Empire State of Mind [NDE, R]

[Douma]

Thread Title: Empire State of Mind [NDE, R]
Participants: Shizuka Sanamizu, Kagami Murai
World: Human World
Death Setting: Non Death Enabled
Rating: R
Location: The top of the Empire State Building at around midnight.
Special Conditions: None
Circumstances: Shizuka is at the highest floor of the Empire State Building for whatever reason. She encounters the Squad 1 Vice Captain in battle with a few hollow just outside the building, standing on air ground.

[Douma]

Who am I…? Kagami thought to himself. He had just spent weeks and months in the Hueco Mundo desert and the outskirts of Soul Society, aware from most other intelligent life. He met up with occasional resistance from some unlucky hollows, but no real threat. After all, Kagami spent much time in isolation, and he didn’t waste any of it. The Vice Captain had been training hard. His most recent battle with Hokori Kuchiki helped him realize how desperate he was in need of change in his fighting to promote strength. Unless he became strong, he wouldn’t be able to return to Seireitei, especially not when there was a manhunt for him run by the Kuchiki. He was in trouble, so he needed to be able to fend for himself.

And so Kagami trained hard. Before his efforts, he had been a wild force of pure reiatsu with no real focus or power behind him. His strength needed to be honed and developed like the tip of a blade made from a chunk of steel. And he emerged a new man, but not a complete man. His body and mind may be stronger, but his heart was in tatters. Kagami’s life for the past several months had been focused solely on finding his fiancée, and the quest to do so consumed him, taking him to very dark places. A part of him was still in those places, while parts of him remained scattered elsewhere. He wasn’t whole, and his quest to find himself before finding his love began in New York.

The man stood in an ally by a major street, only a few blocks from the Empire State Building. The light winter breeze blew his medium length, gray hair back with each little push it brought every few seconds. He wore all black. Black pants, a thin black jacket, and a black t-shirt beneath it. Even his running shoes were black. The only real color his appearance had other than the dark green sheath that held his sword at his waist were his glowing violet eyes that had a dark, flickering flame in them as he glared at the ally, lightly touching the bricks on one of the walls.

Kagami’d been at that very ally before, and it’s where he experienced a fight against an extremely powerful opponent, one who may even have been stronger than Hokori. He wielded those plasma swords and had that bloodthirsty look in his eyes. An Arrancar who consumed humans and killed scores of people with a giant Cero the size of a building that targeted a populated street. But, most surprisingly, the Arrancar could use Kido, a skill only known to Shinigami. Kagami had failed in his battle and had to fake his death in order to escape. He was weak, but that wasn’t the situation any more.

But why had Kagami returned to the location of his defeat? It was a point of his weakness, a reminder of how he had been powerless to defeat an opponent on par with Hokori and weaker than Sozen. Kagami would have to return to Soul Society and infiltrate the Kuchiki prison to speak to Saeki again, but he needed to make sure that he could stand up to any Kuchiki he runs into. He would stand up to anyone who got in his way. Kagami needed to see Manami again, he needed to find out who he was and she was the key to that.

And that’s when Kagami felt it. His energy sensory was as sharp as ever, and he felt a sudden appearance of three hollows right by the biggest tourist attraction in the world, the Empire State Building. Kagami was still a Shinigami, so he figured he might as well do his duty and all, even if the most powerful Shinigami family was after his head. In a blur, Kagami used the Shinigami stepping technique Shunpo with his own extremely fast speed to reach the location, the top of the Empire State Building. The Vice Captain’s blade was already drawn by the time he got there, and he was ready for action.

The three hollows that appeared felt his presence rather quickly, but they weren’t very bright or powerful. Not many of those white-faced creatures were as stupid as them, actually, for they believed that they’d be a match for the Lieutenant. The hollows were incapable of speech, but they knew that they were a cut above most others, being Adjuchas, and laughed barbarically to each other. Kagami replied with a smirk and taunting nod. “Come at me, punks. If you’re lucky, I’ll make your deathes quick. If you’re unlucky, though, you’re gonna scream like the little bitches you are.” For a second, he almost felt like his old, fake, careless self. Just for a moment, though.

The fight took place just fifty feet from the top floor of the Empire State Building, so had any spiritually aware people been there, they would have been witness to the brevity of the fight. The hollows all lunged forward together, each taking different angles in their approach. One went form each side and the final Adjuchas rushed directly forward. However, they had been reduced to ash in less than a second. Anyone who’s eyes could keep up with Kagami’s movement would see exactly how he did it. He rushed to his right with his blade extended at speeds the Adjuchas were far from achieving. The hollow was decapitated instantly. From there, he pushed off with his right foot in a leap that carried him past the hollow that took the direct approach, allowing him to impale it through the mask and vaporizing it instantly. The final hollow was destroyed by two rapid cuts, one going straight through it’s chest and the other an uppercut slicing it in half.

Kagami found himself standing alone on the invisible air ground, looking around to threaten any other hollows who might select that moment to appear, but there were none. “Looks like you bitches got lucky…” Kagami said, beginning the motion of sliding his blade back into his sheath. However, suddenly, he stopped before putting the tip in. He felt a reiatsu signature nearby, very nearby. This one seemed much stronger than the hollows, and if it was hostile, Kagami might have a playmate that would last him a while.

