(Important Author's Note at the end!)

Hello my friends, and to those of you who celebrate it, Merry Christmas. I've gotta be honest with ya, this has been the worst pre-Christmas preparation ever. Got just about every single immediate family member coming, plus a few cousins… and who knows who else by now, lmao. In short… I am soooo ready for the holiday season to be over and done with.

Got the final results for the school semester, and I'm more than happy to say that I got all straight As, and my head is 'still' throbbing from all the reading and studying. I'm already getting things started for the spring semester, and so far it's looking like I'm taking Bio 101 and Western Civilization part 2. Need to add a couple more classes, but I still figuring out my schedules for the spring.

Sadly, no reviews this time, and it looks like Spades got busy again. But hey, just about everyone and their imaginary friends are busy as hell this time of the year, right? But no worries. So I guess with the important news out of the way, we can go ahead and move on to the next chapter.

(I DO NOT OWN BLEACH; ITS CHARACTORS, NAMES, LOCATIONS, OR STORY! THAT HONOR BELONGS SOLELY TO TITE KUBO AND HIS TEAM! ONLY THE OC, AND RANDOM NAMES NOT MENTIONED IN THE BOOKS OR ANIME ARE MY OWN!)


Chapter 39

(Into the Depths)

Las Noches, Present

Standing alone, on top of the balcony attached to the room that she was currently 'assigned' to and trying her best to hide the inner fear she was feeling, Orihime stared out unto the monstrous, white building that contained Aizen's throne room.

She had a crestfallen expression formed on her face, but her tears of sorrow had dried up a long time ago as she had finally accepted her fate; only to be replaced by tears of pain, as her chain of fate had just recently finished its second session of encroachment.

The teen spared a quick glance at the chain on her chest over top of her new clothes. Once she had been placed in her room, she was instructed to change out of her former clothes, and into the white uniform that the Arrancars wore.

Looking at the chain, she saw that, after two encroachment phases, there were still eight or nine links left. If she had to chance a guess, with the rate her chain was encroaching, she had roughly two, maybe three weeks before it was entirely gone.

She knew, from what Ichigo and Kisuke had told her before, that once the encroachment of her soul chain was complete, her heart would fall apart, and she would become a mindless hollow.

And this slightly confused her, as Aizen had told her that he had plans for her, and that he would 'call upon' her once he was ready for her. Did his plans for her include her becoming a hollow? Was he hoping that the unbearable pains during the encroachment phases would break her even more than she already was?

Just what was it that the man wanted from her?

Orihime flinched slightly and closed her eyes at the sound of someone knocking on her door. She took a slow breath before answering in a quiet, and saddened voice.

"Yes?"

The door opened and she turned to see Ulquiorra standing in the doorway with a tray of food; his usual, expressionless eyes staring right into hers. As she looked back into his, she was instantly reminded of how she came to be a prisoner there.

Flashback, Orihime's Apartment, 9 Days Prior

Orihime stood in her bedroom, one hand clutched to her chest, and the other hovering over one of the hairpins on the side of her head. Her whole body was slightly trembling as she felt the numerous spiritual pressures all over town.

Some of them she knew as belonging to her friends, but the others, ones that felt considerably stronger, obviously must have belonged to enemies. Every few seconds, she could feel sudden pulses in the pressures, telling her that they were clearly fighting.

But it wasn't the spiritual pressures themselves that had her shaking in her shoes, but rather the fact that she wanted to be out there helping her friends. But the teen knew for a fact that she stood absolutely no chance in fighting these opponents, and it was far better for her to simply sit back, let her friends do the fighting, and wait until they called her to help heal them afterwards.

This upset her greatly. She had no problem, whatsoever, with healing her friends; in fact, it brought her great joy to see them safe and sound. But she hated the fact that she honestly couldn't do a single thing to help 'prevent' those injuries in the first place.

Yes, her friends relied on her a great deal, but only 'after' the battle was over. She may have absolutely despised fighting in any regard, but she definitely didn't want to sit around while everyone else fought for her.

She was left asking the same question that had plagued her mind every time the fighting broke out: 'Why can't I do something to help them fight?'

But once again, her question was left unanswered, and she was, yet again, forced to sit on the sidelines and wait for it all to end. This caused her to breathe a heavy sigh of distress as she dropped her hands to her sides.

"Please…stay safe everyone." She pleaded to herself.

The sound of the air ripping apart behind her cause her to quickly gasp and around to the sound to see, to her horror, a garganta opening in 'her room'. She turned fully to the dark portal and slowly backed up until her back collided with the wall; and with the garganta opening in the doorway, she was left with nowhere to run.

She was trapped in her own room.

The teen stared into the dark abyss, and her eyes widened even further when a black-haired, green-eyed being walked forth from the portal. He came to a stop and stared intently into the woman's eyes as the garganta snapped shut behind him, leaving the two of them staring at each other in silence.

"Are you Orihime Inoue?" he questioned in a cold voice.

She didn't answer him, much too afraid of the man as she tried to back even further into the wall. Even though the wall didn't budge, she was grateful for even the slightest of an inch in distance from the emotionless man.

The Espada's gaze grew even darker as his glare intensified. "This will be the only time I shall warn you, woman; you will answer any questions I have for you without delay, or I will be forced to retrieve my answers in a way that you will not be satisfied with. Now, I shall ask you once more; are you Orihime Inoue?"

The woman hesitated for only a second, knowing that the man clearly meant every word he said, before she nodded timidly. "Y…Yes…m…my name is…Orihime." She affirmed.

The man's expression didn't change a fraction as he nodded. "I see. In that case, I have come to inform you that Lord Aizen has requested your presence at his palace in Hueco Mundo, Las Noches." He informed.

Orihime's eyes widened even further. "A…Aizen? W…What would he…he want with me?" she asked.

Ulquiorra's eyes narrowed a bit. "That is not your concern, woman. Your only concern, is whether or not you will accept his request."

A sudden burst of anger filled the woman's eyes as she glared at him. "And why would I accept his 'request'? He sent you all to hurt my friends, didn't he?" she challenged.

The Espada glanced out the window. "Ah yes…your friends. Well, I can assure you that…" He paused to return to her. "…at least for this moment, that while your friends may receive a considerable amount of damage, they will not be killed." He stated, then closed his eyes. "However…whether or not that remains the case, is entirely up to you." He warned.

Her eyes went wide again in fear. "M…Me?"

He opened his eyes again and nodded. "Yes. Should you choose to accept Lord Aizen's request, and join him in Las Noches, your friends will be spared. However, should you choose to decline, I can personally guarantee that each, and every one of your friends will die, tonight. I am aware that you are able to detect spiritual pressures quite well for a human, and I am also sure that you can feel that your friends are not faring well in their current conflicts. The only reason that they are still alive, is because the Arrancar I have brought with me have been instructed to keep them alive. But even that is on a time limit." He threatened.

"Wha…What do you mean?" Orihime asked in fear.

"They have been instructed to only keep them alive for a certain amount of time. At the end of that time limit, they are to kill them, without mercy. As it stands, you currently have less than fifteen minutes to come to a decision. With that in mind, what is your answer? Will you accept Lord Aizen's summons and save your friends; or will you stay here and watch as they all perish, where, at a later time, I will return to retrieve you by force, with no one to stop me? Whatever your choice woman, I would advise you make it soon, lest your friends perish by your inactions." The man said in a cold voice.

Tears came to Orihime's eyes as she briefly glanced towards the window, feeling the waning spiritual pressures of her friends. While a couple of them 'seemed' to be doing aright at the moment, the rest were quickly failing to defeat their opponents.

She knew that the man's words were true; if she waited too long to answer the man, her beloved friends could actually die. And with the Espada basically keeping her a prisoner in her own home, there was no way that she would be able to help them.

He had her in a corner, both literally and figuratively. There was only one way that she could save her friends, and that required her to sacrifice herself. But as much as she didn't want to go with the man, she knew she would gladly do it if it meant it would save her friends.

Dropping her head with closed eyes, forcing the tears that had gathered in her eyes out and down her cheeks, she gave the Espada a slight nod.

"A…Alright…I'll go." she reluctantly accepted.

Ulquiorra nodded back. "It is good you realize that it is pointless to resist. You are instructed to meet in the direct center of Karakura Park at midnight, two days from now." He ordered.

