[Solo] Brink of past

Subject: [Solo] Brink of past Thu Feb 10, 2011 3:18 am

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap

The rhythmic noise of the young man’s feet against the spirit enriched soil of the Sereitei filled his ears as the wind washed away the unified, yet indiscernible mumble of the masses surrounding him. A thin line of barely visible reiatsu trailed behind him as his lithe form weaved through the student-based obstacle course; his legs throbbed from the extended effort of propelling his spiritual, weightless body. In the peripheral of his vision he was able to make out some blurred images of the student that watched wordlessly as he zipped by them towards a destination only he knew. Not bad. These so-called protectors of the spirit world were described accurately by this single illustrious word in Ray’s opinion.

“Wasting time watching me helping their world …all the while in awe as if they were sheep watching a wolf rip its comrades apart as it stupidly observed in the distance.”

Ray smiledd through his partially cracked lips while he narrowly avoided crashing into a tall female. By spinning on the balls of his feet and driving his palm into the ground, the determined youth managed to regain his balance without breaking stride during the entire maneuver. A frightened gasp faded into the distance as the woman realized how close she had come to a collision with one of Soul Society’s deadliest student when angered; a crude smile threatened to plaster itself upon Kousaru’s lips as he continued on his course.

Undeterred by the mishap, the young student continued onwards towards the Market Square where he had hoped to find the woman that he had chosen to be the first of a long line of victims. Ruminating upon the events that had brought him to his moment made Ray cringe angrily as he poured more reiatsu into the soles of his zanpakuto as the emotion began to overwhelm him. Faded memories from his past circled wildly in his head as his shihakusho cradled his skin as if it were trying to offer comfort before the storm of hatred in his heart consumed him. The wry image of his childhood friend, Kosu, arose I his mind causing him to grit his teeth painfully as he struggled to choke back the swelling ball of bile that built at the back of his throat. More faceless images blurred past him as he continued his determined sprint towards the Market Square, but as he continued to make his way there he felt a familiar wave of loneliness pass over him as he felt the penetrating gazes of the shinigami he passed by. Pain. Indignation. Hatred. These concepts had become his somber teachers as he continued to mature and understand the world around him; these were the only truths that provided him with any acceptable answers as to why he should continue his twisted existence.

Kousaru soon realized that it would be unwise to continue his search on the ground where the general public could track his movements which would also mean that his motives would be found out once he committed the vengeful deed. He wasn’t hiding from anyone since he had long thrown away any sense of self-preservation instead he was more concerned with the trouble it would cause him if too many unnecessary people interfered with his goals.

“It would be better if I took my search to the rooftops” he quickly surmised as he angled his body towards the walls of the nearest shop.

Dust flew into the air as the student sprung up from the ground. Gathering even more reiatsu into the soles of his feet, Ray readied himself for the contact of the wall he was about to scale; as the air surged around him he narrowed his body in order to maximize the amount of momentum he carried as his feet touched the wall. The instant he felt the solidity of the wall beneath his zori, Mugenryu drove against the wall and at the same time that the opposing force of gravity pulled stubbornly despite his churning muscles.

“Even in the spiritual realm, physics still govern the self absorbed denizens of the lost souls…” he thought painfully as his legs throbbed from the intense effort that he was putting into climbing the wall.

Grunting under the continued duress Ray felt himself making progress as the tatami roof lay tantalizingly close to his reach with each clambering step along the vertical wall. As the edge came within his grasp, the young student could faintly hear gasps in the background as his suspicious actions finally drew the unwanted attention of the loathed shinigami peers below. Discarding this thought from his mind, he willed his feet to move faster until they became black blurs below his midsection; his hand reached out desperately toward the single tatami plate that would serve as his foothold. Feeling as his hands closed around the warm ceramic he hurled himself atop the roof in one swift motion just as he reached his limit. Landing flat on his back, the young student heaved in as much air as his lungs could manage in one sitting, but his hiatus was short lived as his impatience drove him to his feet after a few seconds. Recovering from the exertion Ray launched himself to the next roof top with reckless abandon as the wind once again roared in his ears; the stone in his gut grew heavier as his target drew closer.

