Bonus Track: Interviews

Soul Reaper gave multiple interviews before and after the events of Deathfest. The following interview was conducted only a week before Deathfest. It was the last interview with the late Kenpachi Zaraki and Urahara Kisuke.

The members of Soul reaper huddled together on a leather cough awaiting the arrival of their interviewer.

They only had to wait ten minutes and then the door opened and a small framed young girl strolled in with a beaming smile on her face. She wore a black singlet with a pentagram emblazoned on it and she carried a rolled up sheet of paper, a CD and a notebook and pen. She took a seat on the one-seater opposite them and giggled nervously as she studied the group.

"Wow...its incredible meeting you guys. You are currently the biggest thing in the metal world at the moment according to your label Nuclear Blast. How does that feel?"

All eyes fell on Ichigo who obligingly answered. "Well, it's great to know that we have such a large following of supporters from such early days. I mean we never expected to go from zero to hero in only a couple of month's time. It's been great and I'm sure it's only gonna get better!"

The young girl nodded. "Cool. So I've got a few questions just from fans. First up is for Ichigo Kurosaki. Is that your real hair colour and if it is why don't you dye it to something less...Orange?"

Ichigo cocked his head. "What kind of question is that? Who cares what colour my hair is?"

The girl frowned. "Well this fan-"

"It is! There! I said it! It's my natural colour. Nobody believes me but it's real. Anyway, why would I change it? It makes me stand out in a crowd." Ichigo answered.

"It is a gay colour though." Grimmjow muttered.

"Shut up! It is not a gay colour! Anyway, you have baby blue hair so you can't talk!"

"Blue ain't gay." Renji added.

"Don't you get involved mister...Uh...carrot top!" Ichigo snapped childishly.

"Carrots are orange, not red, you retard!" Renji yelled back. "You're carrot top!"

While the moronic argument ensued Rukia led the interviewer to the other side of the room. "Don't mind them. They belong in a zoo. So what was the next question?"

The girl watched the fight ensue for a moment and then blinked down at her sheet. "Oh...Um..." She trailed off before finding her place again. "Oh right! So Rukia how does it feel to be the only girl in the band, surrounded by such wild guys?"

"It's a trial...It really is. Harems only work for guys. I mean the constant dirty jokes are bearable and the smell isn't that bad." Rukia pointed to one of nine automatic air fresheners in the room. "I think the worst part is all the advances from them...I mean it's as if they all want me for themselves. Just today I've been asked out twice, been given flowers, been asked to go 'round back' and all week Grimmjow's been grabbing my ass. In fact once he-"

"Okay, we'll have to stop there!" The girl yelled, her cheeks burning red. "The next question is for Renji."

The two women glanced over at the fight which was showing no sign of ending. Rukia groaned and rolled her eyes. "Skip it for now. Next?"

"Um, Zaraki Kenpachi." The girl murmured. "Where did he go?" Just then an immense shadow fell over and a penetrating gaze burned into her back.

"I'm right here." Zaraki rasped before bursting out laughing. The girl however had been reduced to tears and was curled up in a ball on the seat. Rukia comforted her for a while until she was fit to resume the interview.

"So...One of your fans asked...'Zaraki, you are one tough-" She paused for a moment and the resumed. "So, which do you prefer, a mosh pit or a good ol' street brawl?"

Zaraki scratched his sunken cheek and frowned. "Good question. I'm not sure, I mean there are good things in both of them, but I guess a mosh pit has a sound track to go with it so I'd go with moshing."

"Ok." The girl wrote that down.

"I mean, as long as you get to beat the crap out of a bunch of people it's good, but in a street fight you can kill a few of them..."

"OK!" The girl stressed. Trying to move on.

"Once I poked a guy's eye out but then I dropped it and accidentally stepped on it. It took me ages to clean my shoe..." Kenpachi went on.

"I SAID OKAY!" The girl screamed, having another emotional breakdown.