Orihime's head shot up with wide eyes, clearly not expecting to stay behind an extra two days. "W…What?! Wha…What do you mean?!" she blurted out.

"It is simple; during the next two days, you are to continue with your normal life. You are to continue as if this meeting had never occurred. You are free to do as you wish during this time, including healing your friends. However, as I am sure it must be blatantly obvious to you, you may not, for any reason, mention anything about this meeting to anyone. Should you do so, we shall return and slay each and every one of your friends before your very eyes. Should you fail to appear at the instructed location, at the instructed time, your friends will also die. Am I clear, woman?" he demanded.

Her shoulders fell with her head before she slightly nodded. "I…I understand." she relented.

He gave her a firm nod, then turned and flicked his wrist to open another garganta. After waiting for the portal to open fully, he took a step inside and stopped to glare at her.

"Two days, woman. I strongly advise you do not fail, Orihime Inoue. The lives of your friends depend on that fact." he warned for that last time, then continued into the garganta and allowed in to close behind him; leaving Orihime in the silence of her dark apartment.

Orihime slid down the wall to her knees in defeat before wiping the tears from her face. She sniffed a few times as the tears she was trying to hold back broke through and began flooding her face once more.

"I'm…I'm sorry…everyone."

Flashback End

Ulquiorra stepped into the teen's assigned room and stopped next to the dresser to set the tray of food down on top before looking back into her eyes.

"Come and eat, woman." He instructed.

Orihime didn't move a muscle as she watched him move back to the doorway while returning one hand to his pocket and grasping the door handle with the other.

"Why are you having me wait like this? Just what is it that Aizen wants from me?" she questioned a bit hesitantly.

The Espada stopped midway through the doorway and glanced back at her. "Even I am not aware as to what Lord Aizen has planned for you, nor does that matter; you will see soon enough. Once you have finished eating, inform the guard outside and you will be escorted to meet with Lord Aizen. I recommend you do not dawdle, woman; Lord Aizen does not like to be kept waiting, and neither do I. Now eat." He demanded, then left the room and shut the door behind him.

She continued to stare at the closed door for a few moments, but finally released a heavy sigh and walked over to where the man had set the tray of food down. As she came to look at the food, she was once again surprised as to what was given to her.

Unlike gruel, or some other form of vulgar and distasteful sustenance that one would expect for being a prisoner, the food that was provided to her was actually not unlike what one would find in the world of the living.

The first morning, after arriving in Las Noches, the man who had identified himself as 'Stark' brought her quite a nutritious breakfast; consisting of eggs, sausage, a couple slices of toast, and a glass of juice. And it was exactly the same every morning since then.

But while breakfast was always the same, and lunch normally consisting of a sandwich and a glass of milk, dinner, as much as she loathed to admit it, was actually pretty good in her opinion.

But none of that mattered at the moment, because now she was worried as to what Aizen had prepared for her once she was done eating. She had run countless reasons for why he wanted her there, but was unable to come to a definitive conclusion on the matter.

Once again left with no choice, the teen began eating at a relatively quickened pace so as not to anger Aizen, or more importantly, the black-haired Espada. Aizen may have been a very frightening person to her, but Ulquiorra was quite easily far more terrifying than him.

She knew, without a doubt, that his threats were by no means idle. She knew that the man would very easily kill her, and that it was very unlikely that he would feel any remorse in doing so; that it was only because of Aizen's orders for her to remain alive that she was still even breathing.

…If you could call her current, spiritual state 'living'.

It only took her roughly twenty minutes to finish up her breakfast, before placing everything back on the tray neatly and turning to the restroom to freshen up a bit. She may be a prisoner, but she was not going to be viewed as pitiful and untidy during her stay.

Spending only a few minutes in the restroom, she spared a quick glance at herself in the mirror to see the disheartened look on her face. Closing her eyes, and taking a deep breath to try and calm her nerves, she reopened them to now see, at least a little, more determined look on her face.

'I need to be strong…for everyone.' She concluded in her mind, then left the room.

Coming to a stop at the door to the bedroom, she took another quick breath before opening it and poking her head out to search for the guard.

"Oh…so I assume you are ready?" a feminine voice called out to her right.

Orihime turned to see a woman wearing a long, open-sleeved shirt that concealed her hands entirely; holding one of the up and over her mouth and only allowing Orihime to see the Arrancar's lavender eyes looking right back at her.

While the woman appeared to be a couple inches shorter than her, she knew that if she tried to fight her to get away, she would very quickly lose. Even though the Arrancar seemed to be one with a calm demeaner, she could literally feel the powerful spiritual pressure she emanated.

"Uh…Um…Hello?" the teen half-greeted.

The Arrancar's eyes went up and down the teens features, as if studying her intently. "You are the human girl, Orihime…correct?" she inquired in a calm voice.

Orihime stepped out into the corridor fully and clasped her hands in front of her as she nodded. "Y…Yes…I am. May I ask…who you are?"

The woman's lower eyelids rose a bit to suggest that might have been smiling at the girl. "I am Cyan Sung-Sun, one of Lady Harribel's fracción; and the one who will be escorting you to meet with Lord Aizen. As long as you do not cause me any problems, I do not see why we cannot get along while you are still with us. Although…I cannot exactly say the same for my companions, who you will likely meet during this meeting with Lord Aizen. So, shall we get going?" she proposed as she held her free arm out towards the corridor.

The teen nodded reluctantly and began walking with Sung-Sun right beside her. "You…You don't act like…like the others I've met do." She admitted.

Sung-Sun rolled her eyes to the girl. "Well, I guess with you being a human it would be safe to assume you don't know all that much about us Arrancars. Although we may all be hollows, you'll find that each of us possesses our own personalities and views on how things are. Among the three of Lady Harribel's fracción, I am the wisest, and by far the most mature. Whereas Apacci tends to be quite impulsive, and has quite a temper. And Mila Rose is a bit more mature than Apacci, but is far too prideful. Those two are always setting each other off for no particular reason." She informed, then turned back front.

"H…Harribel…she's the third Espada…right?" the teen pressed.

The fracción nodded. "Yes, she is; along with being the only female Espada in Lord Aizen's army. She is very wise, and looks after myself and my companions very well. I strongly advise you do not show her any form of disrespect. Not only will you highly upset Apacci and Mila Rose, but you would offend me as well. Now, if you don't mind, I would like to ask you a question."

Orihime turned to her with a curious face. "Yes?"

Sung-Sun rolled her eyes back to her again. "Although you humans tend to be quite weak, I do find some aspects of you intriguing. Tell me, is there any purpose in your lives? From what I have seen, you humans basically do the same thing over and over. When you are young, you go to school to learn; once you are older, you go to work day after day, and perhaps find a mate to begin a family; and once you have grown old, you simply sit and wait to die. So, what purpose is there during this lifespan? What do you hope to gain from this mediocre existence? I simply do not see any benefit that a human life has served in the grand scheme of your world."

Inoue's eyes went wide at her question, almost confusing her as to what the woman was getting at. "W…Well…it's a…a little hard…to explain. I guess…I guess the best way to put it is…just living in general."

The Arrancar rose a brow. "Care to explain a little better?" she pressed.

The teen turned to the front a started scratching her cheek in thought. "Well…I guess if you were to look at it like each life was supposed to mean something for 'everyone', I guess it does look like they don't really serve a purpose. But the truth is…is that it's not just about making things better for the whole world, but rather…I guess making the lives of those close to you better. To just…enjoy the life that you share with your friends and loved ones. I mean…there are some who look to make the world a better place for everyone, and there are some who, in the end, were unable to do much; but the truth is, is that most of them at least found joy in the attempt. I…I know that hollows see us as weak creatures…but not all strength comes from how good you can fight, or how powerful you are. There are a lot of people I know who are easily far stronger inside than a lot of soul reapers and hollows."

Sung-Sun narrowed her eyes a bit in curiosity. "Interesting. So you are saying that the human's strength resides inside them?" she inquired.

Orihime smiled and nodded. "Yes. I…I know it may sound weird to you…but that's how it is."

The side of Sung-Sun's mouth tilted up a bit. "So…if you were to compare the two of us, in terms of this 'inner strength', would you say that you are more powerful than I?" she challenged. The teen ducked her head in, afraid on how to answer the Arrancar's question. "Please…speak truthfully; I can assure you that I will not hold a grudge. I am actually quite interested in the answer." She pressed harder.

