Showcase Match: Storm of Embers [R, NDE] (COMPLETE)

[Amagai Kuchiki]

Thread Title: Showcase Match: Storm of Embers
Participants: Hotaru Kuchiki, Himitsu Misute
World: Soul Society
Death Setting: Non Death Enabled
Rating: R
Location: A full moon tonight, illuminating Soul Society with it's cold light almost as if the sun was up. But it is night, and the majority of shinigami are asleep. The scene is set in a clearing in the forest, just outside of the Gotei 13. The clearing is about fifty feet in diameter, with a large rock, almost four feet tall, in the middle. Other than that, the air is quiet, save for the two people within the clearing.
Special Conditions: First post is whoever does so first. Winner will receive a custom item. Other than that, this match is a normal PvP, no holds barred. It is worth noting that this thread will not affect the outside canon, such as with faction points, or plot development (unless all members are okay with it doing so).
Circumstances: Both Hotaru and Himitsu received envelopes, although the contents of them were remarkably different. Himitsu's appeared to be an order from his Captain, instructing him to go to a specific clearing tonight and deal with the informant who arrives there. The letter did warn that the informant might be dangerous, and that he should keep his guard up. Hotaru's was radically different, and appeared to be an order from Sozen himself, informing her that she had a new target: Himitsu Misute, Third Seat of the Ninth Division. The letter told her that he would be in a nearby clearing, and to deal with him violently, ignoring whatever he says.

Regardless of whether the letters are true, regardless of whether or not each Captain actually sent them, both felt the need to show up at the clearing. What happens next? Well, let's find out.

[Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao]

Hotaru found herself in the human world again, this time looking throughout China to try to find Asmoskon. She had been looking throughout Tokyo for hours now, making sure that she was checking every nook and cranny of the city. She was getting ready to move on to the next place when she got a message. It was from another seated officer in her division. It said that she had a message waiting for her at her desk and that she should probably hurry back. She sent a quick reply of coming. She finished her look through of the city first.

It only took her a few more minutes and she was sad to find out that it seemed her love wasn't here either. The next day, she would try the next big city in China and work from there. She opened the gates and found herself in Seireitei. She was depressed from not finding Asmoskon, but she knew she needed to at least look like she was ready for work. She slowly made her way towards her barracks and she found the note on her desk like they told her. She grabbed it and noticed the flowing hand on the front of the envelope and saw the emblem on the back in wax.

Sozen-sama sent her a note. He never did that. For a courier of her family to come here and leave her a note meant that something was up and she needed to do it now, no matter what else was wrong. She opened the letter and read it. It seemed that there was a shinigami that Sozen wanted her to deal with by the name of Himitsu Misute. She was to ignore what he said and deal with him in the most violent way she could think of. It seems that she was needed by the family again. She immediately found the nearest flame and destroyed the note. There was no need for prying eyes to see it.

She walked back outside into the full moon. She knew the location she needed to be at so she slowly made her way there. Slowly. On the way there, she was thinking about all the things going on in her life. Asmoskon was on her mind every second of the day, even if it didn't show on her face. Even while doing her duties, Asmoskon was always in the back of her mind, pushing his way through all her thoughts. It was getting to the point that she was getting depressed all the time just by looking for him. So, when she thought about this fight she smiled a little.

She had a lot of pent up frustration about the entire Asmoskon relationship and she honestly hadn't had a good release from all the anger she felt towards herself about it yet. This new target would be a nice change of pace for her, letting her get out all of her rage. She walked towards the clearing a little faster now, thinking about letting herself go in this fight. By the time she got to the clearing, it seemed as if her target was already there. The clearing was nice, away from the squads enough and big enough for them to really let go. "So, I take it that you're Himitsu Misute."

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats and Skills}
Strength - 150 (112) Points.
Speed - 350 (525) Points.
Spiritual Pressure – 400 (300) Points.
Reiatsu Strength – 350 (525) Points.
Instinct - [100] Points.
Senses - [100] Points.
Energy sensory - [50] Points
Healing Expertise - [0] Points
Total SP = 140

[Weapons: Swords] 2
[Pain Tolerance] 2
[Bleeding Tolerance] 1
[Illusion Resist] 1
[Damage Recovery] 2
[Poison Resist] 1
[Learning] 1
[Battle Focus] 1

[Himitsu Kasumi'Oji]

Raion Soretus was… an interesting man to have as the Divison Leader. He was not by any means pleasant to work under for the third seat. After all, with the Vice Captain missing, much of the paperwork was passed to Himitsu and he spent several nights swamped with documents when he could have been fighting hollows in the human world and making a differences. However, Himitsu did not hate his captain. He was just frustrated by him, as he was by all Shinigami who didn’t live up to the standard of the ‘heroic Soul Reaper’ who devoted his life to protecting the human world as he should and purifying corrupted souls. Not spend his days drunk and partying.

