The moment you've all been waiting for. Apologies for how long this has dragged out. Thanks to all of you for sticking with this fic over the years.


Kisuke found himself standing in front of Seireitei's Twelfth Division main entrance. Though it had been over a century since his captainship, many of his former subordinates remained in the Twelfth. He remembered all their names, made sure to greet them all as he made his deliveries. Somewhere within the compound was the jewel of his former life, the SRDI, though he had to remind himself not to dwell on his losses.

"Kuna-san, a pleasure to see you, as always."

"Urahara-taicho," his former subordinate replied. Despite the loss of Kisuke's title, many of his former subordinates continued to refer to him by his former honorific.

"I've come with my deliveries. Though, I do have a special request for the Captain. I have something that might be of interest to him."

"Oh, apologies. The Captain isn't in. Should I take a message?"

Kisuke chose tact. "That'll be alright. Maybe I can ask him myself. I have a few small things to deliver to other divisions. Where is he?"

"He's doing classified research."

"At the Nest of Maggots?"

Kuna gave him an awkward smile. "I am unfortunately not allowed to disclose that information."

Kisuke winked at his former subordinate. "Of course, how silly of me! Well, please tell him I stopped by."

Moments later, Kisuke was at the Nest. It took some sweet-talking to make it through the gate, but he knew the guard well from his old shinigami days and managed to get into the courtyard. Security at the Nest of Maggots was so high that shunpoing in and out of the facility was forbidden, so Urahara's plan was to simply wait until the Captain emerged. So he waited. He waited a long while and even managed to glean some bits of information from the guard at the entrance. At last, Mayuri and his lieutenant emerged. The look on Mayuri's face was a little vacant, as though he'd been working all day for results that did not deliver.

"Kurotsuchi-taicho!" Urahara called.

The Twelfth division captain stopped in his tracks.

"Nemu, go on ahead and finish the paperwork on the failed specimen. I'll be in later to authorize the report."

"Yes, sir."

Once Nemu had departed, Kisuke addressed him. "I really don't want to take too much of your time, so I'll cut to the chase."

Kisuke was encouraged by the look in Mayuri's eyes. If Urahara had come this far, then the Captain was sure to suspect it was worth his while.

"I got some intel that you're having a lot of problems with one of your Espada."

The look in Mayuri's eyes changed from interest to annoyance. "That is highly classified information."

"Oh? I apologize. Let's step over here, then. I don't want word to get out."

"Inside," was all Mayuri said. He walked over to a keypad on the right side of the main entrance and struck a few keys. He then leaned in to a speaker atop the keypad and commanded, "Blonde male is authorized by me, Captain Kurotsuchi. Open the door for Level Three clearance."

"It's been a long time since I've been inside," Kisuke murmured.

A door opened, and Mayuri wordlessly entered with Kisuke trailing. The place hadn't changed much since he'd last stepped foot inside over a century prior. A few paintings had been swapped out and replaced with more modern art, along with more comfy-looking furniture. The walls had kept up rather nicely, as did the flooring.

"Follow me," Mayuri said.

He led Kisuke through a few corridors and eventually landed upon a door marked Research Lab – Authorized Personnel Only. This was a new room. Kisuke was never allowed to do involved research, let alone perform experiments on any of the prisoners in the Nest of Maggots. Once they were both inside the lab, with the door safely shut, Mayuri broke the silence.

"I assume you have some proposal for me. If I know you, you wouldn't bother wasting your time with me unless you know you'll be successful. Judging by the fact that you mentioned one of the Espada, I assume it has something to do with the experiments. Do you have information on how to succeed with the failed specimen?" Mayuri's eyes were practically bulging out of their sockets with anticipation.

"Not exactly. I want to make a trade."

Mayuri visibly deflated. "The Espada? For what? I can assure you, he is useless. Today we ran a final test on him, and it's clear he isn't going to make any progress. Besides, he is a hollow, and I can't just put him in the land of the living. I'd be willing to trade for something else, if you have something useful for me."

