Forging Bonds [Kimiko] [JT]

[Nakajima Kimiko]

Kimiko doubted that the steam which was currently coming out of her mouth was something that Hikashi had planned when he had created the Dragon's Breath. Even back when she was first introduced to it years and years ago, she had been of the impression that the bowl was only named as such because of its spicy nature, similarly to a few meals of the Living World that she was still able to recognize every time she found herself passing by a restaurant during one of her hunts. Still, she had to admit that there was something about the effect that was alluring. To bellow steam out of one's throat, much like how a mythical dragon would when facing a mortal foe, was rather impressive at a glance, maybe even a tad bit iconic. Perhaps, once she gets used to the taste, she'll come to the cook's ramen shop a little bit more often, if only to experience this effect once again. We'll see how the next few days fare... as well as, well, her own tolerance for the spices.

In any case, the Captain would eventually be able to explain her plan to Addy. Unsurprisingly, she never had any intentions of simply walking towards her western school. Considering the distance between it and where they currently stood, such an endeavor would have most definitely taken them a couple of days even if they would have attempted to head there at a constant full sprint; after all, the Soul Society's size was quite impressive. With that being said, she was glad to see that Addy had absolutely no objections to the Captain's plan of heading to the dojo with the aid of Shunpo, and she was even gladder to see that the Kuchiki girl was in fact quite excited to brave the distance in such a way. Most of the recruits she has spoken to are reticent to the idea of achieving such a feat, so to see this kind of shining motivation and even excitement coming from Addy was enough for Kimiko to feel quite a fair bit excited about it all herself. Thus, she made sure to not waste any more of their time, and eventually, they were off.

To Kimiko's surprise, Addy had decided to quite simply go as fast as she possibly could right from the get-go without any hesitation. Indeed, right after they had begun to move, the blonde officer had already caught up to the Captain, proving to her that she was much faster than she appeared to be. Needless to say, it was enough for Kimiko to believe the gradual approach to her evaluation to no longer be necessary, but there was something more about this that she appreciated, something that she thought to be yet another aspect that was quite important for the Eleventh Division. That aspect was simply the will to tackle any problem at your most powerful without hesitation. Of course, this wasn't a battle against a foe, and so it was somewhat difficult to properly judge if the recruit would behave in a similar fashion then... but nevertheless, the fact that she even used her full strength in this situation alone was good, for it meant that her motivation did not require any form of doubting. Combined with Kimiko's earlier observations, it was becoming quite clear that this Kuchiki girl had plenty of potential, more so than the Captain could've asked for.

Unsurprisingly, however, this entire evaluation had only somewhat taken this side of the blonde officer into account as something to be held on the side. It wasn't its main focus. No, that particular attribute was granted to the officer's physical performance. It was a good thing to be motivated to do something, but motivation by itself cannot really grant any answers. For one to succeed, they needed both the necessary willpower as well as the necessary skills. Fortunately, Addy did not disappoint there either. It didn't seem like much at a glance, but Kimiko could tell that she was a tad faster than most of the recruits who came from the Academy. She wasn't even as fast as the Captain when she herself graduated from the school, but considering what she now believed to be the source of her power, she didn't believe this to be a bad thing. Moreover, the woman also had the stamina to handle all that speed. Usually, most graduates cannot handle the weight of Shunpo onto their legs for longer than ten or fifteen minutes at best without requiring breaks... and yet this one could withstand the pressure with no particular issue whatsoever. Impressive.

When they finally arrived to the western Capital of Swordsmanship, Kimiko took a good look at Addy, and then formulated the results of her evaluation in her head. The bottom line of it all was that it went better than she expected it to. In the matter of thirty minutes, the Kuchiki girl had proven that she was not only motivated enough to always give it her all - or at least give her all in a situation that she believed to favor her skills in some capacity - but she also proved that she was already a somewhat-notable speedster for the time being. There was still much to do, obviously; after all, her speed was nowhere near as fast as the velocities the Captain's superior subordinates could reach, and there was no proof that she could probably use this speed in combat just yet. Even so, the fact that she could even reach those quicker speeds remained, and that generated quite a fair bit of promise. Kimiko could already start imagining what kind of training would fit Addy best.

But that required further evaluations. As plentiful as the information Kimiko has gathered so far was, the most of it wasn't properly tied to combat just yet. It was either all emotional or minimally physical, which was important, sure, yet ultimately insufficient. With that being said, the Captain really only had a couple more evaluations in mind for the time being, and from the way Addy found herself gazing at the Capital and the dojo in the distance, they were going to reach the first one of those evaluations very soon. "Oh, this isn't my place! Some people around told me that they've wanted me to become their leader for a while now, but... I don't think that's my responsibility to bear. I'm already busy enough as is!" She made sure to precise to Addy with a light chuckle after she presented the area to the recruit. "I'm already both sensei and taichou. If I become even busier, my whole office is going to explode with a bunch of papers everywhere. And it's already doing that right as we speak! Well... kinda. My assistant is making sure to hold the line for me."

Perhaps that kind of information shouldn't have been told her to recruit in the moment, but Kimiko believed it best to immediately put that potential problem to rest right away before Addy could think about it. That way, they wouldn't worry too much about her duties as a Captain of the Gotei 13, and instead focus entirely on what currently lied ahead: the very foundation that Addy was currently pointing towards to. "Yep. This is my school in this part of Rukongai, and also the very first school I have ever founded, Nijūkan West," she would explain before beginning to move forward onto the streets of the Capital, heading straight towards the aforementioned school all the while hoping that Addy would follow. "I say I founded it, but... really, that place and the rest of this town was the culmination of years of hard work from just about everyone you can see here. Without them, I don't think the school would've ever been able to become what it is now."

As they moved, the two Shinigami would pass by a number of civilians. The most of them appeared to be working either at the nearest paddy fields or the nearest establishments, judging by what they carried and where they were headed to, but there were also a number of people who were simply not doing anything in particular other than enjoying their day, and so they made sure to give a wave to Kimiko and surprised gazes to her steaming mouth. There were also a few other Shinigami officers who were patrolling the area, though they were both few and far between and visibly at ease. In other words, this all appeared to be a surprisingly-peaceful town for something that was referred to as the "Capital of Swordsmanship". Then again, perhaps it was because of the swords each of the civilians carried. With only a single glance at their musculature and form, Addy would most definitely be able to tell that almost everyone here was trained to wield their weapon. Considering this, it was perhaps no wonder that this place was so peaceful: it was doubtful that any threat who dared to enter this place would survive for very long.

Finally, after some time, Kimiko would have crossed the upward path heading towards the dojo, and would then stop at its base. From there, both she and Addy would be able to gaze upon a massive set of stairs that headed up towards the school. This was the first of the aforementioned additional evaluations Kimiko wanted to give to Addy, yet another challenge for the blonde officer that would make sure to put her body to the test once again. The Captain would stare at the steps for a moment before she eventually spoke once more. "Here we are. These are the steps that lead to the dojo," she explained before she then hummed. "Heh... Every time I look at them, it always brings me back! Back then, I always made sure to go up these steps every time I came around here! It always kept me from becoming too used to using Shunpo all the time! Buuuut I gotta admit: I've been slacking off a bit lately with those. It's what happens when you got too many things to do at once." 

There was some truth to her statement, but obviously, it wasn't entirely truthful. In reality, she has simply been upholding that exercise elsewhere, more specifically the ancient training site that she had brought Kazuhiko not very long ago. The steps there were more plentiful, more overwhelming, and so was the climate that surrounded them. She wasn't used to going there very often before, since she had her dojo for personal training, but nowadays, she couldn't be so careless anymore, not with her Inner Hollow roaming about within her heart once again. Any wrong step taken, no, any simple mistake in her training regimen could potentially bring the creature out, as proven by the fact that pain alone caused her grasp on the Captain's mind to heighten. Thus, she makes sure to keep herself away from her students at all time during training, if only to keep them away from any danger. Not that it really mattered in the end. Knowing how powerful the Inner Hollow was... she could probably go right back to the 40th districts in the matter of mere seconds if she wanted to, if only to torment Kimiko further.

In spite of all of this, the tone that Kimiko used to describe the set of steps before them was nostalgic, as though she was being reminded of the many times she previously crossed the path ahead. Quite frankly, it was properly nostalgic: she did somewhat miss these steps. How could she not? They were the path towards her western school, her very first school and the one that she cherished most above all others. But of course, at this point, it was a ruse more so than anything else, a tactic that she used in order to push Addy towards them. That way, she had a good reason to cross the steps and to bring Addy along without her realizing the nature of her evaluation right away. "Anyway! Come on, let's go. They're a bit scary, but once you get used to them, they're not so bad. Besides, it's always best to cross them at least once," she would tell her subordinate then with a smile before she would then proceed to onward onto the steps, beginning yet another journey.

[Addy Kuchiki]

“Assistants are always helpful. Very useful those guys.” Nodding her head in agreement with Kimiko, Addy narrowed her eyes in thought. Being captain, an instructor, and the leader of this town would be a lot of work. But it was still something she could visualize Kimiko doing. Unfortunately or fortunately for her captain, paperwork was currently holding the woman in its grasp, so her current position was where she would stay for now. Addy herself knew the pains of such a thing. Paperwork was the one foe she never liked facing. All her training amounted to nothing against the great white beast. You couldn’t really just slice your paperwork away after all.

The walk towards the dojo was peaceful with the occasional citizen waving towards Kimiko as they made their way to their current destination. Quite similar to a normal town, maybe even less rowdier. It was hard to tell so soon, but that was the vibe Addy was currently getting from this place. There were patrols here and there from her fellow shinigami who were no doubt keeping the peace. She didn’t recognize any of them at first glance, but she didn’t think she would either. After her whole academy incident, Addy had distanced herself from most of her fellow shinigami, not caring who they were or what they were up to. It had been a few years since then, so perhaps it was time to open up once more?

Staring at the enormous set of steps in front of her, Addy tried to wrap her head around Kimiko’s statements. Sure she liked training as much as the next woman, but would she go out of her way to repeatedly walk up steps like these? Hmm……On second glance, she wasn’t quite sure. The answer to that question was a definite maybe that was leaning towards yes. The more she stared at the daunting rectangles in front of her, the more Addy wanted to beat it. To conquer it so bad that these measly steps were a distant memory. It would be a challenge of course, but what wasn’t in life.

