Author's Note: Truthfully, I finished this chapter in December. However, I didn't want to upload it unless I had the following chapter nearly completed. At this point, I can say I am comfortable enough with the pace of which I am writing the next chapter. It will be up for certain by the end of the month, if not sooner. I felt bad because I'm leaving you guys with a cliff hanger. In addition, I just want to give a shout-out to everyone who is reading this story. I have 96 follows and that makes me so utterly happy, you have no idea! I don't think I can say thank you enough! Anyway, please read, review - and most importantly - enjoy! (I want to hear your opinions about Aizen!)

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or it's characters. They all belong to the wonder Tite Kubo.

Chapter 13 – Helping Hand

Ichigo couldn't even begin to comprehend as for the reason to what possessed him to stay behind and listen in on the butler and maid's conversation. However, something within him had advised the teenager that he needed to hear what was to be said. At the time, he wasn't expecting to hear much revealing information upon him leaving the bedroom. At most, he figured there was a complication with a meal or something along those lines. Furthermore, he never would have imagined that he would come face to face with the scenario that played out in front of him.

"Ichigo Kurosaki has been requested."

"Who, may I ask, requested his presence?"

"It was a summons from Inoue-sama, sir."

As the woman's words were quietly spoken, for the concealed adolescent, a look of confusion spread across his face. It was odd to him. Why would the Princess want to see him, of all people? It wasn't as if he could do anything special for her. He was a young man who truly never got a handle on the emotional aspect when it came to helping people. In turn, he'd probably only make the atmosphere gloomier. He'd have no idea what comforting words he could say to her. Instead, the conversation would most likely be directed towards the accident.

To be frank, he was more concerned with who had pushed the maiden down a flight of stairs in the middle of the night. When the annoying butler accused Renji and him of having involvement, Ichigo's temper flared up at the mere suggestion of him hurting such a childlike individual. Despite Ichigo displaying his honest feelings regarding the night in question, Uryu did not seem convinced. His suspicions were further validated when Ishida told the maid Kurosaki was to be investigated. It was clear Ichigo had not yet proven his innocence. In spite of this, it did not bother him as much as before when he had Uryu up against the wall, ready to make a mark on the butler's ashen face. In the moment, the only color he saw was red. It was the first time he had heard anything about the Princess in a few days, and to be told that he was a possible suspect on account of her misfortune, needless to say, Ichigo felt blindsided.

After a while, as he stood outside the room, the anger within him had subsided. For one, he didn't need Ishida's opinion or approval to justify his own self-worth. If Orihime wanted to see him of her own free will, then she was not intimidated to be in the same space as him nor did she believe that he was the one to have led to her fall. Clearly, her butler was being overbearing and didn't give the Princess much freedom to do as she pleased. With this thought, the only image Ichigo kept conjuring in his mind was a solemn Orihime who lay in bed, unable to move due to her injuries.

While lost in his own world, Ichigo barely noticed Uryu and the maid start to depart from their bedroom. Fortunately, Renji had grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him away from the door before he could be caught and punished for eavesdropping. Following their near escape, the duo finally headed down to the dining hall for lunch. As they walked in silence, Renji couldn't help but notice his friend's forehead wrinkled with worry.

"Is there something I should know about, Kurosaki?" the red head inquired.

Without turning to look at his friend, Ichigo unexpectedly blurted out, "The Princess wants to see me." He was unable to get his thoughts in order. At that point in time, the only plan he could formulate in his head was to tell Renji the situation rather than hiding it from him.

The surprising admission had Renji stop in his tracks and gave his companion a quizzical expression, "Are you sure you heard right?"

For his offensive comment, Ichigo gave a swift punch to Abarai's muscular arm.

"Hey!" the eldest shouted, "I'm just trying to be realistic!"

Ichigo shot Renji a look of warning, raising a finger to his lips to indicate others could be listening. His friend nodded understandably, but meanwhile grumbled under his breath as he rubbed the spot where he was hit.

They continued on their way to the first floor.

"I'm not sure why she requested me of all people," the seventeen-year-old admitted to the fellow commoner.

"If I didn't know any better," Renji chuckled, "it sounds to me as though Inoue-sama has taken a certain liking to you."

The blacksmith's assistant rolled his eyes at the mere suggestion of a possible romantic connection, "I doubt it. I'm not anything she would ever want and I don't have any significance in this tournament."

While Ichigo immediately denied the idea, Abarai on the other hand did not seem as reluctant to give up on it.