Reiatsu Remaining: 6950/7000 (-50 for Shunpo)

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats, Skills, and Items}

Stats

Strength - [100] Points (60)

Speed - [400] Points

Spiritual Pressure - [400] (700) Points

Reiatsu Strength - [250] Points

Light Aura - [65] Points

Dark Aura - [35] Points

Instinct - [150] Points

Senses - [100] Points

Energy sensory - [200] Points

Healing Expertise - [0] Points

Total SP: [1600] Points

Abilities

• [Weapons: Sword] {3}
  
  
• [War Strategy] {3}
  
  
• [Battle Analysis] {3}
  
  
• [Sex] {2}
  
  
• [Analysis] {2}
  
  
• [Leadership/Charisma] {2}
  
  
• [Mental Incantation] {1}
  
  

• 
  
  

Items:
15 Kunai
10 Shuriken
1 Giant Shuriken
5 Kunai Clips
5 Full Body Condoms

[Shizuka Sanamizu ✮]

It was pretty cold outside. The weather was absolutely freezing for a North American winter midnight, and the darkness allowed the shadows to make the atmosphere around her become even cooler. At the very top of the Empire State Building, Shizuka sat and leaned against the base of the antenna. Since it was a bit colder than usual at her height, she had her brown leather jacket on that covered her favorite white shirt. The back of the jacket was printed with the same star design that her shirt was, being the Dallas Cowboys star but colored with purple where the blue would be and silver within the space between the inner star and its outline. She also wore riding boots instead of her designer heels, but she kept her weapons in her Michael Kors tote. She closed her eyes and sighed, smiling. She enjoyed having spiritual powers so she could avoid paying money to get all the way up there. Besides, it was night time. She wanted to get a clear view of the city.

Why was she up there, you ask? Well, Shizuka had just finished interrogating a potential threat in the United States for her organization. He ended up not being a major problem, so she was told to let him go because he may become an asset later. She was set to leave in the next two days with a private jet flying her back to her home in Japan. She desperately missed her family and animals since she had a soft spot in her heart for house pets and other living organisms. Mostly house pets, though. Well, them and Blaize. She couldn't take her dragon with her this time around, so she was excited to be able to go back and play with her reptilian friend. Until then, however, she wanted to just sit and enjoy her alone time.

The stars were beautiful that evening, as well. Sadly, the light pollution from the city weakened her ability to stargaze properly, but she was able to see some of the brighter constellations because she was so far away from the major sources of light and much closer to the sky above her. There were a few clouds floating around and some began blocking out the moon eerily like in some horror movie where a guy changes into a wolf. Then once the clouds cover the moon half way and the light reflected from the sun is shining brightly behind those condensed forms of water vapor, he would howl and signify his hunt beginning. Shizuka laughed at her own thought, realizing it was a bit silly. She did, however, love to daydream. So silly or not, she believed it was entertaining.

She started falling asleep and began dreaming briefly of her past. It was much more theatric, of course, since it was a dream. But she began remembering her past battles and her encounters with the dreaded Shinigami race. These kinds of dreams haunted her; not because they were scary, but because it was the only thing her brain could focus on these days aside from her usual school life. She absolutely detested those grotesque beings. She was able to meet just one who she believed she could at least partially trust, if not use. Something about him was different, though. Other than that, Shinigami were still disgusting and horrid. The memories of her past startled her awake as her body began entering sleep mode. Apparently it jerked pretty violently because Shizuka ended up freaking out a little bit and her heart was beating fast. She was a bit embarrassed but eventually shrugged it off when she realized no one could see her.

The air around her began to blow a bit harder and whip her air around her face. Shizuka took her hands and smoothed her hair back against her head and neck, then moved it behind her back once again. She took a hair tie that was on her wrist and gently brushed her hair up into a ponytail with her own hands since that would help keep the hair away from her face. Only her bangs hung down over her forehead and framed her eyes. The air gave Shizuka an unsettling feeling and she lifted herself off the ground of the lookout at the top of the building. As she looked around at the base of the tall attraction, her eyes widened in both surprise and hatred. She was surprised because three huge Hollows were fighting something at the base. She was feeling intense hatred because that something was a Shinigami.

By now, unfortunately, she had enough experience to tell that the things that fight with swords are typically Shinigami. If they are something else, then she would have to actually ask them because she had absolutely zero energy sensory. She was able to analyze the man enough to recognize a few things about him, despite his lack of a proper robe. She sighed and gritted her teeth, growling through her tensed jaw. She was no animal, but she did have a habit of acting like one sometimes. She did have a pretty decent sense of smell and hearing, anyway. Besides, she loved animals! But anyway, this was no time to get distracted. She watched for a short while as the four monsters fought each other, being careful not to give herself away.

Within a short while, the four of them were barely fifty feet from Shizuka. She ducked quietly behind the gated fence that curved inward at the top, stopping people from jumping off the top of the building. Yes, that fence exists. Don't think about why too much, though. Anyway, Shizuka prepared herself for any incoming attacks that strayed from the original path and ended up going towards her. None of them did, however, because the Shinigami defeated all three in barely any time at all. Shizuka crouched down slightly as her eyes widened and her jaw fell a bit. She questioned just how strong this guy really was.

Once the Hollows were defeated, the boy stood in the air and started putting his weapon away, but once he was finished casting his senses out into the area around him, he paused. Shizuka noticed his attitude changing a bit as he prepared himself for yet another fight, but she couldn't see a single threat in sight. Then it hit her. He could feel her presence. Unlike her, he must have some skill in energy sensory so he knew she was there. Hiding would be useless because he would just find her anyway and probably attack her. So instead of remaining behind the wall, Shizuka braced herself and jumped up on the curved gate, carefully balancing herself as she activated her own Fullbring.

A bright blue light engulfed her shoes as she removed them from the MK tote bag. Once she threw them both up in the air, one formed into a bucket and gently took place by the base of the antenna where she was sitting previously. The other formed into a gun and fell above her, giving her time to catch it with her right hand. She filled the bucket with hydrochloric acid because even those fumes could seriously burn someone. This way, she would be able to at least have time to surprise him and get away if she needed to. She threw her bag back against the ground beneath her, making sure she didn't forget about it. This one was her favorite, after all. She had no intention of attacking him just yet, though. She wanted to analyze him as much as possible. She had some pretty sharp eyes.

Shizuka tried looking fairly harmless, hoping maybe he wouldn't notice that she was an assassin. She wasn't going after him since this was just a chance encounter, but he looked like he was ready to fight anyway. She stood there briefly, knowing that he would notice her in barely a few seconds. Still, she felt a little worried about him. She didn't know who he was and had never even seen his face before, but the way he defeated the Hollows had her hair standing on end. Wind blew and she shivered as a chill entered and left her body. Something told her this was going to be a bit more serious than she was hoping, which was a real shame because she was only trying to relax!