Therefore, amidst his paperwork for the night, Himitsu was surprised to find a letter from Captain Raion addressed to him. After all, the usual form of communication between them was limited to Himitsu accepting the piles of documents sent from the Captain every day or two. An actual letter was progress in their relationship, so Himitsu was actually a little pleased with its appearance on his desk. However, the contents of the later were slightly confusing. They were brief and concise, slightly out of character for Raion. Perhaps this was an important meeting, so Himitsu set his pen down, grabbed his Zanpakuto, and head out to meet this mysterious envoy.

Himitsu arrived at the designated clearing and found that he would have a while to wait in isolation until the informant arrived. But the third seat didn’t mind, for he spent much of his human life and Shinigami life alone. After all, he had much time to himself in the hospital before he died and he learned to enjoy the silence and free time. He got to think on his own, independent from influences of the world. It was one of the better feelings he could experience after his spirit was tainted by his easy defeat at the hands of Kuroi and his inability to defeat Discord and save Alpha and Beta in Karakura. All he had achieved so far was complete failure, and that guilt ate him alive.

Himitsu’s bitter reflection was interrupted by the sound of nearby footsteps. It seemed that the envoy had arrived, and it was time to get down to business. Himitsu blade lay strapped to his waist as he made out the familiar facial features of the woman, identifying her as his fellow third seat Hotaru Kuchiki. She fit his standard of the ideal Shinigami from her reputation, and while they have not spoken directly, he has seen her in the seated officer meetings back in Seireitei. “I take it that you’re Himitsu Misute.” It wasn’t a question, it was a statement.

Himitsu then confirmed that Hotaru was the designated envoy he was meant to be meeting with for whatever reason, but he didn’t see why he would run into trouble with her. They were on the same team, after all. “Yes, I’m Himitsu Misute. Pleasure to formally meet you, Kuchiki-san.” Himitsu was slowly learning mannerisms and honorifics, and he learned that the Kuchiki put a heavy value on such things. Himitsu had a great respect toward Sozen, and that carried on to the Kuchiki household, including members such as Hotaru. Adopted or not, Himitsu didn’t see a difference as long as their last name was Kuchiki.

“Kuchiki-san, to be honest, Captain Raion sent me here without much context. All I knew is that an informant was to be waiting for me. Do you mind filling me in?” Himitsu was completely genuine and honest. However, the only detail he intentionally left out was the warning that this informant may be dangerous. Perhaps Raion didn’t realize it was going to be Hotaru, or perhaps this was a legitimate warning. Did Hotaru have hostile motives?

SPOILER: Click to show

Strength - [100] Points (50)

Speed - [200] Points

Spiritual Pressure - [300] Points

Reiatsu Strength - [400] Points (600)

Light Aura - [90] Points

Dark Aura - [10] Points

Instinct - [75] Points

Senses - [75] Points

Energy sensory - [50] Points

Healing Expertise - [0] Points

Total SP: [1200] Points

Abilities

• Mental Incantation Level 2

• Calm Mind Level 2

• Battle Analysis Level 2

• Illusion Resist Level 2
  

• Battle Skill: Kido Level 2

(5 banked)

SPOILER: Click to show

[Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao]

Hotaru watched this shinigami slowly. She was trying to size the man up. He had spoken, but she wasn't going to answer right away. She was looking through her memories to see where she had seen this man before. The name was familiar. While she was looking through her memories, she finally was able to pull out where she had met this man before. She knew him from the Seated Officer meetings. They would have meetings around the same times that the Captains and Vice Captains would meet.

The Third Seated Officers had separate meetings from the other seated officers, since they were Third in command of their respective divisions. As with the other meetings, the Third Seat from the First Division would lead the meetings. They only sat one seat apart, meaning that he must be in the Ninth Division. She had never really talked to any of the other seated officers, just stayed in her little bubble during the meetings and would take notes. Then, after the meetings, they would meet back up with their division leaders.

She always walked up to her cousins, Iro and Takashi, speak with them and then leave. But, no longer Takashi. What he did still weighed heavy on her mind as well. It wasn't enough for her to lose the love of her life, oh no. Now, one of the people she trusted the most and looked up to betrayed not only the entirety of Soul Society, but his family too. She still was trying to wrap her head around why Takashi would just leave everything he knew to go to Hueco Mundo to do whatever he planned to do.

From all the talks they had, to her, he didn't seem like the type to do it. But, how well did she actually know the man? Obviously not as well as she would've liked to know him. But, she needed to think about the right now. She can't be distracted at this moment. It was then that she actually acknowledged what the Third Seat said to her. It seemed like he had received a message from his captain, Raion-taichou, that he would be meeting an informant at this location. Then she showed up.

