The Kindling of Youth [PG-13, NDE]

[Deleted]

Thread Title: The Kindling of Youth [PG-13, NDE]
Participants: Kazuko Shiba, Masayoshi Kasigawa, and Hado Tachimoto
World: Soul Society
Death Setting: Non Death Enabled
Rating: PG-13
Location: Squad Nine Barracks/Courtyard.
Special Conditions: Kazuko is forbidden from using release.
Circumstances: A Shinigami, Masayoshi Kasigawa, has ventured forth and challenged the Squad Nine Vice-Captain, Kazuko Shiba, to a friendly match. However, Hado Tachimoto somehow joins in on the match and decides to take part in the challenge. Not willing to bear another wave of paperwork, the youth, Kazuko Shiba, has decided to take up their call and fight them both at once. The thread will take place at midday, and may move in setting as is required. Kazuko has first post.

[Deleted]

Above the sea of white, rays of light, vibrant and full of warmth, poked through toward the darker tones of mortar and roofing tile below. The day, as it were, was young, as was the youth that stood amidst the wooden and brick walls of the Seireitei below. On all sides, a wooden veranda, with darker toned floorboards, almost like oak or spruce, surrounded him lining that structure. The center of the structure, which was quite large indeed – a full 100 by 100 meters – was composed largely of chalk-white tiles, arranged in perfectly symmetrical squares. The Courtyard of Squad Nine, to most, was a marvel of perseverance and strength. The area, after the Vandenreich invasion, had been reduced to nothing more than ashes. Only the ghosts of splintered wood and shattered steel were left to pay homage to the great magnitude of devastation that befell it, as well as most other structures in the Seireitei. Nonetheless, it was the very youth who stood at its center admiring the grandeur of it and the day that was responsible for its reconstruction, as with the entirety of the squad. Even with his body left broken at the hands of a General, and left to cope with his trauma in medical bed, the youth had still managed to instruct and manage the entirety of operations in the Squad while seeing that everything was rebuilt. So like an artist admiring the fruition of his work, he too stood watching the sky with a clear expression of mirth on his face.


Every so often, a brief breath of wind would skim the surface of the tile, and brush his oak brown hair, which was styled back, ever so lightly. His eyes, which mirrored his hair in color, moved, this way and that, scanning back and forth. Adorned on his body was the customary and regulatory uniform that all Shinigami were designated to wear; around his waist, a white sash was fastened stoutly along with two jugs filled with two unknown liquids. Underneath the cloud of black that was his uniform, he wore white shirt that formed a vestige of color on his person. Moreover, strapped to his back, there was a scabbard more than two feet long in a position where the hilt could be seen exposed over his right shoulder. Unlike most other Shinigami, the youth, Kazuko Shiba, wore his zanpakuto at his back rather on his hip; given his young height (4’ 7”), keeping the blade strapped to his hip was ill advised. Nonetheless, all and all, despite his uniform and weaponry, Kazuko Shiba, to his chagrin, looked quite comical. A child – well, young adult now – was dressed in the full getup that was designed for men. To most, he was considered far too young to be serving in the military powerhouse that was the Gotei. However, he had matured in his time there, and through perseverance, had staked a claim in the hearts and minds of those who he called subordinates – his allies.


Even so, there were those, from time to time, who thought to challenge is claim as Vice-Captain, expecting an easy victory, and usurp his rank. Though, this was not as frequent as it had once been before, when Kazuko had first been promoted to Vice-Captaincy. Eventually, most realized that the youth had won his rank, despite his age, not out of family claims, as he was indeed a Shiba, but out of ability. Still, on that fine day, he was stood at the center of the courtyard awaiting his opponent: Masayoshi Kasigawa, Third Seat from Squad Eleven. Though, this was not a match to determine the claim of a Vice-Captaincy; oh no. This was a match born out of the necessity to grow stronger, or at least that was the reason behind the proposal of the match that had been told to Kazuko. Apparently, the Shinigami had been defeated at the hands of some Arrancar, and had thus requested that he train himself against an officer. Kazuko Shiba, then, had taken on the officer on his challenge, in the hopes that the other man might somehow improve himself. Still, it did not mean that he would withhold nothing and see how well his mantle stood; the youth, as he waited patiently, had every intention of holding back as mush as was necessary. As he had learned through experience, it was the soul that was tempered with the continual experience of life instead of the beating of defeat that truly became worthy. Thus, it was in the youth’s intentions to help this challenger come farther along more so than he could on his own.


It won’t be long now… I should be expecting him any moment now, actually. As long as this keeps me out of the drudgery in my office, I can burn as much time as I need to. I slight smirk appeared on his face as he pondered his thoughts, but it was not until he felt the presences of two souls that he paid more attention to his surroundings. His sensory was spread over the majority of his squad, as he had, in his mind, to keep a constant vigilance in case the Vandenreich return. Oddly, however, he detected two presences near his position. One, as he figured, belonged to the Third Seat, given its relative level of strength. The other, however, belonged to someone else, who, as Kazuko pegged him, may only be an unseated officer, given what he felt. The youth wondered if he had made any more such reservations on that day to inquire the intentions of two, not one, Shinigami. Still, as it were, he would see how things transpired and evolved through the course of the match. For now, he kept his mind optimistic as to the course things would take; too be frank, anything other than paperwork was a vast improvement in the mind of the youth. Especially, when had a literal mountain of it waiting when he returned to his office. It was not that he skipped out on his work, it was that the paperwork of his Captain, along with his, was usually dealt with by him in its entirety.


