SK Week 31: Takero vs. Yuri

[i_heart_ichigo]

Sou Kyouko, Week 31: Takero Idaten vs. Ten'oh Yuri


takero idaten = dar
ten'oh yuri = i_heart_ichigo​

Jubei stood in the centre of the arena in the cool evening sun. The dusty ground beneath his feet grinded as he slowly turned on the stop. He may not have been able to see it but that didn't stop the memories from coming. The smell of blood was in the air and the screams and cheers of the on lookers still held in the air like a far off echo. Soon the echo would be replaced by the real thing. The scent of blood was in the air and the sharks are hungry.

Signaling to the guards situated around the arena Jubei, the doors swung open. The crowds began to pour into the stadium, filling most every seat. Jubei could sense the aura of the stands lighting up like flood lights. All its power focus on the battle ground bellow.

Jubei shyunpoed out the way, into the captains box, as the two large doors on the opposite sides of the grounds opened and the fighters entered, there fate now outside of there hands.


With a sardonic grin, his long fingers deftly plugged the cable into the 8x10 Ampeg speakers before he strapped on his bass. He reached for the knobs on the bass head, adjusting the settings methodically.

Treble? 6. Mids? 8.

Bass?

Another grin.

Ten.

Glancing down at his pedal board, he carefully pressed each one of them on with his foot, hearing the audible clicks of them turning on. Random wires ran across his feet as they were all connected to some unknown power outlet, a mystery he didn't think about until now. With a dry cough, he fingered a few frets, ran down a few Ionian scales to warm up his fingers, then slapped out a measure of "By the Way" by Red Hot Chili Peppers. Satisfied with the tone, he realized that things weren't quite complete.

Walking over to the edges of the stands, his bass swung at his side as he reached for another bass and a microphone. Rearing back, he flung both down into the ring: the bass heading straight towards Yuri, and the microphone towards Takero. He then glanced behind him to the other band mates with a nervous smile on his face.

Showtime.

"Hey, Setsu, aibou, you guys holding up there all right?"


Kenzo looked out from his special captain reserved seat. The Sou Kyouko had stopped for many weeks now, and finally, the stadium became alive again. The seats were full this time. Kenzo looked down at the two contestants.

Maybe I'll choose someone who's down there to be in my division, he thought.


Jinsoku lugged around a heavy guitar upon his shoulders, following his aibou Ichigawa into the stands. He didn't know how Ichigawa managed to talk him into this. However, it was for Yuri.

Jin would do anything for her.

Maybe playing guitar would impress her while she wailed on her future opponent. The instrument was so bloody awkward...

It was a "double axe" .

He hooked up the guitar to the amp he carried, set it down gently. He strummed out the melody to a song, "Basement Ghost Singing," by Armor For Sleep, as a tune up. Right. Staring down below, he saw the immense crowd, all watching Yuri face Takero.

Nice turn out, he smiled. "Go get im, Yuri! Me and Michi are behind you all the way!"

Jin paused, looking around for a moment. "Where is Michi?"

Michi lunged from the stands, attacking Yuri, licking her face, before Jin even noticed.


"Hmm..." Setsu murmured under his breath as he took in the scene before him.

He looked back towards the stands, then down at the drums at his feet.

"A... Ahh..."

Even if he still had both his arms, lugging them up the stairs would have taken more effort than he would've been willing to give. Therefore, only one alternative was left.

"You," he pointed at a random passerby and motioned at the drums and random pieces of metal lying on the floor next to his feet. "Grab those and help me bring them up there."

He jerked his thumb at the crowded stands. The man seemed taken aback by the command and immediately sneered.

"Why the hell should I?" he laughed and flipped his middle finger at Setsu before running off.

Setsu sighed and counted off three seconds in his head before he disappeared. In an instant, he appeared before the boy and smashed his leg into the man's face. Before the body could hit the ground, he grabbed the man's shirt and pulled him back towards his disassembled drum set.

"Carry. Now."


A small girl in a silver-purple haori hid high up in the stands, accompanied only by a fairy. But at the intoxicating sounds of music coming from the band below, she squealed loudly.

