Training the Mind and the Body (Closed JT; Benjiro & Akira)

[Akira Hinosai]

It was supposed to be a simple, but effective plan. If Benjiro wanted any hope of winning, he'd have to close the gap, entering Akira's zone of control. Akira thought he'd be ready, but he was still caught off guard when Benny shunpo'd so goddamn close. Akira had no choice but to let his body do the thinking. Time seemed to slow down, the way it seemed to do in battles like this. Akira stopped feeling pain, he stopped feeling anything but a desire to win. Benny's assault was two fold. There was a fist going towards Akira's head, and a blade going towards his leg. All the while the giant was so close to Akira, that he wasn't sure if he could back away without getting grabbed.

The only way out was forward. Kill him before he kills you. It was the most primal of urges. The desperate struggle of a frightened beast. The only way out was forward. If Akira stabbed his enemy, maybe this would all go away. Plunge your sword into him until your guard meets the skin. Maybe even further than that. Kill. Kill. Kill. Akira brought his blade back to stab his enemy in the gut, and then...NO! He tensed up, and didn't move. It wasn't right. He didn't want that! Akira's body and mind had disconnected, and instead Akira did nothing as the fist collided with his head and the blade sliced his legs. Akira did not remember falling, but all the same he was on the ground again.

After a moment he felt the dull ache on the side of his head, and the new stabbing pain in his legs. He felt dazed. He tried to get up, but his arms failed to push his body upwards, and instead he stayed on the ground. The world seemed to spin around him. Akira had danced with gods and demons, but somewhere along the way he forgot the grounded and intimate pain of being punched in the face. He didn't need to be a doctor to know that he'd probably have one hell of a shiner after this. Akira groaned. He had lost. If this were a real fight, Benjiro would have delivered the coup de grace by now. He groaned, half out of pain and half out of embarrassment at having lost.

He banged his closed fist on the ground. "Owwww..." He forgot he couldn't do stuff like that without hurting himself. "Lame..." Akira stayed on the ground, wallowing in his defeat. At this rate Benjiro probably thought he was a total loser. Some kind of low life charity case. Though if Benjiro offered a hand, Akira would take it, wincing a bit when putting pressure on his bad leg. "Hey Benny, do I have a black eye?" If that answer was "yes", or if it was even just a bruse rather than a full on shiner, Akira would smile. "Badass." Akira always thought those were cool and rugged and manly. Akira wasn't going to say anything about holding back and taking the hit unless he was prompted. It wouldn't do to mention it now and have Benjiro think he gave a shit about him.

[Benjiro Hiroto]

Benjiro appeared before Akira, his will as strong as iron as he battled his own hesitation and doubt. He had learned from Gestalt that in training, it was best to assume that all other options were exhausted prior to the sparring. That meant he had to fight with the intent to harm, at the very least. He did not try to kill Akira, nor was there any hostility in his swings, but there was mercy in them either. In a single motion, as Benjiro crossed his arms, a heavy fist cracked against Akira's head and eye while the sword cut fairly deep across his legs.

Immediately, the man fell to the ground. The battle was over. This was Benjiro's victory, but it was a hollow one. What was the point of victory when one fought to save another? All he cared for was Akira in this moment, quickly sheathing his Zanpakuto and offering up a prayer. "Namu Amida Butsu, Namu Amida Butsu." He uttered in repetition, asking for the guidance of the Amida Buddha to aid in Akira's recovery.

As he was reciting his mantra, Benjiro saw Akira move once more, groaning in pain as he punched the ground. There was something different though, the hostility and desperation seemed to have vanished, leaving behind the distraught and disgruntled Akira, who was already back to complaining a little. Benjiro's rigid concern began to soften as he recognized his friend's return. With a soft smile, he reached out a hand, happy to see how quickly Akira took it. Perhaps his show of tough love helped, at least somewhat.

"A little more than that too, yeah." He admitted with a caring smile. In truth, Benjiro's fist was large enough that it bruised the side of his head and gave him a black eye at once, which was part of why Benjiro was so averse to hitting anyone in the first place. The gentle giant was just so averse to hurting anybody. Still, he couldn't help but laugh a little as Akira took the bruises in stride, calling it badass. Once again, that small bit of blush found its way to Benjiro's cheeks, still not knowing what it was all about.

