What does it mean to be a Kuchiki?[NDE, PG-13]

[✠Asmoskon Masurao✠]

Asmoskon was at the moment making his way through the halls of the Kuchiki Manor. He had arrived home to his humble apartment that he kept in the event that he would be in Karakura Town. Right now was a very busy time in his life with almost too much to actually handle. Not only was he now in physical and mental condition, but he had Hotaru back and the two of them were set to be wed some time soon. While spending time with her often provided him with happiness that couldn't be rivaled by any other activity Asmoskon had other duties to attend to as well.

He was a Major in Xcution's military and after he had regained his sanity the young Quincy had began to train his troops in a near relentless manner. Drilling them time and again until he saw fit that each combat sequence was imprinted into their heads. The few Quincy that actually were in his military were the ones that Asmoskon trained the most productively simply due to the fact that he was an archer and a Quincy as well. "A normal archer practices until he gets it right. We practice until we never get it wrong." That is the phase that Asmoskon drilled into all of the Quincy instructing each and every single one of them how to better shoot their arrows while maintaining the ability to maneuver.

Some times it just wasn't easy some of the Quincy that were left were very scared individuals just because they were the last of their families. Most felt like if they tried to hide the fact of what they are then the Vandenreich wouldn't trouble them. Asmoskon upon figuring this out had collected all of these Quincy together with him and examples to each and every one of them what he knew of the Vandenreich and his experiences with them. Revealing that it had been a squad of them that had taken his eye along with his family. "We can't allow them to stomp on us anymore. It's time we take the role of the boot and squash the vermin." While some of them still were afraid his message got through and in the last few days there had been a boost to moral and success in training.

While all of that was all going on Asmoskon still had been doing all the research he could on the scattered remnants of his noble family. The Masurao noble family had once been a very powerful family of Quincy yet now they were little more then a dozen or so survivors. Throughout the last few centuries the family had split up over the world while maintaining contain with the head of the family which had been Asmoskon's line. All of those families it seemed had met fates similar to Asmoskon's own over the last few decades and after his grandfather had been killed connection with the Head of the family had been lost due to his father's lack of responsibility. Asmoskon was now tracking down all of them that he could in hopes of restoring the noble family and ushering them into a stable life under his leadership as the new Head.

It had been this morning when Asmoskon had gone from the large estate that he had bought from his large financial savings mainly stemming from the top secret missions he had taken as a mercenary a few months back. The estate was set to work as the temporary manor of the Masurao Family. Asmoskon had a much grander plan for the permanent structure yet at the time the builders weren't done and wouldn't be for a fair amount of time. Patience was something that he had to practice himself though and at this point the only thing he had a right to rush on that front was finding his kin. So upon returning to the small apartment in Tokyo he had found the servants of the Kuchiki Head Sozen.

It seemed that the Head of the family wished to meet with him now that he knew of him and Hotaru. All of that was very reasonable and Asmoskon understood where Sozen was coming from by ordering these servants to escort him to Soul Society. Sozen was the Head of the Kuchiki and if he was willing to meet with Asmoskon then he was more then likely either going to kill him due to his race or make sure that Asmoskon wouldn't bring about any type of harm to Hotaru. The leader of the family must be stronger then all others or else the family will fall. Looking after his own was something that immediately came with a sense of respect. Asmoskon was just hoping right now that this Sozen character wasn't a blow hard like many of the others.

So now the escorts were just a few feet in front of him and Asmoskon was walking through the halls. He looked around making note of all the extravagant paintings, collectibles and structures. All of these things were what many noble families would do to show off their position. Asmoskon knew of this style of life personally although at this point it was more of a long forgotten one. He had only been a child when this type of life had been taken away from him and his hardship began. The only other thing that Asmoskon took close notice of was the fact that there seemed to be far more red in this manor then one would normally see. While it may very well be Sozen's favorite color theoretically it still seemed over the top. There had to be some other reason for it Asmoskon thought he just didn't have any kind of proof or evidence to confirm this theory yet.

Asmoskon realized that he had been briefly thinking over all of this had caused him to lose sight of where he was actually in the spectrum of space. He stopped abruptly when he saw the escorts were parted to the sides and held their arms out to the door in front of him. Obviously Sozen was going to be in the room that this door connected too so Asmoskon had no reason to continue his pondering this was the point in time where he would meet the Head of Hotaru's family face to face. So stepping forwards Asmoskon opens the door to the room and enters.

Instantly Asmoskon noticed the familiar figure that he had come to love as his other half and equal. Hotaru looked as beauty as ever and whilehe in truth wanted nothing more then to embrace her deeply at this moment. Smelling the scent of her body was one that he missed over the last week. However, such an action would be most rude to the man standing in front of her now. He was around Asmoskon's height with shoulder length black hair. "So that's Sozen." Asmoskon began to walk towards the both of them and upon reaching roughly ten feet he stopped bowing his head and body forwards in respect to his host. "Thank you for the invitation of hospitality Lord Sozen."

[Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao]

While Hotaru was trying to block Sozen's attack, he was able to catch her wrist easily. She wasn't too surprised that he was able to counter her, but she had hoped that she would have done better than that. Once he released her wrist and got behind her, she expected some sort of attack. Thankfully, his first attack missed her, but the next attack never came. Instead, he just used his weird speed technique to get away from her again to about the same distance. She really needed to ask him if he could teach her that move, it would definitely come in handy.

He then said that her defense was a reaction to his attack, which was a flaw in her defense. What she needed to do was have a proactive strategy, not a reactive one. It made complete sense. She quickly thought back on all of her fights and it was true that her defense was all in reaction to attacks, not really attacking first. It was a good idea. He then explained preconception. It's the reason that he made them wear minimal clothing, so she could see his muscles acting so she could try her best to react to what she noticed his muscles do.

From the muscle movement, she should be able to figure out how he was going to move and react accordingly. She then could use her sword proficiency to go in for the attack. She would know how to counter ahead of time, saving time for her, moving earlier and plan a proper attack. It was the reason that he was able to counter her so easily. Since Sozen fights in this proactive way, it makes him easier for him to counter her, like he had done already in their spar. She nodded while he spoke about this, understanding the idea. She would definitely need to concentrate.

