For all those who've asked, I got a Toshiro T-shirt when I went to the New York Anime festival last... September I think. They only had one and it was just my size :P … but no I still haven't found it. Sometimes I keep thinking that it was only a dream that I have one (this happens to me A LOT) but my friend was there with me and saw it recently... maybe she stole it..

I really dont like this chapter, well I like the Momo Aizen part but not the Toshiro Ichigo part

Breathing heavily, Ichigo made is way down another infuriating hallway, probably going to lead him nowhere. Panting a little, he had become sure that Aizen had created Los Noches for no other reason than getting people lost. The endless corridors were an incredibly intricate maze that was about to drive Ichigo into insanity.

As he came to stop, he felt Toshiro move on his back. The boy wouldn't wake up from earlier, so Ichigo had just pulled him onto his back, piggy-back style. He knew Toshiro was likely to throw a fit about it later, but he was so small and it was convenient at the time.

When Toshiro moved a second time, Ichigo walked closer to the wall and put Toshiro down, leaning against the hard surface.

"Hey, you waking up?"

Toshiro tightened his eyes for a moment before opening them, taking a long look around his surroundings.

"Ichigo..." He rubbed his head. "What happened...?"

"You passed out. So I've been carrying you up till now. Ichimaru was supposed to be just outside the stairs, but he disappeared..."

The boy looked up, his serious expression the same as ever.

"Ichimaru? What's he doing?"

"Huh? He said he's been helping you, and he led me to you."

"He's been... helping me?" Toshiro frowned harder in concentration.

Ichigo looked at him curiously. "Do you remember?"

"No..." He shook his head slowly. "This past week or so has just been a blur."

And Momo.... She probably still hates me... Toshiro shuddered has the memory of her words rushed through his head. Those were the last things that were really clear to him, anything that happened after that was very odd and blurred. Was somebody helping him? He had a strange feeling that someone was holding him tightly, and maybe crying... so it must've been Momo. But maybe that was from earlier, before he had killed...

Hyourinmaru, do you know what's been happening?

Somewhere deep inside his soul, the ice dragon rumbled a response. No master, I was focusing on getting you back, I wasn't paying attention... forgive me.

Oh, it's okay...

Getting a headache, he looked up at Ichigo's worried face, and began to try to stand, giving up on trying to remember for the moment. With a sharp intake of breath, the soul reaper fell back again, clutching his side.

"Dammit..."

"Here," Ichigo handed Toshiro a metal canteen of water and removed some cloth from Toshiro's robe that had become sticky with blood. He looked around the bloody mess until he saw a small but deep cut near his rib cage.

"It's weird," The teenager said as he opened the canteen of water and began to pour it over the wound. "Considering how valuable you are to Aizen, I'd think they'd take better care of you. This wound is infected."

Toshiro winced as the water flowed across the delicate skin that looked black from the dried blood and dirt.

"What do you mean?" The soul reaper asked, still clenching his teeth. "How am I valuable to Aizen?"

"Huh? You mean you don't know?"

Toshiro shook his head at Ichigo's question.

The teen frowned, turning back to concentrating on cleaning the wound. "Your abilities with Hyourinmaru would make it possible for him to break the seal on the Hogyouku. So he hopes to use you in order to do that."

"What?!" Toshiro jolted. "He really thinks I can do that? But I-"

The boy stopped as Ichigo pushed him down. "Calm down. You're making yourself bleed more."

"Tch... I can do that myself!" Toshiro said angrily as Ichigo began to rip up cloth to make bandage. He grabbed it and started to wrap the strips around the wound, ignoring Ichigo as he did.

"Well," The teenager smiled a little. "I guess you haven't changed that much after all. Although you used to be even more cold."

"How can you say that, you barely even know me!"

"Ah, fair enough." Ichigo grinned as Toshiro finished patching up the wound

Taking a deep breath, Toshiro unsteadily got to his feet, doing all he could to ignore the throbbing in his side.

