To Join the 7th Division! (Kaoseu)

Shioshi moved quickly down the hallways, early, as he usually was, for his meeting for the Captain of the 7th Division. He wasn't always early, of course, but he usually tried to be, and so, he usually was. The Barracks weren't as imposing as he'd thought they'd be. As a matter of fact, he actually felt comfortable walking through its halls. He was following directions given to him at the entrance to Barracks, heading towards the Captain's office. His Zanpakutou was strapped to his back, as always, and he reached up and grasped the hilt for a moment, glad to have the weapon with him in his meeting with the new Captain of the 7th Division. He wasn't afraid, of course- it would take more than a meeting to give him the butterflies- but the weapon was practically an organ, a vital one at that, that he couldn't live without.

As he moved through the hallways, excitement began to creep into him, but he forced it out with his inner calm, which spread through him then, calming him, allowing him to feel completely at ease with his surroundings. He sped up, wanting to be there early so that the Captain could know that he actually tried to do so with things of import. He wondered what the Captain was like then. Bishamon had told him only that he'd already met with him, and not any specifics about what had occurred. He grinned, though, remembering that Bishamon had apparently thought well of the Captain. That already meant something. With a sigh, he rounded a corner and came upon the door leading into the Captain's office. He nodded at a Shinigami as he passed, and then approached the door, stopping a couple feet away.

He took a deep breath, and then reached forward and knocked on the door. "Captain Enjel! I'm here for a meeting with you! I'm Shioshi Reinuu, an applicant for the 7th Division! I'm here early, but I hope that's alright, sir!" he said, loud enough for anyone inside the room to here. Then, taking another deep breath, he reached over to the side of the door and then opened it, stepping into the room, turning, and closing the door once again, so that no one else would have to worry about it. Turning, he bowed before he had a chance to view the Captain. "Pleased to meet you, Captain Enjel!" he said, and then he stood back up, ready to see what the Captain had in store for this meeting.

Forgetful. That's what Kaoseu felt like as he was lounging in the central commons of the Squad 7 Barracks. He didn't know why or what, but there was that nagging feeling at the back of his mind, prickling his scalp in an effort to make him remember something that he didn't know he was supposed to. After several moments of trying to figure it out, he shrugged it off, and closed his eyes once more, remembering this place from when he was a new recruit hims-

"I'VE GOT A NEW RECRUIT COMING IN!!!" Kaoseu shouted to himself, eyes flying open as he remembered suddenly. He cursed and leaped from his perch in the tree, grabbing both his blades as he went. Within moments he was off, pelting down the halls silently in his bare feet. He was just about to turn into the hallway with his office when he heard a voice.

"Captain Enjel! I'm here for a meeting with you! I'm Shioshi Reinuu, an applicant for the 7th Division! I'm here early, but I hope that's alright, sir!"

Shortly after, he heard the door open, and the voice become slightly muffled as Shioshi spoke once more, "Pleased to meet you, Captain Enjel!"

At this point Kaoseu had turned into the hall, having caught his breath. He was behind Shioshi when he lifted his head, peering into the empty office.

"Pleased to meet you as well, Shioshi. Welcome to Squad 7." Kaoseu said, a huge grin on his face, one hand nervously on the back of his head in a more apologetic manner than anything.

Even Shioshi couldn't contain his surprise as he jumped, twirling from the empty room to face the Captain, who was standing behind him. His surprise immediately died down, though, replaced by good humor. A grin spread across his face at the apologetic manner the Captain greeted him, and for a moment he forgot he was addressing a Captain, one whom he was actually a bit taller than, now that he noticed. However, he quickly remembered, and shook the Captain's hand, although he hadn't actually offered it for shaking. It was sort of a habit for him. He took a step back to give the Captain room to move in any direction he chose before speaking again, simply because of the practicality. He didn't believe they'd stand out here in the hallway at an intersection in the Barracks for their whole conversation.

"Thank you, Captain, for your welcome. I hope that I can be of service to you and the rest of the Squad," he said, still grinning. His mirth shown clearly through his voice, now that the ice had been broken in quite a light-hearted way. He could already tell that he would enjoy serving under Captain Enjel. He immediately continued. "Before you ask for any details, I'll go ahead and give you the basics. I'm a close combat specialist, or, whatever you would call someone who focuses on fighting up close. I like to focus on the technique of melee combat, instead of speed. When it comes to Kidou, I mainly focus on Bakudo, but I'm alright with Hado as well. Oh, and Bishamon is partially the reason I joined this squad. He's a friend of mine, and heavily influenced my decision before I graduated from the Academy," he spoke quickly. He hoped that would answer some of the Captain's no doubt forthcoming questions; he'd rehearsed it several times on the way to the Barracks.

