Word count ~8,179~
Participants:
Takero-dark red
Ryokou-default
Returning back to his office, Ryokou received a verbal message to meet the Fuku-taichou of seventh division at the Soukyou Hill arena in little more than two hours. At first Ryokou thought the whole thing was an elaborate joke put on by Thar. The elements of a practical joke from Thar were all present. The lack of an official letter, the picking of someone well known for his position, it seemed to fit the profile. Ryokou had had no personal dealings with the vice-captain from seventh division, and because of that he figured that seventh had no reason to bother with him. Then again stranger things have happened to Ryokou, and there was also the tournament a few weeks back.
Ryokou went into his office pondering the validity of the message. It was just strange that a vice captain other than his own would want to meet with him on such short notice. Ryokou decided to follow up on his suspicions of a practical joke at work. Much to his surprise his hunting led to the contrary of his initial thoughts. The message was valid, though incredibly vague as to why the meeting had been set up, it was nevertheless valid. Ryokou glanced at the clock on his wall to find that he only had about twenty minutes till the meeting time.
As Ryokou walked the pathway up to the arena, various thoughts flashed across his mind. One thought that stood out though was the idea that his time to fight in the arena had come and his opponent was the Fuku-taichou from seventh. Though as much as it seemed unlikely, it was equally plausible since the opponents for the arena fights were randomly chosen. Ryokou decided to wait and see what was to come. He was long overdue if in fact it turned out to be an arena fight.
A fine line of smoke emerged from the stands of the stadium as bits of ashes were carried away by a slowly passing wind. Then smoke slowly rose once more before it ceased and returned to the fine line that it was. Down below, a man clad in black sat quietly with his legs crossed. His hand was tapping his knee while the other held a lit stick of cigarette, the origin of the smoke from earlier. But this man was by no means normal in his clothing. Unlike many others, this man wore an informal gi with its sleeves torn at the shoulder area. It looked somehow ragged on him, but nonetheless it was proof of the many battles that he's overcome. And what's more, one of his arms was adorned with a badge that signifies the rank that he has... a vice captain.
Takero quietly sat at the empty stands of the stadium and waited for the arrival of the man he was supposed to meet. He wasn't particularly familiar with this man but he took quite an interest in him during the proceedings of the tournament. He was placed in the same tier as his fiancÁƒ ©e was, and did fairly well during the fights -- finishing at tied second place with another shinigami. It was impressive as it is, and his vigour during the fight was indeed worthy of note.
He then tapped his leg as he waited for the man's appearance. Pacing his tapping with the beat in his mind, he created somewhat of a tune that echoed lightly through the arena. Soon his tapping stopped as a familiar reiatsu neared the place. He was finally here. Although he didn't know the man personally, he knew the kind of reiatsu he has; the kind of pressure it emits and the sensation it gives to the people around him. The person he is meeting is going to make his appearance soon.
Slowly a man emerged from one of the pathways in the arena. "Ryokou Shimazaki... I welcome you to the Soukyouku Arena..." His voice echoed through the stadium as he greeted the 4th Seated officer of the thirteenth division.
As Ryokou stood in the archway, leading to the battle floor of the arena the unmistakable scent of cigarette smoke dance about his nose. He glanced about the arena for the origins of the scent and found the vice-captain adorned with a de-sleeved gi. Ryokou left his swords in their sheath, figuring that in a matter of moments he would have to remove them.
"It is welcoming to come here Takero-sama. May I inquire the intent of this meeting? The notice I received was too vague for my liking."
Ryokou meanwhile was internally preparing himself for whatever was to come. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as he waited for a response from the vice-captain. He could feel his heart beginning to run wild in anticipation. He took several deep breaths to calm himself down, fairly certain that it would be nothing he had not dealt with before.
Feeling his heart beat coming back down to normal after the initial jolt of excitement, Ryokou decides to relax a bit. He quickly leans his back against the archway and slid to sit on the sandy ground.
Takero took one last drag off of his cigarette before he flicked it to an empty space opposite him. A fine line of smoke emerged from the seat as the stick the man smoked burned out. He took this moment of silence to analyse the man's reiatsu. There is strength in this man's presence... indeed worthy of a seated officer of the Gotei 13. But strength in one's presence doesn't really tell us anything about the man's actual strength.
Slowly he rose from his seat and glanced over to Ryokou. "Is there really supposed to be any purpose of a meeting...?" He asked the man. "Do people meet because they intend to?"
The vice captain then took a step forward, then another, then followed by another. His path didn't stray from staircase leading down to the inner circle of the stadium. "But if you insist on me giving a reason then..." A grin appeared on his face. "Does the name Meigetsu... ring a bell to you...?"
His words was then left in the air as the vice captain disappeared from where stood. Only a gust of wind blew forcefully against the stands that carried some of the litter away from the stadium.
"I'm her fiancÁƒ ©." He whispered to his ear as he slowly pulled out Kyoujin from its sheath.
Ryokou's eyes got big as his memory flashed back to the tournament by just the mention of that name. He recalled the fight in which he had won. It was a brutal fight and one of the first times he revealed his ability to duel wield. He could see her face and the punishment they had put each other through. Just the combination of her name and the statement whispered into his ear was all he needed to know. In just barely a whisper, Ryokou realizes the intent of this meeting.
"Oh ****..."
Ryokou reacted as fast as body would let him, flash stepping from his seated position to sliding backwards towards the middle of the arena. His mind began to race as fast as his heart rate.
'Why the hell did I think that the entering the tournament would not bring consequences like this. I knew fight against females would come back to haunt me but this is ridiculous. Hell with it now; that was then, now is now. Now I have got to face what my decisions have resulted in.'
Seeing that Takero had unsheathed his sword, Ryokou figure there was no avoiding it and drew forth his swords as well.
"I figured; if what you say is true, then there is no need for me to hide the fact that I can duel wield. So how are we going to do this?"
He fell for it... Takero said in his mind as the man was startled by his action. "Dual Wielding is a skill very looked up to by many of our subordinates. Wielding a single blade in a fight is hard enough as it is. But to hold two swords is indeed impressive." He said to compliment the man.
Slowly bringing Kyoujin down to his side, the blade of the sword flickered in the light as the sun rays hit it. He then took a few steps forwards before he stopped. He was right about 3 meters from the man when he stopped. And from this distance anyone could land a clean hit if they were skilful enough.
"But..." Takero raised his hand to his side until it was parallel to the ground. "You're not the only one who could wield two blades..." Takero then released a small burst of energy from his palm. "Bougyoudo #31, Yaiba no Souseki"
The energy that he had released slowly took form of a silver-like pole. And slowly the silver glow from the pole faded and revealed another wakizashi in his hand... very much identical to the blade that he held.
"Let me ask you something, Ryokou. If you were in my position what would you do?" He then pointed the blade in his left hand towards the shinigami.
Holding his swords steady in a defensive stance, Ryokou was not about to let his guard down with idle chatter.
'Teh...should have seen that second blade coming, either way it will be interesting. He is a VC, and the last time I faced off with one my knee was not in prime condition. Now though, it will be interesting to see how I fare.'
He knew if the situation were reverse what they were he would probably seek revenge though the thoroughness and extent of repayment would vary with the person he was after. He watched as the spell conjured up a second wakizashi, which only served to flash his memory back to his morning training with Sophia. Just the tidbits he had gleaned from that morning, was enough to comfort his mind.
Slowly the initial jolt to his mental state caused by Takero's revelation waned allowing him to start thinking more clearly.
"Personally if it were me...I would seek revenge relentlessly until I got it. The extremity of which would be determined by the consequences surrounding the event. I am not sure if you know all of the details, but prior to the tournament I had sought revenge over such an incident. The hollow is now purified, but that is beside the point.
Either way, I would be a hypocrite to say that I would not seek to at least pommel the fellow who harmed Jasmine...even if it were in a tournament. I do not blame you for calling me out, but I will not take a beating without fighting back."
Ryokou stood his ground waiting for the main event to begin, as he was certain there was probably more to this meeting than just idle conversation.
"You say you will fight yet you concede to defeat." Takero shook his head after analysing the man's stand on his sudden revelation. "If you concede to defeat, lay down your weapon and accept its coming in its entirety. But if you wish to fight, fight with a desire to win. There is no point in fighting if you have no desire for victory."
The vice captain then charged at the man with his blades hanging by his sides. A quick flip followed his sudden rush, he tumbled in the air going towards the man and aimed a downwards kick to the area before him. The stone blocks that make up the stadiums flooring broke in the pieces and sent debris in every direction.
Quickly reversing his grip on his blades, he directed the asauchi wakizashi to the man's front blade and spun to give it more momentum. The sound of grinding steel could be heard echoing through the empty stadium as the two blades met with force. Continuing his spin, Takero then directed his second blade back into a stabbing motion to slip through the man's initial guard.
Recalling back to his morning training with Sophia, this man had done practically the same thing he had done when he first attacked Sophia. Ryokou's eyes were quick to follow the second blade as it seemed to be the favored weapon if most dual-wielders. He parried it with his respective sword. Holding the parry which created a small, but manageable opening for Ryokou, he addressed the accusation of admittance to defeat.
