A Shift in the Sands

The next day started just like any other day, but the two had woken with a much calmer set of mind. Kein slowly opened her eyes as all the pains from yesterday had disappeared almost entirely. She smiled as she saw Grimmjow sitting on the edge of the bed with his back turned as he was placing on his boots, his jacket still strewn on the floor, revealing his very tantalizing muscular back that was adorned with his number 6 trademark.

She watched quietly at the very slight twitching of each muscle that he moved to put on his shoes. She blushed and smiled warmly knowing that for the first time he had slept next to her. She hoped that with the events of yesterday that maybe this would ignite a new chain of understanding that would help to more and more establish her strange friendship and or un-established relationship with Grimmjow.

Standing, bending over and then putting on his jacket, he turned to find that she was awake. It made him flinch with a bit of a surprise as he could have sworn a second ago she was sound asleep, but then his expression hardened to its usual nonchalant attitude, but for some reason it didn't seem as hardened as before, she noticed. Slowly sitting up in bed she sat Indian style as she rotated her shoulders, popping a few joints as it helped her to relax, letting out a large yawn. She wasn't sure what to say except, "Morning." He didn't reply, but the sentiment from her was nice.

"So…what are we doing today? The usual fist fight?"

She put on a small smirk, but it was a light one at that considering she was still a worn out from yesterday. It was a strange look on her face, one he wasn't used to seeing and he couldn't quite place his finger on it.

"Just recuperate. I can tell you need to, only this time you will mind my words. Got it?"

"Of course!" She immediately replied. He then approached the entrance to the room as she said his name, "Grimmjow?" He didn't face her, but he stopped.

"Thank you…for everything."

He then turned slightly in her direction as his face spoke of a solemn expression that was neither irritated nor repelled.

"You're welcome."

A moment passed before she asked, "Are you going to go train yourself?"

"Yeah," he replied as he turned back towards the hallways as she quickly got out of bed, "Can I sit back and watch?"

"Tch, do what you want. You might actually learn something," he snidely remarked in sarcasm as he began to walk down the hall.

"WHAT? What the hell is that supposed to mean? Damn it wait for me!" She barked back in playful slightly irritated banter as the same familiarity of spicy attitudes between the two quickly returned to normal as she gathered her shoes and followed behind him.

For some reason it wasn't until now that she noticed just how tall he was in comparison to herself. He was only 6'1, the typical height of a tall guy, but she was only 5'6. Not to mention how broad his shoulders really wear and his physique, although a swimmer's build, was much more muscular than Ichigo's. She chuckled on the inside at the thought of thinking as big of a guy as Grimmjow was, his footsteps were light and almost soundless…just like a cat.

In fact he was more like a cat than many would probably even realize; the way he always takes care of himself without depending on others for attention, only becoming excited when something actually took his interest, practically living in a liter box, and only hunting one prey at a time and played with it rather often if it took his interest. It made her giggle inside.

"Something amusing?" He asked out loud.

"Huh? No. Just thinking about some things," she replied with a big smile on her face. Walking down the hall however, her smile faded as she passed by a very specific chamber. Grimmjow looked over his shoulder as he caught a glance of her gazing at the space for a momentary instant. "What is it with you and that room?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"You slept in it before. Do you even know who it previously belonged to?"

"Of course not."

"It belonged to Aaroniero, the 9th Espada."

Kein gasped audibly as she stopped in her steps, looking back at the doorway of the empty chamber. Grimmjow too stopped as he turned and faced in her direction.

"What exactly is it that interests you about that particular Espada? He's long since dead and gone. You know that."

Her heart beat a little faster as images of her long since dead former lieutenant of squad 13 flashed through her mind. "It's a story you probably wouldn't care to hear," she mumbled almost without realizing, still staring at the room.

"I asked didn't I?"

He retorted in a harsh manner as his eyebrows arched further in irritation. She then quickly tossed her gaze back at him. He wanted to know a little more about her? Or maybe it was just a cat's curiosity. Either way she was almost flattered he even bothered as she walked up beside him and smiled, the two strolling side by side as he listened.

"Well, back when I had become a Shinigami, there were 13 court squads, each with their own lieutenant and captain and each very specific with how they were lead, but of all the squads I could have gone into or requested, Squad 13 was the one I wanted the most. Its lead by my former Taichou, Ukitake, but what caught my interest the most was Lieutenant Shiba Kaien. There was something about him; his aura and attitude, but fairness and kindness. Was a great teacher and an incredible fighter…"

As she continued her story, Grimmjow was silent as her words slipped through his mind.

"…but his body was stolen and used by Aaroniero. Rukia had to fight him when we came here. I'm kind of glad she did because if it were me, I'm not sure I'd have the heart to get through the battle, but I guess even though Aaroniero is gone, it's like he still lingers and not necessarily in a bad way. He had Kaien's scent and the scent is still in the room. So I guess I'm still naturally kind of drawn to…"

"…tch, forget I asked," he suddenly interrupted her as he sped up his pace, walking in front of her.

