Teacher Taught? {Azaaaaa}

[Serina Damara]

Should I really show her my all? How much power came from almost three thousand years of life, almost half of them spent in a constant battle to get better? These thoughts swirled around Serina's mind as she neared the destined battlefield. With these thoughts, she wondered of Aza-chan had really understood what she was asking of her. It does not matter... Rina thought to herself, shaking her head quickly. It would be something she would debate upon doing later. For now, it was time to have fun with what they were doing, a good spar. "Like I said Aza-chan, try not to get tears on me. Hard to get all that salt out." She joked playfully, her arm finally coming off of the other captain's shoulders, making a quick step and disappearing, re-appearing a few feet away, near an outstretched rock. "Here'll be good."

Her hand gently wrapped itself around Gaidoku, pulling him off of her back, spinning the ruined blade slightly, before placing it within the ground. Taking her now freed hand, she grabbed her new Haori, carefully pulling it over her shoulders, hooking it around one of the rocks, before turning back to Aza. The cast was a stark contrast to her uniform, the bandaged white sticking out clearly on the black. What was under there, not even Aza knew, for it was something Rina kept a very, -very- well-guarded secret. No one would know about the bleeding. No one would know about the atrophy. Not a soul.

Her good hand went back to her sword, pulling it from the ground slowly, shaking dirt off of the tip. Everyone knew better than to take looks at face-value, especially when it came to Rina. There were many cracks, even breaks within the metal. It was stained, and the decorative ribbons around the hilt were torn and faded. But the small hand-shield, glowing its menacing purple, the face staring as though waiting for its next meal, made sure everyone knew this was not a weapon to mess with. Rina let out a smirk, blowing hair out from in front of her face.

"Ok, basic rules. Start on sealed, work your way up when you want. I'll keep my Kidou below eighty, and not ruin this with Reiatsu. Bankai, of course, is allowed." The smirk turned into a smile, bare foot sliding back slowly on the dirtied rock. The streets of Rukongai did not stretch out this far, it was nature that they would fight upon. She let some Reiatsu out, the dark purple slowly pulling itself off of the girl. It went to her ruined arm first, then blade, then the rest of her body. It was far from what she was fully capable of, both women would have known that. But starting off choking someone was never really a good way to start.

"Hey, Gai-sempai. Wanna get close to the pretty lady's Zanpaktou?" Rina asked the air, although she was talking out loud to her Zanpaktou. Her smile turned into a grin, slowly dropping her arm back, setting herself up in a position to prepare for a blow. "I know his answer Azayaka, how about yours?" It was half serious, half taunt. She knew the beauty in the other captain's zanpaktou, and so did her own. Schoolboy crush, you could say. With a snerk, she stuck her tongue out playfully.

Let the fighting begin.

[Yoakashi Azayaka]

Hm. The Rukongai was always so filthy, even way out here in the wilderness. There were so few plants, yet many rocks, and the dirt often blew over the tattered plains whenever the wind blew by. Still, she couldn't help but find pleasure in wondering what the citizens of the outer lands of Soul Society must have thought upon seeing the two Captains traveling out past the very last district; surely, they must have feared for themselves. If the battle decided to get too vicious, it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to assume that, at least in the outermost village, the souls inhabiting the Rukongai would be able to feel the combined spiritual pressure. It would certainly be a terrifying feeling, that was to be sure.

Unfazed when Serina had disappeared for but a brief moment, Azayaka's head just barely turned enough to keep her fellow Captain within her peripherals. Her hand moved to grab the handle of her blade, though she didn't pull it out quite yet; there was no need, after all. Until the spar actually started, there seemed to be no point in actually drawing her blade; she was well aware that even the slightest wavier in battle could give the enemy just the faintest sign of knowing your next move, and that could prove fatal in the end. Aza understood this all well, hence why she was known as a monster. Rina's style was different though, and she never kept her Zanpakuto within its sheath, despite how strange it may have seemed. To each her own, she supposed, but honestly, Aza preferred to keep her blade clean. Filth just made Lady Gardenia feel disgusting.

"Ok, basic rules. Start on sealed, work your way up when you want. I'll keep my Kidou below eighty, and not ruin this with Reiatsu. Bankai, of course, is allowed."

