More Unpleasantries...

Kyousuke stood inside the empty dojo of the Zanjutsu training hall, a wooden sword in his hands. A few glimmers of perspiration streamed down his face while he listened to his own breathing for a moment.

'Remain calm. Control youself.' He told himself, relaxing his grip on his weapon slightly, ' Maintain your breathing. Relax your stance.' He slowly moved his feet further apart until he was perfectly balanced, keeping his knees slightly bent.

Finally, he advances toward the dummy which had been set up, delivering powerful, lethal blows in very precise places which would be fatal against a regular opponent. He spins amd twirls around the dummy, making sure to always keep on balance. It had been over a year since his brief spar with the Captain of Squad 12, Koga Wolf. He was easily overwhelmed by his tevhnique and power. But...Koga had left him with something important before he left, and Kyousuke was going to apply it...

I was enjoying myself and all the pleasantness of being a captain. I had decided to take a stroll through the Shino Academy. As I passed by the Zanjutsu dojo, I heard a little commotion. I entered, and watched as a student was practicing his Zanjutsu. With my wings folded behind my back, I went and stood next to a tree.

Kyousuke lands a few more vicious strikes against the dummy; cutting under the ribcage to slash the lung, thrusting a blow into the lower spine, before finishing with a graceful twirl and an inverted slash across the throat.

He took a moment to catch his breath, when he started to get a tingly feeling. He turned his head to glance behind his shoulder, noticing someone watching him. Relaxing his stance, he turns toward them, noticing they wore the infamous Captain's hayori. Kyousuke remained quiet, studying them...

I watched the precision and gracefulness of his strikes. He was an excellent swordsman. I smirked. He turned as he realized that I was standing behind him. My smirk turned to a devilish grin.
That was some impressive swordplay. May I ask your name and where you learned it from?
As I wait for his answer, I stretch my wings out, wrapped my tail around my waist inside of my haori, and folded them around my body so that I could sit up under the tree.

He noticed the rather peculiar traits which belonged to this Captain, noticing his wings as well as a tail.

'Eh...not the strangest thing I've seen.' He thought to himself.

Kyousuke remains calm as the Captain addresses him, complimenting his skill with the sword, "My name is Kyousuke Junichiro, sir." He answers, bowing his head humbly, "I was trained here by the Sword Masters."

It was a lie; he had been met by an old hermit in the Rukongai, who had taken it upon themselves to prepare him for his journey here to the Seireitei.

I accepted this. To signify this, I nodded my head.
The name's Itami Moeru. Captain of Squad 5. You know, the moves that you showed aren't like the ones taught in the academy, but I guess it's none my business.
I smirk.

"I believe that what is taught here is only the basics of combat, Captain sir." Kyousuke replies, glancing down to his blunt weapon for a moment. Raising his emerald eyes back up to Captain Itami, he adds, "I believe if we are to survive here, then we must learn to teach ourselves what our Masters cannot."

I smile at this.
You sir have it. Not many people know that. You have the makings of being a fine swordsman.
I unsheath Dami's sword as I stand up. I quicky snap my wings out. As I unsheath the sword from my back, I cut the tree behind me in half. The motion was so fast that no normal eye culd see it. I then resheath it, and the tree fell to the ground.
Your sword must be an extention of your arm.
I fold my bionic arms across my chest.

Kyousuke's eyes swelled slightly as it appeared, to him at least, that the tree behind the Captain had suddenly collapsed on itself. But upon further inspection, he noticed that it had received the slice of a sharp sword; a slash so fast, his eyes did not even see when the sword had been drawn against it.

Hearing the Captain's words, Kyousuke nods, "I understand, sir. But..." He looked briefly at the sword strung behind his back, curious if he truly had used it to cut down the tree before he even noticed, "With all due respect, sir, I don't have my own zanpakuto yet. So such a lesson seems a bit premature to me."

I smile at this.
Who ever says you need a Zanpakuto.
I then unsheath the zanpakuto. I hold it up for the sun to glint off its sharp steal and serrated edges.
This sword was my brother's Zanpakuto that I got after he was killed by a hollow. The hollow took it and I then found him and killed him. I've had it ever since. It is one of my most precious possessions.
As Itami says this, his eyes gets a glazed look as he stares at the zan. He then snaps out of the trance and looks back at Kyousuke.
With that being said, you don't need a zanpakuto. It helps, but you don't need it. A true swordsman can fight even in the most disadvantaged positions. You aren't a true swordsman til you can fight with any kind of sword. That is your true test.
With that I quickly resheath the sword.

Kyousuke observes the blade presented before him, listening intently to the story of it's origin until it was holstered back into the sheath. Kyousuke keeps a focused stare on the Squad 5 Captain, heeding his words carefully in regards to the sword.

"I will remember that, Captain Moeru." He assures him, tipping his head in a bowing nod, "I will do my best to make all within the Soul Society proud."

I nod with this.
Good. So how about we have a little Zanjutsu spar. Let me see firsthand at your skills. Although that's if you don't min?.
While I wait for his answer, I begin to play with my black crystal necklace in the shape of a dragon.

