It was many years ago on the first day Aizen found himself in soul society. He had awoken from what felt like a deep slumber in a field of grass. He was dressed in a commoner's kimono and he had little memory on who he was or how he got there. Although this man had very little memory on who he was, there was one thing that resonated in his mind.

Anger.

For some reason this entity called the Soul King was the cause of all despair in his mind. And he knew that there was a creature he must find in order to defeat this king.

Aizen sat up and looked around and saw a village in the distance. He began to walk towards the village, each stride he took becoming more certain than the previous. He didn't know how but he knew it was his destiny to find this creature. Although he had no facts to prove this idea, it was something Aizen felt deep down as if another part of him knew that this was the truth. It was as if it was essential to his being for him to do this.

And with that passion and anger he embarked on his journey. He enrolled into the soul academy where he trained to become a shinigami. Although he was unaware of his past and whom he really was, his soul was still the same. So it was no surprise that he quickly went up the ranks as one of the most powerful captains in all of soul society.

While he was still a student in the academy though, he met a young boy in the forest during his training. He was dressed in a plain white kimono and had silver white hair to match. For some reason he felt connected to this child and asked what he was doing here all alone.

The boy just smiled and that was when Aizen noticed the red blood stains at the bottom of the child's clothing and the dead bodies of grown men in the distance. His eyes widened, but before he could say anything, the child began to speak.

"Those men are horrible. They rape the women of my village and steal from our families. The soul society of this world do nothing towards beings like this. They only go after the hollows. And do you know what they do to hollows?" The child questioned.

Aizen was silent.

"They save them. They cleanse their soul and they receive redemption in another world. But what about these men? They live their lives freely and then die or become hollows and wreak more havoc. Just when will they suffer?"

The student took all of this in and a smile graced his lips. This was something Aizen had always felt. There was no punishment for those that did wrong. And that was what was wrong with the Soul King. Those who do good are overlooked, and those who do wrong get away with it.

The way the Soul King ran this world was flawed.

Aizen spoke to the child about this and connected with him on a level that he felt he understood. He spoke of the soul king and all that he believed was wrong with this world. He explained that this world needed a place for those that have done wrong to suffer. He told the child that if he followed him, they could get rid of such a ridiculous being and create a better world. One where men like those that attacked his village would be punished.

And just like that was how Gin deceived Aizen with the fake memories and the words he knew the fallen angel would agree with. This was how the true origin of all of Aizen's suffering became his right hand man.

Many years had passed before Aizen met a man by the name of Urahara. He had learned of a mysterious item the scientist was working on that dissolved the barrier between hollow and shinigamis, resulting in the creation of a powerful being. This allured Aizen as he felt it was exactly what he needed to overthrow the soul king.

Aizen eventually deceived Urahara and took the hougyokou for himself. He proceeded to experiment on his fellow shinigami in order to produce the being he believed he was in search of. He showed this to Gin and explained this was the item he was looking for, that soon a creature would be made in order to overthrow the soul king.

Gin saw the effects of the hougyokou and the intense power it held, but deep down he was disappointed. It was not the real item he was looking for. Although he felt disgusted that he was playing a hand in Aizen's evil acts, he also knew he could not interfere too much.

Gin was only here to follow and watch Aizen. But after seeing the beings of despair that this item was creating, the Creator thought maybe the fallen-angel was onto something.

If this item produced such fearful creatures, maybe he would find Ulquiorra?

As Aizen's scheme began to unfold, Gin found it a bit of a bother but had to continue playing along.

Nothing Aizen was doing was really making a difference as there was no soul king and Gin was getting tired of keeping up this facade. He began to lose hope that Ulquiorra and the light shard were in this universe at all but he couldn't just leave Aizen.

One arrancar after another that was made, Gin's hope continued to plummet. None of these beings, no matter how powerful, held any similar energy that Ulquiorra had. It was starting to feel like a waste of time.

But even so he pressed onward, because he wouldn't stop until he found what he was looking for. During one of their trips to Hueco Mundo where Aizen had began finding extremely powerful vasto lordes was when things finally began to look up for Gin.

There were rumors in the desert land that an overly powerful vasto lordes took refuge in a thick forest. Most hollows that tried to come near would suffocate from the very thick and depressing riatsu that surrounded it.

As soon as Gin heard of this he played around his words carefully when speaking to Aizen. He needed to ensure he would be the only one sent to find and bring this creature in case it was Ulquiorra.

Aizen complied with Gin's request to fetch the creature in order to recruit it to their army.

The Creator travelled across this wasted land with finally some hope to hold on to. That after centuries maybe he had found what he was looking for.

Gin eventually found what he believed was the location. It was a thick white forest that emitted a deep and heavy riatsu that he recalled hearing about. As he approached he saw a monstrous creature submerged within the thick of it.

The creator took in this depressing sight. This creature was being stabbed by the branches of the trees and chose not to move, he just allowed them to pierce through him. Although he was covered in a white material covering most of his body, Gin knew this was whom he was looking for.

As Gin approached cautiously he breathed a sigh of relief. Although the creature's face was completely covered, Gin recognized those tear marks and that energy anywhere.

He ducked his head as he crouched down under the branches and approached the creature.

"Ulquiorra." He spoke calmly, seeing if it would stir a reaction from the hollow that appeared to be sleeping.

Instantly, the white vasto's eyes opened and glanced up at the man who was advancing closer. But he didn't spare him another glance. Instead, he closed his eyes and ignored him.

Gin chuckled at his response. Although it was no laughing matter. He knew what Ulquiorra was doing. It was obvious from everything he knew about him. This creature held so much dark energy, such painful riatsu, that he was filling himself with void just in order to cope with his existence.

"Do you know who I am?" Gin asked as he sat down next to the creature.

Ulquiorra's eyes opened again, but he didn't speak. He just looked at the man.

"Do you remember me at all?"

Their eyes met again but Ulquiorra did not answer. Gin looked deeply into this creature's eyes in search of anything, any piece of spirit, but he was met with nothing. Despite how deep and green his eyes were, they harbored no memory or spirit.

"I suppose you do not." Gin sighed.

"I know why you're here, Ulquiorra. This right here…" he waved his hands to the tree branches surrounding them, "...this is the only thing that makes sense to you."

The creature continued to stare at the man but did not answer. It occurred to Gin that maybe he could not answer because of the mask covering his face and mouth. Gin furrowed his eyebrows as he considered this.

He then glanced around and picked up a branch he found next to him.

"Maybe this will work." Gin spoke as he examined it, before turning his attention back to Ulquiorra.

He leaned in closer to the white vasto laying on the floor.

"Now…" Gin spoke, "This might hurt but I doubt as much as the rest of the branches that are already piercing through you. But I need you to consent before coming with me."

