Game 3 - Chapter 3

Chiken had still been giving Igarashi his forced smile when, suddenly, Matsuura reached over and lit his match off of Igara's face to light his cigarette, and Chiken was fascinated. 'Woah! How did he do that? Igara lit it on fire just by moving it across his forehead! I want to know how he did that! Hey, I want to do that too! I wonder h--' Chiken was removed from his thoughts by Matsu's hair drying technique, which confused him further when he asked Isane-Sensei for another of something. 'Of what? What did I miss now?'

He stared quizzically at his new friend, when suddenly Igarashi kicked the leg of the chair and broke it, greatly surprising Chiken. He didn't even look over at his classmate, he just stared at the broken leg, thinking. 'Wow, that was cool! He kicked it and it exploded like... boom. I wanna do that!' Then, suddenly, Chiken's thoughts took an unexpected (well, unexpected for Chiken) turn. 'Huh, I wonder why Igarashi kicked that leg of the chair? Was he mad at the chair?' He looked up in time to see Igarashi pull his fist down and turn away, giving off a sort of grunt as he turned. Chiken wondered what was wrong, when his attention was once again taken by his new friend, Matsuura.

"My oh my Mr. Redhead, it looked like you were about to punch little ol' me, surely you aren't that afraid of me in a fight that you'd need to create an unfair advantage before hand?"
Chiken blinked in surprise. He noticed Igarashi was mad, but he thought it was at the chair, not his new friend. He hardly had time to process this, though, before Matsu talked to Chiken directly.

"Do you think we need to sit around here this whole time? I'm kinda hungry, skipped breakfast. Think they have any food around here? I think I might go look for some, care to join me?"
Once again, Chiken first blinked in reply to his friend. He had no clue if they could go anywhere, but then Matsu mentioned the magic word that instantly changed everything: food. Suddenly, Chiken realized how hungry he was as well, and even more so from all the kidou casting. Matsu didn't look back at Chiken so he didn't see how his words made him drool just hearing food mentioned... And then Chiken heard Matsu singing something about milkshakes and a small drop of drool overflowed from Chiken's mouth and made a small splat on the ground. Without a second look behind, he followed Matsu out of the the ringside hospital, ignoring anything he did to Igarashi and his classmate's reaction to it.

Before they had even gotten out of the arena though, Chiken asked a question that suddenly came to him:
"Hey, Matsu, what are you singing about milkshakes? I want to learn to sing the milkshake song too!"

As Ryouichi made his way to the ring, his worries about the fight, which had been stewing ever since the first round of preliminaries began, began to worsen.

Should I go all-out? But at the same time, his social instincts screamed out that attacking his own date would be a very ungentlemanly thing to do. Of course, she'll probably be angry if I don't go all-out, thinking I'm belittling her again... Yes, he couldn't go all out, yet at the same time, he could hardly roll over and take the beating she was sure to give him, as Rumiko was going to be using the Preliminaries to try to prove herself. And it's not as if the powers-that-be will be very sympathetic if I don't try... He gripped Mugenji's hilt with enough force to turn his knuckles white, struggling not to show any outward signs of his mental chaos, as he finally gave voice to his greatest fear, even if not out loud. They could replace me! Then what am I supposed to do? All of my ambitions will be destroyed!

Suddenly, a voice brushed up against his mind. Through the malestorm of fear that roared around his head, it sounded indistinct, but he could nevertheless make out its intention, and the zanpakutou's hilt grew warm in his hand. Mugenji...? The roaring in his mind quieted, and his mouth curved upward into a slight smirk. Thank you. I had forgotten. Closing his eyes, he could feel the thrum of energy around him in the stadium, flowing and beating like a strange, clockwork symphony. It was almost alive.

Taking a deep breath, he trusted himself to the flow of this natural harmony, and stepped into the ring. Without a word, he slowly drew Mugenji from the sheath at his side and took up a basic offensive stance, perfectly aware but seemingly free of tension.

Rumiko felt slightly numb as she entered the ring... No, numb wasn't the right word. Detached, maybe. Like her consciousness was in another dimension controlling her body like a puppet. She always got this feeling before a fight, but this time, it was a lot stronger. Probably because of who she was fighting. She did her best to keep a pleasant expression on her face. She'd need to maintain control, but it was hard to keep her eyes from melting into blankness.

She didn't say a word as she stood a short sword thrust away from where Kanue was waiting, just pointed her feet toward him and tried to breathe calmly. She could hear her blade singing in its scabbard. Koudorihoshiken knew that the smell of blood would soon be in the air.

She leaned forward in a combat pose, one shoulder pointed toward Kanue, and the other on the handle of her zanpakutou at her waist. And she waited.

The arena was dead silent as Rumiko and Kanue faced each other. Tetsu glanced back and forth from the blond boy to the dark-haired girl and raised his hand. "Fighters ready?"

Another tense minute of silence. Rumiko flicked Koudorihosiken's hilt with her thumb, popping the blade out of its scabbard by a few centimetres. A gentle flash of moonlight glinted from the steel.

Kanue steeled himself, preparing to strike. And as soon as he heard Tetsu's loud cry of "Fight!" he was off like a rocket, his blade to his side in a fierce forward thrust.

He read Rumiko's body language perfectly. Everything from her stance to her foot position to the angle of her shoulders indicated that she would draw her sword, parry, and roll to the left. So of course, he wasn't expecting it one bit when she instead subtly shifted to her right. And dropped her guard completely.

Kanue's blade struck home directly between Rumiko's ribs. The force of Kanue's thrust tore right through her chest and back, running her completely through. Her eyes shot wide open and a shocked gasp of blood poured from her mouth. Blood began gushing from the wound, running all down Kanue's hands and wrists. His sword had impaled her completely, buried all the way into her flesh up to the hilt. A look of intense pain crossed her face, and she coughed once more, and then went completely limp, collapsing against him. More blood spattered Kanue's clothing and face.

Kanue wasn't sure what to do. That... was it? He hadn't intended to hurt her this badly. He put one hand on her shoulder and pushed her off his blade, pulling his blood-stained sword back to his side, but the blood on his hands was too slippery and he lost his grip on her robe. Her bleeding, still form crashed unceremoniously to the ground, face first.

He scratched his head and smiled. Oh well. The doctors were right there. They'd be able to help. Nothing to do know except bask in the glow of all the...

...

...applause?

That was when Kanue noticed. Instead of the wild cheers an applause that had ended each previous fight, the arena was filled with silence. Where was the announcement saying he'd won?

Instead, Kanue felt a sharp smack to the side of his head. He looked down. It was an empty can of coffee. Someone had threw a can of coffee at him. Slowly, quietly at first, but then getting louder, the audience erupted into a chorus of boos and hostile jeers.

"Medics!" came a scream from Tetsu as he ran to Rumiko's side. "Medics! Get up here! Now!"

He hadn't needed to yell. The 4th Division members on call were already in the ring, led by their 3rd seat, Yasochika Iemura.

"What the hell were you thinking?!" Tetsu got into Kanue's face, shouting.

"It's not good," said Iemura. "He got her right through the heart."

Kanue was at a loss. "Wha... I mean.. is she..."

