Nala had fallen asleep long ago. Grimmjow stayed awake again. Kisuke had taken the time to show Grimmjow his room where they were alone.

"Nala has failed to explain your stalker." Grimmjow took a moment to be surprised.

"How did you know?"

"What Nala may call a 'feeling' is actually what we call spirit pressure, I'm sure that you've had the same 'feeling' or at least for the last few hours." Grimmjow nodded. "And you may not have noticed that it is gone." Grimmjow took another moment. He felt nothing. The stalker was gone . . . already? "I think he is merely getting ready for something bigger than what we intended."

Grimmjow lay there now just wondering. How was it that he came to Karakura? WHy Nala? Was it her 'feeling'? And why was the stalker targeting her? What was so special about her?

Grimmjow ran that question over and over. He even found himself thinking that there was just something about her. The way she kicked ass and the way she refused to let people step on her. Grimmjow smiled wickedly. He couldn't remember the last time he had met someone so similar to himself.

Nala awoke the next morning. She felt relieved, like she hadn't even dreamed only drifted lazily in a black pool of water. She drifted and swirled and slept well for what had been too long. She stood up and didn't bother to change out of her pajamas just quite yet.

Nala walked out the door of the shop to the yard and looked out at the busy hours of Karakura town. The yard was empty and she walked around for a moment or two, then returned inside. She shut the door and turned around,

"Grimm-" She stopped and blinked. Grimmjow looked up and sent her a glare that said, 'don't you dare-' Nala laughed. She began to snort and wheeze gaining a rather distorted look from Grimmjow, who wore an olde time ice cream shoppe hat in a loud orange color. along with a matching apron advertising Chappy the Bunny. Nala walked past Grimmjow still chuckling and said,

"I'll have to thank Uruhara." Grimmjow returned to glaring and muttered something that Nala didn't bother to catch.

Nala had searched around the shop for Uruhara, but didn't see a sign of him or Yoruichi or Tessia or anyone for that fact. She was startled as a door swung up and hit the ground behind her. She twirled around to see Tessai coming up from the door and he looked at her,

"Ah Miss Nala, Uruhara is downstairs if that is who you're looking for."

"Thank you Tessai." Nala looked down the door and felt a breeze brush against her face. She blinked before stepping down. The sunlight blinded her for a moment, but by the time she had reached the bottom the shock still had not passed. She wandered for a moment taking in the dirt that stuck itself to her feet and the sun that all came from underground. She wandered and thought how it was possible, and dismissed reasoning once she remembered . . . she was working with ghosts, reasoning was kind of out of the question.

She wandered some more to find Uruhara working with Ichigo, Rukia, Orihime, Chad, and Ishida. She watched again in amazement as all of them trained with their different abilities. Light and darkness flashed against her vision as she made her way to them.

"Uruhara!" She called just as all their attacks struck a single space. Rubbel flew everywhere and Nala ducked crossing her arms across her face. A large piece of rock threw itself into her soldier and Nala cried out in pain as she hit the ground back first and tumbled back a few more feet.

Grimmjow felt the blast and for a moment stood still before rushing around the shop and looking for where the explosion came from. He spotted Tessai who merely pointed down to the open door and Grimmjow quickly rushed down the stairs to see the dust clearing and Nala getting up from the ground. Grimmjow quickly walked over.

"What the hell was that?"

"Oh just training." Uruhara said walking through the remaining cloud of dust.

"Intense" Nala said brushing herself off.

"We are just preparing for the enemy." Uruhara stated. Grimmjow looked to him.

"I want to train too." He stated and Uruhara merely nodded his head.

"Of course. In fact I was going to suggest that even Nala take up training considering the situation." Nala looked a little stunned. IKisuke was using unusually formal wording today, which meant he was up to something and suggesting her to train? What could she possibly do with training?

"Sure?" She said hesitantly. "But first I was going to tell you I wanted to head out. I need to get Grimmjow at least another set of clothes and food and all sorts of supplies for Dave."

