Settling The Score (Ranma, Armina)

The sheer boredom of the lockdown was beginning to drive the 4th Seat beyond the point of madness and so rather than spend another morning training on her own, Armina had decided to make a visit to another division. There was a particular member of the 8th that the six footer had encountered in the Rukongai, one who had led her on quite the merry dance, pissing her off beyond belief. She had no idea about what had happened to either him or his giant friend and Armina was morbidly curious. Had the 4th Division member come for conflict? She certainly kept it close to the chest as the blue haired woman had not even mentioned her intentions to her little band.

On arriving at the barracks of the Division, Armina would attract the attention of the first Shinigami that she came across, her tone about as friendly as it always was. “I’m looking for a member of your division named Ranma. Is he around or just being a nuisance as always?”

“He’s practising his Kido again in the training grounds.” The Shinigami replied, looking rather unhappy at the idea of it. “Kid has been firing spells off all over the place. He’s a maniac.”

“More like a cowardly pussy.” The 4th Seat answered. “Where are your grounds?”

Motioning behind him, the Division member quickly said. "Just walk a few minutes that way. Can’t miss it.”

“Mmm.” Armina acknowledged with a nod, walking past the figure and onwards.

It certainly was hard to miss and soon enough, a familiar spiritual pressure reached her, causing her to make a beeline directly for it. Of course, she didn’t do anything absurd like draw her blade or anything but the look on her face wasn’t exactly all that chipper either. There were unpleasant feelings still, at least on her part.

They had unfinished business.

”I’m an idiot, I’m an idiot, I’m an idiot, I’m an idiot, I’m an idiot, I’m an idiot- yeah sure, try and write something to her- YOU RETARD!!!”

Casual cursing to himself while training. Ranma did not feel ready to just waltz into the 4th Squad’s barracks and confront Armina – after all, that was trouble. And what did he promise? NO! MORE! TROUBLE! And what would visiting the 4th bring? TROUBLE! He wasn’t dumb anymore, was he?!?!?

Well… he did have a talk with Beetle earlier about his Shakka-nanigans… wait, no, that was unrelated- NO IT WASN’T! His most jarring motivation to get better at Hadō and shit was the ever-looming threat that was that blue-haired bitch!

B-But she hadn’t shown herself since then… he hadn’t crossed paths with her, either. As long as he kept training… and took Hinamori-sensei’s and Morikawa-sensei’s advice actually seriously, then he’d be fi-

*SHIVER*

That pressure… no. No, no, no, no, no. He didn’t need to turn around, but at the same time, he didn’t believe it. Why her? Why now? Go away, he was just having a seizure – a moment of delusion, right? All the sleep deprivation had finally gotten to his head, Beetle was right all along.

…

No, no, why? Why? He didn’t want to, he didn’t want to- fuck no! This moment wasn’t a moment he wanted to happen- why’d she even… why was she here? In his squad? Had she finally lost her patience and wanted to come and murder him in his own home?! Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck-

He didn’t want to deal with her. Time, please go back, go back, go back! Back to when he was in bed with Erica – yes, all the way back! Please, please, please! He didn’t want to deal with this shit right now… why couldn’t Hōkamaru just turn back time?!

Erica… just like Erica brought out the best in him… this cunt brought out the worst in him. He was desperately squeezing the Shakkahō in his hand, refusing to meet her iron gaze.

Hōkamaru's Perspective:

Her pace was slow, deliberately so in order to attempt to intimidate the man, moving as though she was literally dragging a block of ice behind her. She wasn’t here to pamper him and while the blue haired woman reckoned he’d know that, a little insurance never hurt. Armina knew exactly what she was doing and she didn’t utter a single word, letting the pressure of the situation grow, the atmosphere becoming heavier by the moment. It was as if she was a predator, slowly approaching her prey, wanting nothing more than to tear him to pieces.

She could feel fear from him, saturating his spiritual pressure and reminding her of why she despised him. How could such a coward be considered Shinigami potential? The thought made her sick to her stomach and her right hand clenched into a fist, wanting nothing more than to knock his head off with her bare hands. She’d thought that perhaps he’d matured in their time apart. Maybe grown a fucking spine but no, he was still the pitiful piece of dog shit that he’d been the last time. Armina wasn’t disappointed because it’d been exactly what she’d been expecting. He was a pitiful excuse for a man.

Coming to a stop about six feet from him, she’d tilt her head to the side, a look of loathing and disgust across her face. “At least have the courage to look me in the eye when I travel all this way to visit you.” Every word was saturated with hatred.

… It was real, after all. She had come all the way over here, against each and every one of Ranma’s wishes. He just- why’d he have to deal with her here and now? Why’d he ever crossed paths with her? Every cell in his skin was shivering…

And then, she had the gall to talk first. Nay, damn near demand he turned to face her. After all the shit and trouble she’d given him, after all the stress he’d partaken to ready for a situation like this… after all the nice times that had disappeared now…

She had the damn nerve to order him around in his own Squad?

