Return of One Thought Gone

Hinashi walked along the roads of Seiretei, the familer routes she use to take unfolded like a map in her mind. The shortcuts, the location of her favorite relaxation spots. The human world had been nice, after spending a year traveling Asia. She had needed a nice long break, away from all the fighting and bloodshed. Even though she spend her time resting, she still did not give up her training regiment. Her year of free time had turned into a year of sharpening her skills. She had found a great number of streams and small lakes in her travels and used those times to increase her control over water. Her power releases had only attracted a few minor hollows during her time. She disposed of them quickly, the clear area sharpening her ability to sense traces of energy.

Now she walked along the path to the first division. She was sure that her silent departure had been noticed a few days after. She let loose a small laugh at the though of facing Jenna. She reached into her long black coat that reached her knees. A high collar that reached her ears kept anyone from seeing her face from the side. Her long orange hair was pulled back into a pony tail and draped down her back. The long sleeves of the coat draped over her hands and hid them from site. She pulled a long stemmed white pipe from a hidden pouch inside her coat and packed it full of a light pink substance from a small velvet bag. A flash of fire and she placed the pipe to her mouth and inhaled slowly. A lush rich cherry scent smoke filled her lungs. She savored the flavor and let the smoke escape through her nose, clouding the air around her with a light pink haze. She continued her walk to the first division and reached the gates. Her massive height towered over the man standing guard.

He looked up and stared, a look of confusion was upon his face. "Whats your business here." he said in a meek voice. Hinashi smiled and stared at the man with a slight smirk. I would like to speak with your Lieutenant if that is possible." she said. "Just say a challenge has arrived." The man turned and ran toward the divisions barracks. Hianshi smiled and took another long drag from her pipe. Soon it would begin.

Kuro blinked as he saw the man appear before him. I'm still not used to this... After all, he had gone from being a member to the Lieutenant Captain; quite a large shift. Especially considering who Kuro was. He listened intently, his feet pushing off the desk and holding him on the back legs of his chair as he pondered. A challenge... a challenge... a challenge... No way. It couldn't be... could it? He settled his chair on all four legs, pushing it back, his gaze downwards as he placed his feet on the ground. He looked up at the man as he stood up, his gaze firm.

"I'll be right there."

He took steps, reaching the door and holding it open for the man, watching him walk out. He followed behind, finally getting to the lobby. He widened his eyes a small smile on his face as he realized who it was. However, he kept himself in check: after all, he did remember what she was like.The orange reddish hair... the pipe and the haze...

"You really haven't changed a single bit, have you, Hinashi?" He asked lightly, his hand gripping his zanpaktou's sheathe in anticipation. "A challenge? That certainly would be like you, I suppose... but what would you expect? You left.. and Jenna... she..." He trailed off, his mind foggy as his left hand gradually rose up to the side of his head, feeling the space on his hair where his trademark headphones used to be. However, he kept his composure, looking back up at the former Vice Captain. "I suppose that you're really going to go through with it, then. Alright, follow me."

He walked them to the 1st division training room, a large, darkly lit room illuminated by candles. He looked at her, knowing that his own Zanjutsu was much better than it had been before. In fact... she probably doesn't know that much about me, considering I can't really remember ever meeting her, other then when I would clean Jenna's office.

"Anyway, as they say, ladies first. You may begin when ready." He spoke, a smile of his own on his lips as he waited to see what she would do...

Hinashi stood outside waiting for the man to return. Cherry scented smoke still swirled around her head, the pinkish smoke trailing from her mouth slowly, like snakes leaving a den. Finally she spotted someone leaving the barracks and she smiled. She had only seen him in passing but it looked like Kuro had taken her old job. "From cleaning her office to serving by her side. Looks like Jenna had no problem replacing me." She thought, as Kuro approached her.

"You haven't changed a single bit, have you Hinashi."

She could only smile back as the smoke continued to flow from her mouth. A slight shake of he heard was all she gave. As she followed him down into the lower levels of the 1st division, she pondered the comment he had made about Jenna. The look on his face was that of distress and fear. Maybe not fear but a deep saddness. What had happened in the short amount of time she had been away. She would question him later, after the task was done.

