AN: So here's the 5th chapter of the story. Daym - I took a lot longer to update and I'm sorry for that. RL stuff in the way - work and all.

So - enjoy this chapter ad don't forget to review - and tanks to all who reviewed thus far, you're comments really gave me the desire to write further. ^_^

5th chapter - A Perfect Circle, Passive.

Chapter 5

"Homecoming"

The nighttime air was fresh and chilly. The wind was softly blowing through Souske's brown hair, slightly moving the strands of said hair. The man's eyes, which had the same color as his eyes, slowly ran through the bridge. Currently the man was standing on one of the bridges that crossed the river, which split Karakura Town in two. He was on the southern bridge to be exact, and was simply standing there, supporting himself by placing his hands on the railings, resting his legs. Naturally, he wasn't tired or anything, but he had to admit that these physical legs did feel a bit sore and uncomfortable, since the gigai simply lay there for years, forgotten and unused, waiting for its master to come in and take it away… as it happened in the end. It was only natural that this body would feel strained, but muscle atrophy was not possible, since it was a gigai after all and not a real human – just a costume, a shell. Empty one would say – but this gigai, in fact, was never empty in the first place.

This special gigai was safekeeping, or rather – storing something particularly important to me. Second only to the Hogyoku. Hmph – Toshiro Hitsugaya has a sharp enough mind to understand that I, unlike many, always have a plan B and even plan C in case all else fails. I never come unprepared. I always plan things out – be it years of planning and scheming or mere seconds, in which my plans are born.

The man wore that mysterious smirk on his face the entire time he had been in his gigai. The few people around wondered why the man was standing on the bridge while smiling at emptiness all the time, but they paid little attention to just some other man, who obviously had his reasons to smirk like that. No one minded him, that is until a bunch of guys and girl who were obviously in high school, and were not only out late, but also a bit drunk, decided to make fun of the man just because they found him entertaining.

Guy: "Hey dude – why're ya smiling like that? Something good happen? Like… your boyfriend decided to come back or something?" – the whole group laughed, and Aizen remarked a particularly annoying and stupid laughter from one of the girls, who looked much like a prostitute would. Of course the man had no intention to act against such puny insults of pathetic insects. But the ringleader decided that Aizen ignoring him was some kinda weakness that could be exploited and decided to laugh some more on the Shinigami's account.

Guy: "What – cat got your tongue? Or maybe yer too scared to talk? Ya fucking faggot. Suck it up and just stand there."

Truth be told, by this point Souske was starting to get irritated. He had always been calm and collected, but someone as low as this man insulting him would not go unpunished. No one dared to make fun of the uprising God. Especially not this insignificant cur.

Aizen turned around slowly, still wearing the trademark smirk.

Aizen: "I am afraid anything I say will be too difficult for you to understand. So – I am afraid I have to make an example out of you before your friends here."

The guy didn't even have enough time to talk back, anger creeping up on his face. Aizen grabbed the man's wrist and twisted it to the side, making the ringleader scream out in pain and drop the bottle of beer he was holding in his hand. Next Aizen simply punched his would-be opponent in his stomach, slamming all the breath out of him. The Shinigami was using just some few percent of his power and it was already more than enough to end the life of this trash.

As the others reacted, Aizen let go of the man's wrist and shattered his spine with a downwards elbow slam. Souske could feel the man's bones shattering, and it was evident that this teenager would forever remain a cripple, if he had survived this. His friends attacked, chaoticly, some using beer bottles as weapons. Was there something more pathetic than this, Aizen wondered. With a few well executed punches and throws Aizen had broken arms, lower jaws and a leg. The humans would remember this day well, and so would their girlfriends, one of which screamed and the other two lounged at the brown-haired man. With a distinctive "Hmph" the traitor chopped one of the girls on the neck, simply making her faint. The other met the same fate as the man thrust his index finger between her eyes, sending a small impulse of reiatsu straight into her brain.

He was done here, and perhaps it was time to move, until the police came by. Aizen had no time to lose and this was a bit troubling, since he could not use his reiatsu outside his body or without physical contact. And he had an appointment to keep.

The next very moment he heard a voice, which seemed oddly calm in this kind of situation. It came from behind him.

