If Life Ain't A Joke, Why Are We Laughing? [R, PvP]

[Douma]

(( OOC: This will be a social between none other than Kagami Murai and Ajraka Kuchiki. I can't say what will happen in this encounter, but it might just be nice to see Kagami get bitch slapped by an otter. Stay tuned. ))

Edit: This has turned into a PvP, so here's the PvP intro thing:

Thread Title: If Life Ain't a Joke, Why Are We Laughing?
Participants: Ajraka Kuchiki and Kagami Murai
World: To Be Decided in the Thread
Death Setting: Non Death Enabled
Rating: R
Location: To Be Decided in the Thread
Special Conditions: None
Circumstances: Kagami, having just snuck out of the hospital after not completing his recovery, meets up with his old acquaintance Ajraka Kuchiki by a Rukongai bar. After some discussion, they decide to fight each other.

[Douma]

SPOILER: Click to show

{Play This}

Beep…

Huh, what’s going on? Am I dead yet? Did an infection or disease or some other mystery cause finally kill me? Did my heart fail? Or maybe my lungs collapsed for the again but the doctor’s didn’t get to me in time? Wait, no, I woke up from that god-fucking-damn machine’s beeping. Fuck. I guess I’ve got to put up with this for a little bit longer….

Beep…

Ugh, that sound again. I can never get any damn sleep. I get a little bit and then it comes right in to wake me up and disrupt any fucking piece and quiet I can find. But I have to keep pretending to sleep in case Hotaru’s here. She always gets me talking makes sure I’m okay and all that jazz, but it’s annoying as hell. I just wish she could see that I don’t need that right now. I don’t need anything anymore.

Beep…

Okay, I’m up. Are you fucking happy now? Kagami’s eyes fluttered open cautiously, expecting to have the sunlight welcome him with a blinding punch to the iris. Luckily for him, it was sometime late at night, between 10:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. The window by his bed was the only way he could ever tell the time, but it didn’t really matter much to him. It was just something he payed attention to when there was nothing else for him to do. The first thing Kagami noticed upon opening his eyes was that Hotaru wasn’t at her usual spot in the seat just beside his bed, but that wasn’t incredibly uncommon. After all, he’d seen her go home to eat, shower, and change. Maybe this is my chance… Kagami thought to himself as he took a second to listen for any activity out of the door of his hospital room. It was silent.

It’s definitely past midnight, this could be my best chance… The Vice Captain began to pull the IV needle out of his arm and remove his heart and blood pressure monitors, ensuring that he silenced the machines first so that he wouldn’t cause a ruckus. From that point, Kagami slowly pulled himself into a sitting position on the bed, holding back grunts of pain as his burning chest screamed for him to stop. Either Kagami wasn’t listening or he didn’t care.

The man was a shell of his former self. His skin was a pale white that was drawing near colorless. His gray hair was messy, for he hadn’t had the chance to tend to it in two weeks. His eyes were a faint purple seemed to lack the ability to focus with interest. They just stared bleakly in front of him. Gone were the vivid violet flames in his gaze, both daring and charming at the same time. He may be alive, but that part of him died.

Kagami looked into the closet in the room and found weaposs and items, as well as a change of clothes waiting for him. They were most likely intended to be used when he would be released, but Kagami wasn’t willing to wait five more days. He stripped out of the white hospital gown and examined his body for a few seconds in the mirror before him. There was a scar on his chest the size of a cantaloupe with a clear, red outline and dark purple interior with a couple of visible veins running just below the damaged skin. Kagami may have survived the wound, but the scar would always remind him of it. A black shirt, dark jeans, and a large black trench coat complimented the Vice Captain’s morbid mood nicely. They were the same clothes he had worn prior to being carried by Hotaru to the hospital, but Adalo and Kagami’s blood were washed off of them. Someone had patched the hole in the jacket caused when Manami blasted Kagami with a beam of energy. It was almost like the incident never happened. Almost…

Kagami stumbled out of the hospital’s front door after taking the elevator down and going through the nearly empty lobby. Based on the sign above the building, ‘West Rukongai District Seven Hospital,’ the Vice Captain knew where he was. The real question, however, was where he wanted to go. Kagami felt utterly empty, like a piece of his soul along with his heart had been torn out of him and couldn’t heal along with the rest of his chest. His only motivation was the dense hatred swelling inside him directed toward Adalo, but Kagami still hadn’t healed. He was too weak to do anything. If only he had died. A drink. That was what Kagami needed first. A drink to calm him down and comfort him like it always had. A drink to make him forget about Adalo De-Mona and Manami Itou and Aoi Kuchiki and Hotaru Kuchiki and Manami Itou and Adalo De-Mona and Manami… and Adalo.

There was a nearby tavern across the street from an upper-class nightclub-like center or social hub. It was were the wealthiest of the rukongai occupants got to party while the tavern was for the common, dirt-poor man who just wanted a drink and a fight or two. Kagami was familiar with both, for he had spent much of his time in the innermost regions of the Rukongai. His choice, however, was to enter the tavern. Kagami paid for a bottle of beer and, realizing that he had no interest to sit down with his drink, decided that it was he would take a walk while sipping it.

The Vice Captain exited the building while taking his first sip from the glass bottle, only to find himself repulsed by the contents. The beer itself didn’t taste horrible, but the memories it returned to him caused his stomach to spin into a tight not and bringing a wave of nausea. His unlit eyes stared blankly at the bottle in his hands as he stood in the empty street, too tired to notice the significant reiatsu signature near him and quickly approaching – not that he would have cared to meet with any more unpleasant ghosts from his past. The alcohol was enough.

[Ajraka Kuchiki]

On her way back from the party, Ajraka was a bit tired. After a long night and an even longer day after the party had ended, her stockings were off, leaving her in the chinese style Cheongsam dress, and with her hair now undone, letting the longer locks of shoulder-length dirty-blonde hair fall to her shoulders as she walked, her Admiral's coat wrapped about her shoulders, that ragged thing a very sharp contrast to her lovely dress underneath. She had developed quite a bit since she had first been adopted into the kuchiki family. She was a little taller for one, and most of all she had grown mentally. 



No longer on all fours, scampering around for shiny objects, she sighed softly, running her fingers through her hair as she headed for her ship, pausing as she looked around. No doubt she got a lot of weird looks from the upper-class citizens. But that was normal for her, she simply smiled at them, not even nodding in their direction as she walked. She was a kuchiki after all, now people EXPECTED her to ignore others. It was awesomely convenient. Though as she moved she noticed that in the distance she felt an...oddly familiar presence. 

Noticing the man in the distance, a very familiar Shinigami, she immediately sensed that something was amiss, her animal instincts kicking in as she rushed over to him, using that ridiculous speed of hers to approach the male with a look of general alarm on her face, stopping a few feet from him as she looked him up and down. "Kagami-kun...." She murmured, as if to verify that it was indeed him. The sullen look, the defeated eyes, everything about him radiated bad juju, not to mention the stench of alcohol on him. 

Attempting to move in a little closer, she spoke, that voice of hers just as soft and ringing as before, but so much more refined now, a soft fluidity to her words that depicted her nobility. As she drew closer she would continue to speak. "I see you've been doing some partying yourself this evening. It's been...quite a while." She paused, a soft smile brought to her face as she remembered quite clearly their little encounter. The condom thing was hilarious. When she'd found out what they were she had laughed for about an hour at her activities. It was pretty awesome not being embarassed about every little thing as humans did. 

