A Reintroduction

*Rizu finds herself walking through a park in Karakura town after dispatching a few hollows, looking around and noticing how much it had changed since the battle. She looks around, images of her mother flashing in her mind as she senses a vaguely familiar aura nearby. She frowns gently, trying to place who it might belong to as she sits down on a swing, fiddling with the bottom of her oversized haori.*

Fukaku noticed a heavy reiatsu enter the park of Karakura, as he continued his patrol there. "That explains the lack of hollows... Lieutenant Yukino... Or captain Yukino, as the spies report." Fukaku said, pondering. "I wonder why she's here... surely she's not on some ordinary hollow hunt.

*Thinking back a bit, she stands up as she recalls to whom the aura belongs. Turning around, she sees him a fair ways away.* Nayamasa-san. *Rizu shunpos over to him, standing off to the left.* Is that you?

"Yukino-san. What are you doing here?" Fukaku asks, a neutral tone to his voice. "Does she know? About Captain Itami." "I'm rather certain captains aren't sent out for ordinary duties often..." Fukaku says, shaking his head. He needed to keep his cool.

*Rizu tilts her head curiously as Fukaku's aura moves anxiously.* No, we often aren't. I...requested my own visit. *She looks down a quick moment, pushing her thoughts of her mother and the fiasco with Koga to the back of her mind.* Though I'm curious...I never thought that to be something you'd concern yourself with.

"The last time a captain appeared in this town, it was quite literally hell on earth. Since then, I felt like I should keep a healthy interest in such things." Fukaku replied. "out of interest in my health.

*Rizu nods with a slight smile.* Could that perhaps be why Itami hasn't come back to the Soul Society? *She raises her eyebrow and tilts her head, her smile creeping into a mischevious smirk, having left off the honourific for captain from Itami's name intentionally.*

Itami... Ran into me. we parted ways a short while ago. He seemed rather angry when last I saw him" Fukaku noted, looking away from Rizu. "Well, that much is true, at least.... "How that man gained such a position in the soul society, I'll never know..." Fukaku said, shaking his head. That much of what he said was truly sincere at least.

*As his aura spikes, Rizu chuckles softly and shakes her head.* More than 200 years of dealing with that man and you expect me to disagree? Nayamasa-san...the fact remains you were the last person to see him and he has yet to return. *She takes a step forward, scratching the back of her head out of habit.* Personally, I couldn't care less what you've done to him...but I'm afraid the Head Captain does. Now...if you'll humour me, I'd like to make a deal.

"Hmmm... what kind of deal?" Fukaku said, sitting up a bit straighter. He almost saw a slight echo of Koga in her attitude. "Your former lieutenant indeed, Koga Wolf." he thought to himself. Looking at her with a measure of respect, he said "I'm listening, Yukino-san."

*Rizu smiles softly, taking another step forward.* As you know, I have a lot of respect for your obvious strength. I'd very much like to see it first hand. This is not an "if I win/if you win" deal. I just want the fight. If you fight me with everything you have...and I will know if you're holding back...I found nothing. Understood?

"Very well, but in that case, I have a favor to ask of you as well." Fukaku said, pointing to her. "I know the shinigami use gentei Kaijo to restrict their own abilities, and Shikai and bankai to increase them. release your gentei Kaijo, if you have it, and use your ban-kai. Otherwise, I'm liable to kill you, and you already lost one captain who would have been instrumental in the coming battle. losing another would certainly not benefit me, and I have no grudge with you." Fukaku noted. "If you're willing to do so, I'll certainly fight you. Such is what I was born to do." Fukaku finishes, nodding to her.

*A slight smile creeps to Rizu's lips as Fukaku speaks and she nods without hesitating.* I will release it, Nayamasa-san. I would not ask you to fight to your full potential and then hold back. That would be disrespectful. Let's get this show on the road then, shall we?

"Very well." Fukaku says, readying himself in a combat pose, while holding a capsule. "We start now. Todlich dunst." Fukaku utters, creating a mist in the nearby area.