"Do you have any idea how... how low that was?!" Tetsu was livid. "Stabbing her when she's completely off guard? Before the fight even starts?!"

What Tetsu had just said took a moment to sink into Kanue's mind. "W... what?!?"

The boos from the audience got louder.

As the possibility of the situation began to set in, Ryouichi again found himself in the middle of a tsunami of emotions. Lost in the chaos of the jeering crowd and the shock of the circumstances, one thing occurred to him. It was like a roar, deafening all else. He hated this loss of control. He despised it, with every fiber of his being. Desperate for some lifeline, Ryouichi clung to that instinctual anger, let it burn, and allowed it to bring a small semblance of reason to his raging mind. And then he felt it's flame die down, and he realized that anger could be like ice as well, and made use of it to forge the coldly logical analysis that would be necessary if he were to continue to exist.

...There is always the possibility that this is an illusion.

But Ryouichi, do you really want to make a gamble on something like this? Strangely, Ryouichi thought, Mugenji sounded more worried than he was. And... What about the plan?

The plan continues, unchanged. He replied forcefully, already speeding through possible scenarios. We will simply have to adjust and make do with what we have.

Then your choice...?

I am going to sheath my sword. Make certain that my reiatsu flares at that moment. Make it look natural. People under stress often flare their aura unintentionally, do they not?

Mugenji was silent for a moment. I see. And if you are wrong?

Then we will run. Ryouichi replied immediately. We will run as far away as we can as fast as possible. I doubt they would show any mercy in this. I am aware that we may be going up against an entire armed and organized military force, but if all else fails, I can always fall back on that.

Ah yes. Mugenji paused. That. Very well.

Ryouichi sheathed his sword.

Suddenly, the crowd dropped silent.

That... that's it... It was just an illusion... I knew--

He turned around.

The General had risen to his feet and raised one hand, quieting the crowd. He glared down at Kanue with a look of sheer anger, despise, and disapproval that was so cold that it actually burned. Even as old as he was, the General was still an unbelievably intimidating man.

"Ryouichi Kanue!" his voice boomed, filling the arena. "For this egregious breach of sportsmanship and unheard-of act of senseless violence, you are hereby disqualified from this tournament!"

The audience burst into cheers. Nasty, hate-filled, vengeful cheers. Cries of "throw 'im out!" and "murderer!" reached Kanue's ears as his stomach sank into the floor.

"And he's also under arrest," came a woman's voice from Kanue's side. "Way of Binding 63: Locking Chain Bond!"

Four long chains swarmed at him out of nowhere, wrapping around his body and binding his arms to his sides.

Straining, Kanue turned his head. Behind him was Soifon, the Captain of the notorious 2nd Division. In an instant, no fewer than 10 black-clad, masked members of Soifon's Covert Ops flash-stepped from the shadows, surrounding the blond boy.

"B... But...!" Kanue stammered as Soifon glared into his eyes. She was half a metre shorter than Kanue, but ten times as frightening.

"And you'd better be able to talk well if you plan on convincing us that wasn't an attempted murder."

M... murder?!

"Take him away," she commanded.

Kanue, very agitated by this turn of events, tried to wrench his head back to see Rumiko.

Could... could it be...? Could she... she have... but... but HOW?!

As the light faded from her eyes, Rumiko watched Kanue being dragged from Kyouraku Hall in chains. And despite the fact that she was dying, she at least managed to effect a faint smirk as her consciousness finally collapsed.

Yasochika Iemura wiped the sweat from his brow as he cast another Kidou spell on the girl's wound. It wasn't good. It really, really wasn't good. She'd been stabbed too deep... impaled. And right through a major organ. There was no way this girl was going to survive.

He took a deep breath and cast another spell. Nothing to do but pray.

"I'm really sorry you... all had to see that, folks," Tetsu announced to the loud, unruly crowd. "Sometimes... things just happen like that. Rest assured that our best 4th Division medics are on the scene, doing everything in their power to help!"

Tetsu'd learned to keep a smile plastered on his face even at times like this. He knew the girl was going to die. Any moment, the 4th Division would signal him and take her out of the arena. No need to let the audience see her body fade into blue light. And then the tournament would continue. He cursed silently. It was just... so senseless. He glared at the side exit, where the 2nd Division had just dragged off that 3-A boy.

The girl had stopped breathing. Her heart had stopped beating. There wasn't a drop of blood left in her, and her face had paled to ash. Yasochika swallowed hard. It was over.

With a heavy heart, Yasochika looked up toward Tetsu. He opened his mouth to speak.

"Please... let me try?"

The 3rd Seat spun back around. Standing there, with an earnestly worried look on her face, was a redheaded girl in a Shinigami uniform.

"I can heal her," she said. "Please let me?"

Yasochika's eyebrow furrowed. Did she really think she could--

"That won't be necessary, Inoue-san."

The 3rd Seat gaped at the woman standing behind her, looking regal draped in her 4th Division haori. "C... Captain Unohana!" he said, snapping to attention.

Gracefully as a flower, Retsu Unohana strode forward, placing her hand over Rumiko's chest. She closed her eyes. And then--

An incredible surge of reiatsu and a brilliant flash of Kidou. If anyone had seen Unohana's face at that moment, he would have seen her eyelids shot wide open, her eyes glowing bright white, and her teeth clenched with effort in an uncharacteristic grimace.

The light faded, and Rumiko sat up with a gasp as if waking from a nightmare, blinking and coughing the last bits of blood from her lungs.

Tetsu's eyes slowly refocused after that blast of light, and he saw Rumiko sitting up, looking healthy as ever, though a little bewildered. Tetsu smiled. That was Captain Unohana for you.

"And... she's ok, ladies and gentlemen!"

The crowd cheered in support.

Retsu smiled at Rumiko. "You should be careful," she said, her pleasant, wise expression not wavering in the least. "You'd think that after three years at this Academy, you'd have trained your reflexes to dodge away from an attack, not into one."

And with that, the Captain turned and glided slowly back toward the stairs up to the Captains' seats.

Rumiko's face turned a little pale. There's... no, there's no way she could have seen.

"T...Third seat Iemura?" she said, putting her hand on the back of her forehead. "I... I'm tired. Is it alright for me to go up to my room and rest?"

Iemura shrugged. "Yeah, why not. Just make sure you go straight there. The Captain's kidou may have saved your life, but you still need to heal up a bit before you go do any fighting."

"Thank you," Rumiko stood and bowed politely. "And tell your Captain thank you as well."

She turned and walked quietly from the building. Her destination, of course, nowhere near the 3rd Year Ladies' dorms.

"Let's hear it for Captain Retsu Unohana and the medics of 4th Division!" The crowd rose in applause again, that apparent act of near-murder apparently forgotten. "And with that, let's continue out preliminary round!" Tetsu consulted the sheet in his hand. "Next up, Satoko Takeshi vs... Iku... Ikurou Hyoushi?" He frowned. Was there an Ikurou Hyoushi in his class? He couldn't remember. Oh well, if that's what it said on the sheet. "Please come to the center of the ring!"