"I'm sure by now you have already gained some knowledge about me since you reacted to my presence. You're not just any Shinigami, are you?" She spoke, sounding much more mature than her usual child-like nature.

Just who is this guy, exactly?



Shizuka's Remaining Reiatsu: 4800
Fullbring Stage 1: 1/10
Liquid Type: Hydrochloric Acid
Gallons Remaining: 100/100

SPOILER: Click to show

{Shizuka's Stats}

Strength - [100] Points

Speed - [300] Points

Spiritual Pressure - [200] = [500] Points

Reiatsu Strength - [400] = [1000] Points

Light Aura - [60] Points

Dark Aura - [40] Points

Instinct - [200] = [100] Points

Senses [200] = [100] Points

Energy sensory - [0] Points

Healing Expertise - [0] Points

Total SP: [1400] Points

SPOILER: Click to show

{Shizuka's Skills}

[Analyzing] {3}

[Weapon: Gun] {3}

[Stealth] {3}

[Strength of Will] {3}

[Honeypotting - The art of manipulation to obtain information. Basically, a girl gathers enough information about her target - male or female, doesn't matter - and dresses accordingly or changes how she acts to be able to get them to do whatever she wants or tell her what she needs to hear.] {3}

[Douma]

Kagami was staring at the tip of the Empire State Building, his eyes searching for the dark silhouette of the other spiritually powerful being. He caught site of a bit of movement as the woman went into view. At least he assumed it was a human, since he could make out her long hair as she stood a small distance away. She seemed quite attractive too, from what he could tell. She had a slim, fit body, as expected of a high-tier fighter. She was definitely the type of girl that Kagami would buy a drink and flirt with, usually ending with him waking up in her bed the next morning with a pounding headache.

Kagami stepped closer, his jade sword in his right hand. This woman was interesting, for the instant she realized that he could sense her, she came out of hiding and confronted him. What was even more interesting was how she immediately released her weapon. Kagami stopped his approach a few steps in after he sensed an incredible influx in reiatsu from her. Her shining shoes illuminated her fair, young face and varying eye colors. She was really quite beautiful, but it wasn’t Kagami’s job to hit on her like he normally would. He just wasn’t that type of person anymore. He wanted Manami and only her, but there was that cocky player inside him that suppressed all his real emotions, and in times of inner conflict and turmoil, that side came out.

The Vice Captain examined her carefully as she released what he could only determine to be a Fullbring. So she was just an average human who, with a stroke of luck, gained spiritual powers. But it took more than luck for her to truly harness them and focus them as she did. Kagami could feel the true height of her power when she released her weapon, and it was more potent than the reiatsu strength of Hokori. Howver, that doesn’t mean she’s more powerful than either the Kuchiki Right Hand or Kagami himself. It just means that she really packed a punch behind her attacks.

A bucket and a gun. Those were two objects not usually affiliate with each other, but the woman’s power had to connect them somehow. Kagami needed to be careful of both objects. The gun’s range was something Kagami would have to worry about, but that was insignificant. He had several means to deal with that. The real question is about the bucket? She had to have some aces up her sleeve, and it didn’t help with Kagami was unsure of what her power was exactly. Perhaps he would need to just dive in and see what she could do.

"I'm sure by now you have already gained some knowledge about me since you reacted to my presence. You're not just any Shinigami, are you?" Kagami flashed her his arrogant smile and continued walking forward casually. However, his nonchalant attitude was only a façade. In truth, he was ready to spring into action the instant that she began an attack. However, for now, Kagami hoped to socialize. “You’re right, I’m no ordinary shinigami. My name is Kagami Murai, and I’m the Vice Captain of the First Divison of the Gotei 13. But, more importantly, do you have a name to match that beautiful face?” Kagami couldn’t help but flirt with her. It just made dealing with the woman easier, but he felt an immense ball of guild well up in his throat. He had been training to get Manami back, and he now felt like he was betraying her a little bit.

The Vice Captain switched his jade sword from his right hand to his left and reached down to his belt to draw another blade. This new sword was made of a dark metal that absorbed the light that the New York City skyline emanated and reflected none of it. It gave no glare and it was much like a black hole in the way that it was more of an empty space void of light than it was a metal sword. “I don’t know why you seem mad enough to release your Fullbring, since I did just save a couple of lives while getting rid of those hollows. If you want to fight, I’d have to be a gentleman and comply. However, it’d be much more enjoyable for both of us if you’d let me buy you a drink so we could really have some fun tonight.” He finished the suggestion off with a wink, and his guilt only grew denser. Sometimes, Kagami couldn’t help but wonder what he was doing with himself.

[Shizuka Sanamizu ✮]

Why was he approaching her? She wanted to have absolutely nothing to do with him and yet he was still coming closer. It was unsettling and unnecessary. His actions caused Shizuka to cringe and scrunch her nose up in complete disgust. She couldn't possibly begin to comprehend the motive behind his actions and hated the fact that he was so far away and yet still too close to her for comfort. Shizuka sighed to herself as she watched him take his steps, hoping that nothing more would come of their encounter. If it did, however, she was definitely more than ready to respond if she needed to. Unfortunately for her, though, she was able to truly hear his voice as he spoke to her, feigning an odd kind of confidence she did not normally see in most others.

“You’re right, I’m no ordinary shinigami. My name is Kagami Murai, and I’m the Vice Captain of the First Divison of the Gotei 13. But, more importantly, do you have a name to match that beautiful face?”

"Yeah. The name's Shizuka Sanamizu and my business isn't any of yours. In fact, I don't know why you'd be faking your entire personality in front of me for absolutely no other reason than to flirt with me. And from the looks of it, you're not very comfortable with that."

Shizuka could not physically see discomfort on Kagami's face, but she was able to analyze his own speech patterns and mannerisms which gave her the ability to come to the conclusion that he was lying. She raised an eyebrow at him, careful not to show much emotion at all. For all she knew, he was more than just dangerous to her. Nothing good could possibly come from their encounter and she did not want to deal with him any more than she had to. Especially not after this lovely first impression. He wasn't fooling anybody with his fake smile and strange flirty nature. She was used to people flirting with her and had no intention of allowing him to go any further with his intentions, whether real or not.

