Dancing Flames [Kasha, Kyo]

The defeat was admitted but he remained in his tense position. In quiet contemplation, he had never thought of himself as superior to Kyo. Regardless of how talented he was praised to be or how far above the man he hovered in hakuda, the larger than life giant had the kind of spirit that made him present as insurmountable but perhaps it was the way he assured this was not the last time.

Even if he lost a ninety-nine times Kyo's improvement through all those loses would mean he won the hundredth time.

"I do not, Kyo. Bakuen no Kasha defeated you. Not I."

He said with a bit of disappointment as his fighting stance disappeared into a more relaxed one and he went to pick up his friend's zanpakuto to take it back to him. It was a perfect reflection of him, and with a glance over to his own sword he just saw a pool of muddy water.

It was a technique that was the best option for winning was the one that did not represent the kind of person that he thought of himself at all. The subtle and gentle approach to combat he began with fell to the wayside in favour of winning.

"Don't look at things that way."

Though his voice was still perfectly pleasant, and he still wore a smile, there was an obvious gravity to Kyo's words as he chided his friend. It was all too true that this was simply one bout, that Kyo would look only to their next bout, and all thier bouts afterward. But he didn't fight simply for his own betterment.

"You're the one who knew that technique, and used it at the right time. Did we not agree you'd fight with everything you had? Nothing hidden? If you'd held back because of something like pride, you'd have made a liar of yourself, and insulted me without me even knowing. You might be disappointed for beating me with that technique, but I couldn't be more honored."

Kyo accepted his zanpakuto from Kasha, but as he did so, he stood up, his other hand coming to rest on Kasha's shoulder.

"You asked me to tell you who you are. I guess it's possible that you only used that move because your pride refused to allow you to lose, but I don't think that's it. You've never used things like that the matches you've had with others. So, Kasha, I would say you're a man of pride that puts even mine to shame. You have a burning need to be seen in the best possible light, but always, always on your own terms. If you were a more evil man, maybe you could be someone as cruel as Sosuke Aizen, but you aren't. You want to be the best you can be. When someone matters to you, you want to give them the best you can give. You're cloistered off, prickly and bad at letting people in, but there isn't anything wrong with that. You're a good friend. A good man, who holds himself to impossibly high standards."

He might've taken offence to being compared to an individual like Aizen, the blight only spoken about in history books, but there was truth in the man's evaluation of him. He did ask to be looked at and analysed in a genuine way so being upset by it was hypocritcal.

Too hypocritcal for him.

"I see. Thank you for you insights, Kyo. I appreciate it."

With a small bow to show his gratitude and to remove the last bits of tension from his muscles, he went to collect his top so that he could become presentable again with the bout finished.

"Well, I feel like it's the least I can do. I've taken your critiques to heart plenty over the years, after all. When you ask for my insight in turn, it's only right I give it all my thought."

Kyo naturally returned the bow, fixing his hair and sheathing his zanpakuto as he thought about this whole little ordeal. It had been fun, really, having such an unrestrained match with his best friend. He liked to hope it would happen again.

"How about we get something to eat, eh?"

"That sounds wise, it's important to replenish energy after training, especially when you are such a formidable challenge."

He praised to his friend with a light smile, collecting the zanpakuto that he had set down to watch the spar in a smooth motion before making sure that he was decent. This would be a little different than usual, he almost never left the confines of the grounds when he was like this. Traditionally this was his day of rest and so he secluded himself but one day would not be an issue for Kyo.

"I hope you mean the regular spot. I hear the owner is doing a limited-time special but I haven't gone there to try it. We should try it."