May Our Paths Cross Again [R/NDE/Closed]

[Ailene Haschiro]

Thread Title: May Our Paths Cross Again
Participants: Kazuna Hashiro & Ludwig Verrlicht
World: Human World
Death Setting: Non Death Enabled
Rating: R
Location: The Ruins of Kazuna's Old Village
Special Conditions: None
Circumstances: The path of an Arrancar is a lonely one. Little sense for compassion, Kazuna decides to visit his old village. Before he became a Hollow. In it, as he is reminiscing the past, he runs into an old acquaintance. The Squad 13 Captain, Ludwig Verrlicht.

[Ailene Haschiro]

The sands of Hueco Mundo. The white desert that spans for eternity is shrouded by a moon that may never extinguish, Hollows that ravage the land like mindless animals, no foliage to speak off and of course, the Noveno Espada whos bare footprints can be seen, pressed into the cold sands. Now of course, what is the Espada doing here? A sense of sorrow and loneliness touches him as he maintains no connection towards his comrades.

Continuing to walk through the sands, Kazuna whips his scythe around. Blood stains the cold sands of Hueco Mundo. Why? Well Kazuna is here slaying Hollows left and right? Why? Simply because he has nothing better to do. The decapitation of Hollows, pools of blood running down the dunes of the White Desert, nothing, but the light of the moon to shine upon such relentless bloodshed. It isn't like he has to do this.

Eventually he runs into a Hollow who charges him. He smirks somewhat before sighing. Quickly stepping to the side, the blade of his scythe is buried into the back of this Hollow. It howls in agony as it falls to the ground. The blood that stains Kazuna's robes isn't anything new. In fact he does not really care as he just shakes his head. Yet again, another condemned soul that had to die at his hands.

This one was different. It was still moving and Kazuna looked down at it. He raised an eyebrow and stood before the heaving Hollow. At this point there was nothing it could do? It could only sit there and try to crawl to safety. Kazuna scoffed and began to speak. "You poor creature. You still thing that after having your carapace shattered and quite literally on the verge of death...that you can still leave?" Was there any sympathy in Kazuna's eyes? Perhaps a little as he thought about what he had just said.

The Hollow looked up at him, that mindless hunger still in its eyes. Kazuna sighed. He should not have expected better from a mindless beast. That is what he was after all. Then again...Kazuna was one there. He understood what it meant to only wish to devour. One day, however, Kazuna gained his sentience, only wanting to get that horrid mask off of himself. Once he did, he had evolved. Become something greater.

That greatness would not be put to waste as he began to experiment with what he could do now. Now no longer being destined to devour everything in sight, Kazuna finally had a purpose. One of his own choosing and he could finally decide what to do with himself. That is what he thought of with this Hollow. Kazuna sighed and removed his scythe from the Hollow. He looked down at it once more. "Prove your determination to evolve by surviving...and rid yourself of this horrid existence."

All that he would do is walk off, allowing the Hollow to live. Perhaps one day it may do so and become something greater. But for now it was cursed to this miserable existence. Perhaps soon it would eat enough and finally see the sense in removing that silly mask. Becoming an Arrancar. The ultimate goal of a Hollow. Well...the true goal was to become a Vasto Lorde, but ultimately, the two remained linked.

Now what was there to do. Kazuna thought about it for a moment. He was not sure what was left for him. He wanted to become stronger, but how could he do that? Perhaps all he needed was some time for himself. Some time to relax. To reminisce. In essence, Kazuna would become more in touch with himself. The question was not how, but instead where. Slaughtering these Hollows made him even more bored than he already was.

Still thinking about it, Kazuna finally came upon a conclusion. Ever since he became an Arrancar, it has been centuries since he has seen his old home. His old village. Could it be that it was still inhabited? No it couldn't be...there was no sense in going. Atleast that is what initially passed through Kazuna's thoughts. He decided to dissect the thought in his head. To see how feasible it really was. He continued to walk on.

The more he thought about it, the more interesting the idea sounded. Kazuna couldn't deny the interest in seeing how things changed. Was anyone still alive? Was it inhabited? These were all questions going through his mind. Questions that needed to be answered and so he decided that this would be a good idea. To go back and see how things would go here. To see his upbringing one more time.

