Homecoming [ R | NDE | Frost | Hibiki ]

[Kamikawa Hibiki]

Thread Title: Homecoming
Participants: Miranda Frost and Kamikawa Hibiki
World: Soul Society
Death Setting: Non Death Enabled
Rating: R
Location: Rukongai. Thread starts at Hibiki's store in Junrinan.
Special Conditions: IC Wager. Additionally, with permission from ZWolf, and a mutual agreement in discord, this thread is modified to allow us to use items up to class 6 to help test low level item-based combat.
Circumstances: Frost stumbles across Hibiki's clothing store in Rukongai as he is remodeling it. After a bit of conversation, the two end up deciding to spar with each other for a test of skill and a small wager.

[Miranda Frost]

The first week was over; finally, Miranda’s request to return home was accepted, much to her surprise. As she crossed the gate that separates the Seireitei from the rest of the Soul Society. Miranda smiled and looked up into the sky as she walked over the stone road running through the first district. A soft wind blew over her form, carrying her long pale hair along with it. The light grey clouds hung low, blocking a good majority of the sun from shedding light upon her pale flesh. She couldn’t complain much about the weather. The temperature was mild, and the cooling breeze made for perfect traveling weather.

She’d level her gaze with the road before her, her form weaving through the afternoon commute crowding the streets. Her hand gripped at the black saya of her Zanpakuto, securing it against her hip. Her chest pounded not just from the anxiety of having to sift through this many people, but by the sheer excitement this week had played out. When she walked into her former squad’s barracks and found that set of orders waiting for her on her bed, she was heartbroken. She had spent two years serving alongside squad seven and to be put somewhere else was profoundly demoralizing.

That feeling changed quickly when she met her new captain and vice-captain, Hotaru Kuchiki-Masuaro and Arantima Aoire-Kawada respectively. The aura they gave off was nothing like anything she had felt before aside from her former captain. Although she couldn’t quite comprehend the scope and meaning behind the feeling she felt, she knew whatever it was leaps and bounds over the position she was. It was as if she was an ant staring down the brilliant radiance of the sun. At the time she was horrified and, at the same time, relieved. Until that point she had been content at merely staying at her stagnant level, never to grow in strength and spend the remainder of her days doing the menial tasks given to her.

No longer was that the case. Her heart yearned to achieve what they had accomplished and learn what they had learned. For this reason, she had requested to return to the place her that sown the seeds of her future. Miranda smiled. She was going to see the townsfolk she was raised with. Miranda was going home. Perhaps she’ll find a piece of the puzzle she so craved to complete. Her eyes glanced to her left at the various shops and vendors that lined this busy way. “Maybe I should bring home some gifts…”, she’d think to herself before cutting her way through the crowd that blocked her.

“Sorry. Coming through. Make way! Excuse me!” Miranda barged her way through the stream of people and into the dust that lined the walkway. She glanced up at the sign above the store she rushed to, attempting to decipher its name. Reading was never her strong suit. She’d step closer, ducking beneath the gold curtains that separate it from the from the busy, busy world outside. She’d tilt her head, her steel grey eyes trailing over the room. “Oh my…”, she muttered under her breath. The whole place appeared to be in shambles. Clothes were strewn in piles. Coat racks were broken and splintered. Frilly hats were hung from any protrusion available.

Her hand calmly yet instinctively fell to the brown leather wrapping of her Zanpakuto’s hilt. She’d take a step and hear a shuffling of feet further down into the store. Frost would crane her head over the various racks to see, but with all the clutter and mess she couldn’t quite get a good picture. She’d step around a rack, careful to avoid stepping upon any of the quality clothing laying about. “Anyone in here? You ok?”, she’d call cautiously, taking another step. Her face tensed and her hand drew her blade out an inch. It had gone quiet, too quiet.

[Kamikawa Hibiki]

Ever since he had returned to Soul Society, Kamikawa Hibiki had been focused on one thing, and one thing only: Power. He had become obsessed with the fact that he had lost his strength. It haunted him in his dreams and while he was awake as a source of everlasting torment. His days were consumed with research and training in an attempt to regain that which he had lost, but thus far it had led to only minimal effect. He had regained a fraction of his power, but most of it still escaped his grasp. For quite some time, he had cursed his weakness. What mattered was the power he had lost, and that it had to be regained. Nothing else.

Stark naked in front of a bathroom mirror, that was how the healer felt about his life at that moment. He stared at his reflection in the mirror and realized that he was disgusted with what he saw, but not because he saw weakness. There was stubble on his face, and the shine in his eyes had diminished to the point where he appeared to be sick. This was not the man that he was. It seemed that in his blind pursuit of power, he had lost sight of what was really important to him. He wanted power to protect people, and to heal his comrades, but the goal had become its own motivation as of late.

This time he cursed himself not for his weakness, but for what he had allowed himself to become. To be obsessed with battle and power was not the way of a healer. He had become no more than another brute who sought power for the sake of power alone. Pathetic. Whereas he had spent no more time than necessary on morning preparations the last several weeks, he instead took the time to properly greet the day. His body was cleansed. His stubble was shaved smooth. His skin was revitalized with all manners of products, and his hair was properly styled for the first time that he could remember. This was the man he was supposed to be. An icon of good looks and fashion. This felt right.

In truth he attributed this realization mostly to his encounter with the Segunda Espada. Her carefree nature had made him realize what really mattered in life. Even though she was supposed to be one of the most powerful people in any of the three worlds, she hardly had a care in the world. Someone that strong had not sought power, but companionship, and her attitude had rubbed off on the medic for sure. He owed her a great debt, as without that day he may never have been able to break free from the self defeating pursuit of power that he had been so haunted by. But it had happened, and he was far better off for it.