“The grind never stops.” Muttering to herself softly, Addy patted her cheeks firmly before quickly doing another series of stretches. She was already loosened up from the run here, but being more limber never hurt anyone. Once her movements were done, Addy took off with a burst of energy and began power walking her way to the top. Judging from the distance to the top, this journey was going to take a bit of time. And just like her race, Addy would tackle this problem with all her energy. Sure she was a little tired from her prior endeavors, but she still had a lot more energy in the tank. Energy she had a feeling she’d be needing quite soon.

[Nakajima Kimiko]

A chuckle would leave Kimiko's throat once Addy's comment about assistants reached her ears. She couldn't say that the recruit was entirely wrong about that. No matter the kind of work that needs to be done, having some help to sort it out rather than dealing it on your own was always better, especially when the work that needs to be accomplished is simply overwhelming in nature. There was the paperwork, yes, which Gideon made sure to complete as much as he possibly could on his own. However, there were also the schools themselves. Try as she might to make herself as available as possible, she was effectively only one person leading four schools that were each miles apart from one another. She could reach them on foot fast-enough if she put some effort into it, but ultimately, she will never be able to lead a class within those four schools at the same time without the use of technology typically found within the Twelfth Division's inventory... and needless to say, she doubted that Aramis was going to grant her such help. So, because of this, she makes due with the other teachers in her schools who are willing to work for her while she is gone.

With that said, the effectiveness of these assistants always needs to be monitored to an extent. From Gideon to the aforementioned teachers, a need to make sure they are never doing anything wrong is always there in the back of Kimiko's mind, and so she sometimes checks up on them. In a way, ti simply make sure that the teachers she has assigned to her schools are doing their job correctly was one of the many reasons as to why she came to her schools so often around noon nowadays. Fortunately, so far, there weren't any issues with the assistants, or at least none to speak of. They each taught their lessons expertly to the students, and they are also motivated enough to keep their teachings going without any interruptions. Perhaps this was due to the fact that many of these teachers were natives of the 40th Rukongai districts the schools have been founded in, given that this fact made them quite familiar with many of the students attending Nijūkan. Regardless, they worked well, and that's ultimately the only thing that mattered to Kimiko. As for Gideon and the paperwork he achieved... Well, let's just say that he was an exception in the 11th that the Captain could not live without.

In any case, eventually, the two would reach the steps which led towards the school. Judging by the lack of initial comments in response to the sight of the steps, Kimiko believed Addy to be a little bit dumbstruck by them. It wouldn't have been too surprising, in all fairness. After all, the steps were great - greater than most that could be found across even the tallest edifices of Seireitei - and they had just come from a rather-long run. In so doing, the Captain was expecting the Kuchiki girl to perhaps call for a break of at least a minute or so in order to at least prepare herself accordingly. But instead of that, Kimiko got something else. Indeed, instead of a need to take a slight break so as to recover her senses, a need to overcome the obstacle before them was showcased by the blonde swordswoman. The superior officer didn't even need to hear the words that were muttered under her subordinate's breath to figure that out: she could see it with only but a single gaze towards the girl's eyes.

To say that such motivation was magnificent to Kimiko was nothing short of an understatement. This was exactly what she wanted to see from any and all who spoke to her. She wanted to see unending motivation, impossible willpower, and a need to surpass everything that dares to stand before them, no matter how tall those things may be. There weren't a lot of people who possessed such willpower in the world, or at least there weren't many whom she believed had the capacity to possess it without the need of outside aid. So to see this one subordinate - a girl from one of the great noble clans, too - showcase such drive, even if it wasn't one dedicated to anything particularly more noteworthy than crossing one set of stairs... Well, it only confirmed the observations and assessments that Kimiko had accomplished while they were at the ramen shop, and it only made her excited. If Addy can maintain that drive, then she will most definitely become quite the impressive asset for the Eleventh Division, the Gotei 13 as a whole, and the rest of the Soul Society.

It was with this analysis once again achieved that the Captain eventually proceeded up the steps, and so by then, the two women had begun what may as well have their second journey today. Together, they crossed several steps. To the superior officer, this was a breeze. As said previously, she had already crossed something that was far worse many times prior, and so she had gotten used to the typical pains that the steps would dish out onto her legs. To the subordinate, however, it would perhaps be a different experience. Although her confidence was to be noted all thanks to her initial power walk, she would quickly find that they were somewhat high and also large in order to accommodate for each and every potential student. This effectively made the simple task of crossing one step more demanding. Some would even say that it was similar to crossing two or even three steps at once. It didn't help that the stone guards that had been built along their side were not particularly helpful either. As such, she was practically forced to keep going without any support, both literally and figuratively forced to do this on her own.

The fact the matter is that the crossing of the steps was a difficult task to accomplish. No doubt, Addy's legs were most likely going to be left somewhat aching after this, especially after the many Shunpo jumps she has accomplished to even reach this place to begin with. But even so, both she and Kimiko would be able to pass many of these aforementioned steps and reach what may as well be the final stretch that remained before reaching the school proper. As recompense, Addy would be granted the beautiful view of the town below as it stretched far and wide across the district, with the many mountains surrounding them reaching far into the skies above. She would also be granted another sight, one that became bigger and bigger in front of her as she would further cross the steps. Once the final step would finally be crossed, she would be given the finalized picture of what had been growing before her eyes: the great wooden gate of Nijūkan West.

It was difficult to properly gauge the size of something could be from afar. Yet, the gate of this particular school of swordsmanship looked just about as impressive as how it appeared back when both Kimiko and Addy observed it from afar at the base of the village. It took the form of a very large door, one that could easily accept even the tallest of Shinigami, surrounded by walls of sturdy rock that stretched all across the school. Oddly, in spite of how tall it was, it barely cast a shadow onto the paved road that stood before it, seemingly thanks to the position of the sun in the sky. It made it all appear somewhat less daunting, and maybe even a bit welcoming. Somewhat, of course, for it nevertheless remained striking in spite of it and would have thus probably scared anyone who was afraid of tall structures. It reflected the fact that it had been built both by the civilians of the district as well as Shinigami over the course of several years very well, to say the least.

Kimiko would remain before the gate for a moment, letting her scarlet eyes gaze upon it. Then, eventually, she would allow her gaze to turn away towards the view of the district below with a smile, until she finally granted her attention to Addy. "That was refreshing! Ah, I really should cross those steps a little bit more often," she commented with steam still leaving her mouth in copious amounts. From the looks of it, it definitely seemed as though that steam wasn't going to leave her any time soon, or at least not until she would cleanse it with one of her Zanpakuto abilities alongside that burning feeling in her lungs. Oh well, it wasn't a big deal for her, as made apparent by the energetic smirk she would give to her subordinate as well as the compliment which followed it. "Great job! I didn't think you were going to cross those steps right away! With that kind of energy, I feel like you'll be able to deal with anything I throw at you," she told Addy with sincere positivity in the moment. 

It was possible that she had spoken a little bit too fast there... but hey, it's always best to stay positive.

[Addy Kuchiki]

Life was a great journey into the beyond, with so many exciting places to see and explore. Part of the fun was the adventure itself, but it was also part of the pain also. Pain that Addy was currently feeling in the very depths of her soul. The throbbing started from her legs and was slowly branching its way into her very existence. And while Addy preferred to keep a positive outlook, currently she only had negative things to say about these steps. She just didn’t understand why they were made the way they were. For one, the steps weren’t even the usual size of normal steps. No, they were quite larger than average! For what reason you might ask? No idea! As far as she could tell, they were created this way just for the fun of it. However she wasn’t really a step maker, so her knowledge on this area was particularly low.

One step, then another. One step, then another. Repeating this mantra in her head continuously, Addy tried her best to ignore the burning sensation in her lower body. Her power walking was making this feeling worse, but she kept at it nevertheless. She was committed, and she’d be a coward if she didn’t stick with her current strategy. Because of the unique shape of the steps, Addy wasn’t sure if power walking was actually helping her here. But normal walking didn’t really seem to be the strategy either. Perhaps there wasn’t really a correct strategy here, and these steps were a pain to traverse no matter how you tried to climb them. There was a lesson here no doubt, but one she would have to ponder when she wasn’t in constant pain.

The view from here was quite pleasant, although Addy found she couldn’t enjoy it to the fullest with the steps above her looming in her peripherals. Still, with the lively town shrinking in the distance, the shinigami felt that she was making progress. Both in her current journey and in her life. She didn’t want to become stagnant or complacent with her current lot in life. No, she wanted more. More power, more friends, more experiences. She wanted the life she had to be worth living. And with that came pain. But beyond that pain was strength. Strength she wouldn’t have without overcoming her adversities. Just like these cursed steps. Once she made it past them, she could finally experience what she actually came here to see. Kimiko’s dojo.

After zoning out for an indeterminable amount of time, the two women finally arrived at the Nijūkan West gate. And what a gate it was. This massive wooden structure loomed over those who entered it and was flanked by walls of solid rock that seemed to stretch on endlessly. It truly seemed like a fortress from where Addy stood. Perhaps that was why it was here in the first place. It was a symbol. A bastion of fortitude. Something that those who entered could one day become if they tried hard enough. Or Addy was looking too deep into it and it was just a pretty sturdy gate. Either way, it was an inspiring sight to witness.

“Refreshing is indeed a word for what we just experienced. And better to deal with your problems immediately than to let them fester.” While the journey up these steps wasn't Addy’s favorite task to perform, the walk itself was still enlightening, so it all came out to a net positive in the end. As for Kimiko seeming to have an endless amount of energy, Addy was quick to chalk it up to her captain being the unique specimen that she was. Kimiko was just built different. Addy had come to terms with that a while ago. “Thank you for your kind words, although I will actually need a moment or two to recuperate this time around. Alas, my poor legs can only take so much constant abuse.”

While Addy was proud of the work she had put in so far, these past few hours had been constant action. She had lumped this session as a sprint, rather than the marathon that it actually was. And in order to finish this with a bang, her body needed some time to rest. Not a lot as she still had some energy in the tank, but even a little bit of relaxation would go a long way in helping her reserves. Wiping her sweat off her brow, Addy gave her jubilant captain a small smile before gazing at the scenery below. “Quite the view up here though, almost makes the walk up these steps worth it.”

