The Next Generation [PG-13, NDE]

[Taien Hadohou]

Location --- Kuchiki Compound Training Grounds
Time --- 3:45 PM, January 7th, 20XX

"Hmm hmm hmm~ Today is going to be interesting indeed! I finally get to meet the illusive Kuchiki-Taicho!"

Taien 'Kawada' Hadohou was very excited at the moment. Then again, he was usually excited. Today, however, we was finally meeting with someone he had been trying to meet for a long time now; Sozen Kuchiki. Taien had heard about the man from Kyomei's talk of him, and he sounded like someone who would be interesting to meet. He had been able, finally, to set up a little meeting with him however, going through the proper channels and all that whatnot. Which was why he was now here at the Kuchiki Compound, in it's very own training grounds. Apparently Sozen wanted the meeting to take place there.

As Taien had decided to get there a little bit early, the training grounds were a bit empty. Still, that was fine, it let him have some time for his thoughts. He had never personally met the man, so he wasn't quite sure what he looked like. He was confident that he would know him when he saw him, though. Someone as powerful as he was would be a little hard to miss. Aside from the other things the Kuchiki Head had done, his Zanpakuto was both one of the most deadly and most simple in powers around. There was even a term coined for it among the lesser ranks of Shinigami, "Red is Dead". Other than that, he was apparently quite polite. He sounded like a pleasant person to be around, anyway.

Taien was really eager to meet the current head of the Kuchiki Family. That was all that Taien had for today as well, anyway, since he had done all his paperwork before hand. As well as some of Kyomei's, his Third's, Fourth's, Fifth's. . . Yeah, he did a lot of paperwork. He didn't mind though, it wasn't that bad, really. With that thought, though, Taien stretched a bit and looked around the area. He had to admit, the Kuchiki Compound really looked nice. They took good care of it apparently. Taien patted himself done, getting rid of some errant dust, and made himself ready for the Esteemed Head of the Kuchiki Clan's arrival.

I wonder how this will go. . .
 

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats & Abilities}

Strength - [50] Points

Speed - [350] Points

Spiritual Pressure - [200] (600) Points

Reiatsu Strength - [400] (1200) Points

Light Aura - [100] Points

Dark Aura - [0] Points

Instinct - [70] Points

Senses - [70] Points

Energy sensory - [60] Points

Healing Expertise - [0] Points


Total SP: [1200] Points

Abilities

• [Reiatsu Control Mastery] {2}
  
  
• [Charisma/Leadership] {2}
  
  
• [Learning] {2}
  
  
• [Analyzing] {2}
  
  
• [Battle Analysis] {2}
  
  
• [Mental Incantation] {1}
  
  
• [Strength of Will] {2}
  
  
• [Pain Tolerance] {2}
  

[Souza Kuchiki]

SPOILER: Click to show

{Episode Opening}

---

That his father had requested him to be given a lesson in combat and Kido use by a lowly Kawada was insulting. Oh, and to top things off and make matters worse, it was just a filthy Lieutenant, and from the Kido Corps no less. Those people weren't even an official part of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. It was one of the stupidest things that Souza's father had ever had him do. To be brutally honest, he was extremely annoyed at this decision, and this kind of training seemed irrelevant, and almost unnecessary. Even being a Lieutenant didn't mean that Taien of the Kawada Family would have anything to teach to Souza, a prodigy far beyond his years, despite being only a first year in the Shino Academy.

Well, he did have to appear, though, and so here he was, with his stupidly smirking father, or playfully smiling at any rate, standing there above him, hand in Souza's hair and roughing up the Squad 6 Captain's son's head. Sozen Kuchiki may have been fond of his son, but Souza had achieved that age where he really did not like to be in the presence of his parents, especially if his own dutiful training was going to be interrupted in favor of this far inferior, more stupid and basic level training. Combat training was useful only if the person whom one faced was a winner, which Souza could tell Taien obviously was not. Because he was not a winner, Taien's methods were wrong, and Taien himself, no matter what he said, was wrong.

Souza and Sozen had completely different outfits. Sozen Kuchiki, the Esteemed Head of the Noble Kuchiki Family, had on a black tuxedo jacket and pants, with shiny black dress shoes, a regular black slim tie, and gold buttons to button his jacket up. He also had a white dress shirt under the tie and jacket. To top it all off, Sozen sported a red rose on the front pocket of his tuxedo jacket. On the other hand, Souza wore a tightly fitting, auburn colored vest which was both leather fashioned and sleeveless, showing that Souza had noticeably toned arms for a boy his age. He was fit, with black pants of some sort of cotton for training to match his outfit, and regular black shoes for walking and running. The only match in outfit was that both had swords at their sides.

Their eyes were very dissimilar as well. Sozen's were calm, collected, and almost belittling. They were red, and only served to make him all the more good looking. By contrast, Souza's, though they too made him good looking, were turned in a focused glare of irritation, and they lacked the sort of serenity that one might find in the eyes of the more experienced, past generation Soul Reaper that was Sozen Kuchiki. They were both father and son, to be sure, and the resemblance was uncanny, but Souza had no real personality traits like his father's yet. Well, anyway, Souza, age 13, first year in the academy, was annoyed. Why should the Esteemed Heir of the Noble Kuchiki Family have to meet up with the likes of a Kawada for a lesson?

Prior to leaving for the courtyard, Sozen had arrived at the academy to pick up Souza and ensure that the Kuchiki Heir made it to the session, as otherwise he would not have shown up. Sozen would arrive just in time to find Souza speaking to his comrades from the academy. "Ehhhh?" a voice spoke. Masato Unova, whose command of his own spiritual pressure was beyond genius, and whose use of reiatsu clearly had the potential to exceed even some of the finest and brightest of the Kido Corps, was receiving a lecture from Souza. "But I don't wanna train...it's tiring..." he informed Souza, who ironically was telling him to train with the others, despite not wanting to train with Taien. Still, those were different issues, to be fair.

