Grimmjow rolled to a stop in cold wet ground. It took him a second to realize it was snow, and they were far outside the Seireitei. There was nothing but snowy fields in all directions.

Toshiro was heaving with fatigue a few metres away. He still had the massive sword clutched in his right hand. His black eyes trailed across the blood specked snow to where Grimmjow lay unmoving. The healers had been no where near finished and he was still losing blood. The only reason he hadn't passed out from the pain was because of the painkiller Unohana had thankfully given him. As the black eyed Toshiro approached he pushed himself to his knees but could go no further.

"This will not do." Toshiro said in his frighteningly deep and dark voice.

"Aizen..." Grimmjow hissed but he was fading fast. He felt the small hand on his wounded chest and a surge of energy. But only a second later, the boy recoiled. Grimmjow gasped at the false healing and clamped his right hand over the wound again. His body was shaking from the blood loss and cold.

"This is no good." Aizen hissed through Toshiro's lips. "This boy is resisting my presence, and he's fighting for control of this weapon. I will have to take on physical form to gain complete control."

"Then do it!"

"Not until I get the power I need from him. He has a wealth of untapped potential that is perfect. When I've taken all I need, I will separate and be just as solid as the two of you."

"What will happen to him?"

"Nothing, for as long as I am alive."

Grimmjow stared back at him puzzled so he continued. "Hyorinmaru is half of this sword, if I killed Toshiro, my weapon would be destroyed, but like this, not only do I have my powers, but his..." he smiled gleefully and looked around at the snow. "See this, the first snow, so beautiful. I can feel his connection to it, his ability to draw power from it, but now its mine, now all this beauty before you is my power!"

His word bit almost as deep as the cold seeping into Grimmjow's body. He stared at the contrasting figure of white and dark above him until finally the cold won out and he fell forward into the soft embrace of the snow.

When Grimmjow next woke, the painkiller had well worn off and he couldn't suppress the scream that ripped out of him when he first moved. He gasped sharply but even breathing hurt. His whole body was stiff and sore and he just barely managed to lift his head to look himself over. His chest was bandaged over but no spiritual healing had taken place. He was on a bunk in a small room. A fire crackled nearby and he finally made out the shivering form of the white haired boy.

"Toshiro?"

"Wrong."

"Aizen."

"That's Lord Aizen to you."

Grimmjow gulped back his anger and another flood of pain. "What's wrong with you?"

"Its just the transition."

"Oh, that explains everything." Grimmjow whispered sarcastically, though even this effort seemed to hurt him.

"You've lost a lot of blood, stop talking and rest." Aizen commanded.

"Why do you care?"

"You are the last of my creations, Grimmjow, as your King, I can't just abandon you."

Grimmjow just snorted but the sound ended in a whine of pain. He did as he was instructed and stopped talking but watched the struggling boy by the fire. The longer he sat there shivering, the longer it looked as if a ghostly shape were glowing about him. But Grimmjow couldn't watch any longer as his eye lids closed.

Grimmjow couldn't tell how much time passed, or how many days as he drifted in and out of consciousness. Though his chest hurt horribly, it was the blood loss that kept him under for so long. When he finally woke up for real, though trembling and weak, he was able to get to his feet and look around. He was alone, and at once tried the door but it was locked. He noticed the spiritual seal was still on him and in his state there would be no way to break out.

A fire was blazing in a grimy hearth but it was a comfort to Grimmjow's sore body. He pulled the blanket off his bunk and carefully sat on the creaky floor boards, as close to the flames as his skin could handle. It was the first feeling of life he'd had in days, and he wanted to take comfort in the moment, but the wind howled outside and he couldn't stop thinking about Toshiro and Aizen.

He supposed there were a number of reasons why he found himself alone: food, scouting the perimeter, shit he could be using the bathroom, but who would he be when he returned? He had said he needed Toshiro, he would have to keep him safe. That would have to be enough to comfort him until he got some answers.

Grimmjow had put five more logs on the fire before the door rattle opened and he was pulled out of his reverie with a gust of icy wind.

"Ahh, so good to see you awake." Grimmjow almost winced at the harsh voice that rattled out of the throat of his small friend. The glow was about his body was even stronger, and, as always, he had the long blade trailing along behind him.

"I'll be glad when I'm back in my body, so I can carry this properly. I guess I never did appreciate how little Hitsugaya really is." He swung a sack down onto the floor and pushed it to Grimmjow.

"Eat up."

Grimmjow reached inside and took whatever his hand hit first. He swallowed the bread in greedy chunks, he hadn't eaten in days.

"I thought you were changing..." Grimmjow said when he finally got his fill and Aizen handed him a glass of sake. It burned but felt good as fire spread down his stiff limbs.

"It seems the process will take longer than I intended. You kept me alive, but I was not conscious while inside of you, I could not gain anymore power like I had planned. But the Head Captain yanked me out of you and woke me up, so here we are." He sat down next to him.