The woman watched carefully as she realized Kagami was switching his sword to another hand. She questioned it for a moment before realizing he was just about to take out yet another blade. This one, on the other hand, was odd. It was totally black and just void of any life at all. There was no shine or sparkle or meaning to it. The blade was just black and horribly depressing for some reason. Her eyes narrowed a bit as she considered what exactly this Shinigami was up to, but she really knew nothing of his power and wasn't sure how to go about analyzing his processes. He was doing nothing other than making her feel uncomfortable for now, which only made her stomach sink even more. Man, this guy made her upset.

“I don’t know why you seem mad enough to release your Fullbring, since I did just save a couple of lives while getting rid of those hollows. If you want to fight, I’d have to be a gentleman and comply. However, it’d be much more enjoyable for both of us if you’d let me buy you a drink so we could really have some fun tonight.”

"I have no reason to thank you for saving anyone. All you idiots do is kill senselessly, regardless of who the victim is. I released my own abilities because I'm not about to take any chances with someone like you. Also, you seriously need to stop with the flirting. It's giving me a headache and you already make me feel sick."

What a complete moron. Who on Earth did he think he was just going on about having a fun night with her? And that wink... Ugh, he was absolutely horrid. Shizuka shivered at the fact that he was being so repulsive towards her and wanted nothing to do with him. Unfortunately, her hatred was growing into rage and she knew she wasn't going to be able to stick around without attacking him. She considered fleeing knowing she could get away in time without him coming after her. Besides, he didn't know her. He had no previous quarrel. Yet he was so willing to accuse her of wanting to fight. That only made her actually want to engage in combat instead of just feeling insulted that he would ever assume such a barbaric thing.

Shizuka swung her gun upwards and rested it against her right shoulder as she placed her left hand on her hip, shifting her weight to her left leg. She sighed once again, going over her options. He was standing right in front of her, so she could attack if she wanted. But instead, she stood still in her own little area to see if he was serious about fighting her. She wasn't going to give him an easy time and was admittedly curious as to what he was capable of, but she still needed to be extremely cautious if she was going to stay safe. He gave her a weird vibe for some reason. She couldn't shake the feeling that he was hiding something about him, whether it was his abilities or something else.

She smirked and made a short laughing noise as she looked in Kagami's direction. Her face displayed absolutely nothing but arrogance, but she didn't feel the way her body made her appear. In all honesty, she was curious. Her fuming hatred towards his very race was fueling any drive she had to fight the man, but she wanted to find out more about him at the same time. In order to do that, she would have to test his own abilities against hers. Fighting him was going to be a pain in the butt, but she was prepared for this. She had an unlimited supply of any liquid she wanted as long as she kept her thoughts quick. The major downside, though, was if he was more of a close combat fighter. She was not about to let him get too close to her.

"Okay, I'm done with my insults. If you want to fight me, you'd better figure out what you're going to do. And, for real, don't flirt with me anymore. You're getting no where and I can see right through you."

Shizuka moved her feet apart just slightly enough to allow her more versatile movement. She was preparing herself.



Shizuka's Remaining Reiatsu: 4800
Fullbring Stage 1: 2/10
Liquid Type: Hydrochloric Acid
Gallons Remaining: 100/100

[Douma]

"Yeah. The name's Shizuka Sanamizu and my business isn't any of yours. In fact, I don't know why you'd be faking your entire personality in front of me for absolutely no other reason than to flirt with me. And from the looks of it, you're not very comfortable with that."

Who is this girl? In just those few seconds, Kagami found out more about Shizuka than he had truly been interested to discover. He just wanted a fight, an outlet to release pent-up stress and emotions. But now, he was dealing with some actual substance. She didn’t give a penny for Kagami’s good looks are flirtatious habits. However, Kagami wasn’t a stranger to rejection. It wasn’t everyday that a girl could resist his charm, but no one had a perfect success rate either. Shizuka’s distaste for the Vice Captain wasn’t the real surprise.

What Kagami was shocked to see was that Shizuka saw right through his bullshit. She wasn’t fazed by his plastic mask of arrogance. She wasn’t tricked by his empty promises and fake interest in her founded on a habit of giving into lust. She knew that he was lying right off the bat. Kagami wasn’t a master liar, but usually, he managed to pull off his bullshit by placing it on a pedestal of over exaggerated self-praise. His life was one false façade that he glued over his face and played like an actor does to a part. And she saw straight through that.

Kagami had faced many powerful opponents and had to adapt to many surprises, so the fact that his lies had no influence on her was a problem he could easily adapt to circumvent. He wasn’t going to get the drink, but he could still get the fight that he wanted. The only problem was that only one other person was truly unfazed by Kagami’s lies and reacted with the same hostility. It was a woman of about the same age as the Vice Captain that he hadn’t seen in scores of years, a beautiful face he could only stare into in his dreams.

Shizuka was a lot like Manami. Both had similar golden hair, and despite the differences in their eye color, they both stared at Kagami with the same intense disliking when they first met. The Lieutenant had a talent for making incredible fist impressions, or so it seemed. But the parallels between Shizuka and Manami were not things he could overlook. His flawlessly smug expression cracked with surprise, regret, and nostalgia. Those emotions only leaked for a moment before Kagami recomposed himself, but the fault was definitely something that would catch her eye.

"I have no reason to thank you for saving anyone. All you idiots do is kill senselessly, regardless of who the victim is. I released my own abilities because I'm not about to take any chances with someone like you. Also, you seriously need to stop with the flirting. It's giving me a headache and you already make me feel sick."

Kagami regarded her with a faint, amused smile tugging at his lips. This was all too familiar. He was being judged based solely off a reputation and an awful, fake introduction. This was how his first encounter with Manami went. It was nice to relive such a distant, pleasant memory, though the déjà vu caused his regret and guilt to resurface. Soon… I’ll see her again soon, he thought to himself to quell his remorse. He was taking care of his problem, but now, he hoped to at least enjoy his time with this stranger. Shizuka Sanamizu was definitely interesting and worth his time. The conversation made him feel like he was meeting an old friend for the first time in forever.

