Watching Gio try his best to avoid being hit as much as possible, although by now he most certainly has been hit by ten or more so bullets. He used various amounts of barriers, only for them to fail. Then for some reason he used Sekeiton, which made Mok tilt his head in confusion for a bit. He couldn't escape unless he used the correct hado to get out. So what would putting the red smoke everywhere do? Thats when he sensed someone rushing at him, and turned to see Gio with a barrier pretty much up close to him, which resulted in Mok stopping the momentum by switching the Gatling gun to a Magnum. "Did..... you just try and ram me with a bakudo? Well.... you are getting the gist of what I mean. I don't intend for you to win this, however! For the majority of this little test, you've done near nothing with hakuda or zanjutsu. You have stuck with nothing but Kido. Granted I haven't done so either, but I who am a master at Kido, can easily over power you in such matters. Making Kido all but useless against me. Just like that red haired guy you fought. From what I do know, he was able to suck away kido. So far from what I seen, if you were to fight him again. You would die Gio, so for your well being. You are barred from using Kido for certain tasks. One being training. The second being hollows, Gillians. I will allow you to use kido against arrancars. The third being, fighting anyone that can clearly disrupt kido or make it useless. You are to practice your Hakuda and Zanjutsu with whoever you want. Tabo would be good, or if you can find a certain idiot I know somewhere out there, he might teach you Hakuda. Who knows maybe his pupil will teach you. Yet thats what I want from you. You got five months to show me some improvement." Mok said firing off a bullet and shattering the Bakudo Gio was using. "By the way, this remains a secret between you and me on the way to remove this type of bakudo. Hado number one, sho." Mok said holding out his finger ad firing it off at the blue edge, shattering right through it. Mok then cracked his neck and shunpoed off.

gio kinda just floated there" dude seriously? i finally go on an offensive and you stop before i demonstrate the things you said i didnt demonstrate, ... and for the record. i attempted to train under others...I was told to stick to my squad." there were at least 4 other frustrations Gio had with the entire exercise, the real big one being that the entire mood changed half way through. somehow he was being judged he had not presented....that would have been to his detriment to to demonstrate. being shot at makes it exceptionally hard to punch somebody. so when he closed the distance it realy irritated him that that was the end. Gio thought for a second...." wait a minute. I only used 6 Kido. 4 bakudo and 2 hado" by this time he was already alone in the sky so he Shunpoed after his captain to argue. Sure he got the point The man was trying to make. it wasnt good to rely on kido, noted. but he had been working on that since the merger. it would at least be fair for Mok to see his skill in other areas before makeing such a judgement.

AbigailTenshi said
Rio jumped back after landing her strike, paying attention to Kaizo while grinning. "Not only are you rude, you also think I'm stupid~ Do you think I can't tell that you're up to something? Ridiculous of you to underestimate me like that." She chuckled a little before continuing to speak. "You should watch what you're saying Kaizo, I can already feel Rio's pain towards what you've been saying to her~ How very disgusting of you to make her feel so horrible due to your words." Rolling her eye in a playful way, Rio's eye darkened while her grin stretched further. "I think now is a better time than any to show you a little secret~" As Rio spoke, she raised her energy and titled her head forward. Her fringe covered her eyes while the only visible part of her face was her toothy, sinister grin. "Oh how I've waited so long to do this again~" Crystal began tearing out of her back as her mouth emitted pained grunts, growing to form large crystal fox-tails. The tails laid flat on floor behind her as they continued to grow, the tips covered in blood. Once all of her tails had formed, Rio flicked her head up to look at Kaizo, her normal eye colour swirling into a cloudy silver. Without another word, four fox-tails would shoot towards each of Kaizo's limbs before the tips would wrap tightly around them, holding Kaizo in place while the two wrapped around his arms began pulling both of his arms outwards lightly if he was caught.

As Kaizo looked at Rio preparing himself to receive a deadly strike from her in some sort of effort to get Rio to fight back against this dark side of her...seemingly nothing was going to get through, even if he let his body get torn apart it'd still change nothing, This caused Kaizo's head to drop a little, his hair falling infront of his eyes as he began to think of the times before that he spent with Rio

Kaizo thought of the first time he met Rio, he was Squadless, had next to no money and was having to live in some broken down shack...he was outside on his knees, exhausted from his training but cursed himself that he couldn't get stronger. Then she showed up...like some sort of angel, appearing before him and although he was a stranger to her she took him in without a worry, gave him a place to sleep, food to eat, somewhere he could clean himself...she gave him a home...from the moment he met her, he felt as if he was stronger...as he got closer to her, he only got stronger...Everything he had done is for her, every single thing...However as Kaizo reflected on the recent events he felt as if he had lost his way...as if he stopped caring as much as he used to...in fact...it seemed he had gotten weaker since...it was no wonder he lost so easily to Kurisa...He had forgotten why he fought so hard, why he wanted to become strong...it wasn't to avenge his clan...it was for this woman, the woman that took him in and cared for him when he had nothing, no one...she was there for him every step of the way...so this fake...she could spout whatever crap she wanted! Kaizo wouldn't believe this anymore...and he wouldn't act like someone he's not....

As Kaizo looked down a small smile formed on his face, he then looked up at Rio, looking her in both her eyes "I'm sorry Rio...ever since I became Captain, I lost my way...I've become weaker...I can feel it...the truth is...I'm only strong because of you, you're what gives me strength...If I've lost you, then I've nothing left to fight for...so death will be the only fitting thing for me...I don't want to live in a world without you, I can't..." As rio's tails pulled at Kaizo's arms Kaizo showed no pain...the only thing that felt any pain was his heart...he was fully prepared to die right now, it seemed he had nothing left to fight for...thinking this only caused Kaizo's head to drop a little, his hair covering his eyes once again as a small smile formed on his face "I guess I'll be joining you soon Kurisa Kuchiki...I'm sorry I couldn't protect Rio like you asked of me...I just can't bring myself to hurt her anymore...even if it is some psycho in control of her body...I can't do it...I can't do that to her...it's killing me inside..." as Kaizo said this a few tears ran down his cheeks and dripped off his chin onto the floor "I guess I never deserved to hold the title of Captain...I failed as a Captain, I failed as a Shinigami...I failed as a Partner...I failed everything!" Kaizo then grit his teeth as he then began shouting "If you're going to kill me then do it already! There is nothing you can do to me that will cause me pain! you're wasting your fucking time! I don't feel a single thing...my body is numb..."

