+2 spirit power

(Spirit power please. Thanks judges)

It had been a couple of days since Kaito's last training with the huge black blade that Nesbit had been forcing him to train with in the recent days, but for some reason the young shinigami had gotten a sudden break from all his hard lessons. It seemed unusual to him to see the burly ex-lieutenant walking around doing common chores while he was idly sitting around nursing some of his injuries and sleeping most of the time. Finally after the fourth day of this behavior going on, Kaito stood at the front door of the lean-to that Nesbit lived in with his arms folded as the man was bringing groceries from the store to cook dinner. "Oi, Nesbit...just what the hell is going on here?" he asked with a serious look fixated upon his face as he stared up at Rab Nesbit; in the past the young shinigami would never have stood up to the man in such a fashion, but Kaito was beginning to develop a sort of tenacity about him that was slowly changing his personality. A jolly chuckle erupted from the Nesbit's mouth as small tears formed at the corner of his eyes as he shook with joy as if Kaito had uttered an unbelievably funny joke.

Once the giant of a man stopped laughing, a deadly look crept into his eye as he stared at Kaito menacingly as he took a couple steps closer to the young shinigami, "..Lad...'member who yer talking to..." he said gruffly as he walked past Kaito and into the cabin. Setting down the groceries in such a meticulous manner one wouldn't have expected for Rab Nesbit to be such a blood thirst fighter, but Kaito knew that the current charade didn't belie the beast within that loved battle and lived off of such encounters. After taking sometime to put things away and start the fire on the stove Nesbit turned to Kaito without any type of prologue instructed him to go outside, but Kaito knew where this would end although he wasn't necessarily excited about it. Dragging his feet out to the dusty backyard that he had become very familiar with after passing out numerous times, Kaito went to where he had last dropped the huge training blade and slung it over his shoulder in preparation. Kaito heard Nesbit before he actually saw him as the big man came sauntering through the door with his own rusty katana in hand and a big smile on his face, "Laddy, lesh have some fun 'ere...we'll start off wit 'ow much damage ya can take in..." the ex-lieutenant said happily to Kaito.

Although the lieutenant's demeanor didn't fit that of someone who was ready to battle, Kaito knew better than to judge the man by the mood that he was currently in since he had fallen for that trick one too many times before as he shifted his feet slightly in preparation of the lieutenant's first move. "Geez...what a troublesome guy...you already assume that I'm going to be the one taking damage here? Isn't that a bit arrogant, Nesbit-san?" Kaito asked with a hint of drowsiness in his voice. Nesbit's only response was the slight curl of the sides of his lips as he exploded towards Kaito with speed even the third seat had trouble fighting against, but he managed to bring the huge training blade down just in time to block the heavy slash that the burly man had brought with him. Even though Kaito had blocked the attack he was still sent reeling backwards several paces as he cringed from the after shock of the blow that he had unsuccessfully tried to absorb. "Tch...this guy's strength is still as big as its ever been...even if I block his blows I still lose stamina because of how much power he is putting behind it..." Kaito realized as he watched the ex-lieutenant ready himself for another onslaught, but Kaito knew that he would have to do something to counter it.

Just as Nesbit widened his base a little, Kaito sprung through the air with the heavy training blade resting upon his shoulder as he dashed towards the man with a sense of wild abandonment, but at the same time he kept paying close attention to what Nesbit was doing. When he was within striking distance, Kaito heaved in a big breath as he gripped the hilt of the training blade and swung downward with all the power that he could muster into the blow only to have Nesbit bring his blade up to block the attack. Although Rab had blocked the initial force from the attack, Kaito's strength forced the big man's knees to buckle slight and had even caused the man's feet to sink into the earth a little bit so that they each left one small crater in the ground. Using his expertise in the art of sword fighting Nesbit whirled his blade so that Kaito's momentum along with the momentum of the heavy blade swung the young shinigami stumbling past the ex-lieutenant, "Shi-" was all Kaito managed to get out. Suddenly a blade ripped through the tattered clothes that he was wearing along with searing through his chest when he had whirled around to try and avoid getting struck in the back by an attack.

