Burn of the Blades. (Shinigami, Arawn)

Originally, the field was in possession of a collection of waist-high grass that spanned a parameter of roughly fifteen feet in radius. The grass flowed with the wind’s every ambient breath, insects and small vermin (as well as the occasional serpent or bird) flittering throughout the infinitesimal blades. A blue sky without a trace of cloud hung over this field like a canopy, freshly painted. Heat radiated from the noon sun, suspended high in the sky so all could absorb heat from it’s glory like a benevolent god. Trees surrounded this small field, which was known only to the fewest whom dared go into the woods this deeply. The sounds of the woodland life made a soothing soundtrack when one needed a break to relax, and there was even a small spring to the right of the field, roughly twenty feet to the right and down a small hill. The cacophonous scent of a myriad of flowers permeated the air, tingeing the wind with an absolute flavor that would appeal to nearly everyone’s nostril.

The seclusion, however, gave the essence that this location be the location to train. For Anima Mortis, he certainly took the un-frequented area as such. Because of his training in the area, it lacked the grass that it once had. The trees seemed to bend away from the Meadow Cemetery, and several were burned or simply missing. No birds sang now, no insects buzzed. Even the scent of the flowers seemed less then when Anima had first shown up. Walking to the middle of the clearing, the remaining grass tickled his bare feet. The only sounds that remained a vestige of the original masterpiece that was this verdure was the babbling brook, and for that he was thankful. That sound always helped him relax after a day of training, and the water itself helped his aching muscles. Rolling his shoulders, he opened his jaw twice to crack it, and looked up towards the sky. Closing his eyes and taking a firm breath, the muscles in his right hand twitched expectantly. If the blanket of slashed and fallen grass on the ground was any indication to his next action, one could expect bloodshed if an opponent were available.

Snapping his vision towards “the horizon”, Anima immediately dropped into a stance, his blade drawn automatically. Without conscious thought, the mind-projected steel was in his hand, singing in the open air. The sound of metal against metal took the place of woodland life, as it always had this time of day. The cloth wrapped around the hilt of his sword felt good against the flesh of his hand. It felt natural, as if the only thing in his hand should be his sword; only the tool of military strength should be in his possession. Slashing and arcing in the stances taught to him by his instructors, Anima danced with his sword. Suddenly, he dropped to a low crouch, spinning on the ball of his left foot while the heel of his right foot (the leg fully extended) scraped the ground in the spin, moving the fallen grass and giving him a full circle around him. ”The fires of hell, a scrap of your power, another damned soul." Opening his hand, an icy blue flame conjugated in his hand before erupting for the nearest tree. Exploding against the wood, the tall oak fell against a canopy of leaves, before crashing into the forest floor. It joined many others. Straightening his left leg, he slowly lowered his right and sheathed his sword. Blinking at the tree with indifference, Anima tried to remember the incantation for the eight hado. ”Burn of the… Ignite with the flame of the.. No, that isn’t right… Burn with the blades long forgotten. Dammit. I should write this shit on my arm.”

Although he was accustomed to studying, and had great skill and prowess in it, he simply couldn’t remember the incantation for this kido. Perhaps he had missed that day due to injuries regarding training. Either way, this was an obstacle in his never-ending crusade for evolution. If he didn’t remember this kido spell, he was going to go nuts.

The felled trees suddenly shuddered and were catapulted into the air and landed several feet away. From the point of the explosion a figure emerged, choking on the smoke his effort has produced. The dust settled quickly and the man tried his best to brush the dirt, leaves, and ash from his uniform. "You should check the area before doing such things" he coughed. He looked upon the devastation behind him. "Goodness can't you take such practice to the Kido training fields?" Arawn spoke. Such environmental destruction. The redheaded man bent over to rummage in the debris at his feet, moments later he stood up with a small metal cage. "Thank goodness they're okay." he sighed.

Within the small mesh cage were several insects he had been charged with catching. It was a strange breed of tree spider that made the area it's home. As he looked at the damaged trees he corrected himself. Well had made this area it's home. The 4th division wouldn't be too happy.
"Do you mind telling me why you chose to destroy this creature's habitat?" He examined the offender, was he a student? Perhaps honing his skills in seclusion? It seemed abit cliché, but some people worked better outside of groups, and yet if this was the end result. It might be best that remain in the academy for the duration of their studies.

