Re: Freeing Yourself

Fri Feb 05, 2021 9:02 pm

FILLER TEXT HERE

Artist: Carrotwine - Song: Dark Side Of The Road

He listened and found that she was receptive to the idea. He chuckled a bit at her comment, finding the joke amusing. "Just think, if I wasn't here you'd have yours and mine to do. I feel for Shuten of the Stealth Division." He acknowledged having tried to recruit her as well. But it would have meant the collapse of that Division. So in that aspect, it was a good thing he didn't become successful. But he had a lot of ventures going forward, he considered the statement.

He could also see some confusion on her face, so he had a suggestion or two. He still hadn't done this well with his own Zanpakuto. He acknowledged this, but he knew chains were an aspect of his Zanpakuto. He'd just not trained well with it, he would further that at a later date.

"So you've got a decent amount to work with, remember that chain as two sides. You can always use the side without the blade side. As a rope or a testing method of attacking, also depending on how you refine it. KIdo techniques are an option with chains as well, past members found these distasteful. I see no issue with them myself, the main skill you'll have to refine is how you wield your chain. But a discussion for another time I think."

He let his Reishi out since he didn't want a repeat of her earlier tactic. While he counted it as a brilliant tactic, he intended to take things a bit more seriously. Not to the extent of wounding her, but showing her what his Zanpakuto could do.

He used a step now, moving away from the spot she went. He arrived behind her again, though this time he was prepared for a retaliation truthfully. He expected her to have a plan or something in line. So he prepared an Utsusemi just to be sure she didn't catch him unaware.

His sword tapped her, side not bringing pain to her. But suddenly he added 500 lbs to her body. After touching her with the blade, this didn't happen in the physical sense. Her body just felt five hundred lbs heavier. Gravity Connect, allowed him to alter the gravity of anything he touched with his blade.

It was an effective weapon for one of the faster Captains. So it worked out well in this sense. His eyes glowed with reishi behind them. Having gotten a cloak of it around his body now. obviously, he still pulled his punches and the tap was more or less a gently touching of the blade.

He'd flash step away from her, this effect only lasted five minutes. (Five Posts) Or roughly so he calculated. Though her chain got him thinking, how much he'd neglected his skills as a Shinigami. He was a Vizard, but he also had other powers. Which he didn't improve or give the merit they deserved.

Sun Feb 07, 2021 7:01 am

The Big Woman

Hanako Yamada

Maybe Yoshitsune did dial it up mor than just one notch…

At first it did seem pretty good. Hanako could clearly see him when she attacked, up until he vanished in a cloud of dust. Did she really get him this time? Was he unable to move because of…

A rush of air behind her. A tap on her side. At first she expected to feel a cutting sensation, a scratch like the ones she inflicted upon Yoshitsune. But it was just the flat side of the sword, it seemed.

Hanako yanked at the chain and whirled around to bring her armored left arm up. Well...she tried to.
Bakumusha came flying towards her but as she caught it she found that her movement to face Yoshitsune was far less elastic and quick as she would have liked. Also, lifting her arm suddenly became something she noticed. She felt suddenly slow. Slow and heavy.

Hanako was not a light and small girl. She knew that. In the past she had been just tall and not much else. But her extensive training for almost a decade now had made her big, hard and heavy. She didn't actually know her own weight, but given her height 200 pounds would probably be conservative. And although most of her weight were nice and proportional muscles, that helped her carry that body around like it was nothing, she noticed when something was added. And a lot had been added.

Hanako began panting and felt the strain in her kegs, but she kept standing. It would be difficult to continue fighting but what would all that training and her strength be good for if she couldn't even support her own body with a few pounds extra.

She held her left arm before her body, like a shield, and her sword in her right hand, pointed at Yoshitsune. What should she do now? The gap in speed did just become a whole lot wider.

'Use... ability?' said there a deep voice inside her head.

'No, I don't want to use it on a friend. It doesn't feel right.' she thought back.

'...honorable.' answered the voice and fell silent again.

"So...Bakumusha suggested I should use his ability...his true ability against you." She said aloud.
"But I won't. I can't. I know now what it is and it isn't something you use on a friend. So I guess this will have to go the hard way."

