[2nd/4th]Week 86: Kaoin Kisho vs. Asagi Kenji

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bittman

Guest
Moderator:
Takero Idaten - Dar

Participants:
Kaoin Kisho -- Bitters
Asagi Kenji -- Crysal

Spectators:
Kaito Nakamura -- FF
Masuto ono -- Tater

Total Wordcount: 10.5k​

Sitting quietly on his seat, Takero overlooked the Soukyouku Stadium from the balcony that he was at. The view was very different from here, unlike from the stands. Here you could see the entirety of the fighting area with hidden cameras all over the stadium, no blind spots, no unseen angles. No wonder, this is the moderators suite.

With a cigarette in hand, he walked up to the ledge of the balcony and addressed the crowd. "welcome..." He cleared his throat. "WELCOME!" The noise even got louder as his first words left him. This irritated him. The noise of the people were really getting to him. How do they expect me to do my job if they won't allow me to begin...?! The noise got louder and louder and Takero couldn't take it anymore and he snapped.

"WELCOME TO SOUKYOUKU STADIUM!" His voice echoed through the area as it was amplified my newest audio technology provided by the 8th division. "SHUT UP AND LISTEN! That is if you want another fight to happen besides the main event...!" He flared his reiatsu to its highest which silenced most of the crowd.

As the noise died down, Takero cleared his throat again before he introduced the fighters of the week.

"Coming from the 4th Division, specialising on blitzkrieg tactics... Asagi Kenji!!!" As his name was revealed to the crowd, almost half of the stadium started cheering loudly. The thundering noise was even louder than it was earlier.

And his opponent! A member of the special operations team of the Gotei 13, hailing from the second division! It's Kaoin Kisho!!!" Rabid stomping of feet echoed through the stadium as if there was a stampede making its way here.

"Go Kenji-kun!" A female voice from the crowd managed to surpass the other squeals. "I'll be looking for your victory, Kisho-kun~!" A shockingly deep male voice thundered which silence section of the crowd.



The chatter of the crowd in the stadium outside was almost drowning to his ears and he felt as if the sheer sound was making the earth move. But that was to be expected in the tunnel Kisho now stood within which drew in sound and bounced it from every wall. Sounds of laughter, bickering and general enthusiasm in relation to the fight which was about to take place in the one stadium where fighting was basically a legal sport-

Soukokyo Hill.

It was a place which thoroughly interested Kisho as he wondered where the name had originated from. History was rather interesting to Kisho as he liked to know how the past events of the world could affect the future. But for now, Kisho simply knew that the stadium was here for one purpose. To see two combatants fight against each other at their best for the entertainment of the crowd around him.

Though Kisho could hardly condone the type of violence this stadium endorsed, he really did have no other choice than to fight here today. It was a bit of an honour to be selected for a fight in the stadium, and Kisho was sure if he had ignored the invitation he would be back to his eighth seat quarters faster than a captain's shyunpo.

And there was a second reason Kisho felt he should fight today as his opponent was non other than Asagi Kenji. The young blonde man who Kisho had fought during the tournament before he had been forced to forfeit the battle to check on a friend's health. But now the two combatants would meet again in a fight to decide who the winner of the fight should have been.

"I won't say I am not somewhat interested in determining the winner to this fight for once and for all," Kisho mumbled as he got somewhat tired of waiting and leant against the wall with his left shoulder.


Yeah, let me have a go at him this time. I'll rip him to shreds in a way that Aeolus never could!
But an officer of that strength most likely has shikai, and you do not. You didn't gain enough knowledge of his tactics from the last battle, so be weary.


You know you could always tell me your name and save me from some embarrassment.

Seeing as that failed to get a response from his talkative zanpakutou, Kisho gave a low chuckle before looking out into the stadium. It was a rock-ridden stadium which held the scars from battles fought on it previously. It was rather large, but not so large that Kisho could not see the tunnel which was on the opposite side of the stadium he stood on. Though he couldn't see Kenji in the darkness, he was sure the fourth division member stood there waiting.

Kisho felt some of the noise and excitement pick up from outside as the vibrations from his tunnel walls increased into a more buzzing feeling. The crowd probably had picked up that the fight was scheduled to start any time now and were rushing to seats or placing last minute bets.

Though I cannot condone the violence endorsed here, I must say it does bring a nice distraction to the sombre tasks shinigami have to undertake.

Kisho threw his right hand to his left shoulder as the time ticked by and the battle got closer. The fresh scar which ran from the tip of the shoulder to the pelvis line as well as the numerous shallow scars on his back seemed to burn at the thought of another battle so soon after his last loss. Kisho had been on a losing streak as of late, and it was something he desperately wanted to change.

Sorry Kenji, I won't be going as easy on you as I might usually. I cannot really afford to suffer even more injuries to my body if I am ever to recover.


Ah, the feeling that one would get while in the middle of the sea of spectators that filled the seats of the so called stadium of the shinigamis. Really, it certainly should be something awe inspiring, something that one can tell for generations to come. Words weren't enough to describe the contagious roaring that reverberated trough the rocky structures of the said place.

But, amidst all this noise, all this commotion, one man stood silently on his corner. Slowly his index finger beat against the wall, reproducing what resembled an old classical march that he listened over and over again at his office during his life time. The noise produced by such action was of no importance, nor volume, to disturb the one that came from above and around.

Dust falling from the ceiling, the intensity of the cheering made the man question if the place was really constructed to sustain such a crowd of crazy-driven shinigamis. But, this was a futile question in the middle of all the more 'appropriate' thoughts that could cross his mind. Then again, he was never one to worry too much about what fate had in store for him, nor did he lose his time thinking things three or more times.

"I guess all I can say for certain, is that this commotion can surely make one feel good. My hands are shaking, my whole body is longing for the moment to reveal myself to the crowd and battle my opponent... Feh, all in all, fun is guarantee here today..."

The opponent.

The man who once clashed blades against Kenji, but for some unfortunate reason had to leave the battlefield earlier than expected; Kisho-san, the second division 'ninja' that fought so well last time. Would he prove himself to be one worthy of respect, fear, or pity?

