The Strongest [JT | Nakajima Kimiko]

[Satoshi Fuuko]

Fuuko stood at the entrance to the Squad 11 Barracks and rubbed the arm that hung limpley at her side. There was still a scar running up it and it still ached when she ran her fingers along it. She still needed to rest up and heal after the incident with the bum guy, but thinking about that made her angry. 

"I shouldn't be here..." She muttered to herself as she dug her fingers into her arm. She should be out looking for Kazu. She needed to find her brother. It was all that mattered to her but... She also knew that she wasn't strong enough. She couldn't even protect Iroka, let alone Kazuhiko. Having to get saved by Kaen and the Squad 2 captain was humiliating. Especially when Fuuko was the one who put everyone in danger. 

Fuuko exhaled. 'This is exactly where ya belong, Anego!'

Fuuko shook her head vigorously and slammed her palm into the side of it. "Shut the fuck up! Ya wanna talk but ya don't wanna come out and play!?" Fuuko hissed. 

'Ehhhhh, I don't play with weaklings, Anego! Besides, if you were here, you wouldn't wanna leave either! It's great! Maybe if you woulda picked a different squad, I'd be out already! I sure as shit ain't coming out when yer cleanin sewers!" 

"Rrrrgh! Dammit!" Fuuko punched the wall with her free hand and hissed as she cracked it a bit. She ignored the laughing voice in her head and marched into the barracks. The voice was right, though. Fuuko wanted to be a part of  Squad 11 since she heard about it. The shock troopers of the seireitei, the blade of the sword. Those who were hungriest for battle joined this division and it was led by the strongest Captain, at least, it was supposed to be that way. Fuuko narrowed her eyes as she marched in. 

It was her brother, Kazuhiko, that kept her from joining. He was just a kid and he didn't want to see people hurt. He wanted to help people. He wanted to make sure everyone was happy. He was... innocent. Fuuko was not but as long as she lived, she would fight to make sure he stayed innocent. "And I already fucked that up!" Fuuko said to herself. She picked up speed. 

Normally, even a hot head like her would follow protocol and not bother a Captain. She just needed to train, to get stronger... anyone would do, right? She could ask Kaen, or the Squad 2 Captain, but approaching them would be embarrassing. The only other person she had really met was the Squad 11 captain at the mixer. Things had been awkward between them, though. Still, the one thing that ran through her mind was that Squad 11 equaled Strength and so the strongest member had to be the strongest period. 

Fuuko nodded and picked up the pace. She just had to plea her case and hope Kimiko would accept it. She ran towards the biggest, fanciest building she could find and and stopped in front of the door. The polite thing would be to knock and ask if the Captain was in or busy. It was never  Fuuko's style. She pulled back her arm and slammed her fist against it with two, sharp raps and then grabbed the door and swung it open. 

"Taichou?! Nakajima Taichou!? Are you around?! Are you busy!? I ... My Name's Satoshi Fuuko from Yonbantai! I need to see you! I need some of your time if you're not busy! Please!" Fuuko stiffened up and bowed her head as she waited. 

[Nakajima Kimiko]

She is back.

It has been a month now since the Captain of the Eleventh Division, Nakajima Kimiko, has been hearing these same three words inside of her head. They were repeated at a certain pace, whispered by a voice that mimicked her own. Every morning, when the sun began its ascent, the words resonated inside of her head, dangling behind every report she found herself working on. In the afternoon, the time at which the star shone its brightest light, they followed behind her wake as she traveled to Nijūkan and taught there. In the evening, when the distant flame descended towards the horizon, they stood by her during her attempts at relaxation, staring down at the food she ate and the drinks she drank. And in the night, after the rays of the cosmic entity's presence were no longer felt by those of the heavenly realm, the words turned into a dark echo chamber within which she would be trapped for the entirety of the night. Not even her Zanpakuto spirits seemed to be unaware of the words. They too could sometimes hear them.

It was, for all intents and purposes, a simple kind of torment. There was no pain involved, no manipulation, nothing that could really be described as being remotely complex in nature. Yet, despite this, the innate simplicity of it all was almost as effective as the greatest torture. She could not escape the three words, whether she was awaken or asleep, and she could not mute them, whether her ears were covered or not. She also could not ignore them, for their importance was not to be underestimated. Thus, the Captain was effectively forced to comprehend their meaning, to take them to heart, and to steel herself for what was to come. What was this meaning? It was as unfortunately simple as the way it was conveyed to her. From this present forth, her Inner Hollow would resume the activities that she had been condemning Kimiko to throughout the beginning of her Shinigami career, and she would do so until the Captain could no longer withstand them. 

There did not seem to be any reason as to why the malevolent being had suddenly decided to pursue her torment of Kimiko. At least, there wasn't in the Shinigami's mind. For years now, she had been maintaining her dojo and her Captaincy with seemingly no troubles in the slightest, and she had not once suffered even but a single nightmare of the being's making. Was it because she had never been so much as touched by an opponent during that time? Was it because she hadn't had a real battle during it all, for the Soul Society was generally thought to be at peace despite a few strange events occurring here and there? Was it because of Camila, the Vizard whom she had found herself battling in New York City not long prior, and who had been capable of dealing damage to her with her blood-bending abilities? The Captain did not know, and so she found herself becoming more and more frustrated every day, more and more annoyed and angry.

She did not want to suffer her Inner Hollow again. Her machinations, as cowardly as they may have been, had been both deliberate and painful. Even now, she could recall the nightmares that the being had conjured specifically to hurt her, or at the least the ones that she was capable of remembering. The monstrous depictions of her father, the twisting of the arcades she once visited as a Human, the many worlds she saw melting from the ink, the sights of a white ocean of memories turned liquid... Those were the ones that came to her most recently. She also remembered the physical pain brought onto her during then by the being, the violence, the bloodshed. At times, she was even reduced to a state of great famishment, all so the creature could supposedly enjoy her looking as weak as ever. Those terrible memories alone were to make her clench her teeth, to make her almost snap her pen in two with her fingers alone... and to find herself suddenly taken aback once a loud noise boomed all around her.

Upon hearing the noise, Kimiko first recoiled before then quickly observing her surroundings. It did not take long for her to become fully aware of where she currently was and what she was currently doing then. She was in her personal quarters, her office, and it was still somewhat early in the morning. Judging by the rays of the summer sun shining down onto the window nearest to her chabudai, it appeared to be around two or three hours away from noon. For the first few moments following her return to reality, she would find herself frowning before then looking down towards the report sheet on her desk. It was only upon seeing that its sections had only been half-completed that she understood what had happened in the moment. It seemed as though she had somehow found herself becoming lost in her thoughts. "Ugh," she sighed quietly as she gazed at the report, disappointed by both the fact she had not finished the report yet and that she had apparently lost a fair bit of time. Eventually, however, she would recall the noise, and so would find herself picking up her blades and standing up. "I'll tell Gideon to finish it..."

The higher officer would then put her blades onto her obi sash and walk out of her office, closing the door behind her. As she did so, she would hear both the shouting and several footsteps of nearby Shinigami officers rushing onward towards the front door of the barracks. One of them in particular was actually heading straight towards her position. "Nakajimaaaa!" A voice resonated from right around one of the nearest corners within the hallway. Hearing it was enough to make Kimiko smile with a bit of an annoyed look for a brief moment. Oh, she knew who that was. It was one of the Attack Squad's biggest punching bags: Dai. By the time the owner of the voice arrived, he was standing before her, clenching his teeth. "Nakajima! Some stupid woman from Yonbantai just broke down the gates to our barracks! She is calling your name too!" He was speaking quickly and just as brashly as usual, seemingly without any intentions to refer to Kimiko by her title. "You must come stop her!"

"Oh, I must come stop her, huh...?" She repeated with a hum, feigning confusion for a moment. "That's odd... I thought I trained you to take care of stuff like this alongside everybody else around here?"  

"Huh? Well, yes, but-"

"I'm doubling your training lessons."

Those would be the last words she would tell the brutish man before she then disappeared from his sight with the aid of Shunpo, leaving him standing there, baffled. She had to admit that she was harsh in that moment, but considering that particular officer's overall attitude, she had no qualms in acting this way with him. If he was not going to show any respect to her, then she was not going to show any respect to him, especially not now while she supposedly had another matter at hand. She would quickly Shunpo from hallway to hallway, moving so quickly around and above the officers running around the hallways that none of them could see her, until she would reach an open window. Once there, she would find herself jumping it with the aid of Shunpo, appearing outside the building before heading upward onto the building. There, she moved forward with shocking speed until she finally arrived at the entrance of the barracks where she witnessed what was happening below.

In front of the barracks appeared to be a most particular woman that Kimiko could've sword she had seen before. She was stiffened up and was bowing forward, supposedly waiting for the Captain to arrive if Dai's words were of any good to her. Around and in front of her were a couple of officers from the Eleventh Division who had exited the barracks. Some of them had their swords drawn while others instead held theirs in a stance that was reminiscent of Iaijutsu, but all of them were very upset by what the woman had done to the gates. "You bitch! Who said you could come here and break our stuff?!" One of them shouted loudly and angrily as he pointed his blade at the woman. Meanwhile, another had begun to unsheathe her blade from her scabbard, all the while shooting daggers at her the woman. "You think you can just barge into our place like that after we just finished repairing it?! You gotta have a death wish!" 

Fortunately for the woman, right before the hostilities could continue, Kimiko would suddenly appear in front of the torn gates with another Shunpo. The sight of the Captain's sleeveless haori was enough to the angry officers to pause, but it was her loud "ENOUGH!" that caused them to freeze completely. The order was so loud that it echoed through the area, beckoning the officers to stop and sheathe their weapon before bowing at her. As to be expected, they quickly apologized to their superior officer. The Captain would've preferred that they be capable of recognizing that the woman was not at all hostile to them or even the Eleventh Division, especially given that she was quite literally bowing just like they were right about now and seemingly doing nothing else. Regardless, she could not blame them for acting this way. From the way she stood, she could see that a wall had been damaged by what appeared to be someone's fist, and the gates had been damaged.