Quickly slinging his scythe over his back, Kazuna was now determined to do this. To go to his old village. The only way to get there was of course a Garganta. With an incredibly small motion, Kazuna had created a void in space that began to open up. It appeared to be only dark. This was natural for a Garganta. What would he see in his old home? It made him a little excited. As he stepped into the neat pocket, a surge of reishi emanated out.

Creating a path was not hard for Kazuna as he simply did not require the need for a Hollow to open it anymore. In fact, he could not only open it easily by himself, but create a path of reishi to easily traverse the storm of Reiatsu. This storm was not easy for just anyone to traverse and with it, Kazuna looked back at the desolate sands of Hueco Mundo. The black sky, shining moon and white sand then disappeared under the closing of the Garganta.

As Kazuna made his way to the other side, he began to reminisce back to when he was alive. An interesting set of thoughts actually went through his mind. Thoughts about his mother, father, and sister. How they all cared for him and loved him. But the time period allowed them all to be taken by pestilence and disease. What an unforgiving time and Kazuna could not help, but feel alone in the end.      

The Garganta would naturally open, the same black void appearing on the other side. It was daytime, a relief for Kazuna. The dark moonlit sky of Hueco Mundo was actually quite pretty, but in the end, it was all the same. As Kazuna looked around, all he saw was a forest. The forest he used to play in. Kazuna would recognize it any time. Despite the long time that has passed, it was not impossible for the Arrancar to determine his position.

As of right now, Kazuna was not too concerned with running into anyone as the area itself was too shrouded by the forest to allow himself to be seen. It was rather difficult to see past all the dense foliage and with that, Kazuna actually just ended up traveling through the thick forestry, parrarel to a gravel path he knew to exist. The thing about it was that aging has led it to simply have grass grow over so now it was far harder to see.

As Kazuna got to the border of what he saw as his old village, he was shocked to run across something. An old gravestone nearby. Covered by moss and dirt, the trees beginning to shroud it and grow over it. The gravestone read, Kazuna Hashiro. The Espada's face sunk as he looked upon the tombstone. He moved his hand beside him and unleashed a bala upon the gravestone causing it to shatter. The detonation could be heard from a fair bit away.

Kazuna was now worried that someone may have sensed his presence due to the Reiatsu surge from unleashing a bala along with the loud noise, but he did not let it affect his view. What he saw in front of him, were the mossy and time withered remains of his old village. It seemed desolate as there was nobody nearby and all that could be heard was the wind that began to blow throughout the area.

Taking a moment to think, Kazuna sighed as he began to walk through the remants of the Village. Old buildings, rotting wood and dead leaves scattered the area. He saw some familiar buildings. The rotting sign made of wood that adorned the Blacksmith's old armory where many a man would go to equip themselves against the horrid creatures and people that inhabited the surrounding area. The church in the distance with its rusting large bell. Countless neighbors whose children once ran around in search of adventure. Regardless, Kazuna turned to his right as a touch of sadness actually hit him.

He saw his old home. It was still rather sturdily intact, the stone brick composition his dad had designed allowing it to withstand the test of time far better. The Noveno Espada jumped up and sat on the broken roof, being able to look inside the decrepit house. It was nothing that he didn't expect although he did not assume that the house would still be standing after all this time. Regardless, the Noveno Espada would sit atop the roof of the house, sitting in silence.

As he looked around, he tried to make sure that nobody was currently within the confines of the village. He did not want to alarm anyone despite being an Arrancar. Of course if there was a Soul Reaper, they would most likely soon engage in combat with him. He hoped there was not one around, but perhaps if there was, the Soul Reaper Kazuna would meet was someone who knew him. Someone who he had met before.

[Ludwig Verrlicht]

Ah Germany, Ludwig’s homeland and honestly in his opinion the best place on earth. Sure it had its moments in history where it wasn’t at it’s finest but even those moments had their highlights in them. Exiting the Senkaimon to his home country Ludwig took in a deep breath and sighed happily. The air felt cleaner or clearer, something better than the Soul Society’s air. As well as Karakura’s air. Perhaps he was just being biased but honestly it felt great as he breathed and alone on his time off, more like snuck off, and he wasn’t about to let it get ruined. However in his attempt to just quickly leave the Soul Society so he could manage another visit he ended up finding himself somewhere he hadn’t been prior. Not even in his past life time. It was of course to be expected given the circumstances but he had to admit he had sort of wanted to see a city again.