"How'd you get that wound anyway?" The substitute asked curiously.

Pausing for a second, Toshiro tried to remember. "I don't know... but it must've been a while ago."

"Hmm, whatever, I guess it doesn't really matter." Toshiro turned the other way, but Ichigo continued to stare at the boy.

It's bad enough that he has to have wounds like that, but when it happens so often that he doesn't even remember each one specifically, that's just sad.

"So where are we?" Toshiro inquired, looking around his surroundings.

"Uuhhh..." Ichigo's face went blank. "Well.."

The boy turned slowly. "Don't tell me..."

"Hey! This place isn't very easy to find your way through!"

"Ichigo!-" Toshiro stopped mid-yell, clutching his side.

Stepping forward, Ichigo reached an arm out to help him, but the boy took a step back and leaned against the wall.

"Hey, are you..."

"I'm fine." Toshiro breathed deeply and turned, facing down the hallway. "I think I can feel Hyourinmaru's spiritual pressure down this way, we should try to get there."

"Yeah, and probably run into Aizen on the way, really, Toshiro, how obvious is that trap?"

"You got any better ideas?"

"Uhh.." Ichigo stared helplessly at the boy's turned back. "No. Fine let's go."

It's strange... the teenager thought. I thought he would be different. I don't quite know how, just... different. But if anything, he's almost the same as ever. I don't get it..


Momo fidgeted with the edge of her clothes, staring nervously into the surveillance screen. Aizen was standing right beside her, and her eyes were wide with fear.

"Lil shiro..." She muttered his name under her breath as she gazed into the artificial light. He was hurt, but Momo could be happy that there was light in his eyes again.

Aizen gave a small smile. "Don't get too hopeful now."

Bringing her attention to him, she glared, though barely. "What are you talking about?

"They'll never get away. Even if Hitsugaya gets Hyourinmaru and everything, he would never leave you behind. And to get to you, he'd have to get through me. Face it, Momo, it's impossible."

"No..." Momo backed away shaking as she grasped her hands together. "No..."

She trembled, feeling her eyes filling with tears again. "You said... that as long you as you have me, Toshiro is under your control.

Let him go, Aizen!" The man look behind himself at her glare. "Let him go or I'll bite my tongue and end this! If I'm dead he won't listen to you anymore!"

Aizen smirked softly. "Now, now, Momo, we don't need to get carried away."

"I will!"

"No, you won't."

Momo paused in surprise. "Well, how do you plan to stop me."

The man didn't even bother to turn around, a small smirk still across his mouth. "I don't need to. First of all, you're too much of a coward."

Shrinking in anger, she found herself getting angrier. "I'm not the same that I was before! He'd die to protect me, and I know I would for him!"

There was only a small chuckle. "Even if you would, do you really want to? He's gone through all of this, would you really make all the suffering, all the innocent lives he's taken, and all the torture be in vain because, in the end, you're just going to kill yourself?"

Momo baked away further, her will crumbling.

"You won't do that to him. Momo, the only thing you can do is watch. That is your role in this."

Haha Momo really is worthless. But at least she isn't thinking as selfishly anymore. At first I really was going to have her kill herself, but then I decided Toshiro would be too devasted and then he'd probably just go kill himself and then it would all be very morbid.

For all those who've asked, I got a Toshiro T-shirt when I went to the New York Anime festival last... September I think. They only had one and it was just my size :P … but no I still haven't found it. Sometimes I keep thinking that it was only a dream that I have one (this happens to me a lot) but my friend was there with me and saw it recently... maybe she stole it...

I'm very proud, I can now play Sadness and Sorrow from Naruto with both hands on the Piano!! complicated part and everything!! yayyyy!! (Does happy dance)

I wanna Toshiro plushie doll... really really badly... I can hug him every night. Or a Lavi from d,gray-man plushie... I luv Lavi. But I luv Toshiro more... I'm gonna stop now. So plz review me... it would make me sooo happy... soooo veryy happy.... plzzzzz