To Test the Waters | Past Thread | Nanao

[Deleted]

[atrb=border,0,true][bg=eeeeee][atrb=width,500,true] [STYLE=width: 100px; height: 100px; border: 10px solid #111111; float: left; margin-top: 20px; margin-left: 20px; margin-right: 5px;][/style] [STYLE=text-align: left; font-size: 10px; font-family: arial; margin-top: -2px; width: 410px; color: #212121;]— LET'S SEE WHO IS THE STRONGEST.[/style] [STYLE=text-align: left; font-family: arial; font-weight: bold; font-size: 20px; margin-top: -6px; margin-bottom: -3px; width: 410px; color: #212121; letter-spacing: -1px;]I AM KING OF THE WORLD.[/style] [STYLE=text-align: justify; padding: 5px; border-left: 7px solid #111111; border-top: 5px solid #111111; background-color: #f3f3f3; width: 400px; font-size: 10px; color: #212121; margin-left: 20px;]HE REALLY WAS GETTING OLD. Why had he taken it upon himself to do this? Well, as concerned as he is about getting new Captains and as convinced he was of Ise Nanao's power, he had always felt there was something lacking from her, something not of leader-like material. So who better to test a frequent Kido user against, than the Kidoshu Soushi himself? The slow tapping of his shoes across the hard dirt of the wastelands set him in a trance-like motion while he walked, leaving him to his devices. Several tufting patches of grass scattered throughout the dusty field were the only thing that really gave it a sense of life, a sense of purpose. This was a place where dreams and nightmares had plagued him for years, three hundred years in fact. Perhaps the firegrass had regrown in his absence, or maybe the monuments to his frequent training still stood, preserved for a lifetime. To him, this flat, barren land still held the wonder that it had the first time he set foot upon it. "Ise-ue, may I ask why you agreed to my training request?" He continued walking, each step feeling so familiar to him, like an old king's hand grasping the sword that won him his kingdom. It was a shame that he had been separated from his true home for so long. He had longed for the feeling of the wind and the shifting of the cracks in the earth below him. And there in the distance, he saw a sight more welcome than he would have thought possible. The site that Gikyo opened him to her full power. How fitting that here we would use the skill she had given him to test another. The flat ground rose slightly as it approached the site, a rising gradient that threatened to turn into a full hill, before dropping off into a bottomless chasm, a huge and dark break in the world's surface. He had named this place Daikaku [The Great Divide], for the simple reason that this place was where he finally left his 'clan' behind. Standing on the edge of the chasm, he stared into it's depths as he awaited her answer, going through everything he would need to test Nanao to her fullest capabilities. No ordinary shinigami was going to become a Captain on his watch. She would have to pull out something exceptional.[/style] [style=font-size: 10px; text-align: center;]TEMPLATE BY SAMARECARM OF OTE + BTN[/style]

[Nanao Ise]

At first the call had perturbed the young lieutenant. Why of all people had he requested to train with her? This legendary man, more like a mythical beast than a retired officer, wanted to spar with a low-level fuku more renowned for her dedication to keeping the Hachibantai running and her stern nature than anything else? Being the intelligent woman that she was, it hadn’t taken her long to realize his true intentions; this was merely another test. Even though she had already confirmed her abilities with two other captains as required, it seemed like this had not been enough for Genkai Chikao and he wanted to try her out for himself. It seemed like a great slight to Kyoraku-taicho, Ukitake-taicho and herself but so be it. The quiet, simmering rage that forced her blood around her veins as she shun-po’d to their place of meeting drove her forwards, and as she fluttered to the ground before him in a graceful sweeping bow she could not keep the look of indignation from her face.

“I am here to ease your mind regarding your concerns of my worthiness.” The bitter words were spoken with a level tone and her glasses glinted as she pushed them back into place. Touching the badge on her arm, she followed his gaze deep into the abyss, wondering what had occurred here and why he had chosen this place as their battleground. It certainly had the right feel to it, isolated and desolate, but honestly she would have preferred to be taken on at the Hachibantai training grounds where she could easily have made a pot of tea and read over the latest roster if they decided to take a break. He probably was just trying to intimidate her; he certainly looked like he could be the type to maintain his reputation by hiding behind a scary mask.

