Magical Inquiries (Closed)

[Nakajima Kimiko]

Today was a bright and sunny day over the resplendent Soul Society. The sky was clear, clouds nowhere to be found, and the temperature was as amicable as one could imagine being paired to such a climate. All in all, it was a good day, one good enough for the people of the Seireitei to enjoy as they tended to their respective duties. It was also a good day for the students of Shin'ō Academy too who were now currently heading out towards the classes that were scheduled for them today. Among these students was one of the more recent Souls to have arrived from Rukongai, one particularly-quiet girl who mostly kept to herself among all the others. That girl was Kimiko.

It had now been a few days at best or perhaps around a month since the young woman has decided to enter the prestigious school, the very place where all who wish to become a Shinigami must go to in order to be apart of the swordsman corps. So far, she had gotten used to the place fairly quickly. Much like the school that she attended in Tokyo before her death, it sported classrooms where one would sit and watch a teacher write on a board. If anything, if it wasn't for the subject that was being taught, the clothes she was wearing, and the fact that most of the students of this school were mostly nobles, she could have sworn that she had never really died and was still back in her previous school. Well, so long as she ignored the cool sword that the school had given to her, which was currently hanging from her hip. "Asauchi", right? Right. It was quite the surreal experience, to say the least.

In hindsight, today was no different than any other day at school. The start of the day had been marked with a typical class which resumed the subject that each student of her class had started studying since last week: Kidō. It was an easy subject, one that excited quite a fair bit as it was, in essence, the learning of literal magic spells. A first step towards the learning of how to destroy Hollows, people would say. Kimiko, in comparison, had been less than impressed ever since they had first started looking up these spells. She didn't show it to her classmates, of course, but it was difficult for her to give any attention to that kind of stuff.

As the class went along, the teacher would give Kimiko a few glares here and there. The man was an aged Soul, a retired Shinigami who seemed to quite enjoy the subject of Kidō, as anyone could notice from his talk. "As you may know, I have asked to all of you yesterday to remember a specific incantation of your choosing between those that we have seen together as of yet," he eventually raised as he finished writing on the board. "I will ask all of you today to recite to me your incantation. No buts, no groaning, no complaining! Later on, we will head to the courtyard to practice these spells, so I want to make sure that everyone here has properly learned their spells. Your performance will be evaluated during this exercise, so please, do your best. Also, if I catch anyone of you actually attempting to actually cast your spell in this room... Well, let's leave it that. Now, let us first start with... Nakajima-san."

Upon hearing her name, Kimiko looked up away from her book to gaze at the teacher with a calm gaze. The students in the room turned theirs towards her with curiosity. They had not heard her talk very much to them and she was always seen as a timid person, even if that was technically not the case at all. Noticing the attention, she let a small sigh leave her mouth before responding to the teacher: "Arise god of thunder, awake mother of storms, unleash the lighting on the sinners." Her tone was quiet and there was a light tinge of embarrassment upon her cheeks. It was told so quickly that some of the other students in the class chuckled in response to this. How amusing.

"Ah, yes, the fourth Hado spell: Byakurai! Very good, Nakajima-san, very good, though I must admit that you have delivered the incantation a bit too quickly. I can tell that you were a bit embarrassed by the idea of saying these words, but know that they may one day save your very life! Your Zanpakuto is not the only thing that a Shinigami may use against a Hollow, after all," the teacher reminded to the class before moving on to the other students much to Kimiko's relief. She honestly did not want to go through more of this Kidō class, but unfortunately, it seems like she did not really have a choice. Oh well, so long as she doesn't fail, she'll be fine, right?

Eventually, the class would start moving out of the classroom and instead towards the courtyard to practice the spells they have chosen. As she headed out, Kimiko was still relatively quiet, though she was still not very amused by what happened back there. Hopefully, she'll be able to cast that spell and be done with anymore Kidō for the rest of her semester here.

[Celes Castellanos]

Throughout the various paths of the training grounds leading to and from the academy, there would a number of Shinigami. Most were dressed in white garbs and seemed to carry a blade around with them. This blade was no Zanpakutou, but instead an Asauchi. Acting as a catalyst to a true release weapon, fledgeling Shinigami would imprint their spiritual energy upon it until it truly became a reflection of who they were. Yet among these groups of students, there would be one Shinigami who would stand out. Dressed in all black, almost yellow-colored hair flowing down her back and two twin Zanpakutou hanging along her hip, it was the Vice Captain of Squad 10.

Celes was the type to enjoy watching the youth of Soul Society flourish and truly become better each day. It was her own mantra and she believed that the Academy did a pretty good job of doing just that. It is why she enjoyed coming here so much. It seemed that she would be in for a treat today. As she was walking, she was being greeted by numerous academy students who had known her since she came around the Academy a lot to watch and even mentor to an extent. After all, Celes was extremely proficient as a close ranger fighter and Hakuda user. In fact, it was something that she dedicated all of her time to. It just seemed to fit her style much more.

There were multiple avenues that a Shinigami could become better in. These were four disciplines which included Hohou, Hakuda, Zanjutsu and finally Kido. All of these had their place in the curriculum of what it meant to be a Shinigami. Most would pick a discipline or two to start out in. Most would then excel in those categories. To truly master all four styles was something that Celes rarely saw. Even she herself was very proficient in Zanjutsu and Hakuda. These were her strengths. She had some proficiency in Hohou which was the art of movement, but it was not as honed as her other blades. The final style of Kido was completely different for Celes. It was one that she rejected entirely. 

Formerly being of Squad 11 and moving into Squad 10, it was clear that Celes outright enjoyed fighting. She enjoyed the thrill of getting to test her mettle and improve while constantly gauging and analyzing different opponents. It was this inherent drive to improve and fight that led her down a very combative path. It was almost like an addiction in some ways. She did not like to crush or be crushed. Instead, she wanted nice and even matches where she could get the most out of her experiences. If a fight went by too quickly, she could not learn anything new from a victory nor defeat except in very specific situations. These were few and far between, however.

As she was making her way to the main academy building there was something that caught her eye. Out to the side at one of the many training halls was a group of Shinigami. All of them appeared to be of varying ages, but it was clear that they were students. Before them stood who appeared to be a rather older gentleman. Clearly a retired Shinigami based on his stature and seemingly wanting to return to teaching to give something to the next generation of Soul Reapers. Out of curiosity, Celes would slowly reroute her path. Making a sharp turn, she decided to head there and see what he was teaching. After all, maybe even Celes could learn something. As she entered, there were many students that glanced her way. Immediately recognizing her as a member of the Gotei, the instructor smiled at her and continued with his piece. Celes would lean against the wall, watching. 

It seemed that he enjoyed being watched the contemporary members of the Gotei 13. Nonetheless, Celes listened closely to him as he spoke. "I will ask all of you today to recite to me your incantation. No buts, no groaning, no complaining! Later on, we will head to the courtyard to practice these spells, so I want to make sure that everyone here has properly learned their spells. Your performance will be evaluated during this exercise, so please, do your best. Also, if I catch anyone of you actually attempting to actually cast your spell in this room... Well, let's leave it that. Now, let us first start with... Nakajima-san." As Celes watched, a young woman raised her head from what appeared to be a book. It was clear to Celes at this point that they were reviewing Kido. 

While Celes did not notice her rose-tinted cheeks from embarrassment, Celes could see it in her stature and future delivery of the line that she was not into it. This aroused Celes' curiosity. Among a good chunk of the Gotei, Celes was someone who didn't really use Kido. She once tried, but she could immediately tell that it was not for her. Something about the idea of being at a distance and reciting boring chants over and over again did not tickle her fancy. Celes wanted to be up close and personal with whoever she was dueling. After all, in the short moment that blades crossed, Celes could tell alot about a person. Their experience, overall physical ability and personality could be discovered in a few short exchanges. 

Even despite her distaste, Celes knew it well. The instructor simply confirmed her suspicion. "Ah, yes, the fourth Hado spell: Byakurai! Very good, Nakajima-san, very good, though I must admit that you have delivered the incantation a bit too quickly. I can tell that you were a bit embarrassed by the idea of saying these words, but know that they may one day save your very life! Your Zanpakuto is not the only thing that a Shinigami may use against a Hollow, after all," The confirmation of the instructor and even Celes' own intuition told the Vice Captain that this girl was very much like her. She could not care for the chants nor idea of casting Kido. This did beg the question. What was she looking to excel in.

Unfortunately Celes was taken out of her thoughts once the instructor turned to her. He spoke calmly and with a mild bit of interest in his voice. "It seems that we have someone new here. Who might you be?" The Vice Captain opened her eyes and smiled at him. "Oh me? I'm Celes. I'm the Vice Captain of Squad 10. The Primary Defense Squad." As Celes said this, she could hear multiple murmurs around the room. Talks of excitement, nervousness and even worry. The instructor appeared pleased with her answer as she continued. "Ah a Vice Captain." He would turn to the class and chuckle. "Perhaps the words of a Vice Captain on the importance of Kido will help to establish its importance." 

Celes laughed out somewhat which seemed to both confuse the instructor and elicit some giggles from the students in the room. "Well...I can say that Kido certainly has its uses, but I don't practice it. In truth, I don't much care for it. My Zanpakutou will always be my most lethal weapon." This admittedly caused some irritation in the instructor. He clearly very much liked Kido and did not take too kindly to it being badmouthed. Especially by a Vice Captain. Celes would then however without realizing quell his irritation by adding, "But he does tell the truth. There may be a day when Kido may help you. There were times when a ranged option would have helped. It does not suit me, but let it be known that there may some among you that have the aptitude for it. Others of you may not." As Celes said this, she would lock eyes with Kimiko if she looked over at her. If their eyes did lock, Celes would shoot her a grin and a wink. 

With that, the Vice Captain of Squad 10 would sit down and chuckle. "Please do continue. Perhaps even I could learn something." The instructor chuckled a little as Celes played to both his interests and clear pride. She wanted to keep these encounters not only non-violent for her sake, but also for the students sake. That being said, Celes would watch as many other students would speak more and more complex incantations in all manner of disciplines from Hado to Bakudo and even Kaido. Yet as her eyes skimmed over the many students that watched and recited their own incantations, none had caught her eye like Kimiko. After all, she appeared to be much like her in that regard. 

