A/N- Hey Guys! Third chapter YAY!! Please leave a review telling me how I can improve, or any errors I made. I will try to write characters as in character as possible, but I might have to bend them a little for the sake of the story. Thanks a million to all my readers!

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach

Chapter 3

New Powers and a New "Friend"

Her power was swirling around her now, like a tornado. The pain was intensified greatly, and she couldn't keep herself from crying out. It was as if every cell of her body was being torn apart, then rebuilt. I want to be somewhere else. Anywhere else. A flash of pain ripped through her, and an orange flash consumed her.

The first thing she noticed after the orange faded away from her vision was that there was a huge needle inches from her face. She let out a shrill shriek as she scrambled backwards across the floor she was laying on to get away from the needle. When her brain started to work again, she surveyed her surroundings. As far as she could see, it was a large, white room filled with weird electronics and bubbling chemicals in test tubes. It was hard to tell, as her vision was still blurry. Her eyes settled on something pink. What was something pink doing in a place like Las Noches?

"May I inquire as to why you are in my lab? And why didn't I see you come in?" A pissed-off voice asked.

It took Orihime a few seconds to realize the pink thing was actually someone's hair, and it belonged to an arrancar. Namely, Szayel Aporro Granz, Hueco Mundo's resident scientist. She raised her head to meet his gaze, feeling terror grip her chest. He looked more annoyed than angry, but she still felt afraid. She didn't know a lot about the man in front of her. She only knew his name, and that he was an Espada.

She opened her mouth to speak, but found that no words could come out. The best she could muster was a strangled yelp of fear. He looked at her analytically for a few moments, before reaching out his hand to help her up. She gratefully accepted his help, relieved that he didn't seem to want to harm her.

"I'm sorry," she said finally," I don't know how I got here."

Silence stretched out before he said," Very well. Let's get you back to your room." She nodded gratefully and followed him out into the hall.

The walk back to her room was awkward. She wasn't sure if she was supposed to stay silent, or if silence would be considered rude. In her defense, Szayel wasn't giving her any hints as to how to act. It was weird, actually, because he was staring at her, with a weird expression on his face. It was a strange mix of wistful, curious, and annoyed. For the most part, she kept her eyes on her feet, avoiding eye contact.

Her head jerked up, however, when she felt him grab her arm so tightly it was almost painful. She looked at him, frightened. His gaze wasn't directed at her. She followed his eyes and found herself looking at none other than Nnoitra, the 5th Espada. She suddenly felt grateful for Szayel's protection.

Nnoitra smiled lecherously at her, overjoyed by this coincidental meeting. A silent understanding passed between Szayel and Nnoitra, unbeknownst to Orihime.

"How lucky of me," Nnoitra drawled," I've been wanting to spend some time with Lord Aizen's infamous pet."

She sank back against Szayel, appreciating every inch that stood between her and the 5th Espada.

He turned to Szayel, and said," I can take Pet back to her room. You can go back to your evil lab, and do cruel experiments on whatever poor creature you've caught recently."

Orihime stiffened, suddenly uncomfortable with her current proximity to Szayel. Understanding her obvious discomfort, he released her arm and stepped back.

She remembered the way Szayel had looked at her, a mix of wistful, curious, and annoyed. You could practically hear the pieces of the puzzle falling together.

She looked at Szayel with a horrified expression, waiting desperately for him to deny what Nnoitra said. He didn't. He just turned and walked away.

She turned back to the problem at hand. Orihime wasn't really sure what happened next. One second she had staring at Nnoitra from 3 yards away, the next she was pinned against a wall staring at Nnoitra from 3 inches away.

How did he move so fast? He can't flash step, because only Soul Reapers can do that, but that's exactly what it felt like. He just disappeared and reappeared in a second.

She was forcefully shaken from her thoughts by a sudden pain. Her brain slowly realized that Nnoitra had his long fingers wrapped around her neck. It was so painful, that she let out a pathetic yelp as his grip slowly tightened to the point where she could barely breathe.

"You looked pretty lost in your thoughts for a moment," he leered," I don't like to be ignored."

His face was inches from hers, and she could see the evil intent in his eyes. This was the real deal. If he wanted it to happen, it would. She was nowhere near strong enough to defend herself.

"Please… don't," Orihime whispered weakly.

Nnoitra smirked, and cupped a hand to his ear. "I'm sorry, did you say something?"

"Please, Nnoitra, don't do this." Her voice raised a fraction of a decibel.

"Lord Aizen says you're some kind of god," he sneered," Why don't you defend yourself?"

She tried to summon the powers that had teleported her before. Nothing came. Why not? I'm just as desperate now as I was before. Maybe even more. Regardless, the fact of the matter was that her new power just wasn't coming. She wondered, for the millionth time, why Aizen wanted someone as weak as her.

Inspiration came in a white hot flash, and she rushed to convert her thoughts to words.