"That smells like some pretty crappy grog. The stuff in Hueco Mundo is better than that shit." She chuckled, shaking her head softly as she brushed a few locks of hair back and nodded off to the side. "I'm not going to ask what happened to you, quite frankly It looks like you just want to spent the night curled up with that beer. So tell you what. Why don't you come with me? I'll give you something a little less....gritty, to wet your beak with. If you want to tell me what is going on once we get to our destination, or on the way, that is quite up to you." Gawd she could not wait until they were out of the rukongai and she could talk normal. 

Normally she felt rather guarded about shinigami, especially around having them anywhere near her ship. But well, everything about Kagami said rock bottom. Something told her that he would give very few shits about where she took him. He reminded her a little of how she'd been when the previous Admiral had been killed in his Cabin. Not knowing what on earth to do. So she decided an olive branch wouldn't kill her to extend.

[Douma]

The Vice Captain, while looking down at the bottle in his hand, was alerted by a sudden movement from his peripheral vision. He turned his head suddenly, just in time to see a person running toward him with incredible speed. However, as the person neared, he realized that it wasn’t a person at all but rather an otter on two feet (or flippers?). The Vice Captain’s energy sensory kicked in as a result of his heightened instinct and reaction time, allowing him to identify the individual as Ajraka Kuchiki, the adopted beastwoman of the most prominent noble family.

Kagami normally would have jumped back and drawn his weapons in defense when a potential threat accelerated toward him so quickly, but he almost welcomed an attack until he realized that the stranger was merely Ajraka. Instead of being gifted with a quick end to his pain, Kagami received more torment from his past. He had only met Ajraka after his encounter with the Septima Espada, which is when his quest to seek Manami was in its earliest development stages. Seeing the woman after so long forced Kagami to reminisce over the hopefulness he once had and reminded him of the greatest failure he had yet experienced. She was a token of his better past.

But, at the same time, Kagami noticed that Ajraka was a different person completely. “Kagami-kun…” So she remembers my name… the man thought indifferently. It truly didn’t matter much to him what she thought or remembered, for she was just a part of his past. Her presence brought pain to the Vice Captain, but she wasn’t the exact same. Her had was significantly longer, and she was wearing a very formal dress while standing on her two hind limbs. It was almost like she became more human and more of a noblewoman. He would be lying if he said he didn’t take note of the differences.

"I see you've been doing some partying yourself this evening. It's been...quite a while." Kagami was a bit confused by her words at first, but it soon dawned on him that she was referring to the drink in his hand, the first drink he had in quite a while. But he didn’t have the motive to correct her mistake. A smile touched on her lips, and Kagami could only speculate at what amused her. It was quite possible that she was evaluating him based on his public image, a façade that he was just unable to wear at this depressing moment.

“It has, hasn’t it…” the hollow man responded unenthusiastically. "That smells like some pretty crappy grog. The stuff in Hueco Mundo is better than that shit." “Yeah, it tastes like shit, too,” he remarked bluntly. He put the glass bottle to his lips and downed another sip, one that tasted even worse than the first. Giving up on the alcohol, Kagami carelessly tossed the bottle to the side and let it shatter against the ground several meters away, where most of the contents would spill onto the hard ground.

Kagami then took a second to regard Ajraka, who seemed far brighter than the average shmuck hanging around Seireitei. She was definitely a changed person. It wasn’t just the fact that her vocabulary had expanded exponentially, but Kagami felt a different air around her. Previously, she was a naïve otter wandering the Kuchiki grounds. There was only confident understanding in her eyes now, and Kagami admired that. However, she was oblivious to the fact there was still much naivety about the world behind her eyes, and removing that foundation of ignorance would crush her confidence. It would to her well to protect that naivety. For bad people like Kagami, it would be only too easy to pull the ground right out from under her feet.

"I'm not going to ask what happened to you, quite frankly It looks like you just want to spent the night curled up with that beer. So tell you what. Why don't you come with me? I'll give you something a little less....gritty, to wet your beak with. If you want to tell me what is going on once we get to our destination, or on the way, that is quite up to you." Kagami’s grave eyes met her gaze, and she would receive the only answer she needed in his expression. No, Kagami didn’t want to talk about what was going on. It was bad enough that Hotaru and Aoi had witnessed the events that transpired, for Kagami couldn’t stand the idea of seeing his former glory crumble at the hands of such a one-sided defeat. Out of some remaining trace of his former arrogance and materialistic interest in his image, Kagami refused to share his encounter with Adalo De-Mona and Manami Itou.

However, he wasn’t opposed to walking along side her. A breath of fresh, evening air was just what he needed. “So, where are we heading?” Kagami asked as he followed her lead toward wherever they were heading. He really didn’t care what the destination was, but it was a chance to make small talk instead of walk in awkward silence. He was still holding onto the charming, sociable man he used to be. “What have you been up to recently? You sounded like you’ve gotten pretty familiar with Hueco Mundo.” Ajraka knew of Hueco Mundo’s liquor, so he could only expect that she had spent a decent amount of time there, much of which may have been under casual, social terms. Details she could give him may just be helpful if he wanted to seek out Adalo in pursuit of revenge. That seemed to be all that he was living for at the moment.

[Ajraka Kuchiki]

Ajraka simply watched as he tossed the bottle to the side. NORMALLY she was rather....apathetic to Shinigami problems. They tended to be silly or stupid. Though as he was clearly injured, she was much more sympathetic. Injury sucked universally, and for good reason. So as he agreed to go with her and they began to walk, she stayed close to him, remaining calm, but she was secretly poised to help him if he stumbled. Her hand offered to him so that he could take it as they walked. She didn't know why males liked it, it seemed like a possessive thing, but they did it to wmen they didn't fuck, so the noble practice of walking a woman whilst offering something for them to hold onto seemed....odd. But he seemed like he could use some cheering up, so she extended the offer. 

"We are going to.... my place." Technically true, Actually it was the truth. It's just that her place was mobile, and the place of many others. She smiled sheepishly, running her fingers throughher hair foe a moment as she walked, and quite an elegant walk that it was. Due to her physiology, namely the tail that was as long as she was tall, the way it moved she was actually forced to give significant sway to her hips as her tail swished side to side. It gave her far superior balance to any shinigami, but it also put on a bit of a display. Thankfully her company was not exactly in a mood to likely take too much mind to it. So she didn't bother suppressing it as she usually did. 

"I've been living there actually. Hueco Mundo that is. I went there for a mission. I don't know if you heard about it yet but I was the only survivor. The others were killed and well. It turns out that there was a group of Arrancar and hollows keeping slaves there. I wound up killing the leader and freeing them. And well...due to the...nature, of the situation. It came to pass that I more or less became the leader of these ragtag slaves and defected hollows and arrancar." she chuckled sheepishly. Shaking her head as she thought it over. "I'm sure you remember. I was not very....concerned outside myself. When we first met. I worried about me, and that was it. That didn't really change even as I learned to speak and such."

She glanced at him for a moment, checking up before looking back to the direction they were headed. It wasn't going to be long now, they were halfway there actually. "But I suddenly found myself with over thirty humans, shinigami, hollows, arrancar, and all sorts of folk that looked to me to take care of them. Most of them couldn't go back home. They had been n hueco mundo so long they begged me not to take them back to the world of the living or soul society. That they couldn't face the others of their kind." She murmured, folding her arms as she went. 

"And so. As the new leader, I've been..searching. For a place they can call home. I came to Soul society to tell my father I was alive and what happened. But....well....I won't be staying." She murmured, rubbing at her eyes for a moment as she lightly rubbed at her ear. "Soo...you could say I'm very intimately knowledgable of Hueco Mundo. Though honestly, if it weren't for the bloody map I probably would have run smack into Las Noches and died by now." She chuckled softly, shaking her head, and then looking to the male. She knew she had probably been talking his ear off, but well, he didn't seem like a talking kinda mood. So she talked instead. 

