Technically Isekai [Shizu/Mateo/Yama]

[Smiley]

Nothing... Nothing as far as the eye could see. Bottomless shadows swirled at the edges of an endless void. It was barren and silent... But not entirely lifeless. Two figures trailed through the darkness.

Leading the way was a grim lady who drifted weightlessly. Her long, dark hair and violet dress seemed to almost bleed into the murky background. Beneath the dress, pale blue Reishi spread like a layer of frost. The thin foothold only held for a moment, before crumbling into the void. ...Sonído clearly wasn’t her strong suit, if the leisurely pace wasn’t proof enough.

In stark contrast to the eerie appearance, an anxious smile played on the ghastly woman’s lips. She hummed a haunting tune beneath her breath. Her fidgeting fingers wrestled each other with no winner in sight.

Along the way, the creepy girl glanced over her shoulder. “T-thank you for agreeing to this...” That was the umpteenth time she had thanked her benefactor during this trip alone.

After an awkward pause, the stuttery wreck continued. “Oh, a-and I m-must confess... T-this important something is... er... m-more of um... someone...” She probably should have mentioned that earlier. “I h-hope that will not c-complicate the matter...”

Stopping at a spot just as dark as any in here, Shizu gripped the inky nothingness with her claws. With a strained huff, she pulled. The veil between worlds strained and cracked, like a sheet of glass being torn open. It was a whole lot messier than the methods used by the higher-class Arrancar... But she was old-fashioned.

And you couldn’t argue with the results.

A gaping hole opened in the air. On the other side was the small bedroom of a modest, simple apartment. The gloomy goth floated through. “Yama... We have come for you...” Her haunting rasp crawled along the walls. She loomed over the bed like a distorted shadow.

Just one teeny tiny issue...

It was currently around 3AM in Japan.

Shizu had just barged in, with a strange man in tow, through a hole in reality. She didn’t even stop to consider that some folks might like to sleep right now. In her defense, though, keeping track of time was tough in the realm of endless night.

---

Post 1
manic Ken Shirogane

[manic]

El Presidente #1

---

It was rare for the slippery serpent to not be taking the lead during his many ventures through the void between the realms, at this point the inky darkness was as familiar to him as the moonlit wastes of his territory but this time El Presidente was a passenger on this crazy train.

His association with the ghostly Shizu was thus far a profitable one even if it had led to them being showered by a secret compartment of Holy Water (in his own bank no less!) and it was now his time to hold up his end of the bargain in order to keep the powerful and intimidating arrancar on his side, he could tolerate the slow progress. For now. He'd learned at least to stop dignifying every instance of being thanked with a response that required more effort than a smile and nod.

"A someone?" Mateo repeated as panic quickly crossed his mind. The spiritual anchors he'd brought had never been tested on anything living! If only she'd mentioned this earlier, he would have been running tests on cats for the past week! Although that might present other issues.

However... this could open up a new opportunity. If this worked then it could lead to something Dantemus couldn't replicate "Hopefully it will not." The dictator said cheerfully before they reached their location. A man's bedroom, a large man's bedroom. Oh that might be complicated with how... affectionate Shizu had been towards El Prez, especially with him poking his head around her shoulder.

[Ken Shirogane]

Yama's eye opened as he heard Shizu speak out to him. Waking to her familiar haunting voice.

He didn't make much of a sound before his upper body lifted from the bed, sheets dropping to show a bare muscular torso. A wild mop of short black hair on his head as his eye slid through the room, moving over Shizu without surprise or discomfort, admiring for just a moment before sliding past her to the man. Or what had once been a man. From the bits of mask apparent on his head he could tell the man was an arrancar.

Yama didn't react much to the newcomer either. Although perhaps the man would recognize the fact that he was in the den of another predator as a certain tense stillness filled the room. Not a predator like Shizu who stalked her prey, lurking and waiting to strike from the shadows. Yama was very much the opposite in that regard. If there was a problem he attacked it with all the ferocity of a rabid dog. A mad dog. A blackhound.

