The atmosphere was awkward, too awkward to meet any eyes. I wanted so much to look at Ulquiorra, the reason for the meeting, but I wanted to see the old Ulquiorra; not the eyes of the man I now knew had intended to kill Ichigo, just to hurt me. I still, however, wanted to hold his hand.

It was Urahara who spoke first. "So, strange things are afoot, it would appear-"

"Please," Captain Kuchiki said, "do not attempt to make light of the situation, Kisuke." Apparently this man deserved a place in the discussion, and, although I was thankful for his words against the shop keeper, I couldn't help but notice that it felt now more like a court hearing. Again, I resisted the urge to take Ulquiorra's hand.

The man lowered his hat over his eyes. I couldn't help but notice the way he abided by the captain; respectful, but not as though obedient. "Very well. Uryu, you called the meeting. Please, speak."

All eyes went to the bispecticaled man, sat very straight behind the coffee table. "Fine. I requested this meeting on the behalf of Ulquiorra."

"Yes, we are aware of that," Ichigo growled. It was the first time he'd made his presence known, and he was sat like an angry child. Byakuya cleared his throat. "Ichigo Kurosaki, you of all people should empathise with this person's situation."

Ichigo opened his mouth as though to say something, before resuming his previous scowl. "I am far from like him."

"You know that's not true," Uryu replied, tugging the attention back to him. Everyone resumed there silence, and he nodded in thanks for the room to speak. "I have been keeping an eye on the activity of Ulquiorra's spiritual pressure since his arrival, and have noted some shifts. Some of it, is indeed, human, and this part often dominates the other part, which, Ichigo, is why you are here. I trust you remember your constant battle with your inner hollow?"

I looked to Ichigo instantly, stunned, before the memory of my dream came back. Could it be that that monster...was really him?

"And that brings us neatly to Orihime. Care to recount your dream, one more time?"

I shifted under the many eyes on me, and stared down at my knot of fingers. "Erm..." I dared a look at Ulquiorra, then Ichigo, then Ulquiorra, before going back to my lap. "I dreamt that Ulquiorra, was holding Ichigo...at the top of a podium. He killed him, I think, and I tried to heal him. I gave up, and he came back...but different."

"That was the hollow in him; you see, Ichigo, up until a few months ago, was what is known as a vizard; a soul reaper who has aspects of hollow. Similar to the arrancar, who are hollow with aspects of soul reaper. Do you follow?"

I nodded, again looking back to Ulquiorra for confirmation that he was following, too.

He murmered, "Yes." It was murmered in a way that made me think he knew more than he wanted too, paired with the eyes, distantly staring down at the table momentarily. They snapped back up instantly. "Are you saying, since I was a hollow before, I could become hollow again?"

Instead of answering his question straight away, Urahara mulled the words over behind his shadow. "You could say that."

"How else would you say it?" Ichigo observed. "Look at him. How can you say any different?"

Ichigo's face was red with anger, but his eyes held something close to smugness. I felt sick with the anger I felt towards him, but I knew that, when I looked at the ex-espada next to me, a ghost of truth would stab me in the chest like ice. Instead, I closed my eyes, the lids a similar orange hue to the shield I formed over ichigo in the dream. Somehow, I was so aware of its healing qualities, and I was so sure that, in this strange world id found myself in, it was real. I felt the dormancy of it in the back of my mind. I focused on it as the insults flew between numerous voices, not one of them Ulquiorra's reserved tone.

Suddenly I was speaking. "How do I get my powers back?"

I found the rest of the group silent when my eyes drifted back open, and white noise rang in my ears at the sudden change. Ichigo looked like his tongue had suddenly escaped his mouth, Uryu frowning, Urahara staring with an eyebrow arched. "Your power?"

I nodded. "Yes. The power in my dream. I healed Ichigo, or at least tried to. You said it yourself, I have powers. I know about the shield, and in order to use them I..." My hands flew to pat down the sides of my head. "Something's missing," I whispered beneath my breath.

"Orihime..." Uryu gasped in dull surprise. "You remember?"

I looked up at him, abashed. "More than I thought." I looked to the boy next to me; he looked apologetic. The streams pouring from his eyes looked like they could be real tears, but no watery soreness was brimming.

I whispered, "Ulquiorra?"

"He remembers too. More than he would like." The boy in question nodded. "Dreams," the owner of the voice, Urahara, added.

He nodded again. I watched in amazement.

Byakuya cleared his throat. "If I may." His eyes closed as he crossed a thoughtful index finger over the straight line of his mouth, frowning gracefully. "It would appear to me that, being in such close proximity to the girl has triggered a healing process. it seems that when she dreams, he dreams. Perhaps this is the key to both memories, and her powers."

A shadow formed in the doorframe, and we all turned to see Yoruichi, grinning in a way that her cat-like fangs poked into her bottom lip. "I think we've found this year's Captain Obvious!" She shook her hands in fists as a form of sarcastic celebration. "You never fail to disappoint, Byakuya." The woman came up behind him and patted his head. I watched, stunned and frightened for the woman's daring hand.

The captain's eye twitched very noticeably, yet he did nothing more. "I would appreciate the removal of your hand, and your less than helpful comments in a serious situation, Miss Shihoin." I had to admire his control. I looked up and smiled at the woman, who winked, removed her hand, and nudged in between Ichigo and Byakuya. She squeezed her legs up to her and crossed them, looking crushed. "Give a cat some room, guys!"

Everyone waited in tense silence as Ichigo, red faced, moved up to give her space. "Aaah, that's better."

Urahara regarded her with a teasing smile. "Ready?"

"Shoot away, Kisuke." She grinned, and then switched to serious mode with surprising ease. "No need to bring me up to date."