Hey guys, updated like I said I would! Super excited about this one, and the next one, as I had about ten pages of bullet points to cover for this part and I only used three up - the rest should easily make up the next chapter's content, so I don't have to stress about getting ideas up for it.

Good news, only Orihime and Ulquiorra perspectives in this chapter, so be prepared for some pretty odd thoughts from our favourite girl. Seriously, she's actually certifiable sometimes in the series and I think that's filtering into my writing a little bit. Worried? I am.

A huge thank you to everyone that's taken the time to read this story so far. I appreciate that you are giving it a little attention each time I update it. A special thanks to WingedRegent and Yuki for leaving feedback for the last chapter. I'm humbled that you, Yuki, said such kind praise. I can't reply any other way than this, because you were only signed in as a guest, but I'm touched you think my world is mystical and enchantingly beautiful. Hopefully, I'll be able to show more of Yohlis so that all the readers can get a feel for my crazy mind's imagination.

Anywho, here ya'll go!

Words: 5,467

Resonating Souls

Chapter 7: Spark

Orihime watched, more than a little nervous, as her tentative ally moved silently down the stone stairs and further into the depths of the cave. It struck Inoue as odd that there were clearly defined steps in such a secretive place, as well as torches evenly distributed along the walls in sconces. She could work out, with little help, that whatever took Tsanoku did not need light to see by – they'd dragged the boy off into pitch blackness after all. Yet here was evidence that the captor – or captors, as was more likely – did require something to light the way. Also, that they could craft stairs out of solid rock.

Whatever took Tsanoku-san is definitely not a mindless monster. Even if the arm that grabbed him looked like a monster's. Thinking back, Orihime had the distinct feeling that she'd seen something similar only the day before…

Something hissed just behind Orihime. She spun around to face the entrance and saw two creatures that by all accounts should not be moving around until nightfall – two Paraxians. Maybe the normal rules Tsanoku-san told us about don't apply here, because it's so dark in this forest. The carrot-top backed up a step just as one of the creatures reached a clawed hand in her direction. She gasped as a sudden thought struck her - These things took Tsanoku-san! That's why the arm looked so familiar. It's almost the same as the one that attacked me last night.

The knowledge did little to ease Inoue's troubles, as the Paraxians were still advancing towards her, herding her into the wall. One of the two reptilian terrors brandished a lethal looking sword with gnarled teeth affixed along the blade. The high schooler was no expert at identifying weaponry, but even she could recognise that the blade had been made from bones. The other Paraxian carried no blades, but the sharp points of its clawed hands – and teeth, too – were more than capable of causing permanent damage to someone with skin as soft as Orihime's.

She took another step backwards and felt the heel of her shoe connect with the hard rock wall behind her. Orihime's terrified grey eyes roved the small cavern for anything she could use to fend the monsters off, but the only thing her gaze fixed on was the narrow staircase that led to parts unknown.

I can get to Ulquiorra-san if I go down there, she suddenly realised, and at least he has a sword to fight with.

The stairs were just two feet to Orihime's left, but as she pushed away from the wall and darted for them, they felt more like miles away instead. The closest Paraxian – Stabby – leapt at the orange-haired girl, its bone sword raised high above its scaly green head. The sword came down; Orihime ducked. The weapon missed Inoue by barely an inch, but in her haste to avoid death by sword, Inoue lost her footing and tripped on a loose piece of granite.

Ulquiorra felt the air warming up the further down he descended. He could think of only one reason for such an occurrence: he was approaching lava somewhere in the bowls of this land. And another problem that Ulquiorra didn't want to acknowledge: no doubt this cave and tunnel system was actually connected to the ominous Parax Mountains that Tsanoku had warned them about.

He knew that they had been following Tsanoku's trail east, at first. Yet his sense of direction felt their steps turn more northerly, which would eventually lead them to Parax. Even now, Ulquiorra could see that he had turned to the right as he went down these stairs, ensuring that he would head north no matter what.

I will assume, for now, that it was a Paraxian which took the boy. In which case, he is most likely dead – if the stories we've been told of these creatures are to be believed. This detour is merely that: a distraction from our true goal, one that will probably result in our deaths too, at this rate.

The former Arrancar turned around to go back up the stairs, when a brightly clothed body collided into his chest. He held his arms up to catch the girl – why is she so clumsy? – as she fell, but the force of her collision knocked him off balance too. His back hit the harsh stone of the steps, but he did not try to alter his position as gravity pulled them both down.