Then, the training truly began. Hotaru tried to concentrate more on the movement of Sozen's muscles than the man himself. This way, she would be able to fight proactively. It reminded her of their dungeon training from earlier, except that she was stronger now. She could withstand much more pain and punishment being dished out on her, thanks to the man she was fighting right now. It seemed that as time passed, she was slowly starting to get the hang of what he was saying. She did get nicked a few times, but with every nick, she was able to focus more.

After the hours passed, Sozen stopped and Hotaru did as well. She was breathing heavy from the exertion from keeping up with the Head of her Family. He then stated that he wanted to actually meet up with her fiance, especially since he could benefit from the lesson as well. It was an interesting idea, but how in the world could Asmoskon even get here in time to take the lesson? It was then that Sozen said that he had already sent out an invitation to him in the Human World, hopefully already on his way, especially if he wanted Sozen's blessing.

She had to hand it to Sozen, the man thought of everything. Right after he finished speaking, she felt something familiar and she knew who it was. She looked over and saw Asmoskon walk through the doors to come join them on the field. She locked eyes with him and smiled slightly, wiping her brow of sweat and focusing back on her Head. She couldn't just stare at him, even though she wished to run up to him and just hug him tightly. But, she didn't want to do that in front of Sozen. So, she gripped her sword tightly to keep her emotions in check while he came up to them, showing his respect to Sozen and saying his thank yous. "Sozen-sama, this is Asmoskon, the man that you've been wanting to meet."

[Sozen Kuchiki]

"Asmokon..." Sozen appraised, looking up and down this Quincy who was to be wed to his kin. Sozen's battle analysis kicked in immediately, allowing him to evaluate Asmokon's abilities just from looking at the Quincy. A free Quincy, evident by that outfit. Lucky, since the Soul Reapers had just ended a war with the Vandenreich. This Asmokon... Muscles, not bad. The way he held himself... The sort of confidence which indicated he was strong, but not as assured as a veteran. If he had lost before, it had not been a major fight. He had yet to be extremely outclassed by someone he had encountered. All in all, not bad a specimen. Azumi would have known better than Sozen.

Otherwise, Asmokon hadn't introduced himself, but that was unimportant. Sozen had already known his name. The Quincy had been polite in bowing and thanking the Kuchiki Head. Sozen bowed as well, showing his respect to one who might be married to his kin. "It is a pleasure to meet you. I thank you for accepting my invitation," Sozen said, a cool smile coming to his lips. Upon raising his head once more, he found his scarlet eyes drawn to the man's dominant hand. Slightly burned, with some scratches on it too. Asmokon practiced shooting. A lot. Unlike some Quincy, he took his role as an archer quite seriously, and opted not to do close quarters combat.

"A good start to a first impression," Sozen said, addressing both Hotaru and Asmokon. In the past, family members had brought home people who were both extremely weak and extremely impolite. One of them had had the gall to bring home Jagger Kawada, one of the cockiest and least manageable personalities in that family. Naturally, that relationship had ended after Sozen's own son, Souza, had encountered Jagger in the manor and stared him down until he left. Sozen had discovered later that Jagger and Souza were former classmates, and that the former had been crushed by the Kuchiki Heir in combat, souring their relationship.

Sozen and Hotaru were also both still in their training outfits. Tight elastic shorts, and in Hotaru's case, a sports bra. Sweat would likely be evident on Hotaru. Sozen too had broken a sweat, but not a large one. If they had been in full out, true combat, he would have been sweating more, but this was instructional combat, and in the parameters of the instruction, Hotaru was new to the method of fighting being taught to her, making it much easier for Sozen to counter and react to her. When she was more proficient, Sozen suspected that she would give him a very hard time in their future training.

"I was just instructing Hotaru," Sozen explained to Asmokon. "The primary lesson at hand was reaction. How to react to enemies of vastly superior physical ability to yourself, by utilizing proactive retaliation rather than reactive. If you are an archer, I expect you learned this earlier than a swordsman." Sozen wouldn't be talking for much longer, though. He didn't want Hotaru's body to get cold. They were breaking a good sweat. It would be a shame to allow Hotaru to cool off. She would not be able to focus the same way again if that happened. So, Sozen's body fell into a prepared stance, ready to assume a proper stance and continue.

"If you are interested, you would certainly be free to join us," Sozen said. "I can instruct both of you at the same time. Perhaps it will give me some insight into how the two of you work together as well. I won't hide the fact that I would prefer that you be able to aid Hotaru, should she need it." And, Hotaru was a Captain. So, if Asmokon couldn't help her, and she was more powerful than he was, it might be problematic. Her opponents in future, if stronger than her, wouldn't be forgiving. Because of being at that level. If Asmokon could back her up against an Espada, all the better.

[✠Asmoskon Masurao✠]

Well so far it seemed that everything was going the way that Asmoskon had hoped. He had made it into Soul Society without running into any Shinigami that would immediately attack him just due to his reiatsu. That thought had crossed his mind and he had pondered the idea of suppressing his reiatsu while walking throughout this realm. Yet that thought had been quickly expunged due to one simple realization. To suppress his reiatsu and hide was not only a sign of fear and weakness to these Shinigami, but also a sign of disrespect towards Sozen. He had been the one to invite him here and to act in such a manner would be to doubt him which wouldn't have made a very good impression.

So now that it seemed Sozen was approving of Asmoskon acceptance to the invitation Asmoskon was more assured that he had passed through the first loop to approval. "If he's anything like my grandfather there will be a thousand more to soar through." The thought couldn't be restrained in his head yet all of it was for Hotaru so there could be a lifetime and more and the Quincy would never stop flying through them. As Asmoskon held his bow he could hear no movement from either Hotaru or Sozen which meant that both sets of eyes were on him. Hotaru was more then likely just worrying on what Sozen would think of Asmoskon. Asmoskon was more then certain that Sozen himself was looking over Asmoskon and checking out everything that he could able him by this first glance after all this was a first time meeting and such a thing could only be expected by someone who protected a family.