[Nakajima Kimiko]

With the great steps now appropriately crossed, the two women now stood before the gate of Nijūkan West. Kimiko, as aforementioned, felt well. Even if the steps were nothing like the ones she usually crossed nowadays, they remained exemplary in the way they demanded strength and endurance from the one who crossed them. Even now, especially after the great journey she and Addy had accomplished together prior to reaching the steps in question, the Captain could feel the slight, yet familiar pinch of exhaustion in her legs. Despite this, she remained standing, ready to bring her subordinate forward to show her the splendor of her dojo... which was unsurprising; after all, she had accomplished this task a hundred times, if not a thousand times. Her body had gotten used to it all years ago, and so this was not a challenge to her anymore. In comparison, the same could not quite be said for the Kuchiki who had been following her this whole time.

The Captain's scarlet eyes looked over the blonde swordswoman with a brief, yet analytic view after the crossing of the steps came to an end. Evidently, those steps were more of a challenge to the recruit than she initially thought. It was made evident by the time the girl had reached the top of the stairs. By then, the struggle of her body as it attempted to move ever-onward had become more obvious. This observation admittedly made Kimiko somewhat hesitate in going forward. Maybe she had indeed been going a little too fast for the Kuchiki woman. Maybe she should have gone slower, and instead focused on exploring the town below first and foremost before crossing the steps. The last thing that she needed on her conscience right about now, especially by the side of everything that was currently already on her conscience, was the thought of pushing away a potential student just because she had attempted to push them too hard in one specific direction.

Fortunately, that didn't quite happen. No, instead, Addy appeared to seemingly remain positive about this experience. In spite of her body's tiredness and in spite of what seemed to have been a slight intolerance for the steps themselves, she did not complain, instead opting to amplify Kimiko's earlier comment and thanking her for the compliment. She did ask for a slight break by then, but the Captain didn't really care about that. Not in the slightest. How could she, at the sight of such impressive drive? "Of course! Take all the time you need. After all that running, I say we both deserve it," she would thus respond to the lower officer's request with a warm smile on her face still very much present. Her body did not require a break at all; hell, it could probably cross those steps a few more times without even breaking a sweat, and that was in spite of the tingling in her legs. Still, it didn't hurt to go for a more relatable approach... and besides, it gave them both time to admire the rest of the district which rested below.

A moment of quietness followed Kimiko's words as she and Addy found themselves both gazing at the scenery below. The view they were granted was already impressive as is while they were going up the steps; however, now that they were granting it their full attention at the very top of the steps, it almost seemed as though it became even prettier. In a way, from where they stood, the position of the district in this mountainscape had become only more obvious. It stretched far and wide, easily encompassing miles and miles with its many structures, roads, and paddy fields. Yet, it remained at the cradle of the great giants which surrounded it, seemingly unable - or plainly unwilling - to even dare to reach their very top. Even so, it did not feel trapped. At a glance, it almost seemed protected, shielded by nature itself. Perhaps this was recompense for those who had become used to living the difficult life granted by the rocky terrain, or a reward for being able to enhance their bodies according to the way of the sword offered by Kimiko.

The teacher's eyes continued to admire what the town has now become for just a bit longer. She was visibly proud by the transformation of the place, obviously happy. Once, this entire district was a prison of rock and stone enslaved by a monster which had decided to make their dojo its home. It had twisted it, accursed it into something less than what it was meant to be. However, since the demon was slain, not once has Kimiko witnessed unhappiness stain the gaze of the townsfolk. Not once had she seen them sad, miserable, or even angry. Some of them were frustrated by their lessons, yes, but that was to be expected; after all, a student complaining about his homework was nothing new, even if that student trained to be a warrior rather than a scholar. No, ultimately, there was no struggle to be seen in this place. They were all at peace, strengthened by their renowned willpower to become warriors... and that was something that the Captain was incredibly thankful for.

Addy would eventually find herself complimenting the view of the district. While she still remained tired by the crossing of the steps, she appeared glad to at least be allowed to look upon the district from such a height. In response, a light satisfied sigh came out of the Captain. "Yeah. Even after all these years, I still think it's a pretty nice reward." Her words appeared nostalgic as they were whisked away by the wind, followed closely by the steam which surrounded them. It wasn't much, but that moment alone was enough to make Kimiko briefly ponder about her age. With the way she spoke, you would think she was sixty or even seventy years old, and the truth was that she wasn't that far off from those values. It had been years since she had become a Shinigami, entire decades. She was most definitely young in comparison to a lot of other officers within the Gotei 13, but in the eyes of someone who once resided within the Living World, she already was beginning to feel somewhat old, even if her body refused to showcase that. It was an alien feeling for sure, and she wasn't quite sure if that was a good or a bad thing.

Maybe that was why, shortly after the subject came in her mind, Kimiko would find herself looking away from the town and instead looking towards Addy once again. She had too many things on her mind, way too many things, and once again, the last thing she needed was something else to occupy that space. So, once she felt her subordinate was good-enough to proceed, she would pat her on her shoulder, then smirk. "Alright, that's enough for now! We gotta keep up that energy of yours," she told the Kuchiki woman then before she let go of her shoulder and then proceeded towards the gate. "Come on, let's go! I think it's about time you finally get the chance to look at what Nijūkan really has to offer!" A few more footsteps would follow these words, all of which were heading straight towards the gate, until they would then be followed by the sound of Kimiko's hand pressing against it. The creaking of wood being pushed onward against dirt would subsequently echo throughout the air, and with that final sound would be revealed what remained behind the gate. Kimiko would proceed onward at that moment. Hopefully, Addy would too, as she would then be revealed the famous school of swordsmanship that had marked Rukongai.

All it took was but a single sight for Nijūkan West to completely showcase its sheer magnitude to Addy. Great and large, perhaps even as much as a small town, it appeared as an immense courtyard surrounded by walls of stone. The ground had been adorned with a marble-like material that covered the usual rock and stone to expect from this side of the Soul Society, yet there was also ample greenery here and there, allowing for the growth of soft grass and various sakura trees which towered over them. There was also an immense square at the very center of the courtyard, one of the same material as the roads. On its own, it easily covered much of it all, allowing one to easily imagine hundreds, if not thousands of students occupying it. There was no doubt about it: this was where the classes that were usually taught by Kimiko and the other teachers of this school took place. It was a sight for sore eyes, that was for sure, especially given how bright it all was. You would think the sun would be unable to cover this entire place in its light, and yet...

Around the courtyard stood three structures. The first occupied the western wall, while the others respectively occupied the northern and eastern wall. At a glance, they all appeared rather inconsequential, but with closer inspection, it was quite clear that they each had a purpose at a glance: to respectfully serve as living quarters, as a sort of temple, and as a place for private lessons. Either way, they each stood far above Kimiko and Addy, easily showcasing the work that has been put into them. For all the recruit knew, this all must have taken dozens of years to construct. In truth, it did take quite some time, but not as much as one would think. Part of that was due to the help of a few students who were part of the Sixth Division, but it was mainly due to the sheer determination of those who remained within the 40th district of Rukongai. The fact that they were able to repeat this proceed three more times to build the northern, southern, and eastern schools was a testament to that.

Several students were currently going about the courtyard and the aforementioned edifices. Many of them were sparring or using some of the training equipment that had been put around the area, namely training dummies set near the walls. Others had instead gone to the temple to pray. Whatever the case may be, they would eventually realize that Kimiko was present, and in so doing, they would quickly chirp up and bow to her whenever they could. That was, until they saw the steam leaving her mouth. At that moment, they blinked in surprise. One of them, a woman with bright eyes beaming behind round glasses, would quickly come closer in response to it all. At a glance, she appeared somewhat frail. She looked more like a secretary than a student, and the small blade sheathed at her hip - one that almost looked like a knife - didn't really help her case. "A-Ah! Nakajima-sensei! Are you okay?" The woman would quickly ask, worried. "What is all that steam? You didn't burn yourself, right?!"

"Good afternoon to you too, Mana! Don't worry, I haven't burned myself! Well, not on the outside, at least!" Kimiko would respond with a laugh and a brief shake of the head as she tried her best to make light of the situation. She even tried to wave the girl's concern away with a light wave of the hand. Naturally, that did absolutely nothing, as it only made Kasumi appear even more worried.

"Ah, ah, so you did burn yourself! Nakajima-sensei, that's too careless! You really need to take care better of yourself!" The poor girl would babble for a moment in utter panic before her attention eventually drifted towards Addy. Upon seeing her, she would blink, then perk up again before she bowed... multiple times. She did it quickly, too, adjusting her glasses every time she did so to prevent them from falling off her face. "A-Ah, a visitor! So, so sorry! M-My name is Ebina Mana! Nice to meet you!" 

[Addy Kuchiki]

“Five minutes will be all I need.” Beating on her chest proudly, Addy relaxed her muscles as she began her much needed break. It didn’t take long for her to bounce back, so she wasn’t too worried about taking up too much time. And although Kimiko told her to take all the time she needed, there was still so much left to do! How could she just sit around when she hadn’t even entered the dojo itself yet? Even after all the two did, their journey had only just begun.

Sitting down next to the edge, Addy looked over the district as she massaged her legs. The view was beautiful. A sentiment her captain shared as well. The next few minutes were spent in silence with the two enjoying life as a whole. It was a pleasant experience, one that Addy wouldn’t mind participating in again. Feeling a pat on her shoulder, Addy pushed herself up from the ground with a big stretch. Popping her back, the young shinigami followed her captain towards the gate. It seemed it was time to finally see that dojo of hers.

“Wowzers.” If Addy thought the gate they just passed was large, then this dojo was a whole nother beast altogether. The first sight that greeted her was the courtyard. The sizing was immense, and she wondered if students sparred out here. It was either that or something more social if she had to guess. There had to be a reason for all this space. Similar to the town, this courtyard was surrounded by walls of stone. The ground though, was quite interesting. It was made from some sort of marble-like material, not something Addy had been expecting. On second thought, plain dirt or cobblestone wouldn’t really fit the vibe the dojo was exuding, so something like this should’ve been expected.

