Author's Note: Just a fun piece that I'm not quite sure where I'm going with, and will most likely be just a two-parter. This work is un-betaed, so please forgive any grammatical mistakes you might come across, hopefully they are very few.

Enjoy!

Dull.

Aizen Sōsuke had determined it to be the proper way to describe this period of waiting in the depths of Las Noches.

It was a necessary part of his plan, he knew that. He had long since revealed himself to the Soul Society, they knew what he was about to do now, and so he had to prepare.

The time of ripening. The time when he was to utilize the Hōgyoku to build his army of vastro lordes to substantial strength. Still, his darling espada were not nearly as thrilling as having the entirety of the thirteen court guard squad as his playthings. All those people to deceive and lead about in his grand puppet show... Hinamori had been particularly enjoyable, at first. But like all things, he had grown tragically bored. It had been high time to move on. He just didn't foresee this time of waiting to be so tragically... dull.

Yes, the espada were interesting enough. But in the end, they all looked up to him as their leader, their god. This was proper, of course. Aizen would not tolerate them to see him as anything less. However, it did get so dreadfully bland. Before long, he would just see the simpering face of that brat Momo Hinamori looking up at him with awestruck eyes.

And then Aizen would have to break them and find new toys to replace them. The poor things.

He rested his head against his fist, leaning back on the marble slate throne, a shocking bright contrast to the dark hall. He closed his eyes, letting his mind drift. His consciousness spread out, taking account of the reiatsu of those who occupied Los Noches. Two in particular caught his attention.

Ah, Zommari and Nnoitra were returning. It seemed like they had a gift for him as well.

This was the time of ripening after all. His army had not yet reached a suitable threshold to accomplish what he would need when the Winter Wars were to begin. It was for this reason that his ranks were dispatched every day, scouring the lonely expanse Hueco Mundo to find those suitable of joining Aizen's forces.

It had been quite a while since a worthy adjuchas had been discovered, who thusly became Aaroniero Arruruerie, his new ninth espada. Others... those were always so messy. Ones who could not handle the transformation of the hogyoku, those who simply did not have sufficient power to evolve.

This adjuchas being brought into the main hall though... it felt promising.

Seeing it up close was even more intriguing.

It seemed that Nnoitra and Zommari had not gone out recruiting, but hunting. Not all of the worthy adjuchas or wandering vastro lordes were entirely willing to meet with him, strange as it might seem. They were still precious, rare creatures though, not to be wasted by their own foolishness.

Aizen's two espada both held thick black ropes in their hands, and slung between them, tangled in the middle was a snarling, struggling, enraged little adjuchas.

To any common observer, it would be laughable. The thing was only a bit larger than a real world panther that it had come to take the likeness of. His energy however... was palatable. It was a survivor... strong. Its reiatsu had the striking taste of the forest after a rainstorm. It was clear and strong, untainted by the rot of regression that plagued the weaker adjuchas, destined to return to their gillian form. Aizen sat up, intrigued.

"Not too keen on coming, were you?" Nnoitra laughed, kicking the adjuchas in the gut, sending the bound creature skidding across the smooth stone floor, its inch-long claws digging into the obsidian as it tried in vain to get its bearings back. The rope had wrapped around him like a spider's web, binding his front paws together, around his muzzle and over his back. Plates of white armor covered its streamline body, black liquid oozing out of gashing wounds covering its torso and flanks. Aizen imagined Nnoitra had made great sport of the pitiful thing. Feisty as it might have been, it was hardly a match for Aizen's espada.

"I have no interest in damaged goods, Nnoitra." Aizen frowned, looking over the struggling cat. Still fighting, was it?

"Yeah, well it was fun pummeling the thing. Besides, he's still breathing, isn't he?"

Nnoitra was developing an annoying habit of bringing in any adjuchas he found, potential usefulness be damned. Out of all of his espada, Nnoitra took great delight in seeing them be blown up by the hogyoku. The adjuchas thrashed in rage and pain, snarling and snapping despite his critical wounds. His tail lashed against the ground, nearly cracking the stone. His head lolled to the side, glaring at Aizen now. A vivid blue eye snapped onto the man, glaring straight through him. It was an astonishing bloom of color in this black and white world.

An intriguing specimen indeed. For a moment, Aizen teased the idea in his mind of keeping this creature for himself. It would make a striking image, sitting on his throne with this beast curled up at his feet. More appetizing however, was the prospect of what kind of vastro lorde this rare, lovely adjuchas would make.

