Using sonido, Ulquiorra quickly left the Las Noches Stronghold, lithely jumping over the ramparts; he made his across the wasteland, suddenly feeling an irresistible urge to destroy something.

Familiar flashes of the memories he witnessed earlier continued to intrude upon his mind. Gritting his teeth, he became ever more incensed at Aizen's intrusion into the most sacred place of his being. He broke something within me. He broke open that blank spot in my mind that hid the memories from my past life. Seething, he pushed his sonido to its limits, completely unaware of where he was going, consumed by his hatred for the ex-shinigami, and the torrent of memories that poured from the hole in his mind.

I was…a warrior, in my past life. I was raised by…a very kind woman, and very abrasive, harsh man. He could vaguely remember them. She wanted to raise me into an intelligent, political, gentleman. He wanted to raise me to be a heartless, unfeeling, warrior. He had berated me for showing any unnecessary emotions, and beat me if I ever cried. Father…he sent me to a military school…they trained me to be as cold and ruthless as he was. Gasping at his exertion, he stopped to catch his breath, as he remembered. They died while I was out at war. I had just made it in time for there funeral. I hated him! I was glad he was gone…but my mother…The Espada fell to his knees as tears clouded his eyes. My mother… I wanted to mourn her, and I didn't know how!

He blinked, attempting to clear his eyes, though one tear still slid down his cheek. Father always said that emotions were useless and for the weak, they only served as an unnecessary distraction/i…he breathed deeply, enjoying the feel of Hueco Mundo's dry cool air.

Not long after there deaths, I was deployed once again, I went to war. I was a proud warrior. I always did what was best for my comrades, and kept them out of unnecessary danger…until that fateful day…we were outnumbered and many were without shields. A huge volley of arrows took us; I was able to save myself. Then all went black…

I woke up nearly naked in a tent, my shield and sword gone. I was beaten daily by my enemies, given very little water and only rotten, old food. Some of them found a sick pleasure in branding my chest, repeatedly. And then one day…I just died. I became a lost soul, forever cursed to wander around my deathbed. Until one day a hollow found me. I thought I was finally destined to truly die, but death never came. I woke up…and I was a hollow.

He looked around, finally surveying his surroundings. The quartz tree in the shape of a geyser was still here, albeit, much more weathered than it was. "This is where my life began anew, my past life forgotten, until now." But what does it mean, now that I remember what I once was? He pondered. Does it really change anything? And why did I forget in the first place? A new surge of anger flared through him. Aizen! I couldn't remember any of my past after meeting Aizen! It has to have been the Hōgyoku…it did something to me.

And what of Orihime? She stirs within me…emotions which I have never experienced, even in my past life. I cannot name them, but I can't help but feel protective of her. He felt a slight pang in his chest, remembering the state he had left her in; yet another emotion he had never been able to name until now: guilt.

Standing up, he dusted off his uniform and used his sonido at top speed to get back to Las Noches, fearing that Orihime was in trouble, or worse, missing, because he left the cell door open.

Orihime was in a restless sleep when she was rudely awoken by a very angry, very bloody, very alive, grinning Espada.

Before she could scream he had clamped a hand over her mouth. "Now now Pet-sama, don't be frightened, Nnoitra ain't gona hurt you…much."

Her eyes widened as the Espada tried pinning her to her bed. She thrashed, she kicked, she bit and she punched, but she couldn't throw the Espada off as he pulled up the hem of her uniform. Oh my god no no not this! Not again! Please god help me! Orihime kicked him again, this time in the groin, not expecting much of a reaction…but she got lucky; apparently male Arrancar can be wounded there. Her victory was sort lived however, as Nnoitra regained enough composer to backhand her, causing her vision to blink out, she nearly lost consciousness.

Suddenly a brilliant flash of gold light and she was free, the Espada had been thrown off her by a golden shield, her spirits had saved her again, she vaulted off the bed. "Szayel!" she screamed hysterically as she spied the Espada, bloody and in a broken heap inside the restroom. She resisted the urge to run to him and instead bolted towards the door, she had just pulled it open when she was yanked backwards by long thin arms around her waist.

