Rocky Beginnings[CLOSED]

The Onose river: a beauty for the many that witnessed it. The lush shore was only made more beautiful by the sun kissed water that moved in a dreamy lull. The birds' orchestra was out in full swing and their melodious chirps merged seamlessly with that of the crickets. The scene was natural. Beautiful. Untouched.

But, a single, luminous white line made itself known just above the ground. The slit of light soon expanded out into a glowing disc, before a small, obsidian butterfly gently flew out, followed by a fairly tall shinigami. He seemed rather young, but his demeanor and matured, dark brown eyes said otherwise. His shihakusho was cut off at the sleeves, while the lower legs if his uniform was tied off by a set of aged bandages. He seemed calm, but wary of his surroundings, shown evidently by the strong grip on his zanpakutou.

After a moment of scanning his new location, Kira Takahashi stepped out of the entrance of the senkai gate, letting its gates close majestically behind. The shinigami then reached into his attire to fish out a small red flip-phone. Quickly opening the odd gadget, Kira stared at the bright screen, before letting a frown warp his features. The phone was showing one solid hollow movement nearby, but another movement was being picked up, although its presence seemed to be flickering haphazardly.

The shinigami had only been warned of one hollow presence when he had been dispatched for his patrol. However, he quickly shrugged it off: Karakura Town had a history of odd occurences, so this one did not alarm him. Placing his phone back within his shihakusho, Kira then set off toward the solid hollow presence. A hint of worry dabbed in his mind about the flickering presence, but he let it drop as his focus quickly returned to the one confirmed hollow within range..

A lone Visored sat by the river, meditating. Not to contact his Zanpakutō – the two, despite their alliance, never really saw eye-to-eye any more. No, it was an exercise to keep his mind placid and rage contained, something to suppress the Hollow residing within him. His many years of travelling had taught him many things, and while his alter-ego was rarely forced out, he often despised himself shortly after for letting slip his grip on his own presence. Nonetheless, he had managed to lay low for years now, and though he doubted the Soul Society had forgotten him completely, he doubted that he was at the top of their priorities right now.

Two presences raised one of Thomas’ eyebrows, causing him to open but a single eye, in order to survey the situation. While not within visible range, the ex-lieutenant was able to sense the beings nearby, noting both a Hollow and a Shinigami. Returning to his meditating, he continued to attempt to be at peace, but the two presences still persisted on niggling at him – working their ways into his mind. He couldn’t ignore them, as with everything else involving the deceased. Though an outlaw, he still considered himself a Shinigami, and a member of Squad Four at that. Granted, he was a field surgeon – a battle medic, if you will – but he was a healer nonetheless. And he had a duty to make sure his former comrades – and anyone in their ranks - stayed alive.

Not bothering to mask his presence – given that he was usually found anyway, whether due to sheer bad luck or a higher power – Thomas moved closer to the source of the Shinigami presence, spying someone who didn’t look to be even half his age – and yet,, now that he focussed, the junior’s presence seemed different from the others he had faced. He sensed something in him, something similar to himself. He pondered the possibility of him having an inner Hollow, but doubted this theory – greatly so. Considering that he had been exiled as a result of his unwanted powers, this was not surprising, but he also reasoned that times ad moved on from then. So, e didn’t completely dismiss the idea.

Nonetheless, he remained, hidden to the best of his ability, watching the uniformed Soul Reaper.

Kira was having far more trouble with the hollow before him than he should have. The fact that it was near Gillian level should have guaranteed a swift victory - however, his concentration was currently in a strenuous limbo between the foul spirit before him and the odd presence that was honing in on his less than successful battle. The presence seemed to have an odd effect on his mind, causing the inner hollow within him to howl in excitement.The fact that the signature of a high powered reiatsu was so distracting, despite the many that had been previously encountered, began to beg at Kira's locked curiousity - something that the Shinigami wanted to stay locked.

Kira's zanpakuto suddenly caught onto the claw of the hollow, and without his instinctual reflexes, the beast's free claw would have torn out his innards. This was becoming aggravating. The sheer stress of being held up by such a pathetic creature, coupled with the tug of his inner hollow to the now extremely close being began to chew slowly at his mind. In a spur of impulse, Kira drew back an armored fist, before letting it crash violently into the skeletal mask of the hollow. As the beast roared in recoil, cradling its cracked facial wear, Kira raised his blade high over his head, before letting the edge slice the hollow clean in half.

The shinigami did not even spare the dissipating corpse a glance, before involuntarily looking toward the direction that Isamu had gestured. Kira's eyes narrowed as he extended his senses and felt the small, restrained pulse of a being that dripped of an odd, feral familiarity. Bringing himself to a calmed state now that he could concentrate on the presence that had hindered his ability to even concentrate properly.