It wasn’t all grayish white though. Off to the side was well trimmed greenery and charming sakura trees that provided shade for the weary. In the center of the courtyard was a large square that could easily hold hundreds of students at the bare minimum. Whoever built this place not only wanted it to last, but wanted plenty of people to be able to experience the dojo itself. There were various other structures located on specific walls in certain directions. Judging from how they looked, some buildings seemed to be living quarters while others seemed to be indoor training quarters. It was interesting to note that Kimiko said this was only one of the schools, which left Addy wondering. Were all of them this grand? And if so, who was the one that paid for all of it?

As the two women walked further in, several students would begin to emerge from the woodwork. Some were training while others were praying. They all seemed to have a goal in mind and were doing their best to accomplish it. The moment they noticed Kimiko however, they would stop what they were doing to bow. Scratching her head in thought, Addy wondered if she needed to bow too. She didn’t mind the action, she just wasn’t sure when it was appropriate to do so. She’d figure it out sooner or later, so she wasn’t too concerned about it for the time being.

Mana, the frail secretary-like woman, seemed concerned about the steam that was still emerging from Kimiko’s mouth. Surprisingly, Addy had become so used to seeing it, that she barely gave it a second thought. The whole situation involving it wasn’t normal whatsoever, but she had seen Kimiko exuding steam more than she had seen her without. No doubt whenever she visualized her captain, it would be with steam coming from her mouth. It was just a staple to Kimiko now. Her half dragon captain.

Bowing towards Mana and giving her a beaming smile, Addy greeted the concerned woman. “The pleasure is all mine Mana. My name is Addy Kuchiki and I’m delighted to be here. As for Kimiko, from what I witnessed, she came out on top in her personal battle, so I wouldn’t worry too much.” The Dragon’s Breath truly didn’t stand a chance against her captain. It wasn’t even close, and she was still amazed even after all this time. Watching Kimiko breathe out some more steam, Addy nodded her head in satisfaction. It seemed that Kimiko’s mere presence meant there would always be something exciting to see around the corner.

[Nakajima Kimiko]

As the officers went past the gate of the immense school, Kimiko would keep an eye on Addy so as to gauge her reaction. From the look on the Kuchiki's face, it seemed as though she was just about as astonished as the rest of the people who visited the dojo. The Captain, of course, could not blame her for feeling this way; after all, the Nijūkan schools might as well be greater than life itself at a glance, and so she would have most likely been just as shocked if she would have been in her place. Still, she couldn't help but feel that familiar bit of pride burst forth within her chest once again in that moment, both in herself and in the people who have helped her make the schools a reality, from each and everyone of her students to even the people of the Eighth Division who were only responsible for the funding of it all. They have come so far together, so very far, and it was needless to say that she would have most likely never been able to accomplish any of this by herself.

In any case, the two Shinigami proceeded onward until they would be accosted by the poor Mana. Just like Kimiko had been expecting of her by now, the girl had gone on a ramble as soon as she found herself capable of doing so. Some would have believed this kind of emotional outburst to be rather annoying, and all things considered, there were times during which the teacher also believed the girl to be a little too eccentric. Fortunately, these wasn't one of those times, mainly because her reasons for being so worried for Kimiko's safety were rather valid. The steam coming out of the teacher's mouth does look impressive, but it most definitely wasn't normal and, thus, it was most likely caused by something painful. With that said, the Captain didn't want Mana to worry too much about such things. If anything, she could handle it. Besides, they had more important things to do than to worry about her medical condition, and one of those things was the woman standing beside them.

Upon realizing that the woman in question was even there to begin with, Mana quickly introduced herself to her. In return, Addy did the same, and even went on to attempt to reassert to the frailer girl that the steam coming out of Kimiko's mouth was truly nothing to worry about. This didn't really seem to quell the glasses-wearing one, as made evident by the enlarged gaze and bitten lips she gave to the Kuchiki woman. Regardless, she would eventually sigh and nod quietly. "Well, alright... b-but if I see her collapse, I'll bring her to the infirmary myself! Ah... anyway," she would first relent to the blonde's reassuring reply, then exclaim before quickly pulling out a notepad alongside what appeared to be some kind of stylus. The both of them appeared to be hand-made, though not by one of the owners of the general stores found in the rest of the district outside of the dojo. Had she crafted them herself? "Addy... Ku... Kuchiki..." She would note with a blush of embarrassment as rapidly as she could before she then returned her notepad and stylus from whence they came under her robes... wherever that might be. "I'm sorry, I'm... I'm really not good with names. I keep forgetting them."

Surprisingly, the girl seemed to have no reaction to Addy's last name, or at least none that seemed to be clear or obvious. It was most likely a stark contrast to the treatment granted to Addy by the people of Seireitei and, more precisely, the students of Shin'ō Academy. Perhaps this could be chalked up to Mana's self-declared inability to remember names well, but there seemed to be something more about this forgetfulness than just that, for she most definitely was not the only one around who had heard the Kuchiki name. Kimiko would notice this almost right away, though she would not make any attempt to inform Mana about this. While this was not something that she had planned, Kimiko believed this to be an opportunity for Addy to understand where she currently stood. Here, so far away from the holy city, she would not be judged as a noblewoman, not even by her fellow Shinigami. Here, she would be judged only as both a swordswoman and, thus, a protector of the Soul Society.

In any case, once introductions were properly finished, Kimiko's mind would drift towards the plan that she had constructed so far. In all fairness, it was a rather simple plan: they were supposed to go on a tour around the school's facilities, and then once everything would be settled, they were then meant to wait for the afternoon class to begin. Indeed, as it stands, it was about to start very soon. However, that plan had been made without Mana in mind. Now that she was here, things were starting to change bit by bit within Kimiko's strategy. What if they did something a little bit more... active? Sure, she and Addy have gone on quite the lengthy trip together, and the lower officer had shown signs of fatigue not too long ago, but the Captain still felt as though she had energy in there. Well, at least enough to be able to accomplish something a little bit more interesting than a simple tour, especially after the break they've just accomplished together.

With this in mind, Kimiko would look on towards the eastern facility. Then, she would turn herself towards Addy and Mana, and give them both her signature smile. "Well, now that you two are acquainted, I think it's a good time for us to go on a little trip together!" She would tell her subordinate and her student before she then gestured towards the western building with a swift tilt of the head. "Sorry to cut into your training, Mana, but would you mind giving a tour to Addy? I'll give you a break once we're done. Oh, and don't worry, I'll be with you two to make sure you don't get lost."

"Eh? B-But, I still need to..." the meek woman would briefly object for a moment as she tried to pull her notepad out once again, seemingly to check on her schedule of the day. However, once the girl would notice the Captain's smile become just a little bit softer, as though it was asking the girl with utmost sincerity to do this for her, she would let out a powerless sigh before nodding quietly. "Alright... but I want an hour-long break! Not five minutes, not thirty minutes, an hour!"

And so, following a brief "Of course, Mana, of course!" from Kimiko's end, the new trio would then go on towards the western building. From there, a little tour would begin to better present the entirety of the school's facilities to Addy. Mana appeared to be rather nervous at first, mostly because it was clear the task that had been granted to her had been totally unplanned, but judging by the way she moved from one hallway to the other and explained each of their function to Addy with a surprisingly-concise language, it was clear that she had done this before. Either that, or she had experience in presenting things to others, as it was not accomplished efficiently, but also rapidly, as they did not waste any time diddling about the halls. A single glance at her performance would make anyone think that she was Nijūkan West's official guide, which only accentuated the secretarial looks she carried with her. It was a good opportunity for the occasion at hand, to say the least.

The trio would visit the western and the northern building, where Addy would be shown the living quarters of the students as well as the temple in more detail. Her questions would also be answered if need be, either by Mana or by Kimiko if the former could not answer them appropriately. Finally, they would then reach the eastern building. As to be expected from a facility completely dedicated to private training sessions and spars, there were quite a number of rooms that were currently occupied by students. Some were practicing their skills into various reinforced training dummies, while at a glance, others were training on sturdy sandbags in what appeared to be... hand-to-hand combat. Curious, especially given the amount of spiritual energy that was being released from many of those rooms by students who didn't appear to be Shinigami. Perhaps they used some kind of technique to allow themselves to be able to cut with their own bare hands.

In any case, they would eventually reach what appeared to be the final room on the first floor of the building. The room appeared to be a dedicated sparring room, and Mana made sure to present it as such. "This is one of our dueling rooms. I believe it's the first private dueling room that has ever been built for Nijūkan West," she would start before moving into the room and then turning towards Addy. As to be expected, much like the rest of the building, the room was large and spacious, enough so that two people could most definitely fight without any worries for accidentally hitting the walls or ceiling with their weapons. "It was in this room that Nakajima-sensei and the first disciple to have ever joined our dojo, Emile Nelson, first sparred with one another. This unfortunately led us to rebuild the room several times, since at the time, we hadn't realized how powerful they both were. But, ever since then, we have made sure to make this particular room the sturdiest of them all!"  

"Heh. It doesn't look like it, but this place does indeed have its scars! I guess that's what happens when you tell your students to never hold back," Kimiko commented with a smile before she then took another look at Addy. Considering the length of the tour, she would assume at that moment that the blonde woman would be relatively rested. She would also assume that Mana somewhat knew where this was going, given the light glances that she kept shooting at the teacher ever since they arrived in the room. Once her observation was finished, her smile would then evolve into a smirk, and she would then go on to close the door to the room, the one that had been left opened by Mana. "Well, it looks like I'm gonna have to shoulder the blame for a few more scars today."

"Ah? Oh, no, I knew it! Not again, Nakajima-sensei!"

"Come on, Mana, you should've gotten used to this by now!" The Captain would let out a laugh in that moment, then look on over towards Addy with her arms crossed. "Addy, I want you to have a little spar with Mana. You'll show me everything you've learned at the Academy, from top to bottom! If you win, you will be officially recognized as a student of my school!"

[Addy Kuchiki]

“Eh, as long as you remember my face, we should be good.” Wiggling her hand and shrugging her shoulders, Addy gave the embarrassed woman an honest response. Memorizing names was pretty annoying, something she knew from first hand experience. The amount of nobles she knew by name was frustratingly high, and it wasn’t by choice. Her mother had drilled their names into her head daily so she wouldn’t embarrass the Kuchiki lineage. Supposedly not addressing someone by name at parties or gatherings was quite disrespectful since it showed you didn’t care enough to remember their names. And alas, a Kuchiki like her could not commit such a faux pas.

