Grocery Shopping (Yama/Shizu)

[Ken Shirogane]

The growling of his bike came to a stop at the edge of a dark parking lot. The sun had set by now to show a waxing moon behind dark clouds. The wind was mild but cool. The air smelled like moisture and it seemed poised to rain within the hour.

Yama didn't mind if it did personally. He enjoyed the rain the same way he enjoyed Shizu against his back on the bike while they made their way to the grocery store. He was hot, and she was cool, her presence while creepy to most was soothing to him. Her presence only became an increasingly comfortable consistency in his life the longer he kept her around.

"Alright, it's getting late, but don't forget most people can't see you. So try not to go too crazy." He noted with a chuckle climbing off the bike and then offering Shizu a hand off. He doubted she could stay out of trouble, so he tempered his expectations to just hoping she only caused some minor mischief. But maybe even that was too much to expect. He'd just have to wait and see what happened he supposed. Shizu was pretty unpredictable.

---

PC: 1
Smiley

[Smiley]

When the moon claimed its throne and shadows grew long, all manner of strange and frightening creatures came out to play... Shizu stared at the shining jewel in the sky longingly. Only at night, she felt truly at ease. Like she belonged.

Yanked back to reality by the biker’s comment, the gloomy goth shook her head. “Ah, fear not...” Her shoulders lumped with a forlorn mutter. “That... is something I can never forget.” Oh, heavens no, she was not upset. Not at all bitter that most mortals just looked straight through her, like she didn’t even exist.

...Okay, maybe a little bitter. Juuust a tiny bit.

Still, the creepy girl bottled up such thoughts in silence. She drifted over to the store’s door. The light inside leaked out to the street. Pressing her palms against the glass, she peered through. A handful of people were getting some late shopping done. They didn’t, couldn’t, notice the shadow staring at them.

Even the automatic door didn’t acknowledge her existence.

A heavy sigh left her lips.

---

Post 1
Ken Shirogane

[Ken Shirogane]

He wasn't even really concerned if people could see her. The problem was that they could not see her, and she could affect the physical world. It might cause a small panic if a can of soup started floating through the air before landing in the air like he was some kind of psychic... Actually, could he do that? Use his spirit energy to manipulate stuff telepathically? That would be pretty cool.

He followed Shizu forward a moment later, his presence activated the door allowing them both inside while he grabbed a small cart to push around. "So, aside from tonight's dinner, is there anything else you think we should get while we are here? Snacks or future meals?" He asked figuring she might have some things she wanted.

---

PC: 2

Smiley

[Smiley]

Responding to the living presence, the gates of the little food heaven opened. Like a shadow, the creepy girl drifted inside after the biker. With impossibly light steps, she climbed up to loom above people’s heads. It was an old habit, her way of avoiding crowds. Her very own safe zone. Couldn’t bump into anyone up here.

Oh, and speaking of old habits...

Shizu wandered off, drifting along the aisles. Her gaze scanned the shelves, clearly seeking something. And soon she found it... The pickle shelf! Promptly, she nabbed a large jar. A small smile played on her features, as she cradled the treasure against her chest.

The question gave the ghoul a pause. She looked around. Her gaze was drawn onto the handful of shoppers that passed beneath her. “Um, c-can we get something that tastes like... h-human souls...?” She asked shyly. “Ever since I stopped eating people, there has been this... craving... that I just cannot sate...” Hollow souls just weren’t quite the same.

Leaving the request hanging in the air, the hungry ghost popped the pickle jar open. The lid clattered noisily against the floor. Fishing out a pickle, she started snacking away, like she was eating french fries.

---

Post 2
Ken Shirogane

[Ken Shirogane]

"Hm, I don't think there is anything that tastes like human souls, except human souls... But between us, you would be the expert on that, so I'm not sure." He noted with a chuckle.