Kaoseu laughed. He honestly couldn't help it. He had shaken Shioshi's hand, and let down his own from behind his head, and now looked the student over. Dark blue hair, grey-hued eyes, and a determined expression. His smile deepened as he released the shake and listened to Shioshi's introduction.

"Haha, I'm gonna be honest with you, you Academy kids should stop rehearsing what to say to us Captains. We're people too. Higher ranked, but still people, and we always know when you rehearse. Now, About all these formalities. I'm not that big on 'em, so go ahead and call me Kaoseu, if you please.

Your combat history is nice, but what actual combat experience do you have? As in against a real enemy? As for other people's opinions on my squad, that could concern me less, in this particular instance. What are your reasons for wanting to become a part of Squad 7? What do you hope to achieve?" He asked. They were moving right along in this conversation, having been started out so abruptly, the mood having been shaped in a mere instant.

Kaoseu began walking in the general direction of the Squad 7 personal training rooms, and motioned a hand for the student to follow as they finished talking. For once, he was glad he hadn't put up signs for those who might get lost, otherwise he may have well scared off one of his new recruits.

Shioshi gave a sheepish grin as the Captain guessed about his rehearsal on what he was going to say, and then followed him closely, listening to his every word, and then allowing a silence to stretch for a few minutes as he pondered his answer. When he did, respond, he was sure of what he said. "Well, Kaoseu, I've fought a Hollow before when I, uh, snuck out of the Academy and into the forest nearby. It was a feline like Hollow, and I can't really remember the details all that much right now. I've fought a Shinigami named Draylon, back in the Academy also, but ended up being humiliated. I've also faced Bishamon in combat before, all swords and no Kidou, save at the beginning. He's certainly good with those blades of his, that's for sure. Of course, there wasn't really a decisive victor in the end, as we were both severely wounded for a Sparring Match, and so we had to call it a draw in the end. I can't really decide who would win in our next match, whenever that may be," he said, and he took a break for a moment to catch his breath. Then he continued as they turned a sharp corner.

"As for my own reasons for joining... Well, for one thing, the fact that it's a smaller squad makes me feel a bit more comfortable within the Barracks themselves. The clean feel of the place is extremely nice. You, Kaoseu, are another reason I joined. I had heard that you were quite the fighter yourself, and so I hoped to learn from you. There are also several other personal reasons I joined, ones I'm not quite yet ready to share," he continued. He thought about the next part for a moment before continuing, and then did so. "And as for my goals... Well, for one thing, I'm reaching for the high ranks one day. I want to eventually become a Captain myself, and with a bit of luck, I will. As for my more current goals... Well, I'm aiming to be seated, somewhere between 15 and 11 at first. And then my mid-way goal for right now is to reach Shikai, so that me and my Zanpakutou and reach a new level of bonding," he finished. He realized the last part would seem odd to anyone who didn't know him that well quite yet, but he knew that the Captain, if he ever saw Shioshi fight, would quickly understand.

Kaoseu shook his head; it seemed as if all the students these days were meeting Hollows, and from what it sounded like, this one was Ren as well.

"Well, you'll have all the time you wish to spar each other as you progress here. That's something we encourage, are rivalries, it helps build character, and friendship."

The Captain listened to Shioshi explain his reasoning for being here. He understood full well not wanting to divulge everything, so he'd let that be.

"I'm glad you enjoy the barracks, I try to make it feel as comfortable as possible, since most of us here work all day, and after we're done, we just want to relax. And you can blame the Squad 11 in me as for being a fighter. As for those reasons, keep them, everyone needs their own secrets. It's unhealthy to tell all. Your goals, however, are hard ones to reach, I know firsthand, but I promise, they're attainable, if you just keep your head up and keep moving forward."

At this point, they had reached the hallway that dead ended 4 doors down to the right, 4 to the left, and with two in the middle. These were the training rooms, each one a stark white on the inside, almost blindingly so. Kaoseu motioned to the the one to their immediate left, and held the door open for Shioshi to enter, closing the door behind the both of them as they did so. One for explaining things, he stood there, eagerly awaiting the proper question from the blue-haired recruit.