Ulquiorra could take pain and endure it, even as weak as he had become, but Orihime Inoue could not – this he knew with one hundred percent certainty. It did not lessen the aching that encompassed his entire back, though. It feels like Yammy has been dancing on my spine.

Eventually, their progress down the stairs ended and a more level surface greeted Ulquiorra's back at last. He wouldn't deny that he was relieved to have stopped, but he also wouldn't admit to any pain if questioned about it later. He suspected that there would be no end of nagging from the girl to 'not move' and 'be careful' and 'are you alright?'

Warm breath tickled Ulquiorra's throat – a not uncomfortable feeling, although he wasn't sure where that just came from – and he chanced a glance at the girl wrapped securely in his arms. She was not heavy, he noted, and she was also a great deal shorter than he was. Her bare arms were soft under his palms and he had the strangest urge to stroke that softness. He resisted, of course, and accounted the recent crazy impulses and thoughts to a mild concussion that he must have sustained on the way down.

Why else would I think such things about this weak little girl?

The aforementioned 'weak little girl' groaned and lifted her head from his chest. Ulquiorra immediately felt some of the warmth flee from his body and he also experienced a peculiar loss at her absence. He quickly beat and shoved the alien feelings to the far reaches of his mind and aided the girl in removing her body from his person: he pushed her off of him. She hit the floor with a small shriek, but the sable-haired Espada couldn't have cared less. He assessed the parts of his back that hurt the most and gathered all of his resolve to rise from his prone position on the ground.

He sat up, the pain slowly fading until it barely stirred in his mind. How is this possible? I should be in worse pain than this. Ulquiorra looked over to the girl as she carefully picked herself up from where he'd shoved her. She wasn't far from his person at all – perhaps only five feet. Is it something about her proximity? The Quattro took stock of his energy, that small spark deep within his soul that still proved he was more than a mortal man, and found that it had indeed increased in the few minutes that he had been reunited with Orihime.

His contemplation ended abruptly when two sets of heavy footsteps echoed on the stairs. Ulquiorra focused his emerald gaze on the top of the staircase to see what was approaching, but nothing was visible yet. Whatever was on its way hadn't even reached the corner at the top that obscured the rest of the tunnel from view.

Orihime let out a whimper as the footfalls grew louder, closer. She knows what it is, Ulquiorra realised. He rose, with greater confidence, onto his feet and picked up Murcielago – at some point he must have dropped his Zanpaku-tou when Inoue crashed into him.

"What followed you, girl?"

Orihime blinked out of her stupor and looked down ashamedly at the cold hard ground as she answered him, "It's two of those lizards. Paraxians. They attacked me when you'd left, Ulquiorra-san, and I tried to stop them, but I c-couldn't. I ran away. It was all I could do and now they're on their way here and you're probably mad at me for being a burden."

She'd started crying part way into her excuse, but Ulquiorra couldn't be bothered to care. The only thing he wanted to know was what he would be facing in a matter of moments. She said there were two, just like I suspected from the sound of the steps. As long as I move quickly enough, two should be no problem. If more Paraxians follow after these, though, it might prove difficult to win.

The two Paraxians finally rounded the corner at the top and Ulquiorra was able to get a better look at his foes. The torchlight flickered off their scaly hides and cast their faces in deep shadows, but the glint of teeth revealed that the creatures were grinning – probably assuming that today was their lucky day. The former Arrancar could make out a weapon in the clawed hand of one, but the Paraxian in the lead didn't appear to be carrying anything. That wasn't to say it was unarmed, because not even a fool could ignore the deadly claws or the finely pointed teeth.

And Ulquiorra was no fool.

"Be ready to move, girl." Ulquiorra commanded, just as the two Paraxians leapt the final ten steps, their aim lining them up for Ulquiorra.

Orihime could recall plenty of moments in recent months when she was stricken still with absolute terror, or just a great deal of fear. Yet there were only a couple of times when she felt both terror and the crushing weight of uselessness, that feeling that she was powerless to do anything.

The first had been years before she'd ever seen a Hollow or acquired her special powers. It was the day when she'd received a call while at middle school, telling her that her brother had been hit in a car accident. That he was dead. Her big brother Sora, who had always been there for everything and anything that young Orihime had needed or wanted. He had died and there hadn't been anything she could have done to save him, or to prevent it.

That moment had crushed her; flipped the girl's whole world around.

