Distortion (Kuro)

The hammer stuck the nail and gave a loud *clank*. Arawn took a step back to examine his work. He had posted a small sign in the front of the sparring grounds. His wasn't the only one, there was a bulletin board filled with signs and notices. People seeking training partners, match requests, even small tournament notices. Of them all Arawn's was by far the simplest. It read:

Sparring partner wanted. Seeking assistance in personal training. Payment will be received for services. Interested party take this sign and report to the area listed below.

Below the short message directions to Arawn's warehouse workshop in Seireitei. He hoped he had made those directions clear for anyone to reading the notice. The worst part of this plan was that if someone did arrive at his warehouse then refuse to participate he'd have to come back to hang up the sign again. He gave a small sigh. He didn't like doing this, but it was the only thing he could do at the moment.

Four day earlier

After the confrontation with his weapon he was more exhausted than expected. He awoke to find himself on the floor and the room quite a mess. It was like he had been thrashing about in his sleep. There was scorch marks on the floor from a discharge of energy similar to an explosion. He could only guess that he had somehow exerted this reiatsu in that dream like state. The next day he had cleaned the room and the day after he wanted to return to the inner world to claim is prize from the golden beast. He sat in his chair with the naked blade across his lap and closed his eyes letting his mind drift.

"I cannot teach you that skill." The dragon said through the blade. Arawn hadn't the chance to enter the inner landscape, the beast spoke to him directly through the blade. It was slighty shocked by this, but more so at the creature's words. Was he backing out of their bet!? Even as the vein on his forehead rose "You're going to need a partner; someone with some fighting power. Why not ask one of your friends?" the snide way he said 'friends' annoyed the hell out of him. The beast knew well Arawn's friends were hardly the type he'd ask for help with such matters. After much thought he came with an idea.

Back to the present

Arawn made a final adjustment to the sign, making sure it was level. Not that it mattered, he just wanted it to look right. Taking one last look at it he sighed and then shupo'd away heading back to his warehouse to wait.

Kuro and Mika were walking to the sparring grounds for some light practice when Kuro paused for a moment to check out the contents of the bulletin. It was full of the usual requests, but one sign caught his attention. Instead of a regular spar request, this one had directions to an alternate setting for the receiver to go to. Kuro removed the sign from the board and observed the directions, noting that it was a warehouse a fair distance from the sparring grounds. Is the person who made this request simply waiting there for someone to accept this? Then it'd be mean to just disregard it now that I've seen it.

"Sorry Mika, but there's something I have to do now. I'll make it up to you later." Kuro smiled as Mika showed signs of disappointment and quickly defused the situation by leaning forward and giving her a quick kiss. He chuckled at her blushing face as he set off for the warehouse. The directions were simple, but easy enough to follow. Kuro arrived in a decent amount of time and wondered how he should go about making his entrance. In the end, he decided to just let himself in and opened the front door of the building, walking into the interior and looking for the one who'd left the sign. "Hello? I found this sign at the sparring grounds and wanted to offer my assistance."

Having arrived back at the warehouse Arawn had made sure the practice area had been cleared. There was ample room now compared to when he first "acquired" the warehouse. Dusty boxes had once covered the length of the large space. It had been a maze just to reach the back wall. Nearly the size of a football field and the high ceiling made the place feel quite roomy. It had taken some work, but the boxes were now compressed towards the far side of the warehouse. They had employed a sorting system made by Bryce to avoid losing any of the strange packages. With careful stacking they had built the boxes to a single massive pile; a strange muliti-color block. This large block covered the whole of the other half of the warehouse. There was a gap on the far end making a path around it. It was a shame he couldn't do the same with this living quarters in the 12th Division. That place was nearly a lost cause. As he thought about it, he wondered if he could transfer those boxes here to the warehouse.

That thought vanished as someone called out from the doorway. The aforementioned stack of boxed blocked the view of the entrance, but that was hardly a problem. If it was an attacker chances were he'd get a good view of them as the tried to cross the empty area to attack him. Still he had a feeling someone coming to attack him wouldn't bother with saying hello. Really if you thought about it a smart adversery would probably just destroy the whole warehouse with him in it. Arawn gazed up at the high ceiling of the building. The lights that hung from the rafters were off, but turned on only when needed. He imagined the metal beams coming crushing him beneath it's massive weight. The morbid thought was dispelled as Arawn called out to his visitor.
"I'm in the back, come on in." he hollered in response to the inquiry. "Just go around the big stack." He didn't expect a response to his sign that quickly perhaps there was another reason for this visitor. He glanced over at his zanpukto leaning against the wall.

Kuro continued inside, amazed by the large stack of boxes he was having to walk around to reach the more open interior. He was only too happy that it wasn't him who had been required to move and arrange such a enormous number of containers. The sheer amount of work besides its plain boring nature would drive him insane. He finally passed the stack and was able to see the large clear space on the other side of the building. He let out a whistle in amazement of it, commenting on the room to himself as he walked across the floor.

