd given it a wary glance, but said nothing – and the green-haired girl was now committing several songs to memory.

Yoruichi, having spent five years on Earth, knew the song and hummed along quietly. Grimmjow was glaring daggers at Orihime, having already voiced his complaints about the device and Nel's lisped singing numerous times. "Oi," he'd grumbled under his breath, "I hope you're proud of yourself. Now she's never going to shut up." But even anger hadn't robbed him of his fascination with the lime green rectangle, and he would occasionally steal the iPod in order to "quiet Nel down" while he searched for a song or two to drown out the silence of the trip.

Ulquiorra, on the other hand, went about the matter as scientifically as always. "I understand that the white dress has something to do with human wedding ceremonies, but why does the singer refer to herself as two different people? Who is this Romeo, and why is he throwing stones at her? Has she committed a crime?"

Yoruichi had found his questions absolutely hilarious, but Orihime couldn't quite muster up the same enthusiasm as always. She had been rather blue since the Aizen incident, often staring at the backs of Ulquiorra's feet as they trekked, the terrain gradually changing from flat valley to foothills. All around them, the mountains of Oz loomed like walls waiting to close in and trap them; Aizen's fortress invisible, yet present along the peaks. It didn't help that Ulquiorra hadn't volunteered to start any conversations with her, perfectly content to sit quietly as she went straight to bed after offering him a 'good night' out of sheer courtesy. She'd had trouble sleeping lately, which he probably noticed but didn't bother to comment on.

"We should have been in Overton by now," Yoruichi said thoughtfully as Nel skipped ahead, waving her hands in time to a cheerful Japanese pop song.

Orihime looked at her. "Do you think we took a wrong turn?" she asked, then bit down on her bottom lip and glanced at Ulquiorra. She had just indirectly insulted his sense of direction, which she was sure he would say was quite superb. He didn't even humor her with a response.

"No," Yoruichi observed their surroundings. "According to the landmarks, we're about where the town should be, unless they packed up and moved the entire settlement."

Orihime was beginning to consider the possibility; they were in war time, and had she been living anywhere near the action, she would have wanted to move as quickly as she could. But at that precise moment, she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. Slowing down, she checked to see if anyone else had noticed: Ulquiorra hadn't broken his steady pace, Nel was boogying a few feet behind him, Grimmjow was stretching and Yoruichi was still frowning at the mountains as if she would find a flashing neon sign pointing out their destination. Thinking that perhaps she had caught sight of an Overton citizen – or in the likeliest case, some kind of bird – Orihime allowed herself to look in the direction of the movement…

…and found herself staring at a tall, silver-haired figure wearing a traditional Japanese kitsune mask. She squealed so loudly that it echoed off of nearby cliffs, startling a flock of birds and obliterating any hopes at discretion. "Orihime?" Yoruichi and Grimmjow had started back towards her, but it was Ulquiorra who got there first, appearing in front of her and following her pointing finger to the edge of the woods. He sighed.

"Woman, there is nothing there."

"A-A-A man… a man w-with a mask," she stammered as Yoruichi put her arms around her shoulders. "There was a man with a mask!"

Ulquiorra peered into the forest a moment longer, then lifted his hand. Mimicking her point, a burst of green light shot forward from the tip of his index finger, tearing apart a mile of trees before a massive explosion resounded in the distance. "If there was, there isn't now," he said calmly, and turned away again.

Nel, having heard neither shout nor explosion, looked back and blinked in surprise. "Did I miss something?" she asked as Ulquiorra passed her.

"Geez," Grimmjow muttered, scratching his head as he narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Orihime. "What the hell did you do to him, woman? He's been pretty agitated lately, and being that Ice Man is incapable of getting agitated, that's saying something."

Orihime stared at her feet. "Is that so? Well, I wouldn't know. He doesn't really talk to me about anything." She checked herself, having heard the spite in her tone. There was no reason to blame Ulquiorra for following orders just because her heart was now sporting a bandaid. Perhaps under different circumstances she could have praised his loyalty.

Besides, he had kind of stuck up for her just now, attacking the stranger in the woods without any proof of its existence. But that was probably an act of duty, too.