The other time had been when she was faced against that horrible monster at the school, as it tried to kill her friends, including her best friend Tatsuki Arisawa. She had not yet awoken with her gifts, so for just the briefest of moments Orihime had believed that once more she would be useless. That she would have to stand by and watch another person she cared for die, simply because she couldn't do anything.

That was when her powers had been born; when the feeling of being weak had started to fade away, for good Inoue had hoped.

So to suddenly feel completely powerless in this foreign world, with her only protector trying to fight off two monstrous opponents, Orihime momentarily flashed back to when she had been that scared little girl who just found out her brother was gone forever. She froze in place as the two titan-like reptiles threw themselves towards Ulquiorra, slashing and clawing at any part of him that they could.

He had his sword drawn, which only helped him to defend from one of the two Paraxians, as the other one took advantage of his preoccupied attention to cut at his legs, his exposed arms, anywhere really. The one she'd mentally dubbed as 'Stabby' lunged forward with its bone sword, aiming for Ulquiorra's mid-section. Orihime couldn't watch and she snapped her eyes closed while she waited for the inevitable to happen.

Please, please don't die Ulquiorra-san!

The serrated blade was perhaps ten centimetres from Ulquiorra's shirt-clad stomach – he would never be able to block the attack because he had his entire focus trained on the weapon-less monster – when a flare of energy buzzed throughout Orihime's body, moving straight along her arms until it reached her hands. The overwhelming surge of warm energy threatened to knock out Inoue, but she instinctively knew what to do: she lifted her arms and faced the duelling combatants, levelling out her palms in the direction of Ulquiorra.

A shining golden barrier materialised around the former Arrancar, pushing back both 'Claws' and violently repelling 'Stabby', the latter hitting the cave wall with a bone shattering crunch. 'Stabby' didn't so much as twitch a limb out of place, a clear sign that the impact had snuffed out its life.

I can't believe I did it! Orihime grinned with pride at her shocked companion, who was still safely ensconced within her impenetrable bubble of armour. For one who didn't appear to emote anything at all, it was certainly a comical sight for Orihime to see the wide staring eyes of Ulquiorra, who she guessed must have been completely surprised that she had created a shield. He looked so shocked, that he wasn't even blinking.

His distraction proved to be a mistake, however, for the remaining Paraxian - 'Claws' - had finally picked itself up from the ground. Before Ulquiorra could retaliate, the lizard swung its great tail straight at his torso – obviously intending to knock him over. The scaly appendage collided with Orihime's air tight barrier and bounced off, causing sparks of golden energy to disperse into the air. The shield remained in place and Ulquiorra didn't suffer any damage, the tail not even being able to touch his body.

'Claws' hissed and sized up the new threat to its power, but it couldn't see any openings in the shield that was protecting the sable-haired man. Ulquiorra lowered Murcielago and waited for the monster's next move. He didn't have to wait long; 'Claws' switched targets and charged towards Orihime, who was too warn out from creating a shield to get out of the way.

Just as its fangs were about to clamp down on her head, the sharp edge of Ulquiorra's Zanpaku-tou sliced through the Paraxian's neck, severing the head from the torso – cutting off the creature's life before it could end Orihime's. The problem with killing it that way became apparent for Orihime, who had been so close that the thick black blood from 'Claws' had sprayed all over her face, hair and dress. The young woman was both relieved to be alive and mortified to be covered in the blood.

Her cranky ally wiped his sword on the dead Paraxian's hide, removing the blood that had been covering most of the blade, and then sheathed it back in the scabbard. Orihime was secretly envious of how cool he looked doing such a simple action; even more so when she noticed that he didn't have an ounce of blood anywhere on his body – he'd managed to avoid damage, somehow. What's really annoying is that I'm sure he got hit a few times. His shirt sleeves prove that; they're all torn and frayed. It's not fair! I didn't even do any fighting and I have to be all icky and bloody.

"I suggest you use some water to clean off that blood, woman, before it dries on. We don't want to be followed by any more predators because you smell like injured prey." Ulquiorra suggested, giving Orihime's appearance a very frosty glare as he said so.

"What water?" Inoue questioned, trying to return his look with one of her own – which obviously couldn't match up at all.

Ulquiorra sighed heavily, clearly at the end of his tether with her questions and not being able to read his mind – I really wouldn't want to do that! I bet his mind is a scary world of ice and swords and people being squashed like bugs when he's not happy about something. He dropped to one knee to be level with Orihime and reached forwards to open her shoulder bag. Within the bag, the young woman had put her two water canteens because they were getting too heavy to carry in her hands and she didn't have a belt to hook them to like the boys had. The former Arrancar pulled out one of the canteens, plus her blanket which had been stuffed at the bottom of the bag, and shook the canteen in her face to get his point across.