Voice: "Aizen-sama. I see you taught some ruffians a lesson. A necessary display of power, I believe." – then came a quiet chuckle and Aizen turned around finally looking upon the owner of the young sophisticated voice.

Before him stood a tall, slim young man. He was dressed in a black shirt and jeans, above the shirt he wore a completely white coat, which reached down to his feet. The man seemed to have his hair dyed pink and wore slim white glasses on his nose from behind which amber eyes looked straight into Aizen's own eyes. A smirk lingered on the man's face, as he bowed his head.

Aizen: "Szayel Aporro Granz. It is always a pleasure to see you. And almost on time too." – a hint of disappointment found its way into the Shinigami's voice, definitely on purpose.

The pink-haired Arrancar's grin grew even wider.

Szayel: "I am very sorry, Aizen-sama. I was… held, and I think this is not the best place to talk, seeing as this damn woman won't shut up. Let us go." – the arrancar scientist suddenly turned around and spayed a bit of white-colored smoke into the girls face, after inhaling which the girl stopped yelling and her eye went blank. Szayel added. – "Let us hurry now, before someone comes."

The two hastily walked away, in total silence which held until they stepped off the bridge. As they did, Aizen's smirk finally reappeared on his face and the man spoke with a deep, sympathetic voice.

Aizen: "It is good to see you are not dead, Szayel Aporro Granz. I am pleased that my bet on you surviving was not misplaced or wasted." – the traitor glanced over his arrancar servant.

Szayel(chuckling): "I was near-death, to be honest. That madman Kurotsuchi Mayuri almost killed me using some kind of drug on me. I had to experience a lot, but in the end they all thought I was dead, while in truth I am much alive, and my science is as close to perfection as it ever was." – Granz smiled, not looking at Aizen's face and instead bowing a bit as he turned towards his master. – "I am, in turn, glad to see you well and in good health – Aizen-sama."

The Shinigami turned away after nodding at his Espada. He needed to ask him a few questions and it would be wise not to wait with a matter like this, so the man spoke after a brief silence. The both were walking in the direction of the edge of the town, striding through the night.

Aizen: "Szayel – how many of the Espada survived? I had assumed most of you died, seeing as Ichigo and others arrived to fight me safely and using a garganta. Tell me everything – in detail."

Szayel: "That is true. Only very few of us survived. Amongst the dead are Yammy Llargo – the fool managed to get defeated in his released form by two Captains. Pathetic. Then there's Nnoitra Gilga who fell in combat with Kenpachi Zaraki. Also – Zommari Rureaux and Ulquiorra Cifer." – Szayel made a small pause, but then continued to speak in a slightly happier tone. – "Amongst the living are Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, Rudbornn Chelute, myself and Lilynette Gingerback, who survived after Starrk Coyote's death at the hands of his opponent." – Szayel watched his master while talking. He had noticed that Aizen was disappointed with Ulquiorra's death and surprised a bit that Lilynette survived, seeing how she and Coyote were one and the same. Then once again Szayel continued. – "There were… a few more survivors. Tia Harribel and one of her Fraccion also made it, including the former Tercera – Nel Tu Odelschwanck, who decided to cut away from our ranks and founded the "Resistencia" and are being a nuisance to us. We have also bolstered our ranks a bit with other Hollows which we made into Arrancar, but there was no one good enough to replace some of the previous Espada."

Aizen: "You don't need to worry about that, Szayel. As for filling the Espada ranks I have a plan… and good work, I might add. You did as I instructed and built a new fortress, is that right?" – Aizen looked at Szayel and the Arrancar nodded with a wide smile. So he was proud of his new creation too, and that meant that the fortress was either as good as the old one, or even better than it was before.

The two talked about some other things, and it was not long before they had exited the area of the town, the green plains stretching out before their eyes, trees and small bushes here and there.

Aizen nodded at his subordinate and Szayel flipped his fingers, touching the empty hair with a gentle motion. The space before them distorted and ripped open, revealing a black hole, shaped like a throat surrounded by teeth that seemed to want to swallow up everything.

The two stepped inside and disappeared as the maw closed behind them.