His image flickered from rooftop to rooftop towards the Market Square of rukongai with the agility of a ninja, “Opposing all odds that stand in my path…” he told himself quietly, “…I must become an unyielding force to achieve what I desire” he concluded as his confirmation sailed into the wind behind him.

The Market Square was relatively empty save for a few gossiping souls, but that was on the outskirts; Ray knew that the woman that he was searching for would be milling about the center of the square. His ruthless interrogation of her close friend bloomed freshly in his thoughts; the felling of his blade as he drove it deeper into the begging sack of flesh he had tied to the chair. Did he feel any remorse for the actions he had taken to get to this point? As he landed silently on another roof as he felt the overwhelming answer of defiance as he adeptly perched onto the edge of a roof to gaze down below; he had found her at last. Her name was Fuu Long, the unseated of the 3rd squad and most importantly she was one of the people who had betrayed Kousaru to the underground Rukongai thugs who tortured him. The coils in his stomach tightened as he impassively gazed down at the woman; even with her back turned towards him Kousaru could tell that she was beautiful.

It was this beauty more than anything else that made him want to kill intensely at the moment; a swelling of heat rushed to his face and he could hear as the pounding of his heart pulsed loudly in his ears. What right did she have to be beautiful when a small girl never had the chance to live a normal life? What right did she have when her soul was so destitute that she would betray her comrade without a moment’s hesitation or afterthought as to what the repercussions would be? Soundlessly leaping into the air, Ray grabbed the hilt of his still sheathed zanpakutou as he descended upon the strolling woman. Images of the beautiful figured before him crying out to him as he drove the tip of his blade slowly into her thorax; he would revel in her pain as she cried out to him pleading for mercy. He would give her no such novelty as her life seeped out onto the ground, soaking into a pool of red blood, “Even Death Gods bleed at the tip of a blade” were his final thoughts as he swung down at the base of the woman’s neck.

Subject: Re: [Solo] Brink of past Thu Feb 10, 2011 10:42 am

As the glistening black weapon in his hands continued its trajectory towards the slender neck of its target, its master, the vengeful young man that had lost everything dear to him awaited the familiar resistance of torn flesh. Instead a loud clang rung in his ear drums as he clutched the hilt of his zanpakutou do so that it would not fly out of his hands in the clash of the two shinigami powers. She should be laying in a pool of her own blood so why does she still stand before me? Kousaru wondered as he clutched his right arm that still shook from the absorbing the brunt of the assault.

“Who are you?” the woman’s voice rang clearly in the space between them, but the words only served to make Kousaru grin ruefully as his arm finally began to fill with feeling once more.

“You want to know who I am?” the student responded calmly to the woman’s unassuming question, “…is that really something that you need to know? Especially when you’re going to lose your life here anyway?” he continued. At his words the body of his opponent shifted not with a strange calmness that Kousaru hadn’t expected from her, but it didn’t matter.

The woman wore a straw hat that rested gently upon her head, the shadow it cast was just enough to keep her facial features a mystery from all who stared at her in search of answers. Her hands were delicate and strong; it was the kind of strength that came from holding a blade firmly in her hands while in the presence of a predator. Kousaru’s retort to her question remained uncontested as the woman seemed to observe him and for some reason he could feel himself getting angrier as the moment continued on. Does she really think that it’s okay to judge me? Especially at the knell of her death. For some reason Kousaru became unnerved by the confident silence that the woman exuded as the silence stretched on between the two of them. Deciding that he could no longer waste time warily responding to this woman’s awkward lack of conversation, he took a step towards the woman menacingly. An excited rush caused his heart rate to increase to his surprise; his foot fell soundlessly upon the ground beneath him, but it sounded thunderously in his mind.

The excitement that came when he was about to fight someone strong filled his spirit and without meaning to a smile spread across his face; his finger clutched the hilt of his zanpakutou firmly kneading each notch almost fondly. For a moment, he was free from the pain that had taken a hold of his insides since the day that he had laid eyes upon the fermented flesh of his beloved Bellemere. Almost on cue, the woman’s voice broke through his thoughts with a strong sense of clarity that Shoon recognized; it was the same tone that Kosu had often used when he spoke of his dreams to the young shinigami.

“You are him, aren’t you? You’re that popular students from the Shino academy, the man that they call the Justice of Soul Society. I can sense the anguish in your heart…” she trailed off as she stepped delicately towards Kousaru.

