Pain wracked through Grimmjow, coming in intense waves.

His vision was starting to blur, and his head was becoming heavy. The blast had further damaged his gigai and he felt like he'd been snapped in two. His ears were still ringing, but he could make out Keigo's voice. The words made no sense, but at least the kid wasn't screaming. He rolled to his side now, spitting up some more blood, trying to regain his footing. He caught site of the human, facing off against the Menos. The thing that stuck out to him most was the long, glinting thing attached to Keigo's arm, causing his brows to furrow. Was time slowing down or was it just his mind playing tricks on him? Things moved at a snail's pace as he pushed up off the ground, his body heaving in pained breaths.

Keigo studied his new weapon with child-like fascination, tapping against the cannon with his fingernails. "Wow," he said, eyes raised upwards. "Now we just gotta figure out what this thing does."

He looked up just in time to see the Menos above him, fist raised. With a yell, Keigo, dodged, running as the fist collided into the spot he'd been standing in, rubble rising in the air. "Yes, run, human!" the Menos chided, its eyes glowing with hatred. "I like chasing my meals! Gives me entertainment."

"Come on!" Keigo begged between gritted teeth. He raised his cannon, hands shaking a little. "How do I use this stupid thing?!"

"Kid, look… look out!"

Grimmjow's voice jolted something in Keigo, forcing him to run. The Menos had moved, its face low to the ground, mouth open. "Come back here, runt!" it teased. "It'll save you a lot of suffering if you just give in!"

Keigo, running towards Grimmjow, called back, "I thought you enjoyed chasing your food! Which is it?" His heart was racing, eyes overrun with fear, but he knew he had to get to Grimmjow. He pushed the severely wounded Espada into one of the narrow alleyways, buying them some time. The Menos, screaming in frustration, clamored about, looking for a way in.

Leaning against the wall, Grimmjow coughed, his entire body heaving as he did. "How bad is it?" Keigo asked, breath shaky.

Wiping spittle and blood from his lips, Grimmjow wheezed, "Very." A sudden convulsion wracked his body, a thick glob of blood hitting the cement. "Look, kid, I dunno… dunno what yer thinkin', but ya should run. It ain't…gonna be pretty if ya try to stand against somethin' like that." His voice was very low, which scared Keigo a bit. Even his normally scary eyes were etched in doubt. Grimmjow was deteriorating, and he could feel it.

Looking up for a second, Keigo said, "We need to get you help, man. I'm not just leaving you here with this… thing!" He was frantic, watching the Menos climb the buildings and opening its mouth, revealing a long tongue. "Oh shit," Keigo whispered.

"Keigo, why the fuck'er ya bein' so stubborn?" Grimmjow mumbled. His eyes were growing heavy. "I dunno what's on yer arm, but ya clearly… don't know… how…" Grimmjow slumped to the ground. Before Keigo could help him back up, the tongue wrapped around the human's waist, lifting him into the air. Keigo screamed, noticing how close his head got to the brick wall as he was thrown into the air, the tongue letting loose.

"This time I got you, Human!" the Menos screamed. "And once I've eaten you, I'll finish off that Espada!" Its mouth was wide open, waiting for Keigo to fall in.

Staring into the void below, something sparked in Keigo's heart. The fear and terror that screamed in him was stifled, silenced by this sudden feeling that over took him. He wanted to live, yes, but he had a reason to. His friends still needed his help, and he wasn't going out like this, that was for sure. Raising his cannon one more time, he aimed it at the Menos, eyes narrowed. A warm feeling on his arm overtook him, the cannon's barrel glowing a light blue. It burned, but not painfully. At the very end of the barrel, a bright light gathered and shot out, aiming for the Menos below. The sound was incredible as it hit the Menos' head, a shattering sound filling the air.

Keigo fell backwards onto one of the rooftops, a sharp pain shooting through him like fire. He cried out, but his voice was lost in the scream that emanated from the Menos. It lifted its head in agony, its large hands covering its cracked mask. Shards of white armor were falling to the ground, and the Menos, filled with hatred, screamed at Keigo, "You little shit! No more games. I'm going to swallow you whole!"

Wincing from the pain in his torso, Keigo managed a wry grin. "Ah, so it's sudden death now, right?" he called back.

The Menos growled, "What?"

Keigo shrugged, saying, "You know, in video games, when the boss is all like 'no more games, we fight for real'. That's when things get serious!" His eyes brightened at the thought that he was like a real-life video game character now. This was bad-ass, besides the terror part and the fact that Grimmjow was dying below them.

