Snow.

It was falling by the bucket load, and slapped at Toshiro's exposed skin on a slight slant. The snowy plain on which he stood was featureless and thus left unprotected, and suffered the merciless wrath of the blizzard full-blast. Toshiro gritted his teeth and hugged himself tightly and glared out at the savage storm through narrowed eyes.

It was his plain. The plain of his Inner World, lost in turmoil. The plain where he had 'died' so many times before, devoured by a flood of monstrous white waves of ice-cold snow, and he would jolt of out his sleep with a cry, and lay gasping while the ice surrounding his futon cracked and whispered into non-existence.

He couldn't see Hyourinmaru. The icy dragon dwelt within a cave built of solid ice and the paths and passages were all round and wide, and the structure itself was gigantic. It glittered like diamonds, and left Toshiro's eyes dazzled by the sight of it, even in a storm such as this. And yet, no matter how hard he stared out into the flickering white distance, he saw nothing but the blizzard. No dragons or ice mountains in sight.

"Hello, Toshiro-chama."

Toshiro jumped, and he whirled round and his hand instinctively went to his sword. And as his fingers curled closed, Toshiro found himself gripping at open air, and scolded. The sword was completely gone, physical and mental form both. Lips pressed together, he lifted his head to face his opponent with a sense of dread boiling in the pit of his stomach, and he slowly lowered his hand.

At first, he thought his eyes were deceiving him. What, with the snow firing down from the sky and the horrific cold. But as he stared longer and longer at his foe, it became evident what he was seeing was no mere illusion.

It was a girl. His height, with jet-black hair that brushed lightly against her waist. Her skin held no colour whatsoever, it was so utterly pale. The snow looked black in comparison. And her eyes. Those huge, round, bloody eyes. They burned like hot coals and the colour seemed to flow like fresh blood. Her wash-white clothing hugged her frame shamelessly, and Toshiro found himself struggling to keep his eyes in the right place, on her face. They kept trying to drop down a few paces.

"...Who are you?" He demanded after finally recovering from his initial shock and regaining his composure. "What are you doing here? This is-"

"Your world, I know." She cooed, and her voice was startlingly girlish. Toshiro ground his teeth together and ran his options through his head. He didn't have many, but because neither child was armed the chances for conflict appeared slime. Unless she planned to fight him with fists alone, and Toshiro doubted those scrawny arms and doll-hand of her's would do much damage. His eyes narrowed and she giggled, and it was a silvery sound that made Toshiro's breath catch in his throat.

It was familiar.

Why was it familiar?

"You're so cute when you're serious, Toshiro-chama!" She giggled, and without warning she pranced forward and before Toshiro could so much as ask what the hell she was doing, her smooth arms were wrapped around his neck, and her slender fingers toyed with his silver hair.

"Oi-"

"Don't be so crud, Toshiro-chama." She breathed. She buried her head in his shoulder and inhaled deeply. The blizzard seemed to lessened somewhat, and the snow never seemed to hit them. The bullets slapped at the ground and erupted into misty powder, but hardly ever did they bash against Toshiro's skin, and it appeared to avoid the girl all together. As though the storm itself was afraid to touch her.

Toshiro, being human, had to breath, and drew in a quick, short breath. And gasped. She smelt like lavender.

"You..." He murmured, and stared stupidly at the back of her head. She giggled again and the sound was muffled by the folds of his uniform. She gently stroked the back of his neck. Toshiro's cheeks went pink with embarrassment. She nuzzled closer, and stared thoughtlessly across the barren landscape.

And then she smiled.

"You'll find me soon, Toshiro-chama," She whispered and abruptly she pulled away and stood directly in front of him. She pressed his lips against his cheek, and let out a hooting laugh as Toshiro's face went up in flames and she danced away. She blew him a kiss and winked slyly. Toshiro stared at her incredulously.