Not just a squeal.

A fangirl squeal.

The type of noise that pierces impure hearts.

Within this cloud of sound, one could discern a few names... Ichi... Jin... Setsu... names that would soon have fanclubs, fanart, fanfics, and fanrabidness created in their honor.

Moogie cuddled closer.

And without another word, the girl nuzzled back into her robe, sipping her hot chocolate AND coffee, disappearing from sight.


Carrying himself with pride, Yuusuke entered the arena with a bit of nervousness. This was his first time here, and he was unsure of what to expect. Up in the bleachers, there stood a few Shinigami with a group of assorted instruments. Yuusuke headed over to the group, interested in what was going on.

Mmm...Is it really that good of a fight to attract a band?

Yuusuke saw one of the band members looking around for something, his eyes finally settling on the stage. Interested Yuusuke turned to see two Shinigami...and one of them..."

She's beautiful..." muttered Yuusuke under his breath.

He knew who he'd be cheering for.


Takero looked up as the gigantic doors swung before him. As the wind passed through the gap that the doors made, Takero's hair swayed through the air for a moment and then settled neatly just above his shoulders.

He slowly walked into the stadium, where all the noise he had heard from the locker room were from. He wasn't sure if they were cheers or booing but even if they were it wouldn't stop the trembling of his body. It was his first time at the Sou Kyouko stadium and felt somewhat awkward due to the audience. It was a fight between Yuri and him. He didn't know her or anything but he hoped that this will end quickly... even if it was his defeat.

He stood at the middle of the stadium and bowed deeply towards the captains who were at the audience. He then turned towards his opponent, and gave her a wave and a smile.

"Please go easy on me!" He said as he bowed.


A deep sigh escaped Yuri's throat as she sauntered into the stadium. She'd known about this fight since last week, but she still couldn't shake this sense of nervousness. This would be her first fight in Sou Kyouko.

Her crimson eyes widened upon entering the stadium; there were a lot more people here than she'd counted on. She scanned the crowd for a familiar face, though she'd only met a few shinigami since graduation.

Crap...Yuri, you're screwed.

If her memory was correct, she'd be facing off against Takero Idaten today; a shinigami who was also relatively new to the Gotei.

Yuri's thoughts were interrupted as she caught something flying toward her in the corner of her eye. Was it...a bass guitar?

She turned toward the blurred object, eyebrow arched. It was indeed a bass guitar- and...what's this? Michi leapt from the stands, a blaze of fur and tail wags, coming to a halt only to lick her face.

What the hell? She laughed inwardly, taking a moment to pat Michi on the head.

She paused, her right arm extending to catch the incoming guitar, furtively setting it aside. She had no clue why a bass was being flung at her during a fight, and decided she may be better off not knowing.

Her facial expression shifted to a more serious tone as she gazed upon her opponent.

"Heh, oh no, please," she broke mid-sentence to offer a bow, "...it's you who should go easy on me!"

She rubbed at her temple, a nervous smile curling at the corners of her lips.


Jubei took his seat in the captain's box and looked down at the two fighters. Their auras weren't bright, but there was a certain strength to them. This fight would certainly be a good show of strength. As the two fighters took up there positions and the crowd began to settle, Jubei stood up and took up the microphone.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I welcome you to the Sou Kyouko arena. Greet our warriors with pride and let their strength be told from combat. Win or lose, let them leave with your respect. Ladies and Gentlemen... LET BATTLE COMMENCE!"

Jubei took his seat and the cheers erupted from the stands as the fight began.


Takero jumped away from Ten'oh as soon as Jubei-taichou had announced that it was starting. His expression suddenly changed to a serious one and didn't let Ten'oh out of his sight. He wasn't sure what her abilities were or what kind of fighting style she used, but if she turned out to be more of a Kidou user, he was screwed. Divinely screwed.

He took out his gauntlets from his sleeves and slipped it on. He assumed a left fighting stance and rose his guard up. He didn't want to use his soul slayer so early in the battle and assumed that it was better for him to assess the situation in his most natural form.