"But maybe we could go after some bloodthirsty criminal?" He suggested since that would be the kind of person whose death would not cause much issue. Or maybe they could go after some convicted criminal for Shizu to consume. Like one that went after children. That was even worse than murder after all. "Or worse..." Yama did not have a great moral compass. He loved to fight, and he could easily end up killing someone someday if he was pushed too far. But there were still things he knew to his core were wrong. And if there was anyone he was willing to kill it was people who had hurt children in such a way. At that point he didn't even consider it murder, it was a cleaning service. People like him should be paid to take out that kind of trash. And finding out who was that kind of offender was pretty easy. And it would not matter to Shizu if they were in a prison or something, she could basically teleport anywhere she wanted to, right? Not to mention fly.

"Anyway, we'll figure something out. This place just isn't one where we can find that kind of food. Not unless you can sniff out sins." He suggested, not even sure if that was something that could be detected. But it sure would be convenient.

---

PC: 3

Smiley

[Smiley]

The hungry Arrancar was quick to nod at the astute observation. There was nothing quite like a tasty soul. She would struggle to even describe the wonderful, otherworldly flavor. More than that, every soul was a little different. “Souls are like a box of chocolates...” She suggested. It was the best explanation she had.

However, when the biker voiced an intriguing idea, a spark of recognition flashed in the ghoul’s eyes. “Ah...” A vivid memory from a while back visited her head. “Mister Goku told me the same thing... That I should only eat mean people...” She muttered idly, between bites.

...Only, the absent-minded ghost completely failed to elaborate on who this ‘Mister Goku’ was and where she had met him. It was the first time she had brought it up too. She didn’t spend her days -or nights- cooped up inside Yama’s apartment after all. Er, well, not all of them, anyway. Occasionally, she wandered off to her own adventures.

Lost in thought, the undead garbage disposal devoured the glass jar as well. Crunch, crunch, crunch, the glass crumbled easily between her sharp teeth. Stray shards fell to the floor.

Returning to reality, Shizu shook her head. “Sins...? Ah, no... I am afraid not...” She scratched her nose idly. “My nose is... not as sharp as it was before...” There was an awkward pause. A beat. “N-not that I have ever been able to, uh, sniff out something that specific... I-it is just that...” She hesitated. “...Before taking this form, I was able to feel... more.”

Soon, the gloomy goth found a bottle of ketchup. She popped it open and squeezed gently. As the red drop peeked out, she licked it off. Squeeze... Lick... Repeat. A small smile returned to her features. Tasty~

---

Post 3
Ken Shirogane

[Ken Shirogane]

"Mister Goku?" He questioned, not really concerned, just curious. He figured she would not really stick around his place every time he went out. She was free to go out and have her adventures. He just didn't want her causing a ruckus.

And then he watched her eat a glass jar of pickles, including the jar itself. It made him squint a little in something maybe resembling discomfort. It was probably more confusion than discomfort. Nothing she did so far made him nearly as uncomfortable as when she turned her head backward. The sounds her "spine" made when she did that were also rather horrific. And Yama wasn't especially squeamish. He didn't mind blood. He didn't know how he felt about gore having witnessed very little of it. But he'd torn the arm off a Hollow once, so maybe it was fine? He'd probably be less fine with humans being put through a blender. At least he thought so.

"I wonder if that's something I can learn to do then. I mean, this soul magic stuff seems like it can do almost anything. I wonder if I can use my third eye to see people's sins. Would make finding you prey easier anyway." He wondered how sins could be measured, but he figured that was something for the universe to sort out. He knew there was an afterlife now at least. He wasn't sure if that was heaven, but it didn't sound like hell.


And then he watched her go for the ketchup while he pushed around his cart, gradually adding items to it. "Pickles, and then ketchup, huh? I didn't accidentally get you pregnant or something did I?" He was pretty sure he'd never gotten drunk enough to throw himself at Shizu again. He wasn't going to forget the way she reacted to him just asking to kiss her. He still had not attempted to ask again yet. Though he figured a good time to ask might be when they got her that cake she wanted.