He studied the newcomer, taking in the details he could make out in the darkness of the room. Yet it seemed that the dark posed little issue to him. His eye gleamed with a certain light, a small amount of energy gleamed in his pupil allowing him to see where a normal human could not.

When he was satisfied his eye slid from the man, back to Shizu as he stood from the bed. He was wearing jeans at least, his feet bare. Even in the dark, his shape was large and imposing. The barest light gleamed off tight almost inhumanly strong-toned muscled, yet he was not especially bulky. He just radiated a sort of solid power. His figure would have been well suited for the marble statues of Rome. Like that of a spartan. Several scars also lined his back and torso, though it was his missing eye that was the most notable damage. Clearly, it had been gouged or ripped free. There wasn't even an eyelid left to cover the empty hole that once housed a second eye.


It didn't seem as though he was in danger, and Shizu didn't give any indication that she was in trouble yet, so he took his time reaching over to a nearby nightstand where he lifted an eyepatch, putting it on to cover the empty eye socket, making himself somewhat more presentable.
"Shizu... Welcome home." He said before walking to her, sliding one hand down to gently hold a hip through the dress, the other up to brush surprisingly tender but calloused fingertips along her cheek as though she were porcelain when he knew she could be as firm as steel.

"Is everything alright?" He eventually asked, his eye flicking briefly back to Mateo, then to Shizu again. He expected her to explain what was going on.

It was obvious something was going on, but he could not have said what. Or what it meant that she had brought a guest into his home. He doubted Shizu was in trouble, she was strong after all. While he would gladly protect her, such things should be rare. But he was as ready as an attack dog biting at the chain to get free. The moment she set him loose something or someone could be ripped apart, and if there was anything left he'd drag the scraps of what remained to her feet in an offering. A mad hound with a single figure he truly respected and admired.

---

PC: 1

Smiley  manic

[Smiley]

Much to the ghastly girl’s delight, her darling stirred from his slumber easily enough. There were so many things she loved about him, but her favorite was the way he always welcomed her back. Always happy to see her. Not once did her darling scream in terror or tell her to get away~!

A faint blush painted the ghost’s pale features. S-so forward...! Yet, so gentle... She had to hush the whispers brewing in the back of her mind, filling her head with lovely ideas. Her teeth were itching at the mere sight of the meaty muscles... N-no! Not here, not now.

The three creatures exchanged glances, each in their own, peculiar way. A shark, a snake and a hound... It was a menagerie of monsters.

Shizu met the question with a smile far too wide for her face. “Y-yes~!” She chimed eagerly. “M-more than alright... Everything is going to be pure bliss...” Like a pair of violet embers, her eyes burned with peculiar madness. “Waitedsolongforthis... Atlastwecango...” Heavy breathing accompanied her feverish muttering.

Snapping out of the weird daze, the gloomy goth latched onto her darling. Her grip was tight and her nails sharp. “We have come to spirit you away, to the land of eternal night.” In her abundant excitement, though, she was kiiind of forgetting something important...

Awkward seconds ticked by.

One, two, three...

Ding, the realization was ready.

Suddenly, Shizu recoiled. “O-oh...! W-where are my manners?” Backing away, she bowed her head. “I am so terribly sorry, I forgot to introduce you to my kind benefactor.” Spinning around, she offered another apology bow to the very patient gentleman. “Sorry, sorry, sorry...” Manners first and foremost.

Taking a deep breath, the creepy girl gestured at her nearly naked human. “Sir Campos, t-this is Yama.” She was aware that their relationship was a little... complicated... So she tried to put it simply. “He is my hunting partner and b-b-b-booo...” No matter how she struggled, that last word was firmly lodged in her throat and refused to come out. It was embarrassing to say so bluntly!

---

Post 2
manic Ken Shirogane

[manic]

El Presidente #2

---

Ah, now the pieces were starting to come together in the mind of El Presidente. The way Lady Shizu fully lavished affection towards this man. The desperation in her voice peaking with excitement. No wonder she had sought out the assistance of the only posthumous republic, Dantemus would never permit a human to walk the wastes, let alone with assurances of protection. Human tra- no. Human Tourism! A wonderful new industry was at his fingertips... so long as the anchors did not burn him to a crisp.