”This is not my first excursion here, nor will it be my last. This training field has been personalized for my simply to suit my tastes. Kido training fields would only be a hassle. Besides, the reiryoka released during my training is absorbed into the atmosphere and ground, which help to feed and fertilize the land. Besides, with life comes death. Don’t be sad because I killed a few spiders. That’s a worthless waste of time.” Cold, blue eyes appeared under locks of silver hair that curled over his face, and Anima Mortis stared with disinterest. He didn’t care about a few stupid spiders. They meant nothing to him now, and nor did he think they would ever. They were only insects. Perhaps if they could help him gain power and evolve, but he doubted that. ”Now if you don’t mind, I’d like to continue training. You can stay, bitch, and be ignored, or stay and help. Alternatively, you can leave. Either way, I have some work to do.” Spiritual energy flickered deep within Anima’s chest, before sparking to life.

Channeling down his limbs, the icy reiatsu that dwelled within Anima sprung to life as he called to it in order to activate another Kido spell. Spinning on his heels to avoid striking this shinigami, the young Mortis began to chant his spell. This particular hado spell was the main cause of the grass being destroyed. "May the black sounds of those that have felt death emit and destroy." From his chest, a wave of blackness was expelled violently, expanding as it flew from his body. Thunder’s trademark roar accompanied this wave of blackness, which struck nothing, yet was still impressive in some respect. Although many more powerful spells would be available to many other people, the vision of a young man spawning a crescent of blackness from their body is still an epic sight. The closer it got to the trees, the thinner the arc became before it simply faded. The actual act of firing off this blast of energy had actually pulled Anima onto his toes slightly, and as it dispersed, he slowly dropped back to his feet, standing normally.

”Now if only I could remember the incantation for Blade of Flames…” Muttering, Anima appeared to have forgotten about his visitor. Cracking his shoulders slowly, he began to walk around the area in order to keep his circulation up while he rested. The two kido spells after a brief stint involving zanjutsu had put a serious dent in his stamina, and he needed to recharge without losing his focus. Although the stiff grass tickled his bare feet on a minor level, he ignored it in lieu of concentration. Not remembering the rest of that spell was seriously starting to bother him.

Arawn snickered and then erupted into full on laughter. Doubling over as the fits washed over his body. He lay on the ground gasping for breath, and then stood up once more.
"I'm sorry, but I can't help laughing." he snorted and tried not to laugh again. "I don't know which was funnier; your attempt to intimidate someone that's faced monsters twice your size or your feeble attempts at Kido." Truth be told both were amusing. Still the man's attitude needed adjustment. Setting the small cage on the ground Arawn raised his hand.

"This is the spell you fail to grasp." he let his reiatsu flood outward. "Burn of the blades that have been lost. Hado #8: Blade of Flames." The red fire grew from his hand and solidified taking the shape of a sword. He gave a practice swing with the flaming weapon. The fiery blade left wisps of fire in the air. Arawn grinned and then tossed it at the young shinigami. Right before it reached the student the weapon simply vanished as if it had hit an invisible wall. "It's nice that you want to combine zanjutsu and kido, but unless you have a firm understanding of both it's useless for you to try." he said as he picked up the cage. "You're wasting time, and senselessly destroying this area."

As laughter rang through the area, Anima merely rolled his eyes and continued walking. So this was the type of people he was supposed to be working with? It was a wonder why he trained alone. Instead of assisting him as was requested, the shinigami instead took time out of his day to point out how pathetic he was. As an academy student, that should have been obvious. Next, he decided that instead of simply telling him the incantation, he would show off a little and tease Anima. Thirdly, the arrogant and pompous son-of-a-bitch miscalculated Anima’s intentions and decided to flaunt his theory. If anyone was truly pathetic around these parts, it was not Anima, but his supposed comrade-in-arms. Meeting the sword of flames with a look of indifference, Anima could care less about the kido at this point. All he wanted was to be left in peace. ”Clearly, you cannot seem to grasp the simple concept of ‘Assist or disperse’.”

