A Test Between Soul Society Agents

[Izanami Midorikawa]

Thread Title: A Test Between Soul Society Agents
Participants: Connor vs Nami
World: Human World
Death Setting: Permanent Injuries Enabled
Rating: R
Location:
Special Conditions: When Connor reaches the CTP needed to hit class 4 he can hear his zanpakuto spirit thus use Shikai.
Circumstances: After the first exchange between Nami and Connor the both of them believed that they wouldn't be able to understand one another without facing the other in battle. Thus they have gone to one of the less used streets of Karakura that happens to be a slope.

[Connor Greaves]

Connor lead the substitute for a good five minutes, before stopping abruptly in the center of a street. The Soul Reaper wanted to make sure that their fight was a good ways away from where the woman lived, so if someone did spot her, she would not be recognized by anyone in the area, seeing as she was actually visible to the normal humans, unlike himself. "This is far enough." He said, holding his hand up to stop her. He had actually managed to think of several questions for her over the course of the short trip they had taken, so maybe he'd be able to ask them. But for now...

Connor turned, and unhooked his sheath, pointing the covered blade at what he would like to call a comrade. But only if she could prove that she was worthy of it. He might not have been too important of a person in the Gotei thirteen, but he was dedicated to his ideals. He held no delusion that no one else followed his principles, especially not any unseated Soul Reapers, but he would stop at nothing to see them through. "What is our mission? Why do we do what we do in the world of the living?" He questioned, lunging at her with a considerable amount of speed.

The fastest he could move was 250, and he was using that to try and jab her in the stomach. He hopped that she was fast or skilled enough to avoid getting struck. He was not normally one for playing around, but he wanted to see how she handled herself. Was the the kind to end a fight before it started? Was she the kind of person to play around, taunting and belittling her foes, before ending it? Does she prefer to be defensive? Offensive? Evasive? Connor wanted to fight that out now, she how she handled defending herself from an opponent like himself. Not that he was much of one anyway, but regardless, he needed answers.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats and Skills}Stats: Strength- 200
Speed- 250
Reiatsu Strength- 50
Spiritual Pressure- (210+50%) 315
Senses- 50
Instinct- 50
Energy Sensory- 0

Dark- 100
Light- 0

Skills: Strength of Will- 1
Weapons, Swords- 1
Weapons, Guns- 1
Street Fighting- 1
Acting- 1
Disguise- 1
Crafting- 1
Charisma- 1

[Izanami Midorikawa]

Nami followed the Shinigami who had said his name was Connor throughout Karakura for a short time. They had both agreed that the best way for them to understand one another was to face each other in combat even if it wasn't serious. From what she understood this Shinigami was here to evaluate her and to do that he needed to know about her. Speech between them was weak as neither were outspoken.

Connor stopped and held his hand out telling her that this was far enough. Nami looked from one side to another making sure there weren't any humans in plain view. She couldn't do anything about any that may look from windows in the surrounding buildings, but as long as there weren't any in the immediate surrounding it wasn't a major problem. "Suitable." Nami was certain that if a citizen did come they would stop or at least she would stop.

While Connor unhooked his zanpakuto Nami grabbed the dog-tags around her neck and pulled commanding them to shift into the large claymore form of her Fullbring. Nami had to tilt her head backwards in order to look at the mask that covered Connor's face for the man was much taller than her yet her sword by comparison was massive to his zanpakuto it was truly a matter of opposites wielding opposites.

Connor pointed his zanpakuto still covered in the sheath at her only to then ask her two separate yet connected questions. Before Nami could answer though Connor rushed forward crossing the small distance that had been between them. She could tell immediately as she positioned her claymore that Connor was faster than her. She wasn't the fastest of warriors and she knew this yet seeing that even this random shinigami was faster than her made her think perhaps she should develop her physical speed more intently.

Nami only had an instant to react as Connor jabbed her stomach with the end of his zanpakuto sheath. Nami hopped backwards giving herself enough time to angle her claymore across herself to block Connor's jab. It was just in time, but the strength of Connor's motion was enough to push the flat side of her claymore against her gut. This wasn't a defense that Nami could utilize in real combat yet at the moment it was the best course of action.

