A/N- Hey, hey, hey! 5th chapter is hot off the press!! 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.

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach

Chapter 5

If At First You Don't Succeed, Try and Try Again

"What is going on here?" a detached voice asked from the door. In surprise, Okashii's arms buckled beneath her, landing her in a heap on the floor. The cero she had been juggling flew into the walls, leaving smoking craters.

"Whoops," Okashii muttered nervously, meeting harsh green eyes.

Okashii stood up, and let out a nervous laugh. "Greetings, Master Ulquiorra. How was your mission?" she asked politely.

"Leave immediately," Ulquiorra said coldly, ignoring her question.

Okashii whimpered slightly, gave a polite bow, and practically sprinted out of the room. She stopped at the doorway, turned, smiled, and waved cheerfully to Orihime. She then resumed her fearfully escape.

Orihime looked at Ulquiorra in confusion and asked," Is she alright?"

Ulquiorra shrugged slightly and said," She's afraid of me." He was making an effort not to sound cold to the girl he was supposed to befriend.

She looked at him curiously, not used to him answering her questions. "Why?"

He just shrugged again, deciding not to mention that a month prior he had almost killed her for calling him a 'funny clown'.

"Did she harm you?" he asked, sounding as concerned as he was really capable of.

"What? Of course not! Why would she?" Orihime asked, shocked by his question.

Ulquiorra felt a tug of annoyance but replied evenly," She was juggling, correct?" He motioned to the still smoking craters in her wall.

She giggled. The noise sounded oddly familiar to Ulquiorra, even though this was the first time she had laughed in his presence. He felt vaguely uneasy.

"I am needed for wedding preparations. I'll be back later with your dinner." His voice took on a hint of softness. He turned and left the room, trying to ignore the Déjà vu feeling that was arising within him.

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Nnoitra wasn't the type to give up easily. He was very goal-oriented, especially when it came to challenges. As far as he could see, to get to Orihime, he had to go through Halibel, Ulquiorra, and Grimmjow. That won't be a problem, he thought with a creepy smile, after all, I am the strongest Espada.

Luckily for him, no one was guarding Orihime when he went to visit her. Her door wasn't even locked.

Orihime was surprised when less than 15 minutes after Ulquiorra left her door opened. She hadn't realized it was dinnertime already.

Without looking away from the window, she silently thought about different excuses she could give Ulquiorra not to eat. It wasn't really because she didn't want to eat, more that coming up with excuses had become something of a game for her. As sad as it was, arguing with Ulquiorra was normally the most exciting part of her day.

Upset at her lack of reaction, Nnoitra leaked a bit of his spiritual pressure. It wasn't enough to hurt her, just enough to inform her of exactly who he was. He watched in satisfaction as her head whipped around in terror, her face donning a horrified expression. He grinned.

"Did you really think I would just give up?" Nnoitra drawled.

She backed up, feeling her mouth go dry. He felt a surge of satisfaction for causing her such fear. As an experiment, he leaked a little more of his spiritual pressure, causing her to drop to her knees.

"Are you alright? You look awfully tired," he said mockingly," Oh well, there's a nice, comfortable bed right there."

He grabbed her by the collar and tossed her onto the bed with ease.

"Halibel's helping with a new arrancar," he said conversationally," so she won't be making an appearance this time."

She watched in numb terror as he slinked over to the bed, leaning over her so their faces were inches apart.

He reached out his hand and stroked her face in mock sensuality. She felt disgusted by this creature's touch. Something in that gesture hardened her resolve. She felt sick of being the weak little victim, unable to defend herself. Her eyes shed the weak terror for anger.

She spoke clearly and without hesitation," Koten Zanshun, I reject!"

Nnoitra moved quickly to the side, avoiding the glowing orange projectile. His eye narrowed, but he smirked.

"Didn't you know you liked to play rough. Fine by me." He grabbed a fist full of her hair, pulling her up to face him. He leaned in to kiss her, and he would have, except…

"Santen Kesshun, I reject!" A shield intercepted his face, causing him to recoil. He glared at the girl who met his eye steadily and calmly. He growled. Where was the delicious fear? Why wasn't she trembling and crying?