Toshiro Hitsugaya stepped out of the blackness of the Garganta and his feet momentarily hit the white sand, making a white cloud rise up, covering the small man for a few moments. The emptiness behind him closed, the wind started blowing straight into his back, as nothing was shielding him from it anymore. The Captain looked around, surveying the surroundings. He had been to Hueco Mundo only once, after Aizen's defeat when the forces of Shinigami were clearing out any possible remnants of the Espada and Arrancar army in general. And now this was his second visit to this dismal place – a vast, nearly endless desert filled with white sand, which strained the eyes and a full moon hanging above all the time. The world itself was depressing and dark and Toshiro couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine, which was not caused by the wind.

The white-haired Captain decided not to stand around any longer and started running forwards after putting the portable Garganta device into the pocket of his hakama.

Hours passed by and the man had not seen any presence of spiritual energy big enough to be a mediocre Hollow. All that he could see were small ones – those in shapes of bugs, scorpions or some kind of bees. Once though he could see a bat-like silhouette in the distance, but its reiatsu was nothing notable, and Toshiro had assumed that this Hollow was an ordinary one – not even Gillian level. So the hollow in the distance was ignored… after all – the Captain had bigger fish to fry, and that fish was not a hollow.

Soon enough Toshiro stopped running and began walking. Perhaps a day had passed or so, since there really was no sense of time here where it was always dark. The Shinigami began to grow tired, since he didn't have any rest since his prison break.

But he pressed on and his patience and determination was rewarded in full. After a while he saw Las Noches – the dome where his enemy resided back in the day and where he had created his Arrancar Army, which was defeated afterwards. All of the Espada were confirmed as dead, except one – the 6th Espada – Grimmjow Jaegejaques. But he had vanished without a trace and had not shown himself afterwards, so it was assumed he either bled to death or starved in a similar manner… or perhaps his corpse… or living body was torn to bits by other weaker predators. No one could really say what happened.

Hitsugaya Toshiro looked at the huge half-crumbled structure that this great fortress had become. The Shinigami specifically ransacked and destroyed it so that no one would be able to live in it and if someone did try to restore it – the Shinigami could see it. Shame the Seiretei could not keep closer watch over las Noches, since their technologies did not work here, so far away from Soul Society as Kurotsuchi Mayuri said when he was asked to install cameras in there. The scientist tried, but to no avail.

I have to find that bastard Souske. I know he's here somewhere and I bet he has no other place to go and perhaps he's still looking for that little something. I had intended to enter Hueco Mundo closer to the fortress, but something must have altered the course, if not my pitiful knowledge of how to use this device. I gotta hurry.

Toshiro flash-stepped towards his destination.

The white-haired boy stepped inside soon, going through one of the big holes in the wall. He ran through the hallways and corridors, until he felt a presence nearby. He entered one of the rooms, in which perhaps someone had lived, only to find a slightly humanoid-looking Adjuchas standing there, trying to salvage something from the broken fortress. The Hollow quickly turned around, noticing the Shinigami. It was twice if not three times bigger than Shiro, so it had assumed that he was stronger. The Hollow stood straight up, showing that he was even taller than that, his skull-mask was long and narrow, and on top of it were two slightly curved horns, which pointed towards the ceiling. The monster laughed and jumped.

Toshiro didn't even have to unsheathe his zanpakuto and stopped the Hollow's punch with a single arm. The boy frowned and grabbed the enemy by his fist, throwing him to the ground. The big mass slammed into the ground, breaking the floor, a single short scream escaped the monster's mouth before Toshiro broke off one of the horns and stabbed it straight into the Hollow's forehead. The Adjuchas' red eye closed and his body went limp – all the energy that sustained its existence faded away almost instantly.

Hitsugaya sighed and dusted off his white haori. A clapping sound broke the silence of the small hall. Toshiro's eyes went wide and he spun around as the Hollow did before, looking towards the other entrance that was opposite the one the boy came from. In the distance a figure clapped, leaning on the empty doorway. The man had brown hair and was wearing a white arrancar uniform with a long coat.

Toshiro growled.

Toshiro: "Aizen!"

Aizen: "It would seem that you and I are destined to meet like this, here and before. Is this what you simple mortals call Fate? Or is this just coincidence?" – the man slightly stretched his arms sideways, as if underlining his question.