"Oi! What are you-"

And suddenly the ground lurched violently. Hands reached out from the snow and grabbed at his ankles; at his legs; at his clothes. The hands rose higher and higher, and suddenly Toshiro was being pulled under, further and further into the rocky earth. A hand closed over his mouth and twisted around his limps, and his futile attempts to escape were put to an end. He caught a glimpse of the girl, twirling around in a circle and laughing gleefully as he disappeared, but he also saw something else. A faded image of someone else, a girl, maybe, and she was sad, curled up in a ball and weeping uncontrollably. She was trapped in a faded black box, and the near transparent sides pressed against her skin and chains jingled around her ankles. She was gripped something with both hands, something small and circular and purple, and the chain it was connected to hung lazily around her neck.

Help me...Toshiro-kun...I'm scared...

His eyes widened.

Hyuuga?

And then he was under and he knew no more.

0-0-0

"Hyuuga!"

Toshiro shot up and sat panting with his eyes wide open, and his face dripping with sweat. For a moment, he simply stared forward in pure and horrible fear, seeing nothing and hearing nothing other then his racing heart, until his senses kicked in and he slowly came to. Gradually, the shell-shocked captain realized both his ankles and wrists were bound, and the thick, worn rope which bound him was tied to a huge, menacing rock with a smooth, grey surface. Hyourinmaru rested against the wall and appeared to be content, but Toshiro could hear the dragon roars of outrage in the back of his mind, and winced.

"Where am I?" He wondered aloud, and turned his head from side to side. A cave, it seemed, with stony walls and a relatively flat floor. There were some chair and table like structures carved from stone, with jaggered edges and dangerous curves, but usable all the same.

The air was silent. It almost seemed to hang off his shoulders. Toshiro swallowed, and he swallowed hard. He didn't like this. Not one bit. He was helpless in this position, with his only weapon beyond arm's reach; and the air settled on his shoulders like a fine mist, pushing him down.

Thump, thump, thump

Toshiro's eyes flared open, and his ears hunted the still air for sounds like hungry hounds, and his needs were satisfied. Thump, thump, thump, echoing hollowing off the steely grey walls. Footsteps, he reasoned. Human footsteps, judging by its steady two-by-two rhythm. Left then right, left then right. Toshiro tensed his body and searched the room with his eyes. He couldn't see any clear entrance, but he noticed that the cave seemed to curve into a rough bend. The 'thing' was walking down the corridor, walking right towards him.

And then 'it' appeared.

Toshiro's eyes widened in horror.

It was an arrancar!

A man clad in the jet-black attire of the shinigami strolled into the room. The monster paused in the centre of the dimly lit room, and the empty black sockets of his bleach-white mask stared blankly out at the former captain. It looked like the skull of some sort of large cow or goat, with its huge glinting horns curving sharply towards the ceiling, and its narrow, chipped muzzle ending in a smooth, fine point. At his waist was a sword, and the scabbard hugged the blade, showing off its battle worn exterior. The arrancar was tall and his shoulders were board and muscular. He looked in his early-mid twenties, but Toshiro couldn't be sure until his face was revealed. Not that it could be revealed.

Toshiro glared at the arrancar. "Where am I, arrancar?" He demanded, and his voice was harsh. The arrancar stared back at him. He almost seemed to be assessing him. And then, wordlessly, he reached out and tugged his mask away.

Toshiro gasped.

It wasn't an arrancar at all, but a man with a head of messy red hair, and calm, collected aqua eyes. Definitely in his early twenties, Toshiro decided, if the rough cheek bones and narrow eyes were anything to go by.

"My cave," The man said, and his voice was as flat as his expression. One of lifeless vacancy. Unfeeling eyes, void of emotion. It was kind of creepy. "My name is Kano Ashido. I found you in the Forest."

"Why am I tied up?" Toshiro asked, and he eyed this Ashido character wearily.

"I wasn't sure if you were a shinigami or not," Ashido explained, and he pulled a knife from his sleeve. It glinted threateningly in the silvery light that reflected off the smooth rock, and Toshiro's eyes never left the blade, even as Ashido knelt to cut through his bonds. "some arrancar have the ability to change form to a certain level or another. I wanted to be careful."