Inoue thought harder about it, but finally shook her head. "I…I don't know if I…can answer that."

Sung-Sun rose a brow. "Oh? Might I ask why?"

The teen took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "The…The truth is…I think that…we may be equals." She admitted, causing Sung-Sun's eyes to widen a bit.

"Equals?" she wondered.

Orihime nodded. "From what I've been told over and over, hollows, to include Arrancars, do not possess a heart. That they are essentially cold and ruthless, completely uncaring about anything. But…" She lowered her head and her smile returned. "But then…I met Nel. At first she…she was somewhat cold to us, treated 'us' like monsters. But the longer she stayed there with us, the more I came to see that everything I heard about Arrancars wasn't true; that they have somehow gotten a part of their heart back. She came to care for each of us, and view us as close friends. And I can see it…in her eyes…that she would do anything to protect everyone. If I had to guess…I would say that Nel is far stronger than most of us when it comes to the heart." She admitted.

Sung-Sun turned to the front and nodded. "Lady Nelliel has always, at least for as long as I have known her, placed others above herself; most notably her two fracción, Pesche and Dondochakka. To be honest, I have lost count of the number of times she had come to peacefully settle disputes between Apacci and Mila Rose and somehow make them the best of friends again without ever even so much as raising her voice. Lilynette had actually come to view her as an adopted sister of sorts. She was the one most traumatized after learning about what she did to her fracción." She said in a hiss.

The teen looked at her in confusion. "What do you mean? What…What did she do?"

The Arrancar stopped her walk and glared at the girl. "I'm guess it shouldn't surprise me that she didn't tell you, but the traitor killed her own fracción, then fled to the world of the living."

Orihime's eyes went wide as saucers. "Wha…What?! N…No she didn't!" she asserted, making Sung-Sun raise a brow again.

"Oh? And just what was it she told you?" she questioned more calmly, actually interested in what the former Quinto Espada had told the girl.

The teen turned away a bit. "W…Well…I gu…I guess…in a way…she did kill them…" she stated, then turned back to the woman. "But Aizen 'tricked' her into doing it! She said that she tried to attack Aizen and another Espada, but it turned out to be one of Aizen's illusions, and it was actually her two friends that she killed! Please, I…I may not have known Nel for long, but I know that she is not the kind of person who would do such a thing as simply kill her two best friends for nothing! Just think back on what you just told me, how she was always taking care of you and your companions; does…does that sound like someone who would kill their closest friends in cold blood?!" she demanded.

Sung-Sun narrowed her gaze at her. As much as she didn't want to admit it, the teen had a very valid point. And her explanation basically fitted exactly what Lilynette had told them not to long ago.

Another thing she didn't want to admit, was that even 'she' was beginning to have suspicions about the whole ordeal. Killing two very close friends, basically her 'brothers', was just simply something that the teal-haired woman was not capable of.

"I see. Well…in any case…I strongly advise that you do not, for any reason, bring Lady Nelliel's name up again. There are quite a few people, especially the Espada, who currently despise her to the core. Mentioning her name in front of them would very likely bring about your own death; regardless of what Lord Aizen says. Now, we must move on. I would very much rather 'not' be late to Lord Aizen's summons." She stated, then continued walking with Orihime right behind.

"One last piece of advice, Orihime…" she started, then rolled her eyes to the girl dangerously. "…I recommend you keep as much distance as you can from Lord Nnoitra. He was the one who despised Lady Nelliel the most, and is absolutely loathing to you being here. One wrong step or word, and he will surely kill you." She warned, then turned back front.

Orihime leaned back in fear and nodded. "Al…Alright. Thank you, Sung-Sun."

"Your thanks are not really needed. Whether you choose to believe it or not, I 'do' know how it feels to be trapped where you do not belong. I was once in a similar situation myself, until Lady Harribel saved me and took me as a part of her group. But that was a long time ago. As I am sure you have been told before, simply do as you are instructed, and your life here will be far more pleasant." She advised, earning another nod from the girl.

"Alright." She concluded, and lowered her head as they continued on towards the throne room.

Hueco Mundo Dunes

"What…What the hell are 'you' doing here?!" Timothy demanded, still in complete shock.

One of the three individuals in front of him rose a brow. "Isn't it obvious? We're here to help get Orihime back. Do you really need to ask?" the man asked.

Renji raised a brow as well. "Yeah, we get that; but that still doesn't answer why you are here when the Head Captain specifically stated you were not to come with us, Uryū."

A smirk grew on the Quincy's face before he pushed his glasses further up his nose. "Is that so? I seem to recall Captain Hitsugaya stating that we were not permitted to go 'with' you on your mission. I don't remember him saying that we couldn't go on an entirely different mission; one that just so happens to be in the same area that you are operating in." he corrected.

Rukia tilted her head in annoyance while crossing her arms. "What mission? I don't remember anything about another mission to Hueco Mundo." She questioned.

"That's quite simple Rukia, we were sent here to support you four on your own mission." The teen stated firmly.

Timothy scratched his head in confusion. "What's the freaking difference? I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm far more than glad you guys are here, but…I 'really' don't see any difference."

Uryū sighed heavily and gave him a stern look. "As I said, we were sent here to 'support' your mission. In other words, we are not here to 'actively' rescue Orihime, but rather assist you to ensure that 'you' rescue her."

Renji furrowed his brows at him. "You know as well as I do Uryū that that is 'still' disobeying orders from the Head Captain himself. And I'm sure all three of you know how bad that is." He pointed out.

The teen's smirk only grew worse. "Oh really? If you think back on everything I just said, nothing that we are doing is directly going against your Head Captain's orders. And besides, I am a Quincy, and the soul society does not have any authority over me. Chad here is a human, who, again, the soul society does not have any direct authority over. The only one they could possibly have any say over is Ichigo; and need I remind you that he is only a 'substitute' soul reaper. The only thing that links him to the soul society is his substitute combat pass. The worst they could do to him is take his pass away; and seeing as how they view him as an important asset for the upcoming war, I very highly doubt that would happen."

Rukia then found herself grinning as well as she turned to her friend. "He's got a point, Renji."

Timothy sighed with a shake of the head. "Let me guess…Kisuke set all this shit up?" he inquired, getting a nod from the Quincy.

Ichigo growled in annoyance. "You guys still should have told me he had this crap planned out, you bastard." He said to Uryū.

The black-haired teen rolled his eyes. "Please, of everyone here Ichigo, you are by far the least subtle. If Kisuke had said anything to you, you were very likely to say something at the wrong time and ruin the whole thing. It was bad enough just trying to calm you down long enough so we could find out where Renji and the others went after we arrived." He mocked.

The substitute snapped to him with a raised fist. "What was that, you bastard?!" he hissed.

"…My point exactly." Uryū returned.

Nel tilted her head at them, then looked out to the dunes. "Now that I think about it…just 'how' did you find us? And better yet…how were you able to conceal your spiritual pressures from me? My pesquisa should have picked you up, but all I detected were those two Adjuchas, and what I thought were three more."

Uryū pushed his glasses up again and gave her a not-so-friendly stare. "Kisuke made a slight altercation when he opened up the second garganta. He was able to include a form of seal, similar to the soul reaper's Gentei Reīn, that would conceal our spiritual pressures and make us appear as something else. However, it will wear off soon as it was only strong enough to give us time to catch up with you."

She nodded in understanding. "Then I assume it was you three who killed those two Adjuchas?"

"They didn't even know we were there until we attacked." Chad confirmed.

The woman nodded again before sighing heavily and rubbing her temples. "Well…this is going to be a problem." She warned.

Timothy glanced at her with concern. "Why's that, Nel?" he asked.

She dropped her hand and sighed again. "Because I doubt I can take eight people through my garganta. The most I have ever done is five, including myself. I am almost sure I can take six, maybe seven, but eight is really pushing it. To be honest…I really don't feel safe in even trying to attempt it. I'm afraid the connection will close itself while we are inside." She fretted.

Rukia's eyes widened. "That's right, I remember you saying something about that! So why would Kisuke send more people than Nel could safely bring back?" she wondered with chin in hand.

"Could we do multiple trips?" Chad asked.

