A new territory (Open)

It was cold and dark, but he had long since gotten used it. The first time he had broken the boundary between the realms the darkness had scared him. Who wouldn't be afraid to enter and bottomless abyss and feel icy talons grab at your skin? Even hollows were capable of fear. Fear is tied very closely with instinct. With that in mind fear can be a good thing, but only if you kept your wits about you. No Stratus didn't have that kind of willpower and determination, he just got lucky. Somehow his body knew what to do. Just as he began his descent into oblivion, he somehow created a path and escaped the certain doom. Since then he'd gotten the hang of things. Getting the hang of things, didn't mean 'much easier'. This was his eighth jump and it was just as tiring as the last. Something about this place ate at him. Every fiber of his being shouted danger, even if nothing ever came for him. The sooner he left the hellish place the better. It took great effort to pierce the veil between the worlds, but it felt like it took even more to make an exit. Stratus opened his sense as he moved through the dark ether. Something was pulling him so he followed it. As he got closer he could feel the weakening of boundary. Just as he reached out with his mind he now reached out with his clawed hands. Floating in what seemed like empty space he couldn't feel a thing. Blindly he groped at the air until his hand felt upon something like cotton candy. Just touching it sent an electric shock up his spine. This was it. He pulled his hand back and mentally prepared himself. Although he couldn't see he felt around with his hands until he could feel the size and scope of the distortion. Little by little he drew a mental picture in his mind of the space before him and then he let his energy flow. The power erupted through ever pore of his body and he reached forward yet again. There was no shock as his fingers found the cotton substance and gripped it. In his hands he held the very fabric of reality, he was tearing space. Any other person would be absolutely astounded by that fact, but for Stratus is was a pain in his ass. The sound of the dimension breaking was like shattering glass, but the feeling in his hands was still the same as before. He pulled harder as a white light filtered through the hole he had just created. Already he could feel the hole trying to close itself. He had to hurry with a mighty push he widened the hole and jumped through.

He landed in a forested area panting for breath. The excretion of both physical and spiritual energies had taken their toll. Stratus lay there for a moment to rest. Sweat was glistening on the non-armored parts of his body. As he sat he took his time to look at his surroundings. Trees as far as the eyes could see. There was some light making it's way through the canopy of leaves and branches. Midday? Maybe later?
"A forest. Great." he sighed between deep breaths. Chances were he wouldn't find a meal too quickly out here in the woods. He truly wished he could pick the location the portals took him, but that was still beyond his ability.

Tatsuya moved through the forest with lightning speed and reflexes, dodging the natural obstacles at the last second. He had been at it for just over an hour. It was convenient that the Sanagu City was next to the forest. Most other places where he traveled were metropolitan towns and cities, and had no real secluded places to train in natural elements. Tatsuya knew he had to take advantage of the venue while he had the chance. But the chance wasn't at the most convenient time.

Sumiko had been battling the flu. No doubt, all the traveling they had been doing was taking its toll on her body. Tatsuya was frustrated with himself and his inability to be able to protect her. He stayed by her side as much as he could, when not accompanying Zamoreus. Even through her sleepless nights at the hotel, Tatsuya was awake with her. With her body finally exhausted, she fell asleep on the couch, in Tatsuya's arms. He gently carried her over to the bed, and tucked her in, before giving her a gentle kiss on her head. He made sure to unplug the bedside phone and any other devices that might cause her to wake up with due to noise. Walking out of the room he slowly closed the door, leaving it only slightly ajar. Tatsuya told the two gikon inhabiting his and Sumiko's human bodies that they were to remain in the room until his return, and to stay quiet as to not disturb Sumiko. He told them that if she woke up before he returned, they were to tend to her as well. He then went out onto the hotel balcony and disappeared with shunpo in the direction of the forest.

Tatsuya was venting more so then training. He knew there was not much he could do when concerning a virus, but still being unable to protect one he loved is what really irked him. His mind faltered for a split second, resulting with him colliding with a tree against his right arm. He twisted in in the air and fell to the ground. He just laid there catching his breath. "I should start to head back. I don't want Sumiko to be alone much longer." He slowly began to sit up. As he dusted himself off, he suddenly felt a strong reiatsu in the air. The reiatsu felt vaguely familiar, but different at the same time. Definitely hollow though, and it was close. Though he would have rather left it alone and head back to the hotel, he knew this hollow would be trouble if left alone and found the city. He lowered his reiatsu and headed off towards the stronger reiatsu.

Animals we wary of the hollow as he trekked through the woods. Not that he minded. Its wasn't too long ago that he had tried to eating animals. It had made sense at the time. They were easy to catch and no one cared if they went missing. But when it came to taste and the quality of the spiritual power they were lacking. It was like eating air, and just as filling. Stratus sighed and continued his journey trying to find his way to civilization. Even with his senses pushed to the limit he couldn't figure which direction.
"A hollow lost in the woods, how humiliating." He grumbled and hit a tree. His fist tore a hole into the seven foot trunk. The towering oak shook and then came tumbling down. A thunderous crash filled the woods as the tree hit the forest floor. Stratus growled almost as loud as his stomach and continued on. Those animals that had hidden themselves heard the noise and rushed from the vicinity. Now he was really annoyed to see everything running off like that.