"I see," Toshiro rubbed his wrists as Ashido grabbed Hyourinmaru, and tossed him over to the white-haired boy. Toshiro caught it firmly in his hand, and flinched slightly at the faint throb in his wrist. "You're a shinigami?"

"Yes," Ashido confirmed. He sat down in one of those chair-like carvings, and sniffed around in his shihakusho for something to eat. Eventually, he found a hand full of nuts wrapped carefully in a bag of black cloth, and he popped on in his mouth. "Are you hungry?"

"No. Thanks for offering, though."

Ashido did not reply, but instead continued to chew on his nuts, almost thoughtful as his jaw moved up and down. His eyes were blank. Toshiro shifted anxiously on the dusty floor. The silent was somewhat oppressing.

"Why are you down here?" He asked finally, when he could stand the dreadful silence no longer. "You're a shinigami, so why are you not at the Seireitei?"

Suddenly, Ashido's eyes grew dark and distant, and Toshiro mentally cringed. He was treading on thin ice. Perhaps he shouldn't have asked? Toshiro, out of options, chose simply to remain silent, and let Ashido decide the outcome of the conversation, with his thin, red eye brows furrowed and his mouth a hard, straight line, seemingly etched in stone.

And then, surprisingly, Ashido answered.

"Almost a hundred years ago, hollow infuriated the Seireitei." He explained, and his voice was sober. "My companions and myself chased them back to Hueco Mundo, but one by one they were picked off. I was the only one that survived."

Toshiro's eyes widened in horror and disbelief. He had never heard of this before. Surely, Yamamoto would've known about Ashido and his brace comrades, and their successful attack that drove the hollows back to their own land. Why had no-one told him? It couldn't have been dismissed as nothing important!...Right?

Frowning, Toshiro nodded in acknowledgement, and went back to massaging his wrists.

"You should eat," Ashido said after a time.

"I already said I'm not hungry," Toshiro insisted, re-enforcing his earlier argument.

But Ashido shook his head, and his dirty red bangs shifted by his ears, and he jumped up and wandered away. His feet swept over the rocky floor and barely made a sound. Toshiro considered asking where he was going, but decided to keep silent. He was still in Hueco Mundo despite all appearance. Nobody just walked off, lest they become dinner for a hungry hollow. And this was Ashido's home, made evident by the furniture and his casual (well, semi-casual) way of moving about it. He wouldn't just leave.

Ashido returned, and held between his rough fingers he carried stale bread. Toshiro's frown persisted and Ashido remained impressive, and shoved the food into Toshiro's hands before he could protest.

"I'm not hungry," Toshiro repeated as Ashido sat down, and returned to his foul-looking nuts. Ashido was openly ignoring him. Toshiro twitched. "Listen!" he snapped.

"You must eat." Ashido commanded. "You will die if you do not eat."

Toshiro twitched again, but saw the logic in what the carrot-top said. Grumbling, he buried his teeth into the stiff surface and ripped it away, and chewed sullenly. It crunched loudly between his teeth, and worked like glue, sticking to the roof of his mouth. Ashido continued to slowly devour his hoard of nuts, and pointedly ignored Toshiro's frosty, prodding gaze.

"Kano," Toshiro said after a time, and he'd finished to swallow the tough bread. "this is Hueco Mundo, correct?"

"Yes."

"And if I recall correctly, we should be below the sand?"

"Yes."

"So...what is this place, exactly?"

Ashido nodded as though he'd been waiting for Toshiro to ask that very question, and he quickly stood and ushered Toshiro towards the cave mouth. It was tiny. Very nearly invisible in the jaggered folds of the cliff face, but Ashido managed to squeeze through, and Toshiro darted after him. Small as he was, wriggling through was easy. They walked out onto a small ledge just big enough for the two to stand together at a comfortable distance. Toshiro's body went rigid as he stared out, unblinking, at the scenery sprawled out before him.

He was in a forest.

But not just any forest.

