The witch's home reminded her of a spooky haunted house. The dim lighting made it hard for her to figure out what some of the objects were, decorated mysteriously on old bookshelves. On the corner of the room stood a large piano, and right above it was an orb.

The floor creaked as the woman entered the living room, a white tea cup in her hands. Her bright pink eyes studied the intriguing dark-haired male, her hand itching to touch him. Analyzing his aloof persona, she knew that she would have to try hard in order to get his attention. It was interesting though, watching how a being with dark energy around him could be close to a naive half-witch. Were they lovers?

No, they couldn't be. There's no way.

"Here's some tea, darling," the witch said as she gave Orihime the cup.

The younger girl smiled and bowed her head in thanks, grabbing the white cup. The witch smiled in return, feeling the hard cold gaze the male was giving her.

Ah, he doesn't trust me. I must be careful…

"Tell me, what brings a young half-witch here from Japan?"

Orihime blinked at the label, feeling strange at all of the sudden being referred to as a half-witch despite not feeling any different.

"W-Well, I'm here because...a mirror...told me…"

"A mirror told you?"

"Yes… Well, he told me that my mother was coming here to give birth to me… Here is a picture of her. Do you remember her?" Orihime asked, showing the woman the only picture she had of her mother.

The woman's eyes narrowed a bit, examining the picture before leaning back with surprise.

"Oh, Misaki..." the woman said before her eyes went back to her, "Now I see why I felt some type of familiarity from you… You are Misaki's daughter."

Orihime mumbled her mother's name, a satisfactory feeling swelling through as she finally got the woman's name.

"You know my mother?"

"Of course… She's defeated me many times when we were young girls learning chants and spells,"

Orihime's interest in her mother increased even more, "I want to know more about her… I recently found out about who I really am…"

"I see…. And how old are you, girl?"

"Seventeen,"

"Ah, the prime age for a witch! Our Lord Lucifer must be pleased to know that soon, he'll have a beautiful half-witch in his arms," the witch said, noticing the way the green-eyed male narrowed his eyes.

Interesting…

"Who's Lucifer?"

The witch's eyes widened, her hand coming to her chest as if Orihime had just asked the most preposterous thing.

"My girl, you are in need of some schooling. Lucifer is our lord supreme. He is our saviour, our leader. We live and die for him. As we reach womanhood, Lord Lucifer starts visiting us. First in our dreams, and then in person…"

The witch almost laughed at the uncomfortable look the half-witch had, watching as she looked down onto her hands.

"Oh, don't have that look. Lord Lucifer loves all of us, and we love him. He gives us power and freedom, unlike that false God!"

"...What false God?"

The older woman rolled her eyes as she stood up and walked over to her library, pulling a thick book out and giving it to her.

"Here, study this every day for two hours. Page three has our morning prayer to Lord Lucifer. Chant it every morning,"

Orihime looked uncomfortable as she flipped through the heavy book, thinking about how she would make time for this with her current load of homework. She lifted the book and frowned.

"It's...heavy,"

"Of course it is. It contains our chants and spells… Something a regular seventeen-year-old witch should have mesmerized by now,"

Orihime nodded, feeling overwhelmed at the new task of now teaching herself on becoming a witch.

"Thank you for the book. Um, may I use your bathroom?"

"Of course. Second floor on the right,"

Putting the book aside, Orihime stood up and walked up the stairs. Her large gray eyes surveyed the rest of the house, amazed at the number of doors around. Confused with which door led to the bathroom, she opened the first one and gasped.

In the center was the apparition of her mother…

"Oh my sweet daughter...Orihime...come here…"

The witch's fingers tingled as the magic swirled around, a smile coming to her lips. Her eyes focused on the peculiar yet quiet male sitting across from her. Ever since entering her home, he had not uttered a word. His expression remained the same. One would think that he hadn't been paying attention at all, but the witch knew better. She knew he was listening and taking notes. She remembered the way his eyes narrowed upon the mention of Lucifer.

With the half-witch elsewhere in the house, soon to be under her spell, the witch now had the opportunity of approaching him.

Standing up, she took casual steps towards him, her eyes never leaving the coldness of his. Although his attention wasn't on her, she knew that he felt her presence getting closer.

"You've been very quiet…" she said, sitting next to him.

His head didn't turn to her, yet his cat-like eyes glanced at her. The witch chuckled, raising her hand towards his face.

