Orihime sat on the couch for a long time, hoping that Ulquiorra wouldn't be back during her meal later that night. She began thinking about her decision once more and wondered how much time Aizen would give her. She thought about asking Ulquiorra, but after their exchange that day, she was too embarrassed to even look at him. Her thoughts drifted again to everyone she left behind in the real world. I wonder what everyone is doing. I wonder what they think of me…that I'm a traitor, of course. She missed Ichigo very much. She thought back to the night she had said goodbye to him. Maybe I should have kissed him…If he knew why I came here, would he forgive me? If I accept help from Aizen…would he forgive me? Depressed, she lay down on the sofa and didn't wake up until she heard a knock on her door.

That day, Ulquiorra came once again to her third meal. When he announced himself, Orihime was surprised. I didn't expect him to come again so soon.

She decided that it was absolutely necessary that she know how much time she would be given to make her decision. But what if Ulquiorra refuses to tell me? She sighed. She did not want to see him today, but she needed to know.

When he walked in, he saw Orihime seated on her pale blue couch, fiddling with her hands and looking at the floor. Her long, orange hair covered her face just enough so that he could barely see her profile. The servant came in several seconds later. Throughout her meal, Orihime was thinking of ways to phrase her question. "Ulquiorra-kun…may I ask you a question?" No…"I was wondering if I could please ask you a question…" No…maybe I should just ask right away, instead of asking to ask a question.

As soon as she had finished her food, Ulquiorra turned to leave.

"Wait!" Orihime yelped. Maybe that was too loud.

Ulquiorra stopped and turned his head so that she could see his profile. "What is it?" he asked.

"Well, I was wondering…that is, I wanted to ask you…if you knew exactly how much time Aizen-sama is giving me to make my decision."

"You need not worry about that. He will relay the time frame to me when he sees fit, and I will instruct you of your deadline at the appropriate time."

"Do you have any idea when that might be?"

"As I stated, you need not preoccupy yourself with time frames. Aizen-sama is aware of your circumstances. He will choose appropriately. "

"I see," she said, disappointedly. "Thank you."

Ulquiorra turned his head to face the door as he left her with a statement: "Your decision is not a difficult one. If it is your wish to strengthen your abilities on your own, it will take you several hundred years before you can cultivate it to resemble anything even remotely close to what Aizen-sama can do for your powers. Your hesitation is unwarranted, but this is no surprise considering you are human." Without waiting for a response, he exited and locked the door.

Once outside, he walked along the hallway and thought, I didn't expect her to communicate with me so soon after previous events. Nevertheless, Aizen's offer has worried her. She is obviously lying about wanting to develop her abilities on her own. She does not trust Aizen, and is merely giving the appearance of having crossed sides. She hesitates to agree probably because she believes that any transformation on her part will mean that she is truly a traitor. Nevertheless, by extending his hand, Aizen has allowed her to be exposed to the idea that she can be considered a comrade amongst the hollows. I have no doubt that she has the potential to become just as powerful as at least an Espada of rank 7. Aizen's next step will be to tempt her with this fact. He will surely coax her into approving, but it must be done by her own free will, else the transformation may not be as effective, and her powers may not reach their full potential. It will be another month before he calls on her again, but she does not know this. This will give her plenty of time to muse over her decision, further giving the appearance of having a choice, but this is because she does not know the extent to which her powers will be transformed. In any event, her hesitation is expected for a human. The answer is quite obvious, but she refuses.

.oOo.

For the next few weeks, Orihime felt as though she was being driven mad. When she wasn't bored, she was depressed, and when she was depressed, she slept. She noticed that Ulquiorra came to her quarters every day now, watching her eat and then leaving. Every day she expected him to say something about the time frame, but he never did.