"I never conceded, I merely stated that I acknowledged the fact that you earned your rank. As such I admitted to you that I realize I will not walk away unharmed. That does not mean defeat in my book. To me, that just means it will be a worthy fight of our positions."
Seeing the opportunity, he attempted plant a kick into Takero's gut and push off to propel himself into the air, in hopes of opening up a gap for some breathing room.
Takero knew for a fact that his attack wouldn't succeed even if it was against a lower ranked officer. Majority of the people in the Gotei 13 are in fact Zanjutsu users and this man in front of him was one of them. A simple attack like that wouldn't be able to harm him. But then Takero noticed something in midst of the clash, a small, almost unnoticeable twitching movement from his foot.
He's about to kick... If Takero was good at something, then that would be in the field of hakuda. A small movement in the muscles is all he needs to be able to predict a movement. Using the parried blade as an anchor, he stabbed it into the ground and lifted his body up with his arm. The kick then went past him only being able to hit the edge of his robes.
Being at close range was like heaven, every movement that he can do can open an opportunity to attack. Extending his free forwards almost placing the palm in front of the man's face he started gathering energy for his next move. "Hadou #14, Hakke Kuushou!"
Ryokou was committed to his kick to much to be able to respond properly. Though the hadou spell was relatively low, it was well placed. The attack was strong enough to send him reeling backwards, but not enough to knock him out. As he flew over the sandy floor, Ryokou used the opportunity to right himself so that he was facing the ground. Clicking the swords together, Ryokou arched down and used the momentum from the attack to spring board off his left hand back to his feet. As he slid backwards another foot or so, he again took to dual-wielding while the sand was kicked up into the gentle wind. The cloud of sand surrounding him would stay just long enough to let Ryokou think. Given this chance he quickly studied his adversary, analyzing the brief exchange.
'He's certainly quick with his kidou spells...'
Recalling how Takero had already used two spells in just the first two attacks. Ryokou tried hard to recall what the seventh division specialty was, but was sure it was not kidou. Something was still amiss to Ryokou, he was not sure what, but he knew he had to be missing something that would help him out.
'I will just have to keep my eyes peeled.'
As the sand cloud dissipated, Ryokou shot out of it towards Takero with his swords connected together in his right hand.
""The Frozen hand breaks, melting away the sun. The frosty breath blows, relentlessly assaulting the wind. The binding ice collapses, nurturing the earth's plants. Hadou #30, Aisu"
Seconds after casting, Ryokou disconnected the swords to go in close behind the icy shard with both swords aimed to pierce skin.
"Too slow..." Takero spoke softly as he anchored the other blade he had on the ground. Gathering kidou on his hand, he released small beam of energy that hit the ice kidou head on. "Kaijo!" He then closed his hand and decimated the kidou until it was diffused to nothing but harmless energy.
Behind the kidou, a rushing Ryokou came into view with his two blades aiming to hit him directly. How foolish... Takero didn't even have to pull out his blades from the ground... because his hands were enough. Gathering energy unto his two hands, he compressed the energy as if there were two gloves made out of reiatsu enveloped them.
As the blades neared him, he let the blades slip in between his palms. Ryokou's blades slid through his hands until his hands were near the guard. "Do you think that I am foolish enough to bear hate towards the man who fought my fiancÁƒ ©e valiantly in battle? Do you really think that I am that kind of person? And do you really believe that the purpose of me calling you out here was just to seek retribution?" Takero then tightened his grip on the blades. "If you're answer is yes then..." Takero then pushed himself off the ground with his legs and directed a double kick towards the man's chest. "Then you're wrong!"
'Should have figured he would do something like that.' Ryokou commented to himself as he watched his sword swords slide to the hilts between Takero's palms. He was face to face with the vice- captain, and it seemed that they were still misunderstanding each other. Ryokou stood listening to Takero. He still had not got the reason for this meeting from him, and at least to Ryokou the fighting style was not revenge set against him which made him begin to wonder what the real purpose was. As he listened he was keeping a critical eye on his opponent, waiting for his chance. Then it came, Takero had let go of his swords in an attempt to strike him with a kick to the chest. Ryokou flash stepped out of the way of the kick to Takero's left side.
"I do not know about you, but I have always been told that a fighter's true intention is told through his fists. So far your fists have indicated to me an ulterior motive for this meeting that is the furthest from revenge. I am sure that had you truly wanted to seek vengeance upon me I would not be standing, yet I still stand. So how long are we going to continue with this charade of a fight?"
As he spoke he was careful to stay just beyond Takero's arm's reach. Ryokou was studying him. He needed to think more critically about his moves. So far he had been fighting like a recruit and not like the seated officer he was.
'Obviously he is good with kidou and at close range, but as far as his skill with the swords I still have not seen enough to make an informed call. I will have to keep him at swords length until I can be sure of the extent of his skills.'
Takero grinned as the other fighter revealed his view on the fight. True enough his observation was correct but the real reason for the vice captain to be fighting him seems to be still left in the dark. "Let's just say that..." Takero released the reiatsu from his hands and laid them on the bases of the two blades' hilts. "I've taken quite an interest in you because of your fighting style. As well as how you won that match against Meigetsu."
Takero picked up the blades and sheathed Kyoujin to his back. He held the asauchi that he called forth with his right hand and left it hanging by the side of his body. "Do you remember what happened during that fight? Do you remember the part when the two of you clashed using your Shikai?" He said as he took a step towards the man. "Meigetsu was able to draw out the full potential of her Shikai and you weren't. But even being able to draw it out, you were still able to beat her. What is the difference then?"
The vice captain then took another step and released some of his reiatsu out of his body. "The difference is in the skill level. But you do know that skill isn't everything. No matter how skilful you are, against a strong opponent you may find yourself in trouble or possibly on the brink of defeat. I am here to TEACH you on how to draw out that dormant strength that you could harness when using your zanpakutou." Air pressure coming from the vice captain blew through the stadium as he raised the blade up to shoulder's height. "Only a few people in the Gotei 13 are able to harness that power, most of them are high ranking officers such as myself. I am willing to teach you what they taught me..."
"But the real question is: Do you want to learn it?"
Ryokou became intrigue. Listening he lowered his weapons, but did not sheath them. As the vice-captain stepped closer, Ryokou stood his ground. He was far more interested in what he was hearing. He had finally gotten his answer to the question that had been bothering him since the fight began. As Takero spoke about the tournament, Ryokou was busy reliving the intense moments. The fight had not lasted long, but it seemed like an eternity when he was fighting. Meigetsu he had noted was strong. As he reflected he realized that he had won only because of his instinct as a fighter.
It was then that Ryokou began to notice a strange phenomenon happening around him much like it did when ever he releases his shi-kai. This time however the source seemed to be coming from Takero. Ryokou glanced to his own two swords, as if questioning if there was more that he still had not discovered. He had obtained ban-kai, and he knew there were still other stages yet to be obtained. However Takero was talking to him as if there was a separate level of power. His attention quickly snapped back to Takero, as his voice trailed off into the swirling wind on the last question.
'Do I want to learn what he can teach me?...'
" Why are you even asking? There are things to be learned. Things that I can not teach you that you must learn on your own.
As quickly as Arashi had spoken, he was quiet once more. It was clear to Ryokou that Arashi Kishi would not tell or teach Ryokou things he was not interested in prior. Looking into Takero's eyes with a fierce look of determination, Ryokou addressed the question posed to him.
"Teach me what you know."
"I'm glad to hear that, Ryokou." Takero nodded approvingly as the man agreed to his offer of instruction. Not many people are given a chance to learn this kind of thing, and it was a good move for Ryokou to accept such an offer. There was nothing to be lost in this training, but there was something that he could definitely gain from this.
"Very well, we will start now." Takero took a deep breath as he recalled the teachings of his mentor, the late vice captain of the third division, Nifuji Jinte. By chance he was passing by the seventh division when Takero was out in the training grounds practicing how to call Kyoujin in such a short time. Nifuji dropped into his training and offered to instruct him in increasing the output level of his Shikai. He accepted it without second thought and now, he had a chance to share the knowledge he gained to other people.
"First off, I'd like to clarify that this method has little to do with your zanpakutou. This has more focus on you, the person who wields the weapon. I'd like you to keep that in mind during the course of this 'session'." Taking a few more step, Takero then released the energy holding the form of the blade and returned it to nothingness.
"Now, Ryokou. If you expect to learn this method... Show me your Shikai..."
Ryokou was caught off-guard by this, but just shrugged it off. At this point he felt no reason to doubt Takero, and anything he could learn from the vice-captain would be helpful. Gripping his swords tightly, Ryokou called out the phrase he had mentioned so many times before. He did not yell it like he would have in the heat of battle, but mentioned it as if it were part of idle chatter.
"Hireki sono uindo no gekijou, Arashi Kishi"
In obedient response, the glowing weapon began drawing the wind currents nearby into it as the two swords fused and transformed into a four foot diameter shuriken. The shuriken then began an incredibly slow spin hovering in place over the forearm which held the hilt of the sword. Soon after the transformation formed a gentle breeze seemed to linger in the arena blowing past both men from Ryokou's right.
