What comes Naturally [R, DE]

[Beast]

Thread Title: Grodd vs Meian [R, DE]
Participants: Grodd, Meian
World: Human World
Death Setting: Death Enabled
Rating: R
Location: This takes place in the streets of Karakura in the middle of the night, when most people are asleep.
Special Conditions: None
Circumstances: Grodd has bitten off more than he can chew. He ate a Shino Academy student, and as a result, the Soul Society is expressly targeting him to be exterminated. Meian, though not usually a front-line fighter, finds this mission to be of some significance to him, and so he tracks down the Hollow to kill it.

[Beast]

I eat... I devour... I eat... I devour... Eating was all that Grodd knew. When he was hungry, which was all the time, he sought out a slow moving, fat human soul to eat. They were the tastiest anyways. The way the bones crunched but the fat squished was just delectable. And with his poor eyesight and slow moving speeds, the fat ones were the easiest to catch up with. He simply willed his fur to stretch and grab them, then picked them up as he placed them into his mouth hole and began to chew. He didn't get to eat often, but when he did, he didn't waste anything.

The gorilla Hollow had found himself in the sewers of Karakura, lumbering through the pipes and ducts without aim. "I hunger..." It had been days since the beast ate, and he was starting to feel as though he'd never grow any larger. He would always be his slow, lumbering self, and would never have the opportunity to stop being hungry. As he wandered endlessly through the sewers, going around in circles and bumping into walls, he heard a noise. It was uncommon for him to hear, but hear he did.

There was a shouting match happening right in front of him, as two shinigami students from the Shino Academy were arguing on whose fault it was that they were lost. They had accidentally fell into the sewers, and couldn't find any way of getting out. Their teacher was nowhere to be seen, and they didn't have Zanpakutou or Asauchi with which to open a Senkaimon home. They were completely lost, and utterly defenseless. As they argued louder and louder, the Hollow crept closer.

The thick brown hair caught the two students by the legs, and dragged them kicking and screaming into the hungry hollow's mouth, where he happily gorged on their delicious flesh. Every bite caused another scream as Grodd enjoyed this meal, choosing to eat one limb at a time rather than down the whole meal in one bite. Shinigami were souls he had yet to taste, and they were as sweet as white wine. "I eat... I devour... Yet I still hunger..." Covered in blood, Grodd forced his way out of the sewers and began to lumber through the streets of Karakura, looking for more meals.

Meanwhile, the Soul Society was notified of the deaths of the two students. Squad 12 had been closely monitoring them, as they were fresh students with no way to defend themselves, but the teacher had been running around too hectically to gather all of the students in one place, which for a moment caused Grodd to be able to sneak up on them. The Hollow had eaten two of the Soul Societies young, and the Gotei 13 was notified of this horrendous act. Grodd didn't know it, but retribution was falling down on him in just a few short moments.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats}
Strength - [75] (525) Points

Speed - [75] (15) Points

Spiritual Pressure - [50] (10) Points

Reiatsu Strength - [50] (10) Points

Light Aura - [0] Points

Dark Aura - [100] Points

Instinct - [100] (20) Points

Senses [150] (30) Points

Energy sensory - [0] Points

Healing Expertise - [0] Points


Total SP: [500] Points





[Physical Ability: Shockwaves] {1}

[Pain Tolerance] {1}

[Strength of Will] {1}

[IDamage Recovery] {1}

[Lack of Fear] {1}

[Nakazawa Meian]

Today would be an obscure day, a very obscure one... Through the years of his new life, Meian had come to appreciate the common joys of his daily adventures, often going out of his way to reach them. A Meian that had lived for balance and beliefs had now somehow managed to become a man craving for friendship and happiness; the true embodiment of a “new beginning”. This life was now his life and, although he’d never admit it, it was a life he wasn’t accustomed to, but one in which he truly felt at peace. If only it could remain the same…

Unfortunately, a man with such convictions, who previously lived solely for them in hopes of seeing a brighter future, was bound to realize what he had lost sooner or later; the loss of a Way, the loss of a Purpose. These losses were indeed the result of choices, but they were critical nonetheless, for they were the starting point of another difficult choice, one that Meian may very well have trouble dealing with… a storm that would begin on an obscure day, this obscure day, and would mark the first time of darkness clouding this man’s light.

