It snowed the other day and I got this little idea for a short story.

I haven't wrote anything in a seriously long time so I can only apologize for any mistake. I feel like parts of this don't flow very well but I think it's something that I'm simply going to have to work on with practice. I hope you enjoy anyway.

Time and time again had Grimmjow been confronted with oddities in the past few months, the human world was a complex and bizarre place for a being that had grown and lived in a realm of perpetual darkness. Hueco Mundo was a dead wasteland, habitually silent until broken by the screams of agonized hollows. Life was relatively simple and straightforward. Fight, feed, consume, and grow stronger. Repeat for eternity or until a creature of greater strength takes you down. The desert, in its unchanging vastness, had been the only home Grimmjow had known for uncountable years.

Life in the human world had come as a shock to the senses. All of them. Everything moved, everything made noise. On the days when Grimmjow had ventured into the city he was sure his head would explode from the sensory overload. People, vehicles, flashing lights, automatic doors, sirens, the different smells of food in the air; it was enough to give him a headache. Even in the quieter suburbs there was life to be seen everywhere. Grimmjow couldn't quite decide if he was disgusted or fascinated by this world.

Day to day he usually managed to bluff his way through his ignorance but he was undoubtedly a curious person and sometimes the unfamiliar aspects of the human world threw him for a loop. The first time he saw an airplane pass overhead as it ascended towards the clouds had him wide eyed, a stunned, "what the fuck?" tumbling from his lips. Even something simple as seeing Kurosaki's younger sister maneuvering a loud, plastic device around the living area had made him do a double take.

"It's a vacuum cleaner," Kurosaki had informed him in a bored tone pushing him aside. "It's for cleaning dirt off the carpets."

"Right," was all had responded with, frowning at the unnecessarily loud device before following the other male into the kitchen.

He could ask a thousand questions about the things he saw around him but that would give Kurosaki the pleasure of mocking him. Are you starting to like this world, Grimmjow? He could picture the smug smirk tugging on his rivals lips, just as he could picture himself punching said smirk off his face.

One of the most interesting changes he was becoming accustomed to was the weather. In Hueco Mundo it was dark and still whereas here the weather could change from one moment to the next. When he first arrived in this world and was stuffed into this flesh prison called a gigai, he was told it was the beginning of summer, and the weeks that followed had been some of the most unpleasant in his life. Grimmjow liked the heat from the sun, he really did, but the humidity had been awful. A simple walk down the street had sweat gathering in places he didn't want to think about. Even when the clouds congregated and it rained heavy for days on end, Grimmjow would find himself perched under the air conditioning unit. The rain itself was another thing. He hated being out in it - wet clothes clinging to his frame was just plan uncomfortable - but otherwise he enjoyed the sound when he was warm inside.

Lately it had been cold out. The type if cold where Yuzu insisted that everyone in the household was to wear gloves and scarfs when going outside to prevent illness. It was dark more than it was light, Grimmjow had noted. Sunset came in the late afternoon and many times it was still dark when Kurosaki rose in the morning to go to school. When he exhaled he could see his breath mist up in front of his eyes and the wind was icy cold on his cheeks. It was all so foreign to him, not knowing what to expect one day to another. The humans could apparently predict the weather patterns – how he had absolutely no idea – but even then this world could always dish out a few surprises.

He'd woken up in the early hours of the morning, the pressure in his bladder uncomfortable enough to pull him from the deep sleep he was in. With a groan he rocked himself onto his feet, one hand running through his wild hair as he squinted in the dark. A little light from the streetlights outside made its way through the curtains and Grimmjow was able to see the outline of Kurosaki sleeping soundly in his bed. The thought of smothering him with a pillow flashed briefly through his mind before he dismissed it with a shrug. Instead he stepped over his own futon on the floor and paced quietly out of the room towards the bathroom. They'd been sharing the small space of Kurosaki's room for around 8 months now and had grown more comfortable than ever being within each other's presence, but the thought of killing him still entered Grimmjow's mind on occasion. Not that he'd stoop low enough to kill someone in their sleep. But giving him a scare would be quite funny, Grimmjow mused, watching him flail in panic as he believed his life was about to be snuffed out.

He smirked to himself as he entered the bathroom, nudging the door shut behind him but not bothering with light switch; it would only irritate his eyes as this hour. Going about his business, Grimmjow's eyes were drawn to movement on the other side of the window. The glass was frosted making it difficult to see but an almost ethereal light was shimmering outside and the motion of something continuously fluttering past the window.