The hollow had walked a mere forty steps when he felt his armor vibrate. Stratus stopped in his tracks. Unlike his regular sense the armored tendrils had a habit of "feeling" things. He didn't understand how they did it, but it worked. The only problem was that it was impossible to know what they sensed. It was always something dangerous. He jerked his head back and forth, but couldn't seen anything in the dense wood. He wasn't about to ignore the tendril's warning, but without knowing what they were warning him about he really couldn't do much. In a sudden stroke of genius he jumped and grabbed unto the nearest tree. His claws tore into the bark as he sported his weight while climbing the tree. After going up nineteen feet he hung from a branch and looked around the area. There were various things moving about, but it could be just the fleeing animals. Releasing his grip he dropped like a stone back to the ground and sighed. His armor still rattled.
"Whatever." he muttered. If something was coming after him, Stratus would make a nice meal of it.

Tatsuya ran through the forest, his large body moving silently around the trees. He came to a skidding halt when he heard the echoing crash of a tree hitting the ground. "Damn Hollow." He slowly walked forward towards the sound. "Leave it to a hollow to recklessly destroy everything around." He grumbled and unsheathed his zanpakuto. The hollow had no problem giving away it's position. Though it was not like Tatsuya needed the help. The hollow was not too adept at concealing it's reiatsu. Not to mention the animals running away from the beast. Tatsuya kept walking toward the hollow, until he heard it clawing at a tree. "Going for a better vantage point?" He quickly jumped behind a thick tree in an effort to hide from the hollow's sight. He stayed there listening carefully for its heavy movements, but heard nothing. After a moment a loud thud could be heard at ground level as the hollow landed. Tatsuya slowly peaked his head around the tree, and out in the distance he could see the hollow. Smaller then him; no surprise, but also more powerful then any other hollow he has come across. Tatsuya had to end this quick. The longer he fought, the more likely he might not walk away. Tatsuya couldn't find anything that would provide a suitable diversion. He had to think up something different. Looking straight up, he got an idea. He quickly sheathed his zanpakuto and started to climb the tree. Once he felt high enough he perched himself on a thick branch close to the trunk and once again unsheathed his zanpakuto. Tatsuya waited patiently for the hollow to pass a comfortable distance before using shunpo and slashing at it from above.

Even though he had taken the matter lightly he still sought out the source of his uneasiness. What was it he couldn't detect yet, his tendrils were so aware of? It bothered him that they were beyond his control almost as if they weren't even a part of him at times. Stratus snorted in contempt. The arm continued to rattle and further spoiling his mood.
"Shut up!" he screamed at them as if they understood. His own agitation made the react more violently. It was getting more and more annoying to the large hollow by the second. The clicking sound the boney claws made as they shifted next to one another was maddening. He tried to focus and control their shaking, but the noise itself broke what little concentration he could muster. Finally he raised his hands in defeat.
"Fine! Rattle away!" He shouted in exasperation. "I don't care!" Stratus growled stamping his feet. The dead leaves and fallen branches cracked as he made his way towards what he hoped was the nearest town.

As he passed under a tree his tendrils released. They divided themselves and shot into into the air. They crisscrossed above Stratus' head just as Tatsuya's blade came down. The motion startled Stratus from his angry huff.
"What the hell?" he glanced upward at the tendril's strange behavior. But then he could feel something on the other side of their make shift barrier. Thought a small gap in the coils he saw motion. His noisy friends had just protected him. A part of him was thankful and another part of him wondered if he really controlled the tendrils at all. The prospect of a fight and a meal quickly dispersed those thoughts. Hopping backwards the tendrils retracted allowing him to view his opponent properly. Upon seeing his attacker Stratus snickered. He recognized this man's smell the feel of the spiritual power. It was an old friend.

Tatsuya could hear the hollow shouting to no one, making no attempt to conceal its presence. He simply waited for the most opportune time to strike. With one strike, Tatsuya would finish off the beast before it could do any significant harm. When the hollow passed underneath the tree and within Tatsuya's desired range, he quickly flash stepped and disappeared, heading right towards the unsuspecting hollow. He swung his zanpakuto with his right arm as hard as he could, aiming for the hollow's head. "Blocked?!" Tatsuya's eyes opened wide and his pupils constricted in disbelief as the clang was heard when his zanpakuto collided with the hollow's armor. Tatsuya was a silent assassin, there was no logical explanation as to how the hollow would be able to block his attack. Tatsuya had made sure to wait until the hollow was practically right below him to strike. He made no sound and moved like a blur. Tatsuya knew there was no way that the hollow should have been able to block or even see his attack. Just as the hollow's armor retracted, so did Tatsuya. He quickly flashed stepped to approximately fifteen feet to the front of the hollow in a guarded stance, giving the hollow only a left side profile. His right arm and blade extended out to the back and his left arm extended out in front, hand open, knees slightly bent to allow for a quicker reaction, Tatsuya was prepared for the hollow's attack. The moment he lost the element of surprise he knew it wasn't going to be easy.

"Well, well what do we have here?" Stratus was less than happy to meet a shinigami when he had just arrived from Hueco Mundo. But he was excited it was this particular shinigami. He and the big man had met up on many occasions, something that annoyed the hollow. The fact they had met several times meant he had been unable to kill the bastard each time. Rather than take solace in that he could stand his ground with the large and survive he took insult to that fact. Their first encounter had him running from the fight with his tail between his legs. Perhaps it was this memory that drove him. Swiftly the hollow pushed thoughts of his near defeat to the side. Things had changed since they first met. He had grown both in size in power from then. As his tendrils now back as armor rattled anxiously. Indeed things were different, and things would end differently.