"No, you have to show up," Souza said. "You were sloppy against my cousin. Being a fourth year and a Kuchiki should not have given him enough of an edge to pressure you like that, given that you practice with me. I want you to be better than your best, so you will train. I have only allowed Kenpachi exemption because all opponents meet the same result against him. You, on the other hand, must continue to improve." It looked as if Masato Unova was about to get whiny again, and protest, so Souza glared him down. Souza's hair fell out of place for a moment there, and his bangs covered one eye. One eye then was left glaring at Masato, who silenced himself immediately. "Do I make myself clear?" Souza asked. Masato nodded.

Sozen arrived just then, and the Kuchiki Heir looked up. "Father," he noted. "Let's go, Souza!" Sozen said with a polite, calm smile. The Kuchiki Head began leading his son to the courtyard. Upon their arrival, Souza immediately went to work analyzing Taien Kawada, and designing his first impressions. He had time to do this, naturally, because stupid adults like these loved to socialize a bit before. They always had some pleasantries to exchange, the time wasting idiots...So Souza was able to take note of everything that was said and done. Taien might even notice that Souza was staring intently at him and carefully, quietly analyzing while Sozen started speaking.

"Taien," Sozen said with his continued, chivalrous smile. "Have you found our training courtyard to your liking? It is a rather isolated location, so you run no risk of destroying anything major with your Kido." Souza noticed that his father addressed the Kido Corps Lieutenant by first name, and without suffix or title attached. He made a mental note to himself about that, and kept in remembrance this very fact. In the meantime, Souza continued watching Taien, and was carefully analyzing. So far, what he saw was a man without Zanpakuto, and with exceptional spiritual prowess, as well as a physical body which was not up to the same par as other Lieutenants that Souza had encountered, as well as less wandering eyes. This person was definitely one of those with superior Kido, as Sozen had also alluded to.

However, what Souza also began noticing was weaknesses. Stance and stability, the lack of deliberateness to the demeanor, and the sort of jovial spirit of someone unaccustomed to bitter defeat. It meant that not only would this person overestimate himself, but that he would not plan everything deliberately or meticulously, as Souza might, giving a strategic edge to the Kuchiki Heir. "I am very glad that you have agreed to provide Souza with a lesson in combat," Sozen was saying to Taien when Souza tuned back in. "Most of the other Lieutenants whom I asked refused on account of his attitude. I assure you that he is a rather charming person, but simply chooses not to show it so that he will not have to train with me." This was a joke to be laughed at in some way, or at least chuckled with or smiling at. Sozen was smiling. Annoying.

"Have you anything to say to your instructor for the day, Souza?" the Kuchiki Head asked his son. Souza looked up at his father, his eyes meeting his father's, and not even glancing in Taien's direction. "No," Souza said. "I have nothing at all to say." Sozen nodded, and looked up expectantly at Taien. It was like Sozen to have expected his own son's tantrum. However, what neither Lieutenant nor Captain knew was the scope and degree of Souza's skillfulness. He was going to give them a real surprise. He had been training well with his Five Prodigies. In particular, Souza's eyes were unnerving in their glare, and any hardened combatant would be able to pick up on his subtle analysis.

[Taien Hadohou]

SPOILER: Click to show

{Scene Music~}

Taien felt them coming long before they actually showed up. Or rather, he felt Sozen's presence, as he wasn't quite yet extremely good at sensing energy, and Souza's own presence was a lot smaller than his father's. Taien's smile never left his face, nodding to himself once before fixing any problems he could find with his outfit. Nothing really, though, so that was a plus. The rest of himself was presentable as well, so he was good to go! There wasn't much left to do but wait then. Thankfully, the wait was quite short, and the Head of the Kuchiki Clan and his son both appeared.

"Taien,"

Sozen began.

"Have you found our training courtyard to your liking? It is a rather isolated location, so you run no risk of destroying anything major with your Kido."

Taien grinned.

"Yes indeed, Sozen-San. It reminds me quite a lot of a courtyard I used back in the Academy. It's good to know that I don't quite have to worry too much, though I'll probably hold back anyway. What kind of guest would I be to make a mess of things and cause undue stress for my host?"

Taien, of course, responded with his nearly-by-this-point habitual use of the '-san' suffix. It was just something he called someone, anyone really, when he met them. He didn't think he knew Sozen quite well enough to completely drop suffixes, though the other man had seen fit to do the same with him. His smile, one of calm and subtle happiness, seemed to be doing battle with Sozen's own. If one was to look upon the odd scene, they would be able to swear that they saw sparkles dancing around the two of them. They, of course, would be then sent to the loony bin, because really, does that kind of thing happen in real life? Nah.

The two struck up a conversation, with their third member, Souza Kuchiki, being silent and looking at Taien. Taien, being someone who regularly fought quite a few people, including some rather enthusiastic Vice-Captains, noticed that Souza was actually analyzing him. Taien was able to watch Souza watch him watching Souza without breaking the conversational stride Sozen had set. He was a well built youth, that was for sure, already having fairly well developed arms, as well as just looking really fit. Comparing the two side by side, Taien certainly could see the resemblence. What was different, however, were Souza's eyes.

Compared to Sozen's eyes, they were. . . cold. They weren't even what could be called remotely kind, more akin to dark pools of amber or some other metaphor. All in all, his appearence was like that of a dark, miniature Sozen. He would be interesting to train, Taien could tell.