Still naked, he walked over to his closet and looked at what clothes he had managed to procure. With his body well sorted out, there was still the issue of what to dress it in. It occurred to him then that his wardrobe was nowhere near his own standards. It was mostly plain white and blue shirts, some slacks, and some ties. Outside of that there was naught but a few Shihakusho and some shoes. That was when Hibiki remembered his old store. He hadn’t visited that place since he had been returned to life, and figured that was the best answer for the time being. Rather than focusing on restoring his power, he needed to focus on restoring himself as a person.

In the end, the medic threw on something that the previous owner of his room had left behind. It wasn’t even something that was vaguely to his taste, but that was the point. He needed to push himself not just in the pursuit of strength, but in the pursuit of what fashion was. His conservative fashion as of late was likely the reason that Hitsu did not answer his calls. He wouldn’t put it past his Zanpakuto Spirit to refuse to answer his call over something as seemingly petty as that. Given his powers were based on his sense of fashion though, the pursuit of fashion was the same journey as the pursuit of power for this Shinigami.

Dressed in something that he normally wouldn’t be caught dead in, the medic made his way out into Rukongai sporting a charcoal techwear jacket and pants that were surprisingly comfortable. Truth be told, he felt like a bit of a ninja wearing this outfit, but apparently this was what was “in” nowadays. He had made it back to his store and was sad to see that the place had gone to ruin, but happy to see that the building at least still appeared to belong to him given that no one new had move in. He made his way into the back and dug around to see what all was left when he heard someone call out, “Anyone in here? You ok?”

He turned on his heels and made his way back to the front of the shop, Zanpakuto visible on his hip but not drawn. ”Ah, yes, hello!” he called out to the visitor in his shop. His hand brushed through hair and he laughed aloud at the state of his shop in that moment. ”We’re doing a bit of remodeling right now, but if you need a special order I’ll see what I can do for you.” He had offered a joke to the person before him, but it wouldn’t be too unlikely for him to be considered a thief with how he’d chosen to dress today. ”Shinigami are you?” he asked, with a finger pointed at their sword. ”Kamikawa Hibiki, best tailor in all of Squad Four at your service.” Hopefully the offer of his name and squad was enough to keep him from getting jumped.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Outfit Reference}

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats and Skills}
Stats
Strength - [100{50)] Points
Speed - [90] Points
Spiritual Pressure - [50] Points
Reiatsu Strength - [90(135)] Points
Light Aura - [100] Points
Dark Aura - [0] Points
Instinct - [50] Points
Senses [100(50)] Points
Energy sensory - [0] Points
Healing Expertise - [100(150)] Points
Total SP: [580] Points

Skills

• [Kido] {1}
  
• [Battle Analysis] {1}
  
• [Hakuda] {1}
  
• [Mental Incantation] {1}
  
• [Calm Mind] {1}
  
• [Pain Tolerance] {1}

[Miranda Frost]

”Ah, yes, hello! We’re doing a bit of remodeling right now, but if you need a special order I’ll see what I can do for you.”

Miranda’s eyes shifted to the man that had appeared at the back of the store. He had a casual, “This is all alright” air about him despite the state the store was in. She’d observe the clothing of the man and see that it was a stark contrast to what she was used to. It didn’t fit in with the theme of the area, given its Japanese and far-eastern feel. However this was just something else. The western style was nearly completely lost on her. Did those pants really have to be that tight on him? They looked uncomfortably tight… Her hand moved to cusp her chin, her eyes narrowing upon the man.

”Shinigami are you? Kamikawa Hibiki, best tailor in all of Squad Four at your service.”

“And a comedian as well? You are a man of many talents, Hibiki.”, she mused letting her hand fall away, resting upon the pommel of her blade. She’d turn to the rack of various dresses to her right, her fingers flicking through the various fabrics and colors that caught her eye. “My name is Miranda Frost of squad 10. Nothing too special, just heading back home for the weekend.” Her hand would pause over a simple navy blue flared dress. The tips of her fingers slid over the smooth and light fabric, her nails testing the subtle stitches holding it all together. She wasn’t much of a clothes expert, but even she could tell this was made well. Frost removed it from the rack and turned towards the shop owner.

“I’d like to provide a gift to my district, you see. Any spare clothing you could muster, even articles you were planning on tossing will be fine.”, She’d explain, her free hand reaching into her shihakusho. From within she’d pull out a heavy pouch of coin, presenting within an open palm. Saving this much over the two years as a shinigami had been a pain, but worthwhile. “Here. Take that and… I’ll probably grab this dress while I’m at it.” While it did hurt to use up her reserves in such a manner, it was all worth it in the end. She could just imagine the wide smiles on their faces.

