Yo, I wanted to update a new chapter for Valentine's Day so here it is~ Hope ya all like it.

Disclaimer: I don't own the character or anime that I write about-

Hichigo Shirosaki-Hollow Ichigo (Shiro): But she does own the story idea!

ShiroKuro: -blink blink- How the blood did you get here?!

Hichigo: Well I'm not in this story or any of your others so far so I thought I'd make an appearance.

ShiroKuro: -growls- Interrupt me again and I'll make sure you're uke in every single story I write you in!

Hichigo: -trembles in fear and curls up sucking his thumb, muttering to himself and rocking back and forth-

ShiroKuro: -sighs- Well I guess that's better… As I was saying, if I did own the anime then-

Renji: I would be the main character! –puffs out his chest proudly, not noticing the angry demon behind him-

ShiroKuro: -dark aura surrounds me- That's it! First Shiro, now you?! I'm gonna tear ya both apart!

Renji and Shiro: -both scream and clutch each other in fear before running off-

ShiroKuro: -pauses for a moment- Hmm, idea… -an evil glint appears in my eyes before I run after them-

Chapter 4: Possible New Friends

Ichigo had been led to a room, from the outside looking exactly the same as all the other but as he entered, he couldn't help be awed over it. The room was larger than most of his village's houses.

It was mainly empty but there was a desk beneath a barred window, a feather pen, inkwell and papers covered it neatly, the paper in perfect piles. A large bookcase filled with many books was off to a corner with a plush white chair next to it. A fireplace inside of another wall was left unlit, a pile of logs next to it, a thick fur rug in front of it and a table and couch before it. Off on the furthest side from the door was a large bed, plush pillows ranging in size covered it and all of it was white.

Ichigo sighed; he was going to stick out like a sore thumb in this place.

The guards stationed themselves outside of his room as they closed the doors. The moment the doors closed females, all hollows he noticed, appeared, making their way across the room and towards where he stood frozen. They were all beautiful, and many, eight of them to be exact.

Ichigo couldn't help but feel like cornered prey as they approached and from the way their eyes roamed over his form.

"This is the new sacrifice? Tch, it's male…" A female with black pigtails and her left eye missing, a hollow hole in its place and the remains of her mask around it, had spoken. Her remaining red-ish violet eye regarded him shrewdly. She was arrogant and obviously thought highly of herself.

The female next to her, closest to her, was silent, spiky blonde hair and missing her right eye. She seemed the submissive of the two and looked at him as a potential threat, but at least she wasn't underestimating him as the other loudmouth had.

Another three females were standing together behind a tall and tanned female with bright blonde hair and her jaws covered by the remains of her mask, green eyes and a mark of three on her right breast. Ichigo thought it was odd that some of the hollows were in their dormant forms while others in their release forms. Perhaps those in their release forms were of higher rank than the others…

"Silence Loly, this male is a guest here and Lord Grimmjow's property, you will treat him with respect." A female with long teal hair, similar to the shade of the tyrant king's, a red mark across her cheek bones and nose, a skull reminiscent of a ram's on her head, and hard, unforgiving honey grey eyes, glared at the one with black pigtails that was now deemed Loly. The female turned to Ichigo and her eyes almost instantly softened, a smile gracing her lips as she bowed to him.

"Please forgive her, she is young and still hasn't learned her place. I am Nelliel Tu Odelschwank, but you may call me Nelliel or Nel if you wish." Ichigo nodded in a moment of shock before remembering his manners and bowing back to the female, Nelliel, as Loly recoiled at Nelliel's words as if she had been slapped and seemed like she wanted to snap at her or at least glare daggers at her back but she simply took a step back and bowed her head in resignation.

Nelliel was refined and proud yet not arrogant. She radiated a sense of power and calm but she was also kind and appeared to not stand for acts of disrespect.

Ichigo didn't like being called property but he liked her so far and perhaps not all hollows were like the King and the pale one that stood by the King's side. Yet he supposed that she was right in what she called him, he was a sacrifice and one that volunteered for it. No matter the reason, he had volunteered.