"I would suggest that you come out. Spying on me doesn't often earn you open arms."

Several times throughout the battle, Thomas had been tempted to intervene. Several times, he had almost burst out. Several times, he had to remind himself that this Shinigami would likely cut him down on sight, or attempt to capture him so as to apprehend the fugitive. He didn’t think he would be forgotten, but this newcomer looked like a greenhorn. Thomas may have become something of an urban legend amongst Shinigami, but the boy (relatively speaking) didn’t even look like he was even aware of who he was. This suited him perfectly – with any luck, he would just think he was a comrade on a different mission, and they would pass each other by with no problems whatsoever.

Alas, this was not to be – promptly after the Hollow had had its chips at the hands of the Shinigami being observed, Thomas was discovered. Granted, he had only been concealing himself behind visual camouflage – anything higher than that would likely detect him, unless the person trying had the mental capacity of an inebriated squirrel. The outlaw rose, his hands out in front of him – only slightly, though. He had no intention of starting a fight, and would happily walk away without thinking twice. However, in his experience, he knew it never went that way, unless someone’s thickness was comparable to that of a wooden plank. He had to be prepared to draw his Zanpakutō – though, he would still be at a disadvantage. He never drew his Zanpakutō unless needed, his Shikai adhering to the same principle. Except, given its ability, and what it entailed, it was controlled far more strictly.

Thomas did not speak a word as he walked towards Kira, though his eyes were hard, and focussed. They did not relent in how they analysed him, attempting to scan for any potential weak points, any physical traits that would give away any mental or psychological points that he could exploit. Only if it came to that, of course. But, after numerous attempts on his life, the man always prepared himself as best he could, though he held nothing over members of the twelfth division. Of his time, anyway. Regardless, he was still wary of the Shinigami, and was prepared to draw his blade at a moment;s notice.

And heal him afterwards, naturally.

The moment that the man had come out, Kira did a quick check over him. He seemed fairly experienced, if his age was an indicator. He seemed familiar, however: he couldn't put his finger on it, but he felt he had seen a picture within an archive that he had read many years ago. But the high stress of maintaining his composure from the odd resonance he got from the man did not allow him the luxury of searching his mind for where this familiarity had come from; but from what he knew, it wasn't a pleasant familiarity.

Unfortunately, Kira's inner beast couldn't let such an opportunity up. The emotional turmoil caused by the odd presence had presented an opening in the many mental barriers that had kept another insanity driven fit from occurring within Kira. Despite a full hollowfication being far from possible, the influence provided during the insanity state would allow for enough fun. Isamu then let one unceremonious, mind numbing roar.

A split second. A split second was all it took before Kira barely had even a moment to realise the roar that had pushed his overworked mind off the edge. The shinigami's grasp on his sword tightened, as a lazy daze came to his yellow stained eye, and a smirk made its way to his lips. The boy's stance slackened and his mind seemed to only have woken up as he looked at the man before him with a curious gaze and a foul, thick reiatsu began to choke the air around him.

Excitement. Frenzied excitement lit the now unstable Kira as he felt the pull of the dark resonance within the man before him. The primal pull of it's sickly friendly allure. The allure even caused him to ignore the pleading voices in the recesses of his twisted mind, as he drew his blade, and began to speak in a hushed tone as he stalked forward. The words felt natural and uncontrollable, as they rolled softly of his tongue.

"Unfurl your wings and may you answer Heaven's call, Ten no Shikikan."

Thomas flinched, even going so far as to take a step back. He was facing another one of his own – a Shinigami, but with a Hollow’s influence. Or so he thought. He could sense presences, but it wasn’t his speciality. Regardless, he could see from a mile away that reasoning was not possible any more, and that if he wanted to remain a free – and conscious – man, then he would have to force his way out of the situation at hand. His blade was drawn in a swift, fluid – and evidently practised – motion, though its Shikai would not be activated. If his opponent relied purely on brute force, he would likely have the upper hand – just dodge around the attacks, striking when and where possible.

Thomas flinched yet again upon seeing his opponent’s Shikai activate – two blades, each one short, likely capable of attacks just as swift as his own. If not more so. Add to that the fact that the blades would likely be used effortlessly and with maddening fury, it took all of Thomas’ willpower to keep his Zanpakutō in its sealed form. He could hear it shouting, bellowing at him, egging him on.
Activate me, it called, Release me. Show him he’s still just a pup compared to you!
At least, that’s what he thought Blutsauger would say. He dreaded to think what his inner Hollow would say – the snake of a man would likely attempt to reason with him, but Thorn was having none of it. The Hollow in the boy couldn’t last forever, the true possessor of the body had to at least be fighting back.