"Sure is a big space they've got in here. Perfect for training in all sorts of weather, as well as keeping away from prying eyes. I personally wouldn't do my training here as one wrong move would probably collapse the whole thing on top of me." He laughed at the mental image his last thought brought to mind. Then he cast his gaze over to the other person who had answered his call before. A wave of nostalgia hit him as he recognized the ambitious man who had challenged him to a spar once. Though Kuro had won, this man possessed incredible tactical abilities as well as an interesting zanpakuto. This training was sure to be interesting. He stood a few feet from Arawn and let an excited smile spread across his face as he felt the anticipation coming on.

"So you're the one who left that sign. Got to say, now this is looking like it's gonna be a lot of fun. So what kind of training are you interested in?"

When the speaker came into view Arawn's jaw nearly broke off and dropped to the floor. He stood there staring as the white haori came into view. Immediately he thought it was just a ruse from someone trying to put up a big front, but why would anyone risk impersonating a captain? He was pretty sure there were rules against such things similar to rules against impersonating police officers. As the man grew closer it wasn't hard for Arawn to feel the shiver of the air of the reiatsu he gave off. There was no denying it; this man was a captain. Why would a captain take the time to help someone train!? Arawn questioned as he managed to close his mouth. His brain feverishly tried to work out the situation. A high ranking official was here to help with his training. He couldn't see the back of the man's jacket so he was unsure from which squad this man was captain to. Did it matter? No. But he was very curious, anyone would if they were in the same situation. He's a freaking captain! came the thought again Here in my lab Why was he getting all flustered? He had met captains before, this should be no different. Something tingled in the back of his skull as he finished that thought. He quickly ignored it and finally mustered the courage to address the captain standing before him. Keeping the man waiting might not be very wise.
"Well, the stack should be fine as long as no one crashes into it." He grinned nervously at the other man as he spoke. Arawn thought about offering a handshake, but dropped it just as fast as it had came into his head. "I'm Arawn Dan'Shir of the 12th Division, sir." the red haired man spoke as politely as humanly possible. "Honestly I don't know what kind of training we shall be doing. My sword__" As he reached to his hip for his weapon he noticed it was not there. It was then he recalled it was leaning against the wall.

With a clumsy lung he reached the wall and tucked he weapon into his belt. After straightening himself he turned back to his very important guest. Arawn gave a cough to clear his throat and began again.
"My sword didn't tell me anything other than I'd need another person to help me." Again a weak smile. As a captain this man had probably already mastered his zanpukto, he didn't need to hear about it. In one motion he pulled the blade free from it's sheath and placed the flat of the blade across his open palms. Arawn stood there staring at the naked zanpukto as if trying to see through it, slowly his eyes closed.
"Huang Long!"[i] he called mentally to the spirit residing within his weapon. [i]"Huang Long, I have a sparring partner." There was only silence. This was a modified version of the jinzen, the zanpukto should have heard him. Before he could project his thoughts again a loud yawn echoed in his mind.
"That was fast. What kind of opponent did you find so quickly?" Came the response as the weapon's spirit woke. He gave a snicker as dragon felt Kuro's power "This is going to be very interesting." The dragon in the blade snorted. While Arawn had forgotten the captain of the 2nd Division the zanpukto had recognized him almost instantly.
"Okay...." Arawn said quite puzzled "What do we need to do to begin my training?" This question brought forth more laughter from the beast. It was quite annoying when he got like this. Finally the laughter stopped.
"It's simple really."The dragon said in an uncharacteristically sweet voice. "He just needs to attack you."

Arawn's eyes shot open as the spirit spoke these words, "You want him to attack me!?" he said aloud in disbelief. He clapped his left hand over his mouth, but the words had already escaped. It's true he'd faced a captain before, but he had barely managed to escape with this life during that encounter. He still hat the scars to prove it. Again he felt that tingle in the back of his head. Something was dancing on the tip of his memory. Something important? He filed the thought away as he looked nervously at the mystery captain.
"Yes, let him attack you, this is the only way." There was the hint of annoyance in the dragon's voice as if he didn't like the crazy order being questioned. Arawn sighed.
"It would seem I need for you to attack me." he said in a quieter voice than he wanted. He coughed again "I'm not sure why, but that will help in my training."
"None of that kido stuff; keep it simple." Huang Long barked, "If he wants he can use his sword as well." it quickly added. Arawn could only stare at his weapon in slight shock. He was essentially going to ask a captain to beat him up.
"You are free to use your weapon, but please refrain from using anything that may destroy the building." Arawn said slowly picking his words carefully. It wasn't often one told a captain what to do. Even then he didn't want to make any trouble.

Kuro's face filled with understanding as Arawn explained the nature of this training. So it was for his zanpakuto. That made coming here all the more worth it. The chance to give assistance with and witness the development of such a unique zanpakuto was no trouble at all. Kuro sighed and gave a slight chuckle at the nervousness Arawn was showing, thinking that maybe he should've let Mika take his haori back to his office before they parted. His status as a captain had a tendency to make others nervous.

Kuro watched as Arawn communicated with his zanpakuto. He wasn't surprised when Arawn exclaimed aloud about Kuro attacking him. Such a possibility had existed in Kuro's mind. After all, why else would the sword require a third party be present for the training? Kuro started by drawing his zanpakuto and clutching it in a reverse grip. "Simple eh? That's no problem for me. Concentrate Seishou Seijin." At Kuro's command, his zanpakuto glowed yellow and transformed into a black and gold ninja gauntlet. "'Simple' fighting is our specialty in squad 2, though maybe not as much as squad 11."

