Chapter 1

She walks around the room with slow unsure steps, her feet softly resounding against the concrete floor. Eyes glazing over her surroundings, she turns her head around purposely avoiding the unyielding stare of her captor. Everything is pale – the walls, the dim light of the crescent moon seeping through the window, her clothes, matching the dull shade of the dusky chamber, but the bleakest color of them all is the face of her warden gazing at her figure as it finally stops on the opposite side right across from him.

"You are not to leave this room unless you are being summoned by Aizen-sama. On such an occasion I will escort you to him, otherwise, you are to remain here. Is that understood?" the voice, steady and emotionless, bounces off the walls echoing across the space.

The girl nods reluctantly, without looking at the speaker, and nervously clasps her fingers together. But it is enough to suit your inquiry. Satisfied with the answer, you do not stay a moment longer and head towards the exit. And as soon as the door closes, faint sobs from the other side reach your ears. You frown. Humanity. It still lingers within her, still connects her to the world that you stole her from. But it matters not. The mission has been accomplished. The girl has been delivered to your master to serve his purpose and to live for his will alone. And in the end she will know her place and yield to his power. But there is no need to rush right now, as you know that her fate is already inevitable. Aizen's will is absolute, and you, as his most trusted servant, have been entrusted with breaking the last bit of hope, that she still might hold, of being rescued.

Since her arrival, your life becomes a routine. You come to Orihime's room briefly twice a day to check if she eats properly and not engaged in any dangerous activity. Although, what could she possibly be doing that would endanger her? Nothing, the room is monitored. And you know that attempting anything is pointless as any suspicious action would be quickly halted. Yet, you still come to observe without skipping a single meeting, standing in the corner and watching while she stares up at the crescent moon.

"Eat." you order as soon as the cart with food is brought in.

Sometimes she hesitates, sometimes she complies right away. The little irregularities in her behavior often make you wonder what goes on inside her head. But none of it is done because you care, the very thought repulses you. She is nothing but a toy in your master's bigger plan, not worth being given a second thought. However, as weak and pathetic as she may be, the girl still belongs to Aizen and her life is essential to his ambitions. This is the only reason why you are doing this, no other explanation is acceptable.

You stand motionless watching her eat. Orihime slowly raises the spoon to her mouth and brings it back down in mechanical repetitive motions, but then abruptly stops, staring down at her plate.

"It's been several days…" she suddenly speaks, "and nobody called for me. Why did you bring me here if I'm just sitting and doing nothing?"

This is the first time she attempts a conversation, and her boldness somehow surprises you, yet your cold demeanor reveals nothing.

"Aizen-sama will summon you whenever he so desires and you are not to question his motives. As of right now, your duty is to maintain your health and be ready as soon as he requires your presence."

She sighs audibly with visible frustration then tentatively raises her head to meet your eyes.

"Can I at least…" she hesitates, "…every day is the same. There's nothing to do. Can I at least be given something to occupy myself with?"

You turn around dismissively and walk towards the door. Catering to her whims is none of your concern, and neither are you interested in keeping her entertained.

"Aside from ensuring your health, it is not my responsibility to amuse you. Do as you are told and it ends there."

After this, she never speaks to you again.

Days go by and she remains silent, wordlessly following your orders – eating, sleeping, and, in between, staring at the window. Other than that Inoue Orihime does nothing else. Her docility and complete lack of interest is starting to irk you. What does she see up there? It is the same scene every single day – the night sky and the crescent moon glowing through the bars. It is constant, unchanging, just like her fate. She can't still be hoping for a different outcome, can she? It is impossible.

"What you are doing is pointless." you tell her one day, "Your life has already been decided, nothing will ever change it."

She hesitates only for a moment then slowly turns her head into your direction. You see traces of bewilderment dancing on her face, but she does not respond right away.

"It is useless to still harbor any hope of being rescued. " you continue, "Whether your friends attempt it or not, you already belong to Aizen-sama in body and soul."

A weighty pause passes before she speaks.

"Nobody can own a person's soul." Orihime mutters turning her head away.

Her voice is barely a whisper but you heard it loud and clear. And now it is your turn to stare. Even in her most depressed state, the woman still has the will to defy you and maintain her own beliefs. You had never seen such strength before.

"Nonsense, whoever holds the supreme power dominates and wills his subordinates to do his bidding." you retort, "In this case, Aizen is your master."

She considers your words for a moment but does not falter. "But he still can't control free will." she answers back. "Even if he is stronger than most, he can't make anyone agree with him unless they themselves want to."

To this, you have no answer as you have never analyzed or doubted Aizen's orders. You always did what you were told completely indifferent to the circumstances. His will was perfect and unquestionable, that is what you were taught, so there was no reason to question anything.

