Training between two new friends (Closed/ Hotaru &Takashi)

[Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao]

OOC: We would like this training to be for ctp only. Thank you.

IC:

Hotaru had just woken up in Squad Four. She was trying to remember how she actually got here. She had to take a quick breath and took a few deep breaths. When she let her mind wander, she could remember now what happened. She was fighting the Kuchiki, Takashi. After he wounded her pretty badly, she barely remembered him helping her. She must have passed out after that, since she couldn't remember. Since she woke up in a Squad Four bed, he obviously brought her here.

It was then she remembered that she had a pretty severe injury. She didn't feel any pain, but she wanted to see for herself. So, she removed the covers from her bed, hoping for the worst. She was pleasantly surprised. She looked down and saw that her feet were whole. She wiggled her feet and her toes. They were completely functional. She couldn't even see any scars from what happened. She was curious if they re-attached her feet or what. But, she didn't want to actually ask, because she was pretty sure she didn't care that much.

She got out of bed and was able to stand with no pain. She started walking around the room and felt nothing either. One of the nurses came in and asked her what she was doing. "Just trying out my new feet nurse. Or are these the old ones? No matter, I feel no pain and I think I can let go now. Thank you for looking after me, but this is where I leave." She bowed to the nurse and left. The nurses was yelling things at her as she was leaving, but she couldn't hear her. If she felt no pain and saw no injury, she was sure she was good to go.

She just decided to wander. She just couldn't get that kid out of her head. She knew that physically she was stronger than him. But his mind... It was so advanced for his station in Soul Society. She had never seen anyone fight like that before. Granted, she hadn't been in many fights, but still. Takashi was very impressive. 

She continued wandering around Soul Society, wondering what to do. She passed by some of the other squad barracks. When she did, she could hear the shinigami inside them. She could hear shouts of training and joy. She was curious what was going on in there, but dared not walk up to peak. She didn't belong to those squads and felt she shouldn't intrude on what they were doing. So, she kept up her wandering.

Her mind kept thinking on Takashi and his fighting techniques. It's because of that she didn't notice that she was leaving Soul Society and enter Rukongai. She didn't even notice that she had started walking towards the temple where they had met only a few days before. When she stopped, she looked up and almost couldn't believe. She was so in her head that she didn't even realize what she was doing. Though, in the back of her mind, she was almost hoping he would show up again.

Ever since she had that fight with her Vice Captain, she knew she had to grow stronger. She knew that because he beat her so badly, she wanted to show him how much she had improved. She wanted to show him how far she'd come since their last training session. She also wanted so badly to actually just touch him in a fight. He wouldn't fight her again till she could cut him, but touching him with her blade worked for her. So she came here, hoping Takashi would come back and help her to get stronger again. So, she stood and waited to see if he would appear.

[Takashi Kuchiki]

Sitting in the corner of the waiting room was a shinigami who had his eyes closed, arms folded. The white haired shinigami would attempt to close his eyes and focus through the mental chatter. He was once again within his mind, attempting to do the same sparring practice as last time. He was fighting himself mentally and didn't wish to be bothered by anyone. To most others it may appear as though he was sleeping but he was really in a deep meditative state. It only took a few shakes until his eyes began to slowly open and he turned to see a fourth badge on someone's arm.

Takashi stood up and gave a bow towards the person and began to apologize for his ignorance. However, the woman waved her hands, attempting to stop him for saying such a thing. He slowly rose his head and looked at her, wondering what she wanted. However, he sadly gave the same nearly bored yet slightly unenthusiastic and nearly emotionless look to her. It seemed as though she was confused by the look and the way he acted. However, she began to speak to him shortly. Takashi would listen to her and his eyes would narrow. He let out a soft sigh, he knew what she was going to say as soon as he began to say it and it bothered him.

"It seems as though the patient you brought in the umm...Hotaru Wakashi, has dispatched herself sir. I didn't mean to bother you with the details Mr. Uh..." She looked down at the papers and read his name slowly. "Ku-chi-ki...Kuchinki" Her eyes widened as she gave him a bow and began to apologize. Takashi stood, looking the same way towards her, she seemed rather sorry for her actions. "There is no need to apologize. Thank you for executing your orders in a timely manner." he said to her in a calm voice.

She seemed to bow once more before starting to speak once more."Yes..Mr. Kuchiki Sir. I wished to inform you Sir that Ms. Hotaru has left on her own accord. It wasn't our will to dispatch her so quickly. However....". Takashi continued to look at her with a rather blank stare, it probably threw her off quite a bit. "However...it seems she simply got up and left sir. We attempted to stop her but she took her clothes and went on her way. She told us she was fine and there is only so much we can do. We would have liked to keep her over night but she did seem fine. Anyway...I just wished to inform you sir!". She spoke as she gave another bow.

Takashi blinked as he looked at her with the same expression as before. The woman seemed a more and more uneasy as the seconds went by. Takashi simply bowed to her once more and then let out a "Thank you for informing me.". He then turned around and began to walk away from the woman. I don't really have any more obligations then. It seems she is fine and as such I do not need to purse any more attention than is needed. It seems I will finally be able to go back to training. It as for the best anyway, though I might as well see if I can find someone else to train with. I require a higher rank to be able to fight me in this circumstance, perhaps I shall try again.

Without another thought, Takashi was on his way. His sandals lightly clicked against the tile floor as he walked past the others waiting in the room. Opening the door, he walked out and began to press on. Takashi's only thought right now was to get stronger. He had hoped he would be able to fight stronger opponents, but it seemed no one would notice him till he himself got stronger. Perhaps by beating stronger opponents but it seemed as though to even be recognized he needed to be at their level. There was something he was missing but wasn't quite sure about. He let out a soft sigh as he continued his pace forward. It was foolish, but for now, he would continue his training elsewhere. He decided it would be best to give the area one more chance.

Takashi was soon on his way, pacing through different areas with his sheathed katana. It took a while, as he was in his thoughts. The area was a hassle to reach, however, once there it offered a nice training area. Takashi relished in the thought of being alone. A part of him actually hoped that there was no one around in the temple. By the time he arrived it was early afternoon. He had spent the night in the hospital waiting room, mostly to see if the girl was alright. The Kuchiki had a duty to his honor to make sure of these things. Finally, he reached the desert area. He was partially excited to see a figure there who was standing around. Walking forward he got closer and narrowed his eyes to see quite a familiar face. He didn't react, simply looked with his same bored yet distant look. He didn't seem very enthusiastic at all but nonetheless he began to speak.

"Hello Ms. Hotaru. It is good you have fully recovered". Takashi said as he bowed to her slightly and respectfully."It was not my intention to startle you if I have. Please excuse my actions earlier. It was not my intention to execute such a life endangering maneuver. Please forgive my actions". Takashi said to her. He would raise his head after she said something and looked towards her. He wasn't curious about anything but since these two were alone, he figured he might as well speak to her. "I imagine your procedure was successful. It seems you are well adjusted to the reattachment of your limbs. Please do not take this incorrectly, however, why have you returned Ms. Hotaru?".

