A Friendly Spar (open)

Shakaku walked into the sparring grounds, feeling as light as a feather. Her wounds were all healed and her body felt strong and healthy. The sky above was a pale blue, the color of a robin's egg. Only a couple of wisps of could littered the blue background. Shakaku took her sword in her hands and swung it back and forth, her grip relaxed. a warm breeze drifted lazily into the sparring grounds, twisting, turning and playing with her hair. She looked down at her sword, the color of crimson. "Who are you...?" She whispered. There was no response. She sighed, wanted nothing more to know who her zanpakuto was. The thought of it speaking to her sent a shiver down her spine. She gripped the handle tightly. I'll make you proud, she thought, determined. She walked over to the back wall and leaned against it, slack. she kept her eyes trained on the door. No one could sneak up on her from here. Always be on alert. Her proctors drilled it into her head over and over again. Since her graduation was nearing, they were trying to shove a bunch of last minuted information into her brain. The thought made her smile. This would be her last training till she was a full fledged shinigami.

His arms were filled with wooden practice swords as he entered the training grounds. One dropped and fell to the ground. He didn't even bother to try and retrieve it. If he tried to do so he would no doubt drop even more of the weapons. He had already dropped several on his way to the training grounds and then struggled through that exact situation. He was helping Miyazakii the kendo instructor with his classes today. Master Sung had be kind enough to rent out his services to the old man. Arawn didn't really mind as he was quite grateful to Miyazakii he was the one to introduce him to Sung in the first place. It was surprising to see the young girl alone in the training area. Most of the classes weren't until later. Arawn was using this time to transport the supplies needed before he had to battle with the crowds of students. Perhaps she was her early just to get a leg up on the competition. Quickly Arawn moved the to the far end of the field and deposited the many wooden weapons. They clattered to the ground making quite the ruckus. It was a messy pile and Arawn didn't bother to straighten them up, not like it mattered how they looked when the students picked one. He shrugged and returned to the spot where he had dropped the wooden sword.
"Did you come here early to practice your swordplay?" he asked quickly as he bent over to retrieve the weapon. He didn't think many students had that level of dedication.

Shakaku tilted her head and grinned with the appearance of this strange figure. He wasn't anyone that she recognized and such a strange man he was. "Yes sir," She nodded politely. "I decided to get a little extra training in before graduation. I figured it wouldn't hurt." She walked over to the pile, lay her zanpakuto beside her and began straightening up the pile of wooden swords. Memories of using these swords flooded her mind of when she first joined the Academy. Some of the students were shy, holding their wooden sword like it was a real one, letting it hang by their sides with their arm as stiff as a board. Others were wild, swinging the sword around like they knew what they doing and laughing whenever someone they hit got a bruise.

Standing straight, Shakaku smiled up at the man. "I'm Skakaku, by the way. I don't believe I've seen you around before." She bowed. Before, bowing seemed like an awkward, stiff act. Now it came to her smoothly. She didn't feel as if it was unusual anymore like how she felt when she first arrived at the academy so long ago.

OOC: Forgot I was still using my cloaked bandit avatar. Changed back to my normal one.

Yes,sir Arawn did his best to hide his cringing at the formal reply. Something about it just didn't set right with him. He hadn't done anything to earn such respect. Just wearing the black uniform didn't make him superior, he'd met many shinigami that weren't fit to clean the floor with their tongues. He shrugged the thought away as the girl busied herself to straighten the pile and then introduce herself with a bow.
"Nice to meet you Ms Shakaku, I'm Arawn." he replied bowing just as deep. "Unseated." he added quickly. It was a habit of his to lie about his rank and squad. Being in 12th had a stigma all it's own, but being seated was just as tiresome. People got high expectations of those seated officers. Such things were to be avoided whenever possible. Not like the student would bother to find him later. This way he was just another shinigami in the vast army of the Gotei 13. Nothing special in the slightest. Idly he spun the wooden blade over his wrist in the same fashion he did zanpukto. The balance was wrong, but that was to be expected. They weren't exactly like a real blade they were only meant to be practice weapons. Give the students the feel of a weapon without making them too nervous of handling a metal sword later. He noted the girl's weapon; was that a zanputo or an asauchi? It was hard to tell from a distance. The fact she got to carry a real weapon was proof she had some skill. She had mentioned graduation as well. Arawn gave a small smile.
"I'm here to help with Miyazakii's classes today." he added. He silently wondered if the old man was still in his room playing othello against himself or perhaps a long game of chess.