Nonetheless, when Masayoshi would enter the courtyard and walk onto its expanse, the Vice-Captain would greet, “Welcome, Kasigawa; I’ve been expecting your arrival.” The Third Seat, if he had not learned beforehand, might find the presence of Kazuko to be quite surprising. He was nothing more than teen, only around sixteen in terms of outward appearance. Even then, he was still a bit smaller than others in his age group, so it was still unsettling to any adults to find that he was the Second-In-Command of the entirety of Squad Nine. Nonetheless, with a young, bright smile on his face, the youth would continue, “As I understand it, you wanted to have a match with an officer, correct? Fortunately, I managed to clear a few things up, and I’m always happy to take on another in training themselves when the need calls. Anyway, what is the reason for this match anyway, Kasigawa?” The Vice-Captain, of course, already knew the reason why. As the Second-In-Command of the Information Dissecting Division, he was obviously privy to most information that other were not aware of. Including the reason and motives behind such a match. Still, he wanted the other man to tell him himself, as the Vice-Captain would be able to better gauge and evaluate him better.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats/Abilities}

Kazuko Shiba: Level 2, Spiritual Genius

Strength – [100] (50)
Speed – [400]
Spiritual Pressure – [200] (400)
Reiatsu Strength – [400] (800)
Light Aura – [75]
Dark Aura – [25]
Instinct – [150]
Senses – [100]
Energy Sensory – [50] (150)
Healing Expertise – [0]

Total SP: 1400


Abilities

Weapons: Sword {3}
Hakuda {3}
Battle Analysis {3}
Mental Incantation {3}
Calm Mind {2}
Pain Tolerance {1}
Learning {1}

Total SKP: 16

[Masayoshi Kasigawa]

SPOILER: Click to show

The 3rd Seat walked out of the 4th Squad hospital and took a deep lung full of air in the warm sunlight of the early morning and winced slightly as his body was still achy from the fight with the Fraccion, Llusia Domenech. Although the 4th squad had completely healed him, his body was still aching as if he had been hit by a bus. He still could not get her out of his mind and the results of the fight were extensive with heavy wounds across his body, a stab wound into his shoulder blade and finally having his lung punctured and gargling on his own blood before being pinned at height to a wall with his own side like some sort of trophy... The thought of it made his blood boil as he gritted his teeth; "Masa you shouldn't keep thinking about it! It's not going to do you any good! We will take her out but at our level we aren't strong enough, so please Masa just get strong. For me..." Kikenkaze had materialized at his side and hugged onto his arm in her child wolf form she twitched her ears for a moment as they overheard some Shinigami speaking as they passed; "That's the officer who got pinned after his fight with a Fraccion.." Masayoshi ignored the comment and tightened his robe. Even though he had just come out of hospital he looked in relative good health consider what had conspired, His jet black hair was unruly and spiky as usual, his brand marks adorned his face, neck and left pectoral which could be seen through his loosely opened standard issue Shinigami robe required by all Soul reapers to be adored, yet his was slightly different with its trimmed sleeves that looked slightly shredded. He put his hands on his white sash and moved his Zanapakuto slightly to the right as he walked towards the Squad 9 Barracks.

He had not seen or heard from the Lieutenant or Captain of Squad and feared he would be in for an earful due to his loss. While he walked he thought of his invite to the Vice Captain of squad 9, Kazuko Shiba. He had heard of the Vice Captains ability and since his own Lieutenant would probably just yell in his face he decided that he would ask another Capable Shinigami for assistance, "I'm only one rank below him but yet i'm still not at the level i should be... Dammit i need to get stronger. I need to beat Lucy, no, Llusia... The Siren of Hueco Mundo. Why the hell do I have the luck to end up liking a god damn Fraccion." He clenched his fist as he began to walk before KikenKaze bounced up and held his hand loosely in her 4'4 Wolf girl form. Her tail blew in the wind and her ears twitched as she looked around and looked up at Masa. If people were able to see her they would probably laugh at the height difference of the pair with Masa at 6'2 and Kkikenkaze at only 4'4."where are we going big brother?" Masayoshi smiled, "We're going to go train with a Lieutenant Kikenkaze, so get your game face on alright?" Kikenkaze gave a playful laugh and turned a bright white before appearing in her adult form and playing over Masayoshi's shoulders, "So it's play time again huh? Lets try not to get our asses handed to us this time okay?" She let out a giggle before disappearing as Masasyoshi stood outside the squad 9 building and made his way inside.