"Too busy to say hello, shinigami?" he sneered. The shinigami tried to ambush him and failed. Stratus felt the rage bubbling up yet again. He would make sure the man met a painful end. Flexing his claws on both hands he let the slime gather within him. "Fine with me, let's just get down to business!" he punctuated his statement by raising his left hand and shooting a wave of slime at his opponent. At the same time his right hand slime oozed out from between the armored fingers. He gave the slime a burst of his spiritual power and it crystallized instantly. Although solid it was glowing brightly with excess energy. An awkward shaped football at best, but nearly the size of a large grapefruit. Taking aim, he threw the unstable orb not at the shinigami, but at his feet. His left hand now free as he created a similar ball. It was smaller in size, but he didn't take the time to make it any bigger. The odd shaped crystal tumbled in over end through the air. Stratus didn't wait for the first bomb to hit he threw the second one abit to the left while he himself moved in the opposite direction. Once more the slime gathered within and formed a crystal sword in his right hand and then one to mirror it in his left. He dashed forward ready to pounce.

"Where have I felt this presence before?" His eyes narrowed in on the hollow as he tried to remember the familiar presence. Tatsuya would surely remember a hollow as powerful as this one, but still, nothing came to mind. Whatever the case, this hollow wouldn't leave here alive. His stance was firm but loose as he waited for the hollow to make a move, he wanted to get a feel for it's abilities before charging right in. "Forgive me for my imprudence, Hollow." He spoke with an obvious air of sarcasm. "But I try to avoid fraternizing with the enemy." He stated bluntly and arrogantly to answer the hollow's question, but watched carefully as it flexed it's claws.

"That attack!" Tatsuya jumped out of the way of the slime. He barely had time to react when the hollow made it's statement. "I know that attack, but it can't be!" Tatsuya's eyes opened wide when he saw the two glowing orbs heading towards him. The recognizable swoosh of Tatsuya using shunpo could be heard as he disappeared, reappearing to his left just as the glowing orbs exploded on impact, sending shrapnel in all directions. Tatsuya slid back from the momentum facing the explosion, and deflected the bigger pieces away from his body. One piece sliced his cheek as it passed by and smaller pieces embedded inside his body, but nothing more than a hindrance to Tatsuya. He felt the hollow's presence behind him and hastily turned to his right, swinging his blade at it, clashing their swords together. There was no question "who" this was. "You've changed...Hollow." He stared directly into it's eyes, before placing his other hand on his zanpakuto's hilt and trying to push the hollow away with his strength.

Their weapons met and sparked from the impact. The shingami had dodged the first attacks. There was no denying his skill. To avoid all those attacks and still have the guts to charge forward. The slime he had shot first caught fire from the explosive crystals he had thrown. Already the foul smell of burning flesh was filling the air as the patch of grass was consumed by the burning patch. Stratus had forgotten that shinigami could move that fast, another annoying ability. It hardly seemed fair, who said life was fair? Still without that ability Stratus had little trouble catching the other man's movements. He needed a plan, but he couldn't think of one on the spot like that. Hold him still and hit him seemed as good a plan as any.

Stratus gritted his teeth as the shinigami came at him and attacked. Their weapons sparked at the point of contact. As their weapons ground together. Such a huge weapon for a big man. Stratus had crossed his blades into an 'X' to ward off the blow. Their faces only a few feet apart a flash of recognition showed in the man's eyes. The hollow laughed. He had changed so it made sense that the shinigami not realize it was him. With that the man grabbed his weapon and pushed. Nothing happened. Stratus could feel the sword push against his, but it wasn't enough to force the blades away. Was the man always this weak? With a grunt he pushed back with all his might while uncrossing his swords to slash at the shinigami.

Tatsuya pushed with all his might against the hollow's crystal blades to no avail. Not even the slightest budge could be seen on the hollow's arms. Though his muscles would show otherwise, Tatsuya's face remained composed, indicating that he was not trying his hardest. "Why won't he budge? He can't be that strong." The thought lingered in his mind, but not for long. Tatsuya was propelled backwards with immense force, so much so that he couldn't stop himself from skidding backwards. Gaining just the right amount of footing on the ground, he pushed himself into the air, still flying backwards. Tatsuya performed back flipped in the air just in time to collide feet first, high up into a huge tree. The tree trunk cracked and groaned as Tatsuya thunderously impacted with it, creating a crater against it, and shaking off any wild life hidden inside. With the force Tatsuya was launched with, he was practically sitting against the tree for a moment as his knees bent to absorb the impact. He even had to use his left hand to brace himself against the tree. His hair covered his face as he was parallel to the ground, before he revealed his hardened face looking to where the hollow was.

Tatsuya rocketed off the tree, causing it to break at the impact point. He charged forward towards the hollow and stabbed at it. He didn't expect to hit the hollow and was prepared to continue attacking with a reverse heel kick. He made sure to continue with a flurry of slashes, stabs, and other physical attacks in an effort to cut the hollow.

The shinigami flew as if launched by a catapult. The surprise on the large man's face was mirrored by the amazement on Stratus'. He hadn't thought the man would have been pushed back that far. Quietly he flexed the muscles on his arms and legs. With all the fighting he'd done in the past it was always against a stronger foes. Moldale could beat him in a fight each time they sparred. To think he was this much stronger than the shinigami. Before he could further bask in the joy of being superior to his opponent the man launched himself back at Stratus.
"A glutton for punishment?" he snarled readying himself for the enemy's new charge.