Ulquiorra's eyes never broke away from the man even as the branch neared his face and not even when it began to break apart his mask away, revealing his full face for the first time. Though, his eyes did widen when he felt the touch of the man pulling the remaining pieces from his face.

"Now." Gin spoke, "There should be nothing hindering you from speaking. Say something."

Ulquiorra furrowed his eyebrows and reached his arm over, resulting in part of the white branches that were attached to him to break away, and he touched his lips.

He tried to speak but it just came out as a groan.

Gin sighed. Had he completely lost any ability to communicate after being in this void for so long? It would make sense. But the creator didn't know how to go about this if that was the case.

"How-"

Gin looked back at the creature with wide eyes.

"H-how do you know my name?"

The creator sighed internally at the sound of that. Not only could he speak but he also remembered the same name he had once given when Gin first found Ulquiorra.

"I know everything about you. I know why you're here and I know what you're looking for."

Ulquiorra sat up slowly and pulled away from the rest of the branches that had his abdomen pinned down. They all shattered with every move that he made.

"I do not seek anything." He responded.

Gin smirked at this. The fact that Ulquiorra would even pull away from the void momentarily to say this just speaks volumes to what the truth really was.

The creator eventually convinced the creature to come with him. He promised that if he came with him back to Las Noches he would find something worth living for.

At first Ulquiorra believed his meaning was to follow Aizen's orders and this was what Gin might have meant. Although that was not Gin's intention, the vasto lordes embraced it as he had nothing else.

For the creator on the other hand, it was just a waiting game now. He found Ulquiorra and had him in a spot he could keep his eye on him. The hougyokou did succeed in allowing Ulquiorra to become an arrancar. So the plan was atleast going somewhere. But he was still distraught over the fact that the light shards did not appear, but knew that because Ulquiorra was here, the light would appear as well.

But Aizen had a different plan. Although his memories were very limited, the one thing he remembered was that he was in search of a dark entity that would allow him to use to overthrow soul society. So for the longest time he played his finger around a boy by the name of Ichigo Kurosaki whom Aizen thought was the entity he was looking for.

Although Gin knew that was not the case, no matter how strong or unique this boy was, the creator let Aizen be. The farther Aizen went away from the truth, the better.

Because Gin could not always be with Ulquiorra he even had a conversation with him mentioning the golden light and if he was ever confronted with it to let Gin know. Though, the arrancar had no idea what this meant.

It wasn't until the rest of Aizens plan began to go into motion in Soul Society did Gin find what he was looking for. He saw the way that human woman used this mysterious power to aid her friends. He knew as soon as he saw it that this is what he was looking for. But he also knew the time or situation was not right for her to meet Ulquiorra yet.

Although the dark entity Aizen found, Ichigo Kurosaki, was not the true one, his soul was still dark enough to reveal the pure soul's powers. Aizen was wrong, but he had ended kind of in the right direction even if he was completely unaware of it. But as long as Gin knew, that's all that mattered.

He knew Orihime was whom he was looking for. But because she met Kurosaki her powers were able to be released. Although because Kurosaki was not the true entity, the true extent of her powers were still sealed away. Even so, this just helped Gin in locating the shard's power faster, so no real harm done.

It wasn't until later time progressed did Gin find a perfect opportunity to send Ulquiorra to the human world where he would first come in contact with Orihime. Although the universe would naturally pull them together, there was no harm in Gin pulling the strings for the inevitable to progress just a bit faster.

Gin was actually excited and nervous about how this was going to play about. He had no idea how it would work as he didn't expect the light shard cosmic dust to be reborn as a human girl in a distant universe far off from where they originated. But they did. So how was she supposed to save Ulquiorra? How would the human part of her react to a creature such as himself?

The creator had so many questions but he just had to wait.

It wasn't until Ulquiorra saw this girl's powers did he remember what Gin had told him a while ago. He mentioned that if he were to ever find the source of this golden light that it would benefit Aizen greatly and he should report it immediately.

When he saw this human girl use this power to attack Yami, even unsuccessfully, Ulquiorra couldn't shake the thought from his head. Even upon returning to Las Noches and reporting everything he saw to Aizen, something was still on his mind about this woman and the light.

He brought it up with Gin, who was absolutely delighted by this.

"What about it intrigues you?" Gin furthered.

"I want to know why you're so interested in it." Ulquiorra answered deadpanned.

Gin smirked. "I said so before, I believe that power is beneficial to Aizen. But don't take my word for it. Why don't you go back to the world of the living and feel for yourself?"

And that was exactly what Ulquiorra did. During the night he returned to the same piece of land he had encountered the woman previously and felt the ground that emitted her aura. His brows furrowed as he felt something shaking up his spine. He didn't understand her power, but there was something about her spirit that filled Ulquiorra with something he couldn't understand.

Whatever it was, it left a bit of pain emitting from his hollow hole. But he felt like he knew of it before and was drawn to it. So much so that he brought this up with Gin when he had the chance and tried to explain the energy he felt coming from that woman.

Gin suggested bringing it up to Aizen. That not only would this power benefit the Lord but it would also allow Ulquiorra to understand whatever it was that confused him about her.

And that's exactly what happened.

Later that night Ulquiorra tried his hardest to pull away from the embrace the human woman had on him as she laid against him on the roof. It was getting cold and his wings no longer sufficed for a blanket against the winds.

He slowly stood up with her in his arms, similar to the way he carried her home a couple of nights before. Just as he was about to descend towards her window, Ulquiorra felt a presence behind him and jerked his head in the direction as his grip on Orihime tightened.

The moon lit up the man that had appeared on the roof with them. He was dressed in a fedora, a black suit and a beige coat that flapped in the wind.

Ulquiorra recognized that smile and the silver shimmering hair anywhere.

The devil.

"Hello Ulquiorra. Long time no see."

The demon was at a lost for words. So many nights he remembered begging to see Gin again. He had so many questions, he was unsure what to do or where he was going or why Gin refused to speak to him out of the blue. Why did he banish him with little information? Why did his fellow demons say Gin said he was an outsider? What was his purpose?

For some reason though, despite all that anger and confusion bottled itself inside Ulquiorra, he didn't really care anymore. He no longer needed Gin.

Yes, he still had a lot of questions, but he was no longer depending on Gin's words.

When the demon didn't answer, Gin placed his hands in his pockets and bobbed his head in the direction of Orihime, "What have you got there?" he asked.

Ulquiorra really didn't know how to answer. So he didn't. But Gin noticed the demon's hands grip on the girl as he asked.

"Calm down, I'm not going to do anything to her. Or you for that matter. I just have some information for you."

