Edit: I noticed that a lot of people stopped reading this fic after this chapter and was really curious as to why this was happening. Then I finally re-read the chapter and basically did a facepalm. My previous author's note really made it sound like this story was not going to be finished. This is FALSE. Rest assured, I am not a troll and I will dutifully finish what I started! I seriously cannot stand it when I get really into a fic, get to the last chapter and then discover that it hasn't been updated in two years. WHAT THE DEUCE? Heck no!

In any event, I really need to be more careful about my author's notes. -_-;;; I apologize for any confusion.

Oh, and one more thing: As if it isn't already obvious, I don't own Bleach or the characters...forgot to mention that in the previous chapters.

On with the show!


Orihime's boredom set in once more the following day. Even though I'm really getting irritated with boredom, I'm starting to think it was a mistake to ask for those cards. How random…I mean, what was I thinking? Anyway, it was interesting having someone to talk to, even if it was just for a few minutes, and even though he looked like he was not at all interested in what I had to say. At least it was something different. She began walking around her room, pacing. What if I started, just…talking to him? I'm obviously not going to get those cards…what a silly request, now that I think of it…who even PLAYS cards here? I really can't be impulsive in a place like this. But I'm dying for some kind of company! And he's basically the only person I CAN talk to. But I'd be silly to try to strike up a conversation with him. I shouldn't even be thinking about doing it. She thought about her friends in the real world. No, I can't. To try to communicate with him would be completely disloyal…but I just feel like I need SOME kind of interaction with someone, and it felt so good to have an actual conversation with someone. Even if I did try making a conversation with him, what could we possibly talk about? She paced around some more.

She snapped her fingers. "I know!" she exclaimed.

.oOo.

Ulquiorra had announced his presence at her third meal. Orihime was very hesitant to ask him the question she had prepared. She anxiously stood up from her couch. She decided that she would wait until after she was done eating to ask him her question, if at all. She readied herself internally, carefully picking out the words she would use so that the question wouldn't sound stupid. Why am I so nervous? My stomach is fluttering. I haven't felt this since—

But Ulquiorra interrupted her thoughts after he had seen her finish the last of her drink.

"Now that you are finished, I can deliver this to you and be on my way."

A puzzled expression stretched across her face.

"Your playing cards." He slowly walked over to where she was seated, and dropped them into her open palm. She stood staring at them, slightly perplexed, and disappointed.

He noticed her expression. "Isn't this what you requested?"

"I…oh, yes! This is exactly what I requested…thank you," she answered, still gazing at the cards in her hand.

"But your expression is one of disappointment. "

How does he read my expressions so well?

"Oh, no! It's not that I'm disappointed or anything," she lied, "It's just that I'm, well…shocked. I didn't expect you to get them for me. To be honest, I was thinking about it, and my request was really very inappropriate. I said it on impulse." She took the cards out of the pack and began sifting through them. "But they are very nice cards. Thank you."

"Very well." He turned to leave.

"Wait!" Orihime said, impulsively. She immediately regretted it. What are you doing? He gave you the cards already! You don't need to ask him any questions now.But it was already too late.

"Another request?" Perhaps I was incorrect about assuming that she would not make a habit out of this,he thought.

"No, not at all! I was…well, I was just wondering—" but Ulquiorra cut her off.

"Your deadline is not yet decided." He began walking out.

"No, that's not what I was going to ask…" her voice trailed off.

He turned and looked at her.

"Well, I was just, curious about something. I am in this room an awful lot, and well, I start to notice things."

"There is something the matter with the room?"

"No, not really," at least, functionally, she thought. The room is so bare and drab, but I am not going to say that."It's just that, well…I sort of noticed something about…you…when you come into the room, and I was wondering if maybe it was just me. I'm starting to get worried that maybe I'm imagining things, and well, I thought I should bring this to your attention since you're supposed to be keeping tabs on this sort of thing and all…ha, ha…" She put her hands behind her back and shrugged, aware of the oddity of what she was telling him.

He gave her a familiar cocked eyebrow.

"Well, this room is very…" she chose her words cautiously. She did not want them to be perceived as insulting. "…quiet, and I've gotten really used to the level of stillness of the room," she looked up at him.