Kurisa said
As Kaizo looked at Rio preparing himself to receive a deadly strike from her in some sort of effort to get Rio to fight back against this dark side of her...seemingly nothing was going to get through, even if he let his body get torn apart it'd still change nothing, This caused Kaizo's head to drop a little, his hair falling infront of his eyes as he began to think of the times before that he spent with RioKaizo thought of the first time he met Rio, he was Squadless, had next to no money and was having to live in some broken down shack...he was outside on his knees, exhausted from his training but cursed himself that he couldn't get stronger. Then she showed up...like some sort of angel, appearing before him and although he was a stranger to her she took him in without a worry, gave him a place to sleep, food to eat, somewhere he could clean himself...she gave him a home...from the moment he met her, he felt as if he was stronger...as he got closer to her, he only got stronger...Everything he had done is for her, every single thing...However as Kaizo reflected on the recent events he felt as if he had lost his way...as if he stopped caring as much as he used to...in fact...it seemed he had gotten weaker since...it was no wonder he lost so easily to Kurisa...He had forgotten why he fought so hard, why he wanted to become strong...it wasn't to avenge his clan...it was for this woman, the woman that took him in and cared for him when he had nothing, no one...she was there for him every step of the way...so this fake...she could spout whatever crap she wanted! Kaizo wouldn't believe this anymore...and he wouldn't act like someone he's not....As Kaizo looked down a small smile formed on his face, he then looked up at Rio, looking her in both her eyes "I'm sorry Rio...ever since I became Captain, I lost my way...I've become weaker...I can feel it...the truth is...I'm only strong because of you, you're what gives me strength...If I've lost you, then I've nothing left to fight for...so death will be the only fitting thing for me...I don't want to live in a world without you, I can't..." As rio's tails pulled at Kaizo's arms Kaizo showed no pain...the only thing that felt any pain was his heart...he was fully prepared to die right now, it seemed he had nothing left to fight for...thinking this only caused Kaizo's head to drop a little, his hair covering his eyes once again as a small smile formed on his face "I guess I'll be joining you soon Kurisa Kuchiki...I'm sorry I couldn't protect Rio like you asked of me...I just can't bring myself to hurt her anymore...even if it is some psycho in control of her body...I can't do it...I can't do that to her...it's killing me inside..." as Kaizo said this a few tears ran down his cheeks and dripped off his chin onto the floor "I guess I never deserved to hold the title of Captain...I failed as a Captain, I failed as a Shinigami...I failed as a Partner...I failed everything!" Kaizo then grit his teeth as he then began shouting "If you're going to kill me then do it already! There is nothing you can do to me that will cause me pain! you're wasting your fucking time! I don't feel a single thing...my body is numb..."

Rio's tails latched onto Kaizo's limbs with ease, this made Rio's grin much more sinister. Kaizo began looking down 'A sign of giving up perhaps? And here I thought he'd try to mock me further~ This is going to be easier than I had expected.' Her tails tightened and continued to pull until Kaizo began speaking... Rio wouldn't of stopped... if he hadn't of looked into both of her eyes. "Huh?" Rio's grin faltered and she seemed as though she was stuck in a tracker beam by Kaizo's stare...

- Flashback time -
~ During the Hari Clan Fight

Rio didn't want to think anymore... she didn't want to cry either, she just wanted to finish what her mother had planned... All of this was planned from the start, but that was a story for another time... Right now there was a task at hand and Rio was determined to complete it for her family and all of the other families Ursula had ruined.

Rio looked up at Ursula, void of emotion. She found that Souta had been thrown into a wall, hardly able to move his body however he was still awake while Fumio was once again caught by his neck in Ursula's grip. She was just laughing at him, head-butting him while she spoke. Her words didn't reach Rio anymore...

All that Rio could hear was a shattering sound....

~ Inside Rio's inner world at that point in time ~



Hana and Kan were both watching the cracked lake of Rio's inner world while keeping tabs on the fight. Kan's eyes narrowed at the lake before Hana's suddenly widened with her snapping to Kan. "Kan do you feel that? It's coming! WE'VE GOT TO DO SOMETHING!!" Hana was clearly scared and anxious, staring at Kan desperately. The latter was much calmer however extremely concerned. "I can feel it... And I know Hana, but there it's nothing we can-" SMASH!

Before Kan could finish her sentence, the lake abruptly shattered into millions of pieces that sank into the watery substance... The lake looked normal as if it previously had a mirrored film covering it, however when looked into, it was still reflective. Nothing but a dead silence dawned within the world, both Hana and Kan's eyes drawn to the lake in suspicion... They didn't move an inch, nothing did, not even the trees... However, all of the coloured leaves had fell except one.

Throughout the silence, the only thing that happened was the last coloured leaf slowly swaying to the floor, tree leaves completely black when... fingers emerged from the water slowly.

"Huh? Ka-" "I know Hana." Both spirits watched the slender fingers poke out of the water from underneath... As the two watched, the fingers slowly continued to emerge out of the lake while the water ripped around them.... At first came the whole hand, then the forearm, then an elbow and onwards until-

Both Hana's and Kan's eyes widened dramatically as both gasped in unison. "I-It's-"



The woman's eyes stared blankly at the surprised spirits before her lips twitched, slowly moving into a smirk. "Happy to see me?" Was the first thing that came out of this woman's mouth along with a slight chuckle noise, her voice identical to Rio's.