The man's blade came at him. Stratus was sure to watch for the man's weapon. Although he had managed to overpower the man he wasn't about to try his luck against the damned sword. His own crystal weapon intercepted the shinigami's zanpukto and kept the point from finding it's mark. Too focused on the weapon he missed the big man spinning around and landing a kick. Stratus took the hit in stride, his head twisted from the impact. It didn't hurt, but the damage to his pride doubly so. Even if it didn't hurt he didn't like being hit. He growled and punched his left hand at the other man's chest, forgetting he had a blade. It was too late the man was already moving. Moledale had always told him not to aim at where the target is, but where they're going to be. While the short hollow was right, Stratus wasn't thinking too clearly. The man was on the offense Stratus tried to block what he could and seek an opening. Few came. All the while he was sure to fend off the blade. He used both of his shorter weapons to block the long blades slashes. Desperate, he tried to kick the man back. Stratus brought his foot straight up at the shinigami.

Just as he thought, the hollow countered his initial attack. Swinging around fast and hard, he brought his leg around and connected his foot with a sickening thud across the hollow's masked face. The hollow was all but fazed after the kick and quickly responded in kind with a punch from it's left hand. Tatsuya was able to dodge the punch, but just barely, and not without some much needed effort. The hollow was definitely faster then him, but it was still a speed that Tatsuya could be up with...barely. "Damn it. He keeps blocking my sword and my physical attacks aren't doing any damage." Tatsuya thought as he continued with his flurry of attacks. He knew he needed to end this fight, and he needed to do it fast. Though the hollow's counters were not immobilizing Tatsuya, they were still drawing blood. When hitting what little openings the hollow could find. Tatsuya's arms, chest and abdomen were cut and bruised. He needed to gamble if he wanted to end it quickly. He drew his zanpakuto far and wide intending to add more power through a wider slice. But the gamble failed miserably. In doing so, Tatsuya provided the hollow with just enough of an opening to counter the attack. He felt the hollow's foot connect with his open left side and break at least two ribs and sending him flying through the forest and into a tree trunk. Tatsuya's back connected with the tree and he fell to the ground on his knees. He quickly heard the tree he had impacted start to crack as it began to fall over in his direction. Tatsuya hurriedly scrambled along the ground to move out of the way of the falling tree. With a last ditch roll he was able to clear the danger zone. As quickly as he could he got to his feet and looked for the hollow, preparing to flash step out of harm's way if he needed to. Tatsuya was definitely taking more of a beating then he had planned for. He let out a sorrowful sigh. "Such a beautiful forest, too." He thought as he planned to retaliate against the hollow.

Again and again they had exchanged strikes. The difference in skill was obvious. Tatsuya had better training with his weapon than the hollow. This was to be expected shinigami had a school that taught them the art of the blade. The large weapon could be moved with precision and grace in the hand of large man. On the other hand Stratus' technique was rough and self taught. It was mainly instinct and pure reflexes that fueled his attacks. In a normal situation Stratus wouldn't stand a chance against such an expert in sword play. But he had managed to fend off the shinigami's weapon. The gap in skill wasn't as great as it seemed when raw ability came into play. It was slight, but the hollow was faster. With that speed he avoided the dangerous zanpukto. At the same time his strength out matched Tatsuya's. The opponent's physical blows were all ineffective. Stratus how remembered the kick to his head had barely turned his neck. And just now his kick had sent the larger man flying once again.

Things were in the hollow's favor and he wasn't about to let the man run away. Tatsuya had yet to return from his recent flight. Stratus grinned. The man probably knew what he already knew he was keeping his distance. Getting close was too dangerous. Stratus decided to teach him wary of the hollow at long range as well. He took aim and threw threw the crystal weapon in his right hand. The crude blade flipped end over end as it raced at Tatsuya. It was spinning so fast it was almost like a green buzzsaw flying through the air. In less than a second later he did the same with his other weapon. Stratus was only disarmed for a second as he had already created the new weapon. Promptly he threw the new one and they cycle repeated as the hollow became a flurry of movement. Creating a weapon and tossing it. In this way he sent a wave of dangerous blades flying at the shinigami.

He waited for the hollow to follow him, but it never came. The hollow had the advantage staying close, so why not close the gap? "Whatever. It just makes things..." Tatsuya dove out of the way from a fast moving object and rolled to his feet. "What the hell was that?!" He quickly looked to the direction it went, and then back at where it came from, just in time to see another one approaching. Tatsuya flash stepped out of the way and reappeared to his right, right into the path of another crystal sword. "Damn!" He used shunpo once again, disappearing and reappearing to his right, with yet another crystal sword heading towards him.

This time he didn't have enough time to dodge and the right side of his chest, close to his shoulder. A loud guttural groan exited Tatsuya's mouth as he was struck with the crystal sword. He flash stepped once again and ripped out the weapon, but he didn't stopped for long. He started to continuously flash step from place to place avoiding the hollow's onslaught. For a few seconds this went on, until he purposely stopped in front of an oncoming crystal. He brought up his zanpakuto parallel to the ground in a reverse grip and placed his left hand along the back of the blade near its base. "Rise from the ashes." A single clang could be heard when the oncoming crystal was deflected by his zanpakuto as he spoke. "Suzaku." His left hand slide across the blade as he called out the name of his zanpakuto. The blade instantly disappeared, and in its place his hands and forearms were covered in tight fitting, flaming metal gauntlets, with large blades protruding from the top of his fists.

Tatsuya quickly knocked another oncoming crystal away with his gauntlet covered forearm. Getting into the right stride, Tatsuya began to run towards the hollow, jumping out of the way and knocking away more crystals that were thrown at him by the hollow as he closed the distance between the two of them. Tatsuya jumped towards a crystal sword and snatched it from the air, before landing next onto a tree, no more than ten feet away from the hollow. He held up the crystal in his right hand for the hollow to see and crushed it with his grip. He let his left hand touch the tree next to him. "Hinote Soujuu." He calmly spoke with a devilish grin upon his face, setting the tree he was touching completely ablaze. The fire from that tree quickly began to spread to the ones next to it.