It didn't take long after the initial commotion for a group of Oz soldiers to come running down the Yellow Brick Road in full armor, set on investigating the source of the explosion. The moment they laid eyes on Ulquiorra and Grimmjow, they froze and scrambled several paces back, calling out battle plans and formations as the black-haired Espada continued walking forward, as if the men were a part of the scenery. "Wait," Orihime yelled weakly, holding out her hand to stop both parties before any toes could be stepped on. But in the end, the person to stop the brewing battle was someone else entirely.

"Slow down, boys! Let's see what we've got here!" The crowd of soldiers began to part, and after some moments a busty blond stumbled onto the scene, her fist clenched around the neck of a mostly empty alcohol bottle. Staring at the motley crew assembled on the road – two Espada, a munchkin, and two women – she attempted to snap her fingers as realization dawned on her. "Oh, hey, it's the Promised Child!" she cried, her free hand flopping excitedly. Whirling around to face the men – and nearly falling on her butt in the process – the intoxicated woman began barking out orders. "Get your faces on the ground, numbnuts! You're in the presence of royalty!"

Orihime leaned over to Yoruichi as the soldiers glanced at each other uncertainly. "Who is that?"

"You're looking at Rangiku Matsumoto, lieutenant of the Tenth Division under General Toshiro Hitsugaya. She's got a bit of a drinking problem," Yoruichi informed her.

"I can tell." Orihime stepped forward, past Ulquiorra, whose green eyes she felt trained on her back as she approached the yelling woman. Her poor troop was kneeling slowly, obviously unsure whether or not they were supposed to follow such orders. "That's not necessary," Orihime said, her hands out in front of her for protection, "really. Please get up."

Rangiku gave her a lopsided smile. "Alright. But only because the Promised Child says so." She attempted to salute her, but ended up smacking herself in the forehead. "Ouch. It's an honor to meet your acquaintance, PC! Do you have a name that you go by?"

"Orihime," the girl answered with an amused grin. "Uh, these are my friends," she gestured behind her, "General Yoruichi Shihoin, the munchkin Nel, the ex-Espada Grimmjow Jaegerjaques, and the current Espada Ulquiorra Cifer. We were on our way to Overton. Could you tell us if we're headed in the right direction?"

"Pfft! Could I? My division is currently stationed there!" Rangiku laughed good-naturedly. "We'd gotten word that you were headed this way, and then we were sent by my oh-so-adorable boss to investigate the explosion in the woods."

Yoruichi and Grimmjow pointed at Ulquiorra, who didn't even blink. Nel wiggled along to another song on Orihime's iPod. "Well, that was our escort, but it was actually my fault. I said that I had seen a man at the edge of the woods wearing a fox mask."

Rangiku's smile wavered. "You don't say?" She pushed her fingers through her strawberry blond hair. "Aren't you lucky! You managed to encounter the phantom of these here woods on your first walkthrough! Maybe he was curious about the Promised Child, eh?" She clapped Orihime on the back, then turned to the others. "I'm sure you all know the drill. The Espada, former and current, must forfeit their weapons now that they're in our territory." Waving her men forward, the soldiers ventured out cautiously to meet Grimmjow and Ulquiorra. The latter said nothing as he handed over his sword, while Grimmjow grumbled at them to handle it with care.

Nel tugged on Orihime's shirt and gave her back the iPod. "Are we here already?"

"We are," she answered, patting her on the head. Once the swords had been secured, Rangiku cheerfully motioned for everyone to follow her, then pranced down the Yellow Brick Road, seeming to forget that she was supposed to be acting like a proper soldier. Yoruichi reassured Orihime that this was normal for Rangiku, who had gone from social drinking to alcoholism after a friend of hers had died in the war.

As Orihime began spacing out again, she suddenly found herself walking side by side with Ulquiorra. Hands in his pockets, he stared casually ahead as he said under his breath, "Do not forget our agreement."

Right. She'd promised that she would stay with him if they went through Overton, isolated from the others. Her stomach flipped with a mixture of anxiety and excitement. Maybe now she'd be able to get him talking to her again. But what would he have to say? What would she have to say? "I won't," she whispered quietly.

"It shouldn't be much longer!" Rangiku called out.