Even with his keen eyesight it was impossible the clearly see what was happening and that only drove his inquisitiveness higher. He tucked himself back into his sweatpants and flushed the toilet, stubborn curiosity winning out.

Ichigo Kurosaki valued his sleeping time. Between studying his way through the tough Japanese education system, his duties as a substitute Shinigami and now living with and guiding a restless, short-tempered ex-Espada; sleep had become a precious act which he despised being interrupted. End of term exams would be starting within a month so the pressure to study was always at the forefront of his brain. Even when he was called upon to vanquish a hollow in the area, Ichigo found himself thinking of his homework and subtracting the time it'd taken him to win from the amount of sleep he would be getting that night. His Shinigami duties could not be ignored though, however any other distractions were most unwelcome and the sources of those distractions were usually met by his stress induced ill temper.

Tonight ended up being different though.

He couldn't remember what dream he was having, but he remembered hearing noises from outside his dream and a weight on his legs. He muttered and tried to roll over, stuck somewhere in between his dream and semi-consciousness, but the weight on his legs made it impossible to roll onto his front as his body wanted. He tried to squirm but the pressure did not lift, kicking didn't work either and small amount of panic from being trapped rumbled his consciousness. Flailing a little, Ichigo frowned and groaned before finally peeling his eyes open. It took a few seconds for his mind to catch up, the darkness in his room doing nothing relieve his confusion, but after pushing himself up onto his elbows he could just about make out the form of a person kneeling over his legs.

"…What the… Grimmjow? The hell are you doing?" Ichigo hissed, squirming as he tried to wriggle his legs out from under the other man's weight. "Will you move?"

"Kurosaki, what the fucks going on?"

Ichigo stopped struggling at that serious tone of the question and frowned instead. When he squinted he realised that only Grimmjow's legs were visible, his upper body hidden behind the curtain that covered the window to the right of Ichigo's bed. Grimmjow's knees rested on the mattress and his shins were what were currently trapping Ichigo's own somewhat painfully. Grimmjow was no featherweight after all.

He pushed himself upright and prised his legs free. "What are you going on about now?" he sighed irritably as he yanked the curtain back to join Grimmjow at the window. "What do you…?" He trailed off seeing what had undoubtedly captured Grimmjow's interest.

Fat, heavy snowflakes fell quickly from the sky, landing on the already snow covered ground. The road, the cars, the bushes and trees had accumulated a heavy cover of untouched snow, at least several inches deep, giving the depiction of a perfect winter wonderland. The scene took Ichigo by surprise, while the weather forecast had said there was a possibility of snowfall for the area; it was unlikely for it to be heavy. Tokyo and the nearby cities didn't see heavy snow often and when it did it was usually only for a short period of time and melted soon after leaving icy paths and sludge on the side of the roads. He hadn't seen snow like this for many years.

What came as a greater surprise was the realisation that this was the first time Grimmjow had seen snow in his entire life. And the expression of confusion and endless curiosity on the ex-Espadas face suggested he didn't even know what snow was.

And how could he, Ichigo realised suddenly. He spent his afterlife in a lifeless, unchanging, desert with his memories of his human life long forgotten. The existence of snow was just another thing to add to the list of things he did not know. That very thought made him feel somewhat sad, recognising that the man in front of him had so little life experience. He could have lived 10 of Ichigo's lifetimes, likely more, but the expression Grimmjow wore was a reflection of the one Ichigo's 6 year old self had worn when his family went north one year during the winter. Utter child-like fascination, captivated by the scene in front of him. And Ichigo could only watch, his irritation at having being woken at stupid o'clock died instantly, as Grimmjow pressed his forehead to the glass, leaning forward the try and look further up the road to see if the snow extended beyond what he could see. His fingertips rested lower on the window and light reflected off the stark white snow seem to make his blue eyes glisten with excitement.

Ichigo had witnessed many of Grimmjow's 'firsts' since he began living in this world. The majority had been somewhat amusing - like seeing him trying to grasp chopsticks properly (and breaking them) or eating wasabi - and Ichigo had found himself biting his inner cheeks to resist laughing or firing out a teasing comment. Then there were his first time to the beach and seeing the ocean. His first earthquake which brought about the same wide eyed look he was wearing now, except then there had been an edge of panic in his features. The best comparison he could make to this moment was the first time Grimmjow saw fireworks at the summer festival down by Karasu River. He remembered how he had jumped when the first one went off, his head snapping in the direction of the sound so quickly Ichigo was surprised he didn't get whiplash, and his body tensed as if ready for battle. Ichigo could have laughed back then as well, had it not been for the fact that Grimmjow spent the rest of the display with his head tipped back and mouth slightly open in awe; the vibrant multitude of colours bursting in the sky and illuminating the same enthralled expression.

