Kaen vs Kubi round 4

[Kaen Youji]

Thread Title: Fourth time's the charm?
Participants: Kaen Youji, Kubi Tsure
World: Soul Society
Death Setting: Non Death Enabled
Rating: G
Location: A warehouse in the Rukon district. It's a fairly expansive place, filled with large crates, and measures a perimeter of approximately one hundred meters from the inside, though this is cramped by the mass of crates. Passages exist between the crates, forming miniature halls, though there is a twenty meter space in the middle, as well as a long clear stretch of "hall" down the center of the warehouse.
Special Conditions: None
Circumstances: Kubi has decided to try and battle Kaen for a fourth time. Kubi has the first post.

[Deleted]

[[Fuck it, short intro]]

Dust fell from the decrepit doors of the warehouse, eliciting a cough from the giant. "Holy fuck!" he coughed, waving one calloused hand in front of his face. "Fuck me. You would think they'd take care of their fuckin shit. But nah. Place hasn't seen the light of day since I was fucking born." He stood there, framed in the doorway as dust gathered on the floor. "Shit ... I sure know how to fucking choose, now don't I?"

He was fighting this one without any tricks; no magic gauntlets or items of any kind. Only his Zanpakutou and attitude. 'course, might not be enough t' defeat Flame Head ..." After a second, he shrugged. 'Fuck it, gotta try, right? His conviction reasserted, he lit a cigarette, the acrid smoke escaping through jokes in the roof.

SPOILER: Click to show

Strength - 400 (640) Points

Speed - 300 (480) Points

Spiritual Pressure - 200 (150) Points

Reiatsu Strength - 200 Points

Light Aura - 50 Points

Dark Aura - 50 Points

Instinct - 150 Points

Senses - 100 Points

Energy sensory - 50 Points

Healing Expertise - 0 Points


Total SP: [ 1400] Points

[Street Fighting] {3}

[Battle Analysis] {3}

[Mastery of Body] {3}

[Sex] {3}

[Lack of Fear] {3}

[Pain Tolerance] {3}

[Kaen Youji]

"Probably won't be." Kaen shot back from the far end of the warehouse. How'd he gotten in there before Kubi? Weird... And without using the doors too! Ah well. It was a cool battleground at least. If Kubi disappointed again like last time, Kaen figured he could at least have fun with the terrain today. Kaen was standing at the end of the long hallway. "I'll give you the benefit of the doubt then." He said. "I'll assume you've improved since we last fought. Entertain me if you can!" Kaen declared. It seemed he wasn't interested in exchanging banter. Kaen immediately began to stride towards Kubi. His sword was slung over his back as it usually was. Under his sleeveless gi, Kaen was wearing a vest of chainmail. Besides that, he had nothing else. The esteemed hammer and his Flame Stetson was left at home. Kaen was confident he wouldn't need them.

Kaen wasn't necessarily charging or anything, nor had he taken a fighting stance. But there was unquestionable aggression in his advance. If he got close enough to Kubi, he'd take a swing. Or a kick. Or a headbutt. Or throw him. Whatever, really. He seemed adequately warmed up. Or perhaps not warmed up at all, and was basing his assumption of this fight, off their last fight. A fatal assumption? Maybe. But Kaen was also confident in his own abilities. Five seconds in and the fight was on.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats and Abilities}
• [Martial Art- Karate] {4}
• [Pain Tolerance] {3}
• [Martial Art-Jiujitsu] {3}
• [Analyzing] {2}
• Hakuda {3}
• Zanjutsu {1}
• Iaido {1}
Total: 18

[[Strength - 300 Points (600)
Speed - 375 Points (750)
Spiritual Pressure - 200 Points (150)
Reiatsu Strength - 400 Points
Light Aura - 45 Points
Dark Aura - 55 Points
Instinct- 175 Points
Senses- 100 Points
Energy sensory - 50 Points
Healing Expertise - 0 Points
Total: 1600 SP]

[Deleted]

Shit, a response to his musing wasn't expected. It was almost enough to make him jump. Almost. Kubi paused in his pre-fight stretching. A grin spread across his lips as he slowly turned around to face Kaen. "Well. Good t' fuckin' know tha' I didn' keep ya waitin'." He looked down in Kaen. Literally, looked down at him. Due to the fuck up of a squad 12 scientist, he grew to an absolutely gargantuan size. At 7'4, he is the tallest, human Soul Reaper (to his knowledge, at least).

Kaen was approaching now, unmistakable aggression in his stance. And still Kubi watched him, the preparation he took for the incoming fight being his hands falling to his side. He listened with the same mocking smirk he wore since he first spoke. "Yeah. I s'pose ya got a reason t' think I ain't worth a cheap beer. S'pose I'll jus' hafta show ya how much I've changed." He flashed forward then. It was a relatively leisurely step, fast, but not so fast as to tire him out quickly. He was immediately in an offensive stance, his right fist swinging around in a haymaker. If it connected, this would be a short fight.

His stance left him wide open, without discipline or control. But it was skillful. The aim was perfect, the arc of the swing perfectly calculated for maximum damage. Kubi was ready, though, for him to be countered. He assumed it would be by catching his arm; it's happened to him before. His knee would come up mid swing, the blunt point driving into his gut without a proper block. It was perfect. But it wasn't an attack, at least not in the traditional sense. It was to feel Kaen, to adjust to his strength and speed. After the first exchange, then the true battle would begin.

