Arc 1 – Resurgence

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„O reader, do not ask of me how I grew faint and frozen then - I cannot write it; all words would fall far short of what it was. I did not die, and I alive remained not; Think for thyself now, hast thou aught of wit - What I became, being of both deprived.”

Sakura trees rustled in the wind, blossoming in full glory. An endless ocean above was clear, with only an occasional cloud seeking out his companions. The masculine figure gazed out of the open window, his deep voice echoing through the office that belonged to the First Squad. Belonged to the Captain Commander of Gotei 13; Goken Kuribayashi. The sound of wind accompanied his recitation as an old, leather-bound book, rested in his left hand. A small smile rested on his face as he turned the page. He basked in the few rays of sun that made their way to his face. Truly a wonderful day to breathe in the air of Soul Society. „Quite artistic – and very beautiful.”

It was a wonderful day.

A red-headed boy spoke as he entered the room, opening the double doors with enough elan as if to send a message that Goken’s peaceful day was over. He literally danced towards the Captain Commander, doing a little jig as he bowed down. An older Shinigami entered the room soon after, putting his hand on the boy's shoulder and addressing the Captain Commander. „My deepest apologies, Captain Commander Kuribayashi,” the Shinigami glared at the boy before continuing to speak, “He caught me off guard. Moved past me before I was able to do anything. May I have your orders?“ Goken turned around, inspecting both his subordinate and the boy. It took him a few moments to consider his response, before finally opening his mouth. “Thank you, Takama, but you can step outside. I will handle it from here.” With a polite, ninety degrees bow, Takama left the room – closing the door behind him. The boy managed to turn towards him before he left, sticking his tongue out.

„Koki, Shota.” Goken nodded, gesturing towards the chair in front of his desk. „Please, have a seat.”

Shaking his head, Shota took a step forward. “Been sitting all day. Especially the last two hours I’ve been waiting to see you.” The statement piqued Goken’s interest, especially since he had returned to his office just recently. He closed the book, tossing in on the table. “Very interesting you should say that. Except for Takama, there was no one else standing in front when I came back and he did not mention anything about you."

The reply made Shota scratch the back of his head, grinning at the Captain Commander. “About that…” Shota started rambling about his day as Goken approached a cage containing a few black butterflies. “That aside,” Goken said as he unlocked the small lock, “What did you need to see me for?” One Jigokucho flew out of the cage, circling around the room freely, yet not leaving it. In those few moments that Goken turned his back on Shota, the latter approached the desk and was already flipping through pages of the book. „You do realize that if this was someone else’s office, you would have probably gotten yourself kicked out of the room by now?” he said, his gaze meeting the one of the red-headed boy. „I know,” Shota replied with a grin still resting on his face, „That is exactly why you’re the best Captain Commander ever.”

Not arguing with the statement, the best Captain Commander ever allowed the boy speak further. “I am here to make sure that, at the end of the day; you will uphold your end of the deal. Will you?” A small smile appeared on Goken’s face as he put his index finger up, waiting for the Jigokucho to land on it. “I see. That really means a lot to you, does it not?” Shota nodded in response. “I never back down on my words. Should you win first place in today’s tournament, I will grant you your wish. Anything else I can reassure you off?” – “I’d say ‘my victory’, but that one is a guarantee.”

“I guess I’ll be leaving now, Cap'tn.” Shota smiled as he bowed down, not trying too hard at that, and turned around to exit the room. “Cap’, tell me - what was he then?” his reddish eyes looked directly at the Captain Commander, „If he was neither alive nor dead?”

It was not an easy question and it even took someone like Goken a few moments before he managed to find the right words. „A memory with a beating heart.” Obviously pleased with the reply, Shota shot him thumbs up. “I may use that in my next song.” He said with his never-ending amount of enthusiasm, leaving the room in order to complete his final preparations for the day ahead of him.

Even a veteran such as Goken was able to do little but sigh. He did not dislike the boy; if anything he liked him, but his personality was just a tad bit overbearing at times. “Why in the world would he request that?” He pondered, before noticing the Jigokucho finally landed. Emitting some of his spiritual pressure, Goken closed his eyes.

It was time.

„Gotei 13 - my brothers and sisters,” he begun relaying his message to the Jigokucho in front of him. “In an hour time, the annual Hakuda tournament - courtesy of our own Captain Masumata and his Seventh Division, is going to take place. I, Goken Kuribayashi, invite you to register if you haven’t already. All entries are open until five minutes before the first match, which means you have enough time to reach their barracks and enter the competition. It is a great honor for your Squad, but even more so, for you - should you win such a prestigious contest. Last year, Second Squad took the trophy to their barracks. This year, it is again, up for grabs. And remember, Hakuda is not about how hard you hit – it is about how hard you can get hit and keep pushing on.”

“I except to see a great number of you there – your Captain Commander is cheering you all on.” Finishing the sentence, Goken opened his eyes, sending the Jigokucho on his way. With his spiritual pressure emitted, the message should be relayed to all Jigokuchos in the vicinity. The tournament should be a good opportunity to clear his head from thoughts of daily tasks befitting a Captain Commander. He never thought, when taking the position, that so many trivial tasks would actually fall upon him. But, today was a new day and he might even enjoy himself for the first time in a while.

Somewhere in the Seven Squad's Barracks

"Please, do you know any person more trustworthy than me?"

"Yes, everyone."

The smug smile vanished from Aileen Abdallah's face just as quickly as it came. Miyako Kita sighed, but did not falter as she stared down Aileen.

To say that the relationship between the Lieutenant of the Fourth Squad and the Lieutenant of the Seventh Squad has started rocky would be the truth. Even more truthful would be to say that it continued to be rocky to this day.

But work is work, even if said work was a tournament organized by Kita's captain; Hiro Masumata, and both women knew – Kita more than Aileen – that personal animosities should be laid on ice for the duration of their respective "missions".

"Alright, listen. Go along this hallway for fifty meters and then turn left. Continue until you find that big drawing of a pond. The room next to it is empty and should be large enough for you and your team."

"Got it. Don't worry, nobody'll die here. T'is just a bunch of friendly brawling."

Kita had to surpress the sarcastic remark as Aileen went with her group of Shinigami. If the workload she'd had to do increase even more, Kita will definitely die; or so she thought at least.

She looked down at the papers in her hands. Glided her finger over the many scribbles detailing who had to when go where. Ah, a group of young Shinigami from the academy wanted to have some sort of pastry sale. Kita remembered how she approved that, and told them to wait... somewhere for her instructions.

...somewhere.

Shit.

A tall shinigami with wavy blonde hair, some of which hung in his face, looked out to his classroom of a dozen students after hearing the message. He wore the usual shinigami garb with black rimmed glasses sitting on his face.

“In an hour time, the annual Hakuda tournament - courtesy of our own Captain Masumata and his Seventh Division, is going to take place.."

Kira Yoshiro, 3rd seat officer of the 4th squad got the message while teaching a class on healing techniques. He closed his eyes, putting a hand to his forehead with an irritated expression on his face.

"Really?" he whispered in annoyance. He looked up to the classroom of bewildered students. "Well?" he said, waiting for an answer from the class. "What do you think we're going to do?" he asked.

"Go to the 7th and participate?" one student said.

That immediately got the student kicked out of the classroom with a reprimand. Kira pointed to the door, shouting at the student in a harsh tone. "If you want to participate, go right ahead! Guess who'll be there to pick your ass up off of the floor when you get beat down?" he asked as the student stumbled and nearly tripped on his way out the door.

"We will!" he said, regaining some of his composure and addressing the rest of the class, which were down to 11 people now. He hated surprises, especially 'extra' assignments like these.

"I know it's your first week here in the academy, but they will need help during the tournament and it's better to teach you how to treat injuries this way instead of throwing you to the wolves, so to speak."

"Better to treat bumps and bruises, at worst broken bones than attacks from hollows or swords. For those of you who don't know, the Hakuda tournament is strictly hand-to-hand combat."

Kira started to gather his papers and put them in his desk drawer. "Alright, gather your things and head to the 7th district! I'll meet you there." he said in a loud voice. After his students headed out towards the district, he adjusted his glasses and locked the door behind him, thankful for the moments of silence that followed as he made his way to the 7th district.

The flickering street lamps made the white snow glow a sickening shade of bright orange in the town square. The dull thudding of a bassline to some obscure club remix accompanied the laughter and chatter of a group of teenage girls, wrapped up against the cold night. One girl, around 17, stood motionless and gaping in a black Shihakusho. The bitter chill of the night didn't seem to bother this one very much, as her gaze was transfixed upon the girl with the yellow parka.

"What's the matter, Hio? You look like someone's been shot!" teased one of the girls, leading Hioshimi through the night with them under the screeching laughter. The girl in the Shihakusho gulped, made mute against the teasing and the laughter, and stared rigidly at the girl with the yellow parka. Her hands started to shake.

"WEELLP," shouted the girl with the yellow parka, "I'm going to call it for tonight, girls, I'm exhausted! I really need some sleep." and she turned to walk away.

There was a bang, a splat, and a thud. The orange snow turned black with the blood of the girl, and the laughter shifted into high-pitched howls of grief and terror, and the girl in the black Shihakusho was left motionless at the side of the body. There was a time, long ago, where she used to try and help, in vain, to staunch the bloodflow; but her years in the Soul Society and the Gotei 13 told her, very clearly, that a wound to the head was undeniably fatal. She mused over the other options; what if she tripped the girl over? Would she have had to die even then, but the bullet wouldn't have ricocheted off the street lamp and snapped a few of the steel strands of wire holding the neon club sign in the air...would that have meant that Hioshimi would've got to live for a long and healthy life?

Oh right, the neon club sign. Hioshimi looked up as it sped towards her skull, and she shut her eyes...

...Opening them with a choked yell, sitting bolt-upright in a cold sweat in a darkened room somewhere in the barracks of Squad 8. There were two possible explanations; either her captain knocked her out and put her in her bed, or she used kido on herself in the vague hopes of getting some good rest. She really hoped it was the latter; last time her captain knocked her out, she was out for the entire day and had several late pieces of paperwork to apologise for. It looked like daytime, quite possibly early afternoon, or perhaps late morning. Her stomach told her she missed at least one meal so far.

Hioshimi grunted as she sat up, the covers rolled off her but the fog in her head remained. She can't have been asleep for long, last thing she remembered was watching the sun rise on the roof of the barracks because she had finished....had finished...something. Paperwork. Reading a book. Training. Washing her uniform. Jinzen. Sharpening her blade. Flash-stepping from roof-top to roof-top until she tired out. Well, thought Hioshimi bitterly, I'm always tired out anyway, so I couldn't have been leaping around the barracks like an idiot. It had to be something else, and she'll probably figure out what it was later on in the day. Probably wasn't Jinzen, either, she treats that with a lot of respect, it's unlikely she'd forget a meeting with Fuminshiyou. Hioshimi yawned, grabbing her zanpakuto's hilt re-assuringly; there it was, resting on her left side so she could draw it with her right hand. She slipped the sheathe and the blade to rest comfortably in her belt, and her eyes narrrowed.