The words left Anima’s lips without a hint of regret for saying them, nor with a trace of insincerity. He was absolutely certain this man in front of him was an idiot. Not even capable of grasping the most basic of concepts, there was no question as to why Anima preferred solitary training. Others were simply obstacles at this stage of his power. Beginning to explain the situation, Anima quickly clammed up. There was no point. Arawn was a waste of time and space as it was, there was no point in trying to teach him something. He didn’t even understand that if he trained the forest, he wouldn’t accidentally harm anything important, and he could gauge his own progress by noting the damage done to surroundings that would heal themselves in time. Trees and grass would continue to grow; Anima wasn’t spraying pesticides over the area.

”Engulfed by the swallow, let the need to chirp emit power and come forward. Bakudo #’s 2 and 3, Reel and Crimson Strike!” A fallen log suddenly jerked forwards as energy collected in Anima’s outstretched palm. The nearer the tree got, the more intense the energy became before suddenly, with the log only a meter or so from Anima, a perfectly cylindrical beam of blue, compacted energy burst from his hand and smashed into the rough bark and dense core, punching a hole in the wood before vaporization kicked in. Thankfully for Anima, one of the skills he was slowly learning to master was Double Incantation, which would hopefully allow for him to remain ahead of the other academy students.

With ash, leaves, and small fragments of bark still floating through the air, the remains of the smoking log dropped. A drop of sweat rolled down Anima’s forehead before curving into his nose bridge. Beading at the end of his nose, it dripped towards the ground. He was actually successful in his twin casting. Chalk that up for the achievement board, because that was something he hadn’t actually done yet. Sparing a glance towards the yellow-hilted katana that was strapped to his waist, Anima wondered what he would be able to perform in the future.

He slapped his hand against his face and shook his head. Arawn could only wonder how the instructors put up with such a fellow. It was no wonder why he practiced alone. The young man had an air about him. Regal some would say, Arawn would call it arrogant. Learning to use double spells wasn't something a student should be trying so early. Was it impatience or just being anxious to learn? In either case it was troublesome. With a sigh he shunpo'd across the brook and set the cage down. In the next instant he was back from where he started.

"You wish for assistance? So I shall give it." He pulled his sheath and sword from his hip and set it in the ground before him like a cane. his eyes locked on the student. "You can practice here for a hundred or even a thousand years. A tree won't move when you swing your sword, nor does it strike back. You're better off doing swings in the dojo. Hitting a target in the training field is more effective than randomly hitting a tree. An instructor would be able to tell you the words you forget, or the fact you're exerting too much power with each spell. Doing it alone and away from others is fine only when you know what you're doing. In the end you're just going to fall behind the rest and all you're have to show for it will be this." He gestured to the fallen treed and wrecked field. "Let me give you a more practical lesson." his right hand grasped the gray handle of his zanpukto.

Clearly, the trees weren’t going to attack back. They weren’t supposed to. He wasn’t learning to fight against others at this point; he was practicing various spells and developing his strength. A thick tree trunk could be quite difficult to cut through if one didn’t have the appropriate strength. He was still learning, even if it wasn’t the most effective or efficient of methods. Nonetheless, his method of training being insulted wasn’t something that he appreciated. Even if he was doing this supposedly wrong, according to this man, he had still managed to use a double incantation. It didn’t even matter that both spells were low level. The fact that he had performed them successfully meant he was getting somewhere.

Besides, the simple way of training wasn’t the only thing he was building. Out here, no one was going to tell him he was over-exerting himself. His muscles would continue to rip and tear, which in turn would grow back thicker and stronger. If he was in a training field, he’d be told to stop prematurely and given repercussions of he refused. That put a certainly rusty bolt on his training. Nevertheless, perhaps he had a point. He wouldn’t be able to get a true experience in training and combat when fighting inanimate objects. In order to gain strength, he would need to cut down flesh and blood. It was the only way. Smiling slightly at Arawn, he nodded. ”Perhaps that will benefit me more.” Drawing his zanpakuto, Anima dropped into a perfect Tenchi no Kamae stance.