Everything began with orders that came by; orders which truly proved to be horrifying. While Meian was walking through one of the barrack’s halls, carrying a stack of papers meant for a seated officer’s office, a Hell butterfly came flying through the hall’s window. Wondering why he would receive a message so late in the night, his face turned to disgust as he heard its content. ”Nakazawa Meian, direct orders are for you to depart immediately to the World of the Living, to Karakura town. Your objective is to seek and eliminate a Hollow responsible for the consumption of two Academy Students in the sewers of the town.” Not even taking the time to deliver the documents he had in his hands, the young man left in a hurry, aiming to prevent the beast from causing any more harm.

Once arriving in the vicinity, the man rushed to the most nearby entry to the sewers he could find. The only thing on his mind was to find the victims, to search for them, to find them; a futile hope which soon vanished. Indeed, finding the marks of blood, without any remains to be found, quickly shattered those hopes, and proved to be an indication of what the two had suffered; sufferings that wouldn’t go unpunished. For once, or at least the only time he could remember, Meian was motivated by a feeling of vengeance, of avenging those who had been lost. Anger guided him as he followed the footprints on the ground, left behind by the blood covering the Hollow.

Wandering through the streets of this sleeping town, Grodd would likely soon spot the man, clad in a black robe, who was standing on airground in front of him, near a street light. Already having a hand on his Zanpakutou’s grip, Meian spoke, a harsh tone of voice carrying his words. ”Your actions have been noticed, and now they have to be reprimanded. You have been sentenced to death, with me as the executioner… and don’t be fooled, I won’t even let you a chance of leaving alive.” Retribution was coming, and it was coming really, really fast…

Standing still, the man waited for the Hollow to act; he knew such a bloodthirsty creature couldn’t resist the chance of eating a Shinigami, and the height Meian was at prevented it from reaching him through normal means. With a bit of luck, the man would get to see what this Hollow was truly capable of right away, his careful mind keeping an eye on each of the beast’s movements. Left leg behind and right up front, Meian was already ready for combat, his right hand ready to unsheathe Kaimamiru at any moment. All that was left, now, was to slay this beast, and avenge those who had been slaughtered by it…

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats}Strength – 150 Points

Speed – (350 x 1,5) = 525 Points

Spiritual Pressure – 300 Points

Reiatsu Strength – (50 x 0,5) = 25 Points

Light Aura – 100 Points

Dark Aura – 0 Points

Instinct – (200 x 1,5) = 300 Points

Senses – (100 x 0,5) = 50 Points

Energy Sensory – 50 Points

Healing Expertise – 0 Points


Total SP: 1200 Points

SPOILER: Click to show

{Skills}

Abilities

• Iaijutsu Level 2
  
  
• Battle Analysis Level 2
  
  
• Stealth Level 2
  
  
• Pain Tolerance Level 2
  
  
• War Strategy Level 2
  
  
• Calm Mind Level 2
  

[Beast]

Nakazawa Meian, recent graduate of the Shino Academy, was about to become angrier. As he floated in the air, calling down his order of execution on the Hollow, the beast did nothing in response. Grodd continued lumbering through the area, searching for food. He had already forgotten about the meal of Academy Students, and was only aware that he was hungry for flesh. Not to mention, his senses were weak. He was unable to fully see Meian, especially in such dark clothes, and was unable to hear him very well either.

So Grodd continued to walk through the streets of Karakura, pushing down buildings with his raw strength, searching for a good meal. He snapped at some human souls, but he was too slow to really catch up with them and only ended up being left empty-mouthed. Only then did he notice Meian, as he was closer and the black blur against the light blue blur backdrop had a bit of contrast. "I eat... I devour... You shall me my next meal..."

Slowly raising his arm, the fur of Grodd's hair pushed outwards at Meian, so small a movement that it wouldn't be recognizable or observable, however, the result of this push of fur would be clear. A wild and unstable shockwave of air flew out of the beast's hand and headed right towards the Shinigami, threatening to tear him apart with its incredible strength. Grodd bellowed a threatening Hollow roar, which was deafeningly loud due to his high strength, and then began to walk slowly towards the blur in order to eat what was left.