She held a hand up in the air at the sound of a faint tinkling, and a black butterfly landed on her fingertips. She listened to the powerful, confident and composed voice of her Captain Commander talk about a Hakuda tournament - Hakuda? Really? The one thing I'm not good at. Here's hoping there's a Kido tournament later on... - in around an hour. Dimly, she wondered if her Captain got the message with her for a moment, before opting to assume that he didn't and she headed outside, yelling at the rest of Squad 8 to gather around for the announcement.

Darkness, once again. It was all there ever was, aside from the voices. But they were hardly company with the atrocities they'd whisper to him hour upon hour. Sometimes he'd try to respond to their taunts and jibes, hoping to incite them to leave him alone. But the more he reacted, the louder the voices rose. Until eventually he remembered that it was just him, alone and in the dark. And that the voices were his own, the many that had filled his head over the years since he was first imprisoned.
It was then that the weight of his shackles became apparent to him. They grew heavier by the day, though the remnants of his logical mind suspected that it was merely him growing weaker. Trying to remove them proved only futile, since they were more then just metal. These were wrought from Reiryoku; A common Bakudo spell, yet one he found impossible to break being that he knew nothing about Kido.

A loud noise broke him from his thoughts. The all too familiar screeching of metal against metal as the thick bolt slid across and unlocked the door that sealed the room. Piercing light flooded into the underground prison, forcing him to slam his eyes closed. Although, the light wasn't the only reason he shut them. The creak of old wooden steps allowed him to follow the position of the one who had just entered, until they reached the bottom where the dried ground would muffle their footsteps and he would lose track of them. Which of them would it be this time? And what would they want from him? He didn't need to ask the question out loud to know the answer.
Eventually he could sense that whoever it was now stood only a meter in front of him. The whisper of their breathing was as loud to him as any explosion would have been. But he still jumped when the voices spoke out to him. 'Slaughter them. Tear them to pieces. They all deserve it, each of them. We can help you. Let us protect you.' The voices started to grow in number until eventually they became unintelligible. Until the weight of them suddenly began to overwhelm him. He started to pull against the chains that bound him, aching to be free of them. The voices closed in on him, repeating their words over and over. Jinzo could feel his consciousness slipping away from him.

Outside of Squad Eleven's Barracks
Jinzo opened his eyes slowly and let out the breath he'd been unknowingly holding. He could still hear the faint whispers dying out as his mind returned to the present. With a slow sigh he sat up, dangling his legs on either side of the tree branch he'd been lying on. It was late morning, or so he thought. Jinzo didn't really pay much attention to the time. Day or night he struggled to sleep soundly at the best of times. He could hear the hustle and bustle of his Squad Barracks, today was the day of the Hakuda Tournament. No doubt his Squad mates were busy practicing, a thought confirmed by the odd grunt of pain or cheer from the spectators as pairs of the lower ranks sparred against each other in unarmed combat. He dropped down from the tree branch with a practiced grace and began walking towards the barracks.

It didn't take him long to cross the courtyard and to arrive at the entrance. More sounds of fighting could be herd now. Jinzo continued into the barracks to watch. He reached the open doorway and lent against it, watching intently as six pairs of Shinigami sparred with each other upon white dojo mats. The thuds of their calculated footsteps reverberated through the floor, accompanied by labored breathing and the sounds of unarmed strikes hitting against sweat-soaked skin. One bout in particular drew his attention. It was that of the 8th Seat Miyozuri Hayamate and an Unseated kid, fresh out of the Academy. Miyozuri had taken an early lead, commanding the center of the mat using his sheer size advantage over the boy. Whoever had chosen this match-up had clearly meant for it to be stacked against the new guy. The kid, however, remained stalwart in his attempts at taking the middle for himself. His skinnier build allowed him to move a lot faster than the 8th seat, easily dodging the wild swipes of his bear-like hands. The crowd surrounding the two were jeering the kid, taunting and hollering with every attempted hit. But the boy paid them no heed, he was focused intently, eyeing his prey, preparing for the kill.

Then suddenly, in a flash of movement, the boy launched himself under another of Miyozuri's swipes, slamming his open palm into the rib cage of the 8th seat then darting away and out of harm's reach. Miyozuri howled in pain, a broken rib usually did that to you. The crowd quietened a little. Until then, the boy had done nothing but dodge and weave out of the way. None of them expected his strikes to be so fast. Jinzo could see it though, the lad had it in him already. The killing instinct that would propel him through the ranks. It would be the reason why Miyozuri would lose this bout, his earlier cockiness and bravado had only hastened his defeat. By now the 8th seat had taken a more defensive stance. He was slightly red-faced and breathing much heavier than before, more than just one broken rib then. He'd even taken a step back, giving the boy just enough space for his follow-up attack.

The Unseated fighter launched into a run, his eyes focused and hard. Miyozuri reacted quickly to it, turning his injured side away from the boy but leaving his left leg forward and his upper-thigh at a rough forty-five degree angle. The kid gave only the faintest of smiles before leaping toward the large 8th seat. His foot landed on Miyozuri's thigh but pushed hard as he sprung himself into the air, just beating his opponent's abnormally large height. As he reached the apex of his jump, the boy had primed his right elbow. Then, in a single movement, brought it slashing down upon the 8th seat's face. Blood spewed from Miyozuri's nose instantly, erupting in a spray that covered his upper body in seconds. But he was unable to react to it as he was already falling backward, out cold.

A loud cheer went up as Miyozuri crashed onto the mat. The young Shinigami's face broke into a wide smile. Jinzo had seen enough. "Hmph, pathetic." He uttered, pushing himself away from the door frame, a picture of obvious distaste on his face at Miyozuri's shameful display. The barracks went silent and turned to face him. The Shinigami of the 11th Squad bowed toward him and spoke in unison, "Lieutenant Iaori!" Jinzo strode further into the large dojo area, towards the mat where the 8th seat had recently been bested. His imposing shadow covered the young Unseated Shinigami who was still shaking from the adrenalin. Jinzo allowed himself a smirk. Or was it fear? "You fought well." He began. "Your instincts were strong and your execution was flawless. Be proud of your victory today."

"Thank you, Sir." The boy muttered, sweat dripping from his face. Jinzo glanced over at the mess that was the 8th Seat. Then, to the crowd that had surrounded the earlier bout, he ordered, "Get that thing cleaned up. The Captain will be here any minute." He began to walk towards the far end of the dojo area before adding, "The same goes for the rest of you, The Hakuda Tournament will start in less than an hour. Kenpachi-sama will want you to be ready. Now get to it." The large room burst suddenly into activity as the lower ranks scrambled to get the place cleaned. Jinzo, however, continued to walk calmly to his office. As he did so, he thought about the tournament and how he'd, for the 10th year in a row, declined the invite to fight. Strange as it was, given that he was the Lieutenant of the 11th Squad, Jinzo could care less about the neanderthal style of fighting that was Hakuda. He'd always vowed to himself and to the few brave enough to ask why he refused to take part, that if there ever came a day when a bare hand could stop his Zanpakuto, only then would he take up Hakuda.

Shota was lucky that the tournament was going to be held at The Seventh Squad barracks, instead of at the stadium. Some kind of a special occasion that he didn't care much about to remember. And the barracks weren't as far away from the First Squad barracks. For example, if it were held at the Eleventh Squad, that would've been a longer and more tiring trip for him. And he probably wouldn't have enough time to get ready. This way, he was already at the barracks; although it seemed that not all contestants came, there was quite a handful of people. No sign of Captains yet.

Nonchalantly proceeding further into the barracks, he searched for a room designated for Fifth Squad participants. Only thing that was in his way was a choice - left or right? He stopped for a split second, inspecting the picture of a pond, before choosing to turn left. No particular reason for his decision, besides the fact that a saying stated to always follow a left wall when you wanted to reach your destination. Or was that right? Either way, he found himself in front of a few empty rooms and one seemingly occupied by a group of Shinigami.

And a beautiful being with green eyes and full lips - a beautiful lieutenant. A grin appeared on his face as he knocked on the door, clearly wanting to... ask for directions.

"Lady Lieutenant?"

In general, rooms that are filled with Aileen are at the same time often filled with chaos and a lot of free-flowing fury energy. Move that box there, unpack the here. Faster, faster, pronto! Dinner ain't waiting, goddamnit. A few years ago some punks tried to do combine Hakuda with really murky Kido before the tournament even began. Man, did that suck. She found one guy's tooth in her clothes weeks after it happened. Disgusting. Utterly. Took five field trips to heal that trauma.

So, when it knocked, Aileen was for a very short moment very not amused.

Fortunately, it was not some bleeding asshole.

"...oh, that's acceptable."

Aileen eyed the fifth's squad Lieutenant. Carefully, inch for inch. A coy smile on her lips betrayed that she did approve of his excellent manners.

"Shota Kokki, fifth squad, isn't it?"

She stepped a bit closer to him.

"So... how can I help?"

"You can help me in a lot of ways," Shota replied, entering the room. "Indeed, Shota Koki - at your service." He kissed her hand as he introduced himself - although he saw her plenty of times before, he never talked to her a lot. Which was a shame. But, really - what did he need help with? Love? Probably.

No! He came searching for direction, yes. "Actually, I am looking for a room assigned to my squad. But that can wait, how are you on this fine day?"

Sure, he was here to prepare and win the competition, but what would his win be worth if he wasn't socialising. Especially with ladies.

She could feel all the rolling eyes behind her back. Idiots, they better get back to work, or Aileen would have to punish them later.

Ah, but yes! Shota. He kissed her hands and - oh dear - a pleasant shiver went up her arm. A big satisfied grin appeared on her lips. He asked for directions - which was a shame, as Aileen could show him something completely different - but fortunately he realized that there were more important matters than his Squad. That thing was Aileen, of course. It was then that she remembered something about this good-looking devil.

"Hey, aren't you that singer who just released that single recently? "Show me your love", was it?

I gave it a listen, and I thought it was sh-" it

Wait, no. You can't do that, Aileen. You can't just say that somebody's work is shit if you want too bang them. Uh, diplomacy. Yes, yes, that. Good word. I need some fucking words now. Good words. Fancy words. Ah, I have an idea! Yes, this'll impress him:

"The composition was a most unpleasant work of contemporary fashion. The moment the sound of your vocal chords, emitted by an electronic playing device, penetrated my ears; i felt as if the regions of my brain responsible for audio processing were the victims of multiple unconsenting sexual acts. The pain was so severe that only punishment of the Shinigami who cursed my soul was the correct response."