The sun caught the edge of his blade and sent yellow light cascading over the field. He had a feeling that allowing this more shinigami to attack first may put a hamper on any form of strategy available to him. With that said, he swiveled the hilt of his blade downwards while leaping forward, bending his right knee and pulling it back. The blade was at the perfect angle and position to slice cleanly through Arawn’s shoulder, while still capable of being redirected in order to protect his body. Murmuring the incantation, he activated bakudo number 5, Senko moments before the downward slash. Immediately, a burst of bright light enveloped the area, leaving all but Anima temporarily blinded unless they could protect themselves in time.

He waited. The first move was always the most risky. Before he could act the young shinigami struck first. He moved swiftly almost like an arrow his sword glistening in the light. Arawn focused his reiryoku. Sa Shin Mu: Ju-Jak He raised his left hand just as the blade began it's descent. The keen edge hovered half an inch from Arawn's outstretched palm. Upon closer inspection one could visibly see the small cushion of reiatsu he held there. He closed the shielded hand over the zanpukto to capture it. Before he could grin at balking the attack, the man's kido fired. The light flared and his eyes burned with the white nova that had birthed before him.
"Bakudo #7: Beni Fushi." he muttered as he was robbed of his vision. A high pitched screech exploded forth, the sound so loud he could feel his clothes shake. He was immune from the deafening sound, but wondered how well the other man fared. He drew his blade upward from the sheath in the ground and blindly slashed out. Even if he couldn't see the opponent he felt the spiritual pressure. Not only that, by capturing the sword it wasn't hard to figure where the rest of the body was. He thought to aim his attack at were the man's arm and hand would be, but instead made a wide horizontal slash in front of him.

Of course, only an idiot would charge against someone of superior skill, whom had access to a higher number of techniques and abilities, without a true plan. He initially expected the man to simply hold out his sword and let Anima impale himself on it. When Arawn grabbed his sword, however, a new plan of retaliation came to mind. Suddenly, a burst of shrieking noise, the frequency of which making his ear drums bleed, destroyed his concentration momentarily. Allowing his gritted jaw to separate, he avoided shattering his teeth. Slamming his palm down onto Arawn’s sword, he used the upward momentum to flip straight up and down, aiming his heel for Arawn’s head.

”Bakudo Number eight, Seki!” At the bottom of his heel, the striking point which drew closer to Arawn’s head, a round circle dark blue yet slightly translucent appeared. If it struck Arawn, it would lessen the pain due to spreading the damage but send him flying and paralyze him to a minor extent. Releasing the hilt of his own sword as the flip made holding it impossible, he used his the shield’s ability to send himself rocketing backwards, gaining some distance between the two. "Demons below limit the one before me in your arts.Bakudo Number Two, Hanko-Nensho" Hopefully, his binding magic would take effect and Arawn wouldn’t be capable of casting kido to his best ability. Beginning to pant, Anima swayed slightly on his heels as he stood with his knees bent, facing Arawn. This much kido just after training was really tugging on his energy reserves. Now that he was lacking his zanpakuto, the one with a major advantage had all but his pawns. To put it in Laymen’s terms, Anima was screwed and he knew it. Nonetheless, he wasn’t going to back down.

Taking a deep breath, the academy student allowed his reiatsu to flare from his body, the reiryoka concentrating above them. Nearly immediately, the sky darkened. "May the tears of those killed, of those harmed by those of wickedness deliver their judgement upon those around." A cloud spawned, before being joined nearly immediately by a second, then third. With a crack of thunder, the sky opened up and dropped a torrential amount of rain. The air sizzled with the sounds of all objects around him slowly disintegrating from the acidic properties of the rain he had unleashed upon the area. Breathing harder, Anima dropped to one knees, blinking rapidly. Fighting back the urge to pass out, he struggled to his feet with shaking limbs. Staring defiantly at Arawn, he waited.

Still blinded and blinking back tears Arawn could not see that that his attack had failed. He did figure as much since he felt the impact as the man used his weapon as a springboard.
"It would have been better to blind me BEFORE you attacked, but the effect's the same." he paused "I guess I should have told you that BEFORE I deafened you."
So now the young man was above him, and had relinquished his sword. What was he up to next? He could hear the man's spell; Seki? A shield? How was he going to use it? He found out the next instant as the shielded heel came down upon him. Anyone could have avoided such a blow, but that would have required vision. Arawn's eyes had slowly recovered, he could see as if looking through a haze. Almost as if a fog enveloped the whole area. He felt his body tingle as the shield's temporary paralysis took hold. For the most part the shield had softened the blow,a strike to the head usually jarred the opponent. He could hear yet another spell. Hanko-Nensho this time.