He paced across the corridors and finally came to the courtyard where the Lieutenant would be waiting as he stood in the warmth from the sun on his face and it was a nice change but his mind was all but in darkness. Masayoshi knew what lay in front of him and the path he must take to get the answers he needs so now, he would work and train to become strong enough to get the answers he wants and to make Llusia Demonech pay for what she did to him. "Here we go again..." He let out a sigh as he walked into the courtyard and was confronted by the young lieutenant to the small lieutenant in front of him “As I understand it, you wanted to have a match with an officer, correct? Fortunately, I managed to clear a few things up, and I’m always happy to take on another in training themselves when the need calls. Anyway, what is the reason for this match anyway, Kasigawa?” Masayoshi walked forward and leant against the wall; " Hey, i'm still an officer Lieutenant, you're just the rank above me. But regardless my reason for contacting you was during my mission in the world of the living I came into contact with a Fraccion by the name of Llusia Demonech, I tried to fight her but I was not strong enough to hold her off and she escaped but not before hanging me to the wall by my own Zanpakuto... I wasn't strong enough to take her out, so now I need to get strong enough to protect my squad mates and there's a way to deal with that... I plan to reach Bankai." Masa spoke these words with pure determination with purely focus in his eyes.

[Hado Tachimoto]

Shinigami were definitely a common sight in Sereitei; it was their headquarters, their sanctuary, the place that many of their caste called home. The vast majority of their ranks were the unseated... The unimportant cadre that was only entrusted with the grunt work. One would think that they are also the foot soldiers of Soul Society's army, but a single captain could slaughter the entirety of their ranks if he so chose. They were common, easily replaceable and were typically treated as a blob of indistinguishable faces in a sea of anonymity. Perhaps that was why no one ever paid Hado any mind during his strolls through Sereitei... He too, was unseated, a fresh graduate from the academy, but he had no qualms with being a ghost. In his free time, he allowed himself to drift aimlessly, and it was on such particular event that he managed to meander into the territory of squad nine.

The whispers of powerful Reiatsu tugged at his meager energy sensory, and he immediately awoke from his stupor. During his twilight, his feet had managed to take him to a courtyard. Azure hues shifted from immaculate tiles to the Vice Captain who occupied the center of the area. Hado knew the majority of the existing high rank officers, especially the ones with particularly distinguishing features. The man that stood in front of him was short of stature, his build was slight, and he bore an almost childish appearance. However, a singular glance into the other's eyes revealed the truth of the matter. Behind earthy orbs lay great power and conviction, a determination that would see any task, no matter how gargantuan, to its end. In Hado's eyes, however, the other would notice void; a swirling emptiness that seemed to draw in all being and bury it forever... Truly, they were eyes more befitting a Hollow than a Shinigami.

Their shared stare was broken as abruptly as it had started, it seemed as though the person he was expecting had made his appearance. Vice Captain Kazuko addressed the other man by name; showing perhaps some manner of familiarity between the two... The newcomer was perhaps the antithesis of the diminutive captain; he stood at a rather impressive 6'2, his build looked as though it had been carefully sculpted through years of careful effort, but the inner man revealed the truth. His shoulders sagged faintly, a hidden weight being born on a young back. Everything from the exasperated sigh that escaped his lips, to the exhausted look that existed in his hues showed a man who had tasted defeat. It seemed that the Vice Captain wasn't informed of the exact reasoning behind this summons, and so he inquired the lesser officer's purpose... As if roused from slumber, the 3rd seat cast aside his trepidation, and his eyes burned with determination. He spoke of an Arrancar whom he swore to defeat, and made a solemn vow to reach Bankai in order to make that dream a reality. 

SPOILER: Click to show

{Play this before next paragraph}

The sound of a Zanpakuto being drawn filled the courtyard, and his yet unnamed companion was faced towards Kazuko. Those eerily empty hues turned towards the 3rd seat, and Hado gave him an affirmative nod. The unseated man intended to even the playing field, to assist the other in his rise to power. The vast difference in power between a Vice Captain and a 3rd seat was known to all, but there was an even larger schism between the strength of an unseated member and the higher officers. Still, Hado was not to be underestimated; he would prove that he was leagues above his equivalent comrades, perhaps not in presence... But in raw skill and power. Though the blade was held clumsily in his right hand, the rest of his stance revealed the truth to his style. His legs were coiled, ready to spring at any moment, and his left hand was ready to strike from any angle. This man, he was a martial artist, not a swordsmen. One may wonder, why would an unseated Shinigami feel it necessary to interfere in the affairs of the other two... The answer was simple, unlike the writhing mass of silhouettes that made up his comrades, these two individuals had faces... 