Approaching the woman and the officers, the officer would stare at the woman before she would finally be able to recognize her properly. "Oh, hey. You're... Fuuko, right? It's been a while," she found herself recalling the moment as she stopped in front of the officer of the Fourth. The way she went from authoritative officer and dojo master to what could only be considered to be a rather casual person was rather impressive, all things considered. "I'm sorry about this. We don't mind visitors, but we usually don't want them to put holes in our walls." She took a deep breath to fully calm down, which was enough to cause the nearest officers to understand that they did not need to be as tense anymore. Once she was done, she then crossed her arms and asked: "What's up?"

[Satoshi Fuuko]

Fuuko had kept her head bowed, waiting patiently with the door swung open. Maybe she had been a little eager to find the captain and punched a wall and busted their gate, but that was in the past! Unfortunately, as some seated officers started to gather, she realized that maybe she should apologize and tell them that as a member of Squad 4, it was her futy to repair the damages anyway. Such was the work of those in the Healing and Janitorial division who couldn't heal.

Unfortunately, it seemed like the Squad 11 members who were first to arrive weren't very keen on something so simple. As they drew her their swords and demanded a pound of flesh, Fuuko grinned. She winced as she lifted her left arm and dropped it onto the hilt of her zanpakutou. "I was expectin ta talk to yer captain, but I could use a stretch before I faced her. Don't worry about comin at me one at a time!" Fuuko barked. Here body tensed, ready for a real brawl against some Squad 11 boys and girls when the captain's voice rang out.

"Tch!" Fuuko hissed as her body tensed up. Immediately, she clapped her arms to her sides and bowed her head, returning it to where it was and in the position of the others. Fuuko's eyes widened when Kimiko remembered her. Her cheeks flushed. She had been so brash but now she wanted something from the woman.

"Taichou!" She said, raising her head. "Yes! That's me! Satoshi Fuuko, Ma'am!" Her voice was an awkward bleat. "I accused you of hitting on my brother, Satoshi Kazuhiko!" 'Kazu...' Fuuko's free hand clenched. "He's why I'm here! Kazu's been missing for a bit now, but I'm not strong enough to bring him back! I'm not strong enough to do anything!" She could feel tears welling up at the corner of her eyes. She could not  cry in front of this woman. 

"I need to be stronger!" She said and looked up at Kimiko. "You're the strongest, right? The strongest member of the strongest division!? I need  you to train me! It has  to be you!" Fuuko's body stiffened and she dropped to her knees in front of Kimiko and pressed her forehead against the ground. "Please, Taichou! I'll do anything you say! If I can't get stronger, than I would rather die by your hands over anyone else's!" Fuuko pleaded.  "If I'm too weak, then kill me! If I can't protect Kazu, then I'm useless and I'd rather be dead!"

The desperation seeped from her. It was ugly. She knew it. She had a choice. She had any choice. It didn't need to be a captain. Captains were so much stronger than her. Kimiko would have to hold back just to not kill her on accident. There was more than that, though. Fuuko wanted to be the strongest to protect Kazuhiko, Iroka, everyone she cared for, but she also loved to fight for the sake of it. She wanted to feel Kimiko's blade. She wanted to know exactly where the bar was. The bar that she wanted to surpass. She wanted to know where she had to be and how high she needed to climb to truly  clash swords with this woman. The woman she admired more than anyone else in the Gotei 13. The woman she wanted to serve and surpass, if not for her devotion to her brother. 

Fuuko's body shook a she waited. Her arm throbbed, both in pain and anticipation. She could feel a pair of phantom hands hands digging into her shoulders, threatening to go to her neck. 'Don't face Big Sis like a dog, Anego! If you don't face her eye to eye, why should I tell you my name? I would never say it to someone so weak! Just tell her not to waste her time on someone so weak! Just go die! Let those other losers kill a loser like you! Ha!'


"S-Shut up, damn you!" Fuuko shouted suddenly. She clenched her good hand and slammed her fist into the ground. She pushed up and got a standing position. Once Fuuko was straightened back up, she stared down the lackadaisical captain, panting as though she had just run a marathon. She reached out and grabbed Kimiko's haori and leaned in. "I need to feel your blade inside of me." She whispered, her eyes widening. "And in return, I hope that I can touch you with mine..." Despite her tough words, because Fuuko was holding the haori, it would be obvious to Kimiko that she was trying to keep from shaking. From fear, anticipation, shame, disgust, excitement or all of the above, it was hard to tell, but Fuuko never broke eye contact with the captain.  

[Nakajima Kimiko]

The response Fuuko formulated to the officers that were barring her way unsurprisingly confused them to a degree. It was hard not to blame for feeling them this way. Each and every one of them had been ordered by their Captain to respect the people of the Fourth Division. In the officers' eyes, though they were incapable of ever possibly doing battle with the brunt of the enemies they usually have to face on the field, the members of the Fourth were their brothers and sisters nonetheless. The only difference between them and the people of the Eleventh were the kind of battle they fought every day. In so doing, to suddenly hear an individual who claimed to be a part of the Fourth proclaim that she did not mind actually wanting to fight them after quite literally breaking their property was something of a rarity. A part of them respected her for acting this way, even going as far as to think that she maybe ended up in the wrong squad. Their other part, however, was much too fixated on the damage done to their home, and so they prepared themselves to fight.

Kimiko, of course, fully understood them all as she observed them from above on the roof of their barracks. Like them, she too was confused by what she was seeing at first and what was even happening, especially after she had received Dai's very brief report only a few moments prior. As much as she wanted everyone in their squad to treat those of the Fourth Division with as much respect as any one of their own, she had to admit that it was still somewhat difficult for her to completely eliminate the stereotype that was associated to the most of them, namely the one of the weak-minded and cowardly medical officer who preferred to avoid any confrontation at all cost. There have been exceptions to that rule, of course, such as Tatsu. However, for the most part, the exceptions were few and far between... or perhaps they weren't anymore, if the way this particular woman acted in front of her subordinates was anything to go by.

The Captain would observe them all for a bit longer, waiting to see if her officers were going to be able to deescalate this situation on their own. She wanted to see if they could truly realize that this woman wasn't really hostile to them or the Eleventh as a whole, and really just wanted to talk to her. However, it would become clearer and clearer that that was not going to happen. They were way too attached to their barracks - their second or perhaps even their true home in the heavenly realm - and it showed. Although this was an understandable reaction, Kimiko still felt somewhat disappointed after she made this observation. Having a home is important, yes, and keeping it secured and well-defended was even more important, especially after the Soul Society found itself suffering countless invasions lately. With that said, defending one's home is not an excuse to bring about violence to an individual who did not wish harm to anybody, and that was even if the individual had brought about damages to the home in question.

As such, before anyone would make their move in what appeared to be heading towards a battle, the swordswoman would make her appearance and order her officers to stand down. In a moment's notice, every men and every women who were about to attack Fuuko stopped, returned their weapons to their scabbards, and eventually tampered the hostility they held towards Fuuko. Some were slower than the others when it came to accomplishing this process, and one of them even appeared to dislike the fact that their Captain had told them to not fight Fuuko. Regardless, even they found themselves eventually settling down once they realized that the woman from the Fourth Division had surprisingly done the same, even going as far as to bow before their leader. If that woman was not going to do battle to them and was also showing that much respect to their Captain, then perhaps fighting her was truly not worth it after all.

Scarlet eyes would analyze Fuuko as Kimiko made her observations. It took some time for her to properly remember who this woman was, but now that she was close to her, she was able to recognize her well-enough. Indeed, this woman was Satoshi Fuuko, brother of Satoshi Kazuhiko. The Captain could still remember their last meeting. It was a rather short one, all things considered, but the words that had been said then were memorable enough. The somewhat-annoyed expression that she sported once Fuuko made mention of one particular part of their conversation during her introduction was a testament to that statement. "Yeah, you definitely did," she noted quietly with crossed arms as her eyes briefly went towards her officers. Some of them appeared to be somewhat amused by the fact that someone had accused her of hitting on someone, especially given that they all knew about what kind of person their Captain was supposed to be. They quickly simmered down once they noticed that said Captain's gaze was directed straight at them... though it was doubtful there wouldn't be any comments thrown in the barracks later.

This humorous bit would end rather swiftly, however, once the woman of the Fourth explained her reason for being here in the first place. Apparently, her brother had gone missing. Kimiko wasn't quite sure of how just yet, but if Fuuko's words were anything to go by, it seemed as though the little guy didn't just decide to disappear from Seireitei. It also didn't seem as though he was simply killed in action while he was in the field. No, instead, it sounded more like he had been taken. This immediately caused Kimiko to frown. The last time she has had to deal with something that was somewhat similar to that, it was back when she had dealt with somebody who had captured Hollows to experiment on them. Sure, those were Hollows, but the fact that they were even considered producing the equipment they used to control the creatures was concerning enough to make Kimiko think that they might have decided to go for another target now. For all they knew, they might be doing something to Shinigami.

There would unfortunately be no time for the Captain to ask questions to Fuuko, as before she could so much as formulate a single question, her words would leave her as the other woman continued to speak. It was a rather intense speech, one that left even the officers that were surrounding her silent. It was needless to say that a lot of them found themselves capable of sympathizing with her; after all, they all have had their troubles before being allowed to join the Gotei 13. However, no one around here could better empathize with Fuuko than Kimiko herself. Their problems were different, but in a way, they were similar. The woman of the Fourth was worried about what her brother's possible kidnapper would do to him, and she was worried about what would happen to one of her Zanpakuto spirits once her Inner Hollow finally reaches him. They want to be able to protect them, but they don't know how, and so they try to solve the problem by asking other people for help.