He smiled at Nelliel. "I am Ichigo Kurosaki of the Karakura village; it's a pleasure to meet you." Ichigo took one of her hands before kissing the back of it lightly, looking up at her through his lashes. She slowly, if not reluctantly, took her hand from his and held it to her chest in her other.

He smirked inwardly as he saw the blush coat Nelliel's cheeks. She appeared flustered by him and stuttered for a moment, losing her train of thought before clearing her throat and gesturing to Loly quickly. "This is Loly Aivurrne, whom you've already had the pleasure of meeting, and beside her is Menoly Mallia."

She gestured from Loly to the blonde female beside her and Ichigo bowed respectfully, if not grudgingly, towards them. He was going to be here for a while, until the King tired of him, and it would be better if he didn't burn his bridges. While Menoly bow slightly to him, Loly just glared at him and lifted her lip in a snarl, earning another glare from Nel and this time the blonde female looked at her too, seeming annoyed with Loly's antics.

"These three are Emilou Apacci, Franceska Mila Rose, and Cyan Sung-Sun." This time she gestured to her other side where the three females stood together, the one she called Emilou, had different colored eyes, one a crystal blue and the other a honey shade with a red marking beneath the honey eye, dark blue hair and the remains of her mask as a piece of bone going down the middle of her head and a horn protruding from her forehead. The one Nel said was Franceska had chocolate skin, thick and wavy dark brown hair, and lighter green eyes than Menoly and had tints of gold, and a bone collar along with bones on her head reminiscent of a crown. And the one called Cyan had light lilac eyes, dark green hair that was long, straight and sleek, pale milky skin, paler than Emilou's, three circular marks beneath her right eye, the remains of her hollow mask on the right side of her head and appearing like a barrette, and she kept her hand and long white sleeve covering her mouth, perhaps finding the situation amusing.

Ichigo bowed to them and it seemed they were rather reluctant to return the sentiment until they looked to the blonde female and bowed back to him.

"Their leader is Tier Halibel, her and I are guards to Lord Grimmjow and have the most power of the female hollows in this room." Ichigo looked over the woman called Tier, emotionless silvery green eyes, golden blonde hair that was spiky with four locks gathered in silver, and she had her arms crossed under her chest, her shirt open to reveal the expanse of the remains of her hollow mask. He bowed to her and though she did the same he felt as if it was simply a hollow gesture, feigned to appear polite.

Nel laughed a bit nervously at the tense air in the room before looking like she had just remembered something. "There are two others like us, Lilynette Gingerbuck and Cirucci Sanderwicci but it would appear that they either got lost or are late. You will most likely meet them later." Ichigo nodded and offered Nel another smile, causing that cute little blush of hers to appear.

Tier couldn't help but roll her eyes at Nel, honestly the male was Lord Grimmjow's and she had developed a crush on him? Deciding to end this before either could allow such things to continue she spoke up. "We need to get you cleaned up and presentable, while we do so I believe there is more than one of us that wants to know why you are male."

Ichigo bit the inside of his cheek as the women surrounded him and led him into the bathroom, his face turning beet red as he realized that they were going to wash him.

He cleared his throat to get their attention, which it did. "Isn't there any chance that I can bathe myself and all of you can wait in the other room?" Almost every female hollow there smiled, well Loly smirked and he couldn't tell with Tier but she seemed amused, at his embarrassed and sheepish actions. Cyan giggled behind her hand. "No, we have to make sure you are properly cleaned. You don't have to worry, we don't bite."

She lowered her hand and smiled, revealing long fangs that made Ichigo swallow if not stiffen his spine. The others laughed and chuckled while Menoly ran the water for the bath and Loly picked out what scented soap, shampoo, and conditioner to use on him. Cyan, Franceska, and Emilou made their way toward Ichigo, reminding him of predators stalking their prey, to which he backed up until his back hit something.

Ichigo looked back to see Nel grinning at him and held him around his waist as the three others pounced on him and began to strip him of his clothes. He yelped and yelled for them to wait but they didn't listen or even pause and all he got for a reply was giggling laughter until he was naked and the women stepped back. Ichigo promptly covered his crotch with his hands and did his best not to blush.

