Welcome to Gaia! ::

The sun breaks over a deserted scene; one that two of todays combatants remember all too well. This decrepid, nestled in the middle of the Sereitei, holds the ruins on a small section of the Shinigami Academy. A section long forgotten, left to wither away with the sands of time. Dust and rust particles permiate the air breaking the sun's warm rays into wispy beams of light. Normally this spot of decay would go unseen and undisturbed, but today it will again be shown life, blood will again soak into the parched earth as today marks turning of the sands of time. Today will shape the face of the Soul Society as another shinigami joins the brotherhood of those who are blessed with the most dangerous of weapons. Today a shinigami will sacrifice their blood in the quest for bankai.

[Before it is asked this is a rare occurance. Gaining bankai in this manner will not be done in often and has been approved of for this thread by the GC.]

"I doubt either of us actually thought we'd be here again, Zaine. After all, promises made in youth are never truly expected to come to fruition later in life." The Vice Captain leaned nonchalantly against a pillar that was well on its way to becoming part of the dust that plagued this poor patch of the Soul Society. Lifting his hand he scratched absent-mindedly at the side of his head, letting his reiatsu rise which had, up until that point, been low enough to be mistaken for a passing animal. As he let his reiatsu thrive the dust particles in the air seemed to halt their meandering journeys before making a B-line for the metal support on which Lerato leaned, dragged in by a sharp increase in static electricity. "As you're well aware Zaine this place holds meaning to both of us and, whether we like to admit it or not," he hesitated as he shot a quick glance over his shoulder at the decaying ruins, "we are bound to this spot just as demi-hollows are bound to their place of self torture. I aim to change that, my dear old friend. Today, I set forth a series of events that will release us both from the shackles that hold us to this dying land so that we don't die along with it." With a small swoosh the Vice Captain was gone, appearing less than a second later behind the newest captain of the ninth division.

"You see it out there too, don't you?" The most recent squad nine captain hadn't been the only one to have let his outward appearance change to match the man he was inside. Lerato's platinum blonde hair had grown out a fair bit since the two friends has last spoken, blowing easily in what little breeze shifted the air on top of the ancient building. "You can see the death that clings to this place almost as if it were a physical entity sucking the life blood from the place we once called home..." Just then a ray of light broke through a small red cloud that had come to hover just above the two of them to cast his bare chest in an eerie glow, darkening his most recent scars almost to the point of appearing a royal purple hue. People say a picture is worth a thousand words, and yet the picture of the lieutenant standing on such a depressing backdrop was both worth a million times that while still being indescribable. The semi-draconic claws spread across his neck coupled with the grotesque scarring on his chest gave the man a ghastly appearance. "Zaine, my dear brother, the sands of time are shifting... The winds of change are blowing and with it they will carry our presence throughout the entirety of the Soul Society..."

(Show off.........T-T)

"So you were just creeping about this place the entire time eh? That's pretty rude friend." The cloaked shinigami commented dryly as he turned to the direction that he had heard his friend touch down. Eyeing the new look of the Vice Captain with an inquisitive expression, he caught over the scars that covered the man's torso and gave a small smile. "Seems like all the cool kids have some wicked looking scars eh?" he stated, tilting his head slightly to the left and right to indicate the pair of scars located on each shoulder. "Way to sound like a ******** downer on such a beautiful day as this!" the captain exclaimed brightly, sweeping his arm grandiosely across the desolate and battered landscape, which was lighted murkily through the small amount of light that managed to filter through the dirty sky. This of course was an incredibly ironic statement, and the mischievious light that danced behind the captain's crimson flecked eyes showed that he was well aware of this fact.

"My, someone sure is feeling dramatic today eh?" he quipped lightly, now catching the subtle scent of ozone surrounding his friend and allowing himself a small sigh. "Yes I can see these things, and I know that this place has become a veritable hell hole. However we shouldn't simply turn away from it because of what it has become. The death of this place won't spread to us unless we allow it to." Looking over to the lieutenant he smiled slightly as the fleeting light beam died out, "I won't disagree about the whole winds of change bit though, I've felt it for a long time now. Something huge is on the horizon and I just hope that we are all ready for it when the time comes. The earth itself seems to be bracing herself for something big and I must say..." Flashing a large grin to his friend, "I'm most certainly looking forward to something to break up the monotony that has become ever so persistent around here as of late."

(foreshadowing. Problem? :trollface: )

"So that's what he meant by finding a 'rare treasure' here in this desolate shithole..." Zeb smiled as he punched the wall, reducing it to rubble. "I was wondering why you called me here Teacher!" He laughed manically as he punched the other wall, sending rubble flying everywhere. "I'm sure you know who I am, even though we never met properly!"

Drawing his blade, he spoke calmly as he let his energies out in a controlled manner - a polar opposite to how he would normally do it. "Slice to the core, burn the soul... Hikanakon." As he jumped up and sliced a large chunk of the area around him, giving him the necessary heat to fight at 100% "I've never had respect for people who were put into a position as opposed to us who had to earn it." Zeb spoke harshly as he landed, making the remaining infastructure groan under his weight - he wasn't exactly a feather, and landing was always harsh on the ground when he was involved.