His hand curled into a fist, and he shattered her shield with a punch. Her resolve didn't waver. She could hear the voices of her Shun Shun Rikka clearly now, telling her what to do.

His hand curled around her neck, killing intent plain in his expression and spiritual pressure.

He squeezed her neck, fully intent on killing her on the spot. Damn the consequences, this chick was pissing him off.

"Mutsuten Itenshun, I reject!" She called loudly. All six of her Shun Shun Rikka materialized. They swirled around her, creating a cylinder barrier around her, just like with Ichimaru, but this time, there was no pain. His hand shot back as a searing pain passed through it. In a flash of orange, she disappeared.

Nnoitra held his burning hand. That last attack, no one had told him about it. He had been told that she had three abilities. She could reject fate, attack, and create a shield. No one bothered to tell him she could disappear.

He wondered idly what he should do now. He had no idea where the girl went. He really didn't want to be caught at the scene of the crime when Aizen wondered where his precious pet was.

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He mused silently for about five minutes when a burst of orange exploded in his peripheral vision. There was the girl, standing at the opposite corner of the room. Her expression had definitely changed. That anger was gone, and her eyelids drooped, as if it was all she could to keep her eyes open. A look of shocked donned his features briefly, before being replaced by a huge grin.

He sauntered over to her, taking his time, relishing the fear that was finally making its appearance. Her trembling arms rose up to defend her, but just as soon fell limp. That last move must have really wiped her out, he thought gleefully.

"It's really a shame," he claimed matter-of-factly," that you won't be able to walk straight as you walk down the aisle."

Her eyes widened. She opened her mouth, as if to say something, but he didn't want to hear it. He clamped his hand over her mouth, silencing her. In one swift motion he used his leg to knock hers out from under her. She fell to the ground, hard. He towered over her, looking like a spoon from hell.

Her vision was getting blurry. She had used up too much power; she could barely hang on to consciousness. She blinked.

When she opened her eyes, Nnoitra was no longer above her. He was embedded into the wall, and his clothes were smoking. Grimmjow stood in the doorway, his hand still glowing red. Her weary brain finally came to the conclusion that Grimmjow had shot Nnoitra with cero.

"Reckless as ever, Grimmjow. Didn't I tell you to wait for me?" A voice that was unmistakably Ulquiorra's asked. He entered the room at a casual pace.

"Che. If I waited for you, the girl would be dead already."

"Rushing into a battle alone against someone who is a higher rank than you is pure stupidity."

"Please. As if I needed your help."

Orihime cleared her throat softly to remind the arguing Espada of her presence. Both men turned to face her, looking slightly guilty that they had forgotten about her. Well, Grimmjow did, anyway. Ulquiorra looked stoic as ever.

"You," Nnoitra growled, rising unsteadily from the indent on the wall," Did you really think that wimpy cero blast would hurt me? I have the strongest hierro of all the Espada!" He had his own cero charged up, a result of being ignored a little too long. The blast came hurdling at Grimmjow.

In that same second Ulquiorra was in front of him, deflecting the cero blast with one hand, leaving a huge hole in the wall next to the door. He glanced at Grimmjow from the corner of his eye.

"As usual, you leave too many openings," Ulquiorra said condescendingly.

Grimmjow growled," Shut up. I don't need you to protect me."

"Very well. Protect the girl, I'll take of Nnoitra."

Grimmjow walked over to where the girl was laying, hair fanned out, eyes barely open. He frowned. How much damage did Nnoitra do? Despite the fact that he was only here because Aizen had told him to befriend the girl, he felt genuine pity for her. Nnoitra really was a creep.

He figured he should probably say something comforting, seeing as how that was what a friend would do. He didn't think before the words formed themselves, and he heard himself say," It's over now, Abby."

She looked at him shocked, almost haunted. Why did he say that? More importantly, why did it sound so familiar?

He looked just as shocked. Mind reeling, he said the only thing he could think of. "Erm, I mean Orihime." He knelt next to her, pretending nothing had happened. He did a quick once-over. She was bruised, but nothing was broken. She was exhausted, but her clothes were still intact, which was a good sign.