Takashi looked at her with his gem like eyes. His gaze was intense, any time one would look into it. It was as though someone were looking at an intense stare simply via his memorizing eyes. However his expression was nothing short of calm and collective.It seems like she is alright. He thought. Her injuries have healed up and I imagine there isn't much of a scar at all. The doctors said they would give her the best care. I am thankful to the Kuchiki that they would allow me to use some of their funds. However, I have vowed to pay them back with the wages I earn from becoming a shinigami. In any case, it is highly unusual for her to be here. It is even more unusual for her to be back here. I would have figured she had some trauma after that incident. Rather, it seems she came back because of curiosity...[/i]. He thought to himself as he looked at her.

[Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao]

Hotaru stayed there at the temple for what seemed like forever. I have no idea why she thought Takashi would come back. She just hoped that he would. She stared at the temple with a smile on her face. It made her remember a great deal about her human life. Thankfully, they were memories that she could look back on with happiness.

It was a time before the great war. Her and her father had been visiting the temple for one of their usual training matches. Since her father was fairly well known, people would drop by to watch. It would make Hotaru nervous, but her father taught her to ignore them. He would always tell her to imagine that they weren't there. It was just the two of them, training so she could be strong when she grew up. After he said that, they just started to disappear.

It was said even his enemies would come to watch. But, due to her father's great ability, he was able to hide the basics of his moves. He would only teach those to her at home. So, for all the enemies were doing there, they were just watching a father train her daughter. Of course, it wasn't what was done. But, because of who it was, no one was going to say anything. It also let his enemies know she knew how to take care of herself.

She was still in these thoughts when Takashi appeared. She didn't even notice him. She kept being in her own little world. Once she had actually first come to Soul Society, she didn't really have time to think back on the old days. It was nice to think back on it. It didn't bring her as much pain as she thought it would. She guessed she must've gotten over some of the issues to look back on it with good feelings.

It was at this time Takashi walked over to her. Still in her head, she didn't even feel the presence of someone else. Not until he was almost right next to her. Once he started talking, she was startled a bit. But, she didn't try to show it. She didn't want him to know that she wasn't even really paying attention to what was going on. It was a bad reflection on her part.

She was glad he apologized for startling her. Hopefully, it didn't show on her face. It was also nice of him to ask how she was doing. Even though he was the one that inflicted the injury, it was nice that she remembered that he was the one that took her to the Fourth Squad. It was also nice that he was glad she recovered. She did know that she wanted him to feel better. But, she didn't think that he would be that concerned.

She was thinking that maybe he felt obligated to make sure she was okay. It was something that she would do. She didn't know many other people would do that. It made her feel better knowing that she was at least in his thoughts somewhat. Then he bowed. It surprised her. No one had ever done that before.

Before she could say anything, he started to apologize again. It was for his earlier actions. The only actions she could think of would be the injury he gave her. He then stated that it wasn't his intention to make such a life threatening action. He stayed bowed. She almost didn't know what to say.

She had just thought of something when he continued talking. He mentioned that the procedure must've been successful and she was well adjusted to the reattachment of her limbs. He then asked why did come back here. She looked him square in the face. She had thought that to herself while she was walking here. She thought that she had an answer and she figured he deserved to know.

"Well, I'll answer your questions in order. First of all, I want to thank you for asking about me. Of course I forgive your actions. We were in the middle of the fight. It was my fault I jumped. You just took an advantage. Yes, my feet feel just as well as they did during our fight together. Now, the reason for my return is, honestly, I wanted to train with you. Your methods were completely outside of the box I'm used to. I would love to have the honor to train with you."

It was her turn to take a bow to him now. She knows she probably didn't need to, but it felt like a good time to. He had been kind enough to get her to care and then ask about her. She just hoped that this would work out in her favor. She really wanted to learn to fight better and hoped he would do this favor for her. She needed all the help and training she could get.

[Takashi Kuchiki]

Takashi looked towards the woman who seemed to be in her own mind. He spoke to her until she turned around. It seemed she had been thinking about something. The snow haired shinigami looked at her with his blank expression as he listened quietly to what she was saying. She seemed to be genuine about what she said. Takashi's eyes were as sharp as ever. It must have been strange always talking to someone who didn't show any reaction to what was being said. Rather, it was just a bored yet dull expression that left most people rather confused; perhaps it was a Kuchiki thing.

The topic of training was brought up and Takashi showed some emotion for once. It wasn't really anything serious, most people wouldn't even notice it. However, he slightly narrowed his eyes towards her as she asked to train with him. It was true that it would be good to have a training partner all the time or at least more regularly. It would be more convenient and save him the time of attempting to find someone all the time. However, he figured Hotaru and him had different thoughts of what training meant. It seemed she wanted to train with him because of how he fought.

With that said, he would have to tell her the difference in a few things. "I am glad you wish to train with me. However, I believe you may have misunderstood the meaning of training together versus training under. What you seem to be asking of me is to train alongside myself or spar in a way where you will perhaps learn my movements. I do not mean to belittle you, but I am confident when I say that simply watching my movements will not allow you the same results. If you train with me, you will simply see movements of mine which may or may not benefit you. I do not mind training this way, but it seems as though you wish to emulate rather than grow as equals. Excuse me if I am mistaken on this"

Takashi said to her as his blue diamond eyes were cast down upon her. He let his words hang in silence for a moment.She seems like she wants to train. I don't know if she will do well in her current condition. She needs to find more people to fight but I suppose It won't hurt if she becomes stronger. I suppose training will not hurt. Let us see what things can evolve into. However, I am afraid we will have a repeat of last time. We will see what kind of training she hopes to actually accomplish. I will not hold her back, I suppose we should begin.

Takashi thought to himself before opening his mouth once more."In any case, let us enter the temple. We will decide what you want from there. If you wish to train alongside me then pick up your Zanpakuto. If you'd rather train under me then pick up a bokken. I believe we've already spared and unless you wish for a rematch..I assume you want to test our your abilities again." He said as he began stepping into the confines of the temple. He looked back at her for only a moment, it was oddly overcast today too which Takashi noticed.

Turning back, he began pacing forward into the temple. He then stopped once more as he was in the center of the room. "One other detail I have forgotten. If you do intend to train under myself, please leave your Zanpakuto under me. I would also advise you to pick up a bokken and take your position at the other corner; you may take as many as you would like. If not, then please take your stand at the other corner. I will adjust according to what you will do.". Takashi said as he finally turned to the side to face the direction of where she would be.

For the most part, he was talking to her with his back facing her. But now, he wanted to see what she would do in this situation. He too had to prepare. He walked to the right a bit more until he reached a bin full of bokken. He grasped one in his right hand, raising it up. As he did so, he walked with his Asuchi strapped to his waist. As he stood, he held a stance of having both of his feet parted. He held the bokken down towards his right. His other hand, his left, was on the upper part of the sheath, near the handle. He looked onwards to what Hotaru would do. This would begin their real training to see what she was made of.