"I am having a hard time sensing what you are-OH!"

His cold hand gripped her wrist tightly, causing her to flinch and immediately try to retract her hand back. The grip tightened as she began to struggle.

"I can sense your fear," he spoke.

The witch tried to pull her arm back, but yelped as Ulquiorra's grip tightened even more. His skin was cold, the feeling of it reminding her of death. He was an old and unfamiliar creature. Although he was no Lucifer, his aura represented something of death.

"You are a monster," she groaned, snapping her fingers and disappearing across the room instantly, "how is it that such a foul creature like you is with such a naive half-witch like her? Tell me… what is it that you desire from her?"

She watched carefully as he stood from the couch and walked towards her, hands deep inside his pockets. Her wrist still ached from where he had grabbed her, and the witch knew that he would not hesitate to kill her.

"Don't come any closer," she said, a dark pink light forming around her hand.

Ulquiorra raised an eyebrow at her, "You're threatening me, despite your failed attempt of getting the attention you desire from me. Ridiculous,"

Taking offense at the insult, she raised her hands outwards. A cold breeze ensued as she spoke in foreign tongue, the breeze pushing the Espada away from her. Her dull attack didn't faze him, and the witch cursed as she brought her hands up again.

"I wasn't going to kill you," she said with a calculating stare, "As a matter of fact, I want to study you. I want to know you...show you our witchcraft community! I think my witch sisters will be intrigued by you… Once I get rid of the pathetic half-witch, we can-UGH!"

His grip was on her neck in an instant, and the witch felt her body lose oxygen as each second went by.

"Seems like my suspicions were correct," he said, raising his arm up.

The witch held onto his wrist as her feet dangled a foot away from the floor. Ulquiorra watched before feeling a sudden drop in Orihime's reiatsu. He dropped the witch and disappeared, using sonido to quickly appear behind a locked door.

"She will be dead soon!" the witch laughed from the floor beneath, "Her mother's magic will be mine!"

Ignoring her, Ulquiorra broke the doorknob and pushed the door open. In the center of the room laid Orihime, arms spread out, as a gray large being laid over her. Its arm was extended towards her face, as if pulling something from her. Wasting no time, Ulquiorra used Bala on the creature, severing its head. The headless creature stumbled backwards before falling towards a corner of the room, blood pooling around the area.

Getting on one knee, Ulquiorra touched the side of her face. Her skin was cold, her reiatsu low. But she was alive, and he felt a relief. It was an interesting feeling, yet not the first time he felt it. Seeing her attacked the first time he had seeing her had awakened something in him - an anger he had not felt in centuries. After saving her and seeing how she was alive, despite being injured, the feeling of relief had gone through him. Although not used to having such feelings, he knew exactly what each of them were. Anger, relief, happiness, and even arousal.

"Noooo!" the witch screamed, neck bright red, as she ran towards her dead creature. She chanted something, trying to resurrect it, but screamed again upon failing.

Turning towards Ulquiorra, a knife manifested in her hand. "I am going to kill you, and then I am going to kill that half-witch!"

The witch's appearance changed, her body changing to that of a foul creature. Her skin green, hair gray and nails elongated, the witch flew around him, a short knife in hand. Using her magic, Ulquiorra felt himself being pulled towards her.

"I am going to rip her heart out and feed it to my children! Her mother's magic will be ours!"

The witch's yellow teeth displayed as she grinned, the Espada now standing right in front of her. Raising her arm, she opened her mouth to chant something else but gasped as she felt something dig through her chest. Looking down, her eyes widened upon noticing a claw-like hand clutching to her heart.

"H-How…i-is this...p-possible? Wh-What are y-you?"

"That is none of your concern, witch."

"H-How can a girl like her...be around a m-monster...like you?!"

The feeling of anger swept through him again, causing him to instantly pull the beating organ out of the witch's chest. Her body slumped to the floor by his feet, and he dropped the heart by it.

Turning around, he opened a garganta and picked up the unconscious girl. He entered the garganta, closing it instantly as his amber-eyes turned back to its emerald green.

Her body, beaten and bruised, was tied towards a wooden pole. Pain went through her body as she regained consciousness, her blurry vision clearing up as the angry mob stood in front of her.

