Before the creature had been given a name, it had wandered the earth as a lost soul. Changing shape, prowling the streets, preying on the old and sick. This was its purpose; it was how it survived. What people called it -demon, monster, beast- did not bother it. The creature barely understood human speech, barely heard the screams as it fed. It was a being that fed on the souls of the ones that had killed it so many years before.

For years this creature wandered, trying to find a place that it belonged, a place where it could finally understand what life was. The being thrived on three basic functions, commands that had been ingrained into whatever brain it managed to possess; eat, sleep, survive.

It would have continued to live like this had something not interferred with it's life. No intelligence and nothing to kill the creature and said being would've went on as a mindless, soulless, lost thing feeding on unsuspecting humans. Kindness was not an emotion it understood, it did not discriminate between what was food and what was not. When it was hungry it ate. When it was tired it slept. That was how it had always been.

That would've been the creature's entire life if he had not stumbled across a strange being.

Said being was a child, although it did not know that at the time. All that ran through its small intelligence was food, prey, life. Yet something compelled the creature not to eat the quivering soul before it, and the child ran into the night. The mindless beast followed after the child, but it did not try to eat the little one. It simply observed. This is when it began to learn, to understand and comprehend the world that was settled around it. This is when it turned into him, a being with a gender. Male, because that is what the child was.

Slowly he began to learn. All of the humans, as he came to know, could not see him. They were oblivious when he padded between their bodies. And the ground, the ground underneath his paws was hard and hurt when he walked upon it for too long. Whenever he brushed into the wall, it tore at his fur and made him feel agitated. He could not break through it, and new deep down that there was no point in trying. His dull mind grew sharper. He began to learn human speech, following the words and sentences until he could recite them within his own head.

By watching the young human boy from before, he began to understand human ways and how all of their customs worked. He learned of the boy's family and friends, and often followed when they wandered out and about their business. The creature could sense the courage and urge to protect flowing from the small child. He wanted to be tough and keep his family safe; the creature understood that feeling.

There was a mother and a father, as well as two younger siblings. All of them were beautiful and handsome, and the strange being found himself wondering what it would be like to be part of a family. There was warmth, there was kindness, and most of all, there was happiness. He began to long for some sort of connection with the strange human, the one that had awoken his mind and allowed him to learn so much in such a short span of time. He wanted to get close to the boy that had no inhibitions, to be his ... friend.

His wish was granted.

It was not him that approached the boy, it was the boy that approached him. He was in his normal spot, sitting within the garden behind the child's home, watching the family through their kitchen window. The young creature trotted straight up to him and reached out, placing a tiny hand against his chest. He was surprised; never before had a being been able to see him. Forget even being able to touch.

"Your fur is soft." The sentence was followed by a bright smile.

Each word had a meaning. The creature carefully pieced it together and managed to understand what the child was trying to convey to him. And for the first time since he gained a mind, the beast spoke, making sure to pick out just the right words.

"Your hand is small." The child's smile, if possible, grew wider. "Because I'm still young! But you're really big, and you're really pretty too!" Pretty? Wasn't that what human males said to human females? "I am not a female. I chose to be a male because that is what you are." He watched the child tip his head in confusion, eyes twinkling in the setting sun. "Because I'm a boy, you're a boy?" The creature nodded.

"Well ... do you have a name?"

Name? What was that? He had never heard of such a strange concept. He was simply a monster, a beast, a creature that preyed upon humans in the darkness. He did not need a 'name.'

The creature shook his head. "I don't. What is a name?" His eyes followed the child as he went to point at one of the strange plants in the garden. He wondered what he was doing, before those twinkling eyes turned onto his body once more. "This is called a flower. It's known as a daisy, which is its name. Everything has a name, even me! Your mother never named you?"

His mother. Did he ever have a mother? The creature had asked himself this question many times before. Did he used to have a family? A mother? A father? He could not remember. Perhaps that meant that he did not, or it was not important.

"Then ... can I name you?"

He watched the child with calm eyes, trying to form an answer. But how could one answer such a question? The being had never heard such a thing be asked between two humans. Yet he was not human, and this was but a child, so perhaps that made it different. His chest expanded as he took a breath, words quiet.

"What sort of name did you have in mind, child?" The boy's eyes lit up at that. "I have a good one! I know; I'll call you-!"

"Hey! You're gonna be late for your practice! Get in here silly!" He watched the child look behind him, and he too lifted his gaze to spot the child's mother. She seemed in a hurry. The child looked back up at him with happiness written on his face. "I'll have to tell you later; I don't wanna be late! Wait here in this garden for me okay?" The creature nodded, wondering what the young one's name was. He had never known that such a thing had existed.

"Good luck on your trip, Kinomi!" The father waved to the mother. His ears perked up at the sound of the strange word. Kinomi ... The child's name. He smiled, sitting down to wait for when the boy returned. After all, he would have a name as well.

But the boy did not return.

The creature waited and waited, night and day, through season and season, but the boy, nor the mother never returned. Eventually the father and two younger siblings left as well, packing up their things and leaving in the night. Still he waited, watching as the house was torn down and built into what the humans called a shopping mall. He did not eat; he simply sat there, waiting for someone that would not come back.

After a while, he began to forget why he was there, what he was waiting for. All that managed to stick was a word, Kinomi.

Kinomi.

Kinomi, where are you?

What were you going to call me? Can I have my name yet?

I want to be special too.

Eventually, someone came for him too, and led him away from that spot, the place that he had sat vigil over for as long as he could remember. They taught him combat, they taught him how to lead, and over time, he forget even Kinomi's name. In this place, he was not the beast that used to be. No, he was a new demon; this one was vicious and cold-hearted. He killed when he wanted, took whatever caught his eye, and bowed to no one. His subjects became his 'family,' and he valued them above all others.

And yet ... there was still something missing.

Ki ... No, that couldn't be right. Kione ... Kiba ... Kian ... No, none of those were right. And yet, it was just on the tip of his tongue. He could practically taste it.

The lazy king was once again torn from his partially-content life. Only this being ... this being scared him, made him quiver in fear, want to hide in the darkest shadows. Yet he knew he could not; he had to remain strong for his family. The beast listened to the man's words, and in the end, he accepted the offer. Not because he wanted to, but because it could allow himself to protect the ones dear to him.

Ki ...

Kino ...

Kinomi ...

Kinomi?

Yes, that was the name!

That's it! That was the name!

His memories came rushing back, and the creature glared at the man smirking at him.

"From today on, we will call you Grimmjow."

But he knew that the name was not his own.

He would accept this name, but only until Kinomi named him.

After all, he had promised.

An interesting idea that I thought up. Yes I shall be continuing this. ;3 The next chapter shall be up as soon as I can write it. And before anyone asks about Kinomi ... Well, I suppose I'll leave that for speculation. Simply the prologue!

Dedicated to the beautiful WindlessHarmony, one of the greatest people I know.