She’d grin and step forward, placing the hefty sack of coin atop the tailor’s head before stepping back. Frost chuckled and held the dress up to her form, her chin dipping over the wooden hanger that held the bit of clothing. She’d glance up at the pretty boy tailor curiously. “I mean, I think it looks good, but this is your art, right? What do you suggest? I prefer simplicity. You know, ‘Less is more’.” she inquired. As she stated such a thing wasn’t in her own expertise. Wearing the same few uniforms for two years would do that to a person, but even before what she wore wasn’t anything to write home about.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler}{Spoiler}{stats}
Stats
Strength - [80] Points
Speed - [90(63)] Points
Spiritual Pressure - [70] Points
Reiatsu Strength - [90(135)] Points
Light Aura - [75] Points
Dark Aura - [25] Points
Instinct - [70] Points
Senses [50] Points
Energy sensory - [25] Points
Healing Expertise - [25] Points
Total SP: [500] Points

Skills

• [Learning] [1]
  
• [Calm Mind] [1]
  
• [Hakuda] [1]
  
• [Strength of Will] [1]
  
• [Swords] [1]
  
• [Pole-arms] [1]
  
• [Cold Tolerance] [1]
  
• [Battle Focus] [1]
  
• [Battle Analysis] [1]

[Kamikawa Hibiki]

Hibiki couldn’t help but smile when he was called a comedian. He wouldn’t go that far, but he tended to be pretty sure of himself when it came to his charismatic nature. For many folks, a simple joke was the easiest way to get on good terms with them. He listened closely as Miranda offered her name in return. It was always important to be a good listener. You never knew what little nuggets of information people would accidentally volunteer if you paid close attention after all. They could tell you all sorts of things about their motivation, or what was important to them. These were the kinds of things that could influence how a conversation played out.

Whether your goal was just escaping with your life, making a friend, or getting laid, it was always important to listen as much as you talked. In this case, Miranda offered quite a bit of information about what kind of person she was. She valued charity, as she intended to donate the clothes to those in her home district, with only an eye for a single dress for herself. He let her place the coins on his head, and gained a confident smirk when she did so. If nothing else she recognized his talent. That was always nice. It wasn’t just his products that she saw value in though. She recognized him as an artist, which wasn’t something that everyone did. Heck, she’d even asked his opinion.

”Mmm… I think we’ve got a few problems actually.” He took the bag of money off his head, and tossed it back to Miranda. ”First, you can keep the money. Everything in here is out of season anyway. Truth be told, I’ve been away for years, and I wouldn’t be caught dead selling these old designs. You can take anything you want that’s finished, but…” he wrapped one arm around Miranda’s waist and steered her towards a mirror while his other arm plucked a different dress off a rack nearby. ”But I think something like will do better for you.”

He brought the other dress in front of her, with one hand holding it against her collarbone, and the other still on her waist. ”The lighter shade will help your complexion seem a bit brighter, and the cut is more flattering for your figure. Better to show off that you work out than hiding your figure behind something so dark.” He pulled the dress up and draped it over her shoulder, letting it rest there without his aid. Having had his fun, the tailor took a few steps back to a normal conversational distance. ”It really would be a shame to hide such a well honed body behind too much fabric… but I think that’s the best I have on hand right now.”

Clearly, he wasn’t happy with what he had on hand. ”I’ll tell you what. How about we go a round.” He waited just long enough for her to get the wrong idea, given the half-flirts he had already offered. ”A spar that is. I’ve got no problems donating the old stock, but I think I can offer a decent wager. If you can win a round against me, I’ll make you something new, free of charge. And if I win, we go on a dinner date.” He smirked at her with quite an air of confidence. This was a win-win for him anyway. ”Sound fair to you?”

Dress Reference

[Miranda Frost]

What a pleasant surprise! Not only would she be able to give her home a good shipment of clothing, but she’d be able to keep her money while doing so. Two years worth of pay that would have been gladly given up. The sheer generosity of the man took the mild smile lazily resting on her face and stretched it wide. Her hand caught the hefty leather pouch. She’d ensure that it was fastened and slipped back inside her uniform, tying off to the pale shitagi beneath the black over-layer. “That’s mighty kind of that man. Might treat myself to a drink later.”

As Frost ran through her options for the evening ahead, the tailor moved in closer and wrapped a hand around her waist. She’d jump slightly in her spot to his touch, the palm of her hand instinctively falling to the pommel of her zanpakuto. Over her two years as a shinigami, such a touch would have warranted a kick to the shin. “It's fine. It's fine. It doesn’t bother me. I’ll let it slide.” She’d follow his lead over to the nearby mirror and grasp the light dress offered to her. Frost examined it with a bit more of a critical eye than she’d expected.

Miranda didn’t know what to think about showing her arms, but she trusted the man about what was considered decent in the realm of fashion. She did agree with him in regards to the colors: the light hues of the dress blended surprisingly great against her fair flesh. As he backed away she’d turn with him, her arm cradling the fabric against herself. Hibiki was dissatisfied with the offerings he had available, but Miranda liked what he chose. It wouldn’t have been her first choice as her preference was, oddly enough, those with darker hues, but it worked just fine.

With that little transaction done, Hibiki proposed something interesting. She knew something was familiar about the blonde-haired man. His mannerisms were much like her squad seven friend, Jura. Though Jura was a bit more of a brainless piece of raw meat than the more slender Hibiki, they both sported quite fabulous blonde hair, and both were womanizers of sorts. However, Hibiki was a bit more elegant with his work. Had the contest proposition never been made, she’d never guess as to what he was aiming for. She’d turn from him, her hand stroking at the edge of her chin.

“Fair, but I recommend some changes to your wager”, She’d suggest, turning towards the tailor. “I only have a couple of days in which I am allowed away from my post, you see. I am leaving here on foot so it should take me until this evening to arrive. I accept your challenge, pretty boy, but only if you help me haul this shipment of clothing out. Might make the trip a bit quicker than I had planned.” Frost would walk by the tailor, softly draping the dress over the nearby counter. If she were to spar, she wouldn’t dare ruin such a gift. I take it we are doing this out back?”