Shock was written all over Hana's face while Kan grit her teeth at the woman. Said woman chuckled. "Now now, you shouldn't look at your wielder like that~ It's disrespectful." The woman's smirk dropped as she spoke, staring at the two as her eyes began glinting red. "Looks like you two haven't forgotten about me... Good."

- A little more recent flashback up to present time -
Amidst her screaming, Rio's eyes widened further before she grit her teeth at what Kaizo was saying, repressing her voice until she suddenly grinned.

Rio's mind went blank at that moment. She felt as though she was kicked out of her own body, making her feel as though she was falling... until she hit dirt. Opening her eyes, while wondering when she closed them, Rio looked around to find herself within her inner world. There was nothing but silence, both Hana and Kan where no where to be found....

Climbing up onto her feet, Rio looked around. "HANA!.... KAN!!" She yelled before beginning to walk a little towards the lake, taking another look around. Stopping at the edge of the lake, Rio took another look around. "HANA! KAN! WHERE ARE YOU?!" She yelled louder, but was soon met with chuckling in her right ear. "Want to see them? I'll show you where they are~" Gasping, Rio looked straight while feeling that someone was behind her... The voice in her ear... was hers? "YOU!" Turning her face to look back over her shoulder, Rio's teeth were grit as she was met with a woman that looked just like her but with horns and a red glint in both of her eyes.

"Heheheh~ Recognise my voice?~ It's yours isn't it?" The woman held a smirk before it turned into a toothy grin while Rio grit her teeth harder, turing around to face the female. "Who are you?! TELL ME RIGHT NOW!" Rio yelled, pissed off instantly as she knew whoever was standing in front of her must of been the cause of all of this mess she's been going through recently... The woman chuckled at Rio's anger before opening her mouth to speak. "Me? Oh, Rio, that is your name right?... Let me tell you something, that body of yours, you stole it from me. Your name isn't Rio. It is me, Huerona" Huerona's grin dropped after she spoke, her eyes staring blankly at Rio who's own eyes widened.

"You're... Huerona?... No. You're lying... Tell me the truth!" Rio wasn't having it, there was no way this person was Huerona... Rio was Huerona. The one who claimed to be Huerona showed no reaction, staring at Rio for abit before laughing suddenly. "Heh, you're an idiot. An absolutely worthless being.... You stole MY body! 'Rio' doesn't exist!! You're a fraud! A fake! Your body is rightfully mine!" Huerona began growing infuriated, which was shown by the glare she was giving Rio. Whether or not this was Huerona didn't matter to Rio anymore... This bitch was using her body to attack the love of her life. By any means necessary... she had to be stopped.

"This body is mine. Now get the hell out of my body." Rio's voice deepened a little with a dangerous tone, however Huerona just suddenly began running for her. "NO! NOW DISAPPEAR!" Jumping, Huerona forced herself into Rio's body, causing Rio to fly back before she grabbed onto a protruding tree root on the floor to stop herself from failing into the lake. The Rio's eyes began widening as she noticed she was flying over the lake but something weird was going on, she felt her body getting more and more drawn to the lake the further away from the ground she was, as though an invisible force trying to drag her into the water. "Goodbye forever Rio~" Huerona watched the woman be dragged down into the water, disappearing into the lake of no return. "Hehehe~ Finally~"
~
"NOOO!!" Rio yelled as she fell into the water... but instead of finding more water once she entered, she found nothing but utter, airy darkness. Her body continued to fall as Rio stretched her arms up to search for something to grab onto. "No! I refuse to let it end this way!!" Rio shouted, still searching until she felt a hand grab hers. "RIO! YOU OKAY?! KAN PULL HER UP!" Came Hana's voice shortly after, shocking Rio. Despite being shocked, she was greatly relieved, allowing her expression to settle as she could feel Kan trying to pull her onto a ledge of some sort... but something was wrong.

Rio's eyes widened once more as she felt something else latch on to her left foot, trying to drag her down further. "Rio what's going on?!" Kan yelled. "I don't know... something's got me..." Rio began experiencing feelings of despair, hatred and depression seep into her body and mind for no reason which she found incredibly odd.... "Get it off of you so I can pull you up!!" Kan shouted once more, giving Rio a minute before noticing her suddenly become heavier. "R-Rio!!"

"... Let me fall..." Rio whispered, earning a gasp from Kan. "No! What are you saying?! Come on hurry! I won't be able to pull you up if you don't do something!!!" Another thing latched onto Rio's other foot, sending another wave of dark emotions over Rio's mind and soul. ".... Let me go Kan...." Rio's grip on Kan's wrist began loosening before she completely let go, leaving only Kan to hold onto her. "Dammit Rio!" "Kan why haven't you pulled her up yet?!" "I Can't! Something's dragging Rio down and she won't get it off!!" " Why?!" "I DON'T KNOW!" "... Kan... do it..." The spirits were yelling at each-other before their attention landed on Rio as she spoke softly. Whatever had grabbed onto her began sliding up her legs, making it's way to her hips while still dragging her down. "Do it before it gets you too..." Rio's voice was noticeably monotone, sounding eerie. Kan wouldn't give up which resulted in herself getting dragged down with Rio. "QUICK HANA GRAB ONTO ME AND HELP ME PULL!" Kan yelled, which Hana immediately obeyed, wrapping her arms around Kan's waist tightly, pulling Kan back as the latter continued to try and pull Rio up.

"It's useless.... let me go... I don't belong here... I don't belong in this body... or in this world..." Rio continued to talk, saying things that both spirits knew Rio would never believe... Whatever was grabbing her must of been doing something to her... Really what was happening was Rio's mind was slowing being invaded with negative thoughts to purposely drive her downwards... what would happen if she was dragged down was certainly nothing good...

"RIO! SNAP OUT OF IT!!" Hana yelled. "RIO! DON'T LET IT CONTROL YOU!!" Kan followed.. but nothing... Until someone else's voice began echoing throughout the area.