Remaining Reaitsu: 1450 [-50]

[Kaen Youji]

Kubi's opening strike was a wide and clumsy haymaker. Kaen was disappointed but not surprised. Brute force seemed Kubi's forte. Kaen recalled from their last match that Kubi had considerable emphasis on raw, physical force. Perhaps he had improved on that since last time, and was counting on overpowering Kaen with brute strength alone. A futile effort. Kaen was not intimidated by Kubi's size or strength, and stepped in towards him. His hand thrust out in a nukite strike-- the spear hand strike from Karate, hammering into a nerve on Kubi's bicep to stop his hay maker in his tracks and send a lashing coil of pain flaring through his arm. In most humans this would leave his arm numb for several seconds, potentially creating more openings. But it seemed his strike had been predicted! Kubi immediately followed up with a knee strike at Kaen's gut. Indeed, his movements were fast. Much faster than he'd been before, and his tremendous size made the attack to Kaen's gut easier-- afterall Kaen was almost two feet shorter than Kubi!

Kubi would feel his knee collide with something solid. A direct hit? He'd see the force of his blow ripple through Kaen's body, as the Squad 7 Vice Captain attempted to absorb the blow. "You're too naive." Kaen stated in a deadly serious tone. He had barely reacted in time, bringing his free arm across his body, to intercept the knee on his forearm. It had hurt like hell, but Kaen didn't let the pain to his forearm show in his face. As far as Kubi would know, looking at Kaen's face, his blow would have had no effect! Kaen had slammed one leg backwards at the last second, into a strong stance, to help him better endure the blow. Had he took it from a neutral stance, the power behind it.... Kaen suspected it would have sent him flying backwards across the room! Kubi had certainly improved. He wasn't one to take nearly so lightly anymore.

More than that, he'd predicted Kaen's counter to his hay maker. Perhaps not the precise nerve strike the shinigami had employed, but he had known that Kaen would go for his arm, and had prepared an answer. Kaen knew if not for his lightning fast reflexes, he wouldn't have been able to block that knee strike. But deception was a natural part of fighting, and he knew the demoralizing effects of an opponent's blows being seemingly rendered useless. "Let me show you how it's done." Kaen declared shoving into Kubi's knee. Kubi was strong. Normally he might have been able to resist the shove, but with only one leg to ground him, Kaen would have little difficulty driving him back one step-- even if that one step was merely him placing his knee back on the ground.

WHAM

Kaen's own leg shot out in a very low kick to catch Kubi by the ankle, just as the opposing Vice Captain stepped down. In truth, Kaen expected it to knock his leg out from under him and cause Kubi's leg to buckle and dump him to the ground, though with Kubi's strength that was unlikely. However. It would still hurt quite a bit and off-balance Kubi. Kaen's fists hurtled out, at a considerable pace. He was still restricting his speed to manageable levels, but his onslaught was still rapid and furious. A series of punches hurtled at Kubi's torso, emphasizing blows to the solarplexis. Of course with any repetition of blows a pattern would emerge. Kaen expected that Kubi would likely draw in his arms to absorb the blows with a block, so after the first few flurries of punches, Kaen abruptly altered the angle of his attack, stepping off diagonally to the side. Angled now towards Kubi's left, rather than his front, Kaen snapped a second spear hand blow under Kubi's arm at the armpit to target another nerve cluster, while his leg whipped out to slam into the back of Kubi's knee, to try and dump him to the ground.

[Deleted]

Kaen was underestimating him. And why not? Kaen was The Eternal Flame, winner of countless battles, even against enemies technically superior to him, and he came from a noble family, no less. He was socially and, if his record was any indication, physically superior. More than that, their previous battles had left much to be desired. All won without sweat, without even needing to release. The first was win in a single instance, the final two in several. And Kubi ... What was he? A Rukon Rat, ex criminal. He came from nothing, had nothing.

But still he made a name for himself. He was a Vice Captain in his own right, Defender of the West Rukon, and one of the three to face the Game Master. He has shown incredible potential. As his knee was blocked, Kubi smirked. It was a frightening smirk, a predatory grin. "If I'm naive, then you're a fucking idiot." He knew what Kaen was going to do; it's basic. One of the first rules of combat. Get your opponent off guard. He anticipated the shove.

But instead of resisting it, he slammed his foot down. See, with his years of experience, he had the Instincts of a wild animal. More than that, he was an utter master of his body. So his foot slammed, sending wood and dust flying. But it wouldn't hurt either of them; something like that, hurting two of the toughest warriors in the Soul Society? Not gonna happen. But it would provide a delay. The human body, when confronted with such stimuli, will flinch to provide protection. And Kaen, unsuspecting as he was, would flinch.

And Kubi would use that moment to ground his stance, every muscle in his body straining. Already he could feel the fatigue, the strain of muscles that came with this technique, but he ignored it. He turned his gaze instead in Kaen, who would come across a surprise. Every punch, every strike and kick and elbow, would have little effect, like punching a wall. But no, a wall could be broken, or shattered. It was like punching a mountain side; immovable, impossibly strong. He would smirk, only, as he absorbed every punch. Such was the strength of the Tortioseshell Armor.