Either way, considering he'd not even gotten a kiss from her yet, and remembering her reaction to that, he doubted he'd gone far enough to do the deed with her. But she was an Arrancar, and he had no idea if it was even possible to get her pregnant. He was only half serious, and half joking. He didn't care what she ate... As long as it didn't affect him at least. If he managed to kiss her later and found glass shards in his mouth he was going to ban her from eating glass... And anything else that could get into his mouth from hers that he didn't want there.

---

PC: 4

Smiley

[Smiley]

Upon hearing the question, the gloomy goth perked up noticeably. “Ah, y-yes... Mister Goku is this nice... um... d-delinquent...?” It felt strange calling the boy that, but... At the same time, it was the most accurate description of him, she felt. He had that aura around him.

Brushing the thought aside, the ghastly woman went to elaborate. “I found him saving a lil puppy bullied by some unforgivable fiends...” She spat the last word with distinct disdain. It was rare for her to actually hate anyone... BUT... She absolutely despised those nasty boys.

The venom in the creepy girl’s voice soon subsided. “B-but I was not allowed to eat them...” Her head drooped. “H-he told me I should give people a chance to be good... A-and only eat them if they continue being bad... I still do not quite understand why...” She recounted awkwardly. Still, it matched the promise she had given to her darling, so... That’s what she had been following.

Snapping out of the thoughts, the eerie ghost brightened up at the mention of learning. “Oh...! Um... I c-could... erm... t-teach you... how to hone your senses? I-if you wish...?” She was pretty good when it came to ‘this soul magic stuff’. Her senses were especially sharp. It was like an instinct.

When Yama mentioned pregnancy, Shizu froze. Her eyes went wide. Slowly, crimson coloration spread across her pale features until her whole face was redder than the ketchup. Wisps of raw Reiatsu rose from her head, resembling steam.

Once the initial shock passed, the embarrassed Arrancar started fumbling for words. “Uh, n-no, I mean I d-don’t know... Uh... pregnant... No can get...” Aaand failed pretty miserably. Her mind was a mess of words that clashed against each other. On one hand, she didn’t know if it was even possible for her to get pregnant...

Yet, on the other hand...

She wouldn’t mind if...

The addled ghoul shook her head furiously, banishing the l-lewd thought. They hadn’t even held hands yet... Or k-k-k-kissed! Her memories of the last attempt were foggy. Apparently, she had tried to eat his face... Which sounded like her, but didn’t feel familiar. Why had she tried to do that...?

---

Post 4
Ken Shirogane

[Ken Shirogane]

"A delinquent, huh?" He asked with a chuckle at the word. "So what, he's another high school kid?" He asked recalling that the kids she had been stalking when he first met her were about high school or college age. He could not remember exactly, just that they were for sure younger than he was and wearing some kind of outfit that made it clear they belonged to some kind of school. The kid had nearly suffocated in Shizu's grip... Yama might have said they were lucky, but he wasn't even sure what the kid could see. He might not have even realized what was grabbing him, suffocating him, or draining the life out of him.

He frowned when she said that this Goku guy had been saving a puppy that was being bullied by some assholes though. He wasn't sure if saving puppies detracted from the delinquent status Shizu had just assigned him. But Yama would have done the same. He had much more respect for animals than people. He'd probably risk his life for a dog where he might struggle to find a good reason to save another human, depending on what he knew of them. At a neutral level, he just felt that animals were fundamentally innocent. He didn't believe that animals could have truly malicious intentions. They were products of their environment. The same could be said for humans, but humans possessed a level of intelligence that most animals did not. That made them more independent on a fundamental level than animals. This also meant that on that same level, humans were fundamentally more evil than animals because they could choose how they wanted to act in a way that an animal could not comprehend. It was possible for someone who grew up perfectly normal to become a serial killer as an adult. Much like the man who had killed Shizu, he supposed.

