Moonlit Spring [gin only]

The moonlight shone down on the walls of squad six's barracks as the young woman slipped out of the door. Dressed in those clothes that she loved she smiled happily. She was wearing a sleeveless shirt, it looked to be pink or red in the darkness. Dark jeans form around her legs, a belt around her waist despite not being needed with such tight pants. On each of her hips sat a sheathed blade, held in place by the belt as the red scarf around her neck fluttered in the breeze.

She stopped for a bit, listening to see if anyone had heard her, before sprinting off quietly, her blonde hare flowing behind her as she ran off. She hoped her captain wouldn't mind what she was about to do, she didn't want to cause any trouble with squad six, she had only transferred there a few weeks ago. However, she could not ignore this, she knew what she had to do. Even though she had obtained shikai, she knew she could do more. There was more to her shikai then this, parts of it she had yet to tap in to, and she was determined to do so. It didn't take her long to reach her destination, and she slowed down as she neared it, panting slightly.

The open area was perfect for her needs, slightly out of the way so that there was less of a chance that she would have trouble, yet big enough to allow her the training she required. Drawing both the blades, she looked around and took a calming breath. Her eyes fluttered around from one detail to another, and despite her best efforts, she just could not get them to focus for her. In frustration, she swung her blade downward, smashing it in to the tiled flooring of the area. Taking a few deep breaths, her anger leaving her slightly, enough to make her realize what she had done and look around, checking to see if anyone had noticed her outburst.

On a quiet, peaceful night like this, a certain Gotei officer was doing what he loved doing best: going out for a night stroll. Usually he wouldn't as he had a lot of responsibilities due to the ninth division not having a captain, and vice captain refused to do any paperwork, meaning all of the duties of both the captain and vice captain usually ended up on Katsumi's shoulders, but tonight was different. With no work to do, all that was left was to take some time to himself and do what he wanted, within the restrictions of law.

So let's get back on track, shall we? On this night, Katsumi had decided to take a calming stroll through the Gotei divisions, that way he would end up back at his own barrack just in time to go to sleep. But on this fateful night, something else would happen. He would become preoccupied with something, and he could already feel something coming. By the time he made it to the sixth division headquarters, he was ready to sit and meditate for a little while, but he noticed a sudden surge in spiritual pressure nearby. Someone else must still be awake...

Katsumi made his way through the sixth division barracks, heading towards the training grounds, which happened to be the source of the reitsu outburst. In the silent and still night air, nothing could be heard as Katsumi walked along, his standard black shihakusho making no noise as it moved to and fro from his movements. His footsteps dropped silently upon the grass pathway heading towards the training grounds, and when he finally made it to his destination, he noticed the source of the spiritual pressure. Just by looking at her and checking out her reitsu, Katsumi was able to deduce she was a seated officer in the Gotei, though he didn't recognize her so she must have been a new face in the sixth division. Making his presence known by walking into the open, Katsumi addressed the other shinigami.

"Greetings. May I ask what you're doing on such a fine night?"

Jessy turned as a rustling noise at the edge of the training area announced the arrival of another person out at this time of night. She took a few moments to take in his appearance before answering his question, her eyes flickering from one detail to another.

"Hello there. I was just about to play for a while, I hope you'll join me."

Her voice was light and cheerful, but that didn't mean she was giving the man a chance about playing with her. Her eyes focused on him as she swung her sword in an upward arc, smiling like a delighted child as the blast of air rolled across the empty area towards her play mate. Her joy continued to flow through her as she giggled, getting in to an offensive stance. Giving it a few moments, she then thrust her sword downwards, embedding it in to the ground in front of her before pointing her now free hand at her opponent.

"Bakudo 4, Hainawa!"

She watched as the rope flew towards him, giggling uncontrollably as she pulled her blade from the ground. After taking a few moments to calm down she addressed the man.

"I'm Jessy Nessa, from squad six, what's your name? I do hope you'll be able to keep me entertained tonight."

I can already tell what's going to happen.......Having experience with many hotheads from both the shinigami spiritual arts academy, as well as the Gotei thirteen itself, Katsumi knew exactly what was about to occur, before it actually occurred. The look his adversary was giving him didn't help matters, he could see her excitement just from looking at her, and could even feel it.....the sheer excitement radiating from her was enough to make Katsumi.....vomit. He didn't find combat to be thrilling, and he most certainly wasn't excited by its prospect. But seeing as how he was attacked first, he would oblige and humor the other shinigami who stood a short distance away from him.

By the time the forceful wave of air reached Katsumi, he had thrust his arm up and had his palm facing his opponent, ready to stop the attack,which he ended up doing so. After catching the blast of wind in his gloved and protected left hand, he swung his arm to the side, sending the air wave that way, which tore up some more of the concrete before dissipating into nothingness. She has quite a bit of force behind her attacks....doesn't mean anything though. Katsumi's uninterested gaze moved around as he took just a moment to survey his surroundings and get some strategies rolling around in his head. Then he noticed another outburst of energy.