Refusing to make the first move too hastily, Thomas circled his opponent, keeping his sword out, ready to assume an offensive or defensive position. He couldn’t guess what his opponent’s next move would be without being attacked first, nor could he let his opponent see what he himself could do. Thomas knew winning on brute strength would not be possible, he himself possessed so little of it, it was almost laughable. And, judging by appearances alone, they would be pretty evenly-matched, in terms of weaponry and usage. However, the man had something his junior did not – experience. He knew how rushing heedlessly into battle would get him torn apart, and how analysing the opponent was a valuable use of time. Granted, he would be on the defensive and the evasive for a little bit, but if his opponent grew over-confident, then that would be an excellent side-effect. Hollows were not generally known for their placidity, and if he could exploit this, then all the better.

Mad eyes, now tinting black and a glowing yellow, traced the man's movements. Frown. Lift an eyebrow. The owners of the eyes expected better of him. It seemed this would need more aggravation. A manic grin. The rippled aura above Kira's blades span a bit more feverishly. This would definitely be fun. Letting the chain connecting his blades extend, Kira found himself deftly switching hands for one blade while nimbly swinging the other above his head.

The rippling aura around it extended to a large radius around him, shredding the soil beneath in the path of the lengthened wind blade. The blade revolved once in the air, before Kira, holding the other blade in a reverse grip, swung the connected weapon in a wide berth, as if it were an edged flail.

Kira's mind continued to block the pleas in the his conscious, instead preferring the now melodic laughter of Isamu within. If this odd being was not going to meet him halfway with a fight, he would force him to. The blade he held ripped a path along the floor in the flurry of wind that it stirred, rousing a trailing cloud. But despite his craze, Kira was a little wary of the being trying to penetrate his guard. It wasn't absolute, but Kira let his other hand trail near the chain, while the blade swept ever closer to its target.

This was not the first time Thomas had had to deal with this kind of attack.
He knew that much, but muscle memory only works if the necessary techniques and directions are drilled into one’s head. As it stood, he had no recollection of how he had overcome the obstacle in the past, such an event being roughly five hundred years ago. Even then, each Zanpakuto was different in its functionality, each Shinigami varying in their techniques – and how they used them. Irrespective of the hows and whens, Thomas’ mind was racing, attempting to find a way through the storm coming at him. He couldn’t go under it, through it, or flank around it. The moment he moved forward, he reasoned that he would be torn to shreds.

With this in mind, Thomas moved to his enemy the only way he reasoned was logical. Up. It wasn’t hard, considering most low-level Shinigami at least possessed minor spirit energy control. While the more advanced could use it for full-blown flight, by solidifying it beneath their feet, Thomas had enough control over it for his purposes. He only solidified it for a moment, a blink of an eye. However, in that time, he had enough of a foothold to get to higher ground than Kira. It wasn’t hard to launch himself, either – he had been forced to increase his ability to control his reiryokou, in order to compensate for his risky Shikai, and practically suicidal Bankai. It was getting the distance and trajectory right, that was the problem. Even if he could get to his foe, there was always the danger of over – or under – shooting.

Much to his relief, the leap of faith was more or less successful, leaving him on course with a collision with the enemy. However, there was something else – he was vulnerable. Yes, he could use the downward momentum to increase the force of his blow, but his weapon was not made for powerful strikes. Yes, it could be an unexpected attack – but that would require Kira not looking at him. He would need to keep his reaction speed at its peak, and he would need to parry as best he could. One thing he had done, however, was time it right. He had timed it so that Kira would have to pull his blade sideways, in order to intercept him in midair. At least, with one of the blades.

Kira's grin widened. He had managed to provoke such an attack from this odd being before him. The hollow within spurred him on with glorious cheers, drowning out more and more of his rational mind within the torrent of instinct. It drove his minds to odd extremes, letting Kira's reflexive instincts flourish as his normal self was smothered.

The opening was too wide to ignore: the fascinating being had left himself so vulnerable mid-air that a laugh nearly disturbed the already twisted grin on Kira's face. However, the high ground and positioning of the attack would need an extremely quick counter response, or else Kira's small window would quickly close right up, and such an opportunity was not to be wasted.

