The Phoenix Trials

Junko awoke, she was in a heap of tangled sheets, and her zanpaktou was tangled by its new line, a loose string held her sheath, the broadsword radiating power. Junko sat up, she felt strength in her limbs, and fire in her heart. She crawled out of bed, untangling herself and her loosely bound zanpaktou from the sheets, and returned them in a heap to the foot of her bed. Her quarters were small, abit cramped even, but it was going to change...

Junko observed herself in the mirror, and tied a red sash around her waist, the armor felt flexible but firm, a futuristic material, it was laced with lightweight silver, that was not scored by her knocking at it. It was overall impressive, the boots were nice, not armored along the calf, but the cold metalic wing that snaked up her thigh seemed to asthetic, and the short skirt was... well short, very short even, ending unconfortably high. And Now junko had to disrobe, as an important part of having armor is knowing how to get out of it when needed. After doing so, and changing underclothes, Junko re assembled her armor on her body, the tighter armor emphasized her curves, nearly the oppisite of her other armor, which hid them under bulk, which at the time, was their purpose.

Junko walked to the door, checking herself in the mirror mounted next to the door, and her voice got caught in her throat, her body was nearly five years younger, about what she remembered aging in the last few hundred years in soul society. She raised her hand, her soft pale skin rubbing against her face, as if it was an illusion. Her Zanpaktou did this, but was this a blessing or a curse.

Junko walked out of her room, her boots not making the heavy footfalls as before, but more like a light shoe, her light foot falls allowed her to hear the others in her building readying themselves for the day. Junko had dawn an late day patrol, which allowed her ample time to do as she pleased before going on patrol.

Junko had a new, stronger spiritual pressure, which she noticed by observing others, who would look weakened when she passed them, the males of her squad gawking suitably to make them look like fools. But it was not something Junko was going to take advantage of, as Junko made her way to the mess hall, she sat at her normal table, having the self conciousness to cross her legs. Her bare skin made most of the contact wit hthe bench, and she checked around, and ate her food in silence, her white hair was swept behind her ears for the most part, and her blue eyes challenging someone to approach.

Afterward she made her way to the 11th squad sparring grounds, and she lounged on a bench, her legs crossed as she sat in the middle of the said bench. Junko watched the day pass, dozing even, her broadsword in a new elaborate sheath, eventually something interesting happened. A man an unseated shinigami, about Six feet tall, yelled out in the sparring grounds after walking to the middle, "I am here to challenge Junko Tenshi for her right to hold the 14th seat." Everyone sparring cleared to the sides, and Junko awoke, after hearing her name.

Everyone looked confused, a girl ran off in the direction of Junko's room, she hadn't been seen all day, and there were whispers, she caught a few shreds of them, but didn't care much for them. She stood, walking to the center of the field, There were gasps, and the man who was one of the gawkers before breakfast, just stared at her chest. Junko just kept walking, and backhanded the man. She looked down at him as he lay on the ground, "Yes, and you are going to have to stare somewhere else if you want to beat me." With saying that she kicked him in the ribs, and backed up, he got up slowly, shaking his head, he was a rough one, a scar went across his nose, he was dark skinned with short very curly hair, of African Origin no doubt.

Junko unsheathed her sword, holding it in her slender hands, He drew his sword, shaking his head again he locked his eyes to hers, a mistake as it was, as Junko shunpo'ed above the man, dropping in on his back. her zanpaktou dropped in on his throat, resting on his adam's apple. "I told you, you would have to stare somewhere else, now if you speak, my blade will cut you from the vibration, so if you want to live, just nod, but you will have to leave defeated..." Junko hated doing this sort of thing, but she hated when she had challengers. He nodded and Junko lifted her blade, and lowered it, dropping to the ground.

The man scampered away, his sword sheathed, easily overwhelmed by her threat. However junko had an agenda, and her new idendity would not be wasted on a simple challenge...

She yelled out, "I call upon the Sixth Seat of Squad 11, i challenge your right to your seating!" there were more gasps, and a musclular woman walked out on to the field, a large nodatchi strapped to her back, it was as tall as she was, and she was nearly 7 feet tall. She said to Junko, "I don't have time to spare people like you do, i have a patrol in five minutes though, so if this overlaps, i get out of it. So in the mean time, don't die." The woman drew her gigantic sword, and smashed it into the ground, cracking the dried barren earth beneath it.

Junko just held her sword and charged, Shunpo'ing the distance, the other woman reacted quickly, leaving the tip of her blade in the ground she lifted it horizontal, blocking her strike with the massive planted sword. Junko would not force it back, so she jumped back and shunpo'ed underneath the woman's massive extended arm, stabbing, however a massive foot interupted that motion, slamming her into the flat of the blade, It rang as her metal armor made contact with the Zanpaktou, and she fell to her hands and knees, but not for long as she was pushed flat by a the same massive foot.