After about 15 or 20 minutes of continuous recitation, the instructor nodded and appeared somewhat pleased. It seemed that he was ready to dismiss the class for what may be more practice. The groups slowly began to move out towards the courtyard. Among them was Kimiko who seemed to be moving somewhat slower than the others. It was clear that she was not entertained by the little remark of the instructor nor the prospect of practicing Kido. Celes, however, would follow her and place her hand on her shoulder, smiling. She spoke somewhat quietly. "Hey. It's a pleasure to meet someone who like me doesn't really...seem to have such an appreciation of Kido." She chuckled somewhat and tried to naturally remain very friendly. It was just who she was. 

[Nakajima Kimiko]

For much of what occurred before being picked by the teacher, Kimiko had mostly directed her attention towards the book that was nested in front of her chest on her desk. Her eyes at times moved up towards the teacher and the board that was behind him, but otherwise, she did pay much attention to him, for she simply could not. Kidō was never her interest when she first heard her about it, is not her interest now and will perhaps never be her interest. It was rare of her to react in such fashion towards a specific subject taught at school, but this one in particular just outright annoyed her, so much so that it was as if she had to fight her brain to even remain awake.

All things considered, this was probably not exactly her fault, but rather her teacher's. It was clear by now that the stern old man, the eponymous archetype of the aged instructor, did not make his favoritism for the branches of Shinigami magic unknown to anyone in his classroom. Before they had even reached the likes of Kidō in the curriculum, he was a bit more serious and severe, yet now, he seemed passionate and clearly into it. Him picking Kimiko out of everybody for that exercise of his was most likely no coincidence; after all, he was a teacher, and so he was definitely capable of noticing who was listening and who wasn't. That cheerful talk of his did not sound like encouraging words to her at all. It was just a way for him to subtly tell her to show some respect to his favored combat arts.

Well, hey, at least she delivered that incantation correctly even if it prompted a few of her classmates to laugh at her in the process. She lacked the "enthusiasm", yes, but the words were correct and she hasn't unconsciously attempted to blow up the room in some way or another. If anything, that level of mastery should just be adequate enough for her to pass even if she did not care in the slightest about such arts. The less she has to worry about Kidō, Kaidō, Bakudō, the better, especially in front of a crowd of all things. Hopefully, this teacher won't show stubbornness and constantly pick her out of a crowd just to spite her for not liking his fancy magic.

It was only then, once Kimiko finally stopped thinking about such things, that she decided to turn her head towards whoever had suddenly appeared by the door alongside everybody else. The sight surprised her as much as everybody else. She was dressed in black, the sign of a full-fledged Shinigami, and had two blades resting upon her hips. The rookie student couldn't exactly explain how she had come to that conclusion, but something about this person seemed... important, enough so for her to be briefly stunned for a moment. Who was this person? She had seen Shinigami before while traveling around the Seireitei, but she had never actually seen someone with such presence.

Eventually, the woman revealed herself to the class and Kimiko felt her heart stop. A Vice-Captain...? Not only that, but the Vice-Captain of the Primary Defense Squad, the Tenth Division!  S-Shit! Was she there the whole time when I did that stupid incantation in front of everyone?!  A rush came to the student's thoughts as she sat there with a bewildered expression upon her face. Damn it, she really should have paid more attention...! If that person really has been there the whole time, then that means Kimiko reaaaally did not set a good impression of her at all! Oh, confound it... Now not only will the teacher harass her with a ton of smugness on his part for the next few days, but her peers will also laugh at her for having screwed up this badly in front of such an important officer.

Fortunately, by what seemed to be a stroke of pure luck, the Shinigami then went on to quite proudly proclaim in front of the class that she quite simply did not use any Kidō and was wholeheartedly fine with just using her swords. Hearing this come out of her mouth definitely bothered the teacher who just stood there with an perplexed frown directed towards Celes. "If you insist," the man first sighed with clear disappointment before he turned back towards his board. "As our Vice-Captain have told us all here, yes, there are indeed a few of you which may not need to use these techniques in the future. Nevertheless, I suggest that you all still dedicate your studies to these magical arts without question! Regardless of your preferences, your performance in these fields will still be judged and evaluated accordingly!"

With that said, the teacher then went on to resume his class with a bit of a chuckle upon realizing that yet another person who clearly does not appreciate the delicacies of Kidō would be part of his class today. So be it, it can't be helped: he does not expect everyone in his class to enjoy everything he teaches. Kimiko, however, merely stood there in clear surprise. She had not expected an officer, let alone a decorated one, to notice her dislike of the matter so quickly. Her admitting that she only used her blades in front of the entire classroom, her challenge of the teacher's pride and that wink that she offered to the student at the end of her speech were all no coincidences. She'd maintain her attention on Celes for a moment, a bit unsure of what to do now, then once the incantations began, she'd go back to her book. Better get back in the mood for studying this annoying stuff before she loses all attention and makes another mistake like that out of the blue.

In any case, eventually, the class moved out of the classroom to head for the courtyard where Kimiko followed in tow. Although this has all definitely pleasantly surprised her so far, she couldn't really say that she was really excited to do anything at the courtyard. Her lack of interest for all this spellwork and the incantations that are tied to them both meant for a pretty boring experience. Part of the reason why she became a Shinigami was because they have cool swords! What's the point of having swords if all you're going to do is use stupid magic?! Fortunately, before she could let her distaste show any further to her classmates, she then felt a hand on her shoulder, prompting her to look over it and meet the Vice-Captain's eyes.

"Oh, uh, hello...?" The student first greeted her quickly and puzzlingly, seemingly taken aback and at first unsure how she was even supposed to interact with this person. However, upon noticing that the Vice-Captain was actually talking like a normal person, she let out a sigh of relief. "Yeah... It's a pleasure to meet you too," she would give Celes a light, friendlier smile as she spoke in her usual quiet fashion. "So far, all of this Kidō stuff we've been learning... I don't know. I'm just really not into it at all. It's like this teacher thinks we're in Hogwarts or something." Her speech was quiet enough to not be heard by the teacher who was in front of the group, who by now had led them all into many hallways and eventually outside into the main courtyard.

[Celes Castellanos]

As Celes' hand made contact with Kimiko, Celes got a far better appreciation of how much taller Kimiko was. There seemed to be a clear disparity of about half a foot. In truth, it elicited a bit of a chuckle from Celes. After all, she was very strong physically, but certainly did not look the part. At least not when considering her height. In fact, she was shorter than most Shinigami that she met. She guessed it was just an unfortunate consequence that she had to live with. Nevertheless, Celes quietly listened to the Shinigami speak. "So far, all of this Kidō stuff we've been learning... I don't know. I'm just really not into it at all. It's like this teacher thinks we're in Hogwarts or something."

Celes blinked for a moment, but could not help, but laugh out loud. Not just at her comment, but at her timid nature. Celes truly wondered whether it was her true demeanor, whether she felt intimidated by Celes' rank or if her status as a fledgling Shinigami elicited this quiet voice. It actually reminded the Vice Captain a lot of herself in her younger days. Back when she was, but an Academy student and being assigned to the Eleventh Division of the Gotei Thirteen. She used to feel that she didn't have the strength nor ability to carry herself properly as a Shinigami. It took time and effort, but her confidence built and there was a point when she truly did feel strong. 

While this was still true to an extent, Celes sometimes felt vulnerable. It was not too long ago that the hollow inside her revealed itself to her. In truth, it was not only a scary experience, but it was truly worrying. The fear that he could burst out at any moment. Then again, Celes only felt his presence when she was in grave danger. When she was at risk of being assaulted and possibly even killed by that Quincy of the Wandenreich. For now, it was a secret that Celes harbored and in truth only two knew about it. Celes herself and Priscilla of the Wandenreich. She did not even want to consider what the Soul Society would think of her. After all, that may have been what drove Camila out. Overall, Celes sighed audibly as she was lost in thought.

The darkened and foreboding expression on her face lasted for a few moments before she smiled once more and chuckled. To ease the tension, her response would sound lively with both joy and excitement. "I see. Well Kido is a part of what it means to be a Shinigami. It is a core part of our education and our arsenal, but some take to it more than others." The Vice Captain would simply chuckle and ponder this next thought over before continuing. "In truth, you remind me a lot of myself in that regard. I strayed away from Kido myself. Not only was I not that proficient at it, but it did not speak to me. I much more prefer the clashing of steel and the closeness of my opponent." 

With this comment, Celes would quickly skim and try to analyze Kimiko's facial expressions. She really wanted to see how she was reacting to the descriptions Celes was putting out. Even if it was a subconscious reaction, Celes simply wanted to gauge if it would speak to her. If she was like Celes, a physical combatant who liked to get up close and personal. Of course, Celes could tell based off of her demeanor and own admission that Kido was not what she sought. Perhaps this is someone that she could train. Turn into a fine disciple to whom she could pass down her battle expertise and even get a sparring partner. Only time would tell. 

For now, Celes walked towards a rock and with a quick hop, she gracefully landed upon it. Sitting down with her twin Zanpakutou leaning next to her, Celes would smile. "Well. For now since you are in class, we should see what you are capable of. Show me what you can do in terms of Kido. You mentioned the incantation to Hado #4." As Celes smiled, she wanted to see if Kimiko could focus her energy into a Byakurai. She wanted to see if she would atleast make the attempt. Even the attempt was a good first step in the learning process. Of course, Celes did not expect her to do it perfectly. Hell, not even Celes could form a proper Byakurai anymore ever since she gave it up. Celes would add a bit of an incentive. "If you at least try, I would even consider doing a bit of personal training with you." Celes smiled. She was going to do that anyway if she asked, but Celes wanted to put it out there as a way to get Kimiko to attempt, even if she was perhaps apprehensive. 

[Nakajima Kimiko]

Kimiko had not expected to be approached by Celes so quickly after they all headed out of the classroom. Even with all of the hints that had been given that she eventually would and even with that assumption lodged deep down her brain, she had thought that the officer would have just left it at that and it would have been a funny anecdote of the day, nothing more. It was admittedly a bit odd to suddenly have a conversation with someone who the student considered to be of very high importance among the Gotei 13. Was it normal for Shinigami to visit the Academy from time to time? She could have sworn that the only people she's seen wander the hallways were students and teachers. To be fair, there was that one time a Shinigami did come, but the last time Kimiko saw that person, he was bolting towards the dorms shouting about having forgotten something there, so she can't really say that counts.

Although she preferred not to assume things, the student couldn't help but think that Celes looked a bit... underwhelming for a Vice-Captain. She was smaller than her, most likely about half a foot below her height, with even smaller hands supported by short limbs. There was a sickly tone to her appearance due to her weight. She looked thin, too thin, in fact, almost as if someone as tall as her should not look like this, and her skin was extremely pale. Even her cheekbones sunk into her face just a little bit. All of these features made for an abrupt shatter of Kimiko's expectations of an officer of the Gotei 13. She had no doubts that this person was strong, no, but this look... The members of her past Kendo club would have been terribly worried for her safety.

