Oh__Jessie

Ready for word vomit round 2? (In blue this time lol)

Lost in the Sands of Time Lore:

Short Answer:

Because Grimmjow ate a piece of them before they became Arrancars, binding their souls together. So when his consciousness was dragged to the past, those small pieces of them that were bound to him were too. Much like how Yylfordt can vaguely remember his time as part of Szayel, the others can vaguely remember what happened past their deaths because they witnessed it as part of Grimmjow. While everything before their deaths is crystal clear, as they witnessed it firsthand.

Long Answer: (Info I've accumulated from the Light Novels, Anime, and Manga. Please note that some of this might have been misinterpreted by me, as I have not actually finished all the Light Novels surrounding Bleach.)

Bleach Universe Canon:

Szayel and Yylfordt:

After their deaths as humans, Szayel consumes Yylfordt, absorbing him and becoming one being while maintaining awareness and becoming the dominant personality. Upon meeting Aizen, Szayel tears their souls apart, and Yylfordt, somehow surviving that and gaining awareness, goes on to meet Shawlong plus the others and, together, they embark on the quest to become Vasto Lorde Class level Hollows.

Grimmjow and his Fracciónes:

Grimmjow is attacked by the group and ingests a piece of Di Roy. Unknowingly to all of them, this halts Di Roy's ability to evolve, as any hollow that has had a piece of themselves consumed is permanently frozen at that level. They band together then, hoping to help each other reach Vasto Lorde Class. Somewhere along the way, the others lose all hope and ask Grimmjow to ingest a piece of each of them, as being permanently frozen works both ways. If consumed, they can't evolve nor devolve, meaning they can safely stop eating other hollows without losing their current class. Grimmjow consumes a piece of them and, sometime later, they are all found by Aizen and made into Arrancars.

(Random trivia that may or may not become crucial later ( O.< ) but is mostly just me being unable to resist tossing something in about my beautiful, lovely, amazing, emotionally constipated man.) Ulquiorra:(💙○💙)

A naturally born hollow. (Yes, apparently they can procreate. Wild, right?) However, at the time of his birth at the bottom of a dark pit, he was the only white hollow among all of his 'siblings'. Due to this, he was ostracized by them, so he left the pit. He wanders aimlessly, unable to eat, hear, or feel as the white of his mask envelops his whole body. At some point, he stumbles upon a tree as white as him and feels a sense of belonging with the only other stark white presence in the pitch-black of Hueco Mundo. He enters the tree, and its sharp branches shatter his mask, turning him into a naturally occurring Arrancar. Though unconfirmed, it is widely accepted that he may have been a Vasto Lorde at this point in time.

Lost in the Sands of Time Canon:

Better known as my HeadCanons lol. Consumption:

No matter how much or how little of a hollow is consumed, ingesting another hollow fuses their souls together and forms a strong bond between the hollows. Soul Bonding Shenanigans, if you will.

Grimmjow and his Fracciónes:

Having consumed a piece of each of them, they are a part of his soul. Meaning they have never really left him even in 'death' as they are fused to him and live on in his soul, much like how Yylfordt did in Szayel's. Thus, when Grimmjow is dragged back in time, they are too. But because they were only small pieces of Grimmjow's soul, they can only vaguely recall what happened after their deaths, as they only witnessed it from within Grimmjow's soul.

Ulquiorra:(💙○💙)

I have nothing to add here that has anything to do with the question; I just wanted to bring him up again. I just love him so much 😭. Though I guess I can say my headcanon for why he's so loyal to Grimmjow now, and Aizen before, is because, after having been shunned for so long, they finally gave him somewhere to belong. ✧₊⊹ A family ⊹₊✧ Not that Canon Ulquiorra probably gave two shits about something like that, but oh well. They're called HeadCanons for a reason, I guess.

YES!!!!

(Buckle up, buttercup, you're about to be hit with the word vomit of the century.)

Rare Pair Master SetListlol:

(brought to you by someone who has spent over 15 years of their life devouring an endless number of fics.)

Aizen/Grimmjow (all-time favorite)

I read one fic. ONE! In like 2010, and I've been hooked ever since. Genuinely don't know what it is about them in particular, but I love the idea of a cruel man, bent on dominating the world, being sweet for the bad boy who isn't used to sweet. And the lack of fluff fics about them breaks my heart to this very day.

Aizen/Gin (second favorite pairing)

Used to be my OTP, back before Gin betrayed him. Was a more popular ship back in the day, when FF was king. Only consider it a rare pair now cause I feel like I can't find new fics that aren't dark.

Nnoitra/Szayel

I ship them hard enough to write it in the background of most of my Bleach fics, but not enough to actively read it. No real reason for it either. I just kinda feel like they'd be a cute couple, you know? (I once drew all the Espada's as dogs--don't ask me why; high school was a weird time, alright--and made Nnoitra a Great Dane staring down at Chihuahua Szayel and I've paired them up ever since.)

Shinji/Azien

Maybe if he had showered his lieutenant with kindness and affection instead of keeping him at arm's length, things could have turned out differently.

Urahara/Aizen

Enemies to Lovers always hits, man. But I swear 50% of Aizen's craziness could have been avoided if someone had just given the man some good dic love and affection.

Byakuya/Hanataro

Don't give me that look. You don't understand! He's just so weak and fragile. A total loser, really. And Byakuya is so strong. Stoic with the emotional range of a carrot because he's shut himself off from the world. So who better to crack that hard shell than the sweet, little klutz who just wants to make him smile?

Kenpachi/Hanataro

Same as above, but replace all that stuff about Byakuya being in pain with: Kenpachi takes one look at soft, sweet Hanataro being bullied by everyone and can't not want to protect him.

Kenpachi/Byakuya

That one episode where they were at each other's throats had me wishing.

Gin/Kira

Now, I'm not saying they would have been a healthy couple, but the way Kira yearns for him needs to be studied, man. (Poets have written epic love stories for less.)

Urahara/Grimmjow

Never really found any fics for this pairing that didn't involve Ichigo in some capacity, and I'm not all that upset about it, tbh. I only really consider this pairing when it comes to Aizen. Something about Urahara trying to steal his greatest ops' man as revenge makes me giggle.

Grimmjow/Nelliel

I know I'm currently writing them with a strong father-daughter dynamic, but they stuck together after the war, Your Honor! They had no real reason to, but they did, and I can't get over it. They also make a ridiculously cute couple. (Adult Nel only, of course.)

Kensei/Hisagi

Now why did he go and tattoo that man's number on his face? He met him once! (You don't have to worry about someone not staking their claim if you just do it for them.)

Grimmjow/Szayel

I know this one sounds like some kinda fever dream, but I read a fic with this pairing once, and I've been chasing that high ever since. No other fic with them has ever hit the same, though, so I don't search for it much anymore, if at all. (Doesn't help that they have a love child in the form of Arturo Plateado--look that man up and tell me he doesn't look like he could be their kid.)

Chad/Uryuu

(Designs do not belong to me! I just stylized them a bit, colored them in, and added bows and background. Original images are posted below cut)

Aizen X Gin has me so nostalgic, like I miss the old days. Before the betrayals and the reveals and I could pretend they were in love because why else would a man (Gin) turn his back on everyone he loved if not for love???