It was interesting. Especially since her context was completely different from his. She thought to herself for a minute, wondering if she should actually tell this man that Sozen-sama sent her here to kill him off. She could, but she would have to omit a few of the details. He did want an answer after all. "Well Himitsu-san, a received a note as well, telling me that I would be coming here to meet you here and ignore everything you say. I am to deal with you as violently as possible. I wonder why that is that I would get such a note? You must be a wanted man." She unsheathed her zanpaktou and got in her normal stance. Her knees were shoulder length apart, slightly bent at the knees. Her actual zanpaktou was angled, tip towards left shoulder, hilt towards right hip, waiting to see what he would do before she struck.

[Himitsu Kasumi'Oji]

"Well Himitsu-san, a received a note as well, telling me that I would be coming here to meet you here and ignore everything you say. I am to deal with you as violently as possible. I wonder why that is that I would get such a note? You must be a wanted man." Himitsu laughed, and it wasn’t a suave, gentle laugh either. He almost chocked on the air in his legs, and fits of cough between each uncontrollable chuckle. The 6’8” man’s body shook, and he was about to double over when he looked back at Hotaru…

And she wasn’t smiling. Instead, her sword was drawn and she was preparing for battle. Was this Sozen’s idea of a joke? Was this Raion’s idea of a joke? Or training? Or both? No, this wasn’t right. Hotaru was just playing a prank on him, that had to be it. But something felt off. Himitsu’s laughter abruptly stopped and the goofy grin on his face was quick to fade, replaced with a confused expression reflected by his eyes and titlted head. “Wait… you’re kidding, right? How am I supposed to be a wanted man, I helped save Karakura for Christ’s sake! I fought off a Quincy attack along side Sozen. Please tell me you aren’t serious.”

Himitsu didn’t need to wait for an answer to know just how wrong he was. Hotaru was convinced that Himitsu was an enemy, and in this clearing, there was nowhere to for him to run. She appeared to be a physical fighter, so Himitsu would have little chance of outrunning her. But in a fight, he had his own skills that could defend him. If only it didn’t have to come to that. If only she’d break into laughter and explain to him that this was a display of some sort of twisted sense of humor. But no such thing was going to happen.

Himitsu eyed Hotaru warily, the worry apparent in his eyes. Himitsu was confident that he could stand toe-to-toe with her in battle, but the real problem is that he didn’t want to. She was his ally, his fellow Shinigami, and she fit his standard. She was the type of person he wanted to fight along side, not against. But she was also stubborn and blindly loyal, which weren’t always bad traits. They just happened to hurt Himitsu a lot in this particular situation.

But this was no time to show weakness and back off. Himitsu didn’t draw his sword at all, but rather stood tall, his feet shoulder-length apart and knees bent with a slight spring to them incase he’d need to jump into action with a moment’s notice. This was going to be a more difficult fight, and a very unnecessary one. “Let me say this one more time: I don’t want to fight you, so please put your sword away.” Himitsu wasn’t going to make the first move. If Hotaru wanted war, she was going to have to fire the first shot so that no matter the outcome, someone’s blood was going to be on her hands, even if it’s her own.

[Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao]

Hotaru watched as Himitsu started to laugh. She had no idea why in the hell he was laughing right now. She glared the man down, spinning her sword around a little to loosen her sword up. She assumed he had no idea about this, but honestly, it wasn't really her problem at the moment. What was her problem right now is how to actually try to attack this man. She really didn't know much about him, so that put her at a disadvantage. She kept her eyes on him.

When he asked if she was kidding, if it was all some kind of big joke, since he helped save Karakura and fought off a Quincy attack with Sozen. The last part made her right eyebrow lift up. Interesting that someone that fought alongside Sozen would be wanted by the man himself to be taken down. This man just wanted to believe that she wasn't serious about any of this. But, she assumed the way she was acting, being serious about it, would hopefully let him know that she was serious.

She tried to look him over to try to see anything noticeable on him that she could use against the man. The first thing she noticed that he was taller, a good bit taller than her. The main advantage that he would get from that is the fact that he would have a greater arm reach than she would. It would mean that she would have to keep the distance in mind while fighting. She had never really fought anyone this much taller than her, so it would definitely be interesting.

The next thing that she noticed was that she didn't see any attack instinct in the man. From what she could tell from the man, he honestly didn't look like he wanted to fight her. She could see some hesitancy in his eyes. This man wasn't just a cold-blooded killer. If he was, he would be acting completely different than what he was now. He would be sizing her up like she was him, unsheathing his zanpaktou and would be ready to go all out in a fight against her.

He repeated himself that he didn't want to fight her and to put her sword away. She just stood straighter and stared him down again, with her right side facing him with her zanpaktou in her right hand. She brought it up and pointed it up towards the man. "Well, Himitsu Misute, it seems that I must fight you. I have been given the order and I will fulfill it to the best of my abilities." She put her zanpaktou laying horizontally across her chest and ran at the man. She didn't plan for attack, but waited to see what he would do. If she was able to get close enough, she would slash out at him, left to right.