This also had the fun side effect of hopefully dissuading any further advancements by the ghostly woman although this... Yama might need convincing that Mateo was no romantic rival to be challenged. He had no intention of breaking this happy couple.

"Good evening Mr Yama," The dictator briefly bowed "My name is Mateo Campos_ss, El Presidente of the Hollows Democratic Republic of Lower Hueco Mundo. Here to assist in your travels." He introduced himself with a slight hiss to his voice over the Latin accent

[Ken Shirogane]

He was glad to hear she was fine, she seemed very excited. He could barely make out some of the words she was speaking so quickly. He found these moments where she acted like this very cute.

"Oh, we are finally going there then? What do I need to bring with me?" He asked since they had made plans to go there eventually. Though Nikki had warned them from doing that since it would be very dangerous for him, particularly as a human. And he'd more or less taken that advice till now, but he was no coward and would face any threat that came his way head-on. Plus when they had made plans to go there he'd even gone so far as to phrase it as a date with Shizu, since it seemed to be a place she loved, describing it as an endless graveyard.

Yama blinked at being called "Mr. Yama". He supposed it was better than being called "Mr. Masamune", but only marginally.

"Please just call me Yama. I'm not big on formalities." He offered simply with a little nod to the other man.

"El Presidente, of a Democratic Republic. And did you... Just hiss?" Yama asked though it may have just been a lisp. Still Hollow did often take on more animal shapes, and the idea that a politician might have evolved from a snake-shaped Hollow would have been insanely ironic to him. And Yama being Yama could not help but ask the question. Though he didn't look concerned about it.

Even if Mateo did happen to be a political snake in the form of an Arrancar, that was of little importance to Yama.

"But yes, I am her hunting partner, and boyfriend." He noted with a smirk to Shizu. "My poor Shizu. It makes her so happy to have someone who will finally take up that spot beside her, yet she's too shy to say it out loud. But I'll admit it makes me happy whenever she tries. I can only imagine what she might look like if she ever had to call me her husband in the future." He'd never thought of himself as husband material. But when it came to Shizu? He found himself increasingly willing to do just about anything to win her over. He'd already promised her his soul upon his death bed, more or less. Anything else was a small price to pay for her affection.

"Thanks for taking care of my Shizu. I imagine she can be quite the handful." He noted with amusement before turning to collect some clothes, sliding on some socks and a shirt.

"So how do we go about this then? How do I go to Hueco Mundo?" He asked turning back to the pair, waiting to hear if there was anything in particular he needed to do or if he just needed to follow them or something.

---

PC: 2

manic Smiley

[Smiley]

As Shizu watched the introductions between the two men, a peculiar realization dawned upon her. They were pretty much polar opposites, weren’t they? Yes, the more she thought about it...

On one hand, there was the rough and tumble bad boy biker. The gloomy goth was drawn to his fearlessness and directness. And his energy... Oh, it tasted simply irresistible.

Yet, on the other hand, there was the silver-tongued gentleman. The creepy girl had been smitten by his refined charm. And that accent... Oh, it fueled unspeakable fantasies in her mind.

When the brave biker spoke the h-word, the shy woman sputtered. “...!” Her vivid imagination painted a rosy picture of a wedding... Under a pale moon... At a graveyard... As they stood in a pool of blood, held hands and ki-ki-ki-ki...!

...Back in reality, the lonely lady’s pale features flared bright crimson. White wisps escaped from her lips with each gasped breath. She had no words.

Sadly, rose-tinted fantasies were too frail to last. Shizu flinched at the odd comment. “Huh...? H-handful...?” She echoed the word choice meekly. “How do you mean...?” Worries swirled inside her skull, as she started nervously gnawing her claws. Was her darling growing tired of her? Oh no, had she become a burden?! No, nonono...!

Much too distraught to answer the questions, the gloomy goth left the matter of logistics to the expert. Honestly better this way. She would’ve only blurted out something less than helpful.