"What I'm about to show you is how I managed to get back here. I'd...prefer that for the time being, it not be something widely known about." She noted, looking to him. Trusting him for now. Or rather...her KIND of trust. Namely that if he went and squealed she'd simply....punish him. Shinigami always got it into their head that when things sucked that they couldn't get worse. Which was never true. Things could always get worse. Thankfully her face said none of her intentions so far as a threat or anything like that. She had gotten pretty used to her crew knowing that their actions had consequences, so she had more or less learned not to have to threaten people. Which was actually quite the improvement, her elders had been trying to teach her not to do that for a few months. They would be rather proud if they knew she'd grown out of the habit.  

[Douma]

Kagami wasn’t limping, but the pain in his chest made his breathing heavy. His lungs weren’t full healed yet, but he could function through the pain. Ajraka, however, must have picked up on his injury and mental state, for she had extended her hand as a personal gesture. But would Kagami take it? He didn’t want or need any help, nor did he care for a ‘friend’ at the moment. He was in a deep, dark place, and maybe he didn’t want to get out. However, there was something about his past, the air of confidence that he once held, that Kagami didn’t want to let go completely. And for that reason alone, he placed his hand in the Kuchiki’s and continued walking.

"We are going to.... my place." Kagami turned to Ajraka with his right eyebrow making an unusually tall upward arch. Maybe it was just because of his background and recent history, but he inferred something from Ajraka’s words that was not even remotely implied. Was she really inviting him to her place for that reason? Kagami knew he’d have to kindly decline, though he was not really in the mood to be polite. Ajraka may be familiar with his reputation, but he couldn’t live up to it anymore. He was about to explain to the beast woman that despite her obvious attractiveness and kind offer, he’d have to de-

Wait. No, no, he was all wrong. Kagami was usually good at reading personalities, and he got no sexual vibe from Ajraka, even though she was holding his hand. In fact, she seemed to be completely straight forward and literal. She couldn’t have suggested that she was interested in Kagami. Sometimes, he forgot that she didn’t think like most human souls. She acted so human, but she was still a beast woman at heart and in the head.

As they continued walking, Ajraka explained her situation in Hueco Mundo. The mission must not have gone through him, so he assumed that his seated officers or even the Captain Commander himself had taken care of the paperwork, so this was the first he had heard about it. But what really interested Kagami was the fact that in Hueco Mundo, Ajraka had survived. No other Shinigami had left with their life, only her. His mind lingered on that fact, like it had an extreme significance that neither of them understood yet.

But then Ajraka continued, and the genius, analytical mind of the Lieutenant of the First Division carefully went over the meaning of her words, breaking them up and analyzing them while applying them as possibilities with limitless potential. She had killed a leader and taken control of his supporters. Kagami would remember that detail, for he stored it in a black box at the back of his mind that he would return to when the time came.

Ajraka may not have been strong enough to take on Las Noches, but she had survived in Hueco Mundo regardless. Las Noches wasn’t the only fearsome force in the endless desert, so Kagami came to a decision. He would measure his value and strength using Ajraka as the scale. If he could beat her despite his injured state, he was strong enough to launch his war campaign against Adalo and Las Noches. He’d only let himself initiate his quest if he at least held his own against the Kuchiki adoptee. And if he couldn’t, then his life really wasn’t worth living. He’d have no purpose.

“Ajraka, your secret is safe with me regardless of what it is, but…” The Vice Captain paused uncertainly, deciding how he would string the words in his request together without upsetting her in any way. “If you survived in Hueco Mundo, you must be strong. I’ve got some unfinished business there, so if you don’t mind, I need to test if I can hold my own against you to see if I’m strong enough to do what I need to do. Judging by this thing that you’re talking about, it’s mobile. If you can take us somewhere remote, I’d appreciate sparring with you.”

Kagami’s voice was as hollow and empty as ever for the majority of the fight until he spoke the words: “Will you test the sharpness of my sword?” For just that sentence, his voice had a steel edge to it, one that was a tad dangerous and excessively ambitious. And if Ajraka was paying careful attention, she’d see a fiery spark flare in his violet gaze before dying back down into the darkness.

[Ajraka Kuchiki]

Ajraka stared for a moment, her head tilting at his conclusions as to how she had handled the state. It was one way of looking at it for certain. She considered the manner in which she had overtaken the ship. She hadn't been very strong at the time, but that had changed almost overnight. She was always stronger than most others, and faster, but that gap had only grown over time. A soft smile spread across her lips that he thought her so strong, rubbing at the back of her neck as she thought it over. Yea...she supposed she was pretty strong these days. But against a vice captain?

"We're almost here. And...I'm....flattered, that you think me so strong. I honestly think it's nice. The leader was....different. He wasn't a fighter. He asked me to take his life. He wanted me to take over the ship. He wasn't...bad....it was as if he wasn't like the other arrancar and hollows." she murmured, reaching up to that fragment around her neck, thumbing it as she felt it's power. "But I've kept the crews in line since then. So yea, I guess I'm pretty strong. As far as my...place..." She smiled as they finally arrived, the middle of nowhere, a massive clearing near the wilderness. It was an open field, nothing but a few odd-looking rocks sticking out of the ground. Massive rocks that looked like they would be more at home in the desert. 

Reaching for her lips, she whistled loudly. Immediately, the ground rumbled softly, they were WAY too far from any rukongai district to notify anyone but the poor rukongai members. They had wandered through several districts in the process so nobody important would notice them. But of course Kagami would notice what happened next. 

SPOILER: Click to show

{Gilliaship}

It was absolutely massive as it emerged from the ground. Over 100 meters in length, and 20 meters in width, the Gilliaship lazily emerged from the ground, curling around the two of them like some massive snake as it gave out a low groan that echoed through the clearing, dwarfing any nearby buildings or slums as Ajraka would hold onto Kagami, keeping him calm. Once it was settled she made her way over to it's head, reaching up and gently petting it's head. A low, pleased grumble came from it and it leaned a little into it, moving a tiny fraction into her hand as she then knocked softly. From it's side, near a surprisingly convenient set of ridges, a natural set of ladder rungs to get up to a hole in it's neck, a membrane sliding back, showing the opening was acceptable. 

Looking inside, Kagami would see that the insides were slightly hollowed out. It was a living ship. THIS was what she had used to get around Hueco Mundo. This Gillian turned into a ship would burrow into the sand, it would be very easy for Kagami to imagine how she would move around so well and how she got back to soul society. Offering to help him up and inside, they would immediately be greeted by the crew. Of course, by now they had gotten used to their Admiral's unusual guests. What Kagami would realize immediately was that there was incredible diversity. Arrancar, Hollows, Humans, Shinigami, they were all there. The non-hollows were a bit stringier, remnants of their slave lifestyle that had only so recently ended, they would however all bow to Ajraka as she entered.


The place had a hard floor, the ceiling was the only soft mushy part, the floor was as armored as the outside was. Ports in the sides, sloping tunnels going into lower decks. It was in all ways, a ship. And She urged Kagami to head to the captain's quarters, though not rushing him as her crew went backw to business. Maintaining the ship. Checking supplies that had been gathered from the rukongai. And the like. "Don't let the surprise hit ye yet. ALRIGHT MATES! SHOVE OFF! We're Headin back!" she roared, a reciprocating cheer coming from her crew as the ship began to move.  It was also clear that Ajraka had dropped that noble manner of speaking. She was around her crew now, she could stop speaking so formally, and immediately she just seemed looser. She lost NONE of that grace of course, her body was just naturally gracefull, but it was as if she had released a held breath she'd been hiding in her lungs. 

