Bleach: New Visitor Part 1

Author's notes: was chatting with a friend, Rain-and-Thunder, about possible canon pairings of Orihime and who I would accept. Through that conversation an idea came to mind on a "behind the scenes", staying true to the fandom (no romantic interlude as what many will do as 'behind the scenes') of what if Orihime had a small private moment with Gin, meeting him officially for the first time? Well here is my take on that idea.

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Sitting in her room, in Heuco Mundo, Orihime looked out her window. The window was very high up and looked out at the ever-facing crescent moon in the sky. From the time Ulquiorra forced her to look as though she betrayed her friends and went willingly to Heuco Mundo, it didn't take her long to see his world was in ever lasting night. It had been three days now since she was forced there after being black mailed by Ulquiorra. She was being held prisoner in a world of Hollows, against her will, though she had gone willingly. She had no idea why former Captain Aizen of the Soul Society wanted her, other than for her abnormal powers.

As she watched out the window, since there was nothing to do, the door to her room unlocked, indicating someone was about to enter. Who would it be this time? She had seen the Espada who took her captive most of the time, but there had been a few Arrancars who entered her room, including a female one who helped her dress into the outfit she was now in. She was forced to put it on or else Aizen would send an Arrancar to attack Ichigo.

"My, my," a male voice said. The voice sounded vaguely familiar but she couldn't place where it came from. "That does look quite remarkable on you."

Not able to ignore the man, who ever he was, since he was someone she never met before, at least not officially, Orihime turned. A gasp escaped her throat on who was standing just inside her door. His narrow eyes were slanted into slits; a mocking grin graced his long narrow face. His short hair framed around his face, giving a full view of his white robes of Heuco Mundo. But that wasn't what drew the gasp out of her. She had seen this man before, in the Soul Society wearing a Soul Reaper's uniform with a white haori over top.

"You remember me, don't you?" he stated as he took another step in the room. "I can never forget a face. You were one of the Ryoka who broke into the Seireitei, trying to rescue Rukia. In fact you were there as a witness to us leaving the Soul Society."

She took a step back. This was the same man she saw used his Zanpakuto to try and kill Rukia but was saved by her own brother and he took the hit instead.

"You…" she breathed. "What do you want?"

"Is that any way to greet a guest?" he mocked. "I only came here to see how you were doing. I apologize for not being in the throne room when Ulquiorra brought you to Lord Aizen and you healed Grimmjow's arm. You're Orihime, aren't you?"

She wanted to snort. He knew that was her name. He was just playing around. Rukia had told her there was one Captain, who fled with Aizen who loved to tease people.

"Gin…" she breathed again, remembering the name Rukia gave her. "Ichimaru…" This was the same man Rukia told her about. He always made Rukia feel uncomfortable and she had a feeling he did it on purpose and now he was standing in front of Orihime, showing proof to what Rukia had said.

"Ah, so you've heard of me, have you?" His grin widened as he took another step in the room. He continued walking until reaching the sofa she was standing near. "Hope you don't mind…" Before giving her a chance to respond, he flopped himself down on the sofa, draping his arm over the back, looking relaxed as if he belonged there.

He was toying with her and she knew it. Not once had she felt his over powering reiatsu but she knew he had strong power. He had to, since he was the former Captain of Squad 3, which meant he too knew Bankai like Ichigo and Renji did. What was his game? He had to be there for something, but the question was what? She had no idea if his company was one to be concerned about or if he was anything like Ulquiorra.

"You look so tense," he remarked, being observant. "I trust you are being well treated while being a guest here?"

"A guest?" she squeaked. "Being locked in a room is considered being a guest?" A gasped slipped from her lips as she clamped a hand to her mouth, regretting her words. "I'm sorry," she quickly added.

"No need to apologize," he said, sounding sincere. "From your perspective, you probably aren't a guest. But you must realize Lord Aizen has some use for you."

She turned her back to him, wrapping her arms around herself. The way he was staring at her was leaving her unsettled. Rukia was right, he did have a cold stare through his slitted eyes.

"Do I make you feel uncomfortable?" he asked suddenly, getting up off the sofa to step near her. Where he was so much taller than her, he had to lean down to bring his face close to her ear.

"I'm going to tell you a secret," he whispered into her ear. "If you were to just hang in there, I'm sure your friends will come try and rescue you." That was no secret. She already knew her friends were in Hueco Mundo but were outside the palace walls of Los Noches.

Feeling his breath so close to her skin, she felt her skin wanting to crawl. Goosebumps appeared all over her arms, causing the hairs on the back of her neck to stand on end. Her legs began to tremble with him being so close to her. She had no idea he had moved from the sofa until feeling his breath against her skin.

"Wh…what… are you… doing here…" she visibly shivered.

His grin widened knowing he just gripped her body in fear. "What if I were to tell you, I'm here to help get free?" he asked. He stood back to his full height.

She swiftly turned to face him, forcing her body up against the wall. She did not want him to be behind her again. "I…ah… you mean that?" she tentatively asked.

"Of course," he taunted. "I think it's fun watching a hopeful look appear on your face."

Her eyes widened as her heart hammered in her chest. Did he… did he just mock her? She gulped. Tears brimmed the surface seeing the true meaning to his words. He was toying with her hopes and dreams.

Seeing she got his joke, he tilted his head to the side. "You don't find that funny?" he asked. "I guess not. But it's always fun seeing reactions of people when they see I'm just kidding."

She was grateful for being against the wall as her legs gave out and she slumped to the floor, onto her knees. "You… you…" more tears surfaced as a trail tracked down her cheeks. "Lied."

Putting a finger to his chin, as if deep in thought, he stepped closer to her again and crouched down to be more at her level.

"Why not I tell you a bedtime story," he suggested, removing his finger.

She gasped once again as fear gripped her heart. What was he going to do now? He already just crushed her feelings. "I'm…I'm not tired…"

"Oh, trust me," he grinned. "You'll like this one. Once there was a knight who wanted to protect someone he cared for deeply." What sort of story was he telling her? "But to protect her, he allowed himself to be used by a great and powerful enemy with the thought that he will find his way back to her somehow. He even found a perfect plan but had to wait awhile to execute it." His grin fell, turning serious. "Any thoughts to what that plan could be, Orihime?" His tone went from all happy sounding to one of solemn.

"What…" she breathed, not sure what he was saying. What sort of story was that?

"I'll let you think about it." His smirk returned as he stood, putting some distance between her and himself. "You know, this is the first time I've really been this close to a human before. I do wish you well."

Orihime wasn't fully paying attention to his words. She was still fully focused on his story… or lack there of. There was something about the story that just didn't seem right. She watched him with large eyes as he made his way to her door, opening it again. Turning back to her, he gave her one more grin.

"Oh and just so you know your friends are getting closer to Los Noches. I predict they will be within these walls within the next two hours and it would appear Rukia and Renji are with them as well."

She gave one more gasp as he stepped out of the door, closing it before a noise was heard, indicating he locked it again.

It would take Orihime some time before she would comprehend Gin's story was actually a representation of himself and someone he wanted to protect. But she couldn't figure out who that was. By the time Aizen left to attack Earth, she was fully able to realize what Gin was talking about. He was planning something against Aizen. He had allowed himself to be used by Aizen.