He wondered why they were all so silent and he looked up to see them all ravaging his body with their eyes. That was never a reaction that he got from the females from his village whether he was fully clothed or had his shirt off. Of course those human women knew about what caused him to become an outcast of the village and didn't want to suffer the same fate themselves.

Loly blinked a few times before shaking her head and scowling, looking away as she grabbed one of his wrists and led him to the tub where she unceremoniously pushed him in. Ichigo denied to himself that he let out an unmanly yelp as he was pushed and fell into the bubble filled water, sputtering and gasping as he surfaced, glaring daggers at Loly who only smirked and looked away.

Menoly sighed at what Loly did and the girls surrounded Ichigo, grabbing sponges or soap while Halibel took her place by his head, beginning to add shampoo to his hair and massage it into his scalp. He couldn't help but sigh contentedly at the treatment he was receiving, even knowing where he was and who was attending to him.

Nel scrubbed lightly at Ichigo's left hand and arm with the sponge, her curiosity getting the better of her. "Ichigo?"

Ichigo opened his eyes, which he didn't know he had closed, and looked over to Nel. "Hm?"

Nel looked at the others before asking, knowing that they wanted answers just as much as she. "We are all wondering… Why did you come here? I mean, it was supposed to be a female sacrifice from the Karakura village this year. Lord Grimmjow hasn't received a male sacrifice in-"

She furrowed her eyebrows trying to remember how many years it had been.

"-89 years."

Tier supplied the answer for Nelliel, not looking away from Ichigo's hair as she washed away the suds, beginning to condition his hair next. Ichigo looked down at the bubbles that covered his stomach before his legs surfaced from the water, which were currently being scrubbed by Cyan and Emilou.

The females noticed his reluctance to answer yet it only made them more curious. "…The one that was chosen as the sacrifice this year for the Karakura village, my village, was a girl named Orihime, my sister. Orihime Kurosaki…"

The females were silent, waiting anxiously for Ichigo to continue, Nel trying to hold in her gasp as her grey eyes widened.

"She's my sister and I would do anything to protect her, Hell I have protected her since we were kids. I have nothing to live for besides keeping her safe so, I convince the elders and guards to allow me to take her place. They'd much rather send an outcast than her as a sacrifice and they agreed."

There were coos and softened eyes and forms as they heard how he would sacrifice anything for his sister, even his life, how his own village didn't want him.

"Oh Ichigo…" Nel felt guilty that she had brought up something so painful, especially when it was so recent.

He shook his head, finally looking up and they saw how his eyes were hard, proud and without regret. "It was an honor to have someone like Orihime by my side and an honor to die for her. I don't regret the choice I made."

No one could see, but Tier Halibel was smiling beneath the remains of her hollow mask, her eyes watched the human with pride. It wasn't every day that a human was so loyal and fearless, willing to face even death for the one they loved, whether that person be a member of their family or one they spoke they love to.

They continued to bathe Ichigo when Franceska asked Ichigo what his village was like. He tilted his head as he thought, his body being rubbed by hands and oils, lotions, his hair being dried by a towel. "I suppose it's like any village, houses, trees, animals, and people."

They could tell by his clipped way of speaking and cold eyes that he didn't wish to talk about the people from his village so Emilou changed the subject and asked about the houses.

"They are fairly small in comparison to the castle, or even when comparing them to the room but the people living in them are content. Some families own more land so they can farm and plant food for the village. Others are stuck with living in hovels and that's if you're lucky. Orihime and I were forced to live like that after our parents died but as the years went by we were able to find a more decent way of living. The houses themselves vary depending on what the people want, most are similar, a shingled roof, walls, wood or dirt floor, and most only have one story to them. And around the whole village is a wall, at one point in it is a gate, one that closes at night and is kept watch by the village guards."

Emilou nodded and processed the information Ichigo gave her. His village seemed to be fairly simple and ruled by the elders of said village. She did however wonder why Ichigo and his sister, but specifically Ichigo, was outcasted. He appeared to be a normal human to her, other than his morals, courage, and loyalty to his sister.