"Now I didn't tell ya you could leave, Pet-sama, I haven't had my fun yet!" He flung her back onto the bed, knocking her head against the wall, stunning her. He pounced and ripped her uniform up the middle and spread her legs open. He slid his hand up her thigh and quickly ripped off her underwear, testing her entrance with his long, probing fingers.

She gasped in pain, her cloudy mind suddenly becoming clear, coming to her senses she clamped her legs shut and kicked him in the face. "ULQUIORRA! HELP ME!" She screamed. Nnoitra, having forgotten to keep her quiet, was absolutely furious, he backhanded her once again, and this time she did lose consciousness.

Ulquiorra was just crossing over the Las Noches ramparts when he heard her scream. Orihime! Forgetting his exhaustion, he used his sonido with all the skill he possessed in order to reach her. Trying to clear his mind, he reached out for the reiatsu of the one assaulting her and he was surprised. Immediately he was sent into a boiling rage.

Ulquiorra quickly shifted halfway into his resurrection, black fur rippling across his body, his hands and feet sharpening into claws. He roared in anger, increasing his speed ten fold and arrived at Orihime's cell in seconds, only to find a fully healed Nnoitra mounted atop an unconscious Orihime.

In a blind rage, he grabbed the Fifth Espada by the neck and threw him out of the room, into the hallway, and through a wall. Waves of dense green and black spirit energy rolled off of the Espada making the air feel like molasses; everyone in Las Noches was aware of his anger. "This time, you die," Ulquiorra stated, emotionlessly.

Nnoitra was trying to stand, pulling up his pants, as an extremely enraged Ulquiorra rushed him. The last thing Nnoitra saw before he died was the demonic gleam in the Forth Espadas eye

Aizen awoke from his sleep with a start, feeling the presence of a spiritual pressure nearly as great as his own, however, this reiatsu was familiar, and he had no idea the Arrancar that was producing it was at such high a level. Intrigued, Aizen climbed out of bed, quickly masking his reiatsu; he used Shunpo to reach the source of his disturbance.

Completely forgetting himself, and the dead Espada behind him, Ulquiorra made a mad dash back into woman's cell, what he found made him want to resurrect the dead Espada and kill him all over again.

Orihime's uniform was ripped all the way up the middle. Her underwear was in shreds, there was blood on the bedding and her face was bruised and swollen. He also noted Szayel, crumpled on the floor of the restroom.

Fearing that his reiatsu would draw other Espada to him, he calmed himself down enough to return to his original state. Afterwards, he gently covered her up with the now soiled green blanket.

Closing his eyes, he was quickly overwhelmed with a flood of emotions: Anger, guilt, worry, relief, and sadness. Silently taking her hand, he prayed that she'd be able to forgive him for leaving her like that; his chest felt oddly heavy as he thought about what to do.

Upon arriving at the scene of the destruction, Aizen was not surprised. Nnoitra Jiruga was dead, truly dead. His corpse was slumped against the wall, his head and mask shattered into bloody pieces.

Turning away from the carnage, he silently made his way towards the unhinged door, he peaked around the corner.

The woman was in bed, unconscious, with a bloody rag thrown over her. Blood? From who? From what? His loyal Forth Espada, ever vigilant, was watching over his charge from the bedside, and the Eighth Espada seemingly dead in the restroom.

Unmasking himself, he made himself known. Ulquiorra visibly jumped; an odd reaction at that. His eyes clashed with Aizens. The spark the ex-shinigami was used to seeing in the Espadas eyes was gone. What is this…fear? I see he remembers our little session from earlier. Ulquiorra stood up and backed up protectively against the bed; attempting to shield Orihime from Aizen.

"What did Nnoitra do this time?" Aizen asked, purposefully waiting for an answer.

The Arrancar was slightly relieved, he had been preparing for another assault on his mind. "I left. I needed to get out, temporarily. On my way back, I heard the woman scream. I focused on the reiatsu in this room, discerning that it belonged to Nnoitra." He paused, wanting to phrase the next part carefully. "Using the maximum amount of skill with sonido I possessed, I got here as fast as I could. He was raping her. Enraged that he would slander my name, by assaulting the human I had been assigned to protect, I killed him. Szayel was already like this when I arrived," he added.