Takashi stood in place as he awaited her. Each time she would make a move, he would be inclined to look at her to make sure what she was doing. He was rather curious but the look didn't show on his face. The more he wondered, he hoped that she would be a more permanent training partner. It would be much easier for him to go on missions and deal with things. It seems interesting that people wished to learn from him. There was a lot of improving Takashi himself had to do. As such, he focused himself on this training. For now though, he needed to fight stronger opponents. Granted, Hotaru was much stronger than him. Even though, Takashi wanted even stronger opponents.

[Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao]

She would get up from the bow once he said something. Honestly, she didn't know what he would do. It just gave the same blank stare he usually does. She started to think about that too. Why did he always do that? It was like he had no emotions. Or, probably more to the point, he had emotions, but didn't want them to be shown. She didn't get why someone would try to be purposefully heartless, at least in appearance. But, she figured, to each their own.

She did have to admit that his blue eyes were beautiful. Her eye color was rare. But with his, people would've died to be matched to someone with his eye color. When she looked at them, they reminded her of the ocean. She was always too inland to actually see the ocean. Even when she wandered the Earth after her death, she never made it there. She had always just seen the pictures in books at Soul Society.

But, when she mentioned the word training, that's when she noticed something. She watched as his eyes narrowed. In all the other times that they had talked, he hadn't even really moved a muscle. But, for that one mention of one word, he narrowed his eyes. She almost wanted to say the word again to see if he would have the same reaction. It seems as if he still wanted to train as well. She was curious if he did that only because she asked him to train with her.

It is true that he whooped her pretty good the last time they fought. But she wanted to have a least some inkling as to how someone weaker than her, and it was by a fair margin, could easily defeat her. She wanted to see if it had to do with pure strength, or just more wits about him when it came to combat. No matter, she was here to learn and/or strength herself, hopefully with him.

It was during that little rant she had to herself (internally I might add) that he started to talk. She started to stand up straight when he began. He started to say that he was glad that she wanted to train with him. Well, she was glad that he was glad to train with her. At least, she thought, he actually did like her enough to want to train with her again. The sentiment brightened up her mood considerably.

Then, she heard the rest of what he was saying. He started to tell her the difference of what training with and under meant. She almost wanted to say that she knew what they mean, she wasn't a child. But, she got ahold of herself to at least hear him out. He then started to say that training with him or spar with him to learn his movements. He then assumed that she wanted to emulate him instead of actually growing together as equals.

Hotaru had to mentally count to ten while he said to excuse him if he was mistaken. She was never accused of emulating anyone in her human life. She didn't know why he thought she just wanted to emulate her, but he was definitely mistaken on his part. Of course, she kept this annoyance off her face. He seemed to be young, but in Soul Society, the age can fool you. She just hoped he was young and really had no idea how that whole little spiel made her feel.

After that, it seemed like he was just staring at her, silently judging her. She almost hauled off and smacked him for that. She hated being looked at that way. She had had to endure that throughout her adult human life. She had seen that look on all of the suitors that her father brought to her. He would tell her that it didn't matter what they thought and he would always love her. But she knew, she was unwanted and it broke her to see that her father's heritage wouldn't get passed on to offspring. It's why she did what she did.

Then, he said that they should enter the temple. It was a pretty obvious choice. He next said that she had to pick a weapon. If she wanted to train with him (or alongside him as he stated), she would pick up her Zanpaktou. If, on the other hand, she wanted to train under him, she would have to pick up a bokken. She looked at both weapons. He also added that they had already spared and unless she wanted a rematch and he assumed she wanted to test her abilities again.

The last comment he said sounded so freaking arrogant. But, she let the comment slide. She really just wanted to believe now that he was young and didn't know that he was mouthing off to someone, at least in appearance, was older than him. She just kept her breathing even. She really didn't want to slap him, she really didn't. But, some of the things that he was saying was making him a prime target for her hand getting slapped across his face.

He turned his back and started walking towards the temple. He also added a few things. Thankfully, he did this once he was in the center of the temple. It made him out of hand slapping distance. He said that if she decided to train under him, she would have to leave her Zanpaktou under him as well. He also said to take as many bokken as she liked and to take her position at the other corner.

He continued to say if not that, to take her Zanpaktou and take her spot in the other corner. She was still trying to get over what he said first. He told her to give up her weapon and leave it under him. She has never been told to give up her weapon. Her father warned her that even if the Emperor of Japan told her to give up her weapon, keep it. Keep your weapon with you and let no one get it until they pry it out of your cold dead hands.

She had always learned that your weapon was an extension of yourself. If you willingly, or unwillingly, give up your weapon, you give up a part of yourself. She would never intentionally give up a part of herself. He would adjust to what she would do. He said all of this with his back facing her. It was a little muffled, but she heard every word. She hated it when people did that. But, for her, it was just a small pet peve.

He then turned around and looked at her. She assumed that he was waiting, watching to see what she would do. Would she go for her Zanpaktou? Or would she go for the bokken and give up her Zanpaktou to him? Right after he turned around, he grabbed one of the bokken with his right hand. He then walked to his corner and kept the bokken in his right hand. With his left hand, he rested on the hilt of his own Zanpaktou.

He waited for her in a stance that she favored, both feet parted. He looked straight at her then, in that stance. He was just waiting for her to make a choice so they could start. While she was deciding, she wondered if he would be someone that could become a permanent training partner to her. She knew that some things that he did annoyed her, but in all honestly, he didn't know. He didn't know her well enough to know what actually set her off and what didn't.

She knew she wasn't going to give up her sword. She wouldn't give it up to anyone. So, the decision to her was pretty easy. She kicked the bokken over. She walked up towards the temple. Before she actually walked in, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath and wished that her father would help her with this fight. Then, she walked into the temple. She walked over to her corner of the mat in the temple. She got in her normal stance of parted feet.

"Just so you know, I will never give up my Zanpaktou. I will not give it up to you or to anyone else for that matter. You should never give up an extension of yourself. So, I guess that means that I will be training alongside you. Hopefully, that doesn't offend you. I really hope that this goes well so that we can continue to meet up and train together. I am looking for a training partner, and hopefully you can be one of them for me, if you don't mind of course."

She waited to see what he would see or do next.

[Takashi Kuchiki]

Takashi eye'd the woman asshe continued to walk towards him. He didn't say much until he noticed that she took up a stance in front of him. It seemed as though she was nearly 15 feet away. oddly, she seemed to be ready to spar rather than train under him. It really wasn't too much of a hassle for him anyway though. It seemed interesting however, how she reacted to things. Takashi could tell that she was feeling down about certain things. Takashi however, made sure to keep his eyes fixated on the person, unsure of what they would do next. It was strange the way she acted around Takashi, but perhaps he misunderstood her intentions.

I wonder why she always looks like that. It feels like she's really trying hard to prove something to someone. I believe she said she was trying to fight against someone. I suppose I should have paid more attention. I wonder though, what could drive her so far as to continue her attacks like this. She just had her legs chopped off yet she is coming to try and fight me. I find it quite amusing. It seems she has some drive...the drive of a warrior. IT would be stupid of me to spit on that. I'll do my best to show her where true strength comes from.. I don't wish to have her hurt in any way but It seems like i'll have to continue on doing my best."