Then he spoke. "Now what th' fuck was I supposed t' see again?" His muscles relaxed, his shoulders rolling, stretching the stiff joints. "That woulda been a damn sight more impressive if ya'd even managed to scratch me." And then his arm shot out, impossibly fast. Shunpo Karin. Fingers closed on his shirt and with hardly an effort, tossed him. It was unexpected, even more so by the fact that Kubi had never before shown proficiency in step techniques before. But he expected to miss nonetheless; if that were the case, a quick dance backwards would take him out of range.

Then he laughed. A loud, bellowing mocking laugh. "D'ya remember what I told ya last time we fought?" Joints cracked as he stretched, though his eyes didn't once leave Kaen. "Let me refresh your memory." He straightened then, his face falling into seriousness. His arms raised, prepared. "To defeat me, you'll need to release."

Remaining Reaitsu: 1300/1500 [-150]
Tortioseshell Armor Count: 1/3

[Kaen Youji]

Kubi's stomp did not cause Kaen to flinch. Flinching was a novice's reaction. One flinched as a defense mechanism. In all the training Kaen had undergone throughout his life it was practically a vestigial reaction-- one he had conquered long ago. His only hesitation was a split second processing of Kubi's counter before launching into his attack. However... his punches didn't seem to have any effect. Was he holding back?[/color] Kaen briefly wondered. Based on that knee strike, it shouldn't have been likely. Kaen thought Kubi had thrown his full force into that strike. This resilience didn't match up. But he couldn't deny his punches weren't having an effect. Fine. He'd have to come at Kubi another-- whoops! Kubi's arm moved remarkably fast and caught Kaen, hurling him into a pile of crates. They splintered from the force of the throw, breaking apart, and collapsing down on top of Kaen, burying him underneath.

There was a pause for a moment and then they simply moved aside as Kaen stood up. He had not even had to push the heavy boxes out of his way, his standing up alone could accomplish that. His eyes had changed. He'd gotten serious. "That was a mistake." Kaen stated, coolly. "You should have taken that chance to beat me." He wasn't even winded from the throw. Not a bruise on his body. It was a hard throw, but Kaen was a master of Jiujitsu. Breaking his fall, or negating the force of a throw was second nature to him. "You had the chance of a lifetime and you blew it." He told Kubi. The meaning clear. Kaen wasn't going to give Kubi another shot like that. There was a brief pause and then Kaen launched into his counter-attack. A heavy crate flew through the air at Kubi-- propelled by a sudden flick of Kaen's wrist. The crate itself was unlikely to hurt Kubi, though perhaps it might knock him down if it struck. The purpose was to obstruct his sight, as Kaen shot in underneath it. The crate struck.

Theory. One.[/color] Kaen's fist lanced out in a low strike to slam against the side of Kubi's knee to try and damage the joint and buckle it, less than an instant after the crate would have struck the opposing Vice Captain. If straight on attacks did not work, perhaps targeting his joints would. Theory. Two.[/color] Kaen sprang upwards into the air, turning, his leg shooting backwards like a ballista bolt, aimed at Kubi's jaw-- Karate's Mae Ushiro Geri technique-- the flying spinning back kick. Quite possibly one of the strongest kicks in Karate itself, only Tae Kwon Do, and certain forms of Kung Fu could boast a stronger kick, combining the centrifugal force of spinning to power the kick, along with the added momentum of a leap. Theory. Three. As Kaen landed, he tried to slide in behind Kubi and leap up to bind an arm around the other man's neck in Jiujitsu's Rear Naked Choke. No matter how strong an opponent was, they were almost always vulnerable to strangulation techniques-- or in this case, blood chokes. A properly applied blood choke could have the frailest woman render the strongest man unconscious in a matter of seconds.

[Deleted]

Kubi watched as Kaen flew through the air, his usual smirk on his face. In fact, it was wider, happier, more irritating than his normal smirk. Just the sight of a smirk like that and most men would take it as a challenge. Of course, Kaen was not most men. Most men could not boast the level of durability he has, nor the speed with which he recovered. "And where th' fuck would the fun in that be? I like ya fit." And 'sides ..." His eyes flashed then as his hand ran through his hair.

"If I got ya now, I'd never get t' see ya release. Now would I, Hothead?"

Then suddenly a crate was flung. Heavy, he knew, but nothing compared to men like them. A pittance. Couldn't even break the skin. Kaen must know this. After all, there's a reason he's one of the most powerful fighters, even among the captains, and that reason wasn't martial ignorance. But would he knew Kubi knew? Not likely, judging by experience so far. He still right of him as an idiot, an.imbecile who couldn't tell a hook from a haymaker.
The crate was easy to dodge. With the distance between them and his own great instincts, he could swat it away like a fly. But he decided to let it, to let Kaen continue with his plan. He expected pain, and a lot of it, as suddenly a white dagger was ripped through his knee. His knee wanted to buckle, and in a move of sudden inspiration, he let it, using the momentum to push into a roll.