Nel nodded. "We could, but it's very risky. Once we have rescued Orihime, if they haven't already, the Espada and most of the fracción will be looking for us. It would take me at least twenty to thirty minutes to bring the first group back and return for the second. But that's not the problem; the problem is 'where' to pick the second group up at."

Timothy groaned in slight anger. "We'll worry about that when the time comes up, or when we've got more time to think on it. For now, we should really get inside those tunnels and start looking around." He advised.

Everyone nodded. "Agreed. And now that you've got the three of us, we can understand the layout more efficiently." Uryū concurred.

The Lieutenant nodded back. "If we split into two, maybe three groups, we might be able to buy even more time to plan Orihime's rescue. Where did you say the entrance was, Nel?" he asked.

The woman pointed to the standalone shed near the ruins. "There is a false floor inside that shed; underneath is the doorway into the tunnels. The pathways are quite narrow, and there are a lot of random turns that will throw off your sense of direction. So it would be best to draw out how far you walk, and which turns you make. Fortunately, this tunnel remains relatively straight with no turns until we get much closer to Las Noches." She cautioned.

Everyone nodded. "Alright then, let's get going." Renji concluded.

The now enlarged group began moving towards the lone shed a few yards from the ruins. As they came to the door, they noticed that it had an ancient lock and chain keeping the door closed; one that looked to be highly resistant.

Ichigo raised a brow in confusion before turning to Nel. "What's up with the lock, Nel?" he inquired.

She shrugged her shoulders at him. "I'm not sure, it's been here for as long as I can remember. But don't worry, there's a way around it." She assured with a smile.

The group watched as the woman stepped over to the hinges, and surprisingly, just…pulled the rods that held to hinges together out. Pulling the top one, then the bottom one, the door came loose and flopped to the side, being held up by the chain.

Everyone deadpanned at her actions. "Uh…that's…not very secure…Nel." Timothy stated.

Nel chuckled at the observation. "Well…I guess whoever built this didn't think that one through. When I first discovered this entrance, I had to use Gamuza's blade to pry them loose so I could get out. Anyway, the entrance is just under this floor panel." She informed while pointing at a section of the floor.

Drawing Gamuza from her sheath, Nel gently slid the tip of the blade in a crevasse between floor panels and tilted it to the side; a large, expertly concealed, piece of the floor pulling up just enough for her to get a handle on.

Returning Gamuza, she then pulled the section of floor up and set it to the side to reveal a worn, and very old-looking door surrounded by darkish-gray colored stonework just as wide as the shed itself.

Renji whistled lowly in surprise. "I never would have expected that. Guess they put a lot more effort in camouflaging the door than worrying about the lock to the shed." He observed.

The woman giggled a bit and nodded. "I thought so as well. Thankfully, this door is so worn out that the lock on it doesn't work anymore."

To emphasize her point, Nel gave to old door a gentle tug. The metal hinges squeaked loudly as she pulled to door up and over to expose the grayish set of stairs that led down into the ground, giving all of them an eerie feeling as they looked into the darkness below.

"Jeesh…talk about creepy. I've got goosebumps from hell just standing here." Timothy commented.

Nel giggled again. "Yes, I felt the same way the first time I went inside. I had to use a partially charged Cero as a light source to find my way around. It's really not that bad once you've gotten used to it." She informed.

Renji sighed with a nod. "Well…let's get going then. Once we get to a good area, well set up a rendezvous point for us to meet back up at to combine information." He said, then started walking down the stairs. He didn't make more than a couple dozen steps before stopping and whistling again. "Damn, you weren't kidding. It's pitch dark down here."

Rukia narrowed her gaze a bit and turned to Nel. "You said you used a 'partially' charged Cero as a light source, right?" she asked, getting a nod from her. "What do you mean?"

Nel held her open palm out facing the ground and began slowly charging her violet-colored Cero. The group watched as it grew to roughly the size of a baseball, then suddenly stopped and kept its current strength.

"I charge my Cero to about half of its needed power for release and keep it like that. Granted, it takes constant concentration to maintain the right amount of power without it failing, or growing enough to fire, but it does give off a decent amount of light; more than enough for us to see inside for several meters." She educated.

Ichigo blinked at the small mass of energy and turned to Rukia. "Hey midget, can you guys do the same with kidō?" he inquired.

The woman glared at him. "Stop calling me that, carrot-top! But that is a good question…" she stated. She then held out a hand and took a deep breath. "Hadō #31, Shakkahō." She chanted as she gathered a miniscule amount of her energy into her hand to charge up the fire-based kidō.

It grew to about the same size as Nel's Cero before evening out and resting in the palm of her hand. She rose a brow in surprise as Timothy nodded with an impressed look on his face.

"Nice. Good call, Ichigo. So what, you just cut off the power when it gets to the right amount and hold it?" Timothy asked.

Rukia nodded with a grin. "Yeah, it should be plenty easy for you, Tim. I'm sure even Ichigo, if he knew how to use kidō, would be able to do it; and if he could, you can." She mocked.

Timothy and Ichigo both growled at her. "The hell did you say?!" they hissed in unison, causing Nel to shake her head in amusement.

"You guys should go ahead and head inside while I close up the door to the shed so we're not followed." Nel advised.

Her 'boyfriend' scoffed at the small soul reaper with a roll of the eyes. "Whatever Rukia. At least I'm not 'as short' as you. I'm surprised you don't need a booster-seat when you sit at the table." He returned, earning a snicker from Ichigo who gave him a high-five.

The woman snarled dangerously. "What was that, you idiot?"

Timothy stopped on the stairs and grinned evilly at her. "Are you disrespecting a 'superior' officer, Kuchiki?" he challenged, only to make her growl louder and Ichigo almost burst out laughing.

"You're one to talk, 'Lieutenant'. You flat out stood up and threatened to kill Captain Hitsugaya." She defended, causing Ichigo to look at him in absolute shock.

"You threatened to kill Toshiro?!" he demanded in horror.

The Lieutenant rolled his eyes to him in a sweat drop. "Long story." He informed, dropping the matter as he returned to Rukia. "Alright alright, sorry. Just poking fun at ya, Rukia. We good?"

The woman sighed with a low growl and shook her head. "Yeah, we're good, dummy. Let's just go and save Orihime." She insisted.

He gestured down towards the stairs. "Well, you've got the light, so lead the way, munchkin."

She rose a brow in confusion. "Huh? What's a munchkin?"

Ichigo glanced at her. "You know, those little guys that kept singing that 'follow the yellow brick road', or whatever."

The woman only stared at the two of them, obviously still very confused.

Timothy and Ichigo both deadpanned. "You've…never seen the 'Wizard of Oz'…have you?" the teen wondered aloud, surprised to see her shaking her head.

"Who's this 'wizard', and where the hell is this 'Oz' place?" she inquired.

Ichigo and Timothy turned to each other flabbergasted. "Talk about a sheltered life. I would have figured that at least 'that' movie would've made it to the soul society." The teen complained.

"Agreed." Timothy concurred.

Rukia growled and started tapping her foot with her free hand held across her chest. "Hello…I said, who is this wizard person?" she demanded.

Timothy shook his head with a sigh of defeat. "Just…don't worry about." He said with a wave of the hand.

She rolled her eyes and groaned as she gave the matter up and started walking down the stairs. "You two are such idiots sometimes." She mumbled.

Ichigo's eyes followed the woman into the depths of the tunnels. "You're one to talk, damn midget." He moaned out, getting a nod from Timothy in agreeance.

Meanwhile, Chad and Uryū stood by the side wall of the shed with sweat dropped expressions on their faces. "You would think…they would be more worried about finding a way through the tunnels than arguing." The large teen commented lowly.

The Quincy sighed and shook his head. "I swear, Tim and Ichigo have 'got' to be related in some way. Both of them have an atrocious temper, and both of them somehow manage to piss Rukia off all the time." He whispered back, Chad nodding back.

"I think that may be a possibility, Uryū." He confirmed, then followed behind Timothy as he went down into the tunnel; followed closely by Nel after securing the shed door.

Once they where all inside they tunnel, they all turned back to see Nel repositioning the false floor and slowly close the door so that the panel would fall back into place once fully closed; sealing them in the darkness of the ancient tunnel.