Takeshi's mouth gawked open, he wasn't sure exactly what had just happened, but he didn't like it. He'd watched in shock as Kanue ran Rumiko through, but to him that just didn't make sense. Kanue had been too... astute to do something like that. The malicious little bastard had always been acting intelligently, even Takeshi could see that, and he didn't exactly care a lot about other people's actions. This was illogical, and Kanue was losing more than he gained, that was just odd. Not to mention Rumiko had moved... towards the attack. Takeshi shrugged, alas, that's too bad, he may figure it out later, but for now he'd just chock it up to Kanue's loss. He wouldn't get to fight in the tournament now. Who was he fighting again? Curious, Takeshi took a glance down to his copy of the roster and found his stab-happy classmate's name. Let's see... Ryouichi Kanue vs. ... Satoko Takeshi?

His facial expressions shifted from the blank slate he usually had on, into a coating of utter displeasure, a scowl adorning his face. "Oh hell no!" Takeshi leapt upwards, simply enraged with this turn of events. "Kanue! Damn it!" Takeshi hollered at the man as he was dragged out, but his voice was drowned out by applause. Applause? Takeshi turned his head, and saw Rumiko all better and saved and such. Big deal, he'd lost a chance to become stronger. Swearing, Takeshi launched himself into the air after Kanue, only to be shocked by the sudden announcement of his fight.

"Next up, Satoko Takeshi vs... Iku... Ikurou Hyoushi?" Hesitation, "Please come to the center of the ring!"

As he said this the distracted Takeshi lost track of himself, and before he knew what had happened, he'd crashed into the edge of the ring, bounced twice, and then slid into the centre. Dazed and confused, Takeshi did his best to re-orientate himself, and was on his feet again in only a moment. Once on his feet, Takeshi realized what he had just done; and that he had done it infront of hundreds of people. Suddenly he felt his nervousness from the beginning lurch upon him as logic seeped into his mind.

Shit, who gives a damn if Kanue's gone; there are so... so many people! Bugger, this is horrifying. They're all watching me... judging me. I-I hate this. I, I'll just stand here, what else can I do? If I appear as invisible as possible maybe they'll forget about me instantly afterwards... Aaaaack.

Takeshi's eyes swept the crowd, everything pushed from his mind except his fear of them, their numbers, if it wasn't for the fact that his opponent was sure to approach, he'd have stood there the rest of the evening, eventually forgetting why he was there, just trying to look inconspicuous, frozen by inexplicable terror being exposed to the crowd.

Matsuura faltered momentarily in his stride, the world seemingly slowing down as he turned to see Rumiko, his best friend in the Academy, get stabbed through the chest before the fight even started. A blazing fire erupted behind his eyes as rage, grief and torment consumed his soul.

Ikiwazura watched on in dismay as more and more of Matsuura's inner world was engulfed in flames, soon it all would be caught in the black fire...soon there would be nothing but ash.

"Damnit...it wasn't supposed to happen like this. It wasn't supposed to end like this." He bemoaned quietly.

His fist clenched and unclenched before he quickly spun back around and continued walking, now noticing Chiken had decided to follow.

"Kanue...you will pay." He stated in quiet, sullen anger, leaving the room and stepping out into the hall. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it ,his eyes focused on the glowing embers as he watched it burn in his hand. He let it fall from his hand as the flames kissed his fingers, burning him slightly, the burnt out nub hitting the ground and sending the ash scattering in a million directions as he moved onwards at a brisk pace, his jolly demeanor once again returned as he smiled to various passerby's in the hall. His mask was badly cracked though, and quickly falling to pieces with every step he took.

He nibbled quietly on a piece of bread as Chiken amassed his usual mountain of food, his thoughts focused on that one scene. He dissected and analyzed every single piece of it over and over. His rage seethed and boiled, snaking through his body and causing his reaitsu to flare and grow malignant, drawing nervous glances from those around him as several students went out of their way to avoid going near his table.

They will pay. They will suffer.

Of course they will. Open yourself to me, let me show you how to get justice from this. A justice that has been denied you in the past.

Justice...

They will fear for themselves as you dish out their punishment. They must all be held accountable.

Matsuura pushed his chair away from the table, getting up and leaving Chiken as he stalked out into the hallway.

Justice will be mine.

A different Matsuura, one not seen in many many years reentered the Assembly, Rumiko no where in sight as people cheered on for seemingly no reason. The rage in him spilling over at this as he struggled to contain it. They will all pay in due time. Starting with Igarashi.

Quote :

"My oh my Mr. Redhead, it looked like you were about to punch little ol' me, surely you aren't that afraid of me in a fight that you'd need to create an unfair advantage before hand?" He chirped out as he kept the chair steady and looked over at Chiken.

Despite being now several steps away. Igarashi was able to listen to Matsuura's latest taunt quite clearly, however, his mind was set. It was clear to him that at this point, Matsuura's objective was to make him lose his temper before the fight, something he almost manage to do, but he would resist his urge to shut his mouth by force if only to deny him the pleasure of ticking him off again. So despite the latest taunt, Igarashi kept walking, pretending he didn't hear anything concerning him.

While he walked away, he finally turned his attention to the ring again, where he noticed another fight was about to begin, this time it was that Kanue guy against yet another student from 3-B that he didn't recognize. He hoped that she would be able to win, maybe she didn't knew anything about her, but Kanue have always rubbed him the wrong way, so watching him get beaten by anyone would be a fun thing to see. However, while he was distracted waiting for the fight to start, a hand patted on his shoulder.

Quote :

"Maybe next time Redhead-kōhai, you can actually attempt to see through with that, but for now its Matsuura 2, Redhead 0." He whispered to him before walking off, not waiting to see if Chiken would follow and continuing to sing the horribly annoying and catchy tune.

Probably no one noticed at that moment because the fight that was about to begin, but if anyone had looked at Igarashi's expression at that moment, they might have let out a scream of panic thinking that they were facing a deranged murderer. Right at that moment, Igarashi had struggled with most of his body to try and not lose his temper once again, but Matsuura was obviously a pro at pushing his buttons for some reason. He managed to stay in place and not react, put he wasn't able to twist his face in sheer anger and irritation. Just a few fights more... He kept saying to himself to stay calm. Just a few fights more and we'll see how the score will go when it will really matter...

In order to distract himself from the urge to beat Matsuura into a pulp, Igarashi turned his head once again to the ring, only to see the precise moment in which Kanue sank his blade all the way into the Girl's body. At first. Igarashi's reaction was simply one of disappointment from seeing how easy that girl made it for Kanue to win. But as she crashed to the floor, the sight of the girl bleeding and dying just as she was immediately reminded him of what had happened in the combat simulation a few weeks back. The image of Rikiki Dying in his arms alone was a disturbing one, but it didn't stop there. Suddenly, Igarashi could have sworn he began to hear the crying of a baby amidst the sea of booing and jeering that happened at that point.

The baby... someone... someone has to save that baby...

Igarashi shook his head. There it was again. Not nearly as vivid as last time since he wasn't that close to the victim, but once again he felt the same exact way like that time, if only for a brief second. This time however, it wasn't nearly enough to make him go feral, but it still managed to add to his annoyance. And it only served him as a painful reminder of what he is trying to keep locked away in his memory, and how he would have to soon face all that again, perhaps even sooner than he wanted to.