And just in time too, if the wicked kick that would have likely broken his jaw had it connected whistled through the air nor a half second later. To the casual observer, their movements were too fast to see and far too fast to track, each motion happening in the fraction of an instant. But to Kubi, they were both moving in slow motion. It was irking to him, moving so slow, but he had to conserve his strength and energy for the fun part of the fight.
As he came out of the roll, he dug his back foot in, rooting him to the spot and, for a brief second, giving him prodigious forward force. This he used, the ground underneath the floor cracking from the force. His hope was that, while Kaen was still distracted by conspicuous lack of a jaw which can temporarily stun even experienced fighters if they weren't expecting it, he could get one good hit in. First blood, as you will. So his fist swung, his own strength and the forward force of his roll ushering it forward.

But there was more danger than that; with the wild, undisciplined style he was using, and the almost crazed haymaker powered by additional force, Kubi would soon come to inhabit the same space as Kaen, a physical impossibility that the universe would correct in two (or possibly one?) bloody forms. Stopping his berserker charge wouldn't help as much as one would think, either. Even with Kaen's own strength, the sheer fact of his own, slightly higher strength and monstrous bulk would be enough to, at the very least, send a shock through his system.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Sequence of Events}
Kaen attacks knee, knee crumbles
Kubi uses falling force to fall into a roll
Uses force of roll to throw a punch at Kaen
Force of the punch is basically a slam

[Kaen Youji]

Success! What happened next didn't matter to Kaen. His first theory had given fruit. Kubi was at least vulnerable at the joints. Kaen had already written a textbook in his head about his viable targets. Elbows, knees, groin, ankles and wrists. He could injure Kubi there, judging by how his leg had given out. As a result it wasn't entirely unexpected when his flying back kick had missed. But it seemed Kubi was already rallying for a counter-attack. He had tucked into a roll and was already hurtling back at Kaen, even before Kaen had a chance to touch the ground. "Ora ora! It's not that easy!" Kaen belted out, flexing his fingers straight out. Kubi was augmenting his punch with a full body charge. It made the blow painfully predictable, but Kaen was in no position to evade it. Using the centrifugal force of the spin his kick had instigated, Kaen spun around and answered Kubi's charge by meeting it head on.

Kubi's blow connected with Kaen in the dead center of his chest. At the exact same instant however, the hand Kaen had straightened into a spear shape launched out like a harpoon and struck back at the opposing Vice Captain's trachea. Kubi's charge was a double-edged sword. As much as it added force and momentum to his blow, it made any counterblow even more effective by the fact that he was literally running headlong into it. Or throatlong into it, as it were. Kubi's blow hit Kaen like a thunderbolt at the same instant Kaen's counterstrike would have landed, hurling Kaen across the room, into one of the warehouse walls. This time, the wall itself gave way, shattering behind Kaen's weight and sending the Seventh Squad Vice Captain tumbling across the ground. Kaen was forced to use a breakfall to mitigate the force of the impact with the ground. He quickly got up to his feet-- not that he expected time was of the essence. After his spearhand strike to Kubi's throat, he expected his opponent had more pressing concerns on his mind. Like gagging, choking and sputtering in an attempt to breathe. While with a lesser opponent, Kaen expected he likely would have outright shattered the trachea and killed them right there, Kubi had shown he was made of tougher stuff. Kaen expected he'd merely forced a choke/gag reflex that would incapacitate him for a moment or two. Enough time for Kaen to regain his footing.

Kubi's attack had hurt. A lot. But as before Kaen took the damage in stride and came charging back in. He was grinning now. Aerial attacks were a bad idea. Best to meet Kubi head on, but grounded. He'd deciphered Kubi's weak points were his joints. Now it was all about attacking them. Kubi was a much bigger guy than Kaen, and apparently stronger too. But that was alright. Kaen was a master of Jiujitsu-- a martial art that more than levelled the playing field in that regard. Joint locks were a specialty of Jiujitsu allowing Kaen to apply both theories to this fight. However, first he had to get an opening to apply them!

[Deleted]

Pain was something that Kubi used to.

After all, it's something every warrior must experience in spades to be able to succeed, especially fist fighters. Pain and damage is what allows them to achieve such incredible feats of toughness. By breaking their body down, it heals tougher, stronger than before. It's a process that takes many years, and comes in many different forms punching trees to crushing rocks. Pain didn't bother him so much anymore; not because he didn't feel it, but because he just used to it. After a certain amount of time, he just stopped caring.

But he still needed to breathe damn it!

Somehow, Kaen had managed to jab him in the throat. A cheap shot, in his opinion, but whatever. Even more miraculous, he managed to get this strike in at the same time as he took Kubi's, sending the smaller ShinigamI flying through the warehouse wall and shattering the rotten wooden planks and sending him sprawling in the dirt outside. But Kubi didn't see this, busy as he was coughing from the sudden, forced closure of his throat. "Holy ... fuckin' shit ... fucking asshole ..."

He spat a globule of blood on the ground. Nothing was permanently damaged (at least as best as he could tell) but hot damn it hurts like hell. "Fuckin' A, Hothead. Hitting me in the throat. Seriously? I thought we were friends." The scolding words lost all their sting with the smirk Kubi was wearing, one almost identical to the one Kaen was wearing. It was a smile that could only mean one thing; shit was about to get serious.

"Still, it almost hurt, so gotta congratulate ya there." His smile turned mocking. In the same way that Kaen tested him, Kubi was reading Kaen. Not for his physical weaknesses, but mental ones. If he could piss Kaen off, he would make mistakes that could prove to be the end of him. "But first blood is yours, Youji." He gestured towards the glob of blood on the ground.