Her hand made its way into her sleeve to caress the hilt of her zanpakuto, thrumming with a warm, vibrant energy that only made her more impatient. As she politely awaited his call to begin, she wondered how far he might push her and how far she was willing to go, for although she had tamed the spirit within she was reluctant to use her Bankai unless it become an absolute necessity. There was no way she could be sure of its mood as it resided in its own little world, and her own anxieties had been such lately that she could only imagine the dreadful pandemonium that would reign inside. It would be much more sensible to use her kido despite the obvious fact that he outranked her abilities in the Demon Arts tenfold. Maybe not sensible… But if I can keep treading water until he gets bored, he probably won’t hang around... Having heard many rumours of the ferocity of the captain standing before her now, she knew that to underestimate him would be a great folly so she was more than willing to face him with everything she could muster to prove that her new title was befitting of her. But she would do her utmost not to rely upon her temperamental Bankai.

[Deleted]

[atrb=border,0,true][bg=eeeeee][atrb=width,500,true] [STYLE=width: 100px; height: 100px; border: 10px solid #111111; float: left; margin-top: 20px; margin-left: 20px; margin-right: 5px;][/style] [STYLE=text-align: left; font-size: 10px; font-family: arial; margin-top: -2px; width: 410px; color: #212121;]— LET'S SEE WHO IS THE STRONGEST.[/style] [STYLE=text-align: left; font-family: arial; font-weight: bold; font-size: 20px; margin-top: -6px; margin-bottom: -3px; width: 410px; color: #212121; letter-spacing: -1px;]I AM KING OF THE WORLD.[/style] [STYLE=text-align: justify; padding: 5px; border-left: 7px solid #111111; border-top: 5px solid #111111; background-color: #f3f3f3; width: 400px; font-size: 10px; color: #212121; margin-left: 20px;]PERHAPS THE WORLD WAS PASSING HIM BY. Nanao's attitude didn't really surprise the long cloaked and masked mystery of a man. He knew that when someone's pride was tested like this, they start to ask questions about the tester. And Ise-ue sure had a mighty large pride, despite her petite form. He could see it though, a resolution, a desire to protect and serve. The glint in her eye almost made him chuckle in excitement, but he controlled himself and let out a small grunt of amusement. "Ease my mind? Surely you are not foolish enough to see the true reason I asked you out here. I thought you were more observant than this Ise-ue." This time he let himself a small chuckle, which always seemed eerie to others considering they could not see his mouth actually move. With a single finger he undid the clasp of his cloak and haori, placing them on a jutting edge of the crevice to keep them safe. He adjusted his mask slightly, making sure it was battle ready, before a look of serious displeasure bored into Nanao's eyes as he made eye contact. "Do you REALLY think it would put my mind to rest just by testing your powers. Power matters not, it is only resolve and the ability to determine your own path. But if this is what you truly wish, then I will not hold back. And I suggest you do not either. En guarde!" Chikao drew his Zanpaktou, the resonating cry of steel being released from it's plum-colored prison, Gikyo's blade seemed to shiver in delight as the prospect of a new battle awaited them. At the same time, he released his suppressed reiryoku, aiming to intimidate the young Fukutaichou as the cold waves of storming heaviness seemed to crash into everything around it. He lowered his blade, holding it waist height and pointing at his opponent, readying his off-hand to prepare spells. A bright orange glow surrounded his palm, a small tendril forming as he whipped his hand out towards her. "Bakudo no Kyuu, Hourin!"[/style] [style=font-size: 10px; text-align: center;]TEMPLATE BY SAMARECARM OF OTE + BTN[/style]

[Nanao Ise]

As he scolded her she pouted and folded her arms, knowing that after such a blunt entrance he’d already labelled her a petulant child. So foolish… Her punishment would arrive sooner then she could have guessed, and as she watched him hang his cloak and haori on the edge of the precipice to billow like a reluctant surrender, her puzzlement was replaced by a twinge of fear.

His intimidation worked, more so his dominating reaitsu than the threat of his unsheathed blade. It had been a most hated trait ever since she had experienced the wrath of the captain commander the first time the Kurosaki boy had infiltrated Soul Society. All of the high ranking members of the Gotei were capable of it but some were more want to bully than others, and her loathing of such characters was extreme.

