Hey everyone. Well, somehow I missed it, but we hit the 400K wordcount last week. Hells yeah! And the weird thing, is that we're only about halfway, if that, through the story. So yeah, this is definitely looking like an easy 700K+ story. Out of curiosity, I did a little digging around FanFiction for any stories that came close to that amount, and surprisingly found very few of them. No, not bragging or anything of the sort, just highly amazed at myself is all.

Anywho, besides a quick 'You're welcome' to Jasss22 (You're welcome), no reviews to answer this week. So, with that, let's head into 'Spades's Banter'.

Glad you liked all the humor in last week's chapter, and I've got even more for ya this week as well. Not only that, with this chapter, we start veering away from 'introductions' and plot preparation, and head into the main plot of the story. As for the early releases of my chapters…scratch that, the 'reader's' chapters, I try to get them out before noon. But as we all know, stuff happens and I admit that sometimes I forget that I hadn't released the next chapter yet. Anyway, Questions…

1: Well, I can tell you that that won't happen; Timothy will not be getting an inner hollow. Personally, I kinda feel that route is heavily overplayed a bit. But, again, that's just my opinion. But 'if' he did get one, I think Kit would end up driving the poor bastard insane with her antics, lmao.

2: (Goes with one) 'Johnny' probably wouldn't care, but Kitsune would likely have a new target for her teasing, lol.

3: Not likely. The movies were good, but they felt way too much like pointless fillers to me. Besides, this story will only revolve around the Aizen timeline and a bit past that. As for my story that will take place afterwards, it will more than likely be a slice-of-life with a little bit of villainy at times.

4: Essentially the same as the anime, training Ichigo to handle his hollows powers. However, that does not mean they do not have their own role to play in the future.

5: Well, I wouldn't exactly say 'jealous', seeing that she obviously has feelings for Ichigo; but she is a bit disheartened that she hasn't reached that level with him yet.

6: No, saw half of the first season and it didn't catch my interest. Sorry Yu-Gi-Oh fans…

7: None at all my friend. Sorry to disappoint, lol.

8: No idea what that is bro, toss me an explanation through a review or PM and I'll bring that question back up next week.

Alrighty, enough jabber, let's get reading…

(I DO NOT OWN BLEACH; ITS CHARACTORS, NAMES, LOCATIONS, OR STORY! THAT HONOR BELONGS SOLELY TO TITE KUBO AND HIS TEAM! ONLY THE OC, AND RANDOM NAMES NOT MENTIONED IN THE BOOKS OR ANIME ARE MY OWN!)


Chapter 28

(Ice Cream and Espada)

Karakura Town City Center, The Next Morning

Timothy walked slowly through one of the many aisles of women's clothes as he followed the four women in front of him, his shoulders slumped in despair and a large frown on his face. Both of his arms had a bag each looped onto them, filled to the point of spilling over.

"What do you think about this one, Tim?" Orihime inquired as she held up a light-blue sundress.

Rangiku had actually shown up much earlier that Timothy had expected, walking into the shop just as he was about to go to the basement for his morning training. If that wasn't bad enough, waking up Nel proved to be a challenge of its own.

When he walked into her room to wake her up, her found her completely sprawled out on her back, her head turned to the side and drooling. And even though the walls of the room were quite thin, they did an excellent job at muffling the sound of Nel's deep snoring.

He found that the challenge in waking her up was; one, she was a heavy sleeper, unless she woke up on her own. And two, the instant he nudged her shoulder to wake her up, she subconsciously wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down on her.

That was when he realized the teal-haired woman was a hell of a lot stronger than she looked. Her hold around his neck quickly tightened like she was snuggling a teddy bear, pain shooting through his body as his neck threatened to snap in half.

In the end, it took Kitsune slapping her on the face and shocking the woman awake to save her partner from a death that she was sure he wouldn't have minded.

But once she was finally awake, Rangiku was quick to give Orihime a call and invite her along as well. Needless to say, the young woman was very happy to accept. And to be frank, so was Tim in a way.

Although he wasn't too happy about having a fourth woman in the group, he knew that he could count on Orihime to at least help keep Yoruichi's mind in the gutter, and not in the pit. And now, after the first hour of shopping, it was paying off.

…At least a little.

She had managed to talk Yoruichi out of 'some' of her…provocative…choices in clothing, but there was only so much the poor girl could do. If he were to go into statistics, Timothy would have guessed that Orihime managed to prevent at least thirty percent of his pain.

But, at least there was one thing he didn't have to worry about; the ridiculous price tag at the end. He wasn't sure why, but for some reason, during breakfast, Rangiku and Yoruichi both stated that they would pay for Nel's clothes.

The faces they gave off when they said it didn't suggest they had any ulterior motives behind it, but since it was basically sort of a 'tradition' for the men to buy the clothes, he was still very skeptical about the whole thing.

He looked at the dress the teen held out for him, studying it closely. It was just a normal light-blue sun dress where the hem would have stopped just below Nel's knees had she been wearing it.

The man gave her an approving nod. "I like it, and it almost matches her hair, just a little lighter." He stated.

Orihime looked at it and nodded. "I like it too. I think she should try it on." She offered.

Timothy glanced down at the bag on his right arm with a dropped face. "It's a hell of a lot better than the crap Yoruichi picked out. I don't even think the things she got could even be considered 'clothes'." He moaned.

The young woman chuckled brightly. "Don't feel so bad, Tim. You know she's only doing it to make you feel uncomfortable." She reminded.

The man glanced back at her. "I know. I still can't believe Nel's 'allowing' her to use her as a guinea pig." He admitted. He then started looking around, his eyes getting wider the longer he noticed that the others were missing. "Where did they go anyway?" he inquired.

Orihime's cheeks then turned a bit pink as she tucked her head in a bit. "Um…Yoruichi and Rangiku took her to…the lingerie shop." She answered in a quiet voice.

Timothy's head instantly jerked to her as the bags slipped off his arms and landed on the floor. "You're kidding! Pleeeaaase tell me you're kidding!" he begged in horror.

The teen sunk her head in more before gently shaking it. "No." she answered in the same voice from before.

The Lieutenant began sweating profusely as his mind began to wonder against his will. If there was one thing that could have possibly been worse than Yoruichi picking out clothes for Nel, it was definitely Yoruichi picking out 'underwear' for Nel.

"Oh sweet God…" he mumbled.

"Tim…at least let me write out my will before you let us both die." Kitsune pleaded.

"Oh Tim." Yoruichi called out from behind him in a singsong voice, causing him to swallow hard.

"You should have done that last night, Kit…along with me." He said in return.

He then slowly turned around to see the three women walking up to him, Nel with red stained cheeks, Rangiku with a pleased smile, and Yoruichi with her usual grin, holding a medium sized bag in her hands.

"Yes?" he answered in a squeak.

The three women stopped in front of him, where Timothy looked at the bag the golden-eyed woman had, only for her to pull it away from him and a wiggle a finger at him as she clicked her tongue.

"Uh uh, no peeking Tim. I think Nel should save it for when you two 'really' experience how much you love each other." She said in her 'very' seductive voice.

"Y…Yoruichi!" Nel whined as she quickly turned to the woman with wide eyes, absolute horror etched on her face.

A small trail of blood ran down from Timothy's nose, causing him to slap a hand to his face to quickly cover it up. Too bad for him that Yoruichi noticed it, making the evil woman chuckle under her breath at him.

"My my, having dirty thoughts now, are we?" she teased.

He glared at her with a deep growl. "If anyone here is dirty Yoruichi, it's you!" he hissed through his hand.

She rose an amused brow at him. "How am 'I' dirty? I was just stating the obvious. Or are you saying that you don't find Nel attractive?" she goaded.

Timothy growled again before dropping his, now blood covered, hand. "Of course I find her attractive!" he almost yelled.

Yoruichi's other brow rose in surprise as Rangiku gasped and Nel grew and even deeper shade of red. He quickly realized what he said, then immediately slapped the same hand back over his mouth.

'Damn it! She got me again!' he yelled in his mind.

Nel tucked her head in closer. "Do you…really think I'm attractive…Tim?" she inquired without looking at him.

The poor man's eyes were now saucers, completely shocked at the bottomless pit he threw himself into because he fell for the demon's trap. No matter how he answered her, he was screwed.

"…I hate that woman! My teasing is one thing, but that is just pure evil!" Kitsune hissed in his head.

"I…agree." 'Johnny' followed.

Yoruichi tilted her head at Timothy's silence. "What's wrong, Tim? Aren't you going to answer Nel?" she pressed.

Timothy growled loudly as he grabbed tufts of his hair tightly. "I am 'not' playing your damn games, Yoruichi! Stop trying to turn every fucking thing around on me!" He then dropped his hands and pointed at Nel while glaring at Yoruichi. "How Nel and I feel for each other is 'our' business! Unless you want to offer 'actual' help, stay the fuck out of it!" he barked at her.

The woman rose a brow again. "Oh, getting a little defensive? So, does that mean you've taken her for your own already?" she teased further.

Nel looked at her with a pleading face. "Yoruichi, please stop it. It's not funny anymore." She begged.

Yoruichi rolled her eyes with a moan. "Fine. You two are such killjoys. Lighten up and live a little for God's sakes." She whined.

That proved to be the last straw as Timothy simply threw hand into the air. "I'm done. I'm going home, where I can maintain the last bit of my sanity." He stated as he turned and began walking away from the group.

Orihime looked at the golden-eyed woman with a bit of anger. "Yoruichi! That wasn't nice! You should apologize to Tim!" she asserted.

"I'm leaving too. Bye Orihime, Rangiku." Nel stated in sadness, then quickly walked in the direction Timothy went.

Rangiku looked at Yoruichi in worry. "It was funny, but even I have to admit that was a little far for someone like Tim, Yoruichi." She informed.