Nel had climbed up onto Grimmjow's shoulders, her small arms wrapped around his neck. "I like her. She's fun!" she declared, to which Grimmjow nodded his affirmation.

Less than ten minutes later, they came upon a ridge that looked down into a valley full of green and orange. They were the tents of the Oz soldiers – hundreds of thousands of them, all camped at the foot of the mountains. The actual town of Overton was lost somewhere in the sea of color, wooden buildings sprouting up every few yards. "Whoa," Orihime breathed, taking in the sight. She'd witnessed scenes like this in movies before, but it was all the more impressive in real life, and she had to admit that if this turned out to be a dream she would be sorely disappointed.

"This must be the first half of the attack squadron, then," Yoruichi noted, her military training coming back into effect. "I heard that there were two camps on either side of the mountain range, both ready to launch an attack on the Warlock Aizen's fortress. But with Rangiku among them, I must say that I'm a little concerned."

"Shihoin, you'd better not be saying bad things about me back there! Don't think I'll go easy on you just because you're the Great Wizard's right hand lady!" Rangiku yelled.

Yoruichi laughed out loud. "She's certainly energetic today." She leaned down to touch her toes and stretch her muscles; a pose that reminded Orihime of a cat about to spring on an unsuspecting bird. "At least General Hitsugaya is more than capable of leading an assault. Say, Matsumoto, who else is down there?" she called out to the unbalanced lieutenant. "That's way too many people for just the Tenth Division."

"Oh, we've got Eleventh down there too," Rangiku said with a frown. "The Munchkin King has been keeping things lively."

"Munchkin King?" Orihime asked.

"Zaraki Kenpachi. He's the head of the Eleventh Division, a real violent and scary individual. But he's also the leader of the munchkin village we started out in," Yoruichi explained as they began to descend the ridge. Orihime nodded, remembering the giant's house among miniature gingerbread residences. As they walked, a messenger ran ahead to inform the others that they had arrived. Soldiers and townspeople alike poked their heads out of tents and wooden structures to stare at the odd assortment of travelers. Some of them greeted Yoruichi, asking her how the Wizard was doing. Others gazed upon Orihime with faint glimmers of hope lightening their war-hardened features. She felt her cheeks heating up and tried to stay focused on what was ahead.

Navigating the network of tents, they soon came to the center of the valley, where Rangiku ignored the men dutifully saluting her as she stumbled into a large tent. Within seconds, a voice from inside was yelling at her, the tone harsh and threatening violence. Then the tent's opening parted and a huge man with a scarred body, spiky hair laced with cheerfully jingling bells, and an eye-patch emerged, grimacing. "Geez, for a pipsqueak he sure is loud."

Orihime's mouth fell open. This was Kenpachi? As in, Yachiru's Ken-chan? Even shecould ride on the man's back if she wanted to, with plenty of room to spare for more passengers! He gazed down at her, and immediately a huge – and menacing – grin spread across his face. "You must be the Promised Child," he said, leaning forward to examine her before extending a massive hand in greeting. "Allow me to offer my sincerest gratitude. You rid the munchkin village of that Espada pest."

"You're welcome?" Orihime squeaked, shaking his hand before pointing towards the tent. "Is Lieutenant Matsumoto going to be alright?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah. She's just getting chewed out by the acting General for being drunk on the job. Happens every day, so I don't see why he expected anything different from – "

Rangiku emerged from the tent, her fingers clenched around a new bottle, stomping past them with a sour expression. Right on her heels was a silver-haired boy who couldn't have been more than fourteen years old, looking twice as annoyed as she did. "Matsumoto, get back here this instant! There's a ton of paperwork sitting on my desk with your name written all over it! Letters to be sent to the Emerald City, supplies to be signed off on! We need to get this intelligence over the mountain now!" He stopped walking, though Rangiku trudged along without slowing down. "Damn it, Matsumoto!" he cried, then heaved a sigh and turned around, rubbing his temples. "That woman will be the death of… oh." Now aware of his audience, he became even more annoyed. "As you were!"

A dozen soldiers scattered back to their posts, doing their best not to snicker in a way that was too noticeable. Yoruichi came forward and offered the boy a salute. "General Hitsugaya, I understand that you're overseeing the Tenth and Eleventh Divisions."