The man breathed out a slight sigh as he met eyes with the woman who was in front of him. He would do something quite unexpected indeed. Instead of grabbing his Asuchi, he did something completely unexpected. Takashi raised up his Asuchi and then turned around. There was a strange silence as he walked forward a few paces until he finally made his way towards the back of the room. He inspected the strange flooring that was there. The floors were lined with cracks from battles that had taken place here previously. Takashi's crystal blue eyes narrowed down upon the random foot imprints or the slash marks on the walls. It seemed as though this strange turn of events meant that there had been battles around here before; a true sign of warriors being here.

There was something strange that stuck Takashi. It was odd but he couldn't put his finger on it. As he looked around this strange place, he noticed that there was no blood anywhere. Naturally, one would expect there to be some blood stains. However, it seemed as though there were none present. Even the blood soaked incident with Hotaru didn't have a stain...and that was only yesterday. It was strange indeed, there must be something obscure about this crazy area. That or there was someone cleaning up afterwards. However, Takashi didn't pay it any attention, it wasn't what he had to do right now.

He placed his Asuchi down on to the floor, bending over as he did. He started at it for a long while until he slowly got up. Turning, his eyes once again fixated upon the woman. Instead of holding the weapon that was metallic, he instead held a simple bokken. It seemed that would suffice for now. He looked at her though and seeing her eyes there was something that was rather strange...there was definitely some sort of intent. Takashi's eyes narrowed upon her as he took a few steps. He wondered what that look meant. It hadn't been a look he had seen before. There was a strange mixture of confidence and the will to strive in them.

What is it about this girl? She seems to want to fight me with all of her power. She doesn't want to hold back anything and wants to get stronger. There is some strange aura that is coming from here that I haven't felt in quite some time. She is really starting to grow on me as a warrior, someone whom I should be able to respect. Most people whom I've fought show some resilience. Even if they want to fight me, they seem to know their limitations and strive to only beat me. It isn't to say they are only after me, but they simply want to defeat me as an obstacle I stand within their path, or at last that is what I am use to

Flashback:::kTakashi was sitting in a corner huddled up by himself. He seemed completely different than before. His eyes were sunken in and there were black rings around his eyes. The strange part was that his eyes were still glowing the brilliant blue diamond shine. At this time, Takashi wore dark grey clothing that was tattered up in many places. There were random holes within his clothing that seemed to be made from violent tears. It wasn't simply due to his old clothing, but there were also dirt marks on it. With the bland area and environment, Takashi's snow white hair and brilliant blue eyes were the target of criticism.

The young boy sat, he was simply a small boy, no more than the age of 8 at the time. He had his legs up and his hands were hugging his legs. He was sitting with his head on his knees and there were tears in his eyes. Far off in the distance, there was a few more boys who wore similar rags. They had much more normal hair than Takashi had. They even looked less light in comparison to their skin tone. They were looking towards Takashi with judgemental eyes. The young boy could feel their stares even though he wasn't looking directly towards them.

They called out to him but he didn't respond. The young boy simply sat in his corner and didn't say anything. He felt his heart rate begin to slowly increase more and more as he heard the sound of their voices getting closer. If there was something Takashi hated at this point in life, it was the voices of these small children that had tormented him so much. One of them had brown hair, the other blonde, and the last had light brown hair. One of them kicked Takashi in the shin, asking if he had heard him. The young boy who huddled in the corner didn't say anything, he obviously didn't want to be disturbed.

Soon however, he felt another kick to his shin and he retracted his leg. "What!? You can't hear us!? Are you stupid now too!". One of the boys cried out. He grasped Takashi's hair and pulled him up. The young boy held his face, hiding any and all signs that he was crying or tearing up. However, it was far too apparent as there were still tears in his eyes. His face was rounded and a bit chubby, he always seemed to be in shape or just a bit over it whenever they looked at him....they hated that. "You think you're better than us huh!? You like your white hair I bet snowy! Yeah Snow! I bet your momma left you because you had those really weird eyes! You know, i'd hate to be you. No one wants to adopt a freak like you!"

Takashi looked at them with his sorrowfilled eyes. He was being held up by his hair. The young boy was holding his head in pain and misery. He struggled to get out of the grip to no avail. Pushing more and more, one of the boys finally kicked him. It caused some of his hair to rip out and him to smash against the back of the wooden wall. He let out a grunt in agony as the three looked at him. They tossed his hair at him and the one with dark hair grasped Takashi's shirt. The boy's eyes filled with tears as he finally opened his mouth to say something. He didn't like talking because they hated his voice too, but he hated taking the beating.

"P-please stop hitting me *sob*" He said as snot was running down his nose and tears flowing down the side of his face. "Eh?! You want us to stop snowy!? Well sure! We can stop hitting you! Just tell us when you want us to stop!". Takashi looked up, cautious yet hopeful as to what they were saying. He wasn't sure exactly what they meant. He opened his mouth to say something but he felt something hit him square in the jaw. A shot of pain slowly filled the side of his mouth. Takashi gritted his teeth as to attempt to take the blow. The side of his face felt like it was on fire.

He fell to the ground and was huddled up in a corner. They began kicking him and some of them even began spitting on him. The worst part wasn't even that the kids were kicking him...it was the care takers watching. They were standing in the corner, not saying anything. He was the boy that was talking to those things...whatever those things were...were tormenting others. They weren't sure what it was or what he was. Takashi's imaginary friends were causing such problems. All they could do was label him what they knew it to be...a demon. That's all he was to them, it had to be why he looked so different.

He recalled looking out with one eye towards them, laying on his side. His other half of his body was being beat on by stomps and kicks. Blood was now pouring down the side of his face and his mouth. The only thing left was his eye that was shaking...tearing up...looking for the adults for help. Inside he wanted to scream for help but he couldn't. All he could do was look on. His heart twisted and ached. If he had to be honest, he'd take all the beatings in the world, every single one...if it meant he could stop feeling this way. The way his heart twisted and contorted was far beyond any pain he had ever felt in his life.

"Oh my children are you okay!?" cried one of the adults. Takashi's eyes lit up for just a second as he was taking the pain. He could feel his body beginning to hurt drastically from the stomping. The boys however, turned around and looked casually towards the teacher. She knelt down and put her hands on one of their shoulders. "Takashi was picking a fight with you again wasn't he? I imagined so....". The boys simply agreed with her and didn't say anything. The care taker meanwhile was giving Takashi a glaring stare that was indicative of her not wanting him.

Without another thought, she grasped his ear and began to pull him up. The young Takashi could feel his ribs creaking and cracking. There were multiple bruises on the side of his face. He was also bleeding heavily from some areas. However, that didn't matter to her. What mattered was that she thought he had started a fight. To be more precise, she was lying to make sure Takashi would learn a lesson. It was her way of not understanding...and attempting to exile that which she didn't understand. The way she pinched Takashi's ear was far beyond anything. It was...painful..she was driving her nail into his ear.