In due time, the teenagers founds themselves at a standstill. They had reached the same grand staircase the Princess had fallen down. Suddenly, an eerie atmosphere had taken shape when the friends gazed upon it. Cautiously, each young man put one foot forward and descended to the main floor with relative ease. Nevertheless, Ichigo couldn't shake the haunting image of Orihime collapsing down a flight of stairs.

"Have you decided what you're going to do?"

Now it was Ichigo's turn to be confused. He stared at Renji with a blank expression.

"What does that mean?" the teenager asked in an accusatory tone.

The redhead slinked an arm around Ichigo's shoulder and pulled him in close with a boyish smirk.

"I think you should go and visit her. Maybe she'll confide in you about who hurt her," the peasant merely suggested. Renji patted his friend reassuringly before moving away.

Subsequently, Ichigo's chocolate eyes widen in response to the proposition.

There was no denying the thought hadn't crossed his mind several times while on the trip to the dining hall. In spite of everything, he was cautious about the idea. It was practically guaranteed that there would be guards standing post by her bedroom door, even though all the bachelors had been assigned their own upon the start of the tournament. Even with that to consider, regular staff would occasionally drop by as a routine check-up of the aristocrat. It was as risky as it was inviting. Truthfully, it wasn't as if Ichigo was the perfect human being to walk the Earth. He had broken rules and often had encounters with authority figures in the past.

However, he could not honestly visualize how he was going to slip into Inoue's bedroom without coming across some form of conflict from either the staff or the guards. He was going to have to take some time to figure out a plan, although not too much time. After all, the Princess was waiting for him.

When the two friends pushed past the dining hall doors, the other three bachelors had already arrived and taken their rightful positions. As Ichigo walked by each one of them, he secretly wondered in his mind which one was the culprit? Who had pushed Karakura's future Queen down the flight of stairs? Ichigo couldn't pinpoint the one responsible, but his instincts told him to be on watch around all three men of royalty.

At that point, it was every man for himself.

Their arrival was truly unexpected. Remarkably, not even Rangiku had been told of their plan to stop by without notification. It had transpired early in the morning. The sun had barely even risen above the horizon. For the most part, everyone but the staff were still in their beds, sleeping soundly. As Rukia went about her routine and casually chatted with the other employees, her conversation abruptly stopped when she believed to have heard unusual music coming from outside the castle walls. The windows, having been propped up to let in a cool breeze all throughout the palace, were bringing in the sound quite clearly for all to listen. The staff looked at Rukia keenly, automatically convinced she knew the cause of the obnoxious fanfare. However, the petite woman was just as flabbergasted as everyone else.

Without hesitation, Rukia scurried out of the room to find Uryu. Ironically, the butler had left his post to search for her as well. When the two gathered in front of the grand staircase, the youngest was the first to speak.

"Were we expecting someone today?" Ishida questioned as a small amount of displeasure arose with his tone.

The caretaker shook her head earnestly, "Not that I was aware of. Who could it be, though? Inoue-sama doesn't have any family members besides Matsumoto-sama."

Before Uryu could answer Rukia, he was quickly interrupted by a tired voice from the top of the stairs.

"Someone make that dreadful noise stop. It's interrupting my beauty sleep," whined Rangiku, fixing her strawberry-blonde curls as she began to descend.

Hurriedly, Rukia abandoned the butler's side and moved to the bottom of the staircase, "Please, Matsumoto-sama. Go back to bed. We'll handle it."

Regardless of the raven-haired woman's advising words, Rangiku appeared to be extremely bothered by the commotion and was not going to leave until she discovered the reason for the fanfare. The voluptuous aristocrat staggered to the front door, mumbling under her breath as she did so. After undoing several locks, Orihime's relative slowly pushed one of the large doors to the side of the entrance. With enough headway, Rangiku stepped out into the summer air and shielded her eyes from the glare of the sun. Rukia and Uryu came around behind her and looked down the palace's flight of steps. At the base of the stairs, a mysterious carriage rested at the fountain. No one had stepped out yet and from the location where the group stood, they were unable to see inside the carriage. However, it was apparent to the three onlookers that there were people within the coach who had arrived with a purpose in mind.

"Are you not going to come out and greet us?" Matsumoto called down to the unknown beings.

For the first time since they had laid their eyes on the cart, a stir of movement occurred. Without much of a struggle, the door was shoved forwards and one figure, followed by another, stepped down from the carriage. Rukia and Uryu waited in silence as the two men took the time to gather their items from the coachman. The Princess' friends could not decipher the identity of the unwelcomed visitors.