As the arrest and healing attempts occurred, Igarashi once again immersed deep within his thoughts. He had been trying to avoid thinking about the past and those flashbacks as much as he could, but it kept coming back to haunt him, and they were getting worse, proof of this was the fact that he just had been unnerved by watching a girl he had never seen before almost die. And he knew that it wasn't because he was afraid of death, that wasn't it. But it also meant that if it was getting this bad, maybe it would be necessary to face them back directly anyway. Still, he dreaded the thought, as he knew that he had locked those memories away for a reason.

Even as the girl was finally "revived" and the next fight was announced. Igarashi had been paying minimal attention. Seeing the girl return to a healthy state didn't stir any emotions in Igarashi, proof that he didn't really care about her or her dying, but it also meant that he was till having that flashback lingering fresh on his back. He couldn't wait to get to the ring right now. He wasn't thinking ahead anymore, his fight with Rikiki was the least of his concerns as he now just wanted an excuse to distract his mind and to pack back Matsuura for all the humiliation that he had made him feel in such a short time. As he thought this, he coincidentally saw him again... But something was off... Igarashi had felt this kind sensation around other people before, but he still didn't knew that it was Reiatsu, and he had never felt one as unpleasant like the one around Matsuura right now, even while being several feet away from him.

Igarashi looked away from Matsu, gritting his teeth. God dammit... Now even his mere presence is irritating me for some reason... please let the remaining fights be quick... please let them be quick... Igarashi stared at the center of the ring, barelly noticing that it was Satoko the one fighting now, he was just desperately trying to think or see something to keep him in control, and he just hoped that whatever happened next wouldn't trigger even more unpleasant emotions in him like that last fight. He wasn't sure if he would be able to hold much more if they did.

Rikiki had been led to the medical area for a refresher as the announcer called for Kanue and his 3-B opponent. Rikiki frowned. She hadn't seen him much at all this year. Despite him having been the only person she really knew going into the academy, she had really stopped talking to her friend this year, and vice versa. Perhaps she'd say hello when he came over for the inevitable 4th division visit. Rikiki turned to watch the fight start...

No. No way. Standing in the ring, the fight officially unstarted, the girl Kanue was supposed to fight was slumped over on his sword, and someone was, literally, shouting bloody murder.

Rationally, it wasn't hard to figure even for Rikiki. Kanue had rushed a cheap and fatal attack on the 3-B girl. However, this was not a rational instance. Her old friend appeared to be just as shocked as everyone else, as the girl slid off his blade, and he was arrested. It was madness. It had always seemed like Kanue was hiding something, but Rikiki had thought she knew him somewhat well. And she knew Kanue was far too smart to do something like this. (In front of all these people.)

At any rate, something was up, and she wasn't going to have her old friend go like this. Rikiki tore after him through the side exit., leaving behind a "Hey-Iga-Good-Luck!"" for Igarashi, oblivious to whatever angsty thing he was doing.

Kazu watches the chaos of the tournament erupt into the bloody spectacle, and scoffed in disapproval and disgust at the student involved. He was glad he wasn't in Class A if this was the type of sportsmanship cultured by the highly competitive atmosphere. "Senseless," Kazu could be heard muttering to himself, as he finished healing his own wounds. "Senseless, childish spectacle."

Chiken followed Matsuura through the hall, waiting for a response to his question. He didn't notice Matsu's change in mood upon seeing the fight since he was looking out the window at that time. He spotted a small beetle just sitting out on the grass and proceeded to stare at it, wondering about it and whatever train of thought his brain associated with it, most likely a food one. Chiken was broken from those thoughts by faint muttering from Matsuura, and he turned in time to follow him down the hall, coughing when hit lit a weird roll and blew this weird cloudy stuff around.

Chiken still hadn't heard a word from Matsu when they had gotten to the cafeteria, but that didn't bother him since he now saw food. Without saying anything, Chiken darted directly into line and cleaned out most of what was left in the lunch line. Other people were looking oddly at them when Chiken sat down and Matsu was still acting weird, but Chiken noticed none of this; he had a food mountain to devour.

Chiken never noticed when Matsu left until the food mountain was down to just a meager food pile. Assuming that he just got up for more food, Chiken continued eating without giving it a second thought. However, Chiken had to notice when he finished the rest of his food mountain, right?
Wrong. It turns out, the beetle Chiken saw earlier had moved to be on the cafeteria windows, and Chiken noticed that instead. He placed his tray aside right away as he went out the nearest door to look at it more. To his surprise, it had already moved off the windows and was scurrying away again. Without even a glance back to see if Matsu was even in the lunchroom, Chiken chased after the bug.

The beetle was fast and Chiken almost lost it multiple times, but he would always catch enough of a glimpse to run after it. Finally, the odd chase ended when the bug scurried up a tree in the middle of a courtyard. Chiken looked up at the tree and sighed, wishing he got to see the bug. Dejectedly, he turned around to see the arena in front of himself again. Wondering what was going on inside, he walked right up and into it, the beetle long gone from his mind.

He entered and took a seat with his classmates, finally sitting down again and actually paying attention to the ring.

After watching what was thought to be the most cunning of her classmates nearly kill his opponent, Kasahara was in great disbelief. Surely Kanue wasn't the murderous type nor was he one to take advantage of another student for his own gain. Perhaps he would do the latter, but not to the extent where he would put himself in danger. Kanue was smart; he was too smart to try and purposily attack someone before the round started infront of a crowd of nobility and commoners. Kasahara couldn't quite put her hand on it, but something about this situation didn't sit right with here. Her gut feeling was confirmed by the look of confusion upon his face after dealing the first and final blow of his match. Something wasn't right or Kanue was attempting to do something and it didn't go as planned.

Either way, Kasahara saw it clearly as an accident. As a mere student, she couldn't stand up and protest as her class's representative was taken away by members of the second division. It wasn't murder! She wanted to say so, but didn't due to the fact that she probably couldn't be heard.

And then... A miracle occured. A girl spoke up, loud and clear in the echoes of anger and shock filling the room. Her voice rang clear. "Please... let me try?" It was Orihime-san. According to the rumors Kasahara heard, Orihime Inoue performed a mircle when Takeshi was in death's grasp. It was a healing technique that no other has ever seen before which surpassed the abilities of Isane-sensei! Though this was something to praise about, Kasahara still felt uneasy when it came to relying on Orihime at times like these. If she had powers that appeared to be more profficient in healing than members of third division, then why hasn't Orihime already gained the status of a shinigami yet? Why was she in this class? From stories about her and the ryoka that Kasahara has overheard, Orihime has already had combat experience. More importantly, she has fought against and with shinigamis!

Thankfully, she wasn't the one to perform the miracle. It was the captain of the fourth division. Rumiko was brought back from the brink of death but Kanue was still being escorted out of the arena. It almost seemed unfair to Kasahara; perhaps the brunette was just being bias because she has shared the same class with the boy for three years. Still, nothing can be done.