Las Noches Throne Room, Present

Sung-Sun pushed through the large doors to Aizen's throne room with Orihime right behind. The Arrancar stepped to the side to allow the teen to walk by before closing the door behind them and giving Aizen a respectable bow.

"I have brought the girl as you asked, Lord Aizen." She informed.

Orihime looked to where she was bowing to, to see Aizen himself sitting in a large, stone chair that sat upon a raised platform. The man had a content, almost kind-looking grin on his face as he looked down at the teen.

His grin grew a fraction as he closed his eyes. "Thank you, Sung-Sun. You may return to your master's side." He returned.

Sung-Sun raised herself and spared Orihime a last, and what appeared to be concerned, look before walking to one side of the room. Orihime followed the woman until she was nearly out of sight in the darkness; coming to a stop next to a fairly well-built woman.

One the other side of this woman, stood two more women, who the teen assumed to be Sung-Sun's companions, while the first woman must have been Harribel. She couldn't see the woman clearly, but she knew that the woman must have been giving her a calculating stare.

"Welcome, Orihime." Aizen spoke from his chair, drawing the teen's attention back to him. "Thank you for joining us this morning. I'm sure you have many questions as to why you are here, but do not worry, as all of your questions will be answered very soon. Ulquiorra has informed me that you have been quite obedient, and for that I thank you." He said calmly, then smiled. "He has also told me that you have not shown any fear in knowing that you are currently dead. Do you not fear what would happen to you if you were to remain in your current state for too long?" he questioned.

Orihime gave a quick glance around the room to see who she remembered as Kaname and Ichimaru standing on either side of Aizen, along with at least twenty other individuals standing in the shadows on either side of the room.

She paid a little closer attention to where Sung-Sun had gone for only a moment before returning to Aizen. "W…Well…not really. I know there's nothing I can do about it, because you would do what you wanted regardless. As long as my friends are safe, I am not afraid of what happens to me." She admitted.

The smile on Aizen's face only grew larger in appeasement. "That is a noble quality, Orihime. Truly. There are not that many individuals who would place others above themselves. It is a shame that you had to become a part of this. Personally, I would have preferred not to include someone such as yourself in this; but sadly, the nature of your abilities have left me with no other choice."

"Just what 'is' the nature of her abilities, Lord Aizen?" a female voice spoke out to Orihime's right, the general area where Sung-Sun had gone.

Aizen turned his eyes towards the person who spoke. "Ah yes, thank you for reminding me, Harribel. It seemed to have slipped my mind that none of you are aware of what this girl is capable of." He said, then look to his right. "Grimmjow, would you mind stepping forward for us?"

The blue-haired Espada rose a brow at first, but nodded and stepped into the light for Orihime to see. He came to a stop just in front of the steps that led up to Aizen's platform and stood there.

"You wanted me, Lord Aizen?" he asked in an annoyed tone.

The former Captain's smile fell as he turned back to the right. "Ulquiorra?" he called.

The Sexta rose a brow in confusion and turned to the green-eyed Espada, only for his eyes to go wide when he saw the man charging a Cero at the tip of his finger and pointing it right at him and giving him a cold stare.

"Cero." The Quatro called.

Frozen in shock, Grimmjow was unable to react, where Ulquiorra's green Cero shot straight towards him and passed right through the man's sternum; right where the Quatro's own hollow hole was on his own chest.

Everyone's eyes went wide at the action as Orihime gasped in horror, and watched as the Cero dissipated to reveal a nearly one-foot-wide hole in Grimmjow's chest. The Espada let out a few, barely registerable grunts of pain before he fell to his knees, then fell face down on the floor; dead.

"Oooh…That wasn't very nice, Captain Aizen. Poor, poor Grimmjow. And he owed me money from our last bet, too." Gin teased.

Orihime had her hands over her mouth and tears in her eyes at witnessing the horrible act; so shocked at what she just saw that she didn't even register a somewhat tall man step out to her right and look at Aizen.

"Forgive me for being blunt Lord Aizen, but just what was the reason for that?" the man spoke, now drawing Orihime's attention to see it was, who she remembered as, Stark.

Aizen's grin returned as he looked at him. "Do not worry, Stark. Everything will be understood in just a moment. Now…" he paused to look back to the teen. "…Orihime, if you would please be so kind, would you mind healing Grimmjow for me?" he instructed.

A few audible gasps could be heard as the entire room's attention fell to the orange-haired girl. "You have got to be fucking kidding me! That girl!? Heal Grimmjow?! He's fucking dead!" a man yelled from Orihime's right as he stepped forward.

Orihime looked to see it was the same, very tall and skinny Espada who had threatened her when she first arrived; Nnoitra if she recalled.

Aizen turned his eyes to the man. "I ask that you be patient and watch, Nnoitra. Now please, continue, Orihime." He pressed.

Nnoitra scoffed heavily as he glared at the teen. "Alright, fine then. Go on. Go ahead and 'try' to heal someone who's 'dead', girl." He sneered.

Orihime's head dropped in sorrow and fear, but she nodded and began walking towards the fallen Espada. All heads and eyes were glued to the teen as she passed them, and Nnoitra was trying his best not to simply swat the pathetic girl into the far wall as she walked by him.

Many thoughts were going through the girl's mind as she walked through the room. The most notable one was whether or not her powers would even work; considering that she was now dead and all.

She still had her hairpins on the sides of her head, and she could still feel the presence of the six spirits that encompassed her powers, but she had never once tried to use them in her current state.

The teen finally came to a stop next to Grimmjow's body, and knelt down to rolled his body over. She flinched when she saw the look of horror and fear, as well as pure anger etched into the man's dead eyes.

Taking a deep breath, she held her palms out to the man's side. "Sōten Kisshun." She chanted.

To her relief, and the surprise of others, two pieces of her left hairpin broke away in a trail of light before joining together over Grimmjow's body and pulling apart again to erect a yellow hued barrier that encased his entire body.

"I reject." She finished.

Everyone watched intently, with some of the onlookers even stepping into the light for a closer look, and the room filled with gasps as they saw the large wound on Grimmjow's chest begin to close up on itself.

Even Ulquiorra was watching with interest as he began to figure out the woman's powers. "Interesting…It does not feel like her powers are healing him, but rather 'erasing' them. Is this temporal, or perhaps spatial regression?" he wondered aloud.

Aizen's smile grew as he turned to the Quatro. "Those are interesting theories, Ulquiorra. However, both of them are false." He informed, gaining his attention before turning back to the teen. "Nor is it regression. In truth, it rejects anything that has happened to an object. Regardless of what has changed to the object or person, her powers allow her to reject that change after it has occurred. And unlike temporal and spatial regression, that can only affect objects that reside within their confines, Orihime's power knows no bounds. It has the power to reject anything and everything. You could even say that these powers surpass the limitations set forth by the Gods." He corrected.

Ulquiorra nodded once and returned to see that the hole his Cero had created was nearly closed off. It was only a moment later when the wound closed itself entirely and left Grimmjow's chest completely untouched.

Grimmjow blinked only once before bolting up to a sitting position; clutching his chest where Ulquiorra had struck him and breathing hysterically. The whole room, minus Orihime and Aizen, was in complete shock over what just happened.

Without any doubt, Ulquiorra's attack had 'killed' the Sexta Espada. But now here he was, living and breathing with not so much as a single scratch or mark. Even with Aizen's explanation behind Orihime's powers, they simply couldn't believe what they were seeing.

"What the…fuck?!" Grimmjow mumbled out loud, then turned to Orihime. "What the hell did you just do?! 'How' the hell did you do it?!" he demanded.

Aizen rested his head to the side on his fist with a grin. "As you have all just seen, Orihime's powers have allowed her to reject any and all effects that Ulquiorra's Cero had upon your body, Grimmjow. Thank you for your assistance, Ulquiorra. And you, Grimmjow, consider this as a warning for your fraccións' failures. Because of their inadequacy, all five of them have fallen, and nearly caused Ulquiorra's mission to be discovered. You should consider yourself very fortunate, Grimmjow; for you are still breathing, while they are not. But that will not be the case, should you fail me again. Am I understood?" he warned, now looking right into the Sexta's eyes.

The Espada twisted around in his seat and glared at the former Captain in hatred. But this only caused Aizen to narrow his gaze at the man and press his spiritual pressure on him, instantly forcing the Espada to the ground.