"Ohhhhh…would you believe me if I said I totally forgot about those?"

Ulquiorra blinked at Orihime, unimpressed with her stupidity, so she took the items from him and unscrewed the cap of the canteen. He stood back onto his feet and remained like a sentry, watching over her seated form as she wet the blanket with some of the water and started wiping her face and hair with it. Before long, the blanket had soaked up too much blood to be useful any further, so Orihime – with a great deal of sadness, she had liked that blanket – discarded it and placed her slightly emptier canteen back amongst her travel things.

Her hair probably wasn't much better, and there was nothing she could have done about the blood staining her dress, but at least her face and neck were clean. Whatever improvements she had or hadn't made, Ulquiorra deemed her ready to go and he motioned back towards the stairs that they had fallen down.

"We'll go back out the way we came and try to find shelter before it gets too dark – if it isn't already."

His idea didn't sit well with Orihime at all, and she said, "We can't just leave without Tsanoku-san. We came so far, we have to keep going."

The paler young man folded his arms and pointed out, "He's been gone too long and if the Paraxians did take him, he's most likely already dead. We don't have the power needed to take on any more of those beasts and I don't want to get lost down in these catacombs just because you 'have' to."

Orihime didn't care that he was being logical, that Tsanoku could well be dead by now. All she wanted to do was be useful, rescue somebody for once instead of being the rescue-e.

"Please," the orange-haired girl tried to reason, "We can't go unless we find out if he is dead. I need to know the truth, Ulquiorra-san."

"Girl you are trying my patience now…"

Before Orihime could beg anymore, loud roars and screeches echoed from above them, coming directly from the entrance beyond the stairs. From the sounds of them, there were a lot more Paraxians arriving to join their comrades. Ulquiorra seemed to physically brace himself before he looked back at Inoue and then gestured to the only other way out of this small cavern – through a darker crevice that led into the Mountain's depths.

Orihime smiled in gratitude, although she knew that he hadn't chosen to agree with her because he wanted to; they didn't have a choice anymore.

The swordsman slipped into the dark gap first, the space a little smaller, but still large enough to fit those monstrous reptiles if they used it. Orihime followed him a moment afterwards, relieved that nothing had happened to cause Ulquiorra to dart out just yet.

It was darker in the space, with only one or two torches lighting the path up between the entrance and the exit. It was also getting increasingly warmer, and Orihime was forever grateful that she was wearing a dress. She couldn't imagine Ulquiorra's discomfort, dressed as he was in a thick shirt and leather trousers.

"I wonder why it's getting so hot down here?" she stage-whispered to the former Arrancar only a couple of steps ahead of her.

Ulquiorra took a while to whisper back, but eventually he said, "I believe we are approaching lava of some sort. Probably because we are either closer to the planet's core, or the Parax Mountain Range has in fact got a few volcanoes hidden amongst it."

"L-lava?"

"That is what I said, yes. Sometimes I wonder if you are more idiotic than Yammy."

The last part of his sentence was said quieter, as though he hadn't wanted Orihime to hear something opinionated coming from his mouth, but she managed to hear it all the same as it carried over the air. It amused her a little, but she didn't really know who this 'Yammy' was enough to comment on what he'd said. I'm guessing he meant to insult me, but I'm not really all that upset by what he said. I know I'm not as clever as Ishida-kun, or as resourceful as Kuchiki-san. Or made like a computer like Ulquiorra-san seems to be. I'm just me, and that'll have to be enough.

They were about halfway along the passage, and it had started to brighten at their destination to confirm this, when Orihime thought of something that had bothered her for some time.

"Say, Ulquiorra-san," she hesitantly whispered, "How did you get so fast and strong back there? And again, last night, you moved like you were able to back home. I thought you didn't have your powers?"

"I have a few theories, woman."

That was all he had to say? "Do you want to share them?"

"No."

"Oh…"

There goes that plan. Why won't he talk to me like a person? This would be so much easier if I was stuck here with one of my friends, instead of Mr. Groucho over there.

Ulquiorra didn't want to explain to Orihime that he believed defending her had somehow triggered some of his abilities. Each time Inoue had been in dire straits, his ability to Sonido had suddenly returned to him, but when the danger had passed he had gone back to normal human speeds. His strength had risen those times too, but at least that had remained with him long after the fact. Perhaps whatever power had sealed his Hollow abilities acknowledged that Ulquiorra would require his strength for this journey.