[Himitsu Kasumi'Oji]

Himitsu had no luck, for Hotaru was too persistent. As he laughed and stopped himself, Hotaru didn’t even flinch. She was focused on her task, and that was to eliminate Himitsu. Sozen trained her as a true assassin, and Himitsu wished that they weren’t forced into such a position. This wasn’t how Soul Society was supposed to function. This wasn’t how comrades were supposed to act. This was wrong in everyway, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to lose. Instead, he planned to clear Hotaru’s mind of the bullshit of the situation, even if he had to force her to stop fighting.

As Himitsu wanted, Hotaru was going to make the first move, and he would be prepared. She was running at him directly, and with her speed, the gap was going to be closed extremely quickly. But Himitsu was ready. In fact, he already had a plan for how he was going to react to Hotaru the instant that she rushed him. It seemed that her intention was to attack Himitsu head on, so he was going to teach her a lesson for that mistake. She should have noticed that Himitsu didn’t have his sword out, which meant that physical combat was not his forte. That should have warned her to watch out for his Kido-based fighting style. She was going to learn her lesson.

The first thing Himitsu did when Hotaru began taking her first step was silently activate Bakudo #68: Ganoretto on his right arm, protecting it with thick, invisible reiatsu armor. From the way Hotaru held her sword when she was preparing her attack, he could tell that a backhand slash was coming, so his right side would be the initial target. With that in mind, Ganoretto was the best move to make so that his arm would be safe without her knowing of its durability.

Now, when Hotaru was converging on Himitsu, he would have time for a few steps and limited movement. And with that key second or two, the Shinigami would raise his right hand while stepping back, pivoting slightly on his left leg so that his right side was more exposed. His right arm was lined along his ribcage and side, all the way down to his hips, to prevent the attack from piercing his skin. However, hat she would see as an opening and invitiation to slice off his arm would actually be a trap. Himitsu’s right hand would be bent so that his fingers pointed up at Hotaru, and that was where the magic was going to happen.

All of Himitsu’s Kido was spoken through his mind, which moved faster than Hotaru’s body could. Therefore, he was able to silently cast Bakudo #9: Geki. A red light would shine from his fingertips, and its timing would perfectly align with the second that Hotaru’s sword met with Himitsu’s steel arm. That way, she wouldn’t have the appropriate time or positioning to maneuver away from the light, and at point blank range, doing so would require far faster reflexes and speed than she currently has.

And so Hotaru would be paralyzed due to the redlight, and Himitsu would remain unscathed. However, he wasn’t quite finished yet. Hotaru was still able to fight, and he wanted it to be very clear that she was not to lay a finger on him for any absurd reason. Therefore, Himitsu would point his right hand from next to his stomach at Hotaru, silently casting Bakudo #4: Haiwana. A rope would shoot out of his palm and coil around the immobile Hotaru, preventing her from moving. She was all tied up by the time the Geki wore off, which wouldn’t happen for over ten seconds.

“I told you,” Himitsu repeated, a steel, razor sharp edge in his calm voice. “I don’t want to fight you. This is your last warning.” Himitsu was angry, and this was just a demonstration of what he was capable of. If Hotaru managed to escape and tried to launch another assault, Himitsu would not be so gentle. He wouldn’t limit himself only to bakudo. This was Hotaru's last chance.

Reiatsu Remaining: 2550/3000 (-400 for Ganoretto, -25 for Geki, -25 for Haiwana)

Right Arm Ganoretto: 1/10

[Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao]

While Hotaru was running towards Himitsu, she was trying to take in everything that she was seeing from him. Since she was forced to make the first move, she didn't want to completely run in towards him, which is why she figured she wouldn't get in close enough to actually strike him. This man was interesting for sure. It seemed like he really didn't know why in the world that Sozen would tell her to kill him. Based off what she's seen, she didn't understand why either.

But, she wasn't the one to actually question Sozen. He had hand picked her to join his family because she wanted to make herself special. Well, he had told her as much during their training. The training that made her feel like she was literally in hell. But, she pushed the thought to the side. She didn't want to think about that kind of training right now. She needed to focus on the battle at hand and to defeat this opponent. There was one thing off though.

He hadn't drawn a weapon yet. For someone to just run at him and not draw a weapon made her think of two things right off the top of her head. The first one she immediately thought of was that he was more concerned with using hand to hand combat. That is, he would just start punching her and not draw any type of weapon. But, he was a shinigami and she had only met one other shinigami that didn't use an actual zanpaktou. But, even then, he used a gun on her.

The second idea she thought of, after reminding herself of Taien, was that maybe he honestly didn't have a weapon and was going to try to use his Kido skills against her. She didn't even think about something like that happening, since she had only met one other person that didn't have a zanpaktou or even use one. The man did warn her that he didn't want to fight her. Maybe he honestly didn't want to fight her. But, that didn't matter to her. No matter what, she would follow Sozen's orders.

Of course, all this thought was happening in seconds. But, when she noticed that he had turned his right side towards her, it made her think for a second. There would be no reason for him to show her the side that she was actually aiming for. She could only think of one reason why he would do something like that that actually made sense. He was trying to get her into a trap. What other reason would there be? There would be none whatsoever. So, before she blade actually came close to hitting him, she performed Shunpo Eichi.