It was somewhat surprising, but Nami could tell that Connor was physically stronger than her as well not just faster. This Shinigami was quite physically capable which meant that up close she was at a disadvantage without actually releasing the true ability of her Fullbring. "I am to protect Karakura both the citizens and the town itself from threats. The protection of mortals is to keep the balance of the realms. If the balance crumbles reality itself could collapse."

[Connor Greaves]

'Fullbringers are so... fascinating.' Connor thought to himself. Something about seeing her transform her dog tags into a claymore left him feeling... nostalgic? It was a deep rooted feeling that he was unable to suppress, like something from the core of his being was calling out to him, like a memory he just... could not recall. It was worrisome how the sight of her weapon knocked something loose in his head, in his soul. He quite honestly forgot to follow up on his first attack because of it. He needed to focus, he was here on a mission after all, no matter how much he disagreed with the reasoning for it.

Paying the woman more attention, he found her answers to be... "A textbook response." He said aloud, not really thinking too heavily about it. It was truly what most Shinigami leadership would ask for in an answer. So why could he not keep the small twinge of disappointment out of his voice. He had somehow expected a bit more out of her, but it was clear to him what she really was. From her dog tags being her Fullbring, to her reserved demeanor, to even how she defended against him. "I see." She was a soldier through and through. The Gotei was lucky to have her working for them.

However, Connor still felt a tad disappointed. He would need to know more. Continuing the fight, the tall Soul Reaper used his height to his advantage. Quickly grabbing the hilt of his blade with his left hand, he flicked it down, letting the tip of the sword to flicker upwards, threatening to smack the woman under her chin if she was not careful. Connor did not stop there. He followed this up by planting his right foot on her sword. He then thrust forward, not so much kicking her, as he was shoving her in her center of gravity, in an attempt to knock her off her feet.

After this, he would back off, hopping several steps away. Whether she actually needed breathing room or not was irrelevant to the man. This was a test, and he was not going to give her not chance to fight back, especially since she had not even truly released yet. He briefly wondered how he knew that, but put it aside for later. Much later. "You are here, fighting with me, orver matters that do not truly concern you." He began. "Instead of this, you could be doing any number of things." The list of things he could think of off the top of his head was too long to count.

"Tell me; why have you decided to spend the rest of your human existence, the rest of your life and likely your afterlife, aiding the shinigami, instead of just living in peace and happiness?" He sounded... tired? Desperate? It was a mix of a couple, but it might have sounded something like a mix of the two. He was being hypocritical with that question, he knew that from before he even asked it. Here he was, asking her why she joined, while he himself was already a part of the Gotei. He likely knew what her answer was going to be, but he needed to hear it.

[Izanami Midorikawa]

The dance of combat had only just begun yet Nami could tell by the impact of Connor’s zanpakuto that he was at the very least attempting to hit her. The sensation of the zanpakuto pressed against the flat of her claymore was still nearly overwhelming physically. Connor definitely had her beaten when it came to physical might so she would just have to best him through skill mixed with technique.

Connor it seemed was one to speak more during combat then outside of it as he remarked in regards to her answer. As he shifted his weapon Nami would do the same altering it while stepping backwards. His zanpakuto was brought up in a motion that Nami could tell was meant to strike her in the lower section of her head. It was a fair maneuver one that could likely bring down a fair amount of foes.

Nami wasn’t the best at being able to tell things about people because she simply didn’t know how to be a person. So while Connor judged her as a person through combat. Nami did virtually the same yet she couldn’t judge him as a individual, but as a weapon. From what she had seen so far he was at the very least a shiny new blade yet whether or not he had been drenched in blood she could not tell.

His zanpakuto got close yet wasn’t quite close enough to hit the mark as she slightly disengaged. The disengage wasn’t quite far enough though as Connor swiftly placed his foot on the side of her Fullbring. Nami just as swift would hop off her feet allowed the force from Connor to send her backwards away from him yet not with any risk to herself. It was obvious that he had been attempting to attack her balance this way though she would touch back down easily enough.

As she was sent soaring just off the ground she whipped her right arm forward slightly while channeling her reiatsu along her arm. There was barely even six feet between them now with her Fullbring at full length almost enough to hit Connor already. Nami would release her Fullbring though sending it right at Connor executing the technique known as Hurling Assault. The technique was one that allowed her to utilize her Fullbring as a projectile with more force than she herself could muster at a greater speed. Nami was curious if Connor could evade the blade even if it was aimed to only strike his left shoulder wit enough force to cut straight through causing massive injury yet not enough to kill a shinigami.