Shioshi was definitely confused as they entered the odd room, which was all around a blindingly bright white. He turned and faced Kaoseu while his eyes adjusted, and he was sure he saw the smile on the Captain's face, which meant he'd already guessed what Shioshi was about to ask. He did so anyways, although he already had an idea as to what the room was probably used for. "Er, what is this room and why are we here?" he asked, although the grin on his face signified that he, too, had already guessed what Kaoseu's guess was going to be. As he waited for the Captain answer, though, he moved to the middle of the room and drew his Zanpakutou. Immediately, he felt his calm resonate with his weapon, an odd thing that it did whenever he was in his state of 'inner calm'. He began to twirl his weapon, feeling it comfortably resting in his grasp.

He moved into a series of graceful combinations obviously meant for show, as they were comprised of almost only flourishes of some kind, although each was different than the last. Suddenly, he snapped his Zanpakutou around and about, using the momentum behind the swing to allow him to pirouette. He spun several times, came to a spot, snapped his Zanpakutou through the air, caught it with his other hand, and then threw it up in the air, where it spun as it went up, and then spun on its way back down, where Shioshi caught it by the hilt and then placed the flat of the blade in one hand and the hilt in on another hand, holding the weapon in front of him as if it were his own soul. He stared at the blade, smiled, and then sheathed it, turned to face the Captain to see his response to his show. He would at least be able to tell what he'd meant earlier, when he'd mentioned bonding with his Zanpakutou.

Kaoseu knew Shioshi was smart, and could tell he was asking the question just for Kaoseu's sake, as he was grinning with the same look Kaoseu always wore. He drew his blade, and Kaoseu could immediately tell that this would be fun. He watched as the student effortlessly glided through several different Kata, focusing on flourishes and feints. He had to admit, his blade really did appear to be an extension of his body, as any blade was supposed to be, but more so for him at his current level. He understood what had been said earlier about reaching a new level of bonding.

As Shioshi finished up, Kaoseu applauded. "Fantastic swordsmanship, but you might want to draw that back out. Computer, simulation Burning Forest. Set humidity to plus 75, set temperature to 130 Degrees. Increase temperature by two degrees every 5 minutes." Kaoseu ordered to the room and the student both. The white walls around them shimmered, and trees appeared out of nowhere, and flames sprung to life, eating away at the greenery.

"Now, these flames may seem fake, but they are very real when you draw close to them. The temperature towards the center of the room will remain constant, increasing at a steady rate. You have but one task, and two ways to do it; Best me by either A: cutting me, even the slightest, or B: forcing me to draw my own blade or blades. You may use any form of attack in your arsenal, Kidou included. And as some advice; don't hold back. BEGIN!" Kaoseu said, and he relaxed his body, awaiting the moment Shioshi took a step to begin analyzing his abilities and maneuvers.

Shioshi nodded at Kaoseu, and then redrew his Zanpakutou, knowing he'd certainly need it in his grasp if he were to take on a Captain, even with the handicaps the Captain had placed upon himself. Knowing he needed some sort of immediate advantage, his thoughts focused solely on forming a strategy to form a strategy that matched Kaoseu's fighting style, and then defeated it. However, as he didn't know how the Captain fought, he would have to go in blindly at first. He mumbled the incantation to a Bakudo, thinking it wise to bind his weapon to his hands since he was fighting against a Captain. He finished the incantation, and then spoke more loudly the name of the spell. "Bakudo No. 6, Totte!"

Shioshi nodded in relief now that he knew that his weapon was bound to him. He wouldn't be disarmed any time soon. However, he knew that if this became a prolonged match, he would certainly fall to the heat before Kaoseu. He took a deep breath, dug his heels in, and then shot forward, weapon snapping forward in a series of feints meant to blind the target to the real attack; a kick aimed to the hip. He'd used the same attack against Bishamon in his sparring match with him, and since he wanted to see what it would do against a Captain, he had used it here again. That wasn't the only attack though, for while he brought his foot in as the big flashy attack at the time, he also brought his sword snapping back, under, and then forward in a stab aimed for Kaoseu's stomach.

Efficient speed, fair balance, and nice power... Kaoseu thought to himself as Shioshi launched forward, fierceness in his eyes that made Kaoseu's heart jump; this would be much fun especially considering that the student had thought ahead and bound his weapon to his hand, a smart move. As he rushed forward, Kaoseu shifted his stance so that his left foot was at a perpendicular angle to his right, and further back, so that he was almost sideways.

