Soifon woke to darkness. The floor was damp and sticky and reeked of blood. She had taken a bad blow from Aizen but when she touched her stomach, though her robes were crusty, she felt nothing but a deep bruise where his blade had cut into her. She sat up and squinted into the darkness.

"Soifon." she could see the gleam of Toshiro's white hair but it was not him who spoke, it was the substitute soul reaper.

"Ichigo Kurosaki, you should not have come to Heuco Mundo."

"Does that really matter now?" She fell silent, her eyes adjusting and she could just barely make him out sitting over the prone figure of the boy captain. He was unconscious.

"Was he wounded?"

"Aizen had his wounds tended to already. But he spent all his energy healing you and I. Soifon, what happened to him? I don't think he knew me."

"He's lost his memories, and that is the only thing saving us all right now."

"I see. Rukia told me what happened between him and the Head Captain, what her brother suspected."

"Byakuya should know better than to speak his thoughts, even to his sister."

"Everyone knows what the Head Captain was doing."

"It doesn't matter now. Who knows what Aizen could have gained from such knowledge? Hitsugaya himself became much more powerful with memories of forbidden kido."

She stood up and looked down at the boy. "Aizen got his memories back with the hogyoku, I'm sure he'll try with Hitsugaya."

"There were screams, earlier, while you were asleep. I think he's been trying to restore Ichimaru's memories."

"That confirms it then." Soifon's eyes flashed darkly and Ichigo realized her intentions. He stood up and put himself between her and the boy on the floor.

"What are you thinking?"

"You know it must be done. Aizen can never have that knowledge." the small woman said resolutely.

"You would kill your own friend?"

"He would understand, if he was himself. He did this to himself after all, wiped his own memory. He knows the danger."

"Yes, but there's still hope we'll be rescued."

"By Abarai and Rukia Kuchki? Give me a break, they're as good as dead if they're stupid enough to try to break in here."

Ichigo clenched his jaw in anger. "You don't know that."

"Look at us Ichigo! What chance do they stand? Now move out of my way."

"No."

"We're all going to die here anyway. His death will be far less painful than ours."

"You can't seriously be trying to justify this?"

"I said, MOVE!"

Ichigo blocked her punched and pushed her back but she was already whirling on him again. They were both weakened, but there was no seki seki in this prison, and soon the battle was happening at high speeds. If she'd had the strength, Ichigo knew she would have used shunko, the special attack she shared with Yoruichi.

While they fought, Toshiro woke unnoticed, startled by the furious battle that greeted him.

It didn't take him long to see the pattern: Soifon attacked in his direction, Ichigo fended her off. The space was so small that he kept feeling the wind rush past him, the two passing by him just centimetres away. There was a crash and some white stone fell lose to the floor, Ichigo along with it. A second later Toshiro found himself slammed into the wall, a slender hand around his neck. Soifon drew back her free hand, letting the remainder of her strength build into the white light of shunko, just around her fist.

"It will be quick." she said stiffly, her face tensed in a mixture of resolved and pain.

Toshiro watched her carefully, the hand hovered in indecision. Ichigo was getting slowly to his feet and he spotted their position, cried out to her to please stop. She was lost in the teal eyes, her whole arm shaking, unwanted tears creeping up in her eyes. "I have to." she breathed, more to herself than to him. He may not have been a captain, but he possessed the same strength of character as his old self. He was aware of the danger his existence caused.

"Its okay, Soifon, do it."

One single tear escaped before her mouth set in a determined grimace and she let her fist fall.

Ichigo screamed but he could not reach them in time. It didn't matter, however, dark spiritual pressure struck all three just as Soifon's hand reached Toshiro's face. His nose gushed blood but then they were all on the floor, Soifon's hand was gone from his face, she stared wide eyed through the bars.

"I should have known you would sacrifice him, Soifon. So very ruthless. I quite admire that in a woman. I would invite you to join me, but that decision is no longer mine. I leave it up to Toshiro." The pressure on the amnesic captain lifted, though the other two remained frozen on the floor. He sputtered and clutched his broken nose but found his way to his feet and looked to Aizen.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, you get to decide what happens to these two, though perhaps you don't really care was happens to Captain Soifon here, after what she just tried to do." He waved a hand and the female captain moaned and sunk further into the floor.

"No wait!" Toshiro protested and the pressure eased slightly again, Soifon gasped.

"Or perhaps you do." Aizen smiled. "So forgiving."

"What do you want?"

"Your cooperation. As long as you cooperate, no harm will come to these two."

"Cooperate with what?"

"The retrieval of your memories. I have been attempting to recover my lieutenant's memories but have failed up until now. He deserves a break, time for you to try. So what will it be?"

"Don't..." Soifon managed. He looked to her on the floor and then to Ichigo's intense gaze. He was Ichigo also begging him not to comply. But how could he let this boy be murdered by Aizen?