"Whatever you say," the woman muttered. For whatever reason, maybe in an attempt to intimidate her, Damara had decided to release some of her darker spiritual energy out into the open. She wouldn't spend too long analyzing the reason, of course, since it didn't bother regardless. Still, it was a bit annoying that this woman thought she could actually beat Yoakashi, who had been a Captain for far longer. Despite what Serina may have thought, there were more reasons than her tainted body as to why she hadn't been made into a Division Head earlier; Azayaka needed to teach her to humble herself, before the other Captains decided to step in. "I'll keep my kidou below eighty as well."

"Hey, Gai-sempai. Wanna get close to the pretty lady's Zanpaktou?"

And now, the woman began to talk to herself? Granted, Aza knew that she was actually speaking with her sword. but still, for a Captain, she was already making quite a few mistakes that a Captain should not make. She was not paying attention to her enemy, she was being too playful. While this may have been all well and good now, since this was a friendly match, after all, how would she fair against more vicious enemies? Ones that wouldn't wait for her to finish her monologues. Luckily, the purpose of this fight was to help her learn, right?

While Rina was in mid sentence, the Sixth-Taichou made her move, and disappeared. Her extreme feminist ideas were not the only things she was known for; her Shunpo was top notch. Having drawn her sword mid-flash step, she had managed to get behind Serina in no time at all, and, without hesitation, swung her arm down vertically, sword aimed at the Fifth-Taichou. The opponent's quirk of never sheathing her blade was going to work for her advantage this time, Yoakashi was sure, because from that range, and that angle, she was either going to need to dodge or parry. "Do not let your guard down."

[Serina Damara]

Tsk. How rude, not waiting for the elder to finish her sentence. Serina carefully watched, eyes lazily darting over the other captain. To think that she was not paying any attention to detail was a horrible misconception. As laid-back and sarcastic as she was, the girl was deadly serious when it came to combat. She watched as the Sunpo was used. She watched as the blade was drawn. Rina was impressed though, that Aza was able to step out of her sight, forcing her to look up to see the blade come down at her. Quickly, she moved her arm, swinging her own blade over her shoulder, thrusting up like a punch, the hand-shield smashing at the point of the attacker's blade. With a simple move, she tilted her broken weapon, so that the blades shrieked against each other. "Do not let your guard down."

"I could say the same for you." Rina replied, pointing two fingers at Aza, a red light forming quickly upon them. "Shakkahô." The red light grew brighter and bigger, quickly forming, and launching at Aza. Regardless of if it hit or not, Rina used the time to Shunpo herself about a foot away, turned to face the captain. Taking two quick steps, she raised her blade, starting to cut at different angles. For each step she took, there was a cut to accent it, like the period to the end of any good sentence. Her eyes grew more focused with each sweep, hand gripping the ruined hilt tighter. "Do you still want my all?" She asked, most of the sarcasm gone, although a tiny hint remained. Just because she was a captain for less than a day, did not truly represent her power.

She stopped her attack for a moment, stepping back and firing off two more Shakkahô kido blasts. Rina then changed her grip, holding it much closer to her body, keeping the shield levelled right around her neck. "That ain't all, is it?" She asked, tsking once more. She dropped her foot back, a wild grin on her face. "Come on, make me fight hard. Make me fight harder than when I fought for my Bankai. Then I'll show you the level you need to beat." It was obvious taunting, but Rina put a bit of her own truth into it. Aza was not even a twinkle in her mother's eye when Bankai had been learned. All joking aside, she was at least five times older than her ex-captain, probably more.

"Prove to me you can reach it."

[Yoakashi Azayaka]

Ah, now it was starting to get a bit interesting. The blades of both the women's Zanpakutos screamed as their metal forms scratched against each other, small sparks flying off until they eventually left one another. But that isn't what Aza needed to focus on, as her opponent had also decided to utilize a bit of Kido in an effort to move away from the blonde; it worked, as well, as the Sixth Taicho disappeared for but a brief moment, reappearing just behind the blast. It hadn't taken much energy to dodge, but the flurry of attacks that had come after were a bit unexpected, though not impossible to counter.