Let's see. I'm gonna be on the defensive first and see what her strengths are. This way I won't waste my energy too much. he thought to himself.


Feeling her heart race as Jubei-taichou announced the fight, Yuri's face became masked in pure battle mode. Even if she was nervous, or shaken for that matter, she was still going to give it her all.

She gave Takero a quick look over, attempting to analyze his thoughts. Hell, she had no way of knowing what his strengths or weaknesses were as she'd never met the guy. Still, her mind raced in a feeble attempt to gather this knowledge. She could only hope he wasn't an avid kidou user, or hakuda for that matter.

Lowering on her haunches a tad, and bringing her arms forward, she waited. She wasn't about to rush in, flailing like a moron without feeling it out a bit.


An awkward standstill was ensuing, and the crowd was shouting out that they start it now. But he really didn't want to rush in and make a fool of himself, so he gathered all the pride he had and didn't care what other shinigamis would think of him.

Takero slowly shifted his stance and readied his guard. He was about to make the first move. It was a bit inappropriate of him, but what the hell! This was already starting to be a staring contest between them, and the crowd doesn't want that. He lowered his stance a bit more and counted in his mind.

Three... two... one... go!

He quickly moved towards Ten'oh then shifted his stance placing him right beside her. He let out a single punch to the body and watched her react to it.


Yuri's face attained an awkward tint of rouge as Takero flew toward her, arm extended.

Crap, he's fast...

She shyunpo'd to the right, almost succeeding in escaping the punch. She winced slightly as his fist grazed her left arm.

He was definitely more skilled in the art of hakuda than she was. This pained her, as she was hoping that his strengths would not be her weaknesses. The blow would definitely leave an ugly bruise tomorrow, she decided.

Feh...it can't be helped. She nodded to herself, preparing her next move.

Yuri reached for her zanpakutoh, pulling it from the sheath that rested upon the back of her waist. She held the blade in front of her, hands clenched tightly, as she watched her opponent.

This fight was proving to be a bit more challenging than she'd thought, even though it had just started. It was only know that she cursed herself for her preference in drinking as opposed to training.

Yuri, you moron. From now on, train first, ne?

She shot forward abruptly, leaping a few feet into the air in an attempt to bring her blade down upon Takero.



Takero gracefully shifted his weight to one side and moved to the right, effectively dodging Ten'oh's attempt to cut him in half.

He concluded that this was more of an 'act then react situation'. He was going to be attacked when he provoked her. Judging from his conclusion, he was to deliver more blows so that she wouldn't have time to counter him; also he shouldn't let himself be filled with open targets.

Takero let out a back fisted strike towards her back then quickly turned and jumped to land a cutting kick. He decided to avoid hitting her face... he wouldn't allow himself to land a bruise on the lady's face. So the body should be enough.


Yuri's brow furrowed as she watched Takero evade her katana. He was good, no doubt about that. Landing firmly on her feet, she glanced over her shoulder to try and catch the shinigami's counter attack.

She was quick, but his moves connected just before her eyes had caught them. Her eyes widened in shock as she felt his fist, then his foot land into the small of her back.

Shimatta...Yuri, wake up!

She flew forward, connecting with the ground's surface in a sudden 'thud'. She breathed heavily as she propped herself up with her arm, slowly rising back to her full height.

In an attempt to regain focus, Yuri brought her blade before her once again, eyebrows meeting at the lull of an aggravated slope. She wouldn't let herself get caught again; there were too many spectators here today. She needed to pull herself together, for the sake of pride... for...

Hell, Jinsoku had already seen Yuri at her worst. She didn't want tonight to be an encore of that horrid event.


Since before the fight even started, Jin had been sipping casually from his "Rabu Rabu" sake decanter. A delightful air resounded through him, while he strummed lazily to a song, "Battlescars," as the effects of the sake were slowly taking place.

However, he was watching Yuri get trounced so easily, and this was something he could not bare to see. Setting down the double axed guitar, Jin ran down the bleachers, bumping into people, knocking them over, hell, he didn't care. He wanted to make Yuri fight. It didn't even look like she was trying.