Shioshi's feints were good, well placed and followed through with, and Kaoseu's eyes missed nothing as they feasted on the boy's raw fighting ability. He saw his weight shift and his leg tense as he brought his leg up, and the Captain grinned, and collapsed into the splits in one fluid motion, but placed his hands down before he made it all the way and spun on the heel of his palm, in an attempt to sweep the student off his feet.

Shioshi's eyes widened at the Captain's extremely impressive maneuver. His kick shot harmlessly by, and his stab struck nothing but the air over Kaoseu's head. He looked down at the Captain's sweeping move, and immediately knew what it was meant to do, as he had used a similar move against Bishamon, although he had only used one leg, and hadn't been balancing on his hands... That's when Shioshi realized a way to counter the Captain's move. Even if he shattered it a moment later, it would still defeat Kaoseu's attack, and that would be all he needed. "Bakudo No. 1, Sai!" he cried. As he said that, he spun on the one leg he was still balancing on, took the small amount of impact left from the kick, and then landed on his free hand, performing a slight cartwheel before coming back to his feet, already breathing hard, although that could be explained by the smoke coming from the flames all around.

However, he now knew that such simple attacks could never hope to strike a Captain. After gouging Kaoseu's fighting style in that pass, or at least, his fighting style when not using his Zanpakutou, just a bit, he now had a few strategies pieced together to use against the Captain. Although he knew he couldn't use too much Reiatsu on Kidou, he needed this next Hado for his first strategy, so he decided he could sacrifice a bit of his strength for any chance at all to defeat Kaoseu before the flames caused him to collapse. He brought one hand forward, open, palm face in the Captain's direction, and began to chant. "An Array of Bees Sting You With the Force of Many! Hado No. 13, Killer Bee!" he cried. Immediately, ten little yellow bolts of Reiatsu formed in front of his hand, and with a grunt, Shioshi fired them in the Captain's direction.

Shioshi didn't wait to see if the Captain was hit by the Hado or not; it didn't matter either way in the matter of the overall strategy. He came in behind it, ducking low so that his entire body was lower in height than the lowest of the Reiatsu-bolts. He moved in quickly, and even after he heard the bolts striking something, whether they were deflected or had actually struck, he continued forward. He came in just as he heard the last bolt hit whatever it was that it hit, spinning as he came down on one hand, pulling his legs in, and then he pushed off the ground when his feet came into a position that would launch them up towards Kaoseu's face. As he pushed off, he brought around his hand with his Zanpakutou in a slash aimed for the Captain's legs. He balance was subject to loss at the slightest forceful strike, though, so if none of his attacks had struck or would strike, then he was open to any retaliation.

Kaoseu grinned as his arms acted of their own accord and locked themselves behind his back. As they were doing so, he flared a bit of Reiatsu and burst the Kidou in that same instant, and with just enough time to brace his fall and pick himself back up. As he rose, he saw Shioshi land lithely a ways away from him. Kaoseu's eyes sparkled as he realized that he was in for a bit of a special treat, and in almost the same position as he had been with Kaiyo, just reversed, a student facing him and ready.

His mind switched back to battle-ready when he saw the blue-haired boy's lips moving. He caught the ending of the Kidou, and readied himself. He didn't want to use a lot of Reiatsu, so his plan was to get out of it's way. However, that plan was shot at the same time as the Kidou, when Shioshi followed in as fast as the Kidou. His heart pounded with glee as the student pulled a maneuver Kaoseu would have loved to, taking Kaoseu from two directions; straight, as provided by the Kidou, and from underneath. At this point, reaction and adaptability were the last few things Kaoseu really had to test, and he made a split second decision. He Flash Stepped neatly out of the way of both attacks at the last possible moment, still the same distance away, but to Shioshi's immediate left, now, and awaited to see how quickly and if the student could orient himself to Kaoseu's location and his immediate action whilst airborne.

Shioshi knew he was in trouble when the Captain Shunpoed out to the left, leaving Shioshi shooting up at nothing. Thinking quickly, Shioshi brought his Zanpakutou, the tip on the floor. He used the leverage that gave him for a second to right himself, coming to land, albeit strongly, against the floor, on both feet. He whirled, his blade spinning with a slash aimed for Kaoseu's chest, something simple to allow him time to think, and an attack only meant for show, with Shioshi swinging it in a manner that only he could tell was meant not to hit. As the false-slash was completed, Shioshi decided to quit with the Kidou and go all melee with this fight. He twirled his Zanpakutou, and then moved in, unleashing a skilled maneuver to try and take the Captain by surprise. He kicked off the floor after gaining a bit of momentum, bringing one foot around in a powerful kick.