"All I know, is that you ought to fix that style of yours, and start to sound and act more like a warrior kid. Otherwise, I can't guarantee that the 'monkey-boy' won't wipe the floor with your a**!"

The blond man giggled softly at the most out of place comment form his 'companion'. But, truth could be found in such words, he indeed needed to pick up the pace, and start to appear as the warrior he should be.

"Worry not friend. If this all turns out as I expect it to, you'll get a brand new warrior by the time we finish this. Otherwise, I might just end up in one of the rooms of the Third Division, heard they're quite skilled there..."

The time was near. His finger kept the beat.


Kaito sat in the area and for the briefest of moments, wondered how in the fourteen hells did he get there in the first place. The first moment he remembered, Kaito had been fighting against the harlequinade and its faceless minions of doom and destruction. Now, he was calmly sitting inside the arena and eating what appeared to be some brand of popcorn. Blinking hesitantly, Kaito leaned back in his chair and watched for signs of the enemy. the trouble with an enemy that can teliport is that he can show up just **** everywhere.

Kaito looked down and saw the pre-fight preparations. Kaito remembered the first Arena fight back when his class had graduated long ago. He had watched as contestants sparred under the hot sun. of course, they used boken so as not to hurt the other person. It was an interesting spectical, but utterly pointless to watch. Only the real sadists ever came to the fights now. Kaito sat and wondered if he was a sadist for ever so slightest a second. Kaito then leaned backwards in his chair and took another handful of popcorn.

"Who am I to question the universe anyways." Kaito said, "I am here, I might as well enjoy myself" quit talking to yourselfNemisis spoke, people will think that you are crazy "go figure." Kaito muttered and watched the game begin.

Ah, the arena...

It had been quite some time since his last visit to the Sou Kyouko stadium, and it seemed a tad more energetic than in previous visits. The crowd was roiling and noisy, waiting for the two combatants scheduled for the day to make their way out of the gates and get their fight underway.

As for him, today was a rare day off. So much had been going on as of late that he barely had any time to himself. Since he actually had some time today, he'd be ****ed if he was going to let it slip away.

As he made his way through the stands to pick out a suitable vantage point from which to enjoy the match that was about to take place, he got the familiar strange looks and confused glances from other members of the audience. The typical whispering and wondering out loud followed behind him like a shadow threatening to creep up on him, but he shrugged it off.

And people wonder why I don't often make public appearances outside of the eleventh anymore, he sighed and plopped down into a seat. Determined to enjoy himself, he leaned back and folded his arms behind his head as he allowed his senses to wash over the battlefield below. This should be fun...


Takero looked at the fighters in the arena, both of which are really familiar faces o him. Both have fought in the tournament and displayed talent that got them near the top of their tiers. He could feel that both of them were eager to get this match started. There isn't much that he could do to stop this clash from happening.

"I'm sure both of you know me by now." Takero spoke with authority as he overlooked the two fighters. "I'm Takero Idaten, Vice captain of the 7th Division. I will be your moderator today, so no playing around. If I feel that one of you is in danger of losing his life on the field, I will jump in and that will signify the end of the match. I will use any force necessary to enforce these rules..."

He looked at them both once more before he glanced back to the audience. I bet they're itching to see this fight happen too. These guys didn't manage to fight in the main ring here. So, I guess... this is their moment of glory... for this fight may never happen again.

"You guys can begin at anytime you want. Good luck!" Takero then jumped back in to the balcony and watched over the fight with unrelenting eyes. Speed vs Speed... I wonder... will it actually make a difference in this fight?


Kisho walked out into the stadium as he bent his neck to the right and left to stretch it out from any stiffness it had collected from his time in the third division beds. Kisho rolled his shoulders as he listened to Takero's announcement of the enforcement of 'any force necessary'. Kisho grinned cheekily before giving an acknowledging wave to the Vice-Captain of the 7th.

As if we can seriously compete with that yet. I'm not that type of person anyway, and Kenji didn't seem to be that type since he let me forfeit last time.

On this thought, Kisho turned to Asagi Kenji who stood a fair distance of ten metres from his current position. As Kisho surveyed the scene, he kept with his stretches and squatted low before bouncing slightly to bend his knees out a little. The blonde man seemed rather unchanged since their last encounter in the tournament and was probably just as eager to settle the score this time.

"It appears you are as fit as ever Kenji-san," noted Kisho with an enthusiastic tone in his voice as he stood again and gave a final roll of his shoulders. "Well it seems you have gained in strength somewhat, so perhaps 'fitter than ever' is a better statement." Kisho prided himself personally in his ability to sense an opponent's reiatsu with ease and he noticed that, despite the fact that they had both grown much stronger over the last month or so, they were still within a similar region to one another as last time.

"You heard the vice-captain guy yeah Kenji-san?" queried Kisho as he placed his right hand towards the zanpakutou he wore on his right side of the hip. "Don't go too hard on me ok? I don't wanna hear any of this 'Give it your all or you might die' nonsense ok?"


Stop talking crap and kill the *******.
Umm, a drawn out fight may be a bit too hard on your body at the moment. Perhaps you shouldn't ask him to start out easy.


Kisho withdrew his zanpakutou from its strong yellow sheath before turning so that his left side was facing his blonde opponent. Planting his feet strongly on the ground and giving some bend to his knees; Kisho drew his zanpakutou behind him and kept it parallel to the ground while holding his left hand at about pelvis height ahead of him. The lack of wind left his blue scarf hanging loosely upon his back as his matching blue eyes showed a gleeful expression as they stared at Kenji.

"I will let you begin proceedings here Kenji-san," said Kisho with a bright tone, "I wouldn't want to take away the privilege of being the first to attack from a fourth division member now would I?"


The non-stopping motion of his opponent made Kenji think if the man was indeed just stretching or if this was something caused due to some excessive level of excitement or anticipation. Indeed one could say that both fighters had some pending issues against each other, since their last fight was so suddenly halted, but the blond shinigami wondered if this was the case for such actions.