"I'm sorry Rio...ever since I became Captain, I lost my way...I've become weaker...I can feel it"

Rio's ears perked up at the familiar sound, listening closely to it.

"...the truth is...I'm only strong because of you, you're what gives me strength...If I've lost you, then I've nothing left to fight for...so death will be the only fitting thing for me...I don't want to live in a world without you, I can't..."

Kan and Hana heard Kaizo's voice which caused them to faintly wonder how and why they were able to hear it but that wasn't important at the moment... what was important was saving Rio...

All of a sudden, Rio's hand latched back onto Kan's wrist. She was oddly smiling softly. Inside her mind, the negative thoughts were slowly being overrun with thoughts of Kaizo which helped slowly bring her back to reality. "... Kaizo..."

- Back in the normal world -

Rio continued to watch Kaizo, listening to his words. "... Kaizo..." Her voice sounded softer as she spoke Kaizo's name out of the blue before she blinked, her expression darkening suddenly. "Ulgh she isn't dead yet?!" Rio spoke to herself, clenching her right fist. "Damn that persistent bitch."

- Rio's inner world -

Kan began pulling harder when she felt Rio's hand grip her wrist again. "HANA PULL HARDER!" "I'M TRYING!!" Whatever was latching onto Rio didn't give up, however, with Kaizo on her mind, Rio refused to give in anymore. "Kaizo... help.... do what... you did.... before" Rio continued to speak, not realising that she was more connected to her body due to the black strands being connected to her.

- Normal world again -

Rio's tails began pulling Kaizo's limbs out further, looking at him with a blank stare. "Given up. How pathetic. You failed because you gave up, not that you had a chance to save her anyway. But honestly, a Captain such as yourself, giving up so easily over one person is utterly ridiculous. Does your own life not mean anything to you? Actually there is no need for you to answer that, it's clear your answer-Kaizo... help... do what... you did.... before-..." As she spoke, Rio's voice suddenly softened as words slipped out of her mouth uncontrollably before she suddenly covered it with her right hand. "Fuck." She murmured.

Nicias Askani said
gio kinda just floated there" dude seriously? i finally go on an offensive and you stop before i demonstrate the things you said i didnt demonstrate, ... and for the record. i attempted to train under others...I was told to stick to my squad." there were at least 4 other frustrations Gio had with the entire exercise, the real big one being that the entire mood changed half way through. somehow he was being judged he had not presented....that would have been to his detriment to to demonstrate. being shot at makes it exceptionally hard to punch somebody. so when he closed the distance it realy irritated him that that was the end. Gio thought for a second...." wait a minute. I only used 6 Kido. 4 bakudo and 2 hado" by this time he was already alone in the sky so he Shunpoed after his captain to argue. Sure he got the point The man was trying to make. it wasnt good to rely on kido, noted. but he had been working on that since the merger. it would at least be fair for Mok to see his skill in other areas before makeing such a judgement.

Mok watched Gio shunpo after him which made him sigh as he stopped and turned around holding up his hand. "Now, now. I use good reasoning. If your kido is shit, and that's what your best in, then I assume everything else is pretty much god awful. Another thing now, you said others told you to stick to what your squad does. There's only one appropriate answer to this. You give them the finger, and tell them to politely to go fuck themselves. And lets be fair I could be blind folded and not be hit once by you. Now go be a good boy and train, you know zanjutsu and Hakuda. Not Kido..... barred from that." Mok again shunpoed off.

Zane620 said
Takara frowned at him and walked up to him as she turned him around, looking at his scar. "And you are calling me a dumbass? Obviously this giant scar on your back, and you need to wash something off your neck dude. Seriously if you have someone you like, I can stop my jokes." Takara then sighed as she sat back down near the fire. "Yet seriously are you okay?"

Kenta looked down at her as she began walking up. He raised his eyebrows in confusion as he felt her hands on his body soon realizing what she meant with her question, more so when she actually said so. His scar never came to mind, in fact he'd prefer if he forgot about it. It wasn't exactly something he liked carrying, and made him a bit insecure as well, not to mention the bad memories. It was one thing wielding battle scars, another thing wielding scars due to torture, but it wasn't like he'd admit any of that stuff. Atleast the scars on his face were gone though, however Tae managed that. Thinking of scars and Tae caused his hand to run up to his side where a hole was blown through it, Tae somehow managing to heal that as well. His mind snapped back to reality, his mind going off course of what Takara was asking. He heard her walk back towards the fire. He looked back at her, "...I'd be lying if I said I was, but thanks for wondering. I'll, uh, tell you about it later alright?"

Kenta then placed his hand over the kiss mark which he had forgot to do, "...And there is no someone like that. It's kind of...Poison...It goes away on it's own." Kenta didn't know how to explain that part, nor was he going to try to since he didn't understand it himself fully. What would he even say? Oh, I expirence a mental breakdown then some women appears and kisses me leaving her lip poison on my body then I do what she says...Oh, and I may or may not know her, I'm not entirely sure....Well that was certainly one way to explain it, not a very good one though.

He looked forward and began walking, heading away from the area. Another reason why he wanted to leave, he didn't want her controlling him to make him do things to Takara whatever that may have been. He let out a breath as he soon came across a small village, one Rose had informed him about at one point, it's where she got all her clothes. More specifically a place called Kurai threads. It didn't take too long for Kenta to find the place, it was a small hut with a window where Kurai stood. "Head half shaved, eyepatch, looks like a girl...Just as Rose described, you're Kurai," Kenta said.

Kurai gave a small chuckle, "So I am, and you look like you're in need of a shirt."

"Quite a few actually," Kenta replied.

"Shopping for Rose? She's a wonderful customer of mine. Sometimes she sends some friends of hers to come pick up her clothing, wonderful people as well. Though her order won't be completed until a couple of days, it's quite a large bundle."

"Uh, no, I'm actually here for me and a friend of mine," Kenta said as he rubbed the back of his head, "Well, a different friend. I don't actually know her sizes but I think I can pin them down accurately."

