I'd like to thank my friends Mikey, Charlie and Milton, who gave me awesome ideas for this part of the story. You guys rock!

Behind The Masks: Season 2
Chapter 1: New tricks

My name is Chris Guruma, and I bet your wondering why I'm here again. I'm here to pick up where I left off. Last time I stopped telling my story right before taking down the guy who messed up part of how my life should have been. This story, however, is of what happens next… and of what I feel shouldn't have happened.

But like I said earlier, lets pick up where I left off. I was atop the amazingly elevated 25 story building, looking down at the red car, waiting for the bald rich dude to get out already. I saw him exit the fancy restaurant and get in his car. I put my mask on and jumped. The car took off before I landed, so I jumped as soon as I hit ground.

I landed right in the center of the hood, using my reiatsu to shield myself. The car stopped abruptly due to the fact that the parts that made it move had all been shattered into pieces by none other than a Hollow. I turned to take a look inside the car and saw both the bald dude and the driver were out cold, which made the job a whole lot easier for me.

When the bald dude woke he was in a dark room with a dangling lamp above his head, his hands tied behind his back. I used the tip of my Zanpaktou to force his head upwards until our eyes met. The look on his face when he saw me was worth gold, but I couldn't laugh; if I did I showed the human part of me, and he wouldn't have been scared anymore. He looked behind me and saw three more masks with glowing red eyes staring back at him.

"Y-you!" he said, wide eyed

"Surprised?" I asked

"What do you want with me?"

"What do you think? What do we do to people like you?"

"Oh, I've seen. You despicable, oomph"

I punched him right in the jaw bone before he could even think of finishing the sentence.

"I'll do the insulting around here. Besides, it's not like we kill people; which brings me back to my point. My friends have never killed anyone, but thanks to you I have."

I turned my Zanpaktou over to the sharp side, making his chin bleed

"And if I did it once, nothing stops me from doing it again. Now, will you behave while we torture the crap out of you?"

He mumbled something, as if trying to speak, but I didn't understand a word. Charlie noticed something I hadn't and whispered it to me, half laughing.

"Dude, I think you dislocated his jaw man."

I took a good look at it, and he was right. I grabbed his jawbone, squeezed it and yanked it hard putting it back in its place. He almost cried because of the pain, which I enjoyed. He was about to say something smart, but as soon as he saw me raise my fist, he stopped talking. After about a minute of awkward silence he spoke again.

"What are you going to do to me?"

"Not too much, just make you pay for what you did, what you almost did, and what you wanted to do. Now…"

I said getting close to him and squeezing his jawbone again.

"Scream for me."

I slashed his shirt open, and then slowly swiped my Zanpaktou across his chest. He held back his breath so he wouldn't scream, but the pain was obvious. I swiped his chest again downwards, very slowly, he did the same thing. I did it again on the opposite side a little slower. I did it one more time from left to right a little above his belly button, but even slower this time; forming a tic-tac-toe board. Surprisingly he held back from screaming.

"Persistent aren't we?"

"What do you want from me?" he asked again

"You're not leaving until you scream for me." I said

"Well, rah!! There I screamed for you."

"Oh but I'm not done yet."

I swiped my Zanpaktou forming small letters in each bloody square on his chest. He screamed as loud as he could every time I made a letter.

"Scream like you mean it." I said

I continued carving letters on his chest. When I was done "I am Hollow" could be read across his chest; a letter for each square. Milton untied the ropes, while I took my mask off and showed him my face.

"Take a good look at my face. I decided I would let you live, but if you ever even think of doing any harm to anyone with me around, getting your chest cut will be the least of your worries." I said menacingly, afterwards I punched his face again knocking him out.

The guys helped me hang him upside down from a light post in front of the police station as part of his punishment.

B-side

That day was the last time we would see each other for a while. School was over and we all had our own vacation plans. Charlie was going on a cruise with his girlfriend's family, Milton was going to visit his family in Ohio and Mikey was going to stay home with his folks and just relax. I was going on another cruise with my folks for 2 whole months.

