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Mashiro walked onto a little cleared area of the Forest found around the Squad 13 Barracks. Most of the trees where dead and served nothing more than shade from the hot sun. As Mashiro walked onto the area, he noticed a single, large tree stup that had a black sitting mat on it. Seeing that Hatsume and the others have not shown up yet, he would sit a while and take in his surroundings. With his eyes closed, Mashiro could feel the tranquility of the forest. Life grew from every direction, even in the dead trees. The Blond Shinigami placed Jou-shirû at his knees where he sat. His red cape made no movement at all, even as the breeze picked up. The smell of fresh pine was in the air, as well as mildew from the wet bark on the trees. This was a perfect day for a trainning match.

There was another there, Mashiro could feel it. As he looked up he opened his eyes to see a young female shinigami. This was the same shinigami that the Blond Shinigami defeated at the Trainning Grounds. It seems she wishes to have another lesson.... Mashiro thought to himself. " Welcome, Rei..." The male shinigami's voice rang in her ears. " I see that you have recovered from your earlyer injuries. I would go ahead and start with you, but I am waiting on two others before this match starts..... Come...... sit with me."

Hinata skidded into the clearing, out of breath from almost forgetting her zanpaktou, then having to run back to her quarters to retrieve it. Once she had come to a halt, she surveyed the scene before her, having never approached this particular part of the forest before. She had found her way solely depending upon her own acute sense of spiritual pressure.

Her eyes wandered before coming to a rest on two solitary figures on the opposite edge of the clearing. One was clearly Mashiro, and he appeared to have also taken a detour to collect his sword before the decided training session. The other was a slim female shinigami whom Hinata knew only by sight.

'Oh no... What was her name again?' The pigtailed youth distantly recalled being briefly introduced to her upon starting work at the 13th squad, but had not encountered her since.

"And what was that about having an acute sense of spiritual pressure?" her zanpaktou, Harikaze, snidly remarked. "If your sense was that good, you would have recognised her by her reiatsu." Hinata however, being so used to Harikaze's unkindly comments, had learned to shut her out completely.

"Hi, Mashiro," Hinata acknowledged him with a friendly nod. "I gather Hatsume's not here yet..." She turned to Mashiro's companion, inclining her head graciously as a greeting.
"I'm Kazuki Hinata, and you are...?"

" Nevermind," stated the Blond Shinigami as he lifted himself off the mat, which was in the middle of a huge tree stump. His shadow seemed to hange over the much shorter female shinigami in his company. " Here are the rules of this match... One, All three of you will attack me with your all. Two, your shikai is allowed, and if you release it make sure you give me your all. Finally Three..... Do... Not....Hesitate." With that Mashiro picked up his zanpakutou. " Last time you saw my zanpakutou was when we where with the Captain and we where both inexperianced, but now I will show you my power..." Clearly talking to Hatsume, Mashiro brought the middle of the blade infrom of his face, seperaiting his eyes on each end. " Warrior Die and Kingdom Fade, Write this Law , Jou-shirû." The zanpakutou that Mashiro held began to glow into a bright red until the blade could not be seen. It grew several inches, showing a longer blade and riboons that attached to the hilt and finger guard. When the red cleared a falchion was in the katana's place with 12 ribbons. Ten where red and the other two where white and green which where wrapped around the handle. " Behold..... Jou-shirû, the Imperial Seal. Now.... Come At Me." Mashiro's voice was as cold as ever, yet with no emotion behind it. This was indeed going to be a tough fight.

Rei gaped.
The small clearing was swirling with the wind from the release of Hinata's zanpaktou, and Mashiro had released his zanpaktou's shikai form and was already on high alert. Rei was honored to be able to join this fight, but nonetheless a bit scared; afterall, this had been the first time she had been in a situation with more than one person with a released zanpaktou. Although Hatsume had not yet even take her sword out of its sheath, Rei had a sinking feeling that it will be incredibly powerful if she did. From far away, a voice suddenly sounded in Rei's empty and confused head. Keep moving if you don't want to die, you useless woman! She regonized it right away as a phrase her commander often shouted to her in the real world, and remembered how much she had hated it. Who knew it would help her now, of all places? Oh the irony, Rei thought to herself.
Without further a due, Rei quickly got out of the way of the two shinigamis with their released zanpaktou. One thing is for sure: a shinigami who doesn't even has his or her zanpaktou's shikai form mastered should not stand in the middle of a fight of three shingamis who are all so much stronger than herself. Rei had to think of a way to attack Mashiro and it is not charging at him like some brainless fool; she learned it the hard way last time (also the first time) she trained with the blond shingami.