As the exchange between them continued Connor placed further distance between them and then spoke once again. He truly seemed to blossom socially during combat. “This concerns me just as my other duties. I am the substitute shinigami of Karakura. I was given freedom and do what I wish with said freedom. I wish to serve my purpose nothing else.” The fighting between them was at a pause as he asked more of her now.

“I aid Soul Society as a substitute shinigami because I was defeated by one who could have easily killed me. Instead of doing so he allowed me to join Soul Society. I do not live seeking my own happiness for I have never known happiness. I only know duty and live to fulfill my duty to the best of my abilities. I may not be called a weapon by Soul Society, but that is what I remain.” Nami shifted her feet widening her stance and bending her knees. She was ready to keep fighting whether she had her Fullbring or not.

[Connor Greaves]

Connor could, and absolutely would, admit this woman was skilled. Not aloud, but definitely in his report of this. She was lacking in physical strength and speed, if she was unable to even match him in either regard, but she seemed to make up for that deficiency with skill and intuition. It was the sign of a good soldier, something she seemed either unwilling or unable to break. Her demeanor was slightly concerning to him, as she lacked any of the usual cues that a normal person gave off, but that could be from a multitude of factors, him being the first and foremost one.

Like her personality, he had yet to find any holes in her defense, expertly fending off his attacks, no matter the angle. She made good use of the space that he had allowed her, though not exactly in the way he had expected. Instead of charging at him with some sort of ability, she threw her weapon at him. It was an incredibly fast attack, there was no doubt about that, and something that might have spelled the end for him, if she had not intentionally aimed for his shoulder. Connor had been given a fraction of a second to move, so he dodged the projectile as best he could.

Moving his own broadsword in the path of the claymore, as well as twisting back, he managed to get by with only a deep gash, cutting into his bone. The world went white for the shinigami, feeling agony unlike anything he had felt before, and he cried out in anguish. He collapsed to the street, dropping his sheathed blade in favor of holding the bleeding injury. It hurt so bad. He had been hurt plenty of times, even losing his hand to an arrancar, but he had yet to actually feel it, always being knocked out before the pain actually hit him.

His blood felt warm against his hand, and quickly started staining his clothing. He barely heard the words of Izanami in response to his previous questions. A person working for the shinigami, merely because they were bested by one? That is not right. The substitute shinigami were basically slaves to the Gotei, the threat of death looming over their heads for the rest of their lives, and let she was forced into this? Connor felt a mixture of pity and rage at the prospect, though also at her for all his blood she just spilt.

Still, a wound like this could be fixed later. He would not die from something like this, though it sure felt like it. With a hiss of pain, he took his blade back into his hand, and stood back up. He needed to build a tolerance for pain after this. He had a few ideas on how to go about doing that, but this was the second time he had been nearly beaten with such an injury. No more of that. He would not be beaten from pain, not like this, not in such a humiliating way. So he grit his teeth, swayed slightly in his feet, and pressed on, refusing to back down from a fight he asked for.

"You..." He sucked in a breath of air. "Are not a weapon." He told her, tossing his mask to the side, revealing a bandaged mouth, and a lone, burning with passion, pain, and determination. "You are a human being. You deserve to feel happiness, you deserve to feel joy." His voice was laced with more raw emotion than he's felt in months. More than he's displayed since he has gotten here. "Without joy, without happiness, without love and sympathy and humanity, you are nothing but a robot. You are a hollow waiting to die." He told her without hesitation, voice steadily rising.

He took a step forward. "You think you are just an empty husk of a person? Well you're not!" He yelled, breaking his no contraction rule. "I refuse to let someone who pretends they aren't real suffer before me like that!" He looked genuinely angry, an anger born from something in the depths of his soul surfacing. He was unable to figure out where it was coming from, or what had birthed the fury he was feeling, but he went with it. "You may be the guardian of Karakura, but you are still a human, and it's my job, my mission, to save humans, no matter how broken they think they are!"

