Hesitating Means Death [Kiriko/closed]

Hi-to crossed over the threshold and into the office Kiriko beckoned him to, coming to stand before her expansive desk as requested. The room was immaculately clean much like his own and so incredibly Kiriko in its own unique way. To all outward she hadn’t changed that much other than the stark white haori draped neatly over her shoulders, and it suited her a great deal. The change in wardrobe was long overdue with her already impressive experience as Captain, after single handedly running the squad for several months much like he had. It was only fitting she now be allowed to wear its symbol proudly, with all she’d done to deserve it.

He’s expected her suspicion towards his current Captain, and wasn’t at all surprised at her extreme mistrust towards having a previous enemy in a position of such influence. Information was something he’d never once kept privy from Kiriko and he didn’t intend to do so now. Like always, if she wanted to know she need only ask, and in this case he’d gathered what he could prior to his arrival. With Umi’s experience in Nawatsuki and the information he’d been told by Takua he could have written a report if he thought she’d care enough for the finer details. It was a good feeling to be back in the Second, where the walls kept their conversations confidential and they tucked more secrets away with the rest.

“Jomyaku Taichou...” He rolled the name off his tongue as if he hadn’t spoken it in a while, still playing with the syllables and the title that came with it. “I have an insider who told me what happened that day in Las Noches, where Tova Diablo consumed the souls he’d preyed upon over the years, leaving him as a plus with extreme power; a Shinigami. He’s holding up his rank remarkable well, though his reason for wanting it in the first place I can’t say, other than to cover his own footsteps legally. He has absolutely no tolerance for his previous kin. If anything, he has a hatred for them I’d love to see him do something with.”

Hi-to had spent much of his free time keeping the Division members strong, building a strong foundation that could handle the stress should the man decide they were no longer part of his agenda. Now that his time wasn’t wasted on paper work he found himself with a lot more time to handle the more...off record side of things, something he knew the Second Division Captain of all people could appreciate. Off record matters such as this.

Of course, despite her rise to a higher demand job Kiriko never failed to surprise him. Strict as she may have been there was never a dull moment, and although he was fairly certain her strength far outweighed his own Hi-to couldn’t deny he was eager for a chance to spar with her. Their last confrontation with each other had been in years ago, brief and inexperienced. They’d been unseated officers and fighting for control, the decaying hut in the rukongai threatening to collapse in on them if they took it any farther. They’d both ascended far since then, fighting alongside each other but never against.

”I thought you’d never ask.” Hi-to made no effort to hide the small smirk at her offer, knowing damn well she full expected him to take it. The two of them went back a long way and had a lot to express, and sometimes words just didn’t quite get the message across. He could stand there and tell her of all the things he’d done to ensure the Sixth would remain safe, but Umi had been chosen by Kyousuke because he was, without a doubt, incredibly powerful. If it came down to it Hi-to wasn’t sure who would win should the man chose to challenge the Captain Commander himself, and for that he understood Kiriko’s concern.

It was no secret that Kiriko was the most adept hand to hand combatant in Soul Society, and the creator of a technique similar to his own with Zanjutsu. Stronger she may have been, Hi-to had been itching for some form of challenge since Nazomi, and Kiriko had never been one to go easy on her subordinates. He needed the primal fear that came with a close brush with death to become stronger, to push himself to the limit and expand. With Sakamoto Miki now being one of the enemy and Umi’s intentions remaining in the dark there was no time to wait. Kiriko had been his mentor once and taught him all she could, and it was about time they took it a step further. Their covert operations were back in business, and neither of them were going to be taking any prisoners.

******

801 words: 16 GP
Total GP: 36

Kiriko Chinda was known for a lot of things. She was known for her iron rule over her division, her concrete professionalism, and most of all her ability to subjugate those before her. It was what made her appear unapproachable to many on a personal level, but it was those attributes that led them into their somewhat unorthodox friendship. For those that she wasn’t manipulating in combat what you saw was what you got, a trait Hi-to found incredibly rare in his comrades as of late. It was possible she was a fraction more relaxed around him than she was around others, something that wouldn’t have been surprising considering their history together. They made a good team in the past, and Hi-to hoped they could continue to do so in the future.

It was only natural that she was still concerned about Captain Jomyaku, despite his lack of outward hostility to their cause. Who wouldn’t be? Hi-to wasn’t sure how many of the current Captains were aware of the situation with the Vaizard, but he wasn’t stupid enough to test his theory out. With how things were looking he couldn’t tell if half the Captain’s weren’t tainted themselves. Hi-to wanted to talk to the woman about it, to test what she knew in comparison to what his Intel had told him, but there was a time and place and the mood of their meeting had quickly changed.