"I am very glad that you have agreed to provide Souza with a lesson in combat, most of the other Lieutenants whom I asked refused on account of his attitude."

Taien blinked at that.

"Really? Odd. I can picture most of the Vice-Captains not wanting to train him because of thay, but I at least would have thought Irudai, Grin, or even Kaen would do it, knowing those three. I suppose it doesn't matter now, though, does it? Right then."

"I assure you that he is a rather charming person, but simply chooses not to show it so that he will not have to train with me."

At that however, Taien smiled and chuckled, one of actual amusement and mirth, gently at that. Oh he knew that kind of personality rather well. . .

"Ahh, I don't think there'll be many problems then, Sozen-San."

After asking if Souza had anything to say to Taien, and getting a rather blank response from Souza, Taien clapped his hands together.

"Right then! So, first item on the agenda: a spar. As for how it ends. . . Well, what do you think? First hit, first blood, or just until either side decides to give up? I'm game for any."

Taien blinked before turning to Sozen.

"Oh, Sozen-San, will you be observing this training session, or do you have things you need to do? I suppose it doesn't really matter, but I do like to have my host's input from time to time."

[Souza Kuchiki]

Mongrel... Souza thought to himself of Taien, who dared to address his father, the Esteemed Head of the Noble Kuchiki Family, without the proper title. How dare he address not only this noble man, but a Captain, and THE Captain of the most successful division, in that way. Trash...scum...garbage. Taien would not get away with this. Nor would he get away with it if he addressed Souza without some sort of title either. That was not how it was going down. Worst of all was that Sozen just bought it. He did not even try to correct Taien, and in fact did not even seem bothered. The very idea! The ludicrous idea! How unbefitting...And how annoying. Souza continued to look upon Taien with disdain while Sozen spoke.

A smile played upon Sozen's lips, then, which was calm, smug, and perhaps even a little bit cruel. Oh, he was enjoying his son's irritation, and Souza knew it. Sozen was not a bad man, and he was certainly a good father, and objectively Souza could recognize this. However, all that out there, Souza still knew that his father enjoyed watching him squirm a little bit. Maybe it was to groom the future Kuchiki Head anyway, since god knew Souza was not going to step down from that position and allow his passive, annoying little brother to assume the role. However, Souza still did not like when his father had that smile. It meant that he knew something which Souza did not. He was planning something dastardly...and Souza did not know what.

"What is your preference, Souza?"] Sozen asked his son, the Esteemed Heir of the Noble Kuchiki Family. The good looking youth looked up and almost snorted, but managed, by the grace of his intelligence, wit, social aptitude, and not to mention being essentially prince charming, to only sneer at Sozen's question. "Until one of us gives up, of course," Souza said. "There is no honor in a battle which ends prematurely. And, after all, you underestimate me, father. I told you, did I not? I am always victorious." Arrogance? Of course not. No, it wasn't arrogance. Souza was always victorious. He had never lost at anything in his whole life. This meant he was entitled to eternal victory. Losing was not a physical possibility.

"I assume you heard that," Sozen said to Taien. "He has quite the fire within, has he not?" It was then that Sozen was asked if he would be watching, which Souza paid some careful attention to. Taien wanted Souza's father to watch? But why? To evaluate? To pass judgment on one or both of them? Ridiculous. Souza was not yet ready for his father to see what he could do, but he realized that he had no choice. It couldn't be helped. Fine, then. Souza was going to defeat a Lieutenant as a first year academy student, and then inform Sozen that he would be coming for that position as Head in no time at all. This was something that Souza was certain of. After a successful career in Squad 7, he would become the Kuchiki Head at record young age.

"I will indeed be observing," Sozen told Taien. "After all, how can I miss a chance to watch my son's growth? Before I know it, he will be a confident young man who no longer needs me. I will cherish these opportunities." Souza scoffed at these words, though Sozen ignored the sound that came from his son's mouth. "Do you have any preferences as to what my son can or cannot do, Taien?" Sozen asked, clearly concerned. At the very least, Souza thought, his father knew him well enough. His father knew that if left to his own vices and conditions, Souza would go for blood. There would be far more than maiming, if he was going to do battle against a Lieutenant.

[Taien Hadohou]

"What is your preference, Souza?"

Taien glanced over to Souza as he made his declaration.

"Until one of us gives up, of course, there is no honor in a battle which ends prematurely. And, after all, you underestimate me, father. I told you, did I not? I am always victorious."

Ahh. . . so was this why he was brought in? Aye, he was plenty enough arrogant, but at the same time, his tone held a certain ring of truth to it. Taien though on that for a moment. His claim of being undefeated was, frankly, probably true. Being a noble, and a Kuchiki at that, almost guaranteed that he'd have some sort of special, unique power about him that would let him dominate his less gifted schoolmates. Whether it was technique, pure power, or just some unique way of looking at things, Taien had no doubt that he'd be able to steamroll those people without any training or inherently powerful skill. On the other hand, the Academy regularly seemed to draw in inherently powerful people.

So, was he here to help him realize the full uses of his power? Unlikely. Was he here to, perhaps, give him a taste of defeat? More likely, but still not enough evidence to confirm it. Was he here to teach the young Kuchiki some lesson of some sort? Oh absolutely. Sozen was a clever man, after all. The combination of personality and power could be dangerous for the young Kuchiki, especially if he got over his head in something. So, he was probably here to help temper that. Probably. Taien still wasn't quite sure, and though being a noble-by-adoption did technically put him in the 'Game of Houses', he wasn't the best player of it, yet.

"I assume you heard that,"

Sozen had turned back to him. Taien nodded.

"Indeed I did, Sozen-san. Sounds fine to me."

