Yes, you're right, Hylla. Nel is Ella. I smiled about it too when I first thought it up, because it seemed to fit perfectly with the story. So here's your update, which you all deserve because you're all awesome people!

As I said earlier on, I've already planned out who all the remaining Loric kids are and their Cêpans, but I'd never given much thought to who the dead Loric kids and their Cêpans might have been. Well, by the end of this chapter you'll know who Number Two was (along with her Cêpan).

If anyone actually noticed last chapter, I did actually mention another one of the Loric during Orihime's POV. Blonde hair, sharp front tooth... certain Vizored... no? No one noticed? Never mind.

Allons-y!

What they did to Two

I can taste blood on my lips. My head is aching terribly, and when I open my eyes everything is too bright.

'Wakey wakey, sunshine,' says a deep man's voice from somewhere to my right, and I feel a soft blow on my head. It may only be minor, but it sends volt of pain like electricity shooting through my head. I groan and try to look up at whoever the hell just did that to me.

'Rise and shine,' the voice commands.

As I come to properly, I notice we're in a dimly lit small room, the only light source being a small light bulb dangling from the ceiling above me. I'm sitting on a simple wooden chair, with ropes wrapped around me. Typical. Just like in the movies. For crap's sake, this was never meant to happen…

'Hey, kid. You awake yet?'

I blink in the glow of the light bulb. 'Yeah…' I mutter, wondering whether Rukia and Toshiro are okay. Please let them be okay…

'Right, so here's what's gonna happen,' the guy says, and through my blurred eyes I can make out the shape of a guy wearing a Green Lantern t-shirt pull up a chair to sit in front of me. 'I'm gonna ask the questions, and you're gonna answer them, or I'll get Hideki here to beat the shit outta you.' Out of the corner of my eye, I see another guy in a denim jacket. He's absolutely huge, and I don't mean fat. I mean he's got some serious muscles. I may be Loric, and therefore stronger than humans, but I can still anticipate a lot of pain on the way. 'You got that, kid?' the first guy finishes.

I nod, my head pounding.

'Right. Is there anyone else with you other than the chick and the white-haired kid?'

'No,' I say truthfully, thinking that there's probably no point in lying about that question.

'Good,' he replies, and he grins, exposing yellow teeth. 'Next: do you know what I mean when I say the word 'Hollow'?'

'… Empty,' I murmur, feigning ignorance, but I'm panicking inside. I'm not strong enough to focus on the spirit energy around me, so for all I know this guy and Hideki are Hollows.

They're human, Shiro says. I can sense that. But they might be in league with the Hollows.

Thanks, I answer sincerely. He's finally being useful.

'No, we're not talking about the definition you find in a dictionary,' the guy snaps. 'We're talking about a powerful race from a distant planet named Mogadore. Ringing any bells now?'

'What the hell are you talking about?' I demand. 'Aliens?'

Hideki steps forward, but I'm not going to show any fear. His fist quickly comes into contact with my stomach and my head launches forwards to cough violently. There's pain, like a ripping sensation, spreading through my body.

'Don't act dumb,' the first guy says calmly. 'We can hurt you more than physically, you know. We have your friends. You think the chick sent that message to your phone? You were way too gullible.'

Damn. They must have taken Rukia's phone off her the moment she stepped inside the house.

'Now, we have your phone too. You've had three missed calls from someone named 'Zangetsu'. Who is he?'

'My… my dad,' I cough.

'Is he your Cêpan?' the guy continues.

Damn… how the hell do they know so much? Shiro asks.

'What… what language is that?' I say. 'I don't know what you mean.'

'Sure you do,' the guy says, and I can tell he's losing patience fast. 'He's your guardian, sent from Lorien along with you to protect you. That correct?'

If they think they know everything, then why are they bothering to ask me? I question Shiro.

They're humans, so they're scared, Shiro replies seriously. They want to be sure. They're probably working for the Hollows, and they're scared of what will happen if they hand you over and it turns out you're an ordinary human. We are in some deep shit.

'I don't know what you're talking about,' I say, and I'm shocked to find my voice coming out in a whimper. Though, maybe it's good. It might make them think I'm just a scared human.

Don't count on it, Shiro says darkly.

