Like Gods and Monsters

It had been two weeks since Yuki had eaten anything. She was hungry and sadly she had grown tired of eating Hollows. She wanted something new and fresh and that was why she is here in the Mortal World, seeking for fresh uncorrupted souls to feast upon. She had taken a quick trip via Garganta and found herself in Japan. Well, she think she is in Japan judging by the buildings that were there. Her stomach growls and she knew she had to hunt, fast lest she would go on binge rampage.

She looked to the sky and impassively wondered who she’s going to eat. There were so many choices! She began walking and watched the humans passed through her without a glance. She knew they could not see her except for that little girl, Melody. How she could see her is beyond her. As she watched the humans’ behaviour, she arrived at a particular tall building in the middle of the city. However, a silhouette of a man caught her eyes on top of the roof of that building. She could feel the pressure of moderate reiatsu coming from the man. It looks like she found herself a prey, a delicious one at that. She did not care of the gender of the human. As long as she could sate her hunger, she’s content whomever she got as her meal.

The female Arrancar jumped towards the building and landed gracefully behind the man’s back. She could hear the man muttering something under his breath. Of what, she had no clue. Yuki walked silently towards the human and leak a little bit of her reiatsu. The result really made her day more fruitful. She could see the man begin to have depressing thought. She leaked her reiatsu a little bit more but unfortunately for her that was the time he turn over to her.

The man gave a terrifying scream when he saw her. He had heard the tales of humanoid spirit who eat people and he was afraid that this person would ate him.

‘Master, he could see you.’ Shadow quipped, stating the obvious.

‘I could see that, Shadow.’ She thought back.

“So you could see me?” She softly asked, walking slowly towards him.

“W-Who are you? W-what do you want from me!?" The man frightfully scream as he tried to inch backwards from Yuki. "S-Stay away from me!” He could feel himself as if in the presence of a predator and he is her prey. The girl walked closer and the man panicked, “DON’T COME ANY CLOSER!”

He was desperate and this is what Yuki love the most. The Arrancar acted as if she didn’t hear him and walked a little bit more closer before she dashed towards him, her hands went to the neck, clearly she wanted his life.

“I wonder…” She murmured to his ears, “How do you taste like? I enjoy your despair.” She tighten her grip on the man’s neck and the man gasped for breath, trying futilely to get Yuki to release her hold. “You are mine.” A hint of possessiveness crept on her voice. She keep tighten her hold and finally the man stop, wavering between conscious and unconscious. He slumped on her hand and Yuki pick him up bridal style.

She was about to leave the building when a voice call out from behind her. She spun around and there stood a Shinigami with his sword on his hand. He was tall, taller than her. It makes her look quite small compared to the man. She did not know how to react to the Shinigami’s presence. Should she be frightened of him? She watched the man with impassive look as he opens his mouth, clearly he’s going to say something.

“Put him down,” He ordered with authority, “I’m going to give you one chance, just because I don’t feel like wrecking this place, okay? Walk away now, go back to whatever hole you live in, and I won’t split you in two. Or will Noboru Takayama have to put you down?!”

She did not react to the command as she tighten her hold on her prey. Did he just proclaim his name to an enemy? How thoughtful of him.

“This man is my prey. Why should I let him go?” She spoke with soft melodious voice. She had gotten sick of preying on Hollows. It’s time for her to get more… exquisite delicacies.

Those failed words of authority appeared to go over with the Arrancar about as well as a rotting fish. She seemed, although not quite disgusted, legitimately confused by his demands. Enough that Noboru actually lowered his sword for a moment even if he did not dare take his hands off the hilt.

Does she realize what she’s saying? Noboru asked his Spirit.
No, but she’s not killing you either! Sooooo…good thing? She made a heroic attempt to find the silver lining.
You really just try so hard, don’t you? It’s adorable.
I’m bored in here most of the time, what do you expect? Majohime teased—she couldn’t let him get away with that compliment.

Noboru allowed the moment of silence between himself and the Arrancar to go on just a bit longer and glanced at the man in her grasp. She seemed completely ready to, as Hollows tended to do, eat people. More than that, he really didn’t want this to turn into a head-on fight. If he snuck up on her, like the people in Second did, he might have had a chance against her. Like this, though?

She’d eat him afterwards, something he didn’t need.