How long is this going to last? she whined, exasperated. I'm starting to get very bored here. At first I was just frightened all the time, but now I'm just getting used to this routine. I wish there was someone to talk to for just a little bit…the only people who ever see me are Ulquiorra-kun and the servant. I know that the servant would probably be executed if he talked to me, and I don't want to be responsible for getting him into trouble. And talking to Ulquiorra-kun is out of the question. He wouldn't so much as humor me for a minute. And I still haven't made my decision about whether or not I want to let Aizen change my powers. And most of all, I miss Kurosaki-kun. I bet he is training very hard right now. I bet everyone is. If I were there, I would probably just be in the way. Maybe it is better that I am here…but now I have to make a very complicated decision that will sever my ties with them forever…

Orihime clutched her chest.

Kurosaki-kun…what if I could make a shield so impenetrable, that nothing could get past it? How would you feel if I could protect you, for once? But I know the kind of person you are. You won't want to be protected. She smiled. You like to do the protecting. Thanks to you, I am alive today. Her thoughts suddenly grew very sad. And what have I done? I have betrayed you…She began crying, sobbing. I hate myself…I am absolutely useless to everyone, and I have betrayed the one who has been there to save my life. Maybe it is better if I refuse Aizen and just be killed. Better a martyr among friends than a living comrade among enemies, she sobbed.

All of her feelings came crashing together and she began crying about everything— about her circumstances, about her boredom, about her betrayal. She had not cried so much since her first night in Las Noches. She was so immersed with her sobbing that she did not notice Ulquiorra's voice announcing his presence.

He stood watching her for several moments, mildly intrigued. She is weeping. Though my eye has witnessed these displays of emotion in the past, I have yet to witness a human's display of emotions so closely. After several moments of observation, he suddenly he spoke, "If you are not prepared to eat, the servant can return at a later time."

Orihime gasped. She was shocked to hear another voice in the room. This was her first meal of the day! He never came earlier than her second meal. This is even more embarrassing than my laughing the other day! It took her several moments before she composed herself. Still not fully collected, she replied, "Excuse me? I didn't hear what you said."

"I do not have the time to watch you compose yourself. I will tell the servant to come at a later time. I have observed that it is customary for humans to be alone when they weep. Since this is usual for you, you may eat at a later time."

Orihime hiccupped. She considered this. She was hungry, and she did not want him to think that she needed extra time to act like a fool.

"No..." hiccup "…I'm fine." There was snot in her nose and on her upper lip. Thankfully, the servant came in just then and she walked over to retrieve a handkerchief to wipe her nose and eyes. The time intervals between her hiccups grew shorter.

Ulquiorra stared at her irritably and commented, "You should drink something. The sounds you are making are distracting."

Orihime merely looked at him. Distracting from what? All you do is stand there. She took her glass of water and began to drink and then sat down. My eyes probably look horrible right now. This is so bad. I've tried so hard to maintain my composure throughout my stay here. He probably thinks I'm so weak.

As she began to eat, her hiccups subsided. Ulquiorra studied her as she ate. When she was finished, she politely stated, "I apologize for my behavior a while ago. It will not happen again."

"Why is it that you decided to cry until now?"

"What?"

"You have not demonstrated such a display of emotion throughout your stay here. Why do you choose to succumb to your emotions at this point?"

Orihime was annoyed at this question. Why can't he just leave like he always does? She decided to tell him the truth. Perhaps that would satisfy him and he would go away.

"I don't know. I guess it's just the stress of making the decision, my boredom, and well, the fact that I don't know when Aizen-sama is going to tell me the timeline. It's a little maddening."

"This cannot be the sole reason. I have never witnessed a human crying because of boredom."

Orihime thought about Ichigo, and how much she missed him. She could feel her eyes start watering, but she decided to make light of the situation. "Actually, have you ever heard of the expression of being 'bored to tears'?" She gave him a cheesy smile.

He looked at her blankly.

"Nevermind," there was an awkward silence. Her eyes grew distant. "I actually have cried because of boredom before. When I was little, I used to love going outside and playing in the park with my older brother. Once, we went outside every day for an entire month, just enjoying ourselves and the weather. And then, for an entire week it rained. I had grown so used to going outside that I didn't know what to do. On the third day of rain, I was so bored, I cried. My brother then cheered me up by teaching me how to make soup. After that, I became obsessed with learning how to make soup, and several different dishes, and when the sun came out, I was too preoccupied with my new interest in cooking that I forgot all about it." She gave a very weak chuckle. "Anyway," she continued, "I don't mean to complain. I just thought of many different things at once. It's really easy to slip into deep thoughts when there is nothing else to do."