With a small shrug and any negative thoughts dashed away he lowered himself down to the ground so he could walk around and just roam. He had to admit that while cities were concrete forests with so many connections all around he still loved natures homegrown forests. There was something to be said about how nature, when given the time to manage itself, was able to make everything around it apart of itself. Ludwig didn’t even have to look far as he’d seen, just barely, a village off in the distance while he had been above the forest. Just another show to how nature eventually reclaimed everything if man didn’t take care of time to hinder its ability to do so.



Once he landed on the ground he merely walked toward the village at a slow pace. He didn’t know the area but he knew Germany as a whole was pretty light on spiritual beings let alone threats as a whole. So he didn’t feel concerned whatsoever and proceeded to just walk as he pleased where he pleased. Although he kept it slow enough that he could keep an eye on the view of the forest, the animals that hide at the corners of his eyes, and the foliage that grew from every section he walked on. After what seemed like a short while he hadn’t made it any closer to the village as he’d taken a few detours to see a particular plant, or a tree with a carving, or something else just lying around. What caught his attention in all this however was a sudden crushing sound. Though Ludwig didn’t really have the capabilities to know that what spawned the sound was a bala he did recognize the sound of something being broken and with excessive force.



Ludwig just sighed as he really didn’t to have his free time eaten up by whatever had spawned here. And if he was honest with himself he seriously considered going in the opposite direction. Why did he need to intervene? Things happened all the time and he wasn’t normally able to do anything about it. Not to mention he technically wasn’t supposed to be here anyway he was SUPPOSED to be working on yet more paperwork. The thought alone sickened him as he’d really had enough of any and all paperwork. Which brought him to the reason he was currently walking toward the sound. Whether he was supposed to be here or not he was a captain and he did have a responsibility to any spiritual beings to help them move on. God help him if a plus was being eaten and he just walked away.



With that reason alone he made his way into the village and being how he was already somewhat near it to begin with the walk wasn’t too long. Once he was at the edge he took a breath and kept his eyes peeled for whatever may be around. But one look at the village did tell Ludwig that any one of these buildings could have crumbled and fell upon itself. It was both that old and that dilapidated. Still just on the off chance something WAS there Ludwig decided he needed to know about it prior it knowing he was here. So with a moment’s focus and a quick mental incantation he casted Sazanami. A small bubble formed in his right hand before popping and spreading small pulses of reiatsu across the area for over a mile long. Ludwig smiled as he suddenly sensed where everything was living and not. With a moment’s focus he’d quickly find out if anything that wasn’t an animal was here and better yet without them knowing because the pulse was that thin. Even as it rebounded off of every object along the way.



Closing his eyes and focusing on the kido Ludwig quickly realized there was another humanoid here. And for better or worse one he recognized. How? Because the pulses that came off his body spoke of an exceptionally large scythe, larger than the person in questions body. There was..some concern if he was honest because this was a person who he’d just a little while ago gave to Himitsu. It soured him mood some at the time because of all the things Ludwig didn’t want to do was potentially give away someone to another so they could be killed or worse. But his duty to his squad had come first and honestly he needed to play the part that he didn’t know Kazuna whatsoever. Now however he didn’t have to hide that fact. Now he could just speak to him as another person… however if Kazuna would do the same that was the question. Steeling his resolve and making sure he at least looked appropriate in his uniform he started walking towards Kazuna who was sitting on a house currently.



Ludwig made no attempt to really hide himself and walked straight up to the house already knowing that Kazuna had probably seen him a good few feet away before coming up to him. Ludwig though he was on guard gave Kazuna a genuine smile and proceeded to speak in German to him because if nothing else the other understood it. It was sort of a niche experience Ludwig seldom got to enjoy so he was going to live it up as much as he could. Assuming Kazuna wasn’t going to choose to instead cero his face in. “Hallo alter Freund. Es ist gut zu sehen, dass es dir gut geht ... oder wenigstens in einem besseren Zustand als damals, als ich dich das letzte Mal gesehen habe. Hehe. Entschuldige meinen Einbruch, aber was bringt dich hierher in dieses baufällige Dorf? Wenn ich mich richtig erinnere, als wir das letzte Mal über Ihre Verbindungen zu Deutschland gesprochen haben, haben Sie nichts davon gehalten. Es war einfach ein Ort, in dem du geboren wurdest und nichts mehr.”


