Chapter 2: Reconstruction

By: Castawaycal

Orihime was summoned to the training grounds early the next morning.

On the outer corners of Las Noches, there were four large, indestructible rooms. As an Arrancar had explained to her on the way to the Eastern Grounds, many Espada and higher ranking hollows used these rooms to test out their powers and other Resurrections. Having a place that allowed them such freedom to use their powers was invaluable, apparently.

Which made them all the more popular. Several Arrancar sneered at her as she headed to her first day of training, spitting comments about her being unworthy of such a space and that a useless human like her should just be shoved into a cage to rot. She ignored them as best as she could, but it was like she could feel her sense of self slowly falling apart.

After a long walk, the Arrancar leading her finally stopped in front of two large doors. They were beautifully embroidered with dark vines that curled towards the handles. The ornate patterns were exquisite against the light tiling and Orihime found it in herself to revel in the first pleasant sight she'd seen since she'd arrived in Hueco Mundo.

The feeling was stopped short as soon as she remembered what she was here for.

"Here we are, miss. I will be back in the evening to escort you back to your room." With that, the Arrancar reached for the door and led her in.

Orihime was greeted by a vast room lit by the sky above. Above her was the night sky, the moon shining brightly down on her face. Moonlight here was strange - it was dominating and always visible. So unlike the human world where it always seemed to be so far away, barely granting enough light.

Bringing her gaze back down, she realized she had to squint to fully see the other side of the room. But before she could take it all in, she noticed a single figure leaning against the wall to her right.

Ulquiorra. He was the one who was going to train her?

She heard the doors close behind her and she suddenly felt nervous. Countless times Ulquiorra had been her sole companion in that dark room, but for some reason this felt different. She felt his watchful eyes follow her as she proceeded further into the room, unsure of what to do.

"Come," Ulquiorra said, gesturing for her to follow him to the center.

She nodded wordlessly.

He always moved with such fluid-like grace, everything seeming effortless. From the first day he'd entered her cell, she was disturbed by his cool indifference - that fact that nothing seemed to matter to him at all. Aizen had said Ulquiorra used powers of emptiness, but she had been too shocked at the time to inquire about it. What did it mean to harness the power of something completely devoid of anything?

Ulquiorra stopped in the center of the room where Orihime noticed there was a small wooden table. Atop it was a wilted flower - a rose, by the looks of the curved petals and faded red color.

"Restore it," was all the instruction he gave.

Orihime swallowed. This wouldn't be difficult, considering that she was able to bring back Grimmjow's entire arm. She knelt down so that her hands hovered over the flower and closed her eyes.

"Soten Kisshun."

Ayame and Shun'o appeared quickly and created a small orange shield above the flower. The petals began lifting, color rushing back into them. The stem reverted from its shriveled brown color back to a firm green. Within a few seconds, the rose was alive and vibrant.

Orihime looked back at Ulquiorra, awaiting the next task. But for a moment, he said nothing and only stared at the flower. His eyes revealed nothing, but Orihime guessed he was wondering how such a power could come from her who seemed ordinary in every other sense.

"Explain," he finally said. "How you draw the power out."

She hesitated for a moment. "I think about the power of life that was once in the object. Its function, where it finds its energy. Then I hone in and try to replicate that origin."

Ulquiorra contemplated her answer. "I see. It's a much different mechanism to when we create Ceros or other manifestations of our power."

"Aizen told me about his plan to restore the Vagabond. To do something on that scale… I'm not sure I can manage it." She felt strange voicing her opinions to him, but she figured it was best to admit this now before she unwittingly led them to a dead end. Not that she would mind doing that, but she would rather see herself be cast aside earlier than later.

"If Aizen-sama believes you can, then I must believe it as well." He knelt down closer to the table, studying the flower still. "It's easy for you to restore this form of life. Grimmjow's arm as well. But have you ever tried rejecting a human's death?"

Orihime shook her head, remembering the time when he and Yammy first arrived in the human world. Strange to think that she had been so afraid of Ulquiorra then, yet here she was now speaking to him normally. "I've tried to reject life-threatening injuries, but it's impossible. No matter how hard I try to envision the origin of human life, I can never reach it."

Ulquiorra looked at her then, his emerald eyes piercing. She blinked, unable to avert her gaze.

"The human soul is one thing that I will be unable to assist you with. As for drawing and materializing your powers, I will do my best to improve your current abilities."

She watched him carefully. Understanding others was something she always prided herself on being good at. She wondered if there was anything to be understood about Ulquiorra at all - did he have greater desires besides his loyalty to Aizen? The thought of him being nothing beyond that made her heart tighten. How unfair it would be to live without hope for joy, without hope for not being alone.

Finally, he tore his gaze away from hers. "We will start with testing your stamina."

He got up and motioned for her to move back from the table. She obliged and he pointed a finger at the small wooden thing. Instantly it fell apart - legs shattered, surface broken into dozens of pieces.

"Restore it."

This time she stood while she called out for Ayame and Shun'o, not wanting to kneel in the splinters. THe orange shield appeared again and the fractured table began to repair itself. In her mind, she envisioned the table upright and undamaged, and within a few seconds it was done.

Without a word, Ulquiorra pointed a finger and destroyed the table once more. "Again."