As the trio began to head towards the western building, Addy allowed her mind to wander. Although she already experienced it herself, it was still quite a wonder to witness Kimiko in action. She was quite laid back compared to others in her station. Most other captains Addy had witnessed were the stern and no nonsense type. She couldn’t blame them either as managing a squad and doing everything their roles entailed was probably stressful. Still, it was nice not having to fear a harsh repercussion for just relaxing or bantering with your squadmates. It made for a much more relaxed environment.

The tour itself was quite pleasant as Mana seemed to know exactly what she was talking about. The hallways and rooms within seemed memorized and the explanations for them were clear and concise. Was that because of the way Mana spoke, or did the woman just know where everything was due to her time spent here? It could even be a mixture of both. Ten out of ten stars if Addy had to grade her. Especially since this whole situation had kind of been thrown onto the poor woman, but she was handling it like a champ. Good on you Mana!

As the tour continued, Addy mostly kept quiet and nodded her head at key times to show she was listening. There wasn’t much to question as Mana was pretty clear on what each building had and what you could do within them. While she wasn’t memorizing all the key locations in these buildings, Addy was still remembering the essentials like the location of the living quarters and the temple. She wasn’t really a temple visiting kind of woman, but it might be neat to pop in every now and then to see what was going on.

Their final stop was in the eastern building where the various combat facilities resided. It was obvious that this was the specific building for such a thing as upon arrival, Addy was instantly met with the sight of students training. Some were letting out all their grievances upon stationary dummies while others were hitting sandbags. Quite a bit of spiritual energy was being released as well, which wasn’t something Addy had expected. This whole place did seem to be a cut above the rest of the dojos she knew of, so a sight like this wasn’t really a surprise to her. Non shinigami students using spiritual energy was probably the least strangest thing she was going to come upon today.

“Quite the history here.” Giving a small clap, Addy looked around the enormous room she was in. Like Mana said, there was plenty of space for maneuverability, which was always a good thing. It was even sturdier than normal, thanks to the actions of her captain and her disciples. As Kimiko smiled towards the two other women, Addy narrowed her eyes. Just what was going on in the mind of that captain of hers? As Kimiko moved to close the door behind them, Addy popped her neck and began relaxing her muscles. With the three of them ending their final stop at a private dueling room, there was really only one outcome that could occur. And she wanted to make sure she was prepared.

“Understood.” Turning away from Kimiko and towards Mana, Addy bowed her head. “I am in your care.” Walking towards the middle of the room, the blonde shinigami began a set of personalized stretches. Her energy had mostly recovered from its use earlier, so she wasn’t worried about starting this fight at half capacity. Resting her hands on the hilts of her two zanpakuto, Addy would wait calmly for Mana to enter the ring with her. Once she was there, she would give the older woman a look of determination, before focusing all of her attention on the upcoming fight. This was why she was here, and she would give it her all. Such was her nature.

[Nakajima Kimiko]

History was indeed what the dojo had in spades. That much, Kimiko could absolutely not deny. Time and time again today, she realized this, and time and time again, she realized how much this history meant to her. The slaying of the demon who once haunted the old foundations, the raising of these foundations in order to build what the school has now become, her acceptance of all these new recruits, and then the establishment of the Hakabe... All of those things... They were all so instrumental, so pivotal for her career, and it was only now that she was truly realizing the extent of it all. And yet, in spite of all that has been built and the strength that allows it all to remain standing, it remains so fragile to the elements that she has no control over. There is Ruhe, yes, but there are also so many others, such as the parties that may decide to attack the Soul Society at any moment. So far, her schools were left intact by the latest invasions, but what will happen if one of these attacks successfully lay waste to it all? What will happen if, at any given moment, all that she has built is destroyed in an instant by a greater threat?

The fact that she was unsure of how to properly answer these questions was, in a way, frightening. She wanted to trust Emile and the rest of her students, to completely believe that they were all powerful enough to defend Nijūkan long enough for them both to remain standing in spite of it all. However, if there was one thing that she has learned throughout her career, it is that one only requires a single opportunity to annihilate something that is dearest to a particular individual. The fool who led the invasion against Seireitei, Rizer Tile, was a testament to that statement. While he was not directly responsible for everything that's happened during the assault, his allies had laid not only waste to Central 46's headquarters, but also the barracks of the Tenth Division. The latter was a place that was extremely important to Celes, and in one fell swoop, it was lost. Now, those barracks stood rebuilt, yet even Kimiko knew that they were not exactly the same as they once were. The original barracks, the ones Celes granted so much importance to, were now forever lost.

Kimiko wanted to believe that she was strong enough to recover from such a powerful loss should she have been in her mentor's place. However, she knew that she wasn't. It was so obvious that, every time she believed that her schools could be in danger in any way, she would always become emotionally-driven. If she becomes as such only when the schools are threatened... then, there was no way she would be able to accept their destruction, no matter the form that destruction may take. For their ultimate betterment and for their eternal survival amidst an increasingly-dangerous period of the afterlife, she thus will need to make sure that everything which composes Nijūkan - from the schools themselves down to the districts which remain at their feet, as well as the Hakabe and its relation with the Shinigami forces of the Gotei 13 -  is capable of surviving this particular passage of time, no matter what may await them in the near future.

But enough about that. This moment isn't about her nor the future of the schools: it is about Addy and her introduction to them. Such worries thus had no place in here, not as long as this day went on. So, after she finished reminiscing about all of those things, the swordswoman's scarlet eyes would find themselves staring at the Kuchiki girl and the frail Mana, and what she saw was pleasing enough. Already, the Shinigami and the glass-wearing girl were preparing themselves for the spar ahead. They had both gathered to the makeshift arena in the middle of the room, and from the looks of it, they both seemed ready to proceed. Well, at least Addy appeared to be, judging by the stretching she had accomplished right before she entered the ring; in comparison, the poor Mana seemed to be somewhat anxious about it all, as though this was only going to eat into her schedule even more so than the entire tour she had granted to her opponent. Still, that didn't deter Kimiko. Au contraire, it only made her more excited to see how this was gonna go.

By the time the two were done with their preparations, Mana was standing not too far away from Addy. Much like the Shinigami, her hands had reached for her blade; however, unlike her, she didn't actually decide to simply rest them upon its handle. Instead, she had simply removed it from the obi sash around her waist, and then begun to hold it before her chest. Her left hand was gripping onto the leather of the scabbard with a tight grasp, all the while her right hand was lightly resting its palm on the handle of the blade. From this perspective, it was quite clear that the blade wasn't actually a proper sword per say, but instead most definitely a dagger. It was a fitting weapon for her smaller frame, though admittedly, it did put into question her ability to successfully reach her opponents. There was also the matter of how she was even going to perform any kind of Iaijtusu with a dagger. That would require not only impressive speed, but also quite a fair bit of innate precision.

Following the adoption of her stance, the student would find herself staring at Addy with those bright eyes of hers. Behind her round glasses, they were akin to emeralds, shining like true gemstones. In a way, it could be said that their brilliance was almost hypnotic. However, there was something about that brilliance that was strangely more alluring than it really should, like they had been designed for one to lose themselves in them. It was downright distracting. Was she doing this on purpose? Either way, perhaps it didn't really matter; after all, they were just eyes, and eyes alone cannot define a person's skill in swordsmanship. No, the only thing that mattered then was the handling of the blade and the understanding of what that entailed, from the way one swings the blade down to the positioning of the body on the battlefield. If it were not the case, then there would be no reason for one to create a sword of swordsmanship, or of any kind of martial art, for that matter.

In any case, the girl would eventually let out a shy "L-Likewise..." in response to Addy's words, then bow respectfully as tradition demanded. During this entire process, her viridescent gaze remained fixated onto Addy. There was barely any blinking, itching, or even a frown. It was as though they had almost been condemned to remain stuck in that position. The sight of those two brilliant things, as blinding as they may have been to the inexperienced, was enough to cause Kimiko to first raise a brow, and then frown in understanding. She knew what those eyes entailed, where they led. Although there was no aura to work off on or any kind of spiritual residue that could help better identify Mana's train of thought at this given time, the Captain could tell that the girl's frustration with the situation was starting to take over.  Hmph... Looks like I really pissed her off this time,  she concluded as she analyzed the smaller woman.  Go easy on her, Mana.

Silence would soon drape the arena after introductions were finished. Mana remained immobile, seemingly still not wanting to adopt any particular stance for the time being, all the while she observed Addy with that great gaze. One. Two. Three. Four. Seconds would go on before anything would actually occur. Then, at a certain point... the Kuchiki girl would realize that her opponent's breathing had stopped. Her mouth had ceased all methods of air ingestion, and so did her nose. It was as if she was now deliberately refusing to take any more oxygen. Yet, despite this, her gaze remained perfectly still, enough so that it was almost starting to become a little bit unsettling. To simply continue staring at an opponent without even bothering to breathe was an exemplary show of focus, of course, but it still seemed as though there was something off about them. It was as if... they were becoming bigger and bigger, as though they were about to eat Addy whole.

It would only be then that Addy would be able to notice that Mana was now standing right in front of her.

Whether the Kuchiki girl reacted in response to this revelation or not, Mana would not waste any time in this moment. The second she had come close to Addy, her left hand's grip around her scabbard would tighten, and then her dagger would be sent flying towards the Shinigami's chest in a rather-unique show of Iaijutsu. She had accomplished this quickly with the aid of a reverse grip, roughly at a Speed of 45. While this was not at all as fast as the typical speeds that Kimiko had seen from Mana, the way she had delivered her attack had been deliberately achieved to take her opponent off-guard. It wasn't something that the Captain really appreciated, especially given that she found the method to be somewhat dishonorable, but in a way, it was a test of focus, a way to get Addy to completely focus onto her opponent's blade and form. She supposed it was to be expected, coming from a student as experienced in the use of the dagger as Mana.

[Addy Kuchiki]

With laser focused precision, Addy watched as her opponent readied her blade. It was a smaller blade, yet the size seemed perfect for one such as Mana. Judging by the overall size of her opponent, she imagined that Mana would try to attack her nimbly, using her size to her advantage. It would be up to their speed to see who would win the exchange, seeing as how Addy had the superior reach. Reach that wouldn’t matter if Mana managed to get close to her. And if Addy was slower than her, she wouldn’t have a choice in the matter.