But that didn't interrupt the beat that was going on on his mind. Marking the times and compasses with an uncanny precision, the man seemed to be pacing his actions using this 'vibe' as the indicator to when do what. Tud...tud...tud the lonely rhythm echoed trough his mind, isolating his thoughts inside this musical moment, coordinating them trough the complex yet strangely beautiful logic of those connected somehow to this marvelous world of sounds.

But, this was not the moment to focus on such things. He had a fight to do, an opponent to face and not to mention a crowd to please. A crowd... Yes, the myriads of people that covered every seat that his coliseum had. Cheering, screaming, analyzing, judging each action from the fighters, somehow Kenji felt awkward to expose his fighting style in the front of so many, who knows when he'll need to fight those people too? How could he simply let them into his most inner secrets? Was he up to it?

"Stop worrying about such simple things kid. All you have to do is grow stronger, simple as that. They'll know the 'Kenji' as he is now, but that won't give them the ability to predict each and every move of you. Especially because I don't see you stagnate in a singular level of power. Shinigamis are beings that constantly change, be it via training, emotions, thoughts, philosophies, you are not an static existence. So, quit the act, and let's give them what they want."

"Thank you."

A single grin appeared in the man's face. It all made sense now, it was all so much clearer than before. Facing Kisho-san with an early unseen confidence, the man kept the smile and carefully replied to the 'invitation' that the same had made for him.

"Oh?! I'm flattered Kisho-san! You respect us, the Fourth Division, so much as to avoid get close?! But, no no no, you got it all wrong my friend. We don't really need to be the ones to attack first." His hand tightened the grip onto the sheath of his zanpakutou, and with a burst f reiatsu, his body traveled the distance between himself and the second division member. "We just have to make sure that the opponent goes down as fast as possible." The man finished as he appeared close enough for Kisho-san to be inside his range, facing the same head-on.

The Jian encountered itself almost as if it was attached to the back of his arm. The man's right arm made an upward movement, which consequently brought he said blade up as well, aiming for a full body slash to put Kisho-san out of commission.

"We'll see how much you improved, and how much I improved..."


I think he's even cockier than the last time we met...I feel like I have somehow contributed to that from my reactions in that fight...

Because Kenji had split his speech up with a shyunpo, Kisho was by no means unprepared to react to his next move. Watching the shyunpo carefully with his strong blue eyes, Kisho judged that there was not much difference between the two combatants which made Kisho's mouth twitch a little in the corner as if holding back a smirk to add onto his grin. But in true fourth division fashion, Kenji used the shyunpo to move into a sword strike which sought to split Kisho from waist to neck.

Just like our last encounter hey?

Kisho brought his right arm around close to his body before snapping it out slightly to meet the rising blade-arm of Kenji. In moving his arm from behind him, Kisho had been forced to twist a bit and thus decided to continue with this motion. At the moment Kisho's zanpakutou struck Kenji's, Kisho had also rolled out of the way thus making his block more of a redirection as Kenji's zanpakutou sailed past his torso and right shoulder as the spin continued.

Since his blade was still occupied with trying to catch up with his spin, Kisho instead decided to go with his left arm. Whipping it closer to his body for a moment, Kisho butted out with his elbow while bending his knees so that his strike aimed itself just under the ribs of Kenji on his left side.

Rather than keep this fight close range, which would suit someone who focused their sword techniques as strongly as Kenji did, Kisho then used his slightly bent knees from his last movement to leap to his right. Kisho raised his left palm up to shoulder height behind him as he began to chant his quickest Kidou with a grin still placed upon his face. "From the spirit of the earth, and by the wrath of heaven, be purified. Hadou #21, Infurnus."

The moment Kisho's feet hit the ground a mere four metres from Kenji, he crouched harshly and slammed the palm into the ground. From the point just in front of his hand, a pillar of fire erupted harshly and sent small particles of rock away from its base before surging forwards towards Kisho's opponent.


Kenji felt that his attack might not connect after all, really, such opening only served to demonstrate the lack of a proper training or finesse from the part of the blond warrior wannabe. But, if there was one thing that he didn't lacked, it was will power, and the desire to claim this victory. The elbow strike didn't seemed to be one to cause any great damages to the stamina of Kenji, rather, it was used to gain propel Kisho-san away from him, away from the range of his zanpakutou.

"That's odd, if i remember correctly Kisho-san is a hakuda fighter... Shouldn't he be looking for a close range fight where his skills on hand-to-hand would be able to shine?! Or he was able to shift his whole fighting style in such a short amount of time?! I might be in for more than i previously thought..."

Not long after Kenji's reflections about the maneuver his opponent had used, his answer came in the form a raging inferno heading his way. If Kisho hadn't placed the amount of distance between themselves, the blond shinigami would no doubt find it much more difficult to dodge said flame wave. But, with the amount of time he had on his hands, he was indeed able to flee from the most part of the said kidou, not before some of his clothing got actually covered in the heat of the move.

Appearing away from the dangerous flame, courtesy of a last minute shyunpo, the caramel orbs locked their gaze in the frame of Kisho-san. It seemed that the way he had planned to fight this battle wasn't suffice his needs this time, he needed to change his strategy, something to lure Kisho-san to his own pace of battle. Otherwise, he might find himself trapped in the inferno once again. Gathering his reiatsu on the lower part of his body, more precisely on his right leg, the man began to chant a peculiar chant.

"Tremble in fear as I call upon the powers of the white to shatter the very foundations of the land. Let the inner beast be unleashed and its fury be known! Hadou #40, Byakucho Kaisou!"

The aforementioned leg came raining down on the rocky structures that formed the 'ring' in which they were facing each other, stomping on the ground with a seemingly out of place fury for one with such a soothing countenance. The kidou would quickly travel the distance and do as the chant implied, shake the very oundations of the earth as well as carry a very nice surprise for the scarfed one.

"Move Kisho-san, move so I can play my chasing game here. Or, you prefer the cold embrace of earth's spikes?"

The man's thoughts were complemented with a properly prepared stance to follow Kisho as soon as he bursted out of his current position. If he bursted out that is.