"Lord Aizen will be angry with you if you hurt me."

The words didn't sound as strong as they did in her head. At least they got her point across.

"How's he gonna know about this? Were you planning on tattling?" He tightened his grip on her throat. "That's not very smart."

She had run out of arguments. She had no fight left in her. Against her will, a name she had until now suppressed slipped past her lips. "Help me… Ichigo."

A harsh laugh sounded throughout the hallway.

"Are you really that weak? You're so pathetic, always having to be rescued by that substitute Soul Reaper. Looks like we did him a favor, removing a burden from his shoulders."

Her mouth hung open slightly as Nnoitra's too true words echoed through her, repeatedly stabbing her in the heart.

"You should learn your place, woman," he said degradingly. "A woman's place is always under a man."

Orihime shuddered at the double meaning of his words.

"Is that so, 5th Espada?" a feminine voice asked.

Both Nnoitra and Orihime whipped their heads to see who the voice belonged to. Nnoitra, however, already knew.

"Halibel," he growled, disdain prominent in his voice.

Orihime was shocked. She had never heard Ulquiorra speak of a female Espada. To say she was beautiful was an understatement, which made her wonder why someone like Nnoitra wouldn't like her. Although, he did say, in his own disgusting way, that guys should be better than girls. That means… she must be a higher rank than him! That would explain why he sounded so hateful.

"It would be wise to leave Orihime alone," Halibel said smoothly," Otherwise, you would have to answer to me."

His one eye glared icily at the female Espada, but he didn't have a choice. His role was to strengthen Halibel's friendship with Orihime, after all. He only wished she hadn't come so soon. There wasn't much fun stuff to do around Las Noches.

He released Orihime, who sucked in deep breaths to make up for her previous lack of oxygen. He grinned, loving just how pathetically scared she looked. He drank in her fear greedily, enjoying the artificial high that came with making someone look like that.

He sent one last glare Halibel's way, and trudged off to his domain. She waited until he disappeared from sight before turning her attention to Orihime.

"Are you alright? Did he harm you?" she asked, making a conscious effort to make her usually cold voice sound warm and caring.

"No, you came just in time." Orihime smiled, happy that someone cared for her.

Halibel smiled in return, although it was only visible in her expressive eyes. This girl was so easy to fool, it was almost sad.

"Let's get you back to your room. Everyone's been worried about you."

Orihime stepped away from the wall she had been leaning against, ready to walk back, when her knees buckled and she headed for the floor. She closed her eyes and braced for impact. It never came. When she opened her eyes, she saw Halibel supporting her, keeping her from hitting the floor.

"Thanks, again," Orihime said sheepishly. Halibel merely smiled.

"It's no trouble," she said walking down the hall while supporting most of Orihime's weight with ease. "It's actually kind of nice," she continued," There aren't many female arrancar. Most of them are the jealous, petty type. It's nice to spend time with someone who has a kind heart."

Orihime blushed at the compliment. A sudden thought popped in her head.

"What was that fast technique you used? It looked like flash step."

"It's called Sonido. It's the Arrancar equivalent of flash step," Halibel answered.

Her eyes widened as she remembered the burning question that got her here in the first place.

"Halibel, do you know what Ulquiorra's mission today was?" she asked, remembering the whole reason she was here.

"Of course. I was with him."

"Really?" she gasped," What was the mission?"

"To retrieve items necessary for the wedding from the real world."

Thank goodness. "What items?" she asked, curious now that her fears were gone.

"Ulquiorra retrieved official documents from a court, and I selected a few wedding dresses for you to choose from," Halibel answered as they walked.

"Oh. How'd you pay for them?" Orihime asked, wondering where they would get human money.

"I didn't," was Halibel's guiltless reply.

Awkward silence ensued.

"Oh," Orihime finally replied.

They talked as they walked. Halibel talked about her "boyfriend" Stark and about life in general in Las Noches. Orihime talked about things she enjoyed doing and foods she liked eating. Orihime basked in the feeling of having a friend to talk to, even if it was just about food. She also shared deeper stuff, like how her brother had raised her, died, and become a hollow. Halibel was a great listener, and Orihime was very grateful. It had been a while since anyone had been so friendly to her.

They arrived at her room, and Halibel opened the door, whilst simultaneously supporting Orihime. Ichimaru smiled from his lazy position on the couch.

"You're back! I was getting lonely."

Orihime sighed.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

Halibel kneeled in Aizen's throne room, having left Orihime in her room.

"How did it go?" Aizen inquired casually.

"It was a complete success Lord Aizen," she replied," The girl has already begun forming a bond with me."

"Perfect," Aizen smiled.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

A/N- That's right, I played the ever cliché Nnoitra card. Longest chapter so far!! Thanks to everyone who's read to this point. Extra thanks to readers who reviewed. It means so much to me!! heart. Please review!