After another pause she was able to continue. By then the hair colour fight had ended and Renji's question could be addressed. "So Renji. Are your eyebrows fake?"

Renji folded his arms and scowled. "Guess!"

"Well-"

"Since when do eyebrows grow like this? Of course they are fake!"

"But do you even have eyebrows?" The girl asked.

"No. I got rid of them and got the area tattooed instead. It just suits it better." Renji seemed proud though everyone else seemed less than impressed.

"Okay. This is for Grimmjow. Where did the mask go?" The girl read aloud from her sheet.

Grimmjow chuckled. "Well, you see there's a funny story behind that. I got rid of it because it scared the shit out of Rukia one night."

Rukia doubled over and hid her face.

"You see we were watching TV and there was a ventriloquist on. I got the idea to try and do a sort of ventriloquist thing with the mask so I went off and perfected it. I then went up to Rukia in the middle of the night and made the mask crack up laughing. Long story short. We had to get new sheets for the bed and I got rid of the mask because it gave her nightmares." Grimmjow started the wave of laughter, but Rukia was so embarrassed that she turned away from the whole group and began sulking in the corner.

"Okay. The last question is for Urahara."

"Shoot." The band manager smiled.

"Well, word is you owned a candy store right here in Karakura and only recently you have become a record manager. How did you bridge the gap between such different occupations?"

"Well, selling candy only gets you so far. I think the greedy bug bit me and I yearned for more money. I loved music so I thought I'd get involved with that. Unfortunately, I have no real talent on the instruments but my managerial skills came in handy and I became a record producer and band manager. I think it's a great job and I can't believe I only got involved recently."

"Right, well thanks so much guys. Just one last thing. Can I get your autograph?" The girl held out a poster of the band and also their debut album.

"I don't have a pen on me, sorry." Ichigo murmured.

"We could do it in blood!" Kenpachi suggested.

"No thanks!" The girl cried, fishing a marker out of her pocket. As soon as everything was signed, the girl ran out of the room as fast as her legs would allow and she never came back.

This next interview was given on the day of Rukia's release from hospital, several months after Deathfest and the harrowing events of that day. The band agreed for only one interview and this was it.

The brave survivors from Soul Reaper gathered in their home. Rukia and Ichigo passed time by having a long passionate kiss. Renji watched with a scowl and Grimmjow cradled his arm which was still in a cast.

The door was opened by a freakishly tall man with draping black hair and cold eyes. His flesh was pale and he worse spiked wristbands. He shook everyone's hand and then approached Rukia. "It's good to know you're well. I'd hug you but, you know..." He displayed his spiked wristbands. He sat down and took out a notepad and pen.

"Well, hello guys. It's good to see you're all well after that unusual incident at Deathfest. Do you know what happened, being right in the middle of it?"

"No." Ichigo snarled.

"Okay, it's still too soon. So, um. Let's start off with something a bit nicer, huh?" Everyone nodded. "Okay, Rukia and Ichigo, how does it feel to be the hottest new couple in metal?"

"It's great! We do a calendar shoot next month!" Rukia chirped.

"No that's just you." Ichigo corrected.

"Aww." Rukia groaned.

Ichigo ignored her and returned to the question. "Yeah, it's been really fun. The wedding was so awesome! It was just so crazy, but it suited us perfectly."

"Is there a honeymoon planned?"

"Not until the sequel." Ichigo stated simply.

"What?" The interviewer asked.

"Never mind."

"So, has your relationship gotten in the way of the music or is it the other way around?"

Ichigo grinned. "I don't think it's either. We've found a good balance. I mean I warm up my fingers with Rukia before rehearsals and-"

"Uh-huh, I get you. No need to get X-rated." The interviewer wiped his forehead and sighed. "No wonder she quit..."

"Who?" Renji queried.

"That last girl we had. She quit immediately after an interview with you guys but never explained why."

"We're not that weird!" Grimmjow snarled.

