Hello everyone! I am back and hopefully better than ever with this new chapter! Sorry for the long delay, but I was so excited to get this one written when I finally got time. Thank you so much for the reviews, they mean a lot! I mean 36 reviews in three chapters? That's my personal best. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

With that, I'd also like to point out that I appreciate all your critics and reviews, but at the same time, I know where I want to take this story, so if something is too …cliché for your liking, you don't have to continue on reading. I need to set things up for my plots, not yours. Like Tite Kubo would say – I am writing for my characters and for my enjoyment, if you believe you can do better (which, I am sure many of you can) then write one yourself! I am having fun with this story and I hope you guys are enjoying it as well. My readers mean a lot to me.

Alright, I've said my piece. I hope this is the best chapter yet, and I hope the fans of this story will review and give me inspiration to continue – Rose Colored Glasses is on Hiatus for now. I am stuck in a rut and need to fix some things about that story.

-Rachel

Running as fast as her legs could carry her, Orihime pushed her way through the crowd. She found herself at a set of stairs, and quickly ran up the dark stairwell, hoping to find a place of peace and quiet.

Upstairs, there were still teenagers, but there was much more space and the only noise was the music seeping in from downstairs. Orihime noticed a bedroom and quickly walked into it. She turned on the light, and saw it was empty. Orihime sighed, and sat on the bed.

She knew for a fact Ichigo didn't have a girlfriend, so she didn't need to worry about that – but what if he was hooking up with that pretty woman that she had saw? What if she became his girlfriend? Orihime's stomach turned, making her feel nauseous.

"What if Kurosaki-kun didn't just meet her? What if he's known her? He doesn't always tell me everything, I mean, he could easily know her…or like her. Or maybe he will start to like her...What if they do something?" Orihime turned a bit green at the thoughts spinning around in her head, each scenario playing in her mind like a movie.

"No….Kurosaki-kun isn't the type of person to hook up with someone he probably just met. Whatever I saw, I'm sure there's a reason for it. And if he does know her, then I'm sure he's happy and I should be happy for him. I will not be upset about it!" Orihime forced a triumphant smile onto her face, wiping her eyes and pushing her hair back.

Pushing the thoughts out of her head, her body reminded her she needed to find a bathroom. Her eyes surveyed the room, and she spotted a private bathroom to her right. She walked in and turned on the light, looking at the space that lit up around her.

The bathroom was big, of course. It was painted neutral beige, and had forest green accents with the towels and rug. Orihime locked the door and quickly used the toilet, trying to calm herself in the process. When she finished, she washed her hand and went to fix her makeup. Satisfied with her appearance, she opened the door to the bathroom and was sent flying onto her bottom.

"Oi!" She said, rubbing her butt and looking up to see what she hit. Standing over her were two girls who looked very angry.

"Listen here, you little bitch! Since your friend thinks she's such hot shit, we're gonna have to get our point across with you. Get the fuck out of this party! You are not wanted here. You are a pathetic slut, and everyone here thinks you are disgusting. I bet you think you're such hot shit, dancing on the floor like that – well here's a newsflash: you're not!" A girl with blonde hair spat, eyes full of hatred.

A flash quickly went through Orihime's mind. Instantly, a picture of Loly and Menoly standing over her in Hueco Mundo entered her mind, and she saw herself in her old white Arrancar outfit. As quickly as it came, it disappeared. She shook her head, surprised by the sudden flashback. She hadn't though about Hueco Mundo in months.

Gaining her composure and the confidence she had acquired within the last seventeen months, Orihime stood up and brushed her skirt off. Something stirred within her gray eyes that Tatsuki would have been proud of. There was a blazing fire inside those eyes, and her mouth formed into a firm line before she spoke.

"I'm sorry if you're threatened by Tatsuki and I; but I never claimed to be hot or whatever, and I don't appreciate you doing my thinking for me. I am not pathetic, I am not disgusting... I'm not sure if you're just saying stuff because you're insecure, but I have done nothing to you."

Orihime looked at the two girls staring at her with her mouth agape. All her experiences in the past had just forged her into a stronger person and it felt good to stand up for herself. Tatsuki would be proud of her for not accepting the toxic words and actions this girl was dishing her way.

"How dare you say such foul things to me? You need to learn some respect! Naomi, shut the door."

Orihime's eyes widened in shock as she turned her eyes and attention to the other girl behind Minami. She realized that it was the same girl she had seen kissing Ichigo downstairs. She remembered her silky straight brown hair and her blue eyes. Orihime was always great with faces.