[Kamikawa Hibiki]

Well that was unfortunate. She had agreed to the match, but had changed her victory reward from and excuse for him use her as a model into having him do manual labor. Now it seemed their mathc would actually be a win-lose situation, rather than a win-win. That was definitely not what he wanted to do with his free time, so he’d have to hope that he could actually win a fight against this Shinigami. Given his track record after coming back, he wasn’t exactly hopeful about his changes of victory, but it was too late to back out now less he looked like a coward. Well, he was actually okay with that, but he was also overconfident in his abilities, despite that track record.

Besides, he was pretty motivated for his win reward. Maybe it had just been the lighting at first, but once they had moved around a bit he realized that Miranda was actually even better looking than he had first given her credit for. She had looked almost sickly at first, but in different lighting she was truly beautiful. It would definitely be a shame to miss out on a chance to take her out for a nice evening. That just meant that he had to find a way to win somehow. Luckily, Hibiki wasn’t above playing a little dirty when it came to a wager like this. He had a few goodies tucked away that might give him the edge on this fight.

”Yeah, we’ll head out back… and then over a few blocks. I’d rather not accidentally hit a bystander with a stray bit of Kido.” That had been his answer about the location for their fight. As he started to head out the back door of his shop he answered the other question. Well, it was less of a question and answer, and more of a statement and acknowledgement. ”And yes, if you win I’ll arrange for your things to get back faster than you could do it alone.” He was careful with his words. He never volunteered himself for physical labor. No, he had some guys that owed him favors he could call in for things like that.

Assuming Miranda then followed him out back, the two of them walked for several blocks until they reached a grassy field on the edge of the district. Had they tried to fight directly out back of Hibiki’s shop it would have been nothing more than a city street, and that was hardly acceptable. Civilian risk aside, there wasn’t even enough room to move around. This field was a far better area. It was a good, expansive section of land that was seldom used, and was one of the few places in the first district that was a suitable location for a spar. The rest of the distrct was simply too closely packed with homes and shops.

Once out in the field, Hibiki turned to Miranda and took up a fighting stance. His left side was out in front in a fairly typical martial arts stance. His blade remained sheathed. Perhaps she would take this as a cue to start off with hand to hand, or perhaps she would realize that a medic simply had no confidence in his swordplay. The latter was the truth for sure. Hibiki was awful with a sword, and far better at defending himself with the use of his hands alone. With a confident smile towards his sparring partner he would invite her to begin. ”Ladies first.” Hopefully he was actually ready for whatever she had in store for him.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Items on Person}
Stack of class 6 explosive tags.
Stack of class 6 grenades.
Class 6 Protective gloves.

[Miranda Frost]

If Hibiki’s actions were anything to contemplate over, Miranda would guess he was shifting the area of their spar to somewhere that benefited him the most. The area he led her to was as he described, large, open, and suitable for those that wielded kido. The change in scenery was an understandable one when considering the possible loss of civilian life due to kido and various other ranged methods he may or may not have. However, Miranda had not gained proper access to the proficiency required to properly cast and control kido, so it's likely this change in scenery was only to the tailor’s benefit.

Furthermore, Hibiki had also chosen the method of battle in which they’d fight. He chose not to draw his blade. “Interesting”, she pondered. Could his skill with a sword be overshadowed by his hand-to-hand skills? Miranda didn’t know to cast and control kido properly. There wasn't much she knew about the way he fought so she couldn’t jump to conclusions right away. Going straight to a stance, he had offered her the pleasure of beginning their bout. Frost chuckled and leaned down to free her feet from the confines of the tabi and waraji. “You know, I think you misunderstood me, Tailor-san. I believe I said that you’d help me move those clothes.”, She’d sigh in relief, setting the footwear by her side.

“That’s ok I suppose. In either case, you’ll be accompanying me on my weekend I assume. If you’re getting this date, this will be the perfect moment for you, I’d imagine." Her toes curled into the moist soil beneath her. Her hands reached into her shihakusho and pulled out free a pair of protective gloves, slipping them on. Between the gloves, the spear on her back, and a few other things on her person, she had been requested to pick some up for the guardsmen that served as a militia in her hometown. Given the possible size of Hibiki’s donation, she was sure they wouldn’t mind her testing these new items.

Rather than draw on her Zanpakuto, she opted for the simple spear on her back. Its structure was simple in nature with a smooth, polished oaken shaft topped with a steel tip. Her hands gripped tightly to the shaft, the tip poised low by her side. “Alrght then. Let us begin!” She’d charge at him, spear in tow. He held the advantage already in letting her take the first move, so perhaps it would be wise to start small. His stance and his proficiency were not too easily gauged just by him waiting. Whatever trap was waiting for her, Miranda would have to spring it.

When close enough thrust she’d spring to him, her spear thrust forward toward his chest, splitting the space between them with its shaft.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Items stuff}
Class 6 Protective gloves
Class 6 Spiritual Steel Pole-Arm
stack of Class 6 grenades.

[Kamikawa Hibiki]

Hibiki noted the drawing of the polearm, and dependent on how close his sparring partner was paying attention, she may or may not have noticed that his hands disappeared inside his sleeves for a moment. It wasn’t just to look silly or anything. The tailor had, once upon a time, been a model in his own right, and he’d argue that he could still pull that role off quite well. One of the old tricks he had in store from those days was the quick change. In this case it was simply a matter of his hands popping into his sleeves, some gloves somehow being put on, and his hands popping back out of his sleeves.