Sozen continued

"He has quite the fire within, has he not?"

A warm smile and a small chuckle.

"Indeed he does, Sozen-san. I can tell he'll be a fine addition to the Court Guards when he's done. Which Division does he wish to join, if I may ask?"

After said question, Sozen answered another question of his.

"I will indeed be observing, after all, how can I miss a chance to watch my son's growth? Before I know it, he will be a confident young man who no longer needs me. I will cherish these opportunities."

Taien warmly smiled at that and nodded. Sozen was a good father as well, that much he could tell. It was an odd. . . 'feeling', Taien sometimes got. He could accurately judge the 'flavor' of people's intentions and the like, and Sozen's were purely honest. It was an odd, but useful, ability he had. He had no idea where he'd gotten it, but he'd use it if he had it.

"Do you have any preferences as to what my son can or cannot do, Taien?"

Taien thought about this for a moment. Concern clearly laced Sozen's tone, that much he could tell even without 'tasting' the flavor of his intentions. He knew something about his son, or so Taien figured, that would make it concerning for Taien to match mettle with him. Hmm. Well, he wasn't originally going to place really any restraints on the match, barring killing of course, but, if it helped set Sozen's mind at ease, sure, he'd go with it. He would be a bad guest if he made his host worry so, would he not?

"Ah yes, let's see. Killing goes without saying. Maiming and unnecessary wound inflections as well, even the more creative interpretations of the word unnecessary, as well as unnecessarily cruel wounds or strikes. Other than those, the rest shouldn't be too much trouble to handle. I have a friend who can fix up practically any wound if it isn't immediately fatal, Amaya Azarola is her name. Those Reikiji sheets of hers are something else. Anyway, anything else is game. Hidden weapons, pragmatic tactics, even Releasing."

Taien nodded to Souza. True, while Taien didn't know if Souza did actually had his release unlocked yet, nor was he skilled enough at Energy Sensory to determine how well 'developed' Souza's Reiatsu was. Rather, it was a guess , coupled with what he knew of the Kuchiki Clan. It wouldn't be surprising in the slightest if Souza did have his release at his age, indeed, Taien almost expected that he did. If he did guess correctly, though, he probably wouldn't get a reaction. Souza's personality didn't seem prone to do things like that. Clapping his hands together, Taien grinned.

"Right then. Two things. First, is there anything you wish to add in, Sozen-san? Secondly, which side do you prefer Souza-gakusei, left or right?"

For Souza, Taien decided to go with gakusei, partially influenced by his time with Brock-Sensei. Seemed appropriate, anyway. After that was decided, Taien would move to whatever position opposite of Souza. While he didn't have his Reiatsu Orbs with him that day, he did have the two Secret Gauntlets he had purchased from Kyomei with him. They were more for protection for his hands, though, than the blade hidden inside of them. Souza got to use his sword, after all, and had the possibility of a release on his side. Taien flexed his fingers, a series of small pops issuing forth from them. He looked up at his opponent and smiled. It was the kind of smile that just seemed so infuriatingly unconcerned with the battle that was about to happen. That wasn't quite right, though. The smile itself was genuine, and indeed, could be seen as arrogance or whatnot, but it wasn't that. Ah well, on to the battle.

For the briefest of moments, Taien's spiritual pressure could be seen manifested around him, golden-blue flames engulfing his body. It was a blink-and-you-miss-it moment, though. It wasn't concious even, nor was it a release of pressure like some would use to induce Gravitational Sickness with. It was more for visual effect than anything.

"Ready then, Souza-gakusei?"

[Souza Kuchiki]

"Indeed he does, Sozen-san. I can tell he'll be a fine addition to the Court Guards when he's done. Which Division does he wish to join, if I may ask?"

"He will be joining the Seventh," was Souza's immediate interjection. "They are the most efficient division, and serve the most important role within the Thirteen Court Guard Squads." No way. No godamn way. His father was not going to answer for him. Souza would never allow himself to be so lowered as to be spoken for. No way. The Kuchiki Heir spoke for himself. He was already sick of the disrespectful way that Taien addressed Sozen, and the complacent way that the Squad 6 Captain accepted it. There was no way that Souza would allow himself to be lost even a shred of dignity while facing either of these men, both of whom were infuriating. Ugh, how annoying. They were the worst when it came to getting on Souza's nerves.

While the two of them were discussing the conditions of the fight, without Souza by the way, as if he didn't get to set the conditions of his own damn training, the Kuchiki Heir narrowed his eyes to continue to observe Taien, and go back on the information that he knew. A man without a Zanpakuto. Souza had only just remembered that. Taien was a Lieutenant without a Zanpakuto, and was a specialist in Kido. He was not unlike Makise Shinsei, though Makise actually did possess a Zanpakuto, and was simply the most skilled Kido user the academy had seen in centuries. He was one of the four whom Souza had taken under his leadership as the Five Prodigies.

Since Taien lacked Zanpakuto and was a man of Kido specialty, Souza ventured a guess that Taien was like distant cousin Kyomei, who not only lacked a Zanpakuto entirely, but was master of Kido beyond any presently living. Ugh, how annoying...Another one of those. And they accused Souza of being cocky. He could at least back up his own talk. Most of those were full of themselves because of their inherently powerful reiatsu, and abundance of spiritual pressure. Many failed to realize that they were just that. Accidental genetics. Maybe they were spiritually stronger, but to get there, they had not only given up the most valuable asset of the Soul Reaper, the Zanpakuto, but had become arrogant in that they believed their power could win all situations, instead of a good mind.