God Ludwig enjoyed speaking in german. Seriously he wished more in the Soul Society actually understood it as he much preferred speaking it than he did English or Japanese. Not that either were bad per say it just wasn't the same however as speaking your native tongue. Kazuna may have experienced this as well in Hueco Mundo. Ludwig couldn’t say he fully understood how things functioned for the espada or just Arrancar in general but he liked to think that it was similar to how things ran in the Soul Society. Which also brought him to a point of wondering if Kazuna had any intention of getting followers of his own. Assuming he didn’t already have them. He’d definitely have to ask him if Kazuna was in the mood for chatting if not… well he hoped they both could get away without any fighting or worse. Even if they weren’t “friends” he did like to think they were on decent terms but that was to be seen wasn’t it? Until he was told otherwise he simply continued to look at Kazuna, hoping for an answer and not a cero to the face.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Reiatsu total}
-25 reiatsu for Bakudo# 3 Sazanami

3000-25=2975 reiatsu remaining.

2975/3000 reiatsu total

[Ailene Haschiro]

Birds began to chirp as Kazuna continued to sit there. He did not feel the presence of the oncoming Ludwig as well...his ability to sense one's spirit was not as refined as say Adolf's. In fact, Kazuna had rather meek sensory abilities to begin with. What he lacked in sensory, however, he made up for with pure tenacity and power. Regardless, Kazuna listened to the breeze that was flowing across the village gently. 

His attention was diverted from the overall environment as he was due to the proximity of Ludwig along with the Bakudo, able to sense the approaching figure. Now then, Kazuna brought his legs around to face Ludwig, a neutral look on his face. He noted the smile on the Shinigami Captain's face. He raised an eyebrow on the Captain's presence. What was he even doing here. A time for Kazuna to relax, but the Soul Society keeps finding him wherever he goes.

“Hallo alter Freund. Es ist gut zu sehen, dass es dir gut geht ... oder wenigstens in einem besseren Zustand als damals, als ich dich das letzte Mal gesehen habe. Hehe. Entschuldige meinen Einbruch, aber was bringt dich hierher in dieses baufällige Dorf? Wenn ich mich richtig erinnere, als wir das letzte Mal über Ihre Verbindungen zu Deutschland gesprochen haben, haben Sie nichts davon gehalten. Es war einfach ein Ort, in dem du geboren wurdest und nichts mehr.” Kazuna only raised an eyebrow.

Here it was. One of the only German speakers Kazuna had the ability to communicate with. He nodded in understanding, preferring to remain in the universal language, English. The Noveno Espada remained perched atop the building he once lived in. Kazuna began to speak quickly. "This is indeed the place of my upbringing. Funny, how things change across several centuries. This is my first time back in close to 400 years."

The Espada seemed relatively melancholy about this, trying to avoid talk about his family. Kazuna dug the scythe he wielded into the fragile stone of the building. He began to inspect the Captain closely. Even at this proximity he could not feel any sense of flaring of spiritual pressure. This allowed the Espada to assume that for the time being he was relatively safe. There was no need to fire a Cero at Ludwig despite his status as a Captain.

Kazuna chuckled somewhat. He moved his head from side to side, opening his closed eyes. "Now I am curious to inquire. What brings you here? It always seems that the Soul Society has a nasty habit of finding me in places where I just came to relax." His mannerisms involved obvious sarcasm, completely unlike what Ludwig had previously encountered in regards to Kazuna. What happened to the 'kid' to turn him into a more joking person.

He looked to the side, making sure to take in the cool air sweeping across the two. He saw a group of birds to the side taking care of their young. An interesting sight to Kazuna, but he did not know what to make of it. On one end it was touching, but Kazuna had only recently come into touch with his emotions. This did not quite affect him how it would most, but it seemed to have an effect as he could not help, but smile.

He looked back down at Ludwig and smirked. "I do hope that you are not trying to take me in again like your subordinate did? What was his name? Wycliff?" The Noveno Espada was not quite sure himself anymore and simply sighed for a brief moment. "I would hate to further imbalance the standings between Soul Reaper and Arrancar more than it already has unless absolutely necessary." With that, Kazuna dropped down to the ground, his scythe in hand which he then straps back onto his back.

[Ludwig Verrlicht]

Kazuna’s upbringing eh? You know it’s funny Ludwig had since the time they’d last met forgotten that little tidbit. To Ludwig it made perfect sense why most would want to return and visit their home however Kazuna last they’d spoken had claimed none of this country as his own. His last visit had simply been to see how the world had evolved since they’d last been involved with it. So why now of all times would he return? Perhaps Kazuna had experienced a change of heart somewhere along the way. Maybe he was just bored but given his current demeanor probing further wasn’t going to go over well. Time to drop that realm of thought and move on.