---

Post 3
manic Ken Shirogane

[manic]

El Presidente #3

---

Aaand Shizu was out for the count in her own little world. Hopefully she would make a recovery as soon as her objective was in sight but for now... maybe it was for the best. This was a delicate operation and El Presidente had an important role to play.

Fortunately his initial concerns about Yama's character were unfounded as the first human/arrancar relationship (that he knew of) was much more stable than one would previously assume from the words and actions of the lovesick Shizu. Not a hint of protective jealousy but a wealth of assured confidence that the couple that slayed together would stay together "Excellent, excellent. Straight to business it is." the comment about his hiss was to be tactfully ignored.

Brandishing the now gold-plated spiritual anchors, a little addition from the unexpected experimentation in the alps "In order to enable a man of flesh and blood to travel to the realm of the spirits intact you will need to wear these devices on your person tightly," Mateo explained "I suggest wearing something thick and preferably padded as they can get a little... hot when in transit. They may not look like much but keeping a form consistent is no easy accomplishment."

"As for other items you will need... well although the Republic isn't exactly tropical, Hueco Mundo is still a desert and as such a large amount of water is recommended. If you have any weapons... they will likely serve you no use." the desert dictator admitted. He hadn't tried shooting a Menos with a pistol but he doubted anything that could tank an explosion of soul energy wasn't going to be phased by fast moving lead "Unless of course you have been able to use them effectively against the stray beasts that occasionally swarm to cities."

[Ken Shirogane]

The lack of jealousy, at least for the moment, was very much a one-way street in Yama's opinion. If Yama so much as looked at another woman for too long he suspected Shizu could easily flip to murder mode. She'd even been jealous of at least one guy Yama brought home for training. It was amusing, but Yama didn't wish to tempt fate. Shizu wanted to be good, which probably meant not eating random people. And Yama was already a loner for the most part. He'd spent more time with Shizu in the past week than he'd spent with any living person in perhaps the past ten years combined. Followed by his landlord whenever he brought in some cash to pay for the rent on his apartment, which tended to last a minute or less.

It was possible that Mateo might make some attempt to steal Shizu, and he imagined Shizu might be flattered by the attention, but he had no reason to think that Shizu would follow through with those advances. For one thing, she was incredibly shy. She couldn't even say boyfriend without lightning up. He also believed that Shizu valued their relationship more than just about anything. She'd been alone for so long and he was the first to truly pursue her. His initial interest had been more in what she was capable of than her beauty, but he'd admit that she was fine. Her dress was not the most flattering, but it was nice. When she wore some biker clothes that one time though, damn did it really show her off. She might not be the ideal biker girl in terms of personality, but he thought it was cute. And it was hard to pull his attention away from her once he started to admire the details.

"So I should wear my leather jacket." He suggested as he took one of the little plates to inspect it, then handed it back to go grab a jacket suitable for his bike. So it was leather and padded of course. He probably needed to get a new one soon, having crashed his bike a few times and making some emergency tumbles. But altogether it was still in good condition. Certainly good enough for a little jaunt through the Hollow lands and keeping his flesh from burning. He'd just need to remember not to take his jacket off he supposed.

When water was brought up, he nodded before wandering off to the kitchen to grab a big blue jug that held a couple of gallons of water. He had a few to replace one whenever they ran out in a water dispenser he had in the corner. Yama was a tough guy, but he didn't trust his apartment water for drinking. So he always kept a source of fresh water around.

"No real weapons to speak of. I am my own best weapon." He said simply with a chuckle. "Well, and Shizu." He said with a nod towards the woman. "I have my chain knuckles though. They are connected to me. So they may as well be like an extension of my fists." He said pulling out a bike chain from his pocket, normally he'd wrap it around his fist like makeshift brass knuckles. But they were also a key factor in using his Fullbring abilities now.