"Indeed," he returned her salute with one of his own. "Good to see you, General Shihoin. You were gone for so long that some of us were really beginning to worry. Is your friend okay?" He looked at Orihime, who was gawking at him rather rudely.

"That's General Hitsugaya?" she hissed loud enough for him to hear.

"Yes, he is," Yoruichi supplied.

"But he's so small… and cute!"

The short general sighed. "The Promised Child, I presume?" He gave the rest of their party a quick once-over. "Even dressed in Oz garb, she manages to stick out like a sore thumb. It's an honor to meet you," he said to Orihime, then addressed Yoruichi again. "Now look, I'm not sure how you've been handling your Espada captives…"

"Who is a captive?" Ulquiorra's cold voice silenced him. "I am the escort of the Promise Child, appointed by Lord Aizen to bring her to the Emerald City so that she may return to her own world. Do not mistake me for his kind." His gaze cut to Grimmjow, who growled at him in response.

Hitsugaya's eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly recovered. "Regardless," he began again, "we cannot have them wandering around unsupervised, considering our proximity to the Warlock's own forces. If they are to escape and find refuge among their own, we cannot go in to retrieve them."

Grimmjow snorted. "Don't you worry your pretty little head, kid. I have no intention of going back to that bastard."

"It's true," Nel said, "he's harmless."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that." Grimmjow glared down at her.

"I'd like to believe you, but rules are rules," Hitsugaya said, rubbing at his chin thoughtfully. "Though I suppose it's alright if the munchkin keeps an eye on him."

"Damn it," the ex-Espada muttered.

"Excellent!" Nel cheered, then began pushing him off towards the town. "Come along, my precious pet! Let's buy you a collar!"

As soon as they were out of sight, Hitsugaya motioned for a nearby soldier to tail them. "Just a precaution," he said to the remaining three. "Ms. Shihoin, should you care to join us, we are having a strategy meeting later on. It would be an ideal way for you to catch up on the happenings in Oz."

"Sounds good! I'll finally be able to make myself useful to the Great Dunderhead."

The boy nodded. "And as for you, Miss…"

"Orihime Inoue," she answered, trying not to smile too eagerly. Hard to believe that a kid was giving orders in life or death situations.

"The Promised Child and I have agreed on another arrangement prior to our coming here," Ulquiorra said before Hitsugaya could start making plans for them. The boy, however, countered without skipping a beat.

"On neutral ground, perhaps, but as long as you remain in Overton you are under my jurisdiction. You have no say in Oz territory."

Yoruichi allowed herself a smug smile, but it faded the moment Orihime stepped into the conflict. "Wait a minute! It's alright, General Hitsugaya. I agreed to it," she said.

"You don't have to if you don't want to!" Yoruichi exclaimed.

"But I do!" Orihime froze, blushed, and quickly amended her declaration. "I mean, I don't mind. Really. It wouldn't be fair to Ulquiorra-san if I went back on my word. And besides, he may work for the other side, and he's a little difficult to understand at times, but he's not a bad person." She closed her eyes, hoping that saying it aloud would be enough to convince herself of its truth. "He's not." She could feel Ulquiorra's gaze on her, heavier than the rest, but she couldn't bring herself to look at him. What was he thinking, she wondered? Probably something along the lines of, Foolish woman, you continue to delude yourself about me.

Hitsugaya scratched his head. "If that's what you've got your heart set on. What's the arrangement, then?"

"The Promised Child is to be isolated from the others whenever she cannot be supervised by me." Ulquiorra continued, his voice unfortunately not betraying what he might be thinking. "This is to ensure that she does not catch word of any war strategies."

"Alright, anything else?"

"I still don't agree with this," Yoruichi grumbled.

"That is all," Ulquiorra said with enough finality to end the conversation. Luckily, a group of messengers arrived from the other camp, thus occupying General Hitsugaya's attention. But before turning away to address them, he looked at Orihime and Yoruichi a bit sheepishly.

"Hey, if you see Matsumoto, could you tell her I'm sorry? Not about reprimanding her; she really ought to have been doing her paperwork, and not drinking. I've just been more than a little stressed lately and let my anger get the best of me. I could have been more patient with her." He beckoned Yoruichi towards the tent and she joined him and the messengers reluctantly, leaving Ulquiorra and Orihime standing in the midst of a bustling war camp.