"I guess I do have an advantage in Kido, but I was limiting myself to those below 10." he laughed, but even that wasn't much of a handicap. Anyone of skill could make those low level spells as powerful as those of higher rank and difficulty. Again he remembered that his opponent was deaf; and talking was useless. The Seki's effect was already fading. His first action was throwing the man's zanpukto behind him. He took a tentative step forward. The man was already casting again. Unfortunately Arawn didn't recall the spell. It didn't take long to find out. The first splash of acidic water struck his cheek and several more his body. He winced through the pain and took another shaky step forward. His second step carried him away from his sheath. A small surge of energy rushed through him. Liberated from the sekkiseki stone, his energy bubbled up. His next steps weren't uncertain. He dashed forward at the kneeling figure, rushing head first into the burning rain that now blanketed the area. Arawn was no stranger to pain, it wasn't something to be avoided or ignored. The acid splashed against his face and hands. Already it had eaten holes into his uniform. His eyes were shaded from the droplets by his electronic glasses. He silently wondered if the mechanism would be affected.
"There's no shame in being weak, we are all weak." He came to a short stop right in front of the kneeling man. As he skid he kicked up dirt into his opponent's face, before launching himself into a somersault. He flipped over the student and landed behind him. He brought the blunt back of the zanpukto down on his head. "Of all the shinigami you shall meet, I am by far the weakest."

Heavily, Anima panted, kneeling on the ground with his throat on fire. He needed a drink. Tempted to let the acid rain drip down his throat, he was slightly disheartened when he realized that it wasn’t affecting him (nor would it ever as long as he were the caster). Remaining perfectly dry, minus the slick layers of sweat that armored his flesh from the air, his vision blurred for a moment. Nonetheless, he blinked away his doubts in himself, and began charging energy. He had one –one- shot at this. He couldn’t fuck up. Suddenly, before he fully realized what was happening, Arawn was walking towards him.

He had used this skill already. Granted, he wasn’t as drained before as he was now, but he would have to try again, just in case. The scuff of shoes reached his ears as the deafening kido began to wear off. He still heard a very sharp ringing, but concentration and focus allowed for him to hear things. Immediately, he tasted dirt as a clod of mud was kicked into his face. Perfect. Now he couldn’t see, either. Nonetheless, it would disguise the movements of his mouth as he tried his imperfect art. Weaving the incantations in and out of each other with liquid grace, the double incantation could possibly save him. Feeling the energy absolutely pour from his body that he was trying to simply generate, he knew he had enough for this (maybe a little overdrawn), and then he was asleep for a week.

”Hado Number 1, Thrust.” After the incantation was finished, he didn’t even check to see if his target had indeed been pushed from him. He simply began chanting his next incantation. Then again, his target for Thrust wasn’t his opponent, but rather, the butt of the sword. A burst of energy struck the dull hilt, and pushed it upwards. It narrowly avoided his head at the last moment, allowing him the saving grace of three seconds to perform his final technique. Because he had been using double incantation, his second Kido was ready to go. Spinning on his knee, he lashed out with his hand and grabbed onto Arawn as tightly as he could. Holding his free hand out, his eyes met with Arawn’s. Although Anima’s were glazed over and drooping, they held a determination and focus in them that could only mean one thing. He just might have a plan. He couldn’t possibly win, no that was insane. Nevertheless, he did have a plan.

Suddenly, a column of fire appeared in his free hand. Oddly enough, for one whom couldn’t even use the spell beforehand; this spell was in much better condition then his Crimson Strike. It was a strong, healthy fire that burned at his right hand. Not bothering to stare at it, he grunted in defiance towards defeat and drove the blade of fire towards Arawn’s stomach. ”HADO NUMBER 8, BLADE OF FLAMES!” Roaring with all of his might, Anima’s entire spirit was driven into Arawn along with the burning kido. Because Arawn was so close to him now, the acid rain was falling to their every side, but avoiding them. The fire would not be affected.