Blade after blade he created and one after the other he launched them at the shinigami. Stratus took much pleasure in watching the big man dodge for his life. It was good to watch him sweat. The hollow did his best to make the man dance. He increased the pace to increase the pressure. Faster and faster he produced slime and shifted it into the 3 foot crystal weapon. With all his strength Stratus hurled the jagged blades. Those that missed their target laid wasted to the area. Their sharp edges coupled with the inhuman power of the throws made them incredibly effective in cutting through the trees. The horizontal spinning blade tore into one side of the ten feet thick trunk and out the other side. If it could do that to a tree, he knew it would be devastating to a human. there was now a deep gash in the mighty towering oak. It was not the only tree to suffer such a fate. As the shinigami dodged more and more of he area felt the hollow's sting. Almost on cue the shinigami was unable to dodge a spinning blade and received a cut. Stratus grinned and doubled his efforts Other blades hit the ground and ended up driving into the earth. Still more others were partially driven into the other trees. As the he continued to throwing his weapons at the shinigami the area became littered with the discarded weapons.

Stratus continued to send more weapons at Tatsuya. It was only a matter of time before the man tired and was ripped to shreds. For a moment it seemed that time had come. The shinigami had stopped moving. Without a moment's hesitation he hurled the next newly made crystals at the big man.
"DIE!" he howled as they flipped end over end. But it wouldn't be. There was a surge of spiritual pressure as the shinigami's weapon changed right before his eyes. In there last encounter the man had used the weapons in that form against him. Stratus had wondered why he had yet to use it this time. As the energy radiated towards him he could only guess that shinigami had underestimated him. The fight would now begin in earnest. Stratus continued to too the weapons at him, but now Tatsuya deflected the dangerous attacks. There was no denying that the new weapon was more than just show. He watched as the large man dodged once more and landed on a tree. In his hand one of the hollow's blades. With ease he broke the heavy crystal. Stratus already had a new sword in his hands, but didn't bother to throw it. "So that's how things are going to be, eh?" Almost in response the large man touch the tree and it was engulfed in flame. Stratus snickered at the man's display of power.
Things really were going to get interesting. "If you want fire, I have my own." Slime built up in his gut and out his mouth. The wide spray of slime arched at the shinigami. Stratus brought the two crystal swords in his hands up to his face and struck them together. A small spark jumped from where they made contact. The stream of slime instantly caught ablaze. What had been a green wave now became a crimson one. It looked like the hollow was breathing fire at the shinigami.

He should have used his shikai from the beginning, but there were a few of reasons why he didn't. One, he didn't realize who he was actually going to battle against. Two, he didn't want to destroy the forest and its wildlife. And three, he was sure that the first attack should have been the last attack. How the hollow managed to block his attack still baffled Tatsuya. Two of the reasons were irrelevant at this point, but the second reason took sometime to pass, and once it did, Tatsuya was able to fight without worry. Tatsuya held the devilish grin upon his face as he stared down at the hollow from his flaming perch. "Oh?" Tatsuya sarcastically responded and raised an eyebrow to the hollow's apparent boasting. When the hollow spewed slim from its innards, Tatsuya stood his ground. He remembered the last time he encountered the hollow and that the slime was flammable. Tatsuya was going to ignite it himself but was beat to the punch by the hollow striking it's crystal swords together creating the spark needed to ignite the slime. The wave of fire soared towards Tatsuya as he remained unshaken. When the fire made contact with him he was covered from head to toe, but not a sound of pain or misery could be heard coming from his lips. When the hollow finally stopped spewing it's "fire," Tatsuya was nowhere to be seen. The loud sound of cracking and kindling could be heard from the burning forest. The treetop was a large canopy of fire and was spreading quickly. Just what Tatsuya had wanted as he quickly appeared from above the hollow, emerging from the dense flaming foliage with a powerful right punch aimed at the hollow.

The world lit up from the fire that was fueled by the hollow's slime. This was his first time attempting the trick in live combat. While feeding in a city he had seen a carnival preforming doing such think. The idea has stuck with him to try the same to somewhat disastrous results. Stratus had caught himself ablaze and the circus with him. Thankfully his healing hadn't taken long, but the embarrassment had taken longer to heal from. Still it made for a rather interesting attack. Who would expect for him to suddenly spit flames after witnessing all his slime and crystal attacks? Stratus watched as the fire consumed all the slime as it exited his mouth. He had to keep the pressure up or it would travel back into his mouth causing some serious harm. As quickly as he had started he stopped the flow of slime. With the blast from his mouth gone the area darkened again. Still there was another source of light to keep things bright. The tree and shinigami were completely consumed by fire now. He looked to survey the damage. The tree and those around it were reduced to a burning pyre. All the leaves were incinerated in seconds and the dead branches crackled as the fire licked along their lengths. In the center of the flames Stratus watched the trunks burning.