He glanced over his shoulder at Nnoitra and Ulquiorra. They weren't moving. They weren't talking. They were glaring at each other, slit eye meeting impassive eyes. Finally, Nnoitra buckled under the weight of Ulquiorra's harsh gaze. He stood up straight, protecting what dignity he had left. He cast a hateful gaze at Orihime.

"So much trouble over a girl who isn't really thatpretty. Oh well, you're not worth my time. You're not worth anything actually. Just ask Kurosaki."

Leaving those cruel words hanging in the air, he left, thoroughly bored. Orihime felt burning tears spill over her cheeks. Her mental distress was obvious, and neither Grimmjow nor Ulquiorra were quite sure what to say.

Finally Ulquiorra thought of something that would, hopefully, make her feel better whilst simultaneously helping Aizen's plan along.

"You needn't worry what Kurosaki thinks of you. Lord Aizen thinks you are beautiful and precious."

Grimmjow was mildly impressed at how well Ulquiorra had turned the situation in Aizen's favor. He had confirmed that Kurosaki didn't care about her and said that Aizen did. He really was a great lapdog.

Orihime sniffled," Thank you both… for saving me."

She hiccupped, and then buried her head into Grimmjow's chest. She clung to him and sobbed. He grimaced. Why couldn't she have hugged Ulquiorra? Said jerk was smirking, ever so slightly, at Grimmjow's obvious discomfort.

She pulled back slowly, cheeks tinted pink with embarrassment. She averted her eyes, head hung in shame. For some reason, this pissed Grimmjow off. This chick was supposed to be some kind of a god. The least she could do was keep her head held high.

He considered saying something along those lines, but decided against it. He could feel Aizen approaching, slowly. His eyes met Ulquiorra's, and a silent understanding passed between the rivals. It was time to wrap things up.

"Well," Ulquiorra broke the silence that had settled around them," If you ever need help, you can ask us."

"Yeah," Grimmjow agreed uncomfortably," we're here for you."

Orihime cast a somewhat suspicious glance at each of them. It seemed a little weird that they were being so nice to her all the sudden. Then again, she wasn't complaining. Maybe her luck was finally turning around.

"Did something happen to the wall?" Aizen asked, a good-natured smile gracing his features.

Orihime was the only one surprised. She spun around to face her captor. Ulquiorra's words still rang in her memory. Lord Aizen thinks you are beautiful and precious. Was this man really capable of such kindness?

"Nnoitra happened," Grimmjow said gruffly. After a short jab to the ribs from Ulquiorra, he added," Lord Aizen."

"Oh my, are you alright, Orihime?" His voice sounded caring, and his eyes seemed genuine. She nodded numbly. He smiled.

"Ulquiorra, don't bring Orihime dinner tonight. She will be dining with me this evening, in my private quarters.

Ulquiorra nodded and replied," Yes, Lord Aizen."

The two Espada took their leave. Orihime wished they hadn't left. She always felt so awkward alone with Aizen.

He smiled at her. She looked into his eyes, and instantly regretted it. His hypnosis was already working its way through her system, the second she met his eyes. Her knees felt weak. A warm feeling spread through her body, and all her muscles relaxed, She tried to move, but couldn't. His eyes were so mesmerizing, the sword was just overkill.

He placed his hand lightly on her arm. He led her out the room, leading her to his private quarters. His private quarters. She felt her stomach lurch.

Somehow, he managed to keep eye contact with her the entire walk there. If you had asked her, she couldn't tell you how long it had taken. Time lost all meaning when looking into his impossibly warm, chocolate-colored eyes. She walked in a trance-like state, staring into his eyes like a moth stares at light, completely unaware of the hungry spider lurking in the shadows.

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A/N- That's right, I played the Nnoitra card again. I can say with complete certainty that I won't play it again. I got really sick of writing Orihime as a weakling, so I decided to give her a moment of power! Yay girl power!

BTW: Mutsuten Itenshun is the technique Orihime used in chapter two. It means Six Sacred Moving Shield. It uses all six of her Shun Shun Rikka, and looks very similar to Rukia's first dance, only orange and not icy.

Did any one notice how friggin' long this chapter was?! Chapters will be about this long from here on out. Now the action begins. Alright, I'm done ranting. Please review!