"Such obstinacy, it changes nothing." you persist, seemingly unmoved by her assertion. "Going against the inevitable is utterly futile. Sooner or later everything will come to a full resolution, so it is better to accept your future right now instead of keeping up this inane struggle."

Orihime draws out a long and painful sigh but says nothing. Yet, you have no inclination to let her insubordination pass. Your loyalty will not be scrutinized by a mere human, inferior to you.

Taking a step forward you get her attention again. She moves her head and looks at you once more.

"You will recognize the purpose of your existence." your voice echoes with finality, "To whom do you belong to?"

She hesitates a little and you know that she is struggling with herself. Fully prepared for another act of disobedience, you already have a retort, but what she says next shocks you again.

"To Aizen-sama and his wishes." she answers quietly, not a hint of defiance in her voice.

You hold her gaze in silence until she finally looks away.

What a smart and unexpected move, and you can see right through it. Despite the firmness in her voice, you are aware that this is just a guise to cover her real intentions. Orihime simply decided to take an easy way out and avoid a confrontation, understanding that you have no desire to yield to her views. She gave in to you on purpose, agreeing, pretending to recognize your authority, but in reality she recognized nothing, swearing loyalty without any real sincerity behind it. You know that you should press this matter further, you know that you should make her realize this error, but every desire to subdue her to your, no, Aizen's will, suddenly evaporates and is replaced with fascination. Fascination that such a frail human girl has enough power to stand up for herself in front of you. You, who can easily destroy her with just a flare of your reiatsu. Such mental finesse is not even common among the Arrancar.

You watch her returning her attention to the window, as always, looking at some invisible entity and you know that it is your cue to leave. Yet, you still linger studying her profile, her features, the way the moonlight touches her hair. And for the first time since she put on that uniform, you realize that you like it far better on her than anything she had ever worn before.

Now that our guest has accustomed herself to her new home, bring her in. I desire to speak with her.

Aizen's most recent order hangs in the back of your head as you walk down the long corridor towards her room. You already suspected that it wouldn't be long until he summoned her. Perhaps he would reveal more details about the woman's stay here, perhaps he would assign her with a responsibility, perhaps….you suddenly halt as your perceptive ears pick up a strange noise coming from her room. Slightly increasing your step, you finally stop in front of her door. A loud screeching sound, resembling stones grinding against each other, reaches your ears.

Not wasting another moment, you enter, ready to reprimand her for whatever impudence she is committing, but instead your eyes widen and you observe the scene in front of you.

Orihime is crouched in the corner scribbling something on the wall. She is so engrossed by her activity that she doesn't even notice your presence. You take several steps forward ignoring whatever she is writing and study the object in her hand. It's a small piece of rock that looks like chalk. How did she ever manage to find it?

"What is the meaning of this?" you ask, now standing behind her.

She startles and swiftly turns around in alarm.

"I…"

"Where did you find it?" you persist, looking at the stone in her hand.

"It was lying on the floor…" Orihime speaks rapidly, "And I was bored. I can't just be sitting around all day doing nothing! I'd go crazy!"

Her face is searching yours, a pleading look in her eyes, and you do not pursue the matter any further. Besides, there is no time for an investigation, Aizen is waiting. So, you decide to postpone it until after the meeting.

"You are being summoned." you announce tonelessly, "Come with me." then turn around and walk towards the door.

Wearily, Orihime gets up, leaving the rock on the floor, and follows after you.

"My dear Orihime," Aizen's soothing voice echoes through the chamber as she enters it. "I am so happy you decided to join me."

The door shuts behind her while you stay outside listening to the muffled sounds coming from the room. Closing your eyes, you lean against the wall waiting. Yet, a moment later the door flies open again as two angry Arrancar storm past you, Loly and Menoly, without even bothering to shut it behind them. Spouting angry insults about your ward, they disappear around the corner, and then your attention is returned to what's in front of you. Through the small crack the conversation becomes perfectly audible and you can even see her back. Yet, you do not make a move to close the entrance and give them privacy, but instead, concentrate all of your senses on listening.

"Now that you are part of our family," Aizen continues, "I would like to share something with you." He opens a tall compartment revealing a shiny jewel hidden inside. Hougyoku. "The creation of the Arrancar and my ascension are impossible without it." he states, "And the very fact that I am showing this to you signifies our trust."

Orihime walks around it, as you watch her intently, and now she is facing you. Her expression is grave and thoughtful while she observes the object listening to Aizen's words. Your eye brows come together in a frown. This does not make any sense. If the woman's apparent lack of loyalty was obvious to you, Aizen absolutely could not have missed it. Then why is he showing such an important treasure to the person with the potential to destroy it?