She hoped that the shockwave from the step would throw him off his game. She appeared from the Shunpo off to the man's left. She then put her sword out in front of her in her right hand and her sheathe in her left. The only way she could combat a Kido user was to use her release. She didn't like using it so early, but she did what she thought she needed to do. "Burn, Rivu~aiasan!" The change started, and she left her left arm out, watching as the cannon formed on it and her zanpaktou turned into a flaming sword. She held her left hand out and watched as a small grenade formed.

Once the grenade formed, she would throw it at the man, shouting "Kasai Shuryūdan!" After she threw it, it shot the liquid out of her cannon at it, hoping to make the grenade move faster in the air and hit the man quicker. She also hoped that at least little droplets from the liquid would land on him so he would get somewhat injured. She looked at the man and glared. "I'm sorry if you don't want to fight, but now, you have no choice in the matter."

Remaining Reiatsu: 2600/3000 -350 for Class 3 Shikai, -50 for Kasai Shuryūdan. Shikai 1/9

[Himitsu Kasumi'Oji]

So close… the Shinigami thought as he leaned forward to hold his center of balance while the blast from Shunpo Eichi caused his feet to slide back against the ground. She had almost taken the bait. In fact, she had barely avoided falling into the trap he set up so perfectly. Hotaru was not going to be the average hollow that Himitsu faced, so he would need to up his game. The Kuchiki was playing games. She was forcing him into a fight that he wanted no part in, a fight between allies. It’s the definition of unnecessary, but Hotaru would find that she picked a fight with the wrong man. Himitsu was done with this nonsense.

As the friction from his feet sliding on the ground slowed Himitsu, he had no trouble keeping tabs on Hotaru’s location. After all, she had only moved a small distance to the left, standing only five feet away. Himitsu’s left arm, the one nearest to Hotaru, was still lowered by the large man’s side. He would begin to raise it as fast as he could in a motion that would be logical to Hotaru. After all, he was preparing to defend himself against an incoming attack. However, there was a point in time when he had just begun to move his arm when his fingers were pointed on the ground that Hotaru was standing on. She couldn’t possibly expect an attack at the time, for it appeared that he was making a defensive move. However, she would be in for a surprise.

On the other hand, Himitsu’s opponent would be preparing an attack of her own and unleashing her shikai. That was a mistake, for a Zanpakuto does not release instantly. It would delay her for a few seconds, and that was the time Himitsu needed for his action to occur uninterrupted. As she released, Hotaru would find a blast of water shooting up out of the ground right below her, picking her up off her feet so that she couldn’t use Shunpo to get away if she tried.

A tidal wave would consume her from her feet up, and it rose at the rapid speed that Himitsu had raised his arm, for instead of ending the motion in a defensive stance, he lifted his arm up over his head, which lead to the tidal wave rising that high. From there, he brought his arm back, bent it so that his hand was under his armpit and pushed toward Hotaru, causing the tidal wave to carry her away. She was trapped in the water and it would take a large struggle for her to get out, which would be impossible in the short time Himitsu allowed her before the wave swept her away.

However, he wasn’t done. He was furious, so she was going to pay for ignoring him. Himitsu had warned her that he would not tolerate any more fighting. This was her fault, so she couldn’t avoid the consequence. If she was truly a good, ideal Shinigami, the type that prioritized saving the human world over attacking her own comrades. His arm would be pointed at the tidal wave when he pushed Hotaru away, which gave him the perfect opportunity to cast another technique.

He spoke in a hushed tone, and the water prevented Hotaru from hearing the words leave his lips. “Hado #35: Raikou Kawa.” A torrent of lightning would emerge from his fingers, numbing them slightly, but he could tolerate that. The technique would be far more severe for Hotaru, for it would both numb her entire body with the electricity and cause second-degree burns. He was still holding back, for he had the option to do much more damage in Hotaru's vulnerable state, but Himitsu was running out of mercy.

Reiatsu Remaining: 2400/3000 (-100 for Gouzen Demizu, -100 for Raikou Kawa)

(( OOC: I got the 50 reiatsu back for the two techs I didn't end up using from my last post. Also, the attack would happen as Hotaru releases so she'd still release, but her attack would be cut short ))

[Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao]

Hotaru, standing about five feet away from the man, now got to get a good look at him. The man was insanely tall. Well, in truth he was only inches taller than her, but it was enough of a height difference that she was kind of impressed. From his height and actual build, she had a few ideas on how he would actually fight. But, the way the fight was going, it was not what she had expected from someone with his build at all really. But then, she knew next to nothing about the man.

She only really knew that he liked to use Kido while she, of course, was a more close combat fighter, relying on her swordplay to help her out in times of need. She was always fairly bad fighting Kido, but she knew there was always room for improvement in fighting. Since her enemy was using Kido, she hoped that through this fight, she would improve her Kido battling skills to where no Kido would be able to hinder her. Though, what the man had said was still mulling around in her head.