"Mine was better than yours." Stratus grunted and spat the remainder of slime out of his mouth. One of the burning trees fell over no long able to support it's own weight. The fire has weakened the structural integrity. Indeed his attack has been brutal, but he hadn't though of the consequences of his actions. The flames had now spread to many more trees now. What was worst was that since he had cremated the shinigami there was nothing for him to eat. His stomach reminded him of his hunger. A forest fire was sure to bring more attention to his location. Stratus groaned realizing he'd have to move out of the area before things got worse. "Even when dead that bastard doesn't cease to piss me off." the hollow sighed he was about to turn walk away when his armor started to rattle. Stratus's head whipped to and fro. Had the shinigami dodged the fire. No. He had seen Tatsuya get hit. Quickly he expanded his senses as he turned around in place. Nothing. There wasn't even a trace of the man. Then why? "Shit!" he looked up just as the shinigami came barreling down from the sky. There was a saying about falling for the same trick twice or something, but the hollow wasn't sure the words. The large bladed fist came crashing down at him fast. It was a big fist and he was a big target. The best he could do was shift his body just enough to avoid the critical blow to his skull. Sparks flew from his shoulder as the bladed fist crashed into it and grazed his face. Both part of his body now had a line cut into them. His body twisted from the misplaced strike. Something was definitely different about the shinigami. Stratus had actually felt that hit. He didn't bother to ask how he had survived that fireball. With a growl he brought his right sword up to slice at the shinigami across his stomach. His left sword followed up with a short thrust.This bastard wasn't going to die today one way or another. "It's nice you didn't stay dead, now I can kill you again!"

Tatsuya's eyes narrowed when he made contact with the hollow. The impact was not as devastating as he had hoped, but the lines he carved into the hollow were a sign that he could severely cut it when he would get a direct hit. He knew the hollow couldn't shrug of this hit as it had done all the previous ones. Or maybe it could. The hollow clumsily twisted after the strike as Tatsuya righted himself in the air and swung one of its crystal swords at his gut. Tatsuya swung his left arm downward and blocked the hollow's attack from slicing him as he landed on the ground. "Hello!" He shouted playfully in mock shock when he saw the hollow trusting the other crystal sword at him. Tatsuya skillfully twisted backwards to his right to avoid the hollow's stab and quickly took two jumps back, putting a comfortable distance between them. "Kill me all you want. I'll still come back and kick your ass." He started bouncing back and forth in a standard fighting stance getting into the rhythm of things. "Or maybe since I already have the fire going, I should just throw in the meat." He cockily commented as he threw a couple of "warm-up" punches. Without any warning Tatsuya threw two hard straight punches into the air, launching two beach ball sized fireballs at the hollow. He then jumped over to his right and threw two left jabs and a right hook. Two basketball sized fireballs were shot from Tatsuya's jabs, but just as he threw his right hook, he called out the name of the attack "Hinote Soujuu," sending an enormous arcing wave of fire headed towards the hollow. Tatsuya had purposely jumped to the right earlier in order to get closer to a tree engulfed in flames, so that when he threw the wave of fire he would distract the hollow long enough to perform his Kaen Kyuutou and disappear into the flames. Hopefully his previous attacks would move the hollow close enough to another flame engulfed tree so that he could attack from behind with a powerful punch to the hollow's spinal cord. Even if not, a frontal assault should be able to provide enough of a surprise to connect with an attack.

With the improved strength came some measure of speed it would seem. His somewhat sloppy counter was easily avoided by Tatsuya. Even if it poorly planned the man's reaction was quicker than the expected. It was just a moment ago the shinigami had be cut by his blades now he bounce about like a buffoon. The changing weapon gave the man some measure of confidence if not alot more power. Stratus had cuts in his armor to prove that. Although the mystery of how the shinigami had managed to survive the flames hung over his head it was quickly cast aside. There was only a short distance between them. Perhaps he could test the limits of the newfound speed that his opponent seemed to have. He snorted at the man's comment and rushed forward. It was then that the man began his counter attack.

Tatsuya threw punches at the hollow, and burning balls of flame came into being. Stratus shifted to the right to dodge the first orb of fire, but the second was way too close to dodge as it came at his head. Growling he swung his sword upward and pushed forward. The crystal blade pierced the fireball and tore it in half. Fire splashed over Stratus. On either side of him the remains of the orb ricocheted off his shoulders. Bits of flame clung to him trying to burn at his flesh. His armor protected him, but he could feel the heat. Such intense flames Now he juked left and went right to try and avoid another shot, but the man had already done so. Two smaller orbs of fire were coming at him as he tried to press forward. Smaller could mean less powerful, but this wasn't something Stratus thought about. The hollow merely raised his weapons and swung downward.
"DON'T UNDERESTIMATE ME!" he screamed as he batted both of the smaller bolts downward where they exploded at his feet while he dashed forward. He could feel the flames biting as his legs as he ran though them. The hollow ran right into the Shinigami's last attack. Stratus had only seconds to raise his weapons in a cross guard in front of his face as the wave crashed into hims and stopped him in his tracks.

The fire washed over him. His arms too the brunt of the attack. The armor on his hands and wrists offered some protection, but the rest of the arms weren't so lucky. Stratus wasn't too happy with the burning pain that he now felt. Better his arms than his face. The intense heat was unbearable. He uncrossed his arms removing the flame drenched limbs from blocking his view. The shinigamai was no longer in front of him. Stratus was mystified. He shook himself to rid his body of the flames. His anger of losing his target overriding the pain now.
"What the hell?" He scanned the area, there where no sign of the shinigami again. His armor rattled. "Stop shaking and do something!" The tendrils unfurled as the shinigami made his appearance from behind Stratus. They moved up and then into the ground surrounding him like a cage.

The hollow's armor protected it well against Tatsuya's fire attacks. Though even if it was protected from taking the brunt of the fire, it still had to be feeling the heat underneath its armor. Nonetheless, the hollow did well defending against his attacks. At least until the last attack. Running right into that last wave of fire wasn't exactly the smartest move the hollow had done, but it was perfect for Tatsuya. Just as he had hoped, the hollow ended up right where Tatsuya wanted it to be. As the hollow turned to look for Tatsuya, he jumped out of the fire engulfed tree and charged right at it, throwing a strong straight right punch at the hollow's spine. Tatsuya's glimmer of hope quickly faded away when the hollow's armor reacted and protected the unaware bearer. However, unlike the first time, the armor wasn't able to completely withstand the force of the attack, fracturing under the pressure. Though it did manage to keep Tatsuya's fist away from the hollow's spine.