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats}Strength - [75] Points



Speed - [75] Points



Spiritual Pressure - [100(125)] Points



Reiatsu Strength - [168(210)] Points



Light Aura - [50] Points



Dark Aura - [50] Points



Instinct - [75(56)] Points



Senses - [67(50)] Points



Energy sensory - [50(38)] Points



Healing Expertise - [0] Points


[Acting] {1}



[Imitation] {1}



[Multi-Tasking] {1}



[Weapons: Swords] {1}



[Martial Arts: Muay Boran] {1}



[Mental Incantation] {1}



[Pain Tolerance] {1}


[Analysis {1}


[Strength of Will] {1}


[Reiatsu Manipulation] {1}

[Deleted]

(OOC: Just a minor thing: Remember to include Stats and Skills in all your intro posts on Site, even if you have them in your signatures. It helps others get a full picture at what they’re facing. ^^)


“Interesting,” Kazuko replied, his voice somewhat flat, obviously coming off as conveying the opposite of what he had just said. Though, in reality, the Vice-Captain did find his reasons for proposing the match to be out of the norm and quite interesting indeed. Not many were willing to subject themselves to the pain and battement of arduous training after all right after a defeat. Still, the fact that he wanted to achieve Bankai also made the whole thing come off as a bit more interesting, or novel. Though, since the Vice-Captain had just met the officer, he figured that he only wanted such a power for revenge or to inflict harm in others. If it were just for that, then the man would never make it to the top of that mountain. A Shinigami needed more than just raw emotion to attain such a coveted power. As far as Kazuko knew, no officer, including the Vice-Captains, had ever attained Bankai, not for many years. For good reason, it took decades to even convince ones’ spirit to offer them the opportunity for such a venture, and it took many more to finally hone it. “Well then, show me just how far that conviction of yours goes. I want to see the source of that fire.”


It was that moment that an audible hiss reverberated against the tiled floor; Kazuko glanced to the side, and found the source of the second reiatsu signature standing by, his sword drawn and poised at him. Though, despite the weapon being pointed at him, he did not appear to be surprised in the least bit. Since Kasigawa had arrived, Kazuko had kept his sensory spread around the whole of the Ninth Squad. He could keep track of multiple reiatsu signatures, such as this man’s, without too much trouble; it made for managing his subordinates a bit easier, really. Thus, he had already detected the unseated officer enter the courtyard, before he had made his appearance. Still, again, Kazuko found the whole situation to be interesting at the very least. An unseated officer had just waltzed in, and decided to take him on as well. “I see we have another visitor. Care to explain why you just drew your zanpakuto against me, other than some other obvious reason?” Kazuko did not really show any anger, or vindication, toward the whole action. He just wanted to know why someone would come in unannounced and draw his or her weapon toward a ranking officer. It made for an interesting situation.


Already, the Vice-Captain had gauged the relative strength levels of both men with his sensory, quite precisely in fact. This, of course, brought on a few problems for the youth before any of the fighting actually began; the first, and most evident, was if the new arrival intended to combat him as well, the Vice-Captain would have to contain both his gravitational and spiritual pressure during the whole match. If he let his guard down and caused some of his gravitational pressure to escape, then the man would drop dead, if not explode – literally. Then, there was the matter of using his zanpakuto. If either of the men attempted to parry his blade, then the zanpakuto of the Vice-Captain would cleave straight through their weapons, unimpeded, and possibly do harm to their bodies instead. If either of the men had poor sensory, then they might not be privy to this knowledge as well, so he needed to be careful with his actions. Obviously, he would have to hold back and contain his reiatsu to avoid any of these set-backs. The last thing the Vice-Captain wanted to do was harm either of them severely. He would have to fight accordingly in that case. Still, he at least wanted to get some sort of response from the new arrival before any of the actual development began. Both men could even choose to discuss things with one-another if they decided to do so.


Remaining Reiatsu: 4000/4000

Combat Posts: 0/8

[Masayoshi Kasigawa]

SPOILER: Click to show

“Well then, show me just how far that conviction of yours goes. I want to see the source of that fire.” The Lieutenant stood stone faced and his eyes seemed curious, The 3rd seat stared back; "My conviction is my purest instinct... My purest instinct is to win! I won't be beaten around like a child's toy! I will not let my squad down again. This ends now!" Masayoshi, gripped the handle of his Zanpakuto and drew it as the blade ground against the scabbard and hissed free from its restraint. "So this is the guy huh? He's just a kid! Don't tell me you're taking on a child?" Kikienkaze was stood next to masa, arms folded staring inquisitively at the boy in front of her, "That is not a child, that is a Lieutenant and at his age he must be powerful to be a Lieutenant so don't mess around. Don't let up, got it?" Masa gave a sharp look in her direction as a grin crept across her lips and her eyes lit up in to a brighter blood red as a soft laugh crept from her.

The noise caught Masayoshi off guard, the sound of rattling tiles and had assumed that the Lieutenant was releasing his spiritual pressure but then noticed the man stood across the way from him, Masayoshi looked at him puzzled as to his intent as the man offered him a solitary nod and looked back at the Lieutenant; " Perhaps we've caused an uproar before we even started, but you have still let your guard down Lieutenant..." Masa turned to the young man who appeared to be creating a hissing noise and pointed his Zanpakuto at him, "If you were planning on fighting the Lieutenant you best start a line, I'm first got it?" Masayoshi gave a menacing glare as he grinned showing his enlarged canines before returning to face the Lieutenant. The wind blew softly around him as he readied his stance and gripped his Zanpakuto handle and focused his spiritual energy as he began to release it slowly as he was unsure who the man was, he was no officer? Who the hell was he. "Now Lieutenant, would you prefer me to fight as I am or with my Shikai?"

