Chapter 4

"They are convinced that Inoue was rescued." Ichigo said, with his friends joining him in Urahara's living room.

After the captains' meeting, they left Soul Society and headed straight to Urahara's shop. Orihime's rescue set them at ease. Their friend was alive. But now they had a new problem to worry about. If she was rescued, who rescued her? And where was she? None of them could sense her riatsu, which meant that she was not in the human world.

"They told us there was a foreign riatsu around the execution site. And it wasn't Shinigami's."

"Do you have any ideas what's going on?" Rukia interjected.

Urahara swung his fan lazily with an expression of absolute cluelessness. "Forgive me, Kuchiki-san, but it seems like I know as much as you do."

"Why didn't she contact us?"

"Maybe, she does not want to be found." he said thoughtfully.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Ichigo demanded.

"Just thinking out loud," Urahara laughed, "Don't pay any attention to me."

"It's so not like Inoue. She doesn't just disappear without a trace."

But all of them knew that it was the furthest from the truth. It wasn't the first time Orihime disappeared, but at least back then they knew the cause of it. This time, they weren't even close.

"What if something happened to her and she needs our help?" Rukia asked again.

Urahara smiled to himself. He was almost sure that it wasn't the case. If it wasn't for that Espada, Orihime would've been dust. And he had a feeling that Schiffer had no intention of harming her. But the question was: why did he want to save her so much? What was it to him? Urahara had a nagging feeling that something must've happened in Hueco Mundo, something that made this Arrancar seem more…human.

The meeting proved to be fruitless. Urahara did not know anything and neither did he have any leads. Neither arguing nor debating moved them forward. So, the friends finally left more troubled than before.

"Why didn't you tell them?" Urahara heard Yoruichi behind him.

"What do you mean, Yoruichi-san?"

With one quick stride she was standing in front of him, hands on her hips, and a frown that made Urahara wince.

"I knew you were lying from the start. What are you hiding, Kisuke?"

Urahara sighed. He knew he couldn't hide anything from that damn woman. She saw right through him.

"Five days before the execution, I had an interesting visitor. He wanted me to open a portal to Soul Society."

"Who was it?"

"A former Espada that Kurosaki defeated back in Hueco Mundo. He said he wanted to save Inoue-san."

Yoruichi stared at him in surprise. "An Espada? But how is that possible? All of them are dead."

"I don't know. But when I asked him to prove that he was was not lying, he revealed that he wasn't a hollow anymore. There was no hollow hole, and apparently he wasn't working for Aizen either. Since he did not wreck any havoc in Soul Society, he was telling the truth."

"So that means…" Yoruichi said thoughtfully, "that Orihime is with him."

"I believe so."

"Where do you think they are?"

"They are neither in the human world nor Soul Society. The only other place I can think of is…

"...Hueco Mundo." Yoruichi finished for him. "Why did you keep this from them?"

"If they found out, Ichigo would've asked me to open a portal to Hueco Mundo, which would've attracted Soul Society. They are not the nicest lot if you remember what happened to us, Rukia, and Orihime. If it can be helped, it's better they don't know, until we think of a plan to bring Orihime back without having her arrested again."

Orihime was baffled. Since their last encounter, Ulquiorra barely came to visit her. She had a nagging feeling that he was avoiding her. Was it because I got too familiar with him? She remembered when she asked him about his hollow hole and the look he gave her when she touched his chest. She thought she saw something that almost resembled tenderness, but it was over before she could figure out what it was. Ulquiorra gave her a few days to recover and she barely saw him. Orihime was getting restless again. Today they were supposed to start working on their plan and Ulquiorra was nowhere to be found.

Orihime did not want to wait any longer. She was sick of sitting within the same four walls for the past three days. She needed to get out.

She exited her room and started down the corridor. Everything was quiet, white, and identical, just like she remembered. However, the lesser Arrancar did not ignore or sneer at her anymore, as they did when she first arrived to Las Noches. Now she was treated with an air of apprehension and reserved admiration. Orihime wondered if it was Ulquiorra's influence, or if they saw her differently.

She rounded the corner and came up to a set of huge doors. Orihime was giddy with excitement. She's never gotten a chance to explore Las Noches, and now that she had the freedom to do so, her curiosity was getting the best of her.

She pushed the doors and stepped inside. But what waited on the other side left her completely in awe. Orihime has never seen so many books before. She couldn't believe that this treasure was so easily left behind. It was a collection of everything from the human world and Soul Society and she was itching to read all of it.

She was about to head towards the book shelves, when she heard a voice behind her.

"What are you doing?"

She turned her head seeing Ulquiorra standing in the doorway, with his usual hands-in-the-pockets look, frowning at her.

"I got bored being by myself. How did you know I was here?"

"I followed your riatsu."

Orihime nodded. His stare was unnerving. She suddenly realized that being in his company made her nervous. "Is there something you wanted?" She asked timidly.

"We have things to do." He said coming up to her. "Hold on to me." And then Orihime found herself in his arms again. A second later she had the same uncomfortable sensation in the pit of her stomach as he sonidoed across Las Noches.