“Myself? Heh..I snuck out of the Soul Society for awhile. Didn’t exactly have the chance to pick anywhere specific so here I am. I somehow doubt Las Noches has to deal with this but paperwork is actually the worst thing you could deal with. It’s tedious, ever present, and there’s always more of it when you least want it. Before I actually managed to sneak out I had at least 3-4 different piles of it, none of which were going to be pleasant to deal with. For awhile I was actually just walking around up until I heard a loud sound. Seemed like someone had smashed something so the least I could do was investigate. Thus I found you and well.. Here we are.”

Ludwig could only chuckle at this point amused that his excursion out to the human world brought him and Kazuna to meet again. If he was honest he genuinely was curious how often this would continue to occur. Let alone how many more times they had before they were going to be in less desirable positions. An Espada and a Captain. Textbook enemies and yet here these two were, albeit in a bit tense of a spot, chatting casually. Perhaps this would be his chance to learn more about how things were on Kazuna’s end. He knew the espada existed but Ludwig was always genuinely curious about how they functioned. What it was like to have a day in Kazuna’s shoe’s walking around Las Noches.

Before he could voice his question however Kazuna spoke up first and pretty much addressed the elephant in the room. "I do hope that you are not trying to take me in again like your subordinate did? What was his name? Wycliff?I would hate to further imbalance the standings between Soul Reaper and Arrancar more than it already has unless absolutely necessary. Credit to him where it was due, Ludwig would have been fine letting that little incident be. But Kazuna addressed it without a care in the world though the smirk he had on his face looked like he was more amused at the idea than anything. Ludwig chuckled mostly to himself before responding.

“As much as perhaps the Soul Society and maybe even my subordinate would want I’m not here for that. You’re not harming anything as far as I can tell so I don’t see a reason why I need to try and take you back. That is of course unless you want a VIP tour but I would hazard a guess your last visit was satisfying enough. So with that in mind I’m willing to just let you be. No reason to start anything when both of us are trying to get some R&R from our respective organizations.” Ludwig was content with leaving things as they were now. Assuming Kazuna didn’t have need of him, which really what were the odds of that? He’d wait a moment for his response and begin walking back into the forest. Ludwig sadly didn’t have a great deal of time so the longer he spent it peacefully enjoying nature the longer away he was from dealing with his now sure to be mountain of paperwork.

[Ailene Haschiro]

Kazuna smirked at the comment that Ludwig had made. It seems that Ludwig was atleast sensible enough to not want to seek combat in every situation. Kazuna was much the same way, but there was a certain thrill to the idea of fighting. Especially a Captain? This could be an oppurtunity. Granted, a fight to the death would not be something that he wanted. Perhaps something akin to a friendly spar. 

As Ludwig turned to leave, Kazuna thought about it and Ludwig would hear himself being called to. "Say Ludwig. I came here to visit my former life. Now as an Arrancar, I cannot turn back and only venture farther on the path laid out for me. The idea of training is rather appealing to me and you as a Soul Society Captain I would presume has a set of skills to set you apart from the average Shinigami."

This wasn't a goad by any means. Kazuna's voice rang with sincerity as a spar was appealing to him. Any oppurtunity to get stronger was one he would grasp. In fact the position of Sexta Espada did seem rather auspicious to start out with. A climb in the corporate ladder of Hueco Mundo. This by no means was out of character. Arrancar often suffered power feuds as everyone tried to not get eliminated by the others.

This did inevitably leave him with a longing for power. Then again, everyone had their own cynical reasons and this was Kazuna's. Kazuna moved his scythe to his right hand and planted it firmly into the soft ground. He chuckled. "What do you say? I want to hone my skills and this seems like the perfect oppurtunity to do so. In good faith of course, I don't mean to incur any lasting harm as you have not made an aggressive motion." The Espada would wait to see his response.

