Clash! Kuchiki Takashi vs Kaen Youji! [NDE] - R-rated

[Takashi Kuchiki]

Thread Title: Clash! Kuchiki Takashi vs Kaen Youji! [NDE] - R-rated
Participants: Takashi vs Kaen Youji
World: Soul Society
Death Setting: Non Death Enabled
Rating: R
Location: In the midst of Soul society, in the barracks. There is a special room that possess training dolls and bokken. Mainly, it is an open grassy area surrounded with these things. Takashi Kuchiki has challenged yet another Vice Captain to test his skills. He has made his invitation in private. He does not know the man, but simply wishes to test his skills in combat.
Special Conditions: N/A
Circumstances: See "Location"

[Takashi Kuchiki]

The snow haired Kuchiki stood in the middle of the field of green. He held his Zanpakutou out in his right hand. It was nice of Kaen-dono to accept his request for a battle. Takashi's goal was to fight as many high ranking officers as possible. The reason he did this was so he could test himself in combat. He wished to fight so many different people to see how strong he was. He requested this special location to test to see how strong this Vice Captain was. Perhaps he would finally be able to release his limiters that he had put on himself. If it got too exciting, he may even be able to release his Shikai, something only 2 people had ever seen.

In any case, Takashi had heard a great deal about the Fukutaichou. He was praised for his skills in combat and Takashi wanted to see them first hand. His goal was to be able to defeat a Vice Captain. After that, he could gauge his skill and be able to continue to grow stronger. For now, though only an unseated officer, he wished to see what he could do. As always, the Kuchiki was punctual and on time. He awaited the vice captain as he stood. His right foot was planted forward and his right hand held his sheathed Zanpakutou.

If the vice captain would enter he would begin by bowing to him and speaking."Good morning Fukutaichou Kaen-san. I thank you for accepting my invitation for this match. If you would please, I would like to test myself against someone of your caliber. I offer you the first move if you so will. Thank you once more for taking time from your schedule to have this bout with me.". Takashi would raise his head and look towards the man. He wondered how strong he really was, if he was lucky, he could overcome his abilities.

SPOILER: Click to show

Stat update:

Strength - 180 Points (360)

Speed - 180 Points (360)

Spiritual Pressure - 100 Points (67)

Reiatsu Strength - 100 Points (67)

Instinct - 100 Points

Senses - 50 Points

Energy sensory - 50 Points

Healing Expertise - 0 Points

Light Aura - 65 Points

Dark Aura - 35 Points

Current Skills: (10/15 SKP Spent)

- Martial Arts: [Hakuda] (2)
-Strength of Will: (2)
-Battle Analysis: (2)
-Weapon [Sword]: (2)
- Battle Focus: (2)

[Kaen Youji]

Kaen stumbled into the field, looking over at the Kuchiki. Geez. Another Kuchiki. How many of them were there? They kept appearing all over the place, like rabbits! Did Sozen have like... a whorehouse or something, where he shoved his dick into every woman there, in an attempt to produce as many Kuchiki's as possible? Either way, it was refreshing to see one that wasn't Squad six at least. Upstart squad that thought they were better than Squad seven. Kaen grinned a little. Well, he saw his opponent now. He'd not heard much about this guy, when he'd received the challenge, and it was only when he sent an inquiry that he'd learned he was fighting an unseated officer. He apparently had challenged another Vice Captain-- Takehiko, whom Kaen had fought by once before. He hadn't heard how that turned out though. Ah well. He'd test this guy out himself then. Simple as that.

Takashi greeted Kaen cordially, and Kaen did the same. He was in his standard attire-- a sleeveless black Gi, with a flame symbol emblazoned on his back-- the symbol of his family. Although Kaen's family was not as prominent as the Kuchiki's or the Kawadas, he was of a noble house nonetheless. Though he didn't like to brag about it. He bore their symbol as respect towards his parents-- in truth he would rather not have worn it at all. Kaen actually hated nobility. Not nobles themselves, those he disliked on a case-to-case business. He hated the idea of nobility. That someone could be considered better than another just because they popped out of the right woman. Kaen believed one should be judged on their accomplishments. Not those of their fathers or mothers, or even their grandfather. Nobility spat on this concept. Where you could advance easier and quicker, just because of your name. Kaen shook his head. Well. Not all nobles were the same. He was different. Maybe Takashi was also different from the others.