Being held by him again made Orihime turn several shades of red, yet, Ulquiorra did not seem to notice the proximity at all, which made her even more anxious. His face always maintained the same expression of indifference in every situation. And Orihime wondered if he even noticed what he was doing.

Ulquiorra wore normal clothes now, and she often caught herself staring at him. To her he was handsome. And if he actually attended her school, Orihime was sure every girl in sight would've been after him. He wasn't very tall, but he had a lean body and the greenest eyes she's ever seen. Orihime felt her heart flutter at the site of him.

Several moments later they finally landed in front of huge doors.

"What is this place?" Orihime asked.

"Szayel's laboratory."

He released her and effortlessly opened the door letting her in.

There were containers and bottles everywhere filled with strange liquids and body parts. Finally, Orihime's gaze stopped on two bodies in the midst of it all. She came closer and gasped. In front of her, lying perfectly still, were Grimmjow and Nnoitra, from head to toe covered in sand. Unlike the human bodies, which would've been decomposed by now, they were perfectly preserved.

"How did you find them?" Orihime asked, feeling her uneasiness building.

"There were still traces of their riatsu in the desert after the fight with Kurosaki and the Shinigami captain."

"Really? After all this time?" she asked looking down at the two in front of her. "What are you going to do now?"

"Revive them."

Orihime cast an anxious glance at Ulquiorra. "Are you sure it is the right thing to do? What if you won't be able to control them? What if they…?"

"They won't. I will not let anything happen to you." He met her gaze, looking at her steadily.

Even though the idea still seemed crazy to her, Orihime somehow trusted his reassurance.

"Use your powers on them."

Orihime hesitated for a moment before calling out her fairies. Having Grimmjow and Nnoitra around was scary, very scary. But as long as Ulquiorra was near, she felt safer.

"Sōten Kisshun, I reject."

She put her arms in front of her, silently guiding her fairies to form a shield around the Arrancar. From the corner of her eye she saw Ulquiorra coming to stand next to her, watching her fairies at work.

Soon, the tattered uniforms started looking like new and the sand disappeared. A few seconds later, the Arrancar opened their eyes.

Orihime put her fairies away and took a step backwards casting an anxious glance at Ulquiorra. He remained perfectly calm, studying the newly alive duo in front of him.

"What the hell did you do?" Grimmjow asked somewhat confused and annoyed.

"Brought you back from the dead." Ulquiorra answered.

"I didn't ask for this shit, did I?" Nnoitra cut in.

"Being dead is quite useless."

"I wanted to be dead. It was a fair fight!" Nnoitra grumbled finally taking a good look at Ulquiorra. His eyes widened at the lack of the uniform and the physical changes. "Looks like we're late for the party. Look at that, Grimmjow!"

Grimmjow followed his gaze and smirked. "What the fuck happened to you? Where is Aizen?"

"Aizen is not in Hueco Mundo anymore. Nobody knows where he is."

"Then why did you bring us back?"

"Do you enjoy being useless?" Ulquiorra asked, meeting Grimmjow's angry look, "In any case, you were needed to reestablish control over Hueco Mundo."

"I ain't your damn lackey, Ulquiorra."

Before anyone could respond, they heard Orihime's little voice.

"Um…Ulquiorra…"

"Look who is here! You brought your little pet along. This will be interesting." Nnoitra's mouth widened in a smile.

"What's she doing here if Aizen is gone?" Grimmjow asked.

"Soul Society is after her. She is staying in Hueco Mundo for the time being."

Grimmjow laughed "I can't believe this shit. They came to save her and now they are after her?"

"They will eventually find out where she is. We need to bring the rest of the Espada back to prevent Soul Society from invading Hueco Mundo." Ulquiorra said.

"Why should I care about what happens to her?"

"You don't need to care about me…" Orihime laughed nervously, "Looks like the three of you have a lot to talk about. I'll leave you alone." With those words she rushed out of the laboratory.

After she left, Ulquiorra spoke again. "In the very least, you will get a chance to fight Kurosaki."

"That bastard is still alive?"

"He is alive and he is stronger than when you first fought him."

"That damn asshole…"

The three remained silent for a few seconds studying each other.

"What's up with your face?" Nnoitra finally spoke, pointing a finger at Ulquiorra.

Ulquiorra hesitated for a moment gathering his thoughts. "Something happened to me after Kurosaki nearly killed me. I don't know what it was. After I regenerated, I came back different." He looked down at Grimmjow's hollow hole. "But seems like you haven't changed."

"What do you mean by that?" Grimmjow raised his voice in irritation.

"I do not have a hollow hole anymore."

"I always knew you were a freak." Grimmjow gave a roar of laughter. Nnoitra continued smiling. And Ulquiorra remained unmoved.

Ulquiorra's none-reaction to Grimmjow's taunting annoyed him. He always knew that Ulquiorra looked down on him, and it made him even angrier.

"So, now that you are different, do you think you are in charge of this place?"