Kurai tapped his chin and looked into the air before their eyes fell back onto Kenta, "While I will trust your judgement I'd rather have exact measurements. Every thread has to be exactly perfect, otherwise what's the point~? So I'll tell you what, you take one of my assistants and take her to your friend. While she's there she can measure her, and you, then create the clothes. And since you're a friend of Rose, free of charge!" After Kurai finished speaking they headed further into their shop leaving Kenta alone for a bit. This whole thing went better than expected, especially since he wasn't expecting to pay in the first place. Well he was expecting it...He just wasn't gonna.

As the doors to the shop pushed opened Kurai stepped out alongside a female. She had near shoulder length green hair, a light brown skin tone, and abnormally pretty brown eyes. She carried some sort of box in her hands which Kenta assumed to be supplies. Well I guess we're ready then, Kenta thought as they walked up to him. "Lunar here will escort you to your friend, there she will do what she needs to."

"Thank you, Kurai," Kenta said with a nod before Kurai gave a nod back before heading back inside. Kenta stuck his hands in his pockets and walked alongside Lunar heading back to Takara. He felt the kiss mark fading away, and although it wasn't enough for him to be taken control of it was still there. As they walked Kenta began thinking back to Kurai, he had a higher amount of spirit energy than any normal soul, and it seemed controlled too. He noticed it about Lunar as well, but he wouldn't think too much of it. They walked back to where Takara was last seen and he hoped she wasn't sleeping in the fire.

"i was not told to stick to what my squad does. i was told to stick to my squad in terms of training." Gio clarified "but for you to call what i did "shit" makes me think your used to the old system, back when everything was much much stronger in general. which stands to reason that you could have been blindfolded, weighed down with your hands tied behind your back and i probably still wouldnt have been able to hit you. but that is a testament to your strength, not a fair assessment of mine. your a world beyond the majority of the seirietie, thats probably why you were asked to come back." Gio shunpoed after the man yet again. he didnt really notice that he was technically demonstrating his Hoho skills, not that the man was paying any attention to that. It wasnt the Kido ban that was bothering him, ok thats a lie. on top of being told he was shit at what he was good at, he was bared from getting better, and expected to get better at things he was actually shit at... kinda backwards but what ever. He wasnt looking for excuses, just a fair assessment.

Mok put his gun to his head when he saw Gio yet again coming,contemplating if killing himself might be a better option, instead of facing the arguing monster that lies within Gio. "And again you tell them to go fuck themselves, and find someone different. You really don't have a backbone, until someone tells you your wrong do you? There are hundred of people out there that aren't in a squad that can train you. Yu Amagi for example, he was trained by that Hakuda idiot I mentioned, and he resides on a mountain. Hell Tabo wasn't even a member when he trained Hikari. And not true, I was brought back because, if he didnt bring in anyone, we would only have five captains. Maybe four if you count wherever the fuck Rinkei goes. And a world above them is not true. The lieutenants of most squads could probably give me a challenge as they have been in that position for a long time. You just became it, you are not some skilled master at anything yet. Its takes years and understanding. One of which you seem to lack, yet if you must show me what you can do, then by all means." Mok said as he sealed his shikai and now rested his sealed state on his shoulder. "Fair warning though. I will be twenty times much harder on you now."

Takara frowned but nodded. "Poison in the shape of lips....Well if you say so. And if you want to tell me, you can its all up to you. I wont force you." Takara said as she waved as he left to get clothes she assumed. So she sat by the fire almost dozing off, but she would get yelled at if she fell in the fire she stay stayed awake, only to find herself soon surrounded by birds. This made her giggle as she listened to them tweet on her shoulder and head. She soon saw kenta and another woman coming back, which made her wave at them. "I knew you had a lover! Poison kiss mark my ass." Takara said giggling, which made the birds tweet in response as they flew off.

Mirja, having finally finished off the 11th bigots, wandered slowly down to the 4th division, for no real reason. Apart from the fact that her nose was broken, she was missing a tooth, and one of her eyes was swollen to such a point she couldn't properly see out of it. And a few ribs where probably broken. But, aside from that, she had no reason to head down the Seretai to the 4th barracks.
"Was this place always so big?" She muttered to herself, dragging her battered carcass to the front of the barracks, and then smiling as she saw the members of the division. She hoped that her current state needed no explanation as to why she was here, but some people where a bit daft - especially after several blows to the head by angry, muscular men - and so she was prepared to explain what had happened, but hoped they would just hug her and take all the pain away, since there was a lot of pain

Zane620 said
Mok put his gun to his head when he saw Gio yet again coming,contemplating if killing himself might be a better option, instead of facing the arguing monster that lies within Gio. "And again you tell them to go fuck themselves, and find someone different. You really don't have a backbone, until someone tells you your wrong do you? There are hundred of people out there that aren't in a squad that can train you. Yu Amagi for example, he was trained by that Hakuda idiot I mentioned, and he resides on a mountain. Hell Tabo wasn't even a member when he trained Hikari. And not true, I was brought back because, if he didnt bring in anyone, we would only have five captains. Maybe four if you count wherever the fuck Rinkei goes. And a world above them is not true. The lieutenants of most squads could probably give me a challenge as they have been in that position for a long time. You just became it, you are not some skilled master at anything yet. Its takes years and understanding. One of which you seem to lack, yet if you must show me what you can do, then by all means." Mok said as he sealed his shikai and now rested his sealed state on his shoulder. "Fair warning though. I will be twenty times much harder on you now."

