Filler Episode: Slummin' [Invite Only]

[——zero]

[District 78]

[filler episode]

Zero Urohokousha walked slowly throughout the expanding construction zones and half-destroyed allies of this, one of the poorest sides of Rukongai. These were areas where things being built had been abandoned; new homes now crushed and old and training facilities and perhaps ragged shops that at one time could help them better imitate the simulacrum life they held on to as Shinigami. He could not hide his melancholy; he'd begun to feel himself growing stagnant and comfortable, the lack of any...excitement...was something he'd become afraid only the truly living ever experienced anymore. He walked in large circles that grew consecutively smaller as his feet thudded impatiently along the resistant ground, and eventually came to an outcropping of uncovered rails and pillars...the skeleton of some incomplete structure.

He moved calmly from one point to the next, finishing the last bitter dregs of the clove cigarettes he kept with him at all times, and slowly unsheathed his Zanpakuto, admiring the glint of sunlight reflecting off the flat of the blade. He passed his hand over the blades surface, feeling the slow rise in temperature as his reiatsu flared and congealed into a flickering shell, and spoke for the first time in days.

"At some point, you know, you'll have to tell me your name."

He moved the blade through the air, expanding his reiatsu field as far as it could go, and took the first stance of an oft practiced fighting style, gripping the handle tightly.


He took a small step forward with his right leg, the left moving back along the natural line of his body, which was turned slightly sideways as his arms were raised in a defensive manner, the cutting edge of the blade pointing upwards. He held the sword higher than his own head, as he placed his right arm along the front end of the hilt, and the left to subtly cradle the back end. He set his feet, allowing the rigidity to leave his body and loosening his joints, while his breathing slowed to a bare minimum; he closed his eyes and as his reiatsu followed through the air around him, he let his right hand rise slightly and fall, his left still attached to the back end of the blade hilt, and carried the slashing movement through to completion as a brief step forward with his left foot connected the momentum of the move into a half-spin, ending with the blades point thrust suddenly forward.

In his mind, he allowed his reiatsu to follow the same flow and path as his sword, imagining a slowly draining funnel that would carry his spiritual energies along with it.

A tiny wave of barely visible heat traveled from the vibrating metal of the Zanpakutou out its tip, and as quickly as he'd begun the movement, he used his knowledge of Shunpo to 'flash' a half step to his right, delivering another five slashes through the air. At the highest point of the maneuver, he twisted again, this time just his upper body as his feet remained planted, and letting go with his left hand, used the right to torque the blade so that the flat of it would move with the same ferocity as the cutting edge. His left hand found the hilt again, mimicking the grip of the right, and brought the sword edge flying up through the air and behind him, ending with a reiatsu created blackened ash-mark on the ground. Another 'flash' half a step to the left and a slow moving stab, followed by four more slashes aimed at an imaginary opponents heart, neck, and hands. As the movement ended, a full shunpo would return him to his original stance. Extending his arms upwards, he gave out a soft grunt as a fast vertical downward application of pressure completed the kata.

He stood, holding the blade tightly in his left hand, jumped high into the air, spinning his entire body multiple times before using his right hand to accentuate the movement. As the blade came around, he whipped it beneath his own feet, allowing them to rest on its length just long enough to 'flash' another few steps off of its weight. The sword was propelled forward, bearing the touch of his reiatsu, and his body turned a complete horizontal revolution before he drove the sword straight downward, finally relinquishing himself to gravity.

As the sword bit into the earth, Zero would be seen crouched atop the hilt with his entire body, like a lone flea sitting atop a sprig of grass, and without hesitation, he took another breath, and held his weight in stillness on the unwavering katana.

[——zero]

As obscenely as his bodies stillness atop the blade had begun, it was broken by an extension of both Zero's legs into the air. He pulled back his left arm, reaching upwards as his body weight fell forward, and gripping the hilt of his Zanpakuto in his right hand he completed the movement, flipping frontwards and pulling the sword from the ground at the same moment, to end right side up after delivering a rounded vertical slash through the air. He landed in a crouched position as the blade impacted with the earth, and spun its length horizontally, his reiatsu effortlessly moving to maintain shape and form in a thin outline around his flickering movements. He stood quietly as a low wind picked up behind him, and gripped the kusanagi Zanpakuto with both hands overlapping before concentrating as much of his spiritual energy as he could gather into its shimmering length.