Standing with his shi-kai released, Ryokou felt somewhat divided. Part of him was the patient hunter, one who carefully planned every move before striking. The other part was in impulsive fighter, the side the relied on instinct for every attack. It was that part Ryokou constantly found himself at odds with, since it was usually that side of him that took over when his initial plans failed. It was that side of him he wanted to be able to control, because he knew that side of him was where his strength laid.
Ryokou looked Takero in the eyes as his shuriken slowly spun behind him.
"So where do we go from here?"
"An interesting form for a Shikai..." Takero spoke from his observation of the man's release. A shuriken huh...? I guess that would mean that he's a long range fighter... much different from how he is without his Shikai. I'm quite curious as to how he fights with this weapon of his. A smirk was painted all over the vice captain's face.
"You release your blade and yet you don't know what to do?" He shot a question to the man. "Isn't it obvious? I'm here to assess your use of your Shikai and yet you still do not know?" He shook his head from side to side as he pointed his index finger towards the man. "Well... if you're not going to do anything... then I will."
"Hadou #14, Hakke Kuushou!" A sudden burst of energy left Takero's hand and into the air. But even then, no form materialised, no light or shadow was produced just a strong gust of wind that pushing away quickly from the vice captain and approaching the unsuspecting man before him.
Ryokou reacted and quickly brought his shuriken up to act as his shield expecting some kind of attack since the kidou was announced as a hadou. Yet even as he was being pushed backwards with his shuriken taking the brunt of the force, he still did not feel he impact that usually follows most hadou attacks. Sensing the settling down in the atmosphere that usually follows a kidou attack, Ryokou made his move.
As Ryokou prepared to attack, the shuriken began to spin at an increasing rate. Sub-consciously wanting to show the true nature of his shi-kai, Ryokou launched the rapidly spinning shuriken out to his right with a horizontal slashing movement of his arm. As the shuriken flew on its apparent course, Ryokou altered that course with another slashing motion in such a manner that the shuriken would curve in towards the vice-captain. On top of altering the flight path of the shuriken, Ryokou also alter the angle of the cutting spin from forty-five degrees left of vertical to forty-five degrees right of vertical by a small twist of his wrist.
As the shuriken was nearing its first pass on the target, Ryokou was mentally already plotting out several different possibilities for the next pass.
Typical... Takero said to himself as he observed the movements of the attack. Very common... He shook his head as a straightened his robes. The shuriken curved from one direction to another, slightly hiding itself from his normal view. The vice captain backed away towards a wall as the weapon neared him.
He leaned back against the wall and felt the thickness of it as well as the material that it was made from. He brushed his finger gently on the surface and release a small amount of energy to determine the volume. Shashinoubure With a small smile on his face he looked back at Ryokou who was still in mid-air. "Of all places, you chose to remain in the air."
The shuriken then came in like lightning and sunk deep into the vice captain's body. A grinding sound can be heard on his backside as the tips of its blades clashed upon the hard granite surface.
Even when it hit, a smile was still on the face of the officer. No blood was coming out from the wound he received even though it went through him. Soon enough the man standing on the wall was enveloped by light and slowly dispersed into the air, leaving nothing but the razor-like shuriken in its place.
"Attacks like that don't work on seasoned warriors." From behind the wall a figure clad in black jumped and stood at the place near the shuriken. "Attacks like that are easy to counter since you know they are still coming at you no matter that they do."
Placing enough reiryoku on his hand, he created what seemed to be a glove of energy and grabbed the tip of the shuriken. "I feel noting from your attacks. They seem to lack your emotions thus making them weaker than one with the emotions of the user. I can feel no desire to cut. No desire to attack. No desire to win. You lack these. You treat a fight as something that is nothing."
He then held tightly upon the man's weapon and readied to throw. His expression suddenly changed from a stoic to a more aggressive tone. "THIS IS HOW YOU--" He then swung the shuriken towards Ryokou at full might. "USE THIS!"
From nothing, the rotation of the shuriken increased rapidly as it launched from Takero's hand. It cut through the air like nothing was hindering it. The spinning of the weapon was close to a rotation speed of a chainsaw. "I don't know if you know but..." Taking a step forward he released torrents of energy into the air. "Your life might be the price for not taking this seriously." He then burst into a shunpo to close the gap between him and man.
Ryokou's eyes narrowed as he saw his own weapon being turned against him. He admitted that he had been caught off-guard when his shuriken hit, but immediately took note of the fact that a kidou spell had to have been used. Unwavering, Ryokou was already planning his next move even as his shuriken drew dangerously near to cutting him. Tightening his grip on the hilt, Ryokou was waiting to strike.
"You call me a fool when you leave yourself open for attack?"
He quickly raised his arm that held the hilt which prior hung by his side. As he raised his arm so did his reiatsu. The wind tunnel caught the spinning shuriken, and as if it was his plan from the start, the shuriken responded promptly and charged straight for Takero while still maintaining the spin Takero had given it.
Upon turning an attack intended for him back on the send, Ryokou took a quick shunpo step to the left. He then began to bring the shuriken in for its second pass at Takero. At the same time Ryokou was taking notes, watching his opponent and analyzing for any weakness that could be exploited.
'He may be right about emotions adding to power to attacks, but being controlled by one's emotions is just as dangerous. So there must be a balance between strategic thinking and employing ones emotions. What does he mean I have no desire to win? No desire to attack? Well if he wants desire than I shall show him desire.
Arashi let's show him what we've got'
'Aye Sire.'
Almost immediately, both the speed of the attacks and the rotational speed increased as the wind tunnel also darkened in its blue hue.
'I may have to use our attack to prove ourselves.'
'I would be more than willing should it come to that.'
Ryokou's eyes turned cold as he glared at the vice captain. Ryokou was determined now to prove to Takero that he could fight with the best and hold his ground.
Takero while still in the middle of a shunpo managed to get a glimpse of what was happening to the weapon he threw at Ryokou. The movement which the man was taking was somehow affecting the shuriken and probably he managed to regain control of it. He quickly extended his hand and released a small amount of reiatsu.
"Bougyoudo #31, Yaiba no Souseki." A slender 3 feet long katana suddenly materialised on his hand as the kidou formed.
The shuriken quickly shot towards him as a result of Ryokou controlling it. In response Takero quickly plunged the blade into the ground just before the shuriken came into striking distance. Flipping his body, the vice captain used the hilt to swing his body up into the air making the katana vertical to the ground.
The katana shook violently as the shuriken struck it hard and continuously grinded it. Spark flew into the air as the two metals tested their strength against each other. Takero quickly twisted his body and made himself stand on just the base of the hilt, then he shunpoed away from the embedded weapon, just before the shuriken broke the katana to pieces.
It didn't take long until he closed the gap between the two of them. There was only a few feet left before they both clashed face to face. Takero quickly pointed a finger towards the arm Ryokou was using to control his shuriken. He released a burst of energy that traveled through the air and headed towards the man. "Bakudou #39, Raifutsukamu!" He called out and aimed to constrict the movements of the man's attacking arm.
Once the kidou has been released, he let his body pass Ryokou slightly and stopped just behind him. Flipping backwards he aimed to hit with a spinning heel kick to send the man back to the ground.
Ryokou could not react fast enough to the kidou spell. It hit his arm and he thought it would be worse considering that the spell was bakudo in nature. However, much to his rather pleasant surprise, the spell only affected his arm, making it feel as if it were clamped between the teeth of a vice grip. Having grown accustomed to fighting with pain, Ryokou focused on the fight at hand. However in doing so he lost track of where his opponent had gotten too.
The heel to his bound arm was all he needed to find where his opponent was at. The kick sent him sideways to the ground with the shuriken flailing as it followed. Unsure of how long the kidou spell would be in effect, Ryokou switched hands in which the hilt was held while he was on the ground. Getting up, Ryokou first got into a crouched position then slowly rose to stand up.
"That was a good combo you used on me there, but sadly you over looked one detail."
Spinning around, Ryokou whipped the shuriken at Takero with lightening speed. As he attacked, Ryokou noted that Takero was using kidou without incantations. This gave Ryokou an idea, and on his next attack he changed his aim. Instead of trying to hit the torso or a leg, he instead aimed for Takero's shoulders. Ryokou figured that if he could not use his hands, then he could not complete the casting of whatever spell he chose.
"Speaking of which...The body burns hot, the soul's evil engulfed in the purifying flame. Judgment Absolute. Bakudou #20, Chains of Misery!"
Upon the completion of the spells three fire chains formed around his sword hand with tips flailing wildly in the air. Now things had turned into a guessing game, Ryokou quickly estimated the distance between them to be too far to use the chains as they were meant to be used.
Quickly following up the attack, Takero burst into another shunpo avoiding the incoming shuriken and bringing him within striking distance of Ryokou. Approaching by the side of the man, He quickly noticed the forming kidou as the man spoke the incantation. " If you're going to use kidou, at least learn how to use it without incantations... Bougyoudo #34, Meikyou!"
