Mask of Battle

[Tatsujin Fukuzai]

Luckily, near the park and small burger stand known as Sugoi Burgers was where the city ended and fields began before giving way to small suburbs. This is where Fukuzai and his new acquaintance, Yoshida, would spar. The only way to ever truly know someone was a fight. And not some run-off-the-mill spar either. One fought at full strength, one done with real blades. One with danger.

He stopped in the middle of the small field, far enough away from both the city and the suburbs that they would not be in danger. He hoped at least. If either of their hollows, or god forbid, both decided to come forward, there was no telling what kind of damage would be done. But he knew that this was the only way they could trust each other.

He stood only around fifteen-feet from Yoshida, his hand on his tachi, letting Yoshida know that blades could be used. He just hoped Yoshida didn't hold back, because he would not. Fukuzai would go at Yoshida with everything he had, and more.

[Hattori Kihashi]

It was later in the afternoon when the pair had left Sugoi Burger and went on their small hike to their destination to spar. They walked clear of the city to where rolling fields had spawned across the landscape, ensuring their little bout wouldn't harm anyone or even disturb them, really. Yoshida did have the full intent to fight Fukuzai, but he did know when to stop. The only worry that lingered in his mind was probably the same one that Fukuzai had; the Hollow. He knew it was there, it had chosen not to influence him yet but during a serious combat bout, it could definitely take advantage. He didn't know how powerful the being's influence was, and that was perhaps his biggest fear of all. He could resist all he liked, but if the hollow's influence was stronger, there's no telling what would happen.

As he followed close behind Fukuzai, the red-headed Vizard suddenly stopped. They were far enough away from civilization that nobody would have to see their bout. The thought crossed his mind that it was possible if both of their hollows came forward; a fearsome situation would that be indeed, and it would most likely warrant a nearby Quincy or some sort of spiritual human to come along to get killed or to mop them up. Shaking his head clear of the shadowy thoughts, he backstepped a good ways away from Fukuzai.

With Fukuzai's simple gesture, he figured blades could be used. With an understanding smile, he pulled a gigai pill from his shirt pocket, kept conveniently in a small case with many others. He tossed one to Fukuzai and popped it into his mouth. Soon after, he blasted out of his human body as a substitute soul took over, the body running over to the sidelines and sitting down to watch. He clearly didn't want to scruff up his normal clothing. Drawing his sword, his fingers would form into a gun shape and a ball of energy would begin crackling at the tip. ''Byakurai!'' He exclaimed, letting loose a powerful bolt of lightning from his fingers. His hand recoiled and quickly assisted his other hand on his sword, his ears staying alert for the swish of a flash step.

[Tatsujin Fukuzai]

Fukuzai downed the pill quickly, his body running to stand beside Yoshida's. He pulled his blade from it's sheath, the blade shining orange in the sunlight. When his new opponent raised his hand, Fukuzai's muscles tensed, ready and waiting. His readiness payed off and he dodged the Byakurai his opponent had thrown at him. It whipped right by his body, so close in fact he could almost feel the heat from it.

He was almost surprised at the speed of which the Byakurai had been formed, but it let him know that Yoshida was a decent Kido user. Fukuzai himself could only count himself as average in that respect, even if he was probably a little better than most shinigami around his level.

He used shunpo to close in on Yoshida, appearing behind him. He raised his hand, palm first, and a small red ball began to form. "Shakkahō!" The red ball that writhed as if made of flame shot towards Yoshida. With this Kido he only wanted to test Yoshida's reaction time. Fukuzai was one to watch his opponent, figure out their strengths and weaknesses. Even if these weaknesses were something he could not immediately exploit, he would remember them for later use.

[Hattori Kihashi]

The powerful bolt of Byakurai lightning ripped through the air and screamed right toward the other Vizard. Yoshida hadn't expected it to hit as it was the first attack of the bout, so naturally after he fired it he stopped caring about where it was going; rather, he was concerned where his opponent was going. He heard the swish and the crackle of energy at his back, and he used a shunpo of his own before the Shakkaho turned his back crispy. He did have to admit, however; he hadn't suspected Fukuzai the type to use kido. It was clear that just a basic kido maneuver wouldn't be enough to land an actual blow as they were both familiar with the art of kido, making it apparent that for any spell to have a desired effect it would have to be used with an art of surprise and finesse.

Yoshida let out a smirk as the blast detonated not too far from where it was shot, a torrent of grass and dirt being thrown into the air. Wasting no time, the black-haired Vizard coordinated his counter-attack. Rather than counter with another spell as what might have been a bit predictable, he took it upon himself to do the exact opposite; he was going to test Fukuzai's expertise in zanjutsu, now.