Heels sliding through the dirt as he attempted to distance himself away from Nesbit, Kaito stared at the lieutenant with a blank stare as he panted while attempting to suck in as much breath as he could, "Dammit...my strength is being drained away with each swing of this stupid blade..." he complained inwardly. He wouldn't give up simply because he had the disadvantage of fighting with such a weapon, but he also realized that it would continue to be a struggle for him if he didn't do something about the wound that had been inflicted upon his chest. Already things didn't look good for him as he began wobbling slightly on his feet and his vision had begun to get shaky, but Kaito continued to keep his eyes upon the expert swordsmen in front of him, all the while ready for another attack. Seeing that Nesbit was waiting for him to make a move made Kaito groan inwardly as he tensed up his muscles hoping to gather enough energy to actually be able to do some damage to the guy or else he would definitely be in trouble in the next couple of clashes. Grunting as he swung the blade up onto his shoulder once more Kaito took off into a sprint with his sights locked onto Nesbit as he sucked in air trying to make up for the strain that was being put on his chest; even with all these obstacles Kaito strode towards Nesbit undeterred.

+1.5 spirit power

(Spirit power please. Judge as you see fit though.)

Kaito was now ready to fight, but he realized that he was still going to be at an disadvantage because of the experience that Nesbit had on his side and furthermore, the young shinigami had begun to wonder whether or not his teacher's story about being a lieutenant level shinigami was even true. Placing this all aside Kaito raised the blade up and placed on his shoulder as he watched the stance of Rab Nesbit making sure that he took in every detail before he made his move since he was aware of the edge his opponent had. Even though he had made it through many trials by being observant and cunning, Kaito was slowly beginning to realize that some battles weren't simply won because of how much ingenuity one showed since sometimes a killer instinct trumped even the most elaborate of plans. Deciding that he would embrace this school of thought, Kaito ran towards Nesbit with the heavy training blade still resting on his shoulder until he finally closed the gap and stood in front of the burly man. Planting his feet in the ground, Kaito lifted the blade up into the air so that he would be able to gather more momentum into his strike and then swung down with every ounce of strength that he had with a loud grunt escaping his mouth unintentionally.

Much to the young reaper's dismay, the lieutenant simply side stepped the attack and countered with a quick yet powerful upwards slash of his own which Kaito was barely able to fend off in time by raising the blade in front of his face seconds before he was wounded by the attack. Unfortunately for Kaito, his attempt to block the ex-lieutenant's attack wasn't completely successful because it forced his own blade to strike him in the head as he used it to defend himself which still left him getting wounded. Blood dripped freely from his head now as he leaped back a couple of paces so that he could create some distance between himself and Nesbit, "As always is the case when I fight this guy...I can't seem to be able to put a dent in his defenses..." Kaito noted. Just as he was trying to come up with another means of attacking the man in front of him, Rab bounded forth and brought his blade up to Kaito's throat with a kind hearted smile saying, "...Ya can't 'spect to beat ev'ryone with just yer mind kiddo...sometimes ya gots ta use yer instincts..." he finished with a twirl of his own blade as he prepared his next attack. Snorting at how much the man downplayed the difficulty of what he was asking Kaito to do, the young soul quickly prepared a counterattack of his own as he struggled to raise his blade in the air at the same time that Nesbit did.

The two blades hit each other with enough force to send both fighters flying backwards through the rusty yard, but that didn't change the fact to see who had the upper hand at the moment with Rab standing at one corner with his right hand placed peacefully at his hip while Kaito stood at the other corner breathing heavily. Sweat began to drip down Kaito's wounded back causing the festering mess to begin to smart, but Kaito ignored the pain as he tried to figure out a way to overcome the exhaustion that was spreading through his body. "Maybe if I simply attack in succession then I won't have to worry about trying to gather up my air afterward since he would most likely be trying to recover from the my assault in the first place..." Kaito strategized. Bracing himself further into the ground, Kaito sprung forth causing clouds of dust to raise up after each step he planted into the ground; a determined look could be seen through the messy strands off hair that covered Kaito's face. The crimson eyes that had earned him much ridicule when he was in the academy and simply when he was a young soul in the Rukongai area, those same eyes displayed the intensity with which he struggled to find the answer to his question.