Souza had seen these people, and had very little respect for most of them. Makise Shinsei had maintained his respect because of the possession of a less than clear mind, but at least a lack of stupidity. Makise was just strange. But this guy. No, this guy...No wonder he was so disrespectful to the Head. He was overwhelmed by the overconfident surge of his own reiatsu, which Souza dared to venture most of those like him, who got off on a raw spirit alone, did not even live up to the full potential of. Souza had seen Kyomei at work, and had decided that had he the same Kido prowess, he would do better. Maybe that was nature's way of balancing them. Inferior minds traded for great power. It was possible.

All that Souza cared about, however, was the mind. He had impeccable power and was extremely gifted for his age, but all of it was useless without the correct strategic mind. Souza would have been useless had he not had at least that much. Yeah, that's right. Souza wasn't afraid to admit it. He k new where his strengths were. He wasn't naturally better at everything. He was just naturally better as a whole because of his mind, which allowed him to calculate his victory. Souza never lost, because it was something he had been born with. He had been born to win, not to lose. To Souza, winning was just the same as breathing. It was a natural function that his body carried out regularly.

Actually, now that he thought about it, Souza was starting to get annoyed. Taien's attitude...how disgusting. Fuck him. This guy...fuck him. Souza couldn't take it. The arrogance of it...To actually refer to Sozen so disrespectfully...to actually think he was on level to do that. He's arrogant...He thinks that strong reiatsu gives him the ability to hold his head up high...I won't stand for that... A voice spoke in Souza's mind, too, to reply to him. It was deep, booming, looming, and mighty and thunderous. No, we'll show him... it said. We'll show him our power, Souza! It was followed by the laughter of the white dragon.

"Enough talk," Souza said impatiently, turning to face Taien and completely disregarding the question of which side he wanted. Hell no! Was Taien mocking him? As if something like side would make a difference... "Just shut up and fight. We aren't here for formalities. We're here for combat." He trusted himself, more than anything else. The Kuchiki Heir had absolute faith in his own abilities, and his power to catch himself, and make the right decisions, or correct any errors. Even facing a Lieutenant, Souza was neither bewildered nor hesitant. He was only cautious, but not intimidated. He would adjust even to a stronger opponent, and he would crush them all the same. Fighting the same way as he always did was the best answer. No special strategies. Just typical Souza.

Souza was always victorious, and therefore he was always correct. "Don't hold back," Souza ordered, as if commanding Taien, as if the Kuchiki Heir had authority over him. Stupid dolt. Yes, of course Souza had authority over him. Just because Taien was a Lieutenant, didn't mean anything. There was such a difference in the quality of their blood, lineage, and even in the manner in which they carried themselves that of course Souza was better. Had Taien not been an arrogant whelp who used his reiatsu as the source of his confidence, and an actual, respectful, and respectable Lieutenant in Souza's eyes, then perhaps things might have gone differently, and more smoothly, and Souza wouldn't have felt the fire of dislike ignite in him. But, too fucking bad. Taien blew a fuse in Souza.

It didn't come down to rank, or even aristocracy, but to quality of being. Souza was clearly the one whose life would hold greater sway in the long run, and who would go on to more important things. Therefore he was superior. Souza was the one who relied on skill, and quality of mind and accomplishment, instead of some genetic fluke. It was Souza who held variety, and the most potential. So, yeah, of course he was going to resent someone who represented everything that Souza was not. Who cared how much natural power this dolt might have? Souza was much more gifted and talented, and much better than this guy. Souza was always victorious, and therefore he was always correct.

[Taien Hadohou]

"He will be joining the Seventh, they are the most efficient division, and serve the most important role within the Thirteen Court Guard Squads."

Souza cut in, before Sozen had a chance to answer. Turning, Taien smiled pleasantly at him as Souza stated his intentions.

"Of course! Though I've been hearing some debate from the other Division's I've visited as to whether the Sixth is better than the Seventh. Personally, I think both are equally good at what they do, though I have to say, Division Ten seems to be quite a bit of fun as well."

Taien nodded sagely, remembering his trip to Division Ten. Ahh, that was a fun get-together. Captain Okusa was an unorthodox person, but Taien could tell the pride and joy his job brang him. Smiling and turning back to Sozen, they hammered out the training parameters for the day. While they did so, Taien mentally went over what he knew of Souza, from his brief time of analyzing him. Taien was actually rather skilled in that regard, both analyzation of regular things, and analyzation in battle. He had gleaned some things from his interactions with the Noble son, and, well, if he was correct, it seemed he had more in common with classic nobility than his father's personality. Now, unlike most classic nobles, he more than likely did have the skills to back up his claims.

As noted before, he more than likely had dominated the class of his year at the Academy. On top of that, if Taien was willing to wager a guess, he had attracted more like himself, gathering a following of equally talented students, or at the very least the 'aces' of his year. Why was Taien guessing this? Power. Power attracted more power, as the saying went. If there were any such people at the Academy in Souza's year, he would have found them, or they him. That really was the basis of Taien's guess, though he probablt should have remembered to check in with the Academy before the training session. Information was power and all that, and Souza's records thus far would be there, along with notes and such. He still had favors to be collected from his longer-than-usual stay at the Academy, after all, not like it was illegal or anything in the first place.

As for how he fought and the like, Taien hadn't really seen all that much yet. He could probably fight well, that much was certain, but it was how he fought that Taien needed to figure out. As a Shinigami with a Release, he was versed in Kenjutsu, the Academy would definitely have seen to that. As a precaution, Taien decided to consider him High Seated for his swordplay, if only because he expected it out of one who bore the name Kuchiki, moreso the Heir of the entire frigging family. It would be very, very careless of himself to underestimate his enemies, any enemy really. Or, rather, opponent in this case. He really didn't consider the Kuchiki Heir an enemy, but he was his training opponent for the day.

