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Post by Darkoda on Feb 16, 2010 4:22:16 GMT -4
Shin was starting to get a bit concerned. Normally, when someone was shooting a level sixty hado at you, you didn't sit still and observe. Considering that Tsuno wasn't crazy, that meant that he was up to something. Then a second later, it became clear just what that something was when he felt his vice-captain's reiatsu surge throughout the area. Shin's breathing hitched, as the sheer pressure being put in the air weighed down on him. Then all the pressure vanished as his kido exploded, the blast sending him flying back and tumbling over the ground. Skidding on his back for a few meters, he eventually managed to flip over, using his zanpakuto to slow himself down. He was breathing heavily, both from the energy he had used up today catching up with him, and from the after-effects of Tsuno's reiatsu. He wearily looked up, past the scorched groove that Kumori dug in the ground, to where Tsuno had ended up, against a mountain and missing the top half of his uniform, but considering that all the force was directed at him, he seemed to be in far better condition than Shin was right now.
"You really meant it when you said you weren't going to hold back, were you?"
What was he sounding surprised about? Of course he meant it, he didn't have a death wish.
"If I held back, I would likely be unconscious by now." Shin deadpanned, his breathing starting to even out as he got used to the increased reiatsu. Until Tsuno decided to raise it some more anyway.
Okay, he's just showing off now. Kumori murmured at the back of his mind. Seems that he isn't playing around as much now, his next attack's going to clobber you.
"You're definitely strong, Shin, I'll give you that. The power at your disposal will surely serve you greatly in the future and I look forward to seeing how far you make it under my command. How about we wrap things up shortly before we actually end up hurting each other?"
Well that was unexpected. Shin was currently caught between two feelings; surprise that his vice-captain actually thought somewhat highly of him, and a general sense of foreboding that he really was going to get clobbered.
Why is it that that statement makes me feel like I'm going to end up in fourth division?
Because you probably are. If his reiatsu keeps going up, you aren't going to be able to react, and your commander hits hard.
Shin certainly agreed with that. The kick to his shoulder still smarted. That was beside the point though, since he was going down, he was at least going to go down with a bang. He steeled himself, channeling his reiatsu into his zanpakuto.
"As you wish, I won't disappoint you."
He probably couldn't distract Tsuno with a burst of flame again; he would have realised by now that it was more or less harmless. It was time to bring out the bigger attacks. Of course, he was also aware that if he went charging in, he was definitely going to get beaten.
"Bakudo #9, Geki."
He had no doubts that Tsuno would dodge the kido easily. He only needed to see if he was going to use sheer reiatsu to stop it, or move and counter. Either way, Shin would respond with a Kumori katsu. If Tsuno believed that Kumori couldn't cause direct damage, it could end up catching him off-guard.
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Post by Galihan on Apr 3, 2010 21:39:54 GMT -4
"As you wish, I won't disappoint you."
Waiting a moment to take in another deep breath, Tsuno smiled as he listened to his 5th-seat's response to the vice-captain's request that they finish up this duel. It was quite the considerable workout for both of them, much more so for Shin than for Tsuno considering the gap in their power but still it was enough to make the more experienced of the two grateful that very few opponents he's faced in the past were capable of fighting as proficiently as Shin had proven himself able just now. Tsuno suspected that Shin was more than capable of devising a plan to get out of anything that he were to throw his way, so the vice-captain decided that perhaps it was worthwhile to attempt a direct, head-on attack such as many opponents he himself had assassinated had attempted and failed in last-ditch efforts to end Tsuno's own life. Providing that Shin could come up with a means to escape such an attack and successfully retaliate in such a means appropriate against a foe attempting a Hail Mary, Tsuno would consider Shin fully prepared for fighting nearly any adversary within reasonable limits of his own power and even be highly likely to become a suitable replacement for the position of vice-captain come the time that Tsuno would vacate that seat in order to claim the position above him that was left cold during the final moments of the very first battle against the Horror Vacui.
"You'd better not, if you're not careful than the slightest error may end up costing far worse than a visit to the Fourth's barracks!"