With a newfound drive pushing him forward, he moved, sword in hand. His body charged forward, running at the woman like a man on a mission. Both hands were grasping his blade, making it look like he was going to stab at her with a thrust. This was far from the case. The moment he got within five feet of her, he planted the tip of his sheath on to the asphalt, before swinging his lower body at the broken human. He kicked out at her, using his newfound momentum to try and strike her twice, both aimed at her stomach. He would follow that up by planting his left foot on the street, and swinging his blade up at her like a golf club.

[Izanami Midorikawa]

Connor had so far proven that he unlike many of the shinigami that Nami had first come across when’s he had still been under the control of the Organization was prepared. She was stronger now and her skills were constantly sharpening yet he was enough that strict melee combat between them couldn’t generate a victor easily. Throwing her Fullbring Nami expected Connor to execute Shunpo or evade the massive blade before it could strike him. Her eyes strangely enough actually showed a twinge of surprise as she saw her Fullbring bite into Connor.

Blood poured from the wound down his arm. He wore a mask yet she could hear the pain he was experiencing from the wound overwhelming all other aspects of him it seemed. Although he was talented he still seemed to be inexperienced in combat as a whole. Perhaps one day he would become a powerful shinigami at the moment though he was only about as good as a fifth seat in one of the Thirteen Divisions. Although he was a shinigami Nami knee from experience herself that although their physical bodies could handle far more injury than that of a typical human blood lose was still a major threat to them. Based on how he dropped to the street and grasped at the wound Nami could only assume that Connor had never been dealt a wound that caused quite that much pain. So in her world he was definitely still a rookie.

Whether or not he was a new shinigami or not didn't matter he had been the one sent to evaluate her. Nami wasn't usually one to overlook something yet at the moment she realized that she wasn't giving Connor what he was seeking. They had decided to engage each other in combat so that they could learn about one another. By standing here watching him suffer Nami wasn't doing what she would do against an enemy. As Connor struggled to get back on his feet Nami was ready to rush him and press the offense to show him just how unforgiving she happened to be towards adversaries.

She had been planning on using Movement to close the distance between them swiftly and then strike him yet she was stopped. Connor threw the mask that had been concealing his face entirely to the side revealing the upper portion of his face while the lower remained concealed beneath layers of cloth. Uncharacteristically Connor began to shout lines of how she wasn't a weapon. How she was a human being that deserved to feel so many pleasant emotions. It reminded her of how Amagai had spoken.

He was obviously under some sort of emotional distress yet Nami couldn't comprehend what it was or why he was acting this way. It was all in regards to her yet despite being a human she hardly felt anything. Before she had been freed by Soul Society she had felt nothing yet now she felt the slight shiver of emotions that all humans so easy accepted as reality. They weren't loud though what she felt was faint. Almost as if she were only seeing what everyone else did through a blindfold. Nami didn't have time to respond for Connor rushed her with a new found resolve.

Nami no longer was holding her Fullbring which would definitely leave her open to a strike from Connor's zanpakuto even if it was sheathed. There was always the fact that Nami could recall her Fullbring to her at any moment yet doing so would perhaps give Connor the belief that she required it to be effective. Nami had been trained from birth a weapon with or without a tool. As Connor got close only to strike the ground and then go on the offensive.

Stepping backwards quickly Nami managed to evade the first sweeping kick by Connor, but could see that he would easily keep pressing forward. Bending downwards Nami touched the surface of the road and in the moment that followed a curved pillar of pavement would rise and move forward ready to strike Connor in his torso. If Connor managed to evade or if he was hit wouldn't make a difference. Nami was quick to rush stepping on the pillar so that whether he be to the side or above she would be ready to kick kick him in the side of his head. If he happened to be on the ground in pain Nami would jump planning to land over him with her left forearm planted across his throat in victory.

[Connor Greaves]

This woman was quite the strange fighter. She fought just like a soldier, and it was honestly starting to infuriate him. Rage was something Connor tried to keep bottled up inside, knowing that he was easy to provoke should he just be himself. He felt like a hypocrite for berating her for doing the same, but the two of them were different! He grit his teeth, as she dodged his attacks yet again, proving that she was more than capable of fending off an opponent of his caliber, though he was unsure if that should be labeled as a compliment towards her, or as an insult towards him.