As for Kidou and the like? That was a bit of an unknown. The Kuchiki Clan had those specialized sets of Kidou, their Hana, that they could use, and a Kuchiki could specialize in one of them. Lucky for Taien, that information was readily available due to the information in the Kidou Corps Library that Kyomei-San had written down. Of course, that was only a little of what he could actually write down, clan secrets and whatnot. Taien himself was bound by similar rules considering the Saiwan. He could only release so much general information about them, before he was required to record them in a different, restricted tome altogether, only accessible by other members of the Kawada Clan. It wasn't unreasonable, really, if the Clans wanted things to stay secret to the general public, though it was a bit off-putting that the Corps weren't able to share the knowledge of the techniques more freely. Not like Taien didn't understand.

As for Hoho and Hakuda? He honestly wasn't sure of those either. If he was anything like his father, he'd be better at Zanjutsu than the other Shinigami disciplines, save for Kidou, which Sozen also seemed to excel in. He'd just have to find out the old fashioned way, now wouldn't he?

"Enough talk, just shut up and fight. We aren't here for formalities. We're here for combat."

Quirking an eyebrow, still smiling his mildly unsettling grin, Taien slowly nodded once.

"All right then, Souza-gakusei, we'll begin."

Taien really had no qualms with starting right now, though, because Souza rejected his offer of choosing his own side, Taien went with what he thought would be the best tactical side. That being the side that had the sun at his back. It was well into the afternoon by now, and honestly, Taien rather liked being tactical. How other people percieved him because of his. . . unique disposition was another sort of little boon. People tended to underestimate someone who was always smiling and happy, after all. Would Souza-gakusei be the same? Or would he not make that mistake? If he did, that would be the first of the things Taien needed to address with the boy. He wasn't all powerful. Reaching into his robes, Taien withdrew a lump of metal, which, with a mental flick, transformed into a standard Katana-length sword.

"Don't hold back,"

Souza. . . ordered? Taien had to mentally chuckle at that.

"Very well, Souza-gakusei. However. . ."

SPOILER: Click to show

{SENTOU KAISHI!}

Taien grinned as his Reiatsu flared a little, hinting at what was to come.

"I ask that you do not as well."

[Souza Kuchiki]

OOC: Worth telling you, I'm updating Souza's app next week. His fighting style is going to evolve. Just heads up! Also my skill changes and some of my CIU updates are already up.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Play this}

There were spectators, but Taien and Souza didn't know this. These two were too far away to notice the spectators. However, the spectators, even if not noticed, were there, and they could see the fight fairly clearly as well. They were watching from the sidelines. They being Souza's comrades. Makise. Aoe. Masato. Even Kenpachi had come to watch. While all were interested in watching each other's battles, it was not just that which had drawn them to hide in the bushes far away and observe, out of sight. It was the same thing that had drawn Kenpachi, who normally wouldn't have shown up. He was there because he wanted to see what they all wanted to see.

Taien was a Lieutenant. He was an extremely powerful Lieutenant, and was well known for having an enormous advantage of spiritual prowess over his opponents. It was said that his latent reiatsu abilities even surpassed those of nearly all of the Captains, and that the reason that he himself was not a Captain was because he simply wasn't as skilled as the Captains were, but that his actual latent potential was higher. So, with that being the rumor circulating about him, why wouldn't they have come to watch? Souza was undefeated. Not only was he undefeated, but he was known to be capable of bringing down a merciless onslaught against even the strongest of opponents.

They were curious. How would things fare between Souza, a genius beyond any other who excelled unlike any before him, and a Lieutenant with such massive power that even a Captain might be overwhelmed. It was fact that Taien had overwhelmed one of the Kuchiki Captains, Hokori Kuchiki. Sozen was aware of this fact. Souza was aware of this fact. It was because of this that Souza would be on his guard, but it was also because of this that Souza considered that this was more than a fight. The likes of Taien? Trash. Garbage. Worthless. Beat a real Kuchiki? Ha, not in a million years. Maybe he'd gotten lucky against Hokori. Maybe not. But it was on Souza to redeem the Kuchiki honor by humiliating the Lieutenant. There was a vendetta to it.

"I ask that you do not as well."

There. Just there. Taien was ready to fight. And, with being ready to fight, he flared his reiatsu. To intimidate? Yeah, to intimidate. The fool. The dolt. To send a message, too, Souza guessed. Such an imbecile, really. What message would Souza receive? Oh, wow, you have massive reiatsu strength? Give me a break... Souza thought. He had fought enemies with massive reiatsu strength. He had triumphed over them as well. It didn't come down to something as petty as reiatsu strength. It was the strength of someone's character and their own fortified skill and ability. As long as Souza was sure of his own, he was sure to win. Souza was always victorious, and therefore he was always correct.

"There will be no need to hold back," Souza said. "You are a Lieutenant. Regardless of the caliber of your power, it would be an insult to the rank itself to hold back anything, even if the situation demanded it of me." Souza was dead serious, and was holding his Zanpakuto. Actually, come to think of it...he liked this feeling right here. It was tense. He felt danger was near, and he liked it. He lived for the kind of situation where he could triumph over others with his superior might. He was going to live to destroy not only a fool who relied on reiatsu, but a Kawada, who thought blood alone was all that it took to be superior...despite not even holding that blood. Yes, this would be fun.

Well then, time to begin...right?

