Anyone asked for some Ulquihime? The time has come! Granted, it won't happen immediately, some might call it a bit of a slowburn, I call it making it believable... well, as far as a world filled with shinigami, and various other powers can be believable...
Some might still be wondering why Orihime chose to stay. Well, some of it has been implied, suggested at, but it'll all become clear in due time. The clues are there! Even if most aren't too obvious just yet... Anyone would like to guess what's coming? I'd love to read what people imagine will happen... If anyone ever guesses something close enough to the truth I promise virtual cookies and a special mention when that chapter is revealed.
One more OC, the last important one. Hope you aren't bored with those yet. I promise they have a reason for existing, and they will never overtake the Bleach characters. They just help me flesh out some characters and stories.
And on with the chapter!
Chapter 37. The Princess and the Samurai
Orihime's first week as an 'honored guest' in Hueco Mundo was more than a bit eventful, it began the very third day of her stay there, second since 'choosing' to be there. Her worry for her friends and stress over her situation kept her up until early hours of the morning, or what she guessed should be morning, judging by the changing lights inside Las Noches. She'd spent the following day all alone, only seeing Ulquiorra and his Fraccion when they sent her food, which she had to eat this time. She didn't sleep well that night either. And then ended up being still asleep when Ulquiorra went to get her the next morning.
As an official part of Aizen's subordinates, Orihime was expected to participate in most of the usual activities, which included daily afternoon meetings, and what concerned right then: the biweekly morning training sessions. She wasn't expected to actually take part in the spars, only to be present to witness them, and then when there were comments made about them that afternoon. It was quite different from what most would have expected when being kidnapped.
Orihime also knew she might be required to make a demonstration of her abilities at some point, and unlike at the beginning, when her priority had been to downplay her power as much as possible, with the changed situation she knew she better show off enough if she wanted to be left alone during her stay. From the very beginning several Espada had shown they didn't agree with her presence there, and it hadn't gotten any better with her second introduction, or the announcement that she would be joining those who were, in fact, the most powerful individuals in Las Noches. She wouldn't be surprised if someone tried to attack her from behind.
That morning, Orihime was still in deep sleep when Ulquiorra, who was still her 'guard' stepped into the room.
"Get up, onna." He called in an emotionless voice.
Orihime began waking up right then, not because of his order, but his reiatsu, even half-asleep she couldn't help but become aware of it.
"U…Ut…wha…" She began mumbling as she opened her eyes lazily.
"I told you to get up onna." Ulquiorra called, as cold as ever. "The morning session is about to begin, and because of you we will be late."
That finished waking up Orihime, who nodded silently before getting up and going into her private bathroom, there she did her morning routine and, once she was ready, went back out, where Ulquiorra was waiting for her by the door.
"Hurry onna." Ulquiorra ordered. "Aizen-sama does not tolerate tardiness."
"If you're so worried about what Aizen may think you should have gone ahead, I'm perfectly capable of getting to where I need to be on my own." Orihime answered easily. "Even without having been there before, I could track down any of your reiatsu."
"You should refer to our Master as Aizen-sama." Ulquiorra began, stoically.
"He is no master of mine." She interrupted him, not an ounce of fear in her. "And I have no respect for him, so no, I won't be calling him Aizen-sama."
Ulquiorra observed the girl carefully, he really didn't like it when she went against direct instructions, particularly those made by Aizen, and the way she seemed to not fear him at all… it was infuriating, though he would never express it, emotions were weaknesses… and yet, it was also somewhat intriguing.
"You talk about moving around yourself…" Ulquiorra went on. "Do you really not understand onna? Even if you're called an 'honored guest', there are many here in Las Noches who wouldn't hesitate in the slightest to rip you apart if they got the chance. Your being here, and my being here, is for your own welfare…"
"If someone, anyone here were to do that, wouldn't that technically be a stain on your 'dear Master'?" Orihime made herself look as innocent as possible. "After all, that would be going against direct orders, wouldn't it?"
Truly, and absolutely infuriating…
"Stop the bravado onna." Ulquiorra couldn't help but snap at her. "You're nothing but a weak mortal who must be looked after if it is expected to survive in a world of monsters… and gods…"
"I am not weak…" Orihime felt very affronted by that.
"You are, just like the pieces of trash from yesterday, your so-called nakama." Ulquiorra went on. "Absolutely weak. The most powerful of them all hardly even saw me coming, before I had my hand buried in his chest; and the female beside him wouldn't stop screeching like a banshee. Stupid pieces of trash each and every one…"
The sound that signaled the impact of skin on skin, particularly with great force and speed, echoed in the mostly empty room. Ulquiorra couldn't help but let his face snap to a side at the force of the hit as he stopped mid-sentence; he could have never expected such a reaction from the young female… And it was made even worse when, immediately afterwards, she turned her back on him and left the room on her own, never faltering in the slightest. Would that woman never act the way she was supposed to?!
xXx
Things hadn't gotten any easier once in the training session itself. Orihime had changed the spot where she sat several times, as the reiatsu, comments, and downright hostile looks and moves of the Espada close to her made her uncomfortable. She'd ended up sitting near the edge of the area that acted like bleachers, several levels bellow the only three individuals that sat on that part. She was very satisfied by the fact that no one bothered her there, though she had no idea why exactly that was. Could it be related to the three standing at the very top of the stairs?
The Espada began going down one by one, from the lowest numbers to the highest. They each went with one or more of their Fraccion to spar against; Orihime couldn't help but think it all looked like a very elaborate show.
The use of zanpakutou, Cero, bala and such were allowed, but no Resurrección; especially since the top four Espada were forbidden from using their Resurrección inside Las Noches, since they were so powerful they ran the risk of bringing the place down.
After Yammy, the brand new Novena Espada went forward: her name was Lei Zatara, she had silver white hair, perfectly straight, to her knees and burgundy eyes, which looked like dried blood; a lot of makeup on her face, and her clothes consisted of a tight white corset with black details, short enough that it showed a small part of her midriff, tight pants that hung low on her hips and looked like a second skin, they also were open on the sides, with strings keeping the front and back together, and letting the full outside of both legs to be seen. Her number was below and slightly to the side of her bellybutton, visible in the space between the pieces of cloth.
Orihime's eyes narrowed as she analyzed the reiatsu of the new Espada, she was the one who'd been bothering the human girl the most.
"Why does she hate me so much?" Orihime whispered to herself.
