A day to get away

The day was warm and bright as Cass walked along the path headed back towards the academy after sneaking out to get away from all the fuss of the strict teachings and beliefs they hammered day and night. Hands crossed behind his head as he walked and the training sword tucked into the sash at his waist, Cass had a feeling that nothing could go wrong and he was almost back to the academy. When the wind shifted Cass stopped looking up at the trees, For an academy for Shinigami they are really rather lax in their own security I mean students can pretty much come and go if they are smart about it.

"You there!" Came a voice from behind the calm and relaxed Cass. So quick was the student to observe the lax security that he had failed to see the man coming up behind him. The man behind him wore the robes of the instructor. He had short brown hair that was slicked backwards showing all of his face. His brown showed his annoyance and it was easy to see why. The man was carrying what looked like several dufflebags. At a glance one could see the long bags were filled to the brim. What they were filled with became obvious as a shinai sword handle poked out of one of the bags in the man's hands. There were four bags total. One in each on the man's hands and one over his left and right shoulder. "You there!" the man repeated, calling out to the student. Sweat was coming from every pore of his body. There was little doubt that the full bags were quite heavy, not to mention made it difficult to walk. Without waiting for a response the man dropped the dufflebags from his hands and let the straps dip off his shoulders. With a grimace he rubbed sore joints now free of their burden. "Help me with these bags." He commanded eying the tall student. Even though Cass was a good half foot taller than the man he didn't seem all that concerned. "Damn that Miyazakii" he man grunted as he rotated his shoulder more trying ease the pain. He turned back to the larger man. "We're going to the sixth dojo." He said as he picked up two of the dufflebags into his hands.

Cass jumped at the sound of someone calling for his attention, he hadn't sensed anyone and there was almost no sound at all other than the wind. When he turned around the blood left his face making him completely white, it was an instructor. When he asked to help with the duffel bags Cass visibly relaxed, because the instructor had not realized that he was out simply skipping a few classes on sparring and sword technique.

Walking back to the instructor Cass bent down to grab the bags and was surprised they were so heavy filled feeling liked they were weighed down with cinder blocks. After taking a few tentative steps he dropped the bags and crouched down to slide both straps over his shoulders and slide his hands under the bags to lift them as he stood. “I'm sorry sir but I have no idea where the sixth dojo is, I have only been here at the academy a few days.” Cass smiled and spoke cheerily until he saw the hilt of a sword poking out of one of the instructor's bags.

“Um sir? Why would we be taking swords to the dojo the zanjutsu studies today were in the practice field today.” Cass frowned thinking he had screwed up and was walking right back to where he was supposed to be or worse yet just gave the instructor the idea that he was skipping class.

With less to carry the man's face lightened slightly. The stern look on remained, but the glare of his eyes seem less hostile. Rather than kill you, he was more likely to maim or wound you severely. When Cass mentioned he didn't know the way to the sixth dojo the man's scowl returned with a vengeance. He took a moment to gaze upon the student more carefully then let out a long exasperated sigh.
"Fine." the man growled. His head drooped and he gave it a small shake. "Follow me then, and try not to get lost!" he snapped before starting on in the proper direction. Without all four cumbersome bags he was able to move a lot easier than before. That being he was reduced to a penguin like waddle as he moved through the streets of Seireitei. Now he walked with a even stride. As he walked some people going in the opposite direction would wave at him and give a shallow bow. Most were other instructors others were shinigami. The man's face softened for the second time as the gave a polite smile and nodded or said hello.
"Kenichi!" A shinigami in black robes stopped "I didn't see you last night, will you be joining us for a game tonight?" The man had short black hair split down the middle. There was enough hair to hide the man's ears, but otherwise the dark locks perfectly framed his face.

"Sorry." the man called Kenichi said not slowing down. "I'll be busy. There has been an increase in the number of students of late. I've been stuck helping to grade papers as well as the normal classes." The shinigami gave an shrug and smiled.
"Some other time then." he said before walking away. Kenichi only nodded and kept walking at now somewhat hastened pace. It was only minutes later that he stopped in front of the large building. It looked just like the many other large structures they had passed on their way through the academy grounds, only this one had the number six on the wall. This had to be the place. Kenichi dropped the bag from his left hand and opened the door. He retrieved his load and walked into the doorway. With a jerk of his head he signaled for Cass to follow. Inside was cooler than the outside. It took a moment for ones eyes to adjust to the low light, but it was a rather spacious building. The floors were wooden with a slight polish to them giving them a dark reddish color. By no means was the building empty there were several students in the dojo. Most of them were in pairs taking practice swings at one another. One would student would raise their wooden sword over their head and strike. The other would defend by holding their weapon horizontal over their head. Once blocked the other person took a turn at attacking. A quick head count showed there were at least 14 pairs moving about the floor. It was hard to be precise as all the motion made it hard to get a clear view. On one side of the room there were too figures sitting.