Kuro shunpoed forward as fast as he was able, keeping this training as real as he could. Using the best of one's ability when helping another train was the way to get the best results...as long as they didn't die in the process. Kuro kept that latter part in mind and started off simple. He came out of shunpo right in front of Arawn and threw his gauntlet clad hand forward with a palm thrust aimed at Arawn's chest. As he struck, he released some of his spirit power compressed inside his zanpakuto to increase the physical strength of his blow by many times.

"Concentrate, Seishou Seijin." As the man spoke those words his weapon transformed. Arawn could not hide his excitement to see a captain in action, but again came the tickle in the back of his head. When he saw the gauntlet a chill raced up his spine as the synapses fired. He had seen that glove before. The memory exploded into his head just as the captain vanished and reappeared in front of him.
"Oh shit!" Was all he managed to say as the armored hand thrust forward and slammed into his chest. The profanity wasn't due to the sudden attack, but the realization that the man before him was the captain of the 2nd squad; Kuro Akarui. The very same man he had challenged so long ago. The captain's strike felt like a being hit by a bus, the added spirit power was just overkill. Arawn barely managed to grunt as the force knocked the air out of him and sent him flying backwards as if launched out of a cannon. He had not been ready for such an attack, but even he had been the result might have been the same. The short flight ended as Arawn impacted on the opposite wall and then fell face first to the floor. He lay there for several moments until with a groan he pushed his face up and staggered to his feet. In being thrown across the room he had been given some space. Still when facing a captain such distance didn't matter. Still Arawn took this time to think, and asset the situation. Upon reviewing the conversation it became apparent that the man had recognized him. That was some hit, maybe he's holding a grudge? the thought to himself. His back hurt, but he didn't feel like anything was broken. Thankfully he hadn't let go of his weapon after being hit. Trying to recover it might have been impossible unless the captain allowed it. He sighed and focused his mind on his zanpukto.
"This isn't good, this is that captain I attacked that time." he whispered to the blade.
"I had wondered how long it would take for you to remember." Came the dragon's voice in his head."So slow." he said mocking his would be master.
"Sorry for being slow." Arawn hissed, doing his best to resist the urge to strike the weapon against the floor. "Why don't you hurry up and explain this training. I don't think he's going to take it easy on me."
"Good." the sword cackled and Arawn's eyebrow twitched. "Why don't you release first, talking in this shape is most tiring." The shinigami sighed, why did this zanpukto had to be so difficult?

"Drift, Huang Long." He kept his eyes on his opponent as the flipped the blade over his wrist and the weapon changed it's shape. Without looking he caught the weapon's handle as it finished it's rotation. He'd done this so many times it was like clockwork. Such a ritual seemed silly in the middle of a battle, but it was hard to break the habit.
"That's better" The dragon's voice was still in his head, but it sounded much clearer. It stifled a yawn. "Now this skill is different from the first; the power requires some control." Arawn thought about Empty sky technique, all he had to do was let his energy into the sword and effect poured out. He gave a slight nod of understanding at the dragon's statement.
"Alright." He figured it would different. "What do I have to do?"
"Let your reiryoku flow into me, but don't let it out. Imagine it like a balloon and let it build up." Arawn nodded his head again.
"And then what?" Arawn asked wanting the spirit to hurry up with it's explanation, there was no telling when the man would attack again.
"That's it." Came the reply
"That's it?"
"Yes, that's it."
Arawn could only stare at the weapon in utter disbelief. He could feel his face go red with rage as he body started to tremble.
"I don't need a training partner to learn this! Why the hell did you make me even hang that stupid sign!" he shouted at the weapon not caring that the other man could hear him. The red haired shinigami wished he could punch the damned lizard in the face. The embarrassment of arguing with his weapon took a back seat to the anger he felt towards his zanpukto.
"No, you couldn't." responded the dragon. "Your way of doing things is too efficient, slow and methodical. You'll need to be able to work under pressure with this skill. A partner helps, and this guy is perfect for that. " As much as he hated to admit it; he was right. Being able to preform under pressure was ideal. He sighed and let his anger fade. He pulled his sheath from his belt and tucked it against arm.
"Fine." he sighed and gave a practice swing with his weapon. The next second he shunpo'd closing the gap the man's strike had made and appearing some 10 ft in front of him. Arawn gave the captain a nervous smile. "This the second time you've seen me acting hysterical, isn't it?" While he had regained his composure he didn't have the overwhelming determination of his last fight with the captain. Then he though he really might win. Now; he knew he hadn't a snowball's chance in hell. The purpose wasn't to win, but to learn how to perform the skill he had witness in the inner realm. "Let us continue." Even as he spoke he released his energy into his weapon. The air about it began to sparkle. He frowned. Controlling the energy once it was inside his zanpukto was going to be harder than he thought.

Kuro looked across the room at Arawn's fallen body after he hit the floor with a guilty look etched on his face. Perhaps he'd overdone it? It was true that Arawn wanted help with his training, but Kuro didn't have to kill him. Maybe it would be best if he toned it down a little from then on after the introductory blow. With that thought, a whole new plan started forming in Kuro's mind. He quickly worked to rid himself of the compassionate appearance so that Arawn wouldn't catch on to his new intentions.