With a visible effort she raised her right arm above her head and began swinging Bakunusha in a circle above her head. Faster and faster with small, sparing movements of her wrist. At first it was only a small circle, but then she lengthened the chain and created a five meter zone around her that would be hard to enter without getting hit by either the whirling sword, or the chain it was attached to.

Slowly she began creeping forward towards Yoshitsune, foot after foot. At the same time she began concentrating her energies, ready to fire a crescent blade of energy at any time, which manifested in a thin but bright flow around her skin.

Coding Altered From: [The Frost]

Sun Feb 07, 2021 1:58 pm

The Big Woman

Hanako Yamada

Hanako couldn't help but sigh with relief when her body became lighter again with Yoshitsune's snap. She couldn't be sure, but it felt as if she had been at least three times her normal weight, probably more. If it had continued for a longer period of time it would have worn her out quickly.

She caught Bakumusha again. The training was over, at least for now. Yoshitsune had sheathed his sword again, and inevitably Hana realised that he hadn't released it. If this was some ability his Zanpakuto granted him while sealed, it's power must be truly great when in Shikain or even Bankai. The latter was a level of power Hanako still could only dream of.

She lowered her gaze and examined the flower buds all over the sword. They were closed, but now she knew what would happen, should they open.
In her mind she thanked Bakumusha. Then the armor, the chain and the sword itself began to glow and the light rapidly receded back into the hilt of the sword, leaving only the plain Katana. While sheathing it Hanako imagined feeling a slight and somehow satisfied vibration.

When she listened to her Captain's words she realised that there was a misunderstanding.

"Oh no, I'm sorry it was not like that. I think I might have gotten that across wrong. He merely suggested it as a possibility, because I couldn't move to well anymore. In fact he also said it was honorable that I don't want to use the ability on a friend."

She hesitated a moment before she stepped closer to Yoshitsune and lowered her voice.

"It has to do with the flower buds. When I open them...they spew out dust...pollen. It ignites and causes a great explosion. And everyone caught in the explosion has their memories altered, to forget everything about Bakumusha's true ability, so they think it's a simple combat type. That's why I didn't want to use it on you. It just seemed wrong. But you should know about it...and I would appreciate it if it stayed between us."

She considered Yoshitsune's last question for a moment.

"I think what it taught me most is that there are many possibilities to fight with Bakumusha that I haven't even thought of yet. And it taught me also that I have a long way to go before I can fight on par with you."

Coding Altered From: [The Frost]

Tue Feb 09, 2021 9:53 am

The Big Woman

Hanako Yamada

Hanako simply nodded after Yoshitsune thanked her. After all he was her Captain and he should know what her abilities were.
It was kind of a strange feeling, talking and thinking about an ability she had never actually used. It felt all very theoretical. But it was real, she knew, she could feel it in her blood, in her mind. In the darkness that sat there. She used to hate it, even fear it. Maybe she had been wrong about it. The darkness didn't seem so endless anymore, not since she had recovered her name. Her name and even a bit more. But this little something she hasn't told anyone yet. She didn't understand it herself. But she had seen it in one of the pictures. Some of them had begun to fill themselves again when Bakumusha had begun to speak. The memories, the pictures, Bakumusha's words and her abilities.

When Hanako thought back to the fight just now and to the emotions in her when Bakumusha's true ability had awakened, she realised how grateful she was for all that was given to her. No, for all she had achieved. But it was bitter-sweet, and this was the real eye-opener. Because had she not lost her memory, had not this darkness taken over a great deal of her mind, she would have been a different person. Hanako would have never existed. But this, all this, it was Hanako's achievement, was it not?

It made her desire to find out who Ameko was even stronger.

"Thank you." She said and accepted the Captain's offer to call it a day graciously. "I think I could use some time to rest."

Hanako wasn't tired, not really. But she would go over the fight again, discuss it with Bakumusha and maybe spar with him in his world. There were new perspectives, new thoughts and new emotions that started to form, now that the excitement of the battle began to wear off.

She bowed respectfully.

"Let me know if you need help." She said, bowed again and left the area. Destination: hot water and quiet.

Coding Altered From: [The Frost]