"I'll do it." Toshiro said and stepped toward the gates. Aizen opened them and he stepped out. The pressure on the others lifted as soon as it was shut.

"No, Captain Hitsugaya don't do this!" Soifon screamed after him.

"Toshiro..." but Ichigo didn't know what else to say as he pressed his face against the bars and watched the enemy lead the white haired boy out of sight.

Aizen led Toshiro to a large room, white, sterile, lots of metal, it looked like a hospital, or a laboratory. He noticed Gin was sitting on the edge of a bed, just pulling his white robe back on. Once Aizen guided Toshiro to a bed of his own, he left him to exchange a few words with his lieutenant. Toshiro couldn't hear them, but Aizen seemed to be making sure the other was alright. If he had been willing to hurt his own lieutenant in order to restore his memories, what would he do to Toshiro? The boy couldn't help but stiffen when Aizen returned to him and cupped his face between his hands.

"That Soifon sure is merciless." he said and slid one hand over to Toshiro's broken nose. He flinched in pain but in a flare of power he felt the cartilage repaired and the bleeding stopped.

"What now?" Toshiro asked when Aizen withdrew his hands from his face.

"Now we begin. I want those memories Hitsugaya. Gin has helped me narrow down the method but we have yet to be successful. Do not resist my attempts if you wish your cell mates to live.

"I won't." Toshiro assured him, though he wasn't exactly sure what he should do. He had to hope that if his memories did come back, his old self would then know what to do.

"And after," Aizen continued, "I really would like to know just how you managed to hold on to this much power, even when you're as helpless as a child." Toshiro swallowed but did not respond, Aizen raised his hands to his temples and suddenly all other thoughts were wiped from his head.

"This is it." Rukia said, coming to a halt just a kilometre or so from the palace. She looked back at Renji who held a struggling figure in his arms.

Renji was covered in wounds and burns, his clothes tattered, his hair askew in every direction but a huge smile plastered across his face. In his arms, still semi-unconscious but struggling all the same, was a heavily bound Uluqiuorra. His wrists and feet were tripled tied with physical bonds and spiritual bonds Rukia had placed on him. His black wings of his resurrection form were also tightly secured against his body.

"You sure this is going to work?" Rukia said raising an eyebrow at her friend. He nodded.

"After what I went through just to distract this guy so you could hit him with kido, I'm positive he'll wreak havoc on the palace."

"And give us enough time to rescue the others."

"Exactly, what could go wrong?" Rukia just rolled her eyes at her overconfident friend, but she knew that it really was their best plan. If they hadn't stumbled across the crazed espada, they would have had nothing up their sleeves.

"Okay, let's do this now, before I think better of it." Rukia lead the way through the thick sands, praying they could make it undetected through the gates of Las Noches.

Toshiro woke on the white bed, bright lights flashing before his eyes and a splitting head ache threatening to make him puke. He saw the brown eyes of his captor come into focus as he leaned close.

"You're awake I see. Any progress?"

Toshiro pushed himself up and when he tried to speak he could feel his gag reflex had already won out, but he didn't remember throwing up. In fact, he didn't remember anything that happened after Aizen had begun.

He reached for the water beside the bed but he couldn't seem to get his hand moving the right way so Aizen picked it up and gave it to him. He drank deep and stared up at the expectant eyes.

"I don't remember what happened."

"That is unimportant. What matters is if you remember what I need you to."

Toshiro strained his aching mind but still only remembered the moment he woke up in the smoke, next to the man before him.

"Nothing more."

"I didn't think so, your spiritual pressure remained the same. I have already concluded why that technique failed, we shall proceed to the next one."

He took the glass out of Toshiro's hands and got him to lay his hands in his lap.

"I have already determined why my own memories returned. I was at the verge of death, but the hogyoku restored my life, and in the process, my memories, like it reset me. I have been trying to use its power to restore your memories, but perhaps it can only be done in the process of saving your life."

He made a quick movement with his hand and Toshiro couldn't tell what happened until Aizen was whipping the blood off his blade. Hitsugaya's eyes trailed down to his hands in his lap and he saw the first lines of blood seeping out the parallel cuts along his wrists. His stomach flipped as the thin streams became a torrent.

"So, in order to get what I want," Aizen continued, sheathing his sword, "I will have to do precisely the same to you. You must be reset."

Toshiro couldn't speak, his body was going into shock and he only barely registered Aizen's hands on him, guiding him to lay down. His body felt cold and heavy, and he shifted his head on the pillow to stare down at the brilliant crimson that spread out from him, covering his hands, clothes, the sheets, and even pooling down onto the floor.

Aizen watched him dying, quietly smiling, sure that this time, he had found his solution.

Toshiro passed out long before his life had drained from him entirely. But sudden bright orange light pierced the darkness and he was pulled back. He was not sure whether he had slipped all the way over, or had been pulled back right from the brink, but when he revived he felt like he'd come from far, far away.