A large room, lit with candles positioned on the wall served as their battleground. Hinashi's eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, glanced around. The walls and floor was nothing but stone and the room seemed large, but with her size she preferred to fight outside. She reached into her coat and pulled out a pair of glasses, the yellowish tin catching small flashes of light from the flickering candles. She slipped the pair of glasses onto her face and instantly the screen built into the lenses flared to life. Dimensions of the room were collected, as well as a profile for her challenger. She had no info on him in her database and she knew little about him except for the obvious. She cursed herself for not learning more.

She slipped her hands inside her coat and smiled at Kuro, the candlelight catching her purple eyes, making them shimmer. "No Kuro, I wish to see what you have done to earn your place in my old spot. If you impress me enough and managed to defeat me, then you have earned your place beside the Captain." Underneath her coat, a small canister of water was being opened by her free hands, a light drip started to flow, each drip ringing out in the darkness, echoing off the walls. Inside her chest, the small hourglass shaped device hummed softly, waiting on its chance to be released. "Not yet" she thought. "Not until I gauged his power for what it is."

Kuro narrowed his eyes very slightly as he heard her answer to his questions. I'll go first? Alright then, just be prepared... for this... He continued listening, blinking at her words. Earned my place beside the...?

"Hi-Hinashi...? You... you don't... you don't know...?" He spoke calmly, if a bit shocked. Oh sweet mother of pancakes... she doesn't know yet... He grit his teeth a small amount, before looking back at her in the candlelit room. "I don't believe... That I have the right to inform you, then. However... I will begin, right now!" He said loudly, shifting his weight to the left, stretching his right leg as he performed a shunpo, reappearing behind the former vice-captain. His katana-like zanpakto went across her back as he appeared, as if he had performed a sidestep around her from that angle. He kept his zanpaktou moving, spinning it in his hand as it hit the ground behind him, stopping him as he gripped it tightly, pushing back. He was thrown back as he pulled the blade out behind him, making a swift movement from start to finish of the attack. "I know you used to be a vice-captain; therefore, I will not hold back." He said simply, vanishing once more into the darkness with another shunpo.

He reappeared in front of where she had been standing, his blade flashing downwards from the right, aimed right at her left shoulder. He followed along the path of the blade, reaffirming his grip as he brought it back up, quickly snapping back his wrist as the blade pointed out horizontally before them, and he made a movement with his wrist as his left hand gripped the hilt. He bent the left wrist, pulling the hand back as he attempted to slash her across the chest. He then took another step forwards, cutting upwards with the blade to the right side, aiming from her left side up to her right shoulder. He took a brief step back with one foot, tossing the hilt of the blade to his other hand as he slightly squinted his eyes, his gaze focused. His left hand was just over the tip of the blade from his step back, as he thrust it forwards, throwing it at immense speeds at the right side of her ribcage.

Regardless or not if it hit, he moved the blade to the right side as he vanished once more, reappearing twelve feet behind her, his back up against the wall of the room. He brought both hands together in front of his body, opening his eyes. This whole time, he had been chanting under his breath, as a blue ball of fire appeared between his hands. "-slightly the wrath of your claws! Hadō 33, Sokatsui!" He thrust both hands forwards as the blue blast of fire blasted out from before him, either hitting Hinashi in the cramped space or slamming into the wall, exploding and taking out a good chunk of it.

He reappeared behind it, both hands on the blade above his head, looking right down at Hinashi. He vanished once more, reappearing on her other side, the blade pointed downwards at the ground before him. In that movement, he had performed a powerful downstroke with both hands, aimed right at her left shoulder. His feet gave a small tmp as they touched back down on the ground again, his left foot moving in a pivot as he held his blade before himself, level with his chest and pointed at Hinashi, his left held flatly downwards a bit out from his body, ready to react to whatever she might do.

"If you had known me, when I first became a Squad 1 member, I never would have been able to pull that off. I have gotten much, much stronger since I joined this squad, and it is my home. So, I give you the same offer: show me why you stood by Jenna's side at one point." His voice was light, and yet also intense, a kind of hardness beneath it. He knew that she was a former vice-captain, so he had meant it when he had said that he would not hold back. He had simply pressed forwards. However... something... what- why... why do I feel odd... something... isn't... right... He thought to himself, as he felt dizzy for a moment. However, he reaffirmed his ground, his eyes remaining level with Hinashi's gaze, waiting and watching for her reply...