It was a movement that took him only a moment, and given their black color, they blended in with the end of his outfit’s extra long sleeves. It was possible that his opponent wouldn’t even notice them, but it ultimately wouldn’t matter a ton. What was more important that she didn’t notice was that his hands were closed, and more accurately that something was in his hands. It wasn’t his sword, but rather he had slipped an explosive tag into the palm of his left hand when he went to put the gloves on. He figured that if she was gonna use a weapon, then it was fair for him to do so as well.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Start Music - Naruto OST - Strong and Strike}

In this case, he had chosen to not respond to her dialogue, and instead had just laid in wait for her attack. When she rushed in, Hibiki raised his left hand to block her swing, with full faith that the protective gloves would keep him safe from the swing of the bladed weapon. What he found instead, was that though the swing didn’t draw blood, the strength and momentum of the attack was enough to bash straight through his hand and leave his arm a little tingly. Thankfully he had been smart enough to adjust his stance to intercept it in a way that the thing didn’t dig into him when his guard failed.

That said, his goal had been achieved. The explosive tag, though torn a bit, was placed onto the tip of the polearm. If Miranda drew it backwards to throw another thrust, then she’d find the tag exploded with a force of 200 power. Unfortunately, Hibiki had no clue how strong or weak these tags were, and in trust they would only do 100 IP worth of damage to the polearm. Far from enough to break it. On top of that, his left glove was quite deeply scratched from the polearm. He couldn’t make a habit of relying on them if he wanted to keep his hands hole free.

After that first strike, he immediately retreated backwards in hopes that he could stay out of range of the explosion from the tag, should it go off, but also to give himself the moment he needed to prepare a kido. His aim wasn’t for his opponent, but rather for her weapon. His hope was to blow it away so that he wouldn’t have to deal with it for long, and he wasn’t about to assume that the thing was going to be done after one little explosion. It did look to be pretty good quality. With that thought in mind, he fired off a quick, ”Hadou Number Four: Byakurai.” It wasn’t much, but it was what he had.

A bolt of lightning leapt from his fingers towards the polearm, and he wasn’t sure how well it would work. Was the thing made of wood, or metal? He was unsure of the composition of the base of the thing. Could it stand up to his Kido? He had no idea how its durability measured up against the power of his spells. Unfortunately for him, the answer to the latter of the questions was that it would have absolutely no problem tanking his spells, and in fact wouldn’t even be damaged by his Byakurai. It was simply more powerful than his spells, and out classed them. Oh well. Better luck next time champ.

Reiatsu: 475/500
-25 for Byakurai

Gloves Durability: 412.5/525
-112.5 from polearm hit

Explosive Tags Remaining: 2/3

SPOILER: Click to show

{Explosive Tag Shop Entry For Reference}Name: Explosive Tag (3)
Description: A small scrap of paper lined with a special ink that reacts to Reiatsu. When Reiatsu is pulsed through it, the ink becomes active, causing it to detonate the next time a different Reiatsu signature comes within a set range from it.
Type of Item: Tool
Class: 7-4
Item Power (IP): 150 + 50/Class (Max IP: 300)
Offense Type: Physical
Durability: Equal to Base IP
Bonuses: Once active, this tag can be stuck to any source, where it will remain stuck there with the user’s highest spiritual OS. If anyone besides the user comes within 10 feet of the tag, it explodes. This range increases by 5 feet per Class, up to a maximum of 25 feet at Class 4. Additionally, when this explosion hits any items, it ignores the item’s IP and automatically does half of its IP in damage to the item’s durability.
Drawbacks: Consumable items; once used, these items are lost, regardless of thread rating.
Costs: 1000 Ryo + 750/Class Ryo.

[Miranda Frost]

Miranda was not the sharpest blade of grass in the meadow, but even the steel of her eyes could reflect upon the less than subtle movements he made. Inside his sleeves, his bare hands had dived and revealed themselves with gloves very much similar to her own. Perhaps they came from the same origin? By the time he made his move, there wasn’t much she could do, her momentum was already entirely dedicated to this opening attack. She saw it, the swift reach of his hands attempting to conceal the application of some unknown paper to the spearhead as he blocked it with his hands.

The spear tip bashed into her opponent’s protective gloves. She to was curious about the functionality of the gloves. She had put a decent amount of force into the spear thrust so seeing minimal damage to the gloves was surprising. Judging by whatever Hibiki stuck Frost was right, there was something up Hibiki’s sleeves both metaphorically and literally. Muscle memory dictated that she pull back her spear and try again, but her mind had the nagging feeling that she shouldn’t. Whatever he had put there was placed intentionally. Pulling the tag nearer would probably be the last thing she’d want to do.

And thus, she’d loosen her grip and leap backward allowing the spear to fall in the space between the sparring partners. She couldn’t risk damaging the spear past its usefulness, it wasn’t hers after all. Whatever the slip of paper did, it probably wouldn’t do any good for the structural integrity. As she slid back, her hand fell to the hilt of her Zanpakuto, Yogure. Hibiki had other plans than worry about her next move, such as dealing with the possibility of the spear being used again in the current bout. Frankly, Miranda was not even amused in the slightest definition of the word.

Miranda didn’t stop and wait for him to fire the kido, however brief it would have taken. “Easy, Miranda, do what you need to do” Her grip tightened around the leather wrapped around Yogure’s hilt, pulling it slightly from the weathered scabbard that held it. She inhaled and took a step forward, her reiatsu pulling reishi to the soles of her feet. Shunpo wasn’t something she was very proficient in, however at this short of distance she didn’t need to be a master at this basic technique. Her form blurred upon release of the step, rocketing towards the squad 4 member.