He flashed from where he stood to Fukuzai's right side, his back facing him for only a brief moment. In a flash of movement he turned sharply and retaliated with a heavy horizontal slash.

[Tatsujin Fukuzai]

Yoshida was fast, at least for his rank. But so was Fukuzai himself. He turned quickly, blocking the slash, but could feel the pressure of the blow in his arms. He was able to hold Yoshida back though. It seemed the two were quite evenly matched in every sense of the word.

He was able to push Yoshida's blade back, before jumping back a few feet. He didn't doddle though, and rushed forward once again, coming down with a heavy slash of his own. This was a feint and if blocked would merely slide away from Yoshida's blade. He came down, and drove his blade forward for a thrust, aiming to cut into Yoshida's chest.

He could almost laugh. He had not battled for so long, only killing a few weak hollows here and there. In over eight years he had not fought an opponent on equal ground. Some would think it weird for a monk to enjoy battle as he did. What they did not realize is all monks did. They loved battle, but hated needless violence. It was the bottled up rage, people would of said. If he had found them worthy of response he would of told him it was human nature.

[Hattori Kihashi]

As the blades collided with Yoshida's strength smashing into Fukuzai's guard, a deadlock had formed. He paid close attention to Fukuzai's arms, seeing them flinch back from the power of the blow. It seemed he'd surprised him with the flash step and the power of the blow. He took note of this and as soon as Fukuzai began pushing back, he did the same. The two pushed their full weight against each other but Fukuzai managed to cancel the lock, hopping backward to give himself some breathing room.

It seemed he would hardly need more than just a single breath to think as he leaped back into the fray with a heavy slash. Noticing the power Fukuzai had put into the attack from his body, he knew right away that an attack with that much force would smash right through his guard. He quickly hopped backward before realizing the attack as a feint as it transitioned from a slash into a downward thrust. His eyes widening with a bit of surprise, he quickly took his free hand and snatched the scabbard of his zanpakuto and used it to bat the flat of the blade away. He used the momentum from the deflection to step to the side.

He would waste no time in a counter-attack of his own, tossing the scabbard aside as he lifted his foot to attempt to deliver a kick right into Fukuzai's torso to throw him off balance. After the kick was either defended or taken, he would follow up with two quick slashes from left to right. He couldn't help the smile from being plastered on his face; he and Fukuzai still had not gotten an edge over each other; they had proven they were just about equal in kido, shunpo, and even in zanjutsu. It had been a very, very long time since the ponytailed Vizard had fought anyone near his level; he was mostly stuck carving up cannon fodder hollows.

[Tatsujin Fukuzai]

Fukuzai was surprised in the manner his blade was blocked aside. Very clever. Was his thought. Not exactly what he would of done, but whatever works, he guessed. If it keeps you from getting killed, it's a winning strategy.

He reoriented himself, since the momentum of his blade plus the scabbard block had managed to throw him off balance, but only by a little bit. Right as he did this, though, he saw the kick aimed for his torso. He barely rolled around it in time, only to once again see another attack headed his way.

He brought his blade up, deflecting the first blow, and leaned back to avoid the second from the other side, not having time to also block it. It managed to draw blood though, leaving a thin line across his cheek. This wasn't a first blood spar though. Some could argue it wasn't a spar at all, but a test. One to see if they were worth each others time. If one died, they weren't worth it. Simple as that. And Fukuzai knew one thing, he wasn't dieing this day.

He came forward once more, intending to take full use of Yoshida's own momentum. Fukuzai brought his tachi into an upwards slash, which would be followed by a horizontal one. He jumped back right after, denying Yoshida a chance to counter. He raised his left hand quickly, shouting "Shakkahō!" The red fire blasted forward, straight for Yoshida.

[Hattori Kihashi]

The scabbard strike to the side of Fukuzai's stabbing blade managed to knock him off balance, just as Yoshida had counted on. He wasted no time in throwing that kick, aiming to knock him to the ground where he could promptly end the fight. However, Fukuzai's agility surprised him once again. He whirled around the kick and Yoshida quickly drew his foot back. Before his foot even landed on the ground, the red-haired Vizard had attacked with a powerful upward slash. Having no choice but to block, Yoshida did so, and the power of the attack popped him into the air. He quickly rotated his sword as Fukuzai smashed into his guard once more. This time, the force propelled him backward, but all his block managed to do was weaken and deflect the blow to his lower thigh. The fabric cut against his leg, a shallow wound appearing there.

