On The Hunt (Yama/Shizu)

[Smiley]

With each blast, the area grew colder. The violent energy sapped the heat. Warm breaths turned visible in the frigid air. It felt like stepping into a musty crypt sealed for centuries... Or standing in front of an open freezer.

By the end of the barrage, a white wisp of icy air slithered from the monstrous maw. Shizu was hardly even breathing. Rather, her mouth smoked like the barrel of a freshly fired gun. Or a cannon...

The Hollow snake had been reduced to a frozen statue riddled with holes. It had collapsed in the middle of crawling, a grim failure to escape the inevitable. Frost lingered over the wounds.

Shambling over to the prey, the gloomy goth fell to her knees. What ensued could hardly be called eating... It was pure chaos of noises no lady should ever make. Her teeth could’ve given a meat grinder a run for its money.

However, something tugged insistently at the hungry ghoul’s mind. She was forgetting something... Someone... Ah, right. The human. Her human.

Suddenly, the creepy girl twisted her head around. An intense stare found the biker by her side. She wanted to ask if he was alright... If he needed healing... But instead, what crawled from the murky depths of her maw, was a dark mutter. “Are you... hungry...?” She offered a frosty chunk to her darling.

“Do you... want some...?”

Most Hollows would never share their prey... Least of all Shizu... But her darling was a very special exception.

---

Post 8
Ken Shirogane

[Ken Shirogane]

Yama watched as the Hollow was rendered into a holy popsicle of its former self. Dead, or whatever passed for Death when it came to Hollow. And watching as Shizu made her way over to her pray and began to scarf down frozen chunks of... Meat? Energy? It was hard to say. But at least when it came to her eating habits it didn't bother him overly much. Just reminding him of the wolf he so often compared her to. A wolf in sheep's clothing. Her exterior was so much softer than what truly lay within her... Though perhaps that was not entirely accurate. Part of it might be an unintended facade, he didn't think her natural demeanor was a lie or anything. Just that he thought there were parts of her deeper within she could not recognize, or even rejected.

He wasn't too hurt at least. A little banged up after being neatly crushed and smacked through a wall, but Yama was a tough guy, and very durable. For a few moments, he merely watched Shizu claim her feast.

When she offered him a chunk of her meal though, it intrigued him.

"Sure, why not." He decided to reach down to take the frozen chunk, lifting it to his face before he sniffed at it curiously, just to see if it had any sort of scent. But whether it did or not, he didn't hesitate to crunch into it himself. His bite was likely not as strong as Shizu's, but he still crunched into the frozen Hollow meat all the same.

This was something he had been curious about to some extent. Hollow ate human souls, but what if a human consumed a Hollow? What would happen then? Would it make him stronger? Would it have any effect at all?

He had no clue and didn't care what the risks might be if there were any. Perhaps there would be no benefit or change at all. He wasn't the kind of guy to avoid a risk even if he thought there might be one. And he wasn't going to refuse the offering from Shizu who had gone out of her way to make it. Not this time at least.

---

PC: 9

Smiley

[Smiley]

The emptiness in Shizu’s chest fluttered, when her darling accepted her offering. It felt weirdly familiar. Nostalgic even. Like she had stepped back into high school and her crush had just accepted a bento box she prepared with love. How did she recall a feeling like that...? And what was this lingering unease following it...?

Unfortunately, the gloomy goth failed to realize an important difference between herself and mortals... The taste of a Hollow’s flesh depended on the strength of their Reiatsu. Power equaled flavor. Yet, the same strength that made this morsel so delectable for her...

...Made it toxic to humans.

Some Hollows had flesh so potent that their mere touch was like acid to humans, burning splotches on their skin. Direct exposure to their twisted energies could prove hazardous, even deadly. Really, any amount of contact with Hollows was a bad idea.

Sooo... eating the offered meat was... well... a terrible idea, honestly. A person with a strong soul might be able to handle a bite or two, but the experience would definitely be... memorable.

