But know Not We May Be
The trek to Aizen's quarters was brief. He was waiting for Orihime in a room much like her own, with a similar couch and a desk in the corner.
"Welcome Orhime," he said, "Ulquiorra, Menoly please wait outside until I have called for you."
The two Arrancars bowed and exited obediently.
"Come here please, Orihime," the former Shinigami Captain commanded as he gestured for her to approach the desk. A small pillar rose there holding an orb emitting an ominous blue light, "This is vital for you see."
As Orihime got nearer, a chill crept over her. The light from the orb had a feeling unlike any spiritual aura of any being or anything else she had experienced before.
"This is the Hogyoku," Aizen explained, "One of the most valuable tools I have for fulfilling our ambitions. I require it to modify Arrancars to my needs. I also need it for forging the key to the Royal Realm. But more than any of those tasks, it will allow us to see what lies beyond such arbitrary limits of beings like Shinigami and Hollows."
He turned to the auburn-haired girl, "It will help us reshape the world. No longer will it be confined by what is and allow for the world to become what we want it be."
Orihime turned away for a moment, recalling once how the Vizard Hachigen had said something similar to her.
"However, using the Hogyoku as I have in its present state risks the structure of it," Aizen continued, "Your miraculous powers will be able to stabilize it."
The former Captain then moved in uncomfortably close to teen girl.
"You will aid me immeasurably as I advance beyond Shinigami," he continued, "I know to a delicate soul like you, it may seem like you will be furthering the harm done, but you will be saving the lives of those we advance down that path."
Aizen then softly placed his hand upon the girl's face. Orihime froze. She knew despite acting as if his intention was to reassure her, to comfort her, his the real purpose was to intimidate and condescend to her. She also knew she could not let Aizen know she knew.
"No one else is capable of the things you are," he said, almost as soft as a whisper, "And no one in the universe can do the things we will do."
He moved his hand from her cheek and just as gently raised her chin to make her eyes meet his. She could not tell how long he held her there in his gaze, but very suddenly she saw something change. Or thought she did. It may have been just the smallest twitch of his eyebrow, or the briefest possible flash of a frown. Whatever it was, the brown-eyed girl could not hold back the terrified thoughts it caused, "Did I just do something wrong? Have I done something to displease him? Is, is he going to hurt me?"
"Ulquiorra, Menoly please enter," the Shinigami said, releasing her suddenly and stepping away as he called the two back in, "Ulquiorra, speak with me briefly regarding the use of Orihime's abilities."
"Of course, Aizen-sama," the bone-white Arrancar responded.
Orihime retreated as quickly as she could to the oppose end room beside Menoly. She was unsure what just occurred between her and the Arrancar leader. Despite the fact he was discussing activities for her now with Ulquiorra, in some way, it almost seemed he had forgotten about her. Or maybe, he no longer required her presence. Perhaps even, Orihime got from some uncertain impression deep within her, he did not desire her there any longer.
Another Arrancar then entered. He was a smaller, boyish looking one, with a vaguely Chinese-like fit to his white uniform, as well a long black braided ponytail. He also had a skull-like mask atop his head, with long fangs extending from it on each side of his face.
"Pardon me Aizen-sama," he said, clearly nervous about interrupting, "Szayel-sama said it was urgent to notify you whenever there was activity detected in the Garganta."
"Yes, excellent. It is Ggio Vega, correct?" Aizen replied.
The Arrancar nodded.
"How many beings have been detected?" the Shinigami asked.
"Three sir," Ggio answered dutifully.
"And the nature of them," Aizen requested for further information, "They are not simply Hollows returning, correct?"
"Yes, sir," the young-looking Arrancar said, "Three humanoids, two humans, another in a Shinigami body. All have significant spiritual power."
"Show me their projected entry point into Hueco Mundo," Aizen said calling the Arrancar to the desk.
While the Shinigami and Arrancar discussed the location of the group's arrival, Orihime realized whom they were talking about coming to Hueco Mundo.
"Kurosaki-kun..."she whispered quietly.
Menoly moved in closer to the human girl. She glanced over to Aizen, who himself was covertly looking in the direction of Orihime and the female Arrancar. Menoly breathed softly to ready herself for her assignment. She desperately hoped she could make it sound convincing. The blond Arrancar brushed away the hanging lock of hair from the right side of her face.
"You think this group coming through the Garganta has Kurosaki Ichigo?" Menoly asked, trying to not sound stilted as spoke the question.
"I, well..." Orihime replied nervously, "It sounds like it could be. I really hoped he wouldn't do that, for me."
Menoly strained to hard make sure she asked the next question as naturally sounding as she could, "Do, do you, like this Kurosaki boy?"
"Well," Orihime looked downward, wringing her hands, "Things like don't really matter anymore, do they?"