She had no answer, but got confirmation that Zatara definitely hated her when, just a few seconds into her battle, a 'stray' bala went straight for Orihime. If it hadn't been for her good reflexes she would have been a goner. It wasn't the only time either, the same thing repeated almost a dozen times before Orihime forgot there were others behind her and she simply lowered the upper half of her body to escape another attack, only for it to be swapped away in an almost careless motion by the green-haired girl sitting near the very top.
"Oh, I'm sorry." Orihime apologized, turning behind her.
"What the hell are you apologizing for?" The girl snapped at her, before turning to the silver-haired Espada. "And you bitch, fire another one of those in our direction and I'll sweep the floors with your pretty little hair! We'll see how much 'Moonlight' there's left in it after that!"
"Oh, shut up Gingerbuck!" Zatara snapped, still from the arena. "You're nothing more than a mere Fraccion! There's no way you could take on an actual Espada!"
"Oh… wanna bet?" The smile on the green-haired girl's face was predatory and almost sadistic, which didn't go very well with her small-girl look.
"Stop it Lilynette." The man at the very top of that area ordered in a drawl.
For a second, Orihime half-heard Zatara mocking the green-haired girl, whose name apparently was Lilynette Gingerbuck, and who seemed to be the Fraccion of whatever number of Espada the brown-haired male at the top was. Orihime wondered if the masked girl by her side was probably another Fraccion… Then the other shoe dropped.
"She's not worth your time." The man finished, before closing his eyes and letting his head fall on the shoulder of the redhead by his side.
Zatara's resulting screech echoed all around the room and Orihime couldn't help but feel almost bad for those Espada who might have heightened hearing… almost.
The training session continued, until the Sexta was called, and Orihime was shocked by what she learnt then: it wasn't Grimmjow. There was a new Sexta, a strange flamboyant-yet-boyish looking short black haired male called Luppi Antenor. Grimjow was still present, but he stood near Ulquiorra, and he was most definitely still missing an arm.
"What the hell happened?" The human wondered out-loud.
She had no idea, and she knew pretty well that those with actual answers wouldn't be very willing to share them with her, so there was little she could do.
When Ulquiorra's turn came, Grimmjow was his sparring partner, something that seemed to surprise a few, though no one commented on it. Orihime wondered why he wasn't there with his own Fraccion, the Naga-like hollow with a piece of cloth covering what wasn't covered by his mask. She'd seen him a few times, and knew him to be Ulquiorra's fraccion, she didn't believe him to be very powerful… but then again, that seemed to be the case with most Fracciones.
Time kept passing, and Orihime got a chance to see each of the Espada. The one who terrified her the most was the Segunda: Baraggan Louisenbairn, he hadn't done a thing actually, something that didn't seem to surprise anyone, but there was something in his eyes and in his reiatsu that made Orihime's skin crawl.
Then came the greatest surprise of the morning, as the Primera Espada was called for his own part of the training, and the shaggy-haired man seated at the top of the area where she was walked down, followed by the green-haired girl: Lilynette. The Rikka wielder was shocked, she'd known the male was powerful, could feel his reiatsu weighing upon her, but a simple mental command had been enough for three of her Rikka to leak just enough of their power that she no longer had any trouble being close to him.
"You're an odd one, you know that?" A very soft and muffled voice called from behind.
Orihime turned to a side to see the girl who had been sitting beside the Primera, crouching beside her. She was petite, with slightly wavy dark-red hair that was short on her left side and long on her right one, she was wearing a white high-necked ankle-length dress with short, puffy sleeves, the lower part of the dress looked like a wrap, with the cloth connecting on the front, rising just enough that she would have no trouble walking, all edges and folds of the dress were black, she was also wearing black riding boots, a thick black belt with a buckle almost impossible to make out the design of in her position and black long gloves with white details. The last, and probably more curious detail, was the elaborate white butterfly mask she wore, which covered every inch of her face except her eyes, it had a small slit for the nose, but no opening for her mouth, which made her voice sound lower and somewhat muffled.
Orihime couldn't help it, she eeped, which immediately caught the attention of several in the room. Most went back to ignoring her almost immediately, others directed scathing looks at her briefly, only to be interrupted by a strong reiatsu pulse coming from the masked female. It was strong enough that Orihime gasped slightly.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you." The redhead seemed quite honest about it.
"You didn't." Orihime answered honestly. "You just surprised me."
It was the truth, she still had her special protection, though she had plans on lowering it slowly, so she could grow used to all the strong reiatsu around her, until she was able to stand everything, at least on a basic level, without any aid.
"Excuse me, who are you?" Orihime couldn't help but ask. "I don't remember seeing you in the meeting last Monday, either of the meetings from that day…or since."
"Oh no, I'm never in those meetings, too stuffy for me, and Cadhóit doesn't like me being in such an enclosed space with so many individuals who would like nothing more than to kill me." She said in a very easy voice.
"Cadhóit?" Orihime was confused.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I meant Coyote, Coyote Starrk, he's the Primera." She qualified. "I'm sorry, I tend to call him in my own mother tongue most of the time. It's like… natural."
"I see." Orihime nodded, though truth be told, she didn't. "And doesn't it worry you that so many want you dead?"
"It is what it is." She shrugged. "Guess it's to be expected, being the companion of the Primera Espada and all that. Barragan hates me the most, yet he won't try anything, he knows things won't be pretty if he does, they weren't for his previous set of Fraccion when they tried it."
Orihime nodded solemnly. The way the girl seemed to be so at ease despite the permanent danger to her life made her nervous though, on the other hand, she could admire the bravery she had.
"You really threw us all for a loop you know?" The girl went on. "When you came to sit in our area. No one ever does that. In fact, very few people can stand to be around Ca… Coyote for long, his reiatsu is so powerful few can handle it."
"I can feel the heaviness on me, but it doesn't hurt me." Orihime commented thoughtfully.
That, at least, explained why not even Zatara had followed her that far to keep bothering her.
"You're an odd one Inoue Orihime, no doubt about it." The girl giggled slightly at that.
"You seem to know my name, but I do not know yours." The Rikka wielder commented.
"Ah, that's true." The girl offered her hand in greeting. "I am Aileen Mavelle Cré, call me Aileen, almost everyone does."
"I don't mind if you call him by whatever other name you have for him." Orihime commented.
"Ah, thanks, it's just that I've grown used to it… after so long." She shook her head. "Usually I don't have to check what I call him, I rarely ever talk to any of the other inhabitants of Las Noches, especially the Espada."
"What about Aizen?" The human couldn't help but ask.