Of course, Shizu knew none of this. She was simply happy to share the spoils of her hunt. For her, the frozen meat tasted better than any steak. It had flavors beyond description. This was the taste of power. She could feel herself growing a little stronger with every bite.

For a human, though, it would probably taste like a frozen sponge dipped in raw sewage.

---

Post 9
Ken Shirogane

[Ken Shirogane]

The taste was unpleasant. But he choked it down, two bites were all he got through before he could not handle any more of the wretched frozen meat.

He was neither fond of the taste, nor the texture. But the pain it caused was more intense by far than being tail-slapped through a wall.

It brought him to his knees in an instant, breaking into a cold sweat, a hard gag ran through his body as it tried to reject what had just been injested...

But luckily for him, this was the world of the living. Had it been the realm of the Hollow perhaps the effects would have killed him in time. As it was, he had a bad, but very brief bout of what he could only describe as food poisoning.

It lasted a handful of seconds where he fought to regain his senses before the effects faded and all that was left was an unpleasant memory... He didn't feel any stronger. Weaker if anything after wrestling with the frozen Hollow meat in his gut, which had likely thawn then faded.

"That... Was not fun." He noted simply with a grunt. "The taste was bad. The texture was bad. And it was painful for me to eat." He said before looking at Shizu. "I don't think humans eating Hollow is a good idea." He eventually decided before standing up and brushing himself off.

"Pretty tough Hollow though. The posters Nikki gave us are already useful." He said reaching to pull out the stack of powers from his jacket and folding the corner of the poster for the Hollow they had just defeated. Marking it simply in this way as being complete.

"That meat really fucked me up though. I don't think I want to fight a second one tonight." He grunted. "So how about we either stop somewhere to get something to eat, or make something at home? Have you ever cooked before?" He asked curiously, recalling her eating out of a can of sauce like some sort of ghostly hobo. He had no idea what skills she had outside of being kind of hot and being really good at blasting stuff with her freezing beams.

---

PC: 10

Smiley

[Smiley]

As the gloomy goth watched her partner savor the meal, her vivid imagination painted the scene with a rosy filter and sparkles. She felt young again, lost in a memory that didn’t even exist. First, her beloved would praise her for how delicious it was... Then, she would confess her love and-

Reality hit like a hammer.

Shizu’s daydream shattered. And her smile went with it... At first, she couldn’t believe it. Or rather, didn’t want to believe it. No, nonono, this wasn’t how she had imagined this date at all! This was supposed to be the romantic moment that sparked eternal love! The moment where she made him like her! Yet, she was rejected before she could even propose...

Not... fun...

Taste... bad...

Painful... eat...

The painfully blunt words echoed in the creepy girl’s ears. Tears welled up in her eyes. A pathetic whine slipped from her lips. She sniffled and sobbed, choking back the slowly building up wail of her broken heart.

In an instant, the eternally hungry ghoul lost her appetite. The frozen remains faded away, as the energy holding them together finally died. She didn’t care. They would’ve tasted bad anyway...

While the biker celebrated the first victory, the heartbroken ghost shambled over to the nearest dark corner. There, she flopped over and curled up into a tiny ball. Her frigid aura receded as well. It lingered over her, resembling a tiny rain cloud. Or maybe that was just vivid imagination again.

The question was met with a wavering mutter. “Not hungry...” She lied, though only a little. The hunger gnawed, but she didn’t feel like eating anymore. Nothing would taste good. So why even try? “Never cooked before... Sorry...” And while she was apologizing, she might as well get a couple more out, before her croaky voice failed her.

“Sorry for making you eat something so disgusting...”

“Sorry for hurting you...”

_{“Sorry...”}

---

Post 10
Ken Shirogane

[Ken Shirogane]

His brows raised hearing the words "Not Hungry" come from Shizu's mouth. But the situation became clear pretty quickly. Despite not meaning them for her, she had taken his words personally. Sulking in a corner as she so often did when she took things the wrong way.