And in that instant he struck. He slid forward in that instant, in the hopes that Kaen would have looked. Even a flicker of his eyes downwards would result in sudden, immense pain, as his fist was firing in a punch to his jaw. Even in an experienced fighter, punches to the head can prove lethal, even years after the fact. It can destroy the jaw, break teeth, and even mess with hearing. And with Kubi's strength, it could easily rip the skin right from his face.

That is, if Kubi was using his full strength. As a matter of fact, he was using a fraction of his strength, barely stronger than a wild animal. The force behind it would barely break wood, let alone harm a warrior of Kaen's caliber. The only saving grace to the weak punch was that Kaen, most likely expecting a full strength punch, would try to block or dodge in some way. Which was, of course, exactly what Kubi was hoping for.

As his right hand swung towards his jaw, his left would swing upwards at an angle, aiming for the center of his chest. If he blocked his arm - either with another hit to the cluster of nerves in his arm or an arm lock of some kind - then his left would still hit, fingers again grasping his shirt. But instead of throwing him, Kubi would pull him forward, ramming his shoulder in Kaen's chest. If he ducked under the right, then his left would immediately strike, this one a full strength punch. And if he moved out of the way ... Well, they'd be right back where they were.

[Kaen Youji]

Kaen began to slow to a walk as he heard Kubi cuss him out. And shot the opposing Vice Captain a cocky grin. "Quit complaining. You're a big man. You can take it." He taunted. And actually, he meant it too. Kubi could take it. That was a pleasant surprise. Most of the other Vice Captains Kaen had fought-- Kyousei, Ray, Hibiki.... they weren't strong enough to survive him attacking at full strength. Each of them was strong in their own right of course! Kaen would not have denied them that. But he always had to hold back to avoid severely hurting his opponent. Kubi was clearly made of sturdier stuff. Against this man, Kaen could fight at full strength without fear of killing him. Kubi's comment about first blood was offset by Kaen's eyes sharpening. Growing more focused. Who got first blood didn't matter to him. It was the last blow that counted. Not the first. Kaen had activated his Barrier Stance, and Kubi was completely in the radius of the technique. Barrier Stance was not a perfect technique by any stretch, but it seemed Kubi wanted to stand and brawl. And for opponents like that, it was ideal.

By using Barrier Stance, Kaen's focus tightened into a small sphere around him. The rest of the world became a blur. Distant. Nothing else mattered. All the world was in sphere of awareness that surrounded him, and encapsulated Kubi as well. Aside from the sharpened, focused look in Kaen's eyes however, there was no way Kubi would know what Kaen had done. And even then it was unlikely that he would understand the full intent of Kaen's technique. Still, the last time Kaen had used this technique against Kubi it had augmented his focus to the point he had actually countered Kubi in mid-Shunpo. It was a formidable defensive technique. Hence its name. Barrier Stance.

SPOILER: Click to show

With his enhanced focus, Kaen did not miss the double strike that Kubi threw at him. He did not even move to avoid it. His stance was planted to the ground like the roots of a great tree. As Kubi had hoped, Kaen brought his right arm up to deflect his opening punch aside. At the same time, he chambered his left arm, muscles coiling tightly, to spring. As Kubi’s uppercut flew in at his chest, Kaen’s left fist suddenly released and flew out, intercepting and colliding with Kubi’s punch.

The impact was tremendous. A sound like a thunderclap exploded through the entire Rukongai district and the impact of their punches created a shockwave that exploded outwards from them. Any crates that still remained were either hurled aside or turned into splinters by the force exerted by the collision of these two unstoppable forces. Kaen did not budge, and it was likely that Kubi didn’t either. Kaen didn’t stop though. He moved instantaneously into his counterattack. Kaen’s right hand had previously deflected Kubi’s strike but now came around for a hard blow at the larger man’s solarplexis. Even though Kubi’s muscles were strong, the solarplexis always remained a vulnerable point, and a direct hit with Kaen’s strength behind it would likely still wind his opponent. And Kaen wasn’t done. He took a powerful, strong step forwards, into Kubi, and slammed his left elbow forwards into the other Vice Captain’s stomach. A heavy impact to be certain. And then, his feet still planted as though he were part of the earth itself, Kaen threw an uppercut of his own. So close to Kubi, his blow was practically straight upwards, and his fist rocketing through the air produced a sound not unlike a hurricane as it forcefully parted the air. It was aimed at the bottom of Kubi’s jaw and would strike with enough power that it might actually lift the man off his feet and send him straight up into the air on a crash course with the ceiling of the warehouse!

Barrier Stance: Post 1
Barrier Stance stats:
Senses: 200
Instincts: 350

[Deleted]

For someone as old and skilled as Kubi, predicting an opponent was a matter of life and death. When you're as aggravating, as annoying as Kubi makes himself out to be, learning to read someone is more than a combat skill, it's a survival method. You don't get to be over a millennium old by just letting yourself get defeated constantly (that's more of a recent trend). No, you learn to read an opponent, derive from the movements their next movement, their fighting style - analysis their battle, if you will.