"That one I have only talked to once, the day we came to Las Noches." Aileen huffed slightly, then added in the lowest whisper. "I don't like him. I don't know why Cadhóit brought us here, when we had been perfectly happy in the open desert for so long… but we are here now. The past cannot be changed, one can only hope for the future."
Orihime nodded, those words reminded her of herself, of what she was hoping to achieve there, Aileen was right, she could only hope for the future.
xXx
The rest of the day wasn't any easier. Orihime went back to her room and Ulquiorra's Fraccion wheeled in the cart with her lunch and a change of clothes a few minutes later. It was a replica of the uniform she was wearing in that moment, but she didn't care too much about that. She simply ate her lunch (as she had woken late and missed breakfast) then went into her bathroom to take a shower and get in clean clothes.
She had a few hours to herself which she used to do some yoga and tai-chi, it helped keep her in form, and also relax her. She had no idea how long she might be in Las Noches, or when she might have to fight, it might even be soon, considering the looks Katara kept giving her… in any case, the Rikka wielder wanted to be ready for whatever might come her way.
Eventually Ulquiorra arrived to escort her to the meeting. In it Aizen asked for comments on each Espada's and Fraccion's abilities and possible weaknesses, some even offered advice. Orihime's opinion was asked too after everyone else had had their say, it was obvious Aizen wanted to get her involved into the goings of Las Noches; for Yammy, she had nothing to say, but for Zatara she just couldn't bite her tongue in time.
"Anger management classes." She quipped with a half-innocent smile.
Zatara's livid screech was followed by Grimmjow's loud guffaw, Coyote didn't say a thing, but he opened one eye to look at the human girl, a smile tugging at his lips, the girl certainly had guts, to be provoking an Espada, while sitting among all who bore that title.
What should have been expected, and probably was at least by some, was the Cero that came out of Zatara's long claw-like nails and straight to Orihime. Some expected Aizen to do something about it, or Ulquiorra, after all, it was those two's fault that the human was even among them, however, they didn't, nor did they need to.
Orihime turned her face in the direction of the Cero right as it was fired. Those paying close enough attention noticed how her hairpins glowed for an instant before a triangular shield materialized in front of her, it dissolved the Cero as if it were nothing.
Zatara screeched again at the indignation of her failed attack.
"That, right there, is why I suggested anger management classes." Orihime declared calmly. "With no control over our own emotions even the greatest power would be useless." She shrugged before adding. "And if you really think an attack like that would have taken me down then you really don't know your leader, or myself, at all."
It was true, if she had been so weak as to die from a mere Cero, she would have never called Aizen's attention, and that was nowhere near the height of what she could do.
"A great demonstration of power Orihime-san, I'm sure some of us would love to see more." Aizen commented. "However, I suspect that for a worthy show of your healing powers, we would need a truly worthy subject…"
"What about Grimmjow?" She suggested, trying not to sound too curious, or interested. "He's missing an arm, would that be a sufficient demonstration of power? Restoring a lost arm?"
"Yes, I could see you do that for your Quincy friend two days ago." Aizen nodded. "However, our dear Grimmjow isn't quite worthy of that. The loss of his arm was caused by his failure to follow orders when leading that attack on Karakura Town, you probably remember quite well how that turned out, don't you my dear?"
Orihime nodded stoically.
"It's for that same reason that he lost the honor of being one of the Espada." Aizen added.
"Demoted to being a stupid Fraccion!" Luppi, Grimmjow's substitute, cackled madly.
Grimmjow growled, he was about to leap at the new Sexta when Ulquiorra, sitting beside him, placed a hand on his shoulder and pushed him back onto his seat. This caused Luppi to laugh even more but, surprisingly enough, Grimmjow didn't try again.
"So yes, we will have to find someone else who is worthy of assisting Orihime-san in the demonstration of her abilities, and possibly her prowess in battle." Aizen commented.
"Ha!" Nnoitra snarled. "What would the bitch know about actual battle? She's a woman! She probably stayed hidden in a closet all throughout the battle!"
Orihime couldn't help herself, she snorted.
However, the true surprise came in who actually corrected Luppi.
"She was the one to defeat Loly Airvirrne, Numero 33." Ulquiorra informed everyone blankly.
That immediately caught every single Espada's attention. Orihime felt intimidated with so much attention, yet she focused all her strength of will in not reacting at all.
"Yes, yes." Aizen nodded. "I suppose that detail, along with what has been shown already will work as a preliminary demonstration of ability. We'll work on something better at a later date."
Everyone agreed. And then the meeting went on, with less complications than the ones thus far. Orihime chose not to comment again.
xXx
Thursday and Friday Orihime was left mostly alone though, during the afternoon meetings, the tension between her and Zatara seemed to keep growing. The Novena hadn't attacked her again, but it was quite obvious she more than wanted to.
It wasn't until Saturday, during the training session that Orihime got the chance to see and talk to Aileen again, something the human girl had decided to take great advantage of.
"Do you ever participate in the sessions?" Orihime asked as she sat beside the redhead.
She had decided that, this time, she would be the one to go sit beside the masked female to start a conversation, and Aileen didn't seem to mind.
"No." Aileen answered honestly. "Cadhóit doesn't want me to. It's best if those who wish me harm don't know what kind of abilities I have exactly."
Orihime agreed with that completely.
"I still train, don't think I don't." Aileen went on. "But only in the privacy of our own quarters. As you may or may not know, each Espada has what's called a 'territory' assigned. It's, in essence, a set of rooms which include some that act more or less like a set of human apartments, I guess; but also a much bigger room where more personal training takes place." She lowered her voice slightly. "It's also where your nakama had to fight the Espada they faced."
Orihime nodded, that helped her understand a bit.
Both girls looked up as a heavy reiatsu lashed at the fast and hard; Aileen countered it almost automatically with a pulse of her own. They could see Zatara watching them carefully.
"What's her problem?" Orihime blurted. "I mean, it cannot just be because I'm human can it? I mean, I know at least a few Espada don't like me, but no one's acting as hostile as she…"
"She does really hate humans." The masked one nodded. "But in this case there is actually more. You see, Loly Aivirrne and Menoly Mallia were her best friends. For years I heard them say that one day one of them would be an Espada, and the other two would be her Fraccion, then they would always be together…well, you know how that turned out."
"So, she initially disliked me because I'm human, but now she actually hates me because I killed Loly?" Orihime summarized.