On the other hand, it didn't take Rangiku nearly as much time to realize who the intruders were after she noticed the unique hair color that belonged to her husband.

"Sweetie!" the royal gasped as she sprinted down the stairs in her nightgown, "What are you doing here?"

Gin Ichimaru dropped his bags and spread his arms out as he waited to be held by his wife. Within seconds, Rangiku greeted her significant other with an embrace and consequently planted a warm kiss onto his lips.

"We thought we'd surprise ya, honey!" the silver-haired man chuckled as the couple broke apart.

Suddenly, Aizen, who had been standing silently by his assistant the entire time, chimed in, "I hope we didn't come at a bad time."

Rangiku dismissed his worry and reassured him with an enthusiastic smile, "Nonsense! The Princess will be delighted to see you!"

After comforting him with the kind comment, the bubbly host waved her arm in the air to get Rukia and Uryu's attention, "Don't just stand there. Come and get their bags!"

Reluctantly, the duo began to make their way down to the men who had interrupted their organized schedule. Now, everything needed to be pushed back and put aside until Gin and Aizen were taken care of and comfortable with their arrangements.

Before they could be heard by the aristocrats, Uryu took the opportunity to lean over to Rukia and whispered worriedly, "I don't like this at all."

The caretaker silently agreed, her lilac eyes focused on Aizen specifically, "Me neither. I wouldn't trust them as far as I could throw them."

Once the bachelors' had been served their meals and sentenced to another day to their rooms, Rangiku held a private dinner in the dining hall with Gin and Aizen. Naturally, Orihime's relative sat at the front of the table. The men were situated on both sides of her. At the beginning, the husband and wife talked back and forth with another as they caught up on each other's individual activities. Rangiku was practically glowing with excitement at seeing her lover. It had been quite a while since she had last been able to be in his company. However, despite being overjoyed at her husband's visit, somewhere in the pit of her stomach she suspected he had come to the palace for a completely different purpose other than to see her.

As everyone continued to eat their food, Rangiku grabbed the napkin sitting on her lap and brought it up to her lips. She delicately dapped at the corners of her mouth, cleaning the crumbs of leftovers that may have stuck to her lipstick. Following the action, she placed the soiled piece of cloth onto the table and called out to a staff member to clear her plate away.

With the eating area in front of her empty, the aristocrat propped her elbows onto the surface and rested her chin on top of her folded hands. She internally prepared herself for a confrontation that she predicted would surely ensue. After all, in the small amount of time she had gotten to know Aizen, a simple conversation never had been able to end on a positive note. More often than not, Rangiku occasionally accused Aizen of trying to sabotage her marriage because of the countless times the controlling man demanded Gin's presence away from home.

Hesitantly, Matsumoto attempted to interact with Aizen as he sipped from his glass.

"Not that I am grateful for the two of you being here, but since your arrival, there has been a nagging question lingering in the back of my mind," the twenty-four-year-old woman asserted to her husband's friend.

The man glanced up from his drink after Rangiku voiced her concern. Without showing a hint of interest, Aizen finished the alcoholic beverage and requested to be served more before he could give Rangiku his full attention.

Right away, Gin's wife noticed the stalling tactic and looked over at her spouse, in search of his help.

However, before Ichimaru could intervene on behalf of his new bride, Aizen finally responded to the noble's private disclosure.

"Whatever the question is, I can assure you I will answer it to the best of my abilities," Sousuke nonchalantly informed Orihime's surviving family member.

Refusing to let Aizen have the upper hand in the conversation, Rangiku proceeded to stand her ground, "What is the real reason for you coming here?"

The dim light from the candle on the table did not give the woman any insight of what the aloof man may have been thinking. Instead, it only raised more questions than answers. His face did not provide any clues. Why did she find him so difficult to understand?

"We simply came here to check up on the boys," Aizen remarked, picking up his fork to finish the warm meal that had gone untouched for the past several seconds.

After his reference in regards to the princes, Rangiku's body suddenly became tense. She had almost forgotten about Ulquiorra and Grimmjow working undercover at the behest of Aizen. In addition, she was careless and did not inform Gin of Ulquiorra's recent victory. Since the day of the cooking tournament, everything originally scheduled to take place had been turned upside down due to someone's desire to inflict ill intent on her niece. Consequently, neither man was even aware about Orihime's accident. With no indication of how long they were staying, she debated whether or not she should bring up the topic. However, if the duo decided to make the Inoue palace their temporarily residence, the absence of the princess would clearly be evident.