Takeshi was next to fight according to the announcer. Kasahara's eyes was fixed upon his clumsy entrance, fumbling into the ring with a unfocused expression on his face. She couldn't blame him with everything that has happened thus far. The blond boy picked himself up and turned around, looking back at his classmates and the spectators seated behind them with a look of fear. Was it stage fright that got to him? Kasahara held a sympathetic look for the boy, silently wishing him luck.

Rumiko dashed full speed across campus, trying to put everything Captain Unohana had said out of her mind. Her plan had been flawless. No one had seen, no one had heard. Kanue stabbed her in the chest, just as planned, just as accused. No one had heard Koudorihoshiken in the silent arena, and no one had seen her move just enough to make Kanue's sword go through her heart. She'd been hurt and healed, just as she'd planned.

A tall building loomed before her. She raced inside and up the steps, stopping before a single door in the hall. She knew she had to be quick... 2nd Division would be showing up there any second.


362:
Kazenosei, Chiken
Kanue, Ryouichi

The door was locked, but eh... they were always locked. She flicked Koudorihoshiken with her thumb causing a slight vibration. It was an interesting side effect, the way her zanpakutou vibrated, that allowed her to perform a range of interesting tricks. Just an unlocked door here and an illusory ghost sound there... nothing that would be useful in battle, but more than enough to make a fool like Kanue completely lose his balance. For a self-proclaimed megalomaniacal con artist, that boy trusted others far too easily.

Click. The door to Kanue's room swung open, and Rumiko stopped short.

Second Division had been there already.

There was just a... sense about the room, nothing most people would have picked up on. The curtains had been left slightly open, the pillows on Kanue's bed slightly cockeyed... and nothing had been touched on Kazenosei's side of the room.

She cursed silently. It was foolish to think that she could have beaten the covert ops to any evidence in Kanue's room. Sighing, she pulled her sword all the way out of its scabbard.

"Fall to earth, Koudorihoshiken."



The best part was, to anyone else, Koudorihoshiken appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary spiked ball at the end of an ordinary spiked chain. With no magical powers whatsoever. Rumiko smiled slightly as she ran her free left hand down over the chain and snapped a single spike from Koudorihoshiken's tip. This was one thing that the Second Division didn't have. If there was anything left in the room... there was only one way to find it.

Slowly, she placed the sharp tip of the spike against her left eye.

"I offer thee mine eyes in exchange for thy sight."

And with a single thrust, she plunged the spike into her eye.

Immediately, pain exploded through Rumiko's mind as the sharp point tore through her cornea. Such amazing... beautiful... exquisite pain. She clutched her face as blood began pouring from the wound, gushing through her fingers. Her face contorted in agony, and her breath came in shallow gasps. She fell to her knees, writhing from the pain, but she would not scream, she told herself. She would not scream. She would not scream. She would not scream. A few heaving gasps, maybe.. no sobs. And Rumiko turned them into laughs as they came out of her throat. Wild, blood-stained laughs that hinted at a touch of madness.

See? The pain was going away already... Slowly, the pain began to numb itself as Koudorihoshiken's magic began to take hold. Rumiko took a few deep breaths and stood up, moving her hands away from her face.

The shard of Koudorihoshiken was glowing bright white, illuminating the inside of Rumiko's left eye in an unnatural colour that swirled from white, to green, to red. There was no pain, though the wound remained open, and blood continued running down Rumiko's cheek, giving the appearance that she was crying crimson tears. Quickly, she turned her head about, scanning the room. This spell would not last long.

With the shard in her eye, Rumiko could see Things. Her vision was crystal clear, even in the darkest of rooms or caves. And... if she concentrated hard enough... she could get a sense for where Things might be hidden. That was about as well as Rumiko could explain it. There were other uses for a spell like this, but being able to see Things was always useful. When she'd been alive and on Earth, she'd used a spell like this to see Hollows.

And there it was. There was a definite... Thing in Kanue's desk. In his desk? Second Division didn't find it in his desk? Rumiko shook her head. No time to question it, she had to--

"Agh...," despite herself, Rumiko let out a strangled cry as the pain struck again, more intense than before. The spell was already ending, and she fell to her knees, clutching her wounded eye. All the blood that had flowed from the wound was flowing back in, adding to the pain, making Rumiko feel like her eye would explode, and then her whole head. She growled quietly, forcing herself to endure it, feeling the pain growing and growing, and then...

Pling. The shard of Koudorihoshiken shot from her eye, clinked off Kanue's bedpost, and landed in front of her. Rumiko blinked, shaking from adrenaline. The wound in her eye was gone, and there was no sign it had ever been there. The pain had completely subsided. Rumiko took a deep breath and resealed her sword. She was always grateful to Koudorihoshiken for allowing her to experience such wonderful, amazing pain.

With haste, she dove toward that Thing she'd seen in Kanue's desk, in a drawer. She pulled it open, and--

It was empty.

Rumiko stared. There was... no way. Her special sight was never inaccurate. Momentarily, she considered using the spell again... but spells like that were dangerous to overuse. Angrily, she pounded her fist against the drawer's handle.

And a small, narrow lever appeared inside the drawer. Rumiko stared again, and then pulled the lever. The bottom of the drawer came with it.

A false bottom, she grinned. Clever, Kanue... Very clever.

Inside the secret drawer were two notebooks. She pulled out the top one and began thumbing through it. Rumiko identified some sloppily traced designs... looked like circles with designs scribbled inside them. She could hardly read Kanue's handwriting, but she could make out something about a "Captain," something about a "seal," and, very clearly, the name "Ximenez." Ximenez? That tall guy with the red hat in 3-A? What could this possibly have to do with--

Rumiko's jaw dropped as it dawned on her -- This was Arcane Magick! Kanue knew Arcane Magick?! No..., she said to herself. It looked like a simple Disc of Planar Sealing that had been altered somewhat, possibly augmented by kidou... but the symbols inside the circle... they were all wrong. The words and descriptions that she could make out read like they'd been written by someone with no knowledge of Arcane Magick at all. Someone who had no idea what he'd stumbled onto. At the end of the notes was one phrase written largely, very clearly, and circled eight or nine times:

DIVISION 12 H.Q.

"Division 12, huh," Rumiko mused. "I'll have to check that out." She tucked the first notebook into her robe and reached for the second. As she pulled it out, a small grey box clattered to the floor, and Rumiko picked it up. It was a tiny camera, the kind used by secret agents and the like. She glanced down at the notebook. Pinned to the top was... a picture of Sachi?! Rumiko raised an eyebrow. Why on earth would Kanue be interested in Sachi? A slight smirk came over Rumiko's face. Don't tell me he's stalking her because he has a crush on her. She began reading.

Slowly, line by line, her eyes got wider and wider. And the smile on her face grew larger and larger. Was... was this all true?! Oh, this was rich. This was perfect. This alone was worth everything she'd done tonight, all the blood, all the pain. Cackling to herself, she slid the second notebook and the camera into her robe as well and shut the drawer carefully.

A plan was formulating in Rumiko's mind now. A plan involving both 12th Division and her dear friend Sachi. But first... she had to get back to the Ladies' dorms and make it look like she'd been resting. After a quick check of the room to make sure it was just as she'd found it, Rumiko was out the door.