Once again Hinashi was taken aback by his comments. Something had happened in her absence and it dug at the back of her mind. Her eyes followed Kuro, narrowing until they were nothing but slit of black and purple. She turned, her hands slipping into the knuckle busters hidden in the sleeves of her coat. Her fists intercepted the blade, sparks flying from the impact of metal upon metal. She was pushed back a few inches, her shoes gripping the stone ground. "His footwork is fast, that strike would cut a normal person down." she thought. She watched as he disappeared again and turned around to intercept his blade once more, her left fist flashing out to catch his blade. Her right fist caught the next slash, and she drove forward, only to be driven back by another slash, the blades edge nicked her coat, leaving a long slash in the fabric. Her eyes narrowed as she stepped back. Her fists clench and she charged, shifting to the left to avoid the blade aimed at her ribs. Her left fist flashed, missing Kuro's face by mere inches as he disappeared once more. She turned and faced Kuro as he launched a blue ball of fire from his hands, its flame engulfing the air as it raced towards Hinashi. She jumped to the left and slammed into the wall, barely dodging the blue ball of flame. She pushed off and jumped back as Kuro came down, his blade catching the front of her pipe, slicing it in half.

Hinashi disappeared using shunpo, reappearing in the middle of the room. Her eyes were slits of dark purple as she spat out the ruined pipe. She removed her black coat, revealing the tight shinigami clothing she had underneath. "Looks like you learned some tricks Kuro, my pipe and my favorite coat ruined in a matter of minutes. I see why Jenna picked you to take my spot, but now you will see why I held my place by her side for so long." Inside her chest, the tiny hourglass shaped device hummed to life, filling her body with energy. Waves of purple tinted energy rolled off her body like water, energy crackled in the air as her spiritual pressure filled the room." Her body was filled with reiatsu, every muscle quivered with the power she now held. She disappeared in a flash, reappearing inside of Kuros reach. Her fists flashed, aiming two blows from her right fist to strike him on the left side of his face her left hand open to intercept any attempts to use his Zanpakutō. Electricity crackled from her fists as she lept back used another shunpo to reappeared behind Kuro, a circle of gold appearing in front of her. "Hadō 58, Thunder Axe" was all she said as a pillar of pure lightning erupted from the circle, filling an area of 25 feet. She didn't use the incantation so the power of the Kidō was reduced slightly. She raced forward behind the attack, following Kuro even if he dodged. Four circled appeared around Hinashi, Golden light filling the room as she recited the incantation "Trapped in the Abyss, songs of the fallen, regain your clasp on the audience lord of thunder. Hadō 84, Songs of the Lightning God" Electricity crackled around the rings of light, reaching a 60 foot radius around Hinashi. Any caught within the field would be paralyzed. Hinashi stood in the middle, Energy crackled from her body as she gazed at Kuro with a smile on her face. Even if he wasn't captured she would wait to see what he would do.

Kuro was surprised by the knuckle busters; he hadn't been expecting Hinashi to have anything like that on her. Then again, what DO I know about this former Vice-Captain? She could have all kinds of tricks and traps up her sleeves just waiting for me to fall prey to. The black-haired shingami gnashed his teeth together as he watched her fist barely miss his own face, as he returned the favor and sliced her pipe in half.

"I'm sorry for doing that; but I'm afraid you dodge a bit much. And… I suppose I should run now."

Kuro said in reply as waves of purple energy began rolling off his adversary, a bead of sweat running down the back of his head. He watched as she appeared in front of him, and grimaced his teeth as he threw his head back, seeing her fist flash right above the space his face had just occupied.

He actually came into a fairly… awkward position as she shunpo'd behind him, leaving him looking right up at her from her stomach level. Hadō… oh S@#$! He thought to himself, as he forced his spine back up, seeing a ring of gold around them. He barely shunpo'd in time as his eyes opened wide, feeling the flesh of his leg burning with that of the cloth of his haori.