"The witch has woken up," an unfamiliar man in a white robe said. He held a large book in one hand, and a cross in another, "Now, let us pray as she meets her retribution,"

Orihime's toes began to wiggle as she felt heat beneath her feet. She looked down and gasped as flames began to rise. Her attempts at moving her legs failed as they were also tightly secured.

"N-No...No...No… Please, no!"

"Silence, witch! Your innocence is not enough to fool us! You are a foul creature. For the sake of humanity, you must be exterminated!"

Orihime screamed as the flames began to burn her feet before immediately rising towards her bare legs. The girl screamed as the crowd in front of her chanted along with the priest. Eventually her screams turned into coughs as the smoke entered her mouth, causing it to become dry.

"Burn, witch, burn!" the crowd chanted, raising angry fists into the night sky.

Feeling her flesh burn, the fire reaching her chest and arms, Orihime cried while staring at the bright moon above. She was burning, and she felt helpless.

"Help me...Ulquiorra…"

"H-Help me...Ulq...Ulquiorra…"

She felt something cold on her face, prompting her eyes to open widely. His face was the first thing she noticed, and without any hesitation she lunged towards him. Arms around him, she buried her face in his chest before crying.

"Wow, we're the ones who wake her up and she hugs him!" said Tsubaki, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Oh, don't be jealous," Lily responded, "He is much taller than you...and handsome,"

Tsubaki growled, "Oi, watch it!"

"I don't sense her body heating up anymore," Ayame said as she hovered around them.

Ulquiorra nodded once as his hand rubbed the back of the crying girl's head.

"Orihime," he called her name, and the teenager looked up at him, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm not...burning…" she said, pulling away from him and staring at her fully-clothed body.

"You were never burning. The witch had put you under a spell,"

"H-How did you know?"

Orihime followed his gaze as he turned towards the mirror, gasping upon noticing the white face present. Not only that, but her Shun Shun Rikka were present as well.

"You're all here!" she exclaimed in shock, "H-How?"

"The witch put you in a dark spell, girl," the face in the mirror said. "The spell is a popular one amongst witches. It causes their victims to hallucinate at first, followed by nothing but torture."

Closing her eyes, she thought back to when she entered that strange room and saw her mother. Her beautiful mother standing there, smiling at her.

"I...thought I saw my mom...in the house...That's what I remember...and then I was in a place and...they were...setting me on fire…"

"All hallucinations," the mirror said, "You must be careful with witches. They cannot be trusted,"

Orihime nodded, feeling disappointed. She hoped that the witch would have told her more things about her mother and witchcraft. She also hoped that she would have taught her some things as well.

"How...did you wake me up? Is the spell gone?"

"The spell is gone," the mirror said, "I instructed the Shun Shun Rikka your mother created on what to do."

"W-Wait, my mother created them!?"

"Yes. Your hairpin was one of the items passed down from your mother to you. She purposely crafted it for your protection,"

Orihime sat back on her sofa as she thought about all of the instances which led her to call her six little spirits out. She knew that they were part of her soul, but she never understood how a simple hair accessory could allow for that. How something as simple as hairpins could help her manifest six spirits.

"I see…" she said, "Wait, what happened to the witch?"

"I killed her," came Ulquiorra's response.

There was a long silence between them, the Espada watching her facial expressions as she merely blinked. He waited for her tears, for her questions. He waited for her to say something, to condemn him for such an act. To call him a monster, and tell him that she was afraid of him now.

Yet, none of that came. Instead, she grabbed his hand and smiled.

"You must be getting tired of saving me all the time, Ulquiorra."

"Foolish woman," he said with a sigh, and she almost giggled at his response, "It is something I have accepted the moment I chose to come here for you,"

Orihime felt her face heat up, the next couple of words coming out in stutters. "W-Wait...r-really? B-But...won't you get tired? I mean, if you do...I can just give you a back massage! And some hot tea!"

Grabbing the back of her head, Ulquiorra pulled her closer to him, their noses touching.

"My presence in your life is enough, Orihime."

A goofy smile appeared on her face before closing the gap and kissing him fully on the lips. Ulquiorra's hand grabbed the back of her head as she tilted her head, their kiss deepening.

"Crap, should we expect a human-witch-hollow hybrid in nine months!?" Tsubaki said with a roll of his eyes.

The face in the mirror glanced at him before gazing at the couple. "Such a child would be unstoppable…"

Author's Note: Well, what do you all think? Review please!