"That's generous of you, but I really want Ulquiorra. I've thought it all out. We would need to traverse to Hueco Mundo to make the trade, of course, as you are correct that a Captain delivering a hollow to the world of the living goes against Soul Society laws. You would simply deliver the former Espada back to Hueco Mundo, I would meet you at a predetermined time and set of coordinates, and we would make the trade. Ulquiorra crossing from Hueco Mundo to the land of the living would be no different than any other hollow doing the same, so you technically wouldn't be breaking any laws. If my intel is correct, you were going to dispose of him anyway. So why not just send him back to Hueco Mundo instead? He's already at a weakened state. He wouldn't last long in his former homeland, so it would be no different than executing him in Soul Society."

Mayuri pondered this. "And what could you possibly give me that would motivate me to agree?"

"I'm prepared to trade my Hogyoku research for him."

Mayuri jerked backwards. "You have the research? I've searched high and low at the SRDI but could not locate it anywhere."

"That's because I didn't want anyone to find it, so I took it with me."

"You're prepared to hand over the Hogyoku research for a failed specimen?" Mayuri's ghastly grin was enough to let Kisuke know that he had made the correct choice with his proposal.

"I have it right here with me."

Kisuke reached into his haori and pulled out a slim file. He smirked at Mayuri's thirsty eyes.

"You brought it with you?"

"Like you said, I don't like to waste time. Do we have a deal?"

Mayuri tilted his head and rubbed his hands together in brazen glee.

"Name a time and the coordinates," Mayuri rasped.

.oOo.

"What are we going to do when it gets hungry? What does it eat?" Jinta asked.

"Yare, Jinta-kun, he's not a pet. And…we'll worry about that when we get there."

They had placed Ulquiorra in one of their spare rooms. Everyone except Orihime—who was still out visiting her aunt—was huddled around his lifeless, ghost form. Retrieving Ulquiorra from Hueco Mundo transpired exactly as Kisuke had planned. Mayuri had suggested tranquilizing Ulquiorra beforehand to avoid any trouble with the transport. Nemu, with two subordinates, opened the portal to Hueco Mundo and met Kisuke at the exact coordinates and time instructed. Tessai, Yoruichi, and Kisuke had crossed over to the other realm just as Nemu and the two lower-seats arrived. The Twelfth Division shinigami passed Ulquiorra over to Urahara's team, and all six of them, with Ulquiorra, disappeared into their respective realms just as soon as they'd arrived. Since Mayuri's department was responsible for detecting breaches, the Captain muted his security for the minute or so when the trade was to occur. The whole process could not have gone over any more smoothly.

"He's going to be hungry when he wakes up," Yoruichi warned.

"And grumpy," chimed in Ururu.

Urahara sighed. "You're probably right. We should take turns keeping an eye on him. I'll go first. You all get some sleep."

"I'll stay with you," offered Tessai.

Urahara nodded in appreciation, but the weakened arrancar was highly unlikely to pose a problem for him if something should go awry. The rest of the group, who was now exchanging yawns, disappeared back into their bedrooms, leaving Tessai and Kisuke alone in the dark with the withering hollow. The two of them moved back to where Ulquiorra lay and sat before him.

"What do you think he'll do when he realizes where he is?" Tessai asked after several minutes.

"Probably try to kill us and escape to Hueco Mundo."

"We share the same thoughts. But he won't succeed. He's far too weak to even breach the barriers around the shop."

"Hmm," Kisuke agreed, lighting his pipe. "I realized that when we transported here, and his arm got shocked. He's not going to like being trapped."

"Do you think he can hear us?"

"I don't know. How about a little test?" Urahara gave Tessai a mischievous smile. He walked over to Ulquiorra and tapped his fingers on his shoulder.

"Arrancar-san!" Kisuke sang, with a grand movement of his arms. "This is the Great and Powerful Oz, come to give you your heart's greatest desire!"

Tessai shook his head, his mouth twitching.

Ulquiorra's absent eyes just stared past them. The tranquilizer used on him was less of a sleep inducer than a mind stunner. Throughout the whole ordeal, Ulquiorra's eyes had been eerily open, as though he were dead.

Urahara sighed and shook his head as he took a swig of his pipe and blew out smoke. "Pitiful. I almost feel sorry for him."

"Me too."

"Well, we really shouldn't. He'd kill us under the right circumstances."

"You're right," Tessai replied, "but…it amazes me how he protected Inoue-san in Las Noches."

"You think it was because of more than just orders? Inoue-san sometimes gives people more credit than they deserve, you know."

"I'm not sure. The libélula incident...it was likely him."

"I know. I can't wait to learn more about that. He's bound to be a treasure trove of information."