[Nakazawa Meian]

Surprisingly, the creature ahead of him had absolutely no reactions to Meian’s words; something that fairly bothered him. Obviously, he sure didn’t expect the hollow to die without a fight, but the young man at least thought he’d get some sort of feedback from it, whether positive or negative. No, there was simply nothing; could such an inattentive hollow truly survive as a predator? It was probably part of those mindless, entirely instinctive kind of hollows, but even so, those would’ve simply attacked him, not just ignore him like this one did. For now, the Academy Graduate kept a careful eye on this beast leisurely strolling through the streets, wary that this may be a trap.

On its way, Grodd’s attempt at catching human souls were noticed by Meian, but fortunately, none of them had any success, meaning he didn’t have to intervene. Nonetheless, this left the young samurai confused; if this beast was too slow and too careless to even grab a human, a race which couldn’t even see it, how could two students from the Academy, capable of seeing it and with enough training to escape most basic hollows, get caught? Was the Academy’s training lacking, or did this hollow have secrets still hidden up its sleeve? It was a question for which Meian soon got the answer, since the creature had now turned toward him, having apparently finally spotted him.

Careful of what could happen, Meian’s right hand was ready to unsheathe; whatever would be coming his way, he’d counter it. As the hollow slowly raised its hand, though, what came for the offensive was an unexpected attack; some sort of blast, threatening to send him flying if he wasn’t careful. Fortunately, though, the man had enough distance between them to react fairly easily, and neither his speed nor his instincts were lacking for the task at hand. Simply letting himself drop from air ground, the blow missed over him, leaving the man unharmed. With only the streetlamp left on its way, it was shredded to pieces, destroying the only light source that could’ve helped Grodd with his goal; an unfortunate side-effect to its actions.

With Meian out of harm’s way and back on the street came his analysis of the situation. Even though the beast he faced seemed fairly weak, the ”blast” he had just been a witness of, though, didn’t. Is this what they call a Cero, or a Bala? No, probably not… there was no reiatsu signature to it… Whatever it was, the man had no interest in actually getting hit by it, and would therefore ensure it wouldn’t happen. For that, though, he needed to put all chances on his side, and learn of those blow’s arrival as soon as they’d come his way.

”Seek out, Kaimamiru.”

In mere seconds, what had previously been a basic Zanpakutou in appearance had now changed to a sword as black as midnight, the blade of it glowing from a blue hue underneath its scabbard. Kaimamiru had just been released, leaving Meian with an access to his opponent’s sensory network… the most pitiful he ever got to see, in fact. It was no wonder, now, why the hollow had left him alone for so long; even Meian had a hard time spotting himself with these shabby senses! That explains why he didn’t attack me outright… It was of no incidence, though; with this access, he’d get the advantage over this hollow, and could now track it wherever it went…

Not waiting any longer to perform his objective, Meian quickly shunpoed to the beast’s side, hoping that his speed would outmaneuver its instinctive reflexes. Of course, though, a Shunpo alone was of no threat to the creature, right? In one swift movement, the young man performed a slash toward his foe’s arm, the one it had just used for its attack, and then sheathed back his Zanpakutou just as fast as it came out. If it worked, this blow was meant to sever the hollow’s arm, aiming to give it one less option to work with and leave a weakened area in its defense. Still cautious, though, Meian was carefully searching for any sensory response the beast might offer to him, a response which would allow him to escape, if the need arose…

Reiatsu: 2750/3000 (-50 Shunpo, -200 Shikai)

Shikai: 1/10

[Beast]

Grodd's bestial response to the thread in front of him was ineffective as the Shinigami simply let the wave of air pass over him, and in response, the Soul Reaper charged with shunpo assisted speed and sliced deeply into the Gorilla's arm. Blood poured out of the wound as the creature suddenly realized that it was in pain, and Meian would definitely sense that through the link. Grodd felt pain as his entire arm fell uselessly at his side, nearly completely cleaved in one swing.

In agony, the creature pushed outwards with all of its hair, causing an expanding shock wave of 525 strength that would tear up everything around the Hollow. Cars would be picked up and thrown, bricks would be crushed, and more than one building would have chunks taken out of it. People would start waking up and screaming as they found themselves teetering on the edge of a broken building, or finding the family minivan on top of their kids as they ran into that room of the house.