There's another punch from Hideki, this time on my face. It causes my teeth to clamp down on my tongue, and I feel blood flooding into my mouth and dripping down my chin. Everything aches. I don't know how the hell I'm gonna get out this situation.

'Answer with the truth,' Hideki says gruffly.

'There's no point lying,' the first guy agrees. 'We've already called the Hollows. They're on their way.'

I freeze, terrified, and the guy notices it.

Shit! I scream in my head.

You idiot! Shiro yells at me. He was bluffing! They weren't certain before if you are Loric or not, but your reaction has literally just signed your fate!

'Okay, so now we know you're definitely Loric,' the guy says, looking excited. 'Now we just need to get a couple more things clear. We can trace your Cêpan via the phone signal, so the Hollows can deal with him. One more thing- you're valuable already by being one of the Garde, but we'll get extra credit if you're Number Four. Are you Number Four?'

There's no point lying about being Loric anymore, Shiro tells me. But don't let them know you're Four.'

'I'm… I'm Number Eight,' I murmur.

'Number Eight?' The guy looks a little disappointed. 'Not exactly very high on the priority list. But, better than nothing,' he continues, looking more optimistic now. 'They won't be able to deal with you yet, but they will once Four through Seven are gone.'

'Why are you doing this?' I demand. 'What the hell would humans get out of helping the Hollows?'

The guy laughs. 'They're a powerful race. We can either help them, or be their enemies. And let's face it- we don't wanna end up like you, mate.'

'Earth's next,' I growl. 'You think they were just gonna stop after Lorien? They want universal domination. They're not gonna spare one planet just because the residents were too weak-minded to oppose them.'

'You probably have no idea what Hollows are like,' the guy replies angrily. 'If you had ever met one, you wouldn't be here. They're way more powerful than us, and they're stronger than you too.'

'Why? They don't have Legacies,' I argue.

The guy frowns. 'They don't need them. They…' He takes a deep breath. 'They mess with your mind… they make you see stuff…'

'Okay, so they have magic powers!' I shout. 'Big deal! Don't you see? If the Loric win, then we can remove the threat completely. We'll save Lorien and we'll protect the Earth!'

'You're an alien!' the guy retorts sharply. 'You're just as bad as them! You're all enemies of the Earth, but at least with this plan we can secure our safety! If we don't hand you over then they said they'll kill us, and our families!'

'Why did they even come to you in the first place?' I ask. I've got to keep them talking, at least until I figure out a plan.

'We caught another one of the Loric for them once before,' the guy says after a moment's hesitation. 'Ordinary humans came to us for help after reports of a young girl who could move things with her mind. It turned out that she was the youngest Loric kid to come to Earth, and she had only been one or two when they left Lorien. She was kind of an anomaly because she had learnt to harness her powers quite early on. She and her Cêpan had recently left the US and had come to Japan in the hope of finding the rest of the Loric. Turns out they were right about aliens living in Japan. After all, you were here all along. She was a scary little kid, and her Cêpan from freaking terrifying. A huge guy with an eye patch, like a pirate,' the guy finishes.

'Who was she?' I whisper, dreading what I might hear next.

The guy looks a little sad, as if he actually regrets what he did. 'Number Two. Going by the name of Yachiru Kusajishi. The Hollows came to take her and her Cêpan Kenpachi away from us.'

White hot fury boils up inside me. 'MURDERERS!' I scream at them, barely able to control myself. 'YOU BASTARDS!'

I can remember her now. My memories of our journey to Earth are vague but I finally manage to recall a small baby with a mop of bright pink hair and a freaky looking dude always with her who must have been her Cêpan. These men are responsible for their deaths?

… And now they're going to be responsible for mine too.

Little Neliel finds trouble sleeping at night. She's told me to call her Nel for short, though she looks sad when she said that, probably because that's what her parents called her. I lie in my bed now, staring out at the window. I like having the bed next to the window, through when I was younger and I first arrived here, I used to be rather paranoid and I had nightmares about shadowy figures peering in through the window.

I turn my head slightly to face the bed next to me. Nel sits up in bed, arms wrapped around her knees which are pressed against her chest. Her bed sheets lie forgotten further down the bed, and she's shuddering slightly. All the other girls in the dorm are asleep, and I am the only one who notices her.

I slide out of bed and take a couple of steps over to Nel until I reach her bed.