Moving over to the corner where she sulked, he knelt behind her before wrapping her gently in both arms, holding her in a gentle embrace. It was hard to think of Yama being gentle, generally. But Shizu was perhaps only the second person he'd demonstrated such deep affection for. The only other person had been his mother.

"Shizu..." He said gently, placing his chin on top of her dark head. "You didn't make me eat it. I wanted to. I thought that maybe if I ate Hollow meat it would make me stronger." He explained. "If you had not offered me some I probably would have tried it on my own eventually. Like in that Hueco Mundo place." He suggested. "I'm not upset with you, and I don't blame you for how the meat turned out. It's just not suitable for humans." He decided.

"You didn't hurt me. You've had plenty of chances to do that and have not done anything intentionally." He said simply. "I care for you a lot. I like you very much." He offered, hoping that might help cheer her up. Another thing he wasn't used to doing. But then he didn't care about most people as much as he did for Shizu.

---

PC: 11

Smiley

[Smiley]

Wallowing in the pit of shadows and self-pity, the bundle of gloom didn’t seem to react to the hug. Not at first. She said nothing to the kind reassurance either. Still and silent, she could’ve been mistaken for a corpse...

Fortunately, the warmth of life seeped through even the tar-thick layer of depression. After a short while, a cold claw reached for the warm hand. “I... l-l-llike you too...” She murmured softly. It was tough to cough out. Just saying it made her so embarrassed that she wanted to die on the spot. Ah, the sweet embrace of death... If only... Well, she could dream.

After a short while, the gloomy goth finally spoke up quietly. “Eating makes me happy...” She mused solemnly. “And I was just... hoping it would make you happy too...” Instead, her favorite food had proven worse than inedible for humans. It really hammered in the difference between her and mortals...

Did she have to start calling herself a monster now...?

She didn’t want to.

Shizu’s shoulders heaved with a sad sigh. The romantic mood was dead. Her chance to confess was gone. This failure of a date would haunt her for many sleepless nights to come.

But...

Hugs were nice.

Leaning against the kind biker, the creepy girl enjoyed the sensation of life. “Can we just... stay like this...?” The frigid digits squeezed the warm hand a little tighter. “For a little longer...?” Feeling his warmth stirred a different kind of hunger inside her... She tried to ignore it.

---

Post 11
Ken Shirogane

[Ken Shirogane]

Ah, his Shizu had such a sensitive soul. Even if he had some understanding of what was upsetting her it could be hard to figure out how to please her. But at least this time she made it clear to him.

"I'm happy you wanted to share your prey with me." He agreed. "And we can stay like this for a while, sure." He said as he continued to gently hold her like that. In the corner of this half-destroyed and decrepit old building. He was happy to do what he could to soothe his gloomy Arrancar of a girlfriend. And he was happy to hear she liked him too.

He closed his eyes while he held onto her. Just enjoying the way her cool body felt in his arms. Really contrasting them. He was so warm and she was so cold. Even if she felt like a corpse, he didn't care. She might be one step removed from the dead, but she was alive in his heart.

"Did you have a favorite food to eat before you were a Hollow or Arrancar?" He meant when she was alive, figuring that even if she had been in a hospital most her life before being killed she probably had food and drink she enjoyed. Even if it was just a slice of birthday cake or something.

---

PC: 12

Smiley

[Smiley]

Enjoying the tender embrace, the stiff and skittish soul slowly relaxed. Her body untensed. The gloomy aura faded. At times like these, she remembered why she had agreed to hunt with the biker. In his presence, she didn’t feel so lonely anymore.

“Thank you...”

Shizu closed her eyes. In the gloomy corner of her mind, she saw a familiar shadow staring at her. She knew what it wanted... And did her best to ignore it. No, Yama was not for eating. ...E-even if his warm presence felt tantalizing like a freshly baked cake.

Asking about food was a surefire way to get the eternally hungry Arrancar’s attention. Her eyes fluttered open. Cocking her head, she tried to rummage through her mental library. Unfortunately, all the pages were turning out blank. “I... d-don’t quite recall...” Most of that old era was an utter mystery. “The memories have grown so blurry...”