"That's pretty much it." The redhead nodded. "Besides, I think she might be angry with her own situation. You don't know this, but originally Grimmjow wasn't going to be completely taken off the Espada, he was offered the place as Novena because, even without an arm he's quite strong, and Aizen knows that. However, he refused it, saying it was an offense to him, to his real power; he claims he'll find a way to reclaim his spot as Sexta, with or without an arm." She sighed. "It was then that Zatara was offered the place as Novena. She knows she wasn't the first choice and that, coupled with everything else, has made her crazier than she already was…" she shook her head. "About Grimmjow… I really have no idea how Ulquiorra managed to get him to act like a Fraccion. I'm also surprised Aizen allowed it, with how upset he seemed with Grimmjow right after the attack to Karakura. He called everyone to a meeting that night, even I was summoned. I was sure he was going to vaporize Grimmjow and Yammy right where they stood. But he didn't… and even after what he did to Grimmjow, he was allowed to stay." She sighed again. "Ulquiorra's move just surprised us all further. It was shocking enough when he took his first Fraccion, that Arrancar seemed to come out of nowhere, he certainly hadn't been in Las Noches before… and the way he moves, so silent, even his reiatsu is always extremely low…it's creepy."
"No creepier than Aizen's supposed 'nice' smile." The Rikka wielder quipped.
Aileen couldn't help it, she let out a string of laughter.
"It seems you two girls are having fun." A voice commented.
Orihime turned around instantly, shocked that she had been so much into the conversation she hadn't noticed the Primera approach her from behind.
"Hello, I'm sorry if I'm bothering you." Orihime blushed slightly in embarrassment.
"You are in no way a bother, señorita." Coyote told her in a somewhat gallant tone. "I'm glad Aileen has finally made a friend in this place." His voice turned sober. "But does my presence not bother you in the slightest?"
"Not at all." Orihime answered with a smile. "To be honest, I was so distracted by my chat with Aileen-san I didn't even notice you until you spoke. I'm sorry about that."
The smile in Coyote's face was so sudden and so bright that Orihime couldn't help but feel breathless; for some reason the Espada seemed to be absolutely happy…
"Oh señorita, you have nothing to be sorry about." The Primera assured her instantly. "You have made my day in ways you cannot possibly understand."
"Aileen-san told me before your reiatsu is so strong few can handle it." Orihime admitted.
"It's more than that, I'm afraid." Coyote declared. "My reiatsu is such that it vaporizes the weak hollows if they just try to approach me. And everyone outside the Espada and some of their Fraccion feel uncomfortable at the least and sick at the worst just by being in the same room as me." He shook his head. "If you remember any of my words, remember this, señorita, power isn't everything. And having great power can also make one terribly lonely; and loneliness, that's perhaps the worst punishment in all the worlds…"
"I agree." Orihime whispered in a low voice. "Loneliness is a truly awful thing."
"You're so young, and yet something tells me you truly understand what I mean." Coyote commented, somehow happy and sad about that at the same time.
"I do, Coyote-san, more than you could possibly imagine." The Rikka wielder whispered.
Coyote knew she did, and while that made him happy in a way, that someone seemed to truly understand him, it also made him sad, that such a young woman had to know such pain.
xXx
Time kept passing. Orihime had taken to doing some meditation to distract herself in the morning when she didn't have to attend a training session. Then she had lunch, spent a while talking to her Rikka, hoping that a better relation with them would help improve her powers as well. Then she would do some yoga, tai-chi and martial arts katas for an hour or two before taking a shower and having dinner. The afternoon meetings had been moved to after dinner, Orihime suspected that Aizen may be doing something that required more time, and whatever that might be it couldn't be good; she could only pray her nakama were alright.
On Sunday she spent her morning following her new routine, only to break it around noon when Lilynette arrived to invite her to spend the rest of the day in the Primera's quarters. When Orihime stepped out of the room she saw Ulquiorra's Fraccion standing guard, informed him of where she would be, just so no one would think she might be trying to escape, and then followed the green-haired Fraccion to a part of Las Noches she'd never been to.
They were still walking when their way was blocked by an unexpected and unwanted newcomer: it was Zatara, and she was obviously mad (nothing new).
"Move aside Zatara." Lilynette ordered to the Espada.
"What if I don't want to?" Zatara smirked.
"Listen Zatara, we have things to do, places to be since, you know, we have a life… unlike some people I'm seeing right." She stared at the older female pointedly.
Zatara made a move to attack, but Lilynette blocked her before she could move.
"This isn't with you Gingerbuck, stay out of it." Zatara pretty much growled.
"Maybe, but I'm here now." Lilynette rolled her eyes. "And Coyote is waiting for her… I really doubt you want to make him upset."
Zatara snarled loudly, made a feint of moving aside, letting Lilynette pass, but before Orihime could do the same, Zatara moved again, she slammed the human girl against the nearest wall, holding her by the throat, making it harder for her to breathe…
Orihime moaned in pain. She had lost her breath upon being slammed against the wall, and Zatara's hand on her throat didn't allow her to breath at all.
Lilynette snarled herself before taking hold of the Espada's long mane of loose hair, pulling harshly, enough that Zatara was forced to let go off Orihime, as she stumbled sideways a bit, even then she lost a few strands of silver hair to the Fraccion.
"Stupid brat!" Zatara growled, and began preparing a cero.
"Ah, ah, ah." Lilynette shook her finger and smirked coyly, "You know 'Aizen-sama's' orders, no fighting outside our own territories or the official training. If you fire a Cero… things won't go well. Or maybe you wish to lose an arm like Grimmjow, or your hair… Bloody Moonlight?"
"You will pay for what you did to my hair!" The Novena hissed.
"Please, it's not as if it's that great a loss." The green-haired Arrancar drawled.
It looked like Zatara was going to do something, but right then they could all sense the same thing: Ichimaru Gin.
All three females froze as Ichimaru Gin passed.
"Well, well, well, vat's goin' on here?" He asked in his usual tone. "'m sure ya weren' about ta fight, were ya? It is, afta all, agains' Aizen-taichou's orders…"
"Of course, Ichimaru-san." Zatara bowed stiffly.
"I was only leading Orihime-san to the Primera's quarters, Starrk is waiting for us." Lilynette stated in an easy tone.
Orihime didn't answer, simple bowing her head slightly to confirm the green-haired's Fraccion's statement of the situation.
"Well, then get goin'." Gin motioned for them to do so. "We wouldn' want da Primera to be kept waitin for long, would we?"
"Thank you, Ichimaru-san." Lilynette nodded formally. "Let's go Orihime-san."
Orihime nodded, turning back to Gin to bow slightly again and then followed Lilynette.
"That was fortunate…" The human girl couldn't help but comment after a while.