"Yeah. Nice to meet you. I did a little digging. Seems you've been a busy man yourself." Kaen told him. He certainly did not want to admit that all HE had been doing this time of day was sleeping in his office with the door locked. "Before we begin, would you mind letting me know how your round with Takehiko turned out?" He asked, as he walked to his position, and settled into a casual fighting stance perhaps three meters away from Takashi, as he awaited his answer.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats and Abilities}
• [Martial Art- Karate] {4}
• [Pain Tolerance] {3}
• [Martial Art-Jiujitsu] {3}
• [Analyzing] {2}
• Hakuda {3}
• Zanjutsu {1}
• Iaido {1}
Total: 18

[[Strength - 300 Points (600)
Speed - 375 Points (750)
Spiritual Pressure - 200 Points (150)
Reiatsu Strength - 400 Points
Light Aura - 45 Points
Dark Aura - 55 Points
Instinct- 175 Points
Senses- 100 Points
Energy sensory - 50 Points
Healing Expertise - 0 Points
Total: 1600 SP]

[Takashi Kuchiki]

It seemed Kaen-dono was a lot different from what Takashi had expected. His speech was radically different from what the snow haired shinigami would have suspected. It was also interesting that this man seemed to have a very nonchalant attitude about himself. Still though, he wasn't someone to take lightly by any means. Takashi's blue diamond like eyes, said to be envied by even the soul king, gazed upon this man. This vice captain....it was now the second time he would fight a Fukutaichou. The first time, he was only fresh out of the academy. It was now time to see how much he had improved. Takashi wasn't foolish enough to wear his Reiseigen during this fight. He didn't need to be limited during such a battle as this one.

As the Fukutaichou responded to him, Takashi narrowed his eyes. It seemed the man had heard about his fight about the other Fukutaichou. It was odd, perhaps he thought Takashi crazy to wish to challenge Kaen. In any case, it was his ambition to fight against someone who he considered strong. His dream was not only to become the future Captain Commander but to be known as Kenpachi; the name of the strongest warrior of every generation. To earn that name, Takashi would become stronger...much stronger. He wanted to protect everyone. To do so, he would have to get through tough opponents; even if they were allies. It was time to face Kaen.

"Kaen-dono, In that match, I had lost to Fukutaichou Takehiko-san. I believe that should suffice as an answer. If you have more questions Fukutaichou-san, then please do not hesitate inquire about it. I will now begin, I hope that is agreeable". The shinigami drew his sword. He kept his Zanpakuto in his right hand and his left he drew and held his sheath; the tip pointed to the ground. With that the snow haired shinigami was off. Takashi pushed forward at his top speeds towards Kaen. As he reached him, he stepped out with his right foot, enough distance between them where the top middle section of his sword would cut him.

With a horizontal swing, Takashi swung for the man's left middle thigh. Takashi was turning in a counter clockwise motion as he did this. His left hand was near his chest as he came in for the attack; this was his favorite opening. He would see what exactly Kaen would do in this situation. He needed to keep fighting higher leveled opponents if he opened to become stronger. Takashi was really excited to fight this man though. It was now time to see how much his training would pay off.

[Kaen Youji]

Kaen noticed the surprise on his opponent's face. He had that effect on people. Seems he rarely gave a first impression that matched his reputation. Kaen was known as one of the strongest Vice Captains in Soul Society. When he had been a third seat of Squad seven, Hueco Mundo had invaded Soul Society. During this invasion, Kaen had singlehandedly stalled the Noveno Espada, Asuka Hitotoki. He had since demonstrated his prowess after being promoted to Vice Captain by defeating the Sternritter G "Gilles" in single combat, as well as besting nearly every other Vice Captain in Soul Society's ranks, save for Irudai, whom was the only other that could claim a similar title. Only Irudai stood as Kaen's competition amongst the Vice Captain. To see such an individual with such a laid back attitude, usually put some surprise on the faces of those that challenged Kaen. That surprise could be used to Kaen's advantage in battle.

Takashi admitted that he'd lost to Takehiko. Ah well. That wasn't a surprise. He wasn't even a seated officer. But the omission of details was what struck Kaen. Kaen was surprisingly good at reading people, and a wry smirk crept across his face at that omission of details. This man was an unseated officer. Being handily bested by a Vice Captain was to be expected. But he wasn't talking much, even keeping his answer as concise as possible. "I see. You're one that's more than meets the eye aren't you?" He challenged, as Takashi launched his offensive. Sheath in one hand, sword in the other. Kaen smirked a little. Was he a swordsman then? That suited Kaen just fine! Takashi closed in and slashed at Kaen's leg. The Vice Captain hadn't even drawn his sword yet. Not that he planned to. Kaen was first and foremost a hand to hand fighter. Even against armed opponents his hand to hand fighting served him quite well.