"Yuri," he snarled, screaming over the crowd and their useless commentary. His icy cold stare beared into Yuri's, effectively working from this distance. "What the hell's the matter with you?! You don't even look like you're attempting to fight back! Listen! I know you're stronger than this! So why don't you actually do something, let alone fight? You can do it!"


Takero jumped away a few meters as Ten'oh slowly got back to her feet. Takero looked into her eyes and saw that she was more serious than she was when they started.

It was a good thing that those blows landed more or less perfectly. But I have to be more careful now. She's pissed off at what I did.

Takero clenched his fists and prepared for an incoming counter attack. He was thinking twice to use his soul slayer early on in the fight, but decided that it was time. He wouldn't be able to defend himself if Ten'oh used her soul slayer at him relentlessly.

He pulled the bluish katana from it sheath and readied himself. He took the stance he had used in fighting and incorporated his sword in it. He placed his hand right in front of him and held his sword at the back. It was a Chinese sword art position that uses only one hand to grasp the sword and the other to guide its movements.

He looked onto her once more and waited.


Yuri's attention snapped to the stands momentarily, upon hearing Jinsoku's voice.

Crap...so he had been payin' attention. She winced, bringing her gaze back to Takero. She couldn't afford to lose focus right now...things were looking bad enough as is.

She sighed audibly, grip tightening on her katana. Things needed to turn around...and now. Her eyes narrowed as she looked to her opponent; he'd finally drawn his sword.

In an abrupt snap, she shot forward, zanpakutoh trailing at her side. She needed to land a blow, and she needed to do it quickly.

About three meters from the shinigami, she lowered slightly before guiding her blade upward in an attempt to connect a blow on the man's knee.


Takero watched as the other shinigami dashed towards him at a fast pace. He then placed his soul slayer in front of him to block the incoming attack. But to his surprise she then disappeared from his sight.

"Shi~~" he wasn't able to finish his word when he noticed that Ten'oh was right below him.

He watched as she tried to strike his legs. He quickly lowered the katana to block it, but it was a second too late. Fortunately, her sword wasn't able to strike his knee, but the blade came up too strong it cut his left thigh.

Takero winced in pain as the wound twitched.

Oh no... he said in his thoughts.

The cut was shallow, but nonetheless it would hinder him from moving properly. Another blow almost came crashing down at him but this time he was able to block it.

Their swords met and clashed together, and they were pushing each other to get one off balanced.

She's good and strong! I might be beaten if I keep on this Takero thought while he was being overpowered by woman in front of him.


A smirk graced Yuri's lips as she felt her blade slice through Takero's flesh. At last, she'd made a successful strike, and how.

Their blades locked in strife, her eyes met in gridlock with the opponent's. They seemed almost equal in ability so far...but she had to remind herself not to underestimate Takero. For all she knew, he could be holding back. Still, she knew the blow she'd landed to his leg was crucial, regardless of skill level. At the least, it should hinder his movement a tad, and that was to her advantage.

"Heh...despite what I said earlier, I can't go easy any longer. You're tougher than I thought so...I'm giving it my all from here on out." She huffed, struggling to keep his blade at bay.


Abruptly stopping his playing, he stared with wide eyes as his aibou suddenly burst into a song that was not part of the set.

"Wait, wait aibou! What are you-" Watching his aibou shred the guitar like mad, he could only sweat drop at his skills. With a heavy sigh, he listened to the timing, dissected the chords his aibou was playing, and then improv-ed with him and managed to stay in tune. Setsu caught on and laid down tight beats for the two as they raced through "Battlescars" with a completely new flair.

Too bad no one was even paying attention to them anymore as they were too engrossed in the fight. Although he could have sworn he heard Kanie...

"Thank you! Thank..." Ichigawa trailed off as he too fixated on the fight, eyes wide as the skills of the new, but definitely talented, shinigami. Glancing around, he quickly unplugged his bass and raced for a nearby seat, plopping down and resting the instrument on one knee as he continued to play "Tommy the Cat" silently.