After a moment of pondering, though, the hungry ghoul made up her mind. “C-cake... Tiramisu cake...” She decided. It was a very special treat for her. A symbol of friendship. It proved that she could be friends with a human without ever wanting to devour their soul.

“Um, w-what about you...?”

Cautiously, the eerie girl returned the question. “What would you like to eat...?” Though they had lived together, she was ashamed to admit she hadn’t learned much about what he actually liked. Maybe she could try hunting some of his favorite food? There was a convenience store near the apartment after all...

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Post 12
Ken Shirogane

[Ken Shirogane]

"Tiramisu cake...?" He mused but nodded. "I don't think I've ever had one of those before." Or if he had he had not been told so. It had been a terribly long time since he had cake. He liked sweets well enough, but he definately leaned in the carnivorous direction.

"My favorite food... Probably a well-seasoned medium rare steak." He supposed. "I enjoy it a little on the bloody side, but I like to make sure I don't get sick. Being strong won't save me from tapeworms or some other parasite." He noted simply.

"After that, maybe mac'n cheese." He did enjoy cheese quite a lot. Smooth, and creamy, and so many different flavors to try.

Nothing he loved was terribly hard to make really. He wasn't any kind of connoisseur of food.

"What would I like to eat tonight though..." He hummed as he considered it. "Well, I would like to try that cake you mentioned. But I dunno how easy that is to get or make. But after that, maybe some pasta and garlic bread?" He suggested, since he already knew she liked pasta sauce he imagined she might enjoy the rest that came with it too. "We can hit a store on the way home and cook together. I'm not a very good cook myself, but pasta and stuff is pretty easy at least." Most of his food was the kind you threw in a microwave and picked up to eat five minutes later. Little work, and a lot of convenience.

Until Shizu started living with him he didn't spend much time at home. He only needed things that would last a long time between brief pauses at home. His house might as well have been a bomb shelter because much of the food and supplies he had were the sorts of things that lasted years between purchases. Not the most flavorful, but filling. It kept him alive and moving between Hollow hunts.

---

PC: 13

Smiley

[Smiley]

Shizu heard the word steak and bloody, and her mouth was already watering. However, the mention of a parasite puzzled her. “But... Is a parasite that not simply extra energy? For you to absorb?” She asked with genuine confusion. There was a stark difference in their bodies that she was failing to realize.

Fortunately, the food topic kept the gloomy goth distracted from the details. “Ah, pasta, yes...” Her solemn expression grew visibly brighter. Of course, she had eaten it before. “I enjoy the way it crunches between my teeth.” In her mind, it was a nice, dry snack you ate with some dip. Just like potato chips. And bones.

As the hungry ghost’s spirits were elevated, her body slowly rose from the floor as well. Her fists balled with trembling determination. “T-then... I shall help you h-hunt food...” She paused. Hesitated. “F-food that you can eat too, I mean...” A small, but important distinction. It had to be something nice and warm. Human food. Food for humans. ...And not made of humans. She had spent so much time devouring souls that she had to remind herself, every now and then.

Eager to try cooking together, the eerie girl shyly drifted around the man. She was ready to follow him whenever he was ready. Follow him like a big, creepy shadow...

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Post 13
Ken Shirogane

[Ken Shirogane]

"Nope. A parasite will eat me inside out. I don't know about you, but even if my body is great, it's far from invincible. Just very durable and strong." He noted with a chuckle.

"Crunchy?" Yama asked a little confused, but chose to assume she meant the garlic bread, which he would agree was nice when it had a good crunch to it.

"Food that we can eat together would be best, yes. But maybe I'll take you out for sushi sometime." He suggested, figuring that could save that for another date. If she liked raw meat then he figured fish would be good too. He loved sushi, though it had been a long time since he had any of that either.