For all the problems she has faced in the past, Kimiko has always had Shizukakane to to help her up. He was wise, wiser than anyone she has met within the Soul Society, and he was deeply considerate of her well-being. They talked every time they could, and during those conversations, they spoke of how she felt about certain things. He almost always tries to cheer her up whenever he can too whenever he notices that she's down in the dumps. There was also Celes, the Captain of the Tenth. She was a bit naive and at times incapable of understanding a few of Kimiko's issues, but she was there for her nonetheless. She was her emotional support, and without her, she would have been lost. Hell, she probably would have never been able to understand that the being in her dreams was even an Inner Hollow in the first place, given that it took Celes to convince Taishokukane to spill it out. Really, Kimiko could not imagine how she would feel if she lost the both of them.

Well... Fuuko unfortunately seemed to be a good example of that. In comparison, Fuuko didn't seem to have anyone which could be described as being at that level. No, it was worse than that. Kazuhiko, her brother, appeared to be the one and only person she could speak freely to in the entirety of Seireitei, and he had been snatched away from her. It was no wonder she suddenly felt this desperate and this weak. She had been unable to protect him, her brother, at that time, and she was also unable to protect him now when she was probably needed most. So now, she needed immediate solutions, and the only solution she had in her mind was Kimiko. The way she prostrated herself before the Captain of the Eleventh, called that Captain the strongest of the strongest despite the fact that she most definitely wasn't, and quite literally begged the superior officer to train her so intensely that it might lead her to her own doom all said as much.

It wasn't an eloquent request. Frankly, it was quite ugly. It was the kind of dramatics that made Kimiko feel rather bad and even somewhat embarrassed. Nevertheless, she couldn't ignore this, and neither could her subordinates. All of them understood her plea to a degree, so much so that they said nothing when the woman had her sudden outburst and grabbed their Captain. As such, the officer's scarlet eyes stared right into Fuuko's. They were evidently serious, considerate. "There's no such thing as "too weak". That's just bullshit made up by people who think they're better than everyone else," she spoke as she ignored the grip on her haori. The vibe around her become somewhat less awkward still, more focused and energetic. "There's no such thing as "useless". That's just bullshit made up by people who don't understand how something works." Her hand crept upward and grabbed Fuuko's left wrist. By then, the energy radiating from Kimiko had become downright overwhelming. "And there's no such thing as someone who would rather be dead! That's just bullshit made up by people who've given up!"

As she spoke, the one of her voice had risen, and the energy that radiated from her began to spread around the area. The other officers already felt encouraged by her words, rejuvenated, and so likely would be Fuuko. No more was she simply the Captain of the Eleventh in this moment. Now, she was a teacher, the master of Nijūkan, the creator of the Nijū Kanmeki-ryu. "Those are gonna be your first three lessons! If you want to be strong, you're gonna remember them at all cost!" With that, she looked towards the other officers, namely one who was standing at the door of the barracks. It was Dai. He looked stunned, seemingly from what Fuuko had said. It wasn't until Kimiko called to him that he was suddenly brought out of his reverie. "Dai, tell Gideon that I won't be able to finish my paperwork today! Join him if you want to!" She then looked on to the other officers. "As for you all, keep away from the Coliseum! Fuuko and I will train there until sunset!"

The officers - even Dai, despite his reluctance to go speak to Gideon - would immediately let out a resounding "Yes, Nakajima-taichou!" upon hearing their Captain's words, and with that, they would quickly disperse and return to their usual duties. With that out of the way, Kimiko would look back towards Fuuko with a nod. "I don't know who took your brother, but you're gonna be strong enough to get him back. I promise," she told her then, seemingly quite serious and willing to respect her words. Once that was out of the way, she would tap Fuuko's wrist. "You can let me go now."

SPOILER: Click to show

{Technique Used}
Technique Name: Akuma no Ishi (剃るかんめき, "Demon's Will")

Technique Type: Other | Strength of Will Buff

Technique Element: None

Usable by: All races

Class: 3

Technique Reiatsu Cost: N/A

Technique Description and Effects

The projection of one's own will to empower the hearts of others. The user channels the strength of their very soul within themselves before shouting it out, most typically either in a short inspirational speech or a motivational war cry. By accomplishing this, the user is capable of bringing forth the Strength of Will skill of all of their surrounding allies by one point for the next three posts, inspiring them to go further beyond towards victory even if such a thing may cost their lives. A master of this skill is said to have such a powerful will that they are able to instead bring the aforementioned skill of their allies up by two points.


Drawbacks & Weaknesses

As saddening as this may be to those who may be interested in learning this technique, not everyone is born with a powerful will. That is simply a natural, uncontested fact that cannot be refuted even by the greatest minds there is in this world. In so doing, it is not difficult to imagine that this technique will not always show any kind of positive effect onto the people surrounding them, especially if they are used by naturally-uninspiring individuals. In order to guarantee this technique's proper success, the user must possess a 2 in at least one of the following skills: Acting, Charisma, or Strength of Will. This technique can be executed by those who have a lesser version of these skills if they so will it; however, upon execution, there will be a 50% chance of this skill failing to provide any kind of inspiration to allies altogether.


Made by: Nakajima Kimiko

Reserved? : No

[Satoshi Fuuko]

Fuuko suddenly felt something wash over her as Kimiko made her statement. Grabbing Fuuko's wrist, the blonde gasped at the thought of having done something out of turn. Of course, out of turn was fairly common for someone like Fuuko, who didn't live with the same kind of politeness as most people. She was brash, to a fault, and said what she needed to say regardless of what might happen because of it. She had expected a scolding, at the very least, from Kimiko for disrespecting her, but instead, Kimiko rebuked her assertions with an eerie calm.

"Ahhh...." Fuuko's mouth opened but no words came out. She felt stupid, but Kimiko's explanation made sense to her. She didn't think she was better than anyone. She didn't look down on people, or she thought she didn't. "T-Taichou, I don't..." She started to explain. She breathed heavily as Kimiko warned her about people who wanted to die. "I haven't given up! I would never!" She started up again.

She lowered her head and let go of Kimiko's haori. "I just don't know how much longer I can go on without Kazu... The thought that he's out there alone and hurt and scared... it makes me angry! And scared and embarrassed and... a lot of emotions, frankly..." Fuuko lowered her head, stopping suddenly. "Hai, Taichou." She said. "I won't be weak, I won't be useless and I won't die!" She said, trying to take the words to heart and feeling invigorated by what the captain was saying. 

Fuuko lowered her head as Kimiko ordered her squad around, but at the mention of the Coliseum, her eyes lit up. As well as training until dawn. It would be tough, but a lesson like this would be an experience of a lifetime! "Thank you Taichou!" Fuuko barked and grinned. "I will try not to disappoint you!" She said, suddenly feeling invigorated. "I said what I meant, but... I should say something else!" 

Fuuko turned her head briefly and looked away for a moment before looking back into Kimiko's eyes. "You're the reason I joined the academy. I just happened to reunite with Kazu while I was there, but I wouldn't have even gone if I hadn't heard about Squad 11! And... if not for Kazu, I would be here in your squad for sure! So... I don't know if that means anything to you, but, I will try not to let you down! Even though I'm not going to leave Squad 4, I would like to be seen as worthy of being a part of Squad 11 in your eyes!" 

Fuuko nodded and pumped her fist. "We don't have a coliseum in Yonbantai, so I'm excited to see where you train." Fuuko grinned. "I have a chill running up my side! I ... I am feeling anxious!" 

[Nakajima Kimiko]

Kimiko had seen a lot of people like Fuuko before. In fact, the number of people she had seen who were just like her was heightened exponentially after she founded Nijūkan over the remains of the dojo of the 40th western Rukongai district. She had heard every reason that one could imagine for them feeling the way they did. A few of them believed themselves to be weak and frail, things that would crumble upon facing any kind of threat to themselves and the rest of the Soul Society. Others were regretful beings, individuals who were once incapable of accomplishing something that they thought themselves obligated to do, that believe their inability to be something that they needed to fix as soon as possible. There were also those who made terrible mistakes, those who wished to leave a broken past behind in order to construct something better, something new, that would allow them to atone for their past transgressions. The list went on, and on, and on...

... but these people were able to get themselves out of their misery. They were able, with the aid of great physical training, to better themselves and create something out of their pain that allowed them to move forward with strength and skill. The Captain has seen this happen many times, countless times even, and she fully believed that Fuuko would be able to become a stronger individual for her brother if she followed her training. If she herself could graduate from the Academy, become a successful swordswoman within the ranks of the Gotei 13, build her dojo, and achieve Captaincy in spite of all of the problems she had, then surely, anyone could. All that was needed from them all was just something that would push them forward, like how Celes pushed Kimiko so many times to become the best Shinigami she could ever possibly be. Thus, she hoped that her words would be able to reach the soldier from the Fourth and convince her that not all was lost like she thought it was.

There was a bit of hesitation on Fuuko's part, of course, once she heard Kimiko's words. After all that she had told the superior officer thus far about her insecurities, it was to be expected. However, the effects of the words that were told to her would eventually begin to settle in, and eventually, she would visibly be invigorated. The sight of the enlivened medic (?) was enough to bring a satisfied smirk from the Captain. Seeing people share her excitement and become so energized was most likely never going to become old for her. It always made her feel proud of them and excited to see what brighter future the world had in store for them. In fact, she felt those two things so powerfully that it was making her steadily forget her Inner Hollow for now, quieting the haunting words that had been repeating in her head over and over again. "Good! From now on, always remember those three lessons! Tell them to yourself every morning, every afternoon, and every night!" She encouraged with that same energy from before. This energy was such that it was even causing the officers surrounding them to feel absolutely reinvigorated. 

The Captain would then go on to tell her orders to the officers that were still in the area. She had made her mind as to what she would do today, and there was nothing that was going to stop her from accomplishing that, not even the most daunting of paperwork. This was a moment of peace for the Soul Society, and so she was going to take as much time for every student of hers that needed her presence the most, including those who were not part of her dojo as of yet. However, before she and Fuuko could fully move on to the Eleventh's Coliseum, the blonde would find herself having to say something to the scarlet-eyed woman. This would cause Kimiko to blink, briefly stop heading towards the aforementioned building, and turn her head towards the officer of the Fourth. "Sure, go ahead," she would tell her then, wanting to hear what the other girl wanted to say. It did seem as though it was rather important, after all. Well, turns out, one could say that the Captain was right in assuming that was the case.