"Why of course!" Uruhara cooed, his tone and words turning back to normal . . . for Uruhara.

"Great! Grimmjow and I will be back soon." She turned to leave Grimmjow not far behind.

"OH! Orihime! Didn't you need to go shopping too?"

"Oh , um yes, but-"

"Splendid and Ichigo can go with you in case of a hollow!" Ichigo tensed a little. Uruhara pushed both after Grimmjow and Nala. Ichigo turned to protest, but Nala caught the glare that Uruhara gave him and Ichigo turned around.

"Let's go." He grumbled and started out of the training room. Grimmjow followed slowly after and Orihime caught up with Nala and stood there for a moment with her.

"This is bound to be destructive." Orihime looked to her in agreement.

As they walked the streets of Karakura Orihime and Nala stuck together walking somewhat happily ahead of the Grimmjow and Ichigo. The two boys were walking side by side exchanging glares and grumbled remarks. Even walking ahead of them Nala and Orihime could feel the tension between the two. Thick air passed through their throats and Nala could feel their eyes occasionally browse at the back of her skull.

The process continued until Nala stopped along the sidewalk. She turned abruptly and looked to the two boys. Grimmjow and Ichigo stopped as she marched forward.

"Get over your shit!" She said as she marched at them. "I am tired of your stares and the enviroment you make! He beat the shit out of you and you beat the shit out of him." She indicated both boys with her hands and swapped them over each other. "HE!" She now indicated Grimmjow, "Is your ally now! So I swear to whatever the hell you hold dear stop it or I'll beat the both of you."

"Serious shit." Grimmjow murmmured to Ichigo behind a hand. Ichigo turned a little pale and Nala hit Grimmjow in the chest.

"oof!"

"Goddammit! I'm going to enjoy myself so kiss and make up or . . . ahhh dammit just fuck yourselves! Grimmjow began to smirk and chuckle much to Nala's surprise. For a moment she lost her anger, then she just stomped back off to Orihime.

"He's such an ass." She told Orihime. Orihime merely looked back to Grimmjow then to Nala and smiled. The air thinned in an instant and Grimmjow began the make up process by giving Ichigo tips on how to avoid Nala from beating his ass.

All four of them walked together now. Ichigo and Grimmjow bickered like they were out of a bromance movie now whereas Orihime and Nala merely enjoyed their bickering. Shopping bags hung in each one of their hands. As they walked along Nala had a growing feeling in the back of her head, it pounded slowly until finally she turned around. Grimmjow and Ichigo instinctevly moved to the sides and Nala alertly scanned the sidewalk behind them.

"What is it?" Orihime asked and all four looked down the sidewalk. The earth shook once and a howl pierced their ears. The civilians looked around in confusion and right behind the group a building exploded.

All four of them scattered across the ground. Debris hit them across the face and back and Nala missed a metal pipe to the head by mere centimeters, but for the second time tumbled repeatedly down the sidewalk. Ichigo had several large pieces of wall hit his torso. Orihime was sprayed with multiple shards of glass and rock that scratched her arms as they covered her face and multiple shards stuck to her legs. Grimmjow rolled against violently into another building creating a crack in the foundation.

Citizens ran in various directions stepping on the four teens as well as the other people who were close to the blast. The crowd had nearly disappeared when the four got up. Nala sat for a moment and Grimmjow looked toward the explosion. Nothing was there, but he looked to the trail of wall and glass and iron to see the dust begin to clear. Grimmjow stood up and walked closer to the cloud. He squinted. Out of the dust came a third of a wall.

The large piece stone hit Grimmjow square in the chest and he flew against the supports of a building. Some of the ceiling falling down on him. Ichigo had already hopped out of his body and Orihime now had a certain glow about her. Nala looked to the both of them, then to the cleared dust. A hole in its chest and a skull mask for a face, half as tall as a skyscraper.

"So this is a hollow?" She asked. Her terror only slightly evident. Grimmjow rolled the rubble off himself.