Cass followed the instructor for a short while, all along the way as they passed other instructors of the academy and they would wave or bow politely at the instructor. It almost felt like a walk of shame for Cass, like the Instructor he was helping knew that he had caught a truant trying to sneak back in. When they passed a blacked robed shinigami he spoke to the instructor like an old friend asking if he was going to join him for some sort of game. While that wasn't all that important in and of itself Cass did learn that the man he was helping was called Kenchi.

When they entered the academy grounds Cass followed obediently as they passed a few of the dojos where the basic classes were held. So far he had only been allowed to enter Dojos one, two and three. So when they went even farther into the academy Cass was at a lost. Finally they arrived at the sixth dojo and Cass could hear the sounds of sparing coming from inside. With a frown Cass followed Kenchi inside waiting for further instructions as to where he was supposed to take the bags.

“So um...I am glad I could help sir, but I really should be joining my own class now.” Cass made to drop the bags and back out. He didn't like the idea of being surrounded by so many other who wished to practice violence. Even though practice was supposed to help them prepare to be a better protector; there were still those in the room who showed a lust for violence who simply wanted to do nothing more that utterly defeat any opponent that were matched with.

The sour look on Kenichi face seemed to deepen as he observed the students engaged in practice.
"Bend your knees more!" he shouted at student nearest to him. "Absorb the shock not just with your arms, but your legs." he turned his attention to the next pair. "Tighten your grip, otherwise you'll lose your weapon." The critiques continued to flow as he worked his way through the room. A loose stance, a weak follow through, with each step he saw the mistakes they were making and corrected them. Finally he made it to the far wall and released the bags from his hands. With his foot he slid them next to one another. "Alright." he said finally as Cass mentioned his desire to depart back to his class. He moved toward a table not far from where he had placed the bags. "Place those down there please." he called out over his shoulder. Kenichi was already heading back with sheet of paper and a pen. "You said your class was in the practice fields? Tell me your teacher's name and I'll write you a note." the man said as he started to write on the empty page.

"That won't be necessary Kenichi." a voice called out from their right. Now they had crossed the room the two men sitting on the floor were easier to see. One man wore instructor's robes while the other wore shinigami black. The instructor was an very old man his hair white as fresh snow. A long white beard hid most of his lower face and trailed down into his lap. He was looking right at Cass and Kenichi and smiling. His whole face was covered in wrinkles. So much so it was almost impossible to see his eyes under the folds. Were they even open? The other man had his head bent down in concentration at the small game board between the two man. His red hair fell about his face as he looked at the game pieces before him. He made no effort to look up at the newcomer. "The field practice ended some time ago. An hour perhaps?" the old man scratched his head as if trying to remember. Kenichi eyed the old man then looked back at Cass. "Come here, boy." the old man beckoned. The dark haired man cut his eyes at the student then nodded. Wordlessly he crumbled up the piece of paper and tucked the pen away.

Cass frowned when the ancient looking instructor called him forward, he had almost managed to get away into the crowd of students. “So...practice let out already? I must have gotten lost looking for the practice grounds.” He obviously was trying to lie his way out but even to his own ears it came out flat. With a mischievous grin Cass walked forward. “Okay so I have been caught skipping class; am I to assume that you are going to come up some sort of off the wall idea of punishment? Maybe expulsion?” Cass walked over to the elder instructor and bowed politely, “My name is Cass, sir I have only been at the academy a few weeks, please excuse my momentary lack of manners.” He suddenly realized that if he got expelled all he had worked for to get admitted to the academy would be for nothing other than a regret he would unwillingly share over a cup of sake.

Standing up straight Cass looked at the old man, he did seem quite frail, but his adventures in the Rukongai's outer rings had taught him not to judge a person's strength by appearance alone. This man was an instructor so he had to have enough power to keep unruly students in line. Even here where every student was armed he seemed visibly at ease, but it was more than that this man had an air of confidence about him that no matter what went wrong he could easily handle it.