Grodd heard the loudest of the screams, and completely forgot about Meian. Instead, he lumbered over to one of the buildings that he had nearly toppled and sought to shovel wounded souls into his starving mouth. "I eat... I devour... The hunger never ends..." Getting more wood and stone into his mouth than soul, Grodd didn't really care, but he did manage to collect the trapped soul of a child who had been crushed by his bed, that is, if Meian hadn't done anything to stop him.

[Nakazawa Meian]

As it had been hoped, Meian’s offensive worked flawlessly; the beast had no time to react to the blow, which therefore resulted with a large gash throughout its arm, leaving it unusable. Whatever it was truly capable of, its speciality clearly wasn’t in the fields of dodging and reacting. However, this exchange of blows wasn’t harmless for Meian, even if it did seem so; due to his link with the creature, the young Shinigami had been hit just as much as it was by the sudden burst of pain. Fortunately, though, the consequences were minimal; with both of Grodd’s lower senses than usual and Meian’s innate tolerance to pain, he could partly wave off this feeling for now, and focus on what was ahead of him, his concentration affected only a bit.

Not that he could care about this for much longer, though; the Hollow’s late reaction finally came as a blast of force exploded from his location. Meian, having felt it coming from the contraction of the beast’s muscles, had already shunpoed away on one of the nearby buildings when the shockwave came into existence, and as such only had to jump behind and use the building’s frame as a shield against the incoming debris to avoid being hurt. Still, he had to remark how brilliant this defense mechanism was; if it wasn’t for the man’s connection and foreknowledge of Grodd’s actions, even Meian would’ve had trouble dealing with such an attack at close range. Clearly he understood, now, what was the reason behind the students slaughter; the Hollow’s strength was obviously off the charts.

However, the situation had now unfortunately became dire; with the blast that had just been launched, Meian knew very well that other lives were at stake now, not just his own. ”Tanchi Hatten.” Using his very own release scouting technique to learn of the landscape’s condition, the truth was soon revealed to him; as if a scene from a nightmare, several buildings were torn apart, many civilians had been wounded and some of the… whatever-those-metal-boxes-are were sent flying everywhere. Meian’s now only hope was that, of those who seemed wounded, none would actually die; an overly-optimistic wish, that’s for sure, but his lack of skills to help those hurt meant hope was the best he could bestow upon them…

Coming back to the road he was previously on, Meian had now only one goal on his mind; to finish what he had started. Seeing Grodd slowly wandering away, the young man quickly understood what was now its aim; a ravaged house was barely standing up front, one from which a child’s screams emanated. Oh, no you don’t! Moving closer until he was about ten feet behind the creature, Meian then pronounced the name of one of his Kido; ”Bakudo Number 21, Sekienton!” As soon as those words were said, a cloud of red smoke engulfed Meian and, considering his proximity to the beast, Grodd too; his vision would be left hindered even more. Not that it mattered, though; as soon as Grodd would see this smoke, he’d also feel a sudden blade strike sweeping from behind, hitting the calf muscles of both of its legs at once. Assuming it hit, walking with these wounds would now become impossible…

Although this blow would likely leave the beast defenseless, Meian was now far more cautious, since he knew what kind of strength he went against; as such, he quickly got out of the smokescreen as soon as his assault was complete, so as to leave distance between himself and his foe. Taking a tone with a pitch of anger within it, the man spoke to his opponent one last time, the last before its execution. ”It’s over, Darkhan. You have nowhere left to go, except for the tip of my blade or the stomach of one of your kind. Do you understand, at least, why this happened to you? This ”hunger” you talk so much about is one of your instincts… an instinct you failed to control. As a result, you have been slain, and you’ll also be left with a pain you shall never escape, one you’ll carry for eternity; the burden of the lives you’ve taken…” As Meian removed the blood on the tip of his Zanpakutou with the sleeve of his uniform, one last sentence escaped from his lungs :

”Do you have any last words, before I end this for you?”

