This is the first multi chapter fan-fic I write in record time: 3 days. I am very proud of this, but remember, grammar isn't my strongest subject so you might find a few errors, sorry.

Chapter 1: I'll take 'em

My name is Chris Guruma, and this is the story of how I became who… or should I say, what, I am. As for what I'm doing atop this amazingly elevated, 25 story building… it's a bit too soon to tell you that. What I can tell is how it all started.

It all started with a simple phrase: "I'll take 'em". You know, that phrase you use when you see something you like and you wanna buy it, but you're not sure if you have enough money on you; and then you ask for the price and you realize you can afford it at the moment. It all ends with that ever so pleasing "I'll take 'em".

But let's go back just a little more. After saving up for a few weeks, I wanted to buy something big, not just for me, but for my friends. Why? Let's just consider it a thank you present. I mean, when you have friends like mine, you start feeling like their part of your family after a while. We have been friends for over a year now, and it was like having three brothers my age.

So I go to that anime store about 10 minutes from college to see if I could find anything that would fit the description. Boy did I get my wish. I had never been to that store before, but as soon as I went in I felt like I was going to find what I was looking for that day.

The stores atmosphere was actually kinda inspiring. There were anime posters all over the place. The lighting made it seem like you were watching the sunset. I looked around for a while but I couldn't find anything. Of course it would have been easier if I knew what I was looking for. After a while the skinny, red head dude at the register calls me.

"Lost? Can I help you find anything?" he said smiling.

"Yeah… umm… I'm looking for something like… see my friends are huge Bleach freaks and…"

"It's contagious?" He said cutting me off, but it was cool.

"Yeah; I was looking for something we could all share and stuff, like a set of something." I said

"I get it. Well we have these key chains, a set of three for $10.00" he said

"Well… do you have anything in a set of four?" I said, hoping he could find something.

"Lets see. We have a set of four Bleach bouncy balls… but that's kinda for little kids so I'm guessing no?"

"You're guessing right." I said and we both laughed

"Well… there is this." He said as he got on a tall stool so he could reach a large wooden plaque hanging on the wall, which made me wonder how I didn't see it earlier. He set the plaque on the counter facing my way.

"It's a set of four Hollow masks and four Shinigami swords." He said

"It looks awesome." If I had ever fallen in love with something that wasn't alive, this was it. Even someone who didn't know Bleach existed would have said that it looked awesome.

The masks looked identical to the ones the Vizards used in the anime, with the exception of a few design variations. The swords had the same weight and feel of an authentic samurai sword. They even had the little string thingy to tie around your waist.

"They're great for Cosplay, guaranteed to be a gift your friends will never forget. But, they're a bit on the expensive side."

"How much?" I asked hoping it wasn't as expensive as he made it sound.

"$275"

Crap! My wallet ached just at the sound of it. But I thought it out for a minute. Sure it was a little on the expensive side, but in a way, I was just paying back all the things they had given me.

If it hadn't been for them, I would have never gone to Cosplay, never dressed as Kurosaki Isshin (which I did thanks to them buying me the outfit for my birthday), and I would have never met the hottest Cosplayer chick in the world, and the love of my life… so I really was just returning a big, heck, a huge favor. That was when I said… the phrase that changed my life and the life of those around me…

"I'll take 'em"

B-side

I bet you can't wait to know what happens next huh? Well after that I went home like I would any other day. I called the guys and asked them if they were going to do any Cosplay for the upcoming Kaisen that Saturday. The answer was no. They were going casual, which was awesome for me. I wanted to try out one of the masks, but I didn't… somehow I felt like I just had to wait for Saturday, so I did.

Saturday morning I drove to Charlie's house, where they were all waiting for me. I kept moving forward slowly until I get to the big brown apartment thingies. I saw them waiting on a green wood bench at the foot of the apartments. Hoping I hadn't made then wait too long I get out of my car and wave to them. They started walking to where I was.

The tall, lots-of-hair blonde with the square rimmed glasses in the center, Charlie, the tall skinny dude with the baggy shorts and the black glasses on the right, Milton, and the tall, broad shouldered, curly hair guy on the left, Mikey.

We say hi and get in. Milton pops in his tunes as usual and we drove for about an hour and a half listening to a combination of hard rock and soft rock all the way, which I enjoyed. When we finally got there my heart jumped for a few seconds, still I had to wait until we found an empty parking spot, which gave my heart time to stop trying to break my chest plate.

Finally we found one! So we get off and I tell the guys I had something for them. They followed me to the back of the car and I opened up the trunk. Inside the big yellow bag was a wooden box. I open it and instantly they're jaws dropped.

"I know you guys have done a whole bunch for me and stuff, so I wanted to thank you and stuff. There are four so we each get one." I said

"Whoa dude this is awesome! I always wanted a sword" Mikey said

"You really didn't have to buy us anything." Charlie said

"I know. But I felt like it." I said

"These must have been expensive as shit" Milton said

"Not really." Yeah right! I almost cried for these. They better had been grateful. Still I couldn't let them know how much they cost, that would just be weird.

They all chose a random mask and a random sword and we all made our way to the Kaisen. It was so much fun. Time went flying by like nothing. Next thing we knew it was time to go already. As we headed out we decided to stop in front of the big brown wall with the hand signs for some pictures of ourselves with the masks. Just then Charlie noticed something we hadn't.

"Dude I think the masks are supposed to be paired up with the swords. Look at the marks on the masks and look at the marks on the swords."

He was right. The stripes on the masks each matched with the stripes on one of the swords. We switched masks so they matched. I wanted to go first so I gave Mikey the camera and got in front of the wall. I tied the sword to my waist and put on the mask. Mikey took the picture as I struck a pose.

But just then, I felt a strange pressure in my head. Like if a pro wrestler was trying to make juice out of it. I fell to the ground, the pressure intensifying. The guys came close to me to help me out, but I blew them away.

I mean literally, I felt some sort of energy come out, like wind, and pushed them away. The pressure then faded away and I got up… but I wasn't doing anything. My body was moving all on its own. I didn't understand what was happening. I had lost control of my motor functions, or at lest it felt like it. I found myself looking through a window, unable to control my body as it began destroying everything with flashes of what seemed to be dark energy.

I began to feel tired, but my body kept moving. I tried to gain control of myself again, but it was useless. After a few minutes some helicopters appeared and strange people in military uniforms came down from ladders. They surrounded the guys and started cuffing them up.

I… or should I say, my body, started running toward them, I'm not sure if it was to help my friends or to destroy them along with the other dudes but just as I was close enough to actually do something I felt a sharp piercing pain in my back.

I blacked out…