Finally back to writing this again. Sorry for the wait! ^^

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Bleach original Characters; they are all thanks to Kubo for my being able to write about them. Enjoy!


"Hey, you hungry Orihime?" Tatsuki asked, her voice radiating from the kitchen. It had gotten pretty dark since they came back to Tatsuki's place, only a faint trace of color showing in what was visible of the sky, the streetlamps already flickering to life. Although it was still pretty close to the end of Summer, the days had begun to get colder and shorter. Orihime sat on the floor staring out the window, her fear of being watched slowly ebbing away with every minute that passed. Turning away from the quiet street, she stood and went to help figure out something for them to eat "Do you have any eggs? I've been wanting to try out this new recipe lately" she replied, peering curiously over the other girl's shoulder. "Umm, I think I'll pass this time.. How about we make some instant noodles? It'll take only a few minutes" Tatsuki suggested, knowing just how weird her friend's taste's could be. After a few more minutes of debating different potential meals, they finally settled for the ramen.

Orihime sat tapping her fingers on the table, a cup of half-eaten noodles in front of her. Across from her Tatsuki set down her own food, her expression curious "You alright?" she asked. Surprised, Orihime looked up and realized she had stopped eating "Oh, yeah..." she mumbled uncertainly. Was she alright? Sure she hadn't been getting much sleep, but... "Orihime, are you still worried that someone's stalking you? We could always put a restraining order on them if you start to see them getting too close" Tatsuki suggested, but she only shook her head. She didn't know if there even was someone following her around, let alone if they meant any harm to her. Let alone if they were even Human "I'll be fine. Besides," she replied with a small smile "I have everyone to help me out if I get into any serious trouble." Tatsuki smiled at that and dropped the subject, saving her worry for later. Feeling better at the thought Orihime continued eating, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere that Tatsuki's seemed to bring.

It wasn't long before they were both asleep. It had gotten late and even Orihime had admitted she was tired. She lay sleeping on the couch, curled up in a cocoon of blankets. The sky outside grew ever darker, a thin slice of the moon illuminating little below it. Everything was dark, quiet. The wind rattled the windows gently, the lock on the door giving a soft click as it was slowly pushed open. A thin shadow stretched across the floor, growing longer as it reached out towards where she slept, its fingers pointed like claws. Invisible hands wrapped around her throat, slowly cutting off her air supply as they held her down. Orihime's eye's shot open, her arms and legs thrashing as she fought to breathe. She tried to scream, but the force on her neck only grew stronger, her hands lashing out uselessly at anything she could reach. Her head was starting to spin, her body getting weaker as her mind slowly slipped into total darkness...

"Orihime!"

... Someone was calling her name... No, they were practically shouting it at her.. Oh, she had such a headache. Why couldn't they just be quiet? She tried to raise her hands to cover her ears but only managed to brush them against her neck- wait. Her neck? The hands!

Bursting upright Orihime almost smacked right into Tatsuki, her arms flailing tiredly as she frantically looked around. The door was still shut, the lock untouched. After a moment she noticed Tatsuki's hands were gripping her shoulders, as if she had been trying to shake her awake "Orihime, what happened? You were screaming like crazy a few minutes ago" she asked worriedly, pulling her hands away. Without a word Orihime threw herself at her friend, hugging her as tightly as she could as tears streamed down her cheeks. "Orihime..? Whoa, what happened to your neck!?" she exclaimed suddenly. Confused, she rested a palm on her throat, wincing at the following jolt of pain. Adding curiosity to her already growing list of emotions, she headed for the bathroom mirror, pulling her hair back as she went.

It had been a nightmare. A bad dream. Just a dream.

But what she saw reflected back at her challenged such thoughts. She blinked. Impossible. A giant bruise wrapped around her neck, like two hands with nails that had been dug into her skin.


Note: I keep thinking of Ulquiorra as having "Somewhere I Belong" by Linkin Park for a theme-song. . . Anyways, please leave a review! I appreciate the feedback~!

Posted: 8-26-12