(Spirit power please)

Kaito wasn't sure what to make of the entire situation between Ryouta and his zanpakutou, but he also knew that at this point there was no interfering and so he returned his focus to Musamane, "I see...the first rule of war fare is always to divide and conquer..." he said with a solemn look upon his face. Without knowing exactly what else to do at that point in time he simply looked into the eye of the new adversary hoping that he could discern some sort of information from the way that the man acted, looked, or even his posture. There was almost nothing that Kaito could go off of since the spirit's stance and demeanor left absolutely no room from any kind of information to be given away, "I can tell by the way that you are looking at me that you are confident of your victory..." Kaito said to Musamane. He could still hear the battle raging between Ryouta and his zanpakutou, "I didn't want to have to actually show my true strength here, but it seems as if you really are someone dangerous..." Kaito sighed as he rolled the bamboo blowpipe around with his tongue. He closed his eyes as he breathed out and reached within himself for the reiatsu that he knew was within him.

Kaito's body remained completely still as he continued to draw forth the reiatsu and suddenly there it was bursting out of him in explosive flashes of sinister purple light that danced around him, but Kaito paid no mind to the power flowing around him since he knew that this was his strength. Feeling as the weight of his reiatsu began to bear down upon the area surrounding him while at the same time smothering out all the other spiritual pressures, Kaito opened his eyes to see that the zanpakutou spirits had turned to look at him. As he glanced over in the area where Ryouta and Raikou Arashi where fighting he saw that even the armored lion had stopped his pummeling of Ryouta and stared at Kaito with eyes of amazement, "Ryouta-kun...please take the chance to strike...don't allow honor to cloud your instinct to live..." he fervently hoped in his heart. He didn't say anything since he also didn't want to give away Ryouta's chance and he also realized that he was crushing Crowe and the other shinigami with his reiatsu so he gently eased the pressure he was exerting as he turned back towards Musamane. "Well then, I don't have shikai...and I definitely don't have a bankai...so what is your next move?" Kaito asked boldly as he faced his opponent.

Smirking devilishly Musamane raised his arms into the air, palms up and Kaito suddenly felt a amazing gale of wind bursting from the place where Musamane was standing and there was even a green aura surrounding the spirit's body, "He wasn't even fighting for real?!" Kaito thought in shock. The reiatsu pushed him back a couple of spaces and threatened to overwhelm him with its immense crushing weight, but then Kaito thought about how he would be responsible for the people dying here if everyone, but him was eradicated. With this thought implanted in his head Kaito struggled to lean forward as he gripped his zanpakutou ever more tightly as he threw out his chest and once again flexed his reiatsu to counteract the weight of Musamane's reiatsu. "I-I can't let them die...then it would have been pointless for me to show up here if they die under my watch..." he kept telling himself as he corrected his stance and eventually came to an upright position. His reiatsu flowed around him in purple waves as he stared at the spirit in front of him with peircing crimson eyes, "I don't intend on defeating you here in case that it what you were wondering" Kaito said calmly while still watching the spirit for any dead give aways. For the most part Kaito had managed to block the crushing weight of Musamane's reiatsu upon his comrades, but he also had the weight of his own reiatsu canceled out by the other being's power.

Raising his zanpakutou at the spirit, Kaito could only hope that it wouldn't end up him who would be the next victim of the spirits odd ability to release zanpakutou from their blades.

Though he didn't show it, Ryouta was definitely disturbed by Masamune's sudden increase in reiatsu. He wasn't givin' it his all...we're in some deep sh*t... Ryouta thought as he parried a blow from Raikou Arashi, and then tried to wrap his fiery whip around him. This failed, and they both ended up jumping back to circle each other like two experienced boxers. If I had bankai, I'd have a chance against him...but Raikou Arashi's no longer in these Zanpakuto- he's out here. How do I convince him to go back in?