Kagami flashed her his iconic self-centered grin. “Well, Shizuka Sanamizu, you’re completely right. I’m a murdering Shinigami, just like the rest of us back at Soul Soceity. We go around taking as many lives as possible. Oh, and we love keeping track of the people I kill. It's a great big competition that we have back home, and I always win. On good nights, I can get into the thousands. But the best fights are the ones against the strongest people, so you’re going to start the party tonight for me, gorgeous. Oh, and as a side note, if you get me to actually try fighting you, I might be a bit too occupied to flirt, so that’s something to work towards. The only other reason I’d shut up is if I suddenly get lost in your eyes, and to be honest, there’s a way higher chance of that happening than you making me go all out in a fight. But try your best, darling.”

Kagami didn’t move at all. He held his weapons casually and loosely as he spoke, but he stopped his advance about twenty meters from Shizuka. If she was going to use that gun, it would be better to be closer so he could close the gap between them more easily. And if she moved a muscle too suddenly for Kagami’s taste, he’d be able to ready his weapons in a defense and prepare to block or dodge. He wasn’t underestimating her, despite his big talk. He was dead serious.

However, he wouldn’t make the first move. He never made the first move unless he had good reason to, such as having surprise on his side, but this wasn’t such a case. He who attacks first is countered first. He wanted to see what Shizuka was all about, and Kagami was more than capable of countering any attack she through at him while analyzing her fighting capabilities. He was the most brilliant military genius out of Soul Society, and he was fit to lead armies of thousands. His analyzing abilities were beyond the understanding of most every soul in all of the worlds. He wasn’t stupid.

As Kagami waited for Shizuka to move, he’d get a few extra words in. However, this time, he had motives behind his questions. “Hey, Shizuka. I’ve got a quick question if you don’t mind, since this fight won’t go anywhere unless you get your pretty little self to make the first move. Any chance you ever had family in Hiroshima, Japan back during World War II? I could swear I know a relative of yours or something like that, though I could be wrong. It’s just…”

Kagami’s voice trailed off and he found himself staring at Shizuka with genuine warmth and friendliness. His bright, violet eyes were pointed at her, but they were unfocussed and distant, although they were looking through her and not at her. And he had a reminiscent smile on his face that only complimented the nostalgic emotion in his eyes.  “You remind me of someone… an old friend."

[Shizuka Sanamizu ✮]

Shizuka watched as he stood there, almost mocking her. He kept up this strange act, probably trying to distract her. The only thing it did was bother her and irk her very being. She couldn't quite tell if he was serious or not but she could occasionally catch him glancing off, not directly staring at her, but more as if he was thinking about something else. What was it, though? Something distracted him. Not enough for her to catch him off guard, but enough to make her wonder what else was going on in his mind. With a slight sigh, she ignored his final attempts at flirting as he explained how hard she would need to try to really get him to fight her. She wasn't about to let him off easy if he proved to be a threat, but he wasn't threatening her. Yet.

The Fullbringer noticed that the man wasn't moving. It was weird that he wouldn't advance, but maybe he didn't want to. Maybe he actually wanted to just let her go. But had Shizuka seen too much? Was something else happening around her that she didn't know about? Her eyes darted from corner to corner of the building surrounding her, making note of the lack of outside dangers. There were people below them, but Shizuka wasn't concerned with them. Civilians could prove to be an issue but she knew how Xcution and other organizations had strange abilities to wipe mass memories somehow. That, and if she stirred up enough ruckus, everyone would leave. Besides, it was cold and night time. Even though people were out, there weren't that many.

Shizuka jumped down from the fence on the top of the Empire State Building and caught herself on the air, a feeling she was still so foreign to. Up until recently, she didn't know that humans could stand on air like this in their world. She was taught how to do this, but she was a bit unhappy with the lack of instruction that her mentors have given her over the years. She glanced down at the street and smiled, entertained at how tiny everything was down there. Meanwhile, the Shinigami called Kagami had since mentioned asking her a question and mentioned how he wondered if she had any family many years ago living in Hiroshima. Shizuka looked up at him and tilted her head to the side, confused.

“You remind me of someone… an old friend."

"Yeah? That's weird. I never had family there. Half my family comes from Italy. I don't look fully Japanese, do I?"

The blonde woman laughed to herself, forgetting for a moment who she was up against. She needed to remember that he was a Shinigami and not her friend. Her attitude towards him changed almost as immediately as it had before when she answered him, getting defensive. She hoped he wouldn't notice, but she knew that hope was pretty empty. If he was so sure of himself, she knew he had to have some form of power that backed him up. She decided that it would probably be best for her to draw him away from the top of one of the tallest and most famous structures in the entire world, so she smiled at him and attempted to get his attention, glancing to make sure her gun setting was on Blast Cannon. With a little luck, he might follow her.

"Well, the chat's been super swell but I think it's about time we get moving."

Shizuka shot down towards the ground, leaving behind a bright light in her place. Simultaneously, she shot a blast of acid from her gun at Kagami, hoping he would be caught off guard. If he was, great! He'd be injured! The light would have hopefully been surprising enough to blind him for even just a second. But that wasn't the point of her plan. She wanted him to follow her to the ground so that she could use her surroundings to her advantage. He wasn't going to just walk away from her, but she also wasn't going to let him get away. He was a Shinigami, after all. She refused to let him think of her as weak, either. As she descended, she allowed her feet to touch the ground with light bracing. She wasn't sure he would be in to the little game of tag, but this way, she could be ready for him.

People around her stared and some even tried to move closer at first. Most of them began drifting away slowly but they definitely noticed her. Shizuka couldn't mask her presence like other races could, but she was stealthy and these average humans couldn't sense her. At least, not her energy. She could make them ignore her and it wouldn't be a problem. She calmed herself and tried to soothe the energy around her so that they would either leave or forget about her being there. Shizuka considered Kagami's possible moves in the mean time, staying fully alert and prepared for what he could do. He may choose to follow her or go about a less direct route, but she couldn't be absolutely sure. She was too far away to study his movements.