Gio made a mental note of who Mok was 'recommending' but he had already made up in his mind where he would go for his training. same place he went last time, the Sect. though last time he trained with them...holy shit it was the same thing. they had forbid him from using kido too...but but weight seals on his arms and legs. in hindsight it was pretty effective..but going back meant more weights and more fights... but of course he was going to go back anyway.

now that he was given a second chance, along with diminished odds he flew forward towards Captain Mok. "Senkienton” he started out seemingly right where he left off, except the smoke was coming from his blade instead of an ‘explosion’ from his hand. With a spinning downward slash he wrapped the smoke around himself while aiming from Moks neck, but pulled back at the last second. The entire blade disappeared into the smoke that was still expanding. Suddenly it shot out in a thrusting motion rapidly, over and over again in instantaneous succession. Each thrust sending out a trail of red smoke effectively covering the area. The speed of his attacks slowed down slightly as he moved through the smoke stabbing at different angles. Mok probably noticed the expansion of his strikes as they became wider in their grouping, aiming without a clear pattern. But at the same time the strikes were precise and quick, as one might expect from a rapier such as his blade. Without warning the blade was replaced with a glowing blue first aimed for Moks face. It wasn’t a prefect execution of the technique Mok had shown Gio not too long ago but it was pretty close. And getting closer to his face

With no reply from the captain of squad 10 Sinai simply slid her report under the door and went on about her business. Naturally she really had nothing to do to squad 4 to tend to her wounds and bruises. It was her first time in the hospital in her life but it wasn’t really a fascinating experience. She had to wait to be seen, which didn’t really bother her but then she got reprimanded by the nurse that tended to her about waiting so long to get looked at. The nurse never asked about the mission, or what happened she just said she should have come sooner. In little to no time she was out of that place an on her way to the squad 2 barracks….with absolutely nothing to do. Her commanding officers still weren’t back so she asked a random Shinigami if they could bring her to any seated officer to speak to since she didn’t know anyone’s position yet.

Nicias Askani said
Gio made a mental note of who Mok was 'recommending' but he had already made up in his mind where he would go for his training. same place he went last time, the Sect. though last time he trained with them...holy shit it was the same thing. they had forbid him from using kido too...but but weight seals on his arms and legs. in hindsight it was pretty effective..but going back meant more weights and more fights... but of course he was going to go back anyway. now that he was given a second chance, along with diminished odds he flew forward towards Captain Mok. "Senkienton” he started out seemingly right where he left off, except the smoke was coming from his blade instead of an ‘explosion’ from his hand. With a spinning downward slash he wrapped the smoke around himself while aiming from Moks neck, but pulled back at the last second. The entire blade disappeared into the smoke that was still expanding. Suddenly it shot out in a thrusting motion rapidly, over and over again in instantaneous succession. Each thrust sending out a trail of red smoke effectively covering the area. The speed of his attacks slowed down slightly as he moved through the smoke stabbing at different angles. Mok probably noticed the expansion of his strikes as they became wider in their grouping, aiming without a clear pattern. But at the same time the strikes were precise and quick, as one might expect from a rapier such as his blade. Without warning the blade was replaced with a glowing blue first aimed for Moks face. It wasn’t a prefect execution of the technique Mok had shown Gio not too long ago but it was pretty close. And getting closer to his face

Mok sighed when Gio did decided to attack, and started with the same Bakudo again, And when the area was again covered Mok looked behind himself to see a blade coming at him, which made Mok move his head only to watch it vanish. Soon multiple thrust began shooting at him, all of which Mok moved away from him with his own blade, some didn't even come close to him. Suddenly he sensed some sort of energy with made Mok's eye twitch as he shunpoed behind Gio grabbing his arm. "You know, all these Bakudo attempts, which by the way are kido. Only to attempt an attack which is Hakuda, yet also kido.... Do people ever tell you, that they want to just kick you in the face? Cause I swear I barred your ass from using Kido." Mok said as he gripped Gio's arm tightly, before throwing him out of the area of smoke. Mok then came out of it and looked at Gio. "One." Mok said as he practically taunted Gio by meditating in the air.

Gio used the smoke to hide his movements but wasnt really surprised when Mok gripped his arm. Gio couldnt help but chuckle as he was thrown "you said training, hollows gillians and anyone who can make it useless... so far the one i used worked." he flipped and flew back at mok in an arch trajectory, coming under him with a upward sword strike. The momentum helped Gio throw the rest of his body upward to execute a kazaguruma kick toward Moks head. Gio knew that zanjutsu was his weakest skill point. he had only recently began working on it in the interest of improving. Before that it was hakuda that he dabbled in, only because of he opportunity to enhance strikes by embedding energy into them. He gauged himself at about a seated level in both with hakuda being slightly higher. then there was Hoho, which he demonstrated by shunpoing back into the smoke.

Nicias Askani said
Gio used the smoke to hide his movements but wasnt really surprised when Mok gripped his arm. Gio couldnt help but chuckle as he was thrown "you said training, hollows gillians and anyone who can make it useless... so far the one i used worked." he flipped and flew back at mok in an arch trajectory, coming under him with a upward sword strike. The momentum helped Gio throw the rest of his body upward to execute a kazaguruma kick toward Moks head. Gio knew that zanjutsu was his weakest skill point. he had only recently began working on it in the interest of improving. Before that it was hakuda that he dabbled in, only because of he opportunity to enhance strikes by embedding energy into them. He gauged himself at about a seated level in both with hakuda being slightly higher. then there was Hoho, which he demonstrated by shunpoing back into the smoke.

Mok stared at Gio as he gave his explanation, it made him stare off blankly into space as his eye twitched again. oooooo this kid is lucky hes my student. Mok though to himself as Mok held his own sword down stopping Gio's in its track while a blue orb formed to the point Gio was about to kick and repelled him. "I will say this. If you were faster you might have been able to pull off that kick, by the way. Being smart with a man, who will literally use Bankai just to make you wet yourself, is not a wise idea. Now next move little one. In fact lets go back to the day you meet me." Mok said as a kido stump formed under Mok as he sat down.

Tabo sat in his office looking at a rectangle like device he had created; it was something he used to keep tabs on Hikari. So far it seemed he was ok…As in not dead, and that’s all that mattered to Tabo. As long as Hikari remained alive Tabo didn’t care how much he got beat up. His head perked up as a knock came from his door in which he simply pulled a finger back allowing the door to open revealing Haruka. He told her to enter, which she did. They had a small chat before it lead to him training her, in which they were both ready at the moment. Tabo stood up and placed a hand on her shoulder using Sentan Hakuja to teleport them to the cave that was underneath the Squad.