Toshiro: "I don't give a fuck about Fate! All I know is that it's my Destiny to cut you down, bastard!" – Toshiro jumped straight at the man he hated so much, doing a long jump rather than going up. His katana already in his hand and the enemy still unarmed. Toshiro swung his blade downwards. The blade went straight through the man's chest area… and blood splashed straight into Toshiro's face, like a small fountain.

The white-haired man could see the eyes of the man before him, they showed that he was dying as they went hollow, the man falling down on his back. A few moments nothing happened, but then Hitsugaya swung his blade behind himself, making a wide slash. He saw a figure blur as he turned around and he could hear the distinct sound of shunpo. Aizen – the real Aizen stopped not to far away from him after performing a shunpo backwards to avoid the slash.

Aizen: "You are getting better at this, Shiro-kun. But as you can see I already released Kyouka Suigetsu, so there is no possibilities for you to win."

Toshiro(smirking): "That's what you think."

The Captain used a shunpo himself, appearing before the rogue Shinigami and slashed away at him 3 times, before making the man back away with a jump. Weird… Toshiro expected to get cut by now, but he wasn't. Well – that was good.

Toshiro wasted no time and before Aizen could land he released his Zanpakuto.

Toshiro: "Sit upon frozen Heavens – Hyourinmaru!" – and then gathered his reiatsu quickly. – "Bankai! Daiguren Hyourinmaru!"

The temperature quickly dropped and Aizen brought his hand closer to his face, breathing on it, noticing that his breath could be clearly seen as a small white cloud came out of his mouth. The man lowered his hand and smirked. In the mantime Toshiro's bankai had already formed – two wings made out of ice sprung from his back and five ice flowers formed behind him – four petals each. Toshiro raised his own hand, his wrist covered in ice and his fingers in shape of icy claws.

Toshiro: "Unohana-san once told me that the power of Kyouka Suigetsu does not work on those with high spiritual energy, and this way I am a lot stronger. I also improved over the years and you're gonna see how much – just before you die."

Aizen's face showed surprise as his eyes widened and his mouth opened slightly, but the man quickly regained his composure. Souske lowered his brows, as if concentrating on something, but as the few seconds passed his expression changed, a single world escaping his lips: "Impossible."

Toshiro lounged forwards at the man, his sword making a diagonal slash downwards with ice forming on the tip of his blade. Aizen quickly swung his own blade – the two swords clashed and the rogue Shinigami pushed Hitsugaya's sword away before it could reach him or throw any ice at him. The brown-haired man quickly disappeared, appearing behind the Captain, his blade going down for the kill. Toshiro's tail parried the enemy's weapon and the little Captain could not hold in his smirk when he saw Aizen slightly surprised.

The rogue Soul Reaper jumped backwards, ripping out his sword from the ice with visible effort.

Aizen: "How is this possible? How did you see me? I was using Kyouka Suigetsu on you – you should have seen me appearing on your right. This is…"

Toshiro: "That's exactly what it is. It's my win and now you can see the difference in our power." – Shiro used a shunpo and appeared in front of the traitor, his blade raised for an attack that would finally finish it.

A sword came out from the white-haired man's stomach, splattering blood over Aizen's own chest. Toshiro looked down in disbelief, watching the sword drawing back through his body. He slowly looked back and saw a man standing behind him. It was Szayel Aporro Granz, and the arrancar wore a satisfied smirk on his face as he backed away slowly.

Toshiro could feel his body going numb, his arms failing him – his legs bending. The Captain fell down on his knees. He looked back at Aizen, after examining his wound, the blood steadily pouring out of it. Shiro could understand that no vital organs were harmed, so why was he feeling like he was slowly dying?

Aizen stood before him, his smirk back on his face as he bent down and drew his face closer to Hitsugaya's.

Aizen: "It seems my plan worked perfectly. And just in case you are wondering – I was never using Kyouka Suigetsu during this fight. When you cut me it was something else I had used. Perhaps you've heard of it... Utsusemi. A high-level Hoho technique that only the very best can use." – Aizen straightened up and his smirk was replaced by a cold, ruthless expression. – "Sweet dreams, Shiro-kun."

Hitsugaya's vision blurred as he felt only the overwhelming cold. Even if the two were speaking he could no longer hear it. He was… dying? This could not end like this, no… no – he was supposed to win!

Pure endless darkness covered Toshiro's world.