((Sorry for not replying for so long sweatdrop ..... Also, how do you get your zanpaktou's shikai form? I was always really confused at that part.))

(( Can't post until Hatsu says something... Because it would be rude to start the battle without her even unsheathing her sword. So you there's really no rush, Rei. ))

-:¦:-Hatsume-:¦:-]::. The single word spilled from Mashiro's mouth flickered a single ear from the fox leaving her expression abit bewildered. He entirely ignored her concerned question! Auurrghh! It was starting to irritate her now with his gloom and doom additude roaming around like some eerie menos shadow! Hummph! So those brilliantly colored eyes grew dimmer as the bangs of her hair overcast them ever so slightly... Glaring as she followed through with the rules of the game. Her furry tail arching upwards as he spoke of not hesitating, and only for the love of Mashiro did she hope he was talking mainly to the others.... for he should know Hatsu doesn't ever hesitate in taking a blow, nor a charge. Nay, only once did she falter before in the tournaments of Toppelts- against two other higher leveled shinigami; one of them a much wiser kitsune. Wrenched shadows of her past teased and taunted the young vixen into making her charge in only half it's strength....! A time before she had even known Ame's name.

The memories coaxed at her mind reminding her of the heavy impact she embarrassed & the lessons to be learned. She wasn't alone, not even on that day was she alone! The thing she fears most... is that of being alone yes- it drains her of all her life force it seems. Yet as Mashiro spoke up again he snapped her attention back to him as her ears caught onto every word spoken out in the area, even the protesting responses of Hinata. His words fierce and strong, but it didn't move at Hatsume as if his own calm emotions where starting to convince the kitsune to act the same. "What would you 'call' experienced Mashiro my dear brother...? When will it be that you too; will fully be experienced and powerful? To me... it will be never! For there will always be somebody more stronger and wiser than I and for me to stand against it... It will be I who will have to embrace being wrapped in this endless circle of life and power that we all have all tangled ourselves into." She calmly spoke in a serious tone, looking down to the handle of her zanpaktou as if pondering if to release him into the shikai stage or not. ".....Do you wish too? It's up to you." She paused as that flicked ear lowered down a tad bit. "Very Well..."

A soft expression went to shift at the twister afar made from Hinata and her partner, and then back at Mashiro and his own. The high level of reiatsu surging through the environment beat at her heart to say the least, she was always so sensitive towards such things even at lower levels. Finally her tightly grasping hand let her thumb 'click' out the blade as it pulled out- revealing it's normal figure of what appeared to be a regular katana. "Ame No MaruKumo! .... Paint them all Red!" The summoning words successed in their path of bringing the Shikai form to life as reiatsu dramatically increased as it filtered Hatsu to the Zanpakutou; the reiatsu turning a visible bright red as it quickly shifted into fire twirling and twisting around the blade, Hatsu herself and most importantly the scabbard of the zanpakutou allowing the fire to literally 'paint' the former black color into red. It wouldn't be long till the transformation was complete as a phoenix raised from the painting of the scabbard and did he fly and attempt to perch on the shoulder of Rei, the increase of reiatsu showed for itself Hatsu's improvement but as soon as it came did it go; being controlled to her liking. "Nice Buddy by the way Hinata Sama! I wouldn't want to upset you on a bad day! Hehe, our other teammate doesn't have her own shikai does she? Hasn't said a word since I came... o_o; I hope she doesn't dislike me. I remember seeing my first shikai ever as a shinigami; whoowee... that was a big disappointment, from the way the guy talked I thought he might have a reason to boast about too... turned out his cockiness corrupted his skill and made him weak despite being a mid-rank!" She snickered eyeing Mashiro in a caring manner. She hoped he wouldn't befall the same disease as so many others.