Ryouta sheathed his left Zanpakuto, ending his Solar Flare spell as he did so. "Bakudo no Gojuyo: Shield of the Templars." A large silvery shield appeared over Ryouta's left arm. "This'll hafta do for armor, I guess. Since ya're not keen on helpin' me, Raikou Arashi."

Raikou Arashi inclined his head. "It is regrettable that we must fight. I give you permission to use your swords against me." After saying this, he pounced- there was no other word for it. Both his paws came crashing down at Ryouta, who managed to flash step away at the last second. The shockwaves from Raikou Arashi's blow still sent Ryouta sliding backward; he ended up crouched behind his shield.

Ryouta didn't waste any time- he flash stepped again, and this time he appeared directly above Raikou Arashi. He swung down his lengthened sword with great force- the reishi portion of it bit slightly into the armor of Raikou Arashi's blocking arm, and then began to sheer through slowly. Annoyed, Raikou Arashi flung his arm out, sending Ryouta flying back in the air. Ryouta flash stepped again, and this time appeared on Raikou Arashi's other side, aiming a blow at his left shoulder- again, his blade bit in, sheered through a little before Raikou Arashi flung him off.

Ryouta continued, despite the limits to which he was pushing himself. He flash stepped in front of Raikou Arashi, appearing crouched in front of him and aimed a cut at Raikou Arashi's legs. Raikou Arashi jumped and kicked him- as Ryouta flew back, he flash stepped yet again, this time above Raikou Arashi. "Ha!" he shouted out as he shield bashed Raikou Arashi in the head.

Raikou Arashi gave a roar of annoyance and pain, but flung out his right arm and knocked Ryouta away. Ryouta slid backward and once again found himself crouched behind his silvery shield.

"Inadzuma," said Raikou Arashi. He swiped his right claw forward and a blast of electric reiatsu arced through the air and hit Ryouta's shield. Thankfully, it held. Raikou Arashi continued to throw blast after blast of electricity at Ryouta, who remained crouched behind his shield. I'm not sure how long I can keep up this shield...thought Ryouta. And then, "Banrai," said Raikou Arashi. A blast of air hit the shield and sent Ryouta sliding backward.

He stumbled, and Raikou Arashi seized his chance. Raikou Arashi flash stepped forward and punched Ryouta in the chest. The blow came at such speed that a sonic boom accompanied it- not only that, but it sent Ryouta flying through five walls before he came to a battered halt. Raikou Arashi went resolutely after him. When he reached Ryouta, Ryouta had just managed to get to his feet. "Why?" he asked. "I don't understand..." Ryouta stumbled and spat up some blood. "I think ya punctured a lung there big guy...sh*t." He fell to the ground, face-first. Raikou Arashi stepped up to his prone form.

Ryouta looked up at him from the ground. "Look...I'm sorry. I don't wanna fight ya anymore- not like this. *he coughed* If ya can't be free while I live- then I'm givin' ya my permission to kill me. So ya don't feel guilty or dishonorable about it. OK big guy?" Ryouta's head dropped to the ground, he was so exhausted. Raikou Arashi raised his paw as if to crush Ryouta into the ground. He brought it down with extreme speed, but stopped as he reached Ryouta's back.

Instead, he placed the massive paw on Ryouta's back and said, "Bakudo no Gojuku: Natural Cure." His paw glowed green and this green light seemed to infuse Ryouta, strengthen him. Ryouta looked up, puzzled.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because you were willing to give your life so I might live happily," said Raikou Arashi. "The mark of a true...partner." He touched Ryouta's right sword, and removed Ryouta's left sword from its sheath. "I return to you...so we may fight together, and bring that mind-encroaching menace to a bloody end." Raikou Arashi glowed blue, and then seemed to dissolve into spirit particles, which flowed into Ryouta's blades.

Instantly, Ryouta felt his connection with Raikou Arashi again. Oh yeah. Ready to go big guy?

Always.

ooc: spirit please, and maybe some speed.