Naomi shut the door, looking slightly uncomfortable in doing so. Orihime wanted to ask her about Ichigo, but held her tongue. She had more pressing issues to deal with right now. She had been here before; all too familiar this scene: it reminded her of Loly and Menoly.

"Now listen here," Minami said, grabbing Orihime by her hair. Orihime winced in pain and tried to get the girl to loosen her grip, but to no avail. She did not want to fight these two girls, no matter how mean they were being. She just wanted to find her friends.

"When I am finished with you, no one will want to look your way."

Minami swung a punch at Orihime's gut, knocking her back onto the bathroom floor. Before Minami could stomp on her fallen form, Orihime rolled quickly and pushed herself back to her feet. While she did not want to fight, she had learned to defend herself and avoid attacks when possible.

"I don't understand why you're so angry. My friends and I just came to have fun." Orihime said, stepping back away from the girl. The girl swung a punch at Orihime, who dodged it easily.

"I don't care what you have to say! You're gonna be sorry you came here; you and your stupid friend."

She swung a low kick at Orihime's shin, who managed to jump over it easily, but slipped on the rug and fell forward into the door. Orihime landed on her back, and rolled on her side, her body sore from impact. Minami took this opportunity to grab her hair again.

"Minami, someone's coming… We should leave," Naomi said, looking more and more uncomfortable by the minute. Just as she finished her sentence, the bathroom door opened. Orihime couldn't see who it was as her back was to the door, but she hoped it was one of her friends.

"What's going on in here, ladies?" Orihime heard a low voice ask. It was a voice she had heard before, but not one she was hoping it would be.

"Koen! Nothing, we were just teaching this girl who runs things."

Koen pushed past Naomi and grabbed Orihime by the arm and helped her up. "You two are some jealous bitches." He said, glaring at Minami. "Are you okay?" He directed his eyes at Orihime, who nodded.

"I'm okay," she half squeaked, happy to be free from those two girls. Minami and Naomi ran out, distancing themselves from Koen as quickly as possible.

Koen grabbed Orihime's hand and lead her out of the bathroom.

"Here, sit," he pointed to the bed. "Sorry about those two, they think they own every guy in the world, when really they're just a pair of jealous, insecure idiots."

"You know them?" Orihime asked, sitting on the bed and fixing her skirt. She felt embarrassed having been found on the floor, but she was just glad he came when he did. Orihime hated fighting, but she didn't particularly enjoy getting beaten up either.

"They go to school with me. I dated the blonde once - worst experience ever!" He laughed. "Hey, I'm going to step out for a sec and grab a beer- want some more punch?" Koen asked, moving towards the doorway. Orihime nodded.

Koen left the room, leaving Orihime alone for a moment. She sighed, collecting her thoughts.

"This has been a long night! I am so ready to leave. I'm just glad that Koen guy came when he did. He seems really nice."

Orihime pulled out her cell phone and noticed she had a missed call from Ishida. "I wonder why Ishida-kun called." She said aloud to herself, calling her voicemail and punching in her password.

"Inoue-san, it's Ishida. Please call me so we can meet up with the others...and be careful."

"Oh, no! Ishida and the others must be so worried about me. He left that message awhile ago. I should get going…"

Orihime dialed Ishida's number into her phone. It rang twice before a desperate sounding Ishida answered. "Hello? Orihime?"

"Hey, Ishida-kun! Sorry if I worried you, it's really crowded and noisy so I didn't hear my phone." She explained, hoping he wasn't mad.

"I understand, Inoue-san. Kurosaki is here with me, but we're still trying to find the others. Where are you?"

Orihime's breath caught in her throat at the mention of Kurosaki-kun. She shrugged it off, happy that Ichigo was with Ishida.

"I'm upstairs in a bedroom," she said. The door to the bedroom opened back up and Orihime saw Koen entering. "Hey, call me back in five." Orihime said, hanging up her phone.

"What the-?" Ishida said, staring at his phone in wonder.

"Well, what did she say?" Ichigo asked, scowl in place as always. "Where is she?"

"She said she was 'upstairs in a bedroom', Ishida said, concern etched into his face. Ichigo's scowl froze on his face for a split second and then turned into an angry grimace. "What the hell! Why is she in a bedroom? What the fuck is going on around here?" Ichigo half yelled. No one noticed due to the noise.