"I'm afraid I didn't hear you, Grimmjow. Would you mind speaking louder?" Aizen pressed harder.

Orihime, even though it wasn't directed at her, could feel the immense pressure the man was forcing out. Her breath froze in her lungs as she tried to not let the residual pressure force herself down as well.

Grimmjow on the other hand, felt like he had a twenty-story building sitting on top of him, crushing him. While Orihime was struggling to let air out of her lungs, Grimmjow was finding it impossible to just get air 'in'.

Using every bit of strength he could muster, he managed to look back up at the man in his pretty little chair and utter only one word.

"Y…Yes." He answered.

The pressure on him instantly drew itself back the moment he did, and the only thing he could do at that moment was gasp for the air his lungs desperately craved. Orihime was only in a slightly better shape than him as she looked down at him.

The teen couldn't help but feel at least a little bit sorry for the blue-haired Espada. She had originally thought that all of the Espada willingly followed Aizen; but after seeing the sheer amount of hate for the former Captain in the Espada's eyes, she knew that that was not the case for Grimmjow.

"Good. That will be all for today, Espada and fracción. You are all dismissed and may do as you please. Orihime, I would like to ask that you remain behind. There are a few more things that you and I have to discuss." Aizen stated.

All of the Arrancar's, excluding Grimmjow, nodded firmly, and began making their ways towards the door to leave. Grimmjow spared Aizen one last hateful glare at Aizen, snarling under his breath, before turning away and picking himself up to follow the others.

He only made it two steps before stopping and glancing down at Orihime with curiosity. Even though the woman was ordered to do so just to make an example of her powers, she had still saved him from 'permanent' death.

"Hey…you…" he called in a low voice, getting her attention.

"Y…Yes?" she answered.

Grimmjow stared at her for a moment, then shut his eyes and scoffed as he turned away from her. "…Thanks." He mumbled, then continued to leave.

Orihime shrunk her head into her shoulders and nodded. "You…You're welcome." She mumbled back.

Aizen watched as the last of the Espada and their fracción left, closing the large doors behind them and leaving Orihime alone with the three former Captains. Looking down at her, he saw that the teen was still on her knees where she was before.

"Please, step forward, Orihime. We have…much to discuss." He informed with a grin.

Underground Tunnels, Late Afternoon, 2nd Day

The group of three soul reapers, one substitute, one Arrancar, a Quincy, and a human, strode forward through the narrow tunnels at an even jog; Nel leading the way with her half-charged Cero for light, and Renji taking up the rear.

They had been walking through the near pitch-dark passageway for nearly four hours, and had not seen a single door or corridor beside the one that they were in. As expected, both Timothy's, and Ichigo's tempers were beginning to flair, thinking that they might not have been getting anywhere.

"Damnit. How much farther?" the teen grumbled.

Timothy looked over his shoulder to him, seeing that he was in front of the substitute. "Just cool it, Ichigo. I'm as annoyed as you are, but you don't see me losing it." He growled.

Rukia, who was in front of Timothy, nodded vigorously. "Yeah, the last thing we need is for the two of you to start getting into a verbal free-for-all. But Ichigo does have a point; how much farther 'is' it, Nel?" she asked with a raised brow.

Nel shook her head. "Not much father, maybe another kilometer. The path splits into two, then they both go on for another few hundred meters until they split again, but into three…if I remember correctly." She answered.

The shorter woman nodded and turned back towards Ichigo and Timothy. "See guys, just keep your tempers in check for a little while longer." She mocked.

Timothy gave her a skeptical look. "You're one to talk. I distinctly remember a few times where 'you' were the one to lose your temper." He pointed.

Ichigo grinned at the man's remark. "Yeah midget. Don't go having a fit about us losing our cool when you do the same thing, if not more than me." He taunted.

The woman clenched her teeth and held a fist to her chest in fury. "You better shut your mouth, you fools!" she warned.

Timothy gave a toothy grin. "Careful Rukia, we mustn't lose our tempers now, should we?" he mocked further, hearing Ichigo snicker behind him.

"Yeah, we gotta keep our tempers 'in check', don't we?" he added; Timothy snickering right back, with Renji joining in as well in the back.

Uryū, who was behind Ichigo, knew what was coming up, and begin to slow up to get some distance, as he had no intention of being part of beating that the two fools were about to receive.

And he did so just in time, too. The short woman instantly stopped and turned around as she threw her fist right into Timothy's chest; the action somehow causing him to stop and be sent back the other way, right into a still walking Ichigo and putting them both on the ground.

Rukia smiled triumphantly as she crossed her arms and glared at the downed duo. "Oh, I'm so~ sorry. I must have stumbled a bit. My bad guys." She mocked as Nel came up to peer over her shoulder.

"Rukia…was that…really necessary?" she asked in worry.

The raven-haired woman looked up at her with an 'innocent' face. "What? It was an accident. It's so dark in here that I can't really see where I'm going." He defended.

Nel sighed heavily and let the matter drop. "We should keep moving." She insisted.

Ichigo finally managed to push Timothy off of him a snarled at Rukia. "I'm gonna get you for that, you damned midget!" he said as he rubbed his chin.

Timothy rolled himself over and sat up while rubbing the back of his head. "Damn Ichigo, just what the fuck is your head made out of? Steel? I swear you just gave me a freaking concussion." He moaned, then turned to Rukia as well. "And you, you are so fucking dead when we get back home, you ugly ass dwarf!"

Rukia held her fist up again, her face red in fury. "What the hell did you just call me?!" he yelled.

Uryū stepped up as he wiped dust off his glasses. "Can you three stop your bickering, at least until 'after' we've rescued Orihime? I really don't care what you do afterward, but I'd prefer 'not' having to babysit all three of you while we're doing it." He pleaded, returning his glasses.

All three twisted around to him. "Shut up, Uryū!" they yelled back in unison.

Renji squeezed around Chad in the narrow corridor to stop next to Uryū and cross his arms. "Uryū's right, guys. We ain't got the time for all this arguing and fighting. So just drop it, will ya?" he added.

Timothy growled lowly before pushing himself up and offering a hand to Ichigo. "Yeah yeah, we got it." He returned as he pulled Ichigo to his feet.

But the Lieutenant instantly froze and quickly stared down the corridor very intently. Everyone was a bit surprised and worried with how serious the man just became, and joined him looking down the tunnel to try and figure out what he was looking at.

But none of them saw anything and returned to him to see him still staring into the darkness. Nel pushed around Rukia and rested a hand on his shoulder, not even getting a flinch from the man.

"Tim? What is…" she started, but was silenced by Timothy's hand over her mouth.

"Quiet." He whispered dangerously, before lowering his hand and continuing to stare with a narrowed gaze. "Kit…your hearing is far better than mine…did you hear anything?" he asked the spirit inwardly.

"I'm not sure…at least I 'thought' I heard something. It sounded like something soft fell on the floor, or…" she replied just as seriously.

Timothy barely nodded before turning to the group. "Guys…I think it's possible that we might not be alone down here." He whispered, causing everyone to instantly become serious.

"Did you hear something?" Uryū asked calmly.

The Lieutenant turned back down the hallway and hummed in thought. "I can't say for certain, but Kit thinks she might have heard it too. It could just be my mind playing a trick on me, but I'd rather not take that chance. We should all keep a close eye and ear out for anything out of the ordinary." He advised.

Renji nodded. "Agreed. If there 'is' someone down here with us, we'll need to be ready in case that person tries something. For now, let's get moving again. Lead the way, Nel." He instructed, now looking at her.

She nodded back and continued leading the group down the corridor, now at a much slowly pace; keeping her partially charged Cero pointed in front of her for quick use if they were attacked.

It took almost an hour before they could finally make out what appeared to be a split in the path, and it the longest, and quietest hour any of them have ever had before. Not a single word was said the entire time as they all kept their ears open for any indication that someone else was in the tunnels with them.

And now that they had finally reached the split in the path, Timothy was starting to think that maybe his mind really was just playing tricks on him. He might have even tossed the idea out of his head, had it not been for the fact that Kitsune said she might have heard it as well. She might reside within his soul, but her mind is entirely her own, to include her own hearing.