As quickly as it was summoned, he allowed it to disperse with a deep exhalation of breath, his eyes closing in concentration as he imagined his conflicting internal energies like a massive hand reaching into the heart of the blade. Images flashed briefly through his mind, and the path of his steps had been traced in the dust around him that now, kicked up and particulate, began to settle back down towards the earth.

His eyes flared suddenly, glowing red as he turned briefly, his own spiritual pressure sunk into the ground radiating a subtle heat. In his mind, woven between nightmare images of his own death and the unmistakable sound of something large treading weak ground, Zero saw, for the briefest of seconds, a large shadowy image race towards his body, ripping chunks out of the ground. He had been alone at first, free to practice the sword arts he loved so dearly, but as his gaze surveyed the broken half-pillars and toppled architecture of Rukongai, the sky blackened, trembled, tore into itself like the jaws of some despicable creature before a terrible ripping sound gave him pause. He took a few steps back, his sword raising to a defensive position, as something large and masked dislodged itself from the sky.


The burning reiatsu discolored crimson of his eyes remained as he looked into the eyes of the Hollow, moving back through sheer physical reaction, lowering his stance and center of gravity while holding his Zanpakuto to his side in a diagonal right handed grip. A flash of darkness shot forward, blisteringly fast, crashing heavy armored skin against metal as he stared at what seemed to be a nightmare come alive, raising his sword to parry the preemptive attack.

Why was a Hollow in the Soul Society? How had it come here? What did it want?

"How DARE you."

He said loudly in outrage.

"SOUL REAPER..."

It bellowed, before dropping its head slightly, sounding almost pained by the use of its own voice.

"WHAT...WHAT IS...THE MEANING OF LIFE...LITTLE SOUL REAPER?"

It asked in complete seriousness, before lashing out at him again in fury.

[——zero]

The hollows incoming blow would be blocked by Zero's zanpakuto, and without warning, the Shinigami would use a shunpo masterfully to flank his opponent, ending at his back and cutting downwards once with a reiatsu enhanced strike that severed cleanly and clearly through the beasts tail. As it raged in futility, jumping forward a few feet before whipping its remaining stump about in a high arc, Zero's glowing red eyes took in a spray of acid flung fresh from the wound, digging his blade into the earth around him and sending up a shower of dirt, rock, and dust to intercept the spray, leaping to his left as it sizzled black matter over the ground.

"You, who are already dead, have an existence without purpose, hollow."

Zero said snarling, his anger at the beasts affront to decency spurring him into the defensive, a small portion of his Shinigami robes caught in the spray of the creatures innards. He removed the robe, twirling it in mid air to intercept another clawed advance of the beast, spinning to his right, down and out of the way of its attack. His sword flashed again, this time its sheathe grabbed in the left hand, and with it and the flat of it's blade, he would smash upwards and into the beasts outstretched arm. He attacked it's elbows with crushing force, then twisted the blade to bite into it's bicep, before bashing it into the things partially exposed throat.

It raged, releasing a bubble of it's own dark energies that pushed him back with concussive force, almost losing his grip on his blade. He reached into the thick folds of his obi and removed two triangle shaped shuriken, regained his footing a few meters back from the hollow, and listened to it speak again.

"BAH, IF MY
EXISTENCE IS BUT
A MIMICRY OF LIFE,
THEN SO IS YOURS,
GOD OF DEATH."

"BUT I WONDER...I
COULD HAVE BEEN
A PAINTER."

The things brow furrowed in thought as it dug its clawed hands into the earth, its right arm mostly useless, and opened jaws almost too wide to remain on its face. It screamed a command that became a force of black energy, spreading out like a wave from it's throat.

"CONTAMINACION
AUDITAVA..."

It screamed, hollow energy flooding the area as sound was recomposed around him into explosive spheres that detonated around the form of the Shinigami. He coated his body in layers of reiatsu he hoped were thick enough to repel the strength of the attack, but felt sound waves assault his body from all sides, vibrating his bones painfully. The creature moved forward, fast...faster...too fast...and slammed its only working arm onto Zero's head, pushing him down onto the earth.