"You have a unique ability, Orihime." Aizen speaks again, "The power you possess, event rejection, is an extremely valuable asset and I'm counting on you to assist me in this endeavor."

He pauses, giving her a meaningful stare, and you notice Orihime swallow in discomfort.

"You will use it for me if necessary, won't you?"

The woman never responds and only looks down at Hougyoku while Aizen watches her, seemingly satisfied with what has just transpired between them. His actions puzzle you, yet you do not dare to question his authority as you're sure that he is perfectly in control of the situation.

"Ulquiorra!" he suddenly turns his head into your direction.

You enter the room without delay, "Yes, Aizen-sama."

"Inoue Orihime is entrusted into your care, I take it?" he smiles.

"That is correct."

Aizen's smile widens.

"Perfect. Please make sure our guest receives everything she requires. We want to make her stay here as pleasant as possible."

Your composure does not weaver although you fail to see the purpose behind overly indulging someone as disposable as her. As long as she is kept alive, why make an effort to cater to her impulses?

"As you wish, Aizen-sama." you bow mechanically, not betraying your confusion.

"Very well then." Aizen responds, eyeing you smugly, "Now escort Orihime back to her room. This meeting is adjourned."

Soon, you and Orihime are back in her chamber, silence looming between you both. Her expression is more thoughtful than before and you suspect that she is analyzing what had happened during the meeting with Aizen. If there is a chance that she might be planning something against him, she might as well give up now. You do not wish to harm her, naturally, she is still Aizen's property and hurting her would hinder his plans, so…..your thoughts are interrupted by her curious stare.

"What is it?" you ask impassively.

"Aizen said you'll give me whatever I want." she says innocently.

Insolent woman.

"Indeed," you grind through your teeth. Is she trying to anger you on purpose? "What is it that you need?"

"If you don't want me to destroy another wall, I'd like some paper and pencils."

You marvel at her audacity. Does she not know whom she is talking to? Is she not afraid of the power you hold over her? Yet, you cannot deny her. Orders are orders.

"But nothing fancy!" she clarifies, "I don't really need any colored pencils. Just bring me the lead ones."

Silence.

"Please…?" Orihime adds shyly.

Orders, you are just following orders, there is no other reason for you to do this for her. She is still a prisoner regardless of what Aizen calls her, a prisoner who should know her place. And you are her guard who should be the one to give her orders, not to receive them from her. But strangely enough, you do not care to remind her of that, and instead feel your curiosity rising to see what she would do next.

"Is there a reason for such a request?" you ask.

"Of course! I want to draw."

How simple and concise.

Wordlessly, you turn to the wall, your gaze roaming around her scribblings. There are names, incomprehensible pictures, jottings that resemble drawings of a child. Is this what she is planning to put on paper? How foolish. Humans are illogical beings that are impossible to understand. If there is no skill, then why bother unless she wants to be ridiculed for her lack of talent. Yet, you know that you are going to satisfy her request regardless of your personal qualms with it. This is only mild interest to understand her mindset, you tell yourself, and you are also following orders, nothing else. Nothing else.

"Explain this." you tell her, still looking at the wall, "Are you planning to transcribe all of this on paper? What is the purpose of rewriting these names?"

She comes to stand besides you looking at the drawings. "Those are not just names," she answers quietly, "Those are my friends, people I care about. Writing their names, drawing them, brings us closer together." she sighs, "Even if we are apart."

It makes no sense to you. How can a simple drawing bring anyone together? It is just an image, lifeless and motionless. It does not communicate, it reveals nothing. Yet, the earnestly in her voice convinces you that she is serious. The woman is strange, you assert, driven by the most mundane notions and so easy to please. And you cannot comprehend such attitude. It lacks practicality and common sense. It is self-indulgent and wasteful. Yet, despite the uncertainty that plagues you, you do not object and decide to let it be until further observation.

"Alright." is your final reply, "Tomorrow you will be supplied with what you ask."

She turns her head to look at you. You look back, your eyes locking together.

"Thank you." she whispers, and then you notice a strange flicker in her eyes as your gazes are still transfixed on one another.

An unfamiliar sensation sparks within your hollow hole, strange gravity pulling you in – an unexplainable, unfathomable entity that stirs something inside you cannot recognize. But your features disclose nothing. They remain ever so impassive and unmoving, as always, acting on the sense of self-preservation to protect yourself. This is how you always fought. This is how you always won. And you'll win this battle as well, you have to, as you try to convince yourself, finally tearing your eyes away from hers and leaving the room without looking back.