Kisho watched as Kenji skilfully burst into shyunpo not a moment too soon before the towering inferno of his Kidou roasted his Arian appearance. Though Kisho had expected a shyunpo manoeuvre, he had not acted accordingly to shock Kenji by closing the range once more. There were two reasons for Kisho holding his ground. Firstly, if Kenji had decided to burst towards the creator of the fire pillar in response, Kisho would have a solid position with which to defend himself from.

Secondly, Kisho was by nature full of curiosity and loved nothing more than to see how someone would react to his movements. Not only did this allow Kisho to judge how his opponent may react in future cases, but also it would give Kisho useful insight of Kenji's skills and techniques. Their last encounter had not given Kisho enough of an idea as to how Kenji fought other than the fact that the blonde man favoured his sword above all.

But instead of closing the distance between the two, Kenji slightly increased it again and began to chant a Kidou Kisho was not familiar with. But as a mid-level Kidou, Kisho would not take it lightly by any means. As Kenji stamped his foot at the ground, Kisho felt the earth shake abruptly under him.

An earth-type Kidou hey? Or maybe something that bursts from the ground. In either case, it would best be that I keep on the move so that-

But as if in response to Kisho's thoughts, the ground immediately jolted and sunk a small distance. A cracked crater formed on the ground Kisho stood, but the sudden jolt had caused Kisho to stumble slightly back and lose his firm balance on the ground he had planted himself on to respond to Kenji.

As he stumbled, his eyes locked onto Kenji's for the briefest of moments and noticed that his opponent had not moved to take advantage of the slight overbalance. To this extent, alarm bells rung in Kisho's mind to tell him that a mid-level Hadou would not be made to simply knock someone off their feet. Kisho used the last bit of contact with the cracked, rocky ground to push backwards away from whatever danger was about to occur beneath him.

Depending on whether a viewer was an optimist or a pessimist would illustrate how one saw what happened to Kisho next. The pessimist would see the fact that Kisho was struck by a glancing blow to the forehead, causing a strong cut which let blood fly behind him and that he should he reacted better and faster to the situation. The optimist would be thanking his stars that Kisho had only escaped with such a minor wound since it could have been much worse. Fortunately, Kisho was an optimist. However...


You are such a dumb ****.
Well, perhaps you could use this to you advantage somehow...somehow...


I don't know if you are actually any help at all or simply running commentary. Shut up hey?!

Kisho continued to fall back as he rolled over on the dirt, leaving specks of blood in his wake. As he landed face down on the dirt, Kisho used his spiritual sense to judge Kenji's unmoved position from earlier. Staying down without trying to move too much despite the somewhat burning pain his forehead indicated, Kisho begun to chant softly, but with pace while holding his right palm to the ground.

"The fiendish tree grasps the foolish traveller. Ensnaring and draining them of their life. Vanishing their very trace from this world and sending it onward to the next. Bakudou #57, Tree of Stolen Life."

Sending his Kidou energy through the ground to the target area Kenji stood as he imagined the hardly visible sprouts just emerging at his opponent's feet. As he felt his part in contributing to the Bakudou was done, Kisho stood up wearily to survey how well his ploy to catch Kenji had worked.


"What the f*** is that idiot doing?! Why would someone stay still in a situation like that?!"

Kenji's thoughts were clearly reflect in his visage, as he watched the unfolding of his little scheme. It didn't turned out to be quite like he was expecting, but it managed to give him the merit of draw first blood on the match. The crimson liquid was already a part of this struggle as of now, and odds were that it would be even more as it progressed to trough time.

"Oh my! What a good strategy the man used no?!"

The somewhat sarcastic comment from his zanpakutou's spirit was followed by a hysterical laugh from the same. It really didn't seem to like Kisho-san, not one bit, and it wouldn't lose the chance of making such a remark on his behalf. Kenji couldn't help but to wonder why he chose that course of action, it surely had some meaning to it, right?

His eyes forever locked on Kisho's frame analyzed his movement, waiting for the chance to step in and deal the decisive blow, but even in the middle of being hit and having to recompose himself, Kisho-san left no openings for the blond shinigami to breach his defenses, or rather, Kenji was expecting a perfect chance, something that wouldn't come by as often as one hoped. His frame remained the same, his stance unaltered, his will strong and firm.

"Why is his mouth moving eh? .... 57?! Shi-?!"

Ah, now it all made sense. The ability to turn the tides was something so appreciated in the battlefield, and a unique skill that any individual that wanted to be called a 'warrior' should develop somehow, be it via training or experience. Unfortunately for Kenji, Kisho-san prowess in the Kidou department enabled him to use this little battle mechanic against him.

By the time he was able to trace from where the kidou was coming, it was already a tad late to avoid any harm. Sprouting form the ground, the vicious vines whirl and curled themselves in Kenji's direction, progressing with a remarkable speed towards their prey's flesh and blood. A quick step back prevented him from getting his whole body ensnarled by the greenery, but he wasn't fast enough to avoid the entirety of the vines.

The man's right leg was caught in the middle of the step, and quickly restrained by the force of the binding. Almost as if they were alive, the vines kept exacting more and more pressure against his leg, while crawling trough his flesh and searching for something within. The pain, oh yes, the pain of having something crawling beneath your skin si not something to be taken lightly. But, the most notable trait of the attack wasn't the pain that it induced, but the feeling of weakness that was spreading throughout the man's body.

A swift movement from the Jian took care of the persistent vine, but the consequences from his lack of speed wouldn't be swept away as easily. Kenji felt something vanishing from his body; a chunk of his will, of his strength wasn't with him anymore. And really, this was something he couldn't afford to lose at such a crucial moment.

"Good trick he got there. But, enough with the child's play no? I see you suffered some internal damage, and that blood dripping from your leg is not something quite good. Call me. Release me and let's be done with it."

"Kodokuna kara o nobase...Kyomuou"

The release of the zanpakutou brought with it a breath of fresh air to the battlefield. It was time to raise the bar and bring this fight into a level more suitable for the contestants. Why bother playing games while hiding the true strength? Since when did Kenji like to play around and underestimate his opponents? No, he would give it all he's got. And he would do it as fast and as furious as he could.