The woman rolled her eyes again as she crossed her arms. "I can't help it, he makes it too damn easy to mess with him. They both do." She returned.

Orihime shook her head gently. "That doesn't mean you should do it, Yoruichi. I'll go and try to calm him down." She stated, then ran off to go find the pair.

Rangiku waited for a minute until the teen was out of sight, then turned to the other woman. "So, Tim really does care for her that much? I thought they were just really good friends." She inquired.

Yoruichi shook her head firmly. "No, it's far deeper than that, Rangiku. I'm surprised you haven't noticed yet, but Tim and Nel are actually in love with each other." She corrected.

The Lieutenant's eyes widened a bit. "Really?! Even knowing what each other are, they still feel that way?!" the busty woman asked in shock.

"Yes." Yoruichi answered with a nod. "That's the main reason why he gets so worked up when I tease them."

Rangiku sighed heavily. "He probably thinks you're making fun of him for it. If that's the case, then you 'really' should lay off teasing them so much." She stated, but only a second before her eyes went wide again. "Wait a minute…does the Captain know about this?!" she asked in worry.

Yoruichi shrugged a shoulder. "I'm not sure. If he doesn't know already, I'm sure it won't be long before he finds out. But I doubt it would matter anyway."

The busty Lieutenant nodded. "I don't think it would either. Want me to try and find out if he does know?" she offered.

Her friend shook her head. "No, it's best to leave it as is for now. We should probably call it a day. I doubt Nel will be in the mood to continue now." The woman advised.

Rangiku moaned in disappointment. "But there were so many more things I wanted her to try out." She whined.

Yoruichi grinned at her. "I never said to call it a day for 'us'. Why don't 'we' go try that stuff on and find the best stuff for her? Afterall, you and Nel really aren't that far apart in regards to body shape." she offered.

The Lieutenant's mood instantly switched. "Definitely! Let's get started, Yoruichi!" she said in bliss, picking up the bags Timothy left before both women continued with their spree.

Meanwhile, Timothy, with Nel right beside him, walked across the main lobby of the mall towards the front doors, but stopped when their names were called. They turned around to see Orihime running to catch up to them.

Timothy sighed heavily and held a hand up. "I really appreciate your help today, Orihime. I really do. But Nel and I are both done dealing with Yoruichi today. I swear, if I hear one more of her jokes, I 'will' strangle her." He warned in a moan.

Orihime stopped in front of him, panting lightly, as she gave him a pitiful look. "I'm sorry that she was taking too far, Tim. You know she's not trying to be mean." She offered.

He nodded firmly. "I know, Orihime. But that woman really needs to learn control. I'm sick and tired of being teased and commented on because she finds Nel and I's relationship funny. Why can't she just leave us alone and let us be happy?" he growled.

The teen quickly shook her head. "She doesn't think that you and Nel being together is funny, Tim. She's just trying to help. It's just that her way of doing is a little…different." She admitted.

The man held a hand up to stop her. "That may be, but she 'knows' it bothers us, Orihime. If she 'really' wanted to help, she would have stopped when we literally 'begged' her to. She may be trying to help a bit, but she's mainly doing this for her own entertainment. And I'm done with it, at least for today. Nel and I are going off to spend the rest of the day looking around…alone. I'm am most definitely not mad at you, Orihime, or Rangiku. But right now, I am not in the mood to deal with 'anybody'. Thank you so much for your help today, and I promise we'll make it up to you. We'll see ya later." He stated calmly.

She sighed in defeat, but nodded. "Ok. I'll have a talk with Yoruichi. You two have fun. Bye Nel." She said with a wave.

The woman smiled and waved back. "It was nice shopping with you again, Orihime. I hope we can do it again soon." She offered.

Orihime quickly nodded, returning the smile. "Of course! I'd like that! Bye." She finished, waving once more before starting back towards where she left the other two of the group.

The pair watched the young woman leave, before Nel turned to him. "I'm sorry." She said with a sad face.

He looked at her with a raised brow. "For what?" he asked in surprise.

She lowered her head a bit in shame. "For…putting you on the spot like that, Tim. It's just…what you said…surprised me." She admitted.

His face dropped a bit along with his shoulders. "Don't be, Nel. You didn't mean it that way. And before you ask again, I…I do think you're attractive." He said with pick cheeks. "But I want you to know…that's not why I love you." He insisted.

Nel looked at him with curiosity. "What do you mean?"

He raised a finger and touched it her chest. "It's what's in here that I love, Nel. You, for who you are. Not what you are, or what you look like. And I still stand firm on what I said before, that we'll only take this as far as you feel ready to, Nel." He said in a firm voice.

He was a bit surprised when she took his face in her hands and swiftly pressed her lips to his. But he recovered quickly, wrapping his arms around her waist loosely and gently pulling her closer to him.

The little male voice in his head told him to take their kiss further, but he held that notion back for fear of scaring her. Instead, he settled with the simple one that they were sharing at the moment, savoring it.

Although it was only around three or four seconds, it honestly felt to them like an hour before they broke apart. Nel then wrapped her arms around his midriff, resting her head against his chest.

"I am content with this for now, Tim. I just want to have you with me." She admitted in a low voice, a happy voice.

He raised his hand behind her back and rested it on the back of her head, just below where her mask would have been had she not currently been in her gigai. He then began stroking her hair gently, earning a content sigh from her.

"As long as you want it, I'll be here for you, Nel. Don't forget that." He affirmed.

She held him a bit tighter, then nodded. "I won't. I promise. Just don't let anything Yoruichi says get to you, Tim. It was because of her and Orihime that we ended up together in the first place." She pointed out.

Timothy sighed heavily. "I know, Nel. I know she doesn't mean anything by it, but I do wish she would lay off on her teasing a bit. I personally don't care what she says about me, I really don't. But she keeps making you feel uncomfortable, and that 'does' bother me."

She raised her head and backed away from him enough to look into his face with a warm smile. "I'm not going to lie and say it doesn't bother me Tim, but as long as we have each other, does it matter?" she questioned.

He scoffed lightly, then brought his lips to hers again in a quick peck before smiling back. "I guess not, but it's still annoying. I'll try to be more calm towards her Nel, but that's honestly all I can offer you in that regards." He said calmly.

Nel nodded firmly before returning into his embrace. "Thank you…for everything, Tim." she whispered.

The man chuckled lowly. "My pleasure, Nel. Wanna go to the arcade?" he offered.

She quickly backed away from him and nodded encouragingly with wide eyes. "Please! That place is so much fun!" she answered in a cheery voice.

Timothy laughed aloud at her sudden change in mood. "Alright, let's go then." He returned, holding out a hand to gesture for her to take the lead.

The woman nodded, then started walking, grabbing his outstretched hand with hers and pulling him along. He grabbed her hand back as he came up beside her, a very content smile etched onto his face.

Outskirts of Karakura Town, Present

The normally calm atmosphere of the hilly terrain just outside the city limits of Karakura Town was suddenly disturbed by the eerie, scratching sound of the air being ripped apart; a tear appearing in an open field and growing wider by the second.

As the rip in space grew to its widest, seven humanoid forms slowly appeared and began walking out from the dark abyss one by one. The moment the last person stepped out onto the grassy field, the dark portal instantly snapped shut and vanished.

One of them, the man with black hair and green eyes, stepped forward and peered down at the vast, and active city in front of him with an emotionless face, his hands tucked calmly into his pockets.

Another man, this one with bluish hair and a jaw-like bone fragment on the side of his face, walked up next to the first man and also looked down at the city. He raised a brow, then looked at the man next to him.

"So, you want us to just cause trouble, right?" he inquired skeptically.

"That is correct, Grimmjow. However, we must remain here, where we cannot be detected, until tonight." The green-eyed Espada answered, then pulled out his right hand from his pocket, presenting a small bracelet on his wrist. "With our spiritual pressure, these devices Lord Aizen gave us will only work up to a certain distance. If someone with enough spiritual pressure of their own comes close enough, they would be able to detect, and see us."

He placed his hand back into his pocket. "We must wait until tonight, when the humans are mostly asleep." He instructed.

Grimmjow scoffed. "What does it matter? They can't see us, with or without these bracelets. I say we go now, Ulquiorra."

The Cuatro Espada side glanced his comrade. "It matters, because our activities while they are out would cause many of them to perish, and their existence is paramount to Lord Aizen's plans. Besides, we want the soul reapers focused only on us, and not the humans. If the human's lives are at risk, they would very likely ignore us in order to protect them. All you need to worry about is doing what you have been instructed by Lord Aizen, and leave the rest to me." He informed coldly.

The Sexta scoffed again as he turned around and began walking away, waving over his shoulder. "Yeah, whatever. As long as I get to have my fun." He growled out.

Ulquiorra watched the man go back to his fracción, before turning back to the view of the city. Grimmjow walked up to his subordinates, where Shawlong took a step forward.

"Grimmjow, I assume he intends for us to wait?" the Arrancar asked cautiously.

The Espada scoffed at the question. "Yeah, says that it's best to attack when all the damn humans are asleep. Whatever. You guys feel those spiritual pressures in town?" he questioned.

The Fraccións all nodded. "Yes. Nine of them in fact. But I do not sense the one you described from the fighting last time you were here." Shawlong informed.

Grimmjow glanced back towards the city. "Yeah, I noticed that too. He must be somewhere where we can detect him. But it doesn't matter." He then looked back at his subordinates. "Pick the one's you want to fight later, but there's one that belongs to me." He warned.

"And who is that?" Di Roy asked with a toothy grin.

"The one that's currently alone in the large part of the city. He's the one Yammy fought last time, and I'd like to see for myself just how good he is. The rest of em are all yours, as long as you can keep em busy and away from Ulquiorra." The Sexta instructed.

"What exactly 'is' his mission, Grimmjow?" Yylfordt inquired.