His head was still positioned to look at his wrists and he could see the wounds were gone, though blood covered everything. He could also see the colour slowly restoring to his flesh, though he still felt completely drained of energy. He felt Aizen stop before the healing was complete– it made sense if he thought he had been successful.

One blood covered hand came up to forced Toshiro's head around to look Aizen square in the eyes. Toshiro stared back, but his eye still reflected the child with no memories. Aizen didn't even have to ask him to know he remembered nothing and he pulled his hand away in furry. Fortunately he took his anger out on the tray of medical instruments beside them rather than on Toshiro himself.

"How can a simple spell be this powerful? What did Yamamoto do? If the hogyoku can't fix this then–"

His anger suddenly faded and he turned back to Toshiro, putting a hand on his forehead. "I stole you from the Soul Society, so why not her?"

Toshiro flinched under his touch but stared back up at the now calm and deeply satisfied eyes.

"Who?" he asked shakily, still suffering from blood loss.

"The only one in the universe who has the power to take things back to the way they once were. The girl who manipulates space and time and doesn't even know how she does it. The girl I let slip through my fingers. But not this time."

"A soul reaper?"

"No, a human. Orihime Inoue. If Yamamoto couldn't stop me from taking you, then there is no one to stop me from taking her."

Aizen lifted his hand and smiled to himself as Toshiro felt the pull of darkness once more and faded back into darkness, but as he went, he prayed quietly to himself, that someone out there was watching over the girl Orihime.

Grimmjow Jaggerjacks pulled against his restraints but a gentle hand came to rest on his shoulder and he calmed himself.

"Orihme, you shouldn't be up."

It had been three days since Grimmjow had been brought to the Soul Society. He had expected prison and torture but so far his wounds had been tended to and he'd been allowed to rest in a bed, though he was strapped to it, but it was no where near the evils he'd expected. But looking to the girl before him, he knew he owed his current situation mostly to her. If she hadn't pleaded on his behalf, he was sure he'd be laying chained in some prison somewhere. Once again, he owed this woman, his only ally to speak of.

That is why he was concerned that she was up and about when she had collapsed of exhaustion the day before after only having walked around for a couple of hours.

"Its okay, my bed is just down the hall if I need it, but I wanted to make sure you're okay." He looked down at himself, most of the wounds were well closed over, though he did look to be in bad shape by the number of bandages the covered him.

"I'm fine, really." He said, though he couldn't help yank at the restraints a little more.

"I asked them to release you but they said they couldn't."

"I don't remember much but I do remember that soul reapers are the enemy."

"Grimmjow..." She sat on the bed next to him.

"What?"

"What if you chose not to have your memories restored, once my powers heal?"

"What? Why would I do that?"

"Because...you might be happier this way. You seem less angry now than when I knew you before, and you were protecting me and Uryu even though you didn't know us."

"Hey, you know why I was doing that. I needed you. I still need you because I'm not going to live the rest of my life not remembering who I am." Anger had crept into his voice.

"No, its not the same. I know you want your memories back but I think you protected us because you knew we needed your help."

He snorted, "as if."

"Grimmjow, like I was saying, you are different, and I think Aizen did something to you, something that made you so angry you couldn't control it anymore. Something that made you forget every other emotion. I don't want to see that all come back because of me."

Grimmjow stared up at her and looking back into his azure eyes she knew everything she'd said was true. She may have gotten through to the old Grimmjow after being in captivity for weeks, but this Grimmjow had warmed up to her immediately, had protected her even before he knew her name. Aizen had definitely taken away this sense of honour, or caring, or whatever it was that made him so protective of her, when he'd turned him into an espada with the hogyoku.

"I don't know what happened, or why I worked for this Aizen guy, but I won't let you scare me into not taking my memories back. I need to know who I am."

Orihime sighed and stood. As she did so, a rush of blood to her head made her staggered and Grimmjow instinctively stained against his bonds to try to catch her. Something flared down his arms and he found himself free, his arms folding around her as she fell backward onto his bed. She blinked up at him as the black spots receded and her vision cleared.

Already, soul reapers were rushing into the room, alerted by the spike in his spiritual pressure. Hands were on him, he was forced to let go of her and a healer helped her out but Grimmjow couldn't help stare after the girl who had lost her own powers but seemed to be fuelling his own.

His attention was torn away from her as the Head Captain came to stand at the foot of his bed while two other Soul Reapers held him tightly on either arm. He wasn't struggling, just staring back into those ancient eyes.

"It looks like you've recovered enough. Time for you to answer my questions." The restraints on his ankles were released and the two soul reapers pulled him off the bed and to his feet. So much for the care and comfort. Time for prison and torture, he thought grimly as he was drug away from the house of healing.

Well I know its been a while since an update on this one. I got caught up in my other fic Poison, so sorry to those of you who've been waiting for this one! Hope you liked this chapter!