Nailed it

He was being recognized as a successful singer without even releasing an album. How amazing was that? - it seemed that Shinigami knew exactly how good his music was. That is... if she meant to say that. Sure, she looked like a goddess, but spoke like a philosopher. And that wasn't exactly the best thing for Shota. He raised his index finger in the air, before putting it back down.

He had absolutely no idea what she was talking about.

"You can just say it was a good song, no need to be shy. But I will give you that the song is all about penetrating - ear drums." He winked. Although he had no idea what she was talking about, there was no reason to let her know. After all, he was a professional in what he did. "And I am glad you noticed how well my vocals blend with the song. It took me quite some time to piece it all together." Shota nodded to further emphasize the fact.

At that point, a thought dawned in his head - a piece that allowed him to solve yet another puzzle. Maybe, she loves big words - like, really loves big words. I should definitely utilize that. Phew - and to think that I almost missed that little bit. You're getting rusty, Shota. Concentrate, concentrate. Just say the first thing that comes to your head.

"But, to be quite honest with you. Understanding how chords works, especially in electronic music, is a feat of great knowledge and hard work. If I was to give my personal, and humble, opinion - I would say that the song itself was a piece of my soul translated, first onto paper, and then into the headphones of people around Soul Society. It is the ultimate evidence that love is greater than any other form of contemporary fashion. And of course, the song serves as a gateway for young couples to enjoy their nights together - in a completely romantic sense."

Heh, I'm brilliant.

It... worked? Huh. No, of course. Of course it worked. There was no question it would work. It worked like an industry-grade hammer that striked and striked again to leave a beautfiful piece of... piecemanship. Whatever. She'd have to train her phallic symbolism later. Now though, Shota became even more interesting. He seemed to try and one-up Aileen in the department of talking big. In a way, Aileen couldn't have that, because there was only one place in which people were, with great pleasure, allowed to be above her.

In another way, it was also really cute, no?

"Oh, you are indeed quite the interesting specimen~

Say, you are participating in the tournament today, yes?"

Aileen thought about requesting that he wouldn't beat up too many people, but no, she had a much better idea. Something that would fit a lady like her, and a gentleman like him. And is it not the dream of every little girl to have some man to do shit for her?

"Do me a favor and win; I want to see whether you are... good with your hands."

Another victory for the Showstopper, Shota thought to himself. If he was alone, he'd probably given himself a thumbs up. His words worked like a charm. What a beautiful art he was able of producing. Now, the question remained - was she genuinely impressed? Of course, there was always the possibility that she was just playing with him and laughing on the inside, whilst all the meanwhile Shota remained completely oblivious to it.

Stop spreading bad vibe, Shota scolded his narrator. Er.

Of course she was impressed. There was no question his words hit the right spot - it worked like a charm. Another victory for the Showstopper. Now - that's the spirit.

"Not participating - I am winning the tournament today." He smiled as her words suddenly reminded him that he actually was here for the tournament. "If you show me in the right direction, I might just show you how good I am."

Today was really working out for him. Even if he takes a punch or two, he'll very probably have a Fourth Squad Lieutenant coming to his aid at the end of the day. Coming with his aid. Shota was really one of the worst specimen in Soul Society.

You, shh, you.

"Aileen, there is someone who wishes to speak you at the building entrance."

Oh, hell. Miyako Kita appeared in the door just as things began to be really fun. Aileen shot her a poisonous glare. Kita did not falter, and thus Aileen sighed - loudly and clearly played for drama - and slowly left the room, but not before giving Shota a sexy little kiss, flying through the air to him. Whoever disturbed her should have a really really good reason. And for Kita, well, Aileen would have her revengeance.

Kita waited a few seconds, her eyes following Aileen for a bit, before she spoke up

"Koki, you should not play with girls like her. It's not worth the trouble.

Now, if you come with me, I'll show you where everything you need to know is."

sorry double post!!

The sun's warmth beamed down on his face as Yorudan meditated in the garden that he made upon his arrival into the Squad 9 barracks. While he sat and pondered the universe at large he could feel the energy of the cosmos flow through him and everything around him. The silent songs of the trees and rocks around him resounded in a glorious symphony he could slowly feel his own Reiryoku begin to meld into world at large as he could feel himself begin to decypher the grander mysteries of heaven and earth, when the one thing he had hoped would not happen, happened.

"Lieutenant Rosu! Are you out here?!"

The voice of the unseated fresh out of the academy seemed to resonated throughout his entire being as the once loud and harmonious music of nature abruptly faded back into silence. As Yorudan once again regained 'consciousness' he turned and gave the new recruit a glare that would turn normal men into stone, and judging from the horrified expression that the new Shinigami was now displaying, Yorudan assumed that the look just so happened to have had the desired effect. The breeze blew through Yorudan's long flowing beard as he stood up begrudgingly dusting off his hakama and tieing his Gi back into the accepted manner.

"Yes, what is it that you need recruit?"

The stuttering and bumbling of the recruit only served to irritate Yorudan further as the towering hulk of a Buddhist came to stand in front of the terrified recruit, his Gi could barely contain the bulk of his muscles as his eyes narrowed in on the quaking individual in front of him, causing the three vertical dots on his forehead to wrinkle up in frustration. The new recruit finally gathered enough of his wits in order to convey the message he had been sent to deliver,

"The...uh...Hakuda Tournament will be....uh starting soon and...uh...the other...uh...other squad members were going over to compete and we wanted to know if you wanted to come with us?"

Yorudan searched the recruits eyes for a moment to see if he would falter from what he had said. If Rosu was being honest with himself, he rather enjoyed his size and stature along with the fact that he was a lieutenant gave him enough clout to mess with the minds of the lower seated officers of his squad. He had gotten over being interrupted minutes ago and now was fighting the urge to burst out in laughter, finally giving into the urge and belted out a loud belly laugh and grabbed the young Shinigami by the shoulder to reassure him.

"Don't worry young one, you have done well. Go and gather the others that wish to attend and I will join you as soon as I am able."

Yorudan left the stunned Shinigami in his wake as he made his way out of the barracks and into the street that ran in front of them. The hustle and bustle of the every day people going about their daily lives brought a smile to his face as he watched children play in a grassy area just up the road, pretending to fight Hollows in an epic struggles with their zampaktous made of wooden rods. Although the walk to the Squad 7 barracks was not a long walk, it was enough to re-energize his mind and soul. As he arrived at the barracks of Squad 7, Yorudan was just in time to watch his squad mates step up to sign into the tourney.

Once the group had subsided he saw the face of Squad 7's lieutenant in a furrow as per the norm that he could tell. Yorudan couldn't dwell too much on it though, she was in charge of organizing this entire event and was having to deal with some of the unruly members of the Gotei 13. In a calm and casual manner Yorudan approached the obviously stressed shinigami and greeted her in a similar voice.

"Good day to you, Lieutenant Kita. Would there perhaps be any room left for the Hakuda tourney?"

“Here you go. Don't break anything, or I must rip out your throat.”

With a pat on the back, Kita sent Lieutenant Koki into the room designed for his Squad. She had organized big posters to hang on the doors, so that people knew where they needed to go, but apparently she should invest into signs to be posted everywhere next year.

Back to her clipboard. It started to become really colorful – red and green and blue scribbled all over the once so clean and stern paper, all for the purpose of telling Kita whether something has been done or not. She looked at her watch, still some time left. She positioned 20 urns around the barracks, where the contestands could deliver their filled-out entry formulas. At this time, 10 of these urns should already have closed and be taken in, but she only received signal of 9 Shinigami.

She snarled. At Hakudania Seven, the people she assigned to take in some of the urns slacked off, with the results being that nearly 25% percent of the participants simply weren't registered. It was a near miracle she managed to correct that mistake; and it she was less than willing to have to rely on another miracle.

Then there was Hakudania Three, where some fools from the Eleventh decided it's be in their best interest to smash the urns. Of course, they got disciplinated by several people, but Kita developed some Kido to secure the urns more.

Lieutenant Rosu arrived – she liked this guy, at least he was polite and didn't make a damn fuss all the time – and asked for open spots. Kita looked at him for a second.

“Hm... oh, yes. Of course. Greetings, Lieutenant Rosu.”

She handled her clipboard and pulled out a few pieces of clean paper.

“Here are some empty lists. You know the drill – Name, Squad, Position, and then put them in an urn.”

Taro Kaeda & Ueru Kenpachi

---

He could smell it, their odor. It lingered over the immediate area like a plague, infesting the surrounding air with the musty stench of human sweat. Ueru raised a hand to his nose. Trying to block out smell to no avail. In a flash of irritation, his fur spiked up.
"Don't they realize they stink?" His voice was a lowly growl, deep and throaty. His eyes daggers as he stared at the entrance to the Seventh Division's battle ground. He could already hear the audience's impatient whines.
"Stupid bare-skins." In his usual demeanor, the wolf-man snarled at the air before him as he made his approach. Despite his rhetoric, he was truly mad at only one person. Himself. As he had once again lost his most prized possession, a blue stuffed bear named 'Mr.Ziggy'.

"Ueru!" Taro slapped his palm on the tall beasts shoulder in a friendly greeting. Taking a deep breath of air he prepared himself to watch the glorious tournament he had come to watch, "Can you smell that my friend? That's the smell of a good tournament! And rice balls..." he quietly added as he took in an extra breath.

"Taro." Ueru grunted as the man addressed the smell in the air. Looking at his hand for a moment before grinning broadly, showcasing his array of fanged teeth. "That..." He corrected. "Stinks." At this the giant wolf turned to face his friend, offering the large man a friendly hand. "Almost as much as you." He grinned once again.

"Ha!" Taro grasped the firm hand. "How are you Ueru?!" It was hard not to notice the Vice captain when he spoke in his notoriously loud tone. "I hope your not taking part, these young ones would tear you limb from limb!" nonchalantly he threw an open hand to a group of distressed looking Soul reapers who were quivering in the Captains shadow, Taro always liked to watch the effect Ueru had on the unseated officers, it allowed him to pick the ones who showed no fear and drown out the wimpy upstarts who hadn't yet seen a training field. "I jest! I jest! no doubt a man like you wouldn't even be allowed to enter such a tournament. It's a place for men, not beasts." he remarked with a wide grin strewn across his face.

Kenpachi Grinned. Taro always had that effect on him, as he often found the man to be quite... amusing. Thus, as if you further demotivate Taro's followers from trying, he growled at them mockingly as the large man gestured to wards them. "You should go fight the other bare-skins, Taro. I think i'd enjoy watching you squish some for me." At this point, Ueru had begun to make his way through the entrance and into the arena. He winced as the loud sounds of mass banal chatter touched his ears. He folded them.

"You know what I'm like Ueru! I wouldn't hold back and I think it's in our initiates best interests to keep their spines in place don't you think?" the muscle-bound man let out a jolly laugh as the two walked the length of the stone path that led to the arena, side by side.
"Besides, I like to watch the fights more. I know I can fight, but I don't yet know how everyone else fights." The rare words of wisdom almost reminded Taro to concentrate. As he sat cross-legged he leaned to one side with his elbow in the air, his hand firmly on his knee, Taro turned to look at Ueru.
"Anyway, good to see you my friend, this should be a treat! Enjoy it!" Slapping the wolf-mans shoulder once more he leaned closer to the arena with a fierce grin on his face as he anticipated the first fight.