He watched as Arawn stood again and released his zanpakuto. They held a slight conversation before things started to surprise Kuro again. His face spasmed again from the stoic look he'd tried to maintain as a heated argument broke out with Arawn yelling hysterically at his weapon. Kuro watched in an awkward silence for a moment, not wanting to interrupt them. Then he muttered quietly, "They don't seem to have the same kind of relationship we do, do they Seishou Seijin?"

"No master." his spirit replied from within his head.

Kuro's eyebrow twitched as the spirit called him by that ridiculous title again, which he'd been dissatisfied with ever since learning his bankai. Perhaps they weren't so different from Arawn and Huang Long after all. The biggest difference seemed to be that one spirit showed too much humbleness and respect while the other one showed not enough. Kuro sighed and brought his mind back to the spar as Arawn composed himself and took position across from him.

"As you wish." Kuro replied to Arawn's request to continue. He was starting to understand the nature of this training, and his new plan for his actions would work out greatly with it. Arawn was learning a new technique, but needed the proper skill with it to use it in battle. Kuro remembered all of his own training sessions with Seishou Seijin. The ninja spirit almost always made the training consist of a sparring battle between the two of them. There was no better way to learn to use a technique in battle than to actually learn it in battle to begin with. But since Arawn was still learning to control his technique, Kuro had to hold back and let him get a handle on it. A captain using their full ability against him would only pummel him before he had the chance to grasp it. But at the same time, Kuro had to let Arawn keep feeling the pressure as if Kuro was coming at him seriously. That would give him the proper mindset of what using this technique in battle would actually feel like. That first attack was an added bonus as well. Arawn was sure to be thinking that Kuro would not be going easy on him. Keeping all of this in mind, Kuro darted forward while extending a blade of golden spirit energy from his gauntlet and swingingn it down at Arawn's left shoulder. He left little room for error, aiming at an angle that would only graze Arawn's arm if he didn't dodge fast enough.

Those words were like the starter's gun as the captain once again took the offensive. At least this time Arawn was ready for it, if only slightly. He tried to keep his eyes on the man as much as possible. Energy grew from the gauntlet and shaped into a sword. He had forgotten it could do that. Their last encounter the man had actually told him what the weapon could do, but honestly Arawn couldn't remember those words. From what little he could recall it was capable of much more than just blades. Still there was no time to search down memory lane, he had more pressing matters. Namely to keep the weapon from skewering him. Arawn jerked his arm downwards and twisted his wrist clockwise. The sudden motions shifted the sheath that was resting against left forearm like a tonfa and moved it to intercept the slicing attack from above. There was an audible hiss as the metal scabbard touched the energy weapon. Unfortunately he hadn't the time to think that far ahead. Of course the metal was no match for the intense power of the man's shikai. Already he could smell the metal burning where the two touched. Holding the weapon for too long and his sheath would probably be reduced to a puddle of metal. He didn't need to hold it that long anyway. Arawn made his move, he stepped right and turned his body pulling the sheath way from the energy blade as he swung his own zanpukto to swat the gauntlet hand away. The air about his weapon still shimmered with the his gravity defying power still activated.
"You have to try again." Huang Long echoed in his head. "That wasn't even close."
Of course Arawn knew he wouldn't pull it off on the first try, but a tiny part of him wished that he had. Well maybe more than a little part. "My god, won't he shut up." Arawn spoke to himself. "He has the nerve to criticize me? If things weren't stressful enough."
He angled his swing so that Captain Akarui's weapon would be caught in the arch of his kurkri. Something like this wouldn't hurt the other man, but if he could keep contact long enough he'd might be able to buy time to try the attack again. Fighting with a weightless limb might throw off the just enough.

Kuro was pleased that Arawn hadn't noticed his easing intentions. And he had skillfully dealt with Kuro's attack, parrying the blow with his zanpakuto. Kuro just had to keep this momentum going. Keep up the pressure...force him to concentrate... Kuro's thoughts were inturrupted as his arm came under a strange feeling. His eyes darted over to Arawn's sword and his mind jumped back to their first fight. His arm had now been influenced in the same way that Arawn had influenced items like large boulders with his zanpakuto. His weapon hand felt incredibly strange. It was weightless. He jumped back to reassess the situation and lifted his arm again. There was no problem moving it, but his applications of strength were off now, leading to speedy and eratic movements that would definitely cause sloppy fighting with such a limb. Not to mention that the weightlessness of on arm and not the other was presenting Kuro with an uncomfortable feeling of unbalance. But he couldn't afford to let Arawn down now. But at the same time, he'd promised not to use anything like kido. What to do? How could he keep the battle pressure high? Dammit. I can't think of anything clever for now, so I'll just improvise. If my hand isn't a good idea right now, I'll just use my legs. Kuro leapt forward again, letting himself tilt as he went, dragged down by the unevenness of weight on his right side and twisted his body around horizonaly as he flew through the air. Using this movement, he lashed out with a chopping kick at Arawn's head. It was hard to catch himself afterwards, in fact he visibly stumbled as he found his footing afterwards, his normal limbleness thrown off by his weightless arm. He then dropped into a low crouch and swung a sweeping trip at Arawn's legs. He just hoped that the weightlessness would wear off soon so he could effectively use his zanpakuto arm again.