"It'll take a few moments for em to prep the garganta. But we'll be in Heuco mundo in no time. I hope that's remote enough fer ye." She noted with a smirk as they finally reached her quarters. The Quarters of the Admiral or Captain. It was luxurious. Skins, trinkets, all sorts of shiny objects. It was clearly befitting her title, and nobility. In the very center: A massive table, glowing softly. Made entirely out of quartz. "Once we get to Hueco Mundo she'll light up, but this is the map. It'll show us where we are in hueco mundo. It's how I've been avoiding Las Noches." She explained softly, smiling to him. "So yea...once we get there, I won't mind testinye. We don't have any proffessionals, but the ship has healers that'll make sure we'll be right as rain after our fight." She stated with a grin. It would be now that she finally paused, giving him a chance to take it all in and react.

[Douma]

Kagami analyzed Ajraka has she considered his request, but he already knew her answer. It was a yes. Ajraka was not stupid, nor was she over-confident. She knew she had limits, but she wasn’t sure exactly where her limits were. Kagami understood such a thing. You’ll never realize how large the world is until you see where it ends. He got a glance at the walls that restricted him in his exchange with the kid-using Arrancar, Col Arana. He couldn’t break past those walls and ended up losing pitifully to Hokori. He tore those walls down and moved past them, but Adalo reminded him that he would always find more walls, taller, thicker walls, no matter how many he tore down and how far he stretched.

She had the option to take the opportunity to test herself against a Vice Captain, to see how far she had come after taking up a mantle of responsibility and proving herself as a leader. Plus, wasn’t light combat a common form of communication for many beast?. It was a universal language, one that was far more true, honest, and straightforward than words. The only reason she had to decline his offer was his obvious injury, but Kagami had made it clear that he didn’t care about his condition. Her answer had to be yes.

Ajraka never gave Kagami a direct yes or no, but he figured that it would then be best to play things by ear, for he was fairly certain that she had agreed, but he’d find out for sure soon enough. It seemed to him that Ajraka didn’t choose to lead the crew, but she was presented the opportunity and somewhat forced into it. Some say that the best leaders are the ones who don’t seek the position but find that they have no choice but to step up to the plate. Kagami had to disagree. The best leaders are the ones that know for sure that they’re the most capable. Maybe this was his chance to test Ajraka as a leader.

But, little did he know, this was her chance to knock his socks off by surprising him with what may just be the single most incredible spectacle he had ever witnessed. All it took was a whistle. From that point on, he felt a very light shaking of the ground before a giant thing dug out of the dirt and headed straight for them. Something clicked in Kagami – perhaps he had found a new goal to live for – and he had the sudden urge to draw both swords from his waist, a one-handed katana-like zanpakuto and a black blade. But he soon realized that it wasn’t a threat when Ajraka’s grasp on him tightened, urging him to stay put and keep calm. The thing was Ajraka’s place, as strange that it was. No, it wasn’t strange. Kagami, even in his depressed state, could recognize how awesome it was. He knew how to make breath-takingly epic appearances from experience, but nothing he did could compare to arriving in a hollow ship like the one that lay before him

“Wow…” he murmured softly to no one in particular as he replaced his weapons at his waist. That was all he needed to say to express his surprise as he followed Ajraka up its side and into the entrance at its neck. The interior was interesting, and the only soft, organic part seemed to be the ceiling. "Don't let the surprise hit ye yet.” “Sorry, too late.” He flashed her his signature arrogant grin, one he hadn’t used in a while. Was it sincere? Maybe. Maybe not. It didn’t matter, because he was back regardless. He had to play the game if he wanted to win, so why would it matter if he was honest with his role? As long as he won, it didn’t matter who he pretended to be or what shortcuts he took, as long as he won.
Ajraka informed him that it’d take a little while to get to their destination, somewhere in Hueco Mundo. Perfect, that was the setting he needed. Kagami was more than ready for this fight, but they still had time. As his hype built up, he looked around the large Gillian ship as the crew scurried past them to prepare for the trip to Hueco Mundo. Most people would have millions of questios, but Kagami really only had one.

“Why do they follow you?” he asked calmly. Everyone has their own motives goals that they pursue through various ways such as joining organizations. What did Ajraka offer to these people? Why were they following her every command. Kagami needed to understand. Ajraka was in a position of power, though her influence was relatively small. Adalo, on the other hand, controlled much of Las Noches. Kagami needed to find a way to expand his reach and power beyond Soul Society. Beyond a small ragtag group of individuals. He needed to become greater – or worse – than Adalo De-Mona could imagine, and Ajraka understood a small piece of the grand image that Kagami sought.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats, Skills, and Items}

Stats

Strength - [100] Points (60)

Speed - [400] Points

Spiritual Pressure - [400] (700) Points

Reiatsu Strength - [250] Points

Light Aura - [65] Points

Dark Aura - [35] Points

Instinct - [150] Points

Senses - [100] Points

Energy sensory - [200] Points

Healing Expertise - [0] Points

Total SP: [1600] Points

Abilities

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

Items:
15 Kunai
10 Shuriken
1 Giant Shuriken
5 Kunai Clips
5 Full Body Condoms
Artificial Zanpakuto - Kagebokkusu

[Ajraka Kuchiki]

Ajraka couldn't help but grin in response to Kagami's...awe in response to her ship. And once they were inside, she was quite proud of her crew. A pair of quincy looked at her and the Shinigami, seeming a little nervous, but a calm wave of her hand set them at ease, and as they entered her cabin, she took just a brief moment to watch the man, eyeing him as he seemed to ask her the question that was so strangely fixated on his mind. Then again she had been commanding them for a while. It was only natural he be....estranged.

"Why... That's an interesting question." She murmured softly, looking down at the table as the gilliaship suddenly was moving. And though Kagami wouldn't be able to see it, he'd feel the sudden loss of sensation outside the ship as the massive thing crawled through a garganta, and they were put into the valley of screams between soul society and hueco mundo. All the while the otter simply paused, tapping her foot as she looked down at the map, and suddenly it lit up. The entire quartz thing shifting, showing off a massive section of Hueco Mundo as she thought it over.

"I was a slave. To be honest. I went on a mission with some shinigami to Hueco Mundo. I had to go through a lot to get on it.. it was not even supposed to be that long. But..." She glanced off to the side, eyeing the walls of her cabin calmly. "The shinigami that were with me died... and the previous captain of this ship captured me. All those non-hollows back there? Those were the slaves. Them and me. Working this ship's under decks. Keeping it going. But as it were, apparently the Admiral of the ship took a liking to me. He'd bring me here... and show me how to use these things. I was.... well a lot more innocent back then.
She noted, rubbing her eyes and rolling her shoulders.

" One day.... e brought me here. A strange arrancar he was... He took this.... tht used to be around his neck.." She thumbed the shard of crystal strung around her neck. "and he gave it to me and said.... that he was sorry. And then he..... well he died. I was suddenly in control. And with a struggle, I managed to kill or drive off the more.. vile crew members. With the help of those that respected the old captain's choice. The slaves were freed. And well... I've been caring for them ever since. I mean... I guess they respect me. They know I coulda just rode this thing to Soul Society, turned this thing in, and been back with my family." She noted, rubbing her eyes.