[Ludwig Verrlicht]

Ludwig had only just started walking away when Kazuna had called out to him. “The idea of training is rather appealing to me and you as a Soul Society Captain I would presume has a set of skills to set you apart from the average Shinigami. What do you say? I want to hone my skills and this seems like the perfect opportunity to do so. In good faith of course, I don't mean to incur any lasting harm as you have not made an aggressive motion." To say Ludwig was surprised was not an understatement. Of all the things Ludwig would expect Kazuna to say or not say, this was not one of either. If anything he’d have sooner expected Kazuna to actually just let him walk off and leave him be. This was an interesting change of pace for the arrancar, it seems that their time apart did actually pose some changes to him as a person. If Ludwig was honest with himself he was curious as to how much the other changed, the fact he complimented him was already a show in and of itself so what else came with it?



In truth the idea of doing something other than paperwork or walking around was appealing. And Ludwig hadn’t been able to really do anything like sparring or practicing his own abilities with the small amount of time he had to himself. Perhaps it was a good idea then. He could get some questions answered about Kazuna and maybe even see his release if he was willing to show it to Ludwig. The downside however was that unlike say Adolf where Ludwig could probably assume the other would stay quiet about his abilities would Kazuna do the same? He didn’t know honestly. And it was a bit of a gamble to display his abilities, even in a training setting to someone whose trust he wasn’t certain of. Still the changes Ludwig noticed in the other currently and the genuine promise of not imposing any lasting damage on him was something to keep in mind. If this was Kazuna extending the olive branch, so to speak, then the only answer would be to do the same. Trust between them wouldn’t be built without it and besides Ludwig could stand to learn a lot about arrancar in general from this interaction.



With this in mind Ludwig nodded slowly to himself before looking up at Kazuna, a smile on his face and a bit of excitement in his spring green eyes. “Heh it seems you’ve learned to flatter others well since we last met Kazuna. Honestly? I’m not against the idea however I’m going to hold you to comment about refraining from any killing blows. If you have anything in particular you’d like me to work with you on however by all means let me know. I’d like to think I’ve got the ability to help train up any area you want.” Ludwig stood quiet for a moment with a smile on his face to give Kazuna a moment to speak his mind. Preferably to tell him of any particular problem areas or just different things he wanted to experience. Training is of course most effective when you’re able to hit the necessary areas and trim off anything unimportant.



Regardless however of Kazuna’s answer Ludwig would speak up again. “I assume that you’re alright with training here yes? I understand this is your old village but I wanted to ask just in case. If not I can take us to another area however that’s up to decide where you feel your training would be most effective. Regardless whenever your ready to start let me know. I’m good to begin whenever you are. Just remember, no killing blows but no holding punches either. You won’t grow if you try to restrain yourself. And most importantly have fun, just because it’s training doesn’t mean we can enjoy it yea?” Ludwig chuckled mostly to himself more so than anyone. If anything Ludwig was very curious about how this would go as he also had a few things he needed to try and work on. Plus learning more about how arrancar function was always beneficial.



With this in mind Ludwig would smile and then pull out his zanpakuto. A small modern combat knife that honestly looked more awkward in Ludwig’s hands than it should have been. Good thing he never intended to use it as he whispered his release phrase prompting the blade itself to change into a normal #2 pencil. Then with his free hand Ludwig pulled out a simple black notebook from his haori’s inner pocket. While pulling out a pencil and notebook would have normally been more of a joke than anything Ludwig’s release broke down a couple of barriers for him, the most prominent was his barrier holding back his reiatsu’s legitimate strength and though Ludwig didn’t notice to Kazuna for a moment it was obvious as day. His energy which had previously been a light pink had darkened considerably and now held a presence akin to that of a beast, one that was looking directly at Kazuna. The forest around them which had prior to his release been buzzing with life had gone stark silent now. Ludwig however in the meantime simply gave a small smile, accompanied by darker more insightful eyes patiently waiting for Kazuna to start off their training.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats and skills}Base — Sealed — Released

Strength: 100 — 25 — 100

Speed: 300 — 75 — 300

Reiatsu Strength: 400 — 400 — 1400

Spiritual Pressure: 300 — 300 — 1050

Instinct: 300 — 300 — 600

Senses: 100 — 25 — 100

Energy sense: 100 — 25 — 100

Healing expertise: 0 — 0 — 0

Light: 75

Dark: 25



Skills:

Strength of Will- 3

Weapon: Cartoon Drawings- 3

Battle Analysis- 2

Learning- 3

Mental Incantation- 2

Damage Recovery- 2

SPOILER: Click to show

{Current stats}Base — Sealed — Released

Strength: 25

Speed: 300

Reiatsu Strength: 1400

Spiritual Pressure: 300

Instinct: 300

Senses: 25

Energy sense: 25

Healing expertise: 0

SPOILER: Click to show

{Release}Released Shikai at class 3

Stats chosen for initial improvement are RS and Speed

1/19 posts used

SPOILER: Click to show

{Reiatsu}-300 for releasing at class 3

300 reiatsu used

2975-300= 2675 reiatsu

2675/3000 reiatsu remaining

[Ailene Haschiro]

The Noveno Espada eyed the Captain with curiosity. He seemed to enjoy the sentiment of training with the supposed enemy. Perhaps the Shinigami were not all bad. Certainly there were those that were silly beyond belief such as Wycliff. I mean the Shinigami could not even leave in good faith to avoid combat, but it seemed that Ludwig was more like an adult. More inclined to see the bigger picture. 

Regardless of how he personally felt, Kazuna simply listened to the Shinigami.  “Heh it seems you’ve learned to flatter others well since we last met Kazuna. Honestly? I’m not against the idea however I’m going to hold you to comment about refraining from any killing blows. If you have anything in particular you’d like me to work with you on however by all means let me know. I’d like to think I’ve got the ability to help train up any area you want.” This left the Noveno Espada with a bit of unspoken curiosity.

Continuing to listen to his words, Kazuna began to think about what he was saying.  “I assume that you’re alright with training here yes? I understand this is your old village but I wanted to ask just in case. If not I can take us to another area however that’s up to decide where you feel your training would be most effective. Regardless whenever your ready to start let me know. I’m good to begin whenever you are. Just remember, no killing blows but no holding punches either. You won’t grow if you try to restrain yourself. And most importantly have fun, just because it’s training doesn’t mean we can enjoy it yea?”

As Ludwig finished, Kazuna gave him a smirk. "Ludwig. I thank you for this moment. To work on myself in a number of ways. I will let you know of a few things. First, I'm trying to work my way up the ladder of the Espada. As such, I need to become stronger as a whole. A spot within the Espada is all well and fine, but eventually some have to move up to avoid being consumed by the other creatures that dwell within the shadows."

The Espada was seemingly serious about his remark. The Espada were a group that worked upon the concept of darwinism. Survival of the fittest. Only those that could back it up had a place within the Espada. Kazuna himself had high goals and his training with Ludwig would be able to provide a basis for him to excel and move up in the rankings. Intentions while not entirely pure, he was being serious about meaning no harm.

Kazuna continued on after his little trailing of thought. "Second, I will avoid my release to start off so that we may not be on bad terms..." This did sound like a warning, but not one of malice or anything. Instead it sounded genuine. With that, the form of Kazuna would dissapear, only leaving dust in its wake. A typical maneuver as Kazuna simply appeared behind Ludwig with the Sonido. With that, Kazuna looked to swing with his scythe. If Ludwig turned around, he would see the scythe kareening towards him, but last second if he was paying attention would see a smile on Kazuna's face. The scythe would suddenly rotate down as the blade dug into the ground with the handle facing upward. Kazuna would quickly leap up, carefully atop the pole as he raised his fists and quickly punched twice, aiming two balas at Ludwig, the balas being his plan the entire time.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats & Skills}Stats while Sealed
Strength - 100 x .4 = 40
Speed - 250 x .4 = 100
Spiritual Pressure - 250 
Reiatsu Strength - 400 
Light Aura - 40
Dark Aura - 60
Instinct - 100 x .4 = 40
Senses - 85 x .4 = 34
Energy Sensory - 60
Healing Expertise - 0

Stats while Released
Strength - 100 
Speed - 250 
Spiritual Pressure - 250 x 2.5 = 625
Reiatsu Strength - 400 x 2.5 = 1000
Light Aura - 40
Dark Aura - 60
Instinct - 100 
Senses - 85 
Energy Sensory - 60 x 1.5 = 90
Healing Expertise - 0

Total SP: [1245 Points]

[Analyzing] [3]

[Calm Mind] [2]

[Strength of Will] [1]

[Anti-Stealth] [2]

[Illusion Resist] [1]

[Lack of Fear] [2]

[Battle Analysis] [2]

[Pain Tolerance] [2]

SPOILER: Click to show

{Reiatsu}-100 [Sonido]
-100 [Bala]
Reiatsu Capacity: 2300/2500

[Ludwig Verrlicht]