"Well," she continued, "as you can tell by the walls and furniture, it is also a barren room, heh…not that I am complaining or anything," she waved and crossed her hands at the word not. "But, well, spending so much time here has helped me notice that the atmosphere of the room tends to get, I don't know, emptier when you're around. This is really odd, too, because you'd sort of expect another person in the room to, you know, add less emptiness to the room, not more." She sighed. "Heh, heh, I'm probably not making any sense. Yet, then I noticed that it's not just the room, because when we walked through the hallways, I could sense it then, too, but only around you specifically. And, well, when we got to the room with the other hollows, it was difficult to detect. I really would not have mentioned it, except for the fact that I've been getting a lot more sensitive to it, and well, it's just been growing so much more obviouslately."

His eyebrow had not moved.

Orihime went on, "And I also thought that, you know…" I must sound so crazy right now. Out of nervousness, she began to talk faster, "It could be a hollow thing, but I don't sense it when the servant comes around, so then I thought, maybe it has to do with a hollow's rank or something, and I didn't really want to ask him about it, because he's never said a word to me, and I wasn't sure whether or not he could get in trouble for talking to me, and I wanted to avoid that, so then I thought, —

"Enough!"

Orihime stopped in midsentence, with her mouth open and eyebrows raised.

"You are babbling, and it's annoying."

"I'm sorry," she said after a pause. "But what about my question? Am I just imagining things?"

He gazed at her, narrowing his eyes slightly. "You are not mistaken, if that is what you are asking me. But it is no use to think on it any longer. If my presence bothers you, then I am afraid that is something you must—"

"Oh, no! Your presence doesn't bother me at all!" she immediately cried. Her eyes grew wide. The moment the words had left her lips, she realized what a mistake it was to utter them. There was an element of truth to her words. Having someone around was better than no one, but she knew she had mostly said what she said out of habitual politeness. It was her character to make everyone she knew feel as comfortable around her as possible, always making excuses for herself, always apologizing, and never wanting to be rude or offensive. But, to tell the man that was her captor that his presence did not bother her, bothered her. It gave the impression that she wanted him around, and this was inappropriate and awkward. She knew that he did not care whether she liked having him around or not, but his knowledge that she didn't mind having him around would change the dynamic of their relationship in a way about which she wasn't exactly certain. And she couldn't very well go back on what she said. What can I tell him now? 'Nevermind, I don't want you here?' I mean, he wouldn't care, but I would never say something like that to him…

Nevertheless, he was an enigma, and anything he did carried an element of mystery to it. It was interesting to see how he would react to her questions. Her curiosity about him grew since the moment she had noticed the emptiness; now that she had actually surmised correctly about his character, she felt an inner sense of victory, as if she had solved some small section of a larger puzzle. It gave her a sense of satisfaction.

"Nonsense. You say this in feigned decorum."

"I find it hard to believe myself, to be honest. But I really don't mind it at all. You're the only person I ever get to talk to, even if it is only for a few minutes a day. I guess this also keeps me preoccupied." There was another pause. Orihime continued, "Anyway, I've probably wasted enough of your time today. You probably have more important things to do."

Before Ulquiorra could respond, the servant came in, looking surprised to see Ulquiorra standing in the room.

"My apologies. I did not mean to interrupt, sir."

"I was just leaving," Ulquiorra muttered, and walked out.

.oOo.

The woman's senses of hollow attributes are superlative, Ulquiorra concluded after he had left. He walked outside, along one of the palace's terraces. She was able to sense my aspect of death. It is certain that other hollows' attributes confused her the day she spoke with Aizen. There were other hollow in the room that would have interfered with her perceptions, which explains why she claimed she could not sense it around them. Yet, she was able to pinpoint a characteristic particular only to me. This is very impressive for a human. His analysis continued. It is probable that the woman is lying about my presence not bothering her. Yet, her expression belied any sign of falsity. If she was telling the truth, she is more foolish than I thought. It would, however, make sense that interaction with another person would give her some freedom from boredom. And there is still the issue with her emotional outburst the other day. There is an inconsistency between her isolation in the real world and allowing me to see her weep.

Her behavior was growing interestingly more useful in acquiring additional knowledge about the nature of humans.

.oOo.

When the servant left, Orihime clasped her hands behind her back and paced around the room. Why do I keep throwing myself into embarrassing situations over and over again? I just basically told him that I want him to visit me…

Orihime thought about what his visits could mean. She looked at the cards. I should be happy that I have them. I guess I was excited about the prospect of having someone to talk to…but, I just can't.