The shock from the sudden frigid tsunami of pressure caused her to hesitate but her training did not abandon her and she managed to pull Kusanagi . The almost physical blow knocked her backwards though and she skidded on the hard ground, thanking him for the distance as he began to form a familiar kido spell in his gloved hand. If it landed she would undoubtedly be bound and he looked like he would very much like to punish her for her insolence. Wordlessly she conjured her counter spell in her mind, quickly throwing up an invisible Seki that repelled the curling tendrils of his Hourin, bouncing them back in his direction.

“Sing, Kusanagi!” She called urgently, releasing her shikai in a burst of silvery flames. It would not be wise to delay such an act when he appeared so serious and her own reiatsu surged some of the external pressure was relieved. She had no biting words of retaliation now but if he continued to push her she was not sure she’d be able to hold her tongue. Dashing forward with a short shunpo, she raised her blade in her right hand and brought it down towards his masked face and began to gather another kido in her left. “Bakudo no Kyuu: Geki!”She thrust her hand out as she barked the incantation, aiming to directly strike his sternum and paralyze him in place so her zanpakuto could do its work.

[Deleted]

[atrb=border,0,true][bg=eeeeee][atrb=width,500,true] [STYLE=width: 100px; height: 100px; border: 10px solid #111111; float: left; margin-top: 20px; margin-left: 20px; margin-right: 5px;][/style] [STYLE=text-align: left; font-size: 10px; font-family: arial; margin-top: -2px; width: 410px; color: #212121;]— LET'S SEE WHO IS THE STRONGEST.[/style] [STYLE=text-align: left; font-family: arial; font-weight: bold; font-size: 20px; margin-top: -6px; margin-bottom: -3px; width: 410px; color: #212121; letter-spacing: -1px;]I AM KING OF THE WORLD.[/style] [STYLE=text-align: justify; padding: 5px; border-left: 7px solid #111111; border-top: 5px solid #111111; background-color: #f3f3f3; width: 400px; font-size: 10px; color: #212121; margin-left: 20px;]WAS THIS IT? Was this all a potential candidate for Captaincy had in her? Chikao felt the need to raise an eyebrow it her efforts, but resisted, his Kido whizzing past his face, the stone man not once blinking or shifting. She charged him with a single step shunpo, which he half didn't expect, thinking Nanao more a long-range fighter, but it was still very easy to telegraph. What he was more interested in was her Shikai, he had never seen it before, the silvery flames enveloping the blade. He knew not what it did but he was damn sure it wasn't anything beneficial to him, so he would have to avoid it for the time being. Then again, if she was charging straight for him, that would mean it's more a close-range Zanpaktou, right? Though that could just be a ploy to fool him into a false sense of security. Either way, it looked dangerous and he'd have to account for any abilities it had, whether close or long range. Her attacks were easy enough to deflect, using Bakudo no Kyuu, Geki on the Kidoshu Soushi was bound to end in disaster for her. He did not move from his position as she struck out, simply extending the index finger of already outstretched left hand, the tip pointing squarely at Nanao's face at close range. A burst of reiatsu shot from his finger, no warning or any indication, aimed directly at her nose, enough power to completely shatter bone, as if punched hard by some incredible force if it struck. Afterwards, in a calm voice he spoke, "Hado no Ichi, Sho. You're probably wondering how I managed to shoot that Kido without speaking any sort of incantation. The answer is Kōjutsu Eishō, a casting technique that allows me to cast a Kido while saying the incantation afterwards. Highly advanced, only a very skilled Kido user even has the potential to use it and even I struggle at times." Chikao let the authoritative tone creep back into his voice as he spoke again, "Now, I would appreciate it if you did not hold back against me Ise-ue, for I will not against you." To make some distance, he stepped twice using shunpo, appearing at the edge of the precipice, on a raised marble dias, the same dias that he had first discovered his true power on. "Ban... kai..." The sound of negative space swallowing the entire area, starting with a single swirling black ball of reiatsu, which expanded, creating dark walls around the area of an entire stadium. It enclosed, leaving them both in inky blackness for a moment, before suddenly, like someone turning on the light switch, they standing on air, a perfect reflection of Chikao's Inner World. And beside him stood a young woman, red-haired and slender, holding a rather long staff. Gikyo. "This is my true power... Tentei no Gikyo! Here, your test will not be interrupted and you will be pushed to your edge. You will not hold back, or you will die to my blade. I will not hold back, or I will die to your blade. Show me your true power and let me be assured that you are not some doggerel pretender!" Already Nanao would feel the bitter heaviness of the incredibly dense reiryoku around them, the entire space designed to twist the dimensions and slow anyone and everyone with them. Only Gikyo seemed to be almost entirely unaffected. "Now... as the hip young kids would say... 'Come at me bro'"[/style] [style=font-size: 10px; text-align: center;]TEMPLATE BY SAMARECARM OF OTE + BTN[/style]

