"Ah its been a long time since I've taken a relaxing bubble bath," Orihime told herself as she walked from the grocery store feeling content with herself and the effort she put into her daily errands. As she walked towards her building she came across the park. The park where she first encountered Ulquiorra. The place was currently under development since the event that occurred that left a massive creator, in the middle of the park.

She hadn't really gone by this place since she takes other routes to get home. Purposely avoiding the place, telling herself that it wasn't because it reminded her of HIM but because it just wasn't neccesary. "Its been over six months and the town hasn't fully finished refilling the thing," she said looking towards the construction site.

"How long does it take to dump dirt in a whole," she continued as she reluctantly walked towards the yellow "CAUTION" ribbon that surrounded half the park, as if the place itself or something all together pulled her in that direction like metal to a magnet. Realizing what she was doing she quickly stopped herself about 4 feet to the site and turned on her heels.

"Um I have to put the groceries away before the icecream melts!" she lied to herself as if afraid of what she would remember or see. But that was impossible to see anything other then a hole. Now running towards the haven of her small apartment and as she did she felt a slight chill crawling its way down spine.

"Wha-" suddenly she felt a strong spirtual pressure coming from behind her in the direction of the park. It felt strong and powerful. It felt familiar. It felt like his! She could recognize that reitsu anywhere. She has been around it more then anybody else.

"Its him!" she croaked, it was all she could say as the unexpected event took hold of her and overwhelmed her. It was impossible! She witnessed his entire being trumbled to ash as it blew along the wind high above the artificial sky of Las Noches.

So was she just imagining his reiatsu? Has she really wrapped herself around the idea that he was somehow still alive somewhere far beyond her reach? The spirtual pressure became even heavier almost suffocating. Orihime sprinted back to the park and lept over the construction tape and continued towards the hole that was just beyond a wall of trees in an opening. She searched the grounds around the area for any sort of sign that she wasn't just imagining things to prove her sanity. But before she could search any further she felt a different reiatsu high above the trees as a Menos teared its way out of a Garganta.

She reacted instantly "Koten Zanshun!" calling to her fairy-like defender to fight back the Menos from getting passed the Garganta to at least buy time for Ichigo and the guys to get here.

"I know they'll come," she thought to herself.

And as if to answer her plea "Tetsuga Tenso!" the orange-haired soul reaper, Ichigo shouted his battle cry. Ichigo's attack was enough to push the monster back into the garganta long enough for it to close again.

"Its not fighting back?" Orihime questioned not really looking for Ichigo to answer. He was all rived up in his fighting mode to even hear her anyway.

Finally satisfied with himself Ichigo looked to Orihime and asked "Hey, are you alright?"

"Huh? Oh yeah I'm fine thanks to you," she answered smiling happily. But Ichigo shook his head and told her with a serious face

"No. If you weren't here when you were and fought back to keep it at bay, it would have came through and caused even more of a mess to this place." He gestured to the enormous crator in the ground just behind them and continued to complain "I thought they would have fixed this by now," sighing disappointingly. "Soul Society should be the ones to fix these kinds of things!" Referring to architectural casualties the Hollows caused.

Suddenly Orihime became still "Hey! Are you alright Orihime..." Ichigo said urgently, but she could no longer hear her friend.

She could feeling nothing. Uquiorra's spiritual pressure was nowhere to be found not even the slightest bit. Was it just her imagination to begin with? She looked at Ichigo-vombie-like-and search his face for any indication that he too had felt it. But as she watched his worried expression and his lips moving mutely she could see no such indication. She felt her body shaking forcefully, coming to realize that it was Ichigo that was causing this.

Ichigo's voice slowly coming to "...alright? Orihime!" he shouted into her face forcefully. She shook off the numbness and looked to her desperately worried friend's face.

"Oh my gosh!" she said cheerfully "I'm sorry I just remembered that I left the stove on."

Looking up at his face to assure him of her state, she found him to be even more worried looking then before. It was then that she realized the tears pouring rigorious down her face. Feeling numbness return she sank to her knees. Darkness seemed to consume her as she felt her eyes slide slowly to a close just as she saw the setting sun just beyond Ichigo's shoulder.