As he cast the spell, the shuriken came back for him like it was some homing type of weapon. **** it. Such a persistent little bugger. Quickly grabbing the hilt of his blade, he pulled the sleeping zanpakutou from his back and called out to fully awaken it. "Sakebidasu, Kyoujin!"
Quickly the zanpakutou acknowledged the command and glowed brightly. The whole blade's form wavered as it was enveloped in light and crawled down the arms of Takero like it was some kind of snake. As soon as the shuriken came the light covering the blade disappeared and revealed long flowing cloths that were wrapped around the vice captain's both arms.
He reacted quickly to the attack by shielding himself with a cross arm block. The cloths that were covering his arms looked weak in front of a man who has no knowledge of this. But in truth these bandages were made out of compressed reiryoku which made them as hard as steel. The shuriken came and struck at his shoulder but his Shikai took the brunt of the damage only leaving him with small wound.
Thrown off balance by the attack, the brown haired shinigami regained his posture and turned towards the man. "That was a good hit. But that's still not enough. Use your emotions to fuel the attack but keep your head cool. Think of whom you have a grudge to. Someone that has dealt you so much pain and trouble in your life. Possibly another man. Possibly a hollow." Takero then assumed a proper fighting stance and let his reiatsu flare wildly. "I'll... show you..."
The raging reiatsu around his body suddenly settled leaving not a trace behind. He focused his mind on Ryokou and keep his mind to what he was going to do. The color of his eyes suddenly took the shade of his reiatsu, a bright emerald glow shone.
What are you going to do?
KILL!
Bursting into a shunpo with all his might he closed the gap between him and Ryokou in a blink of an eye. With his speed a focused on hitting the man in his gut but not with just any normal punch. Hankyou! Placing some more reiatsu into his attack he executed the technique at full power.
Ryokou knew he was in for a trouble at hearing the type of kidou his opponent was using. His assumption came true as his own kidou spell turned on him. The chains that Ryokou had thought he would have had control over being it was the first time he attempted the spell pulled a 180 and instead of latching on to the opponent they pile drove themselves into his chest. Not only was he injured physically by failed spell, but he also felt his reiatsu drop from the failed attempt.
'And that is why I hate to use kidou spells unless deemed absolutely necessary.'
Breathing heavy from the sudden reversal, a smile soon grew on his face. Not only had the bakudou that had been used on his right arm let up, but he picked up on the almost feint trickle of blood that came out of Takero as a result of his persistent attacks. It was not much of an injury compared to the beating he was taking, but it was enough to tell him that he was holding his own fair enough. Ryokou looked to his opponent as he spoke of emotions fueling power, yet maintaining a cool head. Upon the mentioning the combination of the words pain, trouble, and hollow, the image of the hollow form of his father flashed to the forefront of his mind. Ryokou could feel the remainder of his reiatsu beginning to flare. However his consciousness maintained focused on the fight. Takero had vanished before his eyes, and Ryokou reacted on instinct. Immediately the shuriken came up in front of him seconds before Takero slammed his fist into the center of the weapon.
Ryokou's own eyes narrowed with seriousness as they locked with the glowing emeralds.
"You want to see how I fight when I let myself get pissed off, fine so be it."
Ryokou let the flood of streaming images that were burned permanently into his mind flow free. Images that depicted every fight, every word, and every cut that came with each of his encounters with the spider hollow, formally known as Shoubin Shimazaki. His own eyes never left the lock, as his reiatsu flared. The wind tunnel once tinted with light blue rapidly darkened into a dark navy blue to match the new color of Ryokou's own eyes. The once slowly spinning shuriken that had acted as a shield, rapidly increased with speed and cutting power. Ryokou was now ready to fight as his instructor had wanted him too. With a calm cold voice filled with killing intent, Ryokou just audibly spoke one word.
"Now"
"Aye Sire."
Upon the mention of the single syllable word, four straight dark blue lines extended from the exact center of the shuriken reaching out to the outer edge. To one who was unfamiliar with the attack that was about to be unleashed, it appeared as if the vice-captain had dealt a damaging blow to the spinning weapon. The sections began to emit a bright dark blue color then quickly broke off, flinging themselves towards the cardinal directions. Just as fast as the flew away, they returned homing in on Takero even faster and this time they were fueled by an emotion reiatsu concoction boiling to perfection within the depths of Ryokou's soul.
Quickly pulling away from Ryokou as his attack hit the massive shuriken, Takero watched as the temperament of the man's reiatsu change to something more... intimidating. The amount of reiatsu the man was giving off wasn't that of any of the attacks he used in his previous attempts. You've almost grasped it... He said as there was a small smile on his face to show his satisfaction.
Suddenly something unexpected, the shuriken broke off and scattered into the air. That was it...? His smile was replaced by a frown as he saw the man's weapon crumble under the pressure. Or was it the case.
Takero quickly dashed to Ryokou to finish what he had started but he noticed something coming from the corner of his eyes. Apparently the shuriken didn't get shattered or broken, it was an ability. Something that he didn't expect the man was capable off. The shurikens came dangerously close to him, but he quickly broke off from his attack and focused on defending himself from the incoming counter.
"Kaze no Osaeru!" He called out as he activated Kyoujin's ability. Winds started to compress all over his body and created somewhat of a barrier around him. The winds rotated furiously around him, making a kind of invisible armor that's made out of his reiatsu and wind currents surrounding him.
The shurikens struck his barrier and rotated furiously against it. But he was a nanosecond late, the shurikens' rotational speed wasn't something he could block at this time. If he were earlier by a whole second the outcome might have been different. The blades managed to tear some part of his garments and deal some flesh wounds. Other than that nothing, the blades were suppressed and pressed back into open space.
"That's good, Ryokou. You've managed to grasp the concept. But I'm afraid there's nothing more for me to teach you." He said as he amplified the strength of his barrier after the attack. "Bakudou #65, Seal of Origins!" Two small beams of kidou suddenly shot out from his at rapid speed and headed towards his opponent.
Ryokou smiled as his attack had yet again attested to the fact that the element of surprise can be everything. The smile never left his face, nor did he waver in his stance as Takero rushed him only to be caught off-guard. At seeing that the four shurikens, had done their task and seemed that they were not going to do anymore damage, Ryokou flicked his wrist calling them back to reform the giant shuriken form.
He stood ready to continue the fight, but he soon found that even with a successful hit such as the one he dealt he still was not fast enough. Takero had used the incantation bypass again, which drastically cut Ryokou time to react. He saw the kidou beams coming for him, but could only manage to block the one with the shuriken. The beam that made it through hit his saketsu. It was more than enough for Ryokou to feel the effects and felt lucky that only one of the beams hit him.
"I'm honored you feel that way."
Upon finishing his sentence he hurled the shuriken, but much to his dismay it barely went far enough to tease Takero's barrier. Had it made the distance, Ryokou seriously doubted that it would have done anything. It was then he recalled what the bakudou spell actually did. He was no where's near ready to admit defeat as the storm still raged in his eyes, but he knew that if he were to continue with the Bakudou spell still in place he would be wasting his energy.
He quickly calculated and weighed his options. It was possible that he might be able to last the potential wait of fifteen seconds, but as he had seen in rodeos, even eight seconds could be a lifetime.
"So teacher, I ask if you were in my situation what would you do?"
Takero grabbed the edges of Kyoujin and pulled it out of his arms. The bandages seemed to slip out of Takero , like running water through and open hand. Soon enough the bandages were out and slowly formed the wakizashi that Takero now has on his hand.
"What would I do I this were in your position?" He returned the question first before continuing. "If this was a real fight, I would have still attacked you using my raw skills. There is no point in dying just because my powers are lost. I'd give you one hell of a time before you could actually kill me. Remember, even if your powers as a shinigami disappears, you could still rely on the basic skills that you have. Use raw strength to overcome your opponent. That's the only way."
Slowly slipping back his zanpakutou back to its sheath, he released his grip and dusted his robes. "But continuing the fight now would be pointless. You'll just sustain unnecessary injury, which is what we are trying to avoid. Since your saketsu has been hit, you won't be able to recover your spent energy quick enough to last in the long run. It's almost time that bakudou wore off so there's no worries there."
He walked slowly and patted the man on his shoulder. "You've learned the technique that draws out more energy when you're in Shikai. All that you need to do now, is practice what you've learned so you'll be able to perform that same feat subconsciously." He then extended his other hand to the man and offered a handshake. "I apologise for the ruse earlier. I just wanted to get a feel of your battle prowess. And I hope you'll be able to use that technique that I taught you."
As if on queue Ryokou felt his reiatsu and strength return as the spell wore off. Still the fight had ended, and as such Ryokou also resealed his weapon back into its twin blade form and sheathed both weapons. He was surprised with himself that he had managed to survive as long as he had, but then again it was only meant to be a training session.
Taking the hand and shaking it in a stiff heartily manner, he also clapped his arm on his newly acquired friends shoulder.
"It is all cool. I am sure that when push comes to shove I will put this knowledge to good use. Who knows it may one day mean the difference between loosing and wining."