It had been quite a while since Addy had sparred with anyone now that she thought about it. She had done so frequently in her school days, but even then, that had been some time ago. Wooden dummies could only go so far, so she would see if all of her training had been worth it. She wanted to be stronger, yet just having strength wasn’t enough. She needed to know how to use it properly for it to be effective. It didn’t matter how powerful her blows were if she couldn’t land them. She could admit she wasn’t one for grand strategies, but she still wanted to learn a bit about tactics. Charging headfirst like she usually did would only get her so far. The question was, just how far could she go?

Matching Mana’s intense stare with one of her own, Addy could almost feel the invisible sparks going off between them. The sparks only multiplied as the battle began. It was the calm before the storm, but who would be the herald for the arriving tempest? Currently her opponent wasn’t even breathing. And judging from the bright look in Mana’s eyes, the lack of oxygen wouldn’t be bothering the woman anytime soon. Clearing she shouldn’t let Mana charge up and do whatever she was going for. Yet before the Kuchiki could even move, her opponent was already in front of her. In merely the blink of an eye.

Yet she would not succumb! Her will would not allow her too! Widening her eyes in intense concentration, Addy began analyzing the attack headed her way. Rather than get within the range of her blades, Mana instead chose to sling her weapon towards Addy at nearly point blank range. Almost impossible to dodge, but the hit was not certain! Twisting her body roughly, Addy shifted to her right side in an effort to divert the arriving dagger. Unsheathing her blades with a vengeance, she held out her left katana in a defensive stance. This way, if her dodge wasn’t successful, the dagger would hit her weapon rather than her squishier body beneath it. For her right katana, she had an entirely different plan.

While it took some time to learn properly, there was a reason Addy liked using two blades. Your options were expanded, and certain tactics were made available. Pushing off the ground in a Shunpo, she swung her right katana at Mana's right side as fast as she could. What would she do? Block or dodge? As the wind rustled through her hair, Addy could feel her heart beating at an increasing tempo. This was it! This was why she was here! Her heart was racing a mile a minute and she was enjoying every second of it.

“Come Mana! Show me the resolve of the disciples here!” Letting out her charismatic words with a snarl, Addy awaited her opponent’s next moves. There were many possibilities available, and she knew not which one her opponent would take. Anything was possible, especially with an unknown like Mana. Life was not full of guarantees, so how could she expect anything less? This was a true fight, and Addy would show that she was ready for it!

-------------------

Combat: 
- Dodging the arriving dagger at a speed of 54
- Shunpo'ing towards Mana's right side at a speed of 540


Skills: 
- Strength of Will: 1
- Iaijutsu: 1
- Martial Art - Hohō: 1
- Battle Analysis: 1
- Battle Focus: 1
- Charisma/Leadership: 1

Stats: 
Type: Fighter Version 2

Strength: 45 [60]
Speed: 54 [40]
Spiritual Pressure: 54 [40]
Reiatsu Strength: 26 [35]
Instinct: 50
Senses: 50
Energy sensory: 25
Healing Expertise: 0
Light Aura: 100
Dark Aura: 0

Reiatsu: 490/540

Techs Used:

SPOILER: Click to show

{Shunpo (Proficient)}Technique Name: Shunpo (Flash Steps)

Class: 7

Technique Type: Kidō

Technique Element: None

Technique Description and Effects:

A movement technique that allows the user to move faster than the eye can follow. The focal point that determines the basis of this technique is speed. As speed is the main point of the technique, the method is best characterized by how fast one can get from Point A to Point B in the least amount of steps. Training and skill are what determines how fast a user of Shunpo can move. Those of little skill in the technique or those who haven't used it for an extended amount of time would obviously be out of practice, causing those individuals to be considerably slower. This requires the use of more steps to move the same distance and become tired more easily in a shorter amount of time. A single step magnifies speed for that step by ten times. Shunpo uses fifty Reiatsu per step. This one is automatically learned in the academy. All Shinigami know this when created. This technique does not take up a technique slot.

[Nakajima Kimiko]

From an expert's perspective, Mana's approach was nothing short of exemplary. In the matter of only a few seconds, she had forced Addy to stare right into her eyes - enough so that they had completely lost their focus onto the world that surrounded them - and was then consequently able to reach her opponent without having to deal with her blades' superior length. Considering the weapon that she held, such a strategy was arguably one of the better ones she could have taken in this moment, as her dagger was evidently too short to even come close to the size of Addy's swords. However, now that she was so close to the Kuchiki girl, she had evidently sealed how this fight was going to proceed, or at least she had in Kimiko's eyes. This was not going to be a simple battle of blades to expect from typical newcomers of the Academy. Mana was simply not going to allow that, for she most likely wasn't interested in having to manage such lengthy spar. Instead, this was going to be a battle of spirit and wits that was going to push Addy to her limit.

As she stood by near the door, the evaluator once again found herself wondering if letting the glasses-wearing woman fight her follow dual swordswoman was a good idea. It wasn't that she was particularly against having Addy fight Mana; in fact, now that she was starting to see it unfold, she actually did want to witness where this would go. No, it was more so because she knew of Mana's strength and weaknesses. At a glance, she may not seem like much to take into account of, just a civilian who decided to come to Nijūkan in order to learn more about how to wield blades. However, after about two or three years of training the young woman, Kimiko started witnessing her potential with the dagger. She saw in her a prodigy just like herself, someone who could learn quickly and adapt to any situation even quicker. She also saw someone who had certain particularities, namely with anything involving time... and that, in a way, bothered her more than she cared to admit.

But perhaps she was wrong. It wasn't the first time the Captain overestimated something; in fact, she quite literally does that all the time, as was made apparent by the fact that she has been analyzing Addy ever since the first moment they've met at Hikashi's Terakawa. While Mana had the potential to be quite scary at times due to her specific obsession with time, she wasn't necessarily heartless or merciless. She knows when to hold back against those who can't properly defend themselves against her, and alternatively, she also knows when to pick up the pace during times in which doing so is necessary, both things that she has learned throughout the countless spars Kimiko has put her through against various newcomers to the dojo. If she could handle herself with these many other people, then surely, she could handle herself properly against someone like the Kuchiki woman without becoming too angry at the fact that her schedule of the day was going to be shifted around just a little bit further.

So, with that in mind, the Captain did not interfere. She allowed the battle to proceed near the door, with her scarlet eyes gazing towards the two girls as Mana came closer and closer to Addy. The dagger-wielder's first attack was swiftly delivered shortly after her aforementioned approach came to an end. Like a viper attempting to strike at a nearby prey, her dagger was sent flying towards Addy with a speed that the girl believed the Kuchiki woman would find to be surprising. Should it had hit its true target, it would have most likely left quite the nasty mark in its wake; after all, there had been no hesitation in that strike, no apparent will to stop it from actually reaching the officer as the latter attempted to dodge it. However, to Mana's own surprise, her blade did not actually do such a thing. Oh no... instead, it reached another target altogether, one that she had evidently not been expecting: Addy's left blade. Apparently, the Shinigami had enough time to raise it in order to block it.

Sparks flew between the two girls in that moment as metal made contact with metal. They brightened Mana's emerald eyes, seemingly accentuating their size as she continued to stare deep into Addy's own. For a brief moment, they would continue to simply stare at the Kuchiki woman, almost as though they were outright deciphering her. Eventually, however, they would quickly retreat as Mana kicked the ground with the both of her feet, launching herself away from the Shinigami with a much faster Speed of 100. At first glance, it appeared that she had sacrificed her range advantage in exchange for immediate safety. The sight of such a strategy was enough to make Kimiko cross her arms as another puff of steam left her lips. It was clear that she understood what Mana was doing, but she wasn't going to tell Addy about what was happening here. At least, she wasn't going to so just yet. Perhaps explanations will come once this is all over.

Then came Addy once again. A split-second following the dagger-wielder's dodge, a loud noise resonated from the dual swordswoman as, suddenly, she was launched onward towards Mana with the use of the Shunpo technique. The way the technique was executed was not perfect. There were things that could be perfected here and there so as to achieve its maximum potential. With that said, its use alone was enough to instantly attract Kimiko's full attention... only for the words that followed suit right out of Addy's mouth to downright catch it completely. "Excellent, Addy! That's what I like to hear!" The Captain couldn't help but shout in response to the Kuchiki woman's snarl, smiling brightly as steam was expelled from her throat like it was some kind of engine. That motivation, that sheer overpowering display of the heart and soul! This was what she was looking for in her students! This is what she wanted each and every one of the people who followed the path of the sword to experience!

Mana's eyes blinked at the sound of the words, seemingly from shock, before she would then find herself forced to breathe again. Addy blocking her dagger was one thing, but exclaiming such words before her was evidently another matter entirely. Usually, newcomers don't react with such bravado whenever they face her. Usually, they just stand there and allow themselves to be stricken by her gaze. Yet somehow, this wasn't working on Addy, or at least it wasn't working like it should. This realization would prompt Mana to blink again, then straighten herself up while Addy's right blade would be unsheathed towards her direction. Another deep breath would follow her movement as she did so, followed by a stronger grip around her sheathed knife. Then, just as the Shinigami's blade began swinging towards her, its target would bend her body forward towards its master... right before, without any warning, she pushed hard against the floor and launched herself in the air right above her original position at a Speed of 100.

In a display of pure acrobatics, the one with the emerald eyes would find herself flipping in the air above the Shinigami. She spun and spun and spun, enough so that it almost seemed as though she was downright floating in the air due to the momentum of her body, until she suddenly uncurled her form to deliver a downward kick to the top of Addy's head at a Speed of 75. Should she be hit, the Shinigami would find herself forced to look down towards where the dagger-wielder would land on the floor, and gaze upon those same emerald eyes as their owner then attempted to launch the guard of her sheathed blade straight into Addy's chest at a Speed of 50. The fact that she was able to accomplish all of this so quickly was nothing short of outstanding, but perhaps her resumed lack of breathing and the resuming of her hypnotic stare were both even more so. This girl... She was attempting to completely overwhelm Addy as much as she possibly could. 

[Addy Kuchiki]

Silence. That was all Addy could hear. Yet that wasn’t right was it? No. Her blood was roaring through her body so strongly that she could hear nothing else. Her head was throbbing, her eyes stung, and her muscles hurt. Yet her soul was in bliss. Nothing else mattered in this fight. Her soul and blades were becoming one. There was no time to think upon anything else in this fight. If she did, she would lose. Mana was a barricade blocking her forward momentum. A barricade she would see crumble.