"A bit too much." The Fraccion's commented stiffly.
"What do you mean?" Orihime inquired, confused.
"I don't think his arrival was really a coincidence." Lilynette explained.
That definitely made Orihime think. Had Gin been close for long? Or had he some other way of knowing what had been going on there? Maybe those monitors she had seen before? And in any case, how much of the confrontation had he seen, and/or heard? And what did he think about it all? Did he support Orihime, or did he, like Zatara and some others, think Orihime was nothing more than an insect who shouldn't even be there, who didn't deserve for Aizen to be interested in her? Well, it wasn't like she'd chosen for it all to happen!
"In any case, we were lucky, I think." Orihime said after a while. "Zatara… I really didn't want for things to get even worse…"
"Orihime-san, you may not like this, but things are already worse." The green-haired one told him softly. "The way Zatara is acting… she won't stop unless she gets a reason to, unless you prove to her you aren't someone to mess with."
"You don't mean…?" The human really didn't like where that seemed to be going.
"I mean you will have to fight her, fight her and defeat her." Lilynette stated, absolutely serious.
"I don't even know if I could do that!" Orihime cried out. "You Arrancar… the powers you have, your endurance, your hierro… how am I supposed to get past that?"
"To be honest, I don't know." The Fraccion admitted. "But with your powers…if you have some way to do it, you should. It's the only way Zatara will ever leave you alone."
"Or it could end up making things worse!" Orihime whined.
"It could, yes." The green-haired one nodded reluctantly. "I suppose it depends on how much of a chance you're willing to take…"
The two continued walking until they reached the farthest corner of Las Noches. Orihime could feel a difference from that area with the rest of the place, it was much more shielded.
The walls of Las Noches, like those surrounding Seireitei and those in other spots like the Central 46, the Senzaikyuu, etc., had sekkiseki stone mixed with the normal spiritual concrete, this made it more resistant to spiritual attacks, as it was capable of absorbing part of the power, at the same time it muted the presence of it. Considering how much sekkiseki there was in that area, due to the pull on her own reiatsu, Orihime couldn't help but confirm that Coyote Starrk was, indeed, incredibly powerful. Not only that, if it weren't for the very nature of her own power, she was sure so much sekkiseki would drain her in no time at all.
After a few more minutes walking down a hallway, Orihime and Lilynette finally went through an archway and into the Primera's private training room. There they found Aileen standing on the balls of one foot as she spun her body around in a back spinning kick, afterwards changing the foot she was standing on and making a diagonal upwards kick, she went to land on a crouch before following with a hand-stand, a double spinning kick while twisting her body around, she pushed herself with her hand, shooting into the air, where she twisted sharply before landing gracefully with her ankles crossed, one arm folded behind her back, the other in front, on guard.
"Wow…" Orihime couldn't help but be in awe of the technique.
"Hey!" Aileen turned to greet her with a smile.
"Starrk you idiot!" The greetings were interrupted by Lilynette's sharp yell.
It was then that Orihime noticed the Espada laying on the floor, in a corner, apparently asleep.
"Stupid Coyote!" Lilynette kicked him in the ribs. "When Aileen-chan is practicing her katas you're supposed to stay awake! To help her!"
"Ouff…" Coyote gasped at the kick but didn't get up. "She's been practicing for centuries, she's already perfect, doesn't need me to know that."
Aileen beamed at the praise, happy that Coyote thought that highly of her.
"From what martial art was that kata?" Orihime inquired, very curious. "I had never before seen something like that."
"That's because it was no specific kata, or martial arts, but a mix of them. "Aileen answered as she took a drink. "Karate, Judo, Tae Kwon Do, Muay Thai, Taekkyeon, Kick-boxing, Capoeira, you name it." Her tone softened. "What you need to understand Orihime-san, is that I've been around for a very long time, centuries even. I've studied almost every martial arts there is at one time or another, and while there are some I favor, like the ones I mentioned before, I have a lot of knowledge, and have had the time to practice enough to mix different styles quite effectively."
Orihime nodded, marveled by the idea. She'd always believed Tatsuki was amazing, the things she could do, the things she had achieved in her short life; having become the 'Most Powerful Woman of Japan' at age 15, and of the World at 17 wasn't any mean feat. It was only since the trouble with the Spiritual Worlds had begun that she'd been forced to quit and focus more on the training of her spiritual abilities. Besides, Tatsuki was afraid she might lose control someday, use her spiritual abilities while as a human, fighting a human; if those abilities were able to take down hollows, she didn't even want to imagine what they would do to a human.
Still, as much as the violet-eyed human might admire Tatsuki, when compared to what Aileen had just said, what Orihime had seen the masked female do…
Orihime had a good time that afternoon. She chatted long about everything and nothing with the others; they knew a lot, had seen so many places and times…she also got to spar with Aileen, who gave her some tips, as did Starrk, to become better. In the end the two agreed with what Lilynette had already told her, the only way to get Zatara to stop her harassment, would be to take her down in a fight, hard. Orihime still did not like the idea.
"In the end it's up to you, pequeña señorita." Coyote told her right as she was about to leave. "But keep this in mind. We're hollows, and regardless of what Aizen may think he's achieving around here, there's still only one thing we truly understand, one thing we accept and respect above all others: and that's power, and whoever has it." His gaze softened. "Only by showing power in a definite way you will be able to get the others to leave you alone."
Orihime nodded, she still didn't like it, but might not have any other choice.
"Well, thank you for everything, I'll take my leave." Orihime bowed to the three before leaving.
Lilynette went with her to escort her, to make sure there would be no trouble.
As soon as the door closed Aileen sighed and went to remove the mask covering her face.
"You surprised me, you know?" Coyote commented as he approached her. "I didn't expect you to give up our free day for her…"
"She needs help, probably more than even she realizes." Aileen commented as she dropped the mask on a nearby table. "A human surviving Hueco Mundo…it's not an easy thing to do."
"How very true." Coyote agreed. "Though she's still alive."
"That'll just make things trickier." The redhead pointed out. "Still I believe she'll make things around here all the more… interesting."
"You know what else is interesting?" Coyote asked in a slow, sensual voice, as he stood right in front of her. "How you've lived through some of the saddest, most terrible things, yet you're still as pure as the first time I met you…"
The Espada raised a hand to caress a line down her cheek with the lightest of touches, the slightly translucent alabaster, almost completely unblemished skin feeling so very warm under his right then un-gloved fingers. Aileen actually closed her eyes, silvery-gray, like stars, enjoying the intimate caress with a happy sigh.