Kaen's response to Takashi's downward slash was fairly simple. He performed a simple leg void technique, taking a single quick backstep, so that Takashi's blade arced through the space his leg had previously occupied. No sooner had Takashi's blade passed this space, that Kaen charged in. The very millisecond his swing missed, Kaen brought his leg back in and stepped in to attack. Even a highly skilled swordsman would take a moment to recover from a committed swing. A single instant. But for Kaen, a single instant was all that was needed. As he moved forwards, Takashi would see a stunning efficiency and economy of motion. Not a single centimeter of wasted movement. Kaen's left arm snapped up at Takashi's face in a sudden jab, aiming just above his eyelid. At the same time, his right fist snapped forwards into a devastating reverse punch at Takashi's solarplexis. The solarplexis was a Karateka's primary target when attacking the torso. A direct hit to the solarplexis could knock the breath from an opponent's lungs. In Kaen's case however, this would be rather different. Kaen was strong. Very strong. If Takashi took this blow directly it was quite likely it would blow him off his feet.

On top of that, Kaen's jab and reverse punch combination was not merely akin to a Boxer's one-two punch. This was not two separate punches, but a single motion, striking with both arms virtually simultaneously. The right hand had begun to move even before the left arm landed. This was not a mere one-two punch. This was a technique unique to Karate-- Yamazuki. A simultaneous double punch, drawing the opponent's focus to the blow striking towards their face, while the second blow snuck in under their guard. Power was sacrificed on the left hand for this move, thus even if Kaen's left struck it would not cause considerable damage-- though hitting right above the eye would doubtlessly be uncomfortable. The battle had begun. Now Kaen would gauge what Takashi was made of. Although he was focused on his offense, he was not forgetting Takashi's sheath, or his sword that had so narrowly missed him.

[Takashi Kuchiki]

The snow haired shinigami was confident that he had chosen his opponent wisely. This man's reputation was that of one of the great Vice Captains. To some, they were conversing on the great fighting abilities of this Vice Captain. apparently, he was among the top three within all of Gotei 13. Takashi wished to test this, while measuring himself. His skill in combat was definitely noteworthy. Takashi's main goal would be to see if he could defeat a Vice Captain. If he could, then perhaps either sooner or later, he would be good enough to defeat a Captain. This man always fought levels higher than himself, always testing his capacity or vessel.

Takashi remembered the fight with Takehiko-san. It was when he was only fresh out of the academy. He was lucky enough to have the man force-ably have to flex his muscle in order to take a hit. He was also lucky enough to push back the Fukutaichou, driving him back. Takashi was also proud that the man seemed to be using his top speed, not even allowing Takashi a second to do anything. This was interesting indeed, now he was here, much stronger testing himself against Kaen. This man...would he really live up to the reputation and hype everyone gave? Time would tell.

It seemed the Fukutaichou had taken him lightly. He wished to do a simple leg void maneuver, where he attempted a simple step back. That was indeed a good move to make. For Takashi, this was simply a game of chess, a move was made and he would make a move back. There was a second and a half of time to react. The first indicator would obviously be Kaen-dono stepping back off his foot. In addition, he obviously could not step back in until his sword would transverse past his leg. In this second, Takashi would do something rather simple.

The man pushed off of his left foot, blurring just before the sword would get to the end of its route. He cut the air in a shunpo movement; no, no he wasn't escaping. Instead, he moved 45 degrees to the right, going nearly 3600 speed. This simple 'shuffle' would push Takashi once more to Kaen's left side, much closer now; most likely cutting with the upper lower section of his blade. With the momentum conserved, the blade was still moving in his clock-ward motion (moving clockwise). He was much closer now which would prove difficult for a few things. First, Kaen was in motion, his speed was twice that of Takashi's and he would already be moving in for an attack. As such, stepping techniques would be difficult with his left foot raised. Takashi would also no longer be in front of the man to where his attack was aimed. As such, the man's attack would be hitting air. Meanwhile, Takashi was only inches away from the man's upper part of his left calf, right below the knee as he was stepping. This would indeed be an interesting situation for Kaen.

Reaitsu: 620/670= - 50 Shunpo

[Kaen Youji]

Kaen noted his opponent vanish into Shunpo as he evaded his strike, even before Kaen could fully step back to counter. He came in on Kaen's right with a slash at his leg, using the momentum of his own Shunpo to accelerate his slash. Takashi may have thought that Kaen's options were more limited, but indeed, Kaen's motions were efficient and controlled. And more importantly-- balanced. Kaen's mastery of Karate, Jiujitsu and the Shinigami Hakuda fighting forms had assured that he could maintain complete stability in any position. Of course he was not immune to some basic laws of physics-- he had shifted all of his weight to his right foot-- his back foot as he was stepping. Were Takashi a master of judo or jiujitsu or another martial art that emphasized throws, this was something often taken advantage of (though Kaen was as aware of that fact as anyone else and had contingencies for such things). But Takashi had opted to attack with his blade, and Kaen made use of his superb balance by launching his counter.

