Strolling With Souls

Aoi had never been to a place like this before in his life. While he has been around for many years he had never seen a place full of people who varied in economic and social status. He was informed that in this place known as Rukongai that there would be people who would be willing to welcome him kindly and be very accepting that he was not an average soul but an Iramasha. He began his trip strolling through district 1 and was now in distric 76 and attracting many looks, though none were terribly threatening because he was now quite where all the thugs and misfits were, but enough stares to raise his awareness of his surroundings.

After a while he began to question why he even decided to come here, not one person past district 13 gave him so much as a hello, and here he was strolling deeper and deeper in the the shit storm. He let out a deep sigh, then reaching through his robes he pulled out a map of the surrounding area pointing to district 77. "I hope I don't get lost, if I go too deep who knows how many people I'll have to ward off before I can return to my home on Iramasha Island" he proclaimed louder then he originally intended attracting a few more stares and curious glances. He ignored them but kept his gaze out hoping to find someone who could guide him either deeper in, or accompany him on his way back.

He looked in to the sky and let out another sigh. " This is exhausting." He proclaimed, he wasn't referring to being physically tired but rather mentally. He had been strolling all day and decided that since he wasn't quite to the limits of the slums known as district 77 that he would take a break from his stroll and sit down a bit to take everything in and assess the situation.

The sun beat down hard on the dilapidated terrain, administering an unrelenting heat that caused all but the most intense extremophiles to flee from shade or cool waters. One of the extremophiles that didn't flee, however, was Akihiko Hideo, third seat of squad 11. He had been wandering around district 80 for some time, looking for strong fighters to test his skills against. After all, his captain had come from this division, so it must be where the powerful were bred and raised. Still, he had defeated everything he had come across, leaving him no choice but to move on and look for something else to do.

District 79 brought a group of thugs who attempted to mug him, but a quick activation incantation and a swing or two of his trusty Zanpakutō rendered them useless. District 78 was barren. Everything had been salvaged from it, homes had been skeletized for their wood and not a single structure remained whole. District 77 brought... Wait a minute... It appeared there was someone sitting on the ground. What the hell were they doing? Were they stupid? They were going to get slaughtered in a place like this!

"Uh.. Excuse me. Are you alright? You don't look like you're from around here. This isn't exactly the best place to sit down and have a picnic." Chuckling lightly, the boy walked over to the sitting man and studied him lightly, trying not to panic him. Crouching down, he offered his hand. "I'm Hideo Akihiko, Third Seat of Squad 11. I'm not here to hurt you unless you display aggressive tendancies towards my person. But I don't advise that. I'd kill you." Laughing a little harder, his smile didn't fade any.

Aoi had scanned around for a bit as if to make sure the teenage looking boy were talking to him. After using his common sense he deducted that there was no one else around, he took the hand that was offered to him and shook gently. "Hey!" He said with his usual childish enthusiasm," I am Aoi "Phoenix" Anton. But you can call me Phoenix, or Aoi, or Anton. I am an Iramasha Elite Guard".

Though he knew that there was no way this teenage appearing male in front of him could possibly be weak seeing as he was first a shinigami then on top of it the third seat of squad 11. Aoi decided to use this freak opportunity to ask the male calmly if he could help. " You see I know it may look weird a person of my stature sitting here in the slums of Rukongai, but I assure you I was only checking it out because of my curiosity. I heard rumors that it went from being a pretty nice place to a shit storm in the matter of a few districts, I simply had to see for myself." After taking a second to catch his breathe and gauge the male in front of him he decided to stand up. After brushing his robes off from whatever dirt and debris that was caught on it he began to finish with his question or story. "So I was wandering if you could either show me around or direct me to the fastest way back out, in this heat one like me could get exhausted if I had to take a longer route back to district 1."

He decided after scanning the male that he wouldn't present a harm to him so long as he returned the favor, so he complied. He was always one to be friendly to other but always cautious of their intentions and analyzing of their movements to ensure he was in safe company. "So what brings a man of your stature out to these parts if you don't mind me asking?"

"A pleasure, Aoi." Akihiko returned his hand to his side, flexing his fingers slowly, one at a time. An Iramasha, eh? Like the Shinigami, the Iramasha were known widely throughout Earth, celebrated as a religious image. If the black robed were considered "Grim Reapers", than the Iramasha were famous as "Angels". The island that they lived on was in their realm, but Akihiko had never actually encountered one before. It was definitely an interesting meeting. "I see. Well, yeah. Rukongai is set up with varying living classes... I'm not sure why. It's just the way it has always been, and probably always will be. Perhaps its to polarize the life you had in the living world. Raised in royalty alive, slums in death. Gives everyone a nice, rounded out experience, you know? Just a theory, but nobody really knows how it works." Chuckling a little, the Shinigami shrugged.