Parrying each cut, her face remained frozen, expressionless. Damara was beginning to take this more seriously, she could tell. The jest in her words was all but gone now, although her attempts to seem playful in nature did not go unnoticed. Still, that's how it should have been, a battle between two Captains, a ferocious match, enough to make the Earth tremble in fear. Did Azayaka want her opponent's all, that was the question given. A stupid question indeed, as one shouldn't even need to ask that to whoever they're fighting, whether it was friend or foe. They should know that the answer was always going to be 'yes.'

But Yoakashi remained silent; speaking to her opponent's wasn't her style. She analyzed, she countered. It was all she needed to do, anything else was but a hindrance on her performance. After the fight between their Soul Cutters, Rina again decided to step back, to use more of her Demon Arts, firing off two more blasts of red energy, though they were easily extinguished against the Arc Shield that the Sixth Captain created to intercept them both. Azayaka was well aware that Arts of Destruction were not her forte, but the Ways of Binding were much more her style.

"That ain't all, is it? Come on, make me fight hard. Make me fight harder than when I fought for my Bankai. Then I'll show you the level you need to beat. Prove to me you can reach it."

Again, Serina was attempting to taunt her, to make her lose her cool, but her demeanor did not change. Her face made of stone, her heart unwavering. But, if her former Division member wanted her to up her game a little bit, she wouldn't refuse her request. In an instant, she stepped behind the one-armed Shinigami, slashing her Zanpakuto a few times before disappearing again, this time to her side, her movements dictating a swift kick with her left leg. If Damara had been watching closely, however, she'd see a small bit of white energy surrounding her two upright fingers. "Rikujōkōrō."

Indeed, neither her swordplay nor hand-to-hand combat in that instance had been for actual effect; whether any of the strikes actually hit Serina was not her priority; she was just wanted to lure her into her kidou. And from here, it shouldn't be difficult for the six rods of light that she had just summoned to effectively bind Damara at her waist. Granted, nothing should every be considered expected, Azayaka was well of that fact. In battle, anything could happen.

[Serina Damara]

Fighting Aza was going to be interesting; Rina knew this from the start. The captain was a described monster in battle, un-willing to give up any ground or act differently between friend or foe. It was one of the reasons she wanted to challenge her so badly. Maybe she could finally have an opponent that she could go all-out against, despite the massive age difference. Thus, it was not shocking to watch the captain deflect each blow she gave, or dodge each Kido spell she fired. It was slightly disappointing to see no reaction to her words though. It made Rina frown inwardly, hoping for at least a reaction of some kind. Tightening her stance, the girl blocked the quick attacks Aza made against her, although the foot had sneaked through her guard, kicking the knee hard enough that she went down on it. Only then, did she realize what exactly Aza was doing, making her smile as the six rods smashed into her waist, pinning the lower body down.

”Tsk, that high already? You gotta pace yourself, or else you’ll run out of things to use.” She commented, looking up and grinning. Rina let more and more Reiatsu flow through and out her body, purple energy wrapping itself around the girl and her weapon, attaching to the Kido spell trapping her like a suction cup. ”I have to admit, I am impressed though.” She piped up, grinning, slowly spinning her blade around in circles. ”Most people have to release first against me. Guess I was being a bit too cocky in assuming you’d be like one of them. You got plenty of power for someone so young.” The smile on her face turned dark after these words, eyes sharpening and drilling at Aza. ”But I still have plenty more. Ageru hitorikiri aisoku mazoku dakikakaeru, Gaidoku.”

The Reiatsu Rina had been using shot up quickly, easily breaking that of a captain’s. It stopped when it reached that point, held back by the girl as she directed it around her body and blade. Both weapon and casted arm started to glow an unnatural white. The cast melted away, the glow sliding down the twig-like arm, although it did not give away the massive amount of damage hidden below it. The sword grew, twisting into a shape far darker and more evil-looking than what she had been using previously. With a yell, she swung both arm and blade, the white glow shattering off, revealing their new forms underneath.