Her voice seemed to carry with it an emotion that startled the shinigami as he observed her silently; the smile had disappeared from his face as he tried to understand what the emotion in her voice was. Then in a moment of understanding Shoon completely comprehended what the feeling was. Sympathy . The hatred that he had cast aside completely for the last few moments swelled freshly in his mind as he clamped his jaws tightly causing rigid lines of muscle to spring from his cheeks. Of all the things that this woman could have done to him and had done to him, feeling pity for him was the unforgivable sin that he would banish her soul to hell for.

“Anguish?” he whispered to the air in front of him as he lowered his face so that the sunlight cast shadows over his eyes, “and what would someone like you understand about anguish?” he murmured, “…what could you possibly understand by standing there? What could you know about me!” he roared.

Her next movements were slow and precise. She began by sheathing her zanpakutou and then slowly reached up towards the straw hat that rested precariously atop her head, but did not remove it immediately. The hat tipped under the added weight of the delicate hands resting upon it before she finally pulled the hat slowly downward and in the process mussing her jet black hair that. Now at her side in her left hand, the hat dangled in the soft breeze that rushed around them and between them; for a long time the only noise in the area was the wind. Several moments passed before Kousaru noticed why she had stopped talking or moving; she had wanted him to see that she was blind. They were white, lifeless portals in the middle of a fair skinned face staring blankly at him while reflecting his image back at him, yet never truly seeing that image. Without a word brought his blade at eye level so that the sunlight gleaned dangerously upon the edge of the blade before breaking into an enraged dash towards Fuu Long.

Subject: Re: [Solo] Brink of past Thu Feb 10, 2011 11:01 am

As Kousaru hurled himself in the feminine adversary’s direction, he could only hear the wind rushing past ears; ahead he could see the tattered clothing cling desperately to Fuu’s skin as she remained rooted to the ground. Why won’t she move? Doesn’t she sense that I’m attacking her? Gripping his zanpakuto’s hilt tightly he quickly dismissed that thought from his mind and he focused his will into driving the tip of his blade into frail physique of the girl’s body, he refused to show her any sympathy. The moment he came within range of attacking her, the boy’s face twisted angrily as the world became eerily quiet and his body began to move in slow motion. Like a still-life Kousaru could see the picture of what the scene looked like in his mind; a helpless girl standing before a ruthless slayer. A twinge of regret threatened to seek its teeth into his resolve as his blade came within inches of her breast, he could already feel as the soft flesh would give way to the sharp edge of his zanpakutou. Blood would spew in torrents around them as she dropped to the ground clutching her bosom fruitlessly trying to stop the bleeding while he stood looking down upon her, impassively gazing at the dying soul before him. These were the images that flashed in his head before he was suddenly jarred by an impact that snapped his focus back to reality.

“Wha-”, was all the confused youth could manage to spit out between his gritted teeth as his momentum was brought to an abrupt halt. His blade had been stopped by the zanpakutou that rested firmly in the blind girl’s hands; it was angled in such a way that it seemed as if she had actually intended on blocking his attack. Impossible. Kousaru leaped back to create space between him and the girl before he resumed his assault; his eyes leapt from place to place trying to find a reason for his unsuccessful attack.

“It was no accident, shinigami. I blocked your sword on purpose” the girl’s voice rang clearly into Kousaru’s thoughts; he was caught off guard by the certainty in her voice, but even more confused by the fact that she had actually stopped his attack. I should have guessed that she wouldn’t be a normal shinigami…even if she’s blind. Strengthening the grip on his blade once more he raised horizontally in front of him as the surprise left his eyes and his will became filled with the thirst for blood once more.

“I don’t care if you can block my blade, woman…the truth is I know that you’re strong” Kousaru proclaimed as he began to walk determinedly towards the woman.

“Fighting is like food to shinigami…we fight not because we want to protect something or even because we have a vendetta…” he explained to her as a swelling of emotion began to form in the cavity of his chest. As he spoke he could see the images of the long talks of peace he had once listened to from Kosu; each lecture had been soulful and inspiring, so much so that Kousaru had once vowed to fight solely to prove that there was justice in the world. His eyes sucked in the girl’s facial expression as it twitched slightly at his approach towards her; for some reason he found himself wanting to kill her even more.