It was still weird to her that Sozen would demand that she end this shinigami's life, especially when he had fought alongside her family head before. But, she was loyal to her family and if Sozen, for whatever reason, wanted this man killed, she would do her best to fulfill the orders that she had been given. Even if she didn't see why Sozen wanted him killed, there had to be a reason. If she had known more about the man, maybe she would truly question Sozen's motives and maybe even ask the man some questions. But, she didn't, so she believe what Sozen had told her.

Of course, all this debate was happening inside her head and while thinking on these things, her release was just about finished. When the cannon finished forming, she started to make the grenade. She then noticed that he was pointing at the ground by her feet. She looked at him and raised an eyebrow, wondering what in the hell he was doing. She looked down at her feet and before she could react, water burst from the ground. While it was shooting up, she did loose her footing, but the water was rising up from the ground enough that she didn't fall over.

But, the water was starting to carry her up in the air. She kept her cool and tried to remain standing upright with her now finished fire sword at her side, trying to keep her up while the water was raising her to what she guessed was about seven feet up in the air. While she was making a grenade before the water hit, she immediately moved her cannon up, letting the grenade form completely before the water got up too far on her body. When it was done, she grabbed onto the grenade for dear life and moved her arm back down into the water, letting her get level as she climbed upwards.

With both her sword and cannon in the water, she was able to get her bearings and noticed that after she had reached the desired height, Himitsu looked like he was going to move his arms more. She needed to get out now before something happened. She knew it wouldn't end well if he was allowed to continue with him plan. While he was moving his arms down, she activated her cannon and started to spew out fire all around her, lessening the reiatsu strength of the kido to the point that she could move.

She then kept the cannon fire going, pointing it down to shoot out of the wall of water he had made. She then threw her grenade at him sideways, from her right shoulder down at him. By the time it would make it to him, she figured that he would already be dedicated to the movement of his arms doing whatever he was doing, and get hit by her grenade. She aimed it for the ground right under his feet. Since her cannon was down when she got out of the water and she threw it, the cannon now propelled her down. She angled the fire from the cannon to push her farther away, now landing ten feet away from the man. She was forming another grenade while waiting for him.

OOC: The fire from the cannon is continuous. Remaining Reiatsu: 2550/3000 -50 for Kasai Shuryūdan and -50 for lighting liquid from cannon on fire. Shikai 2/9

[Himitsu Kasumi'Oji]

Himitsu realized his mistake the instant that he discovered the nature of Hotaru’s Zanpakuto. She released a torrent of flames that vaporized his reishi-made tidal wave, causing steam to sizzle around her as she propelled herself upward and to the side with the force of the flamethrower. Normally, the water would counter the fire but it seemed that her Zanpakuto’s flames wouldn’t be extinguished by such a cliché foe. Water got burned in this case, and therefore, Himitsu’s plan to use Hado #35: Raikou Kawa would be withdrawn. He would have to adapt to the new situation.

Himitsu had been pushing the wave of water away when Hotaru managed to escape, but at least his right arm was ready to counter her action with whatever Kido he selected. Based on her movements and the fact that she was carrying a grenade, Himitsu decided that he would have to shoot the grenade before Hotaru could throw it at him. His arm was already pointed toward her, but he’d be too slow to readjust his aim to specifically target the grenade. Therefore, a silent casting of Hado #60: Raikoho would be the best option for this scenario.

The blast of lightning would be larger than Himitsu himself and engulf Hotaru completely just as she’s about to throw the grenade. Therefore, he would have no chance of missing for she would be holding the grenade when she gets hit by the blast of lightning, and in the air, she wouldn’t be able to out-maneuver the Kido or use Shunpo, for there was no air ground either. If Himitsu was lucky, the grenade would even explode in her hand just as she was about to throw it at him. The lightning’s pure destructive force is not something that Hotaru wants to or would be able to take a direct hit of, and attempting to do so would be fatal.

Reiatsu Remaining: 2350/3000 (-150 for Raikoho)

[Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao]

Hotaru was satisfied with herself as she was able to blast out of the water. She looked towards Himitsu and saw that he wasn't really expecting for her fire to destroy water. Her Zanpaktou's fire truly was extraordinary. She didn't want to think too highly of herself for getting out of one predicament, especially the way that he was fighting her. The man hadn't even released yet and he was already putting up a good fight against her. She is having the same problems with him as she did when she fought Taien, the Vice Captain. She just had never had a good grasp on Kido, since for some reason she had never been able to perform it herself.

Because she never performed Kido, she never really studied up on it or even thought about fighting against it. With this huge disadvantage, she was now kicking herself for not thinking about it earlier. While she was getting shot through the air with her cannon, she was trying to brainstorm what she could do, she noticed that Himitsu was starting to move his free arm. Stupid her didn't even notice that the man had a free arm. She was cursing herself for not noticing that little detail. She could only assumed it was because of her grenade. She was planning to throw it at him, but with the moving arm, she decided to keep the grenade in her hand, just in case.