Ludwig listened to Kazuna as he spoke. Curious about his final phrase, very much a warning of sorts from the way he was talking about it. However before he had much time to truly consider what it meant Kazuna had already Sonido’d behind him. Ludwig didn’t even need his sensory kido to know that Kazuna would go there, it was a typical move and one that was a good baseline to start with. The problem however came from the fact that it was very easy to predict and counter. So before Kazuna could finish swinging his scythe Ludwig could mentally speak his kido’s name. Hado#53 Surasorutoeira And once Kazuna’s scythe had planted itself into the ground it was too late for him to dodge, without any regard hint a an explosive force would burst out from Ludwig. The worst part wasn’t even that Ludwig would exert this explosive force at his 1400 OS no the worst part was Kazuna had no means to escape for even his sonido was too slow given this kido acted at 1400 speed. Slamming into his entire frontside before forcing him and his scythe a good distance away from him.



Ludwig in the meantime was propelled into the air but even still he didn’t move anymore than was necessary to keep his balance so that when he returned to the earth he wouldn’t fall to his feet. Instead he casted Sazanami again this time however using the incantation to ensure the kido worked at its highest level. Throw the pebble in the pond; ripple across the still waters, trace the boundaries, return. Bakudo #3 Sazanami. Though Kazuna wouldn’t be able to tell what the kido did he’d see a small bubble form in his right hand and subsequently pop. This of course was assuming he’d be looking at Ludwig’s right hand. Chances were he wouldn’t but perhaps Kazuna was a more attentive opponent than Ludwig was giving him credit for. Regardless it wouldn’t matter as the infinitesimally small pulses of reiatsu couldn’t be sensed in general and gaze Ludwig more than a mile’s worth of feedback as to what was around. Turns out nothing of importance aside from Kazuna was present. And for the next little bit he’d know exactly where the other was even if he wasn’t looking.



With this little precaution set up Ludwig now needed to decide how he was going to handle Kazuna. Turning around he’d keep his eyes peeled on him to make sure he wouldn’t miss what he’d do next. So far we’ve had a simple, attack from behind, maneuver. Nothing terribly complex but if there was ever a means of testing my ability to react accordingly to his attack then it’d definitely give him that answer. Albeit with a bit more pain than he was probably expecting. So what now? He may attempt a ranged attack like a cero or bala but he may also want to close the distance, though given he wields a scythe it’s probably going to be a middle ground fight if he wanted to fight me with it. Perhaps I need to go on the offensive? I’d rather not just yet given I don’t know more of what’s in his hand currently. Hell he hasn’t released yet even. We’ll stick to that then. Use Sho as appropriate to maneuver myself and to hit him in any openings he gives. And yet… I don’t want to go too easy on him so let’s set up a trap shall we? I’ve the perfect one in mind.



As Ludwig continued to watch Kazuna waiting for him to act Ludwig would begin mentally casting both Bakudo 55 Mutsuhoyo and Bakudo #63 Sajusaboku with their incantations. This was to both increase the potency as well oh his bakudo as well as seal said kido inside his haori. Why his haori though? Because if Ludwig had one guess as to what would be Kazuna’s next move it’d be to try to keep the fight at a distance. This could be for any number of reasons but he very highly doubted after getting slammed by his seemingly instant kido that the other would make an immediate return. Thus allowing him to trap Kazuna in his bakudo when the time came whether through a legitimate hit from him or from the Ludwig allowing a hit so that he could let out his kido seamlessly. A dream within a dream, a heart within a soul, a core within a nucleus which in turn is within an atom. Within all there is still more. And within thee, I place this seal. Once finished if Kazuna hadn’t yet moved or attacked him he would simple smile and wave for him to come at him. No point in speaking as that would let Kazuna know of another technique at his disposal in shikai.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Reiatsu}
-150 for Mutsuhoyo
-150 for Sajosabaku
-25 for Sazanami
-150 for Surasorutoiera

Total reiatsu used: 450 reiatsu

2675-475= 2200

2200/3000 reiatsu remaining

SPOILER: Click to show

{Shikai}
Released at class 3

Next post will be his next stat increase

2/19 posts remaining 

[Kitai Yoru]

38 Paragraphs for Ailene, 380 TP awarded
22 paragraphs for Ludwig, 220 TP awarded

Since the fight was unfinished, no Victory TP