Enraged by Keigo's stupidity, the Menos charged him, reaching for him with his large hand. "SILENCE!" it screamed, its mask crumbling around it. Keigo leapt away, surprised at how agile he felt. If he tried doing stunts like this normally, he would have broken a bone. But this time, when he jumped, he made it to the other side of the gap, able to regain his balance. He looked down, seeing Grimmjow grow paler, eyes closed.

"Hang on down there!" he shouted to Grimmjow, raising his cannon to the rampaging Menos. He could feel his stomach clench, hoping it wasn't too late already. "Come on, let's do this again," he whispered to the cannon. "I don't remember how we did this last time, but maybe I can figure it out." His began mind filling with doubt, but he chose to ignore it. He had to. The cannon remained the same, pointing at the Menos. Without knowing what to do, Keigo raised it, bringing it down on the Menos' head. A loud whack filled the air, hitting the injury. It roared, pushing him off the roof towards the streets below. Keigo knew he wouldn't be able to survive that…

"GOTCHA!"

Keigo found himself cradled in the arms of a bald, grinning Shinigami, holding him several feet above the ground. Shock caused him to freeze and be blinked twice. "I-Ikkaku?" he stammered. "Y-y-you're here? What?"

The Shinigami glared down at him, his eyes etched with irritation. "That's a nice thank you, Keigo," Ikkaku said. "You're lucky Yumichika and I were just out and about, scouring town like we usually do."

Keigo had forgotten that at this time of night, the volunteer Shinigami guard Karakura Town from the vastly growing Hollow sightings. "O-o-oh yeah," he managed. "Thanks, Ikkaku."

"Never mind that," Yumichika called out to them, zanpakuto drawn. "We have to take down this one before it does any more damage. Set Keigo down and get back up here, Ikkaku!"

Before he knew it, Keigo found himself on the ground. Ikkaku glared at the cannon on his arm. "What the hell is that, kid?" he asked. "I don't remember you having somethin' like that." Before Keigo could answer, a chunk of roofing came their way, crashing near them. Wood and plaster hit Keigo as the two of them shielded their face with their arms. "Fuck!" Ikkaku exclaimed. "Stay back, kid, you've done enough for now!"

"Wait, what?" Keigo yelled back. "What do you mean hang back?" He knew Ikkaku was right, though. Without knowing how to use the cannon, he wasn't much use in battle. He hated this useless feeling and he knew he had to get it together. "Alright, let's try this again," he said, lifting the cannon in the air. He tried to remember what had happened the very second he'd used it, the feeling in him that surged through his body like fire. Looking at Grimmjow one more time, he felt it, like a fire blazing through his soul. He needed to help him, and the only way he could do that right now was to finish off this monster.

Keigo closed his eyes, his nerves trying to get the best of him. Calm down, he thought. Imagine you're Ichigo. He'd never freak out like this. He'd stare this Hollow down like it were nothing and just decimate the hell out of it!

In the back of Keigo's mind, something stirred. A dark thing, familiar and unknown. It swirled there, whispering and calling out to him. White eyes like a solar eclipse peered from the darkness, staring at his very soul. "Now, this wasn't what I expected," it said. "But maybe this could be very… entertaining." Keigo was confused, feeling his very presence distort in the wake of this being.

"Who are you?" he shouted, trying to make it out. "What are you doing in my head?"

The figure laughed. "You're like a kid trying out his toy for the first time!" the being exclaimed. "How cute! You're going to have to try a lot harder than that if you want to save your friend there."

Keigo knew it was talking about Grimmjow. "He's… not my friend," he said weakly. "He would probably kill me if I called him that, to be honest."

The black figure sighed. "You can call him whatever you want," it said. "But I have only ever seen friends fight for each other like this. You have no other reason to defend a pathetic being like Grimmjow than for friendship. You know it's true." Keigo said nothing, knowing it was right. Maybe Grimmjow would never accept his friendship, but he wouldn't just let him die.

"So how do I use this cannon, then?" he asked the figure. "I don't really understand how to use it."

"You actually do," the figure replied. "You already fired it once. I'd say you already have a decent handle on how to use it."

Frustrated, Keigo shouted, "I don't, and we don't have much time! Just give me some pointers so I can work this thing, please!"

But all he heard was laughter instead. "Silly boy," it said, pitying him. "I cannot teach what you already know. It is like trying to teach you how to breathe, how to move your legs to walk." It shook his head as it began to retreat. "It will come to you." With that, it seemed to vanish, its terrifying eyes fading back into the blackness.

Keigo, frustrated, screamed out into the emptiness of his brain, "Thanks a lot, whatever you are! You're a real big help!" Trying to regain focus, he thought long and hard. "Maybe it's like a video game, after all," he thought. "It feels like there are controls somewhere around here, I just gotta learn how to use them."

