The field was used for many things. Kido training, Zanpakuto release training, and even matches between experienced Shinigami. It wasn't typically the sort of place that an Academy student would find himself wandering off too. There were many reasons for that. The main one was that today there was mud and sludge underfoot from a long Kido training session with water and ice elemental kido that left the ground as slick as the ice that had already melted. Within this mud was tons of rubble. From years upon years of use, the training field had large and small rocks and stones all over the ground. You could easily break an ankle or two just running from one end to the other because of just how slippery and inconsistent the ground was. There were random hills and short potholes from battles long passed that only added to this distorted, malformed combat field. It had only one boulder left that was used for target practice and it was left a jagged set of teeth after some explosion decapitated the rock and left forever lamenting the loss of it's upperjaw.
This was the perfect place. It was a place that Tataki was not unfamiliar with. It was a place where he went through his own drills rarely. It was also a place where he'd seen some get the life almost beat from them. This was known by rumor around the academy as the "Grudge Lake". Not a lake in the slightest; the ground was always so soft that it was treacherous. This was a place where you challenged someone you didn't like to fight until you bled and then fight longer until your opponent was finally broken. It wasn't impossible that, sometime long ago, someone died on this field. The blood of so many shinigami steeped deep into the earth, tainting the ground and forbidding any and all life from trying a hand at survival. This was a field that could only have pain, destruction and death. This was the very place that Tataki loved to be.
Tataki had challenged more than 12 people to fight him here. Well, spar...He always had to say spar didn't he? Because, in a spar you don't say that you'll kill them when you get the chance. That there wasn't any way you'd slit their throat the moment they say "Uncle". Everyone knew that this was the last place you wanted to be if challenged to a fight. There wasn't supervision, at least their usually wasn't, and the footing was so unstable that your typical Academy Student would have too much difficulty just moving around her to even try a fight. Today it was at it's peak. The soft ground was replaced by unforgiving mud and Tataki had found a nice piece of garbage to slam a face into it.
Thinking back, Tataki was proud of the way he went about it. That little student that wore all the garb, out of regulation, that pretty much hid himself from the outside world. He was a freaking freak and Tataki made sure to explain, in clear detail, just how he was a freak. First, Tataki went with the usual by calling him an idiot and a retard. But, Tataki felt really good then. He went on to say that: "I wonder how much of moron you'd have to be to even enlist in the academy. You look like the type that can't do anything but stand around and do nothing. A good for nothing moron. You think you are all cool in all that? Loser," Then, Tataki spit on him. Tataki just loved to spit on others. Made him feel great to watch other's get dirty.
Long story short, Tataki challenged the guy to a match. But, as soon as Tataki mentioned the place, everyone looked afraid for him. Tataki had a good time making the guy stand out infront of the others, having a good feeling that the guy wouldn't like that. But, he didn't think it would be taken seriously. Matches with Tataki were always avoided. The other students never took him up. They were spineless cowards that were only good for how fast they could crawl on the dirt. That guy was probably no different. Just another worm all wrapped in and hiding himself in his garb.
Here Tataki was, having been there almost 30 minutes early, in wait for his opponent. Was the guy going to show up? It was coming up to the time and Tataki wasn't the sort that liked waiting on a match that he had a feeling wasn't going to happen. Maybe he ran away. Tataki wouldn't be surprised. This wasn't a field for amateurs. Even if you were just a student, you had to know how to fight. How to survive. "Hmph."
Subject: Grunge Match (Shin) 
Fri Oct 07, 2011 9:52 pm