Tsuno launched himself at Shin, resealing his zanpakuto to the form of a sword for a single precise strike one would not get from a multi-bladed sickle. The sword was drawn and raised perfectly at an angle for delivering a swift and fatal thrust trough the neck providing that he stood perfectly still and did nothing to avoid what very well would kill him. If Shin were to only move his head but a half-foot in any direction, save forward, less he force Tsuno to actually readjust his attack so as not to actually kill his favorite subordinate, the blade would easily miss everything but the air adjacent to Shin's head. And thus, the moment that Shin cast Geki, a slight sense of worry washed over the vice-captain as his mid-air trajectory became much more locked in place and Shin did not seem to be moving from his position nearly as quickly as Tsuno was hoping it would. Tsuno was forced to use sheer power to negate the bakudo and use shunpo to relocate himself above Shin at the very last moment to avoid skewering him instead. Shin seemed to retaliate with swinging his blade, releasing another burst of energy from Kumori's shikai, however considering that Tsuno was already over Shin's head to witness the counterattack, had he not pulled away when he did, it would have been very likely that Shin could have been killed, a prospect that Tsuno did not particularly find very appealing. Tsuno swung down his Lotomasa and attempted to connect with Kumori to stop her in her tracks, and follow up with a headbutt aimed at Shin's sternum.
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Post by Darkoda on Apr 7, 2010 21:54:35 GMT -4
Shin was fully prepared for a complicated maneuver from Tsuno, waiting to take advantage of any gap in time he could get to strike back and not get himself steamrolled. What he didn't expect was for his vice-captain to reseal Lotomasa. That didn't particularly register to him as much as when Tsuno decided to charge straight for him. Direct charges were not strategies usually launched by Division two members; actually, they weren't really used that much at all, only by berserker types who constantly charged ahead, and by the desperate, and Tsuno wasn't either. He charged right into his bakudo, but Shin may have underestimated slightly just how quickly Tsuno could close distance when he was actually trying.
Okay, maybe slightly wasn't the right word....
His reaction to the situation wasn't the best option either; he was already committed to his attack, so the best that he could do right now was to try to angle his swing to deflect Tsuno's. The inherent problem with that though, was that by the time he had reacted and tried to literally save his neck, Tsuno had already pulled out of the charge and used shunpo to get out of the way. Al in all, it wasn’t his best moment. If nothing else though, Shin was a quick study. He couldn’t do anything about Tsuno’s actions now, but he could get in a counter-strike. As his sword was caught on Lotomasa, and it became apparent that he wasn’t going to be able to evade the coming blow, Kumori burst into flame, even as Shin took a headbutt right to the sternum. Yeah, he was definitely going to feel that for a few days. It was probably unwise to not attempt to move back an lessen the blow, but the risk gave him an opportunity. Tsuno was too strong and fast for anything to hit from a distance, but at close range…
As he skidded back, he thrusted Kumori forward. The stab wasn’t the main danger though; it was the Kumori Katsu that was fired from the tip that brought the danger. While a stab lacked the sheer reach of a slashing wave, the focused power might well be enough to even catch his vice captain off guard if he didn’t watch it.
His breath was coming out partially as a wheeze now, and a distinct crunching sound was accompaning his gasps. He fell to one knee, his body unable to handle his previous exhaustion, the loss of breath, and the chest damage at once. Looks like that headbutt did more damage than I thought…
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Post by Galihan on Apr 8, 2010 16:45:22 GMT -4
The moment Tsuno's forehead collided with Shin's chest, there was a subtle, guttural crunch that caught the vice-captain's immediate attention as he was moving back away from his undeniably worn-out subordinate. Surely had Shin's bare chest been visible, there would be a rather nasty bruise beginning to form that would normally indicate massive internal bleeding and possibly damaged innards that would be impossible to mend using the primitive medical technology of the living humans compared to the advanced healing techniques developed and practiced by the inhabitants of Soul Society. Tsuno backed off to gain some distance between Shin and himself and possibly see if the 5th-seat was okay, considering that he could very well have sustained an injury that would end his life if not taken care of promptly. Well, prompt being a bit of an exaggeration considering that people with the amount of reiatsu at their disposal as Shin could survive for hours from injuries that would kill normal humans within a minute or two, such as dismemberment, but still, as a leader Tsuno was forced to feel some concern for his junior.
Of course, the whole time from Tsuno charging Shin and then headbutting him would have problably played out in less time than a regular human could keep up with, so the sheer knee-jerk reaction of a counterattack before the impact of his injuries setting in was expected so the vice-captain was not at all unprepared for some sort of retaliation from Shin. The quick thrust that enabled Shin to launch a concentrated version of his Kumori Katsu was very sudden, so much that it even managed to graze by Tsuno leaving burnt flesh, minor blistering and even a small amount of blood to trickle down his left ribs. Tsuno winced slightly as he applied pressure to his own minor injury to stop the bleeding, and came running over to Shin to see if he was actually okay the moment he fell to his knee gasping for air.
Looks like you overdid it, so unlike you.