And then finally looking to Shizu again, holding the container of water over a shoulder. He didn't need to answer her question, but he disliked ignoring her. "I mean that sometimes I need to keep an eye on you." And he only had one of those. "You wonder sometimes, and do quirky things. Like when we went shopping you ate a jar of pickles, including the jar. And that one time I came home to you eating tomato sauce like a raccoon out of the can. It was cute, don't get me wrong, but you do some strange things sometimes." He shrugged, not that he stopped her or even condemned her. "So if you do stuff like that with everyone you meet, then it might cause them some anxiety." He paused. "But you're also a handful in other ways... Physically I mean. And in very pleasant ways." He said letting his eye drift down her body in obvious suggestion. He'd carried her a couple of times, and a few times gotten a glimpse of what she had under the dress. Not to mention her true form, which he also found appealing in several horrific ways.

---

PC: 3

manic Smiley

[Smiley]

Gnaw, gnaw, gnaw... Droplets of red trickled between the bites. Yet, the hopelessly anxious ghoul kept ruining her claws further. If it hurt, the pain didn’t even slow her down. Quivering, she stared at nothing on the empty wall.

Beneath the quiet panic, Shizu was lost. Her mind was sinking into a swamp of murky thoughts. She would be abandoned again. Rejected. Betrayed. That last word especially sent a stabbing twinge of pain through her chest. It felt awfully familiar. She didn’t want to feel it ever again.

Fortunately, a more pleasant word snapped the gloomy goth out of the spiral soon enough. Hearing her name rang like a church bell inside her skull. “H-huh? Yes, I am Shizu.” She blurted out, as her puzzled stare flitted between the gentleman and the biker.

What had she been thinking about just now...?

The creepy girl listened to her darling’s reasoning. Shock shot through her, leaving her eyes empty white and jaw wide open. “Q-q-q-quirky...? S-s-s-strange...?” She sputtered at the words. It was true then! Her darling thought she was strange! She could feel her soul evacuating her shell through her gaping mouth.

Meekly, Shizu poked her fingers together. “A-am I not supposed to eat such things...?” At least she understood that much. “B-but the texture is... pleasant...” She liked tough things that went crunch between her teeth, as well as goopy things that splattered. It all reminded her of... something. Eating those things felt... so right. Just like eating freshly hunted hollows right off the sands of the eternal desert.

However, one thing still eluded the grim lady’s understanding. “P-physical ways...?” She tilted her head. While the biker’s eyes wandered, her stare only grew more confused. “What does that mean...?” She asked with the utter innocence of a soul-devouring monster who was too shy to even kiss a boy. Her eyes even sought help from the gentleman.

“Sir Campos, d-do you know what he means...?”

---

Post 4
manic Ken Shirogane

[manic]

El Presidente #4

---

The Dictator of the desert looked at Yama, then at the spluttering Shizu and made the tactical decision that he shouldn't touch this particular avenue of discussion with anything less than an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile "Perhaps it is not my place to say... ahem. A leather jacket should be ideal, yes." He quickly snapped back to the earlier, safer topic.

Now the question was, where to take the two. The Republic grounds were... not in the best state for outsiders... despite the gift shop being 70% operational in such a short amount of time. While Shizu was strong and Mateo had first hand experience of what a Hollow hunting Human could do... the Crystal Forest was perhaps too dangerous of a testing ground. Even the ghostly woman would struggle with a Menos Grande. There were areas of the sandy expanse that could be of interest... old battle grounds from before the age of Dantemus locked in the timeless abyss... they would often have various unintelligent beasts roaming around, perfect! "If that is all the preparation you need, please hold still." Mateo said, holding out the anchors to clamp around Yama's arms.

[Ken Shirogane]

Yama considered the question of whether she was "not supposed to eat such things" as she had put it. "If you were human, I'd say no, because it's obvious. You'd cut your mouth on shards of glass, or break your teeth making the attempt... But you are an Arrancar. I have no clue what the norm for your kind is." He noted glancing at the politician as he held his arm out to allow the man to do as he needed.

"I imagine that Arrancar are even more varied than humans when it comes to their personalities and quirks. Unbound by human limitations... So maybe as an Arrancar, you're not actually that strange. But by human standards, yes, absolutely." Yama decided. "You were human once. You might not be the same woman you were back then but try to remember what things were like when you were human. I imagine that compared to your Arrancar senses your human senses are bland. And I suppose you might have already lived longer as an Arrancar than you did as a human..." He mused thinking.