It was a gamble, but Aizen had not felt this awake in weeks.

He snapped his fingers, the ropes turning to ash, freeing up the panther. It writhed on the floor, getting to his feet. Without sparing a breath, it shot forward, lunching at Aizen with slathering jaws.

"How cute." Aizen caught the creature calmly by the neck, holding him at an arm's length so that it could thrash and fight all it wanted. "Now, listen to me adjuchas. I am going to give you a great gift." The creature didn't cease fighting, but its ears did flick forward ever so slightly. It was paying attention, good. "In return, you will serve me obediently and selflessly. From this point on... I am your master."

Aizen threw it to the ground, producing the hogyoku in his palm. The adjuchas gathered itself to strike again, but not before Aizen acted first.

More ropes shot out again, this time from unseen locations about the room. They grabbed the panther's legs, around its stomach, wrapping tightly about him as it attacked and struggled. Its tail whipped through the air, razor sharp but unable to do a thing as he was slowly wound tighter and tighter, roaring and shrieking all the while. Now it was a new kind of roar, one even new to the aduchas itself. One of fear. It was helpless against these things, and panicked as it was wound too tight to even struggle. It only stopped when the ropes bound his maw together, making it impossible for him to breathe. The last thing he saw was a white box being drawn around him, sealing him in...

The hogyoku was activated, and the captive adjuchas was torn apart.

The box exploded, shards of bone and mask vaporized into sand all save for the largest portions, littered around him like a broken nest, containing the curled up, stark nude body of Aizen's newest vastro lorde.

His wounds were gone, and now his skin was smooth, returned to naked flesh and blood save for the wild jaw of his remaining mask, and the dark hole at his navel. He was curled up in the wreckage of armored plates that had once composed his body, his hair a wild mess of that same vivid blue. Zommari was unfazed, and Nnotira looked vaguely put out that this transformation had not resulted in the same gorey end that all the others had.

Ah, but those lovely eyes remained unchanged. A bit smaller now, but it only seemed to focus the panther's fierce nature. Already, it was forcing itself up onto its hands and knees, breathing heavily, the muscles on its back and arms flexing as his chest heaved, trying to get a grip on the massive, reeling change.

The power.

He had never felt so strong before. Was this the legendary power of the vastro lorde that his comrades had given up on?

If only they knew.

He felt as if he could do anything. Be anything. His blood burned with fire and felt like it was shooting out of his ears and his eyes. If he wished it, he could reach up and pull the stars from the skies, tear the horizon asunder. Nothing could stop him now.

Nobody.

"You... just made a big mistake." The man's voice was deep and harsh. His nails dug into the ground as he looked up at Aizen with those wild eyes. "Making me stronger. Cause now I'm going to show you who the real master is!" He snarled, pouncing forward with a sudden burst of energy that rippled about the room, actually causing Zommari to skid backwards across the floor.

"And his name is Grimmjow Jaeg-"

He was cut off as Aizen tilted his head, and Grimmjow was floored.

The world came crashing down on him, the air was solid and thick as stone.

There was no describing a spiritual pressure like this. It was beyond crushing. He could feel his newly reconstructed bones groaning to support his body, his mind going blank as he slowly suffocated. Grimmjow didn't even have words for it.

Di Roy had always talked about finally achieving vastro lorde... Grimmjow looked up at the man cooly smiling over him with difficulty. His breathing was coming in pained gasps, and didn't seem to fill his lungs at all. Could he have ever imagined that there was something... beyond that?

If there was, Grimmjow had just met him. Something incalculable and incomprehensible. Something worlds beyond that horizon that Grimmjow had only just now dreamed of touching.

Something impossible to reach.

But that didn't mean he wasn't going to try.

"Still fighting, are you? My, how spirited." Aizen walked down from his throne, down to the writhing, suffering, newly born vastro lorde. He crouched down beside him, scooping up Grimmjow's head, stroking his soft cheek. Such fight in this one.

Though he was struggling to breathe, Grimmjow gripped Aizen's arms tightly, teeth bared in a hiss. Those brilliant eyes were trained on him fiercely, narrowed with loathing.

"I'm... going to fucking kill you." He struggled to spit out through gritted teeth.

Aizen laughed, something that even caused Nnoitra to balk in surprise.

"Boys. Tell Halibel that she is unneeded in my chambers tonight. I do believe I have found a new pet."

(Short and pretty tame. The next chapter will be a bit longer and quite a bit more 'M' rated so stay tuned =) )