He never would have imagined the wild, blood-thirsty hollow he had fought during the Winter War could wear such a face. Enchanted. Almost like a child at Disneyland.

It made his chest ache because Grimmjow wasn't a child. He was a battle hardened man who had seen little of the wonders the world had to offer. He wondered what Grimmjow thought, what he felt when he saw the snow, when he saw the fireworks and the ocean. He would always go so quiet, unlike his typical loud and boisterous nature, and Ichigo felt like he was prying in on a very private moment. Like this Grimmjow wasn't meant to be seen by anyone.

He felt privileged really, to be the one to see the growth Grimmjow had made.

Grimmjow finally turned to him after several minutes of silence, his eyebrows were pinched together in his usual scowl but lacking the displeasure and cynicism that often came with it. "What is it? What's going on?" He asked seriously, the complete lack of knowledge hitting Ichigo in his already tight chest.

He swallowed harshly, trying to find his lost voice. "It's snow," he managed eventually in a voice that sounded nothing like his own. Grimmjow's expression didn't change and Ichigo tried to explain further. "Like rain… but frozen."

Grimmjow blinked at him. "Like ice?"

Ichigo rubbed at the side of his head, wishing his sleep depraved brain would catch up with the conversation. "Something like that. If it's cold enough it snows and if it's heavy then it builds up on the ground like this," he gestured to the road outside. "It usually melts quite soon though."

Grimmjow nodded once and turned his attention back to the window. Ichigo noticed his fingers twitch before gliding across the glass towards the catch and slowly sliding the window open. An icy cold breeze instantly swept into the room, the curtains fluttering behind their heads. Ichigo felt a shiver run through his body and goose bumps beginning to rise on his forearms. A little voice in his head moaned about the cold infiltrating his room but he stamped it out as he watched, fascinated, as Grimmjow pushed his hand hesitatingly out into the night air.

Several fat snowflakes landed on his palm and fingers and he withdrew his arm slightly so he could get a closer look at them.

"S'cold," Grimmjow murmured as the flakes began to melt from the warmth of his hand.

"Mhhmm," was all Ichigo offered in reply. A small smile was tugging at the corner of his lips, secretly enjoying the peacefulness and serenity of the scene before him. He rested his elbow on the windowsill, his palm cradling his cheek, as he watched Grimmjow inspect the snow. When all that remained was droplets of water, Grimmjow pushed his fingertips into the snow that had built up on the outside window ledge before seizing a small handful and pressing it together in his fist. When he uncurled his palm there were indentations from his fingers. He rubbed his thumbs over the ridges before tilting his hand and letting it drop, leaning forwards so he could watch it fall. Ichigo heard the rustle from the impact on the bushes below but didn't move from his position.

For the next 10 minutes they continued this routine. Grimmjow scrapped up the snow from ledge and shaped it within his palm or crumbled it between his fingertips until there was no more snow left within arm's reach. Ichigo watched him for every second, the same little smile lingering until a particularly cold breeze swept inside and forced a shiver which he felt deep in his bones. Like breaking free from a spell, he glanced quickly over to his alarm clock – 4:34am – just as a large yawn forced his jaw to crack.

"C'mon let's go back to sleep," he said and Grimmjow frowned looking as though he was ready to climb out of the window and explore. "It'll still be here in a few hours. We can go out later."

He didn't look particularly happy but nonetheless Grimmjow slowly slid the window shut. He lingered for a few more moments, his eyes turning upwards towards the sky as the snowflakes fell heavily. Ichigo almost felt cruel for separating him from the sight but when a yawn escaped from Grimmjow he gave him a harsh nudge in the ribs.

"Get off my bed already, some of us have to go to school."

He was rewarded with a solid punch in the arm in return and some grumblings that were probably not very kind. But Grimmjow did get off his bed and return to his futon on the floor. Ichigo flopped back onto his pillows, ready to accept a couple more hours of sleep. In the dark, he could see Grimmjow's eyes open and directed towards the window hidden by the curtain, eagerly waiting for morning.

Part 2 will be up soon...ish