Participants:
Takero-dark red
Ryokou-default
Returning back to his office, Ryokou received a verbal message to meet the Fuku-taichou of seventh division at the Soukyou Hill arena in little more than two hours. At first Ryokou thought the whole thing was an elaborate joke put on by Thar. The elements of a practical joke from Thar were all present. The lack of an official letter, the picking of someone well known for his position, it seemed to fit the profile. Ryokou had had no personal dealings with the vice-captain from seventh division, and because of that he figured that seventh had no reason to bother with him. Then again stranger things have happened to Ryokou, and there was also the tournament a few weeks back.
Ryokou went into his office pondering the validity of the message. It was just strange that a vice captain other than his own would want to meet with him on such short notice. Ryokou decided to follow up on his suspicions of a practical joke at work. Much to his surprise his hunting led to the contrary of his initial thoughts. The message was valid, though incredibly vague as to why the meeting had been set up, it was nevertheless valid. Ryokou glanced at the clock on his wall to find that he only had about twenty minutes till the meeting time.
As Ryokou walked the pathway up to the arena, various thoughts flashed across his mind. One thought that stood out though was the idea that his time to fight in the arena had come and his opponent was the Fuku-taichou from seventh. Though as much as it seemed unlikely, it was equally plausible since the opponents for the arena fights were randomly chosen. Ryokou decided to wait and see what was to come. He was long overdue if in fact it turned out to be an arena fight.
A fine line of smoke emerged from the stands of the stadium as bits of ashes were carried away by a slowly passing wind. Then smoke slowly rose once more before it ceased and returned to the fine line that it was. Down below, a man clad in black sat quietly with his legs crossed. His hand was tapping his knee while the other held a lit stick of cigarette, the origin of the smoke from earlier. But this man was by no means normal in his clothing. Unlike many others, this man wore an informal gi with its sleeves torn at the shoulder area. It looked somehow ragged on him, but nonetheless it was proof of the many battles that he's overcome. And what's more, one of his arms was adorned with a badge that signifies the rank that he has... a vice captain.
Takero quietly sat at the empty stands of the stadium and waited for the arrival of the man he was supposed to meet. He wasn't particularly familiar with this man but he took quite an interest in him during the proceedings of the tournament. He was placed in the same tier as his fiancÁƒ ©e was, and did fairly well during the fights -- finishing at tied second place with another shinigami. It was impressive as it is, and his vigour during the fight was indeed worthy of note.
He then tapped his leg as he waited for the man's appearance. Pacing his tapping with the beat in his mind, he created somewhat of a tune that echoed lightly through the arena. Soon his tapping stopped as a familiar reiatsu neared the place. He was finally here. Although he didn't know the man personally, he knew the kind of reiatsu he has; the kind of pressure it emits and the sensation it gives to the people around him. The person he is meeting is going to make his appearance soon.
Slowly a man emerged from one of the pathways in the arena. "Ryokou Shimazaki... I welcome you to the Soukyouku Arena..." His voice echoed through the stadium as he greeted the 4th Seated officer of the thirteenth division.
As Ryokou stood in the archway, leading to the battle floor of the arena the unmistakable scent of cigarette smoke dance about his nose. He glanced about the arena for the origins of the scent and found the vice-captain adorned with a de-sleeved gi. Ryokou left his swords in their sheath, figuring that in a matter of moments he would have to remove them.
"It is welcoming to come here Takero-sama. May I inquire the intent of this meeting? The notice I received was too vague for my liking."
Ryokou meanwhile was internally preparing himself for whatever was to come. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as he waited for a response from the vice-captain. He could feel his heart beginning to run wild in anticipation. He took several deep breaths to calm himself down, fairly certain that it would be nothing he had not dealt with before.
Feeling his heart beat coming back down to normal after the initial jolt of excitement, Ryokou decides to relax a bit. He quickly leans his back against the archway and slid to sit on the sandy ground.
Takero took one last drag off of his cigarette before he flicked it to an empty space opposite him. A fine line of smoke emerged from the seat as the stick the man smoked burned out. He took this moment of silence to analyse the man's reiatsu. There is strength in this man's presence... indeed worthy of a seated officer of the Gotei 13. But strength in one's presence doesn't really tell us anything about the man's actual strength.
Slowly he rose from his seat and glanced over to Ryokou. "Is there really supposed to be any purpose of a meeting...?" He asked the man. "Do people meet because they intend to?"
The vice captain then took a step forward, then another, then followed by another. His path didn't stray from staircase leading down to the inner circle of the stadium. "But if you insist on me giving a reason then..." A grin appeared on his face. "Does the name Meigetsu... ring a bell to you...?"
His words was then left in the air as the vice captain disappeared from where stood. Only a gust of wind blew forcefully against the stands that carried some of the litter away from the stadium.
"I'm her fiancÁƒ ©." He whispered to his ear as he slowly pulled out Kyoujin from its sheath.
Ryokou's eyes got big as his memory flashed back to the tournament by just the mention of that name. He recalled the fight in which he had won. It was a brutal fight and one of the first times he revealed his ability to duel wield. He could see her face and the punishment they had put each other through. Just the combination of her name and the statement whispered into his ear was all he needed to know. In just barely a whisper, Ryokou realizes the intent of this meeting.
"Oh ****..."
Ryokou reacted as fast as body would let him, flash stepping from his seated position to sliding backwards towards the middle of the arena. His mind began to race as fast as his heart rate.
'Why the hell did I think that the entering the tournament would not bring consequences like this. I knew fight against females would come back to haunt me but this is ridiculous. Hell with it now; that was then, now is now. Now I have got to face what my decisions have resulted in.'
Seeing that Takero had unsheathed his sword, Ryokou figure there was no avoiding it and drew forth his swords as well.
"I figured; if what you say is true, then there is no need for me to hide the fact that I can duel wield. So how are we going to do this?"
He fell for it... Takero said in his mind as the man was startled by his action. "Dual Wielding is a skill very looked up to by many of our subordinates. Wielding a single blade in a fight is hard enough as it is. But to hold two swords is indeed impressive." He said to compliment the man.
Slowly bringing Kyoujin down to his side, the blade of the sword flickered in the light as the sun rays hit it. He then took a few steps forwards before he stopped. He was right about 3 meters from the man when he stopped. And from this distance anyone could land a clean hit if they were skilful enough.
"But..." Takero raised his hand to his side until it was parallel to the ground. "You're not the only one who could wield two blades..." Takero then released a small burst of energy from his palm. "Bougyoudo #31, Yaiba no Souseki"
The energy that he had released slowly took form of a silver-like pole. And slowly the silver glow from the pole faded and revealed another wakizashi in his hand... very much identical to the blade that he held.
"Let me ask you something, Ryokou. If you were in my position what would you do?" He then pointed the blade in his left hand towards the shinigami.
Holding his swords steady in a defensive stance, Ryokou was not about to let his guard down with idle chatter.
'Teh...should have seen that second blade coming, either way it will be interesting. He is a VC, and the last time I faced off with one my knee was not in prime condition. Now though, it will be interesting to see how I fare.'
He knew if the situation were reverse what they were he would probably seek revenge though the thoroughness and extent of repayment would vary with the person he was after. He watched as the spell conjured up a second wakizashi, which only served to flash his memory back to his morning training with Sophia. Just the tidbits he had gleaned from that morning, was enough to comfort his mind.
Slowly the initial jolt to his mental state caused by Takero's revelation waned allowing him to start thinking more clearly.
"Personally if it were me...I would seek revenge relentlessly until I got it. The extremity of which would be determined by the consequences surrounding the event. I am not sure if you know all of the details, but prior to the tournament I had sought revenge over such an incident. The hollow is now purified, but that is beside the point.
Either way, I would be a hypocrite to say that I would not seek to at least pommel the fellow who harmed Jasmine...even if it were in a tournament. I do not blame you for calling me out, but I will not take a beating without fighting back."
Ryokou stood his ground waiting for the main event to begin, as he was certain there was probably more to this meeting than just idle conversation.
"You say you will fight yet you concede to defeat." Takero shook his head after analysing the man's stand on his sudden revelation. "If you concede to defeat, lay down your weapon and accept its coming in its entirety. But if you wish to fight, fight with a desire to win. There is no point in fighting if you have no desire for victory."
The vice captain then charged at the man with his blades hanging by his sides. A quick flip followed his sudden rush, he tumbled in the air going towards the man and aimed a downwards kick to the area before him. The stone blocks that make up the stadiums flooring broke in the pieces and sent debris in every direction.
Quickly reversing his grip on his blades, he directed the asauchi wakizashi to the man's front blade and spun to give it more momentum. The sound of grinding steel could be heard echoing through the empty stadium as the two blades met with force. Continuing his spin, Takero then directed his second blade back into a stabbing motion to slip through the man's initial guard.
Recalling back to his morning training with Sophia, this man had done practically the same thing he had done when he first attacked Sophia. Ryokou's eyes were quick to follow the second blade as it seemed to be the favored weapon if most dual-wielders. He parried it with his respective sword. Holding the parry which created a small, but manageable opening for Ryokou, he addressed the accusation of admittance to defeat.