Apparently, Kimiko was Fuuko's idol. No, not a simple inspiration or someone that she believed to be strong, but downright someone that the officer of the Fourth was looking up to. This idolization was such that the young woman went as far as to proclaim that, if it were not for her brother and the fact that he specifically joined the Fourth Division, she would have instead gone on to join the Eleventh Division. On one hand, the Captain was not at all surprised by the fact that she had been wanting to go to the Eleventh in the first place. Her attitude, her demeanor, her words... Those were all things that Kimiko better perceived from her soldiers rather than from those that were part of the Fourth. In fact, she was somewhat confused by the fact that the Gotei 13 allowed her to let her go to the Fourth. Maybe her medical skills were really good? Either way, she supposed it didn't really matter now. What instead mattered more to Kimiko was what was in the other hand.

Many times before, the Captain wished to be recognized for her ability. She has always worked hard to better accomplish her job as a Shinigami, and she has always wanted people to recognize her hard work in one way or another. Oddly, however, she never really imagined herself actually reaching that state. The students at Nijūkan did follow her and so did her many subordinates within the Eleventh, but she never really believed that they idolized her. Rather, she simply thought that the first did so because she was their master while the second did so because she was their Captain, nothing more, nothing less. Maybe some of these people were indeed idolizing her in some way or another like Fuuko was doing now, or seeing her as some kind of massive source of inspiration. Huh. That was kinda sweet, actually.  I... better not let that get to my head,  her thoughts concluded then.  Yeah. Yeah, let's just, uh... leave it at that.

With these thoughts in mind, she would give thus attempt to appear not too flattered by Fuuko's words. Instead, she would give her a bright grin and resume her walk towards the Coliseum. "If you can follow my teachings, I'll treat you as not just that, but also my own student at Nijūkan. Everyone is welcome under the Nijū Kanmeki-ryu, whether they're Shinigami or not," she would inform the young woman as she moved. Perhaps she would not be quite sure of what that name was supposed to be about, but the soldier from the Fourth would have most likely have heard about it by now. It has been floating about here and there across the Soul Society from various Shinigami officers for a few decades now, especially those from the Eleventh. There also seemed to be quite the reputation behind it, if the compliments and the excitement the aforementioned officers shared every time they spoke of it was anything to go of. "Now, let's go! The Coliseum awaits."  

The two officers would go on to walk towards a particular building that was seemingly built a distance away from the main barracks of the Eleventh Division within its courtyard. The building in question was huge, easily towering over the both of them, and was circular in shape. Evidently, it appeared to be designed similarly to the famous Colosseum amphitheater located in Rome, though it appeared to be larger solely to accommodate for the strength of those within the Eleventh Division. Kimiko gave it a quick glance. She couldn't tell how many times she had actually trained in this place, and how many moments she has spent there. There were many of those moments that she considered to be bright and enlightening, but there were also many which could be considered as being the total opposite of those two things. This time, however, she was going to make sure it would be one of those first memories. With that, she went forward through the main gates of the Coliseum, and reached for its center.

Inside of the building, Fuuko would be greeted by a very large space. Its shape, like the Coliseum itself, was circle-ish in nature, and its grounds appeared to be made not of the typical slabs or bricks of Seireitei, but rather a smooth coat of sand. As to be expected, this caused many footprints to remain within said sand. Even now, both she and Kimiko could observe many of these footprints as they headed towards the center. Meanwhile, the sunny sky could be seen from high above, with the sun shining down onto the inner walls of the structure and the many seats found around what could at this point be considered as an arena of sorts. The brightness of the distant star as well as the sandy grounds allowed the entire area to better reflect its magnificence, and to better shine as quite a structural marvel for something designed solely for the use of those within the Eleventh Division. Frankly, you would think this thing would have fallen apart a long time ago, given how rough many of the Eleventh's officers could be at times.

By the time the two women fully arrived in the middle of the arena, there was nothing that really occupied the arena. At least, there was nothing living. All there was were a couple of training dummies set about near the high walls, and a single stand where many wooden weapons could be found. Noticing that it seemed that they would truly be left alone, Kimiko would position herself a few meters away from Fuuko before turning herself to her. "Welcome to the Coliseum! This is where we will train for the day," she declared then. Her voice was loud enough to echo throughout the area with the same energy she held before. She would wait a moment then to allow the officer of the Fourth to take in her surroundings, giving her ample time to analyze it, before she then focused her stare onto Fuuko. "Let's start this with something simple." Her body then visibly tensed, and there was suddenly a light force pressed onto Fuuko. It wasn't strong, but it was theirs. It was a push.

"Come at me, and show me what you've got!"

[Satoshi Fuuko]

Fuuko had really let a lot of herself pour out and onto the captain. As Kimiko merely grinned at her and kept her cool, Fuuko wondered if she was really being embarrassing in front of someone she admired. Kimiko, for her part, was certainly living up to the idea that Fuuko had in her head. She was even saying Fuuko could be a student! Fuuko shook her head.

"You're so fuckin cool..." She tried not to say too loudly as they made their way to the coliseum. "I don't know if I am worthy of bein a student, though." She said. "I don't know about callin ya sensei, either." Fuuko shrugged. "It ain't like I won't do as I'm told or anythin like that. I can follow yer rules an try and learn yer style, it's more like..." Fuuko's thoughts sputtered to a halt for a moment and she went silent.

"I don't know the best way ta explain it, honestly. You'd probably think it was stupid and I've embarrassed myself enough in front of ya already today." Fuuko grinned. "Maybe after the trainin, I'll be so fucked up I won't give a shit about sayin somethin stupid. Heh." Fuuko never had a problem saying something, even if it might offend or embarrass someone, but she also figured Kimiko might get annoyed or bored. She felt like a little kid, which was something she hadn't felt in  long time. During most of her time before she got to the Seireitei, she had been expected to be a grown up. She kind of was now as well, being part of a well oiled machine. 

When she entered the coliseum, she looked upon it in wonder. Her mouth fell agape and her eyes widened. "Woah... this is so cool!" Fuuko said and punched her fist into her hand. "It's like those Roman dudes, those Gladiator guys?! I think I watched a movie with them once. Oi..." Fuuko's eyes sparkled.  "A lotta people are gonna think it's shitty, but, wouldn't that be the fuckin life? You just get ta fight all day? And people fuckin love ya for it?" Fuuko shook her head. She had been born in the wrong era for sure. 

After some gawking, she ended up in the center of the arena with Kimiko  short distance away. She felt it subtly at first, the force Kimiko was using on her, then it hit her with a bit more pressure. Like a shove that demanded her attention. Fuuko took a step back and nodded as she looked the captain in the eyes. She took in a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment to feel Kimiko's force against her. It was trying to keep her off balance and Fuuko steadied herself. 

Fuuko opened her eyes and set her left hand on her zanpakutou. Maybe it seemed disrespectful, but Fuuko's fighting style was a bit unorthodox.  Her zanpakutou was a tachi, hanging upsidedown from the way a katana was tucked into an obi sash. Even as the force began to flutter her clothes, Fuuko pursed her lips. She bent her knees and then, after one more moment, she sprang into action.

Fuuko's left hand gripped the handle of her sword and yanked it out of the scabbard. She hurled it at Kimiko and then shunpo'd forward to catch it with her right hand, so that the blade was pointing down, the opposite way most held their katana. When she landed, she drove her feet into the sand, landing in a crouch and swiping upwards with her zanpakutou. Her other fist was loaded for bear and as she was swinging upward, she was immediately following through with a punch aimed at Kimiko's gut

Reiatsu: 1200/1250

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats}
Strength - 300 Points (450)
Speed - 200 Points
Spiritual Pressure - 100 Points (125)
Reiatsu Strength - 40 Points (26)
Light Aura - 95 Points
Dark Aura - 05 Points
Instinct- 50 Points
Senses- 100 Points (75)
Energy sensory - 30 Points
Healing Expertise - 0 Points

[Nakajima Kimiko]

Kimiko would listen to Fuuko attentively as they began moving towards the Coliseum. Her opinion of the Captain, one that the superior officer tried her best to ignore for the time being, it seemed as though the blonde was somewhat reticent to the idea of actually becoming Kimiko's student, and her main reason behind her reticence apparently was "stupid" enough to potentially further embarrass herself before the dojo master. Considering what kind of person Fuuko was, this kind of statement was enough to make Kimiko believe that it was related to Kazuhiko in one way or another. Not the kidnapping matter, no, but rather the skills the boy had to share as a member of the Gotei 13's medical corps. Perhaps Fuuko believed that her own skills were somehow weaker than his, and as such, she wanted to find a way to better them in a way that would better suit her current duties. If this was true, it was indeed doubtful that Kimiko was going to teach her anything useful in that matter; after all, she had only but a very limited knowledge in the medical field and she wasn't really planning to learn more about it, for she had no affinity for any kind of healing magic.

Still, the higher officer was not going to let herself make any more assumptions. Now was not the time, and quite frankly, making such presumptions out loud was something she preferred not to do, especially in front of someone who was as brash as Fuuko. As such, she would instead give the other officer a smirk while looking over her shoulder as they moved towards the Coliseum. "One thing I've learned over the years is that stupid reasons don't exist. There's always something underneath every one of them, whether we like it or not," she said as they steadily distanced themselves from the main headquarters of the Eleventh Division, instead heading towards another side of the courtyard. The words were wiser than she expected them to be. It must have been an aftereffect of all the teachings she has given to others thus far, and the many books she has read in her past. Come to think of it, she should probably read a few once again one day, once she gets the time to do so. "Once we're done, I'm sure you'll be able to tell me all about it."