"You killed Nnoitra? The Fifth Espada? In one hit?" Aizen asked lamely, knowing that the Espada in front of him was not telling the whole truth.

Ulquiorra nodded, mentally preparing himself for another attack, but it never came.

"Take this woman to some new quarters, something more permanent, and safe. Do not let this happen again." With that, Aizen took his leave.

Closing his eyes, the Arrancar let out a shaky sigh. Turning back to his charge, he very carefully, gathered her up in his arms, and brought her to his personal quarters.

Once inside, Ulquiorra secured the doors. His room was fairly spacious. It was the typical black, white, and metallic silver, of most Las Noches interiors. There were no windows. Several lounge chairs were strewn about, and a large white couch sat in the middle of the room. In the corner, there was a large, queen size, four-poster bed; courtesy of Aizen and his peculiar shinigami customs. He gently placed the woman on this. After a moment's hesitation, he went to his closet and pulled out the smallest sized uniform he owned and placed it on a nearby table. After propping her up on some pillows, and making sure the blanket was covering her body, he left to get a wet cloth, to wipe the blood away from her face, and some antiseptic cream, to dab on her cuts.

When he returned, she was beginning to regain consciousness. Gingerly, he began to clean the cuts around her face. After he was done, he then use the cloth to dab some of the antiseptic cream onto the cuts, causing her to gasp, and wake with a start, as the sting of the cream began to take affect.

Orihime began to thrash about, unsure of where she was. She tried to sit up, only to gasp out in pain as a hand gently pushed her back into the pillows. Why do I hurt so badly? The last thing she remembered was a grinning Nnoitra hovering above her, his pants halfway down, and his fist slamming her into unconsciousness. Her eyes filling with tears, she slowly, tentatively, flexed her feminine muscles only to cry out in pain and despair. No…No! He couldn't have…not again…no not again! This can't be happening! She began to sob hysterically, unaware of the grief stricken Espada nearby.

This is my fault. I shouldn't have left her alone. Ulquiorra could hardly breathe with the guilt he felt clutching at his chest. "Woman," he whispered quietly, hoping to calm her down, though he was barely calm himself. She didn't seem to hear him, in fact, it seemed to make her more upset.

"Woman?" He asked quietly, inching towards the woman on his bed. Unsure which action would be appropriate to take, he reached out a hand and gently shook her shoulder, hoping to snap her out of it.

Gasping, Orihime opened her eyes, her vision clouded with tears. "Ulquiorra?" she asked uncertainly.

"Yes," was all that he was able to say before the distraught woman threw herself at him.

Orihime's mind, a swirl of frantic thoughts and emotions, never registered that the Espada wrapped his arms around her, crushing her to his chest, rocking her back and forth. He stroked her silky red hair, offering what little comfort and reassurance he could, as she fell apart in his arms. I am the one who tore her world apart. Yet it is she who is in my arms, seeking comfort in her time of crisis. A crisis I could have prevented if my pride had not gotten in the way, and I hadn't left. Ulquiorra closed his eyes, as a tear leaked from his eye and fell into the woman's hair.

After a long while, Orihime had calmed down enough that only a few tears continued to streak down her face, her breathing relatively normal, except for a slight hitch every so often. Suddenly aware she was in Ulquiorra's arms, she pulled back. "Where am I?" she asked quietly, her voice hoarse from crying.

"We are in my personal chambers. I thought this would be safest, as I am the only one that knows where it is, and how to enter it."

Her eyes widened suddenly, "Where is Szayel? Is he ok?" she asked frantically.

"I am…unsure. He is still in your old cell. I was going to go check on him once you were settled."

Nodding, she asked hesitantly, "do you have a restroom?" Knowing that Arrancar had no need for such facilities, she was surprised when he said yes. Removing herself from his embrace, she shakily stood up, immediately becoming aware at how exposed she was; still wearing her utterly destroyed uniform. She let out a strangled sob, nearly collapsing back onto the bed.

Quickly, Ulquiorra grabbed the garment he pulled out earlier and put it in her arms. Looking into her puffy red eyes, he said, "Go to the restroom, take as long as you like. I will get Szayel. You will be safe here." With that he turned around, giving her the privacy he knew she deserved, as she made her way to the restroom.