But even if Kubi hadn't been so old, hadn't been fighting for survival since birth, the fact of the matter remained that Kubi COULD read him. With his ability to analysis an opponent mastered, and with his extensive skill in street fighting, his body almost moved on his own. It also helped that he had the senses of a wild animal. Kubi had expected his first attack to be blocked; that's why he didn't commit to a full attack. If he had, it would have been impossible to counter the inevitable counter. No, he kept his attack weak so he could.

Their fists met, but there was no time to marvel at the destruction. Kubi moved as Kaen did, his right hand striking the vulnerable wrist, stopping most of the force and diverting the force to the side. Simultaneously, he stepped forward, anticipating the shoulder strike as he braced himself, taking the brunt of the attack, but due to the closer distances, it was easily tolerable. It's doubtful even a bruise would form. And now a smile was blossoming across his face; countering Kaen was proving to be ... well, not easy, but certainly not as hard as expected! For one, he succeeded!

Then the smile flickered from his face as a very strong fist connected with his jaw.

He was sent flying - not as far as Kaen predicted, though. Their height differences, and proximity, meant that some of the force that would have been delivered was lost as Kaen was forced to extend his arm further than optimal. Of course, it was more than enough to send Kubi flying and force his teeth together rather painfully. He was sent several feet in the air and was going to impact rather painfully with the ground. Right before he hit it, though, his right arm shot out and on that he righted himself, though a little drunkenly.

"Shit." That swear, and an extra second to spit out a glob of blood, was the only time he wasted before he flashed back into battle. He slid forward, the broken remnants of crates scattering on his approach. A quick jab, to the solar plexus. A copy of what he attempted on Kubi. And of course, Kubi was holding back, his left hand cropped at his side, ready to go to his brothers aid. His brown eyes, though unaided by magic or techniques, were wide open, watching Kaen, looking for twitches, for his telegraphs. And still his smirk didn't change.

[Kaen Youji]

Kubi was doing well to deal with Kaen's blows. Mitigating the damage, and even managed to deflect his punch. Of course, the moment Kaen smashed Kubi with his upper cut, he lost sight of his opponent. Barrier Stance was not without its flaws, and Kaen's intense focus only gave him the vaguest idea of what Kubi was doing now. His concentration was so tightly focused around himself, that the world beyond the sphere of perception he had created was inconsistent blurs. He knew approximately where Kubi was, but that was about it. But that was alright. Because Kaen knew that Kubi would be coming back, and braced himself accordingly. And sure enough it was a head on charge. Kaen wasn't surprised. But he'd re-entered the area under Kaen's control. Kubi threw his punch. Kaen dodged out to Kubi's right, preventing a follow-up attack with his left without making the angle awkward. This was Karate's Tai Sabaki technique. A single step to simultaneously avoid and reposition oneself making follow-up attacks more difficult for an enemy. Although Barrier Stance limited Kaen's movements to only one or two steps at a time, or else risk breaking his intense focus, the single step taken to avoid Kubi's blow was well within his capabilities without losing the benefits of the technique.

And now that he had changed the angle, Kaen threw his counterblow, driving another spear hand strike into Kubi's underarm. A soft, vulnerable point that would at least temporarily take that arm out of comission. Probably not for long. But enough time for a few blows. The joints. Kaen thought. His leg snapped out to deliver a stomping kick to the side of the larger man's knee, in order to force it to buckle. This would bring Kubi to his knees if successful. Or break his knee. But the former was much more likely, given Kubi's demonstrated toughness. And that was needed, because if successful, Kaen's left hand would whip back and down in a brutal hammer fist strike against the side of Kubi's neck, to finish the job his kick had started and smash the man down into the ground sideways.

In many ways this attack could almost be compared to simple equation. The blow to the underarm would temporarily disable Kubi's guard on his right side-- the side Kaen was attacking. The kick would break Kubi's balance, as well as causing further damage to the knee that Kaen could allow to build up over time. And the hammer fist to the neck, in addition to causing simple pain and damage would floor Kubi. Allowing the Squad Seven Vice Captain to take and maintain initiative in the battle. This would normally be a fight ending combination. To anyone but Kubi. But even against this man, Kaen could use it for more than simple damage. Fighting with fists was different than fighting with swords. With swords, each exchange was a chess game in and of itself that could end the battle in an instant. With hand to hand combat, long term strategies became viable. Weakening an opponent and using that to continually snowball an advantage.

Kaen was a master martial artist. He was going to show Kubi that mere street brawling was not enough to win against him! But for the moment, Barrier Stance had been strained to the limits of Kaen's ability, and so he relaxed his focus. The sphere disappeared and the world swept back around him. He was surprised at the damage caused, but supposed he should have anticipated it, from the collison of their fists. It didn't matter anyways. He could take advantage of this if need be. But he didn't have to. If successful, Kaen's combination attack would have knocked Kubi to the ground, on his side, rather than his back or front. And if it failed, well then... he'd just have to try something else!

Barrier Stance: Post 2 (Ended)

[Deleted]

OOC: Sorry about the wait, been a long time since I posted, I know. Hope you’re still up for the thread? Sorry if it's a tad flavorless. This is my first attempt to get back into the thick of things. Shit's gonna get interesting next post.

