Hey guys, so some of you might be wondering why I chose to change Orihime's love interest fro mIchigo to Uryu-well, I tryed but I couldn't really fit Ichigo in as a lover-I mean I don't really see him as royalty or anything. Uryu however, really is a Quincy Prince and somehow that made it easier. Sorry if anyone was anticipating Ichihime!

Orihime was swept up so hard in a whirlpool of embarrassment, that if she hadn't taken that split second to remember the direction of the village, then she probably would have been wandering around aimlessly with no clue about how to get there or back to Las Noches.

"Marriage?" She giggled giddily.

"I've never even thought about that! Once I turn sixteen and become queen, I'll be eligible for marriage! Marriage?!"

"I was so excited about going outside that I never even thought about it! Marriage!?"

"I wonder what he would be like as a husband?" Orihime wondered.

"He must be nice if he was willing to save me from that adjuchas? Right? Should I accept his proposal? Or maybe Lord Aizen will accept it on my behalf. Can he do that? Will he do it? Or does he have to wait for my permission? If he does, should I agree?"

Orihime was so overcome with giddiness that she didn't even notice the change in scenery.

For about a half hour, she had seen nothing but sand and an occasional hollow-creature. Fortunately, adjuchas encounters were back to count-zero. But now she saw herself overlooking a sand dune- with little houses below!

"I've reached the village!" The princess cried before clamping a hand over her mouth, instinctively.

She quickly hurried down below to the hill and entered

She was totally unprepared for the sight she saw next

The hollows there were all rail thin and their bones could not have been more visible if their flesh had been ripped off. Their faces were gaunt and haggard and the look of hopelessness and utter despair in their eyes was terrifying. The circles under them were so thick and black that Orihime wasn't even sure if they were not painted on. The houses were little more than rocks slapped together with dried mud, covered with cloth. It was all really more like looking at a refugee camp then a village.

The princess couldn't believe her eyes. The stench of death was so strong, it took every ounce of her will not to vomit. People were nesting in tattered blankets scattered all over the place with not even a fire to keep them warm in the freezing cold night. There were so many chatters of teeth that it sounded like a numbing chorus. Orihime couldn't stop the tears from falling down her face as she heard a myriad of children's voices calling out for their parents. But it was what she saw next that stopped her dead in her tracks.

Lying in a heap was a family of four. For a wild moment, the princess thought that they were dead. But then, she heard moans and whimpers and discovered that they were hanging onto life by a thread. There was a woman and two children, Orihime noticed. They had such a high fever that their entire faces were soaked in sweat and their faces were a shade of red that was the most vibrant color in the village. Orihime's heart went out to the family and decided to offer them some of her water-until she realized that the fourth figure was the remains of what had once been a man. Disgust and horror overwhelmed her and she couldn't stop herself as she whirled around.

She couldn't stay here any longer.

As she power walked with the speed of a thousand back in the direction she came from, she found herself bumping into an old hollow with a mask shaped like a hexagon.

"What happened here!?" She blurted out.

"Why is the village like this?"

"Lord Aizen's taxes" droned the hollow, dazedly. It didn't seem fully conscious of it's surroundings.

"L-last time I checked, this place was beautiful and full of happiness!" Cried Orihime.

"You've been gone for so long"

Without another word, the princess ran back to Las Noches, her mind reeling from the terror she had witnessed.