Once she was ready to go though he got up with her, making his way toward the exit of the building. He was curious to see how much Nikki would pay them later when they turned in the bounty page. Usually, he didn't hunt hollow with cash in mind, but two birds, one stone. He wasn't going to reject the convenience of getting paid to do what he liked.

---

PC: 14

Smiley

[Smiley]

Horror washed over the gloomy goth’s features. “E-e-e-eat you?” One of the words scared her more than the other. The thought of someone, or something else devouring her darling... No, nonono, she could not accept it!

Trailing after the murky maiden pondered out loud. “But if you were like me... Then...” She whispered wistfully. “You could be immortal...” She didn’t say that lightly. Her kind didn’t grow old, not in the same way as mortals. For her, disease, poisons and parasites were irrelevant. Wounds were just a nuisance. Somehow, she felt that she had been even more durable in her true form...

Of course, the biker would have to first cast away his humanity...

But the creepy girl wouldn’t mind.

Shizu’s piercing gaze focused on Yama’s back. His big, meaty back... She licked her lips. It was a good thing she had just eaten a filling meal, because the temptation wasn’t so strong anymore. She only had enough room for a small dessert.

Suddenly, the girl vigorously shook her head. She tried to shoo the distracting thoughts away. No, if she ate her darling, then he wouldn’t become like her. Ah, such a dilemma.

“Y-yama...”

She asked carefully.

“Would you... l-like to become... one of us?”

---

Post 14
Ken Shirogane

[Ken Shirogane]

Stepping outside he tilted his head when he heard her question. "I've thought about it." He agreed with a little nod of his head. "I don't see any reason to rush into it though. But in the event that I do end up dying, I do want you to eat my soul and make me into a Hollow. From there I am hoping you can guide me as a Hollow into becoming an Arrancar like you. Might be tough though, considering I'd eventually need to consume and dominate the minds of other Hollow before I come out on top. I like to think I could, but there is no guarantee." He chuckled.

Stepping up to his bike he looked at Shizu. "Whether I die from battle or old age, my soul is yours. You're mine, and I am yours." He said simply looking into those beautiful dark eyes. "But I'm not going to give up my soul that easily. Not yet anyway. If I get tired of being human and decide that my time is up, you'll be the first to know and help me through my transformations. Understand?" He asked just making sure she knew what he was saying.

He knew there was an afterlife, and maybe it wouldn't be bad. But he wasn't that interested in it. The life of a Hollow, or an Arrancar was much more interesting to him. It was also the harder path to follow, which only made it more appealing. But also the fact that if he wanted to be with Shizu forever, it would be easier to do it as a Arrancar, than a spirit on the other side. And he certainly had more in common with Hollow than he did with Shinigami. He was more than happy to become closer to the monster he felt he was. Once his time was up anyway. Either he would die fighting, die from old age, or die when he willingly gave up his life for Shizu to consume. But none of those things were going to happen anytime soon. He was willing to die, but not on a whim because Shizu was hungry. Though he'd gladly accept her as the one to consume his soul when the time came.

---

PC: 15

Smiley

[Smiley]

Though the pessimistic girl had already braced herself for the disappointment, it still tasted bitter. Her head drooped at the initial rejection. The explanation did little to ease the pain. “I... see...” The solemn mutter left her lips. She tried to assure herself, against the whispers of her instincts, to simply accept it.

However, as their eyes met, the biker spoke something that resonated within the gloomy goth. “You... are mine...” She repeated softly. A smile finally bloomed on her features. It started small, but soon grew into a ghastly crescent. No human smiled like that...

Of course, the meek monster didn’t even realize what sort of face she was making. She was just so happy. For a brief moment, her hollow chest felt... full.

“Yes, I understand. Take your time, d-d-darling.”

Climbing onto the bike, the lovestruck ghoul hugged her darling tightly. She nuzzled her cold cheek against his broad, warm, delicious back... Her instincts were falling quiet. She could wait... After all, she had an entire eternity.

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Post 15
Ken Shirogane