The blade itself was very disturbing-looking. It was no longer an eastern-style blade, this one looking much more violent to use. The entire cross-guard was decorated with skulls, the most prominent being a ram-head, horns twisting around the guard itself that ended in the skulls of what appeared to be twin lizards. Both shone dangerously in the light, reflecting off the handle covered in dark-looking bumps shaped to form small spikes. Rina’s hand grabbed the handle effortlessly, hooking one side of the blade under, gleaming hooks that decorated the top-upper side of the blade ripping in, and pulling it out. Blue fog poured out of each skull as she planted it onto the ground, Rina’s new arm grabbing onto another rod.

This arm was no longer the crippled thing hiding under a cast. Now, it was deadly, glowing purple claws forming where fingers would go. Her Reiatsu criss-crossed plates of carapace-styled armor, their fleshy look shining in the light. With the grip, she pulled yet another rod straight out of her body, then crushing it in her fist, watching as what part of her floating Reiatsu was left swirled above, forming into a long, clawed arm. Gaidoku, he finished the transformation, forcing his arm into existence for Rina to control. Sweeping her arm back, she closed it into a fist, drawing it in a smashing motion over the four remaining rods. The purple hand easily swept through, shattering them into hundreds of piece, the blue mist gobbling them up quickly. Through the tears made, Aza could see there was damage done, small bits of blood starting to stain the uniform her ex-seated wore. With a short laugh, Rina cracked her knuckles, taking two steps forward, leaving her blade in the ground. ”Now, it’s time to let loose.”

With those words spoken, Rina vanished. She had shunpoed away, appearing a few feet above Aza. ”Bombs away!” She called out, laughing and swinging her arm, which would have gone right over the captain’s head. Her fist was not what was supposed to hit. It was the glowing claw of Gaidoku, curled into a fist to match Rina, which was aimed straight for Aza’s chest. As soon as there would have been an impact, Rina vanished once more, appearing this time on her right side, aiming a vicious hook at her back. Every time there would have been an impact, whether an actual hit, or a block by Aza, Rina shunpoed to a different area, using yet another punch, completely ignoring the blade stuck in the ground just a few feet away. Her arm was strong enough to block a Zanpaktou, but that was not the point right now. ”Come on, make this more challenging!” She spoke, appearing in front of Aza now, this time to close for Gaidoku to hit. This swing was aimed right at the flat of her blade, a challenge of sorts. She wanted more from the captain.

Much, much, more.

[Yoakashi Azayaka]

”Tsk, that high already? You gotta pace yourself, or else you’ll run out of things to use. ”Most people have to release first against me. Guess I was being a bit too cocky in assuming you’d be like one of them. You got plenty of power for someone so young.””

"You take age too seriously," Azayaka retorted, smiling as she moved away from the other Captain, the first words she had spoken since the fight had started. Her binding art had succeeded in ensnaring Damara, pinning her to the ground. Having her fellow Shinigami bound in place gave her a few extra moments of peace to analyze the situation, meaning that she had some time to banter back with the other blonde. This was no time for her to be declaring victory, of course; she figured that the rods' prison wouldn't hold Serina for too long if she decided to attempt and break through it. She did have a monstrous sort of reiatsu, after all. And still, neither Captain had decided to release yet, so the fight was, in all essence, still beginning. Adrenaline began to pump through the blond's body once again, just as it had back at headquarters, as Serina made the first move to take the battle to the next level.

"Ageru hitorikiri aisoku mazoku dakikakaeru, Gaidoku.”

And so it began. The spiritual pressure that the older woman was exerting spiked in an instant, and even Azayaka could admit that it was a terrifying force, though her face would not betray to such an emotion. She watched on as the dark energy engulfed the Hollow Girl, crawling along every part of her being, coating both she and her sword in its demonic aura. It was truly a sight to behold; it was indeed almost like fighting one of the negative souls that preyed upon the souls of humans. But she needed to remember that her opponent was not a Hollow, it was Rina, and she could not treat it as if she was fighting one of the monsters. If that was to happen, things would turn ugly, fast.

Stance tightening, Aza watched as the transformation ended, and Rina proceeded to free herself from the binding art. As expected, she shattered through it with relative ease, the pieces of light scattering through the wind before the woman's reiatsu devoured them to add to its own storage house. The barrage of attacks was going to come soon, she could feel it in her bones, yet she did not move back any further than she had. She wanted to see this, to study it, to find its biggest weakness. Her left hand gripped more tightly to the handle of the Zanpakuto, eyes narrowing as she watched Rina place her sword into the ground.