Frost would emerge from the sudden burst of speed before Hibiki, her feet planting into the soft earth beneath them. The momentum generated from the step continued to flow through her arms as it drew the rough, rusted blade with ease. The aim here wasn’t to maim or kill but to draw blood. From the angle in which she drew the blade, she’d follow the draw into a diagonal slice upward across Hibiki’s chest. She was confident that her blade wouldn’t harm the fellow shinigami to a serious degree, but she was no expert. Perhaps the blade would cut deeper than initially intended, but such thoughts were blocked from her mind.

Reiatsu: 650/700
-50 for Shunpo

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spear info for reference}
Name: Spiritual Steel Polearm
Description: A rather basic weapon, this polearm is about five feet in length with a blade of approximately eighteen inches at the end. The blade is made of spiritual steel, and the shaft is treated to be similarly durable, though it is slightly weaker than pure steel.
Type of Item: Weapon
Class: 7-1
Item Power (IP): 125 + 100/Class (Max IP: 725)
Offense Type: Physical
Durability: 1.75x Base IP
Bonuses: None
Drawbacks: None
Costs: 3000 Ryo + 1000/Class

[Kamikawa Hibiki]

SPOILER: Click to show

{Play this - Hunter x Hunter OST 3 - Holding a Card File}

It looked like his opponent had seen through his tag placement. Rather than pulling the spear back towards them and having it blow up in their face, the polearm was rapidly discarded and left where it had dropped. He fired off a Byakurai at the polearm in an attempt to blow it up, but the beam neither seemed to do any damage to the polearm nor did it trigger the explosive tag, since his was the reiatsu that had placed the tag. Still, it had at least been discarded, so that meant he was safe from that one threat. Wait a second, he’d already learned this lesson before. This wasn’t the first time he’d seen an opponent discard their weapon at the start of a fight.

The last time had been years and years ago. A joint match where he and Raygin fought side by side against Kaen Youji, then Vice Captain of Squad Seven. At the start of that bout, Kaen had spiked his zanpakuto into the ground, and proceeded to engage in melee combat without it. Kaen had done that because he was an expert Hakuda combatant. Was there a similar reason here, or was it purely a reaction to the explosive tag? Even with that one threat out of the way Hibiki still backpedaled to make some more distance before the next attack came. Extra space was rarely a bad thing to have if his past experienced was to be believed.

Hand to hand wasn’t going to be the case this time though. His opponent drew her sword. Sure enough though, that extra space came in handy as Miranda busted out a step of Shunpo. Her own movements weren’t as fast as Hibiki’s own though, so despite having non-remarkable mental faculties, he was able to mostly follow her movement. In the instant that she landed, her now-drawn Zanpakuto was slashed towards the healer, but at that moment a lovely little distraction would likely grab Miranda’s attention. An explosion filled up the space directly behind her, seemingly out of nowhere. Without realising it, she had traveled right past the explosive tag on her discarded spear, which triggered it.

Thankfully for both combatants, they were clear of the blast thanks to Hibiki’s backpedaling and Miranda’s Shunpo-aided speed. Still, that explosion was enough to merit a momentary bit of confusion for his opponent that would make reacting a little bit easier for the healer. He wasn’t surprised anywhere near as much, given that he could safely see the explosion go off, and he had been expecting that tag to blow up anyway. It would deal 100 points of damage to the spear which wasn’t enough to destroy it outright… or really to deal a significant blow to it at all. Oh well, it at least provided the momentary surprise that Hibiki needed to prepare a better counter than “catch the sword with a protective glove.”

All he had needed was an extra moment to charge his reiatsu. Rather than catching it in his palm as he might have otherwise done, the healer pointed his right index finger at his opponent’s zanpakuto and promptly sent the blade back the way it came. With a reiatsu strength of 135, and thus a pushing force of the same measure, he had used Sho to blast the blade away from him. Given it wasn’t an overwhelming difference in raw power, Miranda likely held onto the blade without issue. He had mentally cast the spell though, so that might have caught her off guard. What was odd was that he didn’t follow up with another immediate attack.

No, instead Hibiki had turned on his heels and started to run for the hills. The reason why would be fairly obvious if Miranda happened to look down. There was a small egg shaped object sitting on the ground at her feet. It had just fallen there, right out of Hibiki’s left sleeve. The object, of course, was a grenade. It had a five second fuse on it, but Miranda would have to high tail it out of there, or send the thing flying, as it would blow up everything within 45 feet a good bit only seconds later. Sure, Hibiki wasn’t exactly playing nice, but this was a fight after all, and they were just getting started.

Reiatsu: 450/500
-25 for Sho

Gloves Durability: 412.5/525

Explosive Tags Remaining: 2/3

Grenades Remaining: 4/5

SPOILER: Click to show

{Grenades (Class 6)}Name: Grenade (5)
Description: A small, egg-shaped object that, when its pin is pulled and the item is thrown, will explode exactly five seconds later with deadly force.
Type of Item: Weapon
Class: 7-4
Item Power (IP): 150 + 50/Class (Max IP: 300)
Offense Type: Physical
Durability: Equal to Base IP
Bonuses: When used, a Class 7 Grenade deals full damage at a range of 15 feet, with damage reduced to half from 16-40 feet from flying shrapnel. Both ranges increase by 5 feet with each Class, with a maximum full-damage range at 30 feet and a maximum partial-damage range at 55 feet at Class 4. When this explosion strikes an item in full-damage range, it ignores IP and automatically deals half of its IP to the item’s durability.
Drawbacks: Consumable items; once used, these items are lost, regardless of thread rating. Grenade will explode after five seconds regardless of where it is, so the user must throw it immediately or be struck by their own weapon.
Costs: 1500 Ryo + 500/Class..