"But... my father adopted me into his family a long time ago. I was just... an animal. Barely sentient. But he took me in. Even though I was a beast, even though it lost his popularity with some of the family. He took me in like his own. He took responsibility of me. And I felt... that I wanted to take these people in. No matter what their race or nature. Because once......" She paused, gently reaching to her stomach, where that old old scar was. The cut going up one side of her belly. and she closed her eyes. Remembering the arrancar who had given it to her in the world of the living. And her meeting with them during the meteor shower.

"I've had vengeance in my heart before. I let my hatred for something that had fought me get more of me than it should have. and I learned the hard way that they weren't evil because of what they were. And even if they had been... revenge just wasn't the way. I hurt others just to get to her. And in the end... well." She glanced to the door, which led to all of those souls she was responsible for. "Eventually the want for revenge died. And now I look after my crew." She noted, slowly rising to her feet and letting out a slow sigh, smiling a little as the ship suddenly stopped.

"We're here."

---

She showed him back outside. And perhaps... he would be surprised by Heuco Mundo. A sandstorm was in progress. Of course, with the ship positioned correctly, the two of them were shileded by it's massive bulk, but all around them, that horrendous wind roared, enormous amounts of sand billowing in a wide circle around them. The crew had begun setting up a paremeter to ensure that this little test was not interrupted. Of course, Ajraka did not seem at all bothered by the sand. With that oily fur of hers, characteristic to her race as an otter, it seemed to shield her pretty well from the wind and sand that occasionally blew in.

"Well then..."

Ajraka suddenly smiled, her tail swaying behind her as she watched the man, suddenly grinning ferociously as her shoulders rolled aggressively, those brilliant yellow eyes shining with her excitement as she stood across from KAgami, her ears flaring up along her skull as she let him get his bearings as the storm roared around them. The loud boom of thunder sounding in the distance now and then as the bizarre storm raged around them.

"Care to make the first move?"

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats, Skills}
Strength - 350 Points

Speed - 500 Points (750 points)

Spiritual Pressure - 200 Points

Reiatsu Strength - 75 Points (53 points)

Light Aura - 50 Points

Dark Aura - 50 Points

Instinct - 350 Points

Senses - 85 Points

Energy sensory - 20 Points

Healing Expertise - 0 Points


Total SP: 1580 (900 from Class, 680 from training)

[Street Fighting]:2
[Pain Tolerance]:2
[Bleeding Tolerance]:2
[Damage Recovery]:2
[Stealth]:2
[Stealing]:1
[Hoho]:2
[Hakuda]:2

[Douma]

Kagami's Old App

Kagami had really been intrigued by Ajraka’s sudden rise to power. She gained all her influence so quickly, leading a small combat force of her own on a Gillian hollow ship. That is what he wanted, and he was hoping Ajraka would provide an example for how Kagami might do so. However, he was met with heavy disappointment. “I was suddenly in control.” Thanks to luck and a mysterious crystal, Ajraka had gained authority over those other souls on her ship. She hadn’t done so with her own ability, she just won the lottery. She didn’t deserve that power.

Kagami did not let his frustration and anger show in his face. No, he kept his emotions hidden with a blank expression and continued listening for no other reason than to be polite. He had yet to test his blade against Ajraka, and until then, he was going to play nice. So he listened to her uninteresting story. It was a bore, but he pretended to be intruiged. She talked about her family and abandoning her quest for vengeance. That sounded great for her, but Kagami saw the reality behind her words. She was weak. Revenge wasn’t her way because she lacked the strength for vengeance. She is content with her current status because she did not deserve her army of hollows and blindly stumbled upon control of them. Kagami looked forward to bringing her to her knees.

He followed her outside into the sandstorm, positioning himself just twenty feet away from her as the crew positioned themselves in a circle around the combatants. But they were spectators. The crew did not matter, only Ajraka did, and that’s who Kagami was focused on. His eyes narrowed to avoid being blinded by the dust, but his mind was as sharp as ever. “Care to make the first move?” Ajraka was acting like the fight had not yet begun, but Kagami knew the truth. He started preparing for the battle right as they began to step away from the ship. He activated his unique technique Light, Smoke, and Mirrors. His body began to emit reiatsu-charged air, but Ajraka lacked the senses and energy sensory to detect it. This smoke would multiply on its own, covering the entire sandy region in a minute. Although the wind from the storm raged on, the multiplying capabilities of the smoke helped prevent it from dispersing. In time, once the smoke was concentrated enough, it would be of use.

But until then, Kagami was going to continue setting the battlefield up in his favor. With his high energy sensory, he could tell that Ajraka lacked powerful spiritual capabilities. Unless she had another means of combat, her only option would be to dominate physically. Therefore, it was natural for Kagami to assume that she was extremely fast and strong, most likely faster than himself. He would not allow her to press that speed advantage against him.

Out of nowhere, water began to rise from the ground at a rapid rate. In just a second, a large pond had formed from the sand, reaching up to Kagami’s knees. It would slow anyone running through it to a maximum speed of 300 and prevent step techniques. Distortion Sakkaku: Ripple allows Kagami to level the playing field. With it, he was done changing the environment for now. As a master strategist, Kagami rarely made the first move. He instead let his enemies play right into his hands.

“I’ve made mine. Now it’s your turn, Miss Kuchiki.”

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats, Skills, and Items}

Stats

Strength - [100] Points (60)

Speed - [300] Points

Spiritual Pressure - [400] (700) Points

Reiatsu Strength - [150] Points

Light Aura - [65] Points

Dark Aura - [35] Points

Instinct - [150] Points

Senses - [100] Points

Energy sensory - [400] Points

Healing Expertise - [0] Points

Total SP: [1600] Points

Abilities

• [Weapons: Sword] {3}
  
  
• [War Strategy] {3}
  
  
• [Battle Analysis] {3}
  
  
• [Analysis] {3}
  
  
• [Leadership/Charisma] {2}
  
  
• [Guns] {2}
  
  

Items:
Blood Cross
Artificial Zanpakuto - Kagebokkusu
Storage Scroll

[Ajraka Kuchiki]

Ajraka's head lazily tilted to the side when she noticed the shift in Kagami during her story. She was an animal after all. And humans always were so... fixated on the face, the pulse, their breathing. They didn't ever learn other things. Like the way their body subconsciously moved. Their hands, their lips, their other body gestures. Ajraka had hardly studied such things. But her mind, even if not consciously, subconsciously picked up on tiny little.... things. Her eyes lit up for only a moment as she watched him. Even if she couldn't tell what he was thinking, she did sense that something was up.

And of course, outside the ship, this also was the case. Her mind always processed things.... fast. Her instincts picking up, processing, and spitting out stuff at her mind even as Kagami taunted her. Her world was.... boring. A lifetime of things going in slow motion though? Well, she was simply USED to haveing to wait for things to happen. But she had spent and awful long time among sand. And even if she couldn't sense that smoke itself. She did have a knack of being able to process things as they were happening. Like that water.

She was an otter after all, and that liquid that began oozing up from the ground did snare her attention. In slow motion, as the barest bits of liquid becan slowly riding up, touching the barest of her claws on her feet, she would frown. It was.... not water. even if it looked like water... smelled like water... probably tasted like it too. It wasn't water. It was.... dense. By the barest fraction she shifted her leg, and made note of how that water, now the barest of an inch up from the ground, was permated by her claws. And she didn't like it. Of course at a glance up, she knew it was rude to not wait for someone to speak. He looked like he was about to say something... but well...