He turned his head, seeing her following, gnashing his teeth together. A Hadō 84? FROM A SQUAD ONE VICE CAPTAIN? WHAT THE F@$#! He exclaimed in his own mind, hearing her call out an incantation as Kuro's hand reached to the side. He called on his zanpaktou, as the twin daggers appeared in his hands, as well as a … strange black sphere of energy. "THIS WON'T END WELL!" Kuro shouted as he opened his mouth wide, forcing the sphere of darkness down his gullet.

Instantly, he vanished. His body slammed into the side of the building they were … "Sparring" (Very loosely at this point) in, slamming directly through it as he felt tingles all over his body, sprawling out in the open air of the daylight.

"Jesus! Are you trying to kill me, honestly? What's the point of showing your power if I can't fight back against it? You have those knuckle buster-things, but all I can do is make stuff with shadows! I asked for a SPAR, not a lightworks show!" He said hotly, as he gradually stood up. He was honestly quite frustrated; he had been challenged to a SPAR, not attempted murder by lightning-striking all around him. ..Crap… I don't think… I can move my leg any more… He reflected, wincing as he resisted looking down at the charred skin of his leg, standing up on only one as his body shuddered from the abuse he had just put it through…

Hinashi walked over to where her coat had fallen and picked it up. She reached into one of the hidden pocked and pulled out another pipe and a small tin with a bright purple leaf on the top. She opened the tin and pulled out a pinch of a brownish purple substance and filled her pipe to the top, adding small pinches at a time and twisting it down with her pinky. When the bowl was finally full she caped the tin and slipped it in her pocket. She pulled out a small box of matches and lite her pipe slowly, inhaling lungfuls of a purplish smoke that smelt of plums and tobacco. She puffed on the pipe for a minute, purple smoke created a slight haze around her head before she turned and started to walk towards Kuro. "This was a match to decide who would remain as vice captain of the 1st division Kuro, such injures happen in such a bout but worry not, my aim was not to kill you. I held back slightly and didn't draw my Zanpakutō once. " she said as she walked closer. "I understand why you are a tad bit worried." she said bending down slowly to examine Kuro's leg. "I shall help you get to the 4th division and we can get that leg looked at. Then you can tell me whats been going on in my absence."

Hinashi stopped, her hand darting to look out the hole Kuro had created. She heard something out in the distance, a sound she recognized from a long time ago. The sound of metal striking the floor at a rapid rate. the sound of something running at full speed towards her position. "Master, MASTER." She heard a voice yell. "Good Lord, the moose lives" she whispered. A shape bounded through the hole, and pounced towards Hinashi. She rolled out of the way and quickly jumped upon the creatures back. A full grown moose, Its skin the color of gun metal, reared up onto its back legs while bellowing "MASTER MASTER I FOUND YOU AT LAST." Hinashi had wrapped her arms tight around the creatures neck, trying to reach the shutoff switch located under its jaw as it bucked around in joy. Finally her fingers found the button and she pressed her finger firmly over the scanner. As the warmth of the scanner brushed over her fingertips the moose suddenly shuddered and dropped to the ground. Hinashi let out a groan and slowly pushed herself up off the back of the moose. She reached down and picked up her pipe where it had fallen.

She placed the pipe in her mouth and took a few slow breathes to calm herself before speaking. "Sorry about that, he gets well he gets excited if he hasn't seen me in a while." she said with a small laugh. "But its really good that he is here, I just hope he still has the cargo I told him to get the last time I saw him." She walked over to where its body had fallen to the ground and pressed a small flap hidden in its front shoulder. A side hatch popped open and a small canister the size of a football popped out. Hinashi grabbed the canister and smiled. Finally she had the tools to continue her research but she would require help to do so. "Now Kuro" she said softly. Her hand grabbed the tiny flask hidden between her breasts and popped the top. She took the contents down in one swig, her face turning slightly red as the liquid burned her throat. She turned to look at Kuro, her steps slightly off as she walked in his direction. "About that leg." she said with a giggle as the top of the canister popped off. Water flowed from the top and swirled around Hinashi like a snake. "I wouldn't move much, I haven't tested this fully yet." With her free hand she pointed towards Kuro's leg, a slight giggle leaving her lips. "This may hurt." The water raced forward to engulf Kuro's leg.