Menoly and Loly came forward with big fluffy towels as Ichigo was told to step out of the tub. 'At least they allowed me to dry myself.' Ichigo thought begrudgingly.

After he wrapped one of the towels around his waist the women led him back into the bedroom and riffled through the clothes placed in the wardrobe that was now his, trying to decide what would fit him and look best.

Ichigo allowed his thoughts to wander off and they came back to his memory of the throne room, of the Tyrant King and the pale demon-like hollow beside him. "Hey, who's the pale hollow that was in the throne room beside the King?" Nelliel looked over her shoulder at him and then at the other females.

"You must be talking about Ulquiorra, full name Ulquiorra Cifer. He is Lord Grimmjow's second in command and the one he trusts most. Ulquiorra has been by Lord Grimmjow's side since the beginning of his rule, a few thousand years ago." Halibel had been the one to answer him before they went back to picking out his clothing for the night.

Ichigo had found out the hollow's name but not what caused him to have that stick up his ass. He was arrogant yet emotionless and looked down on Ichigo, having never met him before. Honestly, insinuating that Ichigo was filth, trash… Where did that guy get the balls?

"Perfect!" Ichigo looked towards the women in a panic at the outburst. He sweat dropped when he realized that the female, whichever it had been, was talking about the clothes they had picked out. It seemed that they deemed a pair of white hakama with black edging and a white haori that went down to his knees, with black edging and the ends of the sleeves splayed out in black similar to the collar while the collar had black fur, perfect.

He sighed as they began to move closer, resigning himself to what was to happen next. His towel was ripped away from him and he was pulled this way and that as they dressed him. When they moved away they admired their work and Ichigo noticed that they hadn't given him anything to wear under the haori, leaving it open on the upper half to show off his chest.

Ichigo rolled his eyes at the girls and their antics. Of course they didn't acknowledge his annoyance and grinned widely, proud of themselves for the outfit they chose and how it looked on him.

They spoke and lounged around the room, Ichigo lying across the bed like a large cat and the girls surrounding him, on the bed, floor or rug, and the fireplace was stocked with logs and set ablaze. It gave off delicious warmth throughout the room that soothed them all, causing them to relax and making them sleepy.

Ulquiorra decided to check on how the new sacrifice was fairing amongst the female arrancar. The guards moved aside upon seeing him and opened the doors for him. The sight he saw however was nothing that he expected.

The sacrifice, human, Ichigo, was curled up on the bed and clutching Franceska to his chest like a pillow, though he expected her to mind, she did not. Her face was peaceful if not happy and she was purring, nuzzled into Ichigo as much as she could. The others were all on the bed surrounding and laying on Ichigo, using him as a pillow and being used.

All had been asleep but Tier Halibel, Ichigo's head in her lap as she leaned back against the headboard. Halibel was watching the human with such warmth and affection Ulquiorra thought his mind had been playing tricks on him. She looked up as Ulquiorra took a step into the room, her eyes turning cold and narrowed before bowing her head slightly.

Ulquiorra was once again surprised; this time by Halibel's protective nature over the human. Most of the arrancar females had grown attached to a sacrifice at one time or another but Halibel was closed off, doing her job and never more. He nodded to her before leaving the room, feeling her stare follow him and burn holes into his back.

Once the guards closed the doors behind him he couldn't stop the urge to look back. Even though the doors were closed he could still see the scene clearly in his mind. Ulquiorra made his way through the halls and had anyone else been there they would have seen the glint of mischief in his normally emotionless dark green eyes.

'Things will definitely be interesting while that human lives in the palace.'

I bet everyone wished they had a camera for that bed scene, yeah?

-frightened, muffled screaming comes from the corner before I look back to Renji and Hichigo gagged and bound, tied to each other and back to back-

-puts a finger to my lips, a claw lightly taps against them as I tilt my head in thought- Oh yeah, I forgot about them… Don't ya worry, I've got plans for 'em~