There were no trees here. Just glinting columns of silvery crystal that twisted their way towards the surface, and drilled up and out through the hard rocky roof. Bathed in shadows was the forest floor, and it was completely void of vegetation. The smooth marble surface stretched on forever, and rocks leapt out and jerked towards the unseen sky, like hands reaching out, up towards the heavens. And then there was the moaning; the moaning of hollows as they sulked amongst the stones, and the monstrous, echoing steps of the Menos Grande as they dragged their heavy white feet across the ground, and their bead red eyes burned with a wild, forever-unsatisfied hunger.

Toshiro gaped.

"This is the Menosu no mori," Ashido explained emotionlessly as he gazed out across the stark landscape, and his face was indifferent. This, too him, was home "Forest of Menos."

"Incredible." Toshiro gasped. He'd never seen anything like it in his entire life as a shinigami.

Ashido just hummed softly in response.

0-0-0

Rukia was bleeding.

It was her hip. The blood was fresh and dark, and ran warm and slick down her side. Her blue eyes sizzled, and her entire frame shuddered as the hollow charged towards her with a blood-thirsty roar; and, ignoring the searing pain that burned in her side, Rukia launched herself into the air. With a hard flick of her wrist and a cry, she slit the beast's mask open with her katana, and the cracks, huge, gaping and black, sped across the bleach-white surface, and then it was gone.

As Rukia touched against the ground, Ikkaku came bounding into view, and his face was alive with glee. The hollows fled from his bloody blade, but the man was too fast, and one hollow after another was cut down with a magnificent swipe of his Houzukimaru. Yumichika danced after him, and his four-bladed sword flashed, and the hollow's body fell limp and smouldering against the colourless earth.

Ichigo roared, and Getsuga Tensho slashed through the ceiling, and silvery sand poured in like flood waters, and the hollows were devoured by its rushing currents. Sado's face darkened with concentration as he balled his fist and sent another fiery blue ball soaring through the still air, and it smashed against the unsuspecting hollow, who disappeared. Renji laughed a hooting laugh as Zabimaru cut through the air like a knife through butter, and the hollow shrieked with fear and rage as the steely grey blade dug through their masks, and they blurred out of existence, and were carried by waters unseen to begin another.

"Everybody okay!" Ichigo demanded as his feet skidded harshly against the floor, and everyone but Rukia nodded in confirmation. Rukia hobbled over with a hand to her side, and already her reiatsu was eating the wound away, and her flesh was re-forming.

"Rukia!" Ichigo exclaimed, and he rushed over. "You alright!"

"Yes, you fool," Rukia snapped, but she couldn't help but feel secretly pleased by his concern for her well being. He was such a caring young boy. "it's only a small wound. It'll be gone in a moment." Even as she said the words, the cut vanished, and Rukia clapped her hands together with a smirk. Watching Ichigo's face, Rukia felt smug. He sucked controlling his reiatsu. He didn't even understand how you were suppose to use it to heal yourself using it! Idiot.

"Where are we?" Renji wondered, and he stared around in open amazement at the vastness of the place. Ikkaku scoffed.

"Who cares?" The bald man yelled. "There's heaps of hollow here! Many great battles to be had!"

"Calm down, Ikkaku," Yumichika advised gently, smiling. "it's not beautiful to rush into things."

"Where's Hitsugaya-taichou?" Rukia asked as her violet eyes flickered from once face to the next. She saw no boy with spiky white hair and icy turquoise eyes. She thrust her reiatsu outwards, stretching and stretching and stretching, but she found nothing but the barely-there reiatsu of low-level hollows, hiding themselves amongst the crumbling stones of the battle field, terrified of being killed.

"Yeah, where is Toshiro?" Ichigo wondered as he, too, noticed the boy's sudden disappearance. Engrossed in fighting as he had been, he hadn't had the time to take everybody's being there into account. But now he clearly saw that Toshiro was gone. And fear began to bubble in his stomach.

"I can't feel his reiatsu," Rukia reported.