Strength - 250 - 63 @ 25% stat decrease fighter v2 total 187 Points
Speed - 250+ 88 @ 35% Fighter v2 stat increase total 338 points
Spiritual Pressure - 200 + 70 @ 35% fighter v2 increase total 270 Points
Reiatsu Strength - 225 - 56 @ 25% stat decrease fighter v2 total 169 points
Light Aura - 70 Points
Dark Aura - 30 Points
Instinct - 100 Points
Senses - 100 Points
Energy sensory - 50 Points
Healing Expertise - 0 Points

Total SP: 1175 Points

[Street Fighter] {level 2}

[Focused Eye] {Level 2}

[Weapons] {Level 2}

[Battle Analysis] {Level 1}

[Pain Tolerance] {Level 1}

[Bleeding Tolerance] {Level 1}

[Anti Stealth] {Level 1}

[Charisma/ Leadership] {Level 2}

[Stealth] {Level 2}

[Hado Tachimoto]

Hado had shared eye contact upon his first encounter with the diminutive vice captain, yet his presence was still dismissed. Such was the fate of those bearing no rank; they were insignificant, flies on the wall, irrelevant in the grand scheme of the Gotei. Still, this prerogative suited the fresh Shinigami just fine... As of yet, he was a blank slate waiting to be written on. A ghost wading through the collective whole of Seretei, but what was the nature of ghosts? They haunted, refused to move on from their various obsessions... If they were malevolent, they harried you into oblivion: such would be Hado's role in this conflict, to harass the Vice Captain. To divide his attention just enough for his stronger ally to inflict more significant damage.

It was when his silent Zanpakuto finally sang, that the Lieutenant finally turned. His words implied that he wasn't entirely sure of Hado's purpose; his eyes conveying nothing but curiosity for the unseated Shinigami's unorthodox behavior. Honestly, given the situation, it wasn't exactly surprising that his antics had raised an eyebrow. A spar between higher ranked officers was considered a spectacle; and for a nobody to not only intrude, but force his way into participation? Strange... Strange indeed. The youth flexed his energy sensory, stretching it outwards to help gauge the difference between the combatants. Though this aspect of him was perhaps his weakest, even he could tell how utterly the Vice Captain eclipsed both of them. So his response came; revealing the Shinigami's propensity to speak in riddles. "To scale a mountain by one's self is foolish." This statement only served to prove that Hado had heard Masayoshi's desire, and that he would assist the young man in reaching his goal. 

Although... It quickly became apparent that he had signed himself up to assist one of the dimmer bulbs in Soul Society. Surely the 3rd seat didn't ACTUALLY think that an unseated Shinigami like Hado would challenge a Vice Captain on his own? Okay, so maybe he totally would, but unlike most, he definitely wasn't afraid of tasting defeat. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, after all. His companions final comment, however, ALMOST made Hado facepalm... Almost. The young man shook his head; he knew of the colossal disparity between a Vice Captain and a 3rd seat... Even greater still was the difference between a Captain and his second, fighting without using his most powerful abilities was... Somewhat foolish, to say the least. Without shifting his gaze from Kazuko, he spoke to Masa. "Throw at him everything you have, and it will not be sufficient. I do not intend to fight him on my own, but I do mean to unleash everything I have. Together, victory may not be unheard of." He did not entirely believe the words that flowed from his lips; but belief in his own sentiments was something foreign to him. Once more did his stare catch Masa; and once more would he give a solemn nod. The first move in this battle did not belong to Hado; so he would wait, waiting carefully for the right opportunity. One false step, and he knew this venture would be over...  

[Deleted]

“Let my guard down? Not quite. On that regard, you will decide whether you wish to use your Shikai or not. I have no qualms with either of you fighting me. Besides, it makes me proud knowing the Gotei has two Shinigami like you upholding its values.” There was a pause as the Vice-Captain considered a few things, and smiled once he came to decision. “Now then, as the first hurdle for you two to make, lets see if you can give me a reason to draw my zanpakuto. Gagoiru, my zanpakuto, sadly, is quite stubborn, and unwilling to let me use him at times. So I would not want to upset him by drawing him pointlessly? You understand?” Kazuko said, making sure keep his voice somewhat amiable. Of course, what he had just said would come off as cocky and immature. Why would a Shinigami choose to fight without their weapon? It was as if he did not see them as threats, despite their determinations. The opposite, however, was in fact true. He saw the determination in their motives and actions, so he wanted to give them something to strive for. Even climbing a mountain, though arduous a task can be accomplished if taken step-by-step, one foothold at a time. This was just their foothold to make.


