A rooftop excursion

[Firechild]

Kazue was watching Shin deflect his rain of arrows with a high level Kidou. The simple fact that he could USE Bakudo 81 was impressive to say the least. A chuckle escaped his lips as the 5th seat posed his question. Ah well, the 12 Division DID have it's reputation after all. That type of a question was too be expected. The Vice Captain pondered his answer, trying to decide which words would be best as to not give off the wrong impression. But then...nobody other then Hana and his Captain really understood him...maybe it was for the best he had such a reputation. "Just as I said. I wish to study you. the fact that you hide your true strength intrigues me."

A stream of reishi flowed into Kazue's shoulders, causing them to glow brightly. "But the fact that we still have a duel to finish...well, I think we can discuss it afterwords." A crimson arrow surged with the overflowing energy of his stronger shots. Soaring towards Shin, the Shakkaho arrow was ready to ignite upon contact.

Yes...it's for the best... Kazue's eyes closed, a solemn smile gracing his features.

"Hana still supports you...stay steadfast and you'll be fine. Now finish this..." His Zanpakuto had a gruffness about it's voice that was all too familiar. His stern posture and composure radiated authority.

You're right... Kazue responded with a grim nod. A second arrow was notched, sparking with yellow light. The Raikoho arrow was released, expanding swiftly and traveling much faster then before. However it's strength was dramatically decreased. Never the less it was still a strong attack, and one not to be taken lightly.

[Darkoda]

Kazue's comment was somewhat expected, yet something seemed....off about his tone, like he was hiding his true intentions behind his words. The archer had a good point about finishing the duel though, he could always ask him later; he spent enough time at 12th Division anyway. The flowing reishi was a gigantic beacon to Kazue's current location, and Shin could feel the power radiating from the crimson arrow. Another hado infused shot was on its way apparently. Probably Shakkaho if the colour was any indication.

'Those hado powered arrows are giving me a few ideas to try out later. For now though, its time to close distance again.'

'You know he's probably going to shoot you twice again, do you really think its a good idea to get in close?'

'I know he's going to shoot at me again, that's what I'm counting on. Somehow, I think a reiatsu draining sword is going to shield me better than a bow will shield him.'

Shin was clearly overdue for one of his more reckless stunts, and his idea was somewhat sound. With a burst of Shunpo, he appeared right in front of the archer, just in time to see the yellow arrow of Raikoho charging. It was too perfect, the incredibly slow arrow wouldn't be ready to fire before Shin could attack.

"Then, let us put an end to our little game." The flames of his zanpakuto were shot forward in a short ranged, but fierce plume of flame,just as Kazue's arrow was released, expanding into the flames. Shin didn't expect the archer to fire a weaker, thus faster, shot than before, but it simply brought him back to his original plan; blow up the arrow in his face. Shin raised his hand and uttered his strongest hado, bypassing the incantation; there was a level 63 hado arrow practically in his face after all. "Hado #63, Soren Sokatsui"

The entire area lit up in the resulting explosion. The sheer force of the blast hurled Shin away straight into a building that he skidded across, using his zanpakuto as an anchor to slow him down. Ah, his shikai was dissolving the spiritrons that the rooftop was composed of, but at least Shin himself wasn't that badly hurt, besides the second degree burns across his body. Okay, so he was moderately injured, and getting tired at this point, but a few minor issues like feeling as if he just got thrown into a bonfire never really stopped him before. The question was what became of Kazue. If Shin got hurt that badly with his zanpakuto to soften the blow, he was expecting Kazue to get launched through something, barring another device or an inhuman amount of speed.

"If you're still conscious and moving, how about we call it a draw archer?" At this rate, if they kept it up, at least one of them was going to end up needing a trip to the hospital, and being bed-ridden wasn't going to help Shin's training any. That last Shunpo was a bit faster than his usual rate thinking about it, so his little adventure with the Vice Captain did serve its original purpose, plus he got an experience with fighting a strategist in battle, a practical application of Danku, and a few ideas to explore. The pain was more than worth the gains of tonight.

