Bleach: Hollow Reaper

2: Forest of Monsters

Within the cavern of crystalline trees known by the inhabitants as the Forest of Menos, a small figure, a blur of black and white, could be seen leaping from branch to branch. Its yellow eyes seem to be searching for something. Leaping from its perch, the branch it once stood upon mere moments earlier is destroyed as a large, winged monster follows after its target. The small figure brings its right arm up, revealing its hand fused with the hilt of a familiar blade. The small beings' eyes widen, not with fright or surprise but with pure rage. It lets out a loud scream from beneath its mask as it swings down on the approaching bat creature, slicing vertically down its' masked face. The creature's body splits apart and begins to fall as it disappears into nothingness.

The small figure hits the sandy floor, standing still for long enough to reveal its particular features. Pure white skin, black markings on its torso reminiscent of suspenders. Its lower body is completely black, barring the white, surprisingly large, three-toed feet. Its black hair falls past its neck, barely reaching its shoulders while its rather plain, white mask with a black, horizontal opening covers everything other than its yellow irises and black sclera. The final noticeable attribute, besides the blade fused to its' hand, is the hole in its chest. From one side to the other, the hole made it evident that it and the other denizens of the underground forest were all the same kind of creature. Hollows.

Distorted roars echos throughout the forest as Hollows of all kinds assault one another, declaring dominance, desperate to get stronger or simply hungry. There isn't much that these beasts fear, and because of this, the small sword-wielding Hollow has been able to catch its opponents mostly unaware. Whether they ignored it or saw it as an easy meal, they were soon dispatched, mostly with ease.

The child-sized Hollow regains its focus, shifting its' gaze from area to area, searching. A growl escapes from under its mask as it takes a step, feeling a wriggling sensation beneath its foot. Looking down, the small figure spots the dark green, lizard-like hollow it had accidentally stepped on. Its gaze latches on to the small creature for a few moments, analysing the reptile before it slashes down at the small being. The reptile's head lands a few metres away before its body vanishes.

Elsewhere, a Hollow, moderately taller than the average adult with sickly green skin, spines on the sides of its torso and legs made for leaping, digs its claws into a nearby cliff face, watching the short figure from afar. "Gihihihi" A low, distorted, quiet laugh echoes from beneath its open mask. Taking one last look at the small Hollow, the spying creature leaps away into the shadows, disappearing from sight.

Back in the world of the living, a familiar, large hollow with strange writing on its arm is wondering aimlessly around the forested area surrounding the soon to be Karakura Town. With the light of the sun beaming down upon its large, hunched back, the creature shuffles along. Its mind wanders as much as its legs do and its eyes appear glazed over. "Chūmon*..." The creature repeats, over and over as the trees seem to willingly move out of its way.

Nearby, at the scene that once held the explosion of spiritual power between a young boy and a Hollow, a man wearing a black shihakusho, with blonde hair tied into a ponytail, light blue eyes and a katana sheathed at his waist mulled over the scenario to himself. "What happened here, Komi?" Just as he kneels down, placing his hand on the dirt, his senses are assaulted by an influx of strange energy. "What the!?" He backs away quickly, visibly sweating. Placing his hand over his heart and closing his eyes. The world seems to fade away around him as a thin blue aura surrounds him. Opening his eyes, his sight is filled with a collection of white ribbons dangling from thin air in the direction of the peasants. Directly in front of him hangs a red ribbon, which he ignores, knowing that it belonged to himself. What had caught his attention was a pair of black ribbons. One led him in the direction of the forest, the other hung within the centre of the crater. "Hollows...but, why is there red?"