There was a great number of reasons why their spar was long overdue. It was unlikely with their new positions that they’d fight together for quite some time, but what better way to read your comrades moves than to experience them first hand? Their first scuffle was almost embarrassing to reminisce about, not at all unlike two children on a playground. It was a match that would be one to remember, someone to push him to his limits until he bordered the adrenaline rush between life and death. He needed to rid himself of bad habits and clear room for the way his soul was expanding at an exponential rate. Something was coming, something larger than life and too strong for his body to handle. Hyperion was such a driving force in his life right now that he was being consumed, a feeling only a Vaizard could likely understand. He needed an outlet from the borderline schizophrenia, someone he could drive into without hesitating and nobody was better suited for such a fight than Kiriko herself.

What he hadn’t expected was for the rest of the Division to be there.

Hi-to had never been opposed to a good fight; it was within their very nature to do so. But what made him so deadly on the battle field was that nobody knew anything about his abilities in battle, not even his own Captain, much less what he specialized in. It gave him the element of surprise, and not only his personal skills, but his Shikai and Bankai were both confidential as well. Kiriko was powerful, much more so than him. If he had any chance at matching Kiriko he’d need to pull those tricks out today in front of the entire Division, make them public knowledge and face Soul Society as a new Shinigami.

Was he ready for that?

The Second Division was one of the proudest, and rightly so. As Hi-to walked with Kiriko down the halls he saw the entrance to the infamous Dojo, a splendid room he couldn’t admire until they both entered. It wasn’t surprising, not when the Captain was the most masterful Hakuda practitioner in all of Soul Society.
 
High ceilings allowed for even the most aerodynamic of techniques, wide open floors giving opportunity to large ranges of movement and making room for plenty spectators. Hi-to had never put on a show before, had never felt the need to, but as much as it was new to him he could appreciate Kiriko’s reasoning. It would boost morale among the members, getting their adrenaline rushing to see the woman destined to lead them in combat.

The only worry that had crossed his mind was Ayumi, but a quick check of the surrounding Reiatsu signatures proved that she was, thankfully, absent. He’d come to save her day more than once under the guise of wrapped Menos cloaks, but not once had she been able to put a face or a name to him and it would hopefully remain that way. That was a skeleton in the back of his closet that he wasn’t willing to open to the public eye, and without he presence it was only too easy to slip into that emotionless mask the second they stepped foot into the arena.

Many of the men and woman he recognized from his countless trips to the Second’s walls, catching their gazes solidly and with little hesitation. This was a fight on Kiriko’s territory, and he wasn’t going to underestimate it. As the Captain clarified their purpose for being there Hi-to took his time to mull over his basic game plan, not at all surprised when she offered him the first move.

A lot had changed since the last time he’d seen Kiriko. One was that most emotion he displayed was completely false. It was hard to feel anything after Sekai’s death, fickle things that used to be worry and nervousness melting away to something much more sinister. Instead of putting up that familiar, emotionless mask many soldiers took on the battle field Hi-to only had to let his drop, eyes dead and posture at the ready as he lowered his head in a respectful bow.

If he was able to feel anything at that point in time, it would have been anticipation. There was much the two had to show each other, from beginners in their fields of expertise to grand masters in their own rights. But they hadn’t completely split into different directions, something Hi-to had no concerns in making public.

Shunko was something that he’d discovered in a way entirely unique from its original creator, his prowess in Kido coating his body like a second skin. Its orange glow flowed until he could feel its presence from the tip of his blade all the way to his toes, unique to the hakuda blend Kiriko was infamous for creating and it had been a while since he’d stretched it out. He’d never told her of it since he’d started using it, though now on the battle field, it was something he was eager to try against her own. Hi-to had never been one to stand down and watch as his comrades passed him by, and the Second Division had always been like a second home to him.

And it was about time he finally earned his stripes.

“Seishinken Shunko.”

******

1129 words: 22 GP
Total GP: 58 GP

The crowd fell silent, all ranks kneeling like an endless sea of black shrouds. The dojo was large enough to accommodate group skirmishes, and today that was a blessing as many tens of Nibantai were packed inside. The hushed quiet felt akin to that moment right before war, an experience she had felt only once in her lifetime. Those several silent minutes before the invasion of Hueco Mundo had been like this, all breathing caught up in your throat as if you couldn't even dare to imagine what would come next. As if breathing too loudly would cause the whole plan to tumble down around you. It was part awe, part trepidation. She was glad that she and Kohara could engender such an emotion in her dour men.