"You ingrate! We raise you in this orphanage and you go and start fights. This is why we have to hide you whenever the parents come. It seems like yet another batch is coming today! We can't have you bruising up our children. You know what this means don't you!?". She was speaking angrily as she was dragging Takashi across the hall of this old building. The boy had more tears in his eyes as he knew what was coming, he hated this part...anything but this part. He would have taken the beatings over and over...and over again.

"No miss Barry, no! Please stop miss Barry! I promise I won't do it again please! Ms. Barry! I promise I won't hurt them. Please I'll even let them beat me up again! You'll see! I'll stop talking to my imaginary friends! Please! Please Ms Bary!". The young Takashi pleaded but the woman didn't listen. "Don't speak! You are trying to get yourself in more trouble are you!? Huh!?". She said as she turned and slapped him across the face where his bruise was. Takashi fell to the ground and more tears came out of his eyes. He didn't say anything, he knew crying a loud made it worse.

Soon, she was grasping his ear and once again pulling him into the basement. She dragged him down and he resisted with all of his might. Soon, she opened the door and threw him into it. The Basement...that is where no one wanted to be. They threw you into a room which had no lights of any sort. It was simply black...you would stumble over things which you wouldn't know. It was very small as well, only about the size of a crawl space basement. Takashi had to huddle to himself to be able to do anything in the environment. It was so confined...so dark...so lonely. As though a manifestation of his own mind where he could talk to himself. Sometimes his friends would come visit him..the imaginary ones...but most of the time they wouldn't..for some reason.

All my life...all i knew was that horrid place. Human's can be so cruel when they don't understand something. They'll do whatever it takes to dispose of a threat. Whatever they don't understand they will caste aside regardless of anything else. They don't even care if it is a child. If they're able to see them as an enemy, they will simply see you as a demon. The lonliness of that place...it was so horrible that I couldn't bare it anymore. It was so empty...so ...so...scary. I've felt like that my entire life. Going through it, I never got out of that basement. Perhaps the real me is still trapped down there...i don't know. Eventually I didn't even hear anyone down there. It was as though no one came and it was just myself.

::End Flashback: Takashi sighed as he looked towards the woman in front of him. She had such hopeful eyes, the eyes of a woman who wanted to fight on equal grounds. It was a childish hope that Takashi hadn't seen in such a long time. To be honest, he hadn't ever seen a look like that in anyone else, its probably why it made him so curious. Alright, he would train with her as an equal. There wasn't any point in looking down upon her like the others looked down upon him. He wouldn't let her ambition go to waste. He would give her all he had at all times no matter what the cost...he would help her with all of his strength...anyone who bared those hopeful eyes at him.

As he turned around, he set the bokken to the side and grasped his Asuchi, perhaps he should stop calling it that. Now it was something completely different. Something Sozen-Taichou had given him that would serve to be his friend now...an extension of himself was it? That fight with Lax had definitely taught him a lot. With one last sigh, he picked up the sword and then turned around towards Hotaru. He bared the same expression, the distant and cold one. he however walked up closer and took a stance. It seemed he had changed his mind about something."Very well then. I will train with you with my fullest. We will now begin the other part of our training...Hotaru Wakashi...please come at me with all your strength". He said as he looked at her, his eyes narrowed once again.

[Kyomei Kuchiki]

+340 CTP

[Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao]

Hotaru watched as he continued to stare at her. He seemed to be curious on what she would do next. While he was studying her, it seemed that he was trying on decide what to do. Before she could comment, he let out a slight sigh. She wondered what was that for. But, Takashi Kuchiki was a very interesting person indeed. So, she wanted to see what he would actually do. What he did next was grab his sword and start walking toward the back wall. Then, he started to look down at the floor.

She relaxed her stance just a hair. She had no idea why he was looking at the floor. She started to glance down at the flooring around the mat. Maybe he wasn't used to the floor like that. She was used to a cracked floor like this in temples. It's proof that true warriors have trained here. It made her feel more honored that she could train where so many others had trained as well. She admired that the temple was so well built that it was able to withstand all the fighting. It was a true testament to the builders.

What she was starting to not understand is why he was over there for so long. Whatever was over there couldn't be so interesting that he was completely ignoring her. He then put his Zanpaktou down, bending down to do this and then stood up straight. He turned and looked at her square in the face. She could see some confusion in his eyes. It looked like he was trying to decide on something. She hoped what she said wasn't too rude, but it was how she felt. She might have to explain it later to him.

Then, after a few minutes, he sighed, put the bokken away and grabbed his zanpaktou up off the floor. He started to walk towards her. While he was walking towards her, his cold and distance look was still the same. There was only one thing different that she could see. He seemed to steel himself on something. She wondered what it was but she would never pry about it. He got close to her and got into a stance. He then told her he would train her at his fullest and to come at him with all her strength. He narrowed his eyes again. She made a mental note that mentioning training must give him an almost involuntary eye narrowing reaction. She would have to test that later. 

Before she got that far however, she started to hear something. It was faint at first. But then, the voice got louder. It was calling out to her from somewhere. She almost started to look around when it started to address her directly. "Wait, Hotaru. You don't know how I am but I know about you. I am the voice of you Zanpaktou Spirit. I have watched you get stronger and am proud to say that you are finally ready to use my first stage of power. I'll make it quick, since we can talk later. Repeat after me and be ready for my power. Say, Burn, Rivu~aiasan and I will come. Say it now!"

She couldn't believe that her Zanpaktou Spirit was finally able to talk to her. She smiled to herself while in her stance. She took a deep breath to steady herself. She kept telling herself that she was ready for this. She was ready because her Zanpaktou Spirit had watched her. It had watched her grow into her power and into her station as a shinigami and it was telling her that she was ready for its first stage. She took another deep breath before she followed its command.

"Burn, Rivu~aiasan!" Once she said it, she definitely felt the change. She looked down at her unsheathed sword. It was where she noticed the change first. The hilt remained purple, but the guard grew and wrapped around her hand and wrist, making what looks like a dragon's tail, all purple. Next, the rest of the guard turned into a dragon's head. The blade  started to bend upward and appeared to be coming out of the dragon's mouth.  

It was then that she noticed that something was happening to her scabbard as well. Her scabbard started to go up to her left side and turns into a little cannon covered with scales and it planted itself on her left forearm. The cannon reminded her of the ones used in the military. She had never used one herself, but knew the general premise. Once it was all done, she looked at them. The cannon was a nice touch. She moved her left arm around and noticed that the cannon didn't impede her movements at all. It was a bonus.

Though, her sword's change is what she took most notice of. It looked exactly like a dragon. Even though it had an appendage around her hand and wrist, it wasn't gripping too tight. It was a light enough grip that it wasn't going to impede her. It was more of a grip to let her know it was there. It was warm too, giving her proof that she already knew, that Zanpaktou Spirits were alive. She looked at the sword. It shined in the light. It was then that she noticed something was coming out from the dragon's mouth.