The next second the man's vanished again, applying the most basic movement technique know to the shinigamis, he transferred his frame to Kisho's side, traveling the meters that separated them in a matter of seconds. His body was surely damaged, but his will would never be, the hand holding the sword came crashing down from above his head, falling with an intent that could not be defined with another word aside from 'vicious'.


Kisho watched as his Kidou sneak manoeuvre wrapped quickly about Kenji's leg despite his insistent attempts to move away from it. The vines were not as successful as Kisho had anticipated however, as they were only able to grab at Kenji's leg. This allowed the man to counter the full potential of the Bakudou with a swift cut from his zanpakutou.

However, Kisho could feel the reiatsu drain from his opponent had commenced somewhat, though did not drain as much as it could have been if allowed to completely grow and bind Kenji. The major problem with the success of it was that it relied on binding the arms and zanpakutou so that they could not be used. However, because of Kenji's struggle against the growth of the plant had caused him to bleed from the leg.


You seem to be winning for once, does that make you happy about fighting?

I won't lie, I am having a little fun here. But you can hardly call it winning, I did take a blow to the head. This won't stop bleeding anytime soon.

You only took one blow to the head and it was shallow. Compared to Kenji you are winning.
But in my mind your still a miserable failure with respect to that you had to take a hit to give yourself the opportunity to counter-attack.


Gee thanks...I think...

Kisho watched as Kenji muttered a short sentence before his aura slightly changed and increased. Knowing full well this must be his shikai; Kisho looked for a change in the form of his zanpakutou and was surprised to see a lack of change. Although, Kisho noticed there was a slight blur around the zanpakutou of Kenji which his senses could not simply dismiss as a heatwave.

Shikai hey? An honourable combatant would also release his shikai in front of such a display.


Nice try Kisho, but it doesn't work like that. Heads up, here he comes.

Kisho watched as Kenji burst into shyunpo to bring him to Kisho's right with his sword poised to split him from head to toe. But using shyunpo with a damaged leg definitely had its cost, and Kisho was able to discern the path taken much better than the earlier shyunpo of his opponent.

Kisho likewise burst into his own brand of shyunpo to travel directly ahead of Kenji to end their side-on encounter. But almost as soon as his feet moved him, Kisho felt something was wrong. His shyunpo seemed to lag somewhat as if something was pulling him in another direction. As if exemplifying this action, Kenji's blade actually caught the edge of Kisho's sleeve.

What the? A blow to the head doesn't make me lag like that


Maybe this is the ability of his zanpakutou Kyomuou.

Kisho glanced at Kenji's zanpakutou as he stood with slightly bent knees ahead of him to see the faint blur once more. Kisho felt a physical force willing him to move towards it before he looked at Kenji's battle-hardened blue eyes. Seeing the intent to win in his eyes, Kisho smirked slightly before beginning a chant.

"Forbidden hand formed of the soul, strike with the might of a titan-"

As he chanted he kept energy flowing to his legs to prepare for another shyunpo or strong leap away from Kenji. The Hadou had a long chant, and at this range he would not be able to complete it standing in such a proximity to Kenji's high sword skills.


The dodging of his opponent was not something unexpected, it was unwanted, but certainly not something he shouldn't care about or even consider. After all, he was fighting a Second division shinigami, and as much as he liked to think that the Fourth was the one who pictured speed and grace, Kenji knew that the Second was also one to be afraid of in terms of agility and nimbleness.

"Tch.."

The inaudible sound wasn't meant to be perceived by the opponent. In fact, the man was disgusted with the fact that he was even forced to pronounce such a thing. It wasn't something he willingly did, it didn't follow some complicated string of logic to finally take form, no, it was purely instinctive. The materialization of a primordial feeling that was swelling itself inside of the man's body, consuming his psyche:

Pain

The wound on his right leg wasn't the best thing that could happen. Sure it could've been worse, but it had to be on one of the body parts in which he rely the most? Just how unlucky can one man be?! But, even with the pain of the wound, this wasn't the thing that worried the man the most. There was another thing that was occupying an equal, or even greater, portion of the man's concerns.

"Why still rely on this kidou Kisho-san?! At such short range you're asking for it! Why you won't release your zanpakutou?!"

The inquiry resonated inside Kenji's mind, making him wonder on several possibilities for one to not make use of all the power that was available for them at the time. He didn't know for sure if Kisho-san indeed had a Shikai release, but judging from the level of expertise, and the fighting style of the scarfed man, he would expect no less.

The words pertaining to the next incantation weren't received with so much enthusiasm by the blond man. Sure, they were good things to hear before, but repeating the same strategy over and over again wasn't something very intelligent, or recommended to do in a battle. And it did get to the nerves of the Jian wielder.

His body moved instinctively forward, rushing to Kisho's direction while his sword described and horizontal slash, almost a predecessor to a circular rotation. He couldn't possibly employ all the speed he was used to, but for this matter he knew he could count on Kyomuou to at least slow Kisho-san down a bit.

Almost hidden, imperceptible to the untrained eyes, in the middle of the blade a mass of reiatsu was being gathered as it as swung. By the time this initial move ended, Kenji would be ready to use his true shikai ability. And, if things turned out well, he would have an almost perfect opportunity to not miss the target with it.

"I can only hope you start to treat me with respect Kisho-san. As I'm treating you..."


Kisho watched as the blurred released zanpakutou of Kenji rushed in again, this time with the intent of splitting him horizontally through the midsection. His opponent's skill with a sword was nothing to back down from as it rushed in far faster than Kisho could swing his sword or even throw out a striking limb. Once again, he felt forced to dodge his opponents blow.

Is all I am good at running?


Yes, you're just a freaking pansy.
Well you clearly have a kidou and hakuda advantage, but against his sword skills and also equal speed, neither has been terrifically successful.


Kisho looked into the eyes of his opponent as they tore at him while the sound of the blade cutting through the air emitted strongly.

It would still be good if we could meet his shikai with our own. It would be honoura-


Don't you dare give me that Kisho. Was honour something that ****ed Aeolus taught you? Since when have you seriously been an honourable combatant?