Having dodged his attacks, she crouched low, pressing her hand against the pavement. This somehow resulted in her creating a pillar from the road itself. Connor was quick to react, jumping to step onto its top edge. Leaning forward, he moved downward, matching the woman running up to meet him. He was going to have to complement her combat skills in his report, because she is unrelenting in her style. She leapt to kick him in the temple, knowing one the ways to knock someone out was another point towards her, though not something he would let land of him.

Connor responded to her kick with a guard, blocking her attack with the flat of his blade. He might have blocked her, but she was still strong enough to knock him off the poor footing that he had, throwing him off the pillar of asphalt she had created. He did not let this go unanswered, however. "Sho!" He called out, firing his Kido without any incantation, let alone its number. Weaked from both his lacking reiatsu strength, the Sho was not much of a sight to see, but given her own position, it was enough to knock her back a few paces. An eye for an eye, so they say.

What a nasty saying, he thought to himself as he kept himself off the road but creating airground. Izanami was a near match for him in terms of strength and speed, with him holding the slight advantage in both categories. She was far more skilled than him in terms of physical combat, however, making up for the disadvantage. She had some sort of martial skill, while he himself only had his years of street fighting. She had drawn first blood with an attack he had neither seen coming, nor had the capability to dodge. He was certain that she had more tricks she had yet to share, while he had little to none.

She was simply better than him.

"Enough." He said loud enough for her to hear, before dispelling the airground, dropping down to the street. Connor returned the weapon to his hip, quickly fastening it to his belt in a practiced motion. "I have seen enough to understand you." He told her, having returned to his near empty tone of voice. It was not that he was trying to sound ominous, but it might come off that way. It was not like she would care regardless. Any threat he made to her physically was idle at best, seeing as the end of this fight was so clearly in her favor. "I can tell from the way you handle yourself in a fight, you are a very straightforward person, I can tell this from how you fight, and from how you responded to my questions."

He walked over to retrieve his mask, returning it to his face. "You are very skilled in combat, and know well how to restrain yourself when fighting weaker opponents." He told her, bluntly calling himself weak. And it was true. Had he let the fight continue on, it would have inevitably ended in her favor, either by him slipping up, or her deciding to use a little more of her power. It was disgraceful for him to be so... lacking. "You are honest." He said. "Unforgivingly, brutally blunt, but honest." He was almost unable to keep the sneer out of his voice, but he managed.

He had hoped to possibly convince her to act less like a robot, but he was being foolish. It would take far more than just beating her in a fight to fix whatever emotional baggage she had. And... in a sense... he envied her. She was able to become what he wanted. She was able to feel... nothing. Or, at least, if she was to be believed anyway. He wanted to believe she still had a heart inside her, if only for her sake. She he chose not to completely believe her on that front. If he did not... No, best not to continue on that train of thought. It would only lead down a dark path.

"Your skills as a martial artist shone above any other in this fight, if only for the fact that you threw away your blade. I am sure if you continued using your sword, you would have won much facter." He decided to return her bluntness in kind, stating everything he had observed in their brief bout. "I was under the assumption that I might have been able to match you in some capacity. It was only because of your self restraint that I was able to last as long as I did. I am an unworthy opponent for you at this time."

He was not sure if it was arrogance on his part, but he was sure that, given enough time and training, he would be able to beat her. If only his zanpakuto would respond to him, then maybe... But no, he had no idea what his zanpakuto was, or what it did. For all he knew, it was as useless as he was. He could hear whispers in the back of his mind, trying to claw their way into his conscience. He chose to believe that it was the spirit of his sword, and not a sign of him going completely off the deep end. If there was one thing to have faith in...

[Izanami Midorikawa]

The Shinigami who had revealed his Name to be Connor although from what Nami could tell was still new wasn’t bad. At least for a Shinigami that was still fresh he was handling himself quite well. She recalled how so many of them had fallen to her when she had still been under the command of that dreadful organization. Connor wasn’t the toughest Shinigami that Nami had ever clashed against, but he definitely wasn’t the worst. Commanding the cement beneath her feet to rise up and forwards towards Connor was one of the usual tactics that Nami utilized in combat as Soul Command tended to be a very valuable ability against other spiritual races.