SPOILER: Click to show

{You can tell I'm in love with this soundtrack}

Souza blasted forwards, and with him went an incredible whoosh of air. No one expected it. No one. And he knew it. Of course they wouldn't expect it...it was because they were fools. Why would he not have improved as much as this since the last time someone had seen him in a serious battle? He had been wounded in the last big one...He had trained to ensure it would not happen again! "Holy shit..." Aoe said. And Souza kept moving forwards, the air not keeping up with him as he skidded on the ground at last, touching it, and moving past Taien with the skid. His blade was out, and was aimed at cutting straight through Taien's left thigh. It was deliberately intended to be easy to guard. Souza was experimenting.

"He's so...." Aoe continued. "Fast..." Makise finished for Aoe. That's right. Why so surprised? Souza had always been unusually fast. This here was no different. In fact, one might dare to say that Souza's greatest grace in his youth, as an academy student, was his speed. Last time they had watched him in a serious battle, the opponent had not even been able to keep up with Souza's basic movements, and had been lost to injuries inflicted as a result. Here, the same was clearly close to happening. It wasn't just that Souza was fast. It was that he was actually faster than the average Lieutenant. It was that he was faster than Taien was. He actually exceeded Taien in physical ability!

Souza was just a first year academy student, but it had already come down to this. He was already this strong. Yes, good... the voice inside of Souza spoke as he drove past Taien. Souza turned around, whirling, and twisted his blade so that he was stabbing at Taien's back, immediately following that previous maneuver with the slash. He was pressing down on his dominant foot as he did, driving his power to his legs and deriving his stabbing from his hip swing. His toe was pressing against the ground, beginning to slide forwards. Souza had already planned out the first three encounters between them. He knew what Taien's advantages were. He knew what his own advantages were.

Crush him... the voice said inside of Souza's head. He affirmed this in his mind with a mental nod. It was the voice of his Zanpakuto, Atsureki No Koe Ga. DESTROY HIM....UNLEASH ALL OF OUR POWER! Souza's stab also moved faster than the wind could keep up with it. "When did he learn that speed...?" Makise asked, amazed at Souza's potential. The only one who had not shown surprise was Kenpachi, who watched with a cold face. But Souza had proven that he was quite something to them before. And now, here he was, ready to prove it again. And again. And again. Yes, he was...Because Souza was going to become the strongest Soul Reaper to ever live. And he knew it.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats/Skills}

Strength - [100] (70) Points

Speed - [270] (405) Points

Spiritual Pressure - [150] Points

Reiatsu Strength - [125] Points

Light Aura - [50] Points

Dark Aura - [50] Points

Instinct - [100] Points

Senses [150] Points

Energy sensory - [40] Points

Healing Expertise - [40] Points


Total SP: [975] Points

SPOILER: Click to show

{Skills}

[Weapons: Blades] {2}

[Battle Analysis] {2}

[Pain Tolerance] {2}

[Analysis] {2}

[Battle Focus] {2}

[Charisma/Leadership] {2}

Remaining unused SKP: 3

[Taien Hadohou]

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler}{Spoiler}{Play this Senpai! ... Wait, aren't I your Senpai?!}

Fast!

Taien wasn't too surprised, honestly. Well, that was a bit of a fudge, truthfully. He was surprised, the speed Souza had was quite remarkable to be honest. However, to be honest? He expected something like this. Not quite the speed, but he expected this kind of excellence from a Kuchiki, let alone the Heir. He expected to have a good fight from one such as Souza. That was what he expected. So far? That expectation was being met. Souza had a stupid amount of speed for an Academy Student, easily Low-Captain level. Kind of like himself in the Academy, honestly, except Taien had an abundance of Reiatsu instead of this speed. It made going through the Kidou Classes pretty easy.

Souza was really fast, that was one strength he had. He was actually faster than Taien, from what he could see. He wasn't fast enough that Taien couldn't see him, but he could loose track of him if he wasn't paying attention. He couldn't even vaugely track him, what with Sozen being around. While Spiritual powerful, Taien really did need to work on his sensory skills a lot more. However... As noted before, while Souza had a surprising amount of speed, Taien had an absurd amount of spiritual power. Like, you could count on one hand the number of Captains that had more powerful Reiatsu than he did, his own Commander being among them. That was Taien's strength. Overwhelming spiritual power. It was something he intended to capitalize on.

As Souza bursted towards him, Taien moved as well. Granted, he was slower than Souza, and as noted before, his sensory skills weren't the best, but he did have enough speed to react. Honestly, simply moving was all Taien needed to do. Taking a break along with moving, Taien wordlessly cast a Bakudo on himself. This was Kaze Utsuwa. It was a simple spell that bound the air in one's lungs within it, basically letting him breath without breathing. Were he under water, he could breath still. Even if he was being grasped by the neck, he would still be able to breath. Basically, it made his neck a bit less of a target, though it still contained major arteries.

Taien's movement, a backwards pivot, had his leg grazed by Souza's blade. Taien, being able to see Souza, had taken note of Souza's path, and had seen it took him past his left side. Taien wasn't quite fast enough to dodge Souza entirely, as he was slower than him, even moving at full speed, which he was. The short distance didn't help either. On the other hand... Well, unless Souza used some Reiatsu in that initial strike of his, Taien wasn't taking any damage from it. The power of his Reiatsu would repel and hammer back whatever force was used on it pretty hard, thanks to the difference in pure, spiritual power. On the upside for Souza, though, if he didn't add any Reiatsu to the strike, the force behind being grazed was not all that much. Even amped up it wasn't that much. The most he might get would be something like a small bruise, maybe, or even less than that.