Kisho winced at the dual voice of his zanpakutou before shying away from its questions and turning his attention to the problem at hand. Kisho transferred his energy to his legs to burst into a shyunpo in the opposite direction to the swinging blade just out of its reach which would force Kenji to twist on his feet to continue.

But Kisho found that as soon as he moved away from the blade, something was holding him back slightly. Slightly was perhaps an understatement as Kisho glanced back at the swinging zanpakutou which was actually catching up to him despite the fact he had tried to shyunpo.

Definitely his zanpakutou's ability. A magnet of some sort? Or is it something more...

Realising the danger if he was to continue away from incoming blade with its attraction, Kisho pushed hard from his left leg to move himself out of its arcing line. It was a moment too late however, as the blade rushed in and was able to slice at his trailing left bicep. As the blood flew into the air from where he had been, Kisho tried to burst into his full capability of shyunpo away from Kenji's forcibly attracting zanpakutou.

He found that his shyunpo ended a lot shorter than it usually would have, but the distance was sufficient enough to finish his chant. "With this power allow me to obliterate all that stands before me, reducing it to rubble. Raw energy given shape. Hadou #27, Breaking Palm."

Kisho transferred the white glow into his left hand so that he may keep his grip on his zanpakutou with his right hand. Now that he had two strong weapons at his direct disposal, he wondered how Kenji would react. But this wonder was not filled with the same smirk Kisho usually displayed, his face instead was hardened towards the moves of Kenji whose zanpakutou ability could land him in a desperate world of hurt.


It was as if the other combatant was mocking him. Really, the fact that he had released his zanpakutou, showing to the other man that he was clearly ready to pour everything into this battle was something that Kenji thought would at least spark some more interest into the other man's mind. But, it didn't felt that way now.

The man simple refused to admit the fact that Kisho-san didn't seemed to need to release his zanpakutou to fight him. It was...preposterous, a shame, an insult to Kenji's pride at the very least. But, this didn't enrage the blond man, no; it actually served to make him want to defeat Kisho-san all the more. To prove the other man that he was wrong in underestimates his opponent capabilities, that he wasn't giving Kenji what he was worth for.

"You know that I'm ready as long as you are boy. Let's give him all that he deserves. Let's show him to pay some more respect to us in the future..."

"Yeah, I'll show him to treat his opponent with some more respect in the future, and to behave a little more aggressively too..."

The little thoughts exchange occurred at the time Kisho-san had finished his chant, and called forth a new weapon to his aid. Something that Kenji was already familiar with from the last battle, something to be cautious about nonetheless. But, he wasn't going to back down now, now that all the pieces had fallen into place that is.

The earlier reiatsu that was focused on his zanpakutou expanded itself, releasing itself from the blade's grasp and shaping into its real form. The black ball hovered close to the blade, as if it was connected to it somehow, but to assume so would be such a grave mistake that it could lead one to its end just as fast.

'Matter is Void'

Calling out the given name of the ability, Kenji finally concluded all that was necessary for the pre-emptive act of using the said in battle. The black orb slightly pulsated, and freed itself from the blade's grasp, darting forward in the direction of Kisho-san, with a speed matching that of Kenji. He didn't know f it would hit, but just in case, he was preparing himself to execute it once again.

"D***, I hope it does hit. The pay is too high for me to keep on doing this. If he was at least fighting for real I could be more... extreme."


Kenji's zanpakutou change had interested Kisho somewhat as he saw the dark reiatsu form a ball at the tip of its blurred form. The ball pulsated with some slight background sound as Kenji swung his blade forward to release the ball towards Kisho. Instantly, Kisho was able to feel that the reiatsu ball included a fair amount of compressed reiatsu as it rocketed in towards Kisho.

Guess I will have to dodge again, things can get rather boring when that's all you can do in such a situation.


Dodging will not be so easy if the ball follows the same rules as the blade.

Though Kisho did not want to listen to the advice of his zanpakutou, upon its line he felt compelled to look closer at the orbs movement. His blue eyes scanned at the reiatsu orb as it flew along, but instead of knocking small rocks away from its path and speed, it seemed to pick them up like a super strong magnet. And not only that, it moved as fast as any shyunpo Kisho could muster.

Oh oh.

With as much effort as Kisho could muster, he put his full concentration and energy into bursting into a shyunpo back and to the right of the incoming orb. With his diagonal movement, Kisho was able to move deftly away from the pulsating orb and whatever range its field of attraction was. However, Kisho noticed that the orb did not continue onwards in any way, shape or form. It simply sat there in the middle of Soukyoko stadium waiting for something to draw closer to it.

Hardening his blue eyes towards Kenji, Kisho decided to give one final attempt at stopping the stronger power and technique that Kenji held while in shikai mode. "The fiendish tree grasps the foolish traveller. Ensnaring and draining them of their life. Vanishing their very trace from this world and sending it onward to the next." But Kisho held the final words of the chant as he watched his opponent carefully. As his final trump card, he could not waste it so easily in a head on collision.


"F*** that **** guy!"

Was all that ran trough the man's mind at the moment. So, Kisho-san could get serious at some times? He could actually muster his energy and exact a good deal of it in the act of...dodging?! Was that all that the other man was good on? Did Kenji overestimate his opponent to such an extent?!

No. If one thing was certain, it was that Kisho-san wasn't weak. Kenji knew that his opponent held a formidable amount of power and will within. He knew that Kisho-san could be as deadly as he was, if not more. So, why? Why was the man clearly holding back on his power and not using it to its fullest like he was doing?

"Could it be that I'm the one who's weak? Is I'm not worthy of this man releasing his zanpakutou and showing me his true power?!"

A vicious thought, harmful one could say, one of those things that are better kept unsaid, the kind of thought that could shake the will of one combatant in the heat of the battle. And it sure was heading this way. He had no definite style; he fought only following instincts and his somewhat acquired experience on the field. He wasn't trained by some master of the sword, nor did he hold within some kind of miraculous potential that would manifest it in the last second of the match.