Rather surprised by his reaction, she stopped while he continued further on ahead not really noticing or caring that she wasn't following behind. "You've got to be kidding me. Is he jealous?" She wondered to herself as she took up steps again to follow behind. He was the one that asked in the first place. He was listening just fine until she started mentioning having a natural affinity to Kaien's scent. It was an instant reaction that made him curl his lip and she couldn't help but wonder why, but he did however interrupt her at a critical statement she was going to make had she had the chance to finish what she was going to say though it probably didn't matter at this point.

Not wanting to irritate him further, she simply kept a careful distance behind him as they finally made it to the outside, but surprisingly enough instead of the usual sandy backdrop, he instead picked the fake sky covered area. It was an area she would always pick, but this was the first time Grimmjow had chosen its location. It made her even more curious as to what was going through his mind at this moment.

Was he finally becoming accustomed to outside world appearances other than Hueco Mundo or was he actually getting tired of the mundane monotone atmosphere of the sandy giant? These questions filled her head as she waited for Grimmjow to pick a fighting spot before finding her own cover area to sit down and observe.

All was quiet as Kein sat up on a ledge next to a still standing wall that was only a few feet off the ground as she looked down upon the Sexta Espada as he withdrew his sword from its sheath, the metal glistening under the fake sky light and his eyes almost glowing from the reflection of the light upon the blade as he angled it sideways with his right hand grasped upon the hilt. Then with clawing like fingers his nails almost dug into the blade as it began to glow a light blue, his spiritual pressure growing immensely as a wind began to pick up around him. Kein watched with an anticipating heart beat. It had been a while since she saw him in his Resurrecion form.

Flexing his fingers just a bit, Grimmjow in unison yelled out, "GRIND…PANTERA!"

A chill shot up Kein's spine as it seemed like the atmosphere around them exploded into a brilliant showing of power as a stiff wind picked up and knocked Kein backwards upon the platform connected to the ledge behind her. She began to laugh audibly as she was too tickled funny to hold in the excitement, bringing herself back to the ledge as she knelt behind it, her arms resting on the edge of it as a big smile flashed across her face. And in a victorious roar she cheered at Grimmjow like cheerleaders at a football game, "HA, HA! YEAH, WOOOO! Now that's what I'm talking about!"

Now adorned in his Resurrecion form, Grimmjow was ready to dish out some serious damage, but not without looking over his shoulder at Kein who was obviously amused by the show, still rooting for him. He wasn't used to someone watching him train, but that big smile on her face he couldn't help but to take on as a grin creased his now naked mug that was wiped clean of the jawbone mask.

"Don't make me drag you down from there!"

She laughed again in enthusiasm, "Who said you had to drag me? I'm tempted to come down there myself and jump in!"

"Heh, in due time Marasuna. You'll have your chance to get ripped apart."

The two laughed as Grimmjow finally began his training as he leapt gracefully up into the air and started throwing lightning fast punches that seemed to push away the atmosphere just from the sheer force of his spiritual pressure with each swing. Even though the two hadn't trained at full powers yet, Kein could already tell a difference in his movements. They had vastly improved. She could barely follow him though in her regular form, but good enough.

She sat Indian style with her elbows propped on her legs and her head resting in her hands as she watched with gratification. She had thought about all the events that had led up to this point in time and never once could she have imagined being here and now with an Arrancar and not just any Arrancar, but the Sexta Espada himself.

First there was Soul Society…then…the Living World when accepted by Ichigo…and now…Hueco Mundo, the Hollow foregrounds. Many would consider that a progressing downgrade, but for Kein it was quite the opposite. It was a progressing upgrade, an initiation to being able to be by Grimmjow's side and for the first time in her life she found a contentment of sorts, a peace that she could feel and touch. It was relieving and she was all his.

Anything could happen now at this point, but she hoped that it would last for years to come and maybe one day if it was at all possible, she and Grimmjow could be somehow accepted back into Soul Society. It was an extremely farfetched idea, but one can always dream.

Grimmjow spun his body around in the air gracefully, almost like a dance as his spiritual pressure pushed off the atmosphere when met by his hands or feet. As she watched each and every careful movement of his body she noticed just how more light on his feet his was let alone the fact that his feet were pitch black paws like a Panther's, but one could easily be fooled. Those black little paws could easily tear through flesh and bone if given the opportunity. One could almost say that they could cut diamond with enough scratching grind.

The claws on his fingers are just as deadly and just as sharpened, ready to dish out the pain if caught in their grasp. She easily fell into a trance watching him, studying him, and realizing just how great of a fighter he really was and how much more she truly had to learn. However, this peaceful moment of spectatorship was disturbed at the strange sudden gut feeling that something was askew. Her relaxed expression cringed into a wandering look as she tossed her gaze around, but saw nothing in sight nor felt anything peculiar and yet…

…"Marasuna"…

…that voice, her name spoken inside her head yet it sounded like it was all around her. Feeling a quickening uneasiness build up inside her, she darted as fast as she could off of that ledge as she cried out, "GRIMMJOW!" running up to him as he nearly fired off a Cero, it slowly fading away in his hand.