“Never let your guards down, both of you.” That would be the only cue either of them got from the Vice-Captain from then on. They would be on their own in terms of support from the youth. Mentally, he capped his reiatsu, making sure to keep it at a point where neither zanpakuto of the Shinigami would shatter. Instead, they would be able to attack and parry as they saw fit. With his reiatsu for the most part sealed, the youth drew from the reservoir he allowed himself at that moment, and activated a piece of it, mentally. Though, to both men, it would probably be unlikely that they would be able to notice this subtle shift in reiatsu. However, it would be obvious that the Vice-Captain had just sealed his presence. Without much of a warning other than the ambiguous statement from before, the Vice-Captain would make a quick dash forward; currently, he had his speed cut in half for all his actions (200). However, despite this, he moved across the tile, in a blur of color, his left forearm coming up and forward. He would be upon Masayoshi in no time at all. With a crash of sparks, Kazuko would stop his progress at the last moment and have his left forearm meet the blade of the Shinigami.


Surprisingly, there was no cut or gash that appeared on his forearm; instead, it would be as if the blade of the Shinigami was grinding itself against something unseen. It would probably appear as if the Vice-Captain had suddenly activated Hierro or something of the sort. However, this was not the case, instead, beforehand, as the Vice-Captain moved to collide with the Third Seat, he had activated Ganoretto, a defensive type Bakudo that had shrouded the tops of both his arms with a super condensed layer of reiatsu. Without the sufficient combat power, the layer would not be pierced or cut. For good reason, the Vice-Captain did not have to draw his zanpakuto at all. Now, Kazuko’s first move would not produce anything in terms of actual results; however, it did leave room for a build up for other moves. For just as he had clashed with Masayoshi, the other Shinigami would have to deal with his own problems for now. With his left forearm occupied, the Vice-Captain raised his right hand, and merely flicked his finger toward the other unseated officer. If the man made no attempt to move or dodge from this subtle cue, he would find a sudden gust of force propel him backward. Hado #1: Sho. Again, the spell had been weakened as not to cause too much harm, but it would nonetheless send him back.


Masayoshi, however, would not get off so easily. He was the officer there, and as such, he had the honor of putting his all into the fight. As soon as the Sho had been fired off, the Vice-Captain again (moving at half speed), disconnected from the Shinigami, and brought his body down, half-crouched, using it to set up a leg sweep. The force of the sweep was moderate at best, given the strength difference between both Shinigami, but it would be against the best interests of Masayoshi if he tried to block or stop it; as the Vice-Captain had just shown, his brand of Hakuda was laden with Kido, so there would likely be something backing the sweep. If it connected with any part of his body, he would find his arms suddenly swing all the way back, and clamp at his back. This, of course, would leave him open, so he had to be wary of how he dodged or reacted to the Vice-Captain in the upcoming moves. As it was, he had barely begun acknowledging either of the Shinigami, and it was likely that he was only toying with them. Regardless, they would have to prove to him just how far their drive went.


Remaining Reiatsu: 3550/4000 (-400 for Ganoretto, -25 for Sho, -25 for Sai)

Combat Posts: 1/8

Ganoretto Posts: 1/10

[Masayoshi Kasigawa]

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The 3rd Seat watched the newcomer, clearly an unseated Shinigami state that to challenge the lieutenant alone would be foolish; "Well how else am i going to get stronger god dammit!" he thought to himself as the unknown shinigami gave a solitary nod once more as the Lieutenant faced Masayoshi “Never let your guards down, both of you.” Suddenly the Lieutenant was gone and in front of him just as Masayoshi pulled loose his Zanpakuto from its scabbard just in time to block the Lieutenant's arm as it sparked against the blade Masayoshi's eyes opened in shock, "Shit where did he come from! How can his arm just hit my blade? Hiero? How can this be unless he an Espada... Or... He's using a form of Kido I don't know!" All these thought exploded into Masayoshi's mind at once as the blade clinked with the force. The Lieutenant had not forgotten the other opponent as he raised his hand and flicked his finger when announcing the use of the Kido Sho directed in the strangers vicinity, Masayoshi had no time to check if the newcomer was alright or not as the lieutenant crouched and then fired his leg in a sweep to hit him; "Shit, time to go!"

The 3rd Seat used Shunpo and reappeared some 10 feet away and held his Zanpakuto horizontally to the floor, he felt the wind sweep across him as it blew his black shaggy hair and the bead of sweat that ran down the side of his scarred face; "You're sneaky Lieutenant!" Masayoshi grinned as his face become more menacing, "whisper, Kikenkaze..." With this his blade disintegrated and formed into each arm as bladed Tonfas as he began to twirl each blade in his hand, his face became more stern and focused, his eyes became more wild and his canines had become more pronounced as he growled and Shunpo'd forward. There was no more than 3 feet in front of himself and Kazuko as he reappeared and swung each blade across his chest in an X; "Black Gale!" as two torrents of sharp wind fired at the Lieutenant shortly followed by the 3rd Seat in an attempted uppercut to the Lieutenant's stomach.