Fortunately, before Kimiko could make any more assumptions, Celes then started laughing at her previous words, which caught the taller girl completely by surprise. D-Damn it, has she said something wrong again?! What was with that laugh? Was she just being friendly or was she warning her to watch her mouth just like that teacher was? It didn't help that, shortly after she started laughing, the officer then went on to show a pretty dark expression on her face. Oh no... Oh no, come on, it's only been a month! She shouldn't get punished for something that even this person here has told everyone in her class that it was okay to admit you didn't like Kidō! "Uh, did I say something wrong...?" She tried to ask the Vice-Captain then, unsure if she should laugh along or feel in a bit of danger.

Eventually, the woman answered her and Kimiko felt her stress deflate into nothingness. Oh, so she hasn't really said anything wrong. Good. She couldn't quite understand why Celes had shown that dark expression of hers just a moment ago, but it at least wasn't there anymore for her to worry about. The way the Vice-Captain spoke of clashing steel rather than using magic... No wonder she thought Kimiko reminded of herself: they were alike. Again, what a surreal thing to experience, to share something so blatantly in common with a decorated officer in the hallways of an academic institution. It was enough for the student to appear both very relieved and quite happy.

"You're the first person so far that I've met who agrees with me on that," Kimiko gave a brighter smile to Celes then, appearing a little bit less timid and more open. "I practiced Kendo when I lived in Tokyo. I... I really liked it. Ever since I arrived here, I was never really able to find a wooden sword, so I kinda just stopped, but... I really wanted to practice it again once I passed the entrance exams," she spoke with a nostalgic tone in her voice before she then comically let out a heavy sigh, "but no, here, it's all Kidō this, Kidō that. I thought we would go over Zanjutsu first, but looks like we're gonna go through Kidō instead for a while. I think it's that teacher's fault. He barely even mentioned Zanjutsu when he was reviewing the curriculum during the first week... It's ridiculous."

Pouts and light rants aside, Kimiko was really glad to see that she could share her true feelings with someone like that, even if they happened to be a Vice-Captain. Her classmates were really not into swords at all and, most of the time, they usually much preferred to talk about magic. It always puzzled her, in all honesty. What was so fun about magic that deserved so much conversation? Yeah, it can save you from Hollows, that's fair enough; after all, she won't deny that they can make enemies blow up. However, there's no point in heading into battle with a sword if all you're gonna do is just stand back and recite incantations. It's just lame, uninteresting and borderline mental.

In any case, the group eventually reached the courtyard, and shortly after they did, each student was quickly assigned to a wooden target. It was not the first time Kimiko had come here with all of her class, seeing as she had once come here for demonstrations in front of all of the first-years, but she had never really done any practice before around here. In fact, most of her first month at the academy has so far only been classroom material, meaning nothing practical. On one hand, it was pretty cool to finally be given a target, but on the other hand... She had to use Kidō on the target. It was kind of a bummer, in all fairness, even if her target was not located in an attention-seeking spot in the courtyard.

At least the Vice-Captain's presence was there to cheer her up a bit. In a way, revealing a little bit of herself to her had somewhat comforted her. What shocked her, however, was what Celes said to her shortly after they reached the target. "Really?" Kimiko asked, shocked to hear that someone of this caliber would give her any attention at all, though soon, this shock turned into hope. This... This meant that she could do something else than this! Maybe that person could train her in the art of the sword again! Yes! Even if it was just a little bit of training, it did not matter: anything to provide a good variation to this boring incantation stuff was all that she needed!

Okay. Okay, she can do this. She just needs to cast that stupid spell, no, merely only try to cast it and they could potentially move on. The fourth Hadō incantation, the fourth Hadō incantation... Just try not to think of it as it being too lame. "Okay, just... give me a moment," she told Celes before taking a deep breath, putting her focus onto the target. With a deep breath, she prepared her hand, situating it near the handle of the Asauchi at her hip. "Arise, god of thunder! Awake, mother of storms! Unleash the lighting on the sinners!" The student started the incantation before she raised her hand, pointing a finger at the target with more intensity in her voice as Reiatsu started buzzing from her fingers. "Hadō #4: Byakurai!" She called then, expecting her Reiatsu to shoot out her fingers in a lighting bolt.

Well, it shot a bolt, alright, just not a... really big one, to say the least. Instead of the powerful bolt that she had seen being depicted in her study books, what instead came out was a comically-pathetic burst of electricity that could barely even hurt a fly. Hell, it sounded like a smoking fart came out of her fingers instead. The sight left Kimiko simply staring at her hand with a massive deadpan. Has she messed up? What was that about? She could have sworn she did the incantation correctly. Eventually, she did the incantation again to see if things would change, though it resulted in the same flatulence-like result, prompting her to turn her head towards Celes with a comically-tired sigh. "... Well, I tried. Am I doing something wrong?"

[Celes Castellanos]

As Celes rested on the rock with her Zanpakutou beside her form, her eyes would watch Kimiko closely. After all, she was for all intents and purposes wanting to see if she had any skill in Kido. If she didn't it wouldn't be too big a deal. Celes would keep her word anyway, but while they both disliked Kido, Celes felt it was important to at least try its application before deciding whether it wasn't for her. As she watched Kimiko ready herself she would her the student speak. "Okay, just... give me a moment," The Vice Captain simply smiled. She enjoyed seeing the attempts of academy students. Not to watch whether they succeeded or failed, but to gauge strength and weaknesses among that that she would call comrades. 

At this point, Celes was watching eagerly as she heard Kimiko recite the enchantment that she used to recite oh so many times. "Arise, god of thunder! Awake, mother of storms! Unleash the lighting on the sinners!" On the beginner Hado though it was useful. It was a simple ranged option that discharged electricity from the finger. Of course when Camila had used the Byakurai in their last skirmish, Celes had noted that she was able to use it from other body parts. In truth, it really opened the door for close-quarters and the use of Kido in such creative ways. Celes rarely liked trickery, however. To her, she felt that she needed to honor her opponent. No tricks. No secrets. 

As she contemplated and reminisced, she was taken back to reality as she noticed a bit of electricity harness around Kimiko's fingertip. Celes was on the edge of her seat. It seemed that she did have more of a knack for Kido than she wanted to admit. She was expecting a powerful bolt of electricity to discharge from the Shinigami, but much like Kimiko she was terribly wrong. As the electricity coalesced at her fingertip and was about to discharge, the bolt was not even a bolt at all. Instead Celes stared at Kimiko at little dumbfounded as flew what appeared to be a funny inches in front of her. The sizzling smoke could be seen and heard right in front of her fingertip. Celes blinked a little. 

It seemed that Kimiko wanted to to try again. The incantation was said in much of the same way. Once again, the same coalescing bolt of electricity would form as it resulted in the same smoke that emanated from her finger after a rather pathetic display of Kido. Clearly a little demoralized, Celes heard Kimiko say in what sounded like sounds of defeat. "... Well, I tried. Am I doing something wrong?" Celes was not upset, however. In fact, she smiled at Kimiko and tilted her head for a moment as she visibly pondered. As a few moments passed, the sounds of incantations and even some discharges of Kido flying through the air, Celes stood and hopped off of her rock and began walking towards Kikimo.

As she was walking, Kimiko may have heard Celes calmly speak. It sounded almost like a Kido incantation. In fact, it sounded very similar to what Kimiko wanted to accomplish. "Arise, god of thunder! Awake, mother of storms! Unleash the lightning on the sinners!" If Kimiko payed close attention, the reiatsu similar to her own would form into a small orb of electricity. It hovered calmly before her finger as Celes pointed at a nearby tree. She would then finish the incantation herself. "Hado #4. Byakurai." As she finished, the bolt would change for an instant as a small burst of electricity shot out at the tree. It barely even singed the tree. Celes didn't presume that it would anyway. Her reiatsu itself was not very strong. She sighed and rolled her eyes a little as she looked at the tree.

Kimiko could most likely tell that she was rolling her eyes over needing to try the incantation herself. Celes did not make it a big secret. At this point, the instructor was watching the both of them intently. Seeing both Kimiko's failed attempts and Celes' Byakurai which succeeded, but was rather pathetic in comparison to most Shinigami's successful application of Kido, he would grit his teeth and for a bit divert his attention. It was clear that he had his own grievances. Meanwhile, Celes turned to Kimiko and spoke rather softly. Despite this, her voice was still cheerful. "I've gotta admit. I haven't used that in a long time. As you can see, I'm a Vice Captain and even my own Kido is rather pathetic. There is no shame in it." 

Chuckling a little to herself, she thought back to what she heard Kimiko mention about the lesson plan. Her eyes would become somewhat serious. Nevertheless, it was not one of anger towards Kimiko. Moreso at the instructor. "Well then. It appears that you have been robbed to an extent. While it is true that Kido is a facet of being a Shinigami, let's not forget that there are four disciplines to improve upon. Kido is only one of the four. I myself fancy both Zanjutsu and Hakuda. I've worked hard to sharpen those two "blades". Kido may be my weakest blade, but I compensate my weakness for it with expertise in the other disciplines." Her demeanor would change once more as she smiled at Kimiko. Despite their height difference, she would place her hand upon her shoulder again.

"Not only is our mindset alike, but we both seem to have an interest in close-quarters combat. That being said, a deal's a deal. I promised that I would give you a lesson and I stand by that." Celes returned to the rock for a moment to retrieve her two Zanpakutou. Breathing out with a sigh, she would make her way to the instructor. He was clearly busy assisting other students. Celes was not a barbarian, however. She would wait calmly until the instructors' gaze fell upon her. Looking up at him, she would speak. "I would like to take this one here for some personal training. You have my word that she will be returned to you of course." The instructor looked at her dumfounded. With a scoff he replied in a somewhat rude manner. "Now hold up. You may be part of the Gotei Thirteen, but I am still an instructor here. Besides. She lacks skill in Kido. We need to improve upon it or she will never survive out there!" 