"I should have known you had your own reasons for bringing him here," Tessai admonished with a smirk.

"Waste not, want not!"

There was a sudden stir from Ulquiorra, followed by a gurgled cough and heavier breathing. The two men started after him, but nothing else happened. Urahara huffed and went back to his seat next to Tessai, taking another thoughtful swig.

"I wonder what Inoue-san will do," Tessai wondered aloud.

"I think she'll be alright. I don't know that it was the best idea bringing him here, but I don't think it would have been fair to just let him die like a dog."

"We share the same thoughts."

After several more minutes of silence, their conversation turned to lighter topics. An hour passed. And then another. No stir from Ulquiorra. They had gotten up and stretched throughout, and occasionally one of them would go out to get a drink or snack, but Ulquiorra was never alone.

"I need to use the restroom," Tessai remarked after a while. "Then we should start sleeping in shifts."

"And I'm hungry again," Kisuke added. "I'm going to get us some of those rice balls you made earlier, but I'll stay here while you use the restroom."

Tessai nodded and walked out. Alone in the room with the arrancar, Kisuke yawned aloud. It was kind of funny, really, seeing the arrancar lying there after all they had done just to get him back for Orihime.

"Do you have any idea what I gave up to get you here?" he asked. "And how much trouble you've caused Inoue-san? She doesn't talk about you, but you can see it in her eyes. She's changed. We all have, since she disappeared. To be honest with you, I blame myself for some of that. You know, if I never would have told her to stay away from the war, she wouldn't have tried to help. And she never would have gone with you. I could be sleeping right now, Arrancar-san!"

Not a stir from Ulquiorra.

"You know what I think? I think you can hear me. I think you've actually been awake since we brought you into the human world…ever since your hand got shocked. You've just been waiting for an opportunity to escape."

Kisuke chuckled. "And you know what I'm going to do to test out my theory? I'm going to turn around. Just for ten seconds, and see if you're really the brainless person you want everyone to think you are. I'm going to face this window, and you'll finally get the chance to get away. How does that sound?"

He paused, looking at Ulquiorra's dead stare.

"Good, glad we both agree! Ready? Walking to the window now. Turning around now!"

True to his word, Kisuke stood with his back to Ulquiorra, facing the window. It gave him enough time to take another puff out of his pipe. There were no noises behind him, but he waited exactly ten seconds before he turned back to observe the bed.

It was completely empty.

A corner of his mouth rose. "And now the fun starts."

Urahara unsheathed Benihime.

"Tessai!"

In seconds, Tessai appeared, saw the bed, and called upon one of his mid-level kidou spells. The air around his hands burned a brilliant blue.

"What happened?"

"Tested a theory out. Turns out he was awake this whole time."

A wisping sound beyond the hallway caught their attention. They shunpoed to the kitchen, but it was Urahara who first spotted the shadow several shades darker than the rest of the room.

"There!"

Tessai shunpoed to the light switch, blocking the doorframe that led the way out. As he flipped on the lights, they revealed a half-naked Ulquiorra standing between them. Apart from the faint ire in his eyes, his face was blank.

"Why am I here?" Ulquiorra snarled.

Urahara narrowed his eyes. He straightened his back a little and pursed his lips for several moments. "Well…we saved you."

"Do not mock me, shinigami."

Urahara smiled at Ulquiorra. "You don't believe me?"

Ulquiorra's eyes shifted to the open window on his right, but Urahara saw the move and was far too quick for the hollow in his weakened state. In a nimble flick of his wrist, Urahara swished Benihime's blade across the window, blocking Ulquiorra's way out.

"Tsk! Can't let you do that, Arrancar-san!"

"What business do you have with me?"

"What indeed," Kisuke mumbled, more to himself than anyone in the room.

"What's going on here?" came Yoruichi's voice as she headed into the kitchen. She flicked her eyes towards the shirtless hollow to her left, and her face immediately turned stiff. "So, you're finally awake."

"How long have I been here?" said Ulquiorra, without diverting his eyes from Kisuke.

"I'd say, oh, I don't know…" Kisuke looked at the clock, "It's pretty late now. So…probably three hours or so, wouldn't you say, Tessai?"

"About," the older man agreed. His hands were still up, the flames still out.

"Do not mock me. I ask you again, what reason do you have for bringing me here?"

