Author's Note 1: Hey everyone, it's your boy. Anyway, I know there are a few of you who may be wondering a bit about Dante's backstory. For those who aren't, I don't blame you. Anyway, this is a small filler that takes place a few hours after Dante fell asleep. Which, if you want to be technical, is between episodes 34 and 35. Anyway, if you want to read, then read. Also, make sure to give plenty of reviews. I'm out.

Omake 1

"It appears you are starting to awaken to new abilities, Dante…" a voice called.

"What…?" Dante replied. Opening his eyes, the black teen found himself in a strange new place. He picked himself up and scanned his environment. The sky was covered in dark, thick clouds, hovering over tall mountains miles away. Large trees which looked like palms dotted the landscape while the ground beneath them was covered in low growing plants. "Where am I?" Dante inquired. "I thought I was in a sewer."

Suddenly, a loud roar followed by an ear-splitting screech echoed through the jungle. Dante turned in different directions, trying to find the source of the noise. A few seconds later, another roar rang out. The maverick placed his hand on his sides to draw his swords, but they were not there. "Great. Tossed in a jungle, without weapons. Feels like a botched reality television show." He sighed over his predicament. "Whatever. Better go see what's up." Dante ran off, his arms trailing behind. He sped through the underbrush and leapt off fallen trees, hearing the rumbling of the clouds from above him. After a few minutes, Dante arrived in a wide clearing covered in low vegetation. "'Ight, come on out!" Dante called. "Show yourself!"

Not long after he hollered his request, the plants around the edges began to stir. Dante watched carefully as the bushes shook, staying on high alert. However, as suddenly as the disturbance started, it stopped. Everything was quiet, save for the skies. Suddenly, a large screech from behind followed by the emergence of a large creature erupted from the jungle. Dante jumped to the left just in time as the beast landed where he stood. As soon as the teen returned to his feet, he was shocked at what he saw. Armed with sharp claws, jaws filled with curved teeth, and feathers, Dante was staring at one of his forms: a Deinonychus. However, this one was larger with tall feathers running from the back of its head to neck, a tail fan, and lengthy feathers on its arms. Turning its head, the dromaeosaur's red eyes inspected his body thoroughly. "So we finally meet face to face, Dante," it said.

Dante was taken back. A talking dinosaur that wasn't a gay Barney was certainly unexpected. "Hold up. You can talk?"

"Much better than you can most of the time," the raptor replied. "Though I am intrigued that a human such as yourself has been able to use my abilities competently."

"Okay, this is a weird ass dream… Is this the one where I have an arm wrestling match with Bill Murray or the one that involves Lucy Liu, a jar of honey, and a tuning fork?"

The raptor sighed. "I am not surprised… Look, you are unconscious. However you are not actually dreaming. You are in my realm which resides within the sword."

"Hold on. You mean like the spirits inside zanpakuto?" Dante replied. "So that means you're the spirit Kowa ro Shii Maru."

"It is official, you can pick things up," the dinosaur quipped. "Here I thought I needed to help you with that."

"Why you gotta get on a brotha like that? But if you think about it, we're really the same person."

"Please don't remind me."

"I just thought you were a sword those genetic nerd freaks messed with before they threw it on me. You sure it's not because we're here and you just happened to form a personality?"

"I admit, my power was limited thanks to my weakened state. Of course, you still had access to some of my fundamental abilities."

"You mean my shape shifting into a raptor."

"Exactly. But now that I have returned to the dimension of my origin, the Reiatsu here is rejuvenating me. Abilities that were once sealed are starting to be released. Our full potential is finally being realized."

"By that, you mean my weapons changing shape along with my clothes." Kowa ro Shii Maru gave a nod before turning his head to preen his back. "Hold up. I thought it was because they injected me with dino DNA."

"I can't believe you thought that, Dante," the spirit said. "They might have said such things, but such a technique is mere science fiction."

"Fine. Then why'd they mess me up and stuck you with me?"

Preening the feathers on his arm, the raptor looked up at the darkened sky. "Fine, I shall tell you what I know." Ready to tell his story, the dromaeosaur sat down as Dante also took a seat. "Many years ago, I was an artificially created soul from the Research and Development lab here in Soul Society. The goal of the project was simple: create a zanpakuto capable of acting more efficiently than a natural one. A weapon capable of melding with the any soul. I was one of the few successes as a result. However, the project was soon terminated and we were abandoned in the world of the living. Or shall I say this universe's world of the living."

"By 'we', you're talkin' 'bout you and Akumu hi Ryuujin?"

"Indeed. The two of us were thrown there in the hopes of being forgotten through the ages. However, a couple of centuries passed before a shinigami arrived and returned me to Soul Society. His purpose was simple: use us to create a living warrior able to help further his ambitions. Whatever they may be. That was when he found a group of genetic engineers from a different world and struck a bargain: Find him a test subject to use and he'll provide the funds and excess payments."

"And that's where I came in," Dante said. "That's why I was kidnapped, taken to a lab, experimented on, and end up with more issues than Jack Thompson at an E3 convention. Or somebody with dyslexia at a spelling bee."

"Right…" Kowa said in an unsure tone.

"But I taught those punk-ass nerds what happens when they do shit to me," the black teen replied as he held his right hand up, a murderous scowl painted on his face. "Still, how and why did that Soul Reaper experiment on me? Couldn't he fuck up someone from here?"

"Apparently, if that happened, the Soul Society would have been alerted instantly. So instead, he created a space-time device to your world knowing the level of interference barely exists."

"But I ain't a Soul Reaper!" Dante hissed. "And as far as I can tell, I'm no dead man! So how am I able to use a zanpakuto in the first place?"

"Well the Soul Reaper was able to procure a blood sample from a fellow shinigami. With that material, he gave the scientists the means to transfer soul energy into your body." Dante was silent. With clenched fists and gritted teeth, the black teen was enraged. All this time, he thought it was coincidence that he was used as a guinea pig. However, after hearing that what he has been through was actually a scheme, the maverick was disgusted. Seething with rage, he punched at the ground as hard as he could. "God damn it!" he hissed. "All the shit that went down… The reason I can't remember anything… It was all because of some crazy-ass Deadhead!" Turning to his zanpakuto's spirit, he asked, "You know that bastard that did this to me, Kowa?"

"I apologize, Dante," the raptor said with a forlorn tone. "My memories are not what they used to be."

"'Ight, I feel ya," the black teen replied. The two sat silently for about a minute. A tense atmosphere hung in the air. Dante rose up and looked to the sky. "I'm not going back," he finally said, earning a look from Kowa. "Why should I return to the same thing over and over again? The girls are fine and all, I ain't denyin'. But still, beatin' up punk-asses that can't do shit and wandering around not knowing anything. It gets pretty tiring."

"So what will you do, Dante?" Kowa ro Shii Maru asked. "As your blade and comrade, I shall assist you as much as I can."

"A change of plans. Imma find out who did this to me and make 'em pay. Then I'll become the baddest mo' fo' to ever step in the Seireitei."

"Hm. I see that your overall scruples have not been altered. But what about the goings on with Ichigo and his companions? Will you still help them?"

Dante smirked. "You got that right. I said I would help save Rukia. You should know by now my word is bond. And I won't stop."

"Alright then," Kowa said as he stood back up. He placed his three fingered hand on the side of Dante's shoulder. "Time to awaken. Return to your duty as a warrior. And as you say, 'I have your back.'"

"You're my boy, K-money," Dante said with a nod before his vision whited out.