“…we fight because it’s a necessity, you idiot!” he bellowed before stopping a step away from her, “Don’t buy into the bullshit that most people tell themselves, crap like we fight for others or to represent something” he ranted, “…no…no” he said in ragged breaths.

He shoulders heaved as the exertion of his plea seemed to sap him of his energy, but without warning he lashed out with his zanpakutou at the girl again, “Shinigami are low-life beasts that fight because we need the nourishment spilt blood! You’re just like every other peace of trash!” he accused Fuu. The blade danced through the air as Kousaru struck out in succession trying to look for an opening so that he could finish that girl off; a strike aimed at her ribs cut through the silk of her shihakusho, a jab at her jugular scored only a shallow flesh wound upon the left side of her neck, and the girl managed to swat away Kousaru’s last attack with her sword . Anger filled Kousaru as he realized that this woman wouldn’t die as he had willed her too, but his anger quickly gave way to apprehension as the tip of the woman’s blade lightly touched his throat. Moving fast enough that his body became a blur of movement Kousaru leaned away from the attack and pivoted upon his left foot to spin out of range of any other attacks. Fuu seemed to be able to follow his movements as she leapt after him with her sword cocked while her hair splayed wildly around her head like an accursed halo.

She seemed to float through the air as her dead eyes locked on to Kousaru; he hated how she looked at him, how those eyes that rested in the sockets of her china doll face never seemed to fully take in or acknowledge his existence. As she slashed down at Kousaru once again, the ground shattered and particles of the concrete slabs hung suspended in air while Kousaru rolled away .

Making his way to his feet as the dust settled in a light film upon his hair, clothing, and skin,Kousaru instinctively craned his neck to locate the assailant before she had the chance to launch another attack, but he was surprised to find that she hadn’t moved from the spot of her last attack. What…what is she doing? he wondered. The girl’s head turned slightly and a lock of her hair fell sensually against her lovely S-shaped neck; her eyes once again settled upon him.

“You…” she spoke softly she brought her free hand up against the wound upon her neck and pressed hard enough to cause her fingers to glow a pale red from the increased blood flow to that area, “…you feel nothing, but hate and you believe you can lecture me?” she questioned. The tone of her voice wasn’t chastising or even angry, she seemed legitimately curious about how Kousaru could make such claims to her without first knowing her own feelings.

“I can tell just by standing next to you. Your heart a swirl of wild anger and that you hate everything along with everyone. Of course, you would believe fighting is a means to live” she continued as she removed her hand from her neck. The imprints of the porcelain fingers etched into her skin momentarily before fading away into a white canvas, “…I fight not because I have to, but because I choose to. Fighting is an action that we-” was as far as she got.

Subject: Re: [Solo] Brink of past Thu Feb 10, 2011 11:11 am

He could feel as the air rushed from lungs upon the impact of his elbows into her abdomen; the firm muscles of her stomach giving way to the reiatsu incased elbow strike and her feet left the ground as her mouth remained widened from the shock of the attack. The reiatsu that Kousaru put into the attack sent the girl’s body sailing a few feet before she struck the ground several times before rolling to a painful halt, Shoon once again confidently strolled to where she lay prostrate on the ground. A screeching noise followed him as his black zanpakutou carved a destructive path in the already battle scarred ground. His shadow engulfed her as the sun darkened his already dark features so that it seemed as if the man with the nightmare black blade had finally been made to match the colors of his heart. Resting the backside of his blade gently upon his shoulder, Kousaru looked down at the girl with cold eyes before kicking her side so that she would wake up. At the stimulation of his kick, Fuu’s body writhed for a few seconds before she placed her palms upon the ground and hoisted herself to a kneeling position; even with grime on her face she still remained a face that would be etched into his memories long after she was dead.

“Don’t tell me you’re another one of those self-righteous preachers” he spat at the girl as he slowly allowed his blade to drop from his shoulder and embed itself in the ground between the girl’s fingers. Kousaru could hear as the girl’s breath got caught in her chest for a moment at the realization that he could have impaled her at the moment, but he didn’t want her feeling too comfortable so before she had a chance to recover from his attack he made his move. Within the span of a few seconds, the blade had moved from a gap between the girl’s fingers to implanting its tip into the sinew of the girl’s left hand before she could scream in pain. When the scream he had been waiting for didn’t come,Kousaru realized that she was trying to disconnect her mind from her body so that she could overcome the pain.