It was a few moments and then Sozen spoke thanking Asmoskon for accepting his invitation. Asmoskon heard the sound of his body move slightly and could tell that the Head of the Kuchiki was returning his bow. Asmoskon kept his head slightly lower then Sozen himself making sure that if he was testing him Asmoskon wasn't going to mess up and allow even the smallest sign of disrespect to occur. Even after Sozen began to raise his own head from the bow Asmoskon waited and then proceeded to do the same. The rules of nobility and proper edict were very annoying yet useful as well and Asmoskon knew right now that it was a good thing he had been taught all these games as a child.

At Sozen's next comment Asmoskon nodded his head slightly showing respect and thanks for the kind and generous words given. Asmoskon's left eye drifted to towards Hotaru and he noticed more closely the attire that she was wearing. That along with the fact she was covered in sweat and seemed to have been working rather difficult was something Asmoskon could do without at the moment. He just hoped that he could control his urge of youth throughout this meeting. It would leave a mark on his name that he feared would never be erased.

That was when Sozen brought up what they had been doing more in detail. It seems Asmoskon had been right in the obvious assumption of instruction given by Sozen to Hotaru. The type of training though was one that was of relative ease in Asmoskon's opinion and when he thought of it he realized that he should have taught Hotaru this after they had actually started to date. He had given her a brief overview of this very type of style after their first encounter which to his dismay now had left Hotaru with several arrow wounds and a fair amount of blood loss.

Sozen it seemed though knew some of the basics to being an archer or at least could tell what an archer would need to study in order to face off against most foes. He was right in assuming that Asmoskon had been taught this method early on. In fact his grandfather had instructed him in this slightly after Asmoskon had been able to generate his spiritual bow. Asmoskon wasn't completely sure if Sozen wished to continue through to the main point of his speech so instead of speaking himself Asmoskon nodded again at Sozen's statement agreeing with him that he had been taught at an earlier time then an swordsmen normally.

That was when Sozen gave the invitation to participate in the training session. This was something that would more then likely get his blood boiling. Much more entertaining then playing the game of politeness. So as Sozen finished his invitation to join Hotaru the young Quincy couldn't help, but grin. "It'd be an honor Lord Sozen." Asmoskon walked over towards her. He reached her location yet as he did he made no motion to stop and turn yet. Instead he turned his head while raising his right hand up to her face. Turning her head to face him he gently kissed her forehead and then continued past her a few paces. Taking off the long overcoat that he wore Asmoskon readied for the session. In taking off the overcoat however he revealed the arm bands on his forearms which had twenty datsu arrows strapped to them each. If Sozen looked down he would see a matching set of two on his thighs as well.

Asmoskon now was more free to move wearing his black sleeveless shirt, pants and combat boots. He walked a few paced forwards until he was on Hotaru's right side and then bowed to Sozen again showing his final sign of respect prior to the start of this training session. Asmoskon was going to allow Hotaru the first chance to strike knowing that his beloved had already been training and her muscles were going to stiffen if she didn't start moving fast. "Don't worry about anything I've got your defense. Do whatever you can as best as you can firefly." Asmoskon whispered from the left corner of his mouth as he grinned and moved his hands to his forearms pulling three datsu out of each arm band holding one between each of his fingers.

Equipment: 40x Datsu

[Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao]

Hotaru stared at Asmoskon, hoping that Sozen would approve of him and just enjoying looking at his body. She never got tired of that. So far, nothing was going wrong and once Sozen spoke, saying that it was a pleasure to meet him, she let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding. At least they were being polite, because that first showing could've ended much worse. Sozen could've just straight up fought him and that would've been bad. At least, Sozen was being polite to him, even though he might not know everything about the man yet.

Since she had never brought anyone home to her family before, this was all completely new to her. She had no idea what Sozen truly thought of him or what he was going to do, but she hoped that the politeness was a good sign. When Sozen bowed in return, to return the respect that Asmoskon showed while telling him thank you for accepting the invitation, Hotaru had high hopes that this was going to end well. Though, in all honesty, she didn't know Sozen's behaviors well enough to gauge how the man was thinking.

Even though he was the Head of the Family, she really didn't know that much about him. She only knew that he was Head, Captain of the Sixth Division, was very strong (hence the Head title), eloped with Aoi to marry her and now had a son named Souza. She hadn't met the heir yet, but she was curious to see how he acted, meeting both of his parents. She knew little, but she was curious to learn more about him. She would never pry, but she was curious about him. She hated that she barely knew any details about the Head of her family.

They were family for gods sake. She should know more details or funny stories about him, not just these random facts that everyone else knew. Her train of thought was broken when he said that this was a good start to a first impression. Hotaru grinned at that. So, he actually liked what he'd seen of the man so far. Good. It made her feel immensely better. She was curious if Sozen had any more plans to try to see what Asmoskon was capable, but she figured, after thinking about it, he probably did. But, that statement alone bolstered her spirits.

Then, Sozen got into the detail of what they were training. Hotaru wiped her brow with her hand and started to shake her limbs. She could feel some of the heat leaving her body, which she knew was bad. She had trained enough to know that letting a body get cold was one of the worst things that could happen. So, she started to shake some of her limbs around to get the heat back. When Sozen offered to train Asmoskon with her, and Asmoskon accepted, she grinned again. They hadn't trained together in so long, it would be a nice change of pace.

Hotaru turned and watched Asmoskon walk towards her. She smiled at him and just expected him to walk past and take a stance. But, he didn't. He actually stopped in front of her, lightly grasped her face and turned it to face him. He then leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. She closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of his lips on her skin, uncontrollably smiling while he did so. Once he stopped and moved away, she had to fight the urge to just follow him. She turned to face Sozen, a little blush forming on her cheeks.

She didn't know how Asmoskon would act in front of Sozen, but he had just shown her. He would still show his affection for her, just in a more tamed way around the Head. Well, it really wouldn't be more tamed, more like a more respectful way to show it in public. She didn't know why she blushed, maybe because he kissed her in front of a family member. A family member that just found out that they were actually a couple. Or, it could've been the fact that they were in Soul Society and she had been hiding the relationship because of what Soul Society might do.