It was almost translucent, but when she brought the sword up closer to her face it looked like some kind of liquid. "My power is what is called liquid fire. The liquid you see on my blade you can light whenever you wish. Just think it to light and it will. Be careful with my power and train carefully. I don't want you to get burns from it." The voice receded again. She did what it said and sure enough, when she thought to light the liquid on fire, her blade blazed in purple fire. It amazed her. She faced Takashi and said, "Takashi, I believe I just unlocked Shikai from my Zanpaktou. I will let you make the first move, so I can see how this really works."

She waited for him to make the move, all the while her blade was burning bright with her liquid fire.

Reiatsu: 770/970 Shikai Release

[Douma]

“Hey, Hotaru, might want to let your opponent see your power first hand. It’s not nice to give away spoilers.”

Kagami stood at the far side of the temple. He had entered silently through the use of his mirrors, and they also reflected his reiatsu to prevent Hotaru and that Kuchiki kid – God, those Kuchikis go at it like bunnies. How many are there? – from noticing his overwhelming reiatsu presence. He couldn’t control his own spiritual pressure output, so it’d be better to not distract them and hide it away. By standing in the shadowy corner of the temple, the only way Hotaru or Takashi would have been able to see was if they looked. He was safe from their unfocussed eyes until he decided to reveal himself. The real question, though, was what was Kagami doing? How did he come across Hotaru and Takashi, and why the hell was he spying on them?

It all started when Kagami was at one of his usual bars in the inner Rukongai area. He could never seem to remember the pub’s name, but he always seemed to find it if he looked hard enough. Now, Kagami was grabbing a couple of drinks when this beautiful young woman decided to take a seat by him. The Vice Captain couldn’t help but flash her a charming smile and initiate conversation. He treated her to a few drinks –well, more than a few- and before he knew it, they were making out by the bar. Now, I wont’ get into too much details, but their several minutes of promiscuous recreation had been interrupted by the loud arrival of a not-so-happy looking gentleman. “WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING WITH MY WIFE?!” Oops. Mr Steal Yo Gurl strikes again. Needless to say, Kagami stood up, easily avoided the enraged man’s wild punch, despite his tipsy state, and finished the man with an uppercut that knocked him over the bar, breaking a few expensive looking bottles.

So Kagami was kicked out of the bar. He managed to slip the woman his contact information before doing so, and he knew who he was going to be meeting later tonight. However, where was he going to go next? He was searching for another potentially entertaining tavern or bar to spend the rest of the day in when he detected Hotaru’s reiatsu signature. Of course, he was curious and decided to follow until he found her in the temple and watched silently. To think that she would start the sparring session by releasing her sword for the first time. That was bold, and that was impressive.

“Glad to see that you finally know how to use that sword of yours.”

[Takashi Kuchiki]

The snow white hair of Takashi began to blow in the breeze as he felt a rather strange reaitsu emitting from Hotaru. His eyes narrowed upon her as she seemed to be undergoing a change. His eyes began to scan her to see if she was doing what he thought she was doing. It was strange, now of all places she was using her strength. Perhaps though, it wasn't the peril of danger that would awaken her other self and the extension of it but the way she had conviction and believed in her Zanpakuto. His eyes narrowed a bit further, there was something he began to recall or seemed to be in thought as he watched this woman begin to change.

I will never give up my Zanpaktou. I will not give it up to you or to anyone else for that matter. You should never give up an extension of yourself. That's right, she did say that, he thought. This must have been what triggered this event. I'm surprised though that she's been able to connect with part of herself so easily. It seemed as though her energy was overflowing into some magnificent aura before her actual release took place. Takashi simply watched, his emotion unchanging as she began.

The change began to fully happen as she called out the name of her Zanpakuto. As it was called, there was a strange change within her. Takashi observed as her sword began to change oddly. It seemed it took the shape of a dragon, a tail whipping around her arm. His eyes peered at what he was witnessing as Shikai. He blinked a few times as he noted the change in her left arm as well, turning into something of a cannon. Things had changed and she began feeling more confident in herself it seemed. The way she spoke was definitely different.

Hotaru herself expressed that she believed she had released shikai. It was obviously flashy enough to be shikai, but she seemed content so he didn't say anything. However, that cannon like area looked dangerous. He recalled from his fight from Asmoskon how deadly the projectiles could be. He would keep this in mind as he fought. In addition, her sword was on fire and it was unsettling. For now, he would think it as normal fire. It was indeed deadly and she wanted him to approach her. It was a risky move but he wouldn't back down from the challenge.

However, there was a voice that emitted somewhere within the room. Takashi drew his Asuchi readily, taking the blade in the right and the sheath in the left. As he scanned the room, he noticed someone in the corner. He wasn't all too sure whom this person was. However, by the way they spoke it seemed they might have been a higher ranked officer. It would only take looking at the badge or insignia to know this person was important. Takashi decided to keep the neutral as he looked upon the man.

"My name is Takashi Kuchiki, I am pleased to meet you." he said as he bowed towards the man. "I do not know your relationship with ms. Hotaru but I assume that you are her superior. It is my pleasure to meet you. I would greatly appreciate another challenge if I am able to overcome this one...sir". Takashi said as he looked towards him. He gave him one more bow a few seconds after he had stood up."Thank you for your time. I shall now begin if that is alright.". The Kuchiki turned towards his opponent and sized them up with his eyes, noting what they'd do.

This was shikai after all, he couldn't take it lightly. On the offensive, Takashi would make his move. The snow haired shinigami stepped with his right foot forward and slashed out horizontally with his right hand bearing the katana. With his left, he had held the sheath out vertical. Takashi was now spinning counter clockwise. It might surprise her that he was making such a movement far away from her. However, he loved fighting at a disadvantage. Now that he was spinning on the ball of his right foot, Takashi pushed off of the left ball of his foot. Takashi stepped quickly in a linear movement, blurring. It wasn't like him to use Shunpo at all, however, he couldn't risk testing the full ability of a released sword.

As he reached her only inches away on her left side; Takashi was already in position. His left foot was a bit in front of her right foot. There was a good part of his right foot behind her left foot as well. He had continued the counterclockwise spinning motion as his sheath (facing to the sky and vertical) was intended to push her her cannon horizontally towards her sword. With his blade, it was the sharp edge nearest to his hilt that he swung with. His intent was essentially to push the cannon horizontally towards her and sever her left arm. He wasn't a man that didn't go all out during fights, it was life or death here...especially while playing with fire.

[Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao]

Right after Hotaru released, she thought she heard someone. The voice sounded very familiar. It told her to not give away any spoilers and to just show them her power first hand. It also said that it was glad that she finally knows how to use her zanpaktou. She looked around, just to make sure she was guessing right on who the voice belonged to. She looked and on the very far side of the temple, near the shadows, she saw her senpai, Vice Captain Kagami. I guess after their training session, he took an interest in her. 

It was nice to see that he actually cared enough about her to see her. But, knowing her luck, he just happened to be in the area. But, he did take time out of his busy schedule to train her before. She didn't want to think too much into it though. She figured that she would find out eventually when he decided to say anything about it. "Kagami-senpai, I'm surprised that you're actually here. Thanks you to, I was able to achieve this level. Thank you and I hope that we can fight again. I will cut you next time."