No, you don’t. He thought as he twisted the blade causing the girl to scream out in a soprano voice that reverberated off the hard surfaces of the square around them; a black liquid began to form in a small pool where her hand was.

“Where is that power of choice you were talking about just a few moments ago?” he began to ridicule the girl as he twisted his blade again causing her to shake from the pain while even more blood bubbled up from her hand. Some of the blood stuck to his blade as the sun seemed to cause it to coagulate more quickly than usual, Fuu dropped the sword that she had been holding the entire time and clutched where Kousaru’s zanpakutou met with her hand in a fused state.

Silent moments passed by as he watched the girl struggle fruitlessly in an attempt to remove the foreign object from her hand; Kousaru didn’t understand why he was watching her struggle valiantly in an attempt to survive normally he would have killed her by now. So much blood had gushed from her hand that it now reached where Kousaru was standing causing the soles of his feet to dampen with the girl’s blood, but even this didn’t jar him from his state of delirium. He could see her slamming the ground with an open palm in frustration, he could hear her voice cursing him relentlessly, and could feel as she clutched his ankle dragging her body across the sea of blood that lay beneath them. Her shinigami robes pressed against her body as it soaked in the frothy fluid, but this escaped her as she cried out once more in pain. Wordlessly Kousaru removed his sword from her hand and walked away a few paces before speaking over his shoulder without looking back at her.

“So you’re telling me that because you choose to fight that is the reason that you will win?” he asked her rhetorically. For some reason, she reminded him of Kosu and the man’s blind belief in the things that he was saying; it drove him insane that this woman could bring to mind someone so dear to him.

“Pick your blade up, I will show you why fighting and pain are the two absolute truths of this universe…from both of them life and afterlife spring” he explained morosely before wheeling back towards her. As he searched her face he could see the confusion quickly clouding her sightless eyes as she reached for her zanpakutou; even he had to admit that he didn’t fully understand the reason for his actions as he stood before this woman. Somehow her futile struggle had unwittingly ignited something noble within him for the moment; part of his old self had resurfaced the part that always challenged the views of others head on.

“I’m not sure what you’re up to…” the girl struggled to say through breaths, “…but I won’t waste anymore time giving you a chance to escape with your life” she threatened; she was seething. A quizzical look came over Kousaru as Fuu raised her blade in an awkward position in front of her body and suddenly a torrent of green reiatsu burst from her body as the blade began to glow.

“Make clear my path, Kamui” she chanted as the blade became engulfed in a white light which grew to encompass not only the blade, but also the girl as well causing Kousaru to shield his eyes from the intense light of the zanpakutou.

Once the light subsided Kousaru found himself staring at a determined Fuu, who was now wielding a three- pronged halberd, Shit. She has shikai already. I didn’t think that she would be that strong already Kousaru contemplated. Before he could come to a conclusion about this sudden fact, the girl tapped the blunt side of the halberd to the ground twice and a large cumulus cloud appeared about them. As if a bad omen, the air around the immediate vicinity of the cloud began to shimmer with reiatsu, so much so that Kousaru began to doubt if he should have killed the girl when he had the chance.

“It seems your sudden desire for noble confidence has gotten into a tough spot, handsome one…” she called out over the sound of the rushing wind; a wry smile had spread across her face as brought the halberd horizontally into front of her,

“Kai!” was all she said before a downpour from the cloud fell with an exuberant amount of force; Kousaru and the girl were completely drenched within seconds of the start of the downpour, but Kousaru didn’t remove his eyes from Fuu. What’s she up to? What is her power that has her feeling so confident all of a sudden?” he thought. His zanpakutou remained lowered at his side as he tried to figure out what could account for the difference in the girl’s demeanor. Before he could come up with a solution he found the tip of the girl’s halberd driving towards him through rain and all he could manage to do was bring his blade up reflexively in the hopes of lessening the damage he would receive. A sharp pain obliterated all thought from his mind as the tip slid past his shallow defense and thrust itself between his ribs; sharp colors flashed in his mind as the pain gripped him quickly and completely.