The look on the captain's face and the fact he moved away proved that Arawn's gambit had been successful. In the corner of his eye he saw the burn mark in his sheath from the previous contact. It was best he avoid using it too much to defend. Just disabling his weapon wouldn't be enough to stop the captain, he wouldn't have long. He didn't want to waste the time it had granted him; so he quickly withdrew the energy he had imparted into his weapon. The air about the gold blade stopped shining instantly. He couldn't control the reiryoku all at once, perhaps he could try just a less energy this time. This time rather than a push of reiatsu a small trickle of power flowed into the blade. Perhaps too much the normal of energy gave a slight feeling to it, but with so little it was hard to grasp at all. He scowled at the weapon as it didn't do as he wished not even the normal effect took place. His attention shifted back to Kuro just as he went airborne. I really need to keep my eyes on him. He told himself as the man's kick came at him. Taking your eyes off a real enemy was suicide, to take them off a captain was just plain stupid. Happy it was just a kick and not another energy blade, Arawn ducked as the foot grazed his head. Even if it was a graze it was enough to jerk his head in the direction of it's motion. Had it landed would his skull have shattered? Kuro stumbled as he landed and Arawn's eye lit up. This was a rare opportunity, he wasn't going to miss it. He thrust his sheath forward at the captain, but missed him as the man ducked to perform the leg sweep. The now failed attack made the sweep much more effective. Arawn was knocked down as the opponent's leg caught him behind the knees. He let out a sharp cry as he fell backwards onto the floor. Also something he was taught was to not say still when knocked down. He rolled away and tried to get to his feet quickly.

Kuro's eyes danced with excitement as his clumsiness actually helped his later attack be more effective. He was almost what one might call obsessed at the moment. His constant mental coaxing to keep Arawn pressured mixed with the fun of the spar against such a shinigami, not to mention his desire to see what new ability his zanpakuto was teaching him, was filling him with a duty-like sense of responsibility. He would provide the situation to help Arawn improve his strength. It was for the mutual benefit of both of them. Arawn would get stronger, and Kuro was enjoying the privilege of seeing this growth firsthand. He leaned forward and pushed himself up back to a standing position with his right arm. He shook his left arm to get a sense of it's current state. It seemed to be getting its weight back, but it was a gradual process, and wouldn't be back to normal for several more moments. Kuro decided to keep it in reserve for now, maybe even longer than necessary. By holding back his use of his zanpakuto instead of using it constantly and predictably he would only be piling on more and more pressure as Arawn grew unsure of when he was going to attack with it. And this was a likely thought process for Arawn to go through since he personally knew the power of Kuro's zanpakuto.

Kuro spun to face the direction Arawn had spun and charged in with a short and quick shunpo, closing the distance between them fast and trying to catch Arawn off guard before he was fully back on his feet. His shunpo carried him past Arawn to his opposite side. During his passing, he got the idea to deliver a quick and sharp chop aimed at the center of Arawn's back. In essence, it was like performing a barehanded senka attack. Exiting the shunpo afterwards, Kuro stood about ten feet from Arawn, letting up for a few moments. Pressure was one thing, but there was more going on here than simple battle training. If Kuro didn't give Arawn room to concentrate between his attacks, then he'd never get close to mastering his technique.

The attempt of recovering from the fall was thwarted as Kuro disappeared and hit him from behind. The strike sent him stumbling forward .At the last moment he caught himself preventing his head from planting his face into the floor.
"He's good" commented the golden dragon's words echoed into his mind. "Even without his arm he still toying with you." The spirit didn't have to say something he already knew. Arawn pushed himself back up to stand and face the captain. Yes, it was obvious that Kuro was many times stronger and faster than him, but was terrifying was his degree of control. It seemed simple to say to hold back ones strength, but to think he could keep his power in check and still be overwhelming was inspiring to say the least. Well inspiring and at the same time quite daunting. It would probably take the slightest of effort for him to smash Arawn underfoot. If that wasn't pressure, he didn't know what was. But it seemed this wasn't enough for him to focus on this skill.
"Not enough." he muttered aloud. Maybe he was going about this all wrong. Maybe it wasn't just about being pushed into a corner, but pushing himself to the limits. A cornered rat would fight a cat, but why not attack before that? Push and then be pushed back. Maybe he just wanted to go all out against a captain again, perhaps he wanted to see how far he could go before the other man release the beast like power that lurked just beneath the surface.

The time for thought had ended it was time for action. He pushed forward with a hard kick off the ground launching himself like a rocket. He went over Kuro's head to the opposite wall of the warehouse. Well before he hit the wall he focused on the reishi at his feet and kicked off the air in a new direction. This time he went flying at the west wall and just like before he stopped and kicked toward the eastern side. The east wall was made up of the stacked boxes, but he didn't even come close to hitting it and bounced towards the next wall. The process repeated he went from north to south then west to east. He moved like a pinball ricocheting off the bumpers all the while releasing his reiatsu. This strange movement all took place several feet above Kuro's head never coming close to touching him. Arawn makes one more cycle through the rapid motion. It was read. As he stopped his southern flight instead of going west he shunpo'd directly above Kuro's head. The strange flight was only a diversion something to get his attention before he launched his true attack. Sa Shin Mu: Beck-Ho All of his reiatsu consolidated into his arm making the weight increase. Arawn's golden blade came down like a guillotine. Time to push.