*Rizu whispers quietly under her breath, closing her eyes.* Limit release. *As she speaks, a quick but large blast of freezing cold reiatsu explodes around her, freezing the ground and trees behind her. She takes a breath and controls her reiatsu output, glowing a faint white.* Shall we?

Fukaku turned. "An ice-type, eh?" Fukaku thought to himself, releasing his bow. His strength was double what his reiatsu would normally suggest, and a black aura appeared around him, briefly dimming the light around them for a few seconds. Fukaku then hirenkyaku'd above the mist barrier he created, before taking out two more capsules. "Todlich dunst." he said, creating two more clouds of mistlike reishi to obscure vision. "It might not be best to emit such a chilling aura in the Todlich dunst, Yukino-san." Fukaku said, before again disappearing in the mist.

*Observing the mist, Rizu shunpos several feet above the ground.* -What is that...- *She reduces her reiatsu output once more, smirking slightly.* Is that so? *As he disappears into the mist, she closes her eyes and hones in on his aura. Without opening her eyes, she shunpos in front of Fukaku's aura and draws her left arm back, launching it forward with power towards the center.* Ikkotsu!

Fukaku just barely dodges, his enhanced reishi giving him the slight edge he needed to avoid. Luckily, with the aid of hakkatekkenkidzuku, he'd managed to anticipate where she was going to hit. "Alright, if I can conserve reishi like this, I might just come out on top..." Fukaku thinks to himself, throwing an elbow strike likewise at Rizu's solar plexus.

*As Fukaku's aura spikes towards her, Rizu throws her hands up across her chest to block his attack, sliding backwards a few feet from the impact. She jumps up and somersaults towards Fukaku, dropkicking towards his right shoulder.*

Fukaku comes back to a front stance, as Rizu comes back at him. Feeling, rather than seeing, her dropkick come towards him. Shifting to the side with Hirenkyaku, he then threw a roundhouse kick at where he was, timed to hit Rizu when she landed.

*Sensing his kick coming towards her, Rizu uses Hagane and condenses her reiatsu under her skin to brace the impact. She flies back a bit, steadying herself in a kneel. She smiles, standing up.* Well played, Nayamasa-san. *Pulling her zanpakuto from her back, she holds it in front of her horizontally, facing towards Fukaku.* Hado #32, Okasen. *As she speaks, a ball of yellow energy begins to form and grow in the middle of her blade. As it releases, it expands into an arc the width of the length of her zanpakuto, hurtling towards him.*

Fukaku feels the surge of reishi, and takes out a capsule of his own. "Wolke." Fukaku says, as the capsule dissipates and a large explosion moves outwards, clashing with the hado. Fukaku immediately jumps upwards, before bringing out another capsule. "Gritz." Fukaku says, throwing the capsule at Rizu. A white barrier attempts to form around Rizu's position, with a pentagonal quincy cross forming on the front.

*Rizu notices the barrier formed around her and hums thoughtfully under her breath.* I wonder... *She expels a large wave of cold reiatsu from her in an attempt to break through the barrier, freezing the ground instantly.*

Fukaku watched as the barrier chilled, and became fragile. "It'll break soon... Best to use the barrier to my advantage for now." Fukaku mentally reasoned. "Heh... guess there's nothing to it..." Fukaku said, readying a capsule. applying it to his schneider, the blade glowed silver as Fukaku charged, Using hirenkyaku at blinding speed. "Tod von acht seiten." Fukaku uttered, as he seemed to split into four, each copy bringing a schneider blade down onto Rizu's possibly still imprisoned form, one in front of her, one behind her, and one on her left and right. The real Fukaku was on the right of Rizu.

*Her eyes still closed, Rizu stops the blast of reiatsu and thrusts both fists towards the wall of the barrier in front of her.* Sokotsu! *As she hits, the barrier shatters. Rizu smiles softly, facing to her right as she holds her left hand out in front of her, gripping her wrist firmly with her right hand.* You realize you cannot suppress an aura Nayamasa-san...Hado #31, shakkaho. *As she sends the blast towards the real Fukaku, Rizu shunpos upwards and behind him.*