The man scoffed as he turned away. "Beats me, all I know is that we're to make sure they don't interfere with him. Kill em if you can, but your main job is to simply keep em tied up. So, don't be stupid and pick a fight you can't win, got it?"

Shawlong gave him a respectful bow. "Of course, Grimmjow." He responded, then rose.

"One more thing…" the Sexta said, then looked back at them. "If that orange haired soul reaper shows up, he's also mine." He declared with a grin.

Karakura Town City Center, 2 Hours Later

A loud clacking sound echoed through the room as the small, orange, plastic disk sailed right into the small slit at the end of the field. This was followed by the loud growl of Timothy, and the just as loud cheer of Nel.

"How the hell are you some damn good at this damn game?!" he hissed, holding the small striker in his fist.

The woman across the air hockey table smiled as she shrugged a shoulder. The score was currently eleven to three in Nel's favor, the three points that Timothy had being the first ones of the game while he was still teaching Nel how to play.

Although he was no master at the game, Timothy still prided himself at being better than most others. But Nel on the other hand, she had managed to pick the game up in only a matter of minutes and was already better than him; which seriously irked him to no end.

"I don't know, it just seems so easy to play to me." She admitted.

Timothy growled in annoyance as the table's air compressor stopped, therefor ending the game. He set the striker down and crossed his arms with a huff.

"Ten damn minutes, that's all it took for you, and it took me months to get as good as I am." He complained.

She set her striker down as well with a chuckle. "It's ok, Tim. You're still better than me at Pac-Man." She comforted.

"Pac-Man doesn't require any skill to play." he countered.

Nel touched a finger to her chin and hummed in thought. "What about 'Dead House 2'? That takes skill, doesn't it?" she offered.

He rose a brow at her. "You never miss a shot, Nel. The only reason I get a better score than you, is because I have to keep reminding you to reload." He pointed out.

Her face dropped as she sweated from embarrassment. "It's stupid you have to shoot 'off the screen' to reload the stupid gun." she whined.

"It takes less than a second to do it! At least you don't have to reload for real!" he barked back.

She growled in annoyance. "Ok, fine. Then what about the claw machine?" she tried with crossed arms.

"They're rigged, Nel! And are you seriously using the damned claw machine for comparison?!" he yelled in shock.

"That game is not easy, Tim!" she yelled back.

He growled loudly as he grabbed his hair. "It's 'rigged'! You're not meant to win, Nel! Out of all those stupid toys, or whatever's inside, only one or two of them aren't tied down!" he informed in anger.

The woman's eyes went wide as she held her fists to her side. "That's not fair! How are you supposed to win if they make it to where you can't?!" she demanded.

"Because it's money, Nel!" He growled again, then took a deep, calming breath. "Whatever. What do you wanna do next?" he asked in a much calmer voice.

She took a breath as well, then looked deeper into the room. "I'm actually getting a little hungry. You want to get something to eat?" she offered.

Timothy sighed and nodded. "Sounds good to me. Anything in particular you want?" he inquired.

Nel hummed in thought for a moment. "I don't think it's something you would have for lunch, but I would like to have ice cream again." She admitted, now looking at him.

He scoffed lightly at her. "Got a sweet tooth do ya?" he teased.

She gave him a firm stare. "It's really good, Tim!" she defended.

The man held up a hand with a chuckle. "Alright. Ice cream it is. Ready to go?"

Nel nodded before walking over to him and taking his hand in hers. "Ready." She affirmed.

Timothy scoffed contently before grabbing back and leading them out of the arcade. Luckily, the ice cream parlor that Orihime had taken Nel to before was only a few shops down, so at least they didn't have to walk far.

Once they arrived, they chose one of the booths close to the door, with Nel sitting close to the window and him next to her. He gave a relaxed sigh as he leaned back against the seat and turned to her.

"Got any idea what you want?" he inquired.

She held her chin in deep thought. "I had regular ice cream last time, but I remember Orihime telling me something about pastries. I think I'd like to try one of those." She answered.

He rose a brow at her in wonder. "You're gonna have to be a little more specific, Nel. 'Pastries' could be almost anything." He informed.

Nel's face dropped in despair, now afraid she wasn't going to be able to choose the one she thought was best. She ended up having to sigh in defeat before turning to him.

"I think it would be best if you ordered for me." She admitted reluctantly.

The man chuckled lightly, then signaled for the waitress, who was there in a flash. "Can I get a strawberry filled, chocolate covered Éclair for her, and I'll have a simple bowl of ice cream with a scoop each of vanilla, mint, and rocky road?" he ordered.

The woman wrote everything down, then glanced back at him. "Any drinks, sir?"

"Tea for both of us." He answered.

She nodded before writing it down and leaving to place the orders in. Nel gave him a curious look.

"What's 'rocky road' Tim?" she inquired.

He chuckled with a grin. "It's chocolate ice cream with almonds and marshmallows. It's actually my second favorite, my actual favorite being plain old vanilla." He answered.

Her eyes widened a little. "That sounds so good. Now I wish I had gotten that instead." She said with disappointment.

"I'll let you have some of mine, provided you don't eat it all." He offered.

The woman's face dropped. "I wouldn't do that. Don't be mean, Tim." she whined.

He shrugged a shoulder at her. "Just saying. Kit used to do that every time we went out for ice cream." He stated, then rose a brow. "You'll have to remind me to grab some for her to eat when we get back." He stated.

"Oh God…pleeeaaassse!" Kitsune droned out, her mouth beginning to water at the thought.

Timothy gave a gentle laugh at her comment. "Behave, and I will." He said in a whisper.

"Huh?" Nel wondered.

The man waved her off. "Just talking with Kit is all. She's about to start begging me to get her some."

"As long as you actually do it, I won't. You know what kind I like." She returned with a grin.

He scoffed lightly. "I'm not sure they have cookie dough, so you might have to make due with mint." He warned.

"Good enough. Just make sure you get me some. And a lot of it!" she hissed.

"Pig." He mocked.

"Shut up! You didn't hear me say anything for your damn steak!" she returned.

His face dropped. "Alright, touché. I'll get you a small bucket. Happy?" he moaned.

"Very." She confirmed.

"Good, now keep quiet." He instructed, surprised a moment later when she actually listened.

Nel laughed under her breath. "Is she giving you a hard time, Tim?" she teased kindly.

He glanced at her. "Not really, just a bit of bickering we always do. Normally she wins, so I'm a bit surprised she actually gave up." He admitted.

"Because right now I think getting ice cream is more important!" the spirit hissed back.

"Shut it." He returned, still looking at Nel.

Nel smiled warmly at him. "I'm glad you two are so close, Tim. I have to admit that hearing you two argue sometimes is a bit funny." She said, then chuckled.

Timothy narrowed his gaze at her sternly. "Oh yeah? Why don't you try having Yoruichi's twin living in 'your' head then?" he proposed, hearing an evil snicker in his head.

She instantly stopped laughing and looked at him with wide eyes. "Uh…no." she said flatly.

"I thought so." He concluded.

It was then that the waitress came back with their order, setting the appropriate dishes and drinks in front of them and giving a swift bow before leaving again. Nel's mouth turned into a waterfall as she stared openmouthed at the treat in front of her.

He rose a brow at her and grinned. "You're not expecting me to feed you, are you?" he teased.

Her jaw snapped shut and she glared at him while picking up her fork. "That's not funny." She informed, before cutting a small piece of the éclair off and placing it in her mouth.

Timothy inwardly laughed as he watched the woman's eyes roll into the back of her head, her thoughts obviously clouded over by the amazing taste. He almost broke out in an actual laugh when she then moaned with delight.

"Good?" he inquired.

She gave him a small nod with her fork still in her mouth. "Hmmmm." She hummed in acknowledgment, just now pulling the fork from her mouth. "This is so amazing." She stated, then quickly took another bite.

He let out a breathy chuckle as he grabbed his spoon and began enjoying his own treat. Nel then leaned back with a very content moan as she closed her eyes.

"I think this has to be my favorite food, Tim." she said with her fork still in her mouth.

Timothy nodded before putting another spoonful in his own mouth. "Agreed." He said with a full mouth, earning a light chuckled from the woman.

"Thank you, Tim." she said, grabbing another bite, causing the man to hum in acknowledgment.

The two of them continued eating their respective treats in silence and enjoyment; until a few minutes later Nel had finished hers and switched to picking off of Timothy's, much to his dismay.

By the time both treats were finished, Timothy had only managed to get five bites out of his own. When he mentioned to her that he had said not to eat it all, she responded by simply sticking her tongue out at him.

He honestly didn't care that she not only ate hers, but most of his as well, he was actually happy that she enjoyed it. He watched as she rested her head back with closed eyes and a content smile on her face, a small one on his own as well.

As he sat there, his thoughts slowly went back to he and Kit's conversation from the night before. Although they had both finally came to accept that their current relationship was what they thought it was supposed to be, he still couldn't shake the funny feeling he was getting.

Being able to hear his thoughts, Kitsune was starting to get a bit worried, and annoyed. She honestly wished she could come out right then and give her partner a good pop on the head for his thoughts, but she also couldn't blame him. It was something that was simply going to take time to overcome.

She finally let out a sigh and shook her head. "I know why you're feeling this way Tim, and I understand. I'm not going to hound you about it, only remind you that it's better the way we are now." She pointed out.

Timothy sighed quietly to not disturb the woman next to him. "I know. But I honestly can't help but notice that spending time with Nel like this…feels different than when I did it with you. It feels…" He paused to think of the right word.

"…Better?" she offered.

He closed his eyes as his shoulders slumped. "…Yes, even though I don't want to put it that way." He admitted.

"You don't need to worry about hurting my feelings, Tim. I enjoyed what we had back then, I won't lie about that; but I honestly enjoy what we have 'now' even more. I'm glad that Nel gets to have what you tried to give me. It should feel better, Tim. So, don't fret it. Enjoy what you two have together. Now…shut up and go get me my ice cream!" she hissed.

