What Better Way Than This? (Open)

Kyro sighed. It had been a while since he'd had the chance to duel anyone. Lately, he and Suu hadn't been able to see each other all that much, as his duties, as well as Kyro's own, seemed to be steadily increasing. Kyro rubbed his temples as he strode through the Sparring Ground, Zanpakutou at his hip. He knew he wouldn't be allowed to use a real blade in a sparring match, but he had recently started bringing his weapon everywhere. He didn't know where the sudden attachment had come from, but he simply shrugged it off as a side effect of being a true Shinigami. Kyro grinned at that thought; how long had it been since he'd become a Shinigami? Thinking back, he realized that although it felt like a year or two had already gone by, it had only been about five or six months. Half a year. That was it. He didn't care, though. He felt complete inside, even though that made next to no sense, as he still had a long way to go before he reached his dreams.

With a shrug of indifference to himself, he moved his thoughts back to why he was here, at the sparring grounds. He wanted to spar with someone. Not a full-on spar, where Kidou was allowed, but a spar where it was just blade against blade, skill against skill. He wanted to test his abilities, and what better way was there for that than this? "Heh, guess I didn't exactly think this one through, though..." muttered Kyro after finally looking around the room. All around, the place was infested with Academy Students. Had he been as annoying to Shinigami as the Students were to him? He'd never know. Finally seeing a clear sparring area, he darted across the room and claimed it for himself. Grinning triumphantly, he took a seat, determined that he wouldn't leave until another Shinigami came and dueled him. Sparred with him. Tested him. Kyro grinned madly; he needed a test. He hadn't had a real one since his days at the Academy!

Several times, a Student approached Kyro to ask if he would duel them. Each time, he declined, saying he was here to duel only another Shinigami. Each time, the Student had walked away, looking sad. He secretly found himself wishing he could duel Suu; they hadn't fought each other for a bit. Not since the Academy, actually. Who would be the better of the two nowadays? However, knowing that the chances of Suu coming to duel him was remarkably low at the time, he told himself that, if another Shinigami showed up, and it didn't matter who, he would agree to a sparring match.

"That's mighty arrogant of you." Arawn spoke from behind the young man. "You shouldn't disregard the students like that." He had watched the whole exchange from the side, but he had heard the conversation. "Do you know how hard it is to even approach a shinigami and even ask to for a match?" It wasn't something he had the chance to do. He recalled being thrown to the wolves by his instructor. The match had been his loss, but he did learn something. "I say it's our duty to help those who seek instruction and better themselves. They a stronger opponent just like you do now." Perhaps he was putting on the airs, it was best that he prove himself not a hypocrite. "Well I only came here to cheer on my friend," He pointed to another field where a very petite young girl was tossing a man many times her size. The crowd around them gave a loud shout. "But I think I can spare some time." With a shrug of his shoulder he let his backpack slip from his shoulder and tossed it to the side. Arawn drew the blade free of the sheath with his right hand, he pressed his left index finger into the sheath and the stone cover dropped from the metal sheath. He kicked the sekiseki stone over to his backpack. "I'm not the strongest of opponents, but I shall give you the match you desire."

Kyro jumped as the the Shinigami spoke from behind him, and then, as he listened to what he said, he knew that he spoke the truth. It was arrogant. He didn't mean to be, but he needed to face a fellow Shinigami. He stood and held the wooden training sword that he had at his side, not in a battle ready stance. He gave the other Shinigami a sheepish grin. "I know that it's arrogant. I don't mean to be, but... You see, I'm trying to... Grah! I haven't had a sparring match with a fellow Shinigami in quite awhile, not since the Academy, and I wanted to face someone who is at least a member of the Gotei right now, so..." Kyro said, trying to explain himself. He knew that he probably sounded like he was giving a half-hearted excuse, but that wasn't true. He just wasn't good when it came to explaining things.

"Oh, um, so, yeah, I'm sorry if I sounded arrogant. I'll go ahead and introduce myself, I suppose. My name is Kyro Nerra, unseated member of the Fifth Division. Man, now that I think about, Sukeno's been influencing me quite a bit. That's probably why I'm acting so rude today... Gah! I'm sorry!" blurted Kyro, his nervous personality beginning to take over once again. He bowed before his opponent, and then stood at the ready, training sword held before him. He waited for the other Shinigami to give him his own name. He also resisted the urge to apologize for annoying the Shinigami with his barrage of words, as was his custom. Instead, a nervous twitch took over his neck temples, and he felt his head begin to pulse. A nervous sheet of sweat covered his head, for what, he didn't know. So, he waited.

It was after the babbling that Arawn recognized the person before him. There were students placed under his charge for a field trip not too long ago. He knew this was one of the students, but the name escaped him. And it would seem the former student didn't recognize him.
"I'm no one of consequence, just a passing unseated shinigami. Call me Bob." he stated flatly. Names and Rank had nothing to do with a spar. There was only the two combatants and their weapons. "You have nothing to apologize for. Let us begin our match." He closed the distance between them with lunge. His left hand swung his metal sheath directly at the other man's weapon to bat it aside. His right arm's sword crossed over into a thrust at the made opening.