Sorry about the missed update last week. A slight case of writer's block combined with being generally busy prevented me from finishing the chapter how I wanted. I hope you all enjoy.

I was enveloped by a blue-white light. I couldn't see anything, but I could still feel. I could feel the gifts that the release had bestowed upon me. I could feel the speed. I could feel the agility. But most of all, I could feel the power.

I veritably flew out of the light. My katana had disappeared. In its place, strapped onto my forearms, was a pair of wrist claws. My eyes were locked in on Ulquiorra. I could see nothing but my target, all else was blocked out. I approached him faster than I thought possible, but I knew I had the reflexes to handle the speed. I slashed my wicked blades at his sides. His eyes widened at the sudden ferocity behind my attacks. He blocked one claw with his arm and managed to draw his sword to parry the other attack.

I grinned as my attacks landed. He shoved back, leaping away and throwing me back. I landed in an almost feral crouch. I looked up at him and saw that he was staring at his arm. The arm he had blocked with had three bloody scratches across it. It was a minor wound, causing no real damage, but I had drawn blood.

Ulquiorra looked up at me from his bloodied arm and narrowed his eyes.

"You're happy about this, aren't you?" he asked me.

"I've proven that I can wound you," I retorted, fully overconfident in my strength. "That's one small step from being able to kill you."

"You honestly believe that a weakling like you could kill me? Child, do you know who I am? I am… well I was Espada number 4, Ulquiorra Schiffer. I am now the sole survivor of Aizen Sosuke-sama's Arrancar force. Where all others have perished, I survived. I even outlived that pitiful soul that grants you power right now. I am not even fighting at what was my full power ten years ago. And since that time, I have grown even stronger."

Once again, Ulquiorra held out his hand. He began charging his energy, concentrating it to his palm. I recognized the beginnings of another Cero. I dodged into the air again, thinking that I could avoid the blast with more room. Ulquiorra released the energy in a single, gigantic blast. As the last possible second I shunpoed out of the way. I smirked, believing that Ulquiorra had missed. I charged downwards toward him.

Look out, you fool! GrimmJow's voice screamed in my head.

I stopped in mid-air and looked behind me. Ulquiorra's Cero did not disappear as I had expected. Instead it stopped just behind where I was. Before my eyes it began to shatter into millions of tiny spheres of energy. Those spheres sped towards me, all in different positions and at different rates and times. I tried my best but I couldn't dodge all of them. Each time I got hit, it felt like I had been hit by the full power Cero from before. I fell to the ground and landed hard. Ulquiorra walked over to stand above me.

"My orders were to bring you back to Aizen-sama. I also have orders not to kill you. However, Aizen-sama did not foresee contact between you and GrimmJow. Consider yourself lucky, child. I leave now only to get further instructions. But know that I will be back, either to take you to our master," I did not miss the emphasis he place on the word 'our', "or to kill you. Farewell."

Ulquiorra opened a hole in reality and stepped through without looking back. I struggled to sit up and reach for him, not sure what I would do even if I could reach him. My strength finally gave out and I fell back to the ground looking up at the sky. My zanpakuto resealed itself as I drifted into unconsciousness…

I awoke back in the strange desert. I looked around for any sign of life. I saw the familiar boulder, but no one was sitting on it. I walked over to it and hoisted myself up. To my surprise, there was a fairly comfortable spot to relax in, almost as if the stone had been formed like a chair. I sat down and waited, knowing it was only a matter of time.

"HEY!" I heard a shout from behind me. I sat up and looked, sure enough there was the familiar figure walking towards me, the panther by his side. I prepared myself for another confrontation with my Zanpakuto spirit.

GrimmJow quickly came up to stand in front of me.

"What the hell do you think you were doing out there?" he screamed in my face. I recoiled slightly at the fierceness of his assault. "Did you honestly want us to die? I told you, he told you, that you were not strong enough to kill him. Yet you get the smallest taste of power and you suddenly become all confident that you can kill anyone. For fucks sake, you remind me of that damned Kurosaki!" GrimmJow continued ranting as he paced back and forth.

I jumped down from my perch and stood in front of GrimmJow. "Well that's why you chose me, isn't it? That's why you decided to help me, my desire for strength. You've saw everything I saw while I was in the Shinigami Academy. You have seen everything since. Every position of power, coveted. Every person of strength, envied. You too know these feelings. We are kindred spirits."

GrimmJow suddenly turned and slammed me against the rock.

"Don't ever compare us again," he hissed at me. "You are currently nothing compared to what I was."

"What you were?" I asked breathlessly. "Ulquiorra mentioned something about that too. What were you?"

"I was Espada number 6, GrimmJow Jeagerjaques."

"An Arrancar?" I gasped. "Then how did you end up as my Zanpakuto spirit?"

"Damn, are all humans so curious?" he shrugged in submission. "Sit and I'll explain. I lay dying on the sands of Hueco Mundo. It looked much like this does," he gestured around to the desert. "That's partly why your inner world looks like this, I did some redecorating." He smirked. "I was dead, I knew that much, but there was no way I was going to give up. So, much like I did when I became an Adjuchas, I kept hold of myself and attached my spirit energy to yours as your soul moved on to Soul Society."

"Hmph," a voice said from behind him. "That's a load of bull and you know it." The panther walked around and lay down next to GrimmJow. "You were ready to lay back and die. You wouldn't be here if it weren't for me."

"Shut up you stupid cat," GrimmJow swatted at him, but the panther dodged easily.

"So what, or who, is this?" I asked.

"I am Pantera," the panther told me. "I was the source of GrimmJow's strength when he became an Arrancar. You could say that I was his Zanpakuto spirit."

"So what are you doing here now?"

"That is something I'll leave you to puzzle out."

I started to say more but my vision began to dim. I fought to keep conscious, but to no avail. I blacked out…

… and awoke to concerned voiced talking over me. I opened my eyes to see Ichigo, Orihime, Mitaro, and Abarai-taicho standing around discussing what happened.

"Then Sai attacked Ulquiorra, apparently trying to protect us from him," Ichigo explained. "Though Ulquiorra had made it clear that it was Sai he was after, for some reason."

Orihime opened her mouth to say something, but Ichigo silenced her.

"He was after me because of my Zanpakuto spirit," I clarified, sitting up in the Kurosaki's kitchen.

Ichigo groaned quietly and put a hand over his face. "Sai, I was trying to avoid mentioning that bit of information about you. I don't know how well that will go over in Soul Society."

"What information?" Abarai-taicho asked. "What's so special about Sai's Zanpakuto spirit?"

"It's an ex-Espada, sir," I replied. "He apparently died during the war and connected his spirit energy to mine as I traveled to Soul Society."

"Damn," the captain muttered. "As if things weren't complicated enough."

"Sir, I don't know what Aizen is planning, but he wants me to join him. Whatever he is doing, it must be big. He's trying to gather an army. We need to get this information to Soul Society."

"Agreed. Ichigo, Orihime, sorry to barge in on you again like this. Mitaro, Sai, we need to get going. Another squad will come down to replace you. Find Sanosuke and get back to Soul Society."

"Yes sir!" Mitaro and I both saluted and left the house.