Orihime lost track of how many times he made her use Soten Kisshun. She had never used it so many times in one sitting and she was starting to feel fatigued. Her reiatsu was fluctuating and she could feel sweat beading at the top of her forehead.

She guessed they were near the hundredth round before she finally gasped and fell on her knees exhausted. Still, Ulquiorra said nothing and destroyed the table she had just restored. He stood and watched her as if waiting for her to finally give out.

Something stirred in her then, an urge to defy his expectation of her. Gritting her teeth, Orihime gained her footing and called out for Soten Kisshun. She blinked away the darkness ebbing at her vision and focused. Her breathing was getting heavier and heavier, yet she refused to yield.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Ulquiorra glance at her with a strange emotion behind it. She reveled in his surprise and continued to reconstruct the table.

Each action that followed was nonstop. The table would come together and she would feel a sense of fulfillment, but in the next moment it would shatter. Again and again, Ulquiorra watched unremorsefully as she strained to keep up with his pace. But each time she felt herself falling over, she would straighten her back and call forth more energy.

Finally, he stopped. Orihime could feel her heart reverberating throughout her body, the muscles in her arms and legs sore.

"That's enough."

The words registered in her mind and Orihime felt a swift and vast darkness overtake her as she collapsed.

When Orihime awoke, she immediately felt her body aching. She was lying in her bed with a fresh set of clothes on. Her hair felt slightly damp - someone must have bathed her while she was unconscious.

With a small groan, she sat up and stretched out the dull aches in her back. She honestly wished she could find a sense of embarrassment within herself, but she was far too tired to care. The well of reiatsu that she had come to accumulate through her own training at home was completely depleted.

Perhaps it was the exhaustion that caused this, but she began to think about Ichigo. The hours he would spend training at Urahara's store, the barriers he overcame at Soul Society when they went to sake Rukia. She wondered if it had ever crossed his mind to give up. When they were together, he never showed any signs of weakness and that's what she always admired about him. Loved, even. But now that she was here, faced with the pressure of all of this, it was naive of her to believe for even a second that he never had doubts.

She thought about their times together. Ichigo and the rest. A ghost of a smile danced on her lips as she remembered Ichigo's bravery, Rukia's courage, Ishida's reason, and Chad's kindness. They would always have so much fun together.

In light of their vibrance, she couldn't help but think about Ulquiorra's cold eyes.

Orihime had felt a shift in herself while looking at him earlier. The hope that something better for her would come - that was something she needed to search for in order to stay sane here. She did not want to throw her life away. Not after it had been protected so many times by the people she loved, not when she felt that there were still things that she wanted to accomplish, to feel in this lifetime.

She stared at the ceiling illuminated by moonlight. She would train. She would utilize every single resource Aizen and the Espada gave her. Then she would use it to escape. Perhaps if she proved to her friends that she was capable of saving herself, they would come to forgive her for betraying them.

For the first time since she arrived in Hueco Mundo, she felt hopeful.

When Orihime awoke the second time, it was because she heard the door open. This room was old, she could tell from the cracking floors and by the way the bed and door creaked with just the tiniest of movements.

She sat up and again felt the aches in her body. Wincing slightly, she turned towards the door where she found Ulquiorra entering with a small tray of food.

"How long was I asleep?"

He closed the door behind him and set the tray down at the table. Then, he looked at her. "It has been half a day since you collapsed. So frail, you humans."

There was no hatred in his words, simply his own truth. Orihime got out of her bed and headed towards the table to eat. Lifting the tray, she stared down at the plain food. Rice, beans, boiled vegetables.

"Is it not to your liking?"

Orihime looked up at Ulquiorra, surprised. It was unlike him to speak more than a few sentences when he dropped her food off.

Nevertheless, she wasn't really sure how to answer that question. "It's fine."

He leaned against the wall that faced her, hands in his pockets. "Then eat."

So she did. After she got through about half her food, she looked back up at the Espada. "When will I train next?"

He observed her carefully. "When your body is able. After you finish eating, I will send a servant to help apply salve to your muscles."

Orihime nodded and went back to her food.

A few minutes later, she finished and set her silverware down. Ulquiorra lifted himself from the wall and headed towards her door to call for another Arrancar. Her eyes followed him religiously as she brought her hands back to the tray and plucked her unused knife off and slid it into her dress pocket. Ulquiorra was still turned away from her as she covered the tray with a napkin to hide the evidence.

He turned back finally and Orihime straightened. There was a scowl on his face.

She bit down her surprise as he walked towards her and grabbed her hand. Before she could even feel afraid at the fact that he had noticed what she'd done, he wordlessly shoved a small tin into her palms. Orihime blinked and looked at what he had given her.

It was the salve for her muscles. She looked back up at him, the knife in her pocket suddenly feeling heavy.

"The servants are busy, it seems. You will have to apply it yourself."

With that, he turned away and shut the door behind him. She let out a sigh of relief - so he hadn't noticed her. Palming the tin in her hands, she headed back to her bed and sat on the edge.

The knife wouldn't be much help, considering the reflexes and far superior powers the Espada and Aizen wielded. But it may come in handy for anything that required her to limit the use of Tsubaki or any of her other Shun Shun Rikka. Any fluctuation in her powers while she was missing would be a dead giveaway.

She could do this. Not soon, no she would have to do much more planning, but she would escape.

As Orihime applied the salve to her body, she began to construct her plan.