One awkward silence later, Orihime cleared her throat. "I'm going to look for Lieutenant Matsumoto." Her hands fluttered in the air uselessly. "He sounded pretty sincere, and, err… yeah." She turned around, stopped, then peered back at Ulquiorra. "Do you remember which way she went?"

"Southwest."

"Right," she turned again, stopped, and looked to Ulquiorra helplessly. "Which way is southwest?"

"Directly in front of you."

"Of course! I was, uh, testing you!" Orihime laughed weakly and ducked her head in an effort to hide her mortification. Way to make an impression on a guy. She sensed that he was still following her as she ventured towards the woods at the edge of the camp, keeping an eye out for the intoxicated lieutenant. Where could Rangiku have gone? It was a big settlement after all; maybe she was visiting a fellow soldier, or in the town sitting in some café, drinking her misery into submission. She paused, and Ulquiorra stopped as well, seemingly determined to keep a few feet away from her at all times. "Wait, I think I see her!"

Sure enough, Lieutenant Matsumoto was several yards ahead, walking right into the forest with beer bottle in hand. Orihime thought it strange that she was still so close to the camp when she'd peeled out of the tent so quickly. Rangiku cast a look over her shoulder, then disappeared into the tangled woods. Orihime followed, making no effort to disguise her footfalls.

Behind her, Ulquiorra blinked slowly. This was no way to tail anyone without getting caught. The woman was making far too much noise, every step like a struck gong announcing her presence to both the lieutenant and whatever predators might be lurking amidst the trees. Had this been an actual mission, in which enemies waited to ambush her unsuspecting self, she would have failed from the get-go, and he would have had to step in and… step in and…

What, save her? That was none of his business. Never mind the fact that she had defended a 'him' that didn't exist a moment ago; she was still just another piece of human trash. Had they met under different circumstances, he would have killed her without a second thought, and now he was considering protecting her? Like that incident with the so-called masked man earlier?

It was a good thing this job would be over soon. He wasn't sure how much more of this woman he could take.

…

At the top of Mount Oz, Aizen smirked to himself as Momo served him wine, her hands pale and trembling from the room's freezing temperatures. Lifting his own hand, he placed it over hers in a gesture that was probably meant to be soothing, but caused her small frame to jolt in terror. "Cold?" he asked, his smile widening when she said nothing and looked away. "Come now, my dear, don't be so cross." Motioning with his finger, a series of magical flames appeared, casting the room in a warm glow.

"T-Thank you, my lord," Momo whispered, wishing he would spare her some kindness and remove the chains around her ankles.

"It's no trouble at all," Aizen stood from his throne-like chair and the crystal ball that he had been watching clouded over. He towered over the small girl, staring down at the top of her head as she waited for him to speak. Again, she flinched in surprise when he reached out and touched her cheek tenderly, lifting her chin so that he could gaze into her eyes. "Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?" he asked, caressing her light skin.

Momo's bottom lip trembled. And to think that once upon a time she had found his ministrations endearing. "Yes, my lord."

"Then I will say it once more, twice more, as often as you would care to hear it. You're beautiful, my dearest Momo." His expression softened, but his eyes remained as hard and empty as always. "I honestly can't stand the thought of losing you to someone else."

"My lord should not worry. I am completely devoted to you."

"Really?" Aizen took hold of her wrist and led her slowly over to the crystal ball, mindful of the chains around her ankles. "That's comforting to know. You see, I had been getting awfully paranoid, because there seems to be someone else in this world that cherishes you as much as I do… or, at least thinks that he does." Extending his hand towards the viewing glass, the fog cleared, revealing a picture of General Hitsugaya pointing to a map of the mountain range.

Momo's face drained of color. "Shiro-chan," she squeaked.

Aizen chuckled. "That's right, your childhood friend; Toshiro Hitsugaya, correct?" He watched Momo as she stared at the crystal ball, tears filling her eyes. "He seems rather desperate to get you back, my dear. Unfortunately for him, I have no intention of letting you go." The ball misted over again as Aizen turned to her, placing a hand on her back and pulling her into a shallow embrace. "There is no need to cry. He's your friend, after all. I'll do him a favor and make his death quick and painless. He won't even see it coming."