From the get go he instantly recognized the spell his opponent had used to be a low level bakudo spell even before she had said its name. Since she's using the fourth Bakudo spell, I'll just overpower it with the fourth Hadō spell. Katsumi raised his left hand again, this time with an open palm and his fingertips directed towards the lit up night sky. "Hadō Number 4: Byakurai." From his palm burst forth a powerful surge of electrical energy that was pale blue in coloration. This blast of energy widened as well into a cone shape, completely enveloping and destroying the Kidō rope Jessy had sent at him, as well as continuing on towards his opponent ferociously, eventually reaching her location, and assuming it hit, exploded into a small blast of energy, sending smoke and dust out in every direction.

"My name and title are Katsūmi Kazenē, Third Seat of Division 9."

He pushed it away with his bare hand??? Wow...

She smiled as their kidos collided, stepping to the side, able to just barely dodge his Kidō. Her eyes never straying from him, she charged forward, swinging her other blade across her body, letting out another cone shaped blast of air as she moved closer towards him. She knew it would be more difficult to deal with the closer she was, but she hadn't expected him to be able to deal with the first one so easily. She let off more of these blasts, one every couple of steps as she closed in until she was just out of reach of him.

"Slash out, Incisorius Tigre!"

The blades shrunk, turning in to leather gauntlets, metal plates lining the back of them. Most dangerously, on each gauntlet three claw like blades were set on to the back, extending eight inches from her fist. With a short giggle she pushed forward, her speed double what it was before. As she took a step in, she let a punch fly towards the man's stomach. A quick pivot brought her other hand around, the blades attempting to slash open his neck.

"Come on, I wanna have fun! I need to! Can't focus unless I have fun!"

It was then that the voice floated to her, coming from the depths of herself.

I know what you wish. Fight well here and just maybe I will give you the key.

She smiled as her zanpaktou spoke to her, backing off a bit from her playmate, readying herself for another attack.

Alright, so his opponent fought in a brawler style without holding back. Also, she could use very low level Kidō at least somewhat proficiently, and had an affinity to air manipulation. All of this had already been observed by Katsumi, so his capability of forming skillful and useful strategies was furthered by such observations. He also noticed that while the bursts of air his opponent could send at him were powerful, much of their force was lost by the time they reached him, so he prepared himself for the possibility of her getting closer in order to pack a higher punch behind her air waves. It seems he guessed correctly, for that is exactly what she had begun to do. And so he reacted appropriately.

With every step Jessy took that brought her closer to Katsumi, he took two steps back, being able to keep up with her despite moving more due to his high level of speed. By the time the waves reached Katsumi, they were so weak he was able to just toss them aside with little difficulty thanks to the increased amount of distance they would have to travel to reach him. The training field that was their battleground was quickly becoming riddled with various scorch marks and tears in the concrete, making it seem as though some giant animal had attacked it with its claws. Katsumi took notice of the fact that Jessy was still trying to get closer to him, so he stopped moving and stood still in one place again, allowing her to do so. His eyes widened slightly when she activated her Zanpakutō release. Releasing your Zanpakutō so soon? Weak.

Before his opponent could reach him with her newly released Zanpakutō, Katsumi brought his right hand to his left hip, going for his own Zanpakutō. He drew it out of its sheathe slowly, and then revealed the weapon to his opponent. Usually he wouldn't draw his weapon so soon against such an opponent, but considering the circumstances, he figured he might as well. The first attack from Jessy, though fast, was blocked by Katsumi using his Zanpakutō. "Bakudo Number 8: Seki." By the time Jessy's claws neared Katsumi's neck, he had thrown his left hand up, his palm facing his foe's weapon. From this palm a small blue orb made up of energy was formed, which not only blocked the other shinigami's attack, but also repelled it, sending her back a few feet and potentially knocking her off her feet. At this point, Katsumi took advantage of her momentary loss of footing, and so he used his very high level of skill in shunpo to flash step behind her, after which he promptly swung his Zanpakutō diagonally, cutting relatively deeply into her back, sending blood in the air.

"The difference between you and I is as the difference between earth and the heavens."

As she felt her body pushed back, instead of trying to regain her footing she let herself fall, going down so that she was on all fours. As her opponent flash stepped behind her, she moved, still on all fours. Her speed was completely different then before, moving as fast as a flash step, he came to a stop ten feet forward, planting one leg in order to spin around. Standing up, she winced as a slight pain cam from her back, she had not managed to avoid his attack all together. The cut was light though, just damaging the topmost layer of her skin.

Spitting on the floor next to her in frustration, Jessy swung her left blade upward, and this time the wind did not become a large blast. Instead it was a thin blade like crescent, cutting through the tiles below as it neared her opponent. Lowering on to all fours again, she waited until the attack hit before making her next move. Moving at flash step speeds again, she closed on him, moving in a completely straight line. Pouncing towards him she stabbed out with both gauntlets, aiming for her chest. However, that was not her goal, and with a grin, the two white furred tails sprouted from the ground, attempting to wind themselves around her opponents feet to entangle him.