The two officers would then go on to reach the Coliseum. As to be expected, the grandeur of the place immediately caught Fuuko's attention, and it did not take long thereafter for her to gush about gladiators of old. Although Kimiko sadly could not really relate when it came to the movie the blonde woman was talking about, seeing as it had been quite some time now since she has interacted with any production from the Living World lately, the latter point that was made about the way of life these gladiators followed brought a smile out of her. "I can't say our Jūichibantai was loved by the people for a while. Even now, we still get weird looks from time to time... but you pretty much just described how we live here." Her voice resonated throughout the idea as she walked onward to position herself before Fuuko at the center of the arena, further showcasing the sheer size of the Coliseum. "We got papers to fill up like any other squad, but unlike them, we have to follow a schedule. Everyday, we train, we spar, we hunt, and we fight until our bodies can't do it anymore. We all have our reasons as to why we do it, but ultimately, we do it so that no one ever has the chance to destroy our Soul Society."

This time, she had not really spoken like a teacher. Rather, she had spoken like a Captain. Those were the words she held whenever she had to present the Eleventh Division to somebody else - even those who were already in the know - and she believed them to be more than enough for others to understand both how much she appreciated her squad and what kind of direction she wanted it to follow. There is a number of her subordinates who remain stuck in the old ways and are still somewhat problematic, to say the least, when it came to respecting that direction. Dai, in a way, was one of those people. He was brutish, disrespectful, and uncaring, often wanting to do things in his way no matter how dishonorable this made him appear to be before their enemies. The man even often attempted to make himself appear superior to everybody else. As such, from time to time, Kimiko herself had to reign him in. However, he did not represent the rest of her squad, and she wanted to make sure everybody understood that, including Fuuko.

In any case, the time had seemingly come from this discussion to come to an end. The two women had now positioned themselves within the center of the arena, and the Captain, by then, made sure to make her intentions known to Fuuko by then with the aid of a very light use of her spiritual energy. As the sand around them slowly found itself pressed downward around the idea, her scarlet eyes remained set on Fuuko. She could see that, at first, the blonde woman appeared to be briefly hesitant. The forces that were pushed against her - the one caused by the spiritual energy emanated from Kimiko and the one that was formed from Kimiko's powerful words - had surprised her, so much so that it had caused her to take a step back. This was normal. Given her level as a Shinigami officer, it was doubtful that Fuuko often found herself dealing with such powerful energy, with the only recent exception potentially being Kazuhiko's kidnapper. What was a bit less so was the way Fuuko handled it and remained strong in spite of it all. That was enough to somewhat excite Kimiko.

Good. She's not scared of my spiritual energy,  her thoughts find themselves concluding as she found herself further analyzing the blonde woman. The hesitation was still there, but the temporary student had made her mind: she was going to go forward with what was very clearly becoming a spar, no matter what. That alone made her more powerful than most of the rookies that were in the Eleventh, as many of them simply could not handle Kimiko's energy that well. This did not mean that the Captain could allow herself to stop holding back, as there was a great difference between being able to withstand a limited amount of her energy and withstanding it in its entirety. However, at the very least, it allowed her to get a good grasp at how powerful Fuuko was, both on a physical and an emotional level. If she is able to withstand that kind of energy, then that means she has a chance to withstand what will most likely come later in a real battle, whether this energy is as powerful as hers or not.

A few more seconds would then go on to pass. By then, the surroundings walls of both the arena and the Coliseum were lightly trembling from the force that was emanating from Kimiko, causing a certain noise to echo throughout the area. Kimiko remained still at that moment, awaiting Fuuko's first move with a focused gaze as the other adopted a proper combative stance. Then, it happened. With a swift hand, Fuuko unsheathed her sword and threw it towards Kimiko. The act was done quickly and with great strength, causing the blade to whistle in the air after it was launched. Kimiko's analytical gaze briefly widened upon seeing the blade head towards her position, but she did not move just yet. Instead, she waited for the blade to come towards her position to see what would happen. She very much doubted that Fuuko actually wanted to separate herself from her Zanpakuto in such a way; after all, it wasn't the Shinigami's way. If worse came to shove, she would have made sure to dodge the blade if needed.

Turns out, she had made the right call in assuming that throwing the blade was Fuuko's entire plan, as the blonde then suddenly used Shunpo to appear right where her blade was. It was an interesting showcase of the technique's versatility. Should the blonde had faced an unprepared or inexperienced opponent, they would have most likely been completely caught off-guard by this maneuver and be struck by what Fuuko attempted to land onto Kimiko shortly after. However, the Captain ultimately believed this maneuver to be extremely foolish. It was to be expected from a lower-ranked warrior, but she had believed Fuuko to be aware of the importance of her weapon by now, and how losing it could literally spell her immediate defeat if she faced an opponent that was much more powerful than her. Of course, the blonde woman could use Hakuda to get herself out of such a situation, yet Hakuda could never match the power of Shikai or, worse, Bankai.

With that said, she would not say anything for now. That would come later after her full evaluation of Fuuko is completed. Instead, Kimiko would go on to avoid the incoming attacks to the best of her abilities. Thanks to her innate senses, wild instincts and her own ridiculous speed, she was able to do so with expert precision and fluidity. Her body would expertly slide around the tip of the tachi and the top of Fuuko's fist, and once this was accomplished properly, she rapidly moved forward towards the officer of the Fourth all the while slowly unsheathing her blades and giving her a strong stare. This was done at a leisurely pace for the Captain, roughly at a Speed of 250, and was mainly done to intimidate Fuuko more than anything else in order to punish her for what she had just done with her Zanpakuto. Whether this intimidated Fuuko or not, she would await a reaction from her, keeping herself at a very close range to see what the warrior was going to do. "Come on, Fuuko! Show me!" She shouted another group of energetic words, pushing the other officer ever onward.

This was already beginning to turn into an intense training session, more intense than Kimiko thought it would be... but it was the only way she could proceed here. Someone like Fuuko needed rougher training, the kind that always kept them going. Simple words of encouragement was not going to work with them.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats & Skills}

Statistics

Physical	Spiritual		Sensory	Miscellaneous
Strength: 158 (210-52) Speed: 700 (400+300)	Reiatsu Strength: 30 (40-10) Spiritual Pressure: 700 (400+300)		Instincts: 400 Senses: 300 Energy Sensory: 50	Light Aura: 50 Dark Aura: 50 Healing Expertise: 0

Skills

Mental	Battle		Body	Utility
Strength of Will: 3              Analyzing: 2	Iaijutsu: 4 Martial Art - Hohō: 3 Battle Analysis: 3 Battle Focus: 1		N/A	N/A

[Satoshi Fuuko]

Fuuko felt nothing as her zanpakutou sailed upward and hit nothing. Her follow up punch also filed to bruise anything but her own ego when it whiffed. She saw how fast Kimiko dodged. Fuuko also knew that Kimiko was practically walking. Fighting Fuuko would likely be like a morning stretch for the captain and, even though that was exactly the reason why Fuuko wanted to fight Kimiko in the first place, it still thoroughly pissed her off to be so weak.

"Tch." She stared down Kimiko as the Captain lurched forward and threw up her Zanpakutou to protect her neck. The fact that Kimiko had two blades made her even deadlier than a normal opponent and put Fuuko's unorthodox fighting style in check. Fuuko was also aware that the longer things went on, the harder it would be for Fuuko. The captain suggested they would fight most of the day and could probably keep up this leisurely pace for most of it. Fuuko had to decide if she wanted to go all out right out of the gate and potentially flame out... or pace herself so that she could last for as long as Kimiko expected her to.

Her goal, in all of this, was to just try and touch Kimiko. If she could just get in one good shot, if she could just express herself through a clashing of blades, then that would be good enough. The thought of an exhausting session with the Captain ... well, nothing seemed better to Fuuko, but she also wasn't one to dally around, either. So she decided, as her gaze moved from sword to sword to Kimiko's eyes, that she would chose both!

Fuuko's foot dug into the sand and she bent her knees, almost like she might be finally supplicating to Kimiko's intimidation tactics, bowing before the fearsome captain, but really, she just needed to try something new. "Haaaaaa!" She kicked up sand and with her free hand, batted it at Kimiko, then lunged forward, stabbing at the base of Kimko's left sword while using Shunpo to close the distance, her head aimed at Kimiko's head with a righteous headbutt!

Reiatsu: 1150

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats}
Skills 12/15
• [Battle Focus] {1}
• [Pain Tolerance] {2}
• [Lack of Fear] {1}
• [Zanjutsu] {1}
• [Strength of Will] {1}
• [Damage Recovery] {1}
• [Bleeding Tolerance] {2}
• [Anti-Stealth] {1}
• [Stealing] {1}
• [Interrogation] {1}

Total: 11

Stats:

Reiatsu: 1250

[[Strength - 300 Points (450)
Speed - 200 Points
Spiritual Pressure - 100 Points (125)
Reiatsu Strength - 40 Points (26)
Light Aura - 95 Points
Dark Aura - 05 Points
Instinct- 50 Points
Senses- 100 Points (75)
Energy sensory - 30 Points
Healing Expertise - 0 Points

[Nakajima Kimiko]

The sword and the fist that Kimiko dodged both possessed notable power behind their wake. Not just any power, but the kind could reduce a normal Soul to a pile of broken bone and muscle should it had been successful. It was hard to tell at a glance, but the Captain was able to understand the strength they carried right away as she maneuvered her way around them. She felt the change in the air around them as they pushed against it, the wild current that they had conjured in their wake, and needless to say, that alone was enough to impress Kimiko. There weren't a lot of Shinigami officers wandering around the streets of Seireitei who possessed such physical power, not even within the Eleventh Division, and so to witness Fuuko standing before her and attempt to hit her with that power was almost awe-inspiring. Really, it was almost as though she was standing before a brasher, less-experienced version of Celes. With a bit of time, she was quite certain that any spars she would have with this officer of the Fourth would be similar to those she had with the Captain of the Tenth from time to time.