[Nanao Ise]

Her forward momentum was almost the end of her as Chikao solidly held his ground, unflinching as he repelled her Geki without a second thought. She froze for a moment, wondering why she had been so certain in her movements, and watched with a flutter of panic as the monstrous Kidoshu pointed a single finger inches from her nose. It was like staring down the barrel of a canon. Move! Forcing her body to the left, somehow she managed to avoid the nova-like burst, though she felt a residual burn sting her cheek.

Suddenly understanding that he lacked the close-combat weakness that she had been hoping for, it became clear that if she stayed at this range she wouldn’t last long at all. His words followed her as she darted backwards, an explanation of his technique and power. Of course she had heard of such a thing, had even dabbled in it herself (with poor results), but what chance did she have when her talent for kido was completely voided by his superior experience. A small cloud of dust rose from the ground into the air around him as she skidded to a halt, watching as he took up position on a strange marble platform that hovered over the abyss. She bit her tongue to withhold a sharp remark as his voice took on a reprimanding tone, scolding her like a naughty child. As if I would hold back! But her certainty passed quickly as he uttered a phrase that chilled the very blood circulating through her tight veins. Bankai…

The whole area changed very quickly, a darkness that originated from the Captain himself, and the arena was suddenly enclosed in black, the weight of the reiatsu crushing down on her from all sides. Nanao wanted to sink to her knees in despair, her eyes wide in fear and her whole body trembling as her breath escaped her lips in sharp little gasps. Only the light from Kusanagi kept her upright, a light that shone and rippled to cut through the shadows that tried to consume her. Swallowing her fear, she straightened up her body to glare at him from across the void. He wasn’t alone; a beautiful young woman with crimson hair stood by his side, holding the same spear he had released earlier. His zanpakuto spirit I assume… Now that she was thinking rationally again, she could assess her predicament. This… cage, for lack of a better word, was probably an emulation of the world his spirit resided in. It seemed to have distorted the gravity in the area as she doubted that the heaviness was purely derived from his reiatsu, and this would be the most difficult problem to overcome as she had been hoping that she could rely on her swiftness to out-speed him. That was all of the information she could garner for now, but it would come quickly to her as they continued the battle, and maybe it wouldn’t be long until she could formulate a tactic and save herself from fighting blind.

“Chikao-sama! I understand now your concern, and realize that I have no choice but to release my zanpakuto. However, I must warn you that he has a mind of his own and probably won’t let me control him for very long. You have declared that you will not go easy on me, and neither will he on you, so I expect you to be merciless when he breaks out of your little illusion.” Her mix of truths and bluffs would hopefully disturb his cool a little as he had no way to know which was which. She hadn’t flatout lied of course, she was above such things, and he had asked for it. Well, I can’t put it off any longer… Lifting Kusanagi into the air, raising it skywards in the assumed directions of the heavens and called the dreaded word, “Bankai!”

In a magnificent outburst, quite unexpected from the non-descript lieutenant, the flames that had wreathed her sword expanded in a brilliant flash of light that seemed to illuminate every recess of the dark prison. The heat was intense, almost unbearable, as it swirled to a furious tsunami of fire, finally settling in front of its master to take the form of a large, restless Kirin. Her sword remained in her hands though the flames had left, but it had taken on a white-hot gleam in her grasp, ready to melt anything foolish enough to come into contact with it though that was no longer its sole purpose.

“When you are ready, Kusanagi..” As if adopting the role of a conductor for her one instrumental orchestra, she drew her blade in a sweeping arc then finishing with a sharp lunge forward, watching with a smile as the elemental beast before her responded and mimicked her motions. Its fiery hooves broke into a canter as it let out a bellowing roar, the cry of a reptilian stag, and it charged forward towards their opponents, its obsidian eyes reflecting the raging fire gave it its structure and power. Let’s see how he handles this… In her other hand she begun to form a kido shield, ready to defend should he be able to react so quickly to her assault.