"And it was so long ago…" She agreed with a sigh.
"You're still the most amazing woman I've ever met." Coyote whispered back as he buried his face in her firey hair. "La más maravillosa, la más bella… mía, mía, solo mía…"
She couldn't resist herself, Aileen pulled back slightly from him before taking hold of the back of his neck and pulling down, crashing his lips to hers in a passionate kiss.
xXx
On Monday, after lunch and the talk with her Shun Shun Rikka, Orihime began putting in practice some things she'd learnt the day before. Her specialty was karate, she was black belt, Aileen had taught her some moves from Aikido, which she found specially easy since, unknown to most, she had mastered Jujitsu a long time ago, a very, very long time ago…
Orihime took off her over skirt and tight jacket, leaving her in a white strapless tight top, baggy pants, socks and sandals. She began on her knees, moving to the side before making a grab for air, twisting, jumping to her feet and then back down, several times. Then she got on her feet, on one foot and began kicking high in the air with the other. As another exercise she moved lightly on her feet, moving her arms and hands as if to grab and twist something, or someone.
When the warm up was over, she closed her eyes and, picturing an opponent, began moving, fast and swift, a jabbing motion to the shoulder, a grab for the wrist, a twist, getting on her knees, rolling, jumping back up, a couple of high kicks, a downward jab to an elbow, a twist to take her opponent down); then she gave a twisted backwards kick and was moving for another grappling motion when the sudden presence of another reiatsu in the room distracted her completely.
Orihime spun in a half circle, managing to straighten up gracefully and lowering her arms to the sides before opening her eyes to face the newcomer.
"Hello Grimmjow, what brings you here?" She asked.
"Well, well, well, the princess actually knows how to fight." The ex-Sexta commented. "Wasn't really expecting that…"
"Did you think I defeated Loly just standing in one place, doing nothing?" Orihime asked, she was offended but holding back her anger.
"No, but your powers are strange enough that you might not have needed to do much." Grimmjow declared straight-out.
"Well, regardless of what you may think of my powers, I do know how to fight hand-to-hand, and with a small blade, a dagger or a wakizashi." Orihime pointed out seriously. "That I don't usually do it doesn't mean I cannot. And for the record, I did fight Loly directly, not just with my powers… it wouldn't have been right."
"I don't really care how you took that bitch down." Grimmjow shrugged. "You did it, that's all that matters as far as I'm concerned. Still, I have to admit I never expected seeing you doing that… what was it exactly?"
"It's called Jujitsu." Orihime answered as she finally went to sit on her couch. "It's an old martial art, part of the old-school."
Grimmjow's brows narrowed, something in the human girl's choice of words called to him, but he didn't know what, or why exactly.
"What exactly are you doing here, Grimmjow?" The Rikka wielder couldn't help but asking. "You cannot tell me you just didn't have anything better to do than come see me train."
"Actually, I did have a reason for coming here." Grimmjow admitted, getting closer to her. "what the hell did you do to emo boy?"
"Excuse me?" The girl blinked, having no idea what he was talking about.
"Emo boy." The ex-Espada insisted. "Ulquiorra. What the hell did you do to him?"
"What would make you think I did anything to him?
"Ah, ah, don't go playing those games with me girl, you're evading the question. And I know you did something because the bastard has been even more emo lately than ever before. It's…" he couldn't seem to find the right word. "It's fucking annoying, that's what it is."
Orihime cocked her head, it obviously was more than annoying, even if Grimmjow wouldn't admit to it. It probably was also related to why he was following Ulquiorra's orders, acting as his Fraccion despite how proud the blue-haired male was.
"Grimmjow…" Orihime sighed as she closed her eyes briefly. "Do you know about honor?"
"Of course." Grimmjow sounded offended. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"If we consider honor in battle. How honorable would it be to attack someone from behind?" Orihime went on. "Or not necessarily from behind. Attacking him unexpectedly, when his guard is down, when he's worried about others. What honor is there in that?"
"None." Grimmjow growled. "Even if it's a weakling, that only makes it all the more pitiful. If you defeat an opponent in any of those circumstances, you are even more pitiful than the possible weakling you just took down."
"Well, that's exactly what Ulquiorra did." Orihime's voice was like stone, something no one could have expected. "Last week, he attacked Ichigo when my nakama had his guard down, distracted by the condition Rukia was in, confused by the whole situation. Ulquiorra came out of nowhere and stabbed him in the chest with his bare hand. And if that weren't enough, two days later he had the gall to insult all of my nakama, especially Ichigo, to my face! That's not only dishonorable! That's an insult!" she was very passionate about what she was saying. "So you wanna know what I did? I slapped him. And I don't regret it. If I had had the chance I would have done a lot more than just slap him! It's one thing for him to know he's stronger than Ichigo, we all knew that already! Still they came, for me, to save me! And you, especially Ulquiorra and Aizen, dared treat them as scum! They deserve more than that! Much more!"
Grimmjow couldn't help it, there was something in the human's words, and in her tone of voice, that caught him, held him, that made him believe everything she said could be nothing but the truth… there just was no other possibility.
In the darkness, Orihime cried long into the night. She wasn't sure if it was the fact that it had been a week already, her conversation with Grimmjow, or something entirely different, but something made her nostalgia so strong she couldn't help but cry. At some point the door to her private room opened, but no word was spoken, whoever was there just observed her silently for a short time before leaving again… Orihime never noticed.
xXx
Tuesday was, in some days, a very interesting day, in others, a quite crazy one. It all began at breakfast time. Orihime had already grown used to Ulquiorra's Fraccion being the one to deliver her meals, he'd been doing it since the slap; what she wasn't expecting was when the naga-like hollow handed her a short letter which informed her Ulquiorra, his Fraccion, and Grimmjow would be leaving for a mission in the World of the Living, it was only observation, Aizen was curious why no more attempts to rescue her had been made and was interested in knowing what the Nakama might be doing in the meantime. Knowing there was no attack coming, Orihime could relax at least a little.
What the human girl hadn't been expecting was when the Fraccion informed her that another had been selected to keep guard at her door for the duration of the day, apparently Zatara had made several attempts to get in lately, and had been stopped by Orihime's 'guards'. Also, because her new 'guard' already had a charge, both charges would have to stay in the same room, for their own safety of course. The teenager immediately nodded, claiming she had no problem with that, what she never expected was who the other charge would be.