"Get a **** grip kid! Don't you dare think that you're weaker than this man, or that he has the upper hand on you. I did not show myself to some coward ******* that was afraid of consequences, or that denied the world around him. I know you better than yourself. Every little detail of your persona is no mystery to me. And believe me, if there's something you're not is weak!"

The inner voice came rushing trough his mind along with the momentary increase of reiatsu that anticipated the firing. Another orb flew across the battlefield in Kisho's direction, raging trough the air while almost consuming that which was round it. Drawing closer pebbles and small rocks that were gathered in the grounds of such an ancient place, the black orb resembled the very planet exercising its undeniable force towards all that stood close enough.

But this time, it had a little extra to it. Along with the ball another thing flew across the battlefield in Kisho's direction; Kenji.

As the ball described a straight line towards the second division shinigami, a blond blur described more of an arc movement towards the same goal, aiming to close one of the escape routes of his enemy. If the ball was to hit, he would arrive just in time to deliver the blow, if it failed, he would have a chance to caught Kisho-san with his guard low.

"Thank you Kyomuou. I'll see this trough with my own eyes. And I'll not let him escape once more, after all, aren't we Fourth Division shinigami's supposed to be fast?"


As Kenji fired off yet another pulsating orb which leapt towards Kisho, Kisho watched it again closely with his blue eyes. There seemed to be just as much power and magnetism in this sphere as there had been in the last sphere which still glowed ominously ahead of him just in case he made a return trip.

So much for hoping the man weakens quickly.

Kisho assessed his options rapidly with a quick spiritual and visual scan of the area. If he was to dodge this orb in the same manner as the last, Kisho would find himself with his back to the Soukyoko stadium walls far too quickly. Because of how Kisho had been moving from the last dodge, he was already oriented towards the right which would make dodging to the left rather hard with the fast moving orb coming in.

But as soon as Kisho thought about moving to the right more, he saw Kenji disappear to a blur which was moving in that exact direction to cut Kisho off if he was to continue his line of dodging. The point Kisho was in gave a flexible representation of the term 'Between a rock and a hard place', but Kisho had to decide which of the two he should move towards.

The orb was strongly magnetised and moving fast towards Kisho, though Kisho could not see much harm in being drawn towards it, he was sure it would probably hold him in place or else deliver some other sort of affect. On the other hand, Asagi Kenji's shikai form had already given him two close calls as it also had some sort of attraction. If Kisho was to move in Kenji's direction, he would surely cut him off.

At Kisho's side of the defence, he did have Breaking Palm activated which could land a devastating blow to Kenji if he was to get close enough. That and he had a bakudou ready to fire, but Kisho's skill was not that absolute that he would be able to concentrate on landing a decent blow on Kenji and hold the incantation and energy to fire. On the other end, the sphere was definitely ominous and Kisho was not sure how strong of an attractant it would be for him.

Ultimately, Kisho decided to opt for the rock. Bursting into shyunpo towards Kenji, Kisho kept a low profile and basically hugged the ground in a crouch while keeping his feet strongly planted on the ground and hands just above it. Because Kenji had already thoughtfully covered most of the distance between them, Kisho was able to intercept the blonde man's shyunpo somewhat as he brushed his left glowing hand across the ground.

The brush did two things for Kisho. Firstly, it easily sent up rock from a line which quickly turned into a thick, but incomplete cloud of rubble as his breaking palm smashed easily through the hard ground. And secondly, it allowed Kisho to send the last of his kidou energy into the ground before he chanted under the noise of the rubble breaking.

"Bakudou #57, Tree of Stolen Life."

As minor sprouts of kidou energy formed under Kenji's legs, Kisho used the slight delay between his chant and the kidou springing to life to distract Kenji a final time. As he had drawn his left hand across his body while scraping upon the floor, he was able to swing it to grasp his zanpakutou's hilt in his right hand. With both hands firmly grasped on the zanpakutou, Kisho stopped his sidewards skid and reversed the sword swing with the aim of cutting diagonally up at Kenji's midsection.


Whatever he intended to do, one thing was certain for the young man; he needed to act fast. In a matter of seconds, if not less, Kisho-san unleashed a barrage of offensive moves towards his direction, virtually covering all routes from which Kenji could rely on to escape or dodging maneuvers.

Frankly, he would expect no less from the man. But, he wasn't going to back down when he was this close to the victory, and even if he were to lose, he would go down with style, as one who fought until the very end of his energies. All that remained to do, was to choose between the brackets of options that his opponent had presented to him, and effectively devises a course of action to at least suppress part of the damage that would surely occur.

Last second decisions were starting to become a routine for Kenji, and as part of the blitzkrieg division, people would expect no less from him. His mind quickly ran trough all the variables that were coming at him, adrenaline pumping wildly trough his circulatory system, delivering more and more energy throughout the entirety of his body, almost a call for all his cells to give it their all on this last stand of the man.

And it suddenly occurred to him that he had just one choice. He couldn't possibly dodge them all, nor did he had the strength to push trough them without being affected somehow, but he had one upper hand over his opponent. And he would use that to try and give him a piece of his mind, a little souvenir from this battle that was so anticipated, but that wasn't really what he was looking forward.

Kenji's body came to an abrupt halt, between the times that the rubble cloud took to arrive along with the sword slash; he prepared himself for the worst. Planting his feet on the ground, as to seek balance on his left leg this time, the man's blade was held firmly on his right hand, almost tied to the back of his arm, as to remain hidden from view. When Kisho arrived, the motion began.

To read Kisho's sword slash wasn't all that hard, the difference between the men in terms of mastery of the blade was explicit, and Kenji really couldn't understand why did Kisho-san opted to rely on his blade rather than on his stronger hakuda prowess. If the blow came from below, Kenji dove against it. The man's body moved with the skill of those used to narrow their lives against the cold pieces of steel all the time.

While his body lowered itself to almost ground's height, his back arched, enabling him to get away from the majority of the blade's grasp. It didn't prevented blood to be spilled, as it cut trough shallowly trough the man's torso, a diagonal line was drawn in his flesh. In the middle of the motion, Kenji's left foot, the one who centered the weight of the man, pressed harder against the ground and launched the man in a spinning motion, while this enabled the man to set his body in the right position to finish his strike, it also made the blade dig deeper on the later part of the cut, exacting more pain than necessary.