There were many different possibilities of attacks that he could do. Since she didn't know anything really about Kido, it was, for her, completely limitless amount of attacks that he could do to her. She kept her eyes on the man while shooting away from him with her cannon. Once the man's arm stopped, she created an air ground so she would have a platform to stand on, leaving her about fifteen feet off the ground. Once his hand stopped, she saw something form on his fingertips and she just stepped off of her air ground. So, by the time she was falling, she wouldn't be where she was and would avoid the kido completely, throwing her grenade at him while falling to the ground.

Remaining Reiatsu: 2475/3000 -75 for air ground, Shikai 3/9. Since grenade was already formed, there was no cost to throw it.

[Himitsu Kasumi'Oji]

Himitsu was up against a very suitable opponent. In fact, Hotaru was right at his level when it came to combat ability, so he really wasn’t holding anything back. In this fight, Himitsu was giving it all. Gouzen Demizu paired with Raikoho was a combination of techniques he only revealed to some of the most powerful opponents he’d faced when he does his best to secure a win. And Hotaru was worthy of Himitsu’s 100%. She was getting out of sticky situations that would trap most other foes, so Himitsu felt a sense of admiration for his comrade in that sense.

Hotaru’s Shikai was one that truly embodied the aspects of fire, and Himitsu had never faced a release like it. His own release took on the form of lightning, so he understood elemental-based Zanpakuto, but her flames couldn’t even be countered by water. Himitsu knew that with her now ranged fighting style, he wouldn’t gain anything from releasing his own Zanpakuto. He wasn’t holding back a single bit, contrary to what the absence of his released weapon may imply. And because he wasn’t holding back at all, Hotaru would witness exactly how clever and powerful Himitsu was.

In theory, Hotaru’s plan was effective. She could easily remove her advanced air ground to drop and avoid the blast of lightning narrowly. She would then be able to throw the grenade as a counter attack and defeat Himitsu. It was a well thought out plan, for Himitsu’s hands were occupied so he wouldn’t be able to counter very quickly with Kido. One was pushing the wave and the other was blasting lightning at her, but none were available for defense. She could have secured a hit then and there.

She could have. It’s too bad that she accidentally set up a trap around herself. In fact, it was something Himitsu had orchestrated without her realizing. There was a reason he used Gouzen Demizu coupled with lightning Kido. Water attracts lightning naturally, so Gouzen Demizu would make it easier to land a hit. And while maybe Hotaru dodged the Kido, she didn’t realize that there was still water around her. Fire doesn’t just make water disappear. It causes water to evaporate, and that evaporated water acts as a cloud of steam and vapor.

There was water vapor in the air all around her. Hotaru may have dodged the mass lightning blast, but much of it was conducted and dispersed by the cloud of steam that surrounded the woman. While she wouldn’t suffer the full effects of the lightning blast had she suffered a direct hit, her body would take heavy first and second degrees everywhere. Her entire body would be numb and uncoordinated. Hotaru would find it difficult to move, so her action of throwing the grenade would be sluggish. She wouldn’t have enough command over her legs to properly pull off a stepping technique.

Because of how much slower Hotaru would be being due to the severe numbness, Himitsu would have enough time to angle the hand that pushed the wave of water directly at Hotaru and release a red light that would directly strike her. This light would paralyze her body completely as she still held the grenade, so if it was already activated, it would explode in her hand. Himitsu had one more maneuver in mind to finish off his attack. As he lowered his right hand to point at Hotaru so that both palms would target her, he would calmly speak the words “Hado #1: Sho.”

Hotaru’s weak body would be sent flying into the air and sliding along the ground until the friction coupled with her inertia slowly brought her to a stop. She had suffered a lot of damage, but there was a chance for her to get back up to continue fighting. If so, Himitsu would refrain from showing any mercy. “Last chance, Hotaru. Please stop fighting me so I can get you medical attention.”

Reiatsu Remaining: 2300/3000 (-25 for Geki, -25 for Sho)

[Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao]

Hotaru was watching how this shinigami was fighting. It was definitely impressive. She had only met and fought with one other shinigami that used this much Kido before and it was Taien, the Vice Captain of the Kido Corps. Fighting with him had been somewhat disastrous for her, since she had never been able to learn Kido she honestly didn't know how to combat it. Since Taien used pretty much only Kido against her, she was actually at a loss from the very beginning of the fight, especially since she didn't know how strong Kido could truly be.

She still didn't know how strong Kido could truly get, but battling with Taien did give her some insight on how to actually fight against Kido. Her zanpaktou, remarkably, was a great asset against Kido. She knew that her fire was truly unique, but she didn't know the extent of how unique it was until she had actually trained with her spirit. It was during one of these few training sessions during her morning sword cleaning, that she learned that her fire couldn't be extinguished easily, or at all. When she heard that, she was rather surprised.