Ezrachek left the barracks this morning early today, not having any luck with sleep, and the possibility was shot once the sun rose. He groaned, his body aching as he got out of his bed and grabbed his Zanpakuto from his dresser and tied it around his waist. He walked out and headed towards the sparring grounds at the academy, to see if there was any one who needed help. He wasn't looking for a serious battle, just some fun. As he neared the path, he saw many wooden training swords scattered along the path. He wasn't sure why they were there, and assumed that the new students were just being irresponsible. He picked them up and tucked them under his arm one by one as he neared the grounds. He sensed two reiatsu as He continued to walk into the grounds, arms full of the wooden swords. He saw Arawn, his old opponent from when he was an academy student, and a hot headed one of that. He then turned his attention to Shakaku. He was excited to see her again and raised up his arm to wave to her, ecstatically. The wooden swords fell in a chaotic crash to the ground. Flustered, Ezrachek bent over and quickly picked them back up and walked over to the other stack and started to rearrange everything to make it look better. His time in squad 2 had changes his voews in messy things, and he became a littlw bit OCD when it came to messes. He finished cleaning and arose to both of them and gave them each a respective bow. "Shakaku, Arawn. Long time, no see. Its great to see the both of you again." he said respectively as he walked over to the corner of the grounds and leaned against the wall.

Shakaku noticed the man's comfortableness with her greeting but she didn't take much mind to it. He was a higher up even if he was unseated and the last thing she wanted to seem to people was rude. "It's nice to meet you, Arawn. Oh yes. His students are a handful. I have volunteered a couple times to be a mentor to them." Shakaku shivered. "They will be good Shinigami if they only learned to control themselves." Impatience layered her words. She was never a fan of kids but she loved to teach. Funny how her favorite and leave favorite of things could be combined into one.
Shakaku turned her head to the sound of someone walking in. To her delight, it was Ezra. "Ezra! Hello there!" She gave a slight wave. "What are you doing here? Looking for a spar?" It was such a silly question. Ezra was always willing for a fight and Shakaku knew it. "Arawn! Do you think you could spare some of your time for a spar? I came here to practice anyway and now that you're here, I figure it would be good for me to battle someone experienced before it's required to live in all." She was determined to get as much experience in before she was out on the battlefield, fghting real deal battles.

Ezrachek's appearance on the training field was surprising to say the least. The fact he wasn't wearing a student uniform even more so. To think such a person graduated from the academy was slightly disheartening. The battle he had with the young man wasn't too long ago so the memory of their meeting was relatively fresh in Arawn's mind. He sighed dispite himself. It was obvious that such a man would only be trouble in the future. If the academy failed to discipline him, then Arawn could only hope whatever squad took him could. There's not a lack of shinigami in the Gotei. I wonder if the instructors get some kind of bonus for each person they graduate. It made him question his own modest and somewhat rushed promotion to the Gotei after attending the school. He knew well that nobles enrolled in classes got preferential treatment.

Shakaku's comment of being a mentor intrigued the 12th squad member. To teach others demanded some measure of skill beyond the norm. Was she that proficient that even the teacher acknowledged her ability? Her asking him to spar sparked his curiosity. Did this young woman want to test her skill against a true shinigami, or merely prove it. Curiouser and curiouser he said to himself. He raised his hand over his face to hide the grin. That smile vanished he looked once again at Ezrachek, he had lied to the girl about his position there was a chance he might expose his ruse. He gave a shrug.
"Sure, a practice match should be fine. I'm abit rusty myself." he gave the wooden sword one more spin before holding it firmly in his hand. Arawn swung the fake weapon several time to get used to the different weight.

Ezrachek raised his head to look at the two people standing in the grounds. He looked at both of them. He himself only stayed to watch the events unfold. He noticed that Arawn was looking at him in an almost sense of disgust. Ezrachek tried to think of some way to show that he wasn't so wild. The only thing he could think of was patience. Ezrachek spoke in a calm voice. "Don't mind me, it will be like I'm not even here. Bakudo 19! Energy Fade!" Ezrachek said as his reiatsu faded to nothing. He slumped down, becoming more comfortable as he put his hands behind his head, interlocking his fingers.

Shakaku grinned. dropping her sword with her bag and picking up one of the wooden swords. She always felt like there was more room for experimentation with a fake sword for there was no fear of anyone getting more than a bump or bruise. The wood on the sword she picked up was a dull brown color, boring and lifeless. It came to a point at the end that was not sharp but could do some damage. She had gotten many a bruise from using these kind of swords.
"Alright! You can go first, since I offered up the sparring match," Shakaku spoke, her voice free of fear. She had defiantly grown since when she had her first zanpakuto training session. Before she was timid, shy, unsure of her own strength or abilities. Now that she had her sword (which she was anxiously awaiting it to reveal itself to her) she was more comfortable, more confident in her abilities. She was making to be a fairly well put together Shinigami.
Spreading her feet apart, Shakaku stood, prepared for what Arawn was going to throw her way.