Swinging the heavy blade in a huge, downward arch Kaito drew in a sharp breath quickly as he readied himself to adjust to any counter movements that Rab would make, "I have got to be ready in case this bastard tries anything again..." he scolded himself. Nesbit once again avoided Kaito's initial strike as the youngster had predicted, but this time the assault wasn't over in one strike as Kaito gathered his reiatsu and savagely went on a rampage attacking with a series of swings that were aimed at various parts of Nesbit's body. Every swing that Kaito took was simply a second too slow no matter how much the young shinigami exerted himself and the fact that the blade was so heavy began to wear on the speed with which he could attack with. Soon Kaito couldn't manage more than two swings with the heavy training blade and Nesbit took the opportunity to defend Kaito's last attack flourish his blade around Kaito's before striking the young soul reaper across the chest in an X-shaped pattern followed by a swift kick to the abdominal area. Not having enough strength in him to do anything else, the tired Kaito stood his ground as best as he could as Nesbit rained down blow after blow on his already tattered body.

As he skidded backwards through the dirt, the young shinigami realized that he would fall because he was off balance and unprepared to handle anything else that Nesbit threw at him, but through the use of quick thinking he managed to jam the black tip of the heavy training sword into the ground. Now blood not only seeped through the wounds on his chest and head, but the young shinigami was actually running out of spirit power as he hunched over while leaning on the blade that he had dug into the ground. "Dammit...I'm...too slow...I can't even...touch him..." he managed between the gasping breaths that his body was using to forcibly draw in more air, but Kaito knew that this wouldn't help the situation at all, "Are you sure... I can't... just give up?" he asked with a hopeful smile. His question was met with Nesbit raising the tip of his blade at Kaito with a very serious glint in his eyes despite the hospitable smile that he continued to wear on his face. At this Kaito huffed a few times which caused him to cough for a spell before he was able to look back up at the lieutenant with a weary grin on his face, "No one...should allowed...to be able...to use...a smile...like that..." the hoarsely squeezed out before collapsing to his knees near the training blade.

+1.5 Spirit Power

(Spirit power please. Thank you judges)

Kaito gathered himself up once more after his first miserable round against Nesbit and he shook his head, releasing a deep breath into the air the young shinigami felt something; a change in his spirit and smile crept over his face as he gazed at Nesbit with a confident face. "Nesbit-san...let's try that one more time..." he said with an even tone in his voice as he shifted his weight in such a way that he was able to sling the heavy blade up onto his shoulder in a fluid motion which caused a surprised look to appear on the ex-lieutenant's face. "Y-ya...sure laddy" the man said with a hint of uncertainty in his voice as he stared at the young soul curiously making Kaito's smile deepen, "Even he is curious about the change of my demeanor" he sensed. Bringing the blade in front of him, Kaito felt his reiatsu thicken as layers of it began to ooze from his body without him having to put much effort into drawing it out, "This...this is amazing..." he thought as his eyes widened at the weightlessness that he felt within his body despite his many injuries. Kaito whistled as he clutched the shining, black blade in his right hand and he still felt no strain on his arm, "Looks like, I'm finally ready to get stronger..." he said as he took a fighting stance.