He also didn't want to explain to the girl that her shield had not only defended him, but it had healed his wounds, too. It was best that she not know she had too many skills available until after he'd learnt to restore his own.

Almost at the exit to the tunnel, Ulquiorra raised a hand and they both instantly stopped short of the crack that would lead out. Just beyond the exit, they heard a low chanting that was interspersed with hissing. Added to those shady sounds were a man's – boy's – terrified yelps and gut-wrenching screams. To Ulquiorra's ears it sounded like somebody was being tortured.

"That sounded like Tsanoku-san! Ulquiorra-san, we have to save him!"

Knowing he would regret whatever happened next, Ulquiorra stepped carefully through the hole and looked for a spot to hide by. Only a metre from the passage, there was a fairly large boulder that would be ideal for cover, so he crept behind it and listened as Orihime mimicked his movements, stopping by his left shoulder.

They both peered over the edge and took in the room they'd entered: It was a large, well-lit cavern with multiple exits that split off into presumably other parts of the Mountains; in the very centre of this cavern was a large lake of lava, with two steady streams of lava pooling into it from above like waterfalls; in the middle of the lake there was a stone platform with a stone bridge connecting it to the land; the chanting turned out to be coming from the semi-circle of ten robed figures – Paraxians, no doubt – on the shore of the lake; chained to the platform on the lake was the pale, shirtless form of Tsanoku Raméto; standing directly over him was another robed figure, although this one also appeared to be wearing a head dress – marking him the leader.

Orihime gasped and covered her face when she saw what they were doing to Tsanoku, but Ulquiorra merely analysed the best way to approach the incredibly over-stacked odds they'd be facing.

It would be folly to charge straight in, obviously, and it would be equally foolish to hang around too long and wait for an opening – the other Paraxians from behind them would no doubt be joining this group soon. However, nothing jumped out at Ulquiorra as a viable plan. Inoue couldn't attack them, her shield might no longer be plausible and he simply couldn't defeat such a large number as he currently was.

Not that planning anything was on the table anymore – Orihime had darted from the safety of their cover and brandished a stone in her fist. Before Ulquiorra could drag her backwards, she lobbed the stone directly into the chanting mob, which ceased their activities, but naturally missed hitting a single one of them. Orihime's steps stopped immediately when she saw the Paraxians focus on her and Ulquiorra reluctantly took up position at her side, Murcielago drawn and waiting to taste blood.

His Zanpaku-tou wouldn't be waiting long, for the first of the Paraxians charged the intruding duo and attempted to chop off Orihime's head. The sharp metal spear met with resistance when Murcielago deflected the incoming attack, pushing back the Paraxian a step. Ulquiorra quickly brought up his leg to kick at the beast, knocking it off balance, and then he swung his sword down in a vertical slice and felled the Paraxian before it could retaliate. It all happened in seconds, but the Quattro figured that he'd only been lucky; whatever attacked next would not come alone and most certainly would be prepared for his attacks.

Fast and precise isn't going to work on many of these monsters. Just what has this infernal woman gotten me into now?

As the former Arrancar predicted, more than one Paraxian darted at him now to kill them both. As he readied for their onslaught, he spotted not just two or three coming at them, but all of the remaining nine. Ulquiorra couldn't take on nine. He could already feel his energy failing him, the human weakness creeping back into his muscles.

I won't go out like this! I am Aizen-sama's Quattro Espada, Ulquiorra Schiffer.

Just before the beasts reached for them, Ulquiorra mentally dove into his soul to reach the waning spark that had begun to recede behind that wall inside him. He grasped at the last wisps of power, of rightness and pulled it back into the fore of his being. Instantly the former Arrancar could feel strength restoring to his tired limbs, as well as an energy he had not been able to utilise since he arrived on this forsaken world.

As the closest Paraxian loomed over both Ulquiorra and Orihime, its enormous bulk casting a long shadow across them, Ulquiorra raised his free hand and pointed his index finger. A bright green glow sparkled on the end of his fingernail. The glow erupted into a full-blown energy blast – a Cero should deal with these creatures – that tore through each and every Paraxian down the sloping path. All nine foes dropped in various states of dismemberment, with the nearest one almost entirely vaporised.

"Oh my gosh, that was amazing Ulquiorra-san!"