That one act had pretty much declared how Asmoskon, a Quincy, felt about her, a shinigami. It was somewhat freeing, once she actually thought about that. They had gotten into the relationship, knowing that they would have to hide it from everyone. Now, they really didn't have to, and it was just nice to be with him and not have to hide anything in public. She then heard her Quincy say that he got her back and she smiled again. Sozen was already ready to go again and so was she. "Alright Sozen-sama, we're ready. Give us your best shot!"

[Sozen Kuchiki]

Sozen rocketed from place. He moved again using Shukuchi-Ho, and this time got way inside Hotaru's guard. Among all the Captains, Sozen ranked very high in speed. He was faster than nearly all of the Espada, too. His incredible speed, of course, wasn't an asset he prioritized. It was a tool, and to the Crimson King, tools were expendable. Strategy was what was invaluable, and all tools should just be a part of the strategy. That was what he hoped to teach Hotaru here. The strategy of countering speed. Because while could keep up with him using step techniques, there were enemies that were much faster than her.

If Hotaru couldn't counter them, then they had an easy victory with her. So, at top speed using Shukuchi-Ho, Sozen's steps did a zig zag into Hotaru's guard. Along the way, he kept a vigilant eye out for anything, acknowledging that unlike Hotaru or himself, Asmokon, a Quincy, had the ability of long range. So did Sozen, of course, but Sozen had no intention of utilizing reiatsu for this training session. The unbelievable fluidity and grace of Sozen's movement only served to demonstrate that his form was absolutely perfect. This was the man that had brought down the Segunda Espada. He was the strongest Captain.

Arriving deep inside of Hotaru's guard for just a brief instant, Sozen was smirking, and his sword came up toward her chin. It was intended to be a glancing blow, and was merely a movement of the arm as he twisted on one of his feet. Sozen, instinctive, ready to counteract anything he saw coming, kept himself spatially aware. He was proactive, but there were times to react to something, too. Then again, this could be said to be proactive, as he was preparing in advance for something he wasn't sure of yet, anticipating what might come. Against two opponents, there were four times as many options.

If the sword struck, it would not embed in Hotaru's head, but it would glance off her neck and chin, leaving a deep cut just above the throat. The cut therefore would not be lethal, but it would be a serious blow and take a lot of blood. It wasn't serious in that it did a lot of damage. It was serious in the psychological effect of taking a wound somewhere so vulnerable. Sozen's goal was to scare Hotaru and force her to react before he got there, instead of having her react as he arrived. As it was now, her body was trained to wait. Sozen wanted her defenses to be ready before he even got there.

In addition to this movement, Sozen reached for Hotaru's sword wrist. If he was successful in grabbing it, that would cause just enough of a split second delay of her defense that his sword strike would succeed, even if she tried to block it. However, the paradox of that maneuver was that it didn't matter. Sozen was deep in her guard, and her arm was edged in too tightly. Hotaru didn't have the arm position to defend with her sword. Because of the narrow amount of space in between them, Hotaru actually didn't possess the room to maneuver, and using her sword would be impossible if it was for defending.

Still, Sozen reached for her wrist, as if going to stop her. Sozen was intending to trick her, but what he wondered was whether she'd only see through the first layer of the trick, or catch the second layer of his trick. On one hand, he was forcing her to think about defending her arm and her neck at the same time, under the impression that she had to defend her arm to defend her neck. On the other hand, there was more to this than that, and Sozen's brilliant, strategically sound mind was working overtime on ways to confound not only her, but Asmokon as well. This was a lesson he'd teach the Quincy too, about reacting proactively.

[✠Asmoskon Masurao✠]

His gaze set on Sozen's body scanning everything that he could as swiftly as possible. There was only one logical explanation for what was going to happen and Asmoskon just had to make sure that he was fast enough to actually prevent it from occurring. Right as Sozen moved from place Asmoskon stepped backwards while simultaneously bringing his hands across his body and throwing three datsu. Asmoskon accelerated his backwards movement by concentrating his reiatsu and utilizing the technique Movement. This allowed him to get behind Hotaru and throw his datsu at specific locations that he had already declared proper targets.

Sozen was well within Hotaru's guard by the time that the datsu actually hit the targets that Asmoskon had planned. The only thing that could be classified as a problem for Sozen and a defense for Hotaru was the fact that the three datsu Asmoskon had just thrown weren't aimed at Sozen's body. While Asmoskon had moved backwards hadn't been able to see the zigzag maneuver that Sozen had done. However, that part of this endeavor didn't play into the plan that Asmoskon had assumed the end result was still the same making his own plan unchanged. He had moved behind Hotaru which more then likely cut off Sozen's vision of Asmoskon and what he was actually doing.

While he was in Sozen's blind spot at this moment Asmoskon had thrown the datsu yet pulling off curving them would take to much concentration and effort with the speed that Sozen was currently moving. Asmoskon's plan was simple Sozen was more than likely going to move on Hotaru. By staying behind her he made sure that no matter what he would still be able to hit Sozen no matter where he was located. This was the plan and it was coming together right now in this very moment. Sozen was right in front of Hotaru and the datsu that had been throw had just hit the floor.

There were two on each side thrown at an angle that could only be pulled off after hundreds of hours of practice. Both of these like the one that had been thrown in between Hotaru's feet hit off against the floor bouncing off of it and up into the air. Asmoskon had developed his skills in utilizing arrows and a bow to an unparalleled degree. These was no shot in existence that he couldn't preform and right now this was something he had to prove to Sozen. He could look after Hotaru no matter who was after her or against her even if it was him.

Sozen had spoken about how this training was suppose to teach Hotaru the style of proactive fighting well Asmoskon didn't need that type of lesion. As he agreed he had been taught it years ago and refined it to suit his own methods of combat. He had done so to the point that he didn't mneed to keep his focus on Sozen was he started to move his location was more then likely comfirmed the moment Sozen declared the training for Hotaru. He wasn't going to use his time going after Asmoskon at least not right away and that's what the young Quincy was playing on. By limiting the possibilities he had assured that these three datsu would act as thorns.