Ulquiorra furrowed his eyebrows. "What information could you possibly give me if by the looks of it I am of no use or importance to you?"

Gin pressed his lips. "Is that how you feel?"

"Two years of no contact after being banished from my home with barely any information speaks for itself." Ulquiorra shot back.

The creator sighed.

"Ulquiorra you know better than anyone there's a war all around us. Things happened last minute and I had to get you out of there. You may not remember it but a long time ago I promised you that if you followed me you will find the meaning you're looking for."

"There is nothing I seek." Ulquiorra responded.. "And I don't recall you promising me anything."

Gin laughed at this and the de-ja-vu. "Well Ulquiorra my dear friend, as you know you don't remember anything but that doesn't mean it didn't happen. On another hand, if you haven't been seeking anything than what are you doing with that girl?"

Just as he mentioned her, Orihime began to stir slightly in Ulquiorra's arms, causing him to look down at how she rested against him.

"You were the one that told me to look for a girl. That's all you told me." Ulquiorra finally answered after tearing his eyes away from the sight of the beautiful girl in his arms and back to Gin.

The creator rubbed his temple and snarkily replied back. "Right was that all I told you Ulquiorra? I know your memory has failed you before but this is important. I know I couldn't give you all the information but I gave you everything you needed to know."

Ulquiorra furrowed his eyebrows. But Gin continued.

"Why, look at you now." Gin waved his hands towards the girl. "You found what you were supposed to look for, and she actually likes you no less."

Before Ulquiorra could correct him, Gin quickly jumped back into his train of thought. "And don't try convincing me otherwise. I saw how you two were cuddling. It was quite adorable."

Ulquiorra turned away from the man. "I've had enough of this." He was not going to be teased liked this by someone who was meaningless to him now.

"Awww Ulquiorra come on!" Gin quickly re-appeared in front of the demon, stopping him dead in his tracks.

The silver haired man neared his hand toward the human girl to move some of the hair that had fallen in her face, but Ulquiorra defensively stepped back before his fingers could reach the girl.

Gin found all of this very amusing, but at the same time understood why Ulquiorra was acting this way. He had sent him with very little information in a world the demon was unfamiliar with. But now he finally had time to explain things better.

He smirked before bringing his hands to his pockets. Even though he was smiling, his voice was very serious.

"Ulquiorra I won't bother you and I won't hurt that girl so don't fuss." Gin sighed.

"I'm sure you know by now there is something very special about that girl and you were the only one who could find her. You were the one to bring out that power in her."

The creator noticed the demon's puzzled expression but continued explaining as he began to pace around the creature.

"That is why I sent you to find her when I did. If she was in this world as a human girl, that by that time she would have been old enough to learn to control the power she had. But it was ultimately your duty to find her. For some reason in every universe that has existed, this pure soul that continues to appear throughout different points in time are all connected to this girl. I hadn't realized it before but the pattern became clear. She always appeared as a auburn haired girl with a power that isn't awakened until met with someone like you."

Ulquiorra was about to say something but Gin continued, as if talking to himself at one point.

"Though there was that other world where her powers were awakened by another dark entity, so it was no wonder Aizen was so interested in that orange haired boy. He thought that is who he was looking for. But he was wrong. Although that boy deep down had a very dark soul, it wasn't until she met you did her powers reach an otherworldly level."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Ulquiorra finally managed to get out in between the creator's ramble.

Gin blinked and turned his attention back to the demon. By now he had paced towards the edge of the roof and was staring off into space as he went off about the other universe that Ulquiorra had no memories of. Gin knew this and was aware none of it made sense to the demon, but also knew it was impossible to explain everything.

Ulquiorra would have to just see for himself

"Listen Ulquiorra, you will figure this all out in due time. But I know you're wary about the angels and where they are. They're here and they're waiting for the perfect opportunity to take that girl with them. Now this is an order so listen very carefully, you are to guard Orihime with your life. You are to be sure no harm comes to her. You must be with her at all times and do not let her out of your sight."

Finally Gin was talking about something Ulquiorra could understand.

"There has been no sign or sense of them." The demon said in response.

Gin smiled once again. "There is. Trust me."

"I have very little reason to believe anything you tell me." Ulquiorra replied snarkily.

"Ulquiorra I am trying to help you so quit being so catty." Gin waved his hand dismissively. Although he missed his son greatly it was this stubborn attitude he was never fond of.

"Angels cannot take a human's soul without consent. Just one of the rules that even Aizen can't change. So if you don't think they're trying a different approach now then you're wrong. Why that was the whole reason they were following you to begin with. They were looking for that girl."

"How could they possibly know I would lead them to this human? It was a mistake I found her to begin with."

"No." Gin spoke abruptly. "It was fate."

Ulquiorra blinked in response to this. It was his fate to meet this human woman? What for? But it didn't matter, there was a big problem in regards to the previous order Gin gave Ulquiorra just moments before. Although the demon was angry with the creator, he was still bound by his words.

"My capability in protecting this girl is limited when I cannot be near her during the day."

The smile on Gin's face probably tripled in size by the sound of that.

"Not for long."

Ulquiorra shook his head in annoyance. Gin never gave explanations that anyone could follow. It was just as confusing as when he said the girl was supposed to reject something when he first set Ulquiorra on his way.

"What am I supposed to take from that?" Ulquiorra questioned. His voice was monotone but you could sense the annoyance brimming to the top.

"Oh. Nothing from me to be quite frank." Gin replied. "But look at your arms and you'll see you have something to gain from her."

Ulquiorra shot his head down to his hands that held the girl close to him and his eyes nearly bulged out of his head if that was possible. The talons and fur that accompanied his demonic features were no longer present on his hands. Instead he could see white skin. His skin. He could actually feel her warmth in his hands.

The demon looked back up to the creator to ask him what he had meant originally when she was to reject something. But by the time he turned his head, Gin was gone, leaving Ulquiorra standing alone on the roof with the girl in his arms.

Orihime found herself in high school on what appeared to be any normal day. An orange haired boy walked in with a sulking look on his face that appeared permanent.

Almost instantly she recognized it to be the angel that attacked her the other day, but instead of running away, she was trapped in her own body that acted on it's own accord. She skipped happily towards the ginger and greeted him almost as if they were friends.

The Orihime inside could only watch helplessly as this alter version of herself spoke friendly to the boy whom she remembered as an angel that attacked herself and Ulquiorra.

"Morning Orihime." The boy spoke casually.

"Is Rukia going to be in school today?" She asked.

"Ahh…." he rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah...she just had to stop by Urahara's on the way here but told me not to tag along. She'll be here later."

Right after speaking those words, the raven haired angel who accompanied the ginger one walked into the classroom and greeted the two.