"So...while you're in that body, what happens to Toshiro?"

"He's sleeping."

Grimmjow nodded.

"But...I can still see glimpses of his thoughts. His most recent memories were mostly spent with you, correct? And you were, king of Hueco Mundo, no?"

Grimmjow tensed and a harsh laugh ripped out of the boy. "Don't be worried Grimmjow, I'm not mad. You always were an opportunist, I'd expect nothing less from you. But what was you're interest in this boy?"

"He was the only one of his kind in Hueco Mundo, I had to find out why."

"There's more."

Grimmjow glanced at him but wished he hadn't. Those blackened eyes made the small angular face look like that of a demon. "I taught him stuff, he was smarter than the rest."

"What rest? Where are the other espada?"

"I don't know, when I woke up they were all gone. I gather that the Soul Reapers wiped them out."

"I see. So you were so lonely you made friends with a Soul Reaper?" Grimmjow suppressed a flinch as a cold hand ghosted down his back as if in comfort or pity. "Well, don't worry, you'll get your little pet back, but as for friends, you don't need any, you never did, all you ever needed was your king."

There was a long moment of silence. Grimmjow didn't really know what Aizen wanted him to say and he didn't really know what he wanted to say. If he rebelled, Aizen had no reason not to kill him right away.

But if he committed his loyalty, he would be turning against the few who he'd come to think might be allies, like Ichigo and Uryu, and even Unohana and Rangiku who'd offered to help him. He even had his suspicions that Kisuke would bend a rule or look the other way to save his life.

But the question never came, his allegiances were assumed and for Grimmjow, that was perhaps the easiest thing at the moment.

"Why haven't they found us?" He asked after a bit.

"I have managed to put a seal over us. In your case you are already masked from them by that seal, but my own spirit is in flux. I put up a barrier around this shack to hide us from anything. The drain of power is slowing down my transition, but I saw no other choice."

"You could take this off and let me take care of it." Grimmjow said, lifting his wrist with the black band.

"Ahh, yes, the seal. It is indeed hindering you from your recovery, but that was created by the combined power of Urahara Kisuke and the Head Captain. It will not be an easy task to remove, even when I have my powers back. But don't worry, I'll figure it out and set you lose on them all. It will be a glorious day when you can tear through them with your bear hands, don't you agree?"

"I–" Grimmjow's stomach clenched painfully as it adjusted to the food he'd eaten so quickly. It hurt, but it saved Grimmjow from answering Aizen's question. The other simply helped him stand so he could let gravity aid in his digestion.

"So reckless, even in the simple task of eating." Aizen mocked, and Grimmjow felt a quiver of rage but said nothing.

He felt so weak and helpless under this man's gaze, even if it came from the eyes of a child. He wanted to make a snide retort, but instinct told him not too. He didn't know why he was scared, he hadn't met anything that really scared him yet, but some part of him remembered the pain and terror this being could inflict, and warned him, that for now, the best thing to do was to obey and be submissive.

"Do we have a plan?" He asked when the discomfort passed.

"I had considered returning to Hueco Mundo to rebuild my empire but that would take time, and, in the end, we would just have to figure out how to get back here. So we might as well strike as soon as we're ready."

"To do what?"

"To kill the Head Captain and take over the Soul Society of course."

Grimmjow just stared at him. Aizen burst out laughing. "You should see the look on your face, Grimmjow. You don't doubt my power do you?"

"Actually, um," Grimmjow paused for just a moment, hating to actually say the word, "lord Aizen, I don't remember you..."

"Ah yes of course, how silly of me. What do you remember?"

Grimmjow didn't want to tell him that his only memory was telling Aizen he wanted him to die, so he shrugged. "Nothing really. The Head Captain tried but it was mostly just bright light and pain. I can't seem to get past it."

"Hmm, just like Toshiro. How fun it would be to sift through all his memories, but alas, they are all blocked off by the trauma of what the hogyoku did."

"I read about that."

"I see, so you do know some things."

"The basics, I guess."

"Well, that will save us some time. While we wait for you to recover, we'll form a plan, and then we can start looking for recruits."

"Recruits...?"

"Yes, it should be perfect timing: right in the middle of winter, when people are most bitter about the conditions of the Rukon District. We'll rally up an army pretty fast."

"An army?"

"Oh yes Grimmjow, we've got lots of work ahead of us."

So, I'm sorry that there is technically no Toshiro in the story right now...

I Totally agree about the arms! Good point, there is no reason for anyone to miss and limbs while Orihime is around! And this isn't the end of Bleach is it? I'm seeing shades of Full Metal Alchemist if it is. (in terms of the fates of Ichigo and Ed). And yes, Kubo definitely skipped over alot of details...maybe there will be flashback...?