"Ridiculous. You are in no position to be challenging anyone."

"Let's see how much you've really changed." Grimmjow sneered.

He raised his arm and charged towards Ulquiorra.

With one swift move Ulquiorra sent him flying through furniture and lab equipment. Cursing and panting Grimmjow finally got up from under the debris, glaring at him. Nnoitra continued to silently grinning at the spectacle.

"You little shit… When did you get so strong?"

"Starting pointless fights is a waste of time." Ulquiorra answered with perfect indifference.

He was about to leave but he hesitated before turning to the door. "And one more thing, stay away from Inoue Orihime."

The next few days were hectic. Ulquiorra found Szayel's body in the debris around the laboratory and had Orihime revive him. Even though Szayel was one of the weaker Espada, Ulquiorra found his cunning and scientific knowledge to be useful. Szayel's reaction was a bit friendlier than of the other two before him, yet he was still the same mad scientist as always who spent most of his days in the lab completely indifferent to anything else.

Then, there was Luppi. Although he was not an Espada anymore, his power level matched Grimmjow's and Ulquiorra thought of him as an appropriate substitute for the lower level Espada like Aaroniero and Zommari.

Yammy was the last of those who were previously lost in Hueco Mundo. Orihime expected Ulquiorra and him to have some sort of a reunion, given they were partners before, but they barely acknowledged each other.

All of the restored Arrancar were apprehensive about following Ulquiorra, especially Grimmjow who still saw him as a rival. But Ulquiorra did not seem to care, and neither did he claim to be in charge. The only thing he expected was for them to unite in their common goal against Soul Society and to keep away from Orihime.

There were two more Arrancar left, who did not die in Hueco Mundo, Starrk and Harribel. Bringing them back proved to be harder than Orihime thought. Even though Hachi told her that she could restore anything from scratch, she still couldn't bring the last two Espada across the dimensions, which meant that she had to travel to the human world.

Orihime was pacing in her room. She was not ready to go back yet. Even though she had the bracelet with her, she was still nervous about it. What if Soul Society could sense through it? What if they set traps? What if they sent spies? Getting caught by them absolutely terrified her.

"What are you so nervous about?" she heard Ulquiorra coming into the room.

"Is there no other way? What if I try again?"

"You already tried three times. It did not work."

"But…"

"You will wear your bracelet, and there will be three others with you."

"Grimmjow doesn't care about whether I live or die. And neither does Nnoitra."

"They care about a good fight. And if protecting you to revive the last two Espada means that, they will do their job." he paused studying her face. "And I will be there too."

Orihime brought her arms around herself and turned away from him. "What if my friends sense my riatsu?"

Ulquiorra did not answer right away, but she heard him coming up behind her. "What do you want me to do about them?" He asked her quietly.

Orihime spun around coming face-to-face with him. "I want you to avoid fighting them. I don't ever want to witness what happened on the dome again."

"They are still important to you."

"They are my friends. I will always care about what happens to them."

Ulquiorra looked at her for a long moment. His gaze started to roam around her face. Then he raised his hand and took a lock of her hair twisting it between his fingers.

"Why does it hurt?" There was a strange tone in his voice.

"What do you mean?" Orihime asked uncertainly.

"My chest. I do not feel any physical pain, but the strange sensation does not go away."

Orihime wasn't sure what he was talking about. Could it be that he was worried about something? Someone?

"If there is someone you care about, you are afraid of losing them. And you are worried when they are in pain." She lowered her gaze, blushing a little.

"Is that how you humans are?"

"Yes. When I see my friends getting hurt, my heart throbs."

"This heart brings you nothing but trouble."

"That's not true!" Orihime protested. "It also brings us happiness and joy. We don't always have to fight. There are lots of good moments in life when you spend time with your loved ones. You just have to find someone who is important to you and keep them."

"How do I keep them?"

"Make sure they are happy and they want to be with you."

"I see."

Ulquiorra released her hair. Orihime felt his eyes burning into her.

"Are you happy?" he asked.

She was puzzled by his question. Why did he want to know? More importantly, she really did not know the answer herself. She wasn't unhappy, she was safe, and she was somewhat free. Yet, she still missed the human world and the company of her friends.

"There are some things I wish were different. But I can't do anything about them. I am content here. I….like being in your company." Orihime felt her cheeks burning again "And I hope some things will change later."

"Are you going to leave after this is over?"

Orihime finally raised her eyes meeting his gaze. "Is there a reason why I should stay?"

Then she saw him bringing his hand up to his chest.

Ulquiorra did not even notice he did that. But her question brought back the strange sensation. He still wasn't sure how to handle it, but one thing became certain. More than anything, he wanted Orihime to stay.

Rukia woke up with a start. What was that familiar riatsu that she felt? Could it be…? She got out of bed and ran into Ichigo's room.

"Ichigo! Did you feel it too?"

He was already up and preparing to transform.

"I did. And there is more than one!"

Across town Urahara was smirking.

Looks like she finally showed up and she brought friends. The show is about to begin.