(Intel please. Sorry if this isn't what you guys wanted. I can change it if need be. Just let me know)

Kaito felt Ryouta's reiatsu and Raikou Arashi's reiatsu meld once again as they normally had which caused some of the tension that had been gathering between his shoulder blades to relax, "At least something went right for us there..." Kaito murmured to himself. Without his taking his eyes off of the strange spirit whose spiritual pressure continued to butt against his own Kaito called out to Ryouta, "Ryouta-kun, I know that you want to take down this guy right now, but right now I implore you to take care of Crowe and the other shinigami...remember the survival of comrades is always the most important thing in a mission..." Kaito said seriously. Narrowing his eyes at Musamane, Kaito could only hope that Ryouta would listen to his advice; in truth Kaito was slowly becoming more and more irritated with the spirit in front of him because of the fact that he was being forced to give orders when he hated doing stuff like that. "I have to figure out a way to defeat him or at the very least leave him in a vulnerable position..." Kaito contemplated. Although he already had come up with a way to bind the strange spirit the manner of being able to attack the monster was entirely out of Kaito's grasp at the moment because he didn't know what other abilities the spirit had.

Realizing that the lack of information was going to work against him if he simply tried to go in a head to head battle with the strange zanpakutou spirit, Kaito sheathed his zanpakutou, but continued to exert huge amounts of reiatsu in order to keep the spirit on guard. "If there is another way that you would be able to solve this, please tell me since I don't want to fight you in the first place..." Kaito said, but then Musamane appeared directly in front of him with a playful smile on his face as he threw a kick into Kaito mid section. Quickly Kaito brought his left hand in front of his stomach with the palm facing out, where he had anticipated where the kick would land, "Bakudo # 8, Repulse" he said through gritted teeth as he watched the kick sail through the air at incredible speed. Luckily the small sphere of condensed reiatsu appeared in his palm and in front of the kick that Musamane through at him, defending the kick while at the same time throwing Musamane back a couple of feet. "I see..." Kaito said as he placed his thumb and index finger on his chin in a thinking position if he thought about what had just happened when he tried to speak with Musamane and he thought about what had happened with Ryouta and Raikou Arashi. His eyes widened as he turned to the shinigami that was fighting with the monk looking zanpakutou, "Oi! the zanpakutou aren't completely under his control!" Kaito yelled out to the shinigami.

"All you have to do is re-establish the connection with it through the use of the traits that connect both you and the sword in the first place!" he finished. Kaito realized that Musamane was overly resistant to any terms of peace because it would weaken the strangle hold that he held upon the zanpakutou under his control, but Kaito wasn't sure what to do about the lady with the flaming sword or about the spirit in front of him either. "At least I managed to figure something out though..."he sighed. Until he could come up with something else he would be forced to take on Musamane and hopefully Ryouta would join him after ensuring that Crowe and the other shinigami were okay. With a new resolve in his eyes, Kaito smiled as he looked across at the now frowning Musamane, "Sorry about your misfortunate, but battle is far too unpredictable to ever think that things will always go your way..." he said as already began calculating the next move that he would make.

(Speed if possible for evasion, if not Kidou please)

As the smoke cleared, Tensugata exploded from the dust that was settling to attack his former owner. The blur that was Tensugata attempted to strike Nikoda like a bullet, without warning. Nikoda was able to dodge the attack at the last second as he ducked under the sai that was swung at him. I can see his movements, Nikoda thought, all I have to do is focus. The beginnings of a smile warped his lips as he moved to the side, out of his opponent’s line of attack. He sheathed his sword as he explained to the momentarily confused Tensugata, “I will no longer be afraid of you. I believe deep down part of the reason you agreed to this madness is to fight me. I haven’t been giving you an accurate description of what it means to fight me… I will show you now.”

Before Tensugata could readjust his position and strike, Nikoda’s hand rose and he mumbled, “ Hado #5: Disarm!” His hand touched one of Tensugata’s sai and sent it flying away. Tensugata swung with his armed hand but Nikoda had already anticipated it and focused his energy into his legs which danced away as he ducked. Nikoda tried to continue his focus on his legs as he read Tensugata’s movements and predicted his next attack. What would I do next, he thought.

