Rise Up: Aramis Tezuka vs Francis Grin [NDE, PG-13]

[Francis Grin]

Good. Grin had done exactly as he intended with that little attack of his. While it would have been nice to have hurt the man, Grin knew better than to think that Aramis would fall for such an obvious attack. He was a very observant foe, after all. Regardless, it had kept him occupied just long enough for the Squad 11 captain to use his little blood trick, which is really all that Grin had wanted in the first place. With that, his mobility would once again be fairly close to fully operational.

While his opponent dodged, Grin made sure to keep a good eye on him at all times. Had to keep an eye out for any tells that his foe might give out now, after all. This observation quickly payed off, as Aramis once again began an attack. And while Grin may not have been nearly as quick-witted as his opponent, he was still more than adept in the reaction area himself. So the moment that he saw Aramis and his tell, Grin would explode into action.

It was a deceptively simple move at first. Grin would just go into a pirouette, kicking himself into rotational motion with his blood-covered leg. He would extend out his arms while he spun, holding his own Zanpakuto out so that the flat of the blade would catch as much air as possible. However, what everyone would be able to note was that the move was fast. Extremely fast. The time for half-assing things had ended, as far as Grin was concerned. It was time to show just what he was capable of, and that meant going his full speed.

However, that wasn't the only action of note that was happening. He would make the "boot" around his leg more paddle-like, manipulating the blood with nothing more than a thought. The sheer speed Grin was spinning, combined with his incredible strength and the three weapons he was using created something that Aramis was probably quite used to seeing by now: Shockwaves. These shockwaves, however, were leaving Aramis with some real difficulty. He would be left with a severely abridged list of places to dodge, thanks to the fact that Grin's shockwaves would cover virtually every direction in sheer destructive power. Once again, the Nakkabakki was in a difficult position.

Shikai Posts: 3/10

Blood Points: 95/100 (5 points on Revenant)[/color]

[Aramis Tezuka]

His opponent had stepped his game up again. Unleashing his full speed. Aramis suspected that fighting at a speed like that was untenable for long periods of time. That meant his opponent would either use it in a sudden burst, before resuming his former pace... Or he was planning on ending the battle very soon. His opponent began to spin. With the gap in speed, Aramis was not able to react in time. And it took him all of a nanosecond to realize what Grin was doing. He was unleashing an omnidirectional shockwave. Some fighters in the Seireitei, like Kaen or Grin himself may have possessed the leg strength and agility to leap above these shockwaves. Aramis did not. He realized in an instant that he could not evade this technique as he was. F. Aramis declared to himself as he made the only move he could conceive of in that instant to reduce the damage. He intercepted the shockwave from Revenant. He was still able to track his sword in Grin's hands, and leapt into its path. The shockwaves would interfere with one another. Disrupt one another. The only way Aramis was going to withstand this attack was if he took the lightest of them-- the one launched from his own rapier.

He brought up his arms in a cross-block in an attempt to shield himself from harm. The shockwave crashed into him with the force of a speeding truck. Shadow or not, a direct hit was far beyond Aramis's ability to absorb and he felt his ribs break under the force of it, as he did his free arm. Aramis was hurled across the ring like a rag doll, slamming into the ground. He let out a gasp of pain as he struck the ground, and tasted blood. His internal organs had suffered damage. F. ....Prognosis bleak. He thought as he struggled to get up. The moment he so much as turned on his side however, a spasm of pain exploded through him like wildfire and it was all Aramis could do not to cry out.

He would not cry out. He was not about to sacrifice his dignity so easily. A second attempt to stand and a second explosion of pain. This time Aramis was prepared for it though, and his arm managed to find some semblance of balance as he pushed against the ground. Aramis's eyes locked onto Grin. His glasses had been knocked off at some point. He wasn't sure when. Was it when the shockwave had struck him. Or when he had hit the ground? Maybe when he'd been flung? He wasn't sure at all. What he did know is that time was of the essence. With a forceful grunt, the new Captain forced himself back to his feet. "Commendable." He gasped out. In his mind that hissing voice drew him on again. "This is as far as you go without me. You know it to be true. You think you can protect anything or defeat anyone when you deny me? Look at your opponent. He knows his power. He has accepted his strength. You will not win." It cackled. Do it. Show him what it is to be afraid.... Aramis listened as he watched Grin. Dodging his next attack was out of the question in his current condition. Was it right? No. It wasn't.

So Aramis's inner demons came at it from a different angle. "You are what you are because of him... What holds you back? Do you hate him for what he did to you? Hate him for creating you? If not for him you might have lived a blissful life like any other shinigami. You would not be the abomination that you are. Blame him. Blame Sayuri for what you are. Blame him for us." Aramis hesitated. For a split second. Then his eyes closed in realization. Yes. That was it. That was what it was, indeed. Aramis's eyes reopened. "I'm sorry." He stated aloud to Grin. The pain throbbed in his body. His body was screaming for rest. Pain was good. He could use pain. It was punishment for what he was to do. "I have deceived you." He added. His left arm.... the shackle had broken. No doubt the shockwave had done it. And Aramis knew his zanpakuto was about to seal again. There was no hiding it this time.