"Zebediah Flamstel, The Physical Power-house of the Gotei 13." Zeb said as he flourished his blade "And I'm here with my Kido teacher here to make sure you learn bankai. We also brought friends. Just to make sure you learn properly. Cause you're like me. You can't learn things with a book or yourself. You have to experience it... And I'm gonna teach you what it means to learn with your body."

A request letter had arrived in this office earlier that day from Lerato, detailing him on what was taking place, and where. Zaine Tsukioma was one of the first Shinigami he met, during an attack on Soul Society orchestrated by the Arrancar some time ago. Since then, Kaisho and Zaine have been on good terms with one another, and have gone through their development at a similar pace. That was, however, until Kaisho was dealt a surprising hand that would push him past Zaine. Many a moon ago, he was asked to acquire Bankai and take over from his former captain Bullene Katsurou, and though it was extraordinarily difficult, he succeeded. The letter requesting help in Zaine’s initiation came at a good time. Certainly there was something amiss within Soul Society as of late, and the Gotei Thirteen were looking the most fragile Kaisho had ever seen it. For the sake of bolstering Sereitei’s overall strength, and to give an old acquaintance a tough but much needed lesson, Kaisho gratefully accepted the request.

Kaisho had been overseeing the tranquil beginnings of this ‘initiation’ a relatively short distance from Lerato and Zaine, keeping his spiritual pressure to a minimum. He remained silent. Motionless. Poised. The only movement was that of his eyes, flicking this way and that, monitoring the slightest movements made by the other assailants waiting for Lerato’s cue to take action. However, he could not sense anything at this time, nor did he pick up any movement or hear any noise from the others. Their formation, after all, was widely spread around the pair. Kaisho could faintly hear the two talking, but about what was anybody’s guess; their words sounded muffled to him. Then, as suddenly to Zaine as it was to himself, Kaisho saw Lerato strike Zaine with his fist, hurtling him over a crumbling structure.

A chorus of noise erupted at the instant Lerato took action, with Zebediah making his presence known with an unexpected level of control. The powerhouse released his Zanpakuto’s Shikai, jumping in the air to hack away at the area beneath him before landing heavily back down. Next, the Vizard Kowabi rushed swiftly towards the Ninth Squad Captain brandishing her released Zanpakuto, releasing her energies for all surrounding her to feel while in the same breath unleashed a technique the Seventh Squad Captain knew nothing about. Kaisho had yet to act, but this quickly changed, announcing his presence on the tattered battlefield with his reiatsu soaring to heights Captains are notorious for reaching. “Zaine Tsukioma, can you survive?” Kaisho bellowed, taking up a long crouching stance with his hands resting in a pronate position, forming them into a paw-like fist just above his knees. He decided to wait before he attacked, the situation Zaine was in right now was overwhelming enough as it was with Lerato and the Kowabi attacking him, without adding himself and Zebediah into the frey aswell.

Zeb was struck by a blinding light which left him blinking for a few seconds. Those few seconds was more time then he could afford with someone like Zaine; as was evidenced by the activation of his Shikai. "I guess I will need to use those techniques..." He smiled as he gathered heat and reiatsu around him "Mirage Shunpo..." Smiling coyly as he jumped with the power of shunpo and his own monumental strength. He appeared about a foot behind and a foot above Zaine, while his afterimage was hit by the full concussive force of the dense air as it exploded due to the heat left behind, causing an even greater fire.

"Mr. Captain, I don't think that's a good idea... You just keep adding fuel to my fire..." Grinning from ear to ear, he let go with a maddening slash aimed at the shoulder that was filled with shrapnel that Kowabi had implanted inside. His goal was to cauterize the wound, leaving the evil shards of metal inside of him, only to create another wound once they exited. "And the one thing you don't want is me to be stronger then I am without gathering heat..." Zeb laughed as he brought the heat from down below to his body and transformed it into pure, raw strength.

As he slashed, he began to fall, leaving the captain high up above him, and praying to the gods that the slash would connect; just because he was a demon at fighting, doesn't mean he was 100% accurate with his attacks.

((OOC: I got a call from work not too long ago about having to come in for the next 5 days as opposed to the next 3 as I originally thought... One of my co-workers is having a family emergency, so I need to take up the mantle. I'll still be online, but only for short intervals, and only after 2am [-8GMT]. Sorry about any inconvenience this may cause. I'll try to keep my posts regular as well. If there are any questions, txt me, pm me, or something... I shall respond asap.))

Overlooking the action taking place and noticing how Zaine reacted to it, Kaisho smiled. He saw that the Vizard’s interesting ability had clearly made contact, but Zaine managed to remain composed despite the shrapnel worming its way deep into his flesh. Zaine’s confident response to Kaisho’s question further widened the smile curling the Seventh Squad Captain’s fair-skinned face, a shake of the head giving the impression of disbelief that the Ninth Squad Captain’s personality remained unwavering given the situation. “I should’ve expected that reply...” Kaisho muttered discreetly to himself, coughing a short laugh from his lips with a faint sigh. His eyes briefly turned from Zaine to Kowabi, a single thought spawning in the back of his mind. As Zaine began his counterattack, he had noticed that the Captain had released his Zanpakuto from its sealed state. Zaine unleashed an unfamiliar technique he called Gale Song, attacking those that were already engaging him in combat. Zebediah was the first to at, performing a Shunpo with an afterimage left behind to take the wind attack. The heat left by Zeb’s combined with the dense air exploded into a grand ball of flame, forcing Kaisho’s eyes to wince at the intensity of the light given off. Meanwhile, Lerato took swift action, using Hadou #58 to return Zaine’s attack back with much more ferocity than before.