Once she was safely inside, Ulquiorra left, he only hoped he wasn't too late.

Inside the restroom, the door shut behind her.

Running the water as hot as it would go, she gently undressed herself, and surveyed the damage in the full length mirror before her.

Her eyes were red and puffy. Her face along her left jaw was bruised and swollen, with angry red scratches on it. She had large, black and purple bruises growing where Nnoitra had held her down, as well as several deep cuts around her wrists where his nails dug in. Blanching, she noticed the huge bruise on her stomach, where Nnoitra had kicked her earlier that day. Apparently her Shun Shun Rikka healed the internal injuries, which she was grateful for, but not the bruising. Moving on to her hips, she had large purple bruises in the shape of hand prints on either side. And finally, to the most dreaded part, her woman hood, which was shattered, irritated and swollen, blood slowly dripping down her leg. Disgusted and tears flowing once again, she quickly sat on the toilet to relieve herself, hoping to wash away any unwanted germs, gasping at the pain it caused. Once she was finished, she got up and shakily turned off the tub's faucets. Testing the waters with her foot; it was scalding, she got in and submerged herself in it, washing away the feel of Nnoitras probing fingers and the memories of her Father.

Ulquiorra passed Nnoitra's corpse without a glance and made his way into the woman's cell and into the restroom. Focusing his mind he made out the Eighth's reiatsu, though it was only a third as strong as it normally was. Looking down at him he could tell he had suffered several broken appendages and maybe some internal bleeding. Nothing their regenerative powers couldn't quickly fix. Bending down he none-too-gently picked the wounded Espada up and slung him over his shoulder.

Using sonido he quickly made it back inside his domain. He gently set down the scientist on the sofa, noting that the woman was still in the restroom. He sighed as he propped himself up against one of the far walls and waited, his head bent and hands in his pockets.

His mind was chaotic with all that had happened in the past two hours: Aizen's manipulation, Nnoitra's betrayal, the Woman's wound, Aizen's intrusion into his mind, the woman's concern and then her rape. He couldn't shake the feeling that had suddenly gripped him: guilt. And then, a new feeling, completely alien to him: remorse. Remorse for introducing Aizen to the woman's powers, and then agreeing to bring the woman to Las Noches; thus destroying her world and bringing her into this madness. Then again, if it wasn't for her, I probably wouldn't be 'feeling' at all right now. I'd still be the stone cold monster who I always was, completely devoid of all emotion. He laughed inwardly at that thought. No, I am still a monster; the image of Nnoitra's mutilated body flashing before him. What I did to that Arrancar was not in self defense, but in an uncontrollable rage…because he had hurt her…He remembered Aizen's appeared afterwards, and the ex-captains suspicion; that Ulquiorra had not revealed everything. He, like the rest of Las Noches, probably felt my reiatsu, I hadn't been trying to control it; I wanted Nnoitra to realize the error of his actions before he died. Its no wonder Aizen showed up; he saw me as a possible threat. He remembered meeting his Master for the first time.

Unlike many Arrancar, the Forth Espada was not born from the Hōgyoku; he had already been a Vasto Lord for well nine hundred years; slowly evolving his power and intellect over time. When Aizen arrived in Hueco Mundo, Vasto Lord Ulquiorra sensed his immense reiatsu immediately. Realizing how much power could be gained from consuming such a being, he tracked Aizen down to Las Noches. What he saw looked to be only a mere shinigami, however the reiatsu emanating from him said otherwise. Cautiously, his keen intellect taking over, Ulquiorra asked the shinigami what he was doing in Hueco Mundo.

Aizen, surprised that the Vasto Lord hadn't outright attacked him, was intrigued. The Vasto Lord before him was extremely old and wise, this he could tell; and already over captain class power in reiatsu. What was alarming was the form he had taken, he looked nothing more than the typical pale white, humanoid Hallow; a stark black hole in the center of his chest, furry black claws for hands, talons for feet, and a mask in the shape of a crescent moon completely encasing the top part of his head, two horns protruding from the top. Peering out of beneath mask, Aizen was met with startling green, intelligent eyes; his black cheeks, marked with two streaks of black tears.