"Well, he gets points for that in my book. Delinquent or not, he doesn't sound like a bad guy." He mused. "But if we ever come across any adults abusing an animal enough to disgust me, I'll let you eat them. I respect this Goku guy for letting some stupid kids have a second chance. But they better shape up before it's too late. I'm not as nice as this Goku guy when it comes to animal abusers." He said simply.

"You could? Huh." He asked a little surprised, but happy if she could. "Sure. Teach me how I can focus my senses then. Can we start right now?" He asked seeing no reason they could not. They were just walking around the store stuffing things in his cart while Shizu went around "sampling" things.

"Also, there are two things I wanted to talk to you about. I'm not sure whether to talk about them here or when we get home. One is the way you can turn your head around until you're looking backward. The other involved the kiss we never got to share." He noted, deciding that this was as good a time as any to at least mention the subjects so Shizu could prepare herself a bit.

---

PC: 5

Smiley

[Smiley]

Just when Shizu was starting to calm down and get back to her ketchup, another armor-piercing question nailed her right in the hollow chest. Startled, she squeezed the bottle. A splatter of red painted her features, like the finale of a horror movie.

Nearby an old man happened to glance up... Only to see dripping red liquid hanging in the air. The longer he squinted, the worse it got. For a moment there, he swore it looked like a horrific visage... He quickly hustled away, murmuring something about an evil spirit.

Meanwhile, said spirit was busy stammering. “W-wha...? Uh... Erm... Um...” Her shy gaze dropped to the floor and stayed there. “M-maybe...?” She had never asked, but... The boy had seemed... erm... youthful.

Hurriedly, the creepy woman tried to fix the situation. “B-but t-that is not why I was stal-er, f-following him...! A-and he is not quite my t-t-type... I uh...” Aaand only made it worse. Wisely, she clamped her mouth shut and went to find some paper towels...

While Yama weighed in on the animal situation -and eating bad people situation- Shizu nodded quietly. She was not a fan of anyone bullying helpless animals... However, scary and strong animals who bullied people were a whole different matter.

Once the gothic ghoul had cleaned herself up, she continued drifting around. “A-ah, y-you wish to... start right away...?” She hesitated briefly, but the prospect of sharing her knowledge was enticing. “V-very well...”

Still, teaching was a tricky thing. “Um, y-you know how if you shut out a sense, your other senses get stronger? It works s-sort of the same way...” Closing her eyes to demonstrate, she took a deep breath. “Kill the light... Strangle the sound... And just... Feel...” She muttered.

“T-try to count how many different souls there are here...”

For the Arrancar, it was like second nature. She could feel every single soul in the store. There were eight others... Small souls scurrying around, moving between the shelves... One standing behind the counter. None of them smelled particularly appetizing.

Shizu’s eyes flashed open. Her head twisted around with the usual haunting crack, so she could peer at Yama. “M-my neck...? What do you mean...? Is there something w-wrong...?” She asked, oblivious to the irony.

The kiss though...

She was too embarrassed to even ask.

---

Post 5
Ken Shirogane

[Ken Shirogane]

He could not tell if Shizu had any attraction for this Goku guy she mentioned. She didn't seem to drift off into a dreamy daze like she usually did when she was recalling something with that certain little fondness. Like the way she recalled the moonlit night the day she had died being stabbed by the hand of the man she had hoped to marry. Whenever she spoke of that night and that man, there was a certain sort of fervor to it. Often laced with a vicious tint like glass painted with blood.

When she made a mess of herself, he glanced at the old man who had seen... Something before scurrying away. Yama shook his head, supposing it was bound to happen. With Shizu sampling and making use of the store however she liked, certain things were bound to be seen. He wondered what they might see on the security camera aside from Yama basically speaking into the air for the past few minutes.