It was this comment that lit a fire in Celes' eyes. Celes wound turn up the intimidation factor a little by stomping her foot. If Kimiko was expecting Celes to be rather physically weak based on her appearance, then she would be in for a suprise. As would the instructors and even the students as they would quiet down. Some in fear and others in sheer awe. As Celes' foot came into contact with the ground, the dirt beneath her would crack somewhat. The cracks moved outward around her as a sudden thud permeated throughout the grounds. "Are you claiming that Shinigami like us. Ones that reject Kido cannot do our duties. Let me make myself clear as a Vice Captain. I have no need for it. Now we can resolve this by letting me train her for a bit or I can tell the chain of command that the Academy isn't training their students right. Especially one specific instructor. Do I make myself clear?" 

The instructors' face became pale almost immediately if not from her sheer strength, then from her threat. Of course it wasn't one that she was going to follow up on, but it helped the intimidation regardless. Wordlessly, he would nod. Immediately turning around as he shakily walked away, Celes began to smirk. In the meantime, she walked back to Kimiko as her demeanor once again changed back to her cheerful one. "Now then. Shall we be off?" Assuming that Kimiko replied or even just nodded, Celes took a bit of a walk down the path. She motioned Kimiko to follow her if she did not immediately. They were going to separate from the group a little so they could be without distractions.

Assuming that Kimiko followed her, Celes would assume a leisurely pace for about five minutes. She wanted to create some distance between the group and themselves so they would be subject to any needless interruptions. As they made their way to a little open patch of unoccupied dirt and grass, Celes turned around and smiled at Kimiko. Her voice would sound very gentle as she spoke calmly. "I hope I did not startle you there. No worries, I just wanted to cause him a little bit of anxiety so he would be more willing to let you train with me." Celes smiled a little at her as she assumed that Kimiko was surprised by her sudden changes in tone and atmosphere along with her monstrous strength. 

The Vice Captain chuckled a little as she continued to the actual training piece. "Now then. I will happily focus more on Zanjutsu and even Hakuda if you desire. Hakuda, however, is a little more flexible I argue since you can combine it with any number of martial arts to increase its potency. For our purposes, since you mentioned a history of Kendo, we will be focusing on Zanjutsu. That being said..." Celes would eye the Asauchi hanging from her hip. "I assume that blade is an Asauchi. Do you know what it represents?" Of course Celes would wait for her to answer. She felt that it was important to understand the blade just as much as the application of using it. The history of a weapon could reveal a lot about its uses. Besides, it was just a topic that Celes liked to discuss.

[Nakajima Kimiko]

It was fair to say that Kimiko's failure of properly casting the spell had left her quite a bit more annoyed than she already was before they headed off for the courtyard when it came to the subject of Kidō. For some reason, the output of her spell was shown to be quite pathetically-weak, so much so that it was barely even worth mentioning to have even occurred in the first place. No other student had seen this little incident occur, but the instructor had, and Kimiko could already feel his gaze rest squarely upon her being like a massive weight onto her shoulders. Needless to say, it wasn't really a very pleasant experience, especially since this was her first time doing anything like this.

What had she even done wrong? It's not like this was happening with the rest of her class: at least they were capable of even forming a lightning bolt with that particular spell. The incantation had been told correctly and her hand movement was just precise enough to usually allow for the perfect execution of a beginner's Byakurai, so... what gives? Nothing in the study book that they were tasked to revise for class stated that such a thing could occur. She did hear about some spells apparently causing nasty side effects if their incantations are ever spelled incorrectly, but this definitely was not the case here. What a frustrating thing to have to ponder upon.

Celes was fortunately not mad at her at all for what happened here. In fact, once Kimiko had finished her disappointing demonstration, the Vice-Captain went on to show off her own execution of the destructive spell. Much like how Kimiko did it, it was done correctly without any mistakes, but the key difference was that a bolt was created from her fingers. However, although the bolt reached the target as it was supposed to, the damage that it left on it was rather moot. As she gazed at the wooden thing to see if anything had been done to it by the electrifying attack, the student was barely able to discern a burn, let alone a spark. It was enough to make her blink in confusion until Celes spoke her opinion of their ability to cast spells.

"Well... I suppose you're... right. I still would've preferred casting that stuff a little bit better, to be honest," she admitted with a pout briefly appearing on her face in the process. Although she could not say that she cared very much about Kidō, she had at least hoped she could cast a few spells without too much trouble so that she could get good grades to become a proper Shinigami. Now that this happened, it is quite clear that some of her numbers are going to look very low upon her report card once she's done attending the Academy. Great. Not only that, but that teacher will now probably also harass her as long as she remains within his class for the rest of the few years to come. Even greater.

Speaking of which, the Vice-Captain was definitely not happy about how obsessed with Kidō this aforementioned teacher seems to be, and Kimiko really couldn't help but agree with what she had to say on the matter. This instructor's teachings are most likely going to become a massive pain if he ever becomes obsessed about teaching them, seeing as a Shinigami should rely upon the arts that they are most comfortable with. You can't force someone who doesn't like fighting with magic to fight only with magic, and the same can be said for the contrary. Whoever this teacher may be, he really needs to set his priorities straight.

And straightened his priorities shall become in the coming moments, for before Kimiko could say anything at all in response to being reminded of her previous deal with the Vice-Captain, the latter then patted her shoulder and headed off towards the instructor. The student watched really being able to form any coherent words, simply standing there near her the target that she herself did not even hit with her spell. Just like she had expected from him, Kimiko watched as the instructor somewhat went on a tangent in front of Celes, seemingly unable to believe what was happening here. The student couldn't blame him; if she would have been in his place, she probably would have gotten a bit annoyed by this. Nevertheless, he was talking to a Vice-Captain of the Gotei 13. Surely, this must not be a good idea.

Shortly after the rant occurred, Kimiko watched in pure shock as Celes suddenly stomped on the ground hard enough to create cracks which spread rapidly across the courtyard. What... happened? How did she do that? At that point, the student did not listen to the Vice-Captain's scolding of her teacher: she was instead simply still trying to understand what had just happened. She was definitely aware of the exploits of Shinigami, but to see something like this occur right in front of her eyes was much more impressive than the display of any magical spell. If anything, this was magical to her. Pure, unadulterated physical prowess. That is what she wanted to be good in, what she wanted to perfect, and all it took for Celes to show how powerful a fighter of her caliber can become in the future was just one stomp onto the ground beneath her feet.

By the time Kimiko recovered from her brief moment of shock, Celes came back and beckoned to follow her, to which she did with a light grin as she looked away from the instructor. "Yeah, let's go," she told the Vice-Captain before quietly chuckling a bit in disbelief, shaking her head in the process. "That was insane. You reminded me of... No, that's probably going to sound super embarrassing if I say it," she spoke with a bit of awe as she turned her head towards Celes. "I think that's officially the first time I've seen a Shinigami do something like that. It... It was way cooler than that magic stuff, wow. Sorry, ignore my rambling, I'm still kinda getting used to all of this." She smiled as she spoke, a key difference to back when she was in the classroom. The Vice-Captain would most likely be able to discern by that precise moment that Kimiko has not been a resident of Soul Society for a very long time, otherwise she wouldn't be so surprised about this. Not that it was necessarily a bad thing, of course, but it was something to note.

In any case, the two walked for a fair bit in the courtyard to make enough distance between the other group and themselves. From so far away, the instructor will now be incapable of telling them anything if he happens to suddenly want to after such a powerful scolding. "It's okay," she reassured the Vice-Captain then with a light gesture of her hand. "I can't say it didn't surprise me, but this teacher had it coming. I really do hope that is going to make him change his mind a little. Being scolded by a Vice-Captain really doesn't sound like something a teacher should be proud of," she noted before she then stretched a little as she mentally started getting into a training mood. This is where the real fun begins. "Zanjutsu is what I think I'd be best at, but Hakuda sounds nice too. I think I can still remember a few karate moves that would go well with the stuff I read about in our books."

Eventually, the matter of the Asauchi came to be. It surprised Kimiko a bit, enough so to briefly take her out of her more casual side. Her gaze would turn from Celes towards the blade resting upon her hip, and for a moment, it stayed there. However, eventually, the student looked back towards the Vice-Captain with a nod. "Mhm. They're supposed to be the blades that will become our Zanpakuto during our time as Shinigami. In other words, they're both what will eventually define us most and what we will consider to be our greatest ally in the future," she explained briefly with a more professional tone, resting a hand on the hilt of her blade in the meanwhile. "Shinigami without Zanpakuto, regardless of who they are and what art they may prefer using in battle, are simply not Shinigami." There was a lot of respect in her words. A normal sword-wielder would not describe the blade in such a way. It truly is no wonder she once practiced Kendo: that girl did not just wanted to practice Zanjutsu because she hates Kidō. No, it was more than likely that she wanted to do as such because she loves the blade. Someone with such respect for her weapon will surely acquire an impressive Zanpakuto in the future. Only time will tell.

[Celes Castellanos]

As Celes waited for a response from Kimiko, she was in the process of formulating a lesson plan. She had echoed that Zanjutsu would be the priority, but Hakuda could have some application her as well. Celes would have a lot to demonstrate to her in that case. After a few moments, it seemed that Kimiko was ready to give her answer about the nature of an Asauchi. "Mhm. They're supposed to be the blades that will become our Zanpakuto during our time as Shinigami. In other words, they're both what will eventually define us most and what we will consider to be our greatest ally in the future," Celes nodded in response, but she could feel that there was more in her thoughts. She would be correct in that assumption as Kimiko would proceed to speak a little more on the topic. 

"Shinigami without Zanpakuto, regardless of who they are and what art they may prefer using in battle, are simply not Shinigami." Admittedly, Celes smiled a little as she was caught somewhat of guard by this. To an extent she did agree. She would, however, give her own words of wisdom so to speak. "Your answer says a lot about you. You clearly possess a deep respect for your blade and that is admirable. I'm the same way." Celes would then unsheath one of her Zanpakutou and smile at Kimiko as she would rest the edge of the blade in her palm and the tsuka on her other palm. "This is my partner, Yunorashi. That's the name of my Zanpakutou. The name of my lifelong partner." 

Celes smiled, giving Kimiko a chance to look at the blade. It was a beautiful katana with a jade white blade along with a black and purple tsuka that criss-crossed in an alternating pattern. After a few moments, she would let go of the blade and hold her Zanpakutou by her side. She would then go on a tangent. "Though you and I possess a deep respect for our partners, I would advise against condemning those of us who follow other paths. In fact, the Captain of the Sixth Division, Captain Kuchiki, does not even use a Zanpakutou. In fact, I've come to learn among my peers that he never even manifested a Zanpakutou. He's a master in the use of Kido and despite being non-traditional with the lack of the Zanpakutou, he is still a Captain." 

