Chapter 3

"We are going to find Grimmjow and the others." Ulquiorra finally came to stand in front of her.

Orihime stared at him in shock. Ulquiorra couldn't be serious. Grimmjow? GRIMMJOW?! The psychotic lunatic who kidnapped her and forced her to heal Ichigo, then almost chocked her? And who were those others? The rest of their goon squad? What if the former Espada went out of control and turned on them? She knew that Ulquiorra was strong, incredibly strong, but will he be able to handle all of them at once?

"I refuse! I will absolutely not agree to this. Have you forgotten what Grimmjow did? He is crazy!" she protested.

"Perhaps, but he is a valuable asset in the upcoming fight." Ulquiorra replied calmly.

"What upcoming fight? With whom?"

"Soul Society, and possibly Aizen."

"You said that Soul Society will not look for me here! And Aizen disappeared! What fight are you talking about?"

"This is not just about your safety, but regaining control over Hueco Mundo and establishing defense against Soul Society. They will not stop fighting Hollows, and they kill them indiscriminately. There is also a possibility they will eventually find out where you are and learn about my change."

Orihime was about to object but Ulquiorra interrupted her.

"This change is not important to me since I didn't lose any of my powers, but it is very likely to pose a threat to them. There is a good chance they will want to dispose of me. If they succeed, there will be nobody to protect you."

"But my friends…"

"…attended your execution." He cut her off in annoyance.

Orihime shot him an angry look, but Ulquiorra was unmoved. He just stood and looked down at her with his usual coolness. She sunk down into an armchair in frustration.

Ulquiorra understood her anger all too well. She hated going against her friends again, but she didn't have a choice. Neither Kurosaki, nor anyone else had the resources to protect her.

"You are not betraying them, if that is what you're worried about."

Orihime did not respond. She put her knees up to her chest and lowered her forehead on them.

"This is about your survival. We are not doing this to fight them, but to protect ourselves."

After a long pause, Orihime finally looked up at him.

"Aren't all of the Espada supposed to be dead?" she asked.

"Some are."

"So, how are you going to bring them back?"

"Your powers."

"Oh, I get it. This is why you brought me here, to help you restore your army." She stood up and took a step towards Ulquiorra, looking him straight in the eyes. "I am sorry to disappoint you, Ulquiorra, but I don't have my powers anymore. Soul Society took them away when they confiscated my hairpins."

"Ridiculous. Your powers are part of you, not a piece of metal."

"I thought so too, until I couldn't summon my fairies anymore."

"This will put a detour on our plans, but it doesn't matter. Tomorrow, we will restore your powers." Ulquiorra said matter-of-factly.

Orihime was slightly amused by his confidence. They were her powers, yet he acted like he knew more about them than she did.

"How?" she asked incredulously.

"We'll discuss this tomorrow."

With those words he turned around and headed for the door.

"Make sure you rest tonight." he said without turning around and exited the room.

Orihime was tossing and turning all night. Even though she understood Ulquiorra's intentions, bringing such characters back, like Grimmjow, absolutely terrified her. And who else did he want to bring back? Nnoitra? What if they did not change? What if they still had the same attitude towards her? Did that meant that she would always have to depend on Ulquiorra for protection? What if he wouldn't be around at all times? All these thoughts left her completely restless.

Even though Hueco Mundo remained in constant dark, Orihime felt like the "dawn" was approaching, but she barely got any sleep. She started wondering how Ulquiorra planned to restore her powers. Will he tell her to call out her Shun Shun Rikka until they appeared? For how long did he plan on trying? What if it didn't work? All of those questions were driving her crazy.

Orihime finally sat up in bed.

"Soten Kisshun, I reject." She said into the empty room.

Nothing.

It will be harder than I thought.

She fell back onto the pillows and looked out of the window. Unlike in that other room, this one was actually big and it didn't have bars. But the view was all the same, the dull crescent moon. Orihime knew what she had to do. She will do her best to restore those powers. She will keep trying no matter what. Even though Ulquiorra said he will protect her, she couldn't just rely on him all the time. She had to learn to protect herself. Orihime felt a little bit more sure of herself and it made her feel more at ease. Then, she closed her eyes and fell into a dreamless sleep.

Orihime woke up with a start. She could've sworn she heard the door of her room closing. She got up and looked around. There was a tray of food on the table. Then she heard her stomach growling.

Fifteen minutes later the tray was empty and she was lazily humming in the shower. Orihime was excited about getting her powers back. It's been a long time since she saw her fairies last and she missed them.

She finally got dressed and was about to go out when she heard a knock on the door and someone coming in. Orihime turned around and met a pair of green eyes looking at her.

She smiled. "Thank you for bringing the food."

"A servant brought it."