”Now, it’s time to let loose.”

And, expectantly, Rina vanished. The only question was where had she gone, though she herself revealed the location, above Yoakashi, by speaking. At first, it seemed like a stupid thing to do; she would have caught her off-guard if she would've stayed silent. Then again, her punch went right over her head anyway, so it wasn't as if the move had any purpose, save for maybe to try and intimidate Aza once again, though the Fifth-Taichou should have known that wouldn't work. Of course, that had all been part of her plan, as the feminist learned just a few seconds later when her eyes caught sight of the giant fist headed straight towards her chest. She was lucky in the fact that she had managed to bring her blade in to protect herself from the heavy damage, though it was still enough to push her downwards.

Without hesitation, the blonde flashed to a different location, though Rina followed her with another attack. This time, though, Azayaka was prepared for either strike, and moved out of the way of the larger fist; she knew that parrying it would be in vain, as it would have still made a powerful impact. Rina wanted to play rough now, to play close. Unfortunately for her, that was not the Captain of the Sixth Division's style at all, oh no. Holding her blade tight in her hand, she watched on as Damara came back, this time attacking her dead on, front and center, arm extended outwards towards Azayaka. That would be her first mistake, "Futaba, Reifujin Kuchinashi."

Unlike Serina, there was no flashy show with Lady Gardenia; her shift was quick and precise. In no time at all, she had shifted her form into that of a chain. Wherever the weapon was not making contact with her wielder, small, metal "thorns" protruded from its links. The right side was curled around her arm, a large weight resting gently at the end of it. On the other side, swinging in a small, circular motion away from her body was the bladed end of the Zanpakuto, its momentum increased with every twirl. The midsection rested gently on her shoulders, though as Rina would see soon enough, that was not its permanent home.

Without hesitation, she moved herself beneath the the released Zanpakuto, and halted the rotation of the bladed end of the chain, after which she proceeded to grab hold of the area just below the blade with her left hand. At the same time, she extended her right arm outwards, thus tightening the chain. Rina's arm would indeed make impact, but probably not with the intended target. If she didn't halt the punch, her hand would fly right into the chain, which would not only allow the spikes to penetrate her fist, but also give Aza time to coil the chain around her arm and deliver a swift kick to Rina's chest. And, of course, Azayaka was ready for the second attack made by the larger fist, as well. It, following its Shinigami, was coming as well, but it would soon make an acquaintance with the heavy weighted end of Lady Gardenia that Aza used her reiatsu to control.

If Damara wanted more of a challenge, Aza-chan would not deny her.

[Serina Damara]

If only you realized how much of a difference it truly made... Serina thought to herself, the assault constant. There was no need to use the blade yet, as this was to throw Aza off of her game. The only person Rina would dare not try this on would be the 2nd Captain, if only due to the Special Forces reputation that they all had. She was getting annoyed that no blows her hitting though, considering she had six wounds lining her waist already. It wasn’t good showing. And preferably she did not want to be forced into using Bankai. Rina did not even know if Aza had seen it before or not, although there was no doubt that she knew she had it. Aza would have had Bankai as well, although Rina had never seen it either.

With an eyebrow raised, she grinned interestedly as she made her way for another attack, finally hearing the call of the captain’s release. Now this was something she had seen before. As small and un-assuming as the weapon looked, Rina knew the deadliness behind it. She would have to be careful about that chain. As she rocketed towards it, different ideas were floating through her head. There was no doubt in her mind that her arm would be able to take the punishment. It was functional, and could block just as well, if not better, than any shield out there. Then, an idea sprung to mind. ”Devil Bringer!”

Rina grinned evilly, halting her running movement, and throwing her arm forward in a grabbing motion. Gaidoku’s arm suddenly stretched forward, rocketing towards Aza. So a hand did hit the chain, yes. But it was not a hand that would flinch away, or give up ground due to the spiky thorns. She closed her fist, the glowing claw doing the same, grabbing into the thorns without as much as a flinch. Quickly, both Rina and Gaidoku’s hands started turning, wrapping one within the chain, the other in the air. With a smirk, she started to pull Gaidoku’s arm into the air, dragging the chain with it. ”Prepare for a quick trip.” She intoned, raising the arm above her head, aiming nearby her blade, throwing her entire body to the ground with the slamming fist. If Aza did not either let go of her weapon, or was not able to somehow wrest it from the giant arm, she would have followed it down into a thundering boom, throwing up shards of rock and dust everywhere.