The old man said nothing as the towering student drew closer. Sitting down it was hard to tell how tall the instructor was. At best he looked to be around 5 feet, but his back was arched slightly due to his age. His head nodded as the man introduced himself. The red haired man in front of him had finally decided upon his move and shifted his blue piece across the board. He grinned at the old man satisfied with his choice. That smile faded as the instructor moved his red piece diagonally in front of the piece the man had just moved. The shinigami ran his hand through his hair and groaned.

"Well met." The old man laughed amused at frustrating the shinigami so easily. Kenichi, standing beside the student coughed.
"Sir, we need to continue the lesson." the other instructor said. The old man waved his hand dismissively.
"Yes, yes." One of the old man's eyes opened. It was deep blue in color. "Start the second training drill; 1,000 swings. Then follow into katas." Kenichi bowed then walked away. It wasn't hard to miss the grumbling as he did so. He began shouting commands at the practicing students and they stopped their exercises to line up in rows. Each of them took a combat stance with their swords held out in front of them. Kenichi started to count. With each number the students swung their wooden swords vertically then back to the starting position. He would stop from time to time to correct the student's stances or criticize their swings. The old man ignored it and turned his attention back to the student before him

"So tell me; Cass was it? Why is it that you're avoiding your lessons?" The other man finally looked up at the student for the first time. A welcome distraction from the game before him. He gave a small smile to the Cass. "As you can see my advance classes are much more gruel than those for fledgling students." The old man's eye had shut once more and was hidden under the folds of his wrinkled lids. He didn't need to see, he could sense the man's reiryoku. Years of experience allowed him to accurate gauge people's spiritual power. Cass' power was as refined that has spent much time in the academy. Nothing like the shinigami sitting across from him. It still had it's rough parts, but still a certain level of focus the tall man lacked.

Cass was lost in his own world for the moment as the older instructor gave his assistant instructions concerning the class going on behind them, He is going to have them do a thousand swings then work on their katas? With the weight of those practice swords their arms are going to feel like jello after all that and then to have to hold their sword in one position for a certain period of time before flowing to the next one would be brutal on their muscles. Cass watched some of the students fall in line and start the drill effortlessly despite the sparing that was happening earlier. When Cass heard his name spoke he turned and looked at the elder who for the first time had one blue eye focused on him for a brief moment, before closing again. When the old man asked why he refused to take part in the sparring and the swordsmanship lessons Cass frowned, it wasn't something he liked talking about. However, when an instructor asked a student a question he expected an answer, this would be no different.

“Well sir, I don't like violence. I don't know if you know every applicant's background, but I have no memory of what or who I was before waking up in one of the outer rings in the Rukongai where shinigami rarely patrol. I spent a few years wandering those outer rings looking for a place where I could find peace, but everywhere there was bloodshed and violence for no reason other than to satisfy a bloodlust. Sure I have had my share of fights, but I would rather find a way to end a fight rather than to hack my opponent into tiny bits.” Cass gestured out to the class behind him all of whom were working at their drill with different levels of enthusiasm.

“Even in this class of upperclassmen there are those who want nothing more than to be given the title of Shinigami so that they can force their view of the law on others and crush those who can't defend themselves, but have a different view of how justice is carried out.” Cass turned back to the older instructor to continue, “You obviously weed some of them out as they get closer and closer to their goal but your methods can't be fool proof for everyone of us has that potential to be the monster that prays on those under us.”

Taking a few moments to catch his breath after his rant Cass calmed down and finally spoke quietly, “I don't want to be a shinigami who fights for the sake of violence, but for the sake of those who can't fight for themselves.”

The old man stroked his beard as he listened to the younger man's words. Then his hand stopped, and for several seconds he didn't move. Finally he cocked his head to the side. His hand resumed combing it's fingers through the white hair.
"An interesting philopshy." he said after a moment. The shinigami had taken that time to make his next move on the game board. "What are you thoughts on the matter?" the old man asked directing his words at his opponent. The other man looked at the instructor then to the student.

"I'm only here for a game Master Miyazakii, it's nothing of my concern." he stated with a small bow. The old man cackled at the other man's words and slapped his knee.
"I do recall not too long ago you came here and sought wisdom, perhaps you can impart something upon this boy." the old man said gesturing to Cass. The man's eye had crept open once more and stared down at the shinigami. For a moment the man's mouth opened, but no words came out. Finally he swallowed and looked at Cass. He continued to stare at the student as he replayed the words the man had spoken. After the third time he gave a slight shrug and a grimace.