Shizuka's Remaining Reiatsu: 4750
Fullbring Stage 1: 3/10
Liquid Type: Hydrochloric Acid
Gallons Remaining: 90/100

[Douma]

"Yeah? That's weird. I never had family there. Half my family comes from Italy. I don't look fully Japanese, do I?" The woman let off a genuine laugh, and for a second, the tension in the atmosphere disappeared. A warm smile drifted to Kagami’s face. “No, it’s not that. Er, my bad, I guess I’ve got the wrong girl…” His violet eyes seemed distant and had a nostalgic gleem in them. After all, it wasn’t just appearance. They had the same blonde hair, but that wasn’t even it. It was the way they acted. This woman didn’t take any of Kagami’s shit, and well, Manami… she was similar. Kagami’s been used to getting rejected and mouthed off, but this girl acted a lot like Manami.

But there wasn’t time to linger on the thought, for Shizuka was quick to brush it off. She made the first move, which is what Kagami had been waiting for. Her intention was to blind him with a step technique that allowed her to descended, and, just as she stepped, shoot a blast of acid at him. However, it was easy for Kagami to predict the blast of acid. She had to point the barrel of her gun at him before she stepped to make that move feesible, so the Shinigami had a split second to put his body weight on his right foot, leaning forward slightly although he was preparing to run. When Shizuka stepped away, he didn’t’ react at first. He waited a nanosecond to use his energy sensory and determine her ending position. Down. Kagami used Shunpo to meet her at ground level, letting the blast of acid pass through the empty space where Kagami once stood.

And so the ball was in Kagami’s court. She may have heard his Shunpo, but New York City was a crowded place, especially right outside the Empire State Building. Without refined energy sensory capabilities, she wouldn’t be able to pinpoint his position, and the people around them acted as a visual barrier that hid him from her eyes. I can’t hurt any civilians or I’ll get Soul Society’s attention. I need to do this carefully. Kagami was about fifty feet from Shizuka, so he was safe from being detected. However, she wasn’t safe from his many techniques.

Shizuka wouldn’t even see it coming, but soon, she would be trapped. From the concrete just behind her, a stone pillar with a one meter diameter shot out of the ground at a speed of 500. It’s edge was one foot from her when it came out of the ground, but it rose at an angle facing Shizuka, heading straight for her upper back. At the same time, two other pillars shot up, each to her immediate front-left and front-right. They formed a perfect triangle around her, and unless she noticed them quickly, she wouldn’t have a chance to dodge. Just using a step technique would cause her to trip over the rising stump of the stone pillars, sending her flying into the nearby civilians at an incredible rate. If she did get trapped, Kagami’s goal wasn’t to kill Shizuka. The stone pillars would only stop after safely preventing her escape but hold off on crushing her bones with their powerful force of 300. She was lucky Kagami was feeling merciful, for if she didn’t have the ability to escape, Shizuka would have been spared a painful death.

Reiatsu Remaining: 6600/7000 (-50 for Shunpo, -300 for Hado #41: Kanji Taiho x3)

[Shizuka Sanamizu ✮]

It was all too sudden and almost too close. Shizuka really did just barely have enough time to react since the pillars were naturally faster than she was. However, she made up for it by allowing her Bringer Light to make her jumping power much stronger and faster. Faster was really all she needed here, though. She genuinely didn't expect Kagami Murai to try to trap her, but she could tell that was his intention. He didn't have the same kind of killing intent that she felt in so many other people. What she lacked in energy sensory, she made up for in empathy. She was an unnaturally strong empath and could use that to read people, though it wasn't much help in battle. She gained that ability just by being an assassin. And a girl.

As his pillars shot up through the ground, she could feel the rippling sensation ever so slightly enough to know something was coming. She had no idea what it was, and she still didn't until she got away and could look at it, especially since she had never seen techniques like these before. She was in foreign waters here. But to her, she had rather be safe than sorry. It was a long shot, but it was her only chance of escape. Using Bringer Light once more, she was able to jump straight upwards with a speed of 3000 and land herself on top of the roof of one of the taller hotel buildings.

Assuming he was watching her, she hoped to catch him off guard and temporarily blind him again, or at least cause sunspots in his eyes. This time it wasn't on purpose, but she used it to her advantage. She was able to pinpoint his location once she was out of the pillars and crowd of people running away, making him easier to spot. Even though the civilians around them could really only see Shizuka, they had no idea what was going on otherwise. She couldn't hide herself the way Shinigami could so she may just look a little crazy showing off her powers in front of everyone. Keeping her stealth in mind, she hoped they would ignore her as much as possible.

Since she would be enveloped in the light, she was immune to it and simultaneously shot another blast of acid towards him at an angle downwards. That way, her personal heightened speed would not effect the trajectory or velocity of the blast and it would still travel at an angle in his direction at roughly 300 speed because apparently it was never specified to be shot any faster than Shizuka's own personal speed stat and that is frustrating. It took mere seconds for her to find him since she had to train herself to be that hyper-observant, another trait she gained from being an assassin. That, and since she was moving so quickly, everything around her seemed to be significantly slower, including Kagami. This made it significantly easier to find him.

He was close enough to where the liquid should hit him, but acid is strongest at close range. It wouldn't do much more than burn his skin and cause holes in his clothes. Her Blast Cannon setting did shoot ten gallons of liquid at once, anyway. That's a lot to try to avoid since it disperses in the air around him like misty rain with the more distance it travels. He would probably end up getting caught in some eventually. Hopefully this would lead him to follow her once again. She hoped to end this game of tag soon, though.

The light she left behind gradually faded. Her heart beat intensely in her chest, realizing that she couldn't have wasted even a single second. She was lucky that her speed during that one moment was six times that of Kagami Murai's attack. The pillars weren't that big, but they would have trapped her pretty well. Actually, they would have seriously hurt her. She needed to stay above the ground, contrary to her original plan. Shinigami were such confusing creatures and she wasn't sure what all techniques he had up his sleeve. Being cautious was necessary, so she made sure her mind and body were as sharp as ever. She couldn't afford to lose even a millisecond on helpless planning. She rearranged her thought process back to that of an assassin, as one of the true members of the Xcution Seven Guns. He was stronger than she originally thought. A mistake on her part that wasn't going to happen again. If he was this prepared, he would be difficult to subdue.