He was no longer panting. The young academy student didn’t even have the energy to pant. Instead, a peaceful smile was painted along his face. He had done what he set out to do. He had successfully used double incantation twice today, and he had no reason to fight anymore. He was defeated –that he knew without a doubt-, but he had won in his own way. Dropping to his second knee, he simply fell on the ground. The damn grass and mud was nice. It held a soothing property to it that cooled his enflamed flesh.

With singe marks on his right hand and ears still ringing, Anima closed his eyes for the final time that day. He was simply too exhausted to move. He would sleep here. Hopefully, Arawn wouldn’t be mad that he had destroyed the area anymore, and leave as peacefully as Anima was. Today was a good day, of that there was no doubt. Maybe he would be able to defeat Arawn someday. That was his goal for the future. For now, there was only sleep.

He could feel hands grasp him. One couldn't help, but be shocked at the man's stamina. When he had started the academy he had barely been able to cast three kido without being tired. That was so long ago. The fiery blade piercing his stomach roused him from his thoughts. He looked down at where the fire impaled him. It was odd how his vision was completely clear now. It burned. He could feel both the inside and outside as they were scorched with flames. With a grunt he latched his own hands upon the shinigami. Arawn dropped his zanpukto as his left hand grabbed the other man's wrist.
"A blazing sword to the gut hurts." He muttered the taste of copper filling his mouth. "Here I was going easy on you, and you're playing for keeps. I guess there's no reason to hold back." The man's sealing kido had already faded he could feel his reiryoku bubble forth. Sa Shin Mu: Chung-Ryong The reiatsu exploded the ground as he pushed off the ground and began to spin at an incredible speed. The wind and his energy created a literal tornado as the two men rose into the sky. The vortex ripped and hit against Anima. The high wind tossing and then pulling him like a rag doll. The shinigami was trapped by the strange current. The uniform the man wore was being torn to shreds. Never had Arawn used this much power in the technique; the effect was amazing to behold. He silently wondered how his master's complete skill looked.

They had risen quite far into the sky, and continued to higher. Anima's body was limp. Arawn didn't know the man had fallen unconscious. He only figured the barrage had done it's work. He stopped spinning and the winds stopped. The gale died down and for a moment Arawn and Anima hung floating in the air. Looking down it seemed they had gone well over 20ft into the air. Already Anima's still form dropped like a stone. Sa Shin Mu: Beck-Ho All his energy flared once more and flooded into his right arm. The wound on his stomach was bleeding and his mouth felt like it was full of pennies. Arawn came plummeted down after Anima. His speed much greater than the others, he caught his target. Rather than pass, Arawn pressed his fist directly into the young shinigami's stomach and together the two fell faster. The wind howling in his ears as the energy in his arm built up higher the strain was unbearable. The ground came up to meet them.

The bodies slammed into the ground, Anima's form hit first. Arawn's empowered arm smashing him into the earth and absorbing the stock of impact. A small cloud of smoke rose up around them.
"Roar." Arawn spoke his voice a whisper as he released the energy stored in his arm downwards through Anima. The ground exploded around them as the reiatsu did as it's master demanded. The sound was not unlike the roar of some great caged beast freed from bondage. It ripped the stones and trees apart running through the earth and moving outward. The ground collapsed around them as the the shockwave ran it's course. When the smoke settled Arawn stood in a crater nearly 12ft wide and 4ft deep. Anima's body was buried rocks, but his feet and arms could still be seen.
"Perhaps I should have held back a little." he coughed as blood filled his mouth. Now that he had calmed down the pain had rushed in. His right arm felt shattered, he couldn't bend it without his eyes welling up. He surveyed the damage. "And I was complaining to him about destroying the environment." He had toppled twice the number of trees the young man had. With a sigh he reached into his robe with his left hand. Quickly he dialed the "I need an emergency medical treatment."
"Your location?" the voice on the other end asked. Arawn eyes widened. He didn't remember where he was.
"I'm not sure." he answered truthfully, "Just track me by my phone's signal." he grunted as he flopped to the ground quite tired and spent wondering how he was going to find his zanpukto later.