Now everyone was looking round, and one by one they began to fight off panic. They were lost in this unknown and hostile land of hollows, and now Toshiro was gone. If he was conscious, he was definitely off fighting hollows; but if he wasn't conscious, then it was only a matter of time before he was eaten.

"We've gotta find him!" Renji looked around wildly. "Which way should we go?"

"Who's to say?" Yumichika said mildly. "There's no telling where he might be."

"Then," Ichigo scratched the top of his head and frowned. "what should we do-"

Ichigo's musing was cut off by a shrill shriek, and no sooner had the sound reached there ears did a child clad in a dragging green rag stumbling into view, with an army of ravenous hollows surging after her like a tsunami, hungry for blood. The child was screaming at the top of her lungs, and was running as fast as her tiny legs could carry her.

"A child!" Rukia gasped.

"Come on!" Ichigo grew Zangetsu and bounded off the ledge, and the others hurried after him. The child cried out in shocked pain as she tumbled over, her foot caught on a lose stone, and she sprawled against the white dust, and lay coughing as the hollows closed in.

"Some no mai, Tsukishiro!"

In a flash of winter white, several of the hollows were devoured by Rukia's ice, and it gleamed like diamonds in the dim lighting as Ichigo's huge sword swung down, and another hollow was destroyed. Sado fired a reiatsu ball, and Renji sent Zabimaru speeding through the air like a snake. Ikkaku roared with laughter as he ran towards the hollow with his head held high, and Yumichika skipped after him with his purple eyes sparkling.

Within minutes, the hollows chasing the child were eliminated. Rukia hurried to the kid's side while Ichigo and Renji chased the few remaining off into the cliffs, and Ikkaku did his Lucky-Lucky dance in the corner with Yumichika shaking his head. Sado observed awkwardly.

"Are you alright?" Rukia asked seriously, and she tugged the hod off the girl's head-

She gasped.

The girl had big, droopy eyes and a head of curly aqua hair, barely long enough to brush against her neck. There was a thick red mark riding the bridge of her nose, and it closely resembled something like a splat of red paint. Her nose was running and her lips were quivering and her eyes were watering. But what really got Rukia's attention was the bleach-white mask stuck to the child's head. It looked like the head of a ram, with the curving horns made of round ring-like folds, but it was marred by a deep black crack that stretched from the muzzle to the other side.

"Th-thank you for saving Nel!" The girl squealed, and Rukia blinked herself back into reality.

"Ah...It's perfectly alright. Do you feel any pain?" Rukia asked seriously. Now was not the time to be worrying about the mask.

The child, Nel, shook her head. "Nope."

"Good."

"Hey, hey, miss, have you seen two hollow?" Nel asked, and she sounded a little desperate. "One's really thin with an ant mask and he's names Pesche and one's really big with a huge mask and eyes and he's names Dondochakka! They Nel's brothers, they are!"

Rukia's frown hardened. So the child was an arrancar! But...she didn't seem dangerous. Surely, not to them, having been running from hollows so low in the ranks.

"No, I'm sorry," Rukia said, and Nel hung her head in defeat. "I haven't seen any hollow like that."

"Oh, Pesche! Dondochakka!" Nel wailed. "Are you alright? Where are you now?" She looked on the verge of tears, and Rukia could do nothing less but gather the girl in her arms and stroke whatever hair she could while Nel struggled to hold back tears.

"That's the last of them!" Renji reported as he and ichigo reappeared beside Ikkaku, who had finished his ridiculous dance and was now yelling at Sado for wearing such a freaked out expression. "How's the kid?"

"She's fine." Rukia announced, and she straightened herself and cradled Nel in her arms, like she was a baby. "She was looking for her brothers."

"Like we're looking for Hitsugaya-taichou?" Yumichika inquired.

Rukia nodded and Nel scrambled up onto Rukia's shoulder in order to get a better look at her new company. She took in the jet-black uniforms and the katana hung at their belts and their lack of masks...and almost fainted from shock right then and there.