Celes had a feeling that Kikimo would be caught of guard by this. That a Captain of the Gotei 13 could in fact not have a Zanpakutou. Celes could tell that she was still learning. Taking everything in about what it means to be a Shinigami. To truly be a Shinigami meant defending the realms against threats. Being the vanguard between the world of the living and the dead. To protect the innocent. They all carried that honor. It was a title to be proud of. Regardless, Celes would continue to smile at Kimiko. It really took her back to when she was a fledgling. Feeling that she had something to prove and being very opinionated. It was something that she grew out of over time, but it took her being humiliate to learn that lesson. She hoped that Kimiko would never have to go through that.

Regardless, the Vice Captain giggled and would make make something clear to Kimiko. "Now then. While you wield an Asauchi and I wield a fully developed Zanpakutou, that does not mean that we are worlds apart. In fact, I would argue that you having an Asauchi makes you stronger in some ways. Can you guess why?" Celes would wait to see if Kimiko had a reply to this rather odd question. If Kimiko answered, she would confirm or deny it with the following. "The strength of an Asauchi comes in it's malleability. You spend time with your Asauchi like I once did. You imprint your soul onto it and make it your own weapon. By that logic, an Asauchi can become anything. That is the strength of the Asauchi. It's ability to become anything." 

Celes then sighed as she continued holding her Zanpakutou in her hand. She kept the twin to her blade sheathed for now. "Well. Now I suppose it is time to get going on our training. After all, I can't keep you here forever with my rambles." She would burst out in a fit of hearty laughter. "The best experiences that I have had learned have been fighting against my peers. Especially in the art of Zanjutsu. It can really tell you a lot about your opponent. Their style, their tactics and their ability so stay calm. This all culminates into a few moments of crossing blades. That being said." Celes would ready her stance and chuckle a little. She held Zanpakutou with both hands and held it before her as if ready to fight.

"Don't worry. I will be sure to hold back so that this is a true learning experience. This will be to gauge your abilities and we can go from there. If at any point you need to me stop, raise your left hand high in the air. Now ready yourself." Celes was now standing a good dozen feet away from Kimiko. She truly did expect her to ready herself and be prepared to defend herself. Celes would start slow and work her way up. Assuming that Kimiko was now ready to begin and took a stance, Celes smirked and was prepared to go on the offensive. Starting a pretty leisurely speed of 50, Celes would close the distance. Her blade above her head, she would come come down upon Kimiko with a consistent speed of 50.

It would most likely be clear to Kimiko at this point that she was keeping her word about starting slow and working herself up. After all, there was little point at coming at Kimiko with all she had right away. She had faith in her especially with her prior knowledge, but she also had to be realistic. There was a large difference between the strength of a Vice Captain and that of a student of the Academy. Celes just wanted to see what her initial response would. Would she stand her ground and block the strike? If she did, Celes made sure to tone down her strength to not completely overpower her. If she did block, she would most likely feel herself losing a battle of physical strength. Would she dodge and then retaliate? Or did she have something else in mind?
 

[Nakajima Kimiko]

Upon speaking, Kimiko at first thought that her honesty perhaps revealed a little bit too much of herself. It wasn't often that she spoke of such things, meaning the blade and the art of wielding it, and much like how Celes interpreted it, it was easy to tell that she was especially enamored by the existence of both of these concepts. Her time practicing Kendo, heading out into Human arcades and reading about what she truly wanted to learn about has led her to cultivate a sort of love for the sharp weapon, a love that she usually preferred to not bring about in front of her peers. Perhaps it was the fear of ridicule, perhaps it was this awful foreboding feeling of potentially being outcast over the matter, but whatever it was, it usually kept her mouth shut.

And yet, here, she revealed so much about herself to Celes with just three sentences. This Vice-Captain, somehow, was able to open her up so easily just by bringing up the subject of the blade itself. In a way, it was an embarrassing display, but she simply could not stop herself. If there is anyone out there who knows her better than anybody else, it is herself. Whenever she talks to someone and they happen to have something in common, she just can't help herself. So many times has she experienced embarrassing situations because of this in the past, and so many times has she since attempted to avoid said situations. Unfortunately, no sooner than just about a minute later after she spoke her words, they soon brought her into yet another one of these terrible events.

Although Celes respected the student's strong connection with weapon, she quickly then went on to refute Kimiko's assumption of what a Shinigami is meant to be by mentioning the name of a blade-less Captain who only used Kidō. The student was at first taken aback by this notion, unsure of what to say about it. Frankly, she was appalled by the existence of such an individual among the Gotei 13. How could someone like that exist? A Captain who only uses Kidō...? How... cowardly. Needless to say, her respect for this "Kuchiki" was not quite there just yet. He may be a Captain, and so she will give him that particular regard, but she simply could not agree with the way he might be regarding battles.

Nevertheless, this outrage soon turned into pure and utter embarrassment once she understood what Celes was trying to tell her. No... She may believe that such fighting prowess is nothing to be proud about, but the words that she mentioned earlier are indeed wrong. Shinigami without Zanpakuto are indeed not necessarily unworthy of the title of Shinigami, seeing as a Shinigami are in essence the guardians of both life and death. Ultimately, it does not matter how they fight so long as they can achieve their primordial goal, which is to protect the innocent lives of both the Human World and the Soul Society from anything that may threaten their life, so Kimiko has read and understood. To deem a Shinigami unworthy of their name simply because they do not possess a sword is a selfish thing. It was enough to make the student look away from Celes then towards the cracked ground below.

"... I'll be sure to remember that," she vocally noted to the Vice-Captain with a light sigh despite her sparring partner's more upbeat attitude. Of course, there was no agreement or denial in her words just yet. It was simply a note, an advice that she took into consideration. The Shinigami before her was indeed right, that she could not question, but her respect for those which do not wield the Zanpakuto ultimately did not swerve today. It is going to take much more than that over an extensive period of time to bring her to see things differently so quickly. Perhaps, later in her spiritual life, her mind will change, but... that is definitely not going to happen today, tomorrow, or really for most of her time in the Academy.

In any case, the young woman could tell that the time for talking was slowly coming down to an end as they both eventually moved on to the subject of the Asauchi. Celes reassured that, in a certain fashion, Kimiko was stronger than her in some ways due to the blade that she wielded, seeing as the latter's ability was to ultimately become anything. She was not wrong at all, at least not in Kimiko's point of view. The idea of possessing a blade that can shift into anything is a noteworthy one. Sure, Celes' Yunorashi may be a beautiful weapon with perhaps a powerful ability, but now that its ability has been solidified, it is impossible to bring any more abilities out of it. The same can be said for the other blade still resting on her hip which she has yet to introduce. "Yeah. That's true," she nodded upon hearing Celes' view on the matter with a returning smile this time. "Maybe this Asauchi could then beat a Zanpakuto today."

The jest came spontaneously, yet with respect for Celes. She usually did not bother saying things like that to her opponents, but now... the excitement for the spar was starting to take shape. Slowly, she was starting to put herself in what one could refer as a sort of "vibe". Her soul was practically pulsing with happiness after it saw the Vice-Captain slowly ready herself for the battle to come, sword in hand and ready to cross blades with Kimiko. Celes could perhaps notice this due to the faint rise in Spiritual Pressure coming from Kimiko at that moment. "Understood," she took into account the gesture that would pause this fight, then straightened her body. Shortly after, she bowed respectfully towards the Vice-Captain's direction. "I am Nakajima Kimiko, first-year student of Shin'ō Academy! Let's have a great spar!"

Her words were loud, clear, just enough for a few students in the distance to take a peek at what was going on. Her introduction for a spar... How long has it been since she has actually used it? It has perhaps been more than half a year at best, back when she was still among the living. Shortly after she spoke her words, she then straightened herself and focused her gaze into Celes. Ten feet. She would need to run ten feet to reach her if she stands still, meaning that the ideal amount of distance she should take before reaching her should be around four to five feet instead. That should be more than enough. The Vice-Captain did say she was going to hold back, but she really did want to show this person how much better she was with the sword. She was not going to allow herself to be ridiculed once more by another fluke like that stupidly-weak display of magic from before.

The fight started with the two woman heading kicking the ground towards the other. Celes went at a solid 50 to see if she could start this slow, but Kimiko immediately started with the highest amount of speed she could possibly muster from her spiritual body, meaning a solid 115. Naturally, this allowed her to reach the Vice-Captain quite quickly, and once she did, she'd grab the handle of her Asauchi with a firm hand. At the moment the Vice-Captain's blade would pass by her body as she dodged it, she would then unleash her blade from its scabbard, sending it flying towards the Shinigami's chest in a wild slicing motion. Iaijutsu? From a Kendo practitioner? It was a strange thing for someone like Kimiko to do in a fight, yes, and especially in such a fashion, but she always found beauty in turning this elegant technique into something more offensive, more brutally-efficient. It was what brought her victory in the Living World's dojos, and it is what could potentially bring her victory here in this spar.

[Celes Castellanos]

It was time for the spar to start. Yet there was a kind of ritual that was customary for situations like this. Before any blades clashed, before the two combatants made their way to each other, there was the introductory portion of the spar. It was a way of issuing respect to the opponent by declaring their name and claiming their title. Celes was satisfied as Kimiko seemed to do just that. "I am Nakajima Kimiko, first-year student of Shin'ō Academy! Let's have a great spar!" Celes smiled visibly as she now finally had a name to put to the face. Of course she had off-handedly heard Kimiko's last name, but she liked to work on a first name basis typically. It was for this reason that she typically let others lower than her refer to her as Celes.

The Vice Captain was thankful that Kimiko began with her own introduction else Celes may have forgot herself. She was not sure why. She just knew that she had almost struck without properly giving her own introduction to her opponent even if this was just a spar. Celes would speak calmly herself. "Well, I suppose it is only customary for me to return in kind. Your challenge has been heard and will be met by Celes Shindazu, Vice Captain of the Tenth Division of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads." With this, Celes would find herself sinking into stance. This was only natural for her. She wanted to start off slow and work her way up. This way she could truly gauge how competent she was at Zanjutsu.

Celes would be the first to make the move. Purposefully holding herself back, she approached her opponent at a leisurely speed of 50. This was incredibly slow for her, but she needed to see how Kimiko would both react and retort. As soon as she reached Kimiko, she was going to for a vertical slash at an equally slow speed to inspect her tactics. It seemed that Kimiko was going to take full advantage of Celes' choice to go about this in a much slower manner to start. This was good. This told Celes that she was willing to exploit weakness and that advantage of them. As Kimiko made her way to Celes at an impressive speed, Celes decided to continue going for the cut.