Reiatsu: 2550/3000 (-50 Shunpo, -50 Sekienton, -100 Tanchi Hatten)

Shikai: 2/10

[Beast]

The sekienton didn't really dissuade Grodd from moving towards the target, as he hadn't been able to see anyways, but the blade that cut across his calves did bother him greatly. He also had a little bit of tolerance to pain, but the sudden loss of the walking muscles in his legs bothered him. Instinctively, the hair in his legs knotted together, and through force of will he moved his legs with his hair rather than with his severed muscles. He turned to face the Shinigami, roared again, and then charged.

Grodd wasn't thinking very clearly, as usual, and didn't realize the speed at which his attacker was capable of. Still, he pushed hair out of his feet using one of his techniques, Push I, which sent him forwards at "high" speeds. In actuality, he barely met human speeds as he pushed and tried to grab Meian. All of the hair in his body was lengthening and trying to grab at the sword wielding man, trying to hold him down where he could be eaten. It wasn't going to be an easy task, nor a possible one with Meian's knowledge of his senses, but Grodd wasn't a very smart gorilla.

[Nakazawa Meian]

Well, needless to say Meian was impressed; what he believed to be a definite crippling strike had actually been nothing more than a hindrance for the beast, which had suddenly emerged out from the smoke. Even worse, it was faster than before! Due to his connection with the Hollow, though, the young Shinigami quickly understood why; its fur, for some reason, was capable of supporting it, and acted as hamstrings of replacement. Sighing, Meian placed his hand on his Zanpakutou’s grip, ready for what would likely be their last exchange. ”Gyakuten.” As a last sign of mercy, Grodd’s pain faded for what would likely be the most painful moment of its life; the pain of losing it.

As soon as the beast was within the range of the tip of Kaimamiru’s blade, Meian unsheathed in a quick motion; a very quick motion, in fact, since it was propelled forward by a Shunpo Karin. The slash was aimed at the creature’s throat, and would cut it deeply as Meian sidestepped if, of course, Grodd didn’t do anything to stop it. However, that cut, although deep, wasn’t what would finish off the beast, it would simply stop it in its track. Assuming the slash had actually hit its mark, Meian would then proceed to what remained of the body in order to speak to his foe, words that actually meant a lot for him. These words were precious to him, since they were words he considered part of the purification process, a mental purification…

Talking slowly, Meian wanted his message to sink very deep within the beast’s mind. ”Do you feel the pain? No? This is called mercy… a mercy I bestowed upon you, and a mercy you failed to bestow on your victims. I feel pain, right now… the pain of those you’ve slain, of the time you’ve stolen from them. And so, if I feel such pain, why do I allow you to escape from it? …” He suddenly sheathed his Zanpakutou, a sign that his task was complete and that his opponent had no reason to keep struggling. ”… Because I want, in your last moments, to open your eyes on the wrong you’ve done, on the pain you’ve caused. I want to show you what it is, to disappear without a trace, so that you may learn from it.” And then, slowly, ever so slowly, Meian opened space between them, leaving the agonizing Hollow to realize how lonely he was; the loneliness his actions had left him with, and the loneliness that would soon bring him to the grave…

Once he considered Grodd had been left alone long enough, Meian suddenly gave the finishing blow; with a quick Shunpo in front of the Hollow, he gave a powerful pommel strike on the mask, aiming to break it and purify the man trapped underneath through a Konso. Addressing himself to the beast once more, Meian left him with one last missive. ”Remember what you’ve done, here, remember those you’ve slaughtered, today, and above all, remember this lesson you’ve been taught.” A tear on his cheek, the young Shinigami left one last sentence to the Hollow, the last that would be heard. ”I want you to remember what you’ve learned from today’s errors…”

Reiatsu: 2400/3000 (-50 Shunpo, -100 Shunpo Karin)

Shikai: 3/10

[Beast]

Grodd wanted to scream, to roar, to cry out in surprise. He stood shell shocked as his throat was torn out. He tried to utter something, anything, but could not. He tried to roar, but that only caused more blood to gush out of the wound. He tried to scream, but nothing happened. He was surprised most by the lack of pain. He had felt the blade slide through his flesh, sort of, but could not manage to understand why there was no sharp stinging pain. He tried to talk, to get more understanding, but he could not, and by the time he gave up trying, he had forgotten what he had been trying to say.