Blade still roaring with a vicious wind, Kira quickly shortened the chain again, causing it to jerk the weapon back violently, further pulled by the hand that now tugged quickly at the connection between Kira's two short-swords. With a further influence of the wind around, the blade sped back, Kira now tilting it to the side while strafing in the opposite direction. During this, he had slightly readjusted the blade within his hand in a more defensive position.

Kira watched in eager glee as the blade honed quickly toward his airborne opponent, a malevolent storm following with it, ready to rip open the being before the excited shinigami.

Now!
Taking his opportunity, Thomas pushed himself off of a platform of reiryokou – but not down. Towards his foe’s sword’s chain. Such a move was risky, given the fact that a storm followed directly behind him, and this was in addition to him now using his left hand to wield Blutsauger – his right hand was his sword hand, after all. Nevertheless, he was now on a high-speed collision course with his foe, and though his ability to parry would be severely limited, and his dodging capabilities even more so, he didn’t expect Kira to expect him to do this. He did, however, have a growing suspicion that the plan was not as good as he first thought.

It was a struggle to do it before he connected with anything else solid, but he managed it – Thomas gripped the chain with his left hand, his Zanpakutō now clutched delicately in his right hand. Grip reaffirmed a moment later, Thomas pushed off, and into his foe. Except, his fear came true – he had miscalculated. Not by much, but the downward momentum was wasted. Nonetheless, the fact that he was so near put the two on even ground – ranged attacks were impractical at this sort of range, unless a point-blank shot would be more effective than ramming a sword through someone’s gullet. Yes, he was disappointed that he could not have used huge amounts of force to break his foe’s guard, but he didn’t have time – or concentration – to waste on regrets.

Attempting to take advantage of the situation, Thomas moved inwards, not letting Kira have an opportunity to pull his other blade back before he got at least one strike in. However, while some may not have seen it as such, Thomas’ weakness in battle lay in the fact that he abhorred the idea of people being hurt by his hand. He did it when he had to, but if he was able, he always tried to disarm his foe first, and then knock them out. He would usually flee before they came to, but this case was different – he didn’t think he would even be able to disarm Kira, let alone knock him out. Nevertheless, he adhered to his rules, repeatedly telling himself that no maiming or killing was necessary.

Not that it wasn’t possible.

Kira frowned. If this being's plan worked, it would mean he would probably get hurt. Kira hated being hurt. It meant weakness. Weakness that Kira had ensured to stomp out of hmself. Turning to a frown, the snapped shinigami glared angrily at the being that seemed to be preparing to strike at him. He glared with a fiery intensity that was close to that could only be compared to the flames only conjured in the deepest pits of hell.

How dare such a being, a nobody within the crazed visored's life ever think he was worthy of even so much as touching him. Kira growled viciously as he began to pump copious amounts of reiatsu into the connected weapons. Letting his chain extend out to provide extra space, Kira swiftly switched blade hands, his previous blade hand instead holding the chain that connected the two blade.

As more and more dark, thick reiatsu was filtered into the blades' systems, the wind aura that covered the blades also covered the chain, causing a flurry of ripples in the air, while the edge of the metallic connection sharpened drastically, causing a shallow cut in its master's hand. While this occurred, Kira had drawn back his one held weapon, building a spear shaped wind blade over it. The edge quickly sharpened, before Kira thrust the weapon forward, and by extension letting the piercing wind blade extend forward to intercept the charge of its twisted master's hated opponent...

The effect was immediate.
Not having enough time or space to put up a proper guard, or engage with an effective parry, Thomas was forced to take the brunt of the blow’s force. He was not cut that much – a gash on the arm, but it wasn’t even his sword arm. Having managed to at least turn to minimise the damage caused to him by the blow he could not nullify, Thomas saw just how serious the situation was getting. He wasn’t willing to unleash his mask – not yet. He didn’t even know if he could activate it effectively, let alone activate it in the first place. Applying a kido that essentially cauterised the wound shut, he at least managed to stop the bleeding, but the pain and reduced ability with his arm weren’t going to be dispelled by a technique developed for immediate aid. It burned – the scar would fade, but the pain of burning your own bodily tissue shut is never forgotten.

He could see that disarming his foe wasn’t going to work, but even if he did fight for real, the fact that he kept his blade sealed kept him at a severe disadvantage. Irrespective of this, however, he continued to go on the offensive. No matter how quick his foe was, he deduced that it still took time – no matter how short – to alter the chains. While they made for excellent versatility on the battlefield, when they were extended, Thomas was under the impression that they may prove a hindrance if extended while in melee distance. Thus, hoping to utilise Kira’s Hollow’s prideful nature to his advantage, the Shunpo he had learnt over the years was utilised. Granted, it took a sizeable chunk out of his stamina if used more than a few times, given his lack of training – after all, he was a medic, not a mauler. However, for a quick step in here and there to surprise the foe, it was all he needed.