Momo felt even colder than before, despite the warmth of the nearby flames. Her whole body shook with barely suppressed rage. What could she do to stop Aizen? She had no magical ability, she barely had any physical strength, and no one in this entire fortress was on her side. But Hitsugaya… "Now then, if you'll excuse me," Aizen extracted himself from her and gave her what was probably supposed to be a reassuring pat on the head, "I have an army to put together."

"A-An army, my lord?" Momo questioned miserably.

"Certainly," Aizen held out his arm and the clouds surrounding the stronghold parted, allowing him a view of the world below. Lying to the east were glittering green spires, surrounded by a field of flowers. "Don't you think it's about time we captured the Emerald City?"

…

Orihime was lost.

She had let Rangiku out of her sight for exactly one second, and the lieutenant had dropped off the face of the earth. Sure, she could always get Ulquiorra to lead her back to the camp, but she was ashamed to admit that she was still worried that he would march her off to Aizen's fortress instead. So she went on as if she knew where she was going, though she was sure that she wasn't fooling Ulquiorra one bit.

Then, after a minute or two of aimless wandering, she heard voices. She stopped, gesturing behind her for Ulquiorra to do the same, though he already had. Inching closer to the murmuring, she ducked down next to a bush and peered through the leaves.

Her hand clapped over her mouth. There was Rangiku… with the masked ghost of the forest? What was going on?

"Didn't think you were comin'," the ghost said, "seein' as ya stood me up the last two times."

Rangiku rubbed her arm with her free hand, her gaze averted. "I didn't stand you up. You can't stand someone up if you don't have a date scheduled."

The silver-haired ghost reached up and removed the mask, revealing a smiling face almost identical to that of the fox. "Now yer just lyin' to me, Ran." He allowed himself a wounded expression. "Do ya really not trust me anymore?"

Rangiku sighed. "Can you blame me?" She set the bottle of alcohol down between them. "I know that it's your job and everything, but you play such a convincing role. I don't know what to think sometimes, Gin. Are you working for Aizen or not?"

The silver-haired man looked away from her. Orihime held her breath as a long silence passed between the two, then chanced a glance in Ulquiorra's direction. He didn't seem to be paying attention. "Then why are you here, Ran?" she heard Gin ask, and focused back on the drama playing out in the clearing ahead. Another silence followed, shorter than the last.

Rangiku smiled wryly. "You saw the Promised Child, didn't you?"

"Sure did! Her traveling companion almost killed me."

She laughed. "Well, she said something earlier that really got to me. I'd sort of been hovering at the edge of the crowd and happened to overhear her spouting some lovely words about trusting her Espada friend, even if he worked for the other side, and even if he was hard to understand." Using her sandal-clad foot, she nudged the bottle of alcohol towards him as a peace offering. "And that's coming from two complete strangers."

Gin stepped forward. "You'll give me a chance, eh?"

Rangiku nodded. "We've been friends for so long. I guess I was just scared of what you might have become." She bowed her head. "I'm sorry, Gin. I'm embarrassed to have doubted you."

"Ah, come off it. I forgive ya," Gin replied as he approached her. With a flick of his wrist, the bottle flew up from the grass and settled into his hand. Orihime's eyes widened – he was a magician too? "What say you and I share this? I've got some information that'll make your shrimp of a boss squirm for sure."

Orihime backed away from the bush slowly, careful not to make a sound. So Rangiku was friends with a double agent! That was interesting news, but undoubtedly private. She managed to get to Ulquiorra without being noticed. "Let's go," she mouthed, gesturing in the direction of Overton. As they walked, she noticed that he walked neither behind her nor ahead of her this time, but rather, he fell into step beside her. Had he been listening to the exchange? Did he know who Gin was?

Once again, Orihime's brain produced a ton of unanswered questions that she couldn't gather the courage to ask. But as they walked back to the camp, she decided that if she never managed to speak her thoughts, she would at least take the same step that Rangiku had: She'd trust her companion, even if he continued to give her no reason to. Who knew? Maybe he was hiding from her a number of things that he wasn't allowed to say.

To Be Continued