That was all she wanted to do, anyway. Subdue him. As much as she hated Shinigami, she didn't want to kill him. Weird, right? But the reason was because something about him made him almost as cautious as she was, but for a different reason. Civilians were running around all over the place, not understanding what was happening around them. To her, it made no difference whether or not a few of them were lost. Sure, she felt bad. But she didn't care. It didn't effect her job. Yet something about that situation seemed to bother Kagami Murai. If he was trying to avoid hurting these people, then he couldn't be all that terrible. She didn't want to kill him because she wanted to question him.

Immediately as she jumped and settled on the roof, Shizuka prepared her gun once more. She wasn't going to let him sneak up on her like that again, because she wasn't sure if she would be able to escape if he figured out how to close the gaps. She didn't want to lose those gaps, either. It takes one failure to make up for it and try again, doesn't it? She doubted he would go directly into that technique again, but she knew he had something else planned somehow. She needed to keep him off the ground and hopefully away from anything he could potentially use as a weapon. She just hated the idea of having to figure all of that out, but she had no clue what all he was capable of right now. The most she could pull off was just getting out of the way and finding the right opportunity.


Shizuka's Remaining Reiatsu: 4700 (-50 for Bringer Light)
Fullbring Stage 1: 4/10
Liquid Type: Hydrochloric Acid
Gallons Remaining: 80/100 (-10 for one Blast Cannon shot)

[Douma]

Shizuka saw a window for escape and took the opportunity. After all, the pillars closed in around her, but not above her. The use of Bringer Light to launch herself into the air was a smart move, and possibly the only move to avoid getting trapped. She repositioned herself well by landing on a roof that was at least thirty stories above the ground. It would take a small climb for Kagami to reach her, and in that time, he was an easy target for her gun.

And so Kagami began rushing up toward her at a comfortable speed of 300. As the shot from her blast canon began to close in, he would simply push off with his right foot and bolt straight upward so quickly that he seemed to disappear and reappear to the woman. After all, the speed boost from Shunpo was so ridiculous that it would be hard to keep track of without being able to predict the flash step. Thanks to Shunpo, Kagami had managed to get on even ground with Shizuka. He was right by the edge of the roof, floating on air ground.

“Not too bad, beautiful,” Kagami said while shooting her a small smirk. “But you’ll have to do a lot better.” He was toying with her. So far, nothing Shizuka had done put Kagami in any sort of life-threatening danger, and even if she did, he would always get himself out of it. He had a talent for getting himself out of a tough spot, but Shizuka would have to get him in a tight situation to see that talent in action. He was prepared for whatever she through at him.

However, the ball was in Kagami’s court and Shizuka had to go on the defensive once more. What was the Vice Captain planning? The blonde was about to find out. Kagami simply began running toward Shizuka at the incredible pace of 400, a speed that she would most definitely be outpaced by. He could clear the distance between them in a second or two, so Shizuka would have to act fast to avoid Kagami charge.

However, the Vice Captain was paying careful attention to her as well. Kagami was prepared to react in any way to the options she had. If she was bold, the woman could back off while shooting more liquid from her gun at the Shinigami. However, the instant she readied herself for a shot, Kagami would Shunpo diagonally to narrowly avoid the blast and close the distance even faster. His animal-like instinct gave him an advantage against Shizuka when it came to reaction time, and his speed only boosted that advantage.

Shizuka’s other option was to use a step technique, either Bringer Light or Movement, to escape, but Kagami’s energy sensory was capable on picking up on those techniques just before they activated. If she tried to ram him with Bringer Light, he could easily use Shunpo to avoid her. If she sought to escape and put a nice, comfortable distance between the two, he would use Shunpo to pursue her. No matter the case, his higher speed gave him an edge in this so-far physical fight. Upon closing the gap, Kagami was going to slash, targeting her right shoulder. The forehand attack coming would allow him torso to remain closed and protected by his arms while at the same time giving him an opportunity to continue his assault with more sword strikes and combinations.

But Shizuka wouldn’t be that easy. She would have a dodge/block and counter-attack somewhere, but Kagami wasn’t trying to land a hit. He was testing her. If she was only capable of using Bringer Flash to get away and following up with half-hearted shots with her water gun, Kagami couldn’t possibly expect a challenge. She would need to bring new tricks out just to push him to get into his Shikai, and when Shikai came out, she’d need to call in a few miracles to defeat Kagami.

Reiatsu Remaining: 6500/7000 (-100 for Shunpo x2)

[Shizuka Sanamizu ✮]

She was testing him. She needed to be able to escape his attack, but she quickly noticed something. He kept trying to close the distance between them and get as close as he physically could without being too close for comfort. This happened twice and she assumed it would happen a third time since there had already been a pattern. Her analyzing skills were absolutely top notch and could only be bested by people who were practically psychic at that point, so picking up on patterns and attack styles was nothing to her.

Shizuka was able to figure out that tricking him with blindness wasn't going to work since all he would do was wait it off as she gained the distance, which would eventually be too far for either of them to attack. So instead, he would avoid her shots and move out of the way to make sure he could continue pursuing her. That was fine. She knew he would do it again if she tried. She wanted to save that theory for later, though. After all, she wanted to see what he was going to do once he followed her this time.

Like magic (or, really, being predictable), Kagami chased her up to the roof and stood on the air as if the wind around him welcomed his body. Show-off, Shizuka thought. She could do the same but standing on air freaked her out a lot. Think about it! She's standing on nothing! She wasn't afraid of heights but she was afraid of falling! She could barely stand using air ground like that. It was ridiculous! And then this Shinigami waltzes up in here like he owns the place and decides he's going to fight Xcution's number two girl?! Please!