He turned around, slowly but surely… and yet, something had snapped inside of him. She knew that glare. Something he hated, fretted, ran away from for years… the single most repulsive remnant. The only thing these two Shinigami had in common – some animalistic maniac’s glare. “What?”

His fists were still shaking, unable to hide their attempt at determination… but was it even fear? Was it dread, anger? Even he didn’t know at this rate. “After coming all this way… what do you want, you animal?”

Hōkamaru's Perspective:

Now where had that fire been a few moments ago? When he’d been shivering and scared to face her? It was curious but when Armina thought back to their last encounter, she could recall there had been a moment or two then when he’d become more aggressive. It seemed stupid to her that he could go from fearful to rage filled at a moment's notice and she wondered if perhaps his brain was malfunctioning. He was a strange fool anyway and his sudden increase in courage, while intriguing, didn't make her feel any less pissed.

“What the hell do you think I want?” The 4th Seat replied, her gaze filled with cold fury. “I’ve come to settle things after our last encounter. If you recall correctly, you deliberately got in the way when I was removing a threat and that’s not something I’m willing to hide under the fucking carpet. You’re fortunate that I haven’t come in here swinging from the start, as I’d dearly like nothing more than to take your head off.”

Seething, she’d add after a moment. “It’s a shame that you’re so obsessed with hiding your more aggressive side. You might actually be worth something to this organisation if you did rather than being a jester who simply makes people laugh.”

What was his plan, again? To apologize for causing her trouble last time? She was a Seated member of the 4th Squad, by all means ranked higher than him, and yet… his attempts at submitting a more peaceful outcome had gone out the window. She hadn’t gotten over last time, describing it as him preventing her from eliminating a threat, a big guy who caved in under pressure and was under Ranma’s care now.

Ranma just couldn’t deal with the hypocrisy of it all. Brok, he, and Armina… no. No, no. He had nothing to do with her. She was essentially a waste of time. Why’d he ever bother thinking that they were cut from the same cloth? He was the one who had the interest of the Gotei in mind when he stepped in back then – she was just on a thoughtless killing spree, thinking herself better than everyone else. He couldn’t fucking stand her.

She… she just had to bring that up? “Of course you’d say that. I’d be a… mmmmindless monkey like you!” he forced out through his throat, hands shaking and fists unable to clench his fingers even deeper in, “You couldn’t care less about the Arhat, I can see that… have I gotten under your skin or something? Jee, I’m flattered.”

His anger was reaching a boiling point soon. Hairs flowing, eyes reddening, it was nigh inevitable. “Just… what the fuck’s wrong with you? You- you-”

Ranma

… Wait, who said that? Hōkamaru? Was that him? For the first time in years, like ten of them, he heard his… in this state, and-

He almost didn’t hear it clear enough… no, why’d he- why’d Hōkamaru say something right now? It visibly made Ranma’s eyes widen. His Zanpakutō… no, why’d he play dumb? He knew the implications. He felt it… he felt a bit of grief within his Zanpakutō.

It didn’t like to talk, and yet it… uttering his name must’ve taken a lot of effort. To think he troubled his Zanpakutō to that degree- what was he doing with himself? What good came out of getting this pissed off? What good came out of acting like that? He put Retsu behind for good – why let it return?

His entire demeanor – aura, body language, eyes – all shrank back to normal. He… his bloodlust, his fury and boiling blood, it all died down. Didn’t he promise Erica that he’d cause no more troubles? Then there was only one thing left to do…

She won’t leave without a few bruises, will she? At least, we’re in my Squad’s place – chalk it up to a little, friendly spar between the 4th and 8th, like good old times.

“Listen… I know you wanna tear me apart, I couldn’t care less. Right now, we’re inside my Squad, so let’s entertain each other. Flex a little! Y-You can’t possibly just be a dumb dyke? You who claim yourself a fitting Gotei member… if you’re really all that, how about you show me how much you can do? Unless you exhausted your arsenal last time – don’t tell me that’s all you have? Like, at least throw a Hadō in or two.”

Ah, he was so close to blowing his top but all of a sudden, it seemed to fade away. What a fucking joke. It simply caused the revulsion and disgust to build up inside the 4th Seat all over again, with his words doing little to change her viewpoint. Everything he said seemed to lower his approval in the eyes of the blue eyed woman and by the time he reached the point of bleating about Kido, he’d pretty much hit rock bottom in her estimation.

“Such a damn shame. For a second there, I thought you might actually tap into that angrier side of yours.” Armina answered loathingly. “Yet, you just can’t help but be so fucking scared of yourself. I’m so sick of seeing this wherever I go in this fucking place and for once, just once, I wish I could meet someone, other than my Captain, who isn’t afraid to just admit the fact that they enjoy shedding fucking blood.” She was a relic of an era gone by and it pissed her off royally. God, how she wished she’d been born a millenia ago.

The chance to flex, as he put it, was one that she was too far gone to refuse and frankly was what she’d been waiting to hear. “I don’t give the slightest damn where we are and I swear to all that’s holy that if your guard goes down for a second, I’ll have no hesitation in ripping you to shreds. Don’t expect any fucking Kido from me though, I couldn’t care less about it.”