In the darkness of his mind, Keigo visualized a set of buttons, spreading before him like a control board. He wasn't sure whether this was correct, but what he saw were four different buttons. One was orange, two were blue, and the last was red. One of the blue ones was glowing slightly, blinking at him. Curious, he pressed the blue one, seeing if anything would happen. Suddenly, his body felt like it was on the verge of implosion, every nerve and atom in him heating up rapidly. He felt like a human bomb and there was only one place it could all escape.

Above the buttons, a diagram of the cannon appeared, blinking rapidly. In a way, Keigo felt he understood what was about to happen, and a sense of accomplishment overtook him. "HELL YEAH!" he shouted in his mind. Eyes open now, he looked to his cannon, seeing the barrel was glow brightly. Keigo was grinning so hard he looked like a little kid at Christmas time. "So that's how we're gonna do this!" he exclaimed. "Alright!" Aiming at the Menos, he tried to find a way to avoid the swiftly-moving Shinigami, looking for the perfect opening. He let loose a yell, the blast at the end of the barrel aiming straight for the Menos' torso.

Flesh ripped and seared, bones snapping at the sheer magnitude of the blue energy that shot through the Menos. Its screams echoed through the town, blood raining down from its ribcage onto the struggling Espada. Blue hair and red blood sprawled out, Grimmjow's chest was barely moving. He felt the blood hit his body, splashing on his face. His stiff tongue poke out, tasting it. Immediately, deep down, something seemed to wake up. He craved more of the Hollow's blood, coating his tongue like water. His eyes were open now, desperate to drink more of it. The last time he'd craved Hollow blood like this was when he was an Adjuchas, and the drive to consume filled him with an energy he truly needed.

Keigo had been knocked back the blast, his arm strained by the recoil. "Holy shit!" he shouted with glee. "I hit it!"

He caught the confused glare of Ikkaku, who called back the him, "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT, KEIGO?! WHAT ARE YA DOIN' DOWN THERE?" Keigo just grinned, rubbing his arm.

The Hollow was still moving, but it was struggling to stabilize itself. It roared, using its tongue to lash out at the Shinigami. Catching Yumichika by the foot, it began to drag him to his mouth greedily. "I guess you'll have to do for now," it warbled. "Haven't eaten a Shinigami before!"

With a look of disgust, Yumichika slashed at the tongue, severing it down the middle. "Get your nasty, filthy tongue off my beautiful visage!" he shrieked, tossing the tongue off. Purple liquid and blood gushed everywhere as it flew down to the alleyway below.

Grimmjow heard the tongue land with a splat, ignoring the continuous screams of pain above. His mouth was dripping with saliva, his blue eyes bulging in feral desperation. As quickly as he could, he crawled over to the appendage, grabbed it and ripped a large bite out of it. Blood and fluids splattered all over his face and clothes, but he munched away, ravenous. It tasted amazing to him, gobbling it up quickly. He felt energy surge back into his body, but he needed more, and he knew he'd have to climb up to the wounded Hollow. A predatory grin took over his pale face, embracing his hunger.

Keigo watched in awe as Grimmjow emerged from the alleyway, hunched on all fours, scaling the walls up to the rooftops. No words could form, despite his attempts, to yell out at the Espada. He looked crazed, ready to devour anything in his path. The two Shinigami watched in shock as Grimmjow leapt onto the room and rushed the Hollow, who seemed to be gasping for air at this point. "No, please!" it shouted. "Stop!" Grimmjow said nothing as he ripped into the Hollow, tearing large chunks of flesh and organs off the barely moving carcass. The shrieks eventually died down, but the three witnesses knew they could never forget the look on Grimmjow's face, nor the blood that spewed up at him.

It wasn't long before the carcass vanished, which surprised them all because of its size. Ikkaku and Yumichika looked at each other, deciding whether they should kill the Espada. They knew he was under the protection of Urahara, but after a display like this, they felt they had reason to worry he would try to attack them next.

Grimmjow, finishing the last bit of flesh, fell to his knees, clutching his stomach. A small laugh escaped his lips, teeth stained red. "That was the best fuckin' thing I've eaten in a week," he said, his voice hoarse. "I could use a few more of 'em." He finally looked around, seeing his revolted audience, the looks in their eyes very familiar. Even Keigo seemed a little disturbed, but when their eyes met, he seemed to brighten up a little bit.

"You're okay!" Keigo shouted, lifting his arm and cannon in the air. "YES!"

Slightly confused, Grimmjow stood up. Why was the kid excited he lived? The brat just kept throwing him curveballs. "Yeah, sure am," he shouted back. "Now will ya shut up?" Keigo just laughed, relieved that no one had died and they all seemed to be in one piece.