Just as he was finishing his move, the last part of Kisho's offensive plaid its part. The vines burst out of the rocky grounds, lashing themselves all around the blond man, trying to prevent him from finishing his move while digging into his skin, searching for the precious reiatsu that was found somewhere within his soul. But he wasn't going to back down now. Even trough the pain, the blood, the sapping, the blond man still found something to rely on in this desperate final move.

"Do it. Endure the pain, break free trough it all Kenji. If you are to face much greater opponents in the future, you have to win this. Prove that you're worthy of these people trust, prove that you're not just another on the sea of shinigamis. Show them you got something else, show them that you got 'soul'."

Amidst it all, the man's right arm was forced up, carrying the Jian along with its movement, aiming for a diagonal slice against Kisho's frame. Seeing the position in which he found himself, Kisho would surely suffer some damage trough this attack, but Kenji knew the other man too well to actually expect some great result on this improvised and restrained act.

"This' is all I got. Time to see this trough."


Kisho knew it was probably way too good to hope that Kenji would take the planned route and simply block Kisho's blade and stand there waiting for the bakudou to grab him. But Kisho had not expected such an athletic, flexible move from an opponent who studied the sword and speed so avidly. Typically such a form was rather rock hard and easy to predict, but Kenji's movement here was completely fluid like water.

As Kisho's blade went by unhindered by Kenji's own blade, Kisho was shocked that he actually struck at the fourth division member. But his shock was short lived as the very minor scratch formed along his opponent's chest diagonally sending almost no blood into the air after it and leaving minor traces upon his zanpakutou's tip. Kisho's blue eyes instantly widened as Kenji spun quickly to finish Kisho off in one strong sword blow.

Fortunately it was at this exact moment that the bakudou sprung and quickly began to bind the lowered form of Kenji. An unmistakable sigh of relief left Kisho before he even knew he had been holding his breath. Kisho blinked slowly at the stress of the whole battle and breathed in.

That was way too scary; I really don't like getting hurt much. And right now my forehead and arm sting a fair bit. Not quite enough to get over the constant pain in my back though.

Kisho opened his strong blue eyes to meet those of his opponent's to finish the battle when a reflection of sunlight caught the bottom of Kisho's visual range. Kenji had managed to struggle enough against the growing tree to make one final strike upon the crouching second division member who had relaxed for a split second too long. Kisho instantly tried to fall back away from the uprising blade in a vain and hopeless movement to dodge the blow.

Kenji's zanpakutou struck Kisho right on the bottom of his ribcage on his left side of the torso. As Kisho felt the impact of the blade against the bone which covered his vital organs in the upper regions of the body, he involuntarily let out a scream which he stifled as the rest of the cut continued. From the bottom of his ribcage, right to the tip of his shoulder, the zanpakutou of Kenji carved through Kisho's skin like butter, sending bloody straight up in the air from the equally vertical cut.

Kisho slumped back on his knees as he panted harshly against the pain of the last ditch cut. No doubt it hurt, and Kisho felt that his senses had faded somewhat. Despite this, Kisho was able to hear the growth of the wood just near him as it reached its full height. As nothing else entered the small sphere of sensual reception Kisho had allowed himself to keep through the pain, Kisho decided that his bakudou must have worked much better this time.

Cancelling the white glow on his left hand from the kidou he had had little use for in the fight, Kisho pushed it hard against the deeper part of the cut towards the bottom of the ribcage. With part of his final strength, Kisho righted himself with his back muscles and a helpful push from the hand which held his zanpakutou's blue sheath.

Asagi Kenji half-stood trapped in the tangling vines of wood and small thorns of the bakudou which was now sapping him of some of his strength. Though the upper slash had gotten Kisho harder than Kisho would have expected with the binding which had been taking place, it had left him with his sword in a position away from his body and thus unable to cut as the tree formed around his posture.

Without getting up from his kneeling position, Kisho's zanpakutou hand shook harshly as he tried to send the last of his energy into that limb for what he must do.


Go on, cut his ****ing heart out and show it to the crowd. Unless you are too weak to win still, that would be right. ****ed pussy!
You aren't going to do anything that reckless are you Kisho? What if the roles were switched?


Shut up, I know exactly what to do and I sure as hell don't need your help.

Gripping the sea blue hilt of his zanpakutou, Kisho yanked it upwards so that the tip of his blade was pointed towards the throat of his opponent. And from that position, it did not move. His hand did not even shake at the effort; it felt as if his arm was locked in that position as drawing it back to the ground would be more effort than it was worth.

"Takero-san," Kisho called out in a weary shout which hardly echoed throughout the stadium, let alone over the sounds of the crowd. Despite this, Kisho was able to give a trademark smirk as he wobbled slightly on his knees which would not give over until his next statement had been answered by the Soukyoko official. "Game over, please sound the siren. Also...I might like...need a stretcher or something. Kenji too I suppose."


Takero watched the fight as it reached an interesting end. He then took a glance over his shoulder and gave a nod to a man waiting in the shadows.

The man noded back and faded back to the shadow in which it has stood in. Seconds later, a team of paramedics came rushing into the arena, ready to treat the two valiant shinigami.

The vice captain stepped up to the pavilion and pointed his hand towards the victor of the match. "The winner of this match is... Kaoin Kisho of the Second Division!"

The whole stadium erupted with cheers from his fans and boos from the other man's. But at least this was a decent fight.

Takero then turned around walked slowly back towards his seat and picked up the blade that was lying in his place. "Well, my job here is done..." Slowly he walked back to the darkside of the room and slowly disappeared in the shadow that enveloped his body.
 
B

bittman

Guest
Bumping because of some super gay thingo I got when i posted it which has probably resulted in it not being shown. Meh, anyway. I won~ *dances all over crysal*
 
D

dar

Guest
Good fight Bitters amd Crysal! For that you have a shocking grade of 50! errrrr... 500!


**All grades are courtesy by our sponsor... ∞Best Guess∞ ® ©Á¢"ž ¢
 

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