It was two months of nothing but rest. I took the mask and sword with me, but I was sure I wasn't going to do anything but relax. After all, being a full time bad guy torturer wasn't as easy as it sounds, even if it was fun. I still got curious about something I had seen before in Bleach and wanted to try it out. Boy, were the guys in for a surprise! Or so I thought, but man was I the one surprised.

After I got home, I texted the guys so we could meet at the towns car junkyard, our usual training stop. As usual I was the first one there. After a few minutes Charlie literally dropped in. He was wearing loose black pants and an even looser black v-neck shirt thingy.

"I see you took the Shinigami thing seriously." I said

"And you didn't?" he asked

This was, in part, true. I was wearing all black, with white lines, just like a Shinigami, except it was jeans, black shoes and a normal shirt. As we waited for the guys, Charlie and I caught up with what we did during the two months. After a few minutes Charlie simply pops out and says.

"Dude… two months can do a lot to your body!"

"What are you talking about?" I said confused

"Turn around"

So I did. DANG! Who was that guy? I couldn't recognize his face at first, but he was huge! Try mixing a pro wrestler with a grizzly bear and put them on steroids. That was what I thought I saw at first glance. As he got closer I noticed he was wearing a no sleeve Shinigami outfit, similar to Muguruma Kensei's when he was still captain.

"Mikey? Oh my GOD! Mikey!" I said awestruck

"Supp guys!" he said with a huge smile.

"Dude… what the hell happened to you?" Charlie asked half smiling

"I've been working out. You like?" Mikey asked smiling wide

"Actually… it suits you!" I said

We talked for a while when suddenly I felt an enormous amount of reiatsu coming slowly towards us. We turned around and saw two Getsuga Tenshou coming our way. They passed right next to us, way far from where we were. We looked up to see Milton dressed in all white clothes, with black socks.

"What's up?" he said all cool, which then changed into a "Damn! What have your parents been feeding you boy?" towards Mikey

"Everyone acts like it's a big deal." he responded

"Well it kinda is… anyway, I've got something to show you. Come on!" I said leading them off their topic.

I told Mikey to stand in the center of the field, while I stood at the other side. I fixed my hand so that only my index and middle fingers pointed upwards, while the other fingers pointed downwards. I pointed my hand at Mikey, who simply looked at me confused.

"What are you doing?" he asked, but I maintained my pose.

"Dude… what are you doing?" he asked again, but I didn't budge.

He was about to ask again, when I spoke out loud enough for him to hear me clearly.

"Bakudou no Ichi, Sai!"

I drew a horizontal line in midair in Mikey's direction. Almost instantly his arms flung behind him and stuck to his back. It was successful! I had tied my friend's arms behind his back! Charlie couldn't hold back the excitement.

"No way; how'd you learn to use Kidou?"

"I practiced on the cruise. I actually tied one of the workers hands up just as he was about to deliver some people their food. That lady's hair will never be the same, trust me." I said laughing

"That is so cool; you have got to teach me that." Charlie said

"Yeah, umm, can you get me out of this… thing?" Mikey said, trying to balance himself

"Oh right!" I put my hand in the same position as before and drew a line towards Mikey again, cancelling the spell.

"I've got something to show you guys too." Charlie said all exited

"It's not gonna tie my hands on my back again is it?"

"No. It's way different. Now, you guys know how in the anime they call out their Zanpaktou and they change shape?" he said

"Yeah; what's up with that?" I asked

"Watch this… Arise… Shinryu!"

As he called the name, he drew out his Zanpaktou. There was a quick flash of light. It faded quickly, revealing the most amazing thing I had seen in anybodies hands. Charlie held a dragons' tail. It formed up about four feet ending with a dragons head. Its mouth was open and out of it came a long blade. It started wide and ended with a sharp, thin point.

"That's a scythe!" I said awestruck

"Coooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooool!" Mikey shouted

"Impressive." Milton added

"Our swords are alive too. If we learn they're names; who knows what we can do!" Charlie said

"I guess well become that much more powerful. Too bad we can't activate resurrection." Milton added

"Yeah, too bad were not arrancars." Mikey said

"Yeah… too bad." He said back, smiling sinisterly

I felt a sudden pressure in my head, like the first time I wore my mask, but it only lasted for a second, so I ignored it. But once again, was I in for a surprise.