Takashi was attacking low, with a wide sweeping chop, intended to slice through Kaen's calf muscle. His muscles rocketed through his foot, and Kaen hopped into the air with his right foot, Takashi's blade slicing under him. Airborne, Kaen might have seemed an open target, but Takashi would not have time to deal with it. Kaen was moving MUCH faster now, even if just in a short burst and he whirled about ninety degrees, his left leg launching back in a devastating flying back kick, right at Takashi's chest. At his full speed Kaen was twice as fast as Takashi. He'd been holding back his speed not just to conserve his energy, but also to leave Takashi with no clear way of gauging how fast he could really move. Thus this burst of speed would seem to come right out of nowhere. With both hands on his sword, which was in mid-swing, defense would be virtually impossible. It would also be almost impossible for Takashi to adjust his swing to compensate for Kaen's jump. While utilizing his Shunpo's momentum did strengthen and accelerate the attack did make it more dangerous, it also made it harder to control.

In short, Takashi was enslaved to his own strike. Kaen struck from above, and with his speed, his kick would likely land like a speeding minivan. Takashi might count himself fortunate for his own prodigious strength, for without it, that kick may well have been lethal. As it was even striking his chest, the kick possessed the strength to cause fractures in his ribs. In mid-air, Kaen's left hand slipped his sheathed sword off of his shoulder, as if to draw it more easily. However, there wouldn't be a chance for a follow-up, for if his kick connected flush, it would have sent Takashi flying off his feet. Kaen landed lightly on his feet, completing his turn, having spun two hundred and seventy degrees in the air, to land facing Takashi. "Not bad." He complimented, sheathed blade now in hand. Was he about to draw his sword?

Kaen did not immediately follow up his attack. His breath was heavy, and his shoulders heaved from what seemed to be exertion. Had he begun to tire so quickly, after a single exchange? Was moving that fast truly so detrimental to his ability to fight, even in such a short burst? His eyes were still focused, but his body actually sagged slightly now, though he seemed to notice this and tried to straighten, and then coughed in an attempt to control his breathing, seeming to be making an effort to even out his breath so as not to seem so exhausted. This was a ruse. While moving so fast would tire most people, Kaen was not most people. True, fighting at that speed was not sustainable, but to use it in short bursts was not especially exhausting for Kaen. He was playing up the very minor fatigue his muscles felt from bursting out at that speed. But would Takashi fall for the ploy?

[Takashi Kuchiki]

Takashi seemed bored as ever as Kaen balanced himself on his foot. He would see the man was ready to make a step, and did. The timing would have perhaps cut him but he moved at such exaggerated speeds. Perhaps Takashi was a bit slow on the cut; holding back against the Vice Captain. Kaen rocketed upwards at rather high speeds. However, this speed didn't surprise Takashi in the slightest. The shinigami had encountered this plenty of times as he fought Takehiko and Sozen, who were much quicker. Due to this, he was conditioned to fighting opponents who were a great deal quicker then him. Hell, Takashi had fought against opponents whom were 5x quicker than himself and he was able to bridge the gap.

Perhaps he would now show Kaen what advantage he had despite the gap in physical prowess. It was a simple attack that Kaen would make, his body would shift, indicating exactly where he would move. Obviously, Takashi would take the defensive. Of course, Kaen was almost twice as fast. However, Takashi thrived on battling opponents much quicker and stronger than himself. He stayed light on his feet, dipping down and ready to push off. Of course, he couldn't just push off his feet and dodge, no, Kaen was too fast for that. Rather, Takashi would go ahead and show him his skill.

The sheath that Takashi held in reverse grip was already against his chest. Takashi simply braced his left arm against his chest, the sheath naturally lining it. The kick came in towards Takashi's chest and would instead connect with the man's sheath, braced by his left arm against his chest. Because the sheath was already there, it was only about moving his hand a few centimeters. The center of Kaen's foot would connect with the hollow metallic sheath at high speeds. The kick would most likely cause damage to Kaen's foot, striking at such speeds. It would be as though he kicked a metallic pole with his full speeds at the center of his foot.