Mana’s first attack was deflected. And barely at that. Even from the first exchange it was obvious that Addy’s opponent was faster than her. Was she shocked? No, such a situation was obvious from the get go. Mana’s build and choice of weapon all leaned towards this fact. What Addy failed to comprehend was just how much faster her opponent was. And not even a moment later, she was forced to understand the depth of Mana’s skill.

After her initial strike, the emerald eyed woman chose to retreat. But why? Was it to gain space, or to prepare another lightning quick attack? Either way, Addy’s goal was to stop her. Her shunpo would enable her to catch up, a skill she would have to be reliant on in the future. Without it, she doubted she’d ever be able to catch up to Mana. But only using shunpo wouldn’t let Addy win this fight. Her retaliatory attack was much slower than her shunpo, something her opponent showcased to her easily. A quick bend here, a push off there, and all Addy’s blade met was air.

Raising her eyes upward, Addy was met with the sight of her opponent descending towards her. Mana was running rings around her, and there wasn’t much she could do about it. Even with her shunpo, her attacks would always be dodged. Such was the difference in speed between the two. Yet…..did that make this battle hopeless then? Since Addy was outclassed in almost every aspect? No. She didn’t think so. Mana’s body might be stronger than hers, but she refused to believe she’d lose in a clash of wills. And it was time to show her opponent just how strong hers was.

It was reminiscent of a leaf falling down a tree on a warm autumn day, the descent natural and fluid. A beautiful scene to witness. Perhaps one day Addy would be able to wield her body as gracefully as Mana. She couldn’t have wished for a better opponent. As Mana’s foot came crashing down towards her head, two options were laid out in front of her. Retreat or match her opponent’s ferocity with her own. The first option was thrown out immediately. It just wouldn’t work. If she chose to shunpo away here, the same situation would repeat itself. No. Never back down, never surrender. If Mana wanted her head, then she could have it. But Addy would have hers as well.

Letting out a strangled gasp, Addy ignored the rampant pain spreading throughout her head. Was that blood dripping down her scalp? Did it matter? No. The only thing she needed to focus on was the fight. Her body would follow her will. Opening her eyes that were forced shut, Addy was met with the sight of Mana’s approaching sheathe. Her vision was a bit blurry, but it would have to do for now. Baring her fangs at the woman, the young Kuchiki twisted her body in a spin reminiscent of Mana’s. She had just enough speed to barely dodge the sheathe, yet Mana still had her dagger. A dagger she currently outreached.

Gripping the hilt of her two blades tighter, Addy finished her spin with her two blades sweeping out towards Mana’s body. But the Kuchiki wasn’t done there. No, she needed something more than a normal attack, even with two blades this time. Pushing her right foot on the ground in tandem with the end of her swing, Addy advanced towards Mana with a shunpo. The only time she was faster than her opponent was when she used this technique, so she would keep using it to her advantage. Her swing was slower than Mana’s speed, but if she was directly in front of her, the emerald eyed woman would be hard pressed to dodge. And even if she chose to flee once more, Addy would continue her pursuit. Like a dog nipping at the heels of its prey.

--------
Combat:
- [Injured head from Mana's kick]
- Dodging Mana's sheathe at a speed of 54
- Shunpo'ing directly in front of Mana at a speed of 540
- Follow up Shunpo with dual bladed spin attack at a speed of 54

[Nakajima Kimiko]

Kimiko felt a shiver run down her spine as she saw witnessed Mana's foot crash against the top of Addy's head. It wasn't a particularly-powerful hit, all things considered. The attack was blunt, something which wasn't really part of the emerald-eyed warrior's forte, and if she would have wanted to do so, she could have made it all so much worse. Even so, the Captain believed the strike to have been an almost-excessive show of acrobatics, one that she wasn't sure she agreed to very much in this context. Addy was still a recruit, someone who had just graduated from the likes of the Academy; in so doing, she wasn't as skilled nor experienced in the art of combat as your typical officer. To have her face such a foe, one that could move around in such a way seemingly without hesitation... Well, it was starting to make the scarlet-eyed woman worry just a little bit about the decision she has made thus far. Maybe pitting Addy against someone like Mana was not a very good idea after all.

As she thought about this, a silence suddenly filled the room as time slowed down. Soon, it was followed by darkness as the light emanating from the nearest windows began to dim ever-so-faintly. It was the kind of darkness that Kimiko had begun oh-so-familiar over the course of her Shinigami career, the kind that she had seen time and time again when she least expected it. It was during these times that she saw her. This time was no exception. There, in that same outfit of the Living World she always wore, the superior officer's scholarly duplicate stood in the middle of the room. At first, she found herself gazing at Mana, as though she was studying her and her capabilities. Then, she began to slowly walk away from the girl to instead gaze at Addy. Her silver eyes made sure to grant the Kuchiki woman much of her attention as they bounced across her entire form, from her blades to the very posture she held. It was only once she finished her studies that she then turned around towards Kimiko, smiling from ear to ear.

"She's just like you, isn't she, Kimiko-chan~? Quiet at first, but then super fucking loud the moment she starts fighting anything. She even has two swords! Heh! It's like I'm looking at a version of you from another dimension~." The words left the Inner Hollow as naturally as she breathed. In her eyes, it was clear that this was not just an observation. Rather, it was fact. For a moment, she would simply stare at Kimiko, letting her gaze clash against the one of scarlet as the Captain simply stood there in silence. After a time, however, she would walk forward. Step-by-step, she would approach the higher officer, until she would finally be standing right in front of her, face-to-face. By then, however, her smile had lessened, softened. "You know... I really don't get this whole Nijūkan business of yours. Why waste so much effort in trying to make these schools a better place when you know they're going to take it all away from you the moment they realize our true nature? They already found out about the girl. At this point, it's only a matter of time before they find out about what we are~." 

The Captain remained silent as she stared at the creature, her scarlet eyes staring back at her dark half's silvery gaze with a serious look. She didn't enjoy what she was going to do; in fact, simply granting her the bare minimum of it was enough to bother her quite a fair bit. With that said, she did have to give credence to the words that were spoken then. Ruhe, the little Quincy girl, had indeed been detected by the people of Squad 12, and so plans are now been conducted in order to prepare her leave from Nijūkan North. However, even if these plans are successful, it won't change the fact that the Gotei 13 are now most likely observing the schools with greater intensity than before. For all Kimiko knows, they are most likely indeed going to complete several reconnaissance sweeps across the schools in order to learn more about the students. If they do so... they might find out that she is a Vizard, if only by sticking an expert in spiritual energy to the case. They might even detect that Kazuhiko is a Vizard, too... and if that happens, well, the outcome will be the same either way.

Losing access to the schools would be nothing short of disastrous. Kimiko knew that. She didn't want to stop training these people, to become unable to guide them and her subordinates along the path of ultimate swordsmanship. With all that being said, though, she already knew what was awaiting her. As a Vizard, it was indeed only a matter of time before her power would become too much for her to bear. Hell, it was already becoming too much for her to bear, as made evident by the fact that she was now constantly experiencing these hallucinations. She could barely have a proper conversation with her Zanpakuto spirits outside of the Inner World anymore too, all thanks to their constant efforts to keep the Inner Hollow at bay. Yet she didn't want to give up. It was stubborn. Oh, it was extremely so. It was almost pig-headed, even. However, giving up now would only affirm that her duplicate was inherently right, and doing so would only make things worse. Besides... she'd rather teach her students when she still could, while she was still a Shinigami of the Gotei 13.

The Inner Hollow would continue to stare at Kimiko, fixated, as though she was able to understand the Captain's thoughts in that moment. At a glance, her expression did not change, which was perhaps to be expected; after all, the creature had always attempted to maintain a certain haunting look. However, for a split-second, it almost seemed as though she was disappointed by what she had learned from her host's point of view. She now understood where Kimiko was coming from, but at the same time, she still believed in the futility of it all, and it showed. Nevertheless, she decided not to voice this opinion of hers. Instead, she allowed her smile to widen, and a single step back away from the Captain, she chuckled. "Alright, then. If you still want to teach them how to swing a sword so much, then I won't stop you. Getting rid of these schools isn't part of my new game, anyway. Still, I want you to remember one more thing before I go, Kimiko-chan," she would first start before, with a darker gaze, she would reaffirm one more thing.

"If you every try to sacrifice ourselves for their sake... I will make sure that you never see them again."   

Just as she finished her declaration, the Inner Hollow's body would disappear from sight, and soon, the light in the room would steadily begin to return. Slowly but surely, time would resume its proper course, and both Addy and Mana would begin to move again as they were always meant to in Kimiko's eyes. In the meantime, as their momentum was still resuming, the Captain found herself calmly taking in her Inner Hollow's words. Evidently, they were supposed to take the form of a threat, or at least they were meant to be treated as such; after all, telling someone that they would never be able to see something again usually implied that a horrible event was going to happen to that something. Yet, Kimiko couldn't help but believe that the tone the creature used in this moment carried a different meaning. It didn't seem like she wanted to destroy the schools. No. It was different. Again, just like before, it was as though her Inner Hollow wanted to... protect her.

Her scarlet eyes turned back towards Addy and Mana as their bodies continued to become faster and faster in her gaze. For now, she needed to focus. There was still much that needed to be done for Nijūkan and for the Soul Society as a whole, and there wasn't much time left for her to accomplish that. Leaving these schools will hurt her more than anything now, but abandoning right then and there while she still had the chance to continue teaching them would be even worse. It would be a betrayal to them, a betrayal to the people of Rukongai to whom she has dedicated herself to train, and a betrayal to the entirety of the Soul Society who she believes could be protected by them. So, she'll hold on. She'll continue training her students, to bring them onward towards a place that would usually be barred to everything and everyone aside from the greatest of Shinigami, and she will make sure to include people like Addy and Mana both in these plans.

