Hi guys – I know it's been a while. Thank you all for your continued support no this fanfic even though I have been beyond horrible about updating. Thankfully, the new one-shot chapter and the return of the anime have really inspired me! I truly hope we are getting a full Hell Arc, and I cannot wait to see the Kurosaki family in action.

As always, please review – and be kind! I know this topic is sensitive, and I am trying to handle it with the upmost care and realism for those who have had to endure situations like this.

:-:

Orihime stared in shock, her body cold; numb. She was still clutching the offending envelope in her arms, holding to close to her chest. She had rushed off to her next class to get away from her friends, forgetting both Ichigo and Chad had this class with her.

She ran on autopilot for the remainder of the school day; unhearing of anything being said to her. She was trying to process what had just happened and what she was going to do next. She was not faking well.

Who could have sent these photos? Why would someone send these photos? What do they want from me?

Orihime thought of all the individuals she had met that evening. It was difficult because everything was fuzzy after she had passed out talking to Koen. She knew Ishida-kun and Kurosaki-kun would have seen more people than she had after she had been drugged, but she didn't want to involve them with this.

Orihime thought back to a few days ago, to the night that had shaken up her entire reality.

Orihime concluded that it had to be one of her attackers who was there when she was vulnerable and unconscious. It could have been Koen himself that took them, or one of his friends.

The question was now, why were they taken and what more did the person want from her?

She swallowed. Five more minutes and she would be out of class and on her way home for the evening so she could really figure out a plan.

She stared out the window blankly, still cold from the shock of what she had found.

Seeing those images of herself really brought her back into reality. Some small part of Orihime had hoped she had imagined the entire thing – as days passed, it was easier to pretend it had never happened. She still did not feel like herself, she still felt unclean and violated; but there were moments when she would forget. Moments she would convince herself it was all in her head, or it really wasn't that bad.

Those images were solid proof that it was real. Not only that, but how horrible it truly was. The pain felt like a punch to her gut, knocking the wind out of her. She felt like the air was heavy, her throat dry.

She could not reject it. She could not rewrite it or lie to herself.

She had to live with the embarrassment, the shame, the unsafe feeling of it all, probably forever.

She inhaled a shaky breath.

:.:

It was a beautiful, sunny day out. The grass was green, the sky was beaming with light and there were no clouds in sight; the very opposite of how she was feeling now.

The rays of sun illuminated her hair and sad face, which continued to have a haunted expression etched into her features.

Ichigo glanced over at her, having heard her sigh. Orihime looked tragic sitting there in the sun, staring out the window. She was clearly very beautiful, but her eyes looked absent, and her lips were turned into a slight frown. She was abnormally pale, drained of the usual coloring, with dark circles under her eyes – most likely from sleepless nights and tears.

Ichigo frowned deeply.

He had no idea how he was going to protect her from the mental toll this was going to continue to take on her. Her new reality a dark one, because he had failed when she needed him most, and now the battle was with the demons inside of her – something he was unequipped to handle.

He felt helpless.

He had wanted to gain strength to fight to protect those he loved. Often, those targeting them was to really get at Ichigo himself.

He never imagined this. Not only the type of assault that it was, but the psychological repercussions of it all. And for what? A different type of power. A more personal affront, a more sinister type of power – the most inhumane kind he could think of. The power to destroy someone just for the sake of doing it. To take something from their body, from their very soul. To violate them. He gritted his teeth, brows furrowed. The disgust and anger didn't seem to be letting up anytime soon.

Orihime happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. No one did this to her for any reason other than because they could.

Never had his friends been hurt in this way before.

Sure, in Hueco Mundo, many of the Arrancar he encountered were capable of this type of thing – rape –Ichigo shuddered at the word, and Nnoitora's face came to mind, the most likely perpetrator of such a crime – but to his knowledge, none had harmed her in that way due to her being under Aizen's protection for most of her stay there.

It was often implied that had she not been under his protection, she would have encountered some truly despicable things at the hands of the Espada, but that discussion had been better left untouched for everyone's sake. It was better to not even think about it, forming those thoughts into coherent words would've been too much.

Now, however, the topic wouldn't let him escape.

He often dealt with his own pain internally and alone, not wanting to burden his friends with his emotional dealings. Ichigo had also never been great at being the shoulder to cry on. He played his role through protecting and avenging his friends when needed. That is how he showed his love and care for those in his life. His comfort was subtle and displayed through the actions of fighting versus the words he couldn't and didn't know how to say.

This time he couldn't do that. He would have to emotionally support her as best as he could. As best as any of them could. He would have to learn to find the words on occasion, be louder and stronger than the negative words in her mind.

The bell rang, and Orihime darted to the door, the first one out of the classroom. Ichigo looked at Chad and Ishida, sharing a knowing glance. Ichigo sighed again; his scowl permanently etched into his face.