In any case, Takashi wasn't fully out of danger either. The attack would be rocketed through his arm and would most likely crack it had it not been for his light footing. Takashi didn't hold his stance firm, instead, he had dipped down and was ready to push off his feet; as previously stated. As the attack came, Takashi gave a light push off his feet. Because of this, he was going with the attack and not opposing it; cushioning it somewhat. The attack would cause him to fall back wards but it would deal the greater damage to Kaen most likely. Takashi fell backwards and tumbled around for a few moments. It was soon that he got to his feet.

The man looked as bored as ever as he inspected Kaen who was showing signs of fatigue. If this was what it took to fatigue him, it was strange that he was a vice captain. Perhaps it did fatigue him somewhat, but he had fought fighters such as Iro and Katrina who did fatigue. However, they would have a certain limit of fighting until they would do so. Takashi blinked as he held his sword out. "Please release your ShiKai, I believe it may be beneficial if you so chose to do so.". Was all he said as he came forward once again.

It didn't matter if Kaen was fatigued or not, rather, he wasn't going to win a fight standing around. Takashi wasn't one to not put pressure on his opponent. The shinigami would appear, stepping out with his right foot, once again turning his body in a counter clockwise motion. The man would now swing his raised sword diagonally from Kaen's top left side down to his hip; fully intending to cut him. All the while, he held his sheath near his chest again; his wrist in a forty five degree. Now it was time to see what Kaen would do. Takashi had hoped he would actually release his Shikai. The man would definitely need to keep up his quick movements if he wanted to win.

[Kaen Youji]

Takashi had good reflexes and blocked his kick with his sheath. The spinning back kick-- ushiro geri was the most powerful kick in Karate when it came to sheer power. Certainly it was also the most difficult to execute in practice, compared to the mae geri or mawashi geri, due to the spinning motion that was required to build up centrifugal force. Still, when an opening came for it there was no reason not to take it. Takashi had been good to absorb the blow, with both his sheath and flowing with the attack, but it was likely there would still be some numbness in his arm from deflecting such a powerful strike. As for Kaen, his foot had not suffered any notable injury. Kicking a steel pole certainly would have hurt a normal human, but Kaen was far from a normal human. His strength and durability were superhuman, and it would take more than kicking a sheath to do him injury.

Kaen's eye gave a slight twitch however, as Takashi asked him to release his shikai. "There was another who asked me to release my shikai." Kaen stated in a blank monotone, his eyes now gazing at Takashi with disappointment. "I say to you now the same thing I said to him. If you wish to see it, then earn it." He said. The last one who had said that had been Kubi, a Vice Captain as well. Kubi had pressed for Kaen to release their entire battle, and Kaen had refused, for the simple fact that one who had to ask his opponent to release was undeserving of seeing it. One had to push Kaen to releasing, not simply ask for it. Kaen released as he saw fit to. He was not shackled by pride, as some individuals, such as Shade Kawada were. To him it did not matter if it was a Captain, Espada, Vice Captain or unseated officer that he fought, if he had to release then he would do so, unburdened by any semblance of shame for releasing against someone who should be below his level. But Takashi would need to prove that he was worth using shikai on if he wanted to see it.

He came at Kaen with a diagonal cut. Rather than retreat from the strike, Kaen stepped in towards Takashi, and held his Zanpakuto in a reverse grip. In this grip he blocked Takashi's strike in a crude but effective defense, Takashi's blade colliding with the strong of his sword on Takashi's weak and then guiding the natural curve of the slash so that Takashi's sword blade braced against Kaen's tsuba. Takashi would have to pull the sword back if he wished to make a second attack, he could not rely on the flow of the cut to naturally move into the next one. Simply put, Kaen had forced a sword bind.

And while their blades were locked, Kaen had stepped into striking range, and fired off two quick palm strikes to Takashi's jaw and solarplexis, in succession, aiming first at the solarplexis to wind Takashi, and then at the bottom of his chin to slam his head skyward, and force him to take his eyes off of Kaen. Even if this didn't work, it would bring Takashi's focus to his face and upwards in general. It would potentially cause him to miss Kaen's real target which was his leg. Like a crack of lightning, Kaen's leg shot out in a low leg kick, slamming against Takashi's outer thigh of the leg closest to Kaen. Kaen had often mused that the weakness in Japanese swordsmanship was the stance. It was a stance built for speed and mobility, not for stability. The idea that one should evade an attack. Blows to the legs were much less common in Japanese swordsmanship, and so while it was adequate to maintain balance in ideal circumstances or against simple pushes or pulls, an actual blow to the legs was something quite different. Trapped in a sword bind, that speed and mobility was lost, and Kaen's leg kicks were intended to take advantage of the limited stability, and hopefully drive Takashi off balance. Even if he failed in this, his opponent would certainly suffer no small amount of pain in his leg for his trouble.