Sal had lead Hima on a winding path through Rukongai. They'd passed through most of the Eastern Sector and were now into the North, what he liked to consider his home turf. They worked up through the districts until they were in a run down patch of Rukongai that not even the slum dwellers used. This was Sal's training ground. While the Shinigami had their architectured Academy he liked the quiet and down trodden backdrop that this place provided.

He'd spruced up one of the more salvageable huts that lay around the large circle of broken, charred and recently disturbed ground that served as his training circle. Inside said hut were a variety of tool essential to any training regime. Booze and medical supplies.

He stepped into the middle of the circle and turned to face Hima with a smile. "I don't have my Zanpakuto with me so how does a spot of hand to hand suit ya? I mean if your as dangerous as you say you are you should do just fine." He ginned.

Himawari followed suit, allowing Norongachi-san to lead the way. She’d never been to the Northern District before; most of the people she knew that did travel there often advised her not to. But he seemed to be leading her away from the populated area; into a place she couldn’t even imagine anyone really living in. What remained of the buildings showed evidence of battle damage; the charred remains of old buildings, whole areas of ground that looked like they had suffered personal earthquakes, and the splintered remains of old walls. Either this place had been hit by a small army, or she had no real idea of what she was letting herself in for.

She watched as Norongachi-san lead her into the circle, a grin plastered across his face. She rolled her eyes as he turned to face her.

“Hand-to-hand is my specialty,” she smiled, bending forward in a mocking bow. She giggled, taking up a basic fighting stance. She was going to enjoy this. Speed was probably going to be her best ally here, fully aware that he was her superior when it came to physical fighting ability. She dashed forwards, aiming a quick jab for his lower stomach, following it through with a swing towards his lower legs, hoping to catch him off balance.

Hima wasn't messing around as she charged in close. She caught him slightly on the back foot, he didn't expect the fight to begin with such rapidity. The blow to his stomach jarred his innards and forced the air from his lungs with agonized wheeze and then the world flashed by in a blur and the back of his head cracked solidly against the ground.

Little spots of light flashed in his vision for a moments as he tried to get his bearings and then he flipped up onto his feet and looked at her with a smile. "Those you get for free.."

The last syllable had barely escaped his lips when he initiated his counter attack. His entire body went from relaxed to combat ready in the time it took to close the few feet between them and he quickly fired a rapid jab, jab, punch combo and then lunged out with a vicious boot aimed squarely for her stomach.

((Speed if possible))

Himawari moved quickly to block the jabs, her hands blocking the blows as fast as she possibly could. She hadn’t anticipated the blow to the stomach. His foot caught her completely off guard, slamming straight into her stomach. She flew backwards, clearing several feet of ground due to the impact. She flipped herself backwards in midair, her hand reaching downwards to slow the motion. She brought herself to a halt, landing on her feet. Her hand reached for her lower ribs; tender but not broken.

She looked up at him; there had been a lot of force behind that kick, but his level of control was far more refined than her own. He probably could have easily broken her rib with that kick, if he’d put more force behind it.

She pushed herself forward, pushing herself to move as fast as she possibly could, moving in down under his defending arm. She ducked down low, her right leg swinging upwards to catch him under the jaw. She carried the motion through, swinging around a full 360 decrees to bring her leg to catch him in the back of the knee.

The act of surprise had to be on her side in this fight if she wasn’t to be completely battered into the ground. The previous fight he’d seen her in had been beyond embarrassing on her part, only for the fact that she’d been so badly hurt.

((It should be noted that myself and Hima have an accord as to each of us taking minor control of the others character. Fighting pleaaseee. ))

Her speed was frightening and her form almost flawless. She was inside his guard and on the counter just as soon as she'd picked herself up off the ground. Unfortunately for Himawari those few flaws she had sang out like warning cries to his senses, they came in the form of subtle hints as to which way her body would move or which powerful limb she would strike with but it was all he needed to mount an efficient defence.