When Shizu mentioned that Goku was not her type, he wondered if there was any guy who wasn't her type. He hadn't exactly asked her preference, but it seemed to him that as long as they had some level of boyish charm she would probably chase them down. Aside from himself, the boy back in the park had been on the sporty side. Maybe even a jock. And if Yama had any inclination for sports back in high school he would have fit right in.

But Yama disliked being tied to a dedicated structure. He didn't like rules, and he didn't generally believe in fair play. On a sports team with any sort of physical contact, he would have been obligated to smash people into the ground until they were unable to play. Then again that was high school, and Yama had mellowed out at least a little. His violent nature was significantly more focused on the Hollow kind. Humans were often more than not weak and pathetic compared to the powerful monsters known as Hollow.

When Shizu instructed him he tried to do what she said. Letting his card go he lifted his hands to cover his eyes, ears, and nose. He still needed to breathe so left his mouth alone while he tried to focus as Shizu suggested. Maybe in the future, he could learn to shut out all other senses without physically blocking them, but this was just a little test to see if he could even sense anything.

He was generally pretty sensitive... To Hollow that was. He didn't sense shit from humans. He didn't care about humans generally. But this was a test to see if he could. Still, after a minute of detecting nothing, he removed his hands to glance at Shizu, seeing her head facing backward at him once he took in the sight of her.

"You're neck should not twist like that." He said, unsure if she had tried to talk to him during his little test, though she looked vaguely worried. "And the sound your neck makes when you twist your head like that is uncomfortable." The sound bothered him more than the act itself honestly. That grinding crunch it made just sat wrong with him.

"I think after being together more than a week by now, you know that not much bothers me. But that bothers me... A little." He decided. It wasn't like he'd do anything if she didn't stop. But he at least wanted to express his apparent discomfort with the act.

---

PC: 6

Smiley

[Smiley]

The creepy ghoul recoiled at the unexpected claim. “W-wha...?” Frantic questions swirled around her head. Had she committed some manner of faux pas? Was it rude to turn her head, but not her body? What had she done wrong?

Frozen in shock, the anxious woman could only hold her breath. Every word of the explanation felt like a needle. It was true, the biker had a high tolerance for many things... To think that she still managed to offend him so... It was unforgivable.

Reminiscent of a leaky balloon that finally gave up, Shizu slowly drifted to the floor. Muttered regrets slipped from her lips. “S-sorry... Sorry... Sorry...” Apologies all the way down. With another crunch, her head turned in the right direction. Squatting down, she hugged her knees and curled up into a ball of doom and gloom.

Voice wavering weakly, the ghastly goth tried to explain herself. “I-it is a habit...” Her eyes stared at the floor, but her mind wandered off. “In my true form, turning my entire body around felt, um, c-cumbersome... S-so I figured I could turn j-just my upper mouth towards the prey...” Even if it sounded nonsensical, she didn’t misspeak this time.

“I shall stop... Sorry...”

---

Post 6
Ken Shirogane

[Ken Shirogane]

Ah man, why did she have to act that way? He half expected it. His poor girlfriend was such a sensitive soul, but he could hardly complain. Some part of him also liked that aspect of her. She was very in tune with her emotions, even if she wasn't always very good at maintaining her control over them.

He let the cart go to kneel beside her, moving a hand to gently stroke over her head, combing tough fingers through her hair. "I would appreciate you trying at least. I'm not angry with you though. It's just a small discomfort. Very little of what you do bothers me enough to mention it. But this was something that happens pretty often." He noted with a little sigh. "Would you have preferred it if I didn't mention it?" He asked curiously if she might have preferred to be ignorant of his discomfort, or if she preferred the honesty even if it was a little painful. It wasn't as though he was scolding her, he just hoped she liked and respected him enough to pay attention to his feelings too.