"The little snot. He's not even grateful. Can't say I'm surprised though," Yoruichi said, crossing her arms. "I don't really expect any gratefulness from a hollow."

"Am I to understand I was carried here from Soul Society," Ulquiorra stated, his voice hard.

"He's a smart one," Yoruichi remarked.

Urahara, with his extended hand still at Benihime's hilt, continued, "I suppose you realized a long time ago that you're not exactly at your full strength. Part of the deal to get you here was to make sure that you wouldn't try to escape. Fortunately…or unfortunately, judging by the look on your face," Urahara conceded with a tilt of his head, "you have no more reiatsu than the lowest level hollow. I gotta hand it to Mayuri-san. It's impressive he was successful in concocting a plan to keep you in your arrancar form without reverting back to a low-level hollow with no brain…" Urahara raised his eyebrows as his eyes briefly shifted to Tessai.

"Oh, and don't try escaping," Urahara warned with a smile. He drew Benihime down, tipping his head in the direction of the window. "You'll regret it."

Wasting no time, Ulquiorra sonidoed through the window in an attempt to escape. He was about twenty yards away from the house when an enormous flash of light and a surge of electric power flared in the backyard. They all heard a loud scream outside, followed by a thud.

As the three of them hurried out the back door, they spotted Ulquiorra on the ground, clutching his arm, which was largely singed by the protective barrier surrounding the shop.

"Told you not to, silly hollow," an amused Urahara sang as he strolled outside. "Though I am a little impressed you can still use sonido."

"I told you that barrier would be a good idea," Yoruichi said.

"It keeps out," Urahara chuckled, shaking his head, "keeps in lower-level hollows. In other words, you can't escape."

Ulquiorra slowly lifted himself onto his feet. There was no emotion in his eyes. "What do you want with me?"

"Like stone," Tessai whispered to Yoruichi.

"He should be thanking us for saving his life," Yoruichi said.

"Thank you? For dragging me into this hovel?"

"Hey!" Tessai gruffed. The older man never suffered anyone who insulted his shop.

"We didn't do it for you," Yoruichi started. "Orihime would have—"

"Orihime?" Ulquiorra repeated before Yoruichi could finish her sentence. His eyes narrowed. "Orihime Inoue."

"Yes. She lives with us now," Urahara smiled. "She's out at the moment, but you'll see her eventually."

Ulquiorra ignored Kisuke's comment. "If you'll not return me to Hueco Mundo, then kill me here. I'd rather die than live among trash."

"Tempting offer," Yoruichi scoffed.

Kisuke dramatically sighed, sheathing Benihime back into her scabbard at last. "But one we must refuse, I'm afraid."

"Then why am I here?"

Urahara gave him an enigmatic grin. "That's a question you're going to have to answer for yourself, I'm afraid."

Ulquiorra's bright eyes burned in helpless indignation. He shifted his gaze to Yoruichi, then Tessai, and back to Kisuke. His hand still rested on the singed skin along the length of his arm.

"You're under house arrest now," continued Urahara, "but don't worry. We won't be doing any experiments on you here. Just consider this an extension of our…I don't know, kindness isn't really the word," he mused, turning to Tessai for an assist.

"A token of our indebtedness," the older man offered.

"I have never assisted a shinigami, least of all any of you."

"Ah, but you have assisted a human. At least, that's what she says. She's part of our team now, you know. And she'd be very upset if anything happened to you…again. Since you did such a good job of protecting her in Las Noches, I figure it's only fair if we return the favor."

Urahara could hardly contain his chuckle at the annoyance on Ulquiorra's face.

.oOo.

A small boy the age of five stared at two women immersed in an intense conversation. They were standing at the threshold of his home. The woman standing inside the house was his mother, and the other, a younger woman he'd only seen in pictures, was just outside. The young woman held a bright yellow suitcase in her hand. The boy couldn't understand everything they were talking about, but he did understand that the younger woman was crying.

His mother hated crying.

He inched a little closer, more intrigued by the loud voices and the drama than the conversation itself. The girl was now setting down the suitcase upon getting scolded by his mother.

"But I traveled by bus for two and a half days to get here," said the young woman. "I still haven't even met Tomo. I even brought him a gift!"

After hearing his name and the word "gift," Tomo's ears perked up, and his attention was in full focus. Risking his mother's wrath, he dared to take a few steps in the women's direction.