She braced herself against the ground, her shoulders hunching by the barest amount, and for just a moment, her mind hearkened back to her training. Her eyes fixed on Kagami. The water was still not quite high enough to fully envelop her feet. She had enough time she presumed. In that tiny little increment of time that was between the time that she had noticed the water, and the time that it would actually rise high enough to alter her ability to fight. she did two things.

First was to activate Oogata. A technique that.... annoyingly. Her mentor had insisted that she learn. He had gone on for... well. a WHILE, about how she should protect the Kuchiki name. About how that under certain circumstances, one had to give their entire body in order to accomplish a goal. In order to stomp out the embers of rebellion. To make sure that NOBODY ever looked upon a kuchiki and had anything other than fear or respect in their hearts. And oddly.... she somehow was begining to understand that.

She knew that Kagami, a CAPTAIN, probably had a little opinion of her. Butnow she realized (probably falsely), that he probably thoguht the same of her crew. Ex slaves, who she had worked, t oiled, bled, and shed tears with. A crew she had whipped into shape, disciplined, and bullied into command. She had been made Admiral by luck, naturally. But she had KEPT that title through sheer force and prowess alone. What did HE know?! What did he think he was, her DAD?! I can live my own life! IMMEDIATELY, because of her... well...immaturity. She allowed her thoughts and presumptions to get away from her.

Kagami had done an AMAZING job to hide his intentions. But with Ajraka being the... horomone-driven, childish woman that she was. In the span of what would have taken HIM to simply notice that maybe his wrist itched, she had deduced not only that he had disrespected her, but her crew, her FAMILY, even GASP.... her DAD! In that fraction of a second, the otter had simply vanished, as a sudden, massive Crater had suddenly exploded around the spot she had been just moments before. The water? Fuck the water. Any attempt to fill up space simply resulted in that wet stuff draining into the crater, the sheer shockwaves erupting from Ajraka's body ripping across the sands as so very suddenly, the water was nowhere near her, nor in fact would that smoke be.

The sheer strength of the otter had simply obliterated the mist around her. Even the captain for all his strength wouldn't be able to keep that smoke from being blown away before it even touched the otter as promptly, a set of clawed feet would aim at planting firmly into his torso, and the last thing Kagami would hear before he found himself on the business end of a double kick was "MY DAD IS A SAINT!" As with her.. unfortunately high instincts, she had deduc3ed, somehow, that Kagami, by his simple looking at her, and going all quiet during her epxlanation, was thinking her dad had mistakenly adopted her, and was thus a loser. She had released mid-strike, and with how fast she was going, her entire body was suddenly much larger. Like 10' of angry otter larger.

If she'd managed to land the kick, it was entirely possible that Kagami's candy ass would be sent through a dune and a half of sand behind him before Ajraka caught up with him. Wether her high-speed attack had worked or not, Ajraka DID have time between her first attack, and the frame of time Kagami had when he next reacted. Okay, so MAAAAYBE this was an overreaction. SHITSHITSHIT! What would her father think?! Shit! She needed more time to plan this out. Number one: she definitely was going to need to knock Kagami out. think of a story.. uhh... a hollow had attacked, of course!

Either in the process of following up her missed or blocked kick, or simply following up on the poor man, her next move was a technique. Senka to be specific. With her new roided-out speed. The Otter promptly executed perhaps her FAVORITE technique that had ever come to be learned by her. Roaring Orchid. The kind of technique perfect for a brute like her, shunting that ridiculous speed of hers to the point where she could slam her oil-burning fist firmly into Kagami's body, that insane instinct of hers allowing her to adjust her trajectory if the man attempted to dodge, so that even if she missed, the sudden rush of burning oil erupting from her body would be enough to blow the man away.

Speaking of the oil. With her release, that boiling stuff would be getting everywhere. With her body producing shockwaves, pushing it around. every inch of the battle field probably had been subjected to that hot burning stuff. Eyes. Ears. Fingers. Lips. Lungs. As fate would have it, the heat wasn't even the worst part. But the fact of the matter that mere seconds after exposure, the oil would begin to harden and solidify. And fantastically, thanks to the energy flowing through her body, her sweet little otter behind was making oil of much higher quality than normal. Everything from muscles to tendons, even those glands responsible for pumping out that boiling-then-hardening stuff was resulting in the area around Ajraka, which unfortunately Kagami was in, to be essentially glassed by the stuff. All the while, well... if her body weren't so very insanely tough to begin with she'd probably be in horrendous pain. But thankfully, because of how caught up with her speed her strength was, she'd be in horrible pain later rather than sooner.

I'MSOSORRYPLEASEDONTTELLMYDAD!"

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats, Skills, and Stuff}
Strength - 350 x1.75 (613) Points

Speed - 400 x2.5 (1000 points)

Spiritual Pressure - 300 (150)Points

Reiatsu Strength - 70 Points (35 points)

Light Aura - 50 Points

Dark Aura - 50 Points

Instinct - 350 Points

Senses - 90 Points

Energy sensory - 20 Points

Healing Expertise - 0 Points


Total SP: 1580 (900 from Class, 680 from training)

[Street Fighting]:{2}
[Pain Tolerance]:{2}
[Bleeding Tolerance]:{2}
[Damage Recovery]:{2}
[Stealth]:{2}
[Stealing]:{1}
[Hoho]:{2}
[Hakuda]:{2}

-400 reiatsu for Oogata
-350 reiatsu for Yaseishin Class 3 Release
Post 1/3
-175 reiatsu for Roaring Orchid class 4
575/1500 reiatsu remaining

Oogata effects:
1226 Strength, 2000 speed
Post 1/7

Lutra Oil Hardened strength: 1226
Lutra Oil Burning Offensive Strength: 1100 Upgrade thread

Roaring Orchid Attack Speed: (Speed x 5) 10,000
Roaring Orchid Attack Strength: 1226 + (25% of base speed =250) = 1476

[Douma]

Kagami underestimated Ajraka. He knew he was in trouble the second that her reiatsu began to surge. Perhaps another Vice Captain would have lost then and there, but Kagami had three key assets that saved him in that fight. The first was his energy sensory. It not only helped him realize that Ajraka was using a technique, but it also let him peer into the otter’s soul. He felt raw, immature anger. She was very reckless, and that rash attitude made her predictable. Kagami knew she was going for a straight-forward attack.

But the second trait that gave Kagami an advantage was his high levels of analysis. He could not only anticipate and understand events within fights, but he was remarkably good at noticing general patterns in and outside of combat. His high skill in Battle Analysis and Analysis, coupled with his his energy sensory, allowed him to connect the flow of Ajraka’s to physical enhancement. She just got very strong and very fast, so Kagami had a split second to counter.

And that’s where his third advantage came in. Ajraka was spiritually undeveloped. Sure, she was strong, but the otter’s soul wasn’t as powerful as Kagami’s. His energy sensory and high analysis capabilities let him predict Ajraka’s movement, giving him to tools he needed to perfectly time a counterattack. Exactly when Ajraka launched herself toward the Lieutenant, she would feel his gravitational pressure pressing down on her. It would shatter her concentration and tighten her lungs.

Without her wits about her, she was simply a body flying through the air toward Kagami. The Vice Captain was ready, however. While he exerted his gravitational pressure, he simultaneously released his zanpakuto, allowing him to form a mirror wall one foot in front of himself to block Ajraka’s flying body. As she ran into the mirror, a green blade would leap out of it, piercing the center of her body and skewering her like meat on a shish kabob. The mirror’s blade would cast Bakudo #38: Mirafureru to cover Ajraka’s insides with a reflective coating. The blood that would pour out of the wouldn’t be red. Instead, it would look like a liquid mirror.