"Allow me... to be honest with you. With all of you." Aramis intoned in a quiet but audible voice. "When a phantom departs it must leave behind all it took." He told Grin. A rather round-about way of telling him that when Revenant sealed its effects would end and the two would gain back their leg and arm respectively. "In its place, a new horror shall emerge. The phantom must flee when demons come for its soul." He continued. "I am Aramis Tezuka." He declared. "My father was Captain Sayuri of Squad 12. Behold the power he has given his son." He stated. At this moment, Revenant sealed itself. Grin would regain feeling in his leg, within its case of blood. Still bleeding of course, but he would have his leg. This feeling may have been lost however, in the sight that would be before him, on the other side of the arena.

For Aramis's arm had returned as well, and without the protection of the shackle that bound it-- the massive sleeve that covered it once, shredded by the shockwave it was clear for all to see. Not flesh and blood but a living shadow in the perverse shape of an arm. Cruel hooked talons emerged from what could scarcely be called a hand, and a twisted, black chain entangled the limb, sprouting from somewhere hidden under Aramis's uniform. "This is the power my father gave me." Aramis stated, lifting up the black limb. "And he gave me one other power as well. You may hold my blade. But that alone will not stop me." Aramis declared. "Permit me to show you."

"Bankai."

SPOILER: Click to show

{Appropriate music}

Aramis could feel a deep satisfaction roar through him as he finally let the darkness within him take hold. A black reiatsu rose up from him. There was no awesome power that erupted from this. This was not a flare of might, or a show of strength. This was not awe inspiring or intimidating. Not beautiful or mighty. It was.... terrifying. The black power that enveloped him was darker than night. Darker than the darkest blackness. It seemed to not merely be the absence of light, but to be actively devouring the light around it. And from it there was no warmth or strength. Only an icy cold chill. It was though Aramis had surrounded himself in the cloak of the Grim Reaper itself. It was like he had cloaked himself in death. And the battlefield became cold.

A new horror emerged from the blackness, though whether this could truly be called Aramis anymore was uncertain. It was black as night-- a living spectre made of the same darkness from which it had come. It had no legs-- only a twisted, wispy tail that streamed out behind it as it hovered over the ground. Its shoulders and chest were much broader than Aramis's, and its arms more muscular... if you could ascribe musculature to a shadow at any rate. Its arms were highly reminiscent of Aramis's original shadow arm, but was guarded by two large arm bracers that extended up the limbs to the elbow. Its face.... its face. It had none. Only two large, white glowing orbs where its eyes must be, twisted with malice.

"I will teach you fear Captain." Its voice hissed, a dry rasping voice, as it began to sweep towards Grin. The battle was begun anew.

Reiatsu Remaining: 1500/2300 (-300 for Saisei Oni Primera Etapa)
Saisei Oni: 1/4[/b]
Shikai: Ended

[Francis Grin]

Grin would gladly take the opportunity that his foe was laying out in front of him as he spoke. If this had been a real battle, Grin would have simply ended things here. After all, with the thrashing that Aramis had just taken, the former Onmitsukido operative knew that it wouldn't take that much to finish the job. Hell, he had thought for a moment that the man wouldn't be getting up again. It was a testament to his foe that he was still able to operate after that.

But instead of dealing a finishing blow, Grin simply let the spinning in his head settle down, and caught his breath. That little spin had tuckered him out a little bit, mostly from the exertion of going that fast. Still, it wasn't that much of a concern, especially with the moment's rest.

What was a concern was what Aramis' conversation was leading up to. Now, Grin wasn't exactly the most knowledgable about Bankai yet. Hell, he had only reached that point himself recently. But even with his lack of knowledge on the matter, he could tell that what the Squad 12 Captain was doing was not Bankai. Still, regardless of what it was, Grin let it happen. He watched, he listened, and above all, he waited. Grin would simply stand there, considering his foe.

"I will teach you fear Captain."

"No," the covert Shihoin said without any of his usual panache. His voice was level, calm, measured. "You won't teach me fear. I already know fear. I've faced it before, and I have let it nearly overcome me. But even then, I beat it. Out there, one day, there may be someone who can make me cave, who can make me give in to fear. But it's not you, and it's not going to be today. Now, I'm going to ask you once. Please, stop. If you continue this fight, if you take one more hit from me.... Don't let your pride make you so foolish. If you take one more step forward, if you insist on continuing this match.... Then buddy, let me tell you. You're gonna have a bad time."