One Plus Seven Equals Eight [Erika, Shishiyuki]

One more to go, she had fought every vice-captain in this evaluation as she called it. She cracked her neck while approaching the seventh division barracks, reflecting on the fights she had thus far with second, fourth, and sixth. While two were impressive enough for her, she found the sixth's vice-captain to be lacking compared to the rest and swiftly dealt with her. That left the one with the most infamy to trial after the conflict between the seventh and fourth divisions.

"Vice-captain Koizumi. You're aware of why I'm here, yes?"

She entered of her own accord and asked in the same action. Warning had been given ahead of time to the vice-captains and she didn't want to waste her time with the formalities of boring back and forth. It was an impromptu visit though, she had informed them that she would see them but avoided giving specifics. As far as she was concerned the battlefield did not allow time to prepare.

Enemies of the Gotei United wouldn't give the courtesy so why would she?

Shishiyuki was hardly surprised by the arrival of the 1st's vice captain, and was rather glad she had little other work that needed doing in the immediate. A fight would do her some good, she imagined.

"Of course, Vice Captain Masamune. Shall we go outside?"

But, then again, she could probably handle a fight even here inside the yurt. Maybe that would even be a more interesting test of her capabilities. Would Erika actually be willing to put one of the Gotei's offices at risk like that? Shishiyuki doubted it, but she was still fully prepared for the bout to begin here and now.

She kept her neutral expression and body language to the question but Erika did like the sound of that. The vice-captain of the seventh had quite the reputation for her skill and power. The power was certain enough that the challenge of collateral damage proved a far greater assessment of the two of them, and so...

As fleetfooted as a rabbit she launched herself onto the desk and drew her blade to slash at Shishiyuki. No zanpakuto and pure unarmed proficiency. It was either arrogance or confidence that made her opponent opt to discard the sword and Erika wanted to put it to the test which one it was.

"Damage to the facilities will be considered penalties in this performance evaluation."

She declared to attach the shackles to her opponent.

Of course. Tying your opponent down into such a small area was a remarkable way of limiting them, and Shishiyuki had to admit that no small amount of what she had demonstrated in recent days had been overwhelmingly destructive. But that was the sort of thing that stuck with onlookers, that pushed them to learn hakuda in greater depth and strive for more meaningful heights. In a bout such as this, she still had ample means to retaliate.

As Erika lept onto the desk, Shishiyuki quickly kicked the furniture away, controlling herself just enough to push it to the other side of the room and no further. She doubted this would do much to stop a swordmaster of Erika's skill, but even so, it would give them both further room to work with. As the blade cut toward her, the Koizumi head evaded with practiced ease, though the speed of Erika's sword still cut through the tips of her flowing hair. Very impressive, indeed.

"Understood, Vice Captain Masamune."

Taking up her proper stance, it took only a fraction of a second for Shishiyuki to follow up and begin her own offensive, footwork carrying her close enough to ideally lessen the value of the sword's length. She could have thrown countless feinting blows, a flurry of strikes that would overwhelm most defenses, but she knew just from the stories surrounding this opponent that it would be a waste of time. Instead, her fist jetted forward, arm wildly enhanced through the momentary infusion of spiritual power through her muscle. Realistically, she could have pierced small mountains with such a blow, but if Erika had no answer to such a strike, then she would have been profoundly disappointed.

Even as the table was kicked away, the petite shinigami ran across it with surefooted precision to dash her opponent and continue the evaded strike. She recognised the reason for this proximity without a thought. So Erika gave a confident smirk as she jumped a subtle motion of her foot to float above the strike and give her room to swing her sword once more.

Except it was not the blade that Shishiyuki would have to contend with. It was a sharp kick to Shishiyuki's shoulder that was meant to launch her back and reclaim the space that was lost.

She was feeling out her opponent in a clinical manner unlike her youth where she would rush into a fight without any rhyme or consideration for wellbeing. Her stance was a mix of offence and defence and so both were administered conservatively rather than favouring one.

How unexpected, for the swordsman to fight without the blade. It was certainly a failure on Shishiyuki's part to have not prepared for that, but she could manage nevertheless. Erika's blow was certainly well-practiced, above the capabilities of the average shinigami by no small margin.

Shishiyuki, however, was not the average shinigami. The movements of her foes, the flow of spiritual energy through the body, it was all something she understood as easily as breathing. As Erika's leg shot toward her shoulder, Shishiyuki's hand rocketed upward, an uppercut that sliced through the air with speed sufficient to crash through the sound barrier. No, she didn't intend to maintain that kind of otherworldly speeds for every blow, lest she exhaust herself too quickly. But a strike so confident needed to be met in kind, didn't it?

If Erika deigned to use her as a mere step, then Shishiyuki would strike back with the full weight of her pride, in herself and as head of the Koizumi. She had been trampled upon for far too long to allow it to happen again.

Oh? Did she not appreciate it, regardless of her feelings on the matter Erika was not going to allow this strike to be as elegant as Shishiyuki might have wanted it to be. She changed her battle approach and in the simple flick of her wrist timed to her heartbeat Erika used her incredible control of reiatsu to change the back step into a roll.

Even though clipping her leg was inevitable, she had Shishiyuki's rear and ample space to swing her sword on the canvas that was her the vice-captain's back. By changing her tact she spent precious time that might've helped her get away make receiving harm guaranteed but her foot became a hook to keep Shishiyuki from running forward.

Rather than opt for a slash she chose to drive the blade between spine and scapula to hinder her range of motion. Deep enough to tickle but extended far enough to make grabbing the handle beyond her grasp. If she could even twist her body to reach the sword it would be the blade.

Running forward? Shishiyuki would do no such thing. Her body was covered in scars from head to toe, all earned in the very same manner; by fighting with all her might. She needed not turn to attack, nor would she dare to do so in such a blindingly fast moment. All her body tensed, every muscle in her back becoming so defined it was like staring at a cliff face, and all at once, her right foot slammed the ground hard enough to shake the earth

Shishiyuki's whole body whipped around on the axis of her foot, her back turning so that Erika's blade ran parallel rather than perpendicular. She had no time to properly strike out with her arm or anything similar, but she needed not do so. Instead, her shoulder simply barrelled toward her opponent with all the momentum of a freight train.

She had no doubt that she would still be cut, but she would not allow her opponent to create any major issue so soon in the bout.