Author Note: Sorry I took so long to update another chapter but life was persistent in hindering my process. Hope I'll get some reviews this time now that the story has more followers.

Disclaimer: Bleach and its characters belong to Tite Kubo

Chapter 5: Orihime

Past:

Things didn't change much after joining Aizen's army. There was nothing for us to really do yet as Aizen wanted to wait till he got the real hogyoku before declaring war on the Soul Society. It was only a matter of time though before he got bored and started to stir things up. Until that happened, I spent my days following Ulquiorra around just like I used to do in the desert.

This time there was no question that he was aware of my presence, as I was only a few steps behind him, but he still never said a word to me. It was clear to me that he would have preferred to be alone and I would have left him alone if he asked me to or at least sent a glare my way but he never did; no doubt that was Aizen's doing.

I decided to compromise as best as I could so I remained silent and didn't try to fill the air with meaningless chatter, which would most likely irritate him. I still wished to speak with him though but I resigned myself to just observing everything about him. The way he strode with his hands in his pockets and the way his tailcoats swished behind him with every step were things I never tired of seeing.

The one thing that really changed was that we now had to deal with constant hostility from a hollow I couldn't simply dispose of. Basically, Grimmjow, the sexta espada, despised Ulquiorra. He hated that he outranked him and didn't seem too fond of me either for the same reason. He always insulted and challenged him, which usually led to yelling arguments between him and me.

I really tried to stay as cool and composed as Ulquiorra but my blood always boiled with every insult directed my beloved's way. Ulquiorra could defend himself easily but he didn't even feel the need to do so; Grimmjow was nothing to him so his words didn't matter but I still felt the need to step forward and shut Grimmjow up.

Honestly, I felt that I could have gotten along with Grimmjow if he wasn't so hell bent on proving himself better than Ulquiorra. There were times I could have sworn he enjoyed our arguments as he'd always had this smirk on his face and he always stayed to argue with me instead of going after Ulquiorra, who tended to walk off without me during these moments.

However, there were times I caught Grimmjow glaring at Ulquiorra and me with such loathing that made me sweat at times. Thankfully, the confrontations with him never got physical; I often wondered why that was. He seemed to hate Ulquiorra enough to want to attack him but never did, which I was grateful for.

Present:

I did my best to be the perfect prisoner as I waited for Orihime to be brought to Hueco Mundo, which was going to be soon if the extra couch that was recently brought into the room was any indication. I never complained about my situation, always showed Ulquiorra respect, and always ate my meals when they were brought to me.

It was really mind-numbingly boring honestly. It was during those days that I desperately missed my violin, even though I had not been able to bring myself to play since Ulquiorra's death. Having it there would have at least given me something to focus on instead of my own thoughts and memories.

I gave a sigh and slumped further in my seat. I jumped up though as the door opened. I smiled, ready to greet Ulquiorra but froze when I saw who was with him. It had only been a little over a week ago that I had seen Orihime but this time it was different. Now it was up close and she was staring right at me instead of being unaware of my presence.

Clearly they hadn't told her about me yet as she looked surprised but also curious. Seeing her with bright eyes, without any sign of the torture and darkness that my Orihime had gone through overwhelmed me and I had to hold back tears. I cleared my throat to get rid of the lump there before speaking, doing my best to speak as if nothing was wrong.

"Hello, my name is Akira. What's your name?" If she could tell that my smile was slightly forced, she didn't comment on it.

"I'm Orihime Inoue. Nice to meet you."

My smile became genuine as her bright, cheery attitude washed over me. Ulquiorra silently watched the exchange before telling Orihime that she was to remain here with me.

He turned and left after that, not giving Orihime any time to ask questions. We fell into an awkward silence, unsure what to do or say. I forced myself to say something, no matter how forced it seemed.

"Well, I guess we're both stuck here." I winced at my own choice of words. They got Orihime to ask the question that had clearly been on her mind though.

"Why are you here?" She asked, slight wariness visible in her posture.

She was probably wondering whether Aizen put me here to torture her or just mess with her despite the fact I looked human to her. Honestly, I wouldn't put it past him to do such a thing. I'll admit I was proud of her for being cautious.

"I was kidnapped and brought here about a week ago." I told her, slowly sitting on my designated couch. I looked at the far wall instead of those gray eyes that still caused a stir in my chest as I continued speaking.

"Bastard didn't explain why."

She didn't ask me to elaborate further about who I was and I didn't ask her to either. All that mattered was that we were both prisoners for an, according to her, indefinite amount of time. No further words were said.

Orihime eventually moved to stand in the moonlight that was pouring through the lone window. She stood there, staring up at the moon. I couldn't see her face but the trembling of her shoulders told me she was holding back her sobs. I closed my eyes and sighed at the sight.

"Orihime."

I could feel her eyes on me but I kept my eyes closed so I couldn't see her distraught expression.

I patted the seat beside me, signaling for her to join me. She gingerly moved towards me and sat beside me. I promptly wrapped my arm around her shoulders and gently forced her to lay down with her head in my lap, a position she had once confessed to me her brother had used to comfort her when she was a child. She froze but my next words stopped her from moving.

"It's okay to cry...don't hold back."

She rolled over and buried her face into my stomach, sobbing uncontrollably. I slowly combed my fingers through her hair as she cried out all her fear, confusion and sorrow. Doing such a thing as holding her as she cried always made me feel needed, especially right then, as I was all she had.

We remained that way for a long time even after her tears subsided. I started humming a familiar tune that made her relax. I could see her exhaustion but she was reluctant to sleep in such an unfamiliar place, especially since this was the enemy's stronghold.

"Sleep…you'll need it. I won't let anything happen to you...I promise."

I smiled as she finally drifted off. I leaned back and stared at the moon, thinking about the tune I had used as a lullaby. It was the first tune that came to mind and it spilled out before I could stop it. I'll admit I was a bit ashamed to have used it for such a thing; it was never meant for her ears to hear, then again the one it was meant for was no longer around to hear it.

I sighed and decided to forget the incident for the time being. I looked back down at the slumbering girl on my lap and smiled fondly at the goofy look on her face.

"Well, at least the nights won't be so lonely now." I mumbled to myself, knowing I would not get much sleep that night.

I inwardly tensed when I felt a familiar presence outside the door but it was gone before I could even contemplate a reaction. I spent the rest of the night wondering how long he was there.

Author Note: We'll find out more about Akira and her violin and the tune she used as a lullably in later chapters.

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