"You got him!" Kikenkaze had screamed in his head as he snarled with a roar he drove his blade forward, his eyes focused on the opponent and his body tightened like a spring. Masayoshi released his spiritual pressure and threw all of his power into the force of his fist as it launched at the Lieutenant, "Don't think I'll go down easy dammit!" Masayoshi shouted in his head in unison with Kikenkaze. They had found prey.

Shunpo x2 - 100 pts
Shikai Release - 200 pts
Kikenkaze release use: 1/10

total remaining - 2400 Reiatsu

[Hado Tachimoto]

Two Shinigami like them upholding the Gotei's values? That simple statement had caused a momentary lapse in Hado's battle readiness... The Vice-Captain had made some rather bold assumptions based solely on a monotonous acknowledgement of an officer's goal. No, Hado's reasons for wanting to assist his fellow were purely selfish; though he did not realize it as such. Not a moment passed where an unseen storm of internal conflict wasn't brewing within, but perhaps giving himself purpose would quell the squall. In the youth's immature psyche, he could not understand his own complex reasoning for his desire to assist the 3rd seat, yet here he was, about to spar with a Vice Captain. Then... Everything exploded into action. 

The Vice Captain coiled ever so faintly, and sprang forward. His diminutive frame accelerating at speeds that no human should ever be capable; yet Hado knew this was not the extent of his capabilities. It was no secret that the highest officers of the Gotei were unimaginably powerful, that even superhuman feats were child's play to them. The young looking Lieutenant had not even deemed it necessary to use Shunpo, instead choosing to simply sprint towards his chosen adversary. Masayoshi had scrambled to draw his blade, and it collided against the Vice Captain's bare skin. It appeared as though the Vice-Captain knew of a technique similar to an Arrancar's legendary Heirro; some sort of Bakudo perhaps? Kazuko then raised his right forearm and with a subtle flick of his finger; fired off a Hado that the much less renowned Death God was all too familiar with. 

Hado #1, Sho... A gust of air was sent hurdling towards Hado; but there was no way it was the Vice Captain's full power. It appeared as though the more experienced man had underestimated Hado; and had sent a lackluster variation of his full powered blast. In a manner similar to Kazuko's, he flicked his wrist towards the incoming Kido; sending the exact same technique crashing into the incoming burst. Under normal circumstances, the Vice Captain's technique would easily blow through Hado's, but he had purposely held back, and that would prove his downfall. For immediately after his counter technique had been fired; he followed up with Hado #4, Byakurai. A pale bolt of lightning erupted from the fingertips of his other hand and streaked towards Kazuko. Given the timing of everything, the Vice-Captain would probably be mid sweep by time the bolt collided with him.

Masayoshi took no chances, and he used a rather clumsy Shunpo to save himself from the kick. He flickered back into existence about 3 meters away from Kazuko; and once again did he waste no time. In the short frame of time in which he summoned his Shikai, Hado's azure eyes had estimated the distance between himself and the other two. By a rough guess, he was approximately 5 meters away from the Vice Captain, and 6 away from his Ally. Given the speed that the most senior officer had already demonstrated, he silently deduced that he could cover that distance before the occurrence could even be processed... Hado's Ally crossed his blades across his chest in what Hado could only assume was a ranged technique of his. He would not let this attempt go unaided, and yet another bolt of powerful lightning was sent towards Kazuko. Now the Vice Captain would have to deal with an attack from the front, and an equally deadly technique from the right.  

His partner charged in the fractions of a second that followed; his appearance and persona having grown more feral. The man disappeared in the flicker of Shunpo and would continue the onslaught that had just began. Meanwhile, Hado would remain at the ready; his careful gaze looking for even the slightest of opening to exploit... While he knew such would be a rare occurrence, in order to come out victorious in this conflict, the exploitation of even the slightest weakness would be a necessity.

Sho - 25
2x Byakurai - 50
Remaining Reiatsu: 1175

 

[Deleted]

The Vice-Captain noted that his closest opponent, Masayoshi, evaded the sweep by utilizing a step with Shunpo; effective, but maybe a bit premature. It might have been much wiser to save such things for a primer opportunity. Regardless, the youth was not only keeping tabs on the Third Seat, but also of his partner. In tandem to sudden increase in Reiatsu from Masayoshi – he had released his Shikai, apparently – there was also the crackling and erratic discharge of a spell. Without bothering to glance to the side, the Vice-Captain already had a fix on the signature and type of the spell with his sensory. Thus, as his sweep was still in progress, the youth merely angled the arm, he was using to support the weight of his body, toward the bolt. The bolt of lightning collided with his forearm, sparking with tendrils of light, but just as quickly broke apart, unable to cause anything other than a small light show. Even with his Ganoretto weakened, the difference in power between spells was just too vast to ever allow the spear to pierce the shield. Regardless, the spell had done its job, and kept the Vice-Captain momentarily distracted by the new occurrence.