"Y-You're shinigami!" She screamed, jabbing a finger in Ichigo's direction. "You're bad guys!"

"Bad guys!" Ichigo scoffed. "We just saved your life!"

"Child," Yumichika said, and he rudely shoved Ichigo would of the way ("Hey! Don't push!"). "do you know anyone who would kidnap a shinigami?"

Nel glared furiously at Yumichika, with his weird bowl cut and his fancy pink-and-yellow feathers and his unnatural purple eyes, but after a warm glance from Rukia, Nel caved.

"I know one," She informed them slowly, and instantly all eyes were on her.

"Who?" Ichigo demanded.

"A red-haired man-thing that lives in the cliffs." Nel explained, and she raised a chubby finger towards the heavens, and each looked up in turn, and their wide eyes travelled up, up the towering slopes. Cracks ran through them like wrinkles in clothing, and caves were sprinkled across the dull grey surface. "He lives somewhere up dere."

"How are we going to find him?" Ichigo sighed. "We can't check all the caves."

"He comes out at night," Nel continued in an ominously low voice. "and kills 'ollows. When shinigami come here he drags them off and no one ebber seen from dem again."

"Night?" Ikkaku sounded sceptical. "Isn't it always night here?" His question, however, went ignored.

Yumichika's face was grave. "Never seen again?"

"Nebber!" Nel confirmed triumphantly.

"We'll have to wait until night," Renji decided. Then he cast a doubtful look at the roof. It stretched on forever, and only lest the faintest scraps of light through. And even then, it was only the luminous glow of the sliver of moon that hung eerily in the black sky. All in all, it wasn't very much. "if we can't tell the time, anyway." He added rather dryly.

"I just said that," Ikkaku huffed, offended.

"He'll come out eventually," Ichigo said confidentially. He needed to be confident. It was all they had to go on. "let's hide somewhere and wait. I'll go on first watch," He said quickly, before anyone else could volunteer themselves.

Tired and worn, the group huddled together in a small cave at the case of the cliff. It was a tight squeeze (for everyone but Rukia and Nel, anyway), and Renji found he was uncomfortably close to that feathery narcissist from the Eleventh. And that feathery guy wasn't overly pleased about the set up, either, but Yumichika didn't complain. Complaining wasn't beautiful, and Yumichika hated not being beautiful. Ikkaku nodded off pretty quick, to everyone but Yumichika's astonishment, and Nel snuggled up in Rukia's lap like a fuzzy little cat. Sado, big as he was, took up a lot of room, and found himself propped up against the wall with a good many of the zanpaku-to. Ichigo held Zangetsu close and his amber eyes flickered from side to side, alert for danger, as he sat outside on watch duty.

Time was still. Or so it seemed. There was no evident of the passing of day and night in the strange, crystalline forest they were trapped in. But when Ichigo felt sleep calling him, Sado eagerly took his place, and Ichigo compacted himself into a ball at the very back of the snug cave, and instantly dropped off.

As Sado stared wearily up at the 'sky', he couldn't help but wonder what was happening at the Soul Society. Surely, by now, their missing would've been noticed. Toshiro's and Renji's above all others. But Sado shrugged it off. There was no use worrying about something he couldn't change.

The hours ticked by. Yumichika swapped places with Sado; Ikkaku swapped places with Yumichika; Renji swapped places with Ikkaku; and Rukia swapped with Renji, despite his protests. He obviously in dire need of sleep, but his desire to keep Rukia happy and healthy won over his senses. So Rukia smacked him over the head and chased him into the cave, and warned him with icy eyes not to disturb Nel, lest he wake to find his spiky red hair had mysterious vanished.

Rukia plodded outside and sat down, and ran her delicate fingers through her raven locks. The lengths she would go for a friend amazed even herself sometimes. She gave herself a quick shake, and then grabbed her zanpaku-to in a tight grip and rested it on her knee, and her entire body went tense, alert for danger and ready for battle.