Tensugata only took a second to register that he had one sai now and then immediately attacked. He launched into the air and came down on Nikoda with a flying kick. Nikoda smiled as he countered the kick…with a kidou. Nikoda struggled to keep the energy he had sent into his legs there and only redirecting a small about of it up to his arms for the kidou. Since he was standing still for the moment, he found a lot easier than a time that he had tried running with his energy and firing a kidou, even though now it was still no small feat. “Hado #7: Black Thunder!” Just as the kick was about to land, a wave of solid black reiatsu shot forth and knocked Tensugata from the air to the ground.

Nikoda felt his reiatsu ebb as his fatigue began to set in. The combination kidou earlier had taken quite a toll on his reserve of energy. As he thought about ending the fight with Tensugata he came to a realization of how he could get Tensugata back. I will end it then, he thought as the smile faded from his lips. “Tensugata, I’m sorry I didn’t reach out to you before. But I’m reaching out to you now. If you still want me as your owner, please…save me. If not, I will understand. Either way, I trust you.” Nikoda drew his empty zanpakutou and put it to his stomach. As Tensugata used all his speed to approach Nikoda, end went the sword with lightning speed and resolve. As Tensugata reached Nikoda he shouted, “Han’ei, Tensugata!!!” There was a bright white light that enveloped the two as Nikoda faded to black.

"Bankai!" Ryouta glowed with an intense blue light that was so bright one could've seen it from anywhere in Seireitei. It would have blinded someone if they stared into it for too long. After about three seconds of that, the light abruptly vanished, and Ryouta was standing in a suit of armor that was unlike any ever made- black as the night, with lightning blue trim. "Shugotenshi Raikou Arashi," Ryouta said with reverence. He pointed at Masamune and said, "Ya're finished."

Ryouta flash stepped with astonishing speed and aimed a powerful slash at Masamune. Though the slash missed, a far more powerful Inadzuma attack emerged from the slashing claw; the electric blast crashed into Masamune's sword and exploded, sending him flying back. Ryouta flash stepped again, and this time his right-hand set of claws found their mark, tearing four straight lines down Masamune's chest. Ryouta examined the blood dripping down his claws. "I'm faster," he said gleefully.

And then Ryouta attacked again with devastating speed; he stabbed out with his left claw and caught a surprised Masamune's shoulder, and then whirled to slash at his chest again. This time, Masamune was able to dodge the attack. Ryouta looked at the blood dripping from both his claws and remarked, "Unlike the hooks on the ends of my Shikai state swords- the ends of these hooks are sharpened, and can be used t'stab. I can pull things out that should remain in, hehehe."

Upon making this grisly statement, Ryouta flash stepped again and began essentially raining Inadzuma or Banrai enforced blows down on a Masamune who was clearly not prepared for a Zanpakuto to rejoin its partner and fight alongside him. Ryouta gave a cry that could've been rage or joy, it was difficult to tell- regardless, the shout was punctuated by an enormous blast of electricity. Ryouta brought his right hand up and said, "Fell the wrath of the many Demon's before me- Hado no Rokujuichi: Demon Claw Rapture!" He swiped his claw forward and expelled a blast of blue electricity that exploded within the already existing cloud.

Ryouta smiled beneath his visor. "Nice, big guy," he spoke to Raikou Arashi.

ooc: speed please

(Fighting skill please)

Since Ryouta had regained his full power as he was once again reunited with the power of his zanpakutou, Kaito was sure that the others would be okay, but to his surprise instead of protecting his fellow shinigami, Ryouta had chosen to attack Musamune. "Ryouta...just what the hell are you doing?..." Kaito asked indignantly as he watched as the shinigami whose name he didn't know fell at the last second to his own zanpakutou's strength. The only shinigami left besides Ryouta and Kaito was Kuro, but that soon too could change very quickly since the lady with the flaming sword was also still at large. Glancing at Ryouta with an annoyed look as he lavishly attacked Musamane, Kaito glowered in discuss as he immediately tried to come up with a way that would leave no more shinigami hurt; to him that was the most important thing. Going through every possible scenario he could think of, it quickly became clear to him that he would have to take on the other zanpakutou soul that Kuro was up against.