But this power, as impressive as it was, reminded her of another individual she trained. In fact, it reminded of the very first officer she attempted to teach lessons. It was a long time ago, so long that she had unfortunately forgotten that officer up until now, but now, she remembered her name: Wynne. She was a member of the Kuchiki clan who served the Tenth Division. If Kimiko could recall correctly, the girl first sought training from Celes, but after noticing that the Captain could not actually grant her this training, she instead went to her, an officer who hadn't even been promoted to the Eleventh's Third Seat at the time. Or rather, Celes had sent Wynne to her. Frankly, Kimiko could not remember the details anymore. Either way, as she trained the girl, she was capable of reaching two specific conclusions. The first was that her strength was superhuman, the kind that easily surpassed even Celes' strength. The second was that her speed was so poor that her strength was borderline unusable against swift opponents, something which was quite grave due to her dependence of it.

So far, Fuuko fortunately did not appear to be too slow. In fact, unlike Wynne, she actually used Shunpo and attempted to experiment with it in order to reach Kimiko. However, if the punch she attempted to throw a few seconds ago and the hole that had been left in the courtyard wall were anything to go by, the blonde woman most likely depended on her strength quite a fair bit as well. Hell, her attitude alone was most likely enough for one to be able to describe her as a person who was proud of her physical prowess to a certain extent, and thus needed to show it off in one way or another. Considering how well this dependence to physical strength went for Wynne while she trained with Kimiko back then, this was an observation that somewhat bothered the Captain. Hopefully, her current presumptions and conclusions are faulty, and Fuuko will be able to prove herself to not be the kind of warrior that Kimiko was thinking she was.

With this in mind, the Captain would remain close to her temporary student with great determination. Her eyes were wide open, analyzing Fuuko's every move in an attempt to understand what she was going to do next, and the spiritual energy that was being emanated from her was quite impressive, pressing the sand further downward against the ground underneath it and putting an even greater strain against the walls that surrounded them. At a glance, it almost seemed as though this energy was eventually going to crush Fuuko, but Kimiko was making sure to stabilize the flow so that it would only impose a single light force against the officer. She didn't want to crush her into submission; rather, she wanted to push her, to remind her of the strength she needed to possess in order to become truly powerful. Again, it was quite the intense way to continue this training session, but she felt it wisest to continue it in such a way for this particular student.

For the first few seconds following the beginning of the scarlet-eyed woman's approach, it almost seemed as though she had perhaps gotten a little too far. Indeed, all so suddenly, the officer appeared to be kneeling down, as though the force that was pushed onto her was a bit too much for her to handle. Noticing this, Kimiko almost hesitated. Usually, whenever she prepared students in such a way, she tended to do so in a style that was much more passive in comparison. She would always try to push them, but she would focus on doing so emotionally rather than spiritually so as to understand what was wrong with their fighting style and what could be done to mend it or to better it. This, in comparison, was much more active and maybe even a bit forceful, and she wasn't quite sure of if it was going to work or if it was instead only going to bring Fuuko's morale down. Fortunately, she would be proven wrong by Fuuko in the following instant.

Just as this bowing appeared to be reaching its lowest point, the medic (?) would swiftly attempt to turn her position upside-down. Kimiko's earlier hesitation, as brief as it may have been, lasted just long enough to briefly render her unable to predict the sudden sand cloud that was thrown right towards her direction, and so she then found herself momentarily blinded. Clenching her teeth, she would rapidly close her eyes and move her head away from the cloud so as to not damage her eyesight with a greater number of the desert grains. Needless to say, she had left herself appear quite open to Fuuko in the moment. However, she wasn't out of the fight. Far from it, for the wilder instincts she had developed throughout her Shinigami career made sure to alert her of the upcoming danger. She may have been blinded by the sand then, but these little particles will never take her instincts away, not even in a million years... and those instincts were currently telling her that something was coming towards her head.

It was with this mind that the superior officer than made her counter-attack. With a huff, she would move Taishokukane away from the stabbing sword, causing it to slide against Fuuko's tachi. Then, as the contact between the two metallic weapons caused sparks to shoot out of their blades, she would return Shizukakane to its scabbard before focusing onto the top of the sword's hilt. From this focus would be born a sudden surge of spiritual energy around the hilt of the weapon. The surge would create a formation of energy around the hilt, a sort of prism-like structure of beaming scarlet red which extended upward away from the hilt's surface. Once this formation would be fully realized, the Captain would let out a booming cry before unsheathing her blade in a way that would cause the extended hilt to be launched straight towards Fuuko's stomach. This process would be completed at a speed of 250 once again, but the strength behind the structure would be much greater than the physical strength Kimiko carried. In fact, it would downright slightly surpass Fuuko's, with an offensive power of 500.

Should the hit be successful, Fuuko would most likely find herself at least pushed back by the hilt. The power behind the hit would be great, enough so that it would cause a slight blast to be launched forward alongside the blonde's body. Fortunately, however, the energy around the hilt would not last forever, for it would then vanish. One could say that this would easily create concern within Kimiko, but ironically, concern was the last thing that was on her mind right about now. What was instead there was a mixture of annoyance and frustration, but ultimately, excitement. It was becoming clearer and clearer to her that Fuuko wasn't the kind of warrior that really valued honor and sportsmanship. Perhaps the Captain should have been expecting this; after all, the officer of the Fourth was quite the brash individual. Regardless, she would let a sharp chuckle and begin to move forward. "Alright, looks like we started a bit too slow!" She would call as her steps resonated throughout the area. The steps, at first, would be slow, but eventually, they would soon become faster and faster. By the time she was nearing Fuuko, she was almost bolting towards her. "Let's pick up the pace!"

SPOILER: Click to show

{Reiatsu: 6800/7000}
Technique Name: Cutback: Kakudai (減らす: 添加, "Cutback: Extension")

Technique Type: Cutback | Weapon Range Buff

Technique Element: None

Usable by: All races

Class: 4

Technique Reiatsu Cost: 200

Technique Description and Effects

An extension of a weapon's reach. The user focuses their spiritual pressure onto a particular section of their body or an object that they are currently holding onto. This process causes the formation of an extension of energy around the target which lasts for three posts. How far this extension goes is delimited by the user's proficiency in this technique, as can be seen below:

• Mastered: 3x
  
• Proficient: 2x
  
• Learned: 1.5x
  

Depending on what has been extended, the user can use melee techniques that are unusable in hand-to-hand combat with the aid of Cutback: Kakudai, such as sword techniques. Should it be necessary, this additional range of the target can be rendered smaller by a Proficient or Masterful user. For example, a Master of this technique can decide to extend their weapon only by 150% instead of 300% when confronting an enemy in a small location.


Drawbacks & Weaknesses

All attacks delivered by a target extended by this technique is to be treated as only using Spiritual Pressure as their Offensive Stat. No weapons which typically exclusively relies upon the Strength or the Reiatsu Strength of the user may be an exception to that rule. In other words, though this technique can allow those of lesser physical strength to be able to wield their weapon with greater power without releasing it, it may lead to a negative outcome to others who instead have lesser Spiritual Pressure. The extension of one's reach, although impressive, can also lead to complications depending on where the user is actually fighting. Small, cramped spaces can lead a few to become stuck inside of surfaces they once didn't need to interact with at all, and they may also cause these few to suddenly collide into things that they originally would not have actually been required to deal with. 


Made by: Nakajima Kimiko

Reserved? : No

[Satoshi Fuuko]

Her plan had almost worked. It would have worked against almost anyone else, but instead, she had been caught in Kimiko's trap. Not only that, but when their blades scraped together, there was a sharp howl inside of her head. It made Fuuko's cheeks flush and she tried to keep it from breaking her concentration.

'Yes! Ooooooooooooh! Anego! Do ya feel that?! Haaaaaaaah! Gimmie more! Gimmie MOOOOORE!'

She felt it, of course. The clash of blades was everything to a Shinigami and Kimiko's intent, her thoughts and feelings, came through the blade, the sparks a coded language that Fuuko understood. What she also understood was that she was bull rushing into Kimiko's ability. She only had a second to plant her foot and Shunpo in a way that kept the beam from directly hitting her.

"SHIT-Ouuughhh!" The beam slammed into her ribs. It wasn't enough to crack them, but it wasn't far off and might have if it had hit her square on. She knew it was at least as strong as she was, if not stronger, but, thankfully, her own Shunpo not only helped soften the blow a little bit, but also sent her flying backwards, nearly spinning away from Kimiko. She dug her heels into the sand and even plunged her zanpaktuou into it as well to keep from being thrown into a coliseum wall. When she skidded to a halt, she was left panting and clutching her ribs with her free hand.

'If this is what it's like when she's just fucking with me..' Fuuko thought. Kimko could force feed her a big heap of humble pie at any moment if she wanted. Still, even as Fuuko looked up at the captain rushing towards her, Fuuko's face had a big grin on it. She was enjoying this fight. The captain was am unsolvable puzzle, but the fact that the challenge was even there, that she could even try, even if she failed, meant that Fuuko had made the right decision coming to the woman. Fuuko wanted- no she needed to be strong enough to fight with her on equal footing one day.

"S-Sorry..." Fuuko said as Kimko charged at her. She pulled her arm across her ches so that her zanpakutou blade was facing Kimiko and crouched to reduce her center of mass and give Kimiko less options to attack. The apology, however, was not for starting slow, though. It was for her rather rude fighting style. She knew she had dirty tricks here and there, but she also felt that without them, Kimko really could just slap her around. She wanted to at least make sure Kimiko wasn't bored fighting the low ranked shinigami.

"Fuck yeah!" Fuuko barked as Kimiko came at her. She braced herself, using her own Zanpakutou like a shield for when Kimiko made her strike with Taishokukane. This time, Fuuko was more concerned with Shizukakane. She was grateful it was sheathed, though it was obviously still dangerous even sealed. Her free hand was ready to try and grab Kimiko's wrist if she went for her second sword and if she was close enough. It was obvious that Kimiko was leagues faster than her. Fuuko was strong, so she needed to keep Kimiko close to be able to even think about getting in any kind of hit. She'd rather trade than swing her sword around like a fool while Kimiko leisurely danced around her.