"She sounded okay, but she said to call her back in five minutes and hung up. So I really don't know what's going on…"

"We need to find her, and I mean now." Ichigo said angrily. His tone with both angry and concerned. He did not like this situation. He had a bad feeling, deep in his stomach.

"I agree."

"Hey cutie, I'm back," Koen's voice came. He was carrying a beer in one hand and a red cup in the other. "Here you go – they poured more punch in so it's a different flavor, hope you like orange."

"Oh yeah, that's fine, thanks." Orihime said, taking a sip. Koen sat down on the bed next to her, taking a swig of his beer as well. "So, why were you so upset earlier?" He asked, focusing his attention on the orange-haired goddess. "I saw you run off upstairs earlier, looking pretty distraught. That's the only reason I knew you were up here."

"Oh, it was nothing. I just saw one of my friends doing something…" Orihime struggled to find the words to explain the situation, and as she spoke, redness filled her cheeks.

"What do you mean?" Koen asked, confused. Orihime sighed, taking another sip of her punch. "One of my friends was kissing that brunette- I think her name is Naomi? Well yeah, he was kissing her and I was shocked by it." Orihime said, looking away.

"Oh, so you like this guy, then?" Koen asked. Orihime sighed and nodded. She took another sip as an excuse to hide her embarrassment.

"I don't know why I'm telling you this, you hardly even know me." Orihime nervous laughed. She took another sip of the punch, enjoying its weird taste and the coldness on her tongue.

"Hey, I consider us friends! I mean, I did just save your butt back there." He said, smiling. Orihime smiled back, one of her giant sun-filled smiles.

"So, does this guy realize you're the most beautiful girl in the world? Or does he need a Seeing-Eye dog?"

Orihime laughed nervously. "I don't know about all that. We have been friends for a long time, though, and I know he does care about me - even if its not in the way I want."

"Well, he must be stupid not to be into you." Koen whispered, leaning in close to Orihime. Orihime could feel his breath on her skin.

"Um, Koen? I really need to get going. My friends are worried about me, but I want to thank you for your help tonight. You made this a really nice time." Orihime said, making a motion to stand up. She fell back quickly, confused.

"Are you alright?" Koen asked.

"I feel really dizzy…" Orihime said, surprised at her sudden state. Her vision was blurring, and the room felt like it was slowly spinning beneath her. Her limbs felt heavy, and moving started to seem very difficult.

"What a shame..." Koen said in a gruff voice, a tinge of malice edging his tone. He began reaching for her blouse.

"He-hey! What are you doing? Stop!" Orihime yelled, fighting the pounding in her head. "I said stop!" Orihime sluggishly pushed Koen away, again trying to stand up. The room began spinning faster, but Orihime ignored it, focusing her attention on Koen. "What's wrong with you?"

"You need to loosen up a bit, babe. Why don't you come here and I can help with that?" He asked, standing and reaching for her again. Orihime smacked him across the face.

"Please, just stop!" Orihime said, backing away. Koen reached forward and sent her flying with a punch to her left eye. She curled over against the wall, feeling the sting from the blow.

"Please stop! I thought we were friends..." Orihime gasped. Tears started to fall from her eyes.

"I have plenty of friends, you silly girl. Unlike your dumb friend, I have no issue in having you around for the purpose of friendship. I only have one thing in mind," Koen whispered into her ear. He grabbed Orihime by the arm, and she pushed him away. This angered him further and he kicked her in the gut, causing her to exhale sharply.

"There's no use fighting. In about a minute, those roofies I put in your punch will kick in to their full effect and I can do whatever I please with you. So save yourself the energy, princess."

"Wha-What? You drugged me?" Orihime gasped. The room continued to spin around, faster and faster. Koen was slowly becoming a blur of color, and her eyes felt heavy, like she wanted to sleep.

"Come here." Koen said again, lifting her up over his shoulder. It oddly reminded her of the time Ichigo had defeated Grimmjow and had lifted her over his shoulder to get her to safety – only Ichigo's hands were hands that protected, and Koen's were very much not.

This time she did not fight Koen as he moved her from the floor – her body felt as though it was being weighed down by sand. Her eyes almost closed, and she saw the bed slowly come closer to her face. She was aware of the blankets against her body, and a breath upon her face, but she couldn't focus her attention on anything. As she felt her top unbuttoning she uttered one last "No!" before passing out.

Alright so I'm really nervous about this chapter…please review? (But be nice! *Dodges eggs*)