He used shunpo to appear in between Kuro and the zanpakutou spirit, "Nerdy-chan...I believe in your honor as a shinigami, but this is a battle in which you can only win if you survive. Please allow me to fight this woman for you..." he said without looking back. From what he could tell the woman's power was one that was based upon pure destruction; Kaito gathered this from the rubble that was from the previous skirmish and he also remembered how she broke free of Ryouta's kido. Sighing Kaito took one step towards the zanpakutou, "Oi...I don't know whose zanpakutou you are, but let's make this easy on the both of us instead of brashly jumping into battle" Kaito tried to reason. The woman smiled coldly at him as she brought her sword to the side of her and closed the distance between Kaito and herself in one leap. Grabbing his hilt from his left hip where the sheath was, Kaito quickly whipped his zanpakutou out and countered the heavy blow that the woman rained upon his head apparently intending to kill him in one blow.

Even though Kaito struggled to completely block off the attack he managed to hold it off enough that he could regain his balance and push her backwards so that he could have a little room to work with. It was as if the female spirit didn't understand the concept of backing off as she once again leaped into the air and slashed wildly at Kaito numerous times randomly at different areas. Using quickly reflexes, Kaito managed to block the blows to his shoulders and torso as she landed in front of him yet again, but the woman did manage to land a strike on his chest. At the last minute as she raised her flaming blade to strike Kaito again, he leaned in and clashed blades with her so that they were now in a deadlock which bought Kaito some time to think about his next action; or so he thought. The woman smiled coldly once again as she said "Katsu" in a low voice and a searing heat engulfed Kaito's body as his eyes widened in shock at the surprise of her attack being so huge.

Ryouta felt some twinges of regret at the sight of the Shinigami falling, and because of Kaito's reprimand, but he had his reasons for not intervening. First off, it was in his training from 2nd Squad to always engage the most dangerous enemy if he felt he could defeat said enemy. And also, Ryouta felt it was not his place to fight the Zanpakuto of another. Finally, Ryouta felt that said Zanpakuto would not return to its place in Nikoda's katana unless Nikoda himself convinced it to. Armed with these convictions, Ryouta continued his relentless attack against Musamune.

"Die, ya long-fingernailed bastard!" he shouted somewhat exuberantly as Raikou Arashi's thrill for battle got his blood pumping. Ryouta aimed several slashes and stabs at lightning speed toward Musamane, who fended them off with his one arm fairly well.

"You are trifling with things you don't understand, boy! Get out of my way!" said Musamune. Musamune launched a counterattack- he aimed slashes and stabs of his own at the gaps in Ryouta's armor. Ryouta, intimately familiar with said armor, was able to anticipate most of the attacks and block them with equal speed, though he did sustain a slight injury to the left side of his hip.

"Havin' fun?" he asked Musamune as he blasted an Inadzuma attack at him. "'Cause I am!!!" Ryouta fired off several more of the powerful electric blasts; they engulfed Musamane in smoke. "HA!" Ryouta's armor dissolved completely except for his torso armor and gauntlets, and dense black clouds surrounded Musamune and began spinning, crackling with deadly blue electricity. "Ya're mine, and as good as dead!" Ryouta's hurricane was devastating, but seemed a little uncontrolled. Occasionally, lone lightning bolts would jump from the hurricane and destroy some random nearby object.