Menoly found herself momentarily stubnned by the human girl's words. She quickly remembered her task though. She glanced over to Aizen again, who looked pleased with her questioning of the teen girl. The female Arrancar then cast her eyes downward, awaiting the next order from her master.
"Send word to Tesla to have his hunting party intercept these newcomers," Aizen instructed to Ggio, "Have them brought to Nnoitra's arena."
"Szayel-sama anticipated this Aizen-sama," the Arrancar replied, "He has already communicated it to them."
"Very well done, Ggio," Aizen complimented him, "Bring me any new updates immediately."
"It shall be done, sir," Ggio replied with another bow and exited.
The former Captain then turned to the others present, "Menoly, please take Orihme to her quarters. Ulquiorra, remain here a moment."
"Yes Aizen-sama," the pale Arrancar answered as the girls left.
"I want you to make certain Orihime fully understands her purpose here in Hueco Mundo," the Shinigami said, "While I was reacquainting myself with the status of some of my older experiments with Hollowification, I learned that her departure did not go undetected as she had been instructed."
"Do you believe she attempted to deliberately defy you, Aizen-sama?" Ulquiorra responded with a level of interest most would not notice, but anyone familiar with him would be concerned by.
"No, nothing so malicious," Aizen said, dismissing this notion, "But do show the record of your conversation with her to me. I have learned something most pressing regarding the ramifications her actions have had in regards to the Soul Society."
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Ggio Vega exited Aizen's quarters and descended into the connecting tunnels. Instead of heading in a northern direction, which would take him to the laboratories of the Arrancar sciencist Szayel, he took a passageway deeper underground. He then went in a western direction. Once he was what he believed to a safe distance from either the labs or Aizen's room, he stopped in a dimly lit tunnel. The path ahead of him was fully dark. He leaned against the wall in the lighted portion, waited a moment,be then spoke.
"I'm sure I wasn't followed. Findor, are you here?" the young-looking Arrancar asked.
"I am," came the voice of another from the darkened area, "What have you learned?"
"We've confirmed it," said Ggio, "I had to report to Aizen first. Three humans are moving through the Garganta towards Hueco Mundo. They'll enter in the region between here and the castle. Not near enough they might be discovered, but..."
"This is getting out of hand," said the voice in the dark, "One human kept by this Aizen might go unnoticed, but four! I'll take Redder and a squad. Either I'll force them back into the Garganta or I'll feed them to the sands."
Ggio left without another word. In a corner of the tunnels as headed back, Grimmjow watched. He kept his reiastu suppressed to its minimum, keeping him unnoticed. The former Espada tensed as Ggio looked around, preparing to kill the smaller Arrancar in a single swipe if discovered. As Ggio nearly turned toward Grimmjow's position, the blue-haired Arrancar paused just before striking. Getting the best look at Ggio since he tracked him from Szayel's labs, Grimmjow was held back by some strange feeling of familiarity. Ggio moved on, apparently not having seen the stalking Arrancar.
"Did I know that boy? Why didn't I just kill him?" Grimmjow askked to himself, "Maybe he just reminded me of Di Roy. That must be it. Just stay on the hunt until I get more info to ambush Kurosaki."
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Orihime's mind was trying to process and compartmentalize all she had just learned and felt regarding Ichigo, the Hogyoku and Aizen as she walked back. Just before she reached her room or any conclusion about what she should do, the human girl realized she had left behind her companion. Going back to Menoly, she could tell something was seriously troubling the blond Arrancar.
"Menoly?" Orihime asked with unreserved concern for her.
"Or, Orihime, may I call you that, too?" the Arrancar asked, fighting against the tremble in he voice.
"Yes, of course,"the auburn-haired girl replied, "What's wrong?"
"I, I didn't want to say this in front of anybody," Menoly paused, visibly struggling, even biting at her knuckles in tension, "Ba, back at Halibel's fortress, there was an Arrancar I was in love with, but I was never able to talk to her. And my sister and her hated each other. Eventually, so I wouldn't have to face either of them, I ran away to Szayel's labs."
Orihime moved closer, listening wholeheartedly.
"There, I fell in love with another Arrancar in Nnoitra's arena," Menoly went on, "But he was in love with Nnoitra, even though he treated this other Arrancar horribly. Again, I wouldn't stay and even try and help him, and just ran away again to serve Aizen-sama here."
Orihime moved nearer again, extending her hand to the blond Arrancar. Menoly looked up, meeting the human girl eye to eye.
"I don't know what you can do about how you feel for that Kurosaki boy, especially with him opposing Aizen-sama." her voice was briefly free of its stammer, the next words said fully earnest, "But please, don't ever say those feelings don't matter. Don't do what I did."
"Menoly," Orihime said compassionately, taking the Arrancar's hand. Menoly's trembling had returned full force. The teen girl walked the Arrancar back to her room. Menoly remained by the door. Orihime scanned the room trying to determine if she should offer to let the Arrancar sit down so they could talk more. Shortly though, Ulquiorra rejoined them.