"So...you have no control over that armor." Tatsuya said after jumping away from the hollow and landing in a relaxed upright fighting stance. I knew there was no way you should have survived my first attack." Tatsuya was buying time. He had unsealed his zanpakuto too late in the battle and was getting tired from the injuries he had sustained. He needed a little time to catch his breath. "I thought the rattling of the armor was like a sixth sense to you, but the way you interact with it makes me believe you have only recently acquired the armor and have yet to fully understand it." Tatsuya explained his theory to get a little rest. "I would even say it's not even an armor, but another organism." He stated to elaborate more on the subject. "What? Did you eat something that didn't quite agree with you and it's fighting for control?" His eye's narrowed in on the hollow for any sharp movements. He didn't want to be caught off guard. "The only reason you are still alive right now is because of the self preservation instinct of the armor. It is merely an involuntary defense mechanism." He finished off his explanation after he felt his second wind come in. "But lets test that theory." He quickly flashed stepped just behind the hollow's right side and a launched a powerful right punch to the back of its ribs. He would have rather continued using his fire attacks and Kaen Kyuutou, but the energy the abilities required were too much, and he wanted to end this quickly. He had been away from Sumiko for a lot longer than he had planned.

He hadn't expected the armor to react like that all. The tentacles moved instantly into a defensive position. An effective one at that as a second later the shinigami came from behind and collided with the barrier. There was some pain as the man struck the length of the tendril. Although the tips were hard armor the body of the tentacles were barely stronger than his skin. This strength wasn't enough to withstand the shinigami's new power. Stratus could feel the light armor crack and the pain as the flesh was compressed under the tremendous pressure. There was little doubt the strike would have done even more damage to his body had it connected. The pain was no less severe. He was lucky there were no internal organs with in the light shell.

How had that bastard managed to get behind him like that? He had looked in every direction and seen nothing. All around him was nothing but burning forest. The mystery had once again presented itself. Still Tatsuya looked equally surprised by the sudden defense. Stratus wanted to capitalize on the shock, but he man recovered too quickly. The next moment the shinigami had taken some distance. Now that he was out of reach he started to talk about the recent development with the tentacles. Stratus wanted to rush over there and shut his mouth, but he was right; he couldn't control them. Proof of this was the fact the cage remained around him. Despite his best efforts the claws dug into the ground wouldn't move. Stratus growled as he listened to the man's incessant prattling. The fact he was correct in his assumption was equally aggravating.

Indeed they might just be a defense mechanism, but what good were they if they didn't heed his commands when needed. They had saved him, but now they were just in the way. Tatsuya had taken his measure of the tendrils and was now ready to proceed. The man vanished only to reappear beside the stationary hollow. He had woven his way between the bars of the cage to punch his opponent in the ribs. There was no way for Stratus to avoid the the fierce attack with his tendril anchoring him down. He screamed as the metal blades dug into his now unprotected flesh. It was then the tendrils quivered and moved. In unison they all released their holds. They shot down and around Tatsuya in a tight circle. The cage had now been reversed. Tatsuya's arm was the only part of his body outside of the enclosure. Stratus grabbed at the arm that pushed the shinigami's burning weapon into his side. He tried to turn slightly, to look upon his opponent. It was a painful motion.
"I don't like being used as bait." he growled at the tendrils now realizing what had just happened. They tendrils quivered slightly trying to tighten the gaps around the enemy. Stratus wasn't too angry. He was overjoyed to have his opponent confined. It was the perfect opportunity. "Consider this your punishment." he snickered. The hollow let his energy explode through his body. As the air rippled he focused the energies to his mouth. A green spark sprang to life in front of his widening maw. In an instant it was the size of a softball and pulsated violently. CERO

Tatsuya was right. The hollow really didn't have control of it's armor. The fact that it refused to retract was all the proof he needed. Tatsuya easily weaved through the tendrils as he appeared next to the hollow. "Perfect." Tatsuya thought as his punch connected with the hollow's flesh. The sound that left the hollow's mouth was music to Tatsuya's ears. With the hollow now at his mercy, Tatsuya could just pound away at the hollow's back until it was no more. "What the hell?!" He exclaimed as the tendrils confined him next to the hollow. What made it worse was that the tendrils caught his arm on the other side of the cage. But they didn't just stop with impeding, they began to tighten its grip around Tatsuya so that there was no way to escape. All the while the hollow grabbed the arm that had embed his fist in it to prevent him from pulling it out and attacking it again. "Shit!" He thought as he looked at the hollow directly in its merciless eyes. Tatsuya felt the hollow's reiatsu start to rise higher as it gathered energy at its mouth. At first he thought it was another slime attack, but after a second, the energy feeling was on a different scale. There was a brief look of horror when Tatsuya finally realized what the hollow was unleashing. That look quickly turned to one of desperation as he tried to think of a way out of his predicament. "My left arm is immobile, and my right arm is still in this damn hollow." He frantically thought as the hollow's cero gathered more power. "THAT'S IT!!" He looked down to his right arm. With a hard and quick movement of his arm, Tatsuya had twisted the embed blade inside the hollow giving way to a burst of intense pain. And to make sure the hollow definitely missed, he jerked forward, ripping skin and muscle along the cage captured arm, in an effort to hit the hollow with a massive headbutt to direct the blast upward.