"Ulqui..orra..." she croaked hushly before everything around her turned to darkness.

(Almost midnight that same evening...)

"Are you sure she said that, Ichigo?" Orihime heard someone say as she slowly came to. What had happened after the fight with the Menos? Feeling her throat and eyes dry she urged her body to come up from where she layed, still eyes closed. But her body felt like lead and could not even move or open her eyes as if it would drain all the energy she had just to peek to at least see where she was. She gave up trying and just layed there motionless.

The voices continued "Yes I've told you ten times already she said that just before she fainted," said the second voice that she could make out to be Ichigo's. The first voice grunted angrily and said "Maybe it was because she was in the park where it all happened and was to much for her." Recognizing the voice to be Uruyu's.

"But she went still shortly after we managed to push the Menos back into that Garganta and lied as to why," Ichigo spoke more softly making a little harder for her to hear.

He continued "Also that Menos didn't feel like it was really trying to get out. Almost indifferent as to whether it did or didn't. Not that Hollows reason their decision or anything. But still..." he trailed off as if continued thoughtfully to himself.

"But Ulquiorra can't still be-" her eyes shot open at the chilling name and as fast as she opened them she came to her feet stumbling towards the voices.

But the voices came to her before she could even get past the door that seemed to be from her bedroom from her apartment. "Orihime! You should get back to bed you are not well," her vision was blurred possibly from the dryness of them but she could make out his raven hair and his glasses as he came closer to left her to gently lay her to her bed once again.

"Ury-" was all she could manage in a hoarse voice.

"Don't speak. Your safe in your apartment," he said. But she wanted to ask him what it was that that Ichigo and him were discussing.

With a dry throat she could say nothing she wanted trying her voice again she configured a single word from her dry lips "Water."

She felt her lips mold into or tried to smile. Uruyu nodded and walked towards the kitchen. Ichigo now coming into view as he popped his head in her room smiling shyly almost regretful "Hey, Orihime are you going to be okay? Should I get Tatsuki to come and take care of you tonight?" Orihime wanted nothing more then to be alone at this point. She wouldn't want to burden anybody more then she already has. She shook her head and smiling weakly.

"Alright then," he gave her a crooked smile and walked towards what sounded like the kitchen whispering something she could not make out to Uruyu. Uruyu came back into the room with a tall full glass of water with a bendy straw making her throat cringe with thirst. He brought the plastic straw to her lips knowing fully well that she would not have the strength to pick up the cup in her state.

After she drank almost the entire cotents of the cup and finally she said still sounding hoarsely "Thank you, Uruyu." Uruyu set the glass cup on the night stand and pushed his glasses to the bridge of his nose smiling down at her and said softly "I'll call my Tatsuki tomorrow morning to come check on you just in case, alright?" She could not win this one, she nodded in agreement, even if she had objected to it they would still come. "Such good friends," she thought to herself. And with that Uruyu made his way out her bedroom door and she heard the opening of the front door and the closing click. She sighed in relief and then saddness now replaced her relief. She was alone once again just as she wanted moments ago. She sighed to her inconsistent reasoning.

She tried to get up once again to reach the bathroom wanting to wash off the dried tears from earlier, that made her face feel stail. She weakly got to her feet and slowly stumbled her way to the bathroom. She didn't bother to turn on the lights for she did not want to see what she looked like in her present state. She already knew what she may look like; puffy red eyes, messy hair, possibly pale or extremely flushed-she could not tell through the stail feeling of her face. She brushed off her train of thought, embarrassed just imagining it.

After thoroughly washing and drying her face she searched blindly for eye drops but not wanting to make a mess of the medicine cabnet that was just behind the mirror of the bathroom she held her breath as she switched on the lights and braced herself to how she looked. But to her relief it wasn't as bad as she thought it would be but her hair was in a giant knot. "Aw, this could take hours to untangle," she said almost shouting through her smokey-sounding voice. Quickly and painfully tried hopelessly to untangle her long hair red hair, giving up just as quick as she began the unsightly task. Disgusted with how she sounded she took out both the eye drops and sore throat medicine from the cabnet and went back to her room knowing she would need them again shortly and to slip into her pajamas. After, she went to the kitchen to fill a pitch of water to bring back with her in case she became thirsty again and just as she was heading back to her bedroom, she felt the same spirtual pressure from earlier in the evening.