Collaborative Post between Yoshua and Riddle

She watched her opponents hand carefully, analysing every move he made. She was tense; if she didn’t do something soon, she was going to lose. Her brow furrowed as one of her soldiers was taken down, that so wasn’t fair. Her fingers twitched as she raised her hand to finally make her move, her eyes scanned the area, looking for an opening, but she found none - there was death in every turn,

“So, how’s the Punishment Force going?” her opponent asked in a deep voice, as smooth as silk - her blue eyes flickered up to his for a split second, before looking back down,

“No different to any other specialised division, I guess.” she sighed, moving her piece as she spoke; Romiel smirked,

“Will you be entering the tournament?” he asked as he slowly made his move, leaning back in his chair with a satisfied smirk on his features. Arina huffed a sigh before throwing herself back in her chair, a childish pout on her features as she sulked over her loss - he chuckled slightly,

“You’re such a sore loser,” he proclaimed, which caused her blue eyes to narrow on him,

“I hate Shogi,” she muttered, her immaturity seeping through - but within a split second, her face was scrunched up, as she pondered over his question,

“Pfft, no,” she scoffed, “that’s not my thing,” she mused - a glint in Romiel’s blue eyes hinted that it was not what he was asking, and she frowned – “I’ll be off to the side with Pachid – watching… that’s what I do,”

He smirked, as he folded his arms over his chest, “Sitting on the fence… I suppose it’s what you do best, really.” he mused, and her eyes narrowed on him,

“Like you can talk,” she replied in a snarky tone; they both knew what she was referring to – and the underlying tension of their predicament seemed to seep through their simple conversation. “At least I’m sitting on one side of the fence,” she mused, and Romiel raised an eyebrow at her vague metaphor… the question he had to ask was, whose side of the fence was she sitting on? For once he couldn’t tell.

Managing the tumultuous 2nd division in the stead of its captain was a tough job, this was surely true, but she was diligent as any good lieutenant could be. It also helped that a good portion of the division was infatuated with her and so would meet every command or order with a dreamy smile before vanishing in a shunpo. They'd never run off, it was always a shunpo or a sudden disappearance, almost like they were vying to see who could best please her in order to earn her favor. Stopping a moment at that thought, the woman glanced upwards a bit as if peering at the contents of her own mind, her head slightly tilted, and her lips arranged a look of frowning concentration. "Well...that's probably exactly what's going on," she said a bit ruefully, almost rolling her eyes.

As if on cue one of the shinigami she had sent off to deliver messages and keep an eye on the Jigokucho that passed through the area. Apparently he had intercepted one, which had given him some message. Still, as he relayed to her the contents of said message she gave him a gentle, and in actuality fake, smile to sate his boyish lust for attention and approval from the object of his affection. Even though it was a fake smile, she did it out of kindness...in more ways than one. As if to accentuate this, Hana felt a stirring at her left hip causing her to nod slightly and send him off with another set of instructions, making sure he informed the entire division and with haste. "Now do be on your way, I'm quite busy today, plenty to arrange," she said with somewhat mock cheer.

He nodded, doe eyes, and vanished, his speed even greater than when he'd arrived. After several seconds she released a deep sigh and leaned on the wall of the hallway slightly. "That was close..." she stated as she felt her zanpakuto begin to settle down once more. Yes, that was the other reason she did her utmost to never show any sign of displeasure with most individuals with whom she interacted, for if she did Shingai-sha would reer her ugly head and there'd be another member of their division heading off to either the psyche ward or counciling to help them get over the intense trauma that was induced by nigh any interaction with her sword spirit.

Frowning as she felt her zanpakuto stirr slightly, Hana noticed the fourth seat, who was a small middle woman --much to her relief-- rushing towards her. However, before she could even open her mouth to report, Hana spoke, shushing her. "You are to manage the division in my absence," she said sternly, but with an apologetic look in her eyes. "What ever for?" Chiho queried, frowning at Hana and putting her hands on her hips. Hana gave her an apologetic smile and then glared in the direction of the 6th division's barracks. "I need to retrieve our captain..." she replied curtly, causing Chiho to release a sigh of relief and gently put her hand on the younger woman's shoulder. "Good luck, child," Hana smiled at her thankfully, bowed her head respectfully for a moment, and then turned to depart. "Thanks Chiho, I'll need it, Arina can be quite the difficult little bitch," Chiho covered her mouth and then laughed, unable to withold the amusement that bubbled in her from her superior's playful insult. Waving, Chiho turned around and began to deal with those who approached her...well, at least till she could find Saru feng, the 3rd seat, and oust her responsibilities onto him.

---

Having traveled quite a ways to get to the 6th division, Hana arrived a few minutes after the two captains had concluded their game of shogi, and while she wasn't out of breath she couldn't say she wasn't at least a bit tired from the trekk. As such, she made sure not to arrive exactly at 6th division, but instead to hide behind one of the nearby buildings and catch her breath a bit. After half a minute she walked around the corner and into sight of the members of Romiel's squad. Doing her best, she made sure to dart out of sight again, concealing her reiatsu as she did so. She wanted to avoid the large throngs of men who might drool over her. Mostly for their sake, ironically...she really could use a bit of drooling in that moment. She shivered a bit, thinking of something related to that activity that was far less...acceptable in public. Turning her mind away from such things, Arina finally shunpo'd onto the small hill near the 6th division, which housed a gazebo, in which the two captains were sitting. As she got there she respectfully bowed her head to Romiel, and then turned her venemous gaze onto her own captain and spouted out, "Why the hell are you here slacking off while I work my butt off running your division?!" Her hands, like Chiho's had been, were now on her hips, one of said hips jutting to the side indignantly even as Hana's lips moved into a small frown, which looked a bit like a cute pout at the same time. She then waited for Arina's response, and she hoped it was good because Shingai-sha was getting restless and that was never fun for anyone....

“The truth of the matter is we both live on the fence Arina, and you can’t deny that; those you’re loyal to even question where your allegiance truly lies,” Romiel mused, knowing full well what most people thought of her.

“The difference between us is that yours don’t lie anywhere,” she shot back,

“They lie with me,”

Arina opened her mouth to say something, but was instantly silenced when she found herself on the receiving end of a lecture from Hana. She raised an eyebrow at her Lieutenant's curt tone, and Romiel simply smirked, leaning forward on the table and resting his chin on his clasped hands as they both eyed the girl. This wasn't uncomon for her – Arina was usually skiving off somewhere; to be honest, the Second Division was renowned for passing work down the chain of command.

“Now, now Hana, no need for that kind of attitude – you’re working your butt off because you’re a good Lieutenant and do what you’re told,” Arina stated with an amused tone, to which Romiel chuckled, “Besides, it’s not like you can’t delegate your workload to the other seated members,”

Hana glared at Arina a moment, before Romiel opened his mouth, and then she realized what she was doing...a moment too late. Her zanpakuto, which had been fastened at her hip, sprung out from her reach, liquifying, but not into metal. Instead, it turned into a mass of flesh, permeating the hill with the smell of death and rotting meat. The mass had lunged through the air at Romiel, taking form as it did so sot hat by the time it was about to slam into him, it was in the shape of a fully grown woman, with unnaturally purple eyes, elongated eyes, and a wicked snarl across her lips, sharp teeth could be seen within. "I oughta snap your little mind for giving my Hana trouble, you dirty disgusting little man," There was a terrible aura of hostility and instability that began to eat at the minds of all within a mile or so's distance.

Hana swore under her breath, trying to get a handle on her reiatsu to suppress the effect, but to no avail. "Dammit Shingai-sha, why can't you ever just stay out of it!?" The spirit didn't even turn to regard her master, instead, her body split in two, a copy of the previously described woman flowing out from the back of the first to stalk over to Arina, claws forming on her hand instead of fingernails. "And you! I oughta gut you for forcing poor Hana to overwork herself! She might lose her beautiful complexion from all the sun, or become to bulky from all the running around. We wouldn't want her to become self conscious of her thighs, now would we. Oh wait, you wouldn't understand that now would you? You've alreayd been ruined by all those men I know you've been sleeping with."[I] Shingai-sha spat in front of Arina, her purple eyes glowing even more fiercely as the shrill tones of Hana's shikai became [I]almost audible from the zanpakuto's sheer rage, which fueled it.

Hanayaka, on the other hand, had placed her hands on her head, trying to beat the spirit down from within so that she could regain control of the situation, but so far to no avail. Meanwhile two enraged copies of Shingai-sha attempted to kill, or at least berate, two captains. One of the two straddling Romiel, her teeth becoming sharper and sharper even as her venemous words attempted to cut through the hide of Romiel's mind so the horrible being could drive him mad; the other stalking towards Arina, an aura of killing intent emitting from her form as claws formed on both her hands as well as small amounts of carbon based armor up her arms. Overall it wasn't looking too great....

Romiel hadn’t really been expecting it – he had thought she’d go for Arina, but apparently he was “a dirty disgusting little man”. By the time he realised where Shinhai-sha was headed, he simply decided to let it happen; he hit the ground with a sigh and a bored expression as he stared up at the clouds, trying to block the psychotic Zanpakuto out. His eyes flickered from the soft fluffy clouds, to the evil purple gaze of the spirit. Arina on the other hand, had to cover her mouth in order to silence a giggle as she watched Romiel be pinned down.

“It’s funny how he’s the dirty one, but you’re the one on top, Shingai,” Arina mused, watching the spirit's body split into two. Arina sighed at this, as a clone advanced on her, menacing claws growing, “Don’t make me release,” she warned, her blunt gaze staring at the horrifying creature as it pressed forward – Arina glanced to Hana for a moment, watching the girl clutch her head… for a second, she hated Romiel for taking Tamashi from her.

With a small sigh, she wrapped her hand around the hilt of her sword, murmuring the words, “Hikisaku, Hinazuka” – she ripped her sword from its sheath, ready to attack, but nothing happened. She groaned slightly, shaking the blade, “Come on, don’t do this now!” she hissed at the dormant Zanpakuto. But there was nothing, not even a peep from Hinazuka. Arina shot a dark glare at it, before lifting the sword to the spirit,

“Fine, be that way,” she muttered, looking past her and to Romiel who was frowning slightly,

Romiel lifted his head towards the horrid smelling heap of flesh, arching his back as he did so, giving him the leverage he would need to be able to move her. If this helped lift Shingai, he would yank his arms down, gripping his sword and muttering “Kurayami no naka ni dete iku” – that would be all he needed for his Zanpakuto to release and plenty of small shadow creatures to crawl out from the darkest areas of the garden.