They spoke of soul society, of hollows, and of the weird things happening in Karukura Town with the arrancars after returning home from the spirit world.

The Orihime on the inside took in this interaction between the very same beings she feared, but in a friendly way as if in some other universe or reality they were friends, which perplexed her.

Suddenly, the experience and the environment quickly faded away into another. She found herself in a dark room whose only light source was the moons rays falling through a single window.

Two girls with oddly shaped white things on their faces had entered and began speaking cruel things to Orihime. She looked down and realized the outfit she was wearing was similar to the ones the two girls had on in how it was all white with minimal black trimming.

The dark haired one cornered Orihime, whom still had no control over her body as she was forced to experience whatever this was as if another entity was controlling her. One blow after another the girl began to beat Orihime, but the body in control did not fight back.

Even though the Orihime in mind could feel everything the body did, such as all of the kicks and punches, she could also feel the emotions the body-owner experienced. Fear. Pity. Sadness.

Just then the wall behind them had exploded and through the debris and walked in someone that Orihime recognized.

Grimmjow!

Before Orihime could feel any sense of relief by seeing a familiar face in what appeared to be a nightmare, the blue haired man began to brutally attack one girl after another. All Orihime could do was stare in fear and pain on the floor before he finally approached her.

"Heal your face." He demanded.

She looked up at him confused but could barely see anything out of one of her badly bruised eyes.

"I'm not dragging around girls with beaten up faces. Fix it now!" His voice rose with anger.

She felt her hand lift slowly to her face as a glow began to radiate. It was warm and the pain began to melt away.

The Orihime on the inside was shocked by the recognition that this power she was using to heal herself was the very same as the newly founded power she possessed.

With one of his hands in his pockets, Grimmjow grabbed a hold of Orihime's collar and lifted her into the air. Now staring at eye level, she noticed a similar white mask on his face as well.

"Now a got a little favor to ask ya." Grimmjow smiled cynically. "You're coming with me."

The scene before her had slowly began to fade away and reveal another scenario, but before it could Orihime found herself being thrown back into reality by the feel of someone pushing her arm.

Her eyes shot open to find herself back in her bedroom with Ulquiorra looking down at her with worry in his eyes. He had begun to shake her arm and called for her to wake up.

Although the site of the demon cowering over her would have frightened any other human, it did not scare Orihime. In fact she was relieved to see him and grateful to him for waking her up so she didn't have to experience any more of what appeared to be a very strange nightmare.

"Orihime, are you well?" He asked, his hand brushed down the length of her arm until it reached her own.

She held onto his as she slowly sat up. With her other hand she rubbed her eyes and yawned.

"Yeah...I'm okay. I just had a strange dream." The auburn haired girl glanced to her side and realized Tatsuki was no longer in the room.

"Wait, where's Tatsuki?" She jerked her head trying to find her friend but stopped as soon as Ulquiorra sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Your friend left in the morning after attempting to wake you. She left a note for you on your dresser that said she had an errand to do but requesting you call her later."

"Ahh…" Orihime nodded as she took in what had happened, but she found it hard to think as Ulquiorra was so close to her and he was still holding her hand.

She glanced down at her small hand in his furry one's before meeting his eyes once more.

Ulquiorra realized what she was looking at and immediately began to pull away.

The demon hadn't even realized that he had her hand in his embrace.

"I apologize."

But before he could fully pull away he felt Orihime's hand stop him.

"No it's okay…" She glanced away and felt her cheeks flush. "I don't mind it…."

Ulquiorra was once again in shock by her reaction to his touch, but he had no complaints.

As her hands entangled themselves with his, he asked her, "Why do you not fear my touch? You have seen me kill humans but never hold any fear towards me. I do not understand you."

Orihime stared him dead in the eye as she spoke with no shake in her resolve. "I do not believe you would ever hurt me Ulquiorra." She spoke firmly

"How do you know this?" He countered, his green eyes staring deeply into hers.

"Well I…" she felt her resolve begin to crumble as he continued to stare at her intensly.

"I just don't…." she turned her eyes away as she blushed slightly. "I feel safe with you."

Ulquiorra considered this, but his thoughts ended quickly when he heard her exclaim.

"Wait a second! What time is it?" She jerked her head towards the clock on the wall and read 3:27.

"Have I been asleep all day?"

"Yes." Ulquiorra spoke calmly. "I wanted to let you rest because of what happened last night your soul needed time to recover. But I began to worry when I saw you tossing in your sleep so I woke you."

Last night?

Orihime suddenly recalled the events that had transpired and her hand almost slapped her neck where Ulquiorra's lips were pressed against the previous night. A deep shade of red painted over her.

That's right. Orihime let Ulquiorra have part of her soul. She remembered him pulling her close and the touch of his chest pressed against hers as he wrapped his arms tightly around her and had his face buried in the crook of her neck.

Just thinking about it sent shivers down Orihime's spine and a warmth in the pit of her stomach.

But after that she couldn't remember anything, and as if Ulquiorra could tell what she was thinking, he began to explain.

"After you fell asleep I brought you to your room and let you rest. It was also probably why your friend was unable to wake you."

Orihime nodded. "Ah okay. That makes sense." She began to pull the blanket covers off of her and Ulquiorra stood up in response, still holding her hand, and helped her to her feet.

As she gained balance she shot him a sweet smile and a thank you, before she made her way to the restroom.

As Orihime walked away her hand slid out of Ulquiorra's and even though he knew she was only behind the bathroom door, he was bothered that her hand was no longer in his. And it irked him how much he was upset over such a trivial thing.

But what troubled him more was something else. He lifted his hand to his eye level and analyzed it intensely.

The previous night on the roof he witnessed with this own eyes the fur on his arms and hands fading away during the conversation with Gin as he held that woman in his arms.

Shortly after laying the woman in her bed the effects reversed back to their original form. But as he continued to stare at his hand now, he could still feel her energy radiating in his palm and he thought back to the words Gin had shared with him and when he first set Ulquiorra on his quest.

He must find a woman that would reject something. And this was the woman Gin confirmed that he was supposed to be looking for, and he must do something that only Ulquiorra would know.

The demon sighed in annoyance. He was tired of the white haired man's riddles. Ulquiorra had no memories, how would he know what to do once he found this pure soul? Why couldn't he just give him the answers if Gin knew it already?

As he recalled the conversation though, he couldn't help but feel uneasy. According to Gin the angels were looking for them, and that was about the only thing he was clear on.

In the bathroom Orihime looked herself in the mirror. Although she had slept for most of the day she still felt very tired and could see some bags under her eyes.

So that was the result of losing apart of her soul? With every passing moment she felt herself regaining her energy, but the thought was still interesting to her.

She was sure no other human would be able to survive this ordeal, but with her newly found powers she felt secure in her decision to help Ulquiorra.