Yet it seemed that Kimiko had other plans. Just before the blade made contact, Celes would notice Kimiko dodge the attack. Once again, this was excellent. Celes had packed a bit of strength into that strike and while Kimiko might have been initially able to block it, she would have quickly lost ground. That being said, even Celes was caught off guard by this next strike. For the self-proclaimed practitioner of Kendo was striking at her with Iaijutsu? Naturally Celes was able to see the blade move at what appeared to be a consistent speed, but it still appeared slow for Celes. That being said, Celes would smile a little as she did the unthinkable. She decided to take the hit.

Well, this was true to an extent. Flexing the muscles in her chest enough so the blade would make a very superficial cut, Celes would still take the strike to the chest. It would ever so softly dig into flesh of her chest, but due to her physical flexing, the blade would be hard pressed to cut down to even the muscle. Regardless, it left a bit of a gash on Celes' chest. The Vice Captain would them quickly dash backwards while still facing her opponent. Continuing to remain on guard, she would speak if Kimiko did not decide to chase her for further retaliation. "I have to admit you caught me by surprise. Iaijutsu was the last thing I expected from you, but regardless, you made your cut." 

Still remaining on guard, Celes would almost appear to hop on her feet a little. It was a way to both keep her mind focused and maintain a constant rhythm even while standing still. She would continue to speak. "I am impressed by your speed, I must say. You also took advantage of the handicap I gave myself. Clever. I guess now I can turn up the heat just a little bit." As she finished speaking, Celes would continue to bounce for a few moments. After those few moments, the next movement would not be a hop, but instead a dash towards Kimiko at comparable speed of about 115. As she attempted to reach Kimiko, her hand would quickly twist as she make a cut at Kimiko's chest herself.

The strike would come at a rather modest strength of 100 although it would be able to easily overpower her opponent physically if she tried to block it traditionally. This wasn't the only plan that Celes' had however. As the blade came to try and cut Kimiko, Celes would commit to the spin. Mid-spin, she brought her free hand over to her other Zanpakutou and quickly unsheathed it as she was finishing her revolution. This would come out at an equal speed and strength to the first strike. This strike was also aimed at this chest. Yet this was still not all that Celes had prepared. For if the blade made contact with flesh, Celes would quickly bounce, jumping as she brought her feet up.

The final strike in the chain would appear to be almost like an aerial cross slash as Celes once again would strike with both blades simultaneously still maintaining that consistent speed and strength of the first two strikes. If this connected, it would come down on Kimiko's chest, creating an X-shaped gash. If Kimiko did find herself struck by any of the strikes, she would find the cut that was made to be extremely shallow. Not enough to draw blood, but it would sting just a little. Celes wasn't looking to kill the new blood after all. This was training, but she believed that Kimiko would benefit from being exposed to different styles of combat. One of these was dealing with an opponent who used two blades instead of just one. 

[Nakajima Kimiko]

It would be fair to say that, so long as Celes maintained a speed of 50, Kimiko had a very solid advantage solely for being much faster than her. For someone who was still not even considered to remotely be at the level of a proper unseated Shinigami soldier, the girl was quick on her feet, a sign that she had not only good leg strength, but also the proper mental strength to take good care of it. These were both things that she had cultivated during her time as a Human teenager and young adult to reach success then and she wanted to make sure she could still use them to gain success now before this mighty Vice-Captain. However, despite all of these things, that one solid flaw still reared its ugly head once its a while, and that was her lack of restraints. This was put under the limelight the very moment her sword collided with Celes' chest.

Although Kimiko's attack was well-executed for a beginner, she had never really wanted to actually harm the Vice-Captain. The introduction had brought her back to the dojo, to the times when she was befitted with a wooden sword rather than a real blade, and so once she saw blood fly about, her eyes widened and she froze. She had... harmed her. She had harmed a Vice-Captain. The sight shocked a few onlookers who had by now lost the attention they once had for their Kidō practice, but most importantly, it shocked Kimiko, enough so to cause her to stand there with a look of confusion on her face. She obviously was not used to real violence and still had to get used to the idea of properly delivering it. It was not odd to see this kind of reaction from rookie Shinigami, and it was even less odd to see it from someone who was still new to Soul Society.

Regardless, the young woman eventually realized that this was not the time at all for such a reaction, for her brief lack of attention caused Celes to back off. She had to focus, to bring back her attention onto her. Think. Think about what happened there. What happened? Well, she landed that hit in some way or another. She felt her Asauchi slice through the skin of the officer's chest. It wasn't a deep cut, no, but it was just deep enough to cause a bloody gash to appear. However, what was most intriguing was that the officer had not tried to dodge away from her attack and had instead just taken the hit. Why? What could be gauged out of this? Was the woman so physically powerful that not only can she break the ground with only a stomp of her feet, but also refuse any and all damage just by flexing a muscle? It was a ridiculous thought, and yet, somehow, it made a ton of sense in this context.

"T-Thanks, I... guess I did," she gazed at her slightly-bloodied sword for a moment after the Vice-Captain complimented her use of the Iaijutsu technique, then quickly attempted to wipe the blood off with a swift swipe towards her left, sending the red liquid splattering onto the ground below. Once it was done, she then returned her blade to her scabbard. It was a bit of an inaccurate process as she clearly took some time to properly align her blade with the scabbard's entry, but she eventually did it. "I saw that stuff in games and movies, so I started doing it in Kendo too. Well, it wasn't... really Iaijutsu at the time, kinda just a low sword swing instead. We didn't have scabbards in Kendo, so I still need to get used to that," she briefly explained with a smile before letting out a light snort. "Heh... I'm such a nerd. Sorry. I'm just not used to fighting opponents like you, and even less so with real weapons. Anyway..."

Once she finished her apology, she took a deep breath, then resumed another combat stance again as her smile grew just a little bit. Her Spiritual Pressure rose yet a little bit further in response to this, like the sheer excitement for further battle was pumping her up. "... let's continue," she huffed satisfyingly as she tried to ignore whatever thoughts about Celes' bleeding may still linger within her head before rushing forward. She did not need to think about that any more so than she really did before: all it will do is more her lose focus and cause her to lose this spar much too quickly for her liking. It has been so long since she's had fun like this: she wants this to go on before she has to return to her magical inquiries.

Well, perhaps that will indeed last for a bit longer, seeing as the Vice-Captain then decided to turn up the heat. Kimiko's speed was noticed, and so, it was natural for the battle's overall speed to then consequently increased. Although it was true that the student had expected this to happen seeing as Celes has herself told that she was going to start slow, the sharp increase in speed nevertheless surprised her. In what seemed to have only been within the matter of a few seconds, the blonde Shinigami had gone from being twice as slow as Kimiko to literally being just as fast as her, which caused the Kendo practitioner to tense a bit as the woman then swung her blade towards her direction.

The surprise that Kimiko held for the sudden increase in speed resulted in her instinctively unsheathing her blade to defensively swing back at the Vice-Captain's weapon. Naturally, this proved to not be a very good idea, as the effect of this maneuver were instantly felt. Despite her training in Kendo lightly heightening the muscles in her arms, Kimiko never has had powerful muscles within her upper limbs, which was why she always prioritized speed instead. Unfortunately, this has resulted in her sometimes losing a battle against an opponent that happens to both be faster and stronger than her. Celes, with just a single swing of her blade, instantly proved to be one of those opponents.

With a grunt, the student's defense was broken right away as her sword bounced away from her chest, leaving her open as she stumbled backwards. Her meager 38 Strength was never going to rival Celes' 100, no matter how modest it may be, and so Celes' blade was able to reach for her chest rather easily. In fact, it did so twice, as the momentum of her first attack allowed her to hit Kimiko twice with her second blade. The pain instantly became noticeable, causing her to clench her teeth as she attempted to fight it off. It was nothing to worry about, just a gash, but it still hurt. The searing burn of the cut, the warm feeling of the blood attempting to rush out of her wound... it reminded her of back when she was cut open by that stupid pig at the arcade minus all the bleeding that happened then. What a despicable thing to remember while fighting an opponent like this.

No. Focus, damn it! She got hit. Fine. However, even if she was now hurt and left wide open, that first break of her defenses had pushed her away and now she was stumbling back. It was nothing ridiculous, but it was still a bit of movement that she could somewhat exploit to turn the tables of this battle, as she now had a clear view at what Celes was doing. So the Vice-Captain has decided to use the both of her blades now... Interesting. Judging by the Vice-Captain's first two attacks, she could only guess that another attack was going to follow it, seeing as it was usually normal for warriors to deliver three consecutive attacks in martial arts. Three-hit combos were also quite common in the video games she has played. She had no idea what kind of attack was coming, but something was telling her that one was and could deliver hurt. It was a rapid guess, one not born of logic, but rather by instinct, and like the fighting game player she once was, she decided to follow her instincts.

The moment Celes jumped off the ground, Kimiko followed the momentum created by the break of her defenses to rapidly crouch down in an attempt to dodge her opponent's attack. It was done quickly with the pressing of her legs against the ground and the adoption of a new crouched position as she sheathed her blade yet again, this time doing the sheathing in one go thanks to her resumed focus. Once the motion completed, she then jumped off the ground to slash at Celes' chest again from below after she had delivered her cross attack. Hopefully, she won't get kicked or quickly countered in the process, but this was worth a shot.

[Celes Castellanos]

As Celes went in for her barrage of sword strikes, she would be happy to see that the first strike connected. This brief moment would seemingly send Kimiko down a small spiral. It made sense. Getting cut was a sensation that was certainly not comfortable and it could put a dent in any swordswoman's ability to focus. Though it was this lack of focus that would allow Celes to continue with her other sword swing. As it proceeded to connect as well, Celes was sure that Kimiko was not used to dealing with live weaponry. She had a brief pause both when she struck out at Celes and when Celes had just hit her with the two sword swings. Was it the sight of blood? Or just getting used to live weapons? 

Ultimately, it did not matter at the moment. Though on that note, Celes did notice the minor spray of blood across Kimiko's skin. This was bizarre. She tried to hold back, to make the wound shallow enough that it wouldn't bleed, but she guessed that she just went a little over bored. Overall, she had a feeling that Kimiko would gain her composure in a moment, but she decided to go with her plan anyway. As she lept up for her aerial strike, her body now level to the Shinigami's chest, Kimiko would put those reflexes to use. In what appeared to be an instant of quick thinking, Kimiko suddenly dropped down into a crouching position. Celes was very content with the way this was going even if she had to suffer a few injuries on the way. 