Because Kagami’s gravitational pressure broke Ajraka’s concentration, it would also interrupt her release, preventing her oil defense from defending against the blade. By crippling Ajraka’s mental integrity, Kagami was able to halt Ajraka’s plan and leave her vulnerable to his own offensive. Sure, Kagami’s counterattack had multiple parts, and so executing it made his breathing a little bit heavier. However, he didn’t fight physically like Ajraka. His style of combat was more intellectual. Although his gravitational pressure trick would only work once, it had given him the only opportunity he needed to end the battle.

“It’s over, Ajraka. I can slice you up from the inside out now. Concede.”

She was weak. Kagami was strong. If she kept fighting, Kagami would have to give in to the dark voice in the back of his mind.

Kill her. Kill her. Kill her.

Reiatsu Remaining: 6675/7000 (-200 for shikai, -25 for summoning a mirror, -100 for Mirafureru)

Shikai: 1/10

Mirrors: 1/5

[Ajraka Kuchiki]

Kagami certainly had underestimated Ajraka. And probably in more ways than he realized, because when he unleashed that gravitational pressure on the otter. IT was...... not the distraction he probably hoped it would be. because when Ajraka had taken control of the ship, She had been....young. Her soul had been weak. She had been even weaker than shed been now! If she had been as strong as she was when she first took up the ship, Kagami's spiritual pressure would have killed her on the spot. And even though none of them had been as strong as he. Plenty of members on that ship had tried to make her bow down with spiritual pressure alone.

But Kagami wasn't THAT strong.

His spiritual pressure made it hard, but it did not stop her. If she had been as slow-minded as he was, then sure, he certainly would have had a VERY big opening with which to launch his series of attack successfully. But she was an animal. and her instincts, her reflexes, were so high above his own that the brief moment it took her to feel his pressure, shunt reiatsu through her body, and overpower the force he exerted on her was probably faster than the time it took for him to release. And of course, Ajraka FELT that release.

Which DID change one thing admittedly. Her body slipped into that special state. The state of pure, raw, instinct-driven cunning. The instant she felt him building reiatsu to release, she was upon him, having been thrown out of her rhythm, she didn't unleash roaring orchid. Instead, she executed a much more graceful move, having she herself released rapidly, not at all deterred by his spiritual pressure as she had more than enough energy to do so. But instead of that Roaring Orchid technique, she did something else.

She simply appeared behind him, moving so much faster than he could manage to throw that mirror up. In that brief window, Ajraka had stabbed forward with her clawed hand. Now in a normal circumstance, a REAL Senka was designed to precisely and accurately take out the soul sleeve and the soul sleep inside of one's body by thinly slicing through them. But unfortunately, Ajraka didn't have a sword. So she had a much less elegant version of the technique, where she simply plowed her clawed hand twice through Kagami's chest.

Of course, if she had simply stabbed him, someone of captain's rank might have been able to retain his powers. But she hadn't stabbed those points, she'd ripped two wrist-sized holes in the spot where they would have been. Just as that mirror of his formed behind her. In the back of her mind she could sense it so ridiculously easily. shinigami release was so spiritual after all. Unlike a yaseishin, which was mostly just slight alterations of the body, a shinigami projected their soul into the environment. And with a soul a spowerful as Kagami's, it almost gave ajraka a headache as she had dodged that attack by simply not JUST outspeeding it, but by pure virtue that she just had so much more time to react to what kagami was doing.

And unlike that first attack she'd had planned, this one was eleven times faster. Kagami's wits and reflexes wouldn't be saving him this time. And ontop of that, without even turning around, Ajraka raked her claws in his direction, and with that steam bursting off of her body from how fast she was moving, her claws snared on that steam, unleashing a crescent slash of five clawmarks at the man's back, an effort that didn't even expend reiatsu because of the type of aquatic animal she was. Those thin lances of steam would race at Kagami from behind almost immediately after the end of her senka, and those powerful lances would aim to rip open his back as well as reap straight through him. and even if he HAD the reflexes to defend from that attack from behind, the attack was a martial arts move, it was based off of her sheer strength, not her spiritual abilities. If he attempted to defent, those lances of steam would rip clean through his mirrors and still tear through his body. Similarly to how any defense, any armor, any skin defense he might have had would do nothing to protect him from that senka.

She chastized herself. The mock-senka she'd initiated before. She had been worried about spending too much reiatsu and had simply used her raw speed to try and emulate a senka, thinking that roaring orchid would be fast enough that Kagami wouldn't be able to react to it. Was Ajraka a childish woman? Yes. But she was not some dumb animal. She was a hunter. A Predator. And a predator did not stop when you knicked its paw. It simply found another way to get to your throat. That said... His spiritual pressure WAS annoying.

She couldn't afford to stop there. She could use her reiatsu to push off his spiritual pressure, but not forever. Those eyes behind her titanium bear mask narrowed as she looked over her shoulder. She jabbed her hand forward and flexed, a single claw jabbing at the air three times, using the shockwaves from her flexzing like bullets to fire three times into Kagami's body. Aimed at both of his kneecaps from behind, and then once into the center of his back, just above where the shoulderblades met. She did it all the time with fish and small animals.

Back when she was just...a mongrel. every now and then, a fish or animal was too big. And she'd have to tear out it's knees. And then that spot on it's spine. It was always weirdly high. If she went to low then some of it would still move. It had taken a while to figure out the spot on souls. Because it was so rare that they would attack her. But she remembered about where it was. Hopefully Kagami's anatomy was at least similar to that of a normal rukongai dweller. But... in any case... if that didn't work, then well... she was screwed. She woldn't be able to resist his spiritual pressure much longer. She could brute force her way through it for just a while, but after that... well... it was just too much.

That titanium mask shifted on her face. Her limbs were shaking slightly, both from the strain she had put on herself as well as having to deal with Kagami's spiritual pressure. And at this point she knew that if this hadn't finished it, she had lost. So there would be no point in continuing to struggle. Besides. Even back then, some of her crew had been of a higher class of soul than she was. That was still true. If Kagami decided to try anything after his win, well, she trusted her crew. And besides.

Even if he slaughtered them all. What would that accomplish?

Him being stuck in Heuco Mundo.

Forever.
"I have to admit. I didn't someone would win by sitting on me with their fat spiritual ass. I always assumed someone of a Captain's cloak could win by virtue of his abilities and his skills alone. I guess I shouldn't expect that of non-noble families." She mused, in a quip that would have made Sozen proud. Of course she was going to shittalk. She had won in her mind. Even if he was still kicking, and he just used his bulky soul to pin her down. She had forced him to do that. She had proved she was faster than him. She had proved she was stronger than him. She had proved she was more skilled than him.

So when she ACTUALLY finished growing, and once her full potential was realized? That meant that in the future, he would be nothing to her. Once he could no longer put his spiritual fut on her neck. He would be helpless. Because she'd be even stronger then. And he'd still be....

Just a Man.

And actually...just knowing that... made her smile. She considered letting that titanium bear mask fade, but... she kept it on. It would be close... VERY close... but she still had a bit more in her. She wouldn't be able to do anything fancy... but she felt like she'd be able to hold out just a bit more. So she smirked, grinning in Kagami's direction as she let her own spiritual pressure rise in defiance to his.
"Stay down. Admit your loss. Now." She growled at him.

Roaring Orchid Interrupted.
-100 instead for an Actual Senka (so getting 75 reiatsu back compared to last post)
Senka Attack speed: 22,000
-300 reiatsu to resist spiritual pressure.