As he kicked with that foot, he planted his hands against the ground, and then brought his other foot up, hooking both of his feet around the Captain's arm. Using Kaoseu himself as leverage, he then pulled himself off the ground and held himself up, muscles straining as he brought his Zanpakutou in for a devastating series of attacks, if any of them hit. A slash aimed for Kaoseu's throat, a stab aimed for his chest, a chop aimed for the Captain's shoulder, a twirling, disorienting feint, and then an up-down, two-handed chop aimed for Kaoseu's head. As he finished the last of the attacks, he unwrapped his feet from around the Captain's arm, and landed skillfully, skipping back a few steps to assess if he'd done any damage at all. He doubted he'd actually struck the Captain even once, even though he'd unleashed such a barrage of attacks.

Kaoseu's instinct told him to lean back, and he did so, just in time as Shioshi came in from a fast landing and brought across a strike level with his chest, only to realize that the blade wouldn't have struck home anyways. Kaoseu smiled at the maneuver, mentally commending the him for the ability to allow time to prepare whilst still attacking, it was a useful strategy. He regained composure as Shioshi went in for the next round of attacks.

The maneuver that he pulled then was flawless, or would have been, had it not been used against a Captain. Feigning a kick, and then using that momentum and then the use of the other leg to launch himself at Kaoseu, and then latching on to the arm Kaoseu brought up as his defense. It was intelligent, but Kaoseu had reaction time like no other, and, as Shioshi wrapped his legs around his arm and sat up, Kaoseu smiled apologetically and slammed the boy, back first towards the ground.

OOC: After initiating an attack, try not to make movements for afterwards, as in cases such as this, you wouldn't have had a chance to hop off like that, just a bit of advice for ya ^-^ Just have movements planned. not done.

Shioshi's breath was blasted away as he was suddenly slammed into the ground. His vision was blurry, and that was made worse by the rapidly increasing amount of smoke. He forced himself to stand up, knowing that he couldn't stay down when in combat against a Captain. He shut his eyes, knowing that to be able to face this man, he had to subdue his raging emotions with calm. He forced out his anger, fear, worry, and any other emotions that could effect his combat, although he couldn't do anything for the pain, and replaced it all with overwhelming calm, focus. He finally caught his breath, and then snapped his eyes open. He surveyed the situation, with the Captain standing just out of reach in front of him, calmly. He nodded, and then burst into action.

He brought his Zanpakutou around in a sweeping slash aimed to slice through Kaoseu's hips, stopped his momentum at the last second before the Captain could have had the chance to deflect or block the attack, and then brought his shoulder forward in a slamming tackle-like attack. He aimed it so that whether or not the tackle hit the Captain, he would still complete a slashing attack from the right that would come in for either Kaoseu's neck, if the tackle worked, or for his stomach, if it didn't. However, that attack could easily be blocked or redirected, since Shioshi's opponent was, after all, the Captain of the 7th Division. So, he brought his fist down in a punch aimed for the side of the Captain's leg, an attack that would take effect whether the tackle worked or not, as long as the Captain didn't dodge or block it as well. Shioshi swallowed hard, having no idea whether or not he had any chance of claiming victory in this challenge.

The glee was evident in Kaoseu's elvish features, with his mischievous grin and dark twinkle in his amber eyes. Shioshi flat out bum-rushed him, bogarding into him with a blunt force tackle. At that point, Kaoseu had three choices; A) Give the kid a fighting chance, which entailed B) not Flash Stepping, and C) taking as little physical damage as possible, as the attack, though brutal, would be basically unavoidable to another of the Student's level.

One for fair play and a challenge, Kaoseu stuck with all three. As Shioshi's shoulder plowed into his abdomen, Kaoseu let the momentum carry them both, letting his left arm "relax", whereas, he actually shot it out and up towards Shioshi's wrist to knock the incoming blade off course. At this point, Kaoseu felt he had done enough fair play, and gripped the boy's wrists in a grip of iron, grinning devilishly as he looked the boy in the eyes. He then proceeded to Flash Step repeatedly, in the same place in a steady circle, as fast as possible, and released Shioshi, mid Flash Step, sending him at the a wall a bit of a distance off.