"Now...would be a good time...for you...to talk to me... he said to his Zanpakuto, breathing laboriously as he gripped the things exposed arm, removing the concealed machete of his master and slicing down at the things wrist. As the blade neared, his other hand brought down the Zanpakuto blade in the same place, attempting to sever the things claw completely. Just before it would normally pass through, he saw a shimmering outline of displaced air coat the things skin, and the loudest noise he'd ever heard burned its way into his mind, bringing him to his knees.

"I CAN REINFORCE
ANY PORTION OF
MY BODY WITH A
BARRIER OF SOUND
WAVES TOO THICK
FOR YOUR BLADE
TO PIERCE,
SHINIGAMI."

"BUT WHAT WILL
DEVOURING YOUR
TINY SOUL BRING ME?
POWER?
PEACE? NO. NOT EVEN
A FULL BELLY.
BUT I WILL
DESTROY YOU
ANYWAY."

"THE POINT OF LIFE...
IS TO CONSUME.
ALL THINGS EXIST
FOR THIS PURPOSE.
ALL EXISTENCE SERVES
AS A MEAL. IF IT WERE
POSSIBLE, YOU WOULD
DESTROY ME.
I AM SIMPLY FULFILLING
THE MOST PRIMORDIAL
FUNCTION OF MY BEING.
OF ALL BEINGS. THE ONLY
TRUE PURPOSE OF
THIS OR ANY WORLD."

"DEVOUR EVERYTHING."

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The creature said in finality, the vine like armor plating of its shoulder stretching and changing shape, forming a cannon like protrusion that gathered intensely compressed sound into a destructive sphere, seconds before a bright flashed released it into the waiting Shinigami's body.

Master...

Zero thought briefly, before the ball of energy expanded and exploded around him.



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[——zero]

The light blinded his eyes, the red flickering, blood running from his mouth as he choked up blood beneath the assault, his hands flew up as if to protect himself from the blast but...he knew it was too late. His left eye seemed to absorb the brunt of the attack and he raised his head in some mockery of dignity at his defeat, his heart beat quickening as death approached, holding the wounded eye.

Master...i've failed you... he thought.....


"..............................rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggghhhhh...."

A low growl escaped his throat, against his will.

"No."

Something like his own voice said menacingly.

"NO."

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A scream ripped out of its throat, his left eye opening in a glow of red, dripping blood.

SFX: Shhhhooooommm......

Zero Urohokousha lost himself to rage.

His hand rose, momentarily dropping his Zanpakuto, reaching up and into the cannon of compressed sound to grasp its rim and pull it out. There was no skill with the maneuver. He simply reached up, his hand bypassing the layers of energy assaulting it, and tore at chunks of the creatures armor until there was nothing left of the cannon. The creature could not reach up with its ruined right arm to push him away, and instead tried to kick at him, the frantic, frightened move of a cornered animal. Zero ignored the impact and continued ripping at the things flesh, his hands coated in a spiky read outpouring of his own denser reiatsu, until the joints of the hollows left arm were exposed, and that too was ripped off, the useless appendage becoming a club in the Shinigami's hand.

His eyes glowed red, transfixed, focused. He was silent. He beat the creature mercilessly, crashing it's own arm into the Hollows face and mask repeatedly, the sound waves that were its armor ricocheting off and mixing with the things new pained screams. Zero could not stop. Into the ground, crushed beneath the weight of its limb swung over and over again, it tried vainly to push against the comparatively smaller Soul Repaer, who now used both hands to tear the thing apart, bit by wet bloody bit.

With a frightened howl, the demonic body lost all muscle tension and resistance, and its powerful hollow energies dispersed in a rising crescendo of noise that spread throughout the de-constructed field. Without thinking, Zero plunged his hands into the creatures visceral remains, pulling wildly at intestines and redundant organs contained in failing sacs of partially solidified energy. He was covered in the pitch black gel acting as the things blood, and with something akin to pleasure, shoved handfuls of the dead and disgusting matter into his mouth, slurping greedily, one hand still pounding pointlessly at the destroyed corpse.

It was only when he'd finished that there was stillness in the field, and Zero blacked out in a spasm of sated joy.

When he eventually awoke, he would remember nothing.





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