Kuro watched as Arawn soared overhead back and forth. He himself had used similar tactics back in the day, though it'd been a long time since he had. It was a good move, but a lot of unnecessary movement for a person with speed like Kuro's own. Rather than trying to follow each and every movement and risk making himself dizzy, Kuro settled where he stood and focused on following the feeling of Arawn's reiatsu rocketing around the room. It moved constantly, almost too fast to keep track of the feeling. Kuro stood tense, flexing his arm and feeling that it was good to go again. He focused spirit power in it, waiting for Arawn's move. Part of him considered forming a long weapon with his shikai and swiping at Arawn in the air, but such a weapon would naturally be more clumsy and avoidable, especially with Arawn's skill at using the reishi to bounce through the air. The best move was to wait, what some would call the most difficult move. The moments crept by, then finally Arawn was ready.

Kuro's head snapped up as he felt Arawn's reiatsu halt in its back and forth flow. He was directly above him, bearing his blade down at Kuro's head. Kuro didn't know what this attack would be like, but it was likely to be amazing considering the preparation time that had gone into it. He responded by shooting a thick rod out of his gauntlet like a tree bursting out of the ground. It was as big around as his wrist, angled so that he could clasp his fingers around it like wielding a real stick. He raised this makeshift weapon and held it up with both hands to block Arawn's chop. He decided at the last minute to apply more of his stored spirit power to bolster his left arm's physical strength with his gauntlet's first ability, and was immediately glad he had done so. Arawn's attack struck with a force and a weight that made even Kuro's strengthened arm buckle as the two combatants clashed. If Kuro had tried to block such a strike half seriously, he would have been slammed into the ground. Not bad...you're even stronger than before. Kuro grinned as he poured more energy into his gauntlet and boosted his strength one more time to give him the energy to sweep his rod to the side and push Arawn violently towards the wall before he made contact with the ground again. Instead of following this time, Kuro maintained his position in the center of the warehouse floor, pointing his rod at Arawn, waiting for the next move.

As he was sent hurtling backwards at the wall Arawn had a wide grin on his face. A lesser shinigami might have fallen for the trick. The captain had managed to block it, but it felt like he had almost gotten Kuro off guard. He would have to try it again on a less powerful opponent next time. Arawn had felt it when their weapons had met. The cage had weakened and the beast had taken a swipe. Still midair he skidded to a stop as he focused on the reishi at the bottom of his shoes. It was a good thing he wasn't barefoot, he was sure the friction would have tore up his feet.
"Wow, another failure." Whispered the blade, it was funny how talkative the dragon was suddenly. It was quite obvious that he was watching intently, his comments were proof of that. It was saying something else, but Arawn had already begun blocking out the noisy spirit. There was a very low chance it was saying anything helpful, more than likely it just more snide remarks and criticism. He had a plan and he was going to stick with it. With a deep breath he charged forward yet again. While he ran he let his energy flow into the blade and the air about the golden blade started to sparkle. The small sparkles danced around the weapon all well within 1ft of it's shining surface. Arawn made some effort trying to control it's flow, but as soon as it failed he just let it be. The last attempt had been a big action and a big strike, now he would try a barrage. As he drew close to the captain he swung the zanpukto in first at the man's left arm. After tasting it's effect there was no doubt the man would try to avoid it rather than block. But it didn't matter to Arawn if the man decided to block or dodge, the second strike was already on it's way. The second attack came in form of him bring his metal sheath in low from the opposite side aiming at the other Kuro's thigh. He spun clockwise and held both weapons parallel and did a double horizontal slash to the man's right ribs. As he almost completed the spin Arawn took his energy from the zanpukto and pushed it elsewhere; his right leg. Sa Shin Mu: Beck-ho It felt like his leg was made of solid steel as the reiatsu flooded into the limb. It took so much effort to move the leg. He tried to hide this by making a feeble overhead chop with Huang Long and with a mighty yell. The leg barely rose 2 feet off the ground before he brought it slamming down in front of the captain. When his heel impacted with the ground he release the stored up reiatsu a small shock wave his spiritual pressure to try and disrupt the man's stance as he launched his final attack in the series. His right leg was now forward his left leg back,all mental preparation had already been made, he tossed the sheath into the air, and then stomped his left down hard. Sa Shin Mu: Hyun-Mu the spiritual pressure built up in his leg. From his hip it raced up into his chest. He focused as he drew the energy into his arm. The force spiraled outward like a tornado as he punched at the captain's chest. Arawn could hear a loud crack as his shoulder and elbow took the cyclone of spiritual force, but he didn't stop. The fact was he couldn't stop if he tried. The bullet would continue to fire even as it destroyed the barrel.