"Honestly, I think you should quit the academy." The red haired man said. Miyazakii exploded into laughter so loudly that the whole class stopped. Kenichi stood there and stared at the small group. The dark haired man shook his head and clapped his hands loudly and resumed counting. "I mean you no insult, but I don't think you're cut out for it. Or moreso it's not a job you should take up." Miyazakii's laughter started to subside.
"Well I didn't expect that kind of answer." The old man wiped a tear from his eye. "I was hoping for something abit more inspirational or perhaps profound." To this the shinigami only raised his hands as to ward off the man from advancing.

"I didn't mean for it to sound rude, but I thought it best to say it honestly. While his thoughts are noble, it's rather naive and idealistic." he began. "Not wanting to hurt anyone is all well in good, but in a fight where you're opponent's trying to kill you. Trying to protect yourself and your enemy is a difficult situation. I'm not saying it can't be done, but it's a bad position to put yourself in." To this the old man nodded.
"Avoiding lethal or deadly force when its used against you isn't something easily done. Only those with vast skill and experience and pull off such feats." Miyazakkii added. "But even harder to avoid bodily harm to themselves in doing so." The red haired man nodded in agreement. Although he himself was not capable of such things he had fought those with so much power he was unable to inflict any damage.
"What of hollows? Do you think such a thing will work with them?" The red haired man asked. "I doubt that something you want to try. They're not going to show you any mercy to be sure. That aside you make it sound like all shinigami are violent sadistic egomaniac only doing the job because they want to lord themselves over people. You can't be more further from the truth." His hand rose to point at the long haired blond in one of the rows. She used to live in Rukongai and visits her friends there every day she can." The man's hand shifted to a young man in the back panting for breath. "He's been trying to graduated for years, but keeps trying so he can join the squad of the man he admires. I myself joined the 13 Gotei to meet the man that saved me from hollows so many years ago." Miyazakii smiled as the red haired man continued to speak. "You see, not all shinigami are vile individuals. It's our job as shinigami protect others from those type of soul reapers should the system fail."

Cass sat quiet for a few moments as he absorbed both of the elders' words weighing each in turn. The old instructor raised a very interesting point that he not all shinigami were vile and deceitful, and although there may be some corrupted shinigami there were many more ready to rise up and quell the threat before it grew into something major. The shinigami on the other hand had done nothing more than told Cass to quit to leave this dream of being a shinigami in the past, Cass' fist clenched at the very thought. Is the shinigami right? Should I just leave all of this simply because I refuse to draw a sword when there is no call for it? What about when it comes to fighting a hollow would I really be able to kill a hollow?

“Doesn't our zanpakuto purify a hollow not kill them?” Cass asked recalling some of the reading he had been assigned his first week. “Because of that there is always balance between this world and the world of the living. We differ from humans in that respect because when they take down a hollow they annihilate a soul completely.” Cass grinned feeling he had made a solid point to the shinigami.

Turning his attention back to Miyazakkii he thought for a moment then carefully answered. “I believe you misunderstand my lack of will to fight for cowardice, but I wish you would believe me when I tell you that its not, nor is it a lack of skill. I have seen too much blood shed and I do not wish to be part in more of it. However if I must I will fight to defend myself and others.”

The red haired man had turned his attention back to the game board. His index finger rested on one of his pieces as Cass restated his case. Very slowly he moved the cube two hexes to the right.
"Now I'm confused." The man stated not looking up at the student. "You're saying that you can fight, you will fight, but you don't want to train because you don't like violence?" His finger lingered on the piece. "Are you being bullied or something? Are people hitting you too hard? Can't handle the classes? It doesn't make sense otherwise." he looked at the man before them. Then it was his turn to cock his head to the side "Wait....." he turned to the old man "Could it be that simple?" The shinigami released the piece and waited for Miyazakii's reaction. It seemed enough to make the instructor ponder his next move. At this time the man shifted back to the student. "I think I've figured out the problem. Once again I'll have to advise you to quit the academy. Well maybe that's a bit too cruel, you could join the 4th squad. They're in a non-combat role. But honestly I think you would cause problems there as well. The truth of the matter is you are a coward. The reason for your skipping class is just plain cowardice on your part." he said

"It's not about the will to fight or protect others, it's that you fear your power." Miyazakii was still hunched over the game pieces so the man continued. "You mentioned those using their station as shinigami to inflict harm. You're afraid of being like them. Power corrupts. Although you claim justice, it's just something for you to hide behind. You say that you will only fight to protect others and myself. Such a statement sounds silly to a normal person." A shinigami's job was to protect others, why state the obvious? He paused as he looked at the other students practicing. "But I guess it makes sense if you think everyone is twisted and evil. To be strong isn't a sin, to want to get stronger not something fueled by ambition and greed. The only thing you want to protect is your ego. If you're worried about something like that you're much worse than any of those so called thugs and ruffians you saw in Rukongai." Miyazakii looked over at the shinigami, then back to Cass and said nothing.
"Wisdom indeed." The old man muttered as he moved his piece forward one hex.