The man's brows furrowed. "Of course you would be more concerned about your damn ice cream…" he mentally whined.

"It's been twelve years since I've last had it, and I missed it! Don't judge me!" she barked.

"There's nothing there to judge. You're as dimwitted as a goldfish." He mocked.

"…Are you calling me stupid?" she inquired dangerously.

He sighed heavily, then got up and began walking to the counter. "If the shoe fits, vixen." He whispered, then tuned out the rampaging that was very sure to follow.

Urahara Shop, That Evening

Timothy and Nel slowly walked back toward the shop, hand in hand, until they finally came around the corner to the open lot that the shop resided in. As they walked up to the front door, Kitsune was already materialized and snatching the bag that contained the small bucket of ice cream and running inside.

He deadpanned as he watched the spirit take off, literally like a child that had just been given candy by its parents. The spirit nearly bumped into Kisuke as the man was walking out, stopping only long enough to step to the side and get past him.

The shop owner watched her run into the kitchen, then looked back towards Timothy with a raised brow behind his fan. The man simply dropped his head and slowly shook it with a heavy sigh.

"Don't ask." He moaned, then walked up and sat down on the porch with Nel sitting down beside him. "Where's the demon?" he inquired with a breathy voice.

Kisuke sat down against the wall near the door and chuckled. "If you're looking to pay her back for the chaos that I'm sure she caused, I'm afraid you'll have to wait, Tim." he informed.

Timothy turned around to him with a raised brow. "She's gone again?" he asked in surprise.

The owner nodded. "She went to go do some reconnaissance in the soul society for a few days, to see if they have heard anything new about Aizen and his intentions. She goes there about two or three times a month. So far, besides what miss Nel has already told us, we don't have anything new." He stated.

Nel dropped her head a bit. "I'm sorry I couldn't be more help, Kisuke." She said in shame.

Timothy quickly turned back to her. "Don't be. You told us everything you knew, and we all know how secretive Aizen is. None of us are surprised he didn't tell the Espada anything. You've been a great help, Nel." He reassured.

Kisuke nodded firmly. "I agree. You may not have been able to tell us much, but you have definitely been a great help, miss Nel. Especially with telling about that device that separated you and Gamuza. And so you both know, I've been trying to do what research I can on that subject to see if I can find a way to counter its effects. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to come up with anything yet. We've at least been able to prove that reestablishing that connection is possible, at least in regards to Arrancars. I would imagine that it should work similarly with soul reapers and their zanpakutō spirits as well." He commented.

Kitsune then walked out of the shop, her bucket of ice cream in one hand, and a spoon in the other, and proceeded to sit down next to Kisuke, who just stared at her and the bucket with raised brows.

"You don't plan to eat that entire thing in one sitting, do you?" Timothy inquired with a very skeptical face.

The spirit paused while scooping up a spoonful to glare at him. "So what if I do? Just shut up and leave me alone." She barked.

He rolled his eyes at her and began rubbing his temples. "Damn vixen." He moaned.

Nel meanwhile was staring intently at the bucket in the spirit's arms, her mouth just slightly agape as she began drooling. Kitsune placed a spoonful in her mouth, moaning with delight, before she noticed the woman staring at her treat.

She narrowed her gaze at the woman. "Mine!" she hissed with the spoon still in her mouth, then turned her body a bit to 'shield' her priceless possession from the woman.

The teal-haired woman's face dropped as she whined in disappointment. "Can't I have just a little?" she pleaded, earning a slight snarl from the spirit.

Kisuke turned to her as he waved his fan. "I do have some cookie dough ice cream in the freezer in the kitchen, if you'd like some." He offered.

Kitsune's eyes shot wide open as she quickly turned to the man. "You do?!" she demanded, getting a nod back.

The two women then stared at each other with wide eyes, that slowly morphed into challenging stares. Before anybody knew what happened, Nel quickly shot to her feet as Kitsune set her own bucket down and jumped to hers.

Both women then ran into the shop at subsonic speeds and disappeared from view as Timothy turned to the shop owner with a deadpanned expression.

"You shouldn't have said that." He informed.

The man rose a brow in confusion. "Why do you say that?" he inquired.

His answer came in the form of the sudden sounds of crashing and plates breaking as the two women began a private session of 'Mortal Kombat' in the kitchen. Both men turned to the door, Kisuke with wide eyes, and Timothy with an agitated face.

"That's why." He answered in a growl.

"Hands off, Nel! This is mine!" Kitsune yelled from the kitchen, followed by the sound of two more plates shattering.

"That's not fair! You have your own on the porch!" Nel returned, also followed by more crashing.

"It's not cookie dough! This is my favorite kind, and you're not getting any!" the spirit stated, only to responded by the sound of, what Timothy could guess, was Nel tackling the spirit to the floor.

Timothy sighed in a moan as he rested his face in his hand, shaking it slowly. "I'm surrounded by idiots. One that is a pervert, one who can't stop talking in riddles, and 'two' who act like fucking five-year-olds over ice cream." He observed.

Then came the sound of more plates and glasses breaking, quickly followed by rumbling and tumbling as the two women continued their wrestling match. Kisuke dropped his head with a heavy sigh.

"Tim…I hate to say it..." He paused and lifted his head to look at the man. "…but if you can't control your two lovely ladies, and keep them from dismantling my shop, I'm afraid I'll have to ask you all to leave." He warned.

Timothy gave the shop owner a deadpanned expression. "Trust me…you wouldn't find me complaining. It would mean I wouldn't have to deal with Yoruichi anymore." He stated as he got up and started walking into the shop.

It wasn't but five seconds later when the man's voice nearly shattered all of the surrounding windows.

"Enough! You have your own, Kit! And Nel, you already had yours! So, put the damn ice cream back and knock it off!" he demanded, instantly putting a stop to the Royal Rumble.

"That's not fair, Tim! It's cookie dough! Are you seriously going to keep me from my most favorite food?!" Kitsune yelled back.

"Out! Both of you, out! And leave the damn bucket behind!" he demanded.

Kisuke's attention was drawn away from the fiasco when Captain Hitsugaya, Renji, and Rukia are suddenly flashed into being in front of the shop, hands on their zanpakutōs and obviously ready for a fight.

"What's going on here?! Why had Lieutenant Durn's spiritual pressure suddenly skyrocketed?!" the short man demanded in a hurry.

The shop owner didn't bother to answer, he only stared back with a bit of annoyance. Not at the Captain, but instead because he was worried about the new state of his shop. The man's silence caused Renji to sweat drop.

"…Those two are at it again…aren't they?" he asked reluctantly, earning a slight nod.

Rukia sighed heavily with her head tilted to the side. "How does he put up with Nel and Yoruichi fighting all the time?" she inquired.

"I'm afraid you're mistaken, miss Rukia. That's not Yoruichi the miss Nel was fighting." Kisuke corrected.

The short woman straightened her head and rose a brow. "Then who…" she started.

Her question was answered when Kitsune and Nel both walked out of the shop with their shoulders slumped in defeat, scratches and bruises on their bodies. Rukia and Renji's eyes shot wide in shock at the two culprits.

"Kit?!" the two friends yelled in shock.

The spirit glared at them. "Shut up." She moaned.

"No, 'you' shut up!" Timothy demanded., now walking out behind the two women with a furious look on his face.

Toshiro growled in deep annoyance. "Do I even 'want' to know?" he questioned.

Timothy gave the man a stern look, noticing that he now had Nel's zanpakutō slung on his back next to Hyōrinmaru, but choosing to ignore the fact for the moment. "…Ice cream…They tried to kill each other over 'ice cream'." He answered in a hiss.

Renji and Rukia's jaws then dropped to the ground, while Toshiro's eyes went wide. "Let me get this straight…you flared your spiritual pressure so much, because they were fighting…over ice cream?!" the Captain demanded firmly.

A simple nod came as his answer, where the man did the only logical thing he could possibly think of, short of killing the three of them.

He vanished in shunpo.

Renji then glanced over to his shorter friend with a serious look. "I think it would be best if we took off too, Rukia." He advised.

The woman nodded quickly before they, too, disappeared. Afterward, Timothy closed his eyes with a heavy sigh.

"I don't even want to begin to imagine just how furious the Captain is right now." He stated, then looked at the two women sitting in front of him. "You two are grounded from ice cream for a damn month." He declared.

Nel and Kitsune both quickly stood up and turned to him with shocked faces. "T…That's not fair! That's pure evil, Tim! You can't do that to me!" Kitsune yelled.

The woman next to her nodded firmly. "Yeah! That's really mean of you, Tim!" she said, then pointed at the spirit. "She started it! She's the one who's so damn greedy!" she whined further.

"My fault?!" Kitsune questioned, now staring at Nel. "You're the one who tackled me to the floor!" she defended, pointing back.

"Only because you wouldn't share! You had your own…" Nel started, but was unable to finish.

Both women suddenly dropped to the ground, out cold, with a lump each on the tops of their heads. Right behind where they were standing was Kisuke with his closed fan held up in a gesture to hit someone with it.

"I apologize for this Tim, but I thought it would be best to end it before it got out of hand again." He offered in a calm voice.

Timothy turned his head and waved him off gently. "Don't worry about it. Truth is, you actually just saved me from the painful thing of having to do it myself. Just leave em there for now and let me pour you a drink as thanks. I'll make sure they clean up your shop in the morning." He stated, walking over to sit next to where the shop owner was before and pouring some sake.

Kisuke chuckled before sitting down next to Timothy and accepting the saucer of fine liquid from the man; taking a long sip afterwards as the Lieutenant downed one, then another drink before pouring a third and giving a relaxed sigh.

"Damn kids." Timothy moaned.

The shop owner chuckled again. "Well, you're stuck with them for the rest of your life, Tim. So, it's best if you get used to it." He advised calmly.