"I never conceded, I merely stated that I acknowledged the fact that you earned your rank. As such I admitted to you that I realize I will not walk away unharmed. That does not mean defeat in my book. To me, that just means it will be a worthy fight of our positions."
Seeing the opportunity, he attempted plant a kick into Takero's gut and push off to propel himself into the air, in hopes of opening up a gap for some breathing room.
Takero knew for a fact that his attack wouldn't succeed even if it was against a lower ranked officer. Majority of the people in the Gotei 13 are in fact Zanjutsu users and this man in front of him was one of them. A simple attack like that wouldn't be able to harm him. But then Takero noticed something in midst of the clash, a small, almost unnoticeable twitching movement from his foot.
He's about to kick... If Takero was good at something, then that would be in the field of hakuda. A small movement in the muscles is all he needs to be able to predict a movement. Using the parried blade as an anchor, he stabbed it into the ground and lifted his body up with his arm. The kick then went past him only being able to hit the edge of his robes.
Being at close range was like heaven, every movement that he can do can open an opportunity to attack. Extending his free forwards almost placing the palm in front of the man's face he started gathering energy for his next move. "Hadou #14, Hakke Kuushou!"
Ryokou was committed to his kick to much to be able to respond properly. Though the hadou spell was relatively low, it was well placed. The attack was strong enough to send him reeling backwards, but not enough to knock him out. As he flew over the sandy floor, Ryokou used the opportunity to right himself so that he was facing the ground. Clicking the swords together, Ryokou arched down and used the momentum from the attack to spring board off his left hand back to his feet. As he slid backwards another foot or so, he again took to dual-wielding while the sand was kicked up into the gentle wind. The cloud of sand surrounding him would stay just long enough to let Ryokou think. Given this chance he quickly studied his adversary, analyzing the brief exchange.
'He's certainly quick with his kidou spells...'
Recalling how Takero had already used two spells in just the first two attacks. Ryokou tried hard to recall what the seventh division specialty was, but was sure it was not kidou. Something was still amiss to Ryokou, he was not sure what, but he knew he had to be missing something that would help him out.
'I will just have to keep my eyes peeled.'
As the sand cloud dissipated, Ryokou shot out of it towards Takero with his swords connected together in his right hand.
""The Frozen hand breaks, melting away the sun. The frosty breath blows, relentlessly assaulting the wind. The binding ice collapses, nurturing the earth's plants. Hadou #30, Aisu"
Seconds after casting, Ryokou disconnected the swords to go in close behind the icy shard with both swords aimed to pierce skin.
"Too slow..." Takero spoke softly as he anchored the other blade he had on the ground. Gathering kidou on his hand, he released small beam of energy that hit the ice kidou head on. "Kaijo!" He then closed his hand and decimated the kidou until it was diffused to nothing but harmless energy.
Behind the kidou, a rushing Ryokou came into view with his two blades aiming to hit him directly. How foolish... Takero didn't even have to pull out his blades from the ground... because his hands were enough. Gathering energy unto his two hands, he compressed the energy as if there were two gloves made out of reiatsu enveloped them.
As the blades neared him, he let the blades slip in between his palms. Ryokou's blades slid through his hands until his hands were near the guard. "Do you think that I am foolish enough to bear hate towards the man who fought my fiancÁƒ ©e valiantly in battle? Do you really think that I am that kind of person? And do you really believe that the purpose of me calling you out here was just to seek retribution?" Takero then tightened his grip on the blades. "If you're answer is yes then..." Takero then pushed himself off the ground with his legs and directed a double kick towards the man's chest. "Then you're wrong!"
'Should have figured he would do something like that.' Ryokou commented to himself as he watched his sword swords slide to the hilts between Takero's palms. He was face to face with the vice- captain, and it seemed that they were still misunderstanding each other. Ryokou stood listening to Takero. He still had not got the reason for this meeting from him, and at least to Ryokou the fighting style was not revenge set against him which made him begin to wonder what the real purpose was. As he listened he was keeping a critical eye on his opponent, waiting for his chance. Then it came, Takero had let go of his swords in an attempt to strike him with a kick to the chest. Ryokou flash stepped out of the way of the kick to Takero's left side.
"I do not know about you, but I have always been told that a fighter's true intention is told through his fists. So far your fists have indicated to me an ulterior motive for this meeting that is the furthest from revenge. I am sure that had you truly wanted to seek vengeance upon me I would not be standing, yet I still stand. So how long are we going to continue with this charade of a fight?"
As he spoke he was careful to stay just beyond Takero's arm's reach. Ryokou was studying him. He needed to think more critically about his moves. So far he had been fighting like a recruit and not like the seated officer he was.
'Obviously he is good with kidou and at close range, but as far as his skill with the swords I still have not seen enough to make an informed call. I will have to keep him at swords length until I can be sure of the extent of his skills.'
Takero grinned as the other fighter revealed his view on the fight. True enough his observation was correct but the real reason for the vice captain to be fighting him seems to be still left in the dark. "Let's just say that..." Takero released the reiatsu from his hands and laid them on the bases of the two blades' hilts. "I've taken quite an interest in you because of your fighting style. As well as how you won that match against Meigetsu."
Takero picked up the blades and sheathed Kyoujin to his back. He held the asauchi that he called forth with his right hand and left it hanging by the side of his body. "Do you remember what happened during that fight? Do you remember the part when the two of you clashed using your Shikai?" He said as he took a step towards the man. "Meigetsu was able to draw out the full potential of her Shikai and you weren't. But even being able to draw it out, you were still able to beat her. What is the difference then?"
The vice captain then took another step and released some of his reiatsu out of his body. "The difference is in the skill level. But you do know that skill isn't everything. No matter how skilful you are, against a strong opponent you may find yourself in trouble or possibly on the brink of defeat. I am here to TEACH you on how to draw out that dormant strength that you could harness when using your zanpakutou." Air pressure coming from the vice captain blew through the stadium as he raised the blade up to shoulder's height. "Only a few people in the Gotei 13 are able to harness that power, most of them are high ranking officers such as myself. I am willing to teach you what they taught me..."
"But the real question is: Do you want to learn it?"
Ryokou became intrigue. Listening he lowered his weapons, but did not sheath them. As the vice-captain stepped closer, Ryokou stood his ground. He was far more interested in what he was hearing. He had finally gotten his answer to the question that had been bothering him since the fight began. As Takero spoke about the tournament, Ryokou was busy reliving the intense moments. The fight had not lasted long, but it seemed like an eternity when he was fighting. Meigetsu he had noted was strong. As he reflected he realized that he had won only because of his instinct as a fighter.
It was then that Ryokou began to notice a strange phenomenon happening around him much like it did when ever he releases his shi-kai. This time however the source seemed to be coming from Takero. Ryokou glanced to his own two swords, as if questioning if there was more that he still had not discovered. He had obtained ban-kai, and he knew there were still other stages yet to be obtained. However Takero was talking to him as if there was a separate level of power. His attention quickly snapped back to Takero, as his voice trailed off into the swirling wind on the last question.
'Do I want to learn what he can teach me?...'
" Why are you even asking? There are things to be learned. Things that I can not teach you that you must learn on your own.
As quickly as Arashi had spoken, he was quiet once more. It was clear to Ryokou that Arashi Kishi would not tell or teach Ryokou things he was not interested in prior. Looking into Takero's eyes with a fierce look of determination, Ryokou addressed the question posed to him.
"Teach me what you know."
"I'm glad to hear that, Ryokou." Takero nodded approvingly as the man agreed to his offer of instruction. Not many people are given a chance to learn this kind of thing, and it was a good move for Ryokou to accept such an offer. There was nothing to be lost in this training, but there was something that he could definitely gain from this.
"Very well, we will start now." Takero took a deep breath as he recalled the teachings of his mentor, the late vice captain of the third division, Nifuji Jinte. By chance he was passing by the seventh division when Takero was out in the training grounds practicing how to call Kyoujin in such a short time. Nifuji dropped into his training and offered to instruct him in increasing the output level of his Shikai. He accepted it without second thought and now, he had a chance to share the knowledge he gained to other people.
"First off, I'd like to clarify that this method has little to do with your zanpakutou. This has more focus on you, the person who wields the weapon. I'd like you to keep that in mind during the course of this 'session'." Taking a few more step, Takero then released the energy holding the form of the blade and returned it to nothingness.
"Now, Ryokou. If you expect to learn this method... Show me your Shikai..."
Ryokou was caught off-guard by this, but just shrugged it off. At this point he felt no reason to doubt Takero, and anything he could learn from the vice-captain would be helpful. Gripping his swords tightly, Ryokou called out the phrase he had mentioned so many times before. He did not yell it like he would have in the heat of battle, but mentioned it as if it were part of idle chatter.
"Hireki sono uindo no gekijou, Arashi Kishi"
In obedient response, the glowing weapon began drawing the wind currents nearby into it as the two swords fused and transformed into a four foot diameter shuriken. The shuriken then began an incredibly slow spin hovering in place over the forearm which held the hilt of the sword. Soon after the transformation formed a gentle breeze seemed to linger in the arena blowing past both men from Ryokou's right.