It was from this position that Kimiko seemed ready to retaliate as she sheathed her blade for a moment. Was she going to attempt another Iaijutsu slash? Being in the air made it impossible for her flash step out of the way of this incoming attack. Once again, Kimiko would go for a strike at the Vice Captain's chest. Just as before, Celes would flex the muscles in her chest tightly. This created an almost iron wall. Celes wanted to protect herself, but did not want to discourage Kimiko entirely. Hence why she never flexed completely against Kimiko. This would allow for yet another superficial wound to appear on her chest. Celes winced a little and gritted her teeth, but overall swallowed the pain of the strike. 

As soon as Celes touched the ground, Celes would utilize a Shunpo to create a good 30 feet of distance between the two once more. She would dissapear in a flash, traveling at a speed of about 3000 in that mere moment. Celes placed a hand on her now somewhat torn Shihakusho as she now had some blood on her hand. It was her own blood. Celes looked up at Kimiko and just smiled. Her smile would then become laughter as she laughed joyfully. Was she truly crazy? She was laughing from the presence of the wound? Whether Kimiko appeared confused or not, Celes would talk once more. "Oh dear. I guess I really deserved that cut haha. I know I am holding back, but that one got me good." As she smiled more and her laughter drew to a close, she would tilt her neck from side to side, cracking it.

Her eyes would fixate on Kimiko as she spoke calmly. "The thrill of battle is a wonderful thing isn't it? The clashing of our Zanpakutou letting us learn about one another. The spray and taste of blood. Oh I've missed this feeling." Celes slowly relaxed her entire body. She would bend her legs, lower her shoulders and overall relax her entire stance. She continued to smile as happily as before. "You've already proven yourself to be able to think on your feet. You have shown yourself to be resourceful, resilient and clever if the situation calls for it. Even against me, a Vice Captain, you stand your ground. I have no doubt that you will one day become an asset to the Soul Society." 

Her expression was warm and friendly. Sheathing one of her blades, her breathing almost seemed to slow. The rhythm of her breath almost seemed to match the relaxed state of her body. She would then continue one final time. "Now then. Let us test your courage. Steel yourself and don't hesitate." As she finished saying this, Celes raised her weapon above her head. Kimiko would recognize it most likely. It was very similar to the first strike that Celes planned on striking at her with. But at this distance? It would have no chance of hitting her. To close this distance was impossible with a sword swing. Right? Celes presumed that these were all things that flowed through Kimiko's mind.

As Celes swung downward with her blade, Kimiko would be able to see it faintly. Small disturbances in the air for a split moment hanging right in front of Celes. It was after that split second that the distortion grew and began careening towards Kimiko. Even if she had a hard time noticing the disturbances in the air, she could certainly notice the ground being ripped up in its wake. As it moved at about the speed of a Cero, Kimiko would have mere moments to dodge it. If she did not hesitate, it would most likely be easy to react to. If she flinched or questioned her judgement, however, the shockwave may have found itself crashing against Kimiko roughly.

If Kimiko was hit by the shockwave, she would most likely find herself be lifted off of the ground for a moment. It would then send her backward, slamming into a tree that was just behind her. In truth, it was really a brutal hit for an academy student to endure, but Celes had a feeling that she could take it. That she could dodge it. After all, Celes couldn't remain stagnant even in her battle strategy. She needed to mix it up. Celes hated Kido. She disliked the idea of fighting at a range, cowering behind spells. Her shockwaves, however, were pure displays of strength and as such, she made an excuse for it. After all, she actually had to physically exert herself unlike most Kido users. Then again, this was just Celes' opinion.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Reiatsu}
Shunpo - 50

Total Reiatsu: 1200/1250

[Nakajima Kimiko]

Kimiko could tell that her attack had been successful. Shortly after she had jumped towards Celes, she had unleashed her blade towards her chest once more, letting it sink into the Vice-Captain's skin. Again, the cut itself wasn't too impressive as she couldn't properly burrow it any further than that aforementioned level, but she had nevertheless still landed the attack. If anything, even though her opponent was clearly not too harmed by the attack and was definitely holding back, this was good. Although she is still not expecting to fight this spar, the progress that was being made here was greater than anything she has seen in class just yet. This was how she was going to get better: through sparring, fighting, the clashing of her blade against another.

As soon as she landed onto the ground, the student quickly attempted to turn around to slash at Celes once more with her unsheathed blade. However, as her eyes turned towards the officer's previous position, she would suddenly find that her opponent had moved... very far away from where she once was, at least now covering about 30 feet of distance between the both of them. This caused Kimiko to stand there for a moment with a confused frown as she tried to find an answer to what had happened. She had not heard any footsteps at all... Has Celes decided to render them silent? Even so, at the speed she had maintained thus far, Kimiko should have at least seen her cross her that distance once she turned around. Something was not right here. Either this was somehow the Vice-Captain's true speed - which, in that case, was quite the horrifying thought - or she had used some kind of technique.

In any case, it did not really matter, for it did not seem as though Celes was going to use it against her for now, for no sooner after she distanced herself from the student, she then started laughing at the presence of blood upon her hand. Unsurprisingly, such a reaction surprised the student. Usually, when someone is injured, they tend to grunt, squirm and possibly cry, though that latter case is often something that wimps or children would do. Laughter was not definitely out of the available options in Kimiko's mind, and it was even less so for those who were spectating by the duel by now. The teacher too now found himself watching, though he definitely was not fond of Celes' joy of being wounded.

Kimiko maintained her ground as she wondered about this, though eventually, she eventually concluded that the Vice-Captain must have not have had a good fight in a while, and apparently, it turns out that she had been right. From the way Celes spoke of it all, it seems like she quite enjoyed fighting. It was... oddly refreshing for the student, even more so than all of the other times she had concluded that they shared a liking for combat. She - no, they - were both like the people at the arcades, like the friends she had made over there: people who enjoyed battle, who enjoyed fighting. The only difference there was between they and them was that they happened to now be spirits rather than Humans.

"This is the first time I've actually shed any blood, but..." the student admitted then as she straightened herself, swiping the blood off of her blade once again as she did so, "... it's... nice." A light grin brightened underneath excited eyes after she was complimented. "The last time I felt like this, I was participating in a fighting game tournament. If fighting like this gets me to feel like that again... I want this to go on for a bit longer." After she spoke, she sheathed her blade and readied herself for what was to come with that excited expression still firmly displayed on her face. She really did wanted this to go on. The sheer difference between how she felt crossing blades with Celes and how she felt casting Kidō was just too substantial.

With that said, she was now ready to see what kind of attack the Vice-Captain was going to throw at her next. However, now that she was preparing herself against that next attack, the question of what kind of attack she was going to receive soon came to be. Indeed, what was Celes going to do to her now? Before, she was staying close to her with sword swings, but now she stood far away... and yet she had sheathed one of her blades and raised her the other as though she was about to swing at the student. It was as if she was going to strike her from afar with that same attack she had first swung at her. This and Celes' warning both perplexed Kimiko. There was no way that an attack like that could reach her. It was not physically possible. Okay, it was true that the laws of physics were broken about a few minutes ago with that ground stomp, but surely, she can't possibly just hit her from that far away, right?

Her question was ultimately answered a few seconds later after the woman swung her blade down. Kimiko remained still for a brief amount of time as she attempted to comprehend what was happening to the air, though soon enough, she understood what was happening. Immediately, the girl moved away from her position in an attempt to dodge the attack which effortlessly shatter whatever ground was laid down onto its path. She was not going to allow herself to be hit by something like that: it just looked way too dangerous. Should her dodging attempt be successful, she would then quickly run towards Celes' position. If she's fast enough, she can reach her and get her to stop doing creating those... air waves! Whatever they are!

As she rushed for the Vice-Captain's position, the young woman reached for her blade and grabbed its scabbard before taking it out of her obi sash. She has to differentiate her attacks. Sure, she had delivered two good Iaijutsu slashes onto Celes, but too many similar slashes like them will surely make her seem extremely readable and thus easy to counter. As such, she would decide to hit the Vice-Captain in another manner. Once she would reach her opponent, Kimiko would lower the scabbard which was previously by her hip before delivering an upper slash to Celes' left shoulder, then follow it with a lower slash to her right shoulder. Both slashes were done well, if not a bit awkwardly as she still needed a bit of experience.

[Celes Castellanos]

This student of the Academy, Kimiko, was proving to be more promising than Celes initially though. Standing there and going toe to toe with a Lieutenant of one of the most combative Squads in the Soul Society. As cuts were made on Celes, more and more of the spectators began to chime in. Little remarks that started low, but began to grow louder as the excitement of the spar was beginning to crescendo. All around them, there were cheers. "Go Kimiko! You got this!" "Show her that academy students are no pushovers!" "Yeah, what they said!" The cheers were becoming deafening as words of encouragement and admiration were likely reaching her ears. 

Celes in the meantime, was still rather impressed with the Academy student. She was happy to see such comradery among the fellow students of the Academy. Celes believed in respect, but she did not demand that everyone salute her when she passed by. At the end of the day, they were all Shinigami. All with a sacred duty to fulfill. There was a time to be serious, but their charge gave them a certain closeness. It seems that Celes had to turn up the heat a little. This is why she decided to go with shockwaves next. This was after all, training at the forefront. Kimiko had been brought here by the Vice Captain to learn. To study and to become better at what she believed she could excel at.

There were times in the academy when Celes herself felt that she was inadequate. Kido was never her strong suit either. In her entire career of being a Shinigami, Celes only knew one Kido. She had used it before she decided to forsake it in favor of a more direct approach to combat. That being said, Celes was now swinging her sword down to elicit a mighty shockwave from her blade. As it ripped along the surface of the ground, Celes could see the visible worry in Kimiko's eyes. Raising an eyebrow, Celes could tell that she could see it, but was she able to react in time. Celes did after all, try to create enough distance to where she could simply move out of the way if she caught on.

Thankfully Kimiko seemed to catch on in time. Leaping to the side, Celes smirked. Standing there in awe at her quick thinking, the Vice Captain wanted to commend Kimiko for her ability to not only sense the shockwave, but effectively move out of its way. After all, had it collided, the Shinigami may have been in for a rude awakening. The shockwave would have likely carried her into one of the many trees around them. In that case, she may have had the wind knocked out of her or she could've been knocked out cold. Celes was glad that neither happened. She was having far too much fun despite it being a mock fight. To train someone was a blissful experience.