Cass' brow creased in frustration the red headed shinigami was really pushing his patience, no matter what point of view he tried to bring to the table the only answer he gave was to give up or join a squad which rarely saw combat. “What is the matter with you?” Cass asked his anger only now starting to seep into his voice, “Since I have gotten here you have told me nothing more than to quit and go home. What have I done that offends you so much? Is it because you think me a coward because I won't fight?” Cass slammed his hand down on the board in which the two men were playing there game, he was tired of only having half of their attention. “If I am such a coward then face me...now put your honor on the line and fight a coward.”

Cass straightened up and walked out into the middle of the dojo floor the students had all but stopped and was watching the exchange now that Cass had caused such a scene. “If you really want me to quit that face me...if I lose I will leave the academy and give up ever pursuing my dream of being a shinigami.”

There was no hiding the surprise as the student destroyed the game. Miyazakii had shifted away from the oncoming attack seconds before it struck the board. Pieces when flying in every direction. The shinigami stared at the game then looked up at the student as he made his challenge. His eyes followed the Cass as he took to the center of the dojo. Kenichi was less than thrilled to have his class interrupted by some student.
"Now see here_" he started, when another voice cut in.
"Kenichi!" it was Miyazakii. Both of his eyes were open and looked at Cass. "Let them proceed."
"But Master!" the dark haired man protested, but the old man shook his head.
"I will permit this match." He gave a wide grin "This will be good for the students." With that being said the students quickly moved out of the way and Kenichi retreated.

The red haired shinigami looked dubiously at Cass and then to Miyazakii. Still the old man was smiling.
"Although you are not my student, I wish to see how far you have come under my friend's tutelage." The shinigami gave a small grin and bow his head then rose to his feet."But please refrain from destroying my dojo."
"I am sorry about our game." The man said as he started to walk towards the waiting Cass.
"Don't worry." Miyazakii called out. "I had you beat in four more moves. This will be much more entertaining." The man only shook his head at the older man's comment. He was winning their match quite easily. The shinigami came to a stop nearly eight feet from Cass and crossed his arms over his chest.
"So how would you like to do this?" he asked. Now that he was standing it was clear to see that the shinigami was shorter than Cass. He also wore no weapon on his hip. "I'll fight you however you see fit, but let's avoid using kido indoors. I don't think Master Miyazakii would like a hole in his roof."

Cass grinned as the red-haired shinigami walked out to the center of the dojo, “Now why would I use kido to prove that I am not a coward? This fight is to prove to you and to any watching that I am not afraid to fight any who leave me no other choice.” Cass could see all the students in the dojo watching intently, it wasn't often they got to see a shinigami fight, let alone what they only assumed would be a one sided match. Kenchi stood at the back of the room beside the old man who just stared at both of them with a knowing smile as if he knew things would come to this.

Rotating his shoulders Cass trying to get a feeling for what it would be like to have to fight in his student's uniform and frowned when he realized that he didn't have complete freedom of movement in his left arm without catching his right arm. With an annoyed frown Cass pulled his left arm free of its sleeve and wrapped the free sleeve around his waist leaving his left side exposed. Finally satisfied he slid his right foot back and turned his left shoulder towards the red-haired shinigami making himself a smaller target.

“You know you have me at a great disadvantage here, aside from the gap in skill and sheer power in a student and shinigami; you know my name yet I do not know yours.” Cass placed his hand on the pommel of his asauchi knowing without a doubt that he would have to draw his blade if he had any chance in surviving this duel.