If Sozen stayed in place he would find it almost impossible to see the datsu especially the one that was now moving upwards from Hotaru's feet. At the angle that they all flew the two from the sides were positioned to strike Sozen in the soft tissue between his arms and torso. While these areas had a fair amount of muscle they were always some of the least dense on the body and the datsu would peirce through and cause a fair amount of bleeding. The third one was positioned to strike Sozen just above his stomach. Asmoskon didn't want to inflict any type of serious injury so hitting somewhere very close would be enough that Sozen got they idea he could pull it off.

His hands were already in motion again however as he maneuvered his hands in the opposite direction across his body again. This time the remaining three datsu that were located between his fingers were thrown very close to Hotaru. These three were insurance that if by some means Sozen stepped backwards and evaded the first three he would still have another set to deal with. These three moved around Hotaru from her sides to the side of her head. Two of them would move to strike Sozen if he evaded to the sides while the other would only be successful if he jumped upwards. It was all just insurance and after Asmoskon had thrown them he pulled out a new set of six making sure he could throw more at the next possibility.

Equipment: Datsu 34x

[Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao]

Hotaru stood her ground, trying her best to read what Sozen was going to do. She felt better, knowing that Asmoskon was at her back. She looked and then Sozen moved. She was barely able to see the movement before he left, but she had a very good idea of what he might do. He was obviously using his speed to get in close and to hit her hard. Well, he would hit her if he was actually aiming to hit her. But, it was just a training, so thankfully he wasn't aiming to hit her, just to hit close enough to make it seem like the attacks would hit her.

Hotaru was quick, but she didn't have the greatest speed. She didn't compared to this technique that Sozen kept using. So, she stood, hoping to get a glimpse of anything when he would appear again. Her instincts have helped her in the past and she hoped that this time, they wouldn't fail her. Thankfully, she had heard the datsu get thrown by Asmoskon, obviously trying to hit Sozen on his run. She was barely able to see Sozen coming at her, and the places he appeared were different everytime, so he was moving side to side.

She was ready to try to predict what he was doing. Since he was coming straight at her, one of the ways he could actually come at her would be to hit her straight on. But, he could also come at her from the sides or the back. But, it was a training exercise. She didn't that he would actually try any weird maneuvers. But, she also didn't know how his mind worked. So, from the current experience on this fight, she was thinking that he was going to come straight at her from the front. With this mindset, she started to move backwards.

Once Sozen got to her, she was already back a few paces from where she was. She had moved six inches backwards from where she was. She didn't move back far enough to hit Asmoskon when he appeared behind her, but far back enough that when Sozen would stop, she wasn't exactly there. In this way, when he tried to strike her, it was easy for her to move out of the way. While the blade was coming towards her face, she moved her left foot towards the back, putting her body horizontal to Asmoskon.

While he moved his blade, she saw his hand trying to reach her sword wrist. She could either let him grab it and try to figure out how to react, or he not grab it. But, she was a few inches back, so, if she was correct, the grab would just be grabbing for air. But, if he was able to tell that she had moved and still reached for her, she needed to think of something. So, while she was moving her left foot back, she moved her right arm back towards her, bringing her sword up to face outwards. So, if he tried to grab for her wrist again, it would get met with her blade.

[Sozen Kuchiki]

Actual Bleach Music

Scarlet eyes were visually and spatially aware of all that was happening. Including, of course, movement from Hotaru's partner, Asmokon. Not seeing the datsu was irrelevant. First, as Hotaru began to move away, so too did Asmokon become visible behind her, anyway, preparing his datsu. Second, even had this not transpired, Sozen could hear the rustle of the Quincy's clothes, and saw from the candle light the long shadow of the Quincy beginning to move and draw up its arms, holding some sort of kunai or blade like thing. Third, Sozen had prepared in advance for a counter. A strategy which came about because he had prepared in advance.

What he did was partially in response to Asmokon, partially in response to Hotaru. First, Sozen's arm was now extended outward toward Hotaru, his hand pointing at her. Indeed, it was in the air, but that had been the plan. Having analyzed Hotaru previously, Sozen had noted that she was likely to stay close, whether it was a dodge or block, and his strategy had been to keep her basically in range that way. Because of this, his arm would be pointed at her even as she moved away, and the set-up for his trap would already be completed. A Kido spell, Rikujokoro, materialized immediately around Hotaru.

This pinned her in place, trapping her and immobilizing her. It also stripped her of the ability to move. Though it was six beams of light which only constricted her waist area, its presence caused her to become immobile. This would not be possible to dodge, and it was too fast to block, for Sozen's hand had already been aimed at Hotaru, and as she was getting away, it formed. This cut her off short, so she only got about halfway as far back as she had intended. It was, however, also only part 1 of the trap. Sozen was aiming toward her with his sword, true, but he had used Shukuchi-Ho and then landed at the ready for a reason.

See, Hotaru started moving away as Sozen approached, and he caught this with his battle analysis. So, by the time Sozen arrived, he knew how to counter. He arrived, Hotaru was moving away, and Sozen countered with two things. First, Rikujokoro. Second, as he landed, another Shukuchi-Ho. This one took him past Hotaru, and brought the datsu into view. In one fell swoop, Sozen's blade, still moving, twisted angles because of his movement forwards, and his blade would cut lightly across Hotaru's hip. It wouldn't be a lot, and would only drop a couple of drops of blood at most. But, it would hurt.

Furthermore, because Sozen had already been slashing, already been preparing his movement into the next Shukuchi-Ho, and had already been aiming at her when he locked Hotaru with Rijukoro, it was next to impossible for either a block or even a dodge. It was, by timing and strategy, nearly a guaranteed hit. And, even so, it wasn't over there. Because Sozen not only dodged Asmokon's projectiles by using this second Shukuchi-Ho to get past, but even if they had somehow changed course, Sozen's blade had angled in such a way as to be able to maneuver around if he desired, even if in the midst of cutting Hotaru, to block them at any angle. In fact, if he was forced to do that, then the cut on Hotaru's body would just turn out even deeper and more damaging, which was bad for their training.