Masayoshi had completed his release, used another Shunpo, and with a burst of reiatsu, sent two blasts of wind hurdling toward the still crouched frame of the youth, a few feet away. At the same time, another bolt of lightning – Byakurai, of course – had been discharged and sent toward the youth; both men intended to sandwich the Vice-Captain between both their techniques. “Good,” the youth said, realizing that both of them were managing to work together, despite their difference in ideals. In a burst of smoke, both techniques collided together in unison sending both tendrils of thin electricity and wind in either direction. As the smoke cleared, the Vice-Captain remained, on a knee, with both his arms crossed around his body, the spell on them shimmering a faint gray; again, he had utilized Ganoretto to suppress and disperse the damage. Even the uniform of the Vice-Captain looked to be untouched by either spell, and for good reason. The Reiatsu of the Vice-Captain was quite significant, and even the caliber of both spells, failed to do anything significant against him. Well, at first glance, at least. All around his forearms, their were hairline cracks in the sheen of gray; since he had weakened the spell, both the Black Gale and the Byakurai, together, had weakened it even further. It did not look like the Ganoretto would hold out for long if this continued.


Regardless if either man noticed this change, the Third Seat had already enacted his next attack. Breaking through the remaining wisps of the smoke, he thrust his fist out, aiming to uppercut the youth at his stomach. Of course, the Vice-Captain would not stay in one place for long, and, as the fist approached, he merely ducked and sprang to the side. His body transitioned around that of the Third Seat a slight blur of color. Though, for their efforts, both men would receive a ‘reward’ from the youth. Immediately, there would be flash of crimson, before it slowly built into a sheen of red. Masayoshi, who was so close, would be the first to realize that his side suddenly felt hot – very hot, as if burning. Against the cloth of his uniform, there was a crimson mass of reiatsu. Hado #1: Shakkaho. Worse still, the spell kept growing and growing. It was well above what a Shakkoho should have been. Masayoshi would have to move quickly to prevent any more damage, or worse, being consumed by the growing orb. Regardless, with his Reiatsu, a spell such as Shakkaho, fired by the Vice-Captain, was normally house-sized, without any form of incantation even backing it up. This time, however, in light of not killing either man, he retrained the reiatsu in the orb, like in his Ganoretto, and kept it around the size of a van. Still, the level of power in the spell dwarfed that of either techniques previously used on the youth.


Without delay, the spell was released, charring tile, and uplifting a trail of tile along the courtyard. If Masayoshi failed to move out of the way sufficiently, he would be in the path of the spell as it rushed forward; the same went for the unseated Shinigami, who had chosen to stay in the background to analyze the battle. As it were, the Shakkaho was on a path that would take him along with it; unlike the Sho previously, trying to overtake it, even in its weakened state, would not be advisable unless a trip to Squad Four was on his agenda. Regardless how either man reacted to the spell, Kazuko would wait, his arms crossed for both men to make their next moves if they were still up for it. The Shakkaho, on the other hand, would collide against the outer wall of the courtyard, incinerating that section in a mass of reiatsu that bloomed into the surrounding area. “Well done; both of you. Though, if that’s the best either of you can offer, this may not last much longer.” Of course, the Vice-Captain was merely trying to rile them up a bit. They had done well, but obviously, Kazuko had allowed them to get that far; even the Black Gale and Byakurai impacting was just another effort on his part to get them more encouraged to give their all. The thought of drawing his sword was still beneath him, however, and they would have to work against that predisposition.


Remaining Reiatsu: 3450/4000 (-100 for Shakkaho)

Combat Posts: 2/8

Ganoretto Posts: 2/10

[Masayoshi Kasigawa]

He saw the Lieutenant move and Masa couldn't deny that he was fast; "Why not just teach this cocky little bastard how we fight Masa?" Kikenkaze was getting aggitated and so was Masa, the Lieutenant's attitude was somewhat disprectful, even though Masayoshi was just one rank below him, Kiba spoke as if he was a grand master teaching a boy and to Masa that was just being disrespectful. "Cocky little shit..." Masa  thought to himself as his eyes narrowed and teeth clenched. He could tell even with the small amount of Spiritual awareness that Masa possessed that the Lieutenant was holding himself back, "You know it pisses me off when people think i'm weaker because of that whole 3rd Seat to Lieutenant bullshit..." Masa's tone was cold and emotionless, his words were dead. He knew that his speed excelled that of the lieutenant at current as he used Shunpo and appeared directly behind Shiba, he poised himself and snarled before firing; "Hisaki!" The command roared from his throat as the wind around Masa's blades fired like ignition rockets throttling his fists at lightning speed in various locations around the Lieutenants back. 

"Stop putting me down god-dammit!" Masayoshi howled these last words as he drove his fists harder and harder into the Lieutenant's back, unrelelnting like a 50 Cal turret there was no stopping him once he began. "Just sit back and enjoy the ride!" Masa had a small grin on his face as he was enjoying showing that he wasn't some petty child. But a 3rd Seat of the Court Guard Squads.

Shunpo x 1 = 50 points
Shikai Duration = 2/10
Hisaki = 150 points

Remaining - 2200 Rei