"Is that what you're doing?" The man asked with arched eyebrow. "You're fighting because you had no choice? If I recall correctly I gave you some a choice and you chose fight me." He took a moment to look at those watching. "You're the aggressor. You challenged me. Did you already forget? This is the type of cowardice I was talking about. I can only wonder the mental gymnastics you just did. Somehow you still see yourself as the shining light of justice. You're not the avatar of light and goodness, you're a man. Well, at least for the most part. You're a human being with feelings and emotions. People can be kind or cruel. And you are no exception. The non-violent man got angry. I told you something you didn't want to hear and you want to fight." Kenichi sighed as he listened to the shinigami prattle on. He would tolerate fight between the two men, but that didn't mean he'd like it. He wished they would hurry up and get it over with. The students on the other were anxious to see the battle unfold. What kind of skills did the student have? What would the shinigami do? They were beside themselves with anticipation. "Do you need to know my name? Does it really matter? I promise it won't make any difference. After this I'll be sure to forget yours." He finished as he uncrossed his arms. His left leg slid back and his right hand came forward. The left was quickly tucke by his hip. Now his body was in vertical to Cass. "If you want to complain about disadvantages you shouldn't have asked for this fight." Quietly the shinigami questioned his luck. It would seem every time he faced off against someone they were taller than him. He wasn't that short, but it seemed only tall people were his opponents. Inwardly he groaned. Despite his bravado this was quite embarrassing. A fight with a student. What was he thinking? He was glad it was indoors otherwise Bryce would be watching the bout via the hidden camera. Still he didn't want to make this a long and drawn out fight. With shunpo he could close the distance and simply land a very strong punch to the man's stomach. Or he could appear behind the man and hit him from the rear. Both ideas were hardly sporting after calling the man a coward. He slightly regretted not bringing his zanpukto, but he really hadn't thought he'd need it. His purpose was a friendly game with Master Miyazakii, not start a brawl with a student.

Cass smiled as the red-haired shingami took up a stance similar to his own, though he didn't place his hand on his zanpakuto like him. He is making himself a smaller target for a stabbing or a range attack, but if you fight someone who uses slashes and sweeps you just give them more of a target. Surely a shinigami would know this, maybe he is mimicking me just to see how much I know...but he isn't carrying his zanpakuto. Does he not take me seriously enough to even bring his blade to battle? Cass frowned, this battle was already one sided, but he had to wonder how far the shinigami out matched him to not even carry a weapon other than his hands and feet. “I promise you...that you will want to remember my name, because I will surpass you one day...you will answer to me and I will remember you were the one who told me to give up on everything I have worked for.” Cass pulled his sword sheath and all from his belt before holding it at his side. [i]The only chance I have is to attack first and hope to catch him by surprise.

With a shout Cass charged forward quickly closing the gap between him and the shinigami, mid stride he drew his sword aiming to end it quick with a slash to the head, but this was only a fake out, his right hand still held the sheath and was aiming to bash his opponent in the side.

As the shinigami continued to ponder his point of attack the student had already made up his mind. The next moment the man was moving forward. Inwardly Arawn smiled. That was the correct course of action when facing someone stronger than yourself. Waiting for the opponent to strike would only lead to trouble. A more experienced foe would take the first assault to set the pace for the rest of the fight. A battle was all about flow, attacking first was one way to control that flow. At the same time it could be just the opposite. Nothing was 100%, but in taking risks you could reap some rewards. And the risk of going first was the same as one would expect in rushing into a lion's den. Perhaps it was the shinigami's words or it was his lack of weapon that spurned the student forward. In any case it made things easier for man. He couldn't decide on what to do, so he opponent had decided for him.

Forward came the man brandishing his weapon. The shinigami wasn't a novice when it came to unarmed combat. Not to mention he was quite used to fighting people larger than him. The one thing he'd learned was to use that size against them. Being bigger meant they had better reach and range. But that that meant they were at a disadvantage the closer one got to their body. So getting closer was the most definite point of attack. The shinigami met Cass' charge, but right as the blade came howling in made his own forward rush. He ducked his head to avoid the sword attack that never came and advanced deeper into his enemy's range. His left hand rose to guard his open flank as swung his right elbow forward into his opponent's chest. With no delay he launched an uppercut at the man's face with his left.

Cass grunted as the red-haired shinigami dove his elbow into his chest, he started to stumble backwards only feel himself being lifted from the ground as the uppercut sent him down to the floor. What the hell he just took me down in less than three moves. Cass got to his feet carefully because the entire dojo was kind of fuzzy. Wiping his right sleeve across his face Cass wiped away a little blood that came from his chin and smiled, “You know I was all worried you weren't gonna take this seriously or even worse not fight back at all and just dodge everything I through at you. I am glad you proved my suspicions wrong, but now the real fight begins.”