Timothy side glanced him. "I hate you." He said in a whine, then downed his drink and began pouring his fourth.

Karakura Town Outskirts, 4 Hours Later

It was a long, and very boring day for the six Arrancar as they waited impatiently for the final word to start their mission. The five fracción decided to try and entertain themselves by playing cards, that Edrad was smart enough to bring along.

They were currently sitting down and huddled in a small circle, while Yylfordt stood on the sidelines watching the game; seeing as the game of 'Spades' could only have four players. Plus, the game looked very unappealing to him.

The game had two teams of two players each, with the 'teammates' facing each other. It was a game that Edrad had read about one time when he had gotten bored, and wanted to find something to do. And when he read about this particular game, he instantly like the sound of it.

The teams were currently Edrad and Di Roy, against Shawlong and Nakeem. Seeing as how Nakeem had won the last set of cards, or 'book' as it was called in the game, it was his turn to place down the first card for the next book.

He placed down a Jack of Hearts, where Edrad, who was next to him on his left, set down a King of Hearts. The brawny man then looked up to see Grimmjow leaning against a tree a short distance away with his hands in his pockets and his head drooped low.

"Got any word as to when we're supposed to get all this started, Grimmjow?" he inquired with a bit of annoyance.

The Sexta scoffed loudly at him. "No, I don't. So quit asking." He instructed firmly.

"Hah! Looks I win." Di Roy stated with a grin, causing Edrad to look down at the cards.

He saw that the idiot had tossed down a Queen of Spades, meaning that he had 'cut' his partner and waisted a good card. Edrad looked at the serrated-toothed Arrancar with a deep growl of anger.

"Di Roy, you moron! I had that book with my King! If you didn't have any Hearts, then throw something else! Don't waist a perfectly good Spade just so 'you' can have the highest card!" he yelled at the man.

Yylfordt chuckled at the large man's berating. "Seriously, what else can you possibly expect from someone like Di Roy in a game like that?" he mocked with a grin.

The mentioned Arrancar turned to glare at him. "Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!" he barked back.

Shawlong gave a low sigh. "I believe he is correct, Di Roy. It would seem this game is far too complicated for you to understand fully." He added in his gentlemanly-like voice.

Di Roy then turned to him. "Stay out of this, Shawlong!" he demanded.

Grimmjow growled as his temper began to flare rapidly. "All of you idiots shut up! Save your damn energy for the soul reapers!" he instructed.

Shawlong gave the Espada a low bow at the waist. "Our apologies, Grimmjow." He offered.

The air around them buzzed with the sound of a sonído as Ulquiorra appeared in front of Grimmjow, where the Sexta turned to the emotionless man with a raised brow.

"It is time for us to begin. I have done my reconnaissance around the city as far as possible without being detected, and I have determined that it would wise of you to keep your engagements on the outskirts of the city. Fortunately, it appears that Yoruichi Shihōin is no longer here. So the only ones you should take extreme caution with is Kisuke Urahara, and Tessai Tsukabishi. I advise that you do not engage with him on your own." He informed in his emotionless voice.

The fracción all stood up and nodded at him in understanding. "Should I assume that we are free to kill the soul reapers?" Shawlong inquired.

The Cuatro Espada looked at him coldly. "If possible, you are free remove them at your discretion. However, your primary focus is not to eliminate them, but rather only to keep them entertained. As long as you can keep them from interfering with my mission, you may do as you wish. I don't not foresee my mission taking longer than an hour, so this should be rather simple for you."

Grimmjow gave him a firm stare. "Just what 'is' your mission, Ulquiorra?" he questioned.

Ulquiorra turned his eyes to the man. "That is none of your affair, Grimmjow. You should only be concerned for your own task. Lord Aizen choose you and your fracción for this particular task, because unlike Nnoitra, you can 'create chaos without unnecessary destruction', even though that is your particular aspect. Just complete your task, and nothing else should matter." The Espada stated.

The Sexta scoffed as turned away. "Whatever. So, we're good to get started then?"

"Yes, you may begin. I shall wait here until I have confirmed that none of the soul reapers will be able to discover my presence. Now go." Ulquiorra instructed.

Grimmjow nodded before turning to his subordinates. "Make sure you're at your locations before you take those stupid bracelets off. Once you do, start dumping off your spiritual pressures until one of em shows up." He added.

Shawlong bowed deeply with an arm across his chest. "Yes, Grimmjow." He answered, then sonídoed away along with the others.

The Sexta then turned back to his superior. "Don't take your sweet ass time, Ulquiorra. We can handle one-on-ones easily enough, but with eight against six, and one of them being this Urahara guy, I'd prefer not to tangle with them for long." He stated firmly.

Ulquiorra looked away and closed his eyes. "I am well aware the odds are currently against you Grimmjow, so do not think that I will take longer than is necessary for me to complete my objective." He warned dangerously.

Grimmjow scoffed once more before he, too, vanished using sonído. The remaining Espada stood there for a moment longer, before opening his eyes and looking out into the city with a calculating stare, detecting his intended target exactly where it should be.

"Now, you stay right where you are and do not interfere." He said in a whisper.

Urahara Shop, Present

"I don't give a damn 'who' started the damn fight, 'both' of you still caused the damn mess." Timothy stated with crossed arms.

He was currently standing in the doorway to the kitchen and keeping an eye on the two women in front of him with a firm gaze as they cleaned up the mess that had resulted in their earlier tussle over ice cream, of all things.

Nel turned to him with a sorrowful face. "It's still not fair, Tim. Kit had her own bucket, so it's not my fault she's so greedy." She pointed out.

The spirit growled at her. "I am not! Tim bought that for me while you got to have your stupid éclair, or whatever. And it's not my fault that Kisuke just happened to have my favorite flavor in the fridge!" she barked back.

"Shut it, both of you, and keep cleaning." Timothy instructed firmly. Nel then held a hand to the side of her head, catching his attention. "And if Gamuza has a problem with it, tell her to shut it as well." He added, guessing, accurately, why she made the motion.

The room suddenly pulsed with the presence of multiple, strong spiritual pressures, causing the three of them to widen their eyes; Nel especially, because she recognized who those pressures belonged to.

She quickly turned to Timothy with a fearful expression on her face. "Tim, that's Grimmjow's spiritual pressure! Along with his fraccións!" she informed in shock.

His eyes then went wider before he turned to Kitsune, who nodded and vanished back into his inner world. Timothy then fished into his pocket and pulled out his mod soul dispenser, turning around to see Kisuke standing next to the table with a serious look in his face.

"I'll keep an eye on miss Nel, Tim; you should meet up with the others and deal with this problem." He advised, earning a firm nod from the Lieutenant.

He swiftly swallowed one of the small, green pills, forcing his spiritual body out from the gigai, then turning to Nel who had stood up next to him.

"Stay here, Nel." He instructed.

Her face dropped in worry. "I wish you would let me help you, Tim." she said in sadness.

The man shook his head firmly. "The Captain still has your zanpakutō, Nel. So, I don't think there's much you 'can' do right now. Please…stay here." He pleaded.

She dropped her head in disappointment, but nodded. "Alright." She said in defeat.

Timothy cupped her chin in his hand and lifted her face to his. "Hey, I'll be fine, so don't worry. I'm in much better shape than I was last time…" he paused and gave her a quick kiss on her lips, smiling warmly afterwards. "…right?" he inquired.

Nel smiled back, but only a little as she nodded. "Yes…you are. Please be careful, Tim." she almost begged.

He scoffed lightly and nodded back. "If you behave for Kisuke, I 'might' let you have some of that ice cream he has." He teased.

Her face lit up instantly. "I will!" she affirmed quickly, resulting in a brief laugh from him.

The man gave her a last peck on the cheek, then flashed away.

Kurosaki Residence, Present

Rukia stood on top of the roof of Ichigo's house as she stared into in direction where she felt one of the numerous spiritual pressures. She heard a small wisp of sound as Renji flashed up next to her, his left hand holding his zanpakutō in its scabbard on his side.

"There's six of them, Renji. It feels like Tim is heading for the strongest one right now." She informed.

He nodded sternly. "Yeah, so let's get the ones on the northeast, and southeast sides of town. I'll take the northern one." He said in a commanding tone.

She looked at him and nodded back. "Be careful, Renji. They're strong." She warned.

The Lieutenant hummed in acknowledgment, then they both vanished; each heading to their assigned target.

Skies Above Karakura Town, Present

Toshiro and Rangiku jumped from rooftop to rooftop in rapid succession as they flew towards the western side of the city. They had been at Orihime's place getting ready to turn in for the night, seeing as how Ikkaku and Yumichika had hollow watch that night.

The Captain leapt off a four-story building, followed closely by his Lieutenant. "I will take the one to the south, and you work on the one to the north, Rangiku." He instructed.

Rangiku nodded with a hum. "Yes, Captain." She answered.

He then glanced over his shoulder. "Don't be careless. These spiritual pressures feel like that 'Nel' woman's, so I assume that they must be Arrancar as well. Once you have dealt with it, I want you to go give Lieutenant Durn a hand. He's quite obviously going up against the strongest one here, and will likely need help." He added.

She nodded once more, then the two officers split off and went their separate ways.

Karakura Town Southern District, Present

"I feel it…this one is strong, so it looks like you'll have a good fight, Ikkaku." Yumichika stated with a sly smile on his face.

The duo hopped from one building to another as they headed towards the only target that had apparently not been picked out yet. Luckily, their hollow patrol had left them already close by, so they didn't have far to go.

"Yeah. Too bad Tim got the big guy." He stated with a small amount of annoyance.

Although Ikkaku wanted the strongest one that was up north, Timothy was already heading in that direction, and would easily get there way before he could. And if there was one rule he absolutely refused to break, it was stealing a fight from another.

"Yes. Well, I don't mean to say anything against the man's abilities, but there 'is' that chance that he may not be able to defeat his opponent. If that were to happen, then you would be free to continue where he left off." His friend tried to reassure.