Their disjointed bodies would curve into an animalistic shape as they charged for all those who posed a potential threat, which was everyone save for Hana. Arina would be spear tackled to the ground and land on her back with a creature ripping its mouth open and screaming in her face. While two groups would go for Shingai-sha and her duplicate.

Not one to ignore her surroundings, Shingai-sha seemed to almost growl as she noted the release of the two zanpakuto into their shikai state. However, one proved useless, causing the clone to smirk, the smile spreading and spreading till her cheeks tore widdening the smile into a horrifying cheshire grin. Her eyes glowed even more fiercely and her iris began to widen to fill her eyes. While the captains were doing well to resist her influence, there still seemed to be a strange quivering aura around the two Shingai-sha bodies, as if there were gas in the air around her.

Before the shadow creatures could reach Arina's clone, her mouth opened and she spoke, "Get back to work, or I'll come back." The body then shrunk, moving under the shadowy beastlings as they lunged at her, causing them to miss. The flesh then crept back towards Hana and formed the sheath of Misute's weaponized form. The other clone drew an extremely shallow bloody line from Romiel's cheek and neck, causing little to no real damage, and then she too melted and then reformed just as her other half had done.

A few moments after this, Hana stopped clutching her head with both hands, instead rubbing her temples with one hand and sighing, a small frown plastered across her face. "Well...that wasn't how I intended this to go at all," she said with quite notable irritation, Hana then turned to Romiel and walked over, offerring a hand to him with a slightly worried frown on her features. "Sorry Romiel, I can heal those scratches if it'd help..." she knew enough kido to do at least that much, plus one had to when their sword spirit was so damned insistent on terrorizing people around her.

Arina cocked her head to the side in a small glare as the spirit ordered her to get back to work; she’d seen that horrific face far too many times to count, and that malice was still suffocating. She didn’t return her sword as the womanly thing started to shrink, and she most certainly wasn’t expecting it when a force ran at her, launching her to the ground and pinning her down. She let out a small yelp as her blue eyes snapped up to look at the disjointed creature as it ripped its face open and let out a shrill, scratchy scream.

Pachid had always been the kind to avoid conflict, and his visits to Romiel were regular, especially when he needed to pass paperwork onto the sixth division captain. But when he found himself walking into quite the scene, he rose an eyebrow, watching the scene. He cocked his head to the side as he looked At Romiel who was pinned to the ground by Hana’s Zanpakuto spirit, he then looked to Hana who was obviously trying to supress the spirit… and was obviously failing. He sighed and his eyes flickered to Arina as she had a stand off with a duplicate of the spirit, and after a threat, Arina was spear tackled by Romiel’s shikai.

He didn’t question it, nor did he bother to help them – this wasn’t his problem. “Hey Hana... Romiel, I have that report for you,” he stated, holding the pile of papers up in the air, “But I can see you’ve got your hands tied, so I’m just going to leave this here…” he placed the paper on the shogi board before raising an eyebrow at the female captain wrestling with the shadow figure.

Romiel sighed as Shingai-sha disappeared, leaving him lying on the ground staring up at the sky with a bleeding face… he really didn’t like that Zanpakuto. He sat up and put his sword away, in turn forcing the demonic entities to disappear. His eyes were drawn to a bright flash as Arina’s sword released far too late, and out of frustration she threw it across the yard.

With another sigh, he took Hana’s hand and allowed her to pull him up with ease. “Not at all Hana, these things… happen,”

Arina stared at her Zanpakuto with a glare as she stalked over to it, looking to Hana with a small raise of the eyebrows, “You really need to control that horrifying bitch, Hana,” she mused carelessly, picking up the sword and shoving it back in its sheath.

“Perhaps you shouldn’t aggravate it so much, Arina,” Pachid suggested from one of the chairs Arina and Romiel had been sitting in before.

Hana gave Pachid a sidelong glance and then smiled almost gratefully at him. While his statement may have very well been out of laziness, it was certainly true. "He's right, she doesn't come out as much when she's not provoked, though I'll admit that it is very easy to provoke her," she then glared at her the more dilapidated of her two sheaths before looking back to Romiel to check if he was okay. Her eyes peering up at the much taller shinigami, Hana noticed the claw marks across his face once more and frowned. It really bothered her that she couldn't do anything to stop Shingai-sha from hurting people...it really did. She felt herself tearing up a little and so she turned away from all three of them, gesturing towards the Shogi table that was now somewher behind her she spoke, "There are some documents there for us," the girl glanced at Arina, the tears not as apparent in her eyes now as she bit the inside of her cheek.

She looked at Pachid briefly, then looked away, scooping up the documents, sorting out which ones she'd do, and then set them back down before turning around and walking out of the gazebo and back onto the grassy hill. "Come back soon, okay Arina? I can't handle all the work myself, it's t-too busy today..." her voice trailed off as she realized she had stuttured, "...bye." She looked back, waving at Romiel, and then turned away and vanished in a shunpo, mostly to get out of sight of the division and the captains.

When she reappeared there were tears lightly running down her cheeks. She continued heading back to her division, where she would coop herself up in her office and fill out the documents or pass them out as necessary till it was time to go to the tournament. Maybe seeing everyone would cheer her up...then again maybe it was better for them that she didn't go.

Arina sighed as she saw the tears well up in Hana’s eyes – and before she knew it, her Lieutenant had disappeared, back to her office, she presumed. She turned back to Pachid and Romiel who were staring after Hana, Romiel with an empathetic gaze and Pachid with his usual bored one. “I suppose I don’t need to ask you guys to keep this to yourself,”

Pachid looked up at her with a small frown, “Relaying these events take so much effort,” he stated, but the subtext was an agreement. They both looked at Romiel who clasped his hands behind his back and turned at Arina,

“The Captain Commander wouldn’t like to hear of this incident,” he mused, “It’s safe with me… but Arina, you should train her to keep that sword under control,”

Arina sighed at his words, “Trust me, I’ve tried, but Shingai-sha hates me – every time I try any kind of training session, we end up in an incident like that,”

“Why not take her to Zume?”

Arina and Romiel froze at Pachid’s words, they both turned to look at him with slight frowns on their features, “Oh come on, don’t look at me like that – the guy’s a genius; surely there’s something he can do for her….”

Arina and Romiel shared a glance before she stepped towards the direction Hana had taken off in, “Yeah… I’ll… keep that in mind,” she stated, before stepping away in a shunpo.

Romiel chuckled to himself for a moment before taking a seat with Pachid, he reached out for the papers and looked over them, “A game of shogi?”

Pachid simply shrugged his shoulders, in silent acceptance to his comrade's offer – it saved him from doing more work.

---

It hadn’t taken long for Arina to get back to Hana’s office, and when she arrived, she didn’t bother knocking. She simply waltzed in, plonking herself down on one of the chairs, and staring at the girl.

“You shouldn’t be so hard on yourself…” Arina stated, “it’s not your fault your Zanpakuto is a psychotic, horrifying, narcissitic bitch,”

Looking only slightly surprised as Arina entered, Hana hurriedly wiped away her remaining tears, making sure to focus on the documents again rather than reply right away. It took several moments, but after reading over a page or two, Hana answered, [B]"A zanpakuto is a reflection of its wielder..." she said blankly. It seemed like she was suppressing her emotions so that she didn't have to deal with them, or maybe it was out of pride? Still, while she alone knew what part of her that Shingai-sha reflected, it still made her feel terrible. It made her flinch when she found herself smirking slightly in the shadows when someone was carried off to the 4th division, curled up into the fetal position and raving madly.

However, at the same time it got at her. She wasn't sure which was worse, the fact that a small part of her enjoyed the torment her shikai instilled, or that the pain she'd seen people go through because of her was so great that it felt as a burden almost crushing her at times.

Arina sighed at Hana’s words, “That may be true, but there are exceptions to the rule…” Arina mused, “You’re nothing like Shingai-sha, even if it’s supressed emotions in the form of a Zanpakuto – it doesn’t make her you… she’s a consciousness now, which means, no matter how reflective she may be – she’s formed a personality of her own. Some of it may be you. Perhaps the cruel side you never show… and she’s taken that and morphed it into herself,” Arina explained… god she hated Zanpakuto’s.

“Look at Romiel’s – he’s not a cruel man; he’s actually one of the coolest, nicest captains I know”.

Hana's hand stopped, she'd been signing a document or two while Arina talked...and talked. She was being quite talkative, it was almost a lecture. However, Hana heard the kindness in her words, kindness that Arina tended to only show if she wanted something. In this was unlikely the case, and she knew that. She was right though, a shinigami's zanpakuto did not represent the entirety of their personality, or identity as a person, just a part of it. The spirits were as much a part of the shinigami as the shinigami was a part of them. Still, in a sense both were still distinct individuals, it was strange.

Wiping her tears, feeling her strength and enthusiasm come back a little, Hana continued her paperwork, not giving Arina the satisfaction of a big smile. "I...I suppose you're right. Oh, the tournament is in a little bit, I doubt you're brave enough..." or even close to diligent enough "...to join, but I think you should be there. Maybe you want me to come get you when I'm ready?" She looked up at Arina expectantly as she finished signing another form.

Arina frowned slightly as Hana spoke, but rose her eyebrows in a slight agreement, "Yeah, you're right, I'm definately not participating - but I'll show up, just to make myself look good," Arina mused with a small smirk, rising to her feet, "I'll just chill with Pachid or something - we all know he's definately not going to enter," and with that, she turned to leave, making her way towards the door,

Nodding quietly to herself, Hana bit her lip a bit and then smiled, looking up and calling to Arina once, "hey Arina...thanks". She'd hold the smile, a honest real one mind you, for a moment, and then go back to doing the paperwork. She would head to the tournament grounds in thirty minutes or so, she figured.

6th Division Barracks-Tamashi

Tamashi stared around his quarters, eyes jumping from one painting to the next. Every wall was covered in various pieces of art, varying from simple landscapes to portraits, all painted by his hand. For most individuals it would bring a smile, or a feeling of satisfaction to the artist, but Tamashi felt no such emotions. Painting was just one of several things he did to occupy his time when he wasn’t out and about doing one of his various duties. With a slow movement he slowly removed the mask from his face, turning it towards him.

“This is the existence I now lead, passing through the world with as little disturbance as possible. What would you think of me now I wonder? Do you still watch over me as you always said you would? Or am I now exactly what I have become. The physical manifestation of nothing.” His dead hazel eyes stared at into the slits of the mask. Without further ado he reset the mask against his face, once again becoming the faceless Lieutenant of the 6th division.

The quiet of Tamashi’s room quickly shattered, as the Captain Commanders voice filled the room, at least from his perspective. As the message ended he stood there for a moment, before lifting his shoulders in a shrug to himself. “I suppose Romiel will be expecting me to at the very least show up. It is a nuisance to be on the bad side of that man. Especially when he decides to send those shrieking horrors of his in a bid to influence my pace.” Tamashi moved over to the mirror on the far wall, more of a glide than an actual walk, and looks carefully over his appearance. With the mask secured there was not an inch of skin exposed, after examining himself from various angles, he nodded before taking off with a shunpo that would put most every other shinigami to shame.