I just have to distract her! He realized. His priority was the human, as it should always be. But I’d like to do it without my Shikai. Any ideas, Majohime?
Me, me, pick me! She nearly jumped up and down in anticipation.
I just said I need to save that. Help me out here! He scolded her for not listening.
Oh, uhhhmmm…You could try talking to her, as if she were a person? Arrancar are clearly smarter than Hollows.
I missed ‘Conversations with Cannibals 101’ back in the Academy.
She giggled at his joke and gave him an immaterial pat on the back, I believe in you!

At least someone did.

“Well, you know,” Noboru started and shifted his attention back to the woman in front of him. “Eating people, in general, is kind of mean. I mean really, look at that guy. He works way too much if he’s out here at this hour, why make his day worse?”

Something about appealing the empathy of a Hollow didn’t sit well with him. He grit his teeth as he finished and felt the uncertainty sink into his bones. If he didn’t say something else she might just get annoyed and break his neck in order to focus on wiping out the pest interrupting his meal. Noboru definitely wanted to avoid that.

What other options did he save?

“Besides,” he started, a more positive shift in his tone. “Getting all of that blood on your face and having it squirt out of his veins and into your hair? You’re pretty enough that it’d really ruin the look you’ve got going on.”

Did you just hit on her? Majohime giggled at his choice in strategy.
Shut up! If I get her to leave him alone, maybe turn her back, I can split her head! Besides, it was your idea to get friendly with her!
I just didn’t think you’d get that friendly~ she teased again, far from the blistering response he’d have gotten from one of his Shinigami superiors.

“If you’re hungry, I’m familiar with the area. I know a place around here. Arrancar can eat, er, normal food, right? Or so I’ve heard.”

*****

559 Words/11 GP
Total GP: 24 GP

Yuki watched the Shinigami in front of her lowered down his zanpakuto. She tilted her head in confusion, wondering what this Shinigami meant. Eating people is considered as mean? But eating human souls and occasionally human flesh had been her eating habit all her undead life. She briefly looked at her prey and think what the Shinigami had said. The man does look like he’s been working himself to exhaustion considering the wrinkles on his face. It took her awhile to comprehend what the Shinigami had said. Is she willing to let go of this man, to let go of her prey? She didn’t know…

All her life, it was what she had been doing. Preying on souls, doesn’t matter if they are innocent or not, she will eat them. It’s her food, her source of life. Take that away? She will go on hunger binge, eating any hollows or souls that is on her way. It doesn't matter if they are her ally or enemies. She eat it all...

She looked at Noboru rather blankly when he tries to flirt with her, “Besides, getting all of that blood on your face and having it squirt out of his veins and into your hair? You’re pretty enough that it’d really ruin the look you’ve got going on.”

Being compliment, doesn’t matter if it is her looks or personality has always been a foreign concept to her. She didn’t know though that the Shinigami tries to hit on her. She just nodded, accepting the compliment with a blank stare. Unfortunately for the Shinigami, her Shadow knows full well what his words meant and to say he is not happy is an understatement.

‘He did not just try to flirt with Master!?’ He thought angrily. He wish he was there to give a bite to his arse and ripped that Shinigami’s tongue for saying such words. However, right now is not the right time to make the move yet. He will wait and see if this Shinigami would endanger his Master in any shape or form. Yuki whom finally decided the man wasn’t worth it, gently put him to the ground. She step away from the unconscious man and instead stare blankly at Noboru.

“If you’re hungry, I’m familiar with the area. I know a place around here. Arrancar can eat, er, normal food, right? Or so I’ve heard.” Noboru had said, emphasizing on normal.

She shook her head, “I do not know. I have never eaten any of those normal delicacies. I only ate souls with occasional flesh and blood.” She softly said. She did not know why she seems comfortable answering questions from this man. However, the offer of tasting human delicacies intrigue her. Will those food truly cure the hunger she had been suffering all this while? There might be a possibility but she is rather skeptical of his words. Unfortunately, the only way to find out is to try them herself.

“By all means Shinigami, please show me these delicacies of yours.” She murmured softly. "I am rather intrigue of how it taste like."

Imagine a tension in the air so thick that you could cut it with a butter knife. It made breathing difficult for Noboru as he stood there and watched intently. Every second that passed in her bright eyes would potentially hold the secret of what she would do next. Curiosity might get the better of her and cause her to play along, so Noboru hoped. More hilariously, his overwhelming charm might sway her enough to keep the conversation going. Finally, the most likely: She’d try to gut him where he stood.

That very same tension grew thicker and Noboru gulped in anticipation; he didn’t like that last option very much at all.