The girl did not wait for the dust to clear, or to see if the attack followed through. Rina quickly brought Gaidoku back to his normal position, shunpoing to her blade. Grabbing the hilt with her normal arm, she pulled it up from the ground, noting that the twisting runes glowing a brighter purple with that attack. She turned, her Hollowic arm quickly covering the entire left side of her face, Reiatsu quickly forming into the Tracking kido Kakushitsuijaku across it. She would get it smaller sooner, a place that no one would find it. But at this point, it did not matter. ”Now, where are you?...” Rina muttered, attempting to find Aza’s reiatsu. She had not yet perfected this technique, getting insane results because of Gai. Cursing, she swung with the flat of her blade through the dust. ”Come out come out wherever you are!” She called, smiling. ”I’m just starting to have a little bit of a challenge!”

[Yoakashi Azayaka]

So, she decided to halt her assault, eh? It wasn't too surprising, and it was certainly beneficial to the wielder of the long, chain-like weapon, who disliked close-range fighting and often preferred to open battles with releasing her Zanpakuto in order to maintain distance. And now that she had released, Azayaka knew that her opponent wouldn't dare get close to her with her body, lest she desire to be torn apart by the thorns of the released Soul Cutter.As such, when the Sixth-Taichou only saw the large, demonic hand continuing towards her, she wasn't too caught off guard; this switch up in strategy only meant that she too would have to alter her fighting style in order to cope.

Following Rina's movements, the hand collided with, and then proceeded to grab, Reifujin Kuchinashi. The spikes obviously wouldn't effect such a weapon, and since it was not in any way physically connected to Damara, she would not be effected, either. Rina's next move was a bit more extreme, though, using the hand to lift Azayaka off of the ground. Her intention was, of course, to slam the blonde into the earth below, which, had it succeeded, could have completely changed the tone of the battle. However, Rina seemed to have either forgotten, or maybe didn't even know, about a certain quality that the chain had that made it an invaluable long-range weapon: it's ability to stretch near infinitely.

Intending full well to play into the facade, however, Yoakashi allowed herself to be lifted by the claw, which, as per Serina's order, had wrapped itself within the mid-section of the chain. She was convincing, however, even attempting to resist as the powerful hand pulled her into the air above. Heck, she even followed the blade as it rocketed to the ground, which was risky, but also necessary to keep up the act; it wouldn't be difficult for Rina to counter if she saw Aza extending the chain, now would it? Indeed it would. So, instead of allowing the Zanpakuto to extend all at once, she did it gradually. Giving her just enough room to get away once the fist slammed onto the ground. The rising dust cloud it created would be the perfect
cover for Yoakashi to move within.

Her first move was to plant the bladed end of the sword within the ground, as it would be the initial phase of her counter attack. Muttering "maku," and tossing the blade into the ground, the chain began to travel into the earth, leaving the Shinigami Captain holding only the weighted end of the blade, which was still coiled around her right arm. Then, upon feeling the fist release the rest of Lady Gardenia, Azayaka moved out from the cover of the dust cloud. Her target was the sky, and utilizing her shunpo, she was there in no time at all. Rina appeared to be too focused on finding her on the ground, and the Kido she was attempting to use, for whatever reason, wasn't working. From above, Yoakashi could see everything; it appeared as though Rina was finally ready to use her blade.

”Come out come out wherever you are! I’m just starting to have a little bit of a challenge!”

"Hayasu!"

Maybe she would find this upcoming attack a challenge, as hayasu, or grow, was the command for the bladed portion of the chain to shoot up from the ground below the opponent at incredible speeds. Because of her advantageous viewpoint, Aza had already known exactly where the chain needed to sprout up from. Not only that, but Rina herself was firmly planted on the ground, meaning it would be that much more difficult to dodge the blade. Surely, it would be a stroke of luck to move out of the way of the blade, which had just shot up from directly behind the Fifth-Taichou's, shooting up towards her back.