"Yea." Ichigo said. And for a moment they waited. The creature looked around then, turned its glance sharply to Nala.

"Well shit!" She muttered wide eyed and turned to run. The hollow charged and Nala took cover behind what remained of the exploded building.

Ichigo took his normal approach. He flash stepped behind the hollow and took a swing at the back of the head. The hollow half turned to him and swatted him out of the air. Orihime caught him in her shield and put one up as the hollow brought its hand down on her.

Grimmjow took the moment to pick up a larger than usual piece of rubble and throw it at the head of the hollow. A small crack formed, but all too quickly the hollow turned and smacked Grimmjow away, the same way it had Ichigo. Nala gave out an instinctive yelp as Grimmjow collided with the piece of wall she hid behind. The hollow stared in their direction and slowly walked towards them. Grimmjow still sat against the broken wall and Nala felt strangely paralyzed, with eyes as wide as fear could make them and breathing as low and shallow as a her heart would allow.

Each step was a jolt of lightning to Nala's steel nerves. She only crumbled closer to the wall, truly fearful for the first time since her mother. Grimmjow had a look of panic on his face as sweat dripped down his face and his eyes flickered from the impending hollow to the wall he knew Nala hid behind. The hollow took a step and Grimmjow got to his feet jumping over the crumbled half wall.

The hollows hand came down and Grimmjow with unnoticed fear filled eyes shoved Nala and himself out of the way of the hollow hand.

"Move fucking woman!" He said as they flew and the hand crushed the remainder of the wall. Grimmjow wasted no time in standing and Nala looked up to him with a mixture of fear and a glare.

"Did you really just call me woman?" Grimmjow looked at her exasperated.

"Now?" Nala stood up, regaining some of her former nerve.

"Nala! That's my name you fucker! One syllable and four letters! So I swear to God if you don't start calling me by name I will start beating the shit out ofy- AAAAAAAHHHHHH!" The hollow grabbed Nala in a smooth motion. Nala began to panic again. She found herself afraid of the distance between her feet and the ground.

"HELP ME!" She screamed in an amusing sort of panic. The hollow began to march away, but not before Orihime aimed Tsubaki at the crack that Grimmjow had made a few minutes before. The hollow squeezed and Nala screamed as she heard her ribs crack. Her breathing became more difficlult. More pained.

The crack in the mask spread and the hollow howled and whirled around. As Orihime defended against its attack with her shield Ichigo flash stepped to the back of the hollow yet again and leapt with silence. He roared as he brought the sword down into the crack. The hollows otherwordly howl ceased abruptly and Nala looked up to see the mask crack into several pieces.

Nala forgot the pain it took to breath as her breath hitched itself in her throat. A human face appeared for a single instant, regret flashed for a single second and then the hollow was gone. Nala fell down with a short scream into the arms of Ichigo. She landed rather roughly and groaned in pain before both her and Ichigo tumbled clumsily to the ground.

"Nala!" Grimmjow half screamed as he rushed over to them. Orihime joined them and helped Nala to her feet.

"Are you okay?" Orihime asked. Nala leaned against her before taking a breath. The pain seared down her side and up her throat. She gasped and dropped away from Orihime. Orihime tried to pick her back up in a big fluster, but Nala pushed her away.

"No . . ." She breathed, "Pain . . ." She continued to sit there clutching her side gently and breathing. Ichigo and Orihime looked down and wondered what to do.

Grimmjow swooped down and picked her up.

"Fucking dick!" She hissed in pain.

"Oh shut the fuck up." He said as he began to walk back. Orihime and Ichigo followed. Orihime smiled at the sight and Ichigo looked wearily at them. For the longest while all remained silent and grudgingly Grimmjow spoke up.

"Are you okay, Nala?" She had heard him before when he rushed over and she smiled.

"It wasn't that hard now was it?"

"Don't get used to it." He tried to grumble annoyingly, but his grumble was so amusingly forced that Nala began laughing and as she coughed in pain she managed to slip in the phrase, "So worth it."