"Looks like you owe Keigo," Ikkaku said. "He's the one who wounded the Hollow in the first place." Grimmjow and Ikkaku glared at each other from across the way, but Ikkaku could see the realization dawn over the Espada's face. He hadn't quite connected the dots, but the feeling that overtook him felt weird. He owed this kid, and the thought of owe a human anything didn't quite settle right in his gorged stomach.

Grimmjow glared down at Keigo, who was trying to figure out how to deactivate the cannon. He was banging on it with his fists, yelling, "Oh come on! Why didn't Tessai give me the manual to this thing?"

"Shit," Grimmjow whispered.

"Oi, Espada!" Ikkaku called to him again. "Ya look pretty banged up. We should get ya back to Urahara's right away."

Grimmjow groaned, rubbing the back of his neck. "Nah," he replied. "I don't need ta get treated, I'm good." Ikkaku's eyes narrowed. "It wasn't an option," he shouted back. "We're taking you back there. Ya shouldn't be wanderin' around the human world on yer own, anyways."

Blue eyes tinged with anger, the Espada growled at Ikkaku. "Oh?" he hissed. "Are ya gonna drag me back there like some sort of dungeon masters? I 'd love to see ya try, Shinigami scum." His back was hunched forward, his signature grin on his face. Before anything could happen, a large blast of blue energy shot between the Espada and two Shinigami, shearing part of the building off as it shot forward into the night sky. The three of them glared down at Keigo, who looked terrified.

"Oops!" he called out. "That was an accident, sorry! Still don't know how to use this thing yet, haha!" He laughed nervously. Instantly, the cannon shimmied a little before shrinking, dissolving and turning back into the black ring that had sat on his finger all this time. This time, the blue had completely vanished, returning to a pitch black. Keigo looked down, very confused. "How the hell…?" he said, frustrated. "This thing is so weird."

Letting loose a tired sigh, Grimmjow turned back to the Shinigami, his blue eyes still filled with malice. "Fine," he hissed. "I'll go back with ya both, but I gotta do somethin' real quick." Ikkaku harrumphed, crossing his arms. He was about to protest when Yumichika spoke up.

"Be quick about it, Grimmjow," he said. "We don't have all night." The disgust in Yumichika's voice made the Espada cringe a little, but quickly, he jumped down to the street below, approaching the disgruntled Keigo.

Digging his hand in his pocket, he pulled out a jangling lanyard with a few keys and a school ID card attached. Keigo looked up, seeing Grimmjow shove this towards him quickly. "M-my keys!" he shouted, taking them. "Why'd you have these, Grimm?"

Scoffing, Grimmjow replied, "Ya left these at Urahara's. Tessai was gonna send that brat Jinta to give these to ya, but I told him I'd run these over to ya, since it hadn't been long since ya left." He avoided eye contact with Keigo, looking off down the street. " So, honestly, yer lucky I was around when this whole thing went down." His brows were furrowed, the green markings under his eyes parallel to them now. "Next time I tell ya to run, kid," he hissed, glaring at Keigo now, "ya better run. It'll be safer for all of us in the long run. Ya got it, Keigo?"

Clutching the lanyard in his hand, Keigo let loose a small laugh, hand on his head. "Sure thing," he replied. "You're probably right."

Rolling his eyes, Grimmjow turned away. "Now don't get yerself killed goin' home. I don't wanna have to come help ya again, got it?" Although, he knew deep down he hadn't really done much to help. Keigo had really been the one who helped him, more or less.

"Come on!" Ikkaku shouted from the rooftop. "We gotta get you back to Urahara's before dawn!"

Glancing back, Grimmjow looked at Keigo for a second before turning away completely. "Get the hell outta here, kid." he hissed, walking towards the Shinigami. "I mean it this time."

"Thanks, Grimm!" Keigo called out, walking away as well. "See you tomorrow!" Grimmjow didn't glance back, but his eyes changed for a second. In place of the normal disdain was a shred of emotion he'd never felt as long as he was an Espada. It was a twinge, causing his chest to feel slightly heavy.

"Good, now let's go," Ikkaku said, glaring at Grimmjow. The three of them vanished instantly, their forms dissolving in the moonlight. All the while, Grimmjow reflected on his new-found inner conflict. He had never had anyone willing put their life on the line like that. Even in Hueco Mundo, when he'd been surrounded by his followers, begging him to devour them, this didn't even come close. That time had been a bid for power, a higher purpose that would lead to their own advancement. This… Keigo had no reason to help him, to keep him alive. So, what did he call this bond between him and the human? He heard Yoruichi's voice echo in his head, repeating in his ears like a broken record.

Was this friendship?