Quickly, he explained that he would be the new King of Las Noches, and that he had a plan to destroy the Shinigami and Human World alike. He watched the Vasto Lord closely throughout his narrative, seeking out any signs of aggression, that he would be attacked. However, he saw acceptance, and a lust for power and knowledge.

"I would join you." The Lord stated.

Smiling inwardly, glad to have another powerful minion to test his theories on, he asked the Lord his name.

"Ulquiorra."

"Follow me, Ulquiorra, I will bestow upon you power you can't even imagine." With that Aizen led Ulquiorra to the Hōgyoku room in Las Noches.

Once there, Aizen retrieved the Hōgyoku, and focused his full reiatsu into it. Closing his eyes, he willed the Hōgyoku forward, closer and closer to Vasto Lord Ulquiorra until finally it had disappeared inside his Hollow hole. Everything went black.

I awoke as I am now, with no recollection of the past up until that point. I knew I was extremely powerful, and my intellect was still intact. I knew it would be very unwise to reveal the true extent of my power, thus, when Aizen had tested me, I restrained myself, earning myself the rank four among Espada.

Aizen made a mistake that day, giving me such power; and he will live to regret it.

The sound of the restroom door opening withdrew him from his thoughts. What he saw made him want to weep and also smile.

Orihime, her hair wet, face still red and tear streaked, was wearing Ulquiorra's smallest uniform. She was hugging the tattered front of the uniform shut, not having been able to close it completely with the black sash. It was still a bit long, going all the way down to her feet, and the worn sleeves went all the way down to her wrist.

Noticing the Espada's presence, her face reddened even more. "It suits you," he said from across the room. She gave a half hearted smile, "Thanks…but can I get something else soon? I can't go around like this…"

Completely missing her point, Ulquiorra said, "Well I don't see why not, it's not like half the other Arrancar don't wear revealing clothing worse than that."

I don't want to seem ungrateful, and he does have a point…but still, he just doesn't understand…"Please?" she begged.

Sighing, Ulquiorra only nodded; letting an awkward silence settle about the room.

Orihime spied the bloodied form of Szayel on the couch. Ignoring her own pain she ran over, falling to her knees beside him. "Szayel…he was like this when I awoke, I know he tried to protect me…" her eyes began to water as she cast her healing shield around him.

"That is not necessary. He has fair regenerative capabilities such as I do. He will be fine." Ulquiorra said coldly.

She glared at him, tears in her eyes. "After all he's done for me and you want me to just leave him like this? And I suppose if you were in his place you'd still tell me not to bother? That you'd heal on your own? I'd never leave either of you like this!" She was shaking now as she closed her eyes and focused on healing the Espada. For some reason Hollow's were more difficult to heal than humans, and took more energy and will power.

Ulquiorra said nothing, knowing it was pointless to argue. Whatever it was she felt for the two Espada, it was not something he could put a stop to, he realized that now. The past week, no matter how much distance he put between himself and the woman he still felt drawn to her, like a moth to flame. And now he felt what little willpower he had left in the matter slowly slipping away. Seeking some way to distract himself from his troubled thoughts, he said, "You must be hungry, I will bring food." Ulquiorra made to leave.

"No!" Orihime said, getting up quickly, the Espada looked at her questioningly. I don't want to be alone, she pleaded in her mind, but instead she said, "I'm not hungry…I couldn't eat even if you forced it down my throat right now."

Remembering his harsh words from the previous week, he nodded.

A wave of dizziness hitting her, Orihime lost her balance and collapsed back to the floor, her shield wavering. Closing her eyes as a wave of nausea hit her, she tried to steady her breathing.

Clearly sensing something was wrong; Ulquiorra went over to his charge, at a loss as to what to do once he got there. "Are you alright?" he asked quietly.

Startled by his sudden presence nearby, her body visibly jumped; heart stopping for a second. Trying once again to catch her breath, she only nodded, focusing on calming down and keeping her shield up.

"I think you should move to the bed and go to sleep," the Espada said firmly.

Having missed the concern laced within his voice she choked out, "I can't…" Last time I went to sleep…I woke up… and…and… a strangled sob escaping her lips. "Besides…Szayel needs me." She said, slumping forward slightly as fatigue began to hit her.