Nesbit covered the spacing between the two fighters in no more than three steps, but even this speed didn't seem to be anything that Kaito couldn't handle as he smiled at the ex-lieutenant, who was now thrusting his blade at Kaito's chest with a strained expression on his face. Kaito caught the blade with left hand on instinct which shocked him even more than the reiatsu that had begun to burst out of him in torrents, "What the hell is going on?" he wondered with a bit of fear now that he noticed how much he was changing. In his state of confusion Nesbit drew his blade out from Kaito's grasp, "Ya shan't be losin' focus in a fight 'hile on me watch" the man said in his thick accent that Kaito still couldn't understand, but Kaito didn't listen as he continued to stared in a bewildered fashion at his hand. Blood began to dribble out from a wound that had been created when Nesbit had ripped his katana from Kaito's grasp, but even then the wound didn't hurt in the least bit and reiatsu was beginning to leak from the wound. Kaito watched as the reiatsu that leaked from the wound stopped the bleeding, clotted the blood, and caused the wound to begin healing with shock, but then he felt a huge impact on his chest sending him flying into one of the sheds in Nesbit's back yard.

Shaking his head from the daze of being sent flying through the air he looked up to see a huge silhouette standing over him and before he could react the figure reached down to grab the collar of his now dusty clothing, raising him onto his feet. The air seemed to slow as it touched his skin, actually the feeling wasn't that the air had slowed down as it touched Kaito's skin to be more accurate, it felt as if the air had taken on a solid nature he realized as he heaved in a breath of the thick, soupy air. "What's going on here?...I...I don't feel like myself...I can't even tell if I'm the one being raised into the air or not...nothing hurts..." he conversed in his head when he suddenly heard a clanging of metal as it hit the ground bringing him back to the reality in front of him. He saw Nesbit holding him up in the air with his feet dangling in the air as if he were a marionette doll, but it didn't inspire any fear to see his 6"3 body being held up in the air in such a helpless state, "Are ya gonna 'ight now laddy?" Nesbit snarled at the boy. From what Kaito could tell Nesbit was getting very irritated with the boy's behavior, but none of his attacks were taking the intended effect as Kaito still was in a state of shock as he tried to understand this new power flowing throughout his body.

In light of Kaito's lack of response, the burly gentlemen let go of Kaito's collar allowing him to drop to the ground as he lowered his head and closed his eyes in what Kaito understood to be disappointment, but it was then that there was a sudden change in the air surrounding Nesbit. With speed that Kaito had never seen from the ex-lieutenant, the man cocked his fist back and the air surrounding the man's fist seemed to glimmer as shining particles of light gathered around the fist. "Oh--" was all that Kaito could say as the fist ripped through the air and buried itself into Kaito's stomach with astounding boom that was sure to be heard in every part of the district, but mostly Kaito heard it as the sound reverberated throughout his entire body. Kaito's hands and feet flew in front of the rest of his body as the force of the blow sent him once again sailing through the air; this time he was blasted through the gate that was surrounding the back yard in which the two had been training in. His body hit the ground with enough force to bounce up several more times before it came to an abrupt stop against the stone wall of a shop and it was then that the flood of pain came seeping into the young soul's body.

Although he wasn't a big fan of pain, it seemed that the actual feeling of pain caused Kaito to settle down more, but apparently Nesbit didn't understand that he was ready once more to start his training because the massive man came sprinting towards Kaito and slammed Kaito against the wall. As the young shinigami tried to explain himself to his trainer, the man launched a vicious assault that caused the wall which Kaito was pressed up against to begin cracking as the blows began to burrow him deeper into the wall. Each blow now felt as if a cannonball had struck Kaito each time and he began to cough up phlegm as his insides threatened to coming spewing out several times before he was actually able to push Nesbit away. Rab staggered back, a bit surprised by the strength that Kaito had pushed him away with, but he quickly regained his balance ready to continue knocking sense into the boy if he didn't get his wits about him once again which looked like it was going to be the case. Kaito let out a laugh as he stepped out of the ruined wall behind him, "I can't believe that I'm still standing when you were using full power...I have...become powerful, right Nesbit-san?" he playfully asked his sensei which for some reason made the man laugh heartily before turning around and heading back to the back yard that they had started their bout in. "Have ya finally gotta 'andle on yer self now lad?" the man asked over his shoulder in gruff voice, but Kaito didn't answer as he quickly broke into a sprint past the ex-lieutenant to grab his blade and then he looked back at the lieutenant, "Let's finish this so I can go back to bed..." he sighed.

+1.5 spirit power