Meian moved away from Grodd, but it had the opposite effect on the Hollow. Rather than reflect on the loneliness, he had forgotten that Meian had ever been there. Only when the Shinigami returned at incredibly high speeds with the pommel of his Zanpakutou out did Grodd notice him, and it was as if he was meeting Meian for the first time, again. The gorilla was shocked and confused, but inwardly he was joyful. He thought that he was finally receiving his death, something that he had sought after. Maybe his hunger would subside now...

Grodd's mask cracked and splintered from the pure force of the Shunpo aided blow, and the black furred flesh of Grodd's torso exploded backwards, revealing a naked soul below. The force of the blow and the power of Konso was transforming this Hollow into a soul ready for the Rukongai to accept. Beneath the gorilla exterior was an emaciated man, with a white scar starting to form on his throat where the Zanpakutou had cut the gorilla. The last word Grodd would ever speak came out of his mouth as the humanoid face gazed into Meian's eyes.

"Savior..."

The Konso began to take effect immediately, sending the man and the remainder of the hollow-like shell to the Soul society where he would awake reborn from a hungry, devouring soul. The bodies of Grodd glowed a bright white until they finally faded away, leaving Meian alone in the streets. Very few people besides the two arguing students had been harmed in this attack, which was mainly due to Meian's quick thinking and determination. However, in between the Land of the Living and the Soul Society, dark forces were at work...

The remainder of the hollow shell should have been destroyed completely by the Konso, however, Grodd's particular back story led to some issues. Grodd had never been human, he had been a gorilla when he had been living. Due to this fact, the Konso that Meian performed had been enough to stop his murderous rampage, but it had not been enough to fully eradicate the Hollow from Grodd's soul. The remainder of the dark energy possessed the new soul, hiding deep away in the forest of his Inner World, for a time when it would be more advantageous for it.

When Grodd awoke in the Rukongai, completely naked except for a blanket wrapped around his lower half, he could only remember one small set of things. He knew his name, Grodd, and he knew the face of whom he referred to as Savior. He didn't know Meian's name, but he definitely could remember his face as if the Shinigami had been staring right at him. The new soul tried to find a place to stay, but people shunned him. His attire was not good enough for them, nor was the inability to communicate through words. However, Grodd was determined to find Meian again, and then he would be with his Savior, for better or for worse.

[Nakazawa Meian]

With the Konso now doing its job and sending this poor soul back to where it belonged, Meian had the chance to hear the last words he waited for, one word… one very strong word. "Savior..." It may simply be one word, but that word carried an impressive, powerful message; that Meian had succeeded. Was he truly a savior? Only time could answer that question, but for now, he had indeed managed to send the Hollow back toward where he belonged, where he had his place. That, in and of itself, was something he could be proud of, and something he would honor: placing his hand in his belt’s pocket, he took out a small wooden sphere, placed it where Grodd had been slain, and then prayed. That was his way of asking a good life for the ones who had been lost today…

After sealing back his Zanpakutou, the man reported the mission’s success through a Hell butterfly, but also indicated the confirmed loss of the Academy Students; nothing could be done for them anymore. Although his task was complete, Meian still kept in the vicinity of their battlefield, for the purpose of securing it. Why, might you ask? Simply because there’s no point in slaying a Hollow if the ones it killed in the crossfire transformed into Hollows too as a result. The young Shinigami kept a careful eye for any Hollow presence nearby, and performed a Konso on the casualties he could find. That was also his task as a Shinigami, after all; to not only ensure balance, but also protect those who could prove to be easy targets.

As soon as the Shinigami set to monitor this quadrant of the city showed up, Meian left the situation in his hands and opened a Senkaimon, departing toward the Soul Society. However, there was one gigantic issue he had to face on his way back, a philosophical one. I’ve slain this Hollow partly because of my orders, and partly because of my anger… but did it need to be slain? Every Shinigami follow their emotions, I followed my emotions, and yet is there no other way to deal with this problem? Isn’t our slaughter of Hollows the exact same as their slaughter of humans? ... What is the path, the real path, we must follow? Our feelings or our duties? The man had one problem, one major problem, and it was one which made him doubt his Way itself… but it was a problem he’d soon get to deal with, for the better.

[Sozen Kuchiki]

+425 CTP to Grodd.

+575 CTP to Meian, and +300 more for winning, so +875 total.