Now, this second Shukuchi-Ho didn't take Sozen to Hotaru. No, he had already made his mark. His second Shukuchi-Ho took him behind Asmokon, to the blind spot of this adversary. Shukuchi-Ho had that option. It either went into the person's guard, or into the behind black spot. Suddenly, and with speed well above what Asmokon could muster, Sozen was in the Quincy's blindspot. For a split second, before wind caught up, it would be as if Sozen had mysteriously disappeared to Asmokon. Just, poof. Now, behind the Quincy, the Kuchiki Head held up his sword and stepped into a slash at Asmokon's back.

As he did this, his foot twisted on the ground, pressing down, and he kept his red eyes as a beat on Asmokon. The Quincy would be unable to perform any tricks without Sozen seeing them. Even more intense was the raw aura and pressure of facing Sozen. Just being anywhere near him was enough to make Asmokon and Hotaru tired. No matter their experiences, he was likely one of the strongest, if not the strongest, opponent either of them had ever come across. And, as a side note, Sozen's reiatsu strength was such that Hotaru actually couldn't break out of Rikujokoro! She was trapped in it, unable to move until somehow it was broken. What would either of them do?

Sozen's Remaining Reiatsu: 2850/3000 Reiatsu

[✠Asmoskon Masurao✠]

Asmoskon watched as he threw his datsu the angles put into play hoping that Hotaru would be able to pick up on the counter offensive that he had just gave her. It seemed though that Sozen was too swift and skilled in a vast array of Shinigami techniques. Asmoskon in the next passing moment had his gaze set on Sozen once again and just as Hotaru was beginning to move backwards the twitch of muscle towards the shoulder gave warning that something was going to happen. The twitch was tiny and normally insignificant something that happens when anything is moved below yet Asmoskon wasn't labeling anything as insignificant right now. In the next instant before he could warn Hotaru six beams of light slammed into her waist.

Asmoskon knew that whatever the beams were that it was a kido cast by Sozen when he had seen the muscle twitch. He only looked for a moment towards Hotaru just to make sure that she was alright and from what he saw the kido was simply a binding technique. It was similar to one of his own ginto yet was more focused on the waist then the joints. That was when Sozen seemed to moved at hyper speeds once more and Asmoskon saw his datsu being deflected off a blur. The blur moved from in front of Hotaru past her and was moving right towards him. Asmoskon had to react he had to do something yet Sozen was obviously far to fast to engage without going nearly all out.

Just as Sozen was moving through the vacuum of space at the speed of 2,100 so that he could get behind Asmoskon and slash at his back, Asmoskon reacted on impulse. All he knew was that he was in danger and while this was suppose to be a training session Asmoskon knew that this was his first impression on Sozen and no matter what he had to make sure that he left a mark. He had to make sure that the head of the Kuchiki would at least be impressed by what Asmoskon could execute. Sozen was moving incredible fast, but as he reached his destination he would find that Asmoskon had vanished.

Even with Sozen's keen eyes and skill at perceiving a battle there was no way for him to know how Asmoskon had just vanished. In less then a fraction of the moment it had taken for Sozen to reach his destination Asmoskon had utilized Antrieb causing reiatsu to burst from the bottoms of his feet launching him above the floor. He had vanished without leaving a trace other then two fresh burns on the floor. Moving at 12,000 in terms of speed was draining and painful yet as the technique finished Asmoskon was on the other side of the large room in mid air about ten feet off the ground.

His shoes were burnt and smoke was coming off of them now yet the major difference was the pitch black short bow in his left hand. In a binding display of speed and skill Asmoskon fired off a single arrow from the short bow aimed for Sozen. The arrow flew at more then double the speed of what anyone who fought a Quincy would assume. Sozen was moving fast thanks to whatever technique he was using yet the arrow was just a distraction even if it was moving at 2350. Just as the arrow had been fired Asmoskon switched his focus activating Klavier. In the next instantly arrow after arrow was fired from the short bow all aimed at the six beams of light restraining Hotaru. Each beam would be shot with three arrows breaking them all resulting in Hotaru being able to move. The final two arrows were arced low to the ground and positioned to the side of where Sozen had been standing just in case he only moved slightly he might find a small surprise.

Remaining Reiatsu: 1050/500
Antrieb: {-600}
Klavier: {-150}
Quincy Cross: {+1600}
Arrow Augmenter: {-250}
1 Class 3 Arrow: {-50}

SPOILER: Click to show

Strength ❖ 300
Speed ❖ 400
Spiritual Pressure ❖ 100-50%=50
Reiatsu Strength ❖ 400x2=800
Light Aura ❖ 80
Dark Aura ❖ 20
Instinct ❖ 300
Senses ❖ 150
Energy sensory ❖ 50
Healing Expertise ❖ 0

•[Weapons: Archery] [4]
•[Acrobatics] [3]
•[Strength of Will] [3]
•[Battle Analysis] [3]
•[Battle Focus] [2]
•[Crafting] [3]

[Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao]

While Hotaru thought that she was out of range, she forgot one thing that he had against her: Kido. She always forgot to think of Kido when fighting other shinigami, mostly because she couldn't use any. So, while she thought she was good, she felt the Kido hit her in the waist. The six rods of light left her completely immobile, which made her angry. She left herself open to get hit with it and she was angry at herself for not even thinking about this. She watched all that happened after getting hit with the light, since she couldn't move.

Sozen saw Asmoskon's attack and was able to deflect them all. But, he also lightly grazed her with his sword. Once the cut happened, her face became stern. The pain immediately became the least priority. Everything around her seemed to come into focus. She was able to focus completely on Sozen, looking to see all the little details that he was doing through all his movements. Hotaru didn't know if Sozen knew about this skill she had developed from his training, but now that she was injured, she would be much harder to deal with.