Lots of great talent there... Ichigawa smiled, then caught himself as he realized that only just a while ago, he had been at their strength. With sudden understanding, the smile spread across his face, renewed.

That means they'll become way better than me, then. I'm sure of it.

"Rock on, guys! Rock on!" Ichigawa threw up the devil's horns with a grin. "You two are definitely going to raise some hell in Soul Society!"


Takero smiled for a bit at Ten'oh's remark. "Don't worry. I'm planning not to from this point on."

Takero then pushed his blade towards her with all his might. He then shifted his weight forwards then suddenly let go. He ducked and gave her a complete leg sweep. Unfortunately, she was able to evade it by jumping back but she lunged at him once she had recovered.

Takero quickly got up and blocked the attack with his right hand holding unto his soul slayer. The sword crashed upon him but he was somehow able to hold it out. He quickly responded to the attack focusing his spiritual pressure unto his other hand. "Chikatsu the eminent star of earth! Lend me thy powers of push and pull! Gather thy force at the forefront of evil and expel threats to my existence! Repel thee! Hadou #14, Hakke Kuushou!"

He shot the spell right at Ten'oh's body at point blank range causing her to be thrown off a few meters back.


Her eyes remained firmly locked on Takero; she was suddenly excited, a devious grin adorning her mug. Her opponent had an interesting style, and a respectable aura seemed to emanate from him.

Just as she was about to lunge forward once again, Takero began chanting the kidou spell.

Crap...not kidou. She winced slightly as the force knocked her back several meters, her feet sliding across the dirt of the arena.

The spell didn't necessarily hurt, it was more like a flea bite; a minor annoyance. She guessed it was to buy him some time with the fresh wound on his thigh. Deciding she needed to switch it up, she shyunpo'd to the right, charging toward Takero only to leap behind him.

Thrusting her palm toward the shinigami, she chanted in a low baritone, "The earth trembles. The children of the sky scream in retribution. Hadou #7, RAKURAI!!!'

A small sphere of energy gathered in her palm, swirling and glowing all the while. The luminescent orb shot forward at Takero. Once she felt it was in vicinity, she outstretched her fingers, causing the sphere to explode.


Oh crap~~

Takero's Hakke Kuushou wasn't as effective as it would be. Ten'oh merely took in the blow and nullified it then shyunpo'd towards him.

"Here she comes!"

Ten'oh disappeared from his sight momentarily and then reappeared to his right, then she shifted her position as he swung his sword towards her

He suddenly heard some words coming out from her mouth.

"KIDOU!"

He quickly jumped away as she shouted the words, "Hadou #7, Rakurai!"

This wasn't an unfamiliar spell to him. He had seen this before when Ayame fought with him against the hollow they encountered in a patrol at the outskirts of west Rukongai. It was an area affect Kidou and merely jumping out of the way wasn't enough to dodge it.

The ball of electricity came zooming towards him and then a flash of light followed afterwards. The next thing he knew that he was screaming in pain as he was electrocuted

He then was forced to kneel down as the spell's effect wore off.

****, this isn't going according to plan! He took one energy pill from his back and popped it into his mouth. He felt that it somehow relieved the pain that he felt a while ago

He slowly got back to his feet and assumed his stance. As soon as he got to position, he swayed from side to side and gathered his spiritual pressure towards his legs. He pretended to be falling down on the floor, but as he "collapsed" he shyunpo'd towards Ten'oh's back and let forth a barrage of punches and sword strikes.



Yuri's face seemed to glow as Rakurai connected with her opponent. She wasn't very skilled in the art, and that was probably the only spell she'd be able to use this fight, so the fact that it indeed hit made her swell with pride.

She peered curiously at the down struck shinigami. Was he ingesting a pill?

Feh...no matter. She shrugged it off, deciding not to waste time on trying to guess what it was.

Her brow furrowed as the man swayed to and fro, eventually falling back to the ground; or so she thought.

In a flash, Takero disappeared from sight. Her eyes shot from side to side, trying to find the evasive shinigami. Before she could turn around, her eyes and mouth widened in surprise as she felt a flurry of cuts and strikes invading her back.