She turned her attention back to Takashi. His eyes were still narrowed. She guess that eye narrowing was the only thing he did to show any kind of emotion. It was interesting. While Takashi was thinking, she took everything in. Without averting her eyes from Takashi, she took in her weapons. She brought first the cannon-like gun on her left arm up. She was able to give it a pretty good look over. It reminded her of what the humans called 'Mega Man's gun. It wasn't too big, just big enough to work and gives her free movement.

Then, she got a good look at her sword. When she brought it up, the flame was so bright she almost couldn't bear it. But, almost like on command, the flame dimmed just a little bit. But, it was enough that she could see it. She looked down at her wrist. The tail was still there, purple and scaly. It was still lightly wrapped around her wrist. She felt the heat from the tail itself and it made her feel better. She looked at the guard and saw that it had transformed into a dragon's head. It was an amazing sight. When she looked at it, she could almost see it winking at her. It was one of the most amazing things she had ever seen. It was nothing like Kagami-senpai's release, but no one shinigami will have the same release as another.

It was then she heard the voice again. "This is me. I will give you a brief once-over on what I can do in this form. After this, come and find me. We'll talk more about it then. The flame that is created is controlled completely by you. You tell the liquid when to light. The cannon on your left arm is special. It has two types of ammo. The first is scales. Once they are shot out, you can tell them when to shoot out the liquid. Next, this cannon will be able to just shoot the liquid out in spurts or streams, depending on what you want. You can change these at anytime, just think it. Good luck, Hotaru."

The voice receded and it made her feel more comfortable. It also made her feel more confident in her abilities. She knew that she could stand against anything now. She looked to Takashi and noticed that he was starting a counter-clockwise spin. Her arms were slightly bent, leaving her weapons at the mid-range area of her body. He was holding his sheath in left hand and his sword in his right. She was wondering why he would just randomly turn. But, knowing him, he did this with a purpose. 

He then seemed to disappear. She knew he had to have Shunpo'ed somewhere around this place. She tried to keep her eyes out for when he would reappear, but she knew she would never see him until he finished the Shunpo. When he did, he appeared at her left side. He must've thought her cannon was the more dangerous out of the two. She saw the sheath come towards her cannon and right when the sheath touched the cannon, she thought of just a spray of liquid and her cannon shot out a stream of her liquid. She wanted the liquid to immediately catch fire, so what it looked like was the cannon was shooting out a stream of pure purple fire.

Once she kept the stream going, she noticed that his right arm was coming around horizontally to try to chop her left arm off. She didn't know what it was with him and chopping off limbs. She immediately thought that her sword should start producing more liquid. It obeyed and she moved her zanpaktou to block his swing. If the swords connected, since her sword was producing extra liquid, she had no doubt that some of the liquid would be flung in his direction. If the liquid did land on him, she would immediately light the liquid on fire. She hoped that she would actually be able to injure him this time.

OOC: Going to give myself a countdown on shikai, so I don't lose count. Post 2/8. Reiatsu 720/770, lighting her stream of liquid on fire.

[Takashi Kuchiki]

The snow haired man had reappeared a second before he last and sent his Asuchi flying towards Hotaru's left arm. In addition, he had bent his left wrist in a 15 degree angle as he pushed the woman's cannon back; upon noticing something unusual about it. However, it was surprising that Hotaru seemed ready for his attack, she was getting better. She had already set up a plan and it seemed she was already ready to defend. As always, it appeared that she was ready for him. Hotaru seemed to be more passionate now that the man she admired was watching her.

However, Takashi knew that she had to earn his respect by growing stronger. He was sure she would reach new levels that would surprise everyone. However, for the shinigami, he would hope to attain a level beyond that. His ultimate goal was to surpass everyone in strength and take the seat of the Squad 1 Captain. Because of that, his will would push him to greater heights. Stronger...he had to become much stronger. With this fire burning inside of him at all times, the battlefield was his fuel, and his flames would burn hotter than any of this world.

In a brighter light, it seemed he had been successful in pushing her cannon out of the way. However, she had unleashed an unearthly purple flame. To his dismay, as he pushed it to her right, the fire would also slightly curve in his direction. With that, it would set the area near his left triceps on fire. He could instantly feel the heat and the burning; it was very painful. The heat eating away at his clothes as the smaller burning embers began to slowly coalesce. However, one other thing had become lit on fire now as well. The top of Takashi's sheath was now also burning, it was due to the slight angle he turned it before pushing her cannon. There was more though...

Simultaneously, as Takashi's sword came in, it pushed upon Hotaru's sword which was stationary and at a weaker angle. He embraced the hit, positioned as he wanted to be only a foot or less away from her. With the hit, the liquid smears would fly off of onto Takashi's right sleeve and on to his sword, even small specs onto his hand. It was ideal for Hotaru to light her fire, however, there was one draw back to this. The swing's momentum would cause Hotaru's sword to push back. She was at a weird angle after all and her blade was stationary. The perhaps only centimeters or inches gap from her left shoulder and her arm would be quickly negated.

With this, Takashi's sword would push the liquid covered blade towards Hotaru's shoulder, pushing against it. Takashi didn't let up to make sure the sword would be hard pressed to her shoulder as well. If she had her fire ignite, it would cause Hotaru's left shoulder to catch fire as well. Takashi a hunch after all, there was something strange. Her fire seemed very deadly, but if she could use it most effectively...then why not cover herself in it? Then, surely it would be very difficult to hit her. This was just a theory, but she had a cannon and only her sword was drenched in this liquid. If the theory panned out, it would work quite well for Takashi;it was all he had now anyway.

In any case, her sword would be pressed on to her left shoulder, burning her and her arm off as Takashi would put into the spot. However, there was one more thing...Takashi's burning sheath. The top of it had been set on fire in the previous instance; rapidly burning. The man simply flicked his wrist, turning it clockwise. The lit sheath acted much like a torch. Using it, he simply placed it upon the exposed flesh of the woman's right eblow (a bit below it), burning her arm as he pushed into it. It was also worthy of note that this was the arm that was holding the sword that Takashi was pushing into her with.

Lastly, Takashi was standing rather close to her, both of his feet nearly on either side of her as the two were so close now. His left foot was still in front her her feet and his right close to back of her left foot. Takashi looked towards her in her released state with his beautiful blue diamond like eyes. He endured the pain with his will as the burning in his left shoulder would continue. He would also do the same if his right hand and sleeves began to catch fire as well. It was now Hotaru's move to see what she would do.

[Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao]

Hotaru watched as her flame glowed as it spewed out of her cannon. It was an amazing sight to see. She felt blessed to have the ability to call her Zanpaktou by name now and harness its power to help her in battles. She made a mental note to herself that she would have to talk to her Zanpaktou after this to start forming a true bond with it. Her true dream was to be a captain and the best way to get that kinda power would be to have a close bond with her Zanpaktou.