Orihime pulled her hair aside and nearly gasped when she saw marks on her neck. Her eyes tripled in size as she registered just where they came from…..

She had no idea what to expect when she told Ulquiorra it was okay to take apart of her soul. She was surprised when she felt him embrace her and the shivers she felt from his touch.

The orange haired girl rubbed her neck once more as she shut her eyes and reminisced the memory. She couldn't get it out of her mind. She couldn't get Ulquiorra out of her mind. But if she was being perfectly honest with herself, she really didn't mind.

Her thoughts were so entangled with her beloved demon she didn't think much of that very weird dream she had.

It was late Saturday afternoon when the silver haired creator found himself walking in an empty part of Kurakara. There were not many people in this area, but there were many buildings. As he approached one in particular, he was surprised the doors were open.

It was an old church with white steps leading to the entrance. The paint was chipped and the building looked worn down, but despite being Saturday there were still people inside.

Gin walked up the steps and into the quiet building which lead to a decently sized service room with rows of pews. There were only a handful of people sitting even though there was not currently a service, but Gin knew what they were doing.

They were praying.

He sighed softly as he walked deeper into the church and took a seat close enough to some of the people in order to hear their prayers.

He listened to an older woman praying for prosperity for her granddaughter as she was getting married and moving West. He heard from a mother who had 3 rest-less children with her pray for strength on how she was to survive with the death of her beloved husband and for hope as she was now embarking the world as a single mother. He heard of little boy praying for his mother in the hospital to get well.

That day Gin listened to many prayers, and it pained him to know none of them were being answered. Although Aizen was technically God now, his inability to handle the voices of the universe would never change. He was unable to bear the voices of humanity when he was first brought into existence, and he is still unable to now. And due to the fact Gin was no longer in command, he had lost his ability to hear the voices either.

So many prayers were now being wasted.

That's why whenever he had a chance, Gin found himself entering churches as a bystander just to listen to these prayers. Atleast someone out there was listening.

In the back of the church was a giant painting of a woman, and most who glanced quickly at it might confuse it for Mother Mary. But Gin knew that wasn't the case. In every Universe there was always a repeating factor he found interesting.

There was a group of people who collectively came together in belief that the son of God was not the Savior as many other religions depicted him to be. Instead he was a symbol of humanity's despair. In all of these different variations of universes with this collective belief, the one whom had saved the Son of God was depicted as a woman with golden hair who served as a representation of purity and hope.

Before Gin ever followed after the fallen angel he first had to find him. With his limited power he was unsure which universe he might be in. As a result The Creator traveled from universe to universe in search of Aizen, Ulquiorra, and the golden light.

On one of his investigations in a distant universe was when he first saw such paintings of this mysterious woman in the 1400s on his search. Although Ulquiorra did not appear in every single universe, the effects of his and the light shard's star dust did effect every single one.

Gin had wondered how the humans had found such information that depicted Ulquiorra in the truest light and also with additional information that even the Creator did not know himself. How did humanity come to realize this light was a woman? And how did they know the truth that Ulquiorra was a symbol of humanity's despair? After centuries of travelling he made a grand discovery.

The belief would always originate from a pure soul with some form of psychic abilities that would receive visions of this story of the symbol of despair and the savior depicted as a woman. It was through this that Gin realized the light shard's he had been looking for might have been a woman after all. And that was how he realized all pure soul's were connected to the original light in some way. They all had some sort of vision of how the original stardust of these light shards within them created the universe and was used to give a heart to the symbol of despair for humanity. Somehow some of these pure souls even received visions on parts of the story that had not even occured yet.

Such as the golden haired women meeting the symbol of despair once more and helping him find his heart after the devil ripped it away.

The belief that when the universe was created, God saved this demonic creature that was born from the despair of humanity, and saved him with the pure light of the universe and granted him a heart.

The creature was brought in as God's son and used as a symbol for the rest of humanity on how their belief in purity and goodness would save them. But a battle between God and the strongest angel that eventually fell and became known as the Devil broke out amongst the heavens. The corrupted angel tore out the son's heart, returning him back to the symbol of despair.

These people believed that once the symbol was restored, only then would humanity have a hope at salvation once more. They knew that with each passing moment the universes were pulling away from each other and eventually there will be nothing but darkness. They believed this served as a depiction for the human race. And they ultimately believed that once the savior restored the heart of humanity's despair, only then would a balance return to the cosmos.

For it was the result of the golden women that kept the universes close, almost as if retracting to their original state of purity. At the same time it the the darkness of the universe and their despair that caused them to expand away from each to begin with. It was with this ying and yang effect between pushing and pulling that would bring peace. No more would the universes pull away from each other until nothing existed but darkness and neither will they collide back into the pure nothingness that once existed. It was this balance of push and pull that allowed life to flourish and thrive. It required good and it required evil to work together.

And Gin himself knew this, which is why he knew the darkness would thrive as a result of expanding the universe. But he also knew there was no other way for life to flourish without this balance.

Those that followed this ideology ultimately believed once the symbol was saved, so to would the rest of humanity and there will be peace amongst the human race once more.

Gin found this very interesting, and that was what he used to confirm that when he saw Orihime Inoue in soul society many years ago in an alternative universe, he knew she was the one he was looking for.

Gin understood how the universe worked and how the push and pull is what was needed to allow life to prosper, and how Aizen didn't care about this balance at all. All he wanted was to control it himself and to punish the humans he hated so.

The silver haired man stared at the painting of the woman in the back of the church. Her golden firey hair flowed around her as she glowed and release a light from her hands that enveloped her entire being. Her eyes were closed peacefully as she extended her hands out, as if offering salvation to anyone who was willing to take it.

"What a strange world we live in." He whispered to himself as he recalled the woman he saw in Ulquiorra's arms the night before.

He sat up from the pews and made his way to the front of the church and tipped his hat to the few humans he passed on the way out.

"And an interesting one at that."

It was about 4PM on this lovely Saturday afternoon when Orihime found herself in the living room watching a movie with Ulquiorra. She had showered earlier, made a snack, and found a nice spot on the couch she planned on spending the rest of the day.

The demon had waited for her until she emerged from the restroom. Her wet auburn hair stuck to her face and the smell of strawberries radiated from her, which Ulquiorra found very alluring. He followed her to the kitchen and then to the living room where she offered him a spot next to her. He complied and promptly took a seat as she threw something on the TV.

Ulquiorra did not understand television but he was more than okay with sitting next to her. He noticed that as soon as he sat down, the human scooted closer to him and leaned against his arm and got comfy.

Ulquiorra on the other hand was as stiff as a board. He froze as soon as she touched him and as soon as he felt her warmth against him. He could feel that oh-so familiar feeling surrounding his hollow hole once more.