Yuri fell onto one knee, the other propped to balance the petite shinigami. Audible huffs could be heard escaping her lungs, as she slowly looked over her shoulder at her opponent, fists clenched at her side.

"The hell didja take a minute ago...crack?" She mused, only half kidding. Whatever it was seemed to make his prior injury void; she'd have to try something else.

She could feel the bitter sting the cuts had left in messy cross hatches on the flesh of her back. She wondered how much longer she could hold out...

Slowly rising from her haunches, Yuri paused a moment before turning to face her opponent. She was running out of ideas quick...maybe she was outranked in this fight, after all.

Quickly dismissing the thought, she shyunpo'd to the left of Takero, planning to land a strike on his neck with the dull back of her blade. If it was successful, it wouldn't cut, but it would leave him breathless...and open.


Takero watched as the other shinigami sped towards his side.

Now she's getting more serious, that attack I did might have ticked her off.

Takero noticed that the other shinigami was breathing heavily already, and her speed has fallen quite a bit. However, her speed was still a greater match than his; she appeared a few meters from his left side with her sword held high.

She's aiming for a critical blow! If she hits me, I'd be done for!

Takero knew that her skill with the sword was better than his. And even if he blocked it normally it would still hit him in a different spot. And also the wounds and bruises he got from their clashes are really slowing him down. He knew that there was no other way to block it other than that... He held his soul slayer tightly at his right hand and shouted.

"Sakebidasu, Kyoujin!"

Takero had finally released his soul slayer, Kyoujin. As Kyoujin finished its transformation from the katana into a katar, Takero quickly activated its ability.

"Kaze no Osaeru, Kyoujin!"

The ability started as soon as the blade came crashing unto him. Her blade slowed down due to high pressure winds that Kyoujin created to protect his body. As soon as he felt that the speed of the strike had slowed down, he quickly swung Kyoujin towards her blade, successfully blocking it. He then shifted his position and hit Ten'oh with a round house kick at her stomach.


Kenzo nodded at Takero's first display of power.

Initial release. The second years...they already reached Shi Kai. Not bad, some of them recently joined also.

He leaned forward to inspect his new zanpakutoh more clearly, his attention drifting from the fight to his zanpakutoh's abilities instead.

Suddenly, Kenzo raced behind, and in a totally random act, produced a beer can from nowhere, and chucked it at the fighters. "A b33r power up~" he said, nodding.


Yuusuke leaned forward, the fight captivating his attention.

They're relatively equal in strength, aren't they? He's better at Hakuda, but she has the advantage in Zanjutsu. If she has Shi Kai, it will be a long fight.

He could feel himself craving a fight. Yuusuke tended to feel the need to fight when seeing others fight. Maybe coming here wasn't such a good idea...

With a shrug, Yuusuke mumbled to himself, "Both of them were pretty passive at first, until that guy shouted. Who was that jerk, anyway? They use a lot of tricks too. I'm not a big fan of that sort of fighting."

Widening his grin, Yuusuke yelled out, "Fight hard, Yuri-san!!!"


A look of utter disbelief masked Yuri's face as Takero unleashed his shi kai.

Crap...not only have I failed to learn shi kai yet...I don't have much more in me. She cursed inwardly, noting the previous injuries she'd attained through out the fight.

"Che!" She spat, as her blow was easily parried by the wind-like force emanating from Takero. Things weren't looking so good for her at this moment...if this shinigami's shi kai blocked physical attacks like so, she was **** out of luck.

Her face remained an eerie calm as she received the round house to her stomach; keeping emotionless eyes locked upon Takero as she flew back several meters, landing with a loud 'thud' against the wall of the arena.

She laid there, her torso propped up by the concrete wall, struggling to catch a full breath. The petite shinigami's small frame had endured a lot of wear and tear in this battle, and fatigue loomed over her like a dark cloud.

She winced and gave a weak smile to the man before her, replying meekly, "Heh...that all you got, Takero-san?" Her words were interrupted by light coughs; the injuries on her back combined with the blow to her stomach had taken a large toll on her abilities.