The second Kaen moved, Kubi stopped, rolling back on the balls of his feet and taking several short steps backwards. IT was an easy enough feat, his tremendous strength and speed moving even his humungous bulk easily, but he didn’t do it out of any sense of immediate danger; the fact of the matter was, he missed, and if he’s learned one thing so far, it’s to never leave yourself open to a counterattack with Kaen Youji. So he moved, hopping backwards lightly as easily as the smile on his face. He was taking his time in this fight, moving at a rather languorous speed so as to not exhaust himself; and, of course, they were both holding back. Not in the actual strength of their punches, of course, but in the commitment to them. They were far more durable than ordinary men, but in Kubi’s case, he wasn’t willing to test how far that durability went. And it was only this reluctance that saved his leg, though Kubi wasn’t to know this assuming Kaen was to stop his attack which, logically, he should, considering Kubi moved before there was a time for a counterattack.

This time, Kubi wasted no time bandying words, slipping almost immediately into a boxer’s pose, legs crouched and tucked in, body leaned forward and fists held ready and tight. It was a perfect flawless pose, though nothing to the complicated maneuvers Kaen was adept at. He crept forward more cautiously this time; Kaen had proven he could counter the pure berserker charge, and now it was time for the real to begin. His deep, analytical eyes watched Kaen for any sign of a twitch, any indicator that he was going to begin moving. ’This guy is freakin’ crazy. We closed three times and I’m the only one who got fuckin’ hurt. I gotta figure out a way to get him off guard …’ But until a brain wave struck him in any way, he was stuck with facing Kaen in fisticuffs.

Which was, honestly, just fine with the brawler. Close quarters is where he lived. It was where he was born and bred and forged into steel. But Kaen was much the same, and with the Vice Captain he couldn’t rely on his strength to win the fight.Kubi had a longer reach and height on his side, but Kaen has the vast versatility that comes with multiple disciplines, as well as the advantage of Speed. Kubi was only slightly stronger, whereas Kaen might as well be leagues ahead of the giant. However, and this is what Kubi was banking on, Kaen wouldn’t be eager to go too fast for fear of tiring himself out and leaving himself vulnerable, and Kubi could keep up at those speeds. Of course, should things get heated, pun entirely intended, Kubi would have to be careful.

”Time to get this party started.” That was the only indicator that Kubi was on the offensive, and that he had started to get serious. There was a burning in his eyes now, one unlike before. While the determination was still there, now there a light of rivalry and conflict that proved Kubi was done playing around and, honestly, it was quite a feat to do that. IF he was known for anything in and around the Seiretei, it was his inability to do anything but joke. Taking things seriously was not a pasttime of the Vice Captain and, even more important, he was actively opposed to the idea! The very thought of living life as a serious, dour person like a Kuchiki got him sick to his stomach. But Kaen was not normal people; he couldn’t be overestimated, not this time, and as for now it was a battle of skill. A battle to see who was the best fist fighter in the Seiretei, and Kubi had no intention of going down without a fight.

A wide haymaker opened this next clash, aimed by his left hand to his head, followed immediately by a right jab. Kubi knew to target joints as well, so the jab would be coming right for his shoulder. Powerful enough to shatter the bones of a normal Shinigami, but Kaen was made of sterner stuff. Still, it wouldn’t be comfortable. He had no delusions of his haymaker striking; it was a diversion, and a poor one at that, but the force provided by using the back and shoulder muscles as well as the arm would prove to at least uncomfortable to block. But blocking would be stupid, not when the strength and height discrepancies are so great. No, if it was Kubi he’d duck or dodge, and for that reason he’d step into the punch. Not only does this lend greater strength to the jab, but if he steps back the haymaker will still be positioned to knock him a new one. Not only did he step forward, however, but he turned towards Kaen, decreasing the strength of the haymaker by pivoting away but also blocking access to his more vulnerable gut and groin. Kubi was not eager to feel what it was like to be punched in the groin by someone like Kaen.

Of course, this entire time Kubi was on high alert, senses strained and eyes wide and searching, waiting for Kaen to do ‘the ‘thing’, as he’s come to call it. The thing where he easily and, seemingly, effortlessly counters Kubi. It always comes as somewhat of a surprise for the Shinigami, but that was his arrogance speaking. Already, so early into the fight, his arrogance has taken quite a beating, and Kubi knew it was a weakness enemies can exploit, so the key here was to think realistically, something difficult for the thick-headed Shinigami to do. But he was trying, and now he was watching Kaen, waiting for his counter. Kubi was expectantly waiting for a chance to counter any counters Kaen could come up with, and more likely than not, he could come close. He knew he was outmatched, but Kubi was willing to give Kaen a memorable fight. At the end of the night, both of them would be bleeding.

[Kaen Youji]

Kubi was combat savvy, and he had plenty of combat experience. However, regardless of how experienced Kubi was, Kaen was significantly more experienced. Kaen had fought in Squad 7 for years, and fought against Captains and Vice Captains long before Kubi was even a seated officer. He had a history of fighting most of Soul Society's Vice Captains. And his hard martial training had gifted Kaen with extremely high levels of skill as well, such that in a contest of martial ability, Kubi ultimately would come a distant second. Though both were managing their speed and power so as not to fatigue themselves, in this sort of situation, Kaen had the advantage. In the wake of Kaen's offense, Kubi attempted to retreat. Kaen's eyes narrowed. As if it'd be that easy... He thought, and immediately stepped in to follow up. At this range, simply running backwards would only buy Kubi time to avoid Kaen's next attack, which took the form of a sudden low kick to the side of Kubi's knee, while the opposing Vice Captain was in mid-hop. There was nothing to brace his leg against. No way for him to resist this blow. Regardless of the damage the kick inflicted, it would smash Kubi's leg out from under him, and cause the opposing Vice Captain to land on only one leg. Kaen's arms raised. "Meotode." Kaen hissed, the instant Kubi's free foot landed. And all hell broke loose.