She gasp dropping the pitcher and as she did she ran out the door not bothering to slip on her shoes. She ran in the directions of the reiatsu barefoot not knowing where exactly it would lead but she had a pretty good idea. "I gotta make sure I'm not just imagining things," she said panting, she was still pretty drained of energy but still she pushed herself to finally reach her destination. As she thought, it came from the park, but it seemed to slowly fade yet again making her turn her run into a sprint. Ducking under the tape and running past the trees-the pressure was dissipating; as she came to a complete stop in front of the crater. The reiatsu was gone. Panting heavily she felt herself crumble again to her knees shaking from her lack of energy.

She disappointed herself once again, she thought to herself as she sat there, barefoot clutching the silver bracelet in her right hand. "Why?" she said looking up at the crestant moon. Silently she questioned her sanity "Am I really just going crazy? Why is it that only I can feel this..this thing?" not sure of what to call it anymore since it apparently wasn't spirtual pressure because Ichigo didn't seem to notice it at all. It was obvious it was very late since the moon seemed to be more over towards the west side of the sky now. Possibly almost two in the morning, but being on grass that was covered in dew in front of the hole she felt relaxed. But it was late, she began to stand when suddenly she heard something "Ehm."

"Was someone with me the entire time?" she thought to herself. And just as she was about to make a run for it she heard it again.

"What if their really hurt?" Orihime the kind naive person that she is turned around to find the source of the sound.

"Hello? Is someone here? Are you hurt?" she said half whispering as if she didn't want any bystander (if any at this time at night) would hear her. The moaning sounds came from in the crater, she leaned in to see a motionless facedown body in the hole and by the looks of it was not wearing any clothes under the small cloak that drapped over the body. But she had to help and she wasn't going to wait for Ichigo this time. She sat on the edge of the crater and sled down the dirt walls of the hole. "Soten Kisshun" she shouted as she came closer to the body that from the slight muscular tone of the arms seemed to be a man.

"Um, sir I'm going to heal any sort of wounds you have," she whispered to him as she concentrated. "Orihime, this man has no wounds, possibly fell from fatigue," said the fairy-like being Ayame. "In any case, we have to help anyway we can," she said as she called them back.

"Sir, I'm going to turn you over, okay?" not waiting for an answer see flipped over his body as gently as she could also trying her best not to rivial anything of his from under the small cloak, almost glad the moon's light barely hovered over the hole. But from what she could see of his face it was pale and he had the darkest black shaggy long hair she had ever seen since...Ulquiorra. "Could it be?" she said almost hopeful. She laid his head gently on her lap as she was just about to call forth her sheild to reveal some light but just before then the moon came out from behind a cloud. Shinning much needed light into the crater and revealing the most impossible thing she could have imagined. The man the laid before her eyes was none other then Ulquiorra.

But although he resembled him there were things that did not confirm this. One, the tear-like marks that once rained down on his face were gone along with his dark upper lip that was now normal. Two, his helmet-like mask was gone. And three, looking at his throat and chest there was no sign of a hollow hole. Not even the number 4 tattoo he had once not to long ago just above his left pectoral muscule. The lack of tear marks, hollow mask, hole, and number confirmed that this was not the person who she thought him to be. But the way his black hair hung over between his eyes, the paleness of his skin (although looked more humanly pale then that of an arrancar), and the thickness of his eyebrows told her otherwise. But two things were certain that clarified that this man was not him: One, this man was human and; two, Ulquiorra was dead. "Santen Kesshun" calling forth her shield to slide under him to carry them both out the hole.

Jumping off the shield she said to her fairy-like beings "Hey do you guys think you can carry him all the way back to my house?"

"Yeah, no problem," they responded to her.

"Thanks you guys. I'm sure his friendly," she said exhaustedly yawning.

"I'll have to change him won't I?" cringing at the thought.

"This is going to be an even longer night, ugh!" bracing herself mentally as she walk limply towards the direction of her apartment building.