After a couple of minutes of sitting in silence with the only noise coming from the TV, the sound of the telephone ringing broke it.

It startled Orihime and she jumped slightly and into Ulquiorra.

"Sorry!" She beamed as she quickly stood up and rushed over to pick it up.

Ulquiorra stayed on the couch and watched her curiously as she answered and began speaking to someone by the name of Nel. By the sound of the conversation it sounded like this Nel had invited her somewhere and was asking if she wanted to join.

Without skipping a beat Orihime eagerly agreed to Nel's invitation to karaoke with the whole gang. She gave her goodbyes and said she'll see her later that day.

Orihime radiated a bright smile as she hung up the phone and looked towards Ulquiorra, who had a bit of a confused expression on his face.

"So it looks like I have plans tonight. I'm so excited I haven't hung out with everyone outside of school for so long!"

But Ulquiorra furrowed his eyebrows in response to this and stood up from his seat on the couch. Without any emotion harboring his voice, he said, "You're not going anywhere."

Orihime froze and the smile on her face instantly melted away.

"What do you mean?" Was about all she managed to let out. She was beyond confused by Ulquiorra's response.

"The angels are still at bay and you're still weak from yesterday. I cannot in good conscious allow you to go by yourself. If I could be by your side that might be different, but I cannot."

"But you said there were no angels after us anymore, right?" Orihime shot back.

This was the first time Ulquiorra ever demanded her she could or couldn't do something.

"I did say I could no longer sense them." Ulquiorra confirmed. "But I just received information that they're hiding their presence and are still targeting you. Even I cannot sense them so there is no way for me to keep you from harm unless you stay here."

Orihime took this in but was still confused. "Wait, where did you hear this from?" She asked.

"The Devil paid me a visit last night and gave me a warning of their presence. So I cannot allow you to go by his orders."

Something in Orihime begin to stir. At first it sounded like Ulquiorra was concerned for her safety, but now it sounded like he was just following an order. Was he only staying here with her based on orders to begin with?

"Well…." she started. "If your concern for my well-being is only from an order then don't worry about me."

Something in the sound of her voice began to shift. She was angry and slightly hurt by Ulquiorra's words even though his main intent was to look out for her safety.

Orihime went to her bedroom and didn't pass Ulquiorra another glance. He followed after her as she began to rummage through her closet for something to wear. She wasn't big on confrontation but she was visibly upset. For the life of Ulquiorra he couldn't understand why.

"Yes I was ordered to keep you safe but that is not the issue." Ulquiorra said from behind the human woman.

Orihime continued to ignore him so he shut the closet door to get her to look at him. But she didn't. Without sparing another second she immediately went to her dresser to look for something to wear instead.

This was the first time Ulquiorra had ever seen Orihime's stubborn side like this. But again he followed her and persisted.

"The issue is your safety. You yourself witnessed the dangers of the angels that night. They didn't think for a second to spare your life. Now that you revealed your powers to them they are only going to continue after you."

Orihime did take this in as she rustled through her clothes but didn't answer. A few seconds passed before Ulquiorra grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the dresser and used his tail to shut it.

"That is why I cannot allow you to leave." By this point he was forcing her to look at him this time.

Something in Orihime began to break.

She was so scared of her newly found powers and when she asked Ulquiorra about everything last night, he made it sound for the most part like everything was okay. But in reality it was not? He was being forceful with her, a side of him she had never seen, and all by the words of someone who ordered him to protect her?

"This was never about me to begin with." Orihime shot back. "This was about you, wasn't it? How did everything turn around back at me? I just wanted to repay you for protecting me. But now those creatures are after me, and you're only here on orders to begin with? Is that it?"

As if all of her anxiety about the situation was finally being released, tears began to fall from her eyes.

"You said you were looking for something but said you yourself didn't know. Now you're receiving orders from someone else on what to do with me? Was this your plan all along?"

Orihime began to speak of things she herself was unaware she felt. But the demanding voice of Ulquiorra pulled out apart of her she didn't know existed.

Ulquiorra on the other hand didn't quite know what to say. This was not his plan. He didn't know what he was supposed to do. But seeing the human girl raise her voice and respond in such a way to him left him feeling something unpleasant.

"This was never my plan." He admitted, as he let go of her arm, causing it to fall back to her side.

Maybe this was the way she was supposed to react to him. Crying made more sense coming from a human in response to anything regarding Ulquiorra.

A new feeling and emotion began to eat away at Ulquiorra's hollow hole, but he did all he could to keep the pain hidden. In reality it was his fault for even coming in contact with her in the first place that her life was now in danger. And as soon as those thoughts pieced together in his mind, did he realize what emotion was erupting from his very being.

Guilt.

"So does that mean I can never leave the house? I can't go to school? Or see my friends?" Orihime cried out to him, more tears streaming down her face. As if all the hardship she had endured since that fateful night she crossed paths with Ulquiorra were fueling her tears.

Ulquiorra couldn't stand seeing her like this anymore and even more so because he was the cause of it.

"I apologize for ever dragging you in this." Was the last words she heard.

Before Orihime could respond, Ulquiorra had disappeared from her very sight.

She heard herself choke before another rush of tears fell from her face.

Orihime was angry, fearful, anxious, and scared. For the first time all the concerns were bearing down on her. And now Ulquiorra was gone, but that just made her cry more. Not knowing what to do, she decided to call the first person that came to mind, Tatsuki.

After recovering a bit from her tears and anxiety, she dialed her best friends number.

"Orihime!" She heard her best friend chirp out over the line. "Are you getting ready? I'm about to head over to the karaoke place now. Nel confirmed you're coming too."

"Tatsuki I got into a fight with that boy." Orihime choked out. "I don't even want to go anywhere now."

There was a moment of silence on the other end. Although Orihime couldn't see her best friend she could feel her anger souring.

"That same guy you told me about yesterday?"

"Mmm." Orihime meekly responded.

"Let me see…." Tatsuki started. "Is that the same guy you snuck out with last night?"

Orihime froze in response by her friend's accusation.

She heard Tatsuki chuckle. "When I tried to wake you this morning I happened to peep a glance at some distinguishing love marks on your neck. Don't kill me! They were just out there in the open for me to see."

Orihime's face fell to a deep deep deep shade of red and her voice was trapped in her throat. Not only was she feeling absolutely horrible, but now knowing her best friend knew about the marks sent the auburn haired girl on an emotional rollercoaster.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Tatsuki finally asked. "What did he do?"

But Orihime just sighed in response. She didn't know how to explain it to Tatsuki. "I don't really want to talk about it. But I just don't feel like going out to see anyone right now."