The interviewer sank into his chair and calmed his racing heart. "Anyway...Back to the newlyweds. Rukia do you feel a tension around the other guys since they all felt for you?" He gave a brief pause. "And some felt you apparently..."

"What was the second part?" Rukia asked.

"Oh, I sneezed. It wasn't part of the question."

"Oh..." There was an awkward silence before. "What was the question again?"

The interviewer ignored her and turned to Renji. "So, how is your relationship with Rukia now that she is married to your best friend?"

"Well, it initially felt a little weird but now I'm kind of used to it." Renji answered.

"If we were kissing right now your answer would be different." Ichigo joked.

"Shut up!" Renji growled.

"So there is still a little tension between you all?"

"A little. I mean we still have knife fights every now and then but...You can cut that bit out right?" Ichigo whispered.

"We aren't recording."

"Oh good. We don't have knife fights...Often...Uh; you can ask the next question now."

The interviewer shrugged and went on. "So, we've all been secretly wondering. Where is Ulquiorra?"

Ichigo frowned. "Is that the creep who never ever showed up for rehearsals? He never contacted us so we just gave up. That and he was creepy...really creepy. It didn't mater that much because we found a way to move around the lack of a synth player and it just left more room for guitar solos and stuff so we like it." Ichigo cocked his head. "Come to think of it I think it was before the battle of the bands when we tried to ring him but he never answered."

The interviewer nodded. "It was also around that time that a strange rumour began to surface that you drink menstrual blood." There was another awkward silence. "Do you?"

Rukia gagged and ran out of the room.

"Of course not! That's disgusting! I only said that to shut everybody up because they were laughing at me."

"Why were they laughing at you?"

Grimmjow cackled and doubled over. "Because he jumped into a fucking barrier fence! Ha ha ha ha!" Everyone laughed at him, just like back then and Ichigo's face went as red as the menstrual blood he lied about drinking. He folded his arms and waited but when the laughter did not end for ten minutes he began to get desperate. He looked around anxiously and then blurted out another silencer.

"I drown puppies!"

Everyone froze.

"What?" Renji gasped.

"Dude that's just messed up!" Grimmjow added.

"How could you do that? They're only little puppies!" Rukia cried.

The interviewer began scribbling something down when Ichigo roared.

"I don't actually drown puppies!" He cursed under his breath. "Hurry up and move on!"

"Alright then, calm down. What have you guys got planned next? "

"Well, a world tour would be great. I think we're gonna take a trip round the world and in the spare time we got we'll try and get some writing done." Ichigo explained.

"What will you do in terms of drumming, since you sadly lost Kenpachi Zaraki?"

"Well, many people have offered. We've been getting star drummers offering their support but I think we'll go with another Karakura local. It won't be the same without him but we know he wouldn't want us to quit just because he left this world."

"Well it's great to hear that such tragedy will not keep such dedicated musicians down. I know I'm gonna be getting tickets for your shows." The interviewer said happily. "Anyway, last question, this is for Grimmjow. There have been rumours going around that you have a bladder infection. Is this true?"

Grimmjow laughed. "No, I just drink too much light beer." His laughter suddenly stopped. "Speaking of which. Natures calling." Grimmjow left the room and the interviewer rose from his seat to shake his hand before he ran off.

"Well, thanks for meeting with me. I know it's been a rough ride but I'm sure you'll cope. See you on the road guys!" He shook everyone's hands and then left.

Rukia, Renji and Ichigo sat back down and stared at the floor, lost in thought. Renji raised his eyebrows and walked over to the fridge and studied the contents. There was no light beer...there never was...

Everyone shared uneasy glances. "We're gonna have to check that out some time."

"Not now. We'll wait for the sequel." Ichigo murmured.

"Huh?"

"Oh forget it!" Ichigo snarled.

Well, I hope you enjoyed that! If you took the hint, there will be a sequel in the future, though it may be a long wait. For now please review and keep metal alive! \m/ \m/