Mayuri Kurotsuchi tapped his fingernail against his mask, looking even more sour than usual. That Kanue boy's cheap shot had been a perfect opportunity, snatched away.

He glanced down at the notebook in his lap and made a few scribbles. If there wasn't another opportunity like that during this tournament... he'd have to resort to doing that. And that was something that Mayuri Kurotsuchi would certainly not rather do.

"Just... another obstacle to overcome," Mayuri sighed. He already knew about that redheaded girl's supposedly miraculous healing powers... but that was nothing to worry about. Nemu could easily take care of the General's protégé. But that Captain was another story. Mayuri impatiently tapped his fingernail against his mask again, trying to think of a way to get that blasted Unohana out of the way as the next match began. Hopefully, there would be a fair amount of bloodshed in this one as well.

Ikurou Hyoushi glared through his glasses at his opponent, entering the ring. Everyone was looking at him, his entrance into the ring was so clumsy. He was the center of attention. Ikurou gnashed his teeth in anger. Why wasn't anyone looking at him? No one ever looked at Ikurou Hyoushi.

The boy facing him looked nervous... like he wanted to be invisible. And that only made Ikurou angrier. Invisible? I'll show you what it's like to be invisible, he said to himself.

He let out a creepy, soft laugh. Oh yes. People would notice him. By the end of this tournament... people would notice Ikurou Hyoushi...

Up in the stands, shrouded by the crowd, a man in a peculiar uniform watched the sandy-haired Takeshi boy stumble into the ring.

"That's him," he smiled.

"That's him, sir?!" said the subordinate in the seat next to him. "He... looks scared out of his wits, sir. Like... a mouse thrown into a cage full of hungry cats."

The uniformed man smiled softly, folding his hands in front of him. "Just watch," he said.

"Fighters ready?" Tetsu made sure to stand between the two combatants, as so not to give what happened during the last match the chance to occur again. He put his hand up, and both Takeshi and Hyoushi (Was that kid Hyoushi in his class? Tetsu couldn't recall ever seeing him before) seemed to be prepared.

Tetsu dropped his arm. "Fight!"

Satoko made the first move. "Way of Destruction 9: Ki Strike!" A bright flash of reiatsu streamed from his outstretched hand, and Ikurou made no attempt to dodge. The blast hit him squarely in the chest, singing his skin and his robe, but he didn't seem to react at all. Ikurou just grinned. Was that the best he could do? Slowly, he reached for the handle of his zanpakutou.

Satoko went on the defensive, preparing himself for whatever this kid was about to--

There was no blade.

Satoko looked again, cocking his head. Ikurou made the motion of unsheathing his zanpakutou from its scabbard, but... ...it was just a handle and a hilt. With no blade. Ikurou pointed the empty hilt at Satoko, smiling knowingly. He held the handle in his left hand, placed his right hand over his left wrist, and croaked out, in a voice probably more suited to a kappa with laryngitis than to a human, "Vanish, Miezaru."

A brief hissing sound. And then Ikurou Hyoushi was gone.

What the...?! Satoko's eyes shot open as he felt cold steel cut through the back side of his left arm. He winced in pain and then swung his sword around behind him. He caught a nick on his opponent's arm, but only got the briefest glance of him before he was gone again. Flash steps? Satoko wondered. No... if he was strong enough to use flash steps, I'd be able to--

With a sickening ripping sound, Ikurou caught Satoko completely off guard, in a critical spot. The bespectacled boy had gotten behind him again and had driven his blade deep into Satoko's back. Blade? What blade? Satoko was at a loss, but the pain was real, and so was the blood running down his legs. He whirled around at Ikurou again, but again barely caught more than a graze of flesh with Ryuunosuke before Ikurou was gone once more.

Satoko held his sword out defensively and kept on guard, trying to discern which way the attack was coming from. He'd already lost a lot of blood, and his knees were starting to feel weak. "There!" he yelled out, aiming for a sound, but his attack was still off the mark, and Ikurou managed to rip through Satoko's belly. Satoko grabbed at Ikurou's weapon - and was surprised to find it was solid.

There is a blade... it's just... invisible.

With a shout, Satoko drove his blade into Ikurou's shoulder. He hissed in pain and delivered a slash to Satoko's neck before disappearing again.

Satoko fell to one knee, and the audience gasped. He wobbly hauled himself to his feet. There was no way he'd be able to take direct hits like that much longer, and he knew it.

Turn 1:
Satoko used KI STRIKE for 3 WOUNDS
Ikurou released Miezaru!

Turn 2:
Satoko made a DEFENSIVE ATTACK for 1 WOUND
Ikurou made an AGGRESSIVE STEALTH ATTACK for 7 WOUNDS

Turn 3:
Satoko made a NORMAL ATTACK for 4 WOUNDS
Satoko made a DEFENSIVE FAILURE!
Ikurou made an AGGRESSIVE ATTACK for 25 WOUNDS!

Turn 4:
Satoko made a DEFENSIVE ATTACK for 4 WOUNDS
Ikurou made an AGGRESSIVE STEALTH ATTACK for 10 WOUNDS

Turn 5:
Satoko made an AGGRESSIVE ATTACK for 12 WOUNDS
Ikurou made a NORMAL ATTACK for 6 WOUNDS

"He's... getting killed, sir," said the subordinate.

But the man in the uniform said nothing, just kept watching intently.

Elsewhere in the soul society, a house is teeming with life; the sound of footsteps running up and down its halls can be heard throughout the house as a young girl, looking no older than 12, tries to gather her things.

"Today is the festival, isn't it?" The dark haired girl chirped to herself as scurried into the living room in search of something. She opened the closet door and squatted down and rummage through its contents. "Kaa-san said it somewhere around here.." Whatever she as looking for failed to present itself, but there wasn't any frustration or disappointment shown on her face. Instead, a soft smile that told that she was content with everything in this world remained steady.

Putting everything neatly back into the closet, she ran up the stairs with a thump thump thump. Without carpeting in the halls and low friction from her socks, she slid and skidded to a halt in front of her bedroom door. The door was open wide; from where she was standing, a white box was sitting on her little coffee table in plain view. The child must have been so excited that she had forgotten that she took the box last night to prepare for today. Stumbling into her own room in a hurry, the small girl snatched the box up and darted into the hall again. Midway down it, she suddenly remembered that she needed something else from her room. Again, her socks lacked the friction to stop her movement immediately, letting her slide a short distance down the hall. Unfortunately, because she was in such a hurry, the child failed to maintain balance and fell forward as she was trying to turn around.

THUD! "I-Itai!"

She protested softly after colliding with the hard wooden floor. Her left hand and knees were red from the impact, looking like they'll bruise later on in the day. But the little girl didn't care, other things seemed more important to her than her own state. The box was held against her body, cradled by her right hand delicately; she inspected the condition of the box and was relieved to see that no harm had come to it. Tomi stood back up and carelessly continued to run back to her room to grab her coat. Everything was set except for one thing. She needed an escort. Mummie and Daddie agreed to let her go see the homecoming if she had someone take her. Surely, they knew that the young girl could take care of herself but her height made her easy to get lost in a sea of people. No one would look out for her if no one could see her. Thats why..