"Really? There are still servants in this place even after Aizen left?"

"Hollows belong in Hueco Mundo and they follow whoever is the strongest."

"And now that will be you."

"Correct."

Orihime rubbed her hands together in anticipation.

"So, Ulquiorra, how exactly are we going to get my powers back?"

"You will see."

Before she could respond, Ulquiorra was face-to-face with her, his hand on her waist.

"What are you doing?!" Orihime felt herself blush.

"Unless you can keep up with my sonido, you should hold on to me."

Then, she felt herself move at an enormous speed. Reflexively, Orihime flung her arms around Ulquiorra's neck and pressed herself against him. He did not budge, but she could've sworn she felt his hold on her waist tightening. A few moments later they were in the middle of the desert, miles away from Las Noches. As they stopped, he immediately released her.

"Now what?" Orihime asked him breathlessly.

"Now, you're going to try on your own."

"Huh? My own? Are you planning on leaving me here?"

"The only person who can restore your powers is you. I am not needed."

"You are not going to just leave me here! What if there are other Hollows around?!"

"There are other hollows around." Ulquiorra replied, completely undisturbed by the fact, "They are primitive and hungry."

"What if I get killed?!"

"Whether you get killed or not is entirely up to you. Your survival instinct is what you need to call onto your fairies and live through this. I will be back in five hours." And with those words he disappeared.

Orihime could not believe it. He just left her here!

"Ulquiorra! Come back!" she yelled after him.

No response.

He was serious! What am I going to do now?!

Orihime looked at the endless sea of sand around her. She could see Las Noches in the distance, but it was too far away to walk. She sat down trying to assess the situation. So, Ulquiorra said she should use her survival instinct, yet there was nobody in sight. What will she do for the next five hours? Were there really hollows around? She couldn't believe he did this to her. What if he was wrong? What if she won't be able to summon her fairies?

Orihime was so lost in thought that she did not notice a shadow roaming over her. Then, she heard growling. She spun around and saw a hollow the size of a small elephant towering over her.

"You smell nice." the hollow purred. "Delicious. Want to play?"

Orihime jumped to her feet taking a few steps backwards. "Play? Like hide-an-seek?" she gave a nervous laugh.

"More like 'where is my lunch'. What do you say?"

Before Orihime could respond, the hollow jumped in front of her. She started running. With a rasped laugh, the monster followed after her. Orihime had no idea where she was going, everything looked the same. She finally climbed over a small dune and spotted trees a short distance away. Without another thought she took off into their direction.

Maybe I can shake it off in that forest!

She ran into the forest trying to hide herself among the trees. There was loud noise up above. She looked up and saw birds.

More Hollows!

Then she heard branches breaking behind her. Orihime peeked from around a tree and saw the same hollow sniffing the air, trying to find her. Terrified, she put a hand over her mouth trying to calm her rapid breathing. I am not going to die here! I am not going to die here! She frantically searched her surroundings, her gaze finally stopping on a thick branch on the ground. Orihime grabbed it and raised it into the air preparing to defend herself. The hollow never came. When she looked around the tree again, the hollow was gone. Then, she heard a noise behind her and froze.

A large bird landed a few feet away, looking straight at her. Orihime slowly turned around. They stared at each other for a few moments, before the bird made another loud noise and flew towards Orihime. Orihime swung the branch and hit her target. The bird fell on the ground shaking in frantic spasms. But Orihime was not done. She kept hitting it again and again, until it exploded.

"There you are!" someone laughed.

Orihime turned her head and came face-to-face with the same hollow that was pursuing her earlier. She pointed her "weapon" at it slowly backing away.

"What's this? A stick?" the hollow sneered in amusement.

"Koten Zanshun, I reject." Orihime whispered.

Nothing.

"What are you babbling about?" the hollow asked in annoyance, raising its hand and preparing to strike her.

Orihime ducked her head and swung the branch, hitting the hollow on the shoulder.

"What was that? So the brat wants to play tough! I am game!"

Orihime started running again. The tree branches were thick and sharp. They caught her hair, and scratched her skin until it started to bleed. Orihime suppressed the urge to scream in pain. She had to get away. She had to survive. She had to summon Tsubaki.

"Koten Zanshun, I reject!" she cried out.

Desire to live was overwhelming, she wasn't ready to die just yet. Then, she felt something stirring inside of her.

"Tsubaki!" she yelled.

The hollow almost caught up with her. Orihime didn't have the strength to run anymore. This was it. She either had to fight or to die. She turned around and threw the branch that she had in her hand at the monster. The hollow didn't even bother to get out of the way. The wood hit it on the head and split in two.