[Serina Damara]

So she was above, hmm? Rina looked up, hearing the call of an attack. She frowned, not seeing anything, nor feeling any Kido attack happen. Was Aza bullshitting her? Trying to lure her into a false sense of security? ”What’s this then? You haven’t done shit al-.” She started to say, before she suddenly realized what had happened. There was no kido, because there was no kido attack. There was no change in Reiatsu, because her Zanpaktou did not need it. She started to turn, getting ready to Shunpo away, but the weapon hit. Eyes widened as the chain cut across her back, many thorns leaving large scratches across the left side, ending as it hit the right side’s armor, screeching across like metal on metal.

Rina fell to a knee after the long chain had finally finished the attack, the top-half of her uniform falling into twin pieces, leaving her upper body naked. A few beads of sweat were on her skin, although the three visible marks where the Rods of Light had entered her had stopped bleeding. Unlike what a person would think from a treatment to an attack like that, the new Taichou did not look defeated. Hell, she did not even look like it hurt. No, there was a small smirk on her face, one that was rapidly growing. After a few moments on her knees, she got back up, twisting Gaidoku out of the ground, her Arm reaching back and touching the wounds, coming back and observing the blood.

”Heh… A thousand years more and you might be fighting on even ground with me… Last person who cut me like that was barely two centuries ago.” She commented, shaking the blood from her claws, looking up. When they had first started, those eyes were filled with sarcasm, someone who was not going to take the fight seriously. Then, they had moved to serious, like an old man ready to give some young child a good thrashing. Now, they were filled with a fire, ready to fight hard and strong. They stared deep at Aza, her Reiatsu rising once more, hitting that peak during Shikai, and pushing it slightly higher, making the earth around her shake slightly. With a small snicker, she readied herself once more.

”A few hundred years of intense training, you might be able to hit my level, even without the Reiatsu. That would be a true fight to be a part of.” Rina spoke, slowly dodging herself back and forth, making her way slowly towards Aza, running upon the air. ”Until then, let’s see how long you’ll last!” Then, she vanished, appearing in front of Aza. Without an attack, she vanished once more, this time to her left. This repeated for a little bit, a constant appearing then disappearing, before an actual attack was done. When it finally came time, the sharpened blade, made perfect for killing, was barely close enough to leave a nick on the skin. Instead, Rina was focusing on one thing, as perverted as it may sound. She was going to cut Aza’s top off. Only fair. She commented to herself, looking down at her own exposed chest for a moment. If she had to suffer through it, then the captain would have to also.

She kept going at it until her job was accomplished, whether it was one clean cut, or the uniform was in tatters. She would stop just a few feet from Aza’s front, left hand lazily spinning the blade, the right guarding her front with Gaidoku’s arm. Rina gave her old taichou the complimentary up-and-down, letting out a low whistle in response, grinning. The fire never left her eyes during all this, even if the spinning blade threw blue mist into her face. ”Gotta say, maybe I shoulda went for your bait now.” She threw out, before moving into attack.

This time, she did not aim for the chain, her back having learned the lesson for the rest of her body. Instead, she went for the knife and weighted parts of the weapon, attempting to either punch out of Aza’s grasp with Devil Bringer, or loop around the tip of her blade. That little ground trick won’t work on me twice… She thought to herself between strikes, making sure to look into her opponents eyes the entire time. "Here's a thought. Make me use Bankai, see if you're powerful enough to do that." She threw out, completley serious. Aza had always looked to become stronger than men, might as well aim to beat one of the strongest women.

Lets just hope it doesn't scare her off...

[Yoakashi Azayaka]

Ah, so it seemed as though Rina had truly not been expecting her attack...pity. Azayaka's assault had indeed been a success; looking down, she saw not only scratches along the Fifth-Taichou's back, but her clothes had become tattered to the point that they were falling off. Granted, that hadn't been the blond's intention at all, but it was a pleasant side effect nonetheless. It was unfortunate, though, as Rina still seemed desperate to fight, while Azayaka herself was growing rather bored; her lack of a nap was starting to take its toll now, she could feel it.