It didn't appear his scowl would be leaving anytime soon.

:-:

Orihime had been scheduled to return to work at the bakery that night, but she did not go. She ran straight home after school, eager to lay out the offending envelope's contents and figure out what she needed to do next. T

She made it into her apartment and slammed the door shut, locking it. She slid down the door once she was inside and safe, her eyes brimming with tears.

Each photo she looked at made her stomach twist in knots. A piece of a memory flashing before her own eyes, overwhelming her. She did not want to remember. She did not want to see this.

What am I going to do?

:-:

Ichigo hadn't had a chance to catch up to Orihime after class. After she had run out, she had apparently kept running all the way home. Chad and Ishida had exchanged the same concerned looks as him and they grouped together as they exited Karakura High.

"What was that about?" Chad asked as soon as they were away from the other students.

"I'm not sure. Inoue hasn't been herself since everything that has happened though; maybe she was just tired and wanted to get home?" Ichigo proposed, but he did have a bad feeling.

"Maybe. Is someone checking on her tonight?" Chad asked. Ishida nodded.

"Yeah, I believe Tatsuki was going to stop by there. I can make sure she calls us with an update later. I'll text her now."

"That sounds good. I have to get home to Yuzu and Karin, but you guys know to call me if she needs anything." Ichigo said, heading towards the direction of his house.

"Of course."

:-:

It was already 8:45pm. Time was passing much too quickly for Orihime.

Orihime had left her apartment fifteen minutes prior, anxious to get this over with.

Orihime pulled her black hoodie over her hair, covering the tangles and matting that was forming in the back. She would have to fix that later; she had been showering but frequent hours sleeping with wet, unbrushed hair had given her a nasty spot in the back of her hair where it was the thickest.

She tightened her hood.

It had been such a beautiful day earlier, but now it was chilly, and the clouds had come out, making it a gray, dreary evening.

It looked like it might rain.

Orihime shivered, partially from the cold but also from her nerves. She didn't know what she was about to find, but she knew that if her friends had known of her whereabouts all they would do is worry some more. She wanted to take care of this herself.

Her hairpins were clipped to the collar of her sweatshirt, but Orihime hadn't talked to her fairies since that night so she hoped she wouldn't need them. She still couldn't face them – she knew she was a disappointment. They would have been better off in someone else's hands.

The bakery closed at 8pm, which was good since she hadn't shown up for her shift. The parking lot outside of it was empty. Orihime didn't know if she should wait there, exposed, or hide until the mysterious person arrived.

She shrugged and decided she would post up right in the parking lot. There was no sense in hiding, they knew she would be here and they most likely beat her here. She didn't want to anger whoever it was unnecessarily - the last thing she wanted was for these photos to make themselves seen by anyone else.

Finally, 9:00pm arrived and with it, a tall, hooded figure pulled up into the parking lot. Orihime took a step back, unsure of what to do.

A tall man stepped out, also wearing a hooded sweatshirt. His hood was pulled up as well, and Orihime saw he was wearing a ski mask to hide his identity.

She took another step back.

"Orihime Inoue."

"Y-yes?" Her voice sounded small. She tried to clear her throat, trying to appear confident.

"I take it you got my letter?" The voice sounded amused. She nodded.

"I did. What do you want from me? In exchange for those never getting out, I mean?" Orihime knew the price was going to be high. She waited, holding her breath for his response.

"I am glad you have come ready to be reasonable. I am here to negotiate; to clean up a mess you made."

"A mess I made?" Orihime replied, anger in her voice, "In what way?"

"You had to run your big mouth to the police. You had some important people arrested and questioned. If you undo the damage you have done, I am willing to let you have those photos stay between us."

"You want me to undo what I did? Why would I? How would I even do that? And how do I know you don't have copies of the photos anyway?"

"You don't. I will give you the flash drive and you're going to have to take my word for it. I am the only one who has the photos as I wiped Orochi's computer when I took them. Believe it or don't, I don't care."

"Your word means nothing. Look at the things you do – I would have to be an idiot to blindly take your word." Orihime said, defiance in her tone.

"You would have to be an idiot not to cooperate. The alternative is that everyone at Karakura high gets a copy of these photos distributed and the internet will also have a field day with these. You will be famous! You know what, on second thought – this is a much better idea. Koen and Orochi will get out in a short amount of time anyway. At least this way, this gift will keep on giving." The man grinned, turning to leave.

"Wait! Don't leave!" Orihime stepped forward, reaching out to the man who had turned his back to her. Her hand grabbed his sweater, pulling him desperately.

He sprung around, backhanding her in the face and sending her to the ground.

"Do not touch me, bitch! You would be wise to keep your distance."

Orihime grabbed her stinging face in pain. Some blood had spilled from her cheek, his ring had sliced her face open when he backhanded her. She stood up slowly.