He shifted his left foot backwards slightly and leaned onto it as the foot rose toward his jaw, the boot whistled past and swung downwards rapidly as it gained momentum and made to sweep his legs away as it concluded its arc. This happened all so quickly that he continued with the backwards motions he'd used to move his face out of the firing line and fully arching his back flipped into a backwards somersault.

His feet had barely touched the dusty ground when he went on the offensive, his speed may not match hers but one key to any type of combat is utilizing as few moves as possible to achieve your desired effect. As she came up from her leg sweep he was upon her. A speedy, though defensive, kick to his chest was caught against his side, pinned there by an immovable arm. His free right hand fired a punch at her face but her rapid reflexes allowed her to push it aside and using his own strength she leapt up off her remaining free leg and attempted to ram an elbow into the top of his shoulder and followed it quickly by a forearm to the right side of his head.

He took the elbow to his shoulder and grunted as the pain shot down his left arm while he brought his defences to bear on the approaching forearm. His free hand shot across his chest toward it and with a show of brute strength not only stopped it from connecting but the force knocked Hima off balance.

As she tumbled the hand snapped outward like a serpent and snatched up a handful of her clothing, he spun on the ball of one foot, still holding her other leg tightly, and flipped her up and over his body and let her fly. It was gonna be a rough ride if she didn't right herself sharpish.

((Speed please))

She was starting to get quite frustrated with this guy. No-one could counter her this easily, and not with such a look of effortlessness. It was when he flipped her over that she really felt the frustration peak. She knew he was stronger than her, but the force behind his motion felt immense. A little relieved he was actually on her side; she had little other choice other than to take the full force of the attack.

She flew several feet, before colliding with the ground, skidding almost twice as far as she’d travelled through the air. She felt the skin of her left arm scrape hard as she skidded, and heard the rip of fabric. Annoyed that the hakama of her uniform was now ripped, she forced herself up on to her feet, blood pouring down her arm, dripping from her left hand. She looked down at her left leg; the slit that was built into her uniform had ripped further, right down past the knee, exposing the bare skin. She sighed, Well, that's going to get in the way later.

She forced herself forward. She knew it was probably a rather foolish move, given that her previous attempt had gone rather awry, but she had to rely on her speed surpassing his own. Aiming a kick towards the side of his face, she was not all that surprised that he managed to block the attack, gripping her attacking foot once more like a vice. However, as he moved in towards her with an attack of his own, she could not resist coping the maneuver he’d used to escape the situation. Naturally flexible, her body curved backwards, her weight now balancing on her hands. Moving like a cat, she used the momentum to pull her foot free from his grip, bringing herself back onto her feet behind him.

Himawari moved quickly, dragging his left arm back with her, locking it behind his back with a sharp twist. She forced her entire weight into the maneuver, trapping his arm tightly between his body and hers. She could not resist a giggle; his escape was inevitable, but she was rather enjoying this.

Sal stifled a grunt as his arm was wrenched up his back but he couldn't stop from smiling when he heard the giggle very close to his ear. It was slightly disturbing that he was getting such a kick from this friendly match. He wasn't about to spare the girl however, to hold back would be an insult to her skills. He could feel the acute pressure on his shoulder, one wrong move and it would pop. When in doubt fight dirty and so he did.

He flung his head back hard and if the girl was not quick enough she would have a rather bloodied face from the sudden impact that would befall her.

Himawari was forced back as his head shot backwards towards her own, having little other choice than to let go of him as she leapt backwards. She was lucky, and she knew that; if she’d been but a few inches taller or him a few inches shorter, that would have resulted in a rather bloody nose for her. Still she couldn’t help but feel slightly disappointed at being forced away like that. She skidded backwards, looking up at him, the smirk still resting happily upon her face.

“Anyone would think you didn’t enjoy that,” she teased. Not really waiting for a reply, she came in again, her fists attempting to come up under his guard. She preferred hand-to-hand than other forms of combat; there was a strange form of excitement that came with getting so up and close with an opponent. And it wasn't like this one wasn't enjoying either, judging by the smile on his own face.

Himawari: +0.5 fighting skill, +2 speed

Sal: +2 fighting skill