"I hope you do not plan to scold them," Matsumoto's husband light-heartedly joked to Aizen from the opposing end.

Rangiku quickly looked to the side of Gin out of small fear, "Why would Sousuke-sama do such a thing?"

The Grand Marshallreached across the table and grabbed the panicked woman's hand, resting his own on top reassuringly, "The boys haven't won a single thing as of yet. He may have to remind them of what they're here to do."

Nervous of what penalties may follow for the two youths, the aristocrat whipped her head in the opposite direction of her lover and laid her hazel eyes upon Aizen's stoic face once more.

"That's not true!" she raised her voice, "Schiffer-sama hasn't completely failed you. My niece recently picked him as the winner for a dish he made for her. They were set to have a date a few days ago..."

Suddenly, the mention of Ulquiorra's win made Aizen stir in his seat. He stopped picking at his food and looked toward Rangiku for more revealing information on the subject.

"How did the date go, honey?" Gin innocently questioned. Meanwhile, the obscure eyes of his companion studied her as she carefully replied to the inquiry.

"It never happened," Rangiku confessed.

As soon as the truth was spoken, Aizen heatedly requested of her to tell him the reason.

The strawberry blonde did not wish to further divulge the details. At this point, it had become a matter of protecting her niece from a man she barely knew. She had no intention of letting the poor adolescent become more injured than she already was. Rangiku hated to admit it, but her conscience was weary of the suitors Aizen had arranged to be in the tournament. She was under the impression that one of the princes had pushed Orihime down the stairs. Even though Uryu was convinced it was either Kurosaki or Abarai, Rangiku did not feel the same.

"Darling, please tell us," Ichimaru urged her.

Her husband was beginning to make her feel guilty. She hadn't signed on for this form of emotional abuse. Why were the partners so adamant about her revealing the reason? It certainly felt as if she was being pressured into something she hadn't agreed to without her knowledge. Exactly what type of deal had Gin arranged with Aizen? Was it still possible for him to step down from it? Ever since the two unlike personalities recently established a friendship, her husband's usual playful demeanor slowly began to change right underneath her nose. He was not the same man she had fallen in love with all those months ago.

As much as she desired to hold out as long as possible with the information, Rangiku felt she was trapped in a corner. If she did not say the cause, Aizen would be persistent, and her husband would follow. What was there left for her to do?

Halfheartedly, the shaking woman confided to the men behind closed doors.

"The date did not happen because my niece was pushed down a flight of stairs two days ago. As of now, the doctor has prohibited visitors. However, the Princess wants to see someone in particular and she cannot because of the restriction."

After having sat by silently following his outburst, Aizen spoke in soft amazement, "Could it be she desires to be in the company of Ulquiorra during her time of need?"

Rangiku shook her head, her loose curls flying about in the air, "No, unfortunately it is not him."

Gin leaned forward in his seat with a gaze of curiosity, "Then who?"

A moment of silence passed by as the woman contemplated in her head. She did not want to cause any trouble for the peasants. They had already been ridiculed enough and the thought of one of them leaving because of her own selfish mistake would lead Orihime to resent her. After all, it seemed the young man was the one she had started to take the most interest in as of late. For an unknown reason, the sole survivor of the Inoue family felt relaxed with him compared to the other bachelors.

Heaving a sigh, Matsumoto uttered with simple directness, "The person Orihime wants to see is Ichigo Kurosaki."

The next day Sousuke Aizen had an agenda in mind while he carried out his stay at the Inoue Palace. At the start of the morning, he went to drop by Ulquiorra and Grimmjow's bedroom the two shared. The cousins were not surprised to see him and asked their employer what needed to take place next on his behalf. For Aizen's own personal enjoyment, he informed Ulquiorra that the man originally was meant to have a date with Karakura's future Queen. Furthermore, he revealed the cause as to why it would not be happening in the near future; it was all due to Ichigo Kurosaki's interference. The Prince of Yokohama did not seem to care either way on the matter. Instead, he asked the malevolent man of the next strategy.

The composed patrician handed over to Grimmjow and his cousin the toxic serum Urahara had saved from nine years ago. Without revealing too much of his plan, he placed a small duty on the princes' shoulders. In order for things to be set into motion, Aizen relied heavily on the men's ability to prove their loyalty to him. If they failed to follow his command, they were well aware of the dire consequences they would face should they not succeed.