She watched, sadly, as the flames didn't completely hit him. They did, however, manage to singe him enough that he would be feeling the pain from the fire. Then, her blade connected with Takashi's blade. Thankfully, due to the extra liquid that was pouring out of the mouth of her sword, she saw little droplets of her liquid land on Takashi. When she saw that the droplets had stopped moving, she concentrated and was able to set them on fire.

Hotaru felt that his sword was trying to push her fiery sword onto her shoulder. Rivu~aiasan had told her that she was not immune from his fire. So, she really didn't want to get burned by it anymore than he did. So, she looked over to the right and knew she had to get out of there now. While the sword was coming towards her shoulder, she could only think of one thing to do. She looked to the right and Shunpo'ed to his right side.

When she stopped, she was right next to him on his right side. She knew she needed to attack immediately to not leave him any opening whatsoever. So, right when she appeared, she moved her blade was in the perfect position to start a horizontal slash towards his head. While she started the slash, she straightened out her arm and her cannon let out another huge blast of fire. She hoped that this would work.

She thought back on how her life had changed since she passed from the human world and ended up here. She didn't think that she would actually get this far so quickly. She remembers being in the Academy, working her butt off to graduate to be in Squad One. When she did, she couldn't believe it. Then, she got to train with her Vice Captain, Kagami-senpai, who was also watching her fight right now. She was training with Takashi after fighting him and learned her Zanpaktou's name. She felt blessed beyond belief.

OOC: Post 3/8. Reiatsu 570/720, for Shunpo and lighting liquid on fire.

[Takashi Kuchiki]

The snow haired shinigami looked towards the woman who had unleashed her shikai. It seemed as though she had been in a good position to unleash her sword. The fire on his left arm was beginning to burn through his clothes slowly, it was definitely painful as hell. This battle was getting heated and something needed to happen to decide its outcome. Takashi definitely did not want to lose and if he didn't, he would have to think on his feet very quickly.

He knew Hotaru at this release would be much stronger than normal. It was a bit of a pain in the ass for the time being but he would have to deal with it. With his lower class, he was completely outmatched here in terms of spiritual release. However, there was much more that he could do in terms of ability. Takashi had gotten much stronger physically but it seemed he would have to get much stronger spiritually as well. That is, if he hoped to beat stronger opponents. The man felt the ferocious fire ignite on his right hand, burning it as it caused him great pain. He would have to push through it for now.

Now the time to fight had once again begun. Takashi noticed something very odd that was going on. It seemed as though this girl's foot was moving. However, it wasn't her right foot but her left...could she be? Logically, it was the only thing she could be doing as she was stepping out...shunpo. Takashi simply twisted his right wrist that was blocked by Hotaru's right sword as well. He didn't know why Hotaru was doing this but he would act accordingly. Even if he was wrong, he would have a set up for an attack.

Simultaneously, Takashi pushed his right foot forward a bit. However, of course Hotaru was a slight bit faster than Takashi. As she kicked off, Hotaru would find herself shunpo-ing at nearly 1600 speed into Takashi's right leg. His leg would be hitting her near the back of her upper calf; near her knee. With this, she would find herself tripping, falling down in a diagonal manner. Her head and body would be hitting the ground at 1600 speed. In addition, as Takashi's sword, which would also catch fire, was turned. Her movement would be accompanied by a good chunk of her left arm being cut off.

Unfortunately for Takashi, however, the force she was coming at and hitting his body would not go unnoticed. As she slid back, she pushed his leg after crashing into it. Takashi began turning clockwise. In addition, his sword would fly out backwards, falling 15 feet away from them. The shear force of her meaty calf traveling. Lastly, there was the fact that his hand was now on fire, the pain was intensified as the burning sensation continued. As Takashi was turning with her at that speed, he was able to let go of his flaming sheath. It flew towards the woman's chest, if it landed. The fire would consume the sheath now and burn her as well.

As for Takashi, he would use shunpo to get to the diagonal behind him towards his sword. As he got there, he instantly took his shirt off and threw it onto the ground. At least for now, his shoulder would no longer burn, however, there were burn marks on his hand which were continually burning away at him, causing him a great deal of intensified pain. In addition, his right hand was still burning as well. This battle seemed like it would definitely continue and be a huge pain.

Reaitsu:620/670

[Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao]

Hotaru watched as his right hand ignited on fire. She was glad that from that block at least some of her liquid droplets had landed on his hand. She hoped that it would cause him enough pain to hinder some of his slashes. But, knowing Takashi, he would be able to power through it. But, it would still be a constant pain for him to continue the fighting with his right hand on fire. She noticed that the fire was also still smoldering on his left side as well. She was glad that it had worked.

While her foot was moving to get ready for her Shunpo, she realized something. She should've gone the other direction. Well, she knew it was too late now. She had to just endure whatever was going to happen to her now. Just before she put her foot down to start the step, she saw Takashi's leg move. Once she began the step, she immediately hit her leg on his. She felt herself start to fall at Shunpo speeds. After the inital reaction of hitting his leg, it was pretty much black for her.

She pretty much felt like she blacked out. She barely felt herself fall, but she knew it was coming once they connected via their legs. She slowly tried to get up. Her face was in so much pain she didn't know what to do with herself. She shook her head a few times, hoping to 'clear the cobwebs out' as the humans liked to say. She definitely told herself to be more careful the next time she tried to do anything like that. It was a stupid mistake she didn't want to relive. She assumed that she had some facial fractures, and the pain was almost too much to bear. She just had to take a few more deep breaths and deal with it. She wasn't going to give up with just that kinda pain.

She then noticed that something flaming was flying in her direction. She was way too out of it to try anything fancy, so she put her left arm up. She had just enough sense to do that before she started to feel a little funky. It hit hard and she felt the fire burn her a bit. She then saw as the sheath was completely eaten up by her flame. She then looked in the direction that the sheath came from. It was then that she saw Takashi rip his shirt off to try to get rid of some of the pain of it burning off of him. It was a good idea, but some of the damage had been done. He was facing her, ready for the next attack.

Next, she felt a pain on her left arm. She looked over and noticed that it was bleeding. It seemed like in all of the craziness with her Shunpo falling, he was able to get a slice in and injure her. Though, she noticed that it was slightly on fire. She immediately turned off her fire, and noticed that the slice was more of a deep gash. She ripped part of her uniform and dressed her wound as best she could. Thankfully, it wasn't hindering her movements too badly and with the wound covered, it was now just throbbing. She really hoped that she wouldn't have to suffer through any more pain than what she was feeling right now.

She got up and got back into her fighting stance. She kept her sword in front of her, holding it in her right hand. She left her left arm out, hanging fairly loosely, so she could move it quick and use her cannon to shoot him or use it for defense. She bounced a few times on her feet as well, to make sure that she was ready for just about anything. She knew that she couldn't take him lightly. But, due to her head wound, she wasn't as light on her feet as she would like. She was still a little sluggish, but a little of the pain had left her body. When she jumped, it made her head hurt more, but she would endure the pain.  "I am loving this fight, Takashi! We should try to do this more often! I love the practice I'm getting and I can tell you've gotten stronger since we started."


OOC: 4/8