Normally he would be angered at an interruption in his training, but he knew Kein well enough to know she would never interrupt unless it was something important. He simply stared at her in silence as she looked around again before asking him, "Do you…sense anything?"

"Hm? Like what?"

His tone calmed, his eyebrows furrowing as he kept his attention on her, standing even taller than usual because of his Resureccion form.

"I don't know just…anything. Anything at all."

He let out an exhale through his nostrils as he looked around, opening up his spiritual awareness to see if anything caught his attention. At first there was nothing as he was going to bark back a snide remark, but then his breathing flinched as his eyes opened wider as he put his hand down from his temple, looking off in a specific direction.

"You do sense something."

"It's extremely faint. There's no doubt about it now. I've sensed it before."

Kein gasped slightly, "You…have?"

Her eyes wandered for answers as he tossed his gaze back at her. "Yesterday, after that dream you had, did anything strange happen, anything you saw or heard during our fight or before it even?"

Kein was silent as she simply replied, "Yeah…actually."

His gaze stayed firm as he further stated, "The dream bothered you. I get it, but I found it strange even for you that it continued to bother you during our fight. You seemed to react at random, like something had caught your attention off guard even though there was nothing there."

Kein thought for a moment as she didn't know what to say, trying to remember all the moments of yesterday that she heard or saw something.

"Well? Am I right?" He asked again in interruption of her thought. Kein then looked up as she replied, "Yes, but…its gonna sound weird to expl—"

"…doesn't matter."

"Well…the man that killed me…in my living youth? I saw him…twice and I kept seeing past images of the event of my death. It wasn't just like a normal flashback or anything though. It was like I could see it right in front of me in true physical form. And his voice…I could hear it in my head."

-A Foreshadowing-

Kein sighed deeply as she rubbed her face a bit, shaking her head in disbelief, "But that doesn't make any sense. He's dead and long since passed to who knows where." And then upon lifting her hand from her face, opening her eyes to look back into Grimmjow's gaze, everything around her was suddenly changed. She gasped wildly as she called out to him, "Grimmjow?" But there was no answer, however that wasn't the only thing that seemed missing. Los Noches itself was gone as well as the darkened monochrome sky. It was like she was standing in a white void of some kind, but still with sand beneath her feet. She bounced around like a bird stuck inside a cage as she looked around, but saw nothing but white emptiness. At first she thought that maybe she was inside her Inner World, but her Inner World was a graveyard, not a white endless void.

"Ernesto! Bankaguna!"

She called out each their names, but still no answer. "What the hell is going ON!" She yelled in frustration. She tried to sense out spiritual pressures, but she couldn't sense out anything. It was then she noticed however that her head felt a bit funny, her thoughts almost hazy and jumbled as she shook her head a few times to try to clear it, but then she noticed a figure in the distance.

She smiled, immediately recognizing it as she began to run towards it yelling, "Grimmjow! Man, bout time you showed up! Do you have any idea what's going—"

Her words were suddenly interrupted as Grimmjow fired a Cero at her. She barely dodged out of the way as she fell upon her back to avoid its shooting range as it blazed past her, inches above her body. When it had cleared, she slowly sat up as Grimmjow kept his distance, his gaze hard shooting and glaring as he finally spoke.

"Stay the hell away from me. You're too pathetic for me to even tolerate."

Kein gasped, "W-What?" In a questioning heartfelt tone. She swallowed his words hard, but almost in disbelief as it seemed so out of context and so…sudden.

"Look, I don't know who pissed in your cereal all the sudden, but we need to figure out what the hell is—"

"…I can't believe I brought you here. What a waste of time and energy. You aren't worth a drop."

The words began to sink in deep as it felt like the words Kein had always feared Grimmjow saying, was now coming true.

"What are you saying, that all along this wasn't worth anything? Not even the battles we had during the war with Aizen?"

"You're damn straight it wasn't worth anything! So go the fuck back home to your little Shinigami friends. I'm sure they could help pamper your weaknesses."

Normally, such words would cut right through Kein's heart, and they were just about to until Kein realized that his words felt so out of place and out of context. Instead of hurting her, it enraged her as she snarled with a curling lip, teeth showing like a wild animal as she barked back in a hellish reply.

"WHAT? Are you fucking KIDDING ME? Bullshit! That is the biggest bullshit I have ever heard! If the real Grimmjow truly felt that way, he would have thrown in the towel on training with me a long time ago. I don't know what the hell is going on, but you are definitely not Grimmjow. Nice try you damn fake."

Seeing as there was no other option, Kein summoned her Zanpakutou as it appeared out of thin air with sparkling affects, materializing into her hand. It brought about a great sense of relief as she was able to hold it, its essence connecting with hers as she gladly chanted out loud, "BANKAI!"

Switching to her transformed state, she took what was now a giant Scythe and slashed it downwards as the strange void around her pierced open like a rip in a dimension as she crawled into the slit opening, allowing herself exit through the strangeness around her.