Ikkaku grinned madly at the prospect. He definitely didn't want Timothy to die, or even lose his fight, but the chance to fight the strongest opponent on the field was too good for him to pass up.

"Then we'd better finish this one off quickly, so that we'll be ready in case that 'does' happen." The 3rd seat stated happily.

The 5th seat nodded firmly before they vanished, reappearing in front of their prey after traveling a large distance. The two friends stared intently at the somewhat large being in front of them as they stood in a careless manner.

"Well, I was wondering when someone would show up. Took you two long enough to get here." The large and brawny man stated with arms crossed.

He was a good half-foot taller than Ikkaku, and wore a white overcoat and loose pants of the same color. His full and spiky red hair on one side of his head, and nearly shaved black hair on the other bewildered the 3rd seat a bit.

Not to mention the bone-like mask of his that looked to Ikkaku like a pair of shades that were pulled down the bridge of his nose. Even though this was the first one the 3rd seat had seen, this man was obviously an Arrancar.

Ikkaku grinned at the man as he held his zanpakutō, still in its scabbard, resting on his shoulder. "Sorry about that, flash step ain't exactly one of my strong suits. But I'm here now, so why don't we get this kicked off?" he inquired.

"If you think you'll be able to defeat me, you are sorely mistaken. But nonetheless, come at me, and show me what you're worth, soul reaper." The Arrancar taunted.

The 3rd seat gave him a dark chuckle. "With pleasure, my friend." He said in a low voice.

With Timothy

Grimmjow stood on the open air above the northern edge of the city; looking out at the vast, sleeping metropolis with a careless expression, his hands in his pockets. Apparently, one of his fracción had already met with his opponents, and the others weren't far behind.

It turned out that he would be the next one in line, as Timothy flashed into place a short distance away to his right, his zanpakutō still in its sheath with his hand resting on the hilt. The man gave a firm, but calm stare as the Sexta glanced to him.

"I recognize you. You must be that Durn guy that Yammy fought, right?" he inquired calmly.

Timothy nodded just as firmly. "Yeah, the name's Timothy, but everyone just calls me Tim. It gets a bit annoying when everyone uses your full name over and over again. And you're Grimmjow I assume?"

The Espada huffed lightly. "Yeah, that's me. I'm glad it's you that came over to duke it out with me. I been wanting to see what you've got for myself ever since Yammy told us about your fight with him. So, let's cut the usual crap, and just get right into this?" he demanded, not moving to get into a stance.

His opponent then drew his zanpakutō and got into a ready stance. "Fine by me. Honestly, I'd rather 'not' fight you, but I'm not going to let you go after Nel again." The man stated.

Grimmjow turned to face him fully as he tilted his head. "I could care less about that traitorous woman. I'm not here for her, I'm here for 'you'." The Sexta corrected.

Timothy narrowed his gaze at the Espada. "Alright, then bring it." He taunted, making the man in front of him grin madly.

"Gladly!" he yelled, then charged at Timothy with his fist held back.

With Hitsugaya

Toshiro came to a stop several feet in the air, and a few yards from the Arrancar in front of him. The taller man stared at the shorter with a smug grin on his face, his one eye that wasn't covered by his elongated, hat-like mask looking at the Captain intently.

"Greetings. I am Shawlong Koufang, Arrancar #11, and the head fracción of Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez. Judging by your white coat, I assume you must be a Captain." He greeted.

The Captain drew his zanpakutō from his back, the scabbard disappearing in a fine mist as he did so. "I'm Toshiro Hitsugaya, Captain of Squad 10." He returned in an official voice.

Shawlong narrowed his eye at him. "Squad 10 you say? That's good. Once I've defeated you, the rest of the soul society will finally see the true strength of the Arrancar. This is indeed my lucky day." The tall man taunted.

Hitsugaya narrowed his own gaze before assuming a ready stance. "I think that you'll find that it is quite the opposite, Shawlong Koufang. This day will instead witness your downfall." The Captain returned.

"Is that so?" Koufang asked, then drew his own zanpakutō. "Then why don't we see what the true result is for ourselves? Prepare yourself, Captain Hitsugaya." He announced, holding his weapon outstretched to his side.

With Rangiku

Rangiku calmly glared into the eyes of the slightly rotund man in front of her; her hand resting on the hilt of her zanpakutō that she kept tucked behind her back, rather than at her side like most others tended to do.

The slightly overweight man watched her just as calmly with his own hands held behind his back in a relaxed-like manner. The hollow mask that covered the entire right side of the man's face looked to Rangiku very similar to that of a Gillion's.

"And just who are you, big guy?" the woman asked in a surely tone.

The Arrancar continued to look at her with an unchanged face, clearly not letting the slight insult get to him.

"I'm Nakeem Grindina, the fourteenth Arrancar." He answered simply.

Rangiku furrowed her brows in minute annoyance. "Rangiku Matsumoto, the Lieutenant of Squad 10." She returned in a serious manner.

"…Don't care." He stated, vanishing instantly in a burst of sonído and repapering right in front of the woman thrusting his fist down on her.

Luckily, she had managed to draw her zanpakutō in a reverse grip and position it to block the incoming attack. Nakeem's fist collided with the sharpened edge of her blade with impressive force, forcing the woman down to her knees as she fought to hold out against the very unexpected power in the man's swing.

The Arrancar's strength shocked her. Here she was using her zanpakutō against him, and he was using his bare hands to force her back. And what surprised her even more, was the fact the man had struck the sharp edge of Haineko with that bare hand, and it didn't even scratch him at all.

"What…was that?" she asked through breathes as she struggled to hold the man back.

"…Sonído." He replied in an unchanged voice.

Nakeem then lifted his other fist above his head and brought it down with vigor. Rangiku let out a low gasp before quickly using shunpo to get away from the large man, his fist narrowly missing her by a millisecond.

The Arrancar recovered quickly and stood straight while looking a bit to his side at the busty Lieutenant.

"You're quick." He observed.

Rangiku scowled as she swiftly reversed her grip on her zanpakutō, now holding it with both hands as she stood in a crouched position, ready to either attack, or to defend.

"It's called shunpo, and it's much faster than that sonído you guys use." She answered in a little bit of anger.

"We'll see." The man retorted, vanishing again and delivering another frontal attack; his fist creating a cloud of dust and smoke as it hit.

With Renji

Yylfordt turned to face Renji as the red-headed Lieutenant exited shunpo a short distance away, his zanpakutō already drawn and in a ready stance. The Lieutenant stared at his opponent with firmness, while the Arrancar returned the stare with one of slight annoyance.

"Is it possible for you to be any slower, brother? I've been waiting here for ages." The Arrancar mocked.

Renji gritted his teeth. "I was on the other side of town, you idiot! It's not like I can just snap my fingers and instantly be here, you know!" he shot back. "So who the hell are you anyway?"

The side of his opponent's mouth tilted up a bit as he huffed. "I really don't think you deserve the right to know my name…" he stated, where his mouth morphed into a sly grin. "…but I am Yylfordt Granz, Arrancar #15. And just who are you, soul reaper?"

Renji growled at him. "I'm the Lieutenant of Squad 6, Renji Abarai." He finally said.

Yylfordt then drew his own zanpakutō and held it to his side nonchalantly. "Well, now that we have that out of the way, why don't begin." He stated, vanishing in sonído.

The Lieutenant flinched in shock a brief second before raising his blade and blocking the Arrancar's sudden attack. The man gave him a vicious, and cold smile as he began to push the Lieutenant's blade against him.

"I doubt an amateur like yourself would last long against me, but do try to survive long enough to at least make this fight enjoyable for me." He said further in a sadistic voice.

Renji scoffed as he narrowed his gaze. "Great…I just 'had' to end up with the crazy one." He mumbled.

With Rukia

Rukia landed on the rooftop of a nearby abandoned warehouse, her free hand holding onto the scabbard of her zanpakutō, and began looking around her for her opponent; but she quickly realized that she was the only one there.

She turned her head left and right, giving occasional glances behind herself, as she began reaching out with her senses to try and detect her opponent's spiritual pressure, but was coming up with nothing.

The woman could sense the pressures of her friends, and that of the ones they were currently fighting, but for some reason she just couldn't detect her own opponent.

'Strange…I know that that spiritual pressure was coming from somewhere over here. Where did it go?' she pondered.

Before she could think more on the matter, the roof behind her exploded, where a humanoid being shot out at her from the large hole that resulted from it. Rukia only had that split second to draw her zanpakutō while twisting her body to block the incoming attack.

A hand with outstretched fingers collided with her blade, the power from the attack pushing her blade back a moderate amount. She clenched her teeth tightly as she tried to avoid being overpowered by the being in front of her.

Her gaze followed the arm that the hand was attached to, to see a man with an exceedingly large crab shell-like, boney structure on his head; the right side of the adornment covered in large, teal-colored wrappings.

"Good reflexes, soul reaper." The man said through his serrated teeth. "I hope you can at least put up a decent fight." He added, before thrusting his hand at her harder and pushing the small woman back several yards.

She landed softly on her feet before turning to face the man fully with a serious glare. "Who are you? An Arrancar?" she inquired in an elevated voice.

He chuckled madly at her with a sickening grin. "It doesn't really matter, but I supposed I could tell you my name. I'm Arrancar #16, and I'm called Di Roy. Don't bother telling me yours, because I don't care about the names of those I'm going to kill!" He said, then charged at her again, a menacing smile on his face.

With Hitsugaya

Shawlong spun back around after his last attack, only to see that Captain Hitsugaya was barreling down at him with his fully released zanpakutō held high above his head.

"Hyōryū Senbi!" the short man commanded as he swung his blade down and across, sending a massive trail of ice in the Arrancar's direction.