"Hey hey." Tatsuki interjected. "If that guy made you upset, the best thing you need right now is anything other than sulking alone in your house. Trust me you need to get out. And if you want to talk about it I'm all ears. How does that sound?"

"Okay…." Orihime responded.

"Great! Get dressed, I'll pick you up in 30 minutes, okay?"

"Alright I'll see you in a little bit. Try not to feel too down."

The call ended with a click and Orihime found herself alone in her apartment once more. She had a lot on her mind such as these angels and Ulquiorra but Tatsuki's words helped ease away atleast some of her troubles for the time being.

At that, she continued to get dressed and tried as hard as she could not to think about Ulquiorra or where he might have gone to or if he was ever going to return.

Just as promised, Tatsuki showed up at Orihime's door-step ready to take her friend to some much needed fun.

The two walked with their elbows intertwined and the raven haired girl tried her best to distract her friend who, despite putting some make-up on, still looked completely miserable.

"Geez I'm ready to throw some punches towards this guy if he had guts to hurt you that badly…" Tatsuki finally pointed out.

"No…." Orihime mumbled. "We both got into a fight, it wasn't just him." As much as how Ulquiorra's words affected her, even unintentionally, she knew she was also in the wrong for losing her cool. She began to feel incredibly guilty even if her fear and anxiety felt justified.

"I see…" Tatsuki went off. "But you two aren't dating yet, right?"

Orihime jerked her head towards her friend violenty, "N-No! We're just friends...I think…..I don't even know if he would consider me a friend to be honest."

Tatsuki cocked an eyebrow in response. "So you snuck out at night to see someone you're not even sure if your friends with, and whom also left you very peculiar marks on your neck? Let me know if I have the story wrong."

Orihime covered her face in shame and mumbled something completely incoherent that even her best friend couldn't understand..

How was Orihime supposed to know that was going to happen? She didn't know that's how Ulquiorra planned on taking apart of her soul and there was no way in hell she was going to explain that to her friend.

Tatsuki laughed at Orihime's reaction.

"Well not sure if I told you or not but Grimmjow is also going to be at Karaoke tonight. Not sure how you feel about that."

Once again, Orihime met Tatsuki's face with a bewildered expression as she whipped her head around once more.

Now Orihime kind of wished she had listened to Ulquiorra and didn't go. She wasn't ready to see Grimmjow after yesterday. Not after she had worked so hard to bury that memory of the shock he had on his face when her powers revealed themselves.

What if it happened again today? What if he tells everyone?

And worst yet, Orihime couldn't tell Tatsuki the truth involving both Ulquiorra and Grimmjow, so she had to keep everything bottled up inside.

Orihime bobbed her head down in defeat as she considered all of this. Even though she was still heated about the conversation she had with Ulquiorra, apart of her just wanted to run home now to see him.

But she knew he was no longer there, or if he would even come back, which just made her feel worse.

Finally they made it to the place. Once inside there were tables for dining with a stage and karaoke set in the back. All of the crew had already arrived and there they found Kiego, Chad, Mizuino, Nel, Chizuru, and Grimmjow already sitting.

As soon as the set of girls walked in, Grimmjow sat up straight and tried to make eye contact with the auburn haired girl, but she deflected his gazes by looking in the other direction.

Thankfully the group dynamic had somehow split itself in a way where the girls were seated on one end and the boys on other around the rectangle shaped table.

The last two seats available was on the left edge. Tatsuki took one seat, next to Chizuru, and Orihime took the other one next to Nel. Thankfully Orihime was sitting on the same side as Grimmjow, who was sitting on the opposite edge, and with Nel and Chad between them, she couldn't even see the blue haired student at all.

Her senses finally began to ease as Nel chimed up and conversed with her along with Tatsuki and Chizuru while the boys had their own conversation. Soon they ordered their food and were joking about who was going to go up and sing first.

Usually, Orihime was the first to volunteer but today she just really wasn't feeling it. And all of her friends were surprised by this and immediately questioned her.

"Heyyyy Orihime what gives!" Kiego exclaimed. "I promised Grimmjow he'd get to hear your pretty voice if he tagged along and now you're not even going to sing for us?!"

Orihime eyes nearly popped out of her skull as she heard this but Tatsuki shot Kiego a deathly stare to shut him up.

"Orihime isn't feeling too well today so leave her be! Why don't you go up instead Kiego?" Tatsuki asked.

"I thought you'd never ask!" And moronically, Kiego dashed to the stage ready to share his amateur talent with the world.

Orihime was eternally grateful to her best friend. Kiego's display even managed to pull out a light chuckle from her.

Amidst Kiego's performance, the auburn haired girl heard Grimmjow tell Chad and Mizuiro that he was kind of disappointed because he was looking forward to hear Orihime sing after hearing Kiego hype her up.

Orihime's head shot in their direction upon hearing her name be talked about and Grimmjow leaned further into the table in order to see her better.

He tried to make eye contact with her but found it difficult. So while Kiego was finishing his song, Grimmjow took it upon himself to sit up swiftly and take his "friend's seat" in order to actually see Orihime. He was now sitting on the opposite side of her, but still all the way on the other edge. Even so, he was finally able to make eye contact with her.

As soon as she met his eyes, Grimmjow shot her a cheeky grin and she felt her face burn up. Although to everyone in the group, who noticed, thought they knew why. But in reality it was Orihime's fear that was causing her to heat up.

Her anxiety was eating away at her. She couldn't even eat the bread appetizers on the table, which on any other occasion she would have consumed atleast three by now.

Tatsuki noticed this.

"Hey….." the raven haired girl across from Orihime spoke in order to get her attention. "Are you feeling any better?"

"I'm okay….." Orihime finally mumbled. "I think….I just might need some fresh air." She used up all her strength to give her friend a smile that said not to worry.

At this point Kiego had returned to the table and caused a whole scene on how Grimmjow stole his seat.

During the commotion Orihime excused herself from the table and told her friends she was going to be right back. She made her way towards the exit and stood outside of the building.

She leaned against the brick wall and tried to steady her breathing. She was sure if Grimmjow was not there maybe she could enjoy her time. But after yesterday she found it quite near impossible. And her anxiety from her conversation with Ulquiorra was still eating away at her. To top it all off she was still very tired.

Just then she heard the entrance to the karaoke diner open, and emerged was none other than Grimmjow. He casually had his hands in his pockets and glanced around before spotting her.

They made eye contact and Orihime froze. She held her arms close to her as the color in her face faded away as she considered her options. Instinct told her to run, but she knew in her current state Grimmjow would surely catch her.

As he approached her, Orihime could look nowhere else but the ground and stared at their feet.

After a few moments of silence Grimmjow finally broke it.