Takero breathed heavily and braced himself on his legs for support. Releasing Kyoujin then using his ability drained him really quick. Kaze no Osaeru wasn't perfected yet, so he took a toll when he used it to redirect Ten'oh's strike. He knew that this fight was going to end soon; if not it could end in their next exchange. Rather than waiting for Ten'oh to recover, he decided to move first and try to do as much damage as he could before he finally got drained. He still had one move left; he had already mastered it before but he couldn't seem to find an opening for it to be done.

He thought of possible approaches that could be executed to allow him to use his last card. He recalled the battles and fights he had gone through and one strategy came up to his mind.

He took a deep breath before unsteadily returned to his fighting stance. He was already fatigued and the blows that she did were all too draining. The wound on his leg was hindering him from moving as fast as he was when the fight started. The effect of the spell she cast upon him was still there and his sense of balance was distorted. And her making him use Kyoujin for the first time on a fellow shinigami was tiring.

He mustered all the energy he had and prepared to launch an attack, most probably the last he could do.

Takero knelt on the floor and placed his hand on the ground while chanting a spell. This was the first part of his plan.

"Blind their eyes! Remove me from sight! Do not allow this foe to hit their mark! Bougyoudo #3, Blue Mist!"

As the mist slowly covered him, he tried to suppress his spiritual pressure so only traces of it can only be found.


Yuri sat, still propped against the wall, as she watched her opponent. If her observations were correct, Takero couldn't last much longer either. The entire fight would probably be decided within the next few moves. She shifted slightly, struggling with gravity to stand back on her feet. Her entire body was racked with pain; the blows the shinigami had landed were in critical spots. Her rib cage ached even trying to catch a normal breath.

Mustering up her remaining strength, Yuri exhaled deeply before charging forward once again. Takero was on the ground, kneeling and mumbling something...most probably some sort of spell. Though it wasn't likely, she hoped she could break contact before his words were complete. As much as she wanted to win, she knew that one more blow would leave her immobile.

Flitting forward as fast as her fatigued legs would allow, she brought her zanpakutoh down before thrusting it forward, chanting wearily, "Surprise the fool, capture him with defeat. Shock his as you are elite. Throw out... all the tricks! Hadou #03, Myaku!"

As suddenly as she'd finished chanting the hadou, an enormous cloud of blue mist expelled into the air. Takero must've finished releasing his spell just as she had...

Yuri came to an abrupt halt, releasing the grip on her katana.

In her last offensive attempt, the spell shot her blade forward, its speed like that of a bullet.

Please work...!


Amidst the mist, Takero couldn't see what ever Ten'oh had prepared for him. The good thing was that she also couldn't see what he had planned to do next. Casting Blue Mist on the field was really a reckless move, for all he knew she could launch an area effect spell on him like what she had done earlier. This was a make or break situation... but this was a gamble that he was willing to take.

Takero slowly stood up and prepared to move towards her. Time was essential and a only a few seconds were left before the spell wore off.. Suddenly a blade came spinning towards him and it was aimed towards his head. He didn't know how Ten'oh managed to aim perfectly at him, but it was heading for a bulls eye with him as the target.

The blade entered the high winds enveloping Takero's body. It slowed down for a bit, but the velocity of it was too great to be stopped. Takero leaned towards his left to evade it but it hit his shoulder, slicing off a tendon or two.

Takero grimaced in pain as the wound squirted out blood. He wobbled for a bit and tried to regain his composure. Now his shoulder was cut and he wouldn't be able to use his right arm in this fight any more.

He slowly raised his left hand and drew an ideogram with it. "Disintegrate, Black Dog of Rondanini. Look upon yourself and burn! Devour your own throat!" He dashed towards Ten'oh and stopped just a few paces before her, "Bakudou #9 - GEKI!"

He hadn't perfected this spell, but it was the only choice left. He had to delay her from reacting even if it was only for a second. He knew that she could easily break out of it but it was worth a try.