Standing with his shi-kai released, Ryokou felt somewhat divided. Part of him was the patient hunter, one who carefully planned every move before striking. The other part was in impulsive fighter, the side the relied on instinct for every attack. It was that part Ryokou constantly found himself at odds with, since it was usually that side of him that took over when his initial plans failed. It was that side of him he wanted to be able to control, because he knew that side of him was where his strength laid.
Ryokou looked Takero in the eyes as his shuriken slowly spun behind him.
"So where do we go from here?"
"An interesting form for a Shikai..." Takero spoke from his observation of the man's release. A shuriken huh...? I guess that would mean that he's a long range fighter... much different from how he is without his Shikai. I'm quite curious as to how he fights with this weapon of his. A smirk was painted all over the vice captain's face.
"You release your blade and yet you don't know what to do?" He shot a question to the man. "Isn't it obvious? I'm here to assess your use of your Shikai and yet you still do not know?" He shook his head from side to side as he pointed his index finger towards the man. "Well... if you're not going to do anything... then I will."
"Hadou #14, Hakke Kuushou!" A sudden burst of energy left Takero's hand and into the air. But even then, no form materialised, no light or shadow was produced just a strong gust of wind that pushing away quickly from the vice captain and approaching the unsuspecting man before him.
Ryokou reacted and quickly brought his shuriken up to act as his shield expecting some kind of attack since the kidou was announced as a hadou. Yet even as he was being pushed backwards with his shuriken taking the brunt of the force, he still did not feel he impact that usually follows most hadou attacks. Sensing the settling down in the atmosphere that usually follows a kidou attack, Ryokou made his move.
As Ryokou prepared to attack, the shuriken began to spin at an increasing rate. Sub-consciously wanting to show the true nature of his shi-kai, Ryokou launched the rapidly spinning shuriken out to his right with a horizontal slashing movement of his arm. As the shuriken flew on its apparent course, Ryokou altered that course with another slashing motion in such a manner that the shuriken would curve in towards the vice-captain. On top of altering the flight path of the shuriken, Ryokou also alter the angle of the cutting spin from forty-five degrees left of vertical to forty-five degrees right of vertical by a small twist of his wrist.
As the shuriken was nearing its first pass on the target, Ryokou was mentally already plotting out several different possibilities for the next pass.
Typical... Takero said to himself as he observed the movements of the attack. Very common... He shook his head as a straightened his robes. The shuriken curved from one direction to another, slightly hiding itself from his normal view. The vice captain backed away towards a wall as the weapon neared him.
He leaned back against the wall and felt the thickness of it as well as the material that it was made from. He brushed his finger gently on the surface and release a small amount of energy to determine the volume. Shashinoubure With a small smile on his face he looked back at Ryokou who was still in mid-air. "Of all places, you chose to remain in the air."
The shuriken then came in like lightning and sunk deep into the vice captain's body. A grinding sound can be heard on his backside as the tips of its blades clashed upon the hard granite surface.
Even when it hit, a smile was still on the face of the officer. No blood was coming out from the wound he received even though it went through him. Soon enough the man standing on the wall was enveloped by light and slowly dispersed into the air, leaving nothing but the razor-like shuriken in its place.
"Attacks like that don't work on seasoned warriors." From behind the wall a figure clad in black jumped and stood at the place near the shuriken. "Attacks like that are easy to counter since you know they are still coming at you no matter that they do."
Placing enough reiryoku on his hand, he created what seemed to be a glove of energy and grabbed the tip of the shuriken. "I feel noting from your attacks. They seem to lack your emotions thus making them weaker than one with the emotions of the user. I can feel no desire to cut. No desire to attack. No desire to win. You lack these. You treat a fight as something that is nothing."
He then held tightly upon the man's weapon and readied to throw. His expression suddenly changed from a stoic to a more aggressive tone. "THIS IS HOW YOU--" He then swung the shuriken towards Ryokou at full might. "USE THIS!"
From nothing, the rotation of the shuriken increased rapidly as it launched from Takero's hand. It cut through the air like nothing was hindering it. The spinning of the weapon was close to a rotation speed of a chainsaw. "I don't know if you know but..." Taking a step forward he released torrents of energy into the air. "Your life might be the price for not taking this seriously." He then burst into a shunpo to close the gap between him and man.
Ryokou's eyes narrowed as he saw his own weapon being turned against him. He admitted that he had been caught off-guard when his shuriken hit, but immediately took note of the fact that a kidou spell had to have been used. Unwavering, Ryokou was already planning his next move even as his shuriken drew dangerously near to cutting him. Tightening his grip on the hilt, Ryokou was waiting to strike.
"You call me a fool when you leave yourself open for attack?"
He quickly raised his arm that held the hilt which prior hung by his side. As he raised his arm so did his reiatsu. The wind tunnel caught the spinning shuriken, and as if it was his plan from the start, the shuriken responded promptly and charged straight for Takero while still maintaining the spin Takero had given it.
Upon turning an attack intended for him back on the send, Ryokou took a quick shunpo step to the left. He then began to bring the shuriken in for its second pass at Takero. At the same time Ryokou was taking notes, watching his opponent and analyzing for any weakness that could be exploited.
'He may be right about emotions adding to power to attacks, but being controlled by one's emotions is just as dangerous. So there must be a balance between strategic thinking and employing ones emotions. What does he mean I have no desire to win? No desire to attack? Well if he wants desire than I shall show him desire.
Arashi let's show him what we've got'
'Aye Sire.'
Almost immediately, both the speed of the attacks and the rotational speed increased as the wind tunnel also darkened in its blue hue.
'I may have to use our attack to prove ourselves.'
'I would be more than willing should it come to that.'
Ryokou's eyes turned cold as he glared at the vice captain. Ryokou was determined now to prove to Takero that he could fight with the best and hold his ground.
Takero while still in the middle of a shunpo managed to get a glimpse of what was happening to the weapon he threw at Ryokou. The movement which the man was taking was somehow affecting the shuriken and probably he managed to regain control of it. He quickly extended his hand and released a small amount of reiatsu.
"Bougyoudo #31, Yaiba no Souseki." A slender 3 feet long katana suddenly materialised on his hand as the kidou formed.
The shuriken quickly shot towards him as a result of Ryokou controlling it. In response Takero quickly plunged the blade into the ground just before the shuriken came into striking distance. Flipping his body, the vice captain used the hilt to swing his body up into the air making the katana vertical to the ground.
The katana shook violently as the shuriken struck it hard and continuously grinded it. Spark flew into the air as the two metals tested their strength against each other. Takero quickly twisted his body and made himself stand on just the base of the hilt, then he shunpoed away from the embedded weapon, just before the shuriken broke the katana to pieces.
It didn't take long until he closed the gap between the two of them. There was only a few feet left before they both clashed face to face. Takero quickly pointed a finger towards the arm Ryokou was using to control his shuriken. He released a burst of energy that traveled through the air and headed towards the man. "Bakudou #39, Raifutsukamu!" He called out and aimed to constrict the movements of the man's attacking arm.
Once the kidou has been released, he let his body pass Ryokou slightly and stopped just behind him. Flipping backwards he aimed to hit with a spinning heel kick to send the man back to the ground.
Ryokou could not react fast enough to the kidou spell. It hit his arm and he thought it would be worse considering that the spell was bakudo in nature. However, much to his rather pleasant surprise, the spell only affected his arm, making it feel as if it were clamped between the teeth of a vice grip. Having grown accustomed to fighting with pain, Ryokou focused on the fight at hand. However in doing so he lost track of where his opponent had gotten too.
The heel to his bound arm was all he needed to find where his opponent was at. The kick sent him sideways to the ground with the shuriken flailing as it followed. Unsure of how long the kidou spell would be in effect, Ryokou switched hands in which the hilt was held while he was on the ground. Getting up, Ryokou first got into a crouched position then slowly rose to stand up.
"That was a good combo you used on me there, but sadly you over looked one detail."
Spinning around, Ryokou whipped the shuriken at Takero with lightening speed. As he attacked, Ryokou noted that Takero was using kidou without incantations. This gave Ryokou an idea, and on his next attack he changed his aim. Instead of trying to hit the torso or a leg, he instead aimed for Takero's shoulders. Ryokou figured that if he could not use his hands, then he could not complete the casting of whatever spell he chose.
"Speaking of which...The body burns hot, the soul's evil engulfed in the purifying flame. Judgment Absolute. Bakudou #20, Chains of Misery!"
Upon the completion of the spells three fire chains formed around his sword hand with tips flailing wildly in the air. Now things had turned into a guessing game, Ryokou quickly estimated the distance between them to be too far to use the chains as they were meant to be used.
Quickly following up the attack, Takero burst into another shunpo avoiding the incoming shuriken and bringing him within striking distance of Ryokou. Approaching by the side of the man, He quickly noticed the forming kidou as the man spoke the incantation. " If you're going to use kidou, at least learn how to use it without incantations... Bougyoudo #34, Meikyou!"