A somewhat big hollow entered the room, while a much slimmer one stayed out, guarding the door. It took a second for Orihime to realize there was a rather small individual in a thick tattered cloak, following the big hollow. It looked like a child… and then the hood was pushed back as the child turned to look at the teenager, green hair and a broken mask…
"Nel-chan?" Orihime asked, completely surprised by the development. "Are you Nel-chan?"
"She knows us, doncha' know?" The big hollow Dondochakka commented.
"Haw do ya know Nel?" The girl asked, curious.
"Well, I have a friend who knows you, he told me, and our other friends, about you." Orihime explained as she knelt to be at the same level as Nel. "His name is Shiro…"
"Shiro?!" Nel cried out in delight. "Ya know Shiro? He alwigh?"
"Yes, Shiro's alright." Orihime nodded. "He had to return home after his last battle here."
"Home?" Nel seemed to have trouble with that concept.
"Yes, with his family." Orihime tried to explain.
"Family!" That Nel did seem to understand. "Like Nel's brotherths!"
"Yes, exactly." Orihime nodded.
"Ya fwend o' Shiro… wanna be Nel's fwend?" The girl offered with a bright smile.
"I would love to be your friend, Nel-chan." The human nodded, smiling just as brightly.
"Yay!" The little Arrancar seemed to be absolutely delighted. "Nel hath a new fwend!"
Orihime found the green-haired Arrancar to be a delightful little child, at least as far as she was concerned. The two had a great time talking about many things, laughing together. The Rikka wielder couldn't help but see herself in Nel, the way she had been years ago, before all the spiritual trouble, before her powers, before her brother's death and turning into a hollow…
Things seemed to go just fine for most of the day. Orihime had forgone her meditation and talk with her Rikka to instead talk to Nel. Pesche had gotten them their meals, he'd been much more at ease with the young human after learning of her connection to Shiro, and seeing how good she was to Nel. The small Arrancar had also cheered her on when the teenager had done her usual warm up exercises and katas, praising her many times. Bath time had been its own adventure, as Orihime offered to help bathe Nel, only the girl didn't seem to like water. In the end the two females had a lot of fun.
The meeting of that evening was canceled, as Ulquiorra and the others had yet to return from Karakura, and there was nothing else to report. Orihime took that time to have some more fun with Nel, what she couldn't have expected was the trouble it would be to get the girl to sleep when the time for that came.
"Nel no sleepy!" The child kept claiming.
Orihime was slowly running out of options. She had tried humming, singing was not her forte, and she had no instruments available; she had also tried carrying the child, whispering to her, even poetry; and then she thought of one last idea:
"Would you like a bedtime story?" Orihime offered.
"A stowy?" Nel was confused by that.
"Yes." Orihime nodded. "A bedtime story is a story told to children who are going to bed. But if you want it, you'll have to sleep afterwards."
"Okay!" Nel nodded repeatedly. "Nel will sleep after sleepin-story!"
Orihime smiled at the child once again. The two females got settled on the couch, and then Orihime began her tale:
"This story is called 'The Princess and the Samurai'." She said in a soft tone. "It's the story of a girl known as the 'Rain Princess' and her One True Love: the strongest and most loyal of her samurai. It goes like this:"
Amekimi was the youngest daughter of a once Great Feudal Lord in Ancient Japan called Arashikensei, and a former Miko called Ayame, who had been, in fact, the Lord's third wife. The youngest child, the one who could expect the least, and yet she was the most loved. Maybe that was the problem. The first two wives, and their children, didn't like it when they learned the Lord actually loved his third wife: she wasn't a trophy, like the first one, or part of a deal, like the second; Arashikensei had actually chosen Ayame.
For her first six years, the Rain Princess was possibly the happiest, most loved child in all of Japan. Even when losing her mother at the tender age of five, her father was always there for her, and that was enough for the sweet child. Then everything had gone south, the other wives' jealousy had reached dangerous levels, Amekimi's life was threatened, and so Arashikensei was forced to send his beloved little princess away.
The princess was then sent to her father's secret estate, deep in the woods, with no one but her personal guard: 9 nine-year old Utokui, son of Kyoshi, the Master Samurai, Head of the Army and personal guard of Arashikensei. The boy, even at his very young age, was one of the best samurai, which is why he'd been chosen to be the girl's personal guard.
In the end, he wasn't the only one there, for the very same day the Rain Princess turned six and arrived at the Estate, she learned her father had lost his life, assassinated by his 'supposed family'. Kyoshi had miraculously survived the betrayal, and after a talk to the young princess, agreed on staying there, to further his son's training, make sure he would become the best of the best… it was important, after all, Amekimi's life might as well depend on it.
Five years later, Kyoshi and Utokui conducted a series of tests in the nearby town to choose new guards for the Estate. In the end they also ended up choosing a partner for Utokui, someone to help guard the princess: he was an orphan, and his name was Giichi. Days later, Kyoshi and the remaining trusted samurai, who had made their way to the Estate after learning of the betrayal to their old lord, died in an attempt to keep the 'disloyal' ones as far away from the hidden estate as possible. All for the princess. So much they did in an attempt to keep her safe, never knowing that their deaths just placed an ever heavier weight upon the girl…
Time passed, and no one but Utokui and Giichi even knew about Amekimi, she never left her personal quarters without a heavy hood, cloak and veil, and her handmaiden was blind so she wouldn't actually know who she was attending.
Princess Amekimi was, in some ways, the most guarded treasure of Ancient Japan… but she was also one of the loneliest people in the world. Utokui and Giichi being her only friends, her only actual connection to the world, and even for them, she was just their princess, always Hidenka-sama, or Hime… never just Amekimi. It was a lonely existence indeed.
It didn't seem like things could get any better, but they did, eventually. Amekimi was soon to be fifteen, she was getting dressed by herself, as her handmaiden had left to marry recently and her guards hadn't yet chosen someone they considered appropriate to take the place. The princess didn't mind much doing it herself, but she knew Utokui and Giichi wouldn't approve, especially Utokui, as focused as he seemed to be on traditions and protocols.
And then, one day, the unexpected happened: Amekimi was getting her hair in some intricate plaits, if only to keep herself entertained, when abruptly the shoji door was almost broken down to let Giichi through, he was holding in his arms a girl probably a year or so younger, dressed in rags, and bleeding badly from several deep gashes.
"Hime-chan, please, save her!" Giichi called, half-panicked.
The princess didn't even stop to ask who the older girl was, simply dropped to her knees beside her, on the opposite side from Giichi and immediately placed her hands on the first gashes she could see, then began murmuring an ancient prayer under her breath.
It took a while, but finally a soft golden light appeared on Amekimi's hands, and as it connected with the injured one's body, the wounds began healing, slowly but surely.