Swift on the up take Connor managed to get right on the front of the curved pillar avoiding the strike that possessed enough force to fracture his solar plexus. Now though the distance between them grow was eaten up by Nani’s movement resulting in her quickly kicking Connor. The shinigami managed to utilize his zanpakuto as a sort of pseudo shield to protect himself against her leg. It wasn’t enough to prevent the strength of her leg from shoving him off the pillar down onto the street below.

Now though he wasn’t one to go down without making sure to give an attack back it seems. Nami was almost certain that before Connor had even hit the ground from his fall she heard him call out the kido that instantly shoved her off the pillar in the opposite direction. Hitting the ground on her back was enough to knock the air from her lungs, but lasting or even impactful damage wasn’t sustained. She was quick to get back up on her feet ready to keep saving Connor down. It wasn’t until Connor spoke declaring that what they had done so far was enough.

Connor made sure to show Nami that he was serious by sheathing his zanpakuto. Just like that it seemed that the sparring session was over and Connor began to speak again telling her what he had believed to have learned about her through combat. “Lies serve me no purpose. Thus they’re not employed.” Connor almost immediately rushed over to pick up his mask placing it over his face once again. It was almost like he had a reason to hide his face yet he looked perfectly average.

It was when Connor remarked regarding her skills in close combat. He seemed to believe that throwing her Fullbring was a mistake. Holding her hand out to the side Nami channeled her reiatsu bringing back the large claymore within a moment. The massive blade slamming into her palm. Almost as fast as it came back to its master the blade reverted back into the dog tags that Nami wore around her neck. Not only was Nami sheathing her own sword with that notion yet she was responding to Connor showing him that she could have reclaimed her claymore at any moment.

“You’re new Connor from what I can tell. You have potential in the art of the sword not to mention you’re quick to counter. If you keep training you will become powerful.” Nami listened for a moment in the complete silence of the vacant Karakura street making sure that no one was nearby to listen in on something they couldn’t comprehend. “Is there anything else to your investigation Connor.” Although this test between the both of them had only take maybe a minute it had taken several as a whole. Time was valuable and now Nami would have to readjust her daily routine of patrolling Karakura.

[Connor Greaves]

He watched as the woman reached out with her hand, as her massive weapon flew back to her in an instant. He was suddenly glad he had managed to avoid getting between the two in the fight. "Right. Not a mistake on your part." He admitted readily. This fight had been quite the experience for Connor, pointing out flaws in his own fighting style, and what he had to improve upon. Maybe once he managed to get his Shikai out of him Zanpakuto Spirit, he would do better in fights, but as of right now, he would have to condition his body more, or learn more than just the basics in Kido.

He listened to her description of him. New was fitting for him, iit has barely been a year since he has become a Soul Reaper, and he was at this level. No, that was probably bad, all things considered, but on average, he was extremely young. He would take her complement for what it was. It was... nice to hear that, if he was being completely honest. While she personally was about as emotional as a stone wall, her words held weight for it. She told it like it was, and if she saw something in him, he was likely to believe her. As far as he had seen of her, she never sugar coated words.

And finally... "No, Substitute Izanami Midorikawa, from what I have seen, you are loyal to your job, if nothing else. As far as I am personally concerned, you are no threat to humans, the world around you, or to Soul Reapers." He told her, as bluntly as she probably expected of him. If she was doing him the courtesy of speaking her mind, he would return the favor. None of that political nonsense that he hated so much. He made to speak again, when he started feeling something on his left hip. Looking down, he saw his Zanpakuto starting to shake and glow. This was... unusual?

"Pardon me a moment." He told her, as he drew his sword, looking into the reflection of the blade. The sword felt off, almost feeling heavier than it did normally. When he looked into the silvery steel, he saw not his own masked visage in the metal of the weapon, but the hooded guise of his Zanpakuto Spirit. One of them anyway. He could not see any facial features of it, but he could tell it was angry, if the way his blade was reacting was anything to go by. "You... are pathetic." The raspy voice of the spirit told him, hissing words at him with barely concealed rage.

He could feel time slow around him, as the colors dulled into a world of greys. The ghostly spirit was suddenly gone from the blade, and he could feel its presence upon his shoulder. He looked at the Fullbringer. She was unresponsive. This was likely happening in his mind. "Still worrying about others?" The voice rasped into his ear. Connor could almost feel the ghost grabbing him. It did not, but it was no less of an unsettling feeling. "What do you want?" Connor asked it so harshly, it might as well have been a demand. It laughed cruelly in response, clearly not caring for what he wanted.