Kuro saw Arawn coming again, and he saw his weapon sparkling too. Kuro was not exactly enthusiastic about meeting that attack again. He didn't want to have to deal with the effects of part of his body being weightless. He moved out of the way of the sword, only to have the sheath smack his thigh from the opposite side where his formed rod couldn't reach in time. His face gave a slight spasm from the shock of the impact, but he didn't have time to focus on such a minor bruise. He'd flinched to the left when the sheath hit him and was slightly off balance because of it. This made him a wide open target for the horizontal parallel slash of the sword and sheath. His eyes widened in surprise at his carelessness in falling into this trap and braced himself as best as he could for the hit. But as Arawn's weapons hit at Kuro's ribs, something that had gone overlooked even by Kuro worked in his favor.

CLANK!

A loud clash sounded as Arawn's attack his Kuro's robes. His weapons had hit the spot over where Kuro kept his own zanpakuto's sheath against his body inside his robes. His zanpakuto's short size when sealed made this a convenient method of storage that was less threatening as well as carried an element of surprise. And coincidentally the sheath's presence there had just made it serve as a fantastic buffer against Arawn's attack. Kuro grinned again as he found his balance and decided to kick things up a notch. Now that Arawn was fighting back more aggressively, it wasn't necessary to hold back as much. He sensed the power leaving Arawn's blade and concentrating somewhere else. He couldn't deduce where before having to deal with another slash of the zanpakuto. Time to get fully serious! Kuro widened his stance with his legs spread further than shoulder length apart to maintain a good balance. He found the sword strike easy to block with the rod, dissolving his weapon afterwards to try and break in and disrupt Arawn's flow of attacks. He had one more surprise him though as Arawn brought his foot down, heavily laden with his reiatsu. The resulting force from the stomp made Kuro slide back a few feet as well as rocked his torso back a tiny bit. If he hadn't assumed his Issui stance, the force could have easily knocked him on his back. But he had managed to stand, and by doing so he could see an opportunity. Arawn had a perfect stance for a huge punch, and that could very well be his undoing. Kuro watched for a moment as he tossed his sheath in the air and began to bring his left leg forward. Now! Kuro shunpoed forward to make up for the distance he'd been pushed back by the stomp's shockwave. Coming up in front of Arawn, he stepped directly into the space next to Arawn's advancing leg. To be this close to such a heavy attack was beyond frightening. But such was the way of Kuro's own inventive fighting style which specialized in counter attacks. He only used this style when he really got pumped in a fight, or pushed into a tough situation. This spar fulfilled both of those elements. "Issui Style: Riptide!" As Arawn's fist followed his leg, Kuro stretched out with his right hand and caught a firm grip on his wrist. He then pulled with his right arm, forcing Arawn's fist further in the direction it was already headed and pushing his body closer to Arawn. With this movement, he shot his left palm out at Arawn's face. The blast he'd mostly managed to avoid by taking this close proximity was putting immense stress on his right hand as it held onto Arawn's wrist. It was painful, but Kuro gritted his teeth and let go the split moment before his palm came upon Arawn's face. Riptide was a dangerous counter if the user kept a hold of the opponent after striking them, as that would prevent their body from moving back when their head snapped back and possibly cause severe spinal injury. Kuro silently wondered if he should have tried using a different counter instead, but turned his attention back to the fight knowing that there was nothing that could be done about the action's he'd already taken.

"That went well." Huang Long spoke, but his words didn't reach Arawn in the slightest. The pain from the well timed counterstrike drowned out the sarcastic remark. It felt like he was just in a car crash the way his head snapped backwards then jerked forward once again. He stumbled backwards and fell over, staggered to his feet, then fell over once again. This drunk movements continued for several moments as if he was stuck in a loop. It was like his legs wouldn't listen to him, his sense of balance was in shambles. Giving up he rested on his knees. Arawn looked at his opponent, but his eyes weren't focusing. He didn't realize how lucky he was that he no longer wore glasses. If so there was little doubt that the broken lenses would have ripped his eyes to shreds. The metal frames would have been forced deep into his skull and his death would have been instantaneous. Still death might have been better compared to his current state. His left arm hung limp at his side. Searing pain shooting up it every time his body shifted. It had been foolish to use Hyun-Mu, a skill he had yet to fully master. Against a skilled opponent it could be considered nearly suicidal. His right hand clutched his zanpukto in a death grip so tight his knuckles were white. Almost as if the golden weapon was a lifeline, he managed to hold onto it even after the mighty blow. While the horrific death by glasses had be avoided his nose had been broken by the captain's hand. Arawn licked the crimson liquid that ran across his lips. Instinctively his tongue darted and licked it away ignoring the copper taste that filled his mouth.