The rush of power was exhilarating. Stratus had practiced the technique in the white desert many times. This was the first time he used. To be honest this was the first time he had an opponent worthy of it's destructive power. The air became heated as the perfect green sphere gathered before him. So tremendous was the energy that it overpowered his own senses. The roaring fire became a dull whisper compared to the howling that overwhelmed him. As the felt the sphere reach it's peak he prepared to let it all go. The anticipation was the hardest part, but now was the time. Just as the moment came so did the intense pain as the shinigami twisted his arm. This wouldn't mean much if not for the blades connected on the ends of his fist. There are many types of pain, and Stratus felt one of the strongest he'd ever felt. Words fail to describe the mind-numbing agony as the zanpukto dug deeper into his side. His knees quivered and his grip on the shinigami loosened. Stratus' focus faltered, and the small green orb buckled as he screamed out. The hollow's body jerked as the painful spasm passed. Before he could establish his mental balance the Tatsuya launched his head at the hollow's head. Rather than strike the opponent head on the result was more like an upper cut. The odd blow snapped the hollow's face skyward just as the green sphere distorted and fired.

There was a sudden roar as the green light burst through the sky. The green ray skimmed the tree tops and cut through them like tissue paper. In seconds the beam of light had vanished as a twinkle into the darkness. The tendrils that surrounded Tatsuya retracted, but not completely they hovered in the air like snakes ready to strike. It was Stratus himself that struck first he shot a backhand with his right hand at the shinigami and followed it up with a punch from his left. The armored tips of the tentacles just seemed watch the hollow resorted to simple fists after the huge release of power. The pain in his side and the drain of spiritual power had taken their toll, but were forgotten in the rage he felt towards this man.

Tatsuya was lucky that his head wasn't in the blast zone. He had just barely cleared the area before the cero fired. The only other drawback with Tatsuya's last attack, was that the hollow had a hard head. The beating he had already took prior to releasing his shikai, coupled with the desperate attack, had put Tatsuya in a daze. The world around him was blurred as he tried to regain his senses. He had failed to notice that the hollow's tentacles had retracted themselves or that his right hand had been dislodged from the it's side. He took a step back just as the hollow's backhand connected with his face. Trying to bring up his arms to cover, Tatsuya finally noticed his left arm when intense pain shot up due to him ripping through skin and muscle trying to stop the hollow from launching it's cero. Before the pain could subside the hollow connected with another punch to his face making him stumble back. He managed to stay on his feet...somehow, and brought up his right arm. Things were still blurry, but it wasn't hard to tell where his target was. It was the only thing moving in the burning forest. Plus the fact that the big form looked like a giant spider helped as well. It was hard to gauge distance at this point. He hoped the hollow was just as fatigued as himself, but just to be safe. The flame around Tatsuya's right arm began to get bigger as he poured what little reiatsu he had left into it. "Hinote...Soujuu," He called out his attack between staggered breaths and swung his right arm wildly at the hollow, sending a large wave of fire in it's direction. Just as he had launched the attack, the fire that had majestically covered his gauntlets had now disappeared. His zanpakuto, which had shown brightly in any setting were now plain, sliver tone, gauntlets. He was out of energy as he stood in front of the hollow...

The first of the hollow's hits connected, but there would be a consequence for this action. Hitting the shinigami caused his arm to shift, which in turn caused him more pain. Gritting his teeth Stratus let his second blow fly. Yet again his hit connected pushing Tatsuya back and pulling the weapon free at the same time. This was less than pleasant for the hollow. Removing the blades required that he cut a new hole. After twisting the blade around the original entrance was lost. Stratus didn't bother to hide his scream as the weapon tore itself from his body. The sudden agony made his knees waver as he doubled over in pain. There was now a decent sized hole in his side. Already the dark lifeblood started to ooze out. Stratus' hand reached for the hole and he summoned his slime. The green substance covered the gaping wound and with a bit of energy it crystallized sealing it. The blood has stopped, but in no way had it stopped the internal bleeding the knuckle weapon had caused. He could feel it, the odd light sensation.
Had the man hit something vital?

There was pain in his side each time he breathed or tried to move. Even with the wound sealed he kept his hand over the crystal as if to comfort himself.
"You tosser! I'm going to tear you into little pieces and bury you alive!" he screamed at the shinigami while flexing his claws. His tendrils around waved menacingly eager to make that threat reality. Tatsuya had other plans it would seem. With effort the man brought forth a great quantity of fire and launched it directly at Stratus. There was so little distance between the two. Stratus didn't think the man would try such a point blank attack, even if he had just attempted the same. The wave of fire roared as it rushed at him. His tentacles tried shield him, but were too late. Their clawed tips barely managed to catch the tail end of the massive attack while the rest struck the hollow dead on. The unexpected strike hit him. He tried to raise his hand from his side to help block the blaze, but couldn't quite make it. Like a beast the fire grabbed hold onto his unprotected body. Hungrily the flames ate at his exposed flesh. The fire had managed to strike his mask. The burning heat on his body paled to the searing heat to his eyes and face. As the fire consumed him he lost sight of the opponent he so despised. He didn't like the extreme heat, he didn't like it at all. Something about the flames just felt sickening to him to his core. Stratus flailed wildly at his body trying to put the fire out. If moved too much the pain from his wound returned, but letting the fire exist a second longer brought forth just as much. His scream of rage and anguish blended together. A s everything burned his tendrils began to act erratically. They lashed out at anything and everything in their reach. One swung and cut into a tree. Another struck the earth leaving a decent sized crater. Yet another hissed through the air a few feet from where Tatsuya stood.