“So, like I said…I won’t be going easy on you, so don’t expect to get hurt,” Tabo said as he jumped back to create some distance, “I want you to shoot Kido at me as you dodge mine. It seems simple enough, but trust me, it ain’t. And once you start dodging I don’t want you to stop shooting Kido, no matter what the Kido is. Don’t blindly do it either, actually think as you do so. So focus on dodging my attacks, focus on doing your own, all while doing it in an intelligent manner.”

Tabo stuck his hand out, activating Senjū Kōten Taihō without even saying the incarnation. He smirked as a bit of hair fell into his eyes, “And one slip up could mean the end for you, but let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.” The pink points of energy then shot forwards towards Haruka, while still being fast he made it so they could still be dodged given enough effort. Most would probably think starting off with that high of Kido would be too much, and too dangerous. But she did state no BS, and he was delivering. Although he did power them down so even if the attack did hit then it wouldn’t kill her, at most injure. Still was nothing compared to what he did to Hikari, the thought made him chuckle darkly.

Zane620 said
Takara frowned but nodded. "Poison in the shape of lips....Well if you say so. And if you want to tell me, you can its all up to you. I wont force you." Takara said as she waved as he left to get clothes she assumed. So she sat by the fire almost dozing off, but she would get yelled at if she fell in the fire she stay stayed awake, only to find herself soon surrounded by birds. This made her giggle as she listened to them tweet on her shoulder and head. She soon saw kenta and another woman coming back, which made her wave at them. "I knew you had a lover! Poison kiss mark my ass." Takara said giggling, which made the birds tweet in response as they flew off.

As the two made their way back Kenta was genuinely surprised that she wasn't sleep in the fire, even more so that she wasn't sleep. Instead she sat there surrounded by birds, some of which jumped and tweeted on her shoulder and head, which she just giggled. It actually brought a smile onto his face watching the scene, though the smile quickly turned into a scowl once she called Lunar his lover. Lunar on the other hand just took a step away, face on fire. "Fucking idiot, I don't have a lover!" Kenta yelled at her, "Besides, if that was true then I wouldn't be your prince charming!..I mean, fuck, no! Agh!" Kenta face palmed, more so hurrying to cover his red face. "She's here to take your measurements and stuff, for the clothes you idiot!"

AbigailTenshi said
"I'm sorry Rio...ever since I became Captain, I lost my way...I've become weaker...I can feel it"

Rio's ears perked up at the familiar sound, listening closely to it.

"...the truth is...I'm only strong because of you, you're what gives me strength...If I've lost you, then I've nothing left to fight for...so death will be the only fitting thing for me...I don't want to live in a world without you, I can't..."

Kan and Hana heard Kaizo's voice which caused them to faintly wonder how and why they were able to hear it but that wasn't important at the moment... what was important was saving Rio...

All of a sudden, Rio's hand latched back onto Kan's wrist. She was oddly smiling softly. Inside her mind, the negative thoughts were slowly being overrun with thoughts of Kaizo which helped slowly bring her back to reality. "... Kaizo..."

- Back in the normal world -

Rio continued to watch Kaizo, listening to his words. "... Kaizo..." Her voice sounded softer as she spoke Kaizo's name out of the blue before she blinked, her expression darkening suddenly. "Ulgh she isn't dead yet?!" Rio spoke to herself, clenching her right fist. "Damn that persistent bitch."

- Rio's inner world -

Kan began pulling harder when she felt Rio's hand grip her wrist again. "HANA PULL HARDER!" "I'M TRYING!!" Whatever was latching onto Rio didn't give up, however, with Kaizo on her mind, Rio refused to give in anymore. "Kaizo... help.... do what... you did.... before" Rio continued to speak, not realising that she was more connected to her body due to the black strands being connected to her.

- Normal world again -

Rio's tails began pulling Kaizo's limbs out further, looking at him with a blank stare. "Given up. How pathetic. You failed because you gave up, not that you had a chance to save her anyway. But honestly, a Captain such as yourself, giving up so easily over one person is utterly ridiculous. Does your own life not mean anything to you? Actually there is no need for you to answer that, it's clear your answer-Kaizo... help... do what... you did.... before-..." As she spoke, Rio's voice suddenly softened as words slipped out of her mouth uncontrollably before she suddenly covered it with her right hand. "Fuck." She murmured.

Kaizo continued to look down, his hair covering his eyes, the tears still running down his face as he felt his limbs being pulled out further. He listened as Rio spoke then his eyes widened when her voice seemingly suddenly changed causing him to look up at her with his eyes still widened "R-Rio?" Kaizo looked into Rio's eyes, ignoring Rio's reaction to this he began to speak "Rio! come back! don't let this fake beat you! I need you here with me! I have nothing to fight for without you...nothing to live for...I never noticed this until now but you are my reason for living...every breath I take is for you, every single person I fight is for you! So long as I have you in my life I cannot lose! I will refuse to die no matter what! Because I refuse to leave you alone in this cruel world...much like you did for me...you took me in and restored my faith in this dark world...you're the light that allows me to fight the darkness the plagues our world...So do not leave me alone...do not lose! if I lose the very thing I love and the very thing the brings light to this world then I will have nothing...I will slip back into the darkness and what good will I be then?...So just come back to me already!" The tears still rolled down Kaizo's face however he continued to look into Rio's eyes...