Travelling too fast for most naked eyes to see, Thomas seemed to disappear and reappear in front of Kira, the steps he took using the technique bypassing the dual blades that seemed sharp enough to slice him like butter. He knew getting caught on – or in – the chain was a possibility, but he ignored it for now, having to use the opportunity to tis full advantage, without being interrupted. The sealed wound on his arm was hurting like all hell, but he had no anaesthetic usable at that point in time, and now was not the time to worry about it. What he did worry about, however, was if the hilt of his kodachi would make contact with Kira’s throat, or somewhere else – if at all.

Splat!

Kira's blood smacked the grass, as his opponent's kodachi sank into his shoulder. He had swerved in a roll to the side to avoid the hit, but his dodge attempt was clearly a failure. The only thing he had managed, however, was to not get any deep wounds. Landing in a crouch, the shinigami drew his second blade back to his hand, shortening his chain at an alarming rate, before the air around distorted in the shunpo he used soon after.

Touching down a safe distance away, the boy then hissed loudly as the black from his eyes began to slowly drain away."Damn you, Kira..." came the voice from the possessed shinigami's mouth, as he watched his own hand seem to make a struggle of drawing closer and closer to his face. The cursed lips hissed louder, each muscle writhing to try and prevent the simple action from occurring. The voice uttered one last cry in defiance, before a thick reiatsu built up over its covered face.

The reiatsu soon disappeared, and in its place, a smooth hollow mask, shaped with the grin of a theatre mask. However, the grin was reinforced with jagged, sadistic teeth, while glowing yellow and black eyes were concealed behind the eye slits. Standing, while rolling his shoulder around, the restored Kira stared at the odd being before him once again. He had no memory of what had happened leading to this, but the man had seemed hostile. The obvious reaction? Meet said hostility with more hostility. The aura he radiated was the one of a dark being: one that Kira would not let go unchecked.

"I do not know who you are," declared Kira, clearly trying to catch the attention of the man," but you can believe that your transgression shall not go without a reaction." The shinigami grimaced at the wound that ached to a dull throb on his shoulder, before lifting both his arms, and pointing the tips of Ten no Shikikan toward the man.

"Bankai!"

OCC:
Hollow Amplifications:
+1 Hakudo
+1 Reiryoku
+1 Seijuu

Stepping back into a defensive position, Thomas grimaced, hiw opponent now three stages above him. Not only had his Bankai been unleashed, but his Hollow mask had also been put in place. This was looking bad for him, to say the least. And, as much as he hated to admit it, this Shinigami was pushing him to his physical limits. He hadn’t fought seriously for a while, and he was old. For a Shinigami, he wasn’t really that old, but compared to his foe, he was ancient. The boy could whip around him, and all the experience in the world couldn’t compensate for not keeping up. However, Thomas had a distinct advantage, in the sense that he had spent centuries perfecting the use of his Zanpakutō’s sealed form alone, and was highly proficient with his Shikai as well – without having to use its techniques. Given his own Bankai, it was only natural he learned how to fight to the best of his own ability, instead of using his higher forms as a crutch.

Nevertheless, he would be no match for his foe when he had activated both his Bankai, and his inner Hollow’s power. As such, he let loose one restraint on his power, and made it so he would at least be able to endure the onslaught that was bound to come. Maybe not beat him, but outlast him.
“Leech their power! Blutsauger!”
Energy flowed through his blade, travelling through his body, and out onto his free arm. Here it was – his Shikai. His kodachi now cleaned and seemingly repaired, the blade would likely cut through things with far more efficiency than the slightly-dulled sword he had wielded earlier. In addition, he now held the shield strapped to his forearm – though it was essentially a large, curved rectangle of metal strapped to his forearm, it had proved highly effective at blocking blows, and channelling energy back at opponents. However, he suspected it would not be so easy with this foe.

“I am not your enemy!” He shouted, still in a highly defensive position, ready to block – or attempt to block – any incoming attacks. Being a Visored himself, and having been one a lot longer than the (comparatively speaking) youngling in front of him, Thomas knew one of the many fatal flaws of having an inner Hollow, and what using the mask entailed. A noticeable reduction in abilities after its use, despite the dramatic increase when under its influence. He was thankful for having a defensive ability come with his Zanpakutō, and now, more than ever. “Don’t make this any harder than it is. We don’t have to fight. You’ve seen how easily I fended off your Shikai. Don’t make the same mistake everyone else does, and move in recklessly.”