It took a while, but eventually she was done, Amekimi smiled brightly as the long lashes of the older girl fluttered open, dark gray eyes fixing on Giichi first.
"Giichi… what happened?" She asked softly.
"You're alright now." Giichi told her in turn. "I got you help, like I told you I would."
Amekimi couldn't help but giggle, it was quite obvious Giichi knew the older girl, had known her probably for a while; the princess just wondered how 'close' the two were.
"Who are you?" The gray-eyed one asked, curious, looking at Amekimi.
However, before any answer could be given, another door open abruptly and Utokui entered, he looked absolutely livid…at Giichi.
"Giichi!" He practically growled. "You great idiot! You know it's forbidden for anyone but the three of us to step into these quarters! You know it's forbidden for any outsider to so much as lay eyes upon her! And you brought that girl here?! If Arashikensei were alive, if Otou-sama were alive, they would have your head!"
"I had to save her!" Giichi replied. "She was attacked, she was badly hurt, she could have died. I couldn't let that happen!"
"So you broke all the rules, put our princess in danger, for her?!" Utokui was still furious.
"She doesn't need to be an outsider." Amekimi's sudden comment was quite unexpected.
That definitely caught everyone off-guard.
"Hidenka-sama?" Utokui inquired, confused. "Whatever do you mean?"
"I mean that if the problem is that she's an outsider, make it so she isn't one anymore." Amekimi said simply. "Make her my new handmaiden."
"Hi… Hidenka-sama, you don't know this woman, there's no way we can trust her…" Utokui began, in absolute consternation about the way things were happening.
"Giichi trusts her and he obviously cares for her, otherwise he wouldn't have brought her here." The young princess rationalized. "We both trust Giichi, is it that hard to do this, for him?"
Utokui really didn't know what else to say.
"I have faith." Amekimi insisted. "I believe this will turn out alright." She turned to the older girl. "What is your name?"
"Shaolin, Hidenka-sama, my name is Shaolin." The woman bowed as much as she could in her still tired and slightly weakened state. "And it would be an honor to be your handmaiden…"
And, just like that, with the introduction of a new person to the dynamic, things began changing. It was just a little at first, but bit by bit, a moment came, when everything had changed.
Orihime interrupted her story when she became aware of loud sounds coming from right outside the door, bad sounds…
"Somethin's happenin, doncha know?" The big hollow sitting on the floor said.
"And something bad." Orihime added in a grim tone. "Ulquiorra's Fraccion said no one was to know about Nel-chan, right?"
"He did say that, doncha know?" Dondochakka agreed.
The Rikka wielder turned to the green-haired girl who had fallen asleep beside her on the couch, and then she made her decision.
"Take Nel, make sure not to wake her, then get in the bathroom." She instructed.
Not sure what the human might be planning, but knowing that Nel was his top priority, the former Fraccion did as he was bid, scooped the sleeping Nel into his arms and then stepped into the bathroom.
"This won't hurt you, I'm just making sure you won't be detected, in case anyone comes in." Orihime informed him, then used his Souten Kisshun to envelope them.
After considering things for a moment, Orihime made sure to close the bathroom done, then ordered the rest of her Rikka to manifest and disperse around the room; even if no one but she could actually see the flowers/fairies, whoever was causing trouble would be able to sense parts of Orihime's reiatsu all around the room; hopefully that would keep them from suspecting the aura coming from the bathroom.
Right in that very moment, the door was opened with a loud bang, the teenager prayed it wouldn't wake Nel and complicate things even more.
Violet eyes widened drastically when she noticed Pesche laying on the stone-ground, badly hurt. So focused she was on him, the girl didn't notice the person actually invading her room until she was slammed against a nearby wall and held by the throat, for the second time in a handful of days. It was worse because, this time, Orihime had no one to help her.
"I'm growing tired of you, insect." Zatara snarled. "You have all of Aizen-sama's attention without deserving it. Have powers you shouldn't possess, and connections you shouldn't possess. I mean, Aizen-sama actually has one of his best, the damned Ulquiorra, as your personal guard. And for what? You are worth nothing!"
"Right now, she is worth more than you." A voice called from behind.
"U…Ulquiorra…" Zatara was absolutely shocked at the other's presence. "You're back."
"An obvious and unnecessary observation." Ulquiorra stated. "I was on my way to report to Aizen-sama, as I should, yet it appears the hallways have somehow moved, as I ended up passing close to here instead. As soon as I sensed you I knew you were causing trouble, again."
"I'm just doing what needs to be done." Zatara complained. "Why can no one else see it?"
"It is not what Aizen-sama wishes." Ulquiorra stated emotionlessly. "Now let the onna go."
Zatara did as told, still angry.
"Now leave." Ulquiorra ordered. "And remember, I do not destroy you, because the loss of even one as useless as you would not help Aizen-sama any. However, if you interfere with Aizen-sama's wishes again, I will not be as merciful."
Even Zatara herself seemed surprised that Ulquiorra was letting her go just like that, but she didn't say a thing, just directed a last, scathing look at the fallen, coughing and gasping Orihime, then stomped out of the room, furious.
"Onna, are you… alright?" Ulquiorra inquired.
It seemed like something in that question cost him, Orihime chose to push that aside and just nodded, not trusting that she would be able to talk right then.
"Nelliel?" Ulquiorra asked next.
Orihime just signaled to the bathroom door, coughing and panting some more as she tried to recover. She focused on dispelling the Souten Kisshun surrounding Dondochakka and the, surprisingly, still sleeping Nel, then sent the technique to Pesche, too help him recover.
"Shouldn't you be seeing to yourself first, onna?" Ulquiorra asked.
He stepped out of the bathroom followed by the other two and couldn't help but notice how she worried more about helping others than herself.
"I… be a…alright." Orihime said brokenly. "Pesche… ne…need it m-more."
Ulquiorra shook his head but didn't say anything more. He didn't think it would make much of a difference in the end anyway.
"Heal yourself and then get some sleep onna, it's late, and tomorrow you have to get up to go to another training session." Ulquiorra ordered.
Orihime nodded, deciding it was better not to try to speak again, not until she'd healed herself, it would only hurt more. She remembered Lilynette's words, about the only way of stopping Zatara, by proving to the Novena she (Orihime) wasn't someone to be messed with; she also remembered Coyote's explanation about what hollows truly respected: power…it looked like she just might have to take a chance, Zatara needed to be stopped, now.
"I really, really don't like to fight… but I just might have to…" She whispered, sadly, to herself.