Hotaru was focusing on Sozen and trying to use her reiatsu strength to break out of the Kido he used. She was unsuccessful, but it was interesting to actually use this skill again. She used it very rarely. Most enemies she had fought against that were stronger than her, she fought against before she developed this skill. Now that she had it, she almost had no reason to actually need it. Sozen used an insanely high speed technique to get around the battlefield. Sozen wasn't pulling punches, which is why she got hurt in the first place.

It was like poetry in motion, watching Sozen. But, Asmoskon was no pushover either. His fighting had greatly changed since she had last fought him and she could tell that he was much stronger than she actually thought he was. It was good for her to see him fight like this, so she knew what to expect from him in the future. But, while all of the fighting was going on, Asmoskon disappeared and she felt some kind of energy come towards her. She felt the rods release and when they did, she immediately used Shunpo to get under where Asmoskon was in the ground. She had her sword up now, honed in on what Sozen might do next.

[Sozen Kuchiki]

Sozen could perceive Asmokon. Believe it or not, the Kuchiki Head was more than capable of doing it. With a wild animal's senses, and his own natural speed, Sozen could see Asmokon beginning to tense up and move, and then he saw the Quincy accelerate and vanish. Having already perceived Asmokon's body and general movements, Sozen's battle analysis and his sheer experience in combat allowed him to evaluate. He had already seen Asmokon's top speed, meaning that in vanishing from sight for that moment, Asmokon had accelerated above and beyond his ordinary maximum. It must have been an extremely high cost technique, evidenced by the smoking trail left after.

Turning casually, Sozen decided not to pursue Asmokon. He could. He had arrived, planning to pursue when Asmokon dodged. Sozen had counted on the Quincy attempting to dodge, and as he saw the preparation for a movement away, prior to the step, Sozen had been ready to counterattack. But, something made him change his mind, and he stayed back, allowing Asmokon time to get away. From there, another arrow was fired. From that distance, Sozen didn't even need to think about it. Trajectory-wise, he knew where it was coming from, and as it began to soar through the air, he knew when it would arrive.

He also could use his skills and what resources were available to his mental faculties to see that the arrow was a distraction anyway, so that Hotaru could be freed. That was called "teamwork." It was good to see that they could work together, and that Asmokon had had both the feeling to think of her, and the sense to think of distracting his opponent before trying to free her. Not a bad way of doing things, but they had both been sloppy. It was clear that Asmokon was more combat apt at the moment, and it should have been him who was the main attack, not the support.

Plus, he had neglected to secure Hotaru's position earlier on, which had allowed Sozen to score that small hit. Furthermore, he had been forced to utilize the thing this exercise was teaching him not to rely on: A reactive step away. Though Quincy could generate a lot of reiatsu, they couldn't do the same with stamina. Using a technique like that wasn't without its drawbacks, and what's more, he had been forced to use it as a counter, rather than as part of a plan. He had been reactive, not proactive. Responding to Sozen, rather than planning for him. It was something that Sozen was adequate to lecture about.

As the arrows were incoming, Sozen's reiatsu exploded forth, flexing in a single, mighty column, just momentarily. It was strong. The wind of it was enough to knock back both Asmokon and Hotaru a couple of inches, even at that distance. It was more than adequate for deflecting the arrows and obliterating them completely. It was also extremely potent. Neither Asmokon nor Hotaru had the necessary spiritual faculties to deal with it. It made it clear that if he wanted to, Sozen could overpower both of them. Plus, for just a moment, they might detect his caliber of combatant. He was a monstrosity, to say the least.

Sozen didn't pursue further attack. Instead, he spoke. "You must both strive to be more mindful," Sozen informed them. "Just there, both of you went in thinking that you would respond to anything I did. Instead of responding to what I do, you should plan for what I might do. And, you need to cover yourselves better when you work as a team. That you are attempting teamwork is good, but right now it's lacking synchronization. You both moved at the same time, but you didn't compliment one another." Scarlet eyes were held over Asmokon and Hotaru, both of whom needed to learn better how to evaluate their combat.

"In real combat, because I had planned a strategy ahead, it would have been simple for me to counter Asmokon's disappearance and take both hands off simultaneous to killing Hotaru and removing her from the equation. In other words, both of you would have died. At your level, you will be seeing opponents of caliber far higher than me, and if you are to survive against them, then you must function better both individually and as a team. Proactive, not reactive. Synchronized teamwork, not layered teamwork." Sozen grew genuinely worried about them, then. How could they stand up to the likes of Basilisk, or Axel Johnson, or the Vandenreich, as they were now?

"Do either of you have any questions?"

[Hokori Kuchiki]

OOC: Kento Hijacked my thread!? I'm getting back into this.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Play This}

IC:

"I have a question."

The voice came from the entrance of the underground dungeon, all at once the room was flooded with spiritual pressure. Expanding on to encompass the occupants of the room, Sozen could feel who it was and Hotaru would as well. It was familiar, and familial. It seemed that Hokori Kuchiki was no longer indisposed as Sozen had known. The spiritual pressure would however be completely foreign to the Quincy. His robes were freshly laundered, and his hayori was pressed as well. On his waist hung Wan Shi Tong. He was taking his time entering the dungeon, having heard and seen the last display of combat between the Quincy, Hotaru, and Sozen. Looking back on it, it would seem to his analysis that they were an item.

"When were you ever going to teach her her lineage?" Stepping closer he came to a stop around the three. Scanning over Sozen's form, he denoted of course he was uninjured. He also denoted the cut on Hotaru and the lack of wounds on the Quincy, before finally beginning to real in the rampaging spiritual pressure he was exuding. "What foolishness. You drive me mad sometimes Sozen." Pressing his glasses higher onto his nose, he sighed. "I take it that you're training her, no, training them." The quincy though sent something within him reeling, he could feel the darkness creeping up again. However he shoved it down. Something of that nature was not suited for this moment in time.

The apparent darkness, the slight difference in his eye color being the only tell to the inner turmoil. "I intend to find out why a quincy is here, but if your intent is to train them. Then I have no choice." He flexed his controlled spiritual pressure. "It seems we'll have to put furthering hold on her genealogy testing today. Hotaru, who's your..." Hokori seemed to be looking for the right word. "You're significant other..?" He awaited some form of explanation, however knowing Sozen it would be like pulling teeth. Perhaps the Quincy, or Hotaru would answer him instead.

[Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao]

Before Hotaru could answer Sozen about any questions, she heard someone say that they had a question. She turned her head to face the voice and then she felt it. The spiritual pressure that she felt come after that was familiar to her. She remembered it from visiting the library. She knew it was Hokori. She thought that he had been busy with something, which is the reason why Sozen took over their training. She watched him walk in, wearing what looked like freshly cleaned clothes with his haori looking good as well.

Hotaru took a deep breath and shook her limbs a bit, so she wouldn't get too cold or stiffen up. She noticed the weapon on his belt, but that wasn't the thing in the forefront. It was what Hokori said that made her crack a little bit of a smile. He stopped around them after asking if she would ever learn of her lineage. He reined in his spiritual pressure then, to where it felt like it did before. It seemed that Hokori didn't approve of Sozen only training her body and not teaching her about the rest of the Kuchiki family.

It seemed that Hokori had decided to give up on the genealogy testing for today, which was pretty nice. She didn't like all the studying that he made her do with him hovering. It was a little awkward for her. She wasn't surprised that he immediately realized that Asmoskon was a Quincy. It was then that Hokori asked who her 'significant other' is . Hotaru looked towards Asmoskon, then back towards Hokori. "This is my fiancee, Asmoskon Masurao. Though, Hokori-sama, if you still want to do the genealogy testing, I will be up for it whenever you want to restart it."

[✠Asmoskon Masurao✠]

Well it seemed that everything Asmoskon had done went through yet none of them were successful other then freeing Hotaru from the kido that Sozen had cast on her. He saw that the arrow he had fired although it had incredible speed behind it hadn't been effective against Sozen in the least. The two other arrows that had been fired at him shattered as Sozen flexed his reiatsu. Asmoskon felt the air of the room intensify due to the tensed reiatsu of the Kuchiki Head and knew from what he was sensing that Sozen had a higher degree of strength in regards to his reiatsu then himself.

Asmoskon heard the sound of Hotaru moving under her and knew that at this altitude if Sozen moved towards her again he'd be able to aid her much more then during the first exchange. There was no room for Asmoskon to be lax against Sozen now that he knew how this training session was going to be handled. He should have immediately started with his bow yet had gone ahead with a less effective method which had led to Hotaru getting hurt. He wouldn't allow such a thing to happen again. Yet as he prepared himself to fire he couldn't really pick up any signs from Sozen. It was then that the Head began to speak.

Being lectured wasn't something that Asmoskon was used to after years of being alone and training himself for the most part. He knew that most of what Sozen said was true especially the fact that Hotaru and himself didn't really work all that well as a team at least not at the moment. Neither of their preferable styles and methods normally would work well with the other and it was one reason why Asmoskon hadn't ever brought Hotaru with him on a difficult assignment. Some of the points Asmoskon didn't agree with yet couldn't exactly disprove either so for the time being not voicing it was his choice.

He had to remain respectful and mindful in this situation and for the time being it seemed that he would need to start taking this training more seriously in order to leave a better impression with Sozen. Asmoskon was awaiting for Hotaru to either voice her opinion on the matter or simply state that she had nothing to add. Asmoskon didn't really have anything he wanted to add at the moment he was more or less starting to get into the actual training and preferred for it to continue. That was when a different voice suddenly spoke and Asmoskon got the feeling that the next exchange might be held off sadly.

Along with the voice came the spiritual pressure and Asmoskon felt that it was around the same strength as Hotaru and himself. It sensed similar to the both of them so that along with the fact that they were all in the Kuchiki Manor at the moment allowed Asmoskon to assume that the individual that was speaking yet hadn't appeared physically yet was another member of the Shinigami noble family. When the man appeared Asmoskon immediately began to assume that perhaps all of the Kuchiki man dressed as these two. When he spoke the subject brought on boredom for Asmoskon with it.

He could recall learning of his own noble family from the time he was five from his grandfather. The actual idea that Hotaru hadn't thoroughly learned of the Kuchiki family yet was something Asmoskon wouldn't have thought possible. Then he recalled quickly a little fact about her when they had first met. Hotaru the first time that he had met her had just graduated from the Shinigami academy and upon seeing him engaged. Prior to that though she had announced herself by a different surname. Asmoskon had actually overlooked this and didn't really know how to go about asking her right now on that subject so he felt it was best just to wait that out and speak to her about it when they were alone.

As the new Kuchiki continued to speak Asmoskon got the impression that he was obviously another Shinigami racist against him. Many of the Shinigami didn't get that while few some Quincy didn't ally themselves with the Vandenreich. Asmoskon was against the Empire that Soul Society had only recently found itself victories against in terms of survival. Asmoskon knew that the Vandenreich hadn't fallen not completely even if the Emperor was dead. All of them would need to be eradicated or else the Vandenreich would continue to strive onwards and reclaim the power that had just been weakened.

As he suspected the next exchange was more then likely a fair bit off now and he would have to be pressed through this exchange of words. So instead of staying above Hotaru and listening from the height Asmoskon dispelled the concentrated reiatsu below his feet allowing him to drop straight to the floor next to Hotaru. When he landed his knees bent only slightly and he then returned to full height. In the following moment the short black bow in his hand vanished and Asmoskon starred defensively towards the new Kuchiki who continued to make passive aggressive comments about him.

While he had a high degree of standing and power in the world of the living right now Asmoskon was in Soul Society and a guest of Sozen. He had to deal for the time being with someone like this making these sort of assumptions about him. The actual question that the man brought up was one that Asmoskon had to struggle internally with to keep his calm. Through only his will was Asmoskon able to stay calm and collected and keep his aggression at bay. Thankfully Hotaru was quick to answer answering with the fact the two of them would soon be wed. Asmoskon had nothing he really wanted to say towards the man yet knew that it would be a black mark on the impression. Bowing slightly and then raising himself Asmoskon extends his right hand outwards to the man.