Unseen by Rukia, high, high above her head, hidden in the misty shadows of the cliffs, was a hollow, and its beady red eyes gleamed with malice as it stared down at the shinigami. And, suddenly, the hollow's skin began to flicker, to fade, and started to take on a different shape, leather giving way for skin, pale and smooth and luminous, and eyes of red giving way for eyes of blue, bright and cunning, and a waterfall of bouncing blond hair cascaded down its back. The stout limbs went long and slender, and five delicate fingers curled like claws. Hips formed, and a short skirt of white tinged blue lace swirled about it's thighs. A tank-top of bleach-white hugged the newly form torso shamelessly, and the top was low cut and revealed it's silky shoulders. The sleeves ran all the way along the creamy arms, caressing the skin, only to stop half way along the hands. It's thin dainty feet were wrapped in silk-socks and they slid effortlessly into high-heeled shoes of pure white, with glossy black lines running along the edge.

The hollow-now a young gir-l-examined the shinigami for a moment longer, its dark eyes calculating, and then she was gone, melting into her surroundings.

Master

0-0-0

"Huh?" The red-eyed, black-haired arrancar looked up, apparently searching for something, and Ulquiorra watched her closely, his emerald eyes curious; and cautious. Unease swelled in his stomach. Her red eyes were suddenly distant, blank and unseeing, and Ulquiorra knew she was using one of her abilities. She was communicating with one of them.

Suddenly her face lit up, and with a squeal of glee she jumped out of her silky red chair and bounded over to Ulquiorra, and, like she always did, she took his rough hands in her own, and grinned down at him. He met her joyful gaze with his standard look of indifference.

"Ino-chan found them, Ulquiorra-chan!" She sang.

Ulquiorra's face remained unchanged. But inside, he was gaping. She had created a little arrancar army of her own via the hogyuku, consisting of four females. A blond ditz; a pink-haired fangirl; a fair-haired wind warrior; and a dark-haired weapons master, all scarcely older then herself. At first glance, they appeared harmless. But closer examination revealed something sinister and cruel.

"We'll kill them," She decided in that painfully girly voice of hers, but there was a noticeable edge, sharp as a knife, and just as deadly. "since Toshiro-chama isn't there. I don't want to kill Toshiro-chama. I want to play with him."

"I see." Was Ulquiorra's nonchalant reply.

Just then, a rapid sequences of bangs assaulted the door, and Ulquiorra looked up sharply. The she-arrancar giggled and skipped across the short distance, with her black hair fluttering with her movements, and she pulled the door open to reveal a very pissed of Grimmjow, with his hands buried in his pockets and his blue eyes narrowed in annoyance. Hate burned in their safire depths when he noticed Ulquiorra, and Ulquiorra stared emotionlessly back, secretly taking pleasure in Grimmjow's discomfort.

Welcome to my world

"Ulquiorra-chan," She said sweetly, "you go with Grimmjow-neko-chan and-"

"Whoa, hold on," Grimmjow barked, and the veins in his forehead were popping. Had Ulquiorra been a more open and talkative person, he would've snickered. Grimmjow absolutely loathed his nick-name. Grimmjow-chan he could have handle. But Grimmjow-neko-chan? No way. Just thinking about it infuriated the blue-haired Espada and Ulquiorra being there to witness his reaction didn't soothe his temper. Nor did the fact that he couldn't retaliate by giving her a nice big black eye with purple rings, just to put her in her place. Not that he could beat her up, anyway.

She was too strong.

"I am not going on any mission with him," Grimmjow declared firmly. Ulquiorra's thin eye brow rose ever so slightly. Grimmjow truly was as dense as they came.

"But I told you to," She said in a slightly distressed tone, and Ulquiorra's body went cold. Grimmjow hadn't heard the warning. To Grimmjow, she was just being stupid, whining about how he wouldn't be a good little kitty-cat and do what he was told. But to Ulquiorra, she was threatening his very existence, as her anger reared it's ugly head like an hungry shark, and her rage consumed her, darkness swirling in her eyes like shadows dancing across fresh blood.