Thump thump thump! Down the hall she hurried! From inside a closed room, her muffled voice can hardly be heard. Once. Twice she called as she ran. A door flung open wildly. "NII-CHAN!"

There, in his room, Clive Greyson III stood with a confused look upon his face. What was all this noise about?

Tomi Hayashi stepped into her brother's room without his authority and fidgeted infront of him, looking a little out of breath. Though they weren't related by blood, she still regarded Clive as her older brother. It was luck that lead them to meet again in the afterlife and allowed them to stay together under the same roof. Tomi thought so, atleast.

"Take me to the homecoming tournament? Please, Clive-nii?" She started as she fumbled around with her coat, trying to put it on while holding onto the white box at the same time. Though they were going to visit the academy later in the day, Tomi wanted to go early and see the tournament or what was left of it. The murmurs in the village announced that the homecoming tournaments already started, therefore the girl felt rushed.

"Kaa-san said we can go! Please?"

Sitting in his room, Clive could barely hear the sounds of the little girl running around, going up stairs, down stairs, and sliding around. He was relaxing in his room, tinkering a little with some supplies he had, old habits from his past dieing hard. While he had no robots or anything (he could never find the parts), he simply had a few little trinkets and small devices that were mostly to occupy his time.

He set down his small pile of scrap he was working with when he heard a barely audible shout. Upon hearing the second one, he stood up, hoping everything was alright. At that time, his door suddenly slammed open and he could fully hear the shout coming from the little girl on the other side of the doorway. "NII-CHAN!"

Right away, Clive shot a confused and mildly worried look at Tomi, his little sister. They weren't really related, but the brother-sister like bond they formed from when they both were 'alive' (Clive had a little difficulty wrapping his head around this afterlife, were they like Schrodinger's cat then?) got even stronger as they lived together, and they both fully considered themselves related. She fidgeted a little - she had a habit of doing that - as she took a second to catch her breath. Clive relaxed a little while she did so since she would've blurted her problem out right away before worrying about breathing. "Take me to the homecoming tournament? Please, Clive-nii?"

Clive blinked as Tomi tried to get her coat on while still holding the white box as carefully as possible. They were planning to go later on to deliver the box and its important contents, but Clive wasn't too surprised to hear that Tomi wanted to go see the fights. In fact, he too was interested in the fights as well, and, hearing they had permission to, he smiled and nodded to Tomi. "Alright, nee-chan. Let's go see the homecoming tournament."

He walked over to the small girl and helped her get her coat on the rest of the way while she never once set down the white box. He quickly grabbed a coat of his own and slipped it on, almost chuckling at the memory of his old blue jumpsuit being the only thing he'd wear. She already had her shoes on and was waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs by the time he was out of his room and he smiled. 'Wow, she sure has a lot of energy. I don't blame her though, she must be very excited to see her... our sister.' He quickly went down the stairs and slipped his shoes on before giving Tomi a thumbs up.

When he opened the front door, they were both side to side and looking outside. She wordlessly slid her left hand up and grasped his right hand while still holding gingerly onto the white box with her right. They both exchanged excited smiles before walking out the door.

Tomi grin broadly at the warm her brother's hand brought upon hers. His hand engulfed her petite hands and felt rough from constant tinkering with various devices. Always a busy body, her brother was. Capable and intelligent. It was something the little girl admired about Clive.

They started walking at a steady pace, leaving their homely little section of the soul society; their hands swung lightly back and forth between them, equally excited to get to the tournament though they had different reasons. "Nee-chan should be really strong now, right?" She said with a fond smile.

All the children in their house were strong in different ways, but only one left to join the academy. Tomi had her own reasons for not applying, but she wondered if Clive-nii missed the action filled lifestyle. She was sure her older brother would've been well suited to be a fighter, even in the afterlife.

"Ne, Nii-chan? Why didn't you try to become a shinigami like Nee-chan?"

Tomi spoke carefully, keeping in mind that her older siblings didn't quite get along as well as herself and Clive. She gripped Clive's heated hands with her colder delicate fingers, speaking less cheery than she have been. "I didn't because I wanted to stay with you, Kaa-chan and Tou-san." Her 'family' is a cozy one she never had when she was alive. The little girl would never give that up for the world. This was her heaven.

She didn't give Clive a chance to answer. No sooner after she admitted her own reason, the girl rushed forward, tugging her brother by his hand to move faster. Just beyond their sight was the Academy, surrounded with a lush green forest. Tomi has only seen it once three years ago, when their sister was admitted. It doesn't look like it has changed much and she silently hoped that her sister hadn't either. People were gathered in front of the academy, perusing the festival stalls set up neatly in a row along the main road. There were delicious smells and bright colors that assaulted her senses. Balloons! Fried noodles! Fried Squid! Souvenir paper fans! Her mouth watered at the scent of cooking food and the girl was tempted to get little trinkets from the stands. She was ready to purshase something, anything at all, reasoning that maybe their mummie would like a little present. Unfortunately for her, Tomi didn't bring any money with her and she was sure Clive-nii didn't either. The number of people around them grew denser as they neared the auditorium where the fights were being held.

She held onto her brother's hand tightly again and looked up at him in all seriousness. "Don't get lost."

Quote :

"Hey-Iga-Good-Luck!"

Igarashi blinked, that shout had effectively managed what he wanted so bad right now: Distract him from his own thoughts. Quickly turning his head to it's direction, Igarashi saw that it had been Rikiki who had shouted that cheer for him. Igarashi had a puzzled look in his face for a moment. Despite the fact that she surely knows that we will have to fight each other... She still cheers for me, even when I didn't... and she looks as happy as always... Why isn't she bothered at all by this? doesn't she care? no.. that's not it, yesterday proves otherwise... then why...? maybe the fight isn't that much of a big deal for her? ... I wonder... If that's the case, perhaps I should try the same, I shouldn't let it bother me that much, it's just a single fight anyway, not like they just forced us to be enemies for the rest of our lives... Reaching this conclusion in his head, in part because of Rikiki's attitude, and in part because Igarashi was now looking a way to get rid himself of so much bothersome thoughts, he finally managed to relax a bit more. And with that, he decided to shout back at her.

...Except now Rikiki was no longer in there, leaving trough the side exit behind the people that apprehended Kanue. Igarashi then wondered why was she leaving, as far as he knew, she wasn't Kanue's friend or at least, they hadn't acted much like friends. He considered following her, but that didn't sound like a good idea, rubbing his nose in something that could be a private matter for her, besides, he could have to fight in any minute, so leaving would be as rash and dumb as attacking Matsu before their fight. Igarashi scratched his head, whatever the reason, he could ask later, for now, he might as well try to relax a bit more and try to enjoy the next fights. As much as he could at least, since that sensation he felt from Matsu was still nagging him.

Looking back at the ring again, Igarashi now finally realized who was about to fight now. It was none other than Satoko, and he was fighting against... someone who Igarashi didn't knew, but that besides didn't look outstanding in any way. Igarashi chuckled, that fight wasn't even going to be fair, Satoko would surely beat that guy as fast, if not even faster than Maka and Kanue did with their opponents.