He knew this was likely going to be another losing, likely painful, battle, but Kyousuke was eager to show himself just what he could do after 2 years in Shino Academy. He kept his silence, but moved himself slowly over to one side of the training mat. He then held up his hand to the space across from him, gesturing to the Captain to enter the dojo; accepting his challenge.

I smirk.
He's got guts. I'll give him that.
I follow him, and as I pick up a wooden sword.
I'll make this as much of a fair fight as possible.

For the first time, since their conversation had begun, Kyousuke's expression changed from a stone-hard, focused stare to a calm, wry grin, "Don't be afraid to go a little harder than that, sir." He encourages the Captain, "The only way to find out what I can really do, is to push me beyond the edge of my limits."

With that piece of information relayed, Kyousuke hardened himself to focus on the battle about to commence between them. He pushed his legs apart, bent his knees slightly, and readied his weapon. He held the hilt gently, letting it equal to his strength and balance before directing the blade upwards, splitting his image in half before his opponent. He inhaled a slow breath through his nose, then exhaled to calm his nerves. He was ready...

I nodded at his words and stance.
If you should say so.
With the wooden sword in my right hand, I turned a little to the right. I got in a crouching stance with my left leg held straight out and left foot turned in, and my right leg was bent in. I then grasped my sword with both hands, and turned the point to face Kyousuke. I then raised it even with my head. I spread my wings to their fullest, and let my tail hover at chest height.
Your move.

Kyousuke studied his opponent, reminding himself not to be caught off-guard by those wings, or his tail. This would be his 2nd time battling against a Captain of the Seireitei, and he began to wonder if they all could sense something in him like that hermit did...

'I wonder how many other students in the Academy are allowed to train with multiple Captains...' He thought to himself as he gauges Captain Moeru's fighting stance, 'His blade defends his right side. Does that mean he's weaker there? Even if not, he's left his left side almost completely open.'

Bending his left leg down a bit more, he lunges swiftly across the mat, turning his sword inward as his eyes flickered with determination. He leans in to strike, thrusting the point of his weapon to Itami's left pec, aiming for his heart. He determined even he dodged or parried, then he could still puncture the bone of one of his wings...

I watched him come at me. His eyes were set dead on. His movements were swift, and he aimed for my left side. I began to smirk.
Nice try.
I swiftly move my tail faster than even I could see to intercept and catch his weapon.
But not good enough.
I gave a yank to try and pull it away from him.

Getting a first glimpse of how Captain Moeru used his tail, Kyousuke tightens his grip around his weapon, refusing to release it as the strength of his tail lifted him off his feet.

Maintaining his focus, Kyousuke uses the momentum to try and gain the upper hand, twirling his body through the air until he was almost completely above the Captain. As he descends behind him, he attempts to pry his sword free from his tail. Upon landing on the ground, he snaps a kick toward his spine...

I tighten my grip on the sword. I then give it another hard yank, that would send him tumbling toward me. I then spun and sent a swift kick to his head. As I did so, I released his sword. I was quite impressed with how he maintained himself throughout the whole fight.

Before he could connect with his intended strike, Kyousuke felt a strong jerk on his sword. The force almost pulled his arms from their sockets, yet he still refused to release his sword. However, this also caused him to stumble close to the Captain, almost bumping into him. His eyes widened as he caught sight of his leg swinging around in a kick of his own.

With little choice left, Kyousuke reluctantly released his sword and ducked under the Captain's leg as it came around, countering by crouching low, and attempting to thrust the point of his elbow into his opponent's stomach.

I was quite surprised by the determination of the young Shinigami. I swiftly used the moment from my leg spin to turn around.l This put me in the position to counter Kyousuke's strike with my own sword. With my massive strenght, I swung the sword against his elbow with enough force to break the sword and his elbow at the same time.

"Nngghh!" Came a pained grunt from Kyousuke as the impact of the Captain's sword broke against his arm, feeling the limb go completely numb after receiving a powerful jolt of agony.

Grabbing the injured limb, Kyousuke stumbled past the Captain before coming to a stop, favoring his elbow which was now an assortment of black, blue, and purple colors. Glaring back over his shoulder, Kyousuke doun to face the squad 5 Captain directly, so as to not allow him to follow through with another attack.

'Damn. I've lost all feeling in my right arm. I'm certain the elbow fractured with that strike.'

Even though his right arm was useless now, Kyousuke didn't consider the fight over. He focuses on his opponent, waiting for his next move...

You've got spunk kid. I'll give you that.
I watched as he took the pain from the injury that I had just given him.
Are you sure that you can continue? Maybe you should get that looked at. I don't want this to effect you in any kind of way. As a captain it is my duty to protect and not hurt.

Kyousuke released his arm, letting it fall limp at his side, horribly bruised. He gauged the Captain's reaction for a moment, until his eyes fell on his discarded sword laying near Captain Moeru's feet. While appreciative of his sympathy, this throbbing injury was not enough to make him call it quits.

He suddenly bolts forward towards the officer, as though he were making a direct attack on him. Just before reaching him, Kyousuke baseball slides across the mat, snatching his wooden sword in his left hand before kicking back up to his feet. Turning counterclockwise, he attempts to slash the Captain across the chest...