Ryouta made a swipe with his hand, and lightning blasted a perimeter of space around Nikoda. He wasn't going to abandon the Shinigami- he just wasn't going to fight his battle for him. For now, he would attempt to overpower Musamune and protect Nikoda from further injury.

ooc: fighting skill please

(Intel please)

Masamune's left arm and right leg were completely blow off. He was severely wounded but no blood coursed from his body. He smiled at the reason for this and looked up at the shinigami. He gave the shinigamis a hint to his master plan, "there are more than just shinigami zanpakutou." He smiled wickedly as he touched a random spot in the air. A garganta opened in the space beside him, and he hopped into the dimensional rip quickly before any of the shinigami could end his life. As the garganta closed, Suzaku was left by herself, surrounded by shinigami.

Nikoda could only deduce that Masamune had plans involving hollows since he had used a garganta. This greatly disturbed him, for he didn't know the full extent of the higher level hollows. He decided he would have to make a trip to the library later, for two reasons: one, to find out what information Masamune had stolen and second: to find out what it related to hollows. All this would have to wait of course for he desperately wanted to study the strange form of the zanpakutou before him. He was hoping that without its master around, Nikoda and all the powerful shinigami around him would be able to subdue the new patient. A little weary smile crossed his lips as he thought, a scientists job is never done. So much to do; so little time.

If Masamune ever returned, Nikoda wanted to be ready for him. He would have the data to defeat...he hoped.

(Fighting skill please.)

Although Kaito was engaged in the battle with the lady with the flaming sword, he caught word of Musamane's last words before disappearing into the Garganta hole that he created and he felt a cold chill run down his spine. His eyes widened as he continued to stare at the spot that Musamane had disappeared from, "Is he...going to use his power to try and free arrancar zanpakutous....?" Kaito wondered. Since he had done extensive reading about the arrancar race, Kaito knew that it wasn't far fetched from what the spirit probably had in mind, but his thoughts were abruptly interrupted when a flaming sword came crashing down on him from above. Swinging his own blade in his right hand with as much power as he could muster, Kaito managed to cancel out the force of the attack that had been launched on him as well as send the lady in the robes flying a little ways from him. Taking a deep breath, Kaito faced the woman completely as he blocked out everything, "I can't mess around while I'm fighting this one...she is a powerful zanpakutou after all..." he reprimanded himself.

The woman ran at him once again, but this time Kaito had focused himself completely upon her every movement as she came at him; counting how fast her footfalls were and even going so far as to estimate how many breaths she took between each step Kaito was able to get a sense of her fighting rhythm. As she reached him the woman threw a sweeping kick at Kaito's leg as she sliced horizontally obviously aiming for Kaito's torso, but the young shinigami flipped over he kick and was able to bring his blade between the flaming sword and himself as he landed once again. He landed facing away from the woman so she struck a blow that Kaito guessed was aimed at his back so he ducked while he spun around and struck out at her shoulder. Skillfully twirling the sword in her hand, the woman countered Kaito's attack with speed and confidence which was something that Kaito expected, but then he didn't expect to be pulled off balance. The woman had used to the momentum of Kaito's haphazard swing to pull him forward and open to any counter attack that she wished to embellish upon him.

As he thought she would, the woman brought her blade down, but this time it was obvious that she was the distracted one because she had a furrowed look upon her face, the speed of her swing had dropped and Kaito could easily predict it. At the last second the young third seat was able to bring his zanpakutou in front of him and in doing so protecting his neck from being severed from his body. Leaping back just in case there was to be anymore fireworks, Kaito watched the woman as she stared intently at the sky as if there was something calling her. Taking first one unsure step, then another one, the woman began to exit the fighting area with no regard for any of the trouble she left; it was as if she was in a trance. Kaito was fine with this outcome as he spread his consciousness around to see if there were anymore weird reiatsu signatures in the air that would indicate more trouble, but he didn't feel any disturbances, "Maybe its over..." he whispered with a smile crawling on his face.

As always you all appear to write so much.....possibly through anger towards me lol deepest apologies for the mega long wait, like i said before things have been awfully hectic thanks for stickin around

Ni chan:
+2 Kidou
+.5 intel
Ryouta:
+1 intel
+.5 spirit
+.5 fighting skill
Kaito:
+1 intel
+.5 speed
+.5 fighting