The student's eagerness made Arawn smile. It wasn't ambition it was determination. She had spirit; it could be a good thing or a bad thing. But it seemed for her it was just enough to push her forward. She might go far in the Gotei with such an attitude. In contrast he was disappointed in Ezrachek, he seemed lazy. Was it because he got into a squad? Before he had been so noisy and obnoxious. Had his acceptance into a squad made him think himself now superior to the student? Arawn nodded to Shakaku, but held up his hand to signal a pause before they started. Slowly Arawn walked over to Erzachek.
"It's not been that long since we've last met." Arawn said in a low voice so that the young woman couldn't fully hear. "Perhaps you can learn something as well." He turned around to face Shakaku "I have an idea, how about the both of you against me? A lesson in teamwork is more valuable than individual skill at times. When you join a squad you'll need to learn to work together against a single foe." It wasn't such a bad idea when he thought about it. Not to brag, but Arawn knew he was stronger than Erzachek and the girl separately, but together he might have trouble fending them off. Challenging them as well as himself would make a better session than a simple one on one match. He smiled more broadly as he went to the stack of swords and picked out a second one for his left hand. Normally he used a dual wielding style similar to a shield and sword method. This could be an very interesting match against two rookie shinigamis.

Ezrachek laughed as Arawn made his proposition. He nodded as he stood up and walked over to the neatly stacked bokken that he organized. He grabbed on and took a few practice swings. It hadn't been too long, so he was able to adjust to the lightweight of the sword. He went and stood 5 meters away from Shakaku, close enough to make a jump to defend her, but not too close that they would get in each other's ways. " Let's do this Shakaku! Let's Rock and Roll!" Ezrachek said to Shakaku, then turning his attention to Arawn. He walked forward and stood about 3 meters from Arawn. "You remember the fight on our date? The hollows attacking? Fight just like that!" He said to Shakaku as he jolted forward, striking his sword towards Arawn's ribs, hoping that Shakaku would soon join the battle, perhaps attacking on the other side, or better, attacking his rear while Ezrachek had his front.

Shakaku rolled her eyes and laughed at her companion's comments. "Alright! Let's do this then!" She grinned and in that split instance, Ezra was already attacking, hitting Arawn in the ribs. Impressed with his sudden change of attitude, she fed off his energy and rushed forward and made sure not to get into her teammates way. Ducking behind Arawn in one swift motion, she swung her sword, aiming for his shoulder. Shakaku thought that as Ezra was fighting him head on she could attack gradually till she found an opening where she would easily be able to attack. She grinned at Ezra when Arawn let out a surprised grunt at their barrage of attacks. It was such a rush to be fighting again, as well as fighting alongside her companion instead of fighting against him. It was almost intoxicating for she felt the bubbles of laughter within her gut. She wasn't quite sure why she was so thrilled to be fighting but what she did know was it was exhilarating.
Arawn managed to block her attack to his shoulder; She figured it was because he sense her there since she was being rather noisy. Noticing her mistake, Shakaku crept into Arawn's blind spot, making sure to keep her spiritual pressure erratic and random so he wouldn't be able to sense her. When she was sure he was distracted by Ezra's attacks, she leaped forward, her sword aimed for his collarbone.

OOC: Going to make you earn your hits. You both should add some directionality with your attacks. Since there's two of you I can only guess that you'll be always working from opposite ends/sides.

Arawn's eyes followed Ezrachek as he stood and grabbed a weapon. It didn't take much to convince him to join the fight. And it didn't take that much longer for him to rush at Arawn head on. This wasn't too surprising, after hearing his pep talk. Yet someone what different from their previous fight. The man had been more defensive in nature. His memory of the last fight would have to wait as the other man's blade came in quickly at his chest. Pressed for time he twisted his left arm and pointed the wooden blade downward to intercept the incoming strike. His arm was in an awkward position, but he managed to prevent Ezrachek from hitting him. Before he could swing a counterattack he spotted Shakaku making her move.
"Well they're working together rather well already." Arawn thought to himself as he raised the weapon in his right. The bokken knocked against each other as strike bounced off and she continued past to get behind the shinigami. "I can't have that." he thought and pushed himself sideways and away to prevent a pincher attack. When facing two opponents it was best to either keep them together or separate them. In this case he was going for the former. Arawn hopped backwards and then right. With this simple motion he now had Ezrachek between him and Shakaku. Now he attacked. Rushing at Ezracheck he swung his left blade vertically at his left shoulder. As it came down his right blade come forward in a thrust aimed at the other man's gut.