Shortly after, Lerato began to converse, bringing up something that the two had discussed some time ago. It unnerved Kaisho to hear Lerato openly ask “Did you really think that I would play fair?” before an incantation was spoken, a Kidou fired at Zaine, and an order to immobilise Zaine was given to the Vizard. The Captain began to wonder about this exercise, his doubt on whether this was really to find out if the Ninth Division Captain could achieve Bankai and completely fit the bill for such a position, or just an extremely elaborate extermination. Kaisho relinquished the stance he took, and made his way over to the group. He was wary now, not just of Zaine, but also of Lerato. “Lerato... are we being deceived?” Kaisho asked, his face no longer carrying that smile from moments ago, rather a straight-faced, narrowing scowl. True, he was aware that this would push the Captain of Ninth Squad to his very limits, but if all three were to fight at full strength, it would be difficult for the Seventh Squad Captain not to intervene on the side of his fellow Captain, much less idly stand by and watch.

I'm the MONSTER,
----------I'm the VILLAIN,
--------------------What perfection,
------------------------------What precision,

`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`^`

A malicious gleam lit Kowabi’s eyes the moment her attack met flesh, the churning of the silvery metal exhilarating on her long suppressed senses, every tiny wriggle electing a bolt of mild pleasure. Neon eyes locked on Zaine as her feet alighted on the decrepit roof just past her target point, a moment before all hell broke loose. Kowabi could have laughed. The sheer amount of action that took place while she stood inert was tremendous, but was not enough for her to miss the attack that hurtled towards her. A brilliant white slash of a smile flashed over her dark face just before her muscles coiled beneath her launching her skywards. The area she’d just occupied crumbled with the influx of condensed winds, rattling the decrepit building and forcing other unsteady sections to separate and add to the debris below. A plume of dust pushed upwards after her fleeting form and as gravity caught her, Kowabi oriented downwards and dove through the rust colored covering, metal coated arms before her, while the clash between the other combatants turned attention away from her.

In the catacomb understructure once more, she regrouped, slinking over decaying stone and avoiding the blaze slowly devouring the rotting timbers to her far right, the old Vizard finally inhaled sharply. Dust, rust and the scent of nature’s slow reclamation of a tainted patch of land overpowered nearly everything, but she still could make out the faint traces of sweat and unique bodily odors of the men just beyond the derelict structure. Kowabi wrinkled her nose in distaste, but kept close to the pillars, edging closer with her ears trained on the banter between them. Males, Kowabi snarled mentally, her sure feet bringing her to the fringes of the buildings outer edge closest to the continuing skirmish.

Kowabi had just settled into a crouch when the feel of the air shifted and she went on alert a fraction of a second before the first syllable of the incantation slipped from Lerato’s lips. Shifting, the static pull of the air set the fine hair at the back of her neck on end and her eyes glazed when the influx of electricity descended in a screaming arc for the Captain turned quarry. The old Vizard had little time to even appreciate the spectacle before she snapped to attention at a new set of orders, her teeth clenched violently from the pain shooting from her shoulder to her heart. Lurching forward, Kowabi was caught partially in the backlashing of static energy. The force was just another pain she fought through, while the beginnings of an incantation fell in hushed tones from her lips.

“Raimei no basha, itoguruma no kangeki, hikari mote kore o mutsu ni wakatsu,” the first spell locked into place and Kowabi drew in a dust laden breath. Skirting the now shrouded field with her reiatsu suppressed to nothing but a pathetic spatter, three more incantations followed the first. Her near silent footfalls brought her to a rear position, the only indication that Zaine’s body was a good distance before her were his mildly labored breaths. Kowabi remained still then, the hushed incantations still waiting for their triggers while the dust settled, inevitably marking her cue to move.

The instant Zaine spoke, Kowabi loosed her reiatsu. “Bakudou – No. 61, Rikujoukourou.” The command was a whisper, but the spark of light off of Kowabi’s two raised fingers transitioned rapidly into a streak as she flashed forward, immediately triggering the next Kidou. “Bakudou – No. 62, Hyapporankan,” the pale blue beam of light in hand, she stopped just short of ramming the bar through the back of Zaine’s neck, rather holding it as the pole rapidly split into one hundred separate beams, at such a close distance the Kidou remained a formidable cluster and loosed when she delicately removed her fingers from the beam she held. Finally as she back pedaled, placing another long stride between them the final trigger dropped. “Bakudou – No. 63, Sajou Sabaku.” Without pause a white chain of light erupted from her palm, the serpentine movement rushing forward to wind about the new Captain.

One trigger left, Kowabi let the final incantation evaporate.