"Well," Grimmjow hissed. "you'll just have ta-"

"Grimmjow," Ulquiorra said quickly, suddenly, and Grimmjow looked at him in annoyance; and a little surprise. "Stop arguing and listen to what she was to say. To go against her is to go against Aizen-sama." Stop. She'll kill you. Make her happy. She'll kill you.

Grimmjow grunted. But, to Ulquiorra's relief, he stopped speaking, and gave their nameless master a curt nod. She giggled, that angelic, chiming sound that sent shivers down Ulquiorra's spin, and she took Grimmjow's hand and ran over to where Ulquiorra sat, dragging him with her. Grimmjow's face twisted with open disgust and contempt. Ulquiorra shot him a look that spoke volumes, and Grimmjow looked away, skilfully masking his snarl with the dim lighting and his blue bangs.

It was amazing how quickly the Espada had learned to communicate through their eyes alone. A month ago, Grimmjow would've ignored Ulquiorra's voiceless request, or simply have not understood.

"Ulquiorra-chan, you and Grimmjow-neko-chan will go to Menosu no Mori and kill them!" She shouted victoriously, and her eyes shone. "The shinigami. But," She added quickly, and she held a fragile finger in Ulquiorra's face. "you can't kill Toshiro-chama. You can't. If you do, I'll have you boiled alive." She stated the threat so happily, and with such a huge smile, that it was easy to miss the evil hissing and spilling just beneath the surface. Ulquiorra didn't, though, and neither did Grimmjow.

"Yes, mistress." Ulquiorra said, his voice deep with respect, and he bowed his head slightly.

Grimmjow didn't say anything, just scowled at the ceiling, and refused to meet her bloody gaze.

She looked at each one in turn, and then, smiling broadly, she dismissed them. Ulquiorra's face was as blank as ever as he left, but he was a little curious by her suddenly sending them away. Ulquiorra had been at her side constantly since her awakening because Aizen had given him strict orders to do so, and she had appeared to relish in his company. She was a weird child.

"Your hair is so cute!" Was the first thing she ever said to him. Befuddled, he had simply stared at her with his green eyes slightly wide, and she played with his greasy locks with a look of utter bliss lighting her pale features. Very weird indeed.

"I don't like this," Grimmjow hissed once they had walked for a time in silence, and her room was far behind them, a distant, chilling memory burning in their minds. "She's up to something."

"She likes to play with things." Ulquiorra said coolly. Grimmjow shot in a puzzled look. Ulquiorra obliged him and explained. "She enjoys playing with peoples' lives. She plans to kill of the shinigami quickly, and then lure Hitsugaya Toshiro in. She wants to taunt him. Mock him. Play with his emotions."

Grimmjow arched a blue eye brow. "You sure know alot for a baby sitter." He remarked cheekily.

Ulquiorra stared at Grimmjow. "She talks about her plans. She asks me about my opinion often."

"That's just weird."

"Hn."

"What're we gonna do?" Grimmjow inquired.

Now it was Ulquiorra's turn to look puzzled. "What are you implying?"

Grimmjow made an exasperated noise, like he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Jesus, Ulquiorra, wake up! That little bitch is pushing us around and Aizen-sama just sits there on his throne and smiles the whole damn fucking day! I will not become her play thing! Nor Aizen's!"

"Yelling will do no good." Ulquiorra told him sagely.

"Well, neither will staring!" Grimmjow shot back. "We gotta do something!"

"Grimmjow," Ulquiorra said slowly, and his pitch was dangerously low. "to go against her is to go against Aizen-sama. I'm not certain that even you, for all your bravado, are prepared for such an act."

Grimmjow lifted his lips in a sadistic smirk. "Wait and see."

! I own neither Bleach nor Naruto !

Oh, geez. Sorry for not updating for so long. I've been busy, I guess *sad face* I got a blood test yesterday. I've had pains in the abdomen for almost three months now. There's something wrong with me...

But on a lighter note...82 reviews! Woot! Thanks, guys. I really love reviews. They make my day!

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