"Can I talk to you?"

Orihime knew what was coming.

"S-Sure…" she responded hesitantly.

She noticed Grimmjow pull his hands from his pockets, and she couldn't see it but he began to rub the back of his neck.

"In private?" He asked.

At that Orihime finally looked up at him. She wasn't aware of it but she had started crying again and Grimmjow noticed.

"We are in private." She answered simply.

Grimmjow slightly furrowed his eyebrows and gestured with his arms the other people walking around.

"I mean away from here."

Orihime nodded slowly. She knew there was no more running away from it.

Grimmjow walked a couple of steps past her until he reached the alleyway that was conveniently located next to the diner. Orihime watched him, and when he gestured to her to follow, she hesitantly did so.

Holding her arms close to herself she followed Grimmjow into the dark shadows.

He turned around and looked at her. Her face was still slightly red from her previous tears and she looked on the verge of crying again.

It killed Grimmjow to see this. He knew she was a pure soul and he also knew she was acting this way because he was there.

But he had to talk to her.

"Alright well I will just cut to it and let you know I won't tell anyone about what happened yesterday. I can see you're crazy anxious, we all kind of saw it, and well I thought that might have been the reason."

Orihime's eyes widened and she finally met his.

Grimmjow had his hands placed in his pockets once more as he continued.

"So….yeah. Don't worry about it. You can trust me on that much." He added.

And even though it was not his intention, the tears began to fall from Orihime's eyes once more. She quickly used her hands to cover her face and wipe them away. A piece of her anxiety was finally lifted.

He wasn't calling her a freak. He wasn't going to tell anyone. And he wasn't acting scared of her either. Throughout everything that had happened so far, this was atleast something she did not have to worry about anymore.

Grimmjow's eyes popped upon her reaction and he bit down on his lip. He was trying to make her feel better but he just made her cry harder.

Before he could say anything though, she began to speak through her tears.

"Thank you…..that really means a lot." She wiped her eyes one last time before meeting his.

"I couldn't talk about it with any of my friends and it was eating away at me." She admitted.

"No I totally understand." Grimmjow responded.

"I just wanted to let you know not to worry about it. But if you ever wanted to talk about it…." He brought his hands to his chest to refer to himself.

Orihime sniffled, "I wish I could give you some sort of explanation. But I don't really know what to say…"

"Ahhh," Grimmjow started. "No worries. I know what happened."

Orihime blinked in response by this and the last few tears fell off her face as she did.

"I know who you are." Grimmjow told her.

But Orihime was frozen. "What-" She started.

"You're a very special human." He interrupted. 'And that's why I was sent here."

Grimmjow sighed as he looked at her confused expression. Apart of him felt bad for how much his presence was stressing her out, so he decided she needed to know the truth. Even just apart of it.

"I want to show you something, but you have to promise me you're not going to scream or run-away if I show you."

He just needed her to trust him.

A million thoughts began to race through Orihime's mind. The last time she was in an alleyway she was attacked by those three men. And now she was alone with Grimmjow whose asking her not to scream with what he's about to show her. And wait did he just call her a human, what was that about?

"I need you to promise me." Grimmjow furthered after no response from the girl.

She nodded begrudgingly.

"Alright…."

Orihime had no idea what to expect. And nothing could prepare her for what she was about to see.

Grimmjow began to shine a bright blue light as his outfit transformed into a pure white cloak. Wrapped around his waist was a single sash that held it in place but the rest of the gown allowed part of the muscles on his chest to be exposed. A set of marvelous white wings began to materialize on his back.

This energy caused a gush of wind to flow around the two of them.

Orihime could only stare in awe. But even so the pieces of the puzzle finally began to fit.

Grimmjow was an angel. He had appeared at her school the day after the occurence with the other 2 angels that night. And Ulquiorra had warned her that they were still here and were after her.

The fear began to set in as the wind died down and Grimmjow could read it on her like an open book. He grabbed her wrist, in fear she was about to run away despite promising not to.

"I'm not here to hurt you so calm down."

Orihime's mouth was dropped. She couldn't pull away from Grimmjow's grip on her.

"We have been looking for you for a very long time. I know you might not believe me after your experience a few days ago with my comrades, but we do not mean to hurt you. They were after that demon and when you appeared they thought you were on his side and reacted without thinking."

He paused briefly to see if she had something to say, but her mouth was still agap in shock.

He continued.

"But I promise you I am not going to hurt you. I have been sent just to make sure you're safe. I know that demon is staying with you and after his past actions you have to understand I'm just taking precautions for your safety."

Orihime bit down on her lips as she considered this. She glanced to her side as she tried to come up with any form of words that expressed what she was thinking, but she was having so much trouble.

"Why have you been looking for me?" She finally managed to ask.

At this point Grimmjow released his grip on her wrist as he felt she wasn't going to runaway. The feeling of him originally trying to grab her suddenly made Orihime remember that strange dream she had.

"Wait…" Grimmjow cocked his head to the side. "You mean you don't know why?"

Orihime shook her head defensively.

"Wait hold on a second. You have had these powers your whole life and you have no idea what you were? Did you ever wonder why demons were after you?"

The auburn haired girls eyes bulged out of her skull.

"This power, or whatever it is, I've only realized I've had since yesterday with you in the classroom."

Grimmjow raised his eyebrows in response to this.

"And no demons have ever gone after me before. I didn't even know angels and demons existed until a couple of days ago." She admitted.

"I see…." was his reply. Grimmjow didn't know this, it wasn't in the original report he had received.

"You didn't answer my question." Orihime demanded. Something was filling her as she allowed Grimmjow's words to soak in and as she recalled Ulquiorra's warning earlier that day.

"Right….Orihime listen, every couple of centuries a soul with incredible power is born. This power is strong enough to overthrow God himself. That's why demons are after it, that's why the devil is hunting for these souls. And that's why the angels are meant to protect them."

He paused for a moment before finally giving it to her.

"Orihime… you're one of these souls."

AN: Hey guess what. I actually updated 3 times this year so you guys should be proud of me. And the last two chapters were both around 12,000 words so I hope the long time in between updates were worth it :D

I recently finished one of my last full semesters of college the other day. But in between I tried to work on this new chapter. I have the next one started too but please don't be too upset if it takes me a couple of months to update. I have one more class left in school for Spring but I'm also going away for a couple of months to do an internship in NYC, and I will be working 2 jobs at the same time so my time will still be very limited. But please know I still plan on updating! Just please wait for me!

Thank you so much to those that reviewed the previous chapter. It filled my heart with joy to see there were still people who followed despite how much the fandom has died down. Please let me know what you think so far and if you enjoyed reading! Your reviews honestly bring me so much joy and light in my very busy and stressful life right now.