Warning for violence.

It's been several days since Ulquiorra introduced here to his master's little daughters.

At first she tried to object, pointing out that she had no experience with little kids and was unsure if she knew how to properly take care of them but her warden was unrelenting.

"The meals will be brought to you three times during 'daily hours'. Bathroom is to the right, closet is to the left-"

"My left or yours?" Orihime interjected.

"My left." He replied. "They're not allowed to leave this room, also, don't be noisy." With that he turned on his hills and, along with the other Arrancar, left the room.

That was all. He didn't even say what they like to eat, or when they should be going to sleep or how old they are… what happened to their mom? They seemed to be around two, maybe three years old, but she wasn't sure. She hadn't seen him, nor Aizen since then, only the servant who kept bringing them food and clean clothes at assigned hours. She was given an Arrancar uniform with a note (probably from Ulquiorra) with an order to put it on and give her old wardrobe to the person who brought her a new uniform. Before they left she managed to get out of the staff member some information about the girls's names. Apparently they were called Narya and Nenya. How ridiculous, Orihime thought. Was Aizen Sosuke out of ideas or is he a king of nerds? Well, clearly he likes The Lord of the Rings a lot.

Now she was sitting with the kids on a round, grey rug and watching them play with a jar filled with sand and buttons. Thankfully, children really will find the oddest things entertaining. The Stronghold was not made to host toddlers, they didn't have any toys nor playgrounds,and there wasn't even much color in this place, all the walls were white. It was depressing.

In a corner stood a large bed draped in white linen, and above it there was a window through which moonlight was pooling in and illuminating the poorly lit room. Orihime's gaze turned towards it and she started thinking of putting the girls to sleep. She was getting a little drowsy herself and she noticed that Nenya's head had been rolling to the side a little, and she'd became less talkative. Not that the girls were very vocal in the first place, no, they were oddly quiet and when she had met them for the first time they didn't seem to be wary of her at all, like most of small children would be when faced with a total stranger. It was very suspicious and she made a mental note to ask Ulquiorra why are they so unusually obedient, lethargic even.

She caught the jar Narya sent rolling to Nenya. "Let's go to sleep." She said with a hushed tone and set the jar aside. The girls just looked at each other and Nenya murmured a quiet "okay" in response. They must have been really tired of all the heavy reiatsu buzzing around them for days without a break. Doesn't Aizen know this is taking a toll on his own children? She was sure he could have hidden them somewhere safer.

Orihime's attention was brought back by the girls who started to climb onto her lap. Oh, how sleepy they were! Not good, she must have overlooked the bed time again. It was really hard to tell the hours of the day, or night, when the entire world was drowned in an eternal midnight. Another thing that kept setting her internal clock off track was the fact that Las Noches never slept. The Arrancar who lived here were active through the entire 24 hours every day without a break. She was aware of their harsh reiatsu flowing through the walls and filling their room all the time and it was exhausting.

Just as she was about to get up and lead Nerya and Nanya to bed there came a knock on the door and Ulquiorra announced his entrance. He walked in with the same Arrancar who, she assumed, had been previously taking care of the kids.

"Lord Aizen summons you." He stated while the other hollow walked towards her to pick up the twins.

"What for?" Suddenly, she was feeling very protective about them and she had wrapped wer arms around their sleeping frames.

"You will find out when you will get there. Hand the twins to Narrquez and stop delaying the meeting." The Espada gestured to his subordinate who knelt next to her and pried her hands off of the kids.

Orihime's heart sunk to her stomach, she was tired and worried and as much as she wanted to ask Aizen about his daughters, she just didn't have the strength to do it now. But Ulquiorra was having none of it, his master's order was the law for him and whatever he had commanded, she had to follow. She pulled herself up on her feet and watched as the servant was putting Nenya to bed right next to her sister. When he was about to let her go and pull the covers over her, she stirred, opened her eyes and, of course, started crying. In that moment the events had taken a terrible turn as the hollow whom their warden named Narrquez focused a torrent of his spiritual pressure on the child until she ran out of breath and couldn't make anymore sounds.

The sight had woken Orihime up from her dazzled state and she immediately put her shield between the servant and the kids, then, she ran up to him and punched him straight in the nose without even giving it a second thought. What she just saw made her livid and she turned rapidly towards Ulquiorra who was still standing by the door and waiting for her. He was wearing a blank expression, only his eyes were directed towards his underling, scanning him for the possible damage.

"What are you doing?" She asked the Espada, with a shaking voice. That seemed to bring his attention back to her.

"About what?" He asked, sounding bored and disinterested in the entire scene that just took place in front of him.

These words made her blood run cold, she stood there for a second and stared Ulquiorra in the eyes. "... you allow this?" She asked in disbelief.

"It's a disciplinary met-"

"It' abuse!" She yelled, completely forgetting about the twins. She had never felt so angry at someone in her entire life. How could he let something like this happen!? But before she could say anything else a muffled sob came from behind her. At once she turned back and sat on the bed next to the girls. She hugged them and kissed the tops of their heads. "Oh… I am so sorry." She cooed while the toddlers started to doze off again.

Ulquiorra grew impatient and took a few steps in their direction. " I am not going to tolerate your hissy fits. Lord Aizen is waiting."

"I'm not going." She replied. "I will not leave them with this hollow, or any other for that matter."

"I was ordered to bring you to the lord, woman, and I will do it even if I'll have to bind you and drag you to him by your ankle." It was visible that her warden was slowly becoming very annoyed. His eyes were narrowed and the frown he had permanently worn on his face seemed to have deepened.

"If he wants to see me so badly, then he should come here." She said while paying no heed to irritated Arrancars who were closing in on her. "I will be sure to tell him what are you doing with his children..."

"It was the Lord, who instructed us to do that." Narrquez disclosed while he was rubbing his nose.

Orihime's body went stiff. He had done what ?! The revelation had scared her, it seemed to her now that the man who currently rules over Hueco Mundo has no care even of his own family. Why?

She had no time to ponder on her question any longer because her body got violently jerked off of the bed. She yelped at the sudden jolt of pain coming from Ulquiorra's grip on her forearm.

"I'm not leaving them with him!" She hissed and tried to fight back, however, her struggles were fruitless as the Espada had thrown her out of the room with brute force. She fell onto the hard floor and rolled a few meters away from the entrance of the room and the Arracnar followed slowly after her and closed the door. He took a few steps towards her and lifted her by the collar of her white uniform.

"I will not be repeating myself, woman." He looked her in the eyes and she saw a cold gleam behind his pupils. "You will not make the Lord wait for you any longer." As he was saying that, her collar was released from his grip and Orihime stumbled back. She was too shocked to say or do anything and only nodded at Ulquiorra when he had finished speaking. She had no choice but to follow him back to his master's chambers.