"Why are you doing this to me?" She asked softly fighting back tears while she clutched her face. "I just want to move on. You guys have already taken enough!"

The man approached her, grabbing her throat, laughing. She squirmed, clutching at his hands on her throat, trying to get away.

"We haven't taken enough. You had some important people thrown in jail, and although that is a minor setback, it's a nuisance. We prefer to keep our business out of the spotlight. You are costing us money, you dumb whore."

Orihime was gasping for breath as his hand tightened on her neck. She kicked him hard in the gut, causing him to let her go.

"Bitch!" he yelled, and leapt onto her as she tried to back away. She fell to the ground, face hitting the pavement. His weight was on top of her, and it sent her into a state of panic.

"Stop!" She shrieked, images of that night flashing in her mind.

The man laughed again. "Girls like you are marketable and profitable. Sometimes we mix business with pleasure – but in general, what we do is a business."

Orihime was stunned. She knew there had been others, but what he was saying was absurd.

"Are you…are you talking about trafficking?" Her voice was shaking, still face down on the pavement, pinned. Tears fell down her nose onto the pavement.

"Call it whatever you want. We arrange for the product to be delivered to those who pay for it, and we get out cut. Most of the time it goes smoothly, usually there are no annoying interferences such as your friends."

Orihime swallowed, disgusted. Product. That's what women were to men like him.

"So here is what you are going to do. You are going to go back to the police and tell them you identified the wrong people. Blame it on hysteria, shock, I don't care. If you do that, you can keep these photos and they don't see the light of day."

The color drained from Orihime's face. Take back her testimony? Help out those creeps back on the street? She couldn't do that! But the alternative...was to let everyone see these photos of her...these horribly invasive, shocking photos.

She swallowed. Cold sweat stuck to the back of her neck, her hands clammy. Her jaw stung from where he had struck her, and his weight was still crushing her into the pavement.

"Please get off of me."

She couldn't see him due to the position they were in, but she could hear the smirk in his response. "While we are down here, maybe we should consider going for round two..." the man trailed off, his tone amused.

Amused at her expense. Pinning her down, face in the pavement of the bakery parking lot.

It was too much.

Orihime screamed, and as she did, threw her elbow backward into the offending man. She wasn't sure what she collided with, but it did the trick as the weight pressing down on top of her lifted, and she was able to quickly crawl out from underneath him and pull herself upright.

"You bitch!" He cussed. Orihime grabbed the photos off of the ground and ran as long and as far as her feet could carry her, not bothering to look back.

:-:

Tatsuki was on her way to Orihime's house to check on her for the evening. It was a still night, and she had just finished her shift at the dojo. Her phone buzzed, and she opened the message. It was a group chat with Ishida, Chad, and Ichigo.

"Let us know how Inoue is doing." Tatsuki felt a small smile tug at the corner of her lips. Ichigo had been the most vocal about his concern for Orihime, and she appreciated it - not only as Orihime's best friend, but considering the feelings Orihime had for him, it made her happy to see the level of care he was giving her in these horrible circumstances. The gratitude she had for all of their friends at the moment was hard to express.

"Duh." She responded. No one spoke gratittude and appreciation like she did, afterall.

She threw her phone back into her bag, approaching Orihime's house. Her small smile turned back into a frown.

The lights of apartment 403 were dimmed completely. It appeared no one was home, which was odd as the bakery was closed at this hour and Orihime would normally be getting ready for bed soon.

She knocked on the door, unsure if she would get a response.

Nothing.

She knocked again, a little harder hoping maybe she didn't hear her. Maybe she had gone to bed early and didn't hear her knocking...

Nothing.

Tatsuki dug out her spare key from the bottom of her bag, hastily entering it into the lock and let herself in to her best friends apartment. She was not going home without making sure she was alright.

"Orihime?"

No response. Her apartment was completely dark. A faint smell tinged the apartment air - something had obviously gone bad in her fridge. Tatsuki sighed.

She isn't taking care of herself or her apartment. Figures.

"Orihime?" She called again, making her way to her bedroom. She poked her head in her doorway and stopped in her tracks.

Tatsuki's mouth dropped open at the room that laid before her. Orihime had scribbled out her face of all the photos in her frames. The mirror that hung in her room was covered by a sheet.

It seemed like Orihime was avoiding looking at her own face. This was worrisome in of itself.

More pressing, however, was the fact Orihime was not there.

It was almost 10pm. Where the heck was she?

Tatsuki pulled out her phone, shaking with nerves. She pressed 2 on her speed dial, only to be met by a concerned voice.

"What is it?"

"Ichigo - Orihime isn't here."

:-:

Alright, so if I receive some decent reviews I will do my very best to not take a decade to update... self improvement, am I right?