'Hey,' I say gently, noticing the tears streaming down her face. 'Nel. It's okay.'

She looks up at me through eyes filled with tears. 'I m-miss Mama and Papa…'

'I know,' I say soothingly, placing my hand on her back so I can sit down next to her. 'Remember them with fond memories. That's what I do.'

She looks confused. 'You lost someone?'

I know I can't reveal too much, but I need to comfort her somehow. 'I've lost a few people. A long time ago. If you remember them in a happy light, then you start to feel happy when you think about them.'

She swallows. 'But I'll never see them again…'

I smile. 'Tell you what- I can be your family. What do you say to that?'

'You mean like… a big sister?'

'Yeah. Exactly like that. I'll look out for you, okay? You and me, we'll stick together.'

She nods vigorously. 'Yeah!' She looks thoughtful. 'Can I show you something?'

I nod. 'What is it?'

She leans over the side of her bed for something underneath. Her suitcase, maybe? She pulls out from under the bed a small cage, and inside I can see a small unmoving green songbird, who quickly wakes up from the motion and watches us carefully with beady black eyes.

'She's called Nozomi,' Nel says, her face lighting up as she gazes down at the little creature. 'Mama got her for me a few months ago. She's a funny bird. I can let her fly around outside and she'll always come back to me. I smuggled her in earlier on. Are we allowed to keep pets here?'

'I'm not sure,' I say truthfully. I've never actually seen any of the girls with pets before. 'Perhaps it's best if we don't let the sisters know about her,' I advise her. 'She can be our secret, okay?'

'Okay,' Nel agrees. 'I don't want to say goodbye to her. She's the last thing I've got left from Mama and Papa.'

'That's okay,' I say. 'We've got bird food for the feeders in the convent gardens. I can get some for her.'

'Thank you, Orihime,' Nel says. 'You're a great big sister.'

I smile down at her but I'm thinking of when I'll have to finally leave. Poor little Nel will be left here on her own, except for tiny little Nozomi. Still, it's better than putting Nel's life at risk by bringing her with me.

The first guy's left the room, so now it's just me and Hideki, who's keeping guard. I've decided to show these guys no mercy. They're responsible for Two's death. They're going to pay. Big time.

Hideki seems bored with just standing around. The big guy moves over to a table in the corner, looking down at some paperwork on the table, obviously believing that I'm not about to escape. That's where he's wrong. I focus on the light bulb above me. I've only just learnt how to use telekinesis, so the ability may be a little faulty and I definitely don't want it falling on my head. I concentrate on unhooking the light bulb from the ceiling. It does that successfully, hovering precariously above me. The light goes out in an instant, but I work on filling it up with my Lumen. I need to give it a high voltage without blowing the bulb, so I focus on keeping it strong too with my telekinesis. The voltage goes up, and the bulb grows stronger. I move the bulb across the air over to the area above Hideki's head. With one quick flash, the bulb shatters over his head and the voltage travels through his body. He collapses in an instant. I'm scared for a second- what if I've killed him?

Who cares? Shiro asks in a bored voice.

But I can hear his ragged breathing, which means that he's merely unconscious. Good. I now focus on the ropes around me. They begin to tighten around me as I try and rip them apart with my telekinesis. I gasp. I have to deal with the pain if it means escaping. Finally, I have a result. It snaps apart and I quickly push myself off the chair.

Now to find the others.

The door is unlocked and I find myself walking up some wooden stairs, which means that I must have been brought down into a basement. I make it into the hallway to find the house eerie and deathly quiet. There is absolutely no sound coming from the downstairs rooms, which means they must be upstairs. I close my eyes to see if I can sense any spirit energy. Yep. Three humans upstairs, which means that other guy and Rukia and Toshiro are up there.

Time to rescue them.

I tiptoe up the steps onto the landing. It's completely dark up here, but I can see light at the bottom of a door on my right, meaning that there are people in them. I walk quietly over to it, ready to walk in as calmly as I can to shop that I know exactly what I'm doing.

I open the door and find myself staring down the barrel of a gun.

Yes, there was a point to bringing in a little songbird named Nozomi. She'll be relevant for later, I swear.

So... yeah... *smiles nervously*... sorry about the cliff hanger and stuff...

I'll see you next time, I guess!