And to make matters worse, he kept flirting. Is that all this guy can do? Follow me and flirt with me? Shizuka questioned to herself as Kagami spoke. She was hardly listening to him, though. She was paying more attention to his body and checking to see if any muscles would move so she knew how to prepare for him. She wasn't going to flee just yet. She wanted to see if there was something else she could do. She knew he could tell when she used any step techniques, and she lacked the ability to sense that for him, but she was going to use it against him.

Kagami knew that twice now Shizuka used Bringer Light to get out of the way of his attacks. And twice she also fled the area where he attacked to put a distance between them. This time, however, there wasn't going to be a distance. He was going to close the gap between them and she was going to let him. Shizuka was a skilled gymnast and has been for sixteen years. She's Olympic-level. Her flexibility and swiftness is unrivaled absolutely comes in handy when it gets down to dodging physical attacks because she can slink out of the way. That was exactly her plan.

The Shinigami quickly closed the gap between them, but Shizuka was watching him as he approached her. He was fast, much faster than her, but she wasn't moving. Her eyes could keep up with him even if her body couldn't. She analyzed his assault so quickly that he appeared to move at her in slow motion as he attacked, meaning she caught on to him slashing at her with his sword. As he lifted it once he was close enough to her, his position and defensive stature told Shizuka that he was aiming for her right side.

She was able to use Movement to get behind him at 900 speed compared to his 400 that he was using. Since he was in the middle of his attack, she knew that immediately stopping and changing direction would be incredibly difficult for him, especially at her speed. All he could tell was that she was going to use a technique if he could really sense her, but he didn't know where she was going to go until she stopped and he could find her again. She took advantage of that and quickly appeared behind him, dodging the slash that was aimed for her. Everything following that happened in a matter of seconds.

Since she was behind him, he would have to turn around to attack her or figure out another strategy of offense. He could do what she did, but she was prepared for a move like that. Her own plan basically offered it as an idea for him, which meant she was ready for it. If he turned around, she would have her gun ready and immediately shoot another ten gallons straight at him, taking advantage of their closeness. He wouldn't be able to dodge that very easily, and hydrochloric acid is highly corrosive, so he would be severely burned. For now, she temporarily threw her gun in the air to get it out of the way and used the fact that his back was facing her to grab hold of his arms, locking them in place. She made sure she kept a close watch on her gun and Kagami at the same time so that nothing would surprise her.

He had moved to slash at her, meaning his arms were in front of him. Since Shizuka was physically stronger than Kagami, she could hold his arms down without much of a problem. Him fighting to get out of the hold would be annoying, but she would still be able to handle him. Her arms around him restricted his arms to be straight down in front of his body, meaning moving them to use his sword properly would be next to impossible. She quickly gripped his forearms and separated them from each other as she brought them around to his back. From there, she would be able to quickly pull them both in the opposite direction so that his right arm went towards the left and vice versa in the most uncomfortable and dangerous way possible.

This sudden and quick movement would end up breaking the shoulder joints or, at the very least, dislocating them, giving her enough time to jump up and grab her gun as it fell back down and shoot another ten gallons at him as he attempted to recover. She wanted him to be unable to use his sword since it was vital that one needs the use of their arms to be able to use such a weapon. His pain would be so intense that focusing on moving to get out of the way would be difficult, especially after something like that, so her shots would also hit and burn him. She may have needed more than ten gallons at a time to corrode away enough of him to win, but she could handle that.



Shizuka's Remaining Reiatsu: 4675 (-25 for Movement)
Fullbring Stage 1: 5/10
Liquid Type: Hydrochloric Acid
Gallons Remaining: 70/100 (-10 for one Blast Cannon shot in either scenario)

[Douma]

Shizuka wasn’t about to let herself get sliced and diced like sushi. No, she was smarter and stronger than that. After all, she was Xcution’s #2 right after Kento Sasaki. Kagami wasn’t going to be able to defeat her that easily. He was her step technique coming, so her suddenly blurring movement wasn’t a surprise. In fact, she used her increased speed to try to get on Kagami’s unprotected back and wreck havoc. She couldn’t done absolutely anything she wanted to him and he had nothing to defend himself.

Kagami didn’t turn around. He didn’t need to. Right when Shizuka started to go for his back, she would almost be knocked off her feet from the sudden movement of the ground. A pillar of stone formed right below her feet, lifting her into the air at a rapid speed of 500. Kagami would disappear very quickly before her, making it impossible for her to grab on to him in time. After all, his movement kept pushing him forward, away from Shizuka. She didn’t have time to get him into that armlock, and if she had tried to shoot him, he also began to allow him moment to carry him into a ducking position. With Shizuka going up and Kagami keeping his head down, there was no chance she was fast enough to blast him with some of that nasty acid.

Shizuka kept going up and up and up. She would have to get off the platform eventually, but it could carry her another 200 meters into the air if she didn’t. When she recovered, Kagami decided that he was close to laying down the hammer. This fight wasn’t making any progress yet, and if he decided to get the ball rolling, it was going to roll quickly. Very quickly.

“Hey, gorgeous, I know you’re not my biggest fan. Most people are, but you don’t seem to be getting with the program. On the other hand, though, I can’t help but like a beautiful girl like yourself who could hold her own in a fight. And because I like you, I’m going to give you an choice. We can either call it quits, hold hands, and walk to the nearest restaurant so I can treat you for dinner or you get one more chance to finish me off before you can pay for your own meal.”

Kagami kept extending that invitation for a date. It was perfectly in-character for the handsome player from Soul Society. However, there was something more to it. Deep, deep inside, the guy was miserable. He spent his life trying to fill that gap with booze, bills, and bitches, but that didn’t accomplish anything. And here he was again trying for the same thing.

But Kagami’s no shrink and neither is Shizuka. He didn’t even realize all that subconscious jazz was going on and it would be surprising if the woman could uncover anything. What mattered right then and there was the fight. “And when I say one more chance, I mean it. No more playing around, beautiful. Though I’d really hate to hurt that angelic face, so try not to force my hand, babe.”

Reiatsu Remaining: 6400/7000 (-100 for Kanji Taiho)

[Zeich Yajuu]

Since there was no end to this battle, no winner will be declared.

Kagami - +390 TP
Shizuka - +400 TP