The pathway widened out only a bit as the trail split apart at a near ninety-degree angle to the left and right. The group came to a stop and listened intently for a few minutes in complete silence. Once they were sure that nothing was around, they all turned to face each other.

"Alright. I guess this is where we split up for now. What time is it, Uryū?" Renji asked.

The Quincy looked down at his wrist watch for a second, then dropped his arm. "Three-fourteen in the afternoon. Why?" she returned.

Renji turned to look down one of the paths. "It would probably be best if we did this in six-hour intervals. For now, at least until we find a better place, this spot will be our rendezvous point. We'll meet back up here every six hours to check in with each others and get a bit of rest before heading out again." He instructed, then turned back to the group. "We'll keep up with the original pairs; Rukia and myself, then Tim and Nel."

The three mentioned nodded in understanding, where he glanced to Ichigo and his friends. "Ichigo, since you're more familiar with Tim and Nel than Uryū and Chad are, you should probably go with them. Uryū and Chad, you two can come with us." He furthered, getting nods from the three teens. "For now, it's best we avoid splitting off even more than we're about to. Even though it's possible that Tim might not have heard anything, I don't think we should take the risk just yet; at least until we've got a better understanding of these tunnels. And don't forget, if you happen to find an exit into Las Noches, don't leave the tunnels just yet. Mark it off, and we'll get back to it later. Agreed?"

Everyone nodded firmly. "If we do run into someone down here with us, do not chase after them. They will very likely have a much better understanding of the tunnel layouts and will try to separate us to fight us off one at a time. Instead, try to lead them to the others so we can handle it quickly." Nel cautioned.

"Agreed. The last thing we need is to get lost ourselves. If only we had a way to communicate with each other." Rukia added.

Ichigo tilted his head in confusion before looking at Uryū. "Hey, don't you guys have your phones with ya?" he inquired.

The Quincy sweat dropped at his question. "You can't be serious, Ichigo. Do you seriously expect our cell phones to work in Hueco Mundo? I mean really, just how stupid can you possibly present yourself to be?" he questioned, causing the rest to deadpan at the orange-haired teen.

"You know…I'm staring to wonder that myself…" Timothy mumbled in disbelief.

Ichigo growled in annoyance. "Alright! I forgot! You don't have to bite my head off, you bastards! Geeze!" he defended weakly.

Nel moaned in agitation. "Please, everyone, stop fighting. We obviously have far more important things to worry about than petty arguments." She stated in a slightly elevated tone, surprising Timothy a bit.

"Alright, sorry. Anyway, Chad, mind if I borrow your phone? I don't think the three of us have a watch or anything." Ichigo inquired.

The large teen nodded and withdrew his cellphone from his pocket to hand it over to his friend. "I didn't charge it before we left, so I think you should keep it off and only turn it on to check the time." He warned in his deep voice.

Ichigo accepted it and checked to see that the battery was indeed quite low, so he turned the device off and slipped it into his shihakusho.

"Thanks Chad. Good luck, guys." He offered.

The other group all nodded. "Try not to let things get too out of hand and let all of Las Noches know we're here." Uryū teased with a grin.

The substitute glared at him. "Shut up, you!" he returned.

Nel hand finally had enough, walking over to the teen and giving the back of his head a light slap. "I asked for you all to stop fighting, so please do so." She said in a mildly dangerous tone.

Ichigo turned to her with a pouty look on his face. "What the hell, Nel! What was that for?!" he demanded.

She only narrowed her eyes at him, and it proved to be enough for him to quickly turn around and stop talking. This actually surprised everyone, as there were very few people who were able to make Ichigo Kurosaki shut his mouth just from a simple glare.

Timothy sweated a bit as he turned to the woman. "Remind me to never piss you off, Nel." He commented.

Nel managed to giggle a bit at that. "Don't worry Tim, I wouldn't do anything to you." She reassured, causing him to smile back in relief.

"Alright lovebirds, time to get going." Rukia teased with a grin.

Timothy and Nel blushed a bit with him glaring at her. "Don't start, Rukia. Afterall, I could just kill you here and now and say you fell in battle. And the best part, is that it wouldn't be a total lie." He half-threatened.

She simply shrugged her shoulders. "You 'could' do that…" she started as she turned towards the path her group was to take. "…but then you would have to worry about my brother, Byakuya." She warned, causing Ichigo's face to pale at remembering the Squad 6 Captain's nightmarish zanpakutō, Senbonzakura. "I have no doubt that he would make it his personal mission to find, and kill you for failing to bring me back alive." She threw back, flashing a malicious grin.

The man tilted his head. "Who's Byakuya?" he inquired.

Ichigo gave him a morbid expression. "Someone who you do 'not' want to piss off…Trust me. So please…for your sake…don't do it." He pleaded, with Renji shaking his head furiously in agreeance.

Timothy began to sweat. He knew that if Ichigo, who was strong enough as it was, and Renji, who was a Lieutenant, were both saying not to make this Byakuya guy mad, then it was in his best interest to not do so. And if Rukia was the guy's sister, then he knew that he had better ensure that she made it back alive; not like he wouldn't do that in the first place.

"Uh…okay? I'll uh…take your word for it." He concluded.

Rukia nodded and turned away. "Good choice. So…shall we get going, Renji?" she pressed, giving him the same evil look.

The Lieutenant nodded quickly. "Yeah, sure thing, Ruks! Let's go!" he answered in fear.

The evident fear in the man's face and voice only served to make Timothy sweat more, and he had to swallow the lump in his throat before turning to his own route; looking at Rukia over his shoulder.

"Why do I have the sudden feeling that my life is in her hands?" he mumbled.

"I'm starting to wonder the same thing, Tim. I think it would be very wise to make sure nothing happens to Rukia…" Kitsune advised.

"Agreed." He returned with a nod, then glanced at Nel and Ichigo. "Well, let's get going, I guess."

The two nodded, where Nel looked to Renji. "We'll meet back here in six hours. And be sure to keep alert in case someone is down here."

Renji nodded back. "Got it. See ya." He said with a wave, then led his group onward.

"Later." Timothy returned, waving back.

The two groups proceeded down their respective tunnels, slowly disappearing into the darkness. Once they were no longer in sight, a shadowy figure stepped forward from its hiding spot in the small indent in the wall.

The figure started down each of the tunnels and grinned. "Well well…it looks like some fools decided to come running around in our home." The figure commented in a very quiet voice.

From the same indent, another, similar-sized figure stepped out next to its companion and nodded. "It does. Although, this is going to be very difficult, seeing how there's seven of them. It makes it even harder now that they are aware that they're not the only ones here; no thanks to you. Even if they are split up like they are, your impatience nearly got us found out." The second figure pointed.

The first one scoffed. "Shut up. How was I supposed to know one of em had damn near perfect hearing? Besides, it doesn't matter. All we have to do is exactly what they said not to do; get them split up even further and lost, then pick em off one-by-one. Too easy. These are 'our' tunnels, not theirs. They shouldn't have come down here." It said in a cackle.

The second turned to the first. "And what about that green-haired one? You know she's been down here before, and we both know who she is…or at least who she was." It cautioned.

"That don't matter either. The only reason we didn't touch her before is because she was working for that Aizen bastard, knowing that he'd come down here and skin us if we were to touch her. But now that she's on his hitlist, that's not the case anymore. She's fair game now. So stop your damn worrying." The first one hissed out.

The second figure stared at the first for a moment, then towards the path Nel's group had taken. "I guess you've got a point. So, should we work on her first?"

"No, as many times as she's been down here before, she likely knows at least some of the passages down here. We'll save her for last and go after the group of four first." The first one instructed.

The second nodded. "I wonder what they're here for. The way they were talking, it sounds like they have business against Las Noches. You think we should wait a bit and see what they're up to?"

The first one scoffed again. "Who cares? Except for the green-haired bitch, all of them are soul reapers. Or do I have to remind you that soul reapers are our enemies?"

"No, you don't. I guess you're right, it doesn't matter. But can we hold off at least until we have a better understanding of what they're capable of?"

The first one growled in annoyance. "Fine. Going by what they said, it sounds like they'll be here for a short while, so I guess we can spare a small amount of time to figure them out. You head off and follow the larger group, and I'll keep an eye on the green-haired bitch and her buddies. I guess they're gonna come back here every now and then to check in and rest up. Meet back up in the lair when they do, so we can come up with a plan to pick em off." It instructed.