[Miranda Frost]

When Miranda had discarded her spear, she had a suspicion that a trap of sort had been set. So far that’s what Frost had surmised from her fight so far with this squad four member. The slip of paper, this tag of sorts, that Hibiki had slipped onto her speartip didn’t sit well from it. She didn’t need the spear to fight, so why not deal with one less threat? Traps are meant to be sprung but not from the likes of Miranda. She was still too weak to power through such things, so why bother with all of them?

When Frost saw her opening, she did get excited. She saw his action of attacking her discarded spear a mistake and had rushed in to capitalize, but in the euphoria that her illusion of imminent success gave her, she had forgotten the manner in which she had discarded the weapon. Perhaps she had thought she tossed it to the side or allowed the momentum in her thrust to carry it further. This was not the case. In her narrowed vision on the opportunity in front of her she practically stepped over it in her rush to get in close. Grave Mistake.

The tag exploded in a burst of spontaneous heat that singed the ends of her hair as her momentum continued to carry her forward. Her balance was disrupted by the shockwave sent forth from the blast and her blade had careened off course, missing the target and hindering her ability to make up for the miss right away. Even if she could, the kido Hibiki had used shoved it back further. Hado number one, sho, but one without as much as a verbal activation. She had last experienced it her bout with Arantima, her lieutenant, but he had not used it in such a way.

“Mental incantation? He’s got talent”

Before Miranda could fully recover Hibiki had turned tail and run. Given his track record so far, that meant he was surely up to no good. She hadn’t seen the object that fell out of his sleeve, but she sure as hell heard it, the dense thud of something relatively heavy embedding into the moist ground beneath her. She wouldn’t wait there to find out. When her foot finally touched back down she sprung forth after Hibiki. If she were a betting girl, then whatever he dropped behind him was similar to that damned tag. She narrowly got out with just singed hair.

Then the boom came, and a more potent one than that of the tag Hibiki had used prior. The ground shook beneath Miranda’s feet destabilizing Miranda’s balance once more. Paired with that, the blast’s shockwave rocked into Miranda’s back with a gentle nudge, stealing away any remaining balance she may have. “Ugh… grenades” She tumbled to the ground, her previously clean uniform picking all of the grass and dirt she had removed from a week’s worth of patrols. “All of that effort. Gone... It's ok. It doesn’t bother me. It doesn’t bother me.” Frost would recover and sigh, her hands gliding over her form to knock the dust and grass from her.

Her fingers would come across tears in the outer layer of her uniform from that rough tumble. “Ok It bothers me, it bothers me a lot.”. Explosives, he had to use explosives. Who uses explosives in a spar? She imagined the lunatics in squad twelve might, but he’s in squad four. He’s a damned combat medic. He is supposed to be a support troop, not a damned assault specialist. Frost clenched her blade and waved it frantically at Hibiki just ahead of her. “What’s the god-damned idea? This is a spar, not a demolition range. Keep using them and you might just get your fucking date. Just know when you do, I will take any decapitated legs of mine and shove them so far up your ass that you’ll be drinking water from my separated kneecaps!”

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spear damage}
468.75/568.75

[Kamikawa Hibiki]

Oh shit. Hibiki had fucked up. He’d fucked up so bad. Many of his old habits and ways of looking at the world were still well in tact from the time that he was stronger than he was at that moment. In his mind, a proper attack was something that dwarfed buildings, that threatened to annihilate entire city blocks. To his brain, something like a little grenade was no more than a nuisance. It was the kind of thing that, at the height of his power, he could casually shrug off without really worrying about it. But he was at the height of his power no more. No, nowadays he was far weaker, and the grenade was probably his strongest attack.

Given that the days where he was casually throwing around Hado in the 70s and 80s were long gone, he really needed to re-evaluate what a “spar” meant to him. That said, he had never really considered a spar to be any real different from an actual battle, except for not purposefully aiming for kill shots. He had figured that, even if it went off right in their face, Miranda would have been able to survive the grenade blast. How much of that was his old standards though? How much of that was him forgetting how weak he was now? Yeah, he was definitely in the wrong here, and he was in pretty deep shit as a result of it.

Without any further prompting, Hibiki dropped down to his knees and bowed down before his opponent. ”I beg your forgiveness. I always fight as if my life is on the line, and I had expected you to be able to dodge, block, or otherwise avoid attacks at that level. Please forgive me for attacking in a way that actually risked serious injury.” He rose from his bow and stood back up. ”I must say though, I didn’t expect such colorful language from you. If you wish to try and take out your anger on me, then come at me and see if you can give me the beating I deserve. No more explosives. Just what I can do with my own body.”

He took a step backwards into a fighting stance and waited for an attack to come. He was a man of his word, and he had said no more explosives. That would indeed be the case. If Miranda was willing to continue the fight, then she would find Hibiki limited himself to his Hakuda, Kido, Hoho, and Zanjutsu. Of course, given his lack of talent in the last of those, it was really just the first ones that would see use. And Given that his opponent favored a sword, as most did, he wasn’t sure that he’d get much use out of his Hoho either. If nothing else he could at least test out of his protective gloves still, and see how far his Hakuda and Kido could take him.