Szayel opened his eyes and peered up at Orihime, he wished he could reach through the golden shield encasing him and caress her cheek. "I'll be fine, you've done enough, Orihime." He said hoarsely.

"Szayel, you're awake!" she gave the scientist a genuine smile as relief coursed through her.

"Yes. Now go to bed, woman." He smiled, impersonating the Espada standing only feet away.

Ulquiorra glared.

She nodded and let down her shield, her spirits returning to her. She slumped forward onto the couch as exhaustion overtook her.

Szayel looked down at the woman whose head was now lying on his left arm. He smiled and gently stroked her wet hair with his other hand. "I didn't mean on me," he whispered, closing his eyes as his own guilt over took him, flashes of his confrontation with Nnoitra invading his mind. "Take her, Ulquiorra, she needs you, not me." he stated, "I couldn't do anything to protect her."

Ulquiorra said nothing. Gently, he gathered the woman up in his arms for what felt like the tenth time that day, and placed her on his bed, covering her up completely. He sat beside her until he was satisfied she wouldn't reawaken, only then did he settle into his own state of rest.

Szayel lay on the couch, the pains within him now reduced to dull throbs. He had sustained much worse damage before, and with the help of Orihime, he was already well on the way to recovery. He frowned, the thought of the woman sending pangs of guilt through his chest. Nnoitra had stormed into the room, startling him from his musings and had quickly gained the upper hand on the Eighth Espada, slashing him across the chest and throwing him through the restroom door. Everything went fuzzy after that. He could hear him advance upon Orihime. He heard her scream for him, and then for Ulquiorra, but he couldn't move. If only he had one of his Fracción he could have healed himself and saved her.

If Ulquiorra didn't arrive when he did, Szayel was positive she would have been killed. His chest tightened painfully as the thought. iWhat is wrong with me? When did I grow so soft?/i He closed his eyes. He had cared little for the woman before he met her, he saw her as nothing more than a possible experiment. Then Ulquiorra had requested his help with her illness and it all went from there. She had charmed him from the start with her politeness, despite the fact that he was her enemy. And seeing the treatment she was receiving from Ulquiorra he had resolved to make her stay in her gilded cage a pleasant one. "What would I do without you?" she had asked him that morning. "You're the only thing keeping me sane in this place." No, he hadn't failed at all. Ulquiorra was her Guardian, her protector, he had failed in his mission. Szayel had succeeded in his, he had become her companion, her…friend. He smiled at this thought.

Several hours later, Aizen was rudely awoken for the second time that night. However this time it was for a completely different reason.

Sitting up and swinging his legs over the side of his bed, Aizen closed his eyes and focused on the fluctuating reiatsu he was feeling.

The Shinigami and his comrades had finally made it inside Las Noches, and were split up inside the vast compound. His brow furrowing, trying to sort out the numerous reiatsu, he found the disturbance.

It was the female shinigami he had taken the Hōgyoku out of, and she was fighting the Ninth Espada, Aaroniero Arruruerie; who had taken on the form of her long lost comrade and love, Kaien Shiba. The Espada appeared to hold the upper hand, having run the shinigami through; that is until the she hardened her resolve and overcame the illusion, using her Zanpakuto's Third Dance, she impaled the Espada straight through its skull. The shinigami then collapsed; her reiatsu nearly non existent.

He opened his eyes, it is time for one last meeting, and then we move on Karakura Town.

Closing his eyes to focus his reiatsu once more, he found the spiritual energy of his ten Espadas, and their Fracción. Mentally probing there minds, he relayed the message that they were to gather inside the meeting hall within the hour; he withdrew.

Standing up, Aizen took the Hōgyoku out of its protective stand and made his way out of his chambers.

Chapter 10 Teaser: "Kill her, Ulquiorra! She's no use to me any longer." With that Aizen strode from the room; completely trusting in the Espada to follow his orders.

An: Angsty chapter is angsty!

I know some of you knew something like this would happen eh? Maybe just not from Nnoitra who you thought was dead, heh.

What do you think of Ulquiorra, his past and him coming to terms with his newfound emotions?

What do you think about Szayel's feelings towards Orihime? I hope he wasn't too OOC. I feel like I should have written him to be more sadistic after reading other stories…but I like soft Szayel =)