Kaen's fists flew at Kubi in a flurry of blows. An small but important distinction between Karate and boxing was their methodology of throwing consecutive blows. Boxing placed a high emphasis on drawing one's fist back to protect oneself after each and every punch. Karate followed a different notion. Karate was, at its root, an aggressive martial art. One based on eliminating an opponent as quickly as possible. With Karate, it was often taught, to maximize the efficiency of one's offense, to begin throwing the next punch as you were drawing back your first one. Not only did this make your second blow come out much faster, but a skilled user could use the additional draw of pulling back one hand to strengthen the next punch. And Kaen was a very highly skilled practitioner indeed. Half a dozen blows hammered into Kubi in an instant. Kubi's guard would barely make it in time, but it didn't matter. The opposing Vice Captain had landed on one leg, and Kaen's blows were powerful enough that he would be staggered regardless. Even if he was absorbing most of the power from Kaen's attacks there was no way he could regain his balance under these circumstances. And without his balance, there was no way to deliver a strong counterattack. The blows Kaen was throwing would require constant shifts in balance, just to keep Kubi standing under the withering onslaught. And Kaen seemed to know this as well. His blows were efficient but not much faster than Kubi was moving. They were hitting hard, but he was clearly not overtaxing himself throwing them. They were sharp and strong. Just sharp and strong enough to keep Kubi from relaxing his guard, and keep the pressure on. Eventually Kubi's guard would crack. That was what Kaen was going for.

Right?

Wrong. Against an onslaught like this, Kubi had to keep his guard up. He couldn't afford to drop it even for an instant, and in this situation, even if he throw his Haymaker-Jab combination that he had planned, it would have no power. Not compared to Kaen's attacks, which were made from a grounded and balanced stance. Worse still, it would involve Kubi opening his guard, leaving himself wide open to take a counter-blow. If Kubi was foolish enough to drop his guard now, he'd meet a near instant blow to the jaw for his trouble. But that was the whole point. To keep Kubi's guard up. To prevent him from making a counter-attack. Most martial artists had a limit at which they'd be unable to throw their flurry of attacks, but Kaen was showing no signs of stopping. Not until he needed to. Kubi'd feel that moment when it happened. He'd feel it because, in a sudden instant, he'd feel pain explode from his liver, as Kaen suddenly dropped a strike to slam into Kubi's side, under the ribs. A hook punch to the liver. Kaen's attacks had been directed at forcing Kubi to keep his guard tight. Keep it high, to stop his onslaught. Maximizing Kubi's defense against straight punches aimed at the upper body and face. And the tighter he made his defense, the weaker it would be against low attacks from the sides. Which was something Kaen had just exploited in a vicious liver blow. A hit like that would have Kubi pissing blood for days. Kaen then swung his weight to the other side, and swung a high angled blow at Kubi's jaw. Even if Kubi stopped his blow, he'd suddenly feel agony shoot through his leg, as Kaen threw a stomping kick down onto Kubi's ankle joint, in tandem with his jaw strike. Kaen's game plan seemed quite straightforward here, but that didn't make it ineffective. He was no longer just rapidly changing angles. He was targeting multiple angles simultaneously!

"You can't hope to defeat me in a hand to hand fight like this." Kaen warned Kubi. "Your attacks are rough. Unrefined. Your strategies are basic, and short term. Even if you could land a few hits, you can't defeat me off of them. Not as you are." The Vice Captain hissed, finally backing off the attack. Kubi would still probably be capable of standing. Probably. He'd be hurting like hell from the liver blow, and his ankle was likely sprained or damaged, which would prevent him putting much weight on that leg. If the jaw strike connected he might even be a little dazed. But if he wanted to continue his haymaker-jab combination now, it was certainly possible. However. It wouldn't be enough. If Kubi did attempt the attack he had planned, Kaen stepped in and threw an outside chest block, stopping the haymaker in its tracks. Kaen would take the jab to the shoulder, however. He could have stopped it. But that would betray his next display. The blow struck Kaen in the shoulder, but as a jab, it lacked any significant stopping or injuring power. Did it hurt? Yes, of course it did. Kubi was slightly stronger than Kaen and a punch from him couldn't just be ignored. But Kaen took no severe damage from it. And what was more, Kaen was already moving into his attack. When he stopped Kubi's arm, he threw an overhook atop the limb, trapping it against his side. Kaen then spun into the larger man, dropping his hips so that he was underneath Kubi's, and executed Jiujitsu's Seionage-- the shoulder throw. Using the trapped arm to pin Kubi in place and his hips to lever Kubi off the ground, Kaen would throw the larger man over his shoulder into the ground, upper-body first. Possibly even head first if Kubi didn't properly roll to mitigate the damage. A very bad position for Kubi to be in.

Of course the latter part would only be possible, if Kubi had still gone through with his attack following Kaen's own offense. If he went for a different avenue of attack, it would, of course, spawn different results.