"Yeah, I can get you out. We just go that way." Pointing the direction opposite of where Aoi was headed, Akihiko grinned. "You have any high speed movement? Maybe some wings or something? It's a lot faster if you use a hoho rather than actually walking. And sometimes, a lot safer, too." Although he wasn't actually concerned about anything wandering around here, it was still a fair warning. Even the best could get taken down if a large enough mob got to them. As the Iramasha dusted himself off, Akihiko waited patiently, looking into the distance and generally keeping six. "Oh. I was just looking for something to beat the shit out of. Gotta keep my sword sharp if I'm going to be in the eleventh squad." Although he said it with a pleasant, carefree attitude, he meant every word of it, and he was sure that if Aoi had any idea as to what the Eleventh squad was or stood for, he'd understand that.

"So what do you think? Now that you've learned of the legitimacy of Rukongai, how does it make you feel? I'm curious. Everyone has a different answer." And that was fair, to say the least. For some, Rukongai made them feel much sympthy, while others thought it was amazing. Besides, you could learn a lot about people by basing them on what they thought about other people. Although it didn't always work, it was a solid above average, and that was good enough. Besides, first impressions could generally be replaced, and if things went bad and stayed bad, maybe they were going bad anyway. Either way, it didn't stop Akihiko from asking.

Aoi gently smiled back and acknowledged that Akihiko was hinting leaving was better then going in, which disappointed him, but he knew it was probably for the better. Aoi scanned back and look at the long distance. It seemed as if the horizon was still a part of Rukongai, which made him all the more happier that he at least got this far. I believe I do have wings but it would be easier for me to telelport... Though in order to telelport you with me it would take a bit as I have to prep the portal it is optional." Aoi stated this calmly as his usual demeanor was, but always had a sense of hinting he wanted to teleport because he just liked the idea of using his powers without causing harm. Though he knew this was only because of Vandesdelca's teachings.

Being in this section of Rukongai wasn't necessarily life threatening but it seemed as if it was from the conditions. Aoi noted that as he progressively got in to this district that people seemed to be scoping him for anything of worth. He blinked thinking hard about to respond to the mans comment about keeping his sword sharp." As a member of the Iramasha Guard I understand why a sharp weapon and good amount of skill would be necessary to maintain. Maybe when we get out of here you can explain a bit of what your squad does exactly, while I'be heard from other sources it would be nice to hear from someone who serves in it. " As he said this he smiled a bit noting some interest in how young this Shinigami looked. He wandered how old he was really but never bothered asking as he thought it to be rude.

As he peered around he spotted a big commotion starting in the distance with a crowd gathering. He motioned his hand as if to show a interest and what was happening as it seemed like their was a brawl. " What do you think is going on over there Akihiko? We can ignore it if you see fit." After saying this Aoi began to wander how the Shinigami would react.

Akihiko couldn't help but like Aoi. The Iramasha and Shinigami were very similar in personality. Both were fierce fighters, curious about the more dangerous parts of the world, and proper when it came to speaking with other people. It was actually kind of amazing how the two ended up meeting each other like this, but Akihiko wasn't one to question Karma. He must have done something incredible to wind up making an ally like this. Well, if he DID become an Ally. Still, though. The only way he could truly tell if this man would be a good ally would be if he were to see him in combat. "I'll tell you what... Let's ignore them..." He gave a nod toward first the commotion and then the court of pure souls. "...And I'll tell you what Squad Eleven is for... if you can beat me in a simple spar."

Smirking, the shinigami winked at Aoi. "Excuse me if it seems a little barbaric... but that's one of the best ways of finding out about a person. The way they hold their stance, the way they counter, even if their facial expression and choice of vocabulary in a fight all have a factor in showing me just who you really are." Reaching up to his back, he drew the katana that hung across it, pulling from the right side of his head and holding with the same hand. "I promise I'll go easy on you, Feather head." The enthusiasm that he showed for combat was unlike anything he had displayed as of yet. There was a twinkle in his eye and a bounce in his step, his skin radiated with joy. Yes, it certainly was Akihiko's favorite time of the day.

Aoi lept in to the air at the mans request for a spar, a trail of chaos energy swirling his hands as he did a front flip. As he landed the male had the biggest smile on his face showing enthusiasm. " You are the first shinigami I have ever gotten to spar against! I would be more then happy to oblige!" At that he formed the Chaos energy in to two beams that rested in his palms at about 10 feet in length, they pulsed with pure energy. Aoi had always tried to keep a cool head in a combat situation but this was different, he loved a challenge and heard so much about shinigami. He also saw Akihiko and knew he wouldn't disappoint. As he recovered from his previous flip he got in a stance so as to be light on his feet, as he did this he bounced on his toes a bit ready to move when ever the shinigami was ready.

As he stared directly at the shinigami he scanned his sword with admiration. " What do you shinigami call your weapons?". While he hated to ask such a simple question he was just so curious that he couldn't help it and...Well, that's just always how Aoi has been. Cheerfully he decided to begin charging his Seishin Buki: Phoenix. Phoenix appeared as normal earrings to the average eye but acted as storage vessels for an external supply of Chaos Energy. As he began to charge it the earrings began to glow a bright red. "Hopefully we can keep this interesting hey Akihiko?"

Aoi watched on waiting to see the Shinigami make his move. He noted the difference in Akihiko when he began to challenge Aoi to the spar. This made Aoi all the more happy as in his time with the Iramasha guard he had grown to adore fighting just as much. Aoi hoped this would bring him closer to reaching a higher level in his power, and well..If he got a new friend out of it that would be a bonus too, who didn't love a good sparring partner?