The actual main force of the attack sent Yoshida backward and onto his heels, where he slid to a stop in the grass. He stared down the crackling red energy as his eyes widened, and the shot of red destruction blasted through the air and soared right for him. Thinking quickly, he muttered the name of the Bakudo, barely audible. ''Enkosen.'' The bakudo shield quickly expanded from his palm just as the fireball arrived, creating a large explosion of smoke. Using this as a smoke screen, he acted quickly, using a flash step to exit the smoke and stand behind it as the shield fell within the smoke without his focus.

He spoke quietly, ensuring his opponent couldn't hear him.

''Ye lord, mask of flesh and bone, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of man. Truth and temperance, upon this sinless wall of dreams unleash but slightly the wrath of your claws. Hado number thirty-three; Sokatsui!''

Thrusting his palm forward, the shot ripped through the now-clearing smoke screen straight ahead, aiming to land anywhere near, around, or even on the red-haired Vizard. After the shot, Yoshida assumed a defensive stance with his sword incase the practical use of Shunpo came into effect against him. Hopefully the explosion made Fukuzai think he'd scored a hit, as the shield would have been difficult to see before the collision.

[Tatsujin Fukuzai]

Fukuzai frowned. The explosion sounded more like it had hit something solid, like a wall rather than a man. And if there was one thing Fukuzai knew, it was explosions.

The smoke obscured much from view, and he couldn't even make out a silhouette, which was concerning. He shunpo'd to the side of the smoke, just in time to see a Sokatsui fly from it and decimate where he'd just been standing. The hado had cleared some of the smoke, and he could make out Yoshida through the smoke, in a defensive stance. He'd hopefully be able to catch the man off guard, then.

He ran through the smoke, charging towards the other vizards outline, only a small, almost indecipherable clacking of his sandals hitting the dirt and grass. He jumped, and as he came down upon Yoshida he thrust his blade down vertically, ready to cleave the man in two.

[Hattori Kihashi]

It was a bit impressive how well Fukuzai matched Yoshida's own abilities. They'd both only landed one blow on one another, and were using just about every trick in their sleeves besides shikai in the spar. They seemed to lock up in a stalemate every time one of them pulled out something new, which just made things more and more amusing the more it happened. The blue glow erupted outward and tore through the smoke, punching through it like a cannon ball. Yoshida heard no impact, but that was exactly what he had expected; he knew Fukuzai was smarter than that.

Yoshida watched the blast carry the remaining smoke with it. He hadn't actually planned to hit Fukuzai, rather do some area damage if he hadn't moved fast enough or just to check if he was smart enough to not stand in front of a smoke screen. He made sure he wouldn't pay for not knowing better by taking the defensive stance with his zanpakuto, and his glasses-covered eyes quickly scanned the area around him. Hearing the pattering of footsteps through the grass, crunching it down, he heard almost a second too late. He stepped backward in reaction, then hurriedly hopped to the side.

His glasses were carried off his nose and split right down the center, and all he could do was let out a laugh a little as he felt a cut open up on the bridge of his nose. He quickly spun his sword and sheathed it, attempting to use some shunpo-assisted Iaido to cause Fukuzai to think about his defense when using such heavy blows. He knew good and well that the blow from that sword would have cleaved him up pretty good. The flash step initiated as he made a dash right for Fukuzai, unsheathing the blade in one quick draw-and-slash maneuver. For once he chose to keep his mouth shut; all the talking that had to be done was already in progress by clashing steel.

[Tatsujin Fukuzai]

Fukuzai was ready for the dodge and let his momentum carry him into a roll. He jumped to his feet quickly, bringing up his blade to block a blow that was sure to come. In seconds Yoshida was on him with a flash step. Fukuzai raised his blade, blocking the battojutsu maneuver. He almost smirked. Apparently Yoshida knew what his blade was meant for.

Instead of jumping back like he had done the last few stalemates, this time he merely stepped back, then jumped forward with a vicious horizontal slash, followed by another thrust. He then brought his blade over to the side, in a smaller slash, that if the thrust had managed to pierce it would of ripped someone wide open.

Fukuzai could already feel his muscles burning. Luckily he wasn't anywhere near exhaustion, but if the battle kept up like this both he and Yoshida would reach that point quickly. It appeared they were much too closely matched for the battle to be ended any other way except exhaustion or a lucky hit. Somehow Fukuzai knew it would come down to exhaustion, though.

[Hattori Kihashi]

Yoshida was surprised once more as his extremely swift blow was blocked by his adversary. His glasses now gone, it seemed he could still see perfectly clearly. The smirk on his face probably hinted at the fact they were purely used for fashion at this point. He expected his opponent jump back for another power strike, but didn't make any sure movements of his own just yet. He began to think he was going to change tactics, and he was right to assume so. Rather than jump back, his sparring partner instead chose to merely step back a small portion before unleashing a torrent of attacks. Going on the defensive, Yoshida prepared himself for the onslaught.