Outside of 10th Division Barracks, Training Ground- Kencho-jo

Kencho looked out at his fellow 10th division members, smiling brightly as they chatted amongst themselves. It warmed his heart to see them all getting along so well, quite the change from when they had first started attending his ‘class’. In all reality it was just a series of lectures, and the occasional training session that he had set up on the recommendation of some of the higher seated members. It had only been a couple of months since Kencho had set aside this time for this, and already the bonds that the still unranked shinigami had formed with each other was formidable.

With a sigh he snapped himself out of his reflective moment. He soon broke his ‘students’ out of theirs as well, the large crack that resounded out from his massive hands slapping together more than enough to accomplish this. Coughing a bit to clear his throat, his booming voice echoed throughout the area. “Alright I know you were all expecting a training day today, but plans have changed. Instead this will be a discussion day, so pay close attention. Now how many of you have ever seen me without my armor on?” Kencho slowly looked around the group, which was comprised of about 15 students. Seeing none of them raise their hands he nodded a bit. “In that case hold on just a moment.” Turning his back to the group he began to remove his armor with practiced ease, starting with the legs and working his way up. As he removed his helmet, which he set off on a small table to the side.

Returning his gaze towards the students he couldn’t help but have a wide grin spread across his lips as he watched their expressions. For most their eyes widened in shock, a couple of the females however had another emotion gleaming in their eyes, one that was not nearly appropriate for their position as his students. While his legs remained covered in a light tan pair of pants, his torso was completely uncovered. While his body was incredibly well toned, that is not what had caught most of the students eyes, with the exception of the girls of course, no it was the layers of scars that crisscrossed his entire torso and even his arms.

Kencho gave the group a moment to come back from their various emotional states, before giving them his signature smile. “This is what happens when you spend your entire life defending the innocent. Every mark upon my body was created while protecting either an ally or an innocent who had no reason to be marked for trouble.” Slowly his smile melted away, replaced with a more serious look. “While the scars I have are proof of my ability to protect they are vastly outnumbered by the wounds I never received, wounds that I would rather have taken myself. Since they did not land on me, they landed on someone else. I am a protector, that has always been my calling, and I know that at least a couple of you are as well even if you have not. I want you all to remember this, if nothing else. You cannot let the weight of the souls you could not protect way too heavily upon you. Carry them as you carry any physical scars you bear, but do not let them tear you apart. Now…” Kencho’s voice faded away as the 3rd seat of 10th division came running up.

“Sorry for the interruption Lieutenant, but it seems the message hadn’t reached you yet. The annual Hakuda tournament is going to start shortly, and everyone that wishes to attend should hurry to the barracks of 7th division!” The shinigami paused after the speech, catching their breath before they took of once again, presumably to inform others who had not yet received the notice.

Kencho just shook his head a bit, before letting his lips form into a smile once more. “Alright any of you who want to participate in the tournament are dismissed. For those who stay the rest of our time will be a training session, so pair off and get started. In honor of the tournament, today will be a Hakuda only session. I will be here if you have any questions.” Kencho moved a little ways away from the group as a couple ran off. Settling himself down he let his eyes roam over the remaining students as they paired off.

Zume Tatasuko

Theme I /|\Theme II

Two days.

The captain had put aside the previous two days to do some additional research on hakuda and various martial arts. While for others this would mean little, for Zume it was a tremendous amount of information, which he had processed and would soon put to good use. However, these thoughts were only some of the many which proliferated his vast intellect as he sat at a desk in the 12th division's lab and surveyed an experiment being carried out, for once, in plain sight. Rather than carry out the experiment himself, he had set several of the shinigami ranked far beneath him to do the work, directing them where it was needed, and making absolutely sure that nothing went wrong.

He had been very careful ever since the incident where most of the Research and Development facility had been eviscerated, yes that had been...quite the tragedy. " Ikiro," the captain's sinuous voice called, notifying one of the researches that he was needed. The shinigami turned to him and half bowed, obviously nervous, Zume simply shook his head and chuckled, "Calm down, Ikiro, this is just a test on a prototype. I have faith in everyone working on it, I'm only here as a precautionary measure to make sure nothing goes wrong. Cease those formalities, we're scientists right now, not soldiers," Ikiro nodded, smiling meekly and speaking up "What do you require, Tatasuko-sama? Zume ignored the formality that the shinigami had added on, it was to be expected, he had long accepted that many of them would never forget the few times that they had seen him in combat...and he could hardly blame them. "Pump the reishi injector three and a half times and make sure to deactivate the Inhibitor for 10 seconds afterwards, we wouldn't want the reiryoku to condense too much, too quickly or we'll have ourselves a regular reishi singularity, and those are quite...dangerous." Ikiro nodded, his eyes lighting up at the terms "Of course,Tatasuko-sama," the pudgy man turned away and rushed over to a wide array of switches, pumps, and a variety of other technological apparatus, and then slowed down to do as he had been instructed.

Zume smiled lightly as he watched and then redirected his attention to the large cubic diamond shaped object in the center of the test chamber. "Nasuri, adjust the pressure settings to 5.23, and reorganize the settings of the electrical input feed, it isn't releasing energy in the right intervals." Nasuri, a short, but attractive, young shinigami nodded her head, not even glancing back at Zume as she began until she got to the input feed. "Settings," she said in her husky voice, causing Zume to smile again and list them off, "Five, Twenty-six, Three Point two-one-eight, Ninety-one, one, thirty". She nodded with each adjustment till the very last one, where she looked back at him with a small confused frown. Zume's smile widened, "Have I ever been wrong, Nasuri?" The woman shook her head and finished the adjustments before turning to look at the object inside of the three dimensional cubid-diamond holding cell. As she watched the adjustments actually happen she nodded her head with satisfaction. "No you have not, not when it comes to experiments involving others. I haven't once seen you fail. However, when it comes to other matters I am not nearly informed enough to make a conclusion," her cold yellow-green eyes grazed over him and she smiled slightly, at the joke she'd been making ever since she'd become part of his division via his request.

In response to her apparent jab at him, he chuckled and shook his head, before rising to his feet and checking over the various controls once more. He then walked towards the door and called back, "Nasuri, as usual, you're in charge until I return. I have a different kind of experiment to conduct at the Hakuda competition." The small woman turned, looking after her captain and called out, "Don't prove me right Zume, I don't like to be right, I'm far too pessimistic!" In response the man only laughed, deep and throaty, but nonetheless smooth and pleasant to the ear --he had no intention of being wrong...and it was unlikely that he would be anytime soon.

---

Heading up and out of the facility that was home to both the 12th division and the Research and Development Department, Zume Tatasuko, the leader and captain of both the aforementioned organizations, began his leisurely walk towards the 7th division and the Hakuda tournament. There was a gentle and kind smile on his face, but a look of intensity and amusement in his eyes. His haori trailed quietly through the air behind him as he took step after step to his destination. Thinking back to the experiment he closed his eyes, instead using his other highly attuned senses to survey his surroundings. Things will go splendidly. Once that experiment is done I'll know whether or not we can artificially replicate a unique Reichōin(spiritual signature), and from there I can truly begin, his smile widened slightly and he let out a gentle breath into the air, which flowed in a soothing breeze in the moderate temperatures of the seireitei. He was pleased, it was a beautiful day, and there was something amusing that lay ahead of him.

Things were always better when amusement lay ahead, of this he had been certain for quite a long time. Opening his eyes once more, Zume continued his walk, never truly increasing his pace even as he began to casually shunpo decent distances to quicker reach his destination. Yet as his outer layers regarded the world, the deepest of layers, the core of his psyche was pondering an entirely separate set of notions. How long till they move. Likely soon...it has been quite sometime since I last heard, the cacophony of persona jittered and reported above the core's layers and it regarded them briefly, absorbing their accumulated knowledge, before continuing its own trains of thought, not that all of them had ceased while it had regarded them. Still, the gears are certainly turning, and the hands which keep them going have increased their pace. The world never stays still for long,....

Another voice interjected, the voice of Amusement, rather than Observation, who was the primary authority on all matters of their being. Still, Amusement was only one order of power below the Observer, so it was much like the captain speaking to the Captain-Commander, or perhaps the Captain-Commander to Central 46. It mattered not.

Amusement: The tournament is important enough, as are the experiments we left running you know. There is no need to rush anything.

Observation: I do not rush. I know the order of things, and the precise measurements of time, which each of them ought to take. My ruling is absolute here. You know this. The reason is clear, is it not, A.

Amusement simply vibrated, an action similar to shrugging or shaking ones head. Observation began to thin out, as if narrowing eyes at its subordinate. Still, A said nothing else, instead returning to its direction of the third layer and related persona.

The Greater Persona, known as Archetypes were the third order of magnitude, and it was several of these, which governed the peripheral and surface thought processes. It was these Archetypes, referred to as Arches, that composed the personality that those who interacted with Zume would come to know. There were many of these, and they were of lesser rank than the aforementioned concepts. Such was the hierarchy of Zume's mind, a hierarchy that none, but himself knew of. Except perhaps his wife, though he only told her some of what he planned and knew. What he did tell her was always something of a lie, and something of the truth. If anyone ever questioned her, they would get an incorrect read on Zume's plans, and their investigation would be rendered useless when they found absolutely no evidence for their claims. It was an amusing ploy, and essentially fool proof in nature, which is why he'd used it in the first place.

Humming lightly as he made his final shunpo, the 12th division's captain walked through the gates of the 7th division barracks and headed to where he would sign himself onto the competition's roster. He was unsure as to who else had signed on, but it hardly mattered to him. He knew everyone of any real importance in the seireitei, and if it was any of them he'd have plenty of data to execute his experiment properly. Noting this he entered the division itself, locating the desk where a young attractive shinigami sat to receive contestants. She smiled at him and blushed slightly when he smiled back, his roguish features and status apparently causing her a measure of embarrassment before she cleared her throat and managed to speak. “Well good day to you Tatasuko-taichou,” the woman began, only for him to raise a hand to stop her short. “Just Zume-san, is fine, madam. I am simply here to sign on, this is the roster I presume?” The shinigami swallowed a bit, looking into his hazel eyes a moment before nodding. Zume nodded and gestured for the pen nestled between her fingers.

She dutifully offerred it to him and he took it graciously, signing the sheet and then raising back to his full height of 6'2, and bowing his head, his hand setting the pen back on the desk in front of her. “Thank you Emeiri-chan, I appreciate your diligence. I do hope they don't make a pretty girl like yourself stay in the back and receive everyone for the duration of the tournament. It'd be a shame,” he again bowed his head and then walked around the table and past her, leaving the woman wondering why a captain had even known her name.