"Menoly," the pale Espada ordered, there was a slight, harsh sterness to his manner, "Leave us for now."
"Yes sir," Menoly replied sounding seemingly recovered from her confession earlier, but she exited hastily.
Orihime detected a worrying irritation in the bone white Arrancar as he stared at her.
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Menoly hurriedly descended a few levels from Orihime's location. She reached a private chamber, and there slammed and locked the door.
She brushed back the hair near right eye again, pausing to touch her smallest finger to her Hollow mask, "Can, can you leave me alone for a moment?" she asked with the unsteadiness returning to her voice. She asked again, this time her voice fully cracked, "Please, just leave me alone."
The blond Arraancar sat down on a nearby bench. Her breathing quickened, near the point of hyperventilating. Before that, tears fell onto the stone floor. The ones seeping from under her eyepiece were always an unpleasant sensation. Unable to hold back any longer, despite the still present fear of someone hearing her, Menoly buried her face in her hands and sobbed inconsolably.
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Aizen stared out his window at the sands of the Hollows' domain.
"I do not recall inviting you to watch," the Shinigami said without looking away, "Gin."
"Ah, don't be like that Cap'n Aizen," the silver-haired Shinigami said emerging from the corner he had inhabited, unnoticed by any of the others earlier, "You put on quite a show for that Orihime. Timin' your talk with her until Ggio-chan came in with news about Kurosaki."
The brown-haired Shinigami still did not look toward him.
"You think she'll be useful to us?"Gin asked.
"Yes, it will be simple enough to control her through fear," Aizen replied, "Even if she holds some shred of defiance, she will soon learn how useless that path is for her."
"Huh?" Gin's brow furrowed in confusion, "You make it sound like that's not enough."
Aizen did finally look towards Gin. His full expression was obscured by his coat collar, but just the look in his eyes made Gin leave without another word. Aizen returned to the endless desert night.
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"Girl," Ulquiorra said staring at her with his muted, but fierce intensity, "You have not developed some vain hope that Kurosaki Ichigo and whatever trash he is bringing will somehow rescue you, have you?"
Orihime did not answer. She had not thought more on that consideration between all the information she was still taking in and now dealing with Menoly's distress.
"You should abandon that notion. You are now a part of Aizen-sama's ambitions," the pale Espada ordered before her mind had returned to the idea completely, "The clothes you wear now are a symbol of it. Your powers, your body, your soul, your whole existence now hangs on the whim of Aizen-sama. Since before you came to Hueco Mundo, since the moment he first took interest in them, they and you have belonged to him. Do you understand?"
"Yes si-" Orihime answered.
"Then say it," Ulquiorra cut her off, "Repeat it fully. Your body and your soul exist to serve the will of Aizen-sama."
Orihime stifled briefly at such a direct and precise command, though she made no effort to resist.
"My body and my soul exist for the will of Aizen-sama."
Orihime felt fully defeated saying those words. Ulquiorra turned leave, but suddenly he turned back. Orihime felt her skin prickle as he looked upon her again.
"You still say those words too easily girl. I don't think you realize what they mean," Ulquiorra said, the usual sinister undertone of his speech was more pronounced than it had ever been before, "Earlier , you had been instructed to part from your former life while remaining undetected by the one person you chose to say goodbye to. Do you know what consequences of your failure do so have been?"
"What, I-" Orihime said in shock.
"Because of you actions, the Gotei Thirteen have discovered your coming to Hueco Mundo," Ulquiorra interrupted her again, "They have deemed you a traitor to the Soul Society."
Orihime was overcome with horror, "Rangiku-san, Toshiro-kun, they, they think…"
"You have no one now," Ulquiorra said, "The Shinigami, the Soul Society, the human world now knows you are their enemy."
"Kuchiki-san…" Orihime said, choking up at the thought of Rukia, "I, I…"
Ulquiorra again turned to leave.
"I, I can't, I can't…" the last word was to too mumbled for the Arrancar to hear clearly.
Ulquiorra looked to back to clarify, "What was that, girl?"
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Menoly dragged herself back to Orihime's room. In the past, when Loly or other Arrancars had been too cruel to her, those secret cries, if not making her feel better at least helped her to not focus so much on the problem. This time, it did not.
She passed the now empty bath. The warm embrace she shared with the human girl flashed in her mind. Menoly's hands clenched and shook against her will.
"It's nonsense," she told herself, "It didn't matter."
She hurried to the teenage girl's room to try to not think on that instance of affection anymore. She found Ulquiorra leaving.
"Menoly, you're back." the pale Arrancar said. Though the cadence of his voice the same as always, there was something, some urgency in him that put Menoly on edge.
"Get Roka quickly," he ordered her, "the human girl has just collapsed."