"I feel like a bad boyfriend whenever I make you upset like this. I don't mean to, you know? I prefer it when I get to see your sweet little smiles." He noted, though most people might have thought those smiles were more creepy than sweet. His opinion was the only one that mattered as far as he was concerned. If he cared what other people thought he would not have started dating Shizu in the first place. A human dating an Arrancar was no doubt an insane thing to do in general, let alone with someone with the kind of temperament as Shizu, who would one day almost certainly be the one to consume Yama's soul. After all, he had more or less promised it to her. He might not be unstable in the same way his ghoulish girlfriend was, but he was plenty insane in many other ways.

---

PC: 7

Smiley

[Smiley]

A vivid imagination could almost picture the goth’s depression clinging to her like violet mist. Or perhaps that was her Reiatsu slowly leaking out. It did blend together all too perfectly with her wispy dress. One would be hard-pressed to say where one ended and the other began.

Upon feeling the comforting warmth, Shizu sniffled. “S-sorry...” It was a reflex at this point. Years upon years of running away from stronger Hollows had left their mark. There was more to it than that, though... Just... Couldn’t quite remember...

Discarding the stray thought, the gloomy girl wiped her brimming tears on her long sleeve. “I do not wish to make anyone uncomfortable... Least of all you...” She muttered. “It merely... happens.” Times like these were a bitter reminder that she wasn’t human anymore. Just a creature masquerading as a human.

Sometimes...

She wondered if it would be better to simply remove the mask...

When the thoughtful boyfriend brought up hiding the thought, the grim creature snapped back to reality. “N-no!” She screeched, before catching herself. “No... I mean... I wish for you to be honest... E-even when it hurts...” Honesty was the most important founding block of any relationship, partnership and otherwise. “I want to... have to be able to trust you...”

Slowly, the ghastly goth rose from the ground. Her body jerked like a marionette dangling from strings, defying gravity. “T-truly...?” She asked through sharp teeth. “Y-you like... my smiles...?” And those teeth twisted into the most horrifying crescent grin that would’ve scared a shark.

The rare compliment warmed Shizu’s empty chest. “Y-you are not a bad boyfriend...” She shook her head. Twiddling her fingers nervously, she struggled to maintain any sort of eye contact. “You merely speak your mind... A-and I do truly appreciate that...” It was a big step up from her previous boyfriend.

“Um... I-is there anything e-else I do that makes you feel... u-uncomfortable?”

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Post 7
Ken Shirogane

[Ken Shirogane]

"You've had different... Experiences from me." He agreed when it came to what she had been through. Very different indeed. He wasn't really sure what her goals were beyond perhaps, not being alone. Maybe never be alone ever again. And if he had it his way she never would be.

He was glad she wanted him to continue being honest. He wasn't sure it was even possible for him to be otherwise. He wasn't much of a liar. And he wasn't sure how well he could keep his thoughts to himself when something truly bothered him.

Her choice of words was interesting. "Have to be able to trust you". He supposed she did if she wanted to be in a relationship with him. It was really funny that things had ended up this way in his mind. But he didn't regret anything with Shizu so far.

"I love your smiles." He agreed, sliding his hands to gently cup her cheeks, enjoying the vicious twisted display of teeth. "There is no smile like yours in the world." He promised.

He was also glad she didn't think he was a bad boyfriend. He didn't exactly have much experience, or any at all really. Since she was his first one. He wondered if that was better or worse than him considering her first one killed her. But whatever.

"Hm... Nothing comes to mind. I enjoy most of your other quirks. But since we are talking about it, I guess I'll mention that you can become very jealous at times. I like how possessive you are, but you should be careful about becoming too jealous. I don't want you to hurt someone who doesn't deserve it." He noted simply. It didn't make him uncomfortable, but it was something of a worry for the man. Shizu could become a little delusional at times, letting her thoughts run wild before doing or blurting something out that Yama had to quickly correct before she tried to do something. Or at least he got the impression that Shizu wanted to do something, weather she would actually do something or not.

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Post: 8

Smiley