As he cast the spell, the shuriken came back for him like it was some homing type of weapon. **** it. Such a persistent little bugger. Quickly grabbing the hilt of his blade, he pulled the sleeping zanpakutou from his back and called out to fully awaken it. "Sakebidasu, Kyoujin!"
Quickly the zanpakutou acknowledged the command and glowed brightly. The whole blade's form wavered as it was enveloped in light and crawled down the arms of Takero like it was some kind of snake. As soon as the shuriken came the light covering the blade disappeared and revealed long flowing cloths that were wrapped around the vice captain's both arms.
He reacted quickly to the attack by shielding himself with a cross arm block. The cloths that were covering his arms looked weak in front of a man who has no knowledge of this. But in truth these bandages were made out of compressed reiryoku which made them as hard as steel. The shuriken came and struck at his shoulder but his Shikai took the brunt of the damage only leaving him with small wound.
Thrown off balance by the attack, the brown haired shinigami regained his posture and turned towards the man. "That was a good hit. But that's still not enough. Use your emotions to fuel the attack but keep your head cool. Think of whom you have a grudge to. Someone that has dealt you so much pain and trouble in your life. Possibly another man. Possibly a hollow." Takero then assumed a proper fighting stance and let his reiatsu flare wildly. "I'll... show you..."
The raging reiatsu around his body suddenly settled leaving not a trace behind. He focused his mind on Ryokou and keep his mind to what he was going to do. The color of his eyes suddenly took the shade of his reiatsu, a bright emerald glow shone.
What are you going to do?
KILL!
Bursting into a shunpo with all his might he closed the gap between him and Ryokou in a blink of an eye. With his speed a focused on hitting the man in his gut but not with just any normal punch. Hankyou! Placing some more reiatsu into his attack he executed the technique at full power.
Ryokou knew he was in for a trouble at hearing the type of kidou his opponent was using. His assumption came true as his own kidou spell turned on him. The chains that Ryokou had thought he would have had control over being it was the first time he attempted the spell pulled a 180 and instead of latching on to the opponent they pile drove themselves into his chest. Not only was he injured physically by failed spell, but he also felt his reiatsu drop from the failed attempt.
'And that is why I hate to use kidou spells unless deemed absolutely necessary.'
Breathing heavy from the sudden reversal, a smile soon grew on his face. Not only had the bakudou that had been used on his right arm let up, but he picked up on the almost feint trickle of blood that came out of Takero as a result of his persistent attacks. It was not much of an injury compared to the beating he was taking, but it was enough to tell him that he was holding his own fair enough. Ryokou looked to his opponent as he spoke of emotions fueling power, yet maintaining a cool head. Upon the mentioning the combination of the words pain, trouble, and hollow, the image of the hollow form of his father flashed to the forefront of his mind. Ryokou could feel the remainder of his reiatsu beginning to flare. However his consciousness maintained focused on the fight. Takero had vanished before his eyes, and Ryokou reacted on instinct. Immediately the shuriken came up in front of him seconds before Takero slammed his fist into the center of the weapon.
Ryokou's own eyes narrowed with seriousness as they locked with the glowing emeralds.
"You want to see how I fight when I let myself get pissed off, fine so be it."
Ryokou let the flood of streaming images that were burned permanently into his mind flow free. Images that depicted every fight, every word, and every cut that came with each of his encounters with the spider hollow, formally known as Shoubin Shimazaki. His own eyes never left the lock, as his reiatsu flared. The wind tunnel once tinted with light blue rapidly darkened into a dark navy blue to match the new color of Ryokou's own eyes. The once slowly spinning shuriken that had acted as a shield, rapidly increased with speed and cutting power. Ryokou was now ready to fight as his instructor had wanted him too. With a calm cold voice filled with killing intent, Ryokou just audibly spoke one word.
"Now"
"Aye Sire."
Upon the mention of the single syllable word, four straight dark blue lines extended from the exact center of the shuriken reaching out to the outer edge. To one who was unfamiliar with the attack that was about to be unleashed, it appeared as if the vice-captain had dealt a damaging blow to the spinning weapon. The sections began to emit a bright dark blue color then quickly broke off, flinging themselves towards the cardinal directions. Just as fast as the flew away, they returned homing in on Takero even faster and this time they were fueled by an emotion reiatsu concoction boiling to perfection within the depths of Ryokou's soul.
Quickly pulling away from Ryokou as his attack hit the massive shuriken, Takero watched as the temperament of the man's reiatsu change to something more... intimidating. The amount of reiatsu the man was giving off wasn't that of any of the attacks he used in his previous attempts. You've almost grasped it... He said as there was a small smile on his face to show his satisfaction.
Suddenly something unexpected, the shuriken broke off and scattered into the air. That was it...? His smile was replaced by a frown as he saw the man's weapon crumble under the pressure. Or was it the case.
Takero quickly dashed to Ryokou to finish what he had started but he noticed something coming from the corner of his eyes. Apparently the shuriken didn't get shattered or broken, it was an ability. Something that he didn't expect the man was capable off. The shurikens came dangerously close to him, but he quickly broke off from his attack and focused on defending himself from the incoming counter.
"Kaze no Osaeru!" He called out as he activated Kyoujin's ability. Winds started to compress all over his body and created somewhat of a barrier around him. The winds rotated furiously around him, making a kind of invisible armor that's made out of his reiatsu and wind currents surrounding him.
The shurikens struck his barrier and rotated furiously against it. But he was a nanosecond late, the shurikens' rotational speed wasn't something he could block at this time. If he were earlier by a whole second the outcome might have been different. The blades managed to tear some part of his garments and deal some flesh wounds. Other than that nothing, the blades were suppressed and pressed back into open space.
"That's good, Ryokou. You've managed to grasp the concept. But I'm afraid there's nothing more for me to teach you." He said as he amplified the strength of his barrier after the attack. "Bakudou #65, Seal of Origins!" Two small beams of kidou suddenly shot out from his at rapid speed and headed towards his opponent.
Ryokou smiled as his attack had yet again attested to the fact that the element of surprise can be everything. The smile never left his face, nor did he waver in his stance as Takero rushed him only to be caught off-guard. At seeing that the four shurikens, had done their task and seemed that they were not going to do anymore damage, Ryokou flicked his wrist calling them back to reform the giant shuriken form.
He stood ready to continue the fight, but he soon found that even with a successful hit such as the one he dealt he still was not fast enough. Takero had used the incantation bypass again, which drastically cut Ryokou time to react. He saw the kidou beams coming for him, but could only manage to block the one with the shuriken. The beam that made it through hit his saketsu. It was more than enough for Ryokou to feel the effects and felt lucky that only one of the beams hit him.
"I'm honored you feel that way."
Upon finishing his sentence he hurled the shuriken, but much to his dismay it barely went far enough to tease Takero's barrier. Had it made the distance, Ryokou seriously doubted that it would have done anything. It was then he recalled what the bakudou spell actually did. He was no where's near ready to admit defeat as the storm still raged in his eyes, but he knew that if he were to continue with the Bakudou spell still in place he would be wasting his energy.
He quickly calculated and weighed his options. It was possible that he might be able to last the potential wait of fifteen seconds, but as he had seen in rodeos, even eight seconds could be a lifetime.
"So teacher, I ask if you were in my situation what would you do?"
Takero grabbed the edges of Kyoujin and pulled it out of his arms. The bandages seemed to slip out of Takero , like running water through and open hand. Soon enough the bandages were out and slowly formed the wakizashi that Takero now has on his hand.
"What would I do I this were in your position?" He returned the question first before continuing. "If this was a real fight, I would have still attacked you using my raw skills. There is no point in dying just because my powers are lost. I'd give you one hell of a time before you could actually kill me. Remember, even if your powers as a shinigami disappears, you could still rely on the basic skills that you have. Use raw strength to overcome your opponent. That's the only way."
Slowly slipping back his zanpakutou back to its sheath, he released his grip and dusted his robes. "But continuing the fight now would be pointless. You'll just sustain unnecessary injury, which is what we are trying to avoid. Since your saketsu has been hit, you won't be able to recover your spent energy quick enough to last in the long run. It's almost time that bakudou wore off so there's no worries there."
He walked slowly and patted the man on his shoulder. "You've learned the technique that draws out more energy when you're in Shikai. All that you need to do now, is practice what you've learned so you'll be able to perform that same feat subconsciously." He then extended his other hand to the man and offered a handshake. "I apologise for the ruse earlier. I just wanted to get a feel of your battle prowess. And I hope you'll be able to use that technique that I taught you."
As if on queue Ryokou felt his reiatsu and strength return as the spell wore off. Still the fight had ended, and as such Ryokou also resealed his weapon back into its twin blade form and sheathed both weapons. He was surprised with himself that he had managed to survive as long as he had, but then again it was only meant to be a training session.
Taking the hand and shaking it in a stiff heartily manner, he also clapped his arm on his newly acquired friends shoulder.
"It is all cool. I am sure that when push comes to shove I will put this knowledge to good use. Who knows it may one day mean the difference between loosing and wining."