It was finally time. For so long Kiriko had held back, obscured, used her best tactics only in secret. And that was all fine for a Lieutenant, when hidden knowledge was the only true weapon. But as a Captain everything changed. She had never wanted this position, had railed against it for so long, but the gift of Tsukimiya-taichou could not be ill-used. Kiriko had resigned herself to her fate, and her new duty. Leading was not so different from being a Lieutenant, it was simply more about human relations. About the public eye. She was no longer someone who just maintained order, but also the person who maintained the spirit of not just her own division but also all who viewed what the Second did as necessary. She was a figure head, someone not entirely her own. In some ways, what Kiriko owed to her men and to Seireitei was a larger debt then what she owed to her very self. That was what she had wanted so desperately to avoid, but now that it was here on her doorstep she knew she had to accept with grace. The Second needed a strong leader. And she could be that person.

And that meant all of her secrets had to be bared. Today was a better choice then any other. If she revealed the secret of Shunko, then there was still time to let it spread. To teach the masses before the next attack. If she unveiled her special technique, there was still time to fix things before Sakamoto's betrayal harmed the very integrity of Shunko's reputation. Even knowing that intellectually couldn't prepare her for the skin crawling feeling of doing what she was so hard wired not to do. Reveals were contrary to her entire combat lifestyle. It just felt wrong, somewhere in her bones, and perhaps that was why she let Kohara go first. Even though underestimating an opponent was a lesson she had learned a long time before.

It proved a mistake today, as Kohara mutely bowed and then drew his sword. Orange light flickered against the pale cream walls of the dojo, glowing larger and brighter until it was as if the man was surrounded by flames. But Kiriko recognized those lights, and they were no flame. Eyes narrowing imperceptibly, she exhaled and began to think. Shunko. For Zanjutsu? How had this happened? Immediately she was disappointed, imagining the disclosure of her own power to be lacking in impact now. But a few turns of thought and Kiriko realized this was actually a good thing. She had never conceived of the idea of using Kido to enhance a sword strike. It wasn't a natural conclusion for the woman who disdained of ever using her sword in any real battle. But the idea would catch on quickly with her men, those who relied primarily on the sword. And she would show the rest just how powerful Shunko could be. And together, Kohara and Kiriko would teach Seireitei just what a new weapon they had on their hands. It would finally be out in the open.

She had no time to figure out how he had developed his skill like that. Not when Shunko itself was an unknown entity, bare theory mentions on scraps of paper and an idealized dream. Fujikagi had done the same, coming across some journeyman's ideas in old Kido diaries. Had Kohara found something similar? But still, to find was one thing. To get to such a level of expertise was another. Kohara really was something! This would be a good fight.

Kiriko smiled narrowly, a fleeting expression of the inward glee. Lifting her hands into a steady position, she unleashed her own Shunko, dark violent waves of Kido swirling the air around her and lashing out at the very sky. Sharp crackling and snapping could be heard as the energy reacted with its surroundings, her aura casting shadows as far as the furthest wall, bathing all around her in shimmering darkness. “Shunko, huh? Imagine that. I will show you the true power of Shunko, Lieutenant Kohara, as it was created to be used!” With that, Kiriko surged across the floor, her feet sliding effortlessly over the tatami mats. It used to be a hassle to pull out her Shunko aura, but she had long since surpassed that limitation. By leaving himself open without attacking, by relying on the shock factor, Kohara had made a dire mistake.

Slamming into her opponent she struck with lightning speed, her hands blurring as she punched towards his stomach while also kicking at his unprotected ankle in an attempt to knock his legs out from under him and injure the vulnerable but imperative body part.  

WC: 915 | GP: 18 | Total GP: 65

STATS:

Reiatsu: 350
Stamina: 160

Power: 80
Precision: 140
Defense: 90 + 40 + 15 | LS + Hierro = 145
Speed: 40

First Action: GM Hakuda Strike at 180 [80+20+60+20|Base+Insight+Shunko+GM Hakuda] Power and 180 [140+10+10+20|Base+LS+Insight+GMHakuda] Precision.

Second Action: GM Hakuda Strike at 180 Power and 180 Precision.

STA Costs:

-6 Shunko strike

-6 Shunko strike

-4 LS upkeep

+3 GM Hakuda strike

+3 GM Hakuda strike

Total: -10 STA

STA 150/160