This was about par for the course with his spirit, never telling him what he wanted, always toying with him. Offering him everything for something he was unwilling to give. It sickened him. But this was the first time it had manifested like this. He did not think Izanami could see this, she was unmoving even now. A sick mind game? He was interupted from his musings, as the other half of his Spirit manifested. Walking towards him from behind the leg of the Fullbringer, was a tiny featureless being, that glowed white like a light. "Hello again Connor!" It greeted him cheerfully, not unusual for the being.

Not wanting to scare it off, he replied. "Hello spirit." He was less enthusiastic than it was, but it was hard for the stoic Reaper to match the energetic being. "Ah ah ah." He could hear the ghost behind him whisper. "Today is the last day you refer to me as 'Spirit'." The small one told him. Despite the good news, he could feel his stomach drop like lead. "I have decided that I have been unfair to you, and will tell you my name." The one before him said. This was not how they did things. They made him work for anything they told him... unless it was bad. "Then tell me once I return the the Seritei." He said, not wanting it in fear of what might happen.

The one behind him chuckled. It was not a nice sound. "You still care about others." It told him, making fear run up and down his spine. "You care so much, and yet, what does that get you?" It got him nothing. It would always get him nothing. But Connor was fine with that, he did not need anything. His duty was to the people, the the humans. Everything else was secondary, even himself. Especially himself... "And that, is why I have decided to tell you my name now. To show you how wrong you are. And to show you how how right I am..."

A flash of panic crept into his heart, as he tried to forcefully end the connection between them. He was unable to do so. "I only want what is best for you Connor!" The bright spirit told him, sounding sad, like a parent to a child who refuses to listen. "You refuse to let yourself pass on, to give into your final rest!" It cried out, as if what it was asking him to do was a completely reasonable request. "And you are unwilling to burn this world to the ground. You refuse both options." The devil on his shoulder told him.

"And so, I have decided to force your hand on this. You shall do as I wish... one was or another." They said as one, making him panic even more. He rushed forward, attacking the little spirit with his sword. But he was a moment too late. "Curse the world, Tamashī." They said, and all color returned, as if time pressed play once more. The weapon in his hand changed shape and size, morphing into something... wrong. The blade grew a foot longer, and changed into a more western blade, now in the shape of a Broadsword, rather than a katana. And he was in the middle of swinging it at the feet of Izanami.

"Move!" He yelled out, as the weapon cut through the ground effortlessly. While it might have looked like a Broadsword, it most certainly was not. There was no hilt to the weapon, with only various spikes at the bottom of the blade in place of one. The blade itself was black as night, reflecting the light as one would expect water to. Speaking of, a black liquid was currently poring off the weapon into the ground. In a flash, the inky black liquid moved ten feet from where the blade embedded itself into the street. If she did not move in time, it would cover Izanami as well.

Shikai: 0
Total Reiatsu Remaining: 3,100/3,150

[Izanami Midorikawa]

The weight of her Fullbring back in her right hand was a welcome sensation that until a few days ago Nami hadn't realized brought her a sense of comfort. She wasn't really one to feel vulnerable or even lonely yet when she held her Fullbring perhaps it was better to say she felt more complete. It was an extension of herself in all ways. Holding the blade just was natural for the blonde.

It seemed that the investigation that Connor had been sent to Karakura to undertake in regards to her was finished. Connor from what Nami had seen so far and how he had fought against her was a straight forward person with virtually no reason to lie or hide anything from her. As a Shinigami he was someone that seemed to view her as an ally although perhaps that was because he didn't know of the past she had against Soul Society.

None of that really mattered though. It seemed that the short sparring session between the both of them was done now and she would be able to start the next phase of patrol through Karakura. Her brief rest period had been interrupted that much was true, but the young Fullbringer had already worked out mentally how she would shift her daily routine to compensate for the arrival of Connor. Now though as she was ready to alter her Fullbring back into the dogtags she heard Connor to wait a moment.

He began to act out of the norm from how he had been since he had arrived. After a moment past Nami could sense his reiatsu spiking higher than it ever had during their brief conflict. His face was once again hidden beneath the curtain of his mask, but based on how he moved it seemed that Connor wasn't all that sure what was going on either. Stepping back a few paces Nami got into the stance once again holding her Fullbring with her right hand forwards.