After devising with his underlings, Aizen left the room in high spirits. Consequently, he went to disembark on another personal conquest. He was to formally introduce himself to Ichigo Kurosaki, son of Isshin Kurosaki. When Gin's wife confessed to him that it was Ichigo, not Ulquiorra, who the Princess desired to see during her time in recovery, he was a little less than pleased with the outcome. However, in order to ease her further suspicions of him, he assured her that the situation had worked in their favor. After all, he hadn't yet thought of a situation in which the serum would be able to be used. It came as a blessing in disguise. At the moment, Rangiku was to do everything in her power to push Ichigo and Orihime together. When the time was appropriate, Grimmjow and Ulquiorra would know what needed to be done.

Regardless, the first step towards a fruitful turn of events would be the responsibility of Aizen's alone. He was risking quite a lot for Ichigo Kurosaki – a teenager who managed to secretly harbor a monster inside of him for nearly a decade.

Unfortunately, for the adolescent, his relative time of peace would not last for much longer.

The hideous creature within him would soon have its chance to come out and play.

When Aizen approached the peasants' corridors, he took a long look at the door before he fully committed to his decision. He could not waver. Everything and everyone involved depended on him.

As Aizen knocked on the door, he entered into the room without waiting for permission from the occupants. Considering he had higher authority over them, the man did not feel as though the action was deemed impolite.

"Excuse me," a voice shouted from another room, "Who are you?"

It was not who Aizen had been expecting. The owner of the voice belonged to Renji Abarai. Without showing the disappointment that had crossed his mind, the aristocrat raised his hands in the air as a sign of defense.

"Abarai-san, correct?" he bellowed, stretching out one hand towards the young man.

"Who is it, Renji?" a different voice interjected.

The brown eyes of Renji cautiously studied Aizen from afar. He did not step forward to take Sousuke's hand, his memory attempting to conjure the name of the man who stood before him. He knew enough to know it was not their first meeting.

At last, the person of the hour finally approached from out of the bathroom. He was half-dressed. His body leaned against the door frame as he connected gazes with Aizen.

"Good morning," the cunning individual prompted gently.

Intrigued by the presence of the visitor, Ichigo left his distant position and came closer to where his friend stood. When the teenager paused in front of Aizen, he crossed his arms over his bare chest. A familiar feeling passed through Ichigo's body. He had encountered this man once before. In truth, their introduction had not been on the best of terms. The adult and teenager had the unfortunate pleasure of seeing each other at the Masquerade Ball. Ichigo and Isshin, along with Renji, had been making their way back to their carriage when they were prevented by two suspicious characters. It was at that point when Renji and he were recruited to be part of the quest to find Orihime a husband.

"It looks as though you recognize me," Aizen concurred from Ichigo's facial expression.

The weary adolescent nodded his head indignantly, "Yeah, you can say that. However, I don't believe you ever told us your name."

The imposing guest wasted no further time in introducing himself.

"The name is Sousuke Aizen," he pronounced as his lips curled into a ghost of a smile.

"Obviously you know the two of us," Ichigo's friend with long crimson hair chimed in.

A short-lived chuckle came from the back of Aizen's throat as he engaged in the conversation.

"Indeed, Renji Abarai," Aizen confirmed as his stare locked onto the man's , the gaze did not linger for long. It quickly withdrew and directed focus onto the other peasant in the room.

"And you," he said, moving away from the entrance of the door and in the direction of Urahara's test subject, "You are Ichigo Kurosaki."

The ambience the man brought with him did not give Ichigo a comfortable vibe. The first question that formulated in his head upon the man's sudden closeness was what was he doing at the Inoue Palace? Had he been here all along without being aware of his presence? Exactly what involvement did he have in organizing the tournament? Did Orihime know him personally? Were they related? All of these wondering inquiries circulated in the inner walls of Ichigo's head, having steamed from Aizen and his strange visit to their bedroom.

"Is there anything you need from us?" Ichigo probed around for new information.

Aizen took note of the teenager's initial dislike for him when he closed the initial distance between them. After slightly testing the boundaries, the man retreated and gave himself a tour around the room.

"I came here to help you out," the royal contended in a boastful tone.

Ichigo's eyebrows immediately hitched into a thin line of confusion. Why would this man want to assist them, of all people? They couldn't offer anything in return of his services. The entire situation was reeking with peculiarity.