Ulquiorra stared at her. She had shared this piece of information so freely.

A thought suddenly occurred to her. She quickly asked the question before she grew too afraid to ask.

"Do they have playing cards here in Hueco Mundo?"

"What?"

"Playing cards. I don't mean to impose, but if I could get some…it might…well, I could keep my mind preoccupied. "

Ulquiorra considered this. It is good that I decided to catch her off guard today. I expected that something like this might happen. Perhaps keeping her mind preoccupied will prevent a breakdown. Playing cards might allow her to keep herself from the outbursts she underwent earlier. If her requests are accepted, this would give even more of an impression that Aizen is sympathetic. She may be less reluctant to deny his request in these circumstances." I do not forsee any problems with your request. I will bring it to the attention of Aizen-sama."

"Oh, thank you!" she exclaimed heartily. She couldn't help but give him a smile.

He noticed the sincerity of her response and stated, "I was ordered to attend to the state of your well-being. This includes ensuring the equilibrium of your psychological and emotional state. It is meaningless to thank me."

"I know, but…well, I'm used to thanking people in these types of situations."

"But you have never been in such a situation. You have never been captured, never been imprisoned, and never made to leave behind your life."

She was no longer smiling. She did not know how to respond. Is he actually arguing with me about thanking him? "I just…I'm so used to it, and it seemed like the most appropriate thing to say."

Ulquiorra briefly processed her words. "I will be back tomorrow at the regular time."

He turned and left, locking the door behind him.

As he walked on, he thought of their exchange. Curious. She did not get defensive when I asked her about thanking me. She had just suffered from an emotional outburst, yet she is able to exercise composure very quickly. I also would have expected her to have undergone this behavior much earlier. Despite the outburst, she still maintains a significant amount of control over herself, and did not agree to being left alone.

Ulquiorra reflected back on the night he had given her the ultimatum. He remembered that she did not immediately seek him out upon saying her goodbye to Ichigo. This contradicts her secretive behavior on the night she exited the real world. Did she go off by herself after saying goodbye to the substitute shinigami because she did not wish for me to see her weep? Yet, she did not want to be left alone several moments ago. Her behavior is rather inconsistent.

Ulquiorra did not immediately speculate on the matter further, but he also understood that the girl was starting to exhibit signs of distress. He wondered just how significant the playing cards would change her behavior. Yet, humans are easily distracted, and she obviously understands this about herself.

He discussed the matter of the playing cards with Aizen.

"I decided to observe her meals at an earlier time than usual to ensure that her behavior was consistent at all times throughout the day."

"And what did you observe?" Aizen inquired.

"She was exhibiting signs of grief. She was sobbing hysterically and it appeared as though she had been crying for a while before I had come in to the room. She did not even hear me announce myself."

"Did she seem normal?"

"Yes. I was just a bit surprised that this hasn't happened sooner. I expected humans to be more fragile."

"Many might typically exhibit these signs earlier. You mentioned earlier that she can control herself well. However, do not take it so seriously, Ulquiorra. I do not need a report every time she sheds a tear."

"Yes, of course. However, my reason for bringing this to your attention is that she requested for playing cards."

"Playing cards?"

"Yes. She said that part of the reason for her outburst was that she was bored. I believe it to be more involved than this, yet she said that the cards at least would keep her mind occupied. It might prevent her from these outbursts becoming a habit, and would also make you appear to seem more sympathetic. The only problem I forsee with this request is that she may begin to feel that she can request whatever she likes, but I do not believe her to be so foolish."

"Yes, she is not the type of human to be prone to arrogance. You may give her the playing cards, and any other minor requests she may ask. I would like a report on whether she makes any more requests, but I do not need the emotional details."

"Yes, sir."

"Very well. You are dismissed."

.oOo.