Arawn's heartbeat sounded like battle drums in his ears, his breathing labored as if he'd just finished 7 marathons back to back. He felt a cool breeze, but there wasn't one open window in the massive warehouse. Was he just really hot? He could count the sweat droplets that ran down his face by feel alone. Slowly the haze was clearing from his mind, but nothing came into focus. Arawn was himself and yet he was watching himself. The pain he felt was real enough, but yet it wasn't him that rose to his feet. It was an alien feeling. Huang Long was still talking, the man's heart had calmed just enough for him to hear every other word.
"Shut up." he said, out loud not even bothering to focus his voice into the weapon. The captain might think the words were directed at him if not the lack of context. The dragon went silent. This is what both he and the golden beast wanted. This was true pressure; his body and mind at their limits. Fear, desperation, pain, anger, and frustration all mixed together in a strange harmony. And still even amongst all that turmoil, a sense of serenity. He now sat in the eye of the storm; a rock in a sea of chaos. Or maybe it was all just an adrenaline rush. Arawn smiled, he felt so light. Now, or never. came the thought. He took a simple back stance his left leg back and held his right arm to the front. The sheath was only a couple of feet away, but it was pointless try and recover it. Giving a silent nod to some unseen adviser Arawn let his reiryoku fill his body, he didn't release even a slightest bit of reiastu in the process. The energy welled up within him, bubbling and building. Had he always had this much power? Was it Huang Long helping him again? He didn't feel the slightest bit stronger. Arawn didn't think, he was focusing on the energy, the blade, and himself. He vanished as he shunpo'd directly in front of the captain with only a foot in front of them. No longer in a stance he stood at rest his sword held vertical parallel to his face. Without a word the red haired man released all the stored energy into the sword and in the same instant he shifted his focus to containing it all. The nearest thing he could compare it to was pitching a fast ball and trying to catch it just as it leaves your hand. There was a loud pop as near invisible ripple rushed from the blade and expanded 5ft around him into a perfect sphere. The ground became a crater beneath his feet as the ripple expanded. It looked as if he was standing in a glass bubble it's surface rippling.

Arawn had been successful, but the victory was quickly stolen. While the dragon had told him how to preform the technique he was ignorant of it's true depth. He couldn't breathe. 王の玉座 (The King/Emperor's Throne) a skill that created a strange shield repelled attacks and air. His eyes bulged in shock at this sudden revelation. The sudden surprise caused him to panic, rather than try to turn the skill off he gasped for breath. Logic finally took hold and he released his hold on the field around him. Arawn fell face down to the ground wheezing. His ears hurt, but he didn't care as he took another drag into his hurting lungs. He had just survived in vacuum. If he had staying in there in longer it could have killed him.

OOC: The real skill has a smaller scale, just did it larger to illustrate why the shorter range.

Kuro stepped back and let Arawn have some room while he recovered from the counter. It was a good thing Kuro hadn't powered up his strike with Seishou Seijin. Adding any more to what he'd already attacked with would have resulted in extensive injury or at the very least would have knocked Arawn out. Arawn's gaze seemed unfocused as he slowly got to his feet and wobbled around the floor. But after a while, something changed. His power began to build up and Kuro could feel that something exciting was on the way. Arawn suddenly shunpoed in front of him with his sword held in a relaxed vertical position. Something in his eyes told Kuro that Arawn had reached the mental state he needed. Not only would he be able to use his technique now, but it was likely that he'd be able to use it skillfully in any situation.

Kuro was suddenly vaulted back as a clear force erupted from Arawn's blade and pushed everything away from him. Kuro flew backwards and skidded to a stop with his back on the warehouse floor, having been unprepared for the repelling effect of the technique. He raised his head and looked back towards Arawn, looking at him with a congratulatory smile before realizing that Arawn didn't look comfortable. He fell to the ground wheezing a moment later. Kuro stared in silence for a second, then burst out laughing. The sound echoed off the walls of the warehouse as Kuro got back to his feet, shaking with clearly expressed mirth. "That was an anticlimatic finish to your success, but you did a great job with that training. I'm impressed that you were able to perform it so quickly while fighting against a captain at the same time."

The near death experience was more than enough kill the adrenaline rush. With it gone the pain washed over Arawn's body in nauseating waves. His arm and head felt ten times worse than they had less than a moment ago. He really didn't feel like getting up from his location on the floor. The ground felt cool against his skin and the air he inhaled rapidly felt just as refreshing even with the dirt and dust that came with it. He gave a snort and halfhearted chuckle at the captains words of encouragement. I nearly died to learn shikai, and now I nearly die learning a new technique. he thought to himself. It will be a miracle if I can survive to learn bankai.
We shall see Huang Long responded directly into his mind. Arawn's body jerked at the sudden words and quickly wished that he hadn't. The rapid movement was rewarded with more pain. His neck popped and he slowly laid back down. You should rest now, you put up a nice show. It was hard to tell if the dragon was truly complimenting him or just being sarcastic. Arawn decided it was the latter and took the words with a grain of salt. Still, don't forget what you learned, remember that feeling and keep practicing. There was no mistaking the snicker on it's final comment.

There was no way he was going to forget the feeling the technique had given him. Nor would he forget the danger posed in using so much energy with it. Thinking back he knew all that energy hadn't been his own, there was way too much. Even as the thought of asking the dragon popped into his head another part of him thought it best to let the matter go. As much as he hated the method he couldn't deny the results. Another wave of pain fluttered across his body and he quickly withdrew those words. Next time he wanted to learn things on his own terms. Turning his neck slowly he positioned his head to face Kuro.
"Do you think I can trouble you to call the medics?" Arawn finally said aloud. "I don't think I can move without hurting myself." he said with a groan. With that done he resigned himself to lie there and wait. Doing anything more would only aggravate his wounds further.