She said, "Oh you puny 14th seat, you really thought you could take me?", and she lifted the blade over Junko's back, "Perhaps some maiming is in order before you die, and some embarrasment, but you must not mind since you barely have any clothes on anyway."

Junko was inflamed by those words. And she rose to her hand and knees, but it was followed by the drop of her Nodatchi, the armor deflected the blade, but it is not bulletproof. However the blade was deflected to the side of Junko. Junko felt increased pressure from the foot, but she was now had her footing back in a way. Junko used shunpo to force her way from the woman's grip, and appeared behind her, going through her legs. Junko slashed at the womans lower back, but it appeared the woman had an armor of her own.

Junko encountered the thick, tough muscle would not cut seriously. She pulled her sword out of it, a small trickle of blood coming out of the woman's back. Still junko engaged in banter, "If you wish to cut someone, you must generally swing your sword."

Junko said this, and saw the massive nodatchi swinging at an impossible speed, Junko jumped away from the impact, but again, the sword came around at an impossible speed, from the other way, "What!" Junko said, this, apparently the first swing was just a wind up for another swing in the other direction, and junko was jumping into that. Junko brought her sword around, grasping it with both hands, but her reaction speed was impressive, her sword adjusting to move just under her guard, the massive nodatchi just clipping the bottom of the hilt, it went under her arms, and made contact under between the red sash and her breasts, a narrow margin, but it hit there piercing an inch or two through the armor and into Junko's flesh...

Junko flew off the blade, and into the courtyard wall. Blood poured down her front, down her armor. Junko detached herself from the wall, and pulled up teh long sash into the wound, tightening it and compressing the wound, Junko said in regal tones, "Hado 2 Reel" Junko's Zanpaktou flew into her right hand, She said to the woman, who was putting the blade onto her shoulder, "You are stronger than i expected, Honoo, Fenikkusu no Tenshi" Junko felt her armor morph, covering her arms and the skirt lengthening out, the armor thickening. She felt the wings grow out of her back, and her blade split, the flames erupting in the space between them.

Junko looked down, there were little wings where her armor was, apparently that was not just decoration, but a clue to where her wings would be. Junko looked to her opponent and flapped her wings repeatedly, catching loft underneath, and flying torward her, and swinging her sword, expressing her rage in the form of flames, she jumped back and lifted her nodatchi to take the flames on her sword. But junko flew down, but more crashed on her feet, her little wings acted as a stabilizer.

Junko slid to a halt in front where they met blades, her strength was evident, but Junko felt stronger, and pushed harder, and jumped, extending her flames as she enhanced her jump with a flap of her wings, sort of doing a flip over her, and slashed with more flames...

The woman was on fire, but not out for the count, she said something and stabbed her blade into the ground, and it disappeared through a black portal, suddenly she felt a splitting pain on a new plane of existance. Junko's wing had been pierced, but it led to another portal as she looked, the blood trickling down her wing, and suddenly another blow. Through her next wing, this time closer two her back. She screamed, the wings were very sensitive, and piercing them felt like she was having salt being poured on an infinite amount of wounds, as a start.

Junko stabbed forward at the woman... extending her pain and her fire at her opponent, she made contact and shot the fire out in the opponent and she collapsed, but not before she was able to make another portal and stab Junko through the chest... It was right between the wings, and came out in just below where the ribcage started.

Suddenly all of the blades were gone, the massive nodatchi returned to its sealed form, and her wounds were now open, and lots of blood were flowing out of them, Junko sealed her zanpaktou and felt herself shrink, and her wings felt like they were being ripped off. Junko had lost a few inches from her zanpaktou, she now looked like a 16 year old teenager...

Junko felt this, but her wounds appeared serious. Her sash was still acting as a bandage but the stab wound hadn't hit anything important, but it was bleeding seriously, the warm liquid from both wounds trickled down her front down the plate skirt, the deep red dripping onto the dry ground underneath her feet. Junko discovered a cut on her left leg. She felt it trickle down her the back of her upper thigh. It had probably originated from the wall. The people around her stabbed her with their own weapon, stares. Amazed that she had dropped in age...

Junko shunpo'ed to find a towel, a bandage, anything, and then to find Arawn or someone part of 12th squad, Something was wrong, terribly wrong, despite whether or not she was wounded or not she needed to know, if she kept reducing in age like this she could die of counter growth, Junko stopped occassionally catching her breath, and wiping off her armor, eventually bandaging the unbandaged stab and looked more hurt than dying.