Sneered the voice of the blade that Tsuno had resheathed across his back, ignoring the obvious statement from his zanpakuto's spirit. It was Lotomasa's head-on, direct approach to battle that Tsuno decided to dabble with that lead to this, and instances like this that explained why Tsuno preferred his own way over that of his sword.
"That sounds pretty painful. Here, let me help you up and get you back to the springs for you to rest while I find some first-aid supplies to patch you up for now."
Sure, Tsuno may have not been a certified physician like someone from Squad Four, but he still knew a fairly decent deal about first aid and how to treat injuries, as did many of the self-sufficient agents of the Onmitsukido and Squad Two. Besides, once Shin got to the healing springs, his reiatsu reserves would replenish rapidly and his physical injuries would soon follow. Still, it wouldnt hurt for Shin to check into the Fourth Squad Barracks afterwords just in case. Tsuno really was impressed with Shin's capabilities, even despite this little incident.
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Post by Darkoda on May 12, 2010 21:37:07 GMT -4
Tsuno’s guess at what was going on at Shin’s chest region was quite close to the mark, although the recipient of the headbutt of death would fine the description missing a few details. No explanation can really capture the incredible burning pain of having a rib or two broken, especially when one of them decides to fracture in such a way as to come uncomfortably close to one’s lung. Granted, a punctured lung was far less of an immediate threat to a shinigami than to a human or even a normal soul, but still, not a pleasant experience, not to mention being pretty much fatal if left alone.
With this in mind, one had to wonder what kind of messed up priorities one had if their main focus was on actually managing to land a blow on the guy that was essentially playing around with him.
That actually worked, the fight wasn’t a total curbstomp!
Yes, a few bruised ribs, some bleeding, and an annoying burning sensation is just compensation for three cracked ribs, and a broken one poking your right lung.
Killjoy
What am I going to do with you……
I know already. I made an error in judgment and paid for it. Fitting when you consider that most fights to the death play out like that.
By this time, Tsuno had made his way over, being aware enough of the extent of Shin’s injuries to know to get him to the springs at least. Of course, while Shin might have had problems with breathing right now, he certainly wasn’t injured to the point that he had to rely on help to walk. He still had some pride left.
“It’s not as bad as it sounds.”
Well that’s technically not a lie, its worse.
“I can still move about-”
It didn’t take a surgeon to figure out that moving when suffering from serious internal bleeding and collapsed lung was probably a very bad idea, even for a seated shinigami. Thus it probably wasn’t much of a surprise when upon stubbornly standing up, Shin was immediately seized by a sharp spike of pain which sent him stumbling, falling….
Well not falling.
You really have no understanding of your limits, do you?
Despite her still lecturing him, Kumori did go through the trouble of showing up and catching him before he ended up on the ground again. As it was, it likely only looked like he stumbled a bit to anyone who wasn’t highly observant….. so his vice-captain would likely figure out quickly that she was out again, especially after the previous spring incident. He wasn’t in the mood to care right now though, more focused on containing the obvious signs of pain.
“Okay, so I can move very slowly with assistance.” He conceded.
“I got him now Tsuno, just worry about the first-aid.”
It was at this point that Shin realized Kumori was visible to his vice-captain right now.
Why are you fully out here?!
“Knowing you, if you accepted help to move to the springs, your pride would die a horrible death. At least with me doing it, you can hold some of that weird sense of dignity you carry. I’m even being nice and only helping you walk instead of just carrying you.”
She paused for a bit thinking over something, then almost as an afterthought added. “Besides, him carrying you means that I’m getting carried by a dog, and that’s just wrong on too many levels. I’m not being nice to you for no reason, so don’t get any ideas.” [/color]
I see…..
Kumori apparently had a point to prove, which just told Shin that she was trying to avoid admitting helping him out of concern; she was trying to change the subject as badly as he did when he was flustered about something.
“You losing to the fire mutt reflects badly on me, if you couldn’t draw enough power to drown out his flame, then we need to train more. I am not to lose to a dog, ever! It’s degrading! But still, considering the power and experience gap, you did better than I expected. I never expected you to land a blow on him, you actually impressed me.”
That was unexpectedly kind and reassuring. Shin would have thought that she was just trying to cheer him up, but she wasn’t nice enough to do that.
Coming from you, that means a lot. Really, thanks.
Kumori was surprising him a lot today, but he never thought that he would see the day that Kumori ever blushed. Maybe he was hallucinating.
“You….you saw nothing! Drown and forget!”
She didn’t give him time to figure out what she meant, before demonstrating by throwing him the few remaining feet into the spring. Fortunately, being underwater was effective enough at masking the stream of curses he let loose upon landing from his vice-captain; he didn’t need to know that this was typical.
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