"Is Shizu the name you had when you were a human? Can you remember your last name?" He asked wondering if he'd asked before. It felt like something he'd already asked, but he could not remember now. Whatever the case he was mostly focused on Shizu while Mateo did his thing, letting the Arrancar put those clamps on him.

This was a good time as any to explore what it was like to be an Arrancar compared to being human. Shizu seemed like she was a little misty about the details of her human life, but perhaps Mateo remembered his time as a human better? Normally Yama would not care, but it was something that related to Shizu, and he did care about her. Who better to learn about Arrancar, than from Arrancar? More so if Mateo had a more solid memory than Shizu to call on when it came to his human life.

---

PC: 4

Smiley manic

[Smiley]

Unfortunately, the eerie Arrancar found the troubling topic slipping from her grasp. Both men deftly dodged the question. Not his place to say...? What did that meannn?! She glanced down and cupped her chest cautiously. Was there something wrong with her body..?

Snapping out of the thought, Shizu pouted and poked her fingers together. “B-but... Glass is fragile and sweet, like candy...” Meekly, she tried to defend herself. Even among her kind, her eating habits were peculiar at best (and disgusting at worst), as everyone in the room had witnessed first hand. A whole jar of pickles? Tasty. A freshly blasted Hollow carcass? Delicious. An entire murderous Quincy...? Heavenly.

The questions caught the creepy girl completely off-guard. Was Shizu her name? She hesitated. “Uh... I think so...?” Fidgeting, she turned her eyes to the floor. Did she remember her family name? “Yes? No? Maybe?” It felt like her mind was filled with fog. What was the question again? Something about names?

Eventually, the lost lady shook her head. “Sorry... I-it is all just so blurry...” Only certain events lingered in her mind anymore, like fading photographs. “I... c-cannot recall how long I have been... L-like this...” Shyly, she lifted her teary gaze.

“Is that strange...?”

Completely failing to read the room, the gloomy goth once again turned to her polite peer “Sir Campos, am I strange?” She stalked closer, asking insistently. “As an Arrancar?” Surely, a model Arrancar like the gentleman would know what counted as unusual for their kind.

---

Post 5
manic Ken Shirogane

[manic]

El Presidente #5

---

The Arrancar had not come here for a long conversation about the state of their existence but fortunately for Mateo the topic had strolled to an area on which he had some expertise  "Do not attempt to push things Mr Yama. Memory is a fickle thing in the transitioning from mortal to free spirit, many do not and cannot recall a thing. It is the most normal thing for an Arrancar's mind to not remember a state before its existence the same way an infant cannot remember before they are born." he explained patiently as he strapped the human in, ready for a hopefully more than once in a lifetime experience.

"As for true strangeness though," the Dictator of the Desert chuckled "I am the one exception to that rule. Blessed with recollection and knowledge of a past ruling before I was made an Arrancar. It was as though my period with the unbroken mask was a mere coma, and why I embarked on my task... but the specifics can wait. It will make more sense when you are there." He said with confidence, drawing the straight sword in the room with intent to cut the new path in reality.

[Ken Shirogane]

"I see... In that case, I guess I'll try to leave myself a journal or something after I die and Shizu consumes my soul. That way when I become an Arrancar even if I don't remember what I was I'll have words from the man I am now to remind me of the important things I should remember." He noted, although he kind of hated writing, maybe he'd just have someone else transcribe words for him. That sounded easier.

He gave Shizu a little pat on the head while Mateo worked, in a gentle attempt to soothe her. Perhaps she wasn't that strange after all. As a human she might be, but as an Arrancar apparently Mateo thought she was normal. With Mateo being the odd one out.

"Huh. It would be a lot more convenient if I could just remember my time as a human when I became an Arrancar. Since you seem to have such a clear memory, I don't suppose you have some tips to keep my memory when Shizu helps me transform?" He asked since it seemed that Mateo might just be an expert on that subject.

It seemed that Mateo was done making preparations for Yama, watching as he pulled his sword. He assumed that meant they were ready to go.

---

PC: 5

manic Smiley