A gentle thud followed when the man’s suit slipped free of Yuki’s slender fingers. He had hit the ground surprisingly gently, as if her own decision surprised her, and Noboru felt a palpable relief wash over him like a wave of warm seawater.

It actually worked! His Zanpakutō Spirit—in that adorable way he so loved—cheered him on and jumped up and down in their Inner World.
I got lucky! Noboru tried to play it down but couldn’t hide his elation from his closest friend.
Always did have a way with women, Noboru! At least to start, anyway~ she teased him, just as thrilled with his success.
Yeah, yeah, I get it. But we’ve got a problem, Majohime. What am I supposed to do? Walk into some diner and walk out with a bowl of ramen in my hands? They’d see it floating through the air!
Only if you keep them awake!
Noboru had to think about it for a moment, That’s right! It can knock out normal humans, right? That tool? What’s it called?
Nevermind that! Just focus on getting her out of here!

“Right, well,” Noboru chimed in again after being pushed into action by his Spirit. He cleared his throat and lowered his sword completely, just like she had the pedestrian who had now lost consciousness—quite possibly just from the sheer panic. “How do you like ramen? You know, noodles and meat and other stuff in a soup? It’s pretty good, if a bit high in sodium, but I doubt an Arrancar cares about that, right?”

With a quick jerk of his hand, he pointed behind himself, “How about a walk? There’s a ramen stand right now the street a handful of kilometers. I’m sure a walk wouldn’t bother either of us, right?”

He tried to keep his tone as upbeat and positive as possible. It was that or let his fear show, potentially give away his hopes and plans, and then die on the spot. He knew he had his cellphone in his pocket, he could call for backup, but that backup would take time. Right now, driving the Arrancar off after placating her with a different meal would have to suffice for “doing his job” against a foe as powerful as her.

“In fact,” he followed up, a knowing and somewhat self-confident tone to his voice, as he slowly sheathed his sword and faced her head-on. “Let’s make a race of it, how’s that sound? No smashing the environment, of course, or the people in it. A friendly race, you against me. The ramen stand has a red roof, first one to it wins.”

*****

553 Words/11 GP
Total GP: 35 GP

'Ramen? What is that?' The female arrancar thought, looking at the shinigami before her with confused gaze. Ignoring the unconscious man on the floor, she slowly walked towards Noboru. "I never heard of this...ramen. What are they?" Her words were cautious as if she was afraid her limited knowledge would set the man's temper. Bits and pieces of memories during her human life came to her mind and she wince slightly as she stopped her track. She remembered a woman fed her noodles in some kind of soup, however the memories was blurred and she could barely hear what the woman said in her current state of mind. Shadow meanwhile was getting agitate and he too could feel the returning of Yuki's pieces of memories. However despite being more agitate than a mama bear worrying of her cubs, Shadow stayed put and let the female arrancar ran the show. It is not the time for him to show up... yet. 

Yuki snapped out of her memories induced daze and watched the man jerked his hand towards himself, offering the arrancar to accompanied him to a ramen stand. One could see the flicker of confusion within her eyes as she wonders what this ramen stand is. She decided to accept the offer and perhaps learn more of this odd culture this era has to offer. Slowly, she sauntered towards the shinigami and said, "It would be lovely for me to go to this... ramen stand with you." Her voice was still as toneless as ever but underneath that tone, one could detect a slight curiosity if they had a sharp hearing. 

"Master, are you sure you want to go with that shinigami?" Shadow who was in silence for a while spoke through their link. "He could stab us behind the back, just like he did it after we give him his information."

'What other choice do I have, Shadow? I do not wish to fight him and this culture of this living world intrigue me. He might be the one who could teach me of this era's culture.' Yuki replied, her eyes still locked on Noboru. 'It would be nice to do something other than hunting and carnage...'

"Suit yourself, master but if you are in trouble, do not expect me to bail you out." He said bluntly before cutting off the link. Yuki could not reply to his blunt words since the link were cut off. However instead of letting her companion's words linger in her thoughts, she shifted her view to Noboru. His words came a great shock to her. A race? A friendly race? It seems the shinigami was serious considering he had sheathe his swords. Well, who is she to deny such intriguing challenge?

"Very well, challenge accepted." There was a feeling of giddiness in herself which she cannot explain. For now, she ignored that feeling and readied herself for the race that this shinigami had issued on her. "What shall be the price if either of us win, Takayama-san is it? I'm...curious to know."