"How are you gonna help us?" Renji quipped.

With Aizen's back faced towards them, it made it difficult to judge what he was deliberating. Body language could only reveal certain aspects of what one may be thinking. Conversely, it was the face that indicated more personal thoughts.

"Simple," he stopped walking, "I heard Kurosaki-san has been requested by Inoue-sama. I also have been made aware that she is not to have any visitors other than the staff. That is where my help comes in."

Nothing was adding up in Ichigo's mind. It had gone blank for some time.

However, the man did not give the blacksmith assistant any time to piece the puzzle together.

He continued, "There are several guards that switch off at a certain time after dinner. I'll be sure to keep the second watch occupied and away from Inoue-sama's chambers. I have the key to her room, which I will give to you-"

"Why are you doing this?" Ichigo asked exasperated, baffled by the kindness of a complete stranger - much less from a man of high-class.

After having concealed his face from the two peasants for the majority of the time he spoke, he at last turned and gave the companions a jaded smile. A glint of mischievousness danced in the iris of the man's eyes.

"I merely wish to bring two lost souls together," Aizen claimed innocently, "Are you going to accept my proposal or not?"

Ichigo couldn't believe what he was about to do.

Furthermore, he was at odds with himself.

A month ago, he would have surely told Sousuke Aizen to go to hell and spat in his face. However, it seemed that was no longer his attitude towards aristocrats. What had changed within him in such a short amount of time? He had sworn never to abide by their laws and wished to remain independent of their thinking.

He was a peasant and was to remain as one. He did not see it as an obstacle to prevail over. He was destined to the live the life his parents had given to him.

The royal families, as Ichigo matured, attempted to appeal to the commoners. For years, they reassured the citizens of Japan that a plan had been set in motion to work alongside with the Royal Family. The plan was to influence the Kuchiki clan to put aside their own private funds for villages that were poverty-stricken. The money would in turn help improve the sad lives of numerous peasants. Even though he was old enough to understand during the period, Isshin's son never truly grasped the concept. He should have asked his father more about it as he became older.

Regardless of whether or not he received a lesson from his parent, it would be pointless. In the end, the aristocrats' idea never came to light. They could offer nothing to him - financially or emotionally. Therefore, he saw no stock in what they said. It was all just an act to fool the lower caste, most of the commoners not caring enough to see through the lies that were feed to them.

However, it appeared his opinion had been swayed. He found himself suddenly listening to what the aristocrats told him to do. When did it all begin to alter?

Nevertheless, for the time being, he cast aside his beliefs of aristocrats. Instead, he trained himself to be as silent as possible. So far, he had moved throughout the palace without getting caught by a staff member and he didn't want to risk ruining the good stroke of luck. As he neared the Princess' hallway, Ichigo occasionally glanced over his shoulder to ensure no one had followed him. With not a single person in sight, the seventeen-year-old made a quick decision. He strode down the corridor in a hurry, no longer bothered if he made any noise. In fact, he wanted his footsteps to be heard. He wanted to make his impending presence known to Orihime. She would think nothing of it. It would come as such as a surprise to her.

Something had begun to stir in his chest at the thought of the Princess' reaction to him. The sensation made him feel warm and comforted. Was he...excited at the mere notion of seeing Orihime?

When Ichigo reached the gigantic bedroom doors, he took out the aging key Aizen had handed over to him. He studied it briefly before he brought it up to the lock. When it was firmly inside, the young man turned it ever so cautiously. As soon as the key retracted back to its original position, indicating the door had become unlocked, Ichigo stashed it into his pocket for safekeeping. Before entering, Kurosaki inhaled a deep breath in order to regain composure. He honestly couldn't believe he was about to break into the future Queen of Karakura's bedroom. It seemed just as ludicrous as it sounded.

Pushing past the doors, Ichigo slipped inside without so much as a word being said. The room was lit by several burning flames, including a fireplace from what Ichigo could smell. He brought the doors in and did not budge. Why was it so quiet? Had Aizen tricked him? Was it even the right room? These thoughts began to swirl in his head as his hands were gripped tightly on the door handles, prepared to make his exit.

Despite his doubts, he was to be proven wrong.

"Kurosaki-kun?" an innocent, girlish voice quivered from behind him.

It would appear he hadn't been led astray by Sousuke Aizen - a man who still arose many questions.

Even so, he could wait.

After all, Orihime had endured enough waiting without him.