"Do you have any idea of the sacrifices I've made for you over the years? And to have you just disappear without a trace? And now you come to see me, when you need something? I'm not going to pay a single one of your bills."

Uneasiness descended upon the boy like a heavy blanket. Tomo knew his mother would remain angry and irritable for the rest of the day.

"Auntie, no," the girl pleaded. "I don't need any money. I'm staying with some friends!" She bowed. "Auntie, please accept my apology for not coming to see you sooner. I wasn't well for a while, and I've had a lot of catching up to do for school, and I even got a job!"

Tomo's mother wrinkled his nose. "We have company tonight, and I only bought enough food for my family and our guests."

The girl straightened from her bow. She looked very sad.

"I understand, Auntie. But please, if I may."

As his mother crossed her arms and rapped her foot impatiently, the young woman pulled two packages out of her suitcase: A pink bag and another present wrapped in silver paper and a bright red bow. For the first time, the girl met Tomo's eyes. Ever conscious of strangers, the boy tensed a little, but his worries were soon put at ease by her kind smile and sweet voice.

"Tomo-chan! I'm your cousin, Orihime. It's so wonderful to finally meet you! I've brought you some delicious cookies from my bakery, and a nice little gift I think you'll like!"

"Cookies!"

Tomo ran over to the girl and grabbed the two parcels Orihime offered to him. He turned to his mother. "Mama, I like her! Why can't she stay?"

"What do we say when someone has given you a gift?" his mother reprimanded.

Tomo bowed his head and frowned. "Thank you."

"It was my pleasure!" His cousin's voice was warm and gentle, and that made him feel a little better about forgetting to say thank you. "I'm so happy to finally meet you, Tomo-chan! I'll come back when your mom isn't so busy. It was nice seeing you, Auntie. I'm sorry about the misunderstanding for my visit." The girl bowed once more.

"Yes, well, I need to finish preparing dinner."

As his mother closed the door and hurried back to the kitchen, Tomo ripped open the gift from Orihime and was thrilled to find a collection of superhero candy dispensers.

He liked Cousin Orihime and was sad his mother wouldn't let her stay.

.oOo.

Orihime's efforts at directing charity and understanding towards her aunt were failing. She had avoided this trip for too long, it was true, but only because she feared the outcome. Everything had transpired exactly as Orihime had suspected. She had received approval for a visit—Orihime would never be so rude as to barge in unannounced. She had phoned her aunt and gently implied that it had been a long while since she'd seen her. Orihime also mentioned the several newspaper articles where her aunt was quoted as saying she'd missed her niece. So, in a bit of a vague invite, her aunt had told Orihime that a specified weekend would be open.

Orihime knew that she could be too trusting, but even she could admit that this was an upsetting breach in family decorum. Huddled at her window seat and staring for hours at the open fields along the road home, Orihime cried and cried. The others in the shop would be making their annual merchandise haul, so Orihime braced herself for returning to an empty home.

It took another two and a half days after leaving Tomo with his silver package to announce her arrival at the entrance of the candy shop. As she expected, the house was still. Eerily so. Orihime removed her shoes and placed them at the door. With her buttery-yellow suitcase still in hand, she locked the door behind her. As she walked through the kitchen, she spotted some cookies on a platter and proceeded to munch on one. She strolled to her bedroom, and after setting her suitcase on the floor, she hopped on her bed with a sigh and stared at the ceiling.

"They weren't expecting me back until a few days from now," she said to herself, emotion constricting her throat.

She moved to open her suitcase and began putting things away. As she pulled out a pair of pants, she saw a movement out of the corner of her eye that stopped her dead in her tracks. A shadow.

It can't be a hollow…because of the barrier, she reasoned. The barrier was set by Urarhara when Orihime had moved in as an extra layer of protection for the shop.

A robber?!

Orihime's heartbeat quickened as she looked around her room for something to protect herself. Seeing nothing, she moved her left foot back into a front stance and braced herself. She stood for several minutes, but nothing happened. A few more minutes passed before she decided to inch closer to her door, careful not to make a sound. Once she arrived at the hallway, she snapped her head to the left and right.

Nothing.

She breathed a sigh of relief but decided it was still too soon to give up the chase, so she stepped into the hallway. Her adrenaline rush was ebbing, so she closed her eyes to focus on her spirit senses. As she perceived the atmosphere, she realized that this was not a human she sensed. Yet…there was something familiar about the aura.