He then showed her by shooting out his fire at the ocean in her inner world. It still burned on the water. She at first thought that maybe it was because she was in her inner world that the fire was able to do that. But, she did actually get to try it out in the human world, during one of her many treks to track down her lost love. She released her shikai and shot out her fire at the ocean. It did the exact same thing. The water didn't put it out and it was still burning strong on top of the water. She had never seen fire like this before.

Then, when she found out the true extent of the fire, to actually burn reishi, she was impressed. She knew that it was fire before and that it would burn anything it touched, but she had no idea the true extent of the fire. She was already impressed and proud of her zanpaktou, but now, finding out the true power of him, she was even more impressed and proud of him. It was something that she didn't hesitate to tell Rivu~aiasan every time she talked to him, to which he just smiled, nodded and changed the subject.

Now, she looked down towards Himitsu. It seemed that even he couldn't really predict the power of her zanpaktou when he was thinking out his attacks. Especially when she first broke free from his tower of water. He seemed fairly confident that the lighting would be able to hit her. It seemed that he had forgotten that when she actually was leaving the tower of water that she was leaving at an angle, angled away from him. So, with her moving away from him at an angle, moving a decent speed away from him before stopping, she was in the clear.

It was this way that she was able to stop herself and drop down from the lightning without any injury, since she had cleared the water and the vapor that could be in the air. Both of his hands were now still busy with the Kido techniques that he employed, so she was free to throw her grenade straight at the man. She threw it at him, trying to aim for right in front of him, at his feet, trying to make it harder for him to actually strike her technique down or even dodge it for that matter. After she threw it, she was trying to think of something that she could do next.

She could keep spamming her grenades, or try to keep the man on his toes with her fire. She had a few possibilities, but honestly, what she wanted to do right now was be on the ground. The flying was interesting, maybe even nice, but she really just wanted to land on the ground now. So, after throwing the grenade, she pointed her cannon towards Himitsu and shot off liquid from it. The cannon was actually pointed towards her grenade, so while she was now getting pushed back towards the ground, the grenade was getting forced faster at Himitsu. With both hands occupied, it would be extremely hard for Himitsu to dodge, if he could at all. What would he do next?

OOC: There is no reiatsu cost to shoot just liquid from her canon, as a fyi.

[Himitsu Kasumi'Oji]

Himitsu made a severe mistake, and if it wasn’t for his resourcefulness as a Kido-specialist, he would have gotten himself into a pickle. Hotaru was significantly faster than him, despite his superhuman speed, so Himitsu naturally had to use Kido to give him an edge against a fast-paced fighter like Hotaru who kept a safe distance between them with her fire-based Zanpakuto. He had attempted to lay out a trap with the water, but Hotaru had avoided it. That was Himitsu’s falt and Himitsu’s miscalculation, so now he was in a dangerous situation.

Hotaru aimed a grenade at his lower body, and he had little time before she would throw it, propelling the device with her Zanpakuto’s liquid, and the explosive would detonate. Therefore, Himitsu had to act very quickly, so the best solution was to use his final and most powerful defensive ability. With nothing more than a thought, he cast Bakudo #81: Danku, which created a giant wall between him and Hotaru. The grenade would hit the wall, and if it was the type to explode on impact, it would erupt as it collided with the reishi defense. However, if it had a set timer or exploded only through a mental command from Hotaru, it would bounce back at the Third Seat. The wall would appear instantly, for his mind was faster than her body.

Bakudo #81: Danku would not only protect Himitsu but also buy him a second or two. Hotaru could of course circumvent the wall of reiatsu, but it would still give him a little bit of time to recover. He would use a simple Shunpo to move himself back more than thirty meters to increase the gap and end the engagement between himself and Hotaru. It was time for him to switch up his approach in this fight, and Himitsu did have a few tricks that he developed with his Zanpakuto that may surprise Hotaru.

“I’m guessing that you aren’t going to back down…” Himitsu began regretfully, but his resolve was as firm as ever. He slowly drew his Zapakuto out of its scabbard and held it before horizontally in front of him. “Scream, Karaitami.” Himitsu's blade shined in his left hand, glowing with blinding light as its shape began to change into a more round silhouette. Just as the light dims down, a there is a sudden final flash and a thunderous boom. Lightning fizzes around the weapon as it is finally revealed on Himitsu’s arm as a shield.

Now that Himitsu’s release had been revealed, he had no trouble with beginning his next offensive maneuver. His shield would be on his left arm, so with his free right hand, he would simply point his palm and Hotaru. “Hado #63: Raikoho.” He had used this technique once before to create an immense blast of lightning, but the situation was different. Himitsu wouldn’t repeat a technique in such a direct attack unless he had an ace up his sleeve, so Hotaru would have to be cautious.

Reaitsu Remaining: 1250/3000 (-350 for Class 3 Shikai, -150 for Raikoho, -600 for Danku)