Subject: Re: [Solo] Brink of past Thu Feb 10, 2011 11:16 am

Breathe…Breathe

The command flashed desperately in his mind as the young student focused his grip upon the halberd that had been inserted into his being; by design the weapon was deadly because of its range as well as the blade tips that were set out both right and left from the top blade tip. If the girl managed to push the halberd any deeper into his body the two additional blade tips would ensure that he would die once she removed the weapon from his body. What a bitch… he strangely queried to himself. It was an odd sensation to be at the mercy of someone else’s weapon, a feeling that he hadn’t been subjected to in a long time in his life. He didn’t relish it all. Blood exploded as another failed attempt to breathe resulted in him spluttering up more blood onto the ground and his clothing; even in the damp rain he felt as the girl applied an increasing amount of pressure behind her weapon. His hand trembled as the tug-of-war continued between the two, but Kousaru knew that his strength wouldn’t hold out; already his vision began to fade and his muscles began to feel heavy against his skin.

With fluttering eyes, Kousaru caught sight of his own zanpakutou pressed defiantly against the halberd in a desperate attempt to stave off the impending doom, I can’t die here…t-there are too many things to do… he reminded himself. Even with these words he felt as his strength continued to give way to a strange exhaustion that rapidly began to fill his body.

“Interesting…it seems you have more reiatsu than most other students at your level…it took the rain quite some time to affect you, Mugenryu” she surmised with her eyes squinted under the heavy barrage of rain. Although Kousaru wanted to question her upon what she had done to him, he knew that he couldn’t waste any effort arguing with the girl since he barely had enough life-force to breathe.

“Even with all that talk about absolute justice. In the end you simply succumbed to my logic and will.” Fuu taunted him as she began to relax under the guise that she had the match one, she haughtily cocked her head to the left as playful smile crossed her lips, “How does it feel to be subdued…Rascals” she sneered.

Bum-bum…bum-bum…bum-bum

The boy’s heart raced desperately causing more blood to gush out through the opening in his chest. Kousaru knew that if he didn’t do something quickly he would bleed out regardless of her managing to drive the weapon deeper into his body, but he could only think of one thing to do and he wasn’t sure he would survive at this rate. As the blade tip slid in another centimeter, Kousaru decided to use his only option as he removed his blade from where it had been pressing against her own and quickly flipped it so that the tip was pointed at the ground. He could feel as the resistance of the halberd began to make progress so without any further thought he drove his zanpakutou into her arm hoping the pain would give him the opening he needed to survive the encounter. With rolling eyes, Kousaru splashed backwards a few steps as blood dripped onto the tape that covered his abdomen beneath the shihakusho. Finally righting himself he looked at the girl to her clutching her arm in pain; the same arm that he had driven the sword into and for a moment their eyes met.

She knows it…I know it…This is it. The end , were the words that resonated in Kousaru’s mind as he channeled as much reiatsu through is muscles as he could and drew the sword from the girl’s delicate flesh with inhuman speed. Matching Kousaru’s movement the girl withdrew her halberd from where its tip had remained buried in the young man’s chest; it clanged upon the wet ground as the rain continued to pour down upon them. Even with the pounding of the rain upon the ground, the two shinigami could hear each other’s breathing as if it were the only sounds in the world neither knowing who was going to die in this encounter. The girl’s fresh wound dripped into the ground causing a strange fusion at the ground beneath her, but she paid no mind to the art she was creating at her feet. Muscles coiled in anticipation the two shinigami watched each other in hopes that they would find a small crack in the other’s guard to take the victory, but no such opening appeared.

“You’re resilient…I like men who are able to stand their ground even when they know that they are going to die. It’s kind of hot. It’s too bad that you came after me, we could have made a great pair” she commented with the same confident smile on her face. Kousaru’s face remained stoic as his eyes didn’t miss any details about the girl’s condition and the surroundings in her immediate vicinity, Engaging her directly would result in me losing since she has the longer reach so I’ll have attack her on the move he strategized. Blinking as several droplets of water weighed heavily upon his eyelids, he became aware of another detail that had escaped him for some time in the fight and his eyes widened as Fuu’s smile deepened.

“About time you caught on, Mugenryu. My shikai’s power is to produce a rain that drains away your reiatsu while granting me insight to your every move. Didn’t you notice that the moment the rain appeared your every move became easy for me to read?” she goaded.

