Chapter 12: Grimmjow Vs. Kenpachi, Round 1

Grimmjow licked his lips in anticipation of facing the eleventh squad captain. He was told of how strong this Kenpachi Zaraki was by Ichigo firsthand. She had told him that if he enjoyed facing her in the past, he would love facing him. Grimmjow looked for Kenpachi and wasn't disappointed when he saw the large man staring him down with a mad grin on his face. Grimmjow's grin was the exact same way as he rushed over to the captain with his sword drawn. Kenpachi did the same, and the two clashed in a burst of reiatsu. They met and clashed their blades together. Grimmjow was told by Ichigo that it was really this man that was her toughest and strongest opponent, while he was a far second. That comment motivated Grimmjow to train ten times as hard to beat this man and prove that he was indeed stronger than him.

The two continued to clash repeatedly as their reiatsu continued to flare with each strike. Neither man backed down, but Grimmjow could tell that he was being pushed back. The two decided not to say anything as Kenpachi kicked Grimmjow in the stomach, sending him back a considerable amount. Grimmjow skidded to a stop and gritted his teeth in anger at this captain.

"Damn." He thought to himself. "Ichigo told me he was tough and so did Aizen, but I didn't think it would be this bad."

"Hey!" Kenpachi yelled out with his sword on his shoulder.

"What soul reaper!?" Grimmjow yelled back.

"I was expecting a more fun fight than this!" Kenpachi's grin was starting to fall. "But it looks like I gotta go and fight a real warrior instead!"

"What did you say!?" Grimmjow yelled out as he fired a cero directly at the stationary captain. Kenpachi didn't even flinch as he swatted the cero out of his way with the blunt end of his sword. Grimmjow was surprised at how effortlessly the captain swatted his cero away, but that surprise turned to rage quickly when he saw the captain turn away from him. "HEY! WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOIN!?" Grimmjow shouted at the man.

Kenpachi didn't even turn around as he answered. "To find someone who actually is strong enough to be fun to fight. Cause clearly, you're not worth my time."

His words really hit Grimmjow's pride as he shouted into the air at the captain. "I'LL SHOW YOU REAL STRENGTH! GRIND, PANTERA!" Blue spirit energy swirled around the espada as he was now in his released form. Kenpachi did stop when he felt the shockwave from the arrancar's roar. He turned towards the espada with a grin and took his blade off of his shoulder.

"Now this might be interesting." The captain said to himself.

Without waiting, Grimmjow launched himself at the captain and went for a slash with his claws, only to be blocked by Kenpachi's blade. Grimmjow went for a flurry of strikes in the hopes of proving the captain wrong and cementing himself as one of the strongest espada's. So far nothing was working as Kenpachi blocked all of his hits effortlessly. Grimmjow seethed as he noticed the almost bored look of the captain as he blocked all of his attacks. Grimmjow couldn't stand that anymore and launched one of his spikes out of his elbow and to the captains face. Grimmjow smirked, knowing full well that the captain couldn't just block this attack, but that smirk faded away fast when Kenpachi took off his eyepatch quickly and shouted out.

"ENOUGH!"

His yellow spirit energy swirled into a spiral and launched into the air. Grimmjow along with his spike were pushed back considerably and he skidded to a stop. Grimmjow looked at the captain and had no idea what just happened until he remembered Ichigo and Aizen explain his eyepatch. Grimmjow tsked and prepared for an attack, but was met by Kenpachi appearing in front of him faster and doing a downward slash. Grimmjow went to block with both his arms in hopes to lessen the damage to himself. Unfortunately for him, that wasn't the case as Kenpachi's blade cut through both his arms and slashed Grimmjow on the chest deeply. Grimmjow went wide eyed as he could feel his life slowly leaving him courtesy of the captain in front of him giving him a disgusted look.

"Hmph." Kenpachi started as he placed his blood stained blade on his shoulder. "You call that you're best? Ha. Guess I'll fight that bitch that beat Soi-Fon so easily. She might be fun to mess around with later."

He said that last part with a sick grin as he turned away from the falling espada. Grimmjow heard his words and immediately went wide eyed as he knew who the captain was talking about. He knew Neliel was very strong, stronger than he was based on her rank, but as she is now, she wouldn't be able to handle this captain as easily as she did the other captain. Grimmjow may have been an arrancar that craved battle to simply prove that he was the strongest, but both Ichigo and especially Neliel changed something in him. He didn't want to fight to simply quiche his thirst for battle, but he wanted to fight for someone now. To keep her as his own as she would keep him as her own as well. Neliel had brought out a better side in him and he would be damned if some soul reaper would take that away from him with his own sick ideas of 'fun'. Something pulled Grimmjow away from reality as he was now standing in a clear plain with a forest of blue trees in front of him and large blue moon looming over him. He looked up to the moon in time to see a large bone white panther drop in front of him. The panther looked at him and grinned at him.

"Bout damn time you grew some balls boss." The panther said to him.

"Pantera?" Grimmjow asked with a stunned look to his face.

"Who else?" Pantera started as he grinned and started to glow a blue color. "Now, lets do this and make sure this bastard of a captain never lays a hand on our mate ever again."

Grimmjow's stunned look turned to a grin as he felt the glow around him and felt this power that only one other espada has ever reached. Segunda Etapa.

Back to reality, Kenpachi stopped as he felt an intense killer energy right behind him. He turned and went wide eyed as he saw the espada he had just cut down standing in front of him in a new form. Somehow his arms grew back and were now covered in a black body-like suit with bone white armor plates on them. On the forearms of those plates were three different length razors that were made of dark blue energy. The plates and black body suit stretched to the res of his body, encasing him in its power. His feet had gain even more of a panther like look with his claws retracted and the same type of razors on the top of his feet with the same energy. His tail was longer and covered in the same black body suit as himself but now he had a ball of light blue energy on the very tip of it. His hair had gotten darker in color and had reached past his ankles now. He now had no mask fragment on his face and instead had bone white skin with long ears atop his hair in the same color and piercing blue eyes with the pupils in a slit. He stared at the stunned captain as his energy dissipated and grinned.

"Now." He started in a deeper tone. "Ready for round 2?"

And I'm Back With This Story. Sorry For The Long Wait, Been In A Slump Lately, But I've Found A Good Outlet In Posting On My Deviant Arts Page (StringDman94) And Now I'm Back In The Swing Of Things.

You Guys Know What To Do.

Stay Sexy Out There,

PEACE!