It was when Connor's reiatsu flared to a much stronger intensity that his zanpakuto changed altering into what Nami could see as a broadsword of sorts with no guard while black in coloration. The sensation and reiatsu that Nami could sense from the zanpakuto. This spirit was perhaps a bigger threat to Karakura than a Hollow. Just like that Connor shouted to move and Nami found the Shinigami rushing her slashing down at her feet. The Fullbringer with enough time hopped off the ground hearing the sound of the zanpakuto cleaving the ground beneath her.

Shifting her upper body backwards with the weight of her Fullbring Nami swiftly extended her legs planning to end this immediately to prevent serious damage to the street and Karakura in general. The motion was fluid and precise giving Connor little time to counter as Nami attempted to drop kick the Shinigami in the mask. Whether she landed the attack or not Nami was certain to follow up by solidifying the ground beneath her left hand to keep herself from falling onto the zanpakuto beneath her. Pushing off the air ground Nami would land more than a dozen feet away ready for whatever this zanpakuto was going to try next.

[Connor Greaves]

Izanami kicked Connor hard in the face, shattering his mask as he was sent flying a couple feet. His sword flew from his hands, as it landed blade first into the street. He groaned for a moment, before turning to look at the blade. Even removed from his person, the black liquid poured into the street. It had unfortunately landed where the sword had made him strike earlier, and was about to reveal to the world exactly what it could do, even without the permission of its master. The ground trembled and morphed, shifting around until the street no longer resembled what it once was.

Shrunken, dried up bodies were what the road had become. Every inch of road, ten feet from the sword, which was now embedded into the chest of an unlucky corpse. There was a pregnant silence in the air, before all the bodies collectively screeched at once, before climbing to their feet. Ten bodies rushed at the blond fullbringer, each having a strength and speed of 100. None of these were the one with the Zanpakuto, however. No, that one made its way over to Connor. The zombie had removed the weapon from its chest, and began swinging it at its rightful owner.

Connor dodged the attacks of the undead, weaving around the deadly slashes with relative ease. The problem was that he wasn't attacking back. Unmasked, his naked shock and fear were laid bare to the world. He was not seeing just some regular old zombie. He was seeing someone from his past. Someone back for revenge. An old woman, probably in her late eighties, was the face of the zombie he saw trying to butcher him. His expression turned angry. "ENOUGH OF YOUR GAMES TAMASHī!" The face of the woman quickly morphed into the ghoulish appearance of this Zanpakuto spirit.

"I want you to start killing. Now that I've been released, I don't ever plan on going back. You're stuck with me. Stuck with this." He said, the zombie holing out the blade. "Now that I have this body, I can kill everyone in this city. Your blond chick can't stop an army, and I can make one in an instant." He told Connor, laughing darkly. If he could turn the very earth into the undead, the Shinigami had to take his word for it. "So here's what you're going to do." The zombie walked forward, thrusting the flat of the blade against his chest. "You take this blade and kill every zombie here, or I turn this city into a graveyard."

There was no chance for negotiation. There was no compromise. Connor had no choice, no matter how much he loathed to admit it. His sword was stronger than him, and it was unflinching in its motivation and desire. With a snarl, Connor snatched the sword from Tamashī, before bisecting the spirit from the head to the groin. It chuckled at him, even as the once living corpse fell to the ground. He turned to the other zombies, before rushing at them. One by one he cut them down, killing any of the ones Izanami might not have gotten.

The the Soul Reaper bowed his head in shame. "I am taking my leave. Thank you for being cooperative. I apologize for this, it was... shameful. Goodbye, Izanami." He said to her in a lifeless and defeated tone. He opened a Senkaimon, before exiting the world through it. He heard Tamashī one last time, as he passed through the circular gates. 'You are a Shinigami. You are more of a Shinigami than any other who claim the title. You and I are death incarnate. All I am is an instrument of death. You can try all you want to try and keep me from doing my duty. But I am Death. I am unavoidable. And you? You are my scythe, and together, we shall reap the world. All of them.'

Ooc: Nami is the winner

[Garret]

Connor: 420 TP
Izanami: 320 + 100 = 420 TP