CH 2: Inner World
The man tilted his head to the side, not quite understanding the answer. Frowning, he leaned into the Espada's face.
"What do you mean you don't know?" he asked. The Espada frowned, trying again to get up from the floor.
"I mean..." he grunted, putting all of his strength in trying to lift his head. "...I. Don't Know." The man above him huffed, falling backwards until he rested on the ground next to him, Indian Style. He placed an elbow on his knee, cradling his head in his hand.
"Are you lying?"
"Why would I lie when I'm in this kind of position?"
"You don't seem like the truthful type. More like a sniveling liar." Grimmjow was becoming irritated with the man, barring his sharp teeth in emphasis.
"Do you even know who I am? I'm-"
"Lemmie guess: you're Grimmjow Jeagerjaques, the Sexta Espada of Hueco Mundo." There was silence.
"How the hell do you know that?!" The man shrugged.
"Lucky guess." Grimmjow grimaced.
"Who are you anyway?"
"Who are you?"
"You already said you knew who I was, now I'm asking you who you are, dumb ass!" Grimmjow yelled. The albino man gave him a stern look, a frown appearing on his face.
"If you're askin' for a name, I ain't got one." Grimmjow raised an eyebrow, glaring at the albino. How did he manage to stay so white in this kind of weather?
"Fine. What are you then?" The albino sighed heavily, not bothering to hide his irritation.
"God damn you're annoyin'..."
"Well I have to know who I'm dealin' with before I kill them!" Grimmjow growled, trying again to get up from the floor. If he had the strength, he would have killed the albino right then and there for talking back to him in such a demeaning manner. But all the hate in the world wasn't going to allow him to get up, forcing him to lay back down from his 1 centimeter of progress. To make matters worse, the albino was actually smiling at his vulnerability.
How dare he.
"Tsk, tsk, how rude of you, planning to attack a defenseless man such as myself. I haven't even made a move to hurt ya and you're plotting against my help?" He looked over the Espada, his smile growing. "From the looks of it, even if you wanted to kill me, you're in no position to do so, am I right?" The Espada opened his mouth to say something, when one part of the man's speech caught his attention.
"You? Help? I wasn't aware of this help." he questioned, his expression softening ever so slightly.
"Well I have to clean up the crap that ends up around here." The albino looked up at the sky, unaware of the darkening expression on the Espada's face. Unconsciously, he made the same face. "Anyway, we should get inside. It's going to rain soon." With that, the albino stood up, brushed off his strangely familiar pants and bent over Grimmjow. Tensing up as much as he thought he did, he allowed the man to grab him by his wrists and haul him in a sitting position with little effort. Still trying to get over the fact that that was ridiculously easy, Grimmjow waited somewhat patiently as the man slung his arm around his shoulder, wrapping his arm around Grimmjow's waist for further support. He then hoisted him up, giving Grimmjow a moment of satisfaction and relief. At least his legs still worked.
At the moment, though, they could only support his weight. As soon as the albino started walking on ahead, Grimmjow's feet would not obey the motor command and simply dragged behind him in a fit of paralysis.
"Where are we going?" Grimmjow asked, knowing he had no choice in the matter.
"To find some shelter from King's stupid rain."
"Yeah? Who's that, you?" Grimmjow asked sarcastically.
"Yes and no."
"What's that mean?"
"Why do you care? It doesn't concern you." Reaching the edge of the building, the albino looked out into the distance, scanning for something. Spotting what he needed, he crouched down, preparing to jump. Grimmjow panicked, suddenly realizing the danger he was forced into.
"Wait a minute! What are you doing?!" he asked frantically, missing the fact that he lifted his arm to grab at the albino's black and white robes feebly. "You can't carry my dead weight around like that! You could drop me into oblivion!"
"Would ya quit acting like a damn lady?" the albino answered, tightening his grip around the Espada's waist. "Be a man for once." Without warning, he jumped, the cool air washing against Grimmjow's face. The building they previously stood on became smaller as they reached an all time high, another building coming into view. All the while, Grimmjow tried to get the feeling back into his limbs, the wind carelessly moving them around like string cheese. Unsuccessful, he put on another frown, waiting for the albino to touch base with the new building. Now that he thought about it, all the sideways buildings looked exactly the same, despite their different lengths. It wasn't a huge discovery, but it made Grimmjow wonder what kind of place this was and exactly who the albino was that currently placed him back down on the ground.
To his delight, Grimmjow began to get the feeling back into his body, his arms moving in haphazard direction. He was still not strong enough to lift himself up though and so he waited for the albino to finish prying open a window.
"What are you doing?" he asked, trying to occupy himself from the droplets of water that began to fall on his unprotected face.
"What does it look like I'm doing?" he answered, putting the widow aside. Brushing off his hands, he walked back to where Grimmjow lay and picked him up once more from underneath his arms. He then proceeded to drag the Espada across the side of the building and next to the open window sill. "Are you ready?" The albino asked, pushing Grimmjow's legs inside the opening.
"Don't you dare-" Grimmjow's words were cut off as the albino dropped him inside the building, not waiting for his answer. He had expected to hit a solid wall, but instead his fall was cushioned by a large couch. Barring his teeth in anger, he tried to readjust himself on the couch so he wouldn't suffocate, all the while the albino joined him inside. Defying gravity, the albino pulled the window from the outside and replaced it in the frame, the rain now coming down in large, fast droplets. He then proceeded to join Grimmjow on the couch, waiting for him to start their next conversation.
"I'm going to kill you when I get my strength back." Grimmjow growled. The albino simply laughed.
"Do you know why you're strength has gone missin'?" He asked, almost rhetorically. Grimmjow fell silent. Now that the albino had mentioned it, he didn't have the slightest clue why he was suddenly so weak. Sure, he was physically hurt, but that was no reason why his strength was reduced to that of an infant. It was coming back, slowly, but what were the chances that it could happen again? Most importantly, would this strange effect be permanent? The albino sat back in the couch, a smile on his face as usual. Grimmjow wanted to tear it right off. "You're not supposed to be here."
"What?" The albino lifted a finger, pointing it towards himself and then towards Grimmjow.
"I am a Hollow...You are a Hollow. Two cannot share one body, therefore your makeup as a Hollow has been disrupted, physically paralyzing you for a moment of time. How you entered, I cannot answer, but that only makes this predicament all the more mysterious." His grin grew sickeningly wide. "You as a Hollow, must leave this body, or you will become distorted and eventually die a painful, horrible death."
"...Death?" Grimmjow asked, his voice small. The albino nodded, sympathy absent in his expression. "What...What the hell kind of place is this?!" he yelled, frustrated. This was defiantly not what he had expected and now he was doomed to die unless he had left. It sounded easy, but this place was foreign to him and most likely not Hueco Mundo. Hell, it probably was another dimension for all he knew. The albino gave him an unreadable expression, his smile completely gone. Grimmjow braced himself for the worst.
"You, my friend, are in the Inner World of Kurosaki Ichigo. Of my King."