Then, it gave another hoarse laugh and shoved her, sending Orihime flying into a tree. Sharp pain sliced through her body. She felt blood running down the side of her face, but it was the least of her concerns. She wasn't ready to give up just yet. Orihime slowly got up, trying to stand on shaky legs. Her body was heavy, and she felt like she was going to faint. But she brushed the feeling away putting her arms out and concentrating on only one thing.

"Koten Zanshun, I reject!"

She felt a surge going through her body and saw a flash of light.

"What is this, a fly?" the hollow sneered, trying to hit something in the air.

Orihime narrowed her eyes trying to see what it was. Maintaining her concentration was harder than she thought. The pain was getting stronger, and her head was pounding.

Then she felt something buzzing next to her ear.

"Woman! Concentrate! We almost had him!"

Orihime turned her head at the familiar voice and met the eyes of a very annoyed fairy frowning at her.

"Tsubaki! You are back! I am so happy to see…"

"There is no time for this, you dimwit. Throw me at that hollow again, but try to aim this time."

**

Ulquiorra watched the spectacle below him. The woman surely knew how to hold her own. He didn't expect her powers to awaken so soon. It has only been two hours, and she already summoned Tsubaki. The rest of her fairies most likely returned as well. Ulquiorra witnessed everything, how she ran into the forest, how she fought off the bird, how she stood up to the hollow. Every time he thought he had to go down and interfere, she was able to handle it herself. And now she was about to shoot her fairy again. She was truly amazing and strong.

He didn't like the fact that she got hurt, but it couldn't be helped. Ever since they were reunited, Ulquiorra had an irrepressible desire to protect her, even more so than before. He wasn't sure why, and it bothered him. And this new sensation in his chest was another problem he had to deal with. It felt almost like pain, but it wasn't. Was it because of this change? Or was it because of her?

There was an explosion down below. The smoke cleared and the hollow was gone. She won the fight and it was time to end this show. They've reached their goal. She has had enough.

**

"Koten Zanshun, I reject!"

Orihime watched Tsubaki slice through the hollow's chest, causing it to explode. She did it, she finally did it! But her mental celebration was interrupted by the commotion above. The explosion disturbed the birds causing them to fly off the trees and to head into her direction. Bleeding and exhausted, Orihime was in no condition to fight off a new horde of hollows. She sunk to the ground preparing for the impact. But before they could reach her, she saw a flash of green light. A second later, the hollows were no more. Was she hallucinating? What was going on? She wasn't sure anymore, and neither did she have the strength to find out. Orihime tried to get up, but the fatigue overpowered her. She closed her eyes, but before she let the darkness take her, she thought she saw a figure standing over her.

Orihime woke up in her bed. She still felt pain from her latest endeavor, but it wasn't nearly as intense as before. Then she felt someone touching her. She opened her eyes and saw a servant Arrancar bandaging her ankle. Ulquiorra stood a few feet away watching. As soon as the servant noticed her, she stood up, bowed and left the room.

After she closed the door, Ulquiorra's eyes flew to Orihime studying her with intensity.

"Are you in a lot of pain?" he finally asked her.

Orihime was still angry about him leaving her in the desert. The fact that he did it without a second thought bothered her to no end. Didn't he care at all about what happened to her?

She looked away without answering.

"You are angry."

Orihime did not respond.

"Fine. Get some rest. I will be back later." Ulquiorra was about to leave but her words stopped him.

"Is that all you have to say to me?" She asked, anger in her voice.

"What did you want me to say?" he said evenly.

"You just left me there! I almost died!"

Ulquiorra came up to her side. The woman was fuming.

"I did not leave you." he said looking down at her. "I followed to make sure nothing happened to you."

"Why didn't you tell me that?" she asked still avoiding his eyes.

"You needed to know you were on your own, so you would rely only on yourself."

"Those birds…did you..?"

"Yes."

Orihime sighed. So he did save her.

"Thank you." she murmured.

"You don't need to thank me. I was just…"

"Why are you always like that?" she finally looked up at him. He was standing within an arm's reach.

Ulquiorra looked at her like he did not know what she was talking about.

Orihime shook her head in frustration. "Every time I think that you might actually... Argh! Why is this so difficult?!"

"You are tired. Get some sleep."

She ignored him. Her gaze trailed from his face to his chest. And then she remembered what he showed her.

"How does it feel?" she asked getting up on her knees to stand in front of him.

"What do you mean?"

Orihime put her hand on his chest and looked at him. "Not having a hollow hole."

Ulquiorra put his hand over hers. His hand lingered for a few seconds as they stared at each other. Orihime saw a strange flicker in his eyes, something that she hasn't noticed before.

Then, he pulled her hand away and headed for the door. But he stopped and tilted his head sideways before opening it.

"It hurts." There was something strange in the way he said it. Then, he quietly left the room.