A dead spirit? Oh, no! What if it's a friend? Did someone die?!

She had no idea if souls were able to pass through the barrier.

"Hello?" she called. "I know you're there. If you're a friend, please let me know." Her worst fears started playing in her mind. She prayed that Tatsuki or one of the others weren't—

"Not a friend."

The voice behind her may as well have been a dagger to her chest. It was a voice she knew well. She had heard it so many times in her dreams. In her thoughts. In her heart.

She felt the presence slithering closer behind her. That faint, familiar sense…emptiness, she realized...

Reluctantly, even unwilling, to face the one who had delivered the response, she turned her body, her head lagging behind so that she could remain in ignorance as long as possible. When she finally rested her eyes on the one who had spoken, she found herself staring into his eyes, bright as fire opal. An otherworldy shade of green.

She fell.

.oOo.

The woman had aged a bit, Ulquiorra realized, as he stared at her unconscious body. Her hair was longer. Her figure fuller. Her face full of color.

He gazed at her—longer than he should have allowed himself.

His primary connection to Hueco Mundo was the human who had survived it. If his situation weren't so pathetic, he might have scoffed.

The shopkeeper and most of his clique had left him alone at the house, correctly confident that he would not be able to escape. They explained to him about their pointless need for new merchandise and that they would arrive at some point tomorrow or the following day. This meant he would be mostly alone with the woman until they arrived.

Her chest rose and fell with the soft breaths of sleep. A lock of her hair slinked down from cheek to floor.

He clenched his fists, remembering that it was she who materialized his pitiful circumstances. He was too weak to even feed himself, too powerless to return to Las Noches, and unable to defend himself if he even made it outside the barrier.

Orihime began to stir.

He left Orihime on the floor, knowing that a member of the clique would soon find her, and walked back to the room he now called his.

.oOo.

A twinge of pain nicked Orihime's neck as she awoke to cold, hardwood floors. She groaned her discomfort as she rubbed the ache with her fingers.

"Why am I—"

Her hand shot to her mouth, her breath hitching. She peered around the room, but he was nowhere in sight, so she set both of her feet underneath her and helped herself up. She took quiet steps back through the house searching for the shadow, praying that it might have just been a false vision. With her hand now pressed against her throat, she sensed him before she saw him, along with the familiar feeling of emptiness from Las Noches. As she cut across the kitchen and turned into the hallway, she halted.

Ulquiorra.

With no pockets in his pants, his hands rested at his sides. He was barefoot…and mildly transparent, as though he were fading away. He had the sunken eyes of a malnourished man, and she hated the look of it. He had always been pale, but he somehow appeared even more so now. Orihime did not get a very good look at him in the moments after his resurrection. She was not allowed to attend to him, to assist with his recovery, or any of the other arrancars, for that matter. Her task was resurrection, so she'd quickly been escorted outside the SRDI not too long after. It was torture, knowing he was alive but being forbidden from seeing him. It was partially what motivated her to make the foolhardy decision to visit her aunt—to get her mind off things.

Frozen in place, the two of them. The last time she stood before him like this, the hand still at her neck had sealed his fate.

It was a long moment before she asked him when he'd arrived. Two days ago, he said.

Orihime could not bring herself to ask the question that was burning in her mind—why. His wraithlike appearance was a kind of gruesome sign.

She wiped away the wet on her cheeks. "They wouldn't let me see you, or talk to you, after—after…" she could not place the final words. Her eyes slid to the bright yellow socks donning her feet, the ones that matched the suitcase her brother had given her so long ago.

When she met Ulquiorra's stare again, his eyes were like ice.

"This was your doing."

Eager to repair her meaning, Orihime stumbled across her next words. She took a step towards him, quickly. "I didn't want to do it! I mean, that's not what I—"

Oh, the frost in his eyes. It was melting into emerald flames of wrath.

"Does this make you happy?" he asked.

Orihime's anguish spilled along her reddening cheeks.

In one swift pivot, Ulquiorra ended their exchange as he had done numerous times in a past life. She could almost see the stiff twirl of an Espada's cape snap behind him as spun on his heel and disappeared into the shadows of the hallway.

Orihime could sense Tessai approaching. With one leaden foot after the other, Orihime staggered to her room and locked herself inside.