Looking around he spotted his blade off to the right and frowned the only thing he had left was the sheath of the sword, by itself it wouldn't be useful however for his next plan Cass didn't need the sword or the sheath. Still he took up the same stance as he did before his eyes set on his opponent. Okay Cass you can't let yourself make the same mistake again...don't attack first...let him attack then finish it before the third heartbeat and retreat back to a safe distance. Cass' smile was still as plain as day of his face but his eyes told another story with their dark color showing nothing, except for his desire to prove himself.

“The move is yours.”

While the student's attacks failed both of the shinigami's had connected. But it seemed not enough to put the man out of commission.
"At least he's tough." the shinigami said to himself as he kept his battle stance. It only took a moment for the opponent to recover. The hit seemed to have done less damage than he expected. Perhaps since he was bigger the uppercut wasn't as potent as it could be with a man his size. He hadn't thought about that when he launched the attack, but now it seemed rather obvious. Still the damage, or the lack there of, had been done. But it seemed that Cass was grateful for the hit. It was true the shinigami had thought of evading all attacks, but he wouldn't feel right about it. If he had would the man really be satisfied with his loss? Possibly.
"Of course I take any fight seriously." The shinigami responded to the student's comment. "But for you to say that this battle has just begun means you aren't doing the same."

The shinigami lowered his hands to his side and brought both of his feet together.
"Focus." he said as he closed his eyes and hopped 5 inches off the ground. Once he landed his hopped back up again. For several seconds he simply hopped in place. After a fashion his breathing matched his jumps. In as he rose, and out as he fell. Short swift breaths. His eyes opened as he continued his strange behavior. Subconsciously some people were watching his motions and moving their heads. Others had matched his breathing. The shinigami smiled. "Since you aren't going to take me too seriously, I guess I should have some fun as well." he said to himself With that being said he landed. Rather than hop back up he bent his knees almost if squatting. His upper body fell forward as if he had loss his balance, but the next second he pushed off the ground with all the power he could muster. The shinigami launched forward like a dart. His body was horizontal just inches from the ground. He was coming in fast and low at the student. At the last moment, barely 2 ft from Cass, his hands slammed into the floor pushing him up and over the student leg first. The shingiami was now above the student facing downward. His legs bent again and he kicked off the ceiling. The red haired man came crashing down at the opponent his with his elbow leading. His aim was the man's head.

Cass frowned as he watched the red-haired shinigami bounce up and down on the balls of his feet, he even caught himself following the movement with the nod of his own head once but quickly stopped. He is trying to get me to sync to his own rhythm so he can control the flow of this fight...that is a basic tactic...but it also very effective if he can pull it off; I have to be very careful. When the shinigami started towards him Cass didn't move keeping his eyes on him, he wouldn't strike till the very last moment. When the shinigami stopped and appeared to drive a kick towards his legs Cass acted thrusting out right hand to block the kick that never came and pointing his left hand at his abandoned sword, “Hado, number two Reel!” The sword flew through the air and into his hand quickly closing the gap, when Cass went to sweep at the shinigami he was gone. All the students had there eyes on the ceiling and Cass took the hint, acting on instinct he jammed the pommel of his blade into the empty sheath and ducked so the blade was now taller than him.

In retrospect a kamikaze attack wasn't the wisest of choices when it came to attacking. But at that time he figured the windup and pitch would be sufficient enough to make the strike land. It's one thing to be right, it was another to be half right. In most cases the shinigami was right. Being half right wasn't something you wanted to be when in a battle. Even if his bouncing hadn't gotten the man off balance the sudden shift in direction was nearly flawless. Regardless the student reacted quite well. There was an audible hiss as Cass' weapon swung at his previous location. If he had been any faster in his attack it would have landed. It was quite crafty of him to use a spell to retrieve his lost weapon. While the shinigami had promised to not use kido, the man had made no such pledge. Although he had said he wouldn't use it to prove his worth. Technically he hadn't used it against the shingiami directly. As the last part of attack came about he was amazed again on how quickly the man reacted. This time in a much more bothersome manner. As he descended the man's weapon ascended and he was heading right for it.