[Nakajima Kimiko]

Throwing something in people's eyes - preferably small minerals such as dust, sand, or even flour - is a tactic that has often been used throughout history as a means to confuse. Kimiko has read about its use plenty of times before in pieces of fiction and even a few notes here and there within the history books granted by the Academy, and she has also seen it being used as well, mainly by souls who remained within the deepest parts of Rukongai. In essence, one could say that this strategy was somewhat effective, seeing as it often accomplishes the task which is tied to it, namely the act of ridding someone of their sense of vision. The particles that are thrown create a cloud that is often difficult to see through, and those who are caught in the cloud can damage their eyes. There have even been cases of people actually going blind because they weer subjected to this tactic, quite surprisingly enough, but those cases were very rare.

Considering this, it would be natural for one to think that this tactic would always be advantageous to those using it. If it can reduce one's line of vision and potentially even blind them seemingly with only but a minimal amount of effort involved, why would not that always be the case? The answer was simple, and from the looks of it, it seemed that Fuuko had not actually considered it when she threw the sand towards Kimiko. To put it bluntly, those who are sufficiently trained as Shinigami officers typically possess physical capabilities that are so powerful that they allow them to quite literally overpower the brief loss of vision. Some are capable of doing this by simply being quick enough to dodge the particle cloud, most notably through the use of extreme speed. Others can simply ignore the cloud due to the ridiculous resilience of their eyes. And then, there was Kimiko... who arguably did not even need her eyes to react to what Fuuko wanted to do to her after she was hit by the cloud.

The point of the matter was not that Fuuko had failed in the use of her tactic. If anything, it was successful, as it almost allowed her to accomplish the ultimate objective she had set in her mind. What was the point of the matter was instead that she had used a tactic that would not work against opponents of higher power. The same could be said for many dishonorable tactics of such simplicity, and it was why Kimiko found herself often hating them so much. Sure, it can lead one to be bestowed with a good advantage when used against a weaker opponent or one that is not expecting it, but in any other circumstance, it can potentially lead to an instant defeat. Should the Captain had not been distracted then, she would have most likely predicted what the officer of the Fourth would have attempted to do, and this would have been possibly capable of countering it so that it would have affected her and not the superior officer; after all, it is not quite difficult to divert a projectile's initial trajectory if the hand that is throwing said projectile is hit in the throwing process.

Of course, this was a spar. For all intents and purposes, Fuuko would not have suffered any substantial damage from this, as Kimiko was not fighting her seriously. However, should she had been the medic's enemy, such a move would have not granted Fuuko with what she was hoping to get from this. If anything, it would have led to extreme injury, or worse, death. Such was often the case with those who dared to use such petty and disrespectful tactics against those that are of legitimate higher power in comparison to most others. With all of this in mind, the Captain was currently adopting one particular mindset for the blonde woman. If she wished for her to succeed in becoming a powerful guardian for her brother once they rescue him, then she would have to train her in a way that would allow her to adopt a style disconnected from such tactics. Whether this would be successful or not remained to be seen, but until then, Kimiko will do her best for this to occur.

As such, once Fuuko was flown away from her position, the superior officer slowly began her approach. The energy around her was pulsing with power and excitement, so much so that it was causing the particles of sand that were still occupying her face to slowly fall off onto her robes, and then the grounds below. Due to the contact of the particles against them, her eyes had become slightly redder and the vision they granted to her had become a bit blurrier. Nevertheless, she could still see to an extent, and given the bright tone of Fuuko's hair, she did not need much more than that to know where she needed to go. Therefore, with a bit of focus, her eyes would eventually lock onto the officer of the Fourth once again, letting her know that she was coming towards her position. She called to her, warned her that she was coming, and with that, she began to speed up her approach until she eventually found herself standing above the blonde woman, staring down.

Her temporary student had seemingly decided to, this time around, take on a defensive stance. She was crouching down now, sword placed in front of her, blade directed towards Kimiko. It was an interesting change of pace in Kimiko's eyes, but to her, it seemed as though this was more than just Fuuko simply deciding to defend herself all of a sudden. Just earlier, the girl was more so focused on attacking her with various tricks in order to confuse her, going as far as to throw her Zanpakuto at her and throwing sand at her. Who's to say this wasn't another trick? Frankly, it most likely was, especially if the blonde officer wanted to keep this close. However, the Captain couldn't find herself caring about that. If acting dishonorably by using the many tricks up her sleeve is how Fuuko wants to play this game, then Kimiko will have to show her that such a strategy was only going to lead her towards a guaranteed defeat.

The moment she would find herself closest to the officer of the Fourth, the one of the Eleventh would suddenly unsheathe Taishokukane before specifically slashing down at Fuuko's tachi. The metal of the blades would hum loudly as they hit each other, with sparks rushing out of them both. After the dark sword would finish sliding its entire blade against the tachi, Kimiko would allow her body to follow its momentum before then grabbing Shizukakane's scabbard with her right hand and unsheathing it in an upward slash, all the while she returned Taishokukane to its scabbard. The white blade would then be brought down onto Fuuko's tachi, shortly followed by Taishokukane being unsheathed again in an upward slash and Shizukakane being returned to its scabbard. This entire process would be accomplished at a Speed of 300, and would be repeated several times in what appeared to be an absolute onslaught of slashes. Although the physical strength behind the hits were hardly as powerful as Fuuko's own strength, given they were executed at a Strength of 158, it would become clear to Fuuko very quickly that Kimiko was challenging her defense by simply aiming to wear it down.

Should the blonde woman attempt to grab her wrist at any point during this process, Kimiko would quickly dodge towards Fuuko's right - with a subtle slide against the sand below, executed at a Speed of 200 - before sheathing Taishokukane and whacking the officer's wrist with its scabbard. "Pinning your opponent down is a good idea, especially if they are faster than you!" She commented during the onslaught, continuing her assault as her energy boomed across the arena. "But you can't rely on that! You also can't rely on cheap tricks either! I know someone like you won't want to do that all the time!" Her eyes were wide, staring deep into Fuuko as she slashed against her blade several times over. "If you want to win, you have to fight! If you want to win, you have to overwhelm! You have to crush, dominate, destroy your opponent until they can't fight anymore! That's what's going to bring you to victory! Nothing else!"

After she finished speaking, the Captain would straighten herself, causing her to stand high above Fuuko before she unsheathed the both of her blades and expertly spun them in her hands. Against the light of the sun above, her figure darkened, causing only her scarlet eyes to appear in the dark as though they were beaming. "Earlier, you said you almost wanted to be part of the Eleventh. Then, if you ever want to join us one day, let me tell you this." Her swords would then be suddenly upward before being brought down onto Fuuko's blade together.

"MIGHT MAKES ALL!"

The words boomed across the arena, and with them, Fuuko would feel their energy pass through her once more.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Technique Used}
Technique Name: Akuma no Ishi (剃るかんめき, "Demon's Will")

Technique Type: Other | Strength of Will Buff

Technique Element: None

Usable by: All races

Class: 3

Technique Reiatsu Cost: N/A

Technique Description and Effects

The projection of one's own will to empower the hearts of others. The user channels the strength of their very soul within themselves before shouting it out, most typically either in a short inspirational speech or a motivational war cry. By accomplishing this, the user is capable of bringing forth the Strength of Will skill of all of their surrounding allies by one point for the next three posts, inspiring them to go further beyond towards victory even if such a thing may cost their lives. A master of this skill is said to have such a powerful will that they are able to instead bring the aforementioned skill of their allies up by two points.


Drawbacks & Weaknesses

As saddening as this may be to those who may be interested in learning this technique, not everyone is born with a powerful will. That is simply a natural, uncontested fact that cannot be refuted even by the greatest minds there is in this world. In so doing, it is not difficult to imagine that this technique will not always show any kind of positive effect onto the people surrounding them, especially if they are used by naturally-uninspiring individuals. In order to guarantee this technique's proper success, the user must possess a 2 in at least one of the following skills: Acting, Charisma, or Strength of Will. This technique can be executed by those who have a lesser version of these skills if they so will it; however, upon execution, there will be a 50% chance of this skill failing to provide any kind of inspiration to allies altogether.


Made by: Nakajima Kimiko

Reserved? : No

[Satoshi Fuuko]

Fuuko's heart was beating as Kimiko flexed and started blowing away the particles of sand. Fuuko's own ponytail and skirt fluttered as her eyes focused on the captain. She remained still, though. She had attacked first, now it was time for Fuuko to see what Kimiko was capable of. She could feel every bit of blood running through her as Kimiko pounced. 

There was a flash as Kimko grabbed her scabbard, sheathed her sword and unsheathed her sword all seemingly in one fluid motion and almost faster than Fuuko could anticipate. She was astonished and amazed and, most certainly, impressed at the speed and technique. It wasn't until she was washed in sparks by the upward slash, Shizukakane sliding against Fuuko's zanpakutou, that she was snapped out of the stupor and pushed her free arm against the back of her blade to fight off the slash. 

'Ooooooooh! It's like she's running a finger up the back of my spine! No! A knife!' A voice barked inside Fuuko's head. 

'If ya wanna fight 'er so badly, why don't ya tell me yer fuckin name!'

'Ahaha! This is like a massage, Anego! If I told ya my name, you'd just fuck it up and die!'

'Thought ya were ok with that!'

The voice shut up, but that didn't stop Kimiko. Fuuko was trying hard to concentrate on the slashing blades of death in front of her, but, thankfully, the voice had shut the hell up. She had thought that Kimiko had gotten predictable with her slashes, and used that opportunity to reach for a wrist, only to get clapped back. 

"Ghk!" She batted her away like she was trying to reach for a cookie when Kimiko wasn't looking. Like it was no trouble at all to swat at this petulant child's hand. Fuuko took a few steps back as Kimiko slashed at her and suddenly barked at her, reprimanding her with her voice as well. Fuuko's eyes widened as Kimiko seemed to tower over her, telling her what she needed to do to achieve victory and proclaiming the motto of her Eleventh Division. 