With that, she vanished, using her improving Shunpo to attempt to appear behind him, before swinging her leg around to deliver a Hakuda infused kick, her limb surrounded by her spiritual energy. Armina had not had the chance to deliver much with her preferred close ranged combat the last time and she didn’t intend on that happening again.

Ah, blah blah blah. Sorry Armina, but he wasn’t going to entertain you with his anger issues – that all belonged to the last half of his last name, which he happily left behind. For once, just once- go fuck yourself. Take your hemophilia and shove it up your ass, you primitive organism.

And she hated Kidō? What a dumbfuck – that was, like, 1/4th of a Shinigami’s entire arsenal! Did she possess so few brain cells that she couldn’t make herself cast a spell? Did she find it below herself? Now he had to apply Hinamori-sensei’s and Morikawa-sensei’s advice through his hands and thoroughly egg the living shit out of her – how fucking dared she belittle Kidō…

But he’d fought her before, clearly. He remembered that day vividly, and he knew how primitive Armina’s combat style was… of course, she’d close the distance. He could almost predict it all – though, she’d definitely gotten faster than before. Like this, she would’ve actually caught up to Brok and him back then… that would’ve been a disaster.

But Ranma knew her shtick now. He knew, he knew, and yet his body panicked- why panic? He knew her game now! If he could only just… think! Think! Use your brain, Ranma! Please-

“Bakudō #8-”

*BASH!*

Her swung kick landed on his raised, left arm which he rose to guard himself – that was some unbelievable pressure that rang through his entire skeleton, causing his face to tighten and his teeth to grind against each other… but it didn’t bend his arm as it should’ve. She’d landed her kick on an orb of Reishi that popped on impact, sending a shockwave back at her leg!

“-S-Seki!”

If he expected her to be thrown back by his spell then he was wrong, as she recalled the encounter just as well. She remembered using the same tactic back then too and suspected a counter such as that, however, the spell wasn’t particularly strong and he didn’t even bother to use a chant, resulting in it being fairly poor. While she did feel a jolt, the 4th Seat merely used the repelling effect of the Kido to spin around and strike again with her more dominant foot, her body hardened by both her Hakuda and natural durability.

“You stutter when you cast.” She uttered with disgust. “Figures that you’re incapable of even casting a spell without pissing yourself. I may despise the art but even I’m aware that the caster needs to speak with conviction, otherwise you end up with a shitty effort like yours. If I were your teacher, I’d be embarrassed to be associated with you.”

It wasn’t as if she even truly despised the art and there had been moments recently where Armina had pondered trying to develop her own skills but it always came down to three simple things. One, she believed that there were better uses for the time that she could be spent chanting. Two, they simply lacked the power with which she enjoyed unleashing on her foes and three? Well, she hadn’t found a sexy enough teacher although that wasn’t something she would have said aloud.

Wait… this had happened before. Déjà vu? Déjà vu. A split instance, he saw her propelled off the Seki, and the next instance-

Her follow-up kick landed almost twice as hard, launching him into a nearby wall at nigh-mach speed. Not only had she just shrugged off that Seki, but it was almost as if she’d only gotten stronger, faster and less forgiving than last-

… When was she ever forgiving? Bugger off, stupid thoughts.

Her honeyed words would’ve really scraped his fragile heart, really made him feel like the loser he thought he was… but there was a slight miscalculation on her end. Ranma landed on the wall with a knee and a palm, quick enough to brake and soften his impact – that kick hadn’t done as much damage to him as it should’ve. How come?

On his left hip that should’ve been broken from that… were shards of Reishi. Remnants of the same spell, Seki! He hadn’t just cast one Seki, he’d cast two! Literally the same principle as he used with Shakkahō – yet, apparently, two was still his limit. I thought it was dumb that you could only spawn a Seki over your palm like the teachers at Shin’o showed us… THEY LIED! HAHA! SUCK IT!

“Taken to heart,” Ranma commented gleefully before pointing his palm forward, “Hadō #31: Shakkahō!” From his palm, a flare escaped and traveled through the air like an arrow, quickly taking the shape of a small, red orb. Small, yes… quite smaller than normal. Armina would likely be able to just smash it to the side-

“Hadō #31: Shakkahō!”

Keeping his eyes on her, not even caring if the first Shakkahō landed, he fired off a second Shakkahō of a slightly larger size!

“Hadō #31: Shakkahō!”

And again, and again, and again… until the yard and training ground was covered in a red smoke, alerting a few other Squad 8 Shinigami that Ranma was on his bullshit again. “Hey, at least it’s not during the night… that’s a plus-“

“That’s a plus?”

Ranma wasn’t even that fond of Hadō, but Shakkahō tickled him in the right spot. Every Shakkahō he fired at her, small, fast, or large and heavy, it was burning… like expunging his anger in the form of red fire. Very quickly, it turned into a volley of red blasts, testing not only Armina’s durability, but also her updated skills with Hohō.