His victory was short-lived, because the Cero had taken so much of his energy and he collapsed to one knee on the ground, his Zanpaku-tou the only thing supporting his weight. Orihime flitted around him in worry and concern, but Ulquiorra shoved her away groggily and pointed down at the lava lake, "Go, save the boy. Quit wasting time, woman."

"R-Right."

Orihime cast her eyes about for something she could use as a weapon, spotted a short dagger with a serrated edge, and took off down the slope as fast as her impractical shoes could take her.

I can do this! I can do this! I can do this!

Orihime continued to play that mantra over in her head as she sped towards Tsanoku's location, occasionally losing traction on the gravel under her feet and nearly slipping. Amazingly, she didn't actually fall over, for once, and soon she had arrived at the stone out-cropping that linked the main floor of the cavern to the floating platform on the lake. It was a lot hotter this close up and Inoue was glad that her dress was sleeveless. If she'd been in her school uniform she'd have still been wearing her winter jumper and thicker socks.

She swallowed a fresh bout of fear as she took in the strangely smaller Paraxian that was looming over her tortured friend. It definitely looked smaller than the others had, and there was a curious bulge on its back, but Orihime wasn't exactly an expert on these creatures so she didn't know what she was looking at really. All she could say for certain was that it was still chanting – like the others had been – and that it had a wicked looking knife in its right hand, smeared with fresh red blood.

I'm too late!

With no thoughts for her own safety, Orihime sprinted along the precarious walkway and charged the Paraxian, dagger raised to strike it. The reptile had apparently been in a trance, for it didn't see Orihime coming at all: her dagger plunged hilt-deep into its neck and it pulled away from Tsanoku's chained body in shock. The knife it held clattered to the ground as it raised both hands to clutch at the weapon sticking out of its throat.

Orihime was convinced that she had killed it – oh my gosh I killed a living thing! – until it began screeching as it yanked the dagger out and threw it away into the lava. The high school girl shook with terror, waiting for the blow to come that would snuff out her life, but the Paraxian simply discarded its robe and stretched out massive wings from its back. So that's what that bulge was! The creature took off flying into one of the higher holes in the walls, hissing as it fled.

Strange as that behaviour was, Orihime was eternally grateful that she hadn't been eaten.

Inoue cautiously approached Tsanoku's unmoving side and took in the damage. His torso had a deeply engraved symbol across it, and his forehead had a similar one carved into it there too. There was a lot of blood, but what concerned Orihime the most was that he didn't appear to be breathing at all.

"Tsanoku-san, please wake up!" Inoue poked and prodded his cheek, but he didn't even twitch from the invasive contact. Tears filled her vision and she wiped at them in frustration. "Why can't I ever do anything right? People keep dying around me and I can't ever seem to stop it from happening."

Orihime pounded her fists into the stone slab Tsanoku's body was shackled to, allowing the tears to drop carelessly onto his chest as she sank into her despair.

Slow footsteps came to a halt at her side and Orihime blinked up at Ulquiorra's stoic features. He wasn't really taking the situation in; he couldn't be, otherwise he would have been just as affected as Orihime was. She couldn't fathom how anyone could be so impassive when somebody they'd known had died. It was only a brief acquaintance, but Tsanoku had firmly planted himself into Orihime's heart. She would miss him dearly now that he was gone, yet Ulquiorra didn't even care.

"How can you be so heartless," the young high schooler blurted out, "Tsanoku-san is dead and you're just standing there, looking at him like he's a fascinating piece of…something that you want to dissect!"

His hard emerald eyes held Orihime's furious grey eyes as he said, "I'm not one of your human friends, girl, so don't expect me to act like one. This boy meant nothing to me; he was only a means to an end. Just like you are to Aizen-sa..?"

He cut off as an orange light lit up Tsanoku's bloody body, emitting from Orihime's hands that were still resting by his torso. Inoue took in the sight of Tsanoku's wounds knitting back together, the colour returning to his flesh, air once more filtering through his lungs. It wasn't the perfect reversal that her powers could do before, for the wounds had left angry scars from the sigils on his chest and forehead, but in moments it faded and Tsanoku immediately started to gulp down great lungful's of needed oxygen.

The boy's mismatched eyes – the left a deep ruby red and the right a darker shade of grey than Orihime's own – blinked open and took in the two startled faces staring at him. They searched all around the cavern, as far as they could see, and rested on his shirtless torso that beheld a new scar.

Tsanoku gingerly lifted his right arm to trace the scar's design and then he looked at his two companions and asked, "What the heck did I miss?"