But Shawlong swung his own blade at the incoming attack, shattering the ice wave mere feet in front of him. As the ice broke away in tiny pieces, Toshiro was already charging in him with his zanpakutō outstretched in an attempt to skewer the tall man.

The Arrancar buzzed out of the way and behind the Captain, swiping down at one of the exposed ice wings of Toshiro's Bankai and cutting it off cleanly. Toshiro continued forth with his charge, stopping a few yards away before turning around to face his opponent.

Shawlong watched calmly as the Captain's wing quickly grew back as it drew in the surrounding moisture in the air, all while one of the pedals of the ice flowers above the Captain's head began to break away.

Whenever Toshiro first enters Bankai, because he has not yet managed to fully complete it, three ice flowers, with four pedals each for a total of twelve pedals, form behind him and above his head.

These pedals of ice serve as a timer, telling him, and at the same time, his opponents, how much longer he would be able to remain in his Bankai state. Once the last pedal breaks away, his Bankai will reseal itself, leaving him defenseless.

He also had to be considerate when using some of his much stronger techniques, as these require a great amount of his spirit energy, and therefor significantly reducing the amount of time he has left.

The Captain was now down to only five pedals left, with one of them already starting to break away. To make the matter worse, he was in a rough shape, while his opponent didn't have so much as a scratch on him.

Shawlong stared at the man with a calm gaze. "Come now, Captain. Is that truly the best you can do? I am thoroughly disappointed if this is all a Captain in his Bankai state is able to manage." He mocked.

Toshiro narrowed his eyes. "Don't be so quick to judge you opponent so early in the battle." He warned.

"I am not judging anything, I am merely stating a point. The battle has yet to last ten minutes, and already you have been reduced to four flower pedals now." Koufang observed smugly.

"What does that matter?" the Captain inquired.

The Arrancar gave him a light chuckle. "I may not be the strongest in terms of combat, Captain; that honor belongs to Edrad. But I am the most observant. I've noticed over the course of our battle that your ice pedals have been slowly fading away. This leads me to believe that your Bankai has not reached its maximum capability. Those pedals serve as a countdown, until your Bankai is rendered useless. I will admit I am amazed you have maintained your Bankai for this long, but as we can both see, your time is almost out." He stated in a matter of fact.

Toshiro growled a bit. "And yet you still judge too soon. What makes you think that because I only have four pedals left that I can't still defeat you?" he inquired.

Koufang held his hand out to his side a bit. "Is it really necessary to ask such a question when the answer is quite obvious? If I wanted to, all I would have to do is remain on the defensive until your Bankai runs out, then finish you off when you are at your weakest. But that would be very unsporting of me." He stated, then held his zanpakutō in front of his face, the tip pointing to the sky and his offhand resting on the guard.

"I like to completely destroy my opponents, but one thing I do not enjoy is humiliating them. There is simply no honor in it. So that is why I will fight you while we are both at full power. So, accept this as my final respects to you, small Captain." He offered as his entire body and blade began to emit a bright yellow spiritual energy. "Awake and snip…" Then man rolled his off hand against the back of the hilt, twisting the blade slightly as he lowered the tip. "…Tijereta!" he finished.

The spiritual energy burst out from the man's body, concealing him entirely in a large mass. Toshiro watched with caution as the large gathering of energy began to slowly dissipate a few seconds later. It wasn't long before the Captain could see the figure standing in the center of the mass.

The man's eyes widened a bit when he saw that, while his lower body was unaffected, Shawlong's upper body had changed quite a bit. His mask now completely covered his entire head, for the exception of the right side of his face, and a long skeletal scorpion-like tail that protruded from behind it. His chest was now covered in bone-like armor, and his arms were slightly elongated, with his fingers turned into very long claws that nearly touched his feet.

Toshiro looked at the, now released, Arrancar in front of him with a mix of shock and amazement. Even though he had been there when Gamuza took over Nel's body and released her Resurrección, seeing it up close and actually having to face it was another thing entirely.

Shawlong brought his hand up to his face, looking closely at his claws for a moment, before returning to the Captain. Before the short man even knew what happened, his chest now sported four long gashes running diagonally; a spurt of blood flying out from the wounds.

The 11th Arrancar moved so fast and unexpectedly, that the Captain never even saw the attack coming. It didn't even look like his opponent moved an inch from his spot.

He quickly tossed the matter aside and charged forward at his opponent. Using a quick dash of shunpo during the charge, Toshiro covered several yards of distance between them as he held his zanpakutō forward to run the man through.

But Shawlong had done the same thing using sonído, using his claws to once again cut the Captain's wing off near his body. Both warriors continued on for several feet, until finally stopping to turn and face one another as the Arrancar flicked his claws to shake of the particles of ice that clung to them.

"I am impressed, little Captain. Even after seeing the vast difference in our powers, you still stand there and choose to face me. Truly, you present your honor as a Captain very well." Shawlong complemented.

Toshiro took a moment to let his heavy breathing calm down before responding. "You mentioned that you're the 11th Arrancar, and I know for a fact that that Nel woman was once the 5th Espada as well as an Arrancar. So, I'm a bit confused…does that mean she is the 5th strongest Arrancar, and you're the 11th strongest? Or is an Espada a form of special soldier?" he questioned.

"Not quite. The fact that Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck 'was' the 5th strongest Arrancar is in fact true, as well as once being the 5th Espada. However, you are wrong to assume that because I am the 11th Arrancar, that I am the 11th strongest. It is the system that Lord Aizen has established. While the ranks up to ten are the actual rank of an Arrancar's strength, and are reserved for the Espada, all ranks higher than that are simply used to designate the order of our birth. Of all the Arrancars, 'I' was the first to be born from the Hōgyoku. And when it comes to the Espada, they are Lord Aizen's elite; his strongest warriors, and the only ones, besides Lord Aizen himself, who can command the other Arrancar. And their strength is far superior than what we lower Arrancars possess; we cannot even hold a light to their power."

The man then narrowed his gaze at the Captain. "One of them is even here along with us. And in fact, is currently facing off against that young Lieutenant." He informed further, causing Toshiro to widen his eyes. "It's too bad for him, for the very moment that he crossed paths with 'this' Espada, that man's fate was sealed. The only reason that he is still alive is 'also' because of who the Espada is. But that won't last for much longer. Because the Espada that Lieutenant is facing, is Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, the 6th Espada."

With Timothy

Sparks flew through the air with a loud clashing sound as Timothy blocked an attempted uppercut from Grimmjow. Even though the Sexta Espada was only using his bare hands to fight with, the hardness of his Hierro was more than enough to protect the man's appendage from Timothy's blade.

The Lieutenant, after only the first few minutes, quickly realized that he was simply no match against the blue-haired man in his sealed state, and had already released Kitsune's Shikai. The area around them was now littered with a multitude of the spirit's flames.

Grimmjow's attack pushed Timothy's blade up and away above his head. Using the momentum, the Lieutenant lifted his right foot and twisted his body around to the left, swinging the raised foot out in an attempt to hit his opponent with a roundhouse kick to the head.

The Espada simply reached across his chest with his right hand and grabbed the man's ankle before it could hit. He then kicked out with his own right foot and managed to catch Timothy in the chest.

The man gave an involuntary exhale of air as his body was sent skirting across the open air, falling downwards and away several hundred feet until he crashed into a small water tower on the rooftop of a nearby industrial building.

Fortunately, the water inside the structure acted as a buffer for him, slowing his descent down enough that when he went right through it, his body didn't collide with the cement surface of the roof with great force.

But it was still enough that the wall of the standalone shack, that led to the rooftop's stairwell, cracked when his body crashed against it in a sitting position. The man groaned as he slowly pushed himself back up to his feet before looking back up to the sky to see Grimmjow standing where he was before nonchalantly.

"Come on, is that the best you got? The way Yammy told it, you put up way more of a fight with him than you are with me. That can't be all you've got in you, kid. That good lookin chick with the yellow eyes put up a hell of a better fight that you are." The man taunted.

Timothy growled as he wiped away a spot of blood off his chin with the palm of his off hand, holding his zanpakutō to his side. He then flashed away to reappear back in front of the blue-haired Espada in a mid-level guard with the tip of his blade pointed at the man's chest.

"Not exactly, though you're not really giving it your all either, Grimm." He taunted back.

The Espada rose a brow at him. "Did you just fucking call me 'Grimm'?" he asked in surprise.

The Lieutenant scoffed with a roll of the eyes. "It's annoying for me to use long names fully, so I shortened it. What? Don't like it?" he mocked.

The Sexta scoffed back as he turned away. "The fuck if I care. It was just unexpected, 'Tim'." the Espada shot back, mocking the man's own shortened name a bit.

Timothy dropped his guard and stood straight as he tilted his head. "Why the hell are you complaining then? To be honest, I personally think 'Grimm' sounds cooler than 'Grimmjow'." He admitted sternly.

Grimmjow cocked an eyebrow at him. "You can't be serious. Are you seriously changing how you say my name because it 'sounds cooler'?" the Espada questioned in disbelief.

The other man gave a deadpanned expression. "Are 'you' seriously going to stand there and tell me Grimm doesn't sound better?" he sent back.

The Espada growled in annoyance. "Fine, I'll admit it doesn't sound bad. Now can you shut up and get back to the damn fight?" he hissed.

Timothy sighed heavily, then threw his hand to the side. "I give up. But whatever, let's get back to business." He agreed, then vanished into one of his nearby flames.

Grimmjow quickly turned around, expecting one of the Lieutenant's traditional attacks from behind. But Timothy had managed to fool him yet again, reappearing from in front and swinging at the man's now exposed back.

That was one of the things that was constantly working in Timothy's favor. Although the man appeared to be a calm and calculated person, Timothy could tell by the way Grimmjow tended to act that he was an impulsive individual.

And that was a good thing for the Lieutenant, because impulsiveness usually led to blindness, making his moves all the more unpredictable. Timothy had quickly found that it was relatively easy to mislead the Espada in front of him.