By the time Kimiko's convictions had been reaffirmed, the noise of pain that came out of Addy after she was kicked in the head by the glasses-wearing girl had finished its course. Blood had now begun to drip away from her scalp at an amount that was great enough to cause a few droplets to fall on the floor below, staining it with various crimson stains. Mana, undeterred by the damage she had caused to her opponent, continued her maneuver and launched her sheathed dagger's hilt straight towards Addy's chest. The way she moved was notable, but ultimately predictable, as no sooner than the moment she attempted to strike, the blonde swordswoman spun away from her knife. This left her in a terrible position, or at least one that appeared terrible at a glance, as her arm and dagger now both remained outstretched in front of her, thus leaving her open to retaliation. It did not take long for Addy to realize this and, consequently, to attempt to strike back at her.

In a moment's notice, the Kuchiki woman's Zanpakuto were sent flying in a sweeping motion towards Mana. The girl's emerald eyes followed the metallic glint of the blades attentively, following their move, but there was ultimately nothing she could do to stop their advance. Thus, with swift kicks against the floor, she would attempt to jump over the blades once again. At this point, she was expecting the strike to have proceeded according to plan, and for Addy to then have taken some distance in order to recover from her head trauma; after all, there had been nothing that suggested that things were going to occur otherwise thus far. However, as she turned her hypnotic glare towards her opponent, her lack of breathing would be swiftly resumed as she realized that Addy had not even finished her strike. No, instead, she had rushed back towards her while she was still in the air with the aid of Shunpo, and was now attempting to finish her strike right then and there. 

Taken aback by her own lack of foresight, the dagger wielder would clench her teeth before quickly attempting to unsheathe her dagger in the direction of the incoming blades. Fortunately for her, she was able to parry them in time at a Speed of 60, but the strength behind them as well as her awkward position was enough to push her to the side, sending her across the room. Huffing from the recoil, she would wince as she tried to balance her body in the air in order to land correctly, then groan as her feet then slid against the floor. Panting quietly, she would recover from the shock that reverberated from her hands, shaking her hands just a little bit in order to accelerate the process before she would shake her head. Damn it! She should have known! That girl had just used Shunpo just minutes ago to accomplish a similar process! What a terrible mistake! She needed to do something now before she would get overwhelmed by this newcomer! So, with a quick attempt to steady her breathing, she would quickly turn her gaze towards Addy...

... and then realize that the dual swordswoman was not far away from her again.

So that was how it was going to go. There wasn't going to be any kind of ranged battle in this scenario: it was only going to be pure close-combat. Frozen, Mana would briefly hesitate at the thought, even going as far as to believe that Addy was absolutely insane to battle her in what was evidently her ideal proximity to her opponent. However, soon, she would quickly take another deep breath before putting her foot forward, then dashing right towards Addy in order to anticipate the Kuchiki woman's next move. If that girl wanted to face her in combat like this, then fine! If that girl wants to fight her where she fought best, then so be it! Like that, this spar will end sooner, and she'll be able to go back to her original schedule!

[Addy Kuchiki]

Slippery. Elusive. Cunning. Just like a snake. Yet again Mana was attempting to slither out of her range. To make her retaliation useless. To forever extend this dance of death. Unfortunately for the emerald eye woman, she forgot about Addy’s technique. Even if it was only for a little time, her shunpo would put her speed on par with Mana. Her spin would be deflected by her opponent’s sheathe, but the power behind it was still able to take Mana off of her feet. Chasing behind her falling opponent, Addy narrowed her gaze. This was still only the start of her reprisal.

With a push of her foot, Addy reappeared to the right of her charging opponent in a burst of speed. Twisting her body, she swung her two swords once more at Mana. This time she aimed upwards, one blade headed towards the head while the other went towards the torso. If her opponent chose to repeat her past tactics, then Addy should be able to at least land one blow. It all depended on how Mana chose to dodge, so she needed to be prepared for the follow up.

As her brain focused entirely on her opponent, Addy would narrow her eyes. Partly out of concentration, and partly out of need. Her head throbbed. Painfully. It felt like someone had just drop-kicked her. Which Mana actually did. Plus moving at all these fast speeds with her injury was making her dizzy. She would need time to rest soon, but the moment she relaxed on her pursuit, Mana would be sure to take advantage. Ending this fight quickly would be preferable, Addy just wasn’t sure if that was currently possible. There was only one way to find out.

------------------------
Reiatsu: 390/540
Combat:
- Shunpo charge at Mana at a speed of 540
- Dual Bladed spin attack at a speed of 54

[Nakajima Kimiko]

The spar had become something akin to a skirmish. In a moment's notice, now roughly one or two minutes since it all began, what was supposed to be something more akin to a standard evaluation in order to properly judge Addy's skills had instead turned into something that was more akin to a duel. No, that wasn't quite right; instead, it had become a showcase of speed between two Iaijutsu practitioners: Mana, with her acrobatic and somewhat-unorthodox style that could take absolutely anyone and anything by surprise at any given moment, and Addy, with a two-bladed style that reached out to every possibility imaginable in order to make sure that no opportunity is ever taken by the enemy. The emerald-eyed woman was definitely holding back and the Kuchiki woman was still a beginner, prompting this showcase to be somewhat slow in comparison to what was usually to be expected on a battlefield. Nevertheless, Kimiko did not hate this. In fact, she quite enjoyed it.

The dagger-wielder had always been an impressive student of hers. Well, at the very least, that was how she perceived her. Her behavior was certainly problematic at times, sure, but the way she used the dagger and her application of the values of the school was nothing short of impressive. Nijū Kanmeki-ryu was never really designed for anything other than swords at the time of its creation, but as time has come to prove to Kimiko, it had become clear that its goal to become a basis for many other sword styles was reached rather successfully. Mana was proof of that, as were many others, and in a way, it was enough to the dojo master's hope in her school only become stronger. Even if she somehow disappears from the Soul Society tomorrow, she believes that the flurry of styles which were birthed from Nijūkan will allow it to remain for many generations to come, even if someone or something attempts to put an end to its existence.

Then, there was Addy. Her style was more conventional in comparison to Mana's. There wasn't much to be said about her acrobatics, and the way she wielded her twin blades was not particularly original. In other words, she was applying the techniques that had been taught to her by Shin'ō Academy, as to be expected from a Shinigami recruit who has just graduated from that school. Yet, in spite of this, there was something about her that Kimiko found to be very interesting: her spirit. As much as the Captain hated to admit it, the creature within her soul was right in saying that the both of them were rather similar. Even though she was presented with terrible odds that were most likely going to lead to her defeat in this spar, Addy was still attempting to defeat Mana as much as she possibly could. She was akin to a bright burning flame, an overwhelming blaze demanding immediate combat. It was beautiful, inspiring... and so reminiscent of Kimiko's own style that the Captain even wondered if the girl had somehow heard of her before they met.

Most would've found this familiarity to be unsettling. It was rather uncommon, after all, to suddenly witness someone who fought in a similar fashion to another, in both style and spirit. However, Kimiko did not hate this notion as much as somebody else would've. In fact, as the battle went on and her silent conversation with her Inner Hollow ended, her scarlet eyes were almost glued onto the Kuchiki woman as she observed her every move. The way she rushed onward towards Mana, and the way she twisted her body, swung her swords, and did absolutely everything in her power to beat an opponent that was clearly much faster than her seemingly without even thinking about giving up... All of those things, Kimiko took into account, and the more she did, the more interested she became in witnessing Addy's future, both as her teacher within the walls of this prestigious dojo, and as her Captain back in Seireitei within the barracks of the Eleventh Division.

But of course, for as much of her attention had been captured by Addy, a part of it nevertheless remained onto Mana. Like Addy, she too had not yet given up. Oh, no, not at all. The emerald-eyed woman still appeared to be quite ready to go now that she had understood where the battle was going, with her own spirit raging on. Whether it was raging because it wanted to see where this battle was going or because it wanted this battle to end as quickly as possible in order to get back to her schedule was ultimately irrelevant. This was made evident as, once the Kuchiki girl attempted to predict Addy's next Shunpo jump. With her breathing almost stabilized, she stuck her eyes onto her opponent again, and once said opponent disappeared once more like she has done several times before, she forcefully stopped her breathing once more and began to stood in place, immobile. Then, just as Addy reappeared to her right, she quickly acted.

At this point, the dagger-wielder had begun to understand that her earlier dodges were not going to work anymore. She had just gotten hit in mid-air, after all, and it wasn't a particularly pleasant experience. Thus, she decided that another tactic was in order for the time being. Instead of dodging upward like she has done previously - something that would have most likely sent her into yet another double-bladed strike that would have sent her across the room once again - she instead showcased her acrobatic body once again by suddenly crouching down at a Speed of 60. The motion wasn't instantaneous, and so Addy's blades were able to cut a part of her forehead as well bits of her hair, leaving her with a scar and a stranger hairstyle. In spite of this, Mana paid it no mind, as no sooner after she finished avoiding the full brunt of her opponent's attack, she pushed herself off the ground like a spring before attempting to jam the hilt of her dagger straight under the Kuchiki woman's jaw.

The attack wasn't perfect. All things considered, it was more so akin to an uppercut than anything else, and so it was understandably imperfect. However, there was something about this particular attempt that Addy would very quickly realize even if she was capable of avoiding the hit. Regardless of whether the attack was successful or not, Mana had now firmly placed herself very close to her. Any closer, and their bodies would have most likely touched one another, as she now stood in-between Addy's arms. Her emerald eyes now bigger than ever behind her glasses, causing them to become almost even more hypnotic. More importantly, her current position caused the Kuchiki woman to be in a terrible position. Unless she accomplished something drastic, it would now be quite difficult for her to properly swing her blades towards Mana, even if she was capable of sheathing them in the moment. In contrast... Mana was now in the perfect position for her dagger.

Once again, the emerald-eyed woman wasted no time in properly employing the use of such a close distance. Mercilessly, she would hold her dagger close to their chests, and then begin to unsheathe several times so as to attempt to deliver a multitude of cuts to Addy's body. Each of these cuts would be accomplished with the use of a reverse grip, which would her dagger to almost appear to be sliding between the two woman. The snake had reached its prey, and now, it was feasting on it. Naturally, the sight of such a precarious position was enough to put Kimiko on edge, and for a moment, she even readied herself to intervene. However, she wanted to see how Addy was going to react to this. Perhaps her fellow dual swordswoman had a plan to get out of this situation, something that would allow her to downright push Mana off of her and then take charge. Otherwise, the snake will swallow its prey whole, and the opportunity of seizing victory will be lost.