She couldn't sleep; she found herself contemplating just what Ulquiorra had said before he had left her alone the night before. She was perplexed and overwhelmed by what he had implied. What had he meant? She'd mulled over the scene over and over and still had not found the answer that would satisfy her. Sometimes she found that she couldn't eat either; her appetite absent from her whenever a dark creature would come in with her meal. It was strange to find that she wasn't purposely seeking to upset the normally unresponsive man; she was genuinely disgusted by the prospect of eating anything at all when his words still rang continuously in her memory.

But if his words did anything, it spurred her on to escape. If what he said was true, she had to find a way to get out. She couldn't afford to remain there when something of such significance was being allowed to happen without any resistance. She refused to let him be right, and she would rather end herself than prove to that man that he knew her. He knew nothing about her and she refused to believe that he wanted to know anything about her. He had captured her for his own selfish desires. She didn't know what they were and she had no desire to stay and uncover them. She'd already spent a month wasting away in his home, and she refused to remain there any longer.

She felt herself yawn as the night quickly shifted to day, the hours of dusk seeming to pass by almost too quickly for Orihime. She rose languidly from her bed, leaving it disarrayed as she bent to retrieve her shoes to explore the castle once more. There was rarely ever anything to do in the castle, and she found that if she explored the castle she could memorize the paths to her freedom. She had already looked over the floor plans of the castle; all she needed was to put the knowledge into practice.

She neglected to change her clothes in her haste to leave her room, opening the door wide enough to slip through. But in her hurry she ran into a hard object; the object sprouting arms and catching her fall. She made to apologize, thinking it was the servant that always came to her bed chamber for breakfast and froze as she looked up to see the bright green eyes of her warden. Her throat constricted with her shock and grabbed onto his arms to try to get away. His hold tightened on her and she began pushing on him to try to escape.

"Let me go!"

"No"

She struggled against him and froze when he began moving towards her room; slamming the door with his foot. She dug her nails into his arms; fear and anger making her violent. She kicked for his legs, repeatedly hitting his shins as he led her to the coffee table. He didn't make a sound, and his movement was fluid as he gently sat her on the table with his hands on her shoulders.

"You have not been eating."

"I haven't been hungry" she muttered out and turned to glare into his eyes. "Now would you please let me go?" His grip on her did not relent, and she felt herself huff with her aggravation. Her brother would be rolling in his grave if he could see how mouthy and angry she had become. But her desperation was pushing her in a direction she never wanted to take; this man brought out emotions she had never once thought of.

"You have been avoiding your meals for over a week. Your lack of appetite does not seem to be the cause for it." She turned away from him again when his eyes suddenly became intense; the silence making Orihime concentrate on the paint work of the walls. "Must I force the food down your throat again, woman?" His tone did not change, but the threat still managed to make her tremble in his hands.

"No!" she yelled and started to kick in his shins again. She went to release her hold from his arms and felt his hands grab her wrists tightly and pin them on the table. He leaned over her and Orihime began wiggling in his hands at the close proximity. "I hate you!" Her breath was ragged but it seemed to still his movements; Orihime trembled with both her relief and discomfort. "Please, just leave. I'll eat, but just leave!" Her voice was soft, like the gentle breeze in the season of spring. She was angry, but she was much more afraid of the closeness. It was an animalistic emotion that welled up within her; desperation and panic combined to birth a new reaction to his proximity.

"Does my proximity unsettle you, Orihime?" The voice came without pause, warmth breath hitting the shell of her ear. She wanted to scream and cry from her frustration but stubbornly turned her gaze to see him pull back. His movement was slow and calculated; almost as if he didn't want to frighten her anymore than he already had. His gaze was burning into her retinas, but she refused to look away. She wouldn't let him see just how unsettled she was.

"You took me away. Everything about you unsettles me," she says firmly and scraps her nails on the table below her. His hands suddenly release her wrists and without pause, he turns away from her slumped form. She felt relief swell within her bosom; his suffocating presence finally at a manageable distance. She could breathe without her breath threatening to turn to cries of frustration. Orihime looked at his rigid form and hoped that he would finally leave without much consideration to her words. She hoped that her words would be enough to finally banish him from her room.

"I see" was all he said before silently making his way to the entrance of her room. He paused right before opening the door and turned to look at her form on the table. His eyes seemed to devour her own; emotionless yet deep enough to make it hard to wade back towards the surface. "Hatred, can be just as binding," he said loud enough for her to hear and left her to contemplate his words. She didn't know what to make of it; perplexed and frustrated with being left alone to suffer through with her curiosity. What did he mean? Orihime seemed to freeze when something that had nagged at her before seemed to rapidly come to her attention.

He had said my name.

Author's Note: Well it seems that this chapter took longer than I thought to post up! My apologies, and well, this chapter will have some types so bear with me. I don't have a beta and have very little time to look over my works. Also, this will take a bit longer to finish due to my concentrated efforts in finishing the other story I have left untouched. I hope you enjoy this piece!