Zume on the other hand chuckled, if he weren't a married man, he could have had her wrapped around his finger in another two minutes...max. However, he was quite happy with Sayaka, and so he continued on, looking for where he ought to stay until the main event began. He almost couldn't wait...almost, for he was a patient man and while amusement beckoned him fondly, he knew that to succumb to any desire was folly, and so he never would.

Not again.

Never again.

Such was his resolve, and it would stay that way as long as he lived and he intended to live for quite a long time. So, for now, he waited. The world would begin moving faster soon anyways, so why rush now? To him, there was no reason to do so. There never was. Not for a man with his mind, and he was the only such man.

Lucky him~

"Captain Kaizumi!"

Hioshimi paced around the 8th Squad's barracks irritably. As she passed, rows of shinigami were rushing around, cleaning the place up from their most recent training session. Mats and wooden swords were being stowed away as one unfortunate soul had to wash up the sweat from the floor. Hioshimi didn't pay much notice to them, continuing to call for her captain. "If he doesn't show up soon, we're going to be late..." she mused angrily.

As the minutes ticked by and the rooms started to empty, Hioshimi's patience also started to wear incredibly thin. It didn't take a lot these days to set her off into a bad mood, especially since she was dragging her lethargy around like a chain around her limbs. The calls of "Captain Kaizumi!" devolved into "Captain!", then "Pachid?!" and, after angrily shrieking "FOR GOODNESS' SAKE, PATCHY!" at the empty captain's office, someone finally approached her nervously.

Hioshimi glared down at the shinigami, recognising him as the 6th seat, Taiko. "Lieutenant, Captain Kaizumi left for the 6th Squad barracks a while back now...something to do with a report." admitted Taiko, squirming a little uncomfortably at the prospect of a scolding from Hioshimi for withholding that information until she'd finished making a complete and utter idiot of herself. And, it was true, Hioshimi was in half a mind to backhand him for the nerve of it all.

Just as she tensed up, ready to yell, exhaustion hit her like a truck. She had just spent a good half-hour running around the barracks, worrying and getting angry, only to find out that Pachid was safe, not ignoring her, and actually doing some work; the relief of it all lowered her guard a little and her tiredness crept up, unknowingly, on the lieutenant. She slumped a little, peering at Taiko hopelessly, before drawing herself back up to her full height and nodding curtly to the 6th seat. "Alright, alright... thank you for telling me at last. Go on, head to the tournament with the others, I'll catch you guys up in a second."

Hioshimi trudged along into her own office, picking up a few stray pieces of paper and shifting them onto the captain's desk in his office for reviewing. Admittedly, she finished them almost three days early, but that was because she knew Pachid would take three days to do anything about it. As she left the captain's office, she stumbled over to her sleeping mat and collapsed into it with a thud.

Staring dimly at the wall, Hioshimi knew that she wasn't going to fall asleep and that the whole prospect of just lying there was a fruitless effort. She also knew she wasn't alone in these kinds of situations and saw Jinzo's face flashing, briefly, across her mind's eye; best at Zanjutsu, but wouldn't do Hakuda unless, and Hioshimi remembered this part very clearly, unless a bare hand could stop his blade in battle. Of course, that meant he wasn't taking part in the tournament too, so Hioshimi could go and say hello to him...

Hioshimi rolled over and felt her zanpakuto watching her. She could try some more Jinzo, see what Fuminshiyou thought on the tournament; but Hioshimi had the sneaky suspicion she wanted to talk to someone without having to leave her bed. She wondered what Pachid would say about that - probably make a joke about her being even lazier than him, which would irritate her and get her moving again. Just as equally, he'd understand...There have been moments, when Hioshimi's insomnia was so bad that she did have to see her Captain in the dead of night to talk about it. "Humiliating," scolded a voice in her head. "Like some little girl, afraid of the monsters in her head that creep around at night. You've watched the same five minutes for the past 180 years and it still provokes more fear out of you than an angry Hollow."

Hioshimi scowled into her pillow, feeling her mood sink dangerously low. For a moment, her hand brushed the hilt of Fuminshiyou, and then with determination Hioshimi unsheathed her blade and ran her finger along the flat side of the clean, sharp metal. She could feel Fuminshiyou's protests, Her argument against Hioshimi's dark thoughts and her comfort. This didn't surprise Hioshimi, the pair of them got along incredibly well together and taught each other new things but...just knowing that there was some sentient being out there that knew Hioshimi wasn't being irrational and (as she's heard the mutterings behind backs about her) attention-seeking by staying awake all night, it gave her energy to keep going.

"Thanks," she whispered to her zanpakuto and pushed herself up from her bed, sheathing Fuminshiyou. There wasn't much time left now, to get to the tournament...jogging out of the barracks, Hioshimi knew she wasn't going to be able to run there. With a sinking feeling, she looked down at her feet and braced herself, knowing that she'll mess this up and crash into something again.

"I really, really hate Shunpo...." sighed Hioshimi, pushing herself forward as fast as she can.

(Whoa! Double post, sorry!)

As Kira neared the 7th division, he realized that he hadn’t looked away from the book he’d been reading since he left the academy. The first thing he saw when he raised his head was the intimidating image of Ueru Kenpachi. This made him stop walking and, if someone were looking close enough, they could see the wheels turning in his head. He wondered about the beast-mans anatomy and what it would take to heal him, if he were ever around when Ueru were injured. He was going through procedures in his head and possibilities. Muscle placements in the body, possible injuries, and resuscitation requirements on such a specimen were curious to him.

It was then that he realized who he was talking about. This was a Kenpachi, and the captain of squad 11 at that. They never wanted healing, no matter the severity of their injuries. They wore their scars like badges of honor and would rather die gloriously in battle than accept help from someone like him.

When Taro Kaeda of squad 1 approached Ueru and they started speaking, Kira was back to reality and put his medical mentality away, for now. He had just now realized that he had been staring blankly the whole time. He kept a stoic expression on his face as he continued to the 7th division arena. His students, who had gotten there before him, caught up to him as he passed them.

Behind the arena itself were a series of rooms with medical supplies already set up and ready for use. Kira and his students walked into the first room, and they all had puzzled expressions on their faces. Within each room were several cots, IV bags filled with sterile solution, cotton swabs, an array of medical tools on the tables next to each cot and countless other medical supplies.

“Um..s-sir” one student piped up hesitantly. Kira already knew what he was going to say.

“Yes, we’re doing this the hard way” Kira stated bluntly.

“But sir.. What about your Zanpakuto?”

“My Zanpakuto?” Kira said, gently resting a hand on Mizu no Tenshi’s handle behind his lower back, glancing behind him as he spoke, always referring to her affectionately.

“She is capable of healing the deadliest of wounds” he said plainly. “But..” he continued, looking to the group of students. “What if I didn’t have my zanpakuto, what if I was disarmed in battle and I had no Reiryoku left and no medical training? How many would die because I was uneducated and unprepared and relied solely on my sword and my kido?” he asked.

“And that’s just one person. What if your zanpakuto turn out to be better suited to another squad. What if your spirit is more attuned to fighting and not healing? What then?” he continued, looking to the students, who were hanging their heads in shame for asking such a stupid question.

“Now” he continued in a less harsh tone. “What we’ll be treating today will mostly be bruises, cuts, and broken bones. That is, of course, if the blows landed are not enhanced by Kido. Some are, some aren’t. In closing an open wound, always make sure that it’s cleaned out before you close it, otherwise whatever debris is in there, stays inside and can cause infection and possibly death.” Kira continued to talk about instruments used, and about post-operation care, which was sometimes needed.

“The IVs we use here have a mild sedative because we don’t want people screaming their heads off as we’re fixing them up. Especially the new kids who think they have something to prove. Nobody screams for mommy like they do.”

Kira led the students out of the room and into the open doorway that led to the arena. “This isn’t the time for fun and games” he said plainly. “This is your education. I want you to see how these wounds are inflicted and know what to do when you see it again. Scout out any possible injuries by studying the type and location of attacks. Pay attention to critical points on the body and the force behind the blows. Sometimes it will happen so fast you won’t see it. In those cases, I’m here to help, but this is your show.”

He looked at his students, some were showing clear signs of nervousness, and some looked like they were going to run away. Kira stood at the doorway with his arms crossed in front of his chest, staring out into the arena and waiting. “Don’t worry” he said, reassuringly to his students as they waited for the tournament to start.

Hiro Masumata. Adorned in his usual attire, the shinigami lowered his gaze. Aiming it at the building he now stood suspended over as he briefly snapped his head to the right. Shaking his hair from before his eyes. Content with the results of his observation, Hiro let himself sink. Slowly - yet steadily, he begun to descend. Nearing the ground before the battle grounds in a manner reminiscent of an piece of paper in the wind. Causing him to appear as if he had simply been riding the current. Having at last unfolded his arms from before him, the man now used them to aid in his navigation of the steady breeze that had been whipped up by the storm. It was only after his silent touch down that the limbs once again disappeared. Hidden behind the elongated sleeves of his haori.

The captain had only to turn towards the gathered crowd before it roared to life, estatic with anticipation as the man slowly began to move towards a small pedestal near the main arena. Smiling broadly, Masumata wasted no time in climbing it. Instead utilizing a shunpo to arrive at it's peak nigh instantaneously. He adressed them. Spreading his arms wide, and to the sky dramatically as lips parted and he spoke.

"Ladies, and gentlemen!" His voice was amplified via a Jigokucho which had only now perched itself upon his Haori's collar. "It is with superb pleasure that I present to you, the most exhilarating event in all of Seireitei. Hakudania Eleven!" There was a thunderous round of applause.

"Now as usual, all matches will be chosen randomly. However, as a means if kicking things off, the first match will be happening right now! Between both Kita Miyako, Lietenant of the Seventh Division, and myself... Banzai!!!"

After a few moments of feeding the crowd some playful antics, Hiro then leapt down from his perch into the arena below.

When the crowd finally ceased to clap, the Captain Commander himself confidently walked towards the pedestal. He looked at his fellow Captain, as he waited for the Jigokucho to attach itself to his Haori. "I didn't want to cast a shadow over the host with a special entrance," Goken winked in Hiro's direction, before turning to the crowd.

"It's been ten years since the first edition of our very own Hakudania Eleven. From Eleventh Division," there was a loud roar of chants, "to the Second." There were quiet nods from the stands. "To all other Divisions and their respective members that brought home the trophy during the years. Make sure to fight like champions this year as well and show the entire Soul Society why your Division is the best." Goken raised his hands up and the crowd erupted in another enormous clapping session. "I'll be watching you perform." As Goken's deep and strong voice left a clear impression on the crowd, he send the Jigokucho on its way.

"Hiro," he smiled and shook his hand, "Good luck." Goken noticed two of his favorite faces sitting next to the battleground - Captain Ueru and his own lieutenant, Taro Kaeda. Without further ado, Captain Commander proceeded to move away from the spotlight and sit down next to his boys.