That being said, Celes eyed Kimiko carefully. She wasn't planning on releasing any more shockwaves for now. It was time to employ new strategies or mix things up. After all, she could not make herself an easy opponent. Kimiko wouldn't learn if she was just a pushover. Then again, she did not want to go overboard. She could tell that there was an ocean of strength lying between herself and the student. She also recognized, however, that Kimiko had a good foundation. She just needed to hone her edge. Celes was going to help her do exactly that. As Celes continued eying Kimiko, she noticed that the fledgling was now looking to close the distance. Celes smiled. It wasn't a bad choice considering that she most likely wanted to deny the range advantage, now understanding that she wasn't safe at a range. 

That being said, Celes noted the position of her blade carefully. It was now at her hip. Was she going to mix things up or was it going to be another Iaijutsu slash? Celes wouldn't mind if it was, but she preferred a mix up. Thankfully, Celes was going to get something like that. Unlike a strike to the chest again, Kimiko was seemingly going for her shoulder as she made it into close range. Celes knew exactly which style that she was going to employ. It was a fun little concept that she liked to throw around to try and prepare students for the horrors that they would encounter in the world past the Soul Society. As the blade began moving to Celes, she smiled a little at Kimiko.

The Lieutenant would use her considerable faster physical speed to do something that to most would seem almost detrimental. Moving her limb at a speed of 400, it would seemingly blur to Kimiko. In fact, it may have been difficult to see its movement from her side to flexing in front of her shoulder. Flexing her muscles completely in that arm, Kimiko would be in for a surprise if she decided to continue for the strike. If the strike connected with Celes' arm, Kimiko would find that her blade wouldn't budge. In fact, it wouldn't even cut into the skin of Celes' arm. For all intents and purposes, Celes was wielding her arm like a riot shield to protect against the bladed edge. 

Assuming that this was successful and there was a rather jarring stop in motion, Celes would swing the blocking arm outward in a backhand like motion. She was swinging at a considerable strength of 400. It wasn't enough to create shockwaves, but it could easily physically overpower Kimiko with minimal effort. She was moving this limb at about 300 speed which would still cause it to blur to the student. Her senses would not be adept enough yet to see something moving at that speed. Celes had essentially used her arm similarly to how an Arrancar used their Hierro to block a physical strike and retaliate. Assuming that all went as planned, Celes was looking to knock Kimiko's blade out of the way to her side. 

This is where Celes got a little cheekly. Quickly maneuvering her body so that her other side was now more towards Kimiko, she would raise her finger and smirk as she pointed at Kimiko's forehead. In truth, this could see been as cruel, but Celes wanted to see how the other Shinigami would react. As her finger now hopefully pointed at Kimiko's forehead, there would be a long and disturbing silence in the audience. The air would remain still as Celes spoke. "Hado #4. Byakurai." As a yellow orb of electricity formed around Celes' finger, she was thinking that the sudden display of defense would be enough to catch her off guard. Assuming all went as planned, the Byakurai would fire at Kimiko.

This Byakurai, however, was rather unique. Celes had tuned down her already pathetic strength of her reiatsu to even lower amounts. The result would be a little spark of electricity that would leap out towards Kimiko's forehead. It would at most feel like a little tap against her forehead that would sting. At best, it felt like bit of a forceful tap against her forehead that wouldn't even hurt one bit. If this all went as planned, Celes would chuckle somewhat as she imagined that Kimiko's reaction would be shock and fear as she most likely believed that Celes was about to unleash a Kido at her, no matter the strength of the individual Kido. If Kimiko did not move in time and was zapped on the forehead somewhat, Celes would chuckle.

No matter if Kimiko was zapped or if she decided to dodge a fair distance away to dodge the Kido, Celes would actually then speak as well. "Oh dear. I certainly had you there for a moment didn't I? It wasn't a bad idea to close the distance especially after I chose to retaliate with a shockwave, but understand that the creation of shockwaves requires immense physical strength. Those who reject Kido like you and I, seek our talent in other skills. Other disciplines and strategies to employ. Else, we would surely fail." Celes giggled a little more as she sighed, speaking a bit more. "My blocking of your blade is similar to what an Arrancar may one day do to you. My physical ability allows me to mimic it, but not to the natural effect that an Arrancar can utilize a steel-like skin." The Vice Captain would just smile at Kimiko, letting her take it all in if they got to this point.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Reiatsu}Byakurai - 25

Total Reiatsu: 1175/1250

[Nakajima Kimiko]

The number of students spectating the spar instead of doing what their teacher had told them to do had progressively risen by the time Celes started throwing literal shockwaves towards Kimiko. To the teacher's frustration, what was previously only a handful of spectators was now more so a dozen, and eventually, it turned into two dozens. At first, the instructor attempted to bring everyone back to the activity at hand, though eventually, even he started watching. As much as he detested the very reason as to why this spar even started to begin with, he had to admit that it was an impressive battle. Most Shinigami officers tend to intimidate the students around here, and yet... this one wasn't. "Nonsense..." he muttered underneath his breath as he gazed towards the two women. "Absolute nonsense..."

Perhaps it indeed was nonsense, but for Kimiko, it wasn't. The words she mentioned before to Celes were true in every single way: the more this battle went on, the more she was reminded of her time in the Living World. Fighting and crossing blades alone were both enough to remind her of that time, but soon, the cheering amplified that memory as well. She could hear them, the encouraging words from the other players she met before, the excitement she shared with them throughout battle. All of these things, she felt it then, and she wanted these memories to stay with her forever, even if that damned teacher just wanted her to go back to casting some dumb spells.

The more excited she grew, the more her Spiritual Pressure rose until it reached its natural threshold. Again, it was faint, but it could most likely be felt by those with good Energy Sensory. In a way, one could say that it was a mixture of that fact and the positive emotions that she felt that brought Kimiko forward towards the Vice-Captain. She now wanted to win more than ever, wanted to succeed solely to prove herself before her, her class and her instructor. Her Zanjutsu may not be perfect and she certainly has a long way to go, but she now wanted to prove that them alone could bring them forward. That conclusion may have been conjured by her excitement, perhaps that was true, alongside her hatred for the teacher's opinions, but they were nevertheless solidified. Now, she wanted to bring that idea as far as she possibly could, see if her sword could rise above anything and everything...

... but most importantly, see if her sword can extend her love for battle to its fullest potential.

With that in mind, the student rushed towards Celes with a quick step as she prepared to unleash her attack, doing so with a wide, focused gaze. Bringing herself closer to her opponent was ideal: the use of such powerful shockwaves in close quarters was, after all, not ideal and more so detrimental than anything else. She had not expected the Vice-Captain to suddenly throw these waves towards her, but after seeing their power in action, she was glad that was not hit by any of them. Good thing that her eye was fast and sharp, else she would have been instantly knocked out against that tree. Once she was close enough to the Vice-Captain, she would then quickly unsheathed her blade from her freed scabbard in an attempt to land her first attack, though something about the way Celes smiled to her in that instance was a bit unnerving.

Unfortunately, there was a reason why that smile was present, as no sooner than a split-second after Kimiko's sword attempted to reach for the Vice-Officer's shoulder, it instead was blocked by the latter's arm. The contact with the arm shocked the student. What? Impossible, she could have sworn that her arm was back where it previously the very moment she had tried to land her attack. Worse still, the arm felt like pure steel. As much as she tried to press her sword onto the arm, no damage could be done, not even so much as a little scratch. With clenched teeth and a light grunt, the student then tried to move the Asauchi away from her opponent's limb. Eventually, however, it was moved away, though not by her own will.

Grunting again, the student watched as her blade was pushed away from its initial position on Celes' arm with a fair bit of ease. It had all occurred in a flash so quick that she was barely able to see it happen before her very eyes. The motion left her wide open, with her right arm aching in pain from both the powerful backhand and the awkward position it was thrown away in. At this point, her defenses had been left completely broken and there was no real way she could retaliate in the coming second or two, not in such an awkward position. Even so, she has to do something! She can't just stand there and do nothing! If she does, that Vice-Captain is going to hit her with a powerful attack or...

... or a Kidō attack. The sight of Celes suddenly raising her finger before pointing it towards her forehead left Kimiko in shock. She recognized the motion: this was the movement required to cast that thunder spell, Byakurai, and her opponent was going to shoot that lightning bolt straight into her head at point blank range. It was all prepared so quickly that the swordswoman was barely able to react to this motion beforehand. The audience were shocked by this display. As dangerous as the spar may have seem from an outsider's point of view, nothing of this magnitude of cruelty had been shown so far from the Vice-Captain. Hell, even Kimiko had at this point not expected her to do something like that at all, but nevertheless, there was only one thought that resonated in her brain the moment she saw that finger.

Move. Move! She has to move, now! If she doesn't, she might die! Yes, the Vice-Captain's affinity for Kidō was weak, but a lightning bolt at point blank range is still a lightning bolt at point blank range! Shortly after she was able to realize what was happening, Kimiko attempted to fight against the pressure the backhand motion had pushed against her sword-wielding arm before positioning her blade in a manner prepared for a sword swing. The finger. She has to debilitate it, no, just push it away! Celes' arm may have been able to resist the strength of her sword, but her finger might be a different story altogether. It was worth a shot; after all, it is either that, running away or a lightning bolt to the face, and Kimiko had no wish to run away.

As such, with a stiffed cry, she swung her blade in an upper-left slash towards Celes' finger, using the motion to send herself falling onto her shoulder against the ground below before quickly raising herself back up. Again, it was all done quickly, in a reflex more so than with some kind of strategy. With an increase in the rhythm of her breathing thanks to the stress that she felt then and her sword pointing forward as she held her scabbard with her other hand, she held her ground then, staring into the Vice-Captain's eyes with a frown. Soon, however, she grinned. "Okay... I didn't expect something like that at all from you," she let out in a chuckle before she then listened to Celes' explanation with an understanding frown. "That makes sense. As much as I like Zanjutsu, I can't always focus on that: doing so will just get me in trouble. Even so, I'm not into shockwaves. I prefer direct contact."

The student took a deep breath before then remaining still as she analyzed what other options she had here. Eventually, however, she decided to rush towards Celes again, this time with sword and scabbard ready. She was not used to doing this at all, but at this point, it might help her. With a glare of focus, she rushed forward before then attempting to perform a stabbing motion towards her opponent's chest. As she would do so, she would use her scabbard to block any arms that may attempt to block the attack, and if one arm would dare strike the scabbard, she would then slide it against it before sheathing her blade and performing another Iaijutsu slash. It was an unconventional attack, one that she was not even sure would succeed at all, but it was worth a shot.