As Taien pivoted, turning to face Souza, a second Kidou, charged a single second after the first, thrust from his right fist. While said hand was occupied with his Convert-A-Weapon, that didn't mean it couldn't shoot Kidou from it. Suddenly, a giant fist of water would engulf Souza! If Souza happened to be there still, anyway. If he was, he'd find himself being sped along, inside a huge fist made of water. Using his special Shape Reformatting, Taien had changed the shape of Gouzen Demizu into that of a fist, as noted. This definitely was not how Gouzen Demizu usually was used! This wasn't even Kidou Fusion, the special technique that he himself and Kyomei, his cousin, had developed. They had already set about teaching it to some others in the Seireitei, even. The minor twinge of pain, barely noticible with Taien's training and battle experience, didn't hinder his shot at all.

Anyway, if Souza was still committed to his attack, he would be engulfed in the fist, with exceptionally little time to escape. He would be carried away by the blast, before slamming into something, the ground or a tree or whatever, before the water exploded outwards. He would be drenched. This all was assuming Souza committed to his attack, however. If he didn't, Taien would make the necessary adjustments to his attack, and continue on.

Remaining Reiatsu: 5875/6000

[Souza Kuchiki]

SPOILER: Click to show

{Play this}

Souza received a bruise along his sword arm's forearm. It wasn't anything serious, because he hadn't attacked seriously enough to merit much damage, since he was testing, but it was still an injury. That was the expected, though. He had known that Taien had a spiritual pressure that he couldn't beat. The cutback effect was natural. What Souza wanted to see was a bit of Taien's mindset, and that reaction time. He had seen that the Lieutenant was slower than he was, as hypothesized, and wasn't quite at the level to be able to dodge a fully charged Souza. This meant that in future, Souza would be able to land another hit if he was clever. That one would hurt more than this one.

Driving past Taien and ignoring his bruise, Souza continued on with his planned attack. As per usual, he had planned ahead. As he continued to gain experience, Souza had also continued to become more and more adept at planning. He had recently been successful in defeating a Shihoin girl, and even the Ace of the academy, Jagger Kawada. Has-been ace, anyway. That loser had lost to Kenpachi Recio already too, and was nothing compared to any member of the Five Prodigies. He was a disgrace to the Kawadas in one way or another. But really, Souza just knew that it was just his group being overwhelmingly strong. No one was their equal. In time, all five would be Captains.

Souza, driving past Taien, had planned about three steps ahead for this attack. Because of his ability to analyze not only the situation, but the opponent, it was a lot easier to fight on the go, and easier still if he planned ahead. More possibilities had been taken into account, and the opponent was put under more observation and scrutiny. Souza, of course, had planned to be countered. His intention had been for Taien to use some kind of straightforward projectile style technique afterward, such as a Byakurai. Byakurai would have been preferable, but it didn't have to be a Byakurai. Souza just needed an attack to start, and here it was.

Gouzen Demizu, a water Kido. As soon as Souza saw it begin to flow out, he initiated the first of the three steps to which he had planned ahead for this encounter. Along the way, he changed his plan slightly to take into account the water Kido, which he suddenly realized he could take some advantage of. Souza's foot had been sliding forward with pressure applied to it, as if he was ready to launch. This was because he had been ready to launch. He had been waiting for the counter, and that was why he'd gone for the stabbing motion. It was easy to transition out of that. As soon as the Kido started forwards, Souza used a flash step to disappear.

His foot slid between Taien's two feet just as the flash step started, so that when Souza left, the force of his movement and the sudden bodily proximity as he disappeared past Taien would cause the Lieutenant's balance to be compromised and to shift around. Souza appeared to the Lieutenant's side instead, dodging to the side, with his stab finishing right inside of the Kido, plunging in. It had already been halfway through, making responding to that stab difficult. But it didn't even hit Taien. Instead, it hit the origin point of his Kido, or the first bit of water leaking out of his hand. So, not only did Souza compromise Taien's balance, making it impossible to use a flash step of his own, but he stabbed into the water.

With loss of balance, and the Kido attacked at the source, Taien would most likely not actually be able to focus enough to properly execute the Kido, and his balance would also be in trouble, and he would need to catch himself and adjust so he didn't fall. This would be necessary before any sort of counter. Souza's disruption of the Kido would also cause it to disperse into regular water, which would fall back on its user, Taien, and soak him wet. All of this was the likely and intended scenario, as it would be exceptionally difficult to counter so meticulously timed and planned an attack. Souza had, after all, intended from the beginning to use his flash step to offbalance Taien in some way.

Immediately after finishing the stab, Souza used his speed to propel himself away and move to be back in front of Taien, but much farther away, just in case any further counters came. Bakudo might be a possible one. Souza planned to get caught in one at one point, because it would serve into a strategy of his, but right now he was escaping it. His eyes never left Taien as he did all of this. Instead, the Kuchiki Heir moved away and kept himself ready and on his toes. He was going for the victory, even against a Lieutenant. No way would filth like a Kawada ever be able to bring down the actual Kuchiki Heir. Souza told himself that then and there.

Meanwhile, Makise commentated. "Souza's blitz style is extremely proficient against enemies who are slower than he is," Makise said. "His ability to quickly analyze and judge them, as well as his exceptional prowess in planning ahead, and his habit of always doing so, allow him to create elaborate strategies that seem almost too seamless. It's a simple matter for him to rob them of their balance and cause them some discomfort or injury because of his plan. He probably planned from the beginning to take away Lieutenant Kawada's balance from him." Souza was tricky and skilled, but that did have its costs too. He knew he couldn't just do this over and over again. He had to up his game if he wanted actual damage.

"Your turn," Souza said.

Souza's Remaining Reiatsu: 1450 Reiatsu

[Souza Kuchiki]

[Kyomei Kuchiki]

It's been nearly two months, so I've been asked to grade this one.

+250 TP to Taien
+410 TP to Souza