Having given Goken a nod of appreciation. The Captain then focused his attention on Kita. Tossing his Haori carefully to the side as he prepared himself for his match.

Miyako Kita's eyes darted over the many faces that stood around her. Some were bored, either because they were forced to come here or because they were more eager in fighting themselves, but the majority of the collected Shinigami listened to Captain Masumata's words intently. Fortunately, Masuamata was a man of action and not one of words, and he soon declared the first match. She watched him pose a bit around before arriving at the arena. She smiled for a short moment, and then flash stepped into the arena herself, unbinded her scarf and tossed it to the side.

She stood in front of Masumata, her face stern and concentrated, not betraying any of the headache-inducing, organisational stuff flying through her mind. No, that would have to wait for a few moments.

She put her hands together and bowed.

It was only after he had returned Kita's bow that he spread his legs to shoulder length, adapting a deep squat as he shifted his upper body slightly to his left. Keep his feet squarely facing Kita as he curled his left palm into an lose upwards facing fist. As he pulled the hand towards him, tucking it against his side at waist height, Hiro also let his right arm fall limp before him. Letting it dangle between his knees as he stood on the balls of his feet and eyed his second with an lax yet studious gaze. The result being an low stance which left him poised to strike, whilst sturdy enough to easily defend.

He exhaled as he stood in wait.

Kita stood in front of her captain, just a few meters distance between them. She decided to adopt a front stance. Her left leg went forward, and it was bent slightly at the knee, while the right leg went behind her, creating a small distance of one and a half shoulder's width. She balled her hands into fist, and raised them before her torso, making sure that every inch of her body was in the correct position.

She inhaled. She exhaled. She inhaled. And she lunged.

As she lunged forward, Hiro took a breath. Resting his eyes upon hers as she approached him. It was only after she had closed the gap and made her attempt to strike him, that the man shifted his weight. Letting his left knee slam into the floor. Causing her fist, which was meant to impact his right collar bone, to sail just past the area between his shoulder and neck.

There was no hesitation. The instant his knee had hit the floor, Hiro had shot his left fist towards the girl's ribs. Attempting to deliver an uppercut into them at the same moment that her strike would have just missed him. Though he did not throw all his force into it, hoping to avoid breaking her ribs, the speed of his attack combined with her own moment, would easily leave her side bruised if it were to hit.

In the heat of battle, one must realize that knowing is futile, and sensing is bliss. The fraction of the second in which Hiro moved just a few milimeters to the side was enough for Kita to realize that she wouldn't hit. What she had to sense now was what Hiro would do next.

His left fist. The automatisms kicked in and Kita's steady right arm dashed to block his attack on her ribs. Her hand made contact with his wrist, yet it still hurt somewhat. Regardless, controlled pain – or rather, a bit of aching in the hand – was preferable to whatever that blow would have done to her ribs.

She flash stepped two meters away. That attack failed, and thus distance had to be created, or she'd risk getting trapped by her Captain. She resumed the same stance.

Satisfied with the fact that Kita had managed to block his attack, Hiro quickly bounced back to his feet when his lieutenant flash stepped away. Instantly, he began to sway his entire body back and forth rhythmically. Maneuvering his feet pseudo triangularly as his arms alternated between a high guard before his face, and a mid guard before his torso as he moved from side to side. Moving in a manner similar to that of a Capoeira Ginga.

He repeated this twice before skillfully launching himself into a shunpo. Seemlessly closing the gap between Kita and himself before he begun to strike. Remaining low to the ground, Hiro immediately attempted a forward leg sweep as he exited his flash step. Hoping to sweep her legs out from under her, leaving her off balance long enough for him to follow up with an additional strike.

Now it was getting tricky. Kita observed her captain's footwork. She felt as if she was aware of what he was planning, even though she obviously didn't knew or could be sure. Yet when the flash step came, she managed to jump into the air just in time.

This was an excellent moment. A moment to show her progress in both Hakuda and Hoho. She bent her legs, turned mid-air so that she positioned horizontally to the ground. Then she unbent her legs again, intent on kicking her captain in the face.

When Kita jumped up, Hiro smirked. Sure, going airborne was usually an solid way of avoiding an attack, but it was also the best way to become vulnerable. Keeping his momentum, the brunette continued through the motion of the sweep. Using the force he had put behind it as a propellant, Hiro then pushed off of the ground with one hand and swung himself onto the same foot he had previously used to attack with.

Spinning about to face Kita just as she begun to unbend her legs, Hiro proceeded to swing his left foot up towards Kita's own feet. Using his foot to intercept her strike as he executed an axe kick. If the counter went as planned, she be knocked of balance by his kick's follow through. Allowing Hiro to leap of off his right leg and deliver a right flying knee towards the woman's abdomen.

“Shit.”

The mistake wasn't that her leg was blocked, but rather, that in that instance, her body wasn't sure to react. Hestitating means losing control. She let out a grunt when his knee connected with her abdomen. It was enough for her to regain control, at least. Control of her own body, that is.

This time, Kita decided, she would not wait after creating distance. No, she flash stepped to the side of the room, four meters away from the Captain. Yet, as the moment her single feet just slightly touched the ground, she flash stepped again. Behind her Captain, she attempted a leg swipe.

When Kita vanished, Hiro readied himself. Quickly raising his arms infront of him readily in an loose and attentive stance. With his eyes, he followed her movements as she reappeared only to vanish again. However, just as he sensed her reiatsu behind him, something within his mind clicked - causing him to experience a sudden sensation of familiarity.

Ai.

For a moment, Hiro's body weakened. In that same instance, the world grew dull to him as his mind threw itself back in time. Remembering the first time he had sparred with his deceased fiancé. Almost everything in the way she moved on that day was now mirrored in Kita's movements. The shinigami felt his heart ache at the thought of his lost. Then his mind clicked once more.

Kita.

By the time he realized his error, it was too late. He could feel himseld fall off balanced as his feet fell out from under him. A painful smack resounding from beneath him as he collapsed to the floor. Hitting the back of his head in the progress. He groaned.

"Shit."

Kita heard a body hitting the floor, and for a moment she was surprised. Genuinely surprised. It wasn't that she didn't try, but she felt that she wasn't supposed, couldn't win. The crowd stayed in silence for a moment until the referee raised the signal that this battle was, indeed, over.

She stretched out her hand towards her captain.

Perhaps this was just an odditiy, something that just happened due to the pure factor of chance and forutne. She didn't believe he did this on purpose. Certainly not. Maybe there was something else, but...

“Are you alright?”

Despite his loss, Hiro sat up. While he was internally disappointed with himself, when Kita offered him a hand, he accepted. Returning to his feet before reassuring her of his state. He moved as to summon one of the many Jugokucho which actively fluttred about the masses.

"I'm alright." Continuing to hold her hand, he then lifted hers high into the air. On cue, one of the tournaments anouncers quickly blurred out the match's results.

"Mighty Miyako for the win! What an unexpected display!" He went on to praise Kita on her skill.

Rosu took a moment to complete the entry form, adorning the small slip of paper with his name and squad number and placed it in the appropreate urn. After quickly nodding to Lieutenant Kita and moved to take his seat among the crowd and await his turn in the ring. Yorudan noticed several prominant members among the Gotei 13 including several Captains and even more Lieutenants, one Captain that Yoruadn kept his eye on was the current Kenpachi. The mountain of a man conversing with the Lieutenant of Squad 2 had always brought him some discomfort, mainly for his complete disregard for normal combat in lieu of the complete and utter destruction of anyone who stood in his way, but that was the nature of the Kenpachi.

If Yorudan was going to be completely honest with himself, Taro Kaeda was another that concerned him. Yorudan was able to to read most that he came across and be able to guess their intent, but Taro was one soul that even to this day has not been able to figure. He supposed that perhaps he was not supposed to and thus is what gained Lieutenant Kaeda his position in Squad 1. Yorudan's musings were interrupted by the start of the tournament, and as such he turned his gaze to the arena. The first match up was the captain and lieutenant of Squad 7, an interesting choice to say the least.

The match progressed in the fashion that most would expect as Captain Matsumata toyed with his lieutenant, countering each strike with the swift and deft blows. Yorudan was certain of the matches outcome, until Captain Matsumata paused. Yourdan watched the gears within mans mind churn and could only guess at what was actually rolling through his brain. It wasn't until the lieutenants leg sweep made contact did Rosu realize that the match was over, and Lieutenant Kita had arisen victorious. To say the least it was an unexpected ending to the first round of Hakudina Eleven.

“This was so worth coming to.” Saru whispered under his breath gleefully. The comment was to no one in particular, but after watching the last match between Kita and Captain Masumata, he felt the exclamation was necessary. The outcome of the match was not one to be expected, but it goes to show, hakuda is all about small openings and fast reactions. A contest where anyone with skill, accompanied by a little luck, can conquer, and conquer was what Saru planned to do.

The trophy last year had gone to his own barracks last year, and it would be shameful if it were to leave its rightful place so soon. So, with Saru being the only competitor from Squad Two in the competition, it was all up to him. The anxiety had hit him as soon as he heard the captain or lieutenant wouldn't be attending, but if there was one thing he had learned from years of constant pressure. That if you smile while nervous, it tends to turn into excitement. Saru wasn't sure if his grin could get any wider.

Although he had pre-match jitters, he happened to be one of, if not the best practitioners of hakuda in his squad. He had practiced it ever since youth, and through all those years came skill and confidence that were unmatched by most. His technique was solid, movements were precise, and speed was more than impressive. If Saru called any place home, it was a sparring ring. ”Is it time yet? I’m going to explode from this constant waiting”

---

“I can’t believe that asshole left me in charge.” Hebi pouted while bringing his fist across a rowdy prisoners face, sending him to the floor near the pile of other unconscious bodies. “I get that he’s better than me, but it’s not my job to control this rabble.”

Saru had left for “important business” or so he had said. "It was probably that damned tournament, now that I think about it." Only saying a few words before he dissipated, and left Hebi in charge of the Nest of Maggots, a type of prison for potential threats to the Soul Society and its inhabitants. The inmates were all considered dangerous, some were even ex-shinigami. A had been in for ages, while more were newer to the cave like setting the now dwelled in. The latter provided much more “attention” than the inmates who had accumulated a longer stay. They still hung onto hope that they would escape, and caused trouble for any who entered, so Saru had taken to beating the living hell out of them every day as their rehabilitation, and for a nice morning exercise.

Today though, Hebi ran rehabilitation services for his elder brother. Even though Saru could immediately destroy him, these ex-shinigami stood little chance. Lazy or not, he was a Feng, and hakuda was prioritized. Which made Hebi a perfect replacement for the third seat when he wanted to go on little outings and shirk his duties. He hated it almost as much as he hated his brother. I hope he gets his ass kicked today, he more than deserves it.