[Firechild]

Power...that is what Kazue found when he looked at Shin. The power of a Vice Captain. The Prodigy wondered why the 5th seat hid his power...He was certainly more than he appeared, but why the secrecy? Well...he planned to find out one way, or another...

The arrow that had just been released exploded from the combined impact of the Reishi draining flames, and the weak version ala incantation-less Soren Sokatsui made such a massive explosion of Reishi that Kazue would have taken damage...if he hadn't decided to show off. Right before the blast was initiated, Shin would be able to discern a handful of words from the 12th Division Vice Captain, that would prove just how much stronger he was than the 5th seat. "I admit you are quite skilled...Just as strong as I was when I first attained my rank of Vice Captain probably...I commend you for your power...But your experience, just isn't enough." Kazue's reietsu suddenly spiked just as the explosion blasted outwards. "Ban...kai..." Kazue's reietsu counteracted the explosion, shielding him from any damage what so ever as reishi flooded around him. A cry from a raven filled the air as the smoke began to clear.

In the midst of the explosion, a completely unharmed Kazue stood, a great Raven on his shoulders, and a glimmering black armor covering the majority of his vital points. "Bachiatari Karasutokui..." The sheer power that radiated from Kazue was only outdone by the captains at that moment in time. A total of fourteen years has passed since he was able to attain Bankai. Giving him pleanty of time to master the final release of his unusual zanpakuto. The fact that Kazue even considered releasing into his final stage, showed that he respected Shin. But unfortunately, the Vice Captain had won.

"Game over Darkoda Shin..." An arrow of black flame was drawn, notched at the golden string of Kazue's bow. "Do you submit...my oh so worthy opponent?" Kazue said with a pleasant smile, showing that he had enjoyed their encounter.

[Darkoda]

'Well it seems that playtime's really over.'

Shin wasn't expecting the archer to actually accept a draw, but he really didn't think he would release his bankai on him. He definitely had no chance in hell at this point, but there was something to be said for forcing someone to their full release. He could live with the loss; there was always room for a rematch as soon he learnt his own bankai.

'Don't you think you should answer him before he puts a hole though your arm or something?'

Once again, a very valid point.

" I'd rather not get a hole blasted through me, so I think I'll give you the win. Now put the raven away before any captains come along, unless you want to stay here and explain this mess?" Shin certainly didn't, there really was no decent way to justify wrecking an entire clearing and a few buildings from a simple spar. He put back on his headband, showing an unusual amount of trust in the archer; there was nothing stopping him from shooting him after all, especially since he would probably be ticked again that Shin left out his rank. He really should get used to that by now, it's not like Shin ever bothered with unnecessary words like ranks or horrifyingly complex explanations for things.

"Still, that was quite the informative fight, and your kido arrows have given me a very interesting idea. Care to know the details?"

He was probably going to need to get Division 12 to help out though, at least for the material hunt. Why not ask Kazue? He did like crafting things, and Shin was offering him some ideas that he would likely take and craft into something unbelievable. He always did make the fun toys, although he clearly didn't remember them all if his shock at the headband's true purpose was any indication.

"And I might just remind you exactly why I suppress my reiatsu Kazue. Really, I thought you had a photographic memory, yet you forgot about something you made." Granted, it was a ridiculously long time ago and Shin didn't really let him get a decent view of his features, and the only reason Shin remembered him was because it was pretty hard to forget a guy who had a bow for a zanpakuto, but really, he wasn't passing up on a chance to mess with the archer again. He did like the guy, but he had the best reactions to simple teasing. Just the thought of Kazue's reactions brought one of his very rare smiles to his face. Ah well, it wouldn't kill him to let Kazue "study" him as long as he kept those freak devices away from him, he did technically agree to let him see the effects to get the headband in the first place.

Wait, he did agree to something along those lines didn't he? In hindsight, he shouldn't have just reminded Kazue about that, he really didn't need to get experimented on.

'I told you not to say yes but did you listen, nooooooo.'

'Oh shut up.'