But the problem Timothy faced, was 'how' to get past that armor-like skin of his. No matter where he struck the man, his blade would simply bounce off of the man's exposed skin. Hell, he couldn't even damage the man's uniform.

His blade flung right back at him as his attack once again failed to break the Espada's skin, causing him to lurch back a bit. Grimmjow immediately turned right back around, bringing his fist to bear on his opponent.

The Sexta's attack, once again, struck true; catching the young Lieutenant in the stomach and sending him flying back several feet. Fortunately, the man was able to do a quick spin midair and come to a stop on his feet, only to clutch his front and groan in pain.

That was another bad problem he faced with the number six Espada. Unlike Yammy, who reacted much slower, and therefor gave Timothy enough time to react to the Espada's counter, Grimmjow had much faster reflexes, and most of the time he was unable to get away, or block in time.

Timothy held out his free hand towards the blue-haired man, pointing his five fingers at multiple points around him.

"A king that reigns upon a shattered throne…" he began.

Grimmjow was immediately in front of him in a buzz of sonído, thrusting his fist towards the semi-exposed Lieutenant.

"I don't think so, kid!" he growled.

But before the Espada's attack could make contact, his target instantly vanished, now suddenly far over to the man's right in the same posture as before.

"…the queen who sheds a shower of tears." Timothy continued, bringing Grimmjow's attention back to him.

"Damnit! Quick moving around!" he yelled, using sonído to again appear in front of the man.

But once more, the Lieutenant used his flames to move to his next spot, now to the Espada's rear.

"Barren fields, crumbled walls, and hordes of despairing souls!" the younger man finished.

Grimmjow was on him again, his temper now flaring madly. "Hold the fuck still!" he demanded, swinging at him again.

He would have grinned widely from his attack finally hitting the man, but instead widened his eyes a bit in surprise when his fist seemed to just go right through the man. His target didn't even so much as flinch.

"Hadō #45, Amegafuru!" Timothy yelled from behind the man.

Grimmjow turned to see five orange balls of energy sailing right towards him at random angles. He then turned back to see that his target was smiling at him, before instantly vanishing.

"Damn!" he growled, only to be nearly consumed in five masses of fire from the energy projectiles Timothy had fired at him.

Timothy meanwhile, returned to a ready stance and watched the inferno in front of him; waiting for his opponent to come out, knowing that that would not have been enough to kill him.

But he didn't have to wait long, for the masses of fire were quickly blown out when Grimmjow fired a Cero in his direction. Luckily, the man had misjudged Timothy's last known location, thus causing his aim to be off and narrowly missing the Lieutenant.

The man watched the Cero pass by, following its trajectory into the distance, before turning back around to see that his kidō had little effect on the Espada. Besides a couple of soot marks on the man's uniform, Grimmjow was otherwise completely unharmed.

Grimmjow had a very angry look on his face. "Damnit…Yammy wasn't kidding when he said you were annoying as hell to fight, Tim." he stated in a growl.

Timothy moaned in annoyance as narrowed his gaze. "I knew that wouldn't be enough to do much to you, but I definitely expected it to do more than just dirty up your clothes. Guess I'll have to try something with a little more bite." The younger man commented.

He then began his very rapid transitions between flames, creating almost a dozen clones of himself surrounding the Espada. Grimmjow quickly switched from one clone to another, trying to discern the real one, and failing.

"Carriage of thunder, bridge of a spinning wheel." He began causing Grimmjow to scoff in agitation.

"This shit again? Haven't you learned from the first one it won't work?" he taunted.

"Sprinkled on the bones of the beast. Sharp tower, red crystal, steel ring. Turn thy ears from the heavenly choir." He continued, but Kitsune froze in shock in his inner world.

"What the hell are you doing?!" she yelled.

"With light, divide this into six. Move and become the wind, stop and become the calm. Sink your teeth in the rotting fruit of despair." He added further to the incantation, the spirit now very worried.

"Tim, don't be an idiot! You can't handle that!" she insisted.

It was at this time that Grimmjow realized that something wasn't right; the man's kidō incantation was way too long, meaning that he must have been attempting to use a double incantation to hit him with two kidōs.

"Damn!" he hissed, then began using sonído to rapidly buzz from one clone to another, trying to hit the real one before he could finish.

"The sound of warring spear fills the empty castle. Boil the blood, tear the flesh, and claw at your own eyes." He finally finished.

"Timothy, stop!" Kitsune yelled.

"Bakudō #61, Rikujōkōrō!" he chanted as he threw out his free hand toward Grimmjow with his index and middle fingers extended, securing the Sexta Espada in place with the six, yellow energy blades.

Grimmjow growled in deep fury as he began struggling against his bonds, but the Lieutenant's voice from behind suddenly caught his attention and made him look over his shoulder. The clones had all vanished, and Timothy was now standing firmly behind the blue-haired man with the palm of his free hand held out to him.

"Hadō #63, Raikōhō!" Timothy yelled, causing a mass of yellow, electrical energy to gather in his palm before launching it at the pinned down Espada.

The man watched with wide eyes as the kidō sailed straight towards him, creating a massive explosion upon impact. Anyone else would have though the Lieutenant's attack were over, but Kitsune knew what he was doing, and she was still pleading with him to stop before it was too late.

"Tim, please don't do it! You know what happened last time you tried it!" she begged.

But it was too late, for Timothy was already to the right side of where Grimmjow was and was holding his palm out again with a serious glare in his eyes.

Six bluish-green orbs then gathered around his hand in a circle, slowly growing in intensity, and flickering dangerously. One of them was starting to fall out of alignment, causing Timothy to worry that the kidō might backfire.

Normally, he would have already released the kidō at his target, but with double incantations, the user normally had to take a little extra time when sending the second spell at his target, because the second spell was usually more unstable than the first.

But Timothy was using a 'triple' incantation, something that wasn't taught in the kidō books he read, and not even in the 13 Court Guard Squads. This was something that he had experimented with while still living in Rukongai, and he had only ever attempted it once, resulting in an epic failure that almost killed him; and that was with twenties and thirties level kidōs.

But this time, he had used two 'sixties' level kidōs, and was about to send an 'eighties' level. He knew, as did Kitsune, that his life depended on whether or not this kidō backfired.

"Hadō #86, Roku-ten Jigoku Keimusho." He finished in a low, and dangerous voice.

The orbs of energy pulsed wildly in front of him, threatening to explode; but they had very luckily held true, and shot forward at the blanket of smoke and dust the explosion from his Raikōhō had created.

Within seconds, the six bluish orbs arrived at their destination, arranging themselves in a diamond-like manner before sealing the area from the outside world. The moment they did, the area inside was incinerated with a mass of fire far hotter than the flames of hell.

Timothy dropped his hand to his side as he began breathing a bit heavily from the sudden drain of so much spirit energy. He continued to stand there and watch as Grimmjow's prison burned furiously, and hopefully cremating him.

"You're a fucking idiot, Tim! You know that?! You have no fucking idea how lucky you are that actually worked! What the hell where you thinking?!" Kitsune berated adamantly.

The Lieutenant lowered his head a bit as he closed his eyes. "He wouldn't have…expected it." He answered between breathes. "I needed…to catch him…off guard…and hit him…with everything…at once."

The spirit started tugging on the fur on the top of her head. "I don't care! That was one of the stupidest things you've 'ever' done! What if that had failed, Tim?! What then?! How do you think Nel would feel if you had died because of your stupidity?!" she demanded.

He rolled his eyes at her. "Just calm down. It worked, didn't it? Besides, I think I got em." He commented dryly.

The man spoke too soon, because right afterwards, the kidō dissipated and the smoke cleared, revealing a very furious Grimmjow standing there and staring at him with the upmost hatred. Timothy's eyes went wide in shock.

"…Oh it did, did it?! It doesn't look like it to me!" she mocked.

Although Grimmjow's skin was burnt in several locations, mainly his exposed arms and face, and his clothes were now heavily singed, the man was very much alive, and still in pretty good condition; considering what Timothy had just hit him with.

"That's bullshit!" he growled in disbelief.

Grimmjow cocked his head at him. "What? That's it? A couple of burns and a ruined uniform is all you can manage? You mean to tell me I waisted my time fighting someone who can't even cut me once? I can't believe how pathetic this is. It's too damn bad I can't kill you, but that doesn't mean I can't put you to within an inch of death's doorstep. But I'm honestly sick and tired of all the damn jumping around you keep doing, so before I start beating the life outta you…"

He paused to grin at the man before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small, cylindrical device. "…I'm going to keep ya from doing that jumping around." He finished, holding the device in front of him with a maddening grin.

Timothy narrowed his gaze at the Espada, eyeing him cautiously. "Tim…you don't think…" Kitsune started, causing him to widen his eyes when he realized what she was suggesting.

"That's not…" he tried, but stopped when Grimmjow grinned even wider.

"Say goodbye to your zanpakutō, Tim." he mocked, then pressed the small button on the side of the device.


Alright, so I'm sure this chapter answers most people's question as to whether or not Grimmjow and his fracción will show up in Karakura Town. So, as I put out in a previous note, there will be a Hueco Mundo arc…ish, just changed quite a bit. Spades, don't bother asking for details, cause I'm telling you now, NO SPOILERS. Lmao.

From what research I could do regarding Nel, I had noticed that it is 'hinted' that she loves ice cream. So, I used that as a basis for a constant fight starter between her and Kitsune; seeing that it seemed everyone enjoys it when those two go at it, lol. And yes, you can expect more 'incidents' to come everyone; this will 'not' be the only time they get into a brawl.

Well, I gotta head off for now, but before I do, I thought I might give a quick shout out to SoulessSora and say that I've got a good surprise for ya coming up in the future. I'm not going to give any spoilers, but I will say this has to do with your boy Tetsuzaemon, lmao.

Anyway, laters loyal readers.