The whole point of his attack pattern was a quick and powerful blow. Now that speed and power were working against him. There were various methods to stop his divebomb attack the shingami used the first one that came to mind; and it hurt. What he used was the very same skill that got him into the mess to begin with. Shinigami had the ability to control reishi in the air. In doing so they were able to stand or even walk on air as if it were solid ground. While this usually focused on their feet it was possible to do it other ways as well. For this particularly dangerous situation the shinigami employed the technique over his whole body. It was something anyone could do, but not something everyone would attempt. He had his own reasons for mastering such a skill, but he was thankful that he had. His reiatsu surged from his body and he froze in the air as if time had stopped. All around him the air started to vibrate. It looked that simple but what had happened was he crashed himself into a wall rather than being skewered onto the blade. His nose was squished, and he could feel his elbow crackle as it hit the invisible barrier. He might have snapped the arm, but it was better than being cut open. For a second he hovered there then righted himself and pushed away. He landed a few feet from Cass and flexed his arm. It hurt to bend, but still functional.
"Arawn if you would please." Miyazakii called out to the red haired shinigami. The old man was pointing at the students along the wall. A few of them looked absolutely pale, others were sweating. It took the man a moment to realize his spiritual pressure was having an effect on them. He had forgotten to pull back his power after halting his fall. "Sorry about that." spoke the man as his reiatsu receded. The reaction wasn't immediate, but the students seemed to recover. Miyazakii smiled and nodded his head. Arawn flexed his arm again then got into a fighting stance with his right hand forward and the wounded arm in the rear. "Now, where were we?"

Cass felt as if the world was suddenly ripped out from under his feet and he was left to free fall in to the void of space, his face went white as sweat poured down his face. Such power...it's making it difficult to breathe...how far outmatched am I truly? Is this sparring match simply an annoyance for him that he will end when I grow boring? Cass got shakily to his feet trying to keep the room in focus, when he heard the old man speak for the first time since the fight began he listened. Arawn? Who the hell is he, wait that has to be my opponent, at least now I know who the hell just about killed me.

“What the hell was that?” Cass stammered facing Arawn, “That power...is that really the gap between a Shinigami and a student? Heh...I have a long way to go if I ever hope to match you in a real fight...but right now...right now I won't back down, even if I can't win.” Cass leveled his sword at Arawn and started to spin the sheath in his right hand slowly listening to the whistle as it slid through the air faster and faster. He kept this up until the sound was a high-pitched steady whistle; some of the students were physically wincing in pain, while others farther back from him didn't notice anything.

With a smirk Cass stood there straight and defiant with the sheath spinning in his right hand, “So Arawn...how is that arm of yours are you still able to fight or do you wish to yield? Cass was still breathing heavy trying to recover from the exposure to the high energy, “Or can you still fight with just one arm?”

The man called Arawn only grinned. Miyazakii had called out his name and the student had latched onto it. As he had said it didn't matter if he knew his name. This was a fight, so it was of little importance. The only way it would be was if it were before they had met and he was researching him. Chances were he wouldn't find anything. At the same time he wondered what if anything would someone uncover about himself. What indeed? Perhaps a part of him wanted to known, but the practical part of him knew it would only be trouble. What was the saying? A nail that stands out, gets hammered down. Something like that. Arawn was fine being on the sidelines and out of sight. But every once in awhile it was nice to cut loose. He could already hear the steady thumping of his heart in his chest. A hollow was well and good, but for the most part many of them lacked the strategic mind that dwelt in their stronger brethren. To put it bluntly they were of less challenge mentally as they were physically. Still Arawn smiled as the man suggested that he retreat after the self inflicted injury.
"Tis just a flesh wound." He said his grin never fading. In an instant he was gone and stood only a two feet from Cass. "Just so you know, this isn't kido." Arawn raised his left hand at the student. Sa Shin Mu: Ju-Jak Windblast From his out stretched hand came a burst of reiatsu. Rather than releasing the spiritual pressure from all points he was letting out a concentrated stream at his opponent. The effect was something akin to very strong gust of wind with the intensity of his spiritual pressure. The last burst had rattled the man, what would this do? Arawn's right hand began to glow faintly.

Cass blinked and tried to stumble backwards as the red-haired shinigami disappeared and reappeared in front of him suddenly; before he could react a gust of reiatsu infused wind hit him dead in the chest sending him skidding backwards. He is fast...really fast...there is no way in hell that I can match his speed or even hope to turn it against him. Hell I can't even see his move when he chooses that he is bored with moving at my pace. Cass gripped his sword tighter his knuckles white over the pommel, I'd rather go out fighting than to pass out just from being in the presence of a high spiritual power. Charging forward he held his sword out to the side when he was close enough he aimed to take another swipe at the shinigami's head. This time however it wasn't a fake. The sheath still in his right hand sped towards Arawn's left knee, however unknown to Cass if it connected it would shatter the sheath before it could do any damage.