A reiatsu based attack. Simple enough to dodge, but Akihiko had a better solution. Drawing on his reserve of spiritual energy, he let it cloak his body. The moment contact was made, he forced it to explode in omnidirectional fury. The intensity of his reiatsu was enough to remove most of the force behind Aoi's attack. By holding up his blade horizontally, even the unreleased form was enough to counteract the remaining vestiges of strength behind the attack. A quick slash through it dispersed it, leaving Akihiko in a smoking crater from the power of his flare. "Not too shabby." Straightening himself out, he held it blade up with one hand, placing the palm of his free hand on the tip. "It's called a Zanpakutō, or soul cutter. Each one has a special name. Mine is Katta. SHOFU, KATTA!"

Pressing his hand down, the blade disintigrated beneath it, and after the blade was gone, the rest of the katana went with it. When he had finished, his palms were pressed together. Pulling them apart with only the slightest hint of struggle, as if a vaccuum existed in the space between his palms, a column of red and black feathers spun around before disappearing. When they had gone, a new sword took the place of his old. At a new length of three and a half feet, the blade actually got smaller from the tip down to the hilt, emerging into a black handle (the handguard having two, black 4-inch wings on either side and a large red eye in the middle). The pommel was a simple black orb held by three silver talons.

"And this is my shikai, or first release. Because I have no skill in magic, this is where my true power comes from." Despite the fact they were in the middle of a fight, he felt no fear for explaining a little bit about the sword and himself. He trusted Aoi not to exploit that, and if he did, well, few people survived rushing Akihiko with a released Katta in his hand. But now the explanation was over and it was time for the shinigami to take the offensive. "But now you'll see why I made it as far as I did." Without even bothering to use Shunpo, he jumped forward with his right leg extended, clearing the rim of the crater. The moment his foot hit the earth, he used it to propel himself forward and up, bringing Katta around for a wide, horizontal slash.

Of course, he was still several feet away from his opponent, nearing the 56 inch mark. Although a normal sword would have clearly missed, Akihiko's would not based on distance alone. Richi was the ability to compound air and reiatsu to lengthen the range of lethality he could perform in. In other words, with a fifteen foot sword aimed for his chest, Aoi wasn't exactly in a prime position to be in. Keeping a close eye on the earrings the Iramasha was wearing, he wondered just what they did. He could feel a large amount of energy from them, but he wasn't quite sure if that's all they did. Were they just a resevoir, or something more potent? Either way, it'd be something he'd have to find out first hand.

"Do let's."

"Quite bold are we? Straight for my heart. I can see you are skilled at what you do but."Aoi brought his hands together, allowing the beams in his hands to gather in to one long one that resembled a sword. after gathering this he held it in one hand and swiped it vertically at the incoming attack hopefully stopping it. After which he proceeded his foot up towards the shinigamis chest aiming for the lower part of his rib cage and forced a powerful kick behind it. " I don't think such a straight forward attack is what you are aiming for."Aoi said this in a very careful manner almost as if to guess his intentions while not really directing the question at Akihiko. He approached Akihiko with the utmost respect for his ability and scanned him analyzing his tendencies.

During this moment he decided to keep his childish style and snickered a bit, he enjoyed fully fighting and decided to cherish every second of this new challenge. He kept his eyes locked on his opponent with the opposite hand up and ready for another block in case there was another attempt coming his way.

As soon as Akihiko and Aoi engaged each other, the 77th district of Rukongai seemed desolate. While the faces of a few spectators in awe of seeing a Shinigami and Iramasha clash. This was truly a rare sight for the people in Rukongai, not only to see a Shinigami fight with a released Zanpakto, but to also see him fight with another being who was capable enough to challenge him.

If Akihiko wouldn't have had the Zanpakutō that he did, he would have been screwed. However, Katta was very useful for situations of this kind. Allowing Richi to end, Aoi's energy blade phased through nothing, his sword of air and reishi no longer existing. Twirling through the air, he spun around his opponent's attack, and reached his free hand toward the back of Aoi's neck. Rearing his sword arm back, he plunged it forward at high speeds for Aoi's back hoping to slide his weapon beside his spine and stab right through the gut. Despite the severity of that wound for normal mortals, it wouldn't bring this angel down. No, not by a long shot. Still, it would serve to prove that Akihiko wasn't helpless without his magic, that was for sure.

Jumping backwards, he reformed Richi with his movement, giving the optical illusion that his sword was stretching out from behind the opponent. Yanking it up, he hoped to rip through the shoulders of his opponent, depending on if the blade was already in Aoi's body. If not, it would serve to leave a nasty scar along his back. If it struck, anyway. Still, he wasn't sure as to what the Iramasha was capable of. If things started to heat up a little too much, he might have to regret never learning any form of energy attack. Maybe he should put some time into that later. Hey Katta... do I have any abilities besides Richi?

You do. And maybe I'll teach them to you. Depends on how well this fight goes. Damn that baby griffin had spunk. Sounds good.