The horizontal slash caused Yoshida to jump backward out of the vicious attack's arc. He drew his sword quickly again, preparing to defend the next attacks. He side-stepped the stabbing maneuver, and the small follow-up slash was blocked, the blade held in place outside his arm by his left shoulder. He held the blade in place in a dead lock for a moment, then suddenly his pupils dilated as his face went pale and showed an unspeakable horror. He seemed almost lost for a few moments that seemed like an eternity to him, but was only a few seconds of hesitation in real life.

[glow=blue,2,300]''I grow tired of letting this prison act with hesitation. Strike him down, I grow bored of these ridiculous games.''[/glow]

He ignored the voice and stared into Fukuzai's eyes; the look alone should have told him what just happened. His eyes then narrowed into focus and he rushed forward with a quick slash aimed at Fukuzai's arm or torso, or perhaps even both.

[Tatsujin Fukuzai]

Fukuzai watched Yoshida's eyes, looking for a hint at his next move. What he saw though wasn't that. Horror flooded into the mans newly-dilated eyes, and he could almost see something moving within. The old-saying was right, the eyes truly were a window into a mans soul.

The hollow was surfacing, he could tell. Apparently their battle was just the thing it needed to decide it wanted a little piece of the action. Exactly as his had, the thing was probably waiting for the easiest chance to come forward and take over, which was either when Yoshida would be near-death or exhausted from battle. "

Yoshida's eyes then narrowed in concentration, something Fukuzai only just noticed as he was in his own thoughts. Luckily he was able to catch the look and not be caught off guard by the next attack.

Fukuzai blocked the blow, before spinning his blade and attempting to disarm Yoshida. He then went for another thrust. After the thrust he jumped back once more, raising his hands for a kido.

"Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south! Hadō #33: Shakkahō!"

[Hattori Kihashi]

Fukuzai spun his blade in retaliation, and Yoshida recognized the maneuver as trying to strip him of his weapon. He quickly leaped back away from the defensive maneuver, putting a bit of distance between he and Fukuzai to nullify the maneuver before the desired effect took place. Yoshida's opponent then attempted to use another thrust, but due to the small amount of distance Yoshida easily parried it. As he prepared for a follow up strike, Fukuzai jumped back as he recited an incantation quickly. Yoshida realized he had no time to raise Enkosen, so he did the only thing he could.

Raising two fingers and pointing them at Fukuzai, he shouted the name of his own Hado. ''Byakurai!'' The strong beam of piercing lightning shot out from his fingers, colliding with the shot of red fire. The two collided briefly, as the Byakurai was only able to cushion the power of the shot. Raising his sword in desperation to the remaining force of the attack, it detonated against his zanpakuto, luckily not breaking it. He flew from his feet and rolled violently through the grass, taking quick but sure breaths. He stood to his feet and suddenly gripped his forehead, his sword in his left hand. [glow=blue,2,300]''ENOUGH! It's my turn now!''[/glow]

Letting out a small growl of frustration, Yoshida's growl then erupted into a roar of pain as his reiatsu turned foul and spiked. His skin began to pale and become a bit armored-looking, just like a hollow. A mask began forming over his face and a set of tentacles wrapped tightly around his head, holding the mask in place. He dropped to his knees, his sword falling into the grass. His scream was now diluted by another voice which clouded and deepened his own. His hands wrenched at the mask as if he were trying to claw out his own eyes.

The hollow was beginning to surface.

[Tatsujin Fukuzai]

Fukuzai watched as his kido barreled through Yoshida's. He hadn't expected it to be effective as it had, but he was he thoroughly surprised. He just hoped it hadn't damaged Yoshida too much, even if this was a very dangerous spar.

Once Yoshida hit the ground and started freaking out, Fukuzai couldn't help but wonder how long that hollow had wanted out to be trying so quickly. His own had been a patient bastard, then when the chance came, and it had come unexpectedly, the thing had took him over in only a few second. Luckily the hollow hadn't managed it again, simply because Fukuzai's own will had denied it that chance.

Fukuzai had a bad feeling that today his hollow would get to breathe, for it may be the difference between life or death. And he did not want to die today. Especially not against a fellow vizard, which he could now tell Yoshida most definitely was.

Now though, Fukuzai could feel his own hollow wanting to surface. The Demon wasn't actually trying yet, but he knew the first lapse in his concentration would be it's chance.

Fukuzai moved his index finger of his left hand, making a perfect triangle in the air."Shitotsu Sansen!" The three beams, in the form of the triangle Fukuzai had drawn, flew at Yoshida, hoping to bind him to the ground.