Used An Zam: Khaliu Oyodol, no reiatsu cost using her oil
Ranged Claw speed: 2000
Range Claw offensive strength: 1226

575+75=650, 650-300= 350

350/1500 reiatsu remaining

[Douma]

OOC: Firstly, Kagami’s a Vice Captian at the time of this thread. Sorry for not catching that earlier xD Also, I checked with Kento and Kyomei before putting this post together.

Unfortunately for Ajraka, she overestimated herself. It’s true that her mind worked far more quickly than the average person’s, and that her body could keep up. However, the difference between the power of her soul and Kagami’s was simply too great for her to resist so quickly. No degree of mental speed or physical superiority would allow her to immediately recover from his gravitational pressure. The unlucky otter picked a fight with somebody far too mature for her to overpower.

Kagami watched with a dark satisfaction as the otter’s uncontrolled body slammed hard into his mirror wall, a green blade ready to meet the beast woman and pierce through her abdomen and out of her backside. Ajraka would be held up from the blade, a small waterfall of reflective blood dripping from the wound. It was over. Even if she tried to keep fighting, he would slice her body up from the inside-out.

But that didn’t change the method that Kagami used to win. Had he not been able to use gravitational pressure against the young, underdeveloped Ajraka, he wouldn’t have been able to resist her raw speed and strength. He still had a long way to go. The slip of paper in his pants felt like it weighed a hundred pounds. The mysterious man handed it to him in the hospital, an invitation to smuggle drugs and weapons into Soul Society. Kagami was not nearly as strong as he needed to be for the job, but he had a month to prepare himself before reaping the benefits of illegal operations. If that was where he needed to gain his strength, so be it.

Ajraka was helpful with one thing. She reminded Kagami about leadership. It wasn’t all about strength. Ajraka was powerful considering her spiritual immaturity, but the otter’s power was not connected to her influence over her crew. That all came through luck. Luck derived from the people around Ajraka. If that man hadn’t given her the necklace, she would not have gained her authority. Douma needed to work hard, but he also needed helpful individuals on his side, some who might one day just stumble upon some luck.

Kagami’s smiling face looked to Ajraka. “You’re a strong leader. In no time, you will be much stronger.”

Ajraka could be the first of his lucky allies.

Shikai: 2/10

Mirrors: 1/5

[Ajraka Kuchiki]

There was a lot going on in the exchange. And Kagami's counter was.... well VERY impressive. He had managed to stun the otter, and when she had been about to use her reiatsu to force her way through his attack, she had instead been stabbed at with that blade. Or well... eventually. The fact of the matter was that her Yaseishin was still active. And with how fast she was going? Burning oil was still erupting around her body. Even before that blade had a chance to hit her, it was already melting. The edges of the mirror softening as that hot oil was in it's way like a veil. The stuff immediately beginning to harden on contact. The blade itself slammed into her, and broke the skin before she could even flex. But Ajraka's was a HARD body. Not to mention the fact that the sudden surge of gravitational pressure forced her body to flex, straining to keep herself upright. It didn't stop the blade entirely, but the blade only sank in an inch or so before the sudden seizure of muscles caused it to clamp down. The difference in her strength compared to the ability of his blade was large. Not large enough to immediately crush it to sand, but enough that it would immediately be compressed, the oil-covered blade digging into her flesh.

She dropped, the blade sliding up and curring up along her chest instead of stabbing into her as she crumpled ontop of it. Only with her sheer size and the ammount of mass eh had, the blade simply snapped off. As her oil immediately would begin melting and coating his mirror in oil. It was a good defense, and a barrier between Ajraka and him, but he would soon have... a LOT of problems. The force of that boiling oil rushing outward , even with that mirror in the way, the oil would surge outward and he would feel it begin burning away at his flesh. And of course hardening.

His eyes. His Lungs, his ears, every part of him that that vaporized oil could reach qould be subjected to the ferrocious and merciless heat of her yaseishin before it began to harden, cooled down by his inferior body temperature and begin encasing him in a solid oil prison with strength equal to Ajraka's own strength. Not only locking his body in place, but assuming he was breathing to deliver that little comment, the oil would beign hardening inh is throat, over his eyes and ears, and covering just about everything else on his body. That mirror also being encased in oil meant that it didn't have the offensive strentth to go branching out into little needles inside of her. And given how massive she was, it wouldn't have mattered.

The sheer sensation of being stabbed had stopped her from even resisting his spiritual pressure immediately, she had been entirely planning on counter attacking. But at the very least, it meant that she could just use up that stamina now that she'd had time to recover. Kagami had been spared a brutal beating, but was faced with the sheer bad luck of being AROUND Ajraka with her release active. A release that was very close to ending, but she had enough time to make him suffer.

She removed herself from the oil-covered blade and would eye it, seeing that the inner portionf ot that oil coating it had been turned all silvery, a fate that would have doubtlessly occurred to her blood and innards had it not been for the oil. She flicked her gaze to her wound. Given how large she was it was shallow, not even that decent of a wound. Several inches deep, it barely had penetrated her layer of muscle, in fact, she almost wondered if her bone had stopped it. Sure she didn't have insane spiritual force, but with her strength every aspect of her body was tough. Even without flexing, her bones were still very tough.

"Thank you." Ajraka murmured, narrowing her eyes a little as she rolled her shoulders. The wound was barely bleeding, given that her oil was actually in her wound thanks to his blade. she was bleeding, but well... bleeding had never much bothered her. She was already getting over the damage. She sgrabbed onto that oil-covered mirror and simply tore it aside. Because of the oil coating, it wouldn't shatter, as the oil had her own strength in durability. So it was flung aside, as her strength far out matched his reiatus's ability to keep it in place, and she stared down at him, standing at her full height as that burning aura continued, the sand at their feet slowly glassing ovr as it was melted, and then cooled down as the oil solidified over it, possibly even sealing Kagami to the ground.

"I think that's enough for now. I'm tired." She grumvled and suddenly her yaseishin vanished, her oil dripping from her body. Of course... Yaseishin was a physical manifestation. That oil wasn't a result of her reiatsu, her reiatsu just adjusted how her body produced the oil. So when her yaseishin ended, that oil was still there, encasing Kagami, as well as what was there as his zanpaku'to. A moment after that, her mask vanished as well, and she sank to the floor, letting out a loud huff as she groaned and lay on her back, no longer bothering to resist the man's spiritual pressure any longer. Several of her crew was already on it's way to treat both combatant's wounds as well as to chisel Kagami out of the hardened oil surrounding him.

"But I disagree on something. Strength has little to do with my leadership. I don't know a lot about the court guard squads, but on my ship, theres plenty around that could probably kill me if they ganged up. I'm their leader because those on the ship are alive because of me. They're free because of me and the friends that I went to hueco mundo with. They don't respect me for my power, but because of what I've done for them. Even after we were freed I could have left. I could have ditched them. In the middle of the desert. None of them knew much. Most of them were still weak from being chained to a deck."

She then smiled, glancing at the shinigami. "The old man that was my mentor always said. 'A kuchiki does not rule by force alone. We are not tyrants. Win their love, not their fear, and even in your weakest moments they will stand beside you'." She paused, thinking over it... she actually kinda missed that old coot. "If you like. I'll stick around. vice Captain or not, you seem like you have some stuff you need help with." She pointed out, and assuming he wasn't still being a dick with his spiritual pressure, she would sit up.

"If you ever need a place to hide let me know. Or even just a ride. You look like you could use some friends." She noted with that bright smile of hers. She had no idea how right she was.

Reiatsu resist delayed.
Yaseishin post 3/3.

Ending Yaseishin, Ending Oogata.
And of course Ending the Fight.

GG