As the meeting ended, I walked back to my room. My foot had fallen asleep sometime within the first half hour of what turned out to be an utterly pointless waste of time. Aizen had decided to wax eloquent on the most insignificant details possible of course. Ulquiorra was in front of me, helping me navigate the maze-like hallways. The silence was heavy, almost stifling, and being a pretty social person myself, I couldn't stand it. "So... that meeting was,er, interesting," I said for lack of a better topic of conversation. He half turned, still walking, and stared at me with the most deadpan look I've ever seen. When he turned his eyes back to the hall in front of us I had to resist mightily the strong urge to stick my tongue out at him. Bastard. I mean honestly what a killjoy! I then turned my attention to studying the layout of the halls we walked through, noting when each branched off and keeping tabs on our general direction. The place is huge. I really miss Shinji and the others,I thought to myself as we passed an arrancar with the same coloured hair as him. Shinji-sama.

FLASH BACK*

I shivered, my body felt heavy and weak. Each step was painful. My breath was rasping harshly in and out of my lungs. I wanted to scream for help to somebody, anybody. But my lips reused to move. And, I thought, even if they did, no one would hear me. I watched in horror as my former captain lifted his zanpaktou. "Maiyuri-taichou," I managed to whisper, trying desperately to bring my own zanpaktou up in time and knowing it was too late... A resounding crash screeched in front of me, sparks flew as two blades collided together. I could feel my eyes widen in surprise. The arms around me tightened a little as my rescuer braced for the next attack. Even holding my he managed to dodge, lithe as a cat. "Kensei," he called to someone behind us as my captain paused to regain his footing,"get her outta here. I'll meet up with you guys later." The arms loosened suddenly and I was scooped up by another man. "W-wait," I cried, "that guy's a captain. Your friend..." The man looked down at me scowling, his white hair and dark eyes catching my attention. "He'll be fine," he said after a moment, "Shinji's stronger than he looks. More importantly, who the hell are you?" I opened my mouth to answer, but the scenery that was flying by began to darken. Before I knew it, the whole world was plunged into night.

"Don't know. Think she's okay?" That voice. "She's fine, just unconscious," a woman's voice answers the first voice. "More importantly Shinji," the woman continued,"just what the fuck were you thinking? Fighting a captain, you could have brought all of fucking Soul Society down here dumbass. You should have just let it go." I heard a small shuffling beside me and a warm hand touched my cheek. "She would have died if I didn't. Besides Hiyori, the Soul Society had to have a reason to want her dead. This could get interesting." I heard a loud snort and stirred. My eyes slowly forced themselves open. The tall blonde man who had rescued me earlier stared down at me, butterscotch eyes finding mine. I struggle to sit up as a sudden bolt of fear hits me. This man had fought on par with a captain. Terror adds strength to my efforts and soon I'm on my feet, my back to the wall behind me. A glint of curiosity lights the man's eyes. My hands are unsteady as I reach for my zanpaktou. Gone. Panic rushes through my veins like fire. The man is approaching me. I can't look away from his gaze. I'm only half aware of him putting something solid and cool in my hands. "This is yours," he said gently, backing away a few steps. I look down to see my zanpaktou and feel tears sting my eyes as it's reassuring presence fills me withnew confidence. "Who are you?" I finally ask. A smile slowly spreads across his face, making him seem so much younger. He closed the distance between us again and took my hand in a warm grip. His voice was smooth and strong when he spoke, an underlying amusement coating every syllable. "Shinigami-san, I'm Hirako Shinji, vizard and former captain of the 5th division. Nice to meet ya."

Isnap back to the present as Ulquiorra stops and opens a door to our left. "If you require anything, all of the espada's rooms are in this hallway. There is also a servant's bell near the light switches." He turned and walked away, leaving me to explore my room alone. I shake my head and try to clear the last vivid fragments of the memories from my thoughts. A sudden, sharp feeling of loneliness settles over me.This is all for Shinji, I think and harden my resolve. Pushing any further recollections of Shinji from my mind, I begin to explore my new home. The room is large with plush furniture and several large windows. The windows help me ease the feeling of claustrophobia I've been feeling since entering Las Noches. It must have something to do with being in enemy territory and all that. I constantly feel like a prisoner. A small sound reaches me and my senses fly into overdrive, my hand going immediately to my figure in the doorway laughs. I recognize that laugh from my first few minutes in Hueco Mundo. "Hello Grimmjow," I say, forcing my hand to fall back to my side, "did you need something?" He pauses and seems to measure me up. "Aizen said I should show you around," he purred and came a little closer. I plastered a smile on my face and pushed down my fear, picturing Shinji's face. "Okay," I say and walk up to him boldly. He freezes for a moment, then a wicked grin spreads itself across his face. Without another word, he turns and leads me out the door.

-I felt bad ch.1 was so short, so I made this one a little longer. Please give me any suggestions and I'd love any reviews!