Lady Gardenia recoiled back through the hole from which the chain had sprouted, hastily returning to its "normal" length, clinging to the Sixth-Taichou's body like endlessly growing ivy. At this point, she still had the advantage of height, considering Serina had never made it into the air, as well as the advantage of range; despite the other Shinigami's release, the giant fist wouldn't be able to touch Aza in a frontal assault, as the weighted end of surely held enough of a punch, no pun intended, to keep Gaidoku from reaching her. With this in mind, she surely wouldn't be making any sudden movements too soon. It was Rina who had the uphill battle, not her.

Still, despite her advantages, Damara was not going to stop, that much was clear; for now, Yoakashi would indulge her in the fight she wanted so badly. Her blue eyes were witness to another spike in spiritual pressure, this time it was enough to cause the earth below the newly appointed Taichou's feet to quake, the rocks and debris scattered around her were shaking rather violently. Inwardly, Azayaka sighed; this sparring session was, apparently, going right on ahead to the next level. The blonde did not tremble at the rise in reiatsu, and she did not bat an eyelash as Rina again attempted to use age as a way of taunting the much younger Shinigami. Instead, she prepared herself for whatever assault was coming.

”A few hundred years of intense training, you might be able to hit my level, even without the Reiatsu. That would be a true fight to be a part of.”

Rolling her eyes, Azayaka decided to give her opponent a little more of a challenge, seeing as there was no way she was just going to let her travel up into the sky without so much as a little bit of an obstacle. First, the bladed end of her Zanpakuto would shoot down towards the other blonde, who dodged. As it was being pulled back, the weight would smash down onto the earth like a meteorite, but it too was avoided. This continued, yet none of the attacks had hit; Damara was moving too erratically for anyone to get a decent shot. And then, eventually, it was too late; Rina had appeared next to her, though she didn't attack. In fact, she continued her pattern of vanishing then reappearing without striking out at the Sixth-Taichou, whose eyes were following the Fifth as closely as they could.

It wasn't until the first hit actually came that Azayaka figured out just what Rina was attempting to do. Having been thrown for such a loop, her top was cut clean off, leaving her bare chest exposed. Granted, there wasn't much there, but it was probably enough to satisfy the opponent's perverse desires. The denizens of the Rukongai were lucky that they were so far away, too, for if any of those filthy men had seen the Captain exposed like this, well, it certainly would not be pretty. "Rina!" she cried, releasing her Soul Cutter from her grip, allowing it to rest upon her shoulders, as she moved her sash up around her breast, the sheath of the blade subsequently falling to the ground. "Pervert!"

”Gotta say, maybe I shoulda went for your bait now.”

And with that, the minor detour in their battle came to an end, Azayaka quickly grabbing her chain, grasping each end tightly within her fingers. The assault came quickly, with Rina utilizing her blade and the giant fist of Gaidoku. Apparently, she had learned her lesson of attempting to physically grab the chain, so she was using other means of removing it from her hands. Captain Yoakashi was not about to let that happen, however. As the giant fist moved to punch the weighted end of the chain, probably in an attempt to force her down towards the ground with it, Aza instead kicked the heavy ball, sending it speeding to the ground, whispering "Maku!" as she did so.

While the ball was hurtling towards the ground, soon making impact, and then disappearing into the earth below, Azayaka's leg had taken the punishment that the ball had been to receive, though she made sure her face did not show the full extent of the pain she was feeling. Instead, she just smiled, Rina attempting to lure her own self into using her final release. No, she had other things in mind, Bankai was too far down the road for her to want to use now. "Hayasu!" she cried, delivering a kick, with her good leg, to her opponent's chest before vanishing, not waiting to see if the kick connected or not.

Her plan was not for the kick to be powerful, just to be a distraction, for right now, ten chains identical to the lone chain that had sprouted up from the ground before were now moving towards Serina, each coming up from a different angle, and at slightly different speeds. And, just to be sure that at least something hit, Aza was going to use a demon art as well, "Walls of ironsand, a priestly pagoda, glowing ironclad fireflies. Standing upright, silent to the end. Gochūtekkan!" Which was the other Captain going to avoid; the heavy pillars falling from the sky, or was she going to try and avoid the chains that could not only extend from miles, but also move independently from one another, which the Sixth-Captain was fully ready to make them do.

What would she do?