The second one nodded. "Alright." It responded, then slinked away into the darkness.

The first figure glared down the path Nel' group took and grinned maliciously. "You ain't getting away this time, bitch. It's about time you learned who's home you've invaded." It stated, then, like it's companion, faded into the darkness.

With Timothy's Group, 20 Minutes Later

"Four hundred sixty-one steps, and we've got a path to the right." Timothy mumbled under his breath as he began drawing a line on a small notepad that acted as their makeshift map.

Ichigo turned to him with a raised brow. "Should we take it?" he inquired.

Timothy hummed in thought for a moment, but shook his head. "Nah, I think we should keep heading straight for now and reduce our chances of getting lost. Let's just figure out where all the breakoffs are from this one path first."

The teen nodded and the trio continued their brisk walk down the corridor. They walked for about a hundred yards before Ichigo glanced at Timothy.

"Hey, mind if I ask ya something?" he opened.

Timothy turned to him with a grin. "Sure, but it's gonna cost ya. Just so you know, I only accept cash payments." He teased.

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "Tsk, whatever. Anyway, I remember you saying back at Kisuke's that Kit…well…" he chocked, scratching his cheek in hesitance.

The Lieutenant's grin fell into a slight frown. "I'm guessing you're gonna ask about her being my former wife?" he pressed.

The teen turned away a bit in embarrassment, but nodded. "Y…Yeah. And uh…I'm sorry that…you know…that happened and all." He offered meekly.

Timothy sighed and nodded back. "Don't worry about it, bro. You didn't have anything to do with it, and it's settled matter by now. So you don't have to worry about hurting my feelings, or hers for that matter. So, what's your question exactly?"

Ichigo moaned a bit, still hesitant to ask, but sighed and turned back to him. "Well…I guess the question is more for her than for you; but…I'm kinda curious about what it's like…well…being turned into a zanpakutō." He finally asked, but quickly held up his hands as he started to sweat. "I mean…that is…if she doesn't mind." He swiftly added.

The man nodded in understanding. "Well…if it wasn't for where we are at the moment, I'd let her come out and you could ask her yourself. But, seeing that we 'are' where we are, and the fact that she can hear you, as long as she's up for it, I reiterate everything she says. So, it's up to you, Kit." He offered.

The spirit chuckled a bit in his mind at seeing Ichigo trip over his words. "Nope, I don't mind at all. Let's see~…" she started, thinking on how to best answer the teen's question. "Hmmm…I guess the best way to put it is…filling. It sorta feels like my soul was…empty, so to say, before it happened. But now that I am what I am, with my powers and all, that I'm finally…complete? Whole? To be honest, it's hard for even me to explain. I know that sounds a bit farfetched, but it's honestly the best way I can describe it. Sorry." She answered as she rubbed the back of her head.

"That feeling…of fullness…is the result…of your induction…into Tim's…inner world…A more…accurate…explanation…would be a feeling…of empowerment…of your soul…A feeling…of serenity…of awakening." 'Johnny' corrected.

"Yeah, I guess you could put it that way. Thanks 'Johnny'." She affirmed.

Timothy turned to Ichigo and repeated his zanpakutōs' words, where the teen nodded in understanding. "I got ya…I guess."

Nel glanced over her shoulder with a saddened expression. "There is something I've been wondering as well, if she doesn't mind."

"Nope, go ahead." Kitsune answered, Timothy relaying her words again.

The Arrancar's face fell a bit more. "If a way to reverse her condition was ever found, would…would she ever take the chance? Become a human again?" she asked in a quiet voice.

Timothy's face fell as well while Ichigo looked at him, curious in the answer as well. The Lieutenant became a bit worried when the spirit didn't answer at first, his head quiet as a mouse.

Finally, the spirit sighed and shook her head. "Honestly…it would be tempting, but in the end…I've come to accept my new life here. When I ignore the limitations of being able to move around freely, I actually like being like this. I feel…I guess you could say that my life has more purpose behind it. You rely on me, and I rely on you. You rely on the use of my powers, while I rely on your ability to use those powers to their full effect. You and I have become a team, and through our teamwork, we're able to save innocent lives from hollows. So I guess…if the chance was offered for me to become a human again…I would very likely say no to it. I am happy and content being like this." She admitted with a teary smile.

Her partner sighed heavily and nodded. "Yeah…I guess you're right." He commented under his breath. He glanced back to Nel and shook his head with a similar smile that Kitsune had. "No, she wouldn't. Sparing you from her longwinded explanation, she's happy with what we've got now. Her and I, along with 'Johnny', are all a team. I guess you could say that she's happy that she can make use of her new life in helping to save others. And just in case you're about to ask, I would have to say I'm in the same boat as her. Sure, it saddens me that it had to happen to her, but we're both happy with the end result." He answered.

Nel could feel tears starting to form in her eyes, but managed to shake them off and smile back. "Well…as sad as what happened to her is, I'm glad that she had found at least some happiness." She concluded.

Timothy chuckled. "You mean besides the constant torture she puts us through?" he teased.

Her face fell into a morbid expression. "Yes, besides that. I honestly don't know how much more of her and Yoruichi's teasing I can take, Tim." she whined.

Kitsune threw a hand into the air. "Oh come on! I am 'not' that bad, for God's sakes!" she defended.

'Johnny', who was sitting on the ground below her, while she sat on the roof of the large cathedral, glared at her. "I must…strongly…disagree with…that statement."

She glared right back. "Oh, shut up! I admit that I 'may' get carried away from time to time, but if you were to compare me to Yoruichi, I 'really' am not that bad!" she countered with crossed arms.

Timothy's face fell even more. "As much as I want to disagree with her 'Johnny'…she kinda has a point there."

The male spirit dropped his head in defeat. "I am afraid…that I must…agree." He relented.

"Something wrong, Tim?" Ichigo asked.

The man shook his head. "Not really…just came to a horrible realization." He whined.

The teen shrugged it off. "Alright. But now that I think about it, did you ever learn the name of your other zanpakutō?" he inquired.

Timothy closed his eyes and sighed again. "No, I didn't. I don't mean to sound rude, but I really don't want to discuss that matter, Ichigo." He pleaded.

Ichigo nodded in understanding. "Yeah, no worries. I understand ya. Hey Nel, how far have we gone since that last turnoff?" he asked the woman.

"Two hundred and thirty-three steps so far." She responded, still with a sad voice.

Timothy stepped up and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, you don't need to worry, Nel. Me and Kit have both accepted our new lives, and have both pretty much agreed that we prefer these new lives to our old ones. So please, don't worry so much about how we feel about all this. Me and Kit are 'both' happy as we are." He comforted.

The woman finally managed a small smile before nodding. "I know, it still saddens me though. I just wish that you two could have at least lived out your lives together. But I guess we should be happy that you both are still here. Sorry to worry you, Tim."

He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "It's fine, Nel. Just do me and Kit both a favor and cheer up. Alright?" he asked calmly.

She rested a hand on top of his and nodded. "I'll try, promise." She returned, giving his hand a squeeze back.

They both released and let their hands fall to their sides with smiles on their faces, continuing on through the tunnel; not one of them aware of the single, dark figure that was following not far behind in the darkness.


Well, Timothy and the others are well on their way to rescuing Orihime, but a little warning for my readers that things will slow down just a bit in the next few chapters for a bit of character and 'side plot' development.

It also appears that yet another of the fracción are starting to question Aizen's reason for Nel's 'banishment', and that may, or may not have an effect in the team's rescue mission. Hint hint.

Now, as for the Author's Note warning at the top; I am hereby reaching out for the first time and giving you fellas, the readers, a chance to be involved in the story. How so? Well, as you have just read, the rescue team seems to have a couple, possibly more, stalkers in the tunnels with them. I do have a couple of OCs to take the part, but I thought I'd let you guys have a shot at it.

So, for the next couple of weeks or so, if any of you have a good idea for OCs, toss me a PM with the OC's personality, possible skills, zanpakutō name and ability, just basic information. Please keep in mind when you submit, that these OCs need to be around the level of a standard Arrancar, maybe fracción level at the most. SO their abilities cannot be 'God-like' or without some form of weakness.

Really looking forward to what you all come up with, and once again, Merry Christmas my friends!