“Enough talk. If you’re so sure that my pain and hatred aren’t enough then why don’t you take the opportunity to put both of us out of our misery and kill me” he finished with the little breath that he had remaining. He was sure that blood was seeping into his lungs and even if he managed to dispose of Fuu, his body might not hold up long enough for him to get the care he needed. Either way his odds weren’t in his favor and time was a factor that he had to utilize immediately.

Subject: Re: [Solo] Brink of past Thu Feb 10, 2011 11:23 am

His blade shook unsteadily in his hand as he struggled to keep his body from swaying, his eyelids fluttered, his throat tightened, and even feel as his reserve of spiritual power began to deplete rapidly. Taking the initiative, Fuu swung on upward with her halberd causing a beautiful part in the rain that was almost poetic had it not been a deadly attempt on his life. Opening his body counter clockwise, Kousaru avoided the attack barely as shreds of his shihakusho fluttered up into the air only to be hammered down by the thick rain drops of the women’s shikai . Immediately Fuu shifted her stance and pivoted upon her left foot as she spun towards Shoon with the halberd’s tip in close pursuit. Her movements were flawless in execution leaving the young 3rd squad shinigami no room to counterattack, her feet gracefully floated atop the water as if she were a ballerina. In another arching motion the halberd cut through the rain with a whistling noise towards Kousaru, but again he narrowly managed to escape major damage from the attack .

Blood trickled from the smaller wound that the last attack had inflicted, but the blood was quickly rinsed away by the downpour. It was then that Kousaru saw his chance to attack because with her last attack her body had exposed her blind spot while she was still dealing with the recoil of her attack and Kousaru drove his blade into that spot in hopes of finally dealing the final blow. To his dismay the blade stabbed nothing except the air as Fuu ducked underneath the attack at the last moment and quickly countered by driving the blunt end of her weapon into Shoon’s stomach. Catching himself on his left foot, Kousaru ignored the pain of the attack and slashed downward at the girl’s skull only to have his attack swatted away by one of the bladed tips of the halberd. Damn it…she is too fast and has too much range… he worried. At this rate there wouldn’t be anyway for him to win before his body eventually gave out under the duress of the injuries that he had incurred during the fight.

Breathing heavily the two glared at each other as fatigue from their last exchange set in; Kousaru’s breath rasped through his mouth while hers were shallow breaths that barely caused her chest to rise.

“There’s no way I’m going to beat you in longevity…not these wounds” he began as each labored breath seemed to cost him more spiritual energy, “…let’s finish here now that way we can decide whose justice is stronger” he concluded.

Even though it was a long shot, Kousaru hoped that he could force her to commit her all her remaining power into their next exchange which would give him the opening that he needed to win. If she simply fought to keep from dying he would never be able to best her in time before his own body collapsed from the fight so he became tense as he awaited her answer.

“Fine, let’s finish then, Ray” she agreed as she rotated Kamui in her hands and lunged towards Kousaru, who in turn gripped his blade while roaring over the sound of the thundering rain towards her. Their footsteps splashed heavily in the rain as reiatsu poured out causing water to rise from the ground into the air; the weapons clanged loudly as sparks of reiatsu exploded into the air. Kousaru found himself dizzily spinning after the exchange and he looked down to see that he had received another deep gash across his chest with blood dripping profusely from it. With no strength left to fight, he dropped onto the wet ground and lay panting as he waited for the girl to ruthlessly finish him off with her zanpakutou.

Several moments passed by as more pints of his blood were emptied out into the flooded land that he lay upon when he realized that the rain and the cloud were dissipating, What’s going on? . He could barely make out the girl’s figure against the dominating light of the sun, but he could see the long gash that had ripped open most of her shihakusho exposing her beautiful exposed breast that was now stained with a sickly black liquid and many scratches on her body along with her missing limbs. Stumbling a few steps forward she reached out towards Kousaru before collapsing onto the ground with her zanpakutou reverting to its sealed state and break in half; his vision wavering Kousaru saw a shadowy figure kneel down and touch her neck to check her vital signs. He then saw the ominous figure stand up and walk towards him; as his conscious left him he wondered whether he would ever open his eyes again.