'Tell her! Tell her you don't really wanna win, Anego! Tell the Boss ya just wanna fight her for as long as ya can! That's what I want so it's gotta be what you want too, right!?'

"Shut up! Don't tell me what I want!" Fuuko barked, feeling the sensation of Kimiko's words overwhelm her. She dug her foot into the sand and turned her blade, catching the points of Kimiko's swords against the flat of her blade. She stared at Kimiko while she held the swords in place. They were fast, but even Fuuko could hold both of the blades at bay with one hand, considering her strength. 

"I wanted to be in your squad, but I'm not! I'm in the Yonbantai! Our job is to heal and protect and do all the things no one else wants to do so that everyone can keep doing what they want! It's my duty to protect everyone! I'll show you what that means to me! I'll show you what I'm willing to do to save my brother! Save my squad! Save anyone who needs it! Even you someday, if I have to, Taichou!" 

Fuuko's hand was shaking from strain and emotion, but she jerked her blase down and shunpo'd directly at Kimiko, this time she was aiming to go fast enough that the zanpakutou drove into her shoulders. That, at least, might be brash enough for Kimiko to not be able to immediately make the quick decision she needed to. Fuukjo's hand gripped her zanpakutou tightly and as she shunpo'd, she slashed forward with her blade. with the way Fuuko held her zanpakutou, even if she landed a hit on Kimiko, it wasn't likely to be much more than a superficial cut. 

[Nakajima Kimiko]

Physical power has never been something that Kimiko believed herself to be particularly proficient in. For as long as she could remember, even back when she was not a Shinigami, she tended to struggle in a few activities that relied on the strength of one's musculature. Arm wrestling typically led her to a disappointing defeat, the breaking of walls and other hard structures was borderline impossible for her, and for all intents and purposes, it wouldn't really be possible for her to overpower someone with her bare hands, let alone kill them. Once again, it was why she had decided to forsake the Hakuda arts, as she knew that mastering them would bring her nothing but grueling work for nothing that was worth her while. What good would it bring her, after all, to know how to do a million punches in a split-second if all of those punches were as powerful as the simplest touch in the eyes of the mighty? None at all, that's what.

But if there was something she was good at when it came to the physical side of battle, it was speed. Speed was what allowed her to surpass those with greater strength than her. Speed was what allowed her to become an overwhelming force, a warrior that was to be recognized on the battlefield as one that could lay waste to an entire battalion should they be unable to rival her to any capacity. Sure, one could say that her spiritual might was also just as noteworthy here, as it allowed her to rival those that could be considered as being individuals of greater strength. Hell, it was doubtful that she would have been capable of beating Camila without it. However, without the capacity to bring herself to such velocities, to such indescribable swiftness, she would have been unable to put her power to good use without constantly relying on the abilities of her Zanpakuto, and it was doubtful that either of them were going to accept that.

This was why, as Kimiko followed her continuous assault towards Fuuko, she appeared to be so absolutely overwhelming. The strength behind the light and dark blades as they descended onto the blonde woman's tachi was not at all noteworthy for someone of her caliber. Really, if Fuuko ever wanted to, she could push back against the blades whenever she would have the opportunity to do so. However, the sheer speed Kimiko used to make them descend and ascend onto the tachi would make this opportunity rather difficult to properly gauge. Any wrong move, whether it be too early or too late, would potentially lead the officer of the Fourth towards quite the nasty cut, especially if the two blades are capable of reaching her during the act. In other words, Fuuko needed to choose her next move wisely, for any mistake would lead her towards defeat and a potential trip to her squad's headquarters for medical treatment.

Or at least, that was what the Captain wanted Fuuko to believe. In reality, the solution for the problem she had created for the medic (?) was right in front of her, and she had even gotten as far as to spell it for her. All she needed to do was to ignore her wish to win this spar by tricking Kimiko and instead face her head on by literally overpowering her. By doing so, no matter the speed at which Kimiko is executing this assault, Fuuko would have the chance to leave her trainer wide open and thus potentially hit her with all the strength she had. This was a training tactic that Kimiko had used several times while she was training her brasher students, be they members of the Eleventh or people from Rukongai who had decided to visit her dojo, and for the most part, it had always worked, as it often appealed to the students' wish to fight back. There is no better motivator for one who wants to fight than to give them a reason to fight.

In a way, the same could be said here with Fuuko. As their blades clashed and remained stuck against one another for a brief moment, the energy that boomed from Kimiko as she spoke her words would cause the blonde woman to speak back to her just as powerfully. With that said, she did so in a way that Kimiko admittedly did not expect her to do. To put it bluntly, she denied the idea that she wanted to be part of the Eleventh Division, and then went on to solidify the tasks that were tied to the Fourth Division. Given the opinion of the Eleventh the officer had been sharing with the Captain so far and the reason why she was part of the Fourth in the first place, this proved to be somewhat confusing to Kimiko. But then, as their blades continued to clash, she eventually understood that she perhaps hadn't been told of the entire truth behind Fuuko's stay within the Fourth. Maybe it wasn't just about her brother. Maybe it was instead because she wanted to save not only him, but also others, all so that they could keep saving those they wish to protect.

The goal was not particularly original. There were many other Shinigami officers who served the Gotei 13 that possessed a similar goal in mind. In fact, it could be said that practically everyone who remain behind the walls of Seireitei wishes, to an extent, to accomplish something like that. However, it was a noble goal, and it was one that Kimiko could respect wholeheartedly. As such, while their blades clashes, her spiritual energy would hum once more throughout the area, and as the sands would be pushed away from it all, she would smirk. "That's it!" She shouted as their blades continued to clash, causing further sparks to be created in the process. No doubt, the spirit that was within Fuuko's Zanpakuto was most likely going to be happy about that and what the Captain would then say next: "Then I'll say it again, Fuuko! Show it to me! Show me the might that will serve Yonbantai and bring so many to safety! Show me that I can trust that my and my subordinates' lives are in your hands!" 

Following these words, the Captain would attempt to continue her assault. However, before she could do so, she would notice the temporary student suddenly bring her blade down. Left curious by this move, Kimiko would briefly stare at the woman before, suddenly, she would witness using Shunpo. One would believe that the use of this technique would be mainly attributed to moving away from the target, but Kimiko could tell that there was something more about this. So, she would wait, wait, wait... until, then, Fuuko reappeared before her. With widened eyes, she would watch as the blonde woman had prepared her blade so that it would be strictly positioned near her shoulder, and positioned herself in a manner that left her extremely close to the Captain.  She's blocking my arms,  she would note as her scarlet eyes stared right at the incoming tachi which was prepared to slash down. In other words, she was practically locked in place. The only way she could fight back was either with one of her advanced techniques or by dodging.

At first, her body screamed at her to move. However, in the split-second before the tachi would strike at her, she would decide to instead move ever-so-slightly backwards at a Speed of 225. Although this would allow her to almost avoid the blade in its entirety, she made sure to remain deliberately slow enough for its tip to breach through the skin of her unprotected shoulder. This would cause said tip to create a small wound on the skin, one that would leave out a minimal, yet noticeable amount of blood. As the wound remained open, Kimiko would instantly feel the familiar pain produced by her nerves. She knew it all too well. It was seething, burning, as though someone was constantly putting that part of herself near a fire, and its uncomfortable nature made her prefer to usually avoid it at all cost. Fortunately, it was small, and so she would not suffer it for very long. Besides, in this very moment, she believed this pain to be necessary, even if she did not quite like suffering from it.

After the hit was landed, she would look towards the wound Fuuko had delivered, then smile towards the medic. "Very good! Using Shunpo that way is a good way to surprise someone!" She complimented before she stretched herself, causing a few of the bones within her body to crack from the added pressure. For a moment, she remained quiet, almost as though she was anticipating something was going to happen, though eventually, she prepared herself to continue. "But a cut is a cut! It doesn't mean that the battle is over just yet! Now, come on! We still have a few hours in front of us!"

And so, the spar continued.

[Satoshi Fuuko]

Fuuko stabbed her zanpakutou into the sand as she dropped to one knee. She pressed her head against the hilt and shut her eyes. She was dripping with sweat and sore. In some ways, the hours that her and the Juuichibantai Taichou spent together seemed to pass in only a few moments. Another part of it seemed to pass like eternities. Fuuko was filled with nicks, cuts and bruises, but her mouth had the biggest smile on it.

*Yaaaawwwn~* 'I can't believe my first real taste was from the Boss. I want more, Anego! Give me more! If you give me more, maybe I'll ... nnnn... maybe I will just sleep for now instead...'

"Heh... you bitch..." Fuuko mused and then looked up at Kimiko. "All that... and I'm sure ya barely even broke a sweat." Fuuko said and then bowed her head. "Still... I can't thank ya enough, Cap'n." She mused. "Maybe next time you can even show me yer shikai. Next time I'll definitely  show you mine!" Fuuko then frowned suddenly. "But..." Fuuko turned and blushed. 

"I've been hearin her voice for some time now. She's just... tauntin me. I don't get it! Was it like that for you? I don't have any experience with it, but I don't get why she won't just tell me her fuckin name! What's she waitn for?" Fuuko said and pushed up to her feet. She slashed in front of her with her sword and then slowly sheathed her zanpakutou. 

Fuuko closed her eyes and then smiled again. "I guess she's as stubborn as I am?" Fuuko asked rhetorically. Fuuko wiped some sweat off her brow and flicked it away. She adjusted the rest of her outfit so that everything was in place, but as she crudely picked the wedgie she had  in front of Kimiko, she couldn't help but wrinkle her nose. "As cool as this coliseum is... sand, uh... kinda gets everywhere, if ya know what I mean." She said and looked at Kimko with a sheepish grin. 

"A-Anyway... what's the verdict, Taichou?" Fuuko said as her eyes lit up as she looked at Kimiko eagerly. "How would I fit in the Eleventh Squad?" Fuuko knew she had told Kimiko she belonged in the Fourth Division, even though she WANTED to be in the Eleventh and she meant it, but there was also a part of her that needed to know if she could cut it inside Seireitei's strongest division.