She stared at the wall, the inner revulsion of herself raging through her mind.

How could she--No--it was his fault. Yes...he was to blame for making her feel this way. Bastard...Rukia ground her teeth angrily, imagining a very satisfying picture of the green-eyed Espada lying in bleeding torment beneath Ichigo's--no. That wasn't enough. Ulquiorra Schiffer frozen in Sode no Shirayuki's white moon. Her eyes closed to the four padded cell walls and her own unkempt appearance; savoring the fantasy she had conjured up. She pulled her legs up to her body, falling onto her side, hugging her knees to her chest.

The ache was less severe now; but Rukia didn't think she could ever forget the way her first time was taken.

~*~

The woman had struggled less. He mused upon this, contemplating quite specifically the reasons for the sudden ceasing of thrashing. Oh, she had screamed. Shrieked incomprehensible words in his ear as he penetrated her. Ulquiorra had felt no inducement despite this cacophony ringing in his audible range to strike her. And when her screams had subsided into hoarse sobs, her body rocking from each thrust, he had ghosted his fingertips through the crown of her head, trailing his palm against her cheek.

It was almost tender--he rejected this thought. He had no tenderness nor softness in his being. He was merely following orders and if his Lord so commanded it, would not hesitate to kill the woman.

~*~

"I am curious about one thing, Sosuke."

The deep burgundy wine swirled contentedly within the confines of the fluted glass. "And what is that, Gin?"

"Why...you would go along with my little plan for Rukia-chan." Gin said easily, his back to the console monitor, images of various parts of Las Noches panning around.

"Ah, that." There was no surprise evident in the man's tone, only a slight dismissive gesture accompanied by a smug smile, coffee brown eyes pausing to take an interest in the slight form of the Cuatro Espada entering his palace. "Well..." Aizen drank deeply of the fine wine, his satiation only complete beholding the partial slip of Gin's ever-present smile. He did not know. Couldn't even begin to guess the conclusion of this fun little game.

"Just an experiment, Gin..." Aizen leaned back, the tip of his finger tracing the rim of the glass, a faint, hollow whine issuing forth. "An experiment of the heart. Nothing more."

~*~

"Rukia..." Orihime sunk to her knees, the white dress pooled about her legs. In her mind the words of the stoic Espada ran around in dizzying circles until she wanted to scream for Rukia's forgiveness.

He had told her what he had done. Everything, had she not buried her head into the pillows, hands clasped desperately over her ears.

It had been her fault, he had said. She was stupid to not have seen this coming.

Orihime had bit her fist to keep from wailing, breaking down then and there. Had he only come to rub it in her face...she wondered now. This violation of one of her dearest friends?

He had said he was going back.

Back to Rukia.

Sitting beneath the window, bathed in the moonlight of a dead world; Orihime sobbed long and hard for the innocence of the halcyon days long past.

~Soul Society~

I'm sorry, Renji's look said. The redhead had quietly sealed the door to the quarters they had been allotted, enchanting it with spell after spell to ensure that they could not escape, while Byakuya had looked on for a time, expressionless.

It was as if he didn't care that she had been left behind.

Ichigo clenched his fists, the unfamiliar chain of ensorcelled handcuffs restraining his spirit pressure. No precaution was too great for Soul Society to take in ensuring one of their fighters, no matter how some might dislike his presence, unwittingly he caught Byakuya's eye. The Noble spun on his heel, haughtily striding away, leaving Renji to scramble after him.

Not to risk his life again.

The thought embittered his mouth.

They would sacrifice one of their own for the greater good.

And that was something he could never forgive them for.

For Orihime and especially never Rukia.

~To be continued~

AN: the development is a little slow, but with this one, it's intentional. Thanks for reading :)

No flames-haters-stupid comments!

Reviews appreciated :)