"Yup. You are a badass, Akira." He teased, playfully placing a hand on Akira's head and ruffling his hair a little. "Takes a lot of guts to mess with the Giant of the Jubantai, especially considering how little you are!" He had the widest grin on his face as he said that. He didn't think he was all that strong, but it was funny to play up his physicality and frame. With that, Benjiro's shoulders rolled forward as he let out a big sigh.

"You're really strong, Akira. That lightning really took a lot out of me. I know you lied about being a Kido expert, but I think you've got what it takes to actually become one. You teach better than the instructors at the Shinigami Academy at least, since I learned more here than I had in literal decades." He let a bit of sincerity out, not wanting to reveal the insecurity he felt during their battle. Instead Benjiro looked him in the eye and spoke with his heart. "You showed me who you are, and I see your strength. Trust yourself, you might be surprised."

[Akira Hinosai]

"Aaaaaahh! Nooooo!" Akira yelped. No one ever pat his head when he was a fullbringer. Now as part of his new identity, he had to suffer these INDIGNITIES! He crossed his arms and huffed a bit to show his displeasure. To make matters worse, Benjiro called Akira little right after calling himself a giant. "You're not that big..." but the show of insolence was undercut by the fact Akira felt himself blush. This was so fucking embarrassing. I'm not cute! I'm DEADLY! If this kept up, Akira's whole reputation was gonna go down the toilet. Granted, he didn't have much of a reputation yet, but still. It was something he'd very much like to avoid.

Though Benjiro came around from inflicting grievous damage to Akira's pride and actually complimented him. Akira. The real one. Well, to the extent that any part of Akira could be called "real". Benny wasn't talking to the kido master, or the tragic villain, he was talking to Akira. It was actually pretty sweet of Benjiro to say, but somewhere in Akira's mind, guilt gnawed at his soul. I'm lying to him. I don't belong here. I'm not even cute! This is all fake! But Akira couldn't say that. He hoped he would become a better liar and fully suppress any feelings of guilt. Most of the time he didn't think about it, but when he did...It wasn't pleasant.

Somewhere in his mind, he was still Luca Castabella. That was not a comforting thought. "You showed me who you are" Oh Benny, you have no idea. "Trust yourself" That's funny, I haven't known who I am for years. Maybe he was better off that way. If he was no one, then he could become anyone. Whatever the situation needed, he had a mask for it. That was useful, in his line of work. Benjiro was a sweet guy, maybe too sweet. He reminded Akira a bit of Raphael Laurent, only with more emotional availability. "You know, something's been missing ever since I became a shinigami." Akira paused as he stared wistfully into space. "A rival!"

"I mean, you might have won this time, but I'm gonna get way way stronger now just so I can win!" There was no malice behind Akira's words. "Trust me! I'm gonna do my best, so you better not fall behind! After all, I'm gonna need you to keep me on my toes." And with that, Akira settled into himself. He would walk with Benjiro out of the training room and past the lowly pleb who Benjiro and later Akira had spoken with earlier. Tenmei Takahashi, the one who arranged the training exercise in the first place. "Are you ok? You look like hell!" Akira smirked. "I just got back." before looking over at Benjiro for some form of acknowledgement of how cool that was. "No, no, seriously, you're wounded. Don't tell me you sparred with live weapons again, Akira!" Tenmei Takahashi turned to the giant. "I'm sorry about him. He can't help himself, you know?"

And just like that the illusion of coolness was shattered, and Akira was being dragged away to the SRDI's observation room for treatment. "What am I going to do with you..." Akira ignored Tenmei's nagging. "REMEMBER, DON'T SLACK OFF! OUR NEXT FIGHT IS GONNA BE TOTALLY HARDCORE WICKED!" Akira felt himself getting dizzy from all the blood he lost and the head trauma he'd taken. Whatever, it was a cool line anyway. He leaned more and more on Tenmei, losing himself in thought about how cool his next fight would be with the giant of jubantai...

[Zeich Yajuu]

95 Paragraphs, but given they were very solid paragraphs I'll round it up to 96.

480 TP to both participants!