He gathered all the remaining strength and power he has and gathered it unto his left hand. He clenched his fist as tight as he could and let the energy gather and stay there. He then placed his right foot forward and then lunged forward, punching Ten'oh at her Solar Plexus. Upon his fist making contact with her body, he pumped out all his remaining power he had gathered into her and hoped that somehow it will disrupt her breathing.

After executing the technique, Takero fell down and collapsed due to exhaustion. He had squeezed everything out of him to fight her.


Yuri squinted her eyes in a lame attempt to see through the heavy blue fog. She wondered if she'd even come remotely close to hitting her target. Her nerves rattled as she waited in anticipation.

There wasn't an inch of her body that didn't ache right now, but she still had a burning desire to win.

As if by magic, the azure mist dissipated to reveal Takero's blood spurting from a wound to his right shoulder.

It...hit? Her scarlet eyes widened once more, shrouded in disbelief. How the hell...?

Her thoughts were quickly interrupted as she felt an abrupt pressure pull at her insides.

Shimatta...

She'd been too distracted with the fact that her attack had landed to notice that Takero had cast the binding spell.

Yuri's eyes slammed shut, as she stood bound and helpless to whatever attack may follow. It was as if her insides had been electrocuted. She couldn't see what was happening; she was blinded, shell shocked.

Oh, how she loathed kidou.

Suddenly Yuri felt a sharp impact. Still unable to comprehend what had even happened, her limp body flung several meters back, sliding through the dirt of the arena before trickling to a halt.

Her muscles burned, her bones ached.

Darkness slowly consumed her as the muffled sounds of the crowd blurred in her mind. She couldn't fight it anymore...Takero, he was strong.

She was glad she'd had the opportunity to fight him.

The surrounding arena slowly disappeared from her mind as she slipped into a state of unconsciousness.


Jin saw the last blows connect of this fight, he was glad that Yuri now fought stronger than she had at the beginning. It made him so happy, that he realized he was guzzling more and more sake in excitement, until it was down to the last drop at the end of the battle. He saw Yuri collapse, moments after her opponent's.

"Yuuuuuuuuu... ri!" Jin slipped out the name, shocked at how silly the name rolled off his tongue. A hiccup soon followed, as his face glowed a bright bright red. Trying to jump over the coliseum's walls, he fell with a great thump on his back.


"Ah... ahaha," Jin laughed to himself, before stumbling forward. Michi zoomed by the drunken antics of Jinsoku, concerned over Yuri. "Hey," hiccup, "Don't steal Yuri... I... I wanna," Jin giggled, "Congratulate her." The Shinigami kept on going, stumbling and bumbling about.

He passed by Takero aimlessly, grumbling and shoving a fist in the air, "Good fight, mate!"

Before he could get to Yuri, the medical squad rushed by him, sending Jin toppling to the ground. One of the combat medics yelled as they nearly trampled Jin, "Take this guy in too! He might have alcohol poisoning," the medic cursed. "**** them for serving alcohol at these events."

Jin lay on the ground, grinning. "Nice match, Yuri, Takero," mumbling and laughing before all was black.


The moment the fighters collapsed Jubei stood up. In an instant he was down there in a burst of shyunpo, appearing between the two fighters. His black and white haori fluttered in the wind he had created. He reached a hand down to check both fighters. They were still alive. Turning to the crowd he held up a single hand signaling for silence. Silence that was only disturbed by the sounds of a drunk man's screams.

"DRAW!" Jubei shouted to the stands. They erupted in cheers and standing ovations. Jubei quickly leaned down to the two fighters, who were now being patched up by the medical team. "You both fought well. You have gained their respect, so hold your heads up in pride. You both fought well and win or lose, that was a fight to be proud of. I hope to see you in here again someday to prove your strength, true warriors of Soul Society."

Jubei left his words to hang in the air for both fighters as he disappeared as instantaneously as he had appeared. Whether the words had been heard or not didn't matter. It was the feeling left in them that mattered. Someday, they would show there metal on the battle field again. And on that day they would hold their heads up high and prove once again that they were worthy of the respect they had earned.