Once again she backed off, smiling lightly.

"You having fun, because I sure am. I hope we can play more, and don't think I'd show off everything I have immediately. Truth is, I don't have access to everything, he's so stubborn sometimes."

She smiled jokingly at the gauntlets on her hands, she hoped her zanpaktou would give her the key this time around.

"That's why I'm doing this, I want him to give me access to the rest of the powers, I hope you don't mind."

After noticing that his opponent was somehow able to avoid major damage from his previous attack, Katsumi waited for a response from his opponent, knowing there would be one, as there always is. His adversary appeared to be using her air manipulation technique again, however this time it seemed slightly off to Katsumi. Not only did he sense a greater amount of spiritual power from this version, but he also noticed it was smaller and thinner, and thus seemed more condensed, so by that logic it would most likely be more powerful than the last air waves. So this time Katsumi prepared himself for the attack by planting his feet firmly on the ground, and then swinging his sword the moment the crescent-shaped air blade came into range.

While he did slice straight through the rather sharp blade of air, it didn't dissipate as he expected it to. Instead, it kept going , except each half moved sporadically due to being separated, and ended up cutting into the upper sections of arms, though the wounds weren't all that deep so he wasn't in bad shape and most likely wouldn't be hindered by them. At this point Katsumi noticed his opponent attacking him again. He noticed that she was moving pretty quickly, but no quicker than when she had used shunpo earlier, and so he still had the advantage in speed. This meant by the time she reached her target, Katsumi was able to successfully block both of her weapons with his sword, and then shove her back with an increased amount of force, though that was when he noticed the strange tails wrapped around his lower legs.

"Hadō #33. Sōkatsui." After raising his right palm up to face his opponent, he said the name of the new spell he was about to use, and so activated it by doing such. With his palm as its focal point, a large amount of blue fire-like energy began forming, with various tendrils of it whipping out, which ended up hitting the tails wrapped around his legs, burning them to nothingness. After an enormous amount of energy gathered at his palm, it launched itself from where it had been gathering. The size of the blast of energy quickly increased, soon being large enough to completely cover the training ground, as well as some of the ground on either side. It was also high, the top of the blast being well over fourth feet off the ground. Due to the immense speed of this Kidō spell, it was very unlikely Jessy would be able to dodge it, even with shunpo or shunpo-level speeds, meaning she would most likely be enveloped by it. The massive, as well as powerful, blast of energy would cause tremendous damage to Katsumi's opponent, as well as wiping out what was remaining of the training grounds along with it. This spell has been noted to even be able to damage a shinigami's Bankai.

"Don't speak as though having full power would help you in this fight. It is arrogant to believe you stood a chance in the first place."

Jessy looked up in horror, noticing the new spell being formed. She knew there was no way for her to dodge it, and her shikia could not help her. Sighing, she let her shikia dissipate, her zanpaktou returning to the twin swords that was its sealed state. Looking up, her eyes set in determination, she swung both her swords upwards, twin blasts of air flowing from them. Flying forward, they intercepted the Kidō, holding it for now, though buckling under the pressure of holding it back. She then brought her swords down, releasing another set of blasts to intercept with the Kidō.

One after another she sent these blasts towards it, each one weakening the Kidō little by little. However, she did not have the spiritual energy to sustain this, and after some time her arms fell to her side, the Kidō falling upon her tired body. She felt its power burn against her skin, bringing pain to every inch of her body, but it was too weak now to do any real damage to her. Pushed back, she fell flat against the ruined ground of the training area, taking great big gulps of air as she attempted to regain her breath. Lying there, a purring voice came to her mind, speaking to her its judgement.

Well done Jessy, well done. I must say, I am impressed. As promised, here is what I promised you. Remember, they key of summer lies in the heat.

Jessy smiled, chuckling for a bit as she lay there, her eyes zooming about the ruined training hall, taking in everything while listening to her opponents words. Still chuckling, she addressed what the man said.

"Did I ever say that it would? We wouldn't know anyway, would we? I don't really care that I lost this fight to you anyway, as I have obtained what I was after. As for if I would have won with all the abilities, ask me that when I have seen all the seasons, only then will I be able to answer."

Katsumi watched as his powerful Kidō spell was slowly weakened by his opponent, only for her to end up being hit by the blue fire energy anyway. As his opponent collapsed from the pain of being hit by such a spell, as well as extreme exhaustion, Katsumi placed his Zanpakutō back into its sheathe where it belonged, and then turned around to walk away, only to stop after a single step in order to address his opponent before taking his leave.

"Congratulations, you managed to damage my clothing. You should be proud of yourself."

After saying this seemingly arrogant,though truthful, statement, Katsumi began walking again at a very relaxed pace, the same pace he was moving at when he first set out that night for his midnight stroll around the gotei division barracks. His form slowly made its way back to the darkness from which he came, and so he continued his calming walk around Seritei, leaving this chapter of his life behind.