Reiatsu: 450/500
None Used

Gloves Durability: 412.5/525

[Miranda Frost]

Miranda’s heart raced within her chest and adrenaline flowed thick within her veins. Who knows how long her frustrations lay boiling down there in her core for something like this to let it free. There was so much weight suddenly pressing down upon her shoulders as of late and it all started with her transfer to 10th squad. Why was she transferred? She may never know for sure. Perhaps it was the lack of progress over the few years she spent there. Regardless, she had friends in that place and although she wasn’t transferred far, the need to get stronger had taken precedence in her life whether she wanted it to or not.

Her first day was spent fighting her lieutenant, Arantima. How much of a struggle that was was hard to put into words. She, an inexperienced unseated officer, and one of the weaker ones at that had to duel a vice-captain. The battle went as expected, like trying to swim across a wide river with heavy weights tied to her ankles. There was no contest, and as a result, she was forced to summon a power there was no hope of controlling. Her body still ached from that event. This trip of hers was supposed to help heal her body and mind, but this comrade stood before her. She hadn’t the time to spend her trip wounded in a hospital bed for even one day.

These explosives warranted an equally explosive reaction, but as Miranda stood there listening to his wordy apology and her own thoughts, the intense fire in her heart had already lost its fuel. She sighed and rubbed the palm of her hand into her temple. “There is no need. I blame my own pitiful inexperience. We are soldiers, after all. We train to defend this place we call home. If I wanted an easier life I… I should have just stayed home.” As Hibiki rose she would return the bow. “I apologize as well, for speaking to you in such a distasteful manner. I just… have a lot of things on my mind lately.”

She rose from the bow, her blade still clenched within her steel grip. Colorful huh? Not many people referred to any aspect of herself in such a way. Then again this wasn’t a frequent occurrence. “You sound as if you’d enjoy that.”, she’d chuckle, the corners of her lips curling into the slightest smile. She’d sheath Yogure, letting the rough blade grind its way down its tight and secure home. How fair would it be to have him cease his use of his own weapons when she still wielded her own? No, after her explosive episode it wouldn’t be right of her to do so. Who knows perhaps he wouldn’t have thought her to be much of a hands-gal. Boy would he be surprised.

She fell back into a fighting stance of her own, albeit one of a more sloppier expertise than Hibiki’s. Little did he know that her skills with her fists were just as proficient as her blade, but she assumed he didn’t know that. If this was the case, she’d have to grab that advantage by the horns and ride it all the way to pound town. “It’s your move this time, Hibiki” If the man wanted his date he was going to have to work for it. No need to fatigue herself more if it wasn’t needed. There’s a reason why she was going on this trip in the first place.

[Kamikawa Hibiki]

Well it looks like he had avoided someone wanting to neuter him for his violence in the heat of a bout, so that was a good thing, but he couldn’t help but feel bad about it. What surprised him most of all was that Miranda actually apologized for her language. I mean, she had said some unkind things, but Hibiki had totally deserved them. He wasn’t some polite little delicate flower that would curl up and die just because someone said fuck. Honestly that apology caught him off guard, but soon enough he had his composure back, and was throwing verbal jabs back at his sparring partner. ”Oh it would just have me on Cloud Nine.”

Though he sounded sarcastic, that comment was really no more than a joke. Cloud Nine, unknown to most people, was the name of a Kaido that turned pleasure into pain. If Miranda had a familiarity, even if only theoretical, with the healing arts then there was a chance that she’d get it, but most likely was the scenario where the medic was resigned to quietly laugh to himself. Jokes aside, he freshened up his guard and declared, ”Right. Time for round two then!” With that much proclaimed, he took off towards his opponent as fast as his pathetic nearly-human legs could carry him. There was plenty of time for Miranda to ensure her guard was up, given the distance between them.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Play This - Hajime no Ippo OST - To be a Winner}

The healer pulled back to throw a punch as he ran, but he didn’t ever actually intend for that punch to reach. He stopped a full arm’s length shy of making contact with the other Shinigami, but his attack wasn’t over just yet. His right out was out for the punch, and his index finger was pointed down at an angle towards Miranda’s waist. Lest he get accused of some more trickery, he announced the name of his attack, even though he didn’t need to with his talent for mental incantation. ”Sho.” It was a simple enough spell, and would do little more than knock his opponent backwards a few paces if it hit, but there was a decent chance of that given his feint.

Regardless, he followed that maneuver up with another attack. Next on his agenda was a side kick off his front leg, the left one. If the Sho had been blocked, or Miranda had otherwise maintained her distance to be relatively close, then it was just a basic snap up, extend, and BAM. If the Sho had hit though, then a sliding side kick with that front leg was used to close the distance and launch another attack. In either case, the kick was aimed for her torso. The healer’s currently limited control over his still weakened body restricted him from some of the more advanced moves, such as kicks to the head that required more flexibility than he could currently muster.

It was a relatively plain attack sequence all things considered, but a side kick had a decent amount of power behind it since you could throw your whole weight behind one really easily. If it hit, then even at his strength disadvantage, it wouldn’t exactly be fun, but it also wouldn’t be enough to do any kind of lasting damage even on a direct hit. That part was due to the aforementioned difference in strength. If nothing else, at least his form was decent. He wasn’t quite on his A game by any stretch of the imagination, but at least he wasn’t completely garbage. Hopefully that would be good enough to at least give him a good fighting chance against Miranda.

Reiatsu: 425/500
-25 for Sho

Gloves Durability: 412.5/525