Kurisa said
Kaizo continued to look down, his hair covering his eyes, the tears still running down his face as he felt his limbs being pulled out further. He listened as spoke then his eyes widened when her voice seemingly suddenly changed causing him to look up at her with his eyes still widened "R-Rio?" Kaizo looked into Rio's eyes, ignoring reaction to this he began to speak "Rio! come back! don't let this fake beat you! I need you here with me! I have nothing to fight for without you...nothing to live for...I never noticed this until now but you are my reason for living...every breath I take is for you, every single person I fight is for you! So long as I have you in my life I cannot lose! I will refuse to die no matter what! Because I refuse to leave you alone in this cruel world...much like you did for me...you took me in and restored my faith in this dark world...you're the light that allows me to fight the darkness the plagues our world...So do not leave me alone...do not lose! if I lose the very thing I love and the very thing the brings light to this world then I will have nothing...I will slip back into the darkness and what good will I be then?...So just come back to me already!" The tears still rolled down Kaizo's face however he continued to look into Rio's eyes...

Rio bit the palms of her hands harshly, hoping to cause inner Rio pain before she looked up at Kaizo angrily. Within a second, she was trapped in that gaze of his once again as he spoke, looking into both of her eyes once more. Her hands soon slowly slipped off of her face, unable to leave Kaizo's stare as if stuck in a tracker beam once again...

- Rio's inner world -

Kaizo's word once again penetrated the dark atmosphere, causing Rio to continue faintly smiling sadly. Kan and Hana were both still busy with trying to pull her up and onto the ledge they occupied, but were still unable to... whatever had Rio had an iron grip.... It continued to travel up Rio's body, capturing her left arm. "RIO DAMMIT! KICK IT OFF OR SOMETHING!... UGH!! I CAN'T HOLD KAN BACK FOR MUCH LONGER!! I'M STARTING TO SLIP!!!" Hana yelled, hopefully reaching through to Rio to get her to actually do something... Hearing this made Kan's eyes widen. "Shit... ARRRGH COME ON RIO!!" Kan grunted while still holding onto Rio's wrist tightly, this time with both hands as Hana's arms were secured around her waist. Hana could feel the force pulling her towards the edge, however she fought against it with as much force as she could muster for as long as she could.

Although Rio continued to do nothing but smile faintly, Kaizo's words the only thing she allowed herself to hear. "Kaizo.... break me free..." She whispered once more before purposely scratching Kan's wrists with her one free hand. Kan wouldn't let go, but Rio didn't let up and continued to scratch harder until Kan inevitably released her unintentionally. "RIO!!!!!" Kan screamed. "OH NO!!!!" Followed Hana as both spirits leered over the edge of the ledge. Rio let her other arm drop as the black, web-like, thick strings attached onto her other arm.

- Back to reality -

"AGHHHH!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!" Rio suddenly screamed, gripping her hair while ripping out the hair-bands and squeezing her eyes closed at the same time. "NO!... NONONO!!" Rio's voice grew angry as her tails began pulling Kaizo apart much stronger all of a sudden. Opening her eyes, one crystal and the other still a cloudy silver, she looked up at Kaizo with pure hatred and utter anger. "You're going to regret that!!" Running towards Kaizo, Rio lifted her right hand, straightening her fingers as she aimed to pierce right through Kaizo's body.... but as she ran, her anger and hatred faded into a dazed expression while all of her tails abruptly shattered around them both, shards scattering to the floor as Rio looked at Kaizo with both eyes wide before opening her mouth, whispering as she got closer to him. "Kaizo... break me free...." Her whispered, soft voice would echo inside Kaizo's mind also while her hand instead moved to gently touch Kaizo's chest with her palm. 'Join me...' Without her mouth visibly opening again, Rio's voice would enter Kaizo's mind once more as her crystal eye stayed pinned to Kaizo's eyes.

At this moment, Kaizo's mind would go blank as he'd loose consciousness along with Rio, leaving them both to fall flat onto the ground, Rio landing on top of Kaizo's chest with her eyes still wide.

Within a blink of an eye, Kaizo would find himself within Rio's inner world, lying on the dirt, scarcely grassy floor. Around him he would find many trees with pure black leaves while the floor beneath them would be littered with coral and pink leaves. Not too far in front of him, he'd find a large lake, the surface mirrored. Within a short moment later, screams of Rio's name from two women would emit from the lake, sounding faint as if far from where he was.

Expllo said
Tabo sat in his office looking at a rectangle like device he had created; it was something he used to keep tabs on Hikari. So far it seemed he was ok…As in not dead, and that’s all that mattered to Tabo. As long as Hikari remained alive Tabo didn’t care how much he got beat up. His head perked up as a knock came from his door in which he simply pulled a finger back allowing the door to open revealing Haruka. He told her to enter, which she did. They had a small chat before it lead to him training her, in which they were both ready at the moment. Tabo stood up and placed a hand on her shoulder using Sentan Hakuja to teleport them to the cave that was underneath the Squad.“So, like I said…I won’t be going easy on you, so don’t expect to get hurt,” Tabo said as he jumped back to create some distance, “I want you to shoot Kido at me as you dodge mine. It seems simple enough, but trust me, it ain’t. And once you start dodging I don’t want you to stop shooting Kido, no matter what the Kido is. Don’t blindly do it either, actually think as you do so. So focus on dodging my attacks, focus on doing your own, all while doing it in an intelligent manner.”Tabo stuck his hand out, activating Senjū Kōten Taihō without even saying the incarnation. He smirked as a bit of hair fell into his eyes, “And one slip up could mean the end for you, but let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.” The pink points of energy then shot forwards towards Haruka, while still being fast he made it so they could still be dodged given enough effort. Most would probably think starting off with that high of Kido would be too much, and too dangerous. But she did state no BS, and he was delivering. Although he did power them down so even if the attack did hit then it wouldn’t kill her, at most injure. Still was nothing compared to what he did to Hikari, the thought made him chuckle darkly.

Haruka agreed to the training and readied herself. Her knowledge of Kido was...meh, it was more Alucard's thing. But she hoped that she knew enough to pass.

She dodged as best as she could, using a mixture of her footwork and shunpo to keep ahead of the attacks. But whenever she found a spot, whether in the air or on the ground, she fired off Kazaguruma from her hand.