Ezrachek let out a small laugh when he noticed that Arawn's skill had suddenly become less open since their last battle. "Not holding back so much now eh? I wouldn't want you to, that way i have a legitimate reason to be proud for landing even a single hit on you." He said as he noticed the man jumping backwards and to the right, putting him in the line of fire. He looked back at Shakaku and gave her a wink, signaling for her to be prepared for next events. Ezrachek turned back around and noticed that Arawn was charging towards him with a blade coming down towards his shoulder. He quickly leaned to his right, dodging the blade. He then noticed the second blade coming towards his gut. He acted with his lack of balance in the awkward position and fell to the ground, grabbing Arawn's right wrist in the process. As he hit the ground, he pulled Arawn's body towards Shakaku, attempting to drag him to the ground. Regardless if he fell to the ground or not, Ezrachek sprang back to his feet, gaining his vantage point behind Arawn, once again surrounding him with Shakaku. "Again Shakaku! Attack!" He said as he started his flurries toward Arawn, awaiting Shakaku to join in.

Shakaku rolled her eyes and shook her head as she advanced on Arawn. Typical Ezra. Always thinking he's the boss. Shakaku ducked into the fray of battle and found an opening where Arawn was distracted. She sprang up, dodging one of Arawn's swords and slashed down. She felt the clink of metal as it hit against his sword and she pressed down hard, gritting her teeth. As Erza had his attention with his erratic motions, Shakaku swung her foot, aiming for the back of Arawn's knee. An unbalanced person is just as bad as fighting blind, her professors always told her. She was hoping to get Arawn unbalanced so she and Ezra could manage to land a hit on him.

Imagine his surprise as Erachek managed to avoid his slash. He had thought the young man wouldn't be able to escape his attack. Still even with that done he was open to the thrust coming in swiftly behind it. Luck or perhaps skill saved Erzacheck from the second leg of Arawn's attack. Not like a poke from the wooden sword would kill the other man, but if it was a real blade the battle would be over after such a strike. The other man's hand grasped his wrist and pulled him forward. Arawn stumbled, but managed to regain his footing before planting his face into the ground. He skidded to a halt just as Eracheck got back up and shouted for Shakaku to advance. Once more he was being sandwiched between the two fighters. With Ezrachek's yelling any element of surprise the woman had was quickly lost. Arawn used his left weapon to bat the man's swings. He only guarded against the strikes that came close to him, the rest he ignored. Shakaku made her assault from the opposite side There weapons met and she pushed with all her might.

While Ezracheck was wild she was calm and controlled. A nice combination to say the least. He couldn't afford to take his eyes off either one for too long. He kept his head going back and forth between the promising fighters. Shakaku made her move and kicked out at his knee. Rather than resist he took the power of the kick and twisted his body completely. Arawn did a 540 spin with his weapons swinging wide. His left sword came at Shakaku as his right weapon arched at Ezrachek. A powerful attack like that would put the two on defense for a moment at best. The chance of it landing a hit was low. That moment was all Arawn would need. He thrust the left weapon at Ezrachek and then took a low swipe at his mid section with his right. He spun with the momentum of his swung to make an attack on Shakaku. The right blade came in low at the young woman followed by a higher slash with the left. He was already moving again twisting his body to launch yet attack at Ezracheck. This time it was a low kick and a vertical slash with his right. This was more fun than he thought. Being pushed and pushing back, it was more exciting than a bout with a hollow.

Ezrachek smiled as he saw the look of excitement of battle on Shakaku's and Arawn's faces as the battle heated up. Ezrachek winced in disappointment as his attacks were easily shoved away. He noticed the attack from Shakaku and the kick, spinning around quickly, bring his blades around. Ezrachek easily dodged the strikes, until he noticed another more direct attack coming towards him. It was his reach against Arawns, and being that the shorter man had shorter arms, Ezrachek wasn't going to lose with this. He arched his back, bending so far back that he almost fell backwards, dodging the sword swings. He regained his balance in time to thrust his blade point first in a stabbing motion towards Arawn as he charged his legs towards Ezrachek. It was now a choice that Arawn would have to make. Take back his attack, or suffer a damaging hit to his legs, or worse, the groin.