And then the dull looking kid vanished from sight. "Huh?" Clearly confused, Igarashi didn't realize what Ikurou had done at first, but then it quickly became evident, he had become invisible, and now Satoko was beginning to release surges of blood from different places in his body. Watching him get cut by an invisible blade and enemy looked so odd... is as if those wounds simply decided to appear spontaneously. It quickly became evident that Satoko was having trouble, since he was now collecting far too many wounds, and didn't appeared to be spilling enough blood from the invisible foe.

No way... Satoko's stronger than that. He had proved it before, it just could end like that... Now effectively focused on the fight, Igarashi was in disbelief and at the same time angry, it would be ridiculous if Satoko lost so easily. Igarashi wasn't one to shout, much less cheer, but he wasn't just going to stare and watch his friend get murdered like that without him doing anything about it, getting closer to the ring as he could, Igarashi then shouted at the top of his lungs. "C'MON SATOKO! KICK HIS ASS! DON'T TELL ME YOU ARE GOING TO LET YOURSELF GET DEFEATED BY A CHEAP TRICK LIKE THAT!!!"

Tomi and Clive walked down the street, arms swinging lightly between them. Clive couldn't help but remember how Tomi had been before when they were alive, always so quiet and reserved, but coming here really opened her up, like this place was where she belonged more than the arena where they met and fought. This got him to smile, he was glad she was happy.

"Nee-chan should be really strong now, right?
Clive simply gave an agreeing 'Mmhmm' sound as they walked. There always seemed to be a wall between himself and his other 'sister', although Clive never understood why. They always just seemed to casually avoid each other when at home, though they had no real reason to. That doesn't mean they weren't civil to each other, they never got in a fight or disagreed about things, they just simply never really talked much. Still, he did hope the best for her, especially since Tomi held her in such high esteem.

Clive was removed from those thoughts as Tomi asked something else, something more personal.
"Ne, Nii-chan? Why didn't you try to become a shinigami like Nee-chan?"
Clive really had to think about this question. He'd given it though before, too. In fact, he thought about it maybe once a month. He could never really figure out why he didn't go with his other sister and join when she did. It wasn't that he was tired of the fighting, nor was it that he didn't have his same technology here. And as Tomi stated why she decided not to become a shinigami, Clive could sadly note that even because Tomi was here was the whole reason he stayed. It certainly affected his decision, but there was something more pressing that he couldn't quite figure out that told him to not join.

He was glad Tomi took that time to speed up so he wouldn't really have to figure out why he didn't try to become a shinigami. The forest was in sight, and Clive could've sworn he saw the tip of the building peeking out the top of the trees. Along the way, they passed stalls of all kinds, with a plethora of smells and colors popping out. Clive wished he thought to grab a little spending money so he could buy Tomi a treat, but he hadn't thought there would be all of these stalls around when they made their way out the door.

Then, the crowds were getting a little more dense as Clive saw the arena ahead of themselves. Clive felt more of a squeeze in his hand and looked over to see Tomi looking back up at him. "Don't get lost."
Clive smiled at his sister, and reassured her. "Don't worry Tomi, I won't." She relaxed a little when he made his promise, and he stuck his left hand into his pocket... then quickly brought it back out, a small amount of coins in his hand. He had forgotten he left them in this coat, and smiled. Tomi had her hands full with the white box, which she was guarding very carefully, so he made himself a mental note to buy her something when they were on their way back home while he put the coins back. He hoped she hadn't noticed so he could keep it a surprise, but he couldn't help but to give her a smile as they approached the arena.

Hearing him promise that he wouldn't get lost, reinforced with a sincere smile, Tomi nodded back and descended into the crowd. She was so concentrated on getting into the arena area that she missed the jingling of coins being taken out and put back into her brother's pocket. Other things seem more important to her: making sure the box didn't get crushed, not letting her brother's hand go, and trying to see where she was going. As short as she was, the little girl did her best to get a general sense of direction. Strangers were everywhere and they were towering over her, blocking her view of the fighting ring.

The child was sure her taller brother got a better view of the fight going on right now than she did; of course, their older sister got the best view of all. Tomi thought about her sister, sitting only a few feet away from the ring or possibly in it right now. The little girl couldn't tell at the moment.

"E-excuse me. Pardon." Tomi held the precious package close to her chest as she slid her slender body through the crowd. The deeper she went in, the harder it was for her to pass through. The only comfort she had in the heated arena was that rough hand holding onto hers. As long as Nii-chan was still there, she thought she'd be alright. Nee-chan can't be that much farther away. Maybe she could hear her sister's voice over the crowd's from this distance. "Ma-nee! Nee-chan!" She called out while standing on the tip of her toes. "Maka-nee!"

Her little voice soon got a response. "Clyde? Hitomi?"

Clyde? Surely her older sister was referring to Clive-nii. It was obvious that she would see the taller of the two first.

Kasahara's gaze was fixed upon the match in front of her. Her wish of good luck was not heard as she witnessed Takeshi take deadly blows from his opponent's mysterious sword. Her hands covered her mouth, feeling on edge at the spectacle infront of her. Takeshi was strong, he couldn't lose. Then again, his opponent's weapon caught the blonde boy and everyone else by surprise. It was only natural that such confusion would affect the way he fought.

She was sitting on the edge of her seat; one of her classmates was as well, shouting encouragement to the half dead boy. Kasahara wanted to step in, but knew it was impossible and rude of her to do. Takeshi would get mad, wouldn't he? for interrupting a fight in front for several thousands of people. "Come on, Takeshi. You can do it."

A squeeky voice caught her ears behind her but Kasahara thought nothing of it. There were thousands of voices in the arena: jeers and cheers. It wasn't until she heard her name that Kasahara stood up and turned around. What she saw severely surprised her. A blond boy with long hair covering his left eye stared back at her. Someone whom she haven't seen since she came to the academy. It was her 'brother' reflecting her gaze. "Clyde?"

That was his name, right?

If he was here, the squeeky voice that called out to her must have been their other sibling. "Hitomi?"

She tried to tell them to that she couldn't talk to them right now. Especially when something else required her attention. Her words fell upon deaf ears as the crowd roared with enthusiasm at the match behind her. Tomi, not knowing that she was to stay where she was and wait until the tournament was over, pushed herself closer to the stage and dragged Clive with her.

It was no use.

Kasahara moved towards the crowd and tried to find the voice that called her. As soon as she got to the edge, a flushed face popped out between two stangers. "Ma-nee!" The face called out again breathlessly. The brunette motioned for the two spectators to step aside and make room to make her dear sister and brother feel more comfortable. "Tomi! Cly-.. Clive! What are you doing here?"

It wasn't until then that Kasahara noticed the white box her little sister clutched close to her body. Tomi held out the box with a tired smile on her face. Was this a present? Though, it was thoughtful for her siblings to bring her a gift from home, she couldn't accept anything from them at this moment. Not while she still had a fight to be a part of later on. "Hold on to it for me, okay? I-I'll uh.. Just wait for me here after the tournament."

The child still smiled and chirped out. "Hai!"

Kasahara patted her sister softly on the head and turned to gaze upon Clive with an apologetic smile.