With the Captains suffering casualties and heavy injuries on their side, all hope seemed to be lost... until Shinji Hirako appeared, along with the rest of the former Shinigami. Though the aid of the Vizards certainly helped to draw the battle in their favor, it seemed Aizen's power alone proved too much for them.
Ikkaku was on patrol in the human world. There were rumors of hollow activity in a forest near Karakura town. Ikkaku mumbled to himself. He prefered action, not this. The trees hung over his head. Crows flew overhead. Black feathers sank to the dirt ground.
"Damn patrol," Ikkaku muttered to himself. There was nothing ever fun about it. Even if he ran into a few gillains, he would still be unsatisfied. They didn't make good fighters. Ikkaku heard a noise. He looked up and saw it was just another crow. Damn birds, he thought to himself. So what if there was hollows here? What could they possibley do? What stupid hollow would attack the forest? Ikkaku mumbled something under his breathe. He continued to walk, getting closer and closer to the heart of the forest. The farther he got to the center the less animal life there was. He found an open area surrounded by trees. He figured there were no hollows here now, or ever. Ikkaku leaned against a tree. He reached into his uniform and pulled out his cell phone hollow detector. Nothing.
Ikkaku left his gigai back at Mizuho's house. She was nice enough to let Ikkaku stay there while on his mission on earth. He stuffed the detector back down his uniform. He leaned back. His back brussled against the tree. His toes gripping the sandals he wore. He blinked hard. A new pressure was acting upon his. Something was coming his way. Ikkaku stepped into the open area. His right hand settled upon his zanpakuto. The left one settle on the sheath. If this was a hollow, it was a hell of a strong one. Ikkaku grinned. A fight was what he would get.
Last Edit: Aug 20, 2009 14:22:39 GMT -5 by dragonz7
"... 10 human souls today." He said nonchalantly, "Not a very productive day... But on the upside, I did get them to scream for mercy before I devoured them."
Mmmmm... souls, his favorite meal. It was a wonder why people even came out to this forest, doing the thing called... camping. It was stupid really. What a waste of time. Still, humans didn't really have a purpose.
"Eh? What's this?" The Arrancar asked himself as he began to feel a strong presence draw near. "Ah... Shinigami..."
At least, he so believed and hoped. It was either that or a Quincy or Human with high levels of reiastu. This was a battle he could enjoy. He would enjoy the look of agony as the man, or woman, slowly died by his hands.
It was going to be fun.
A couple flashsteps and he appeared ontop of a tree that overlooked the supposed presence, only to have the light of the sun reflected back at him as he looked down, he flinched almost immediately.
"But a hat on or something! Baldy!" He howled out at the lone shinigami, before jumping down and getting a better look at the man, he almost wish he didn't. "Ooh... nevermind that, but a mask on or something, you're about as ugly as they come."
He cackled and jumped back a bit, his long, brown hair seeming to sway a bit with the wind. He was dressed in the robes of an Arrancar uniform, white and crisp with a red collar that seemed to run down the middle. He right sleeve seeemd to be covered in a dark red that seemed to be blood, as was the bottom of his pantlegs. His one visible eye held a yellow iris surrounded by a blackness and half his face was covered in a hollow's mask.
"Good afternoon, sir." He smiled mockingly, his seven-foot trident hefted over his shoulder. "Would it kill ya if I asked for your name?"
There was a ear-splitting smile that cracked across the Arrancar's face, something was not right about this man.
Ikkaku watched as the brown haired arrancar slowly walked into the scene. Dressed in a casual outfit and a mask, Ikkaku knew right away that this was an arrancar. Ikkaku glanced at the arrancar's leggings and arms. Blood. Fresh human blood. It seemed the reports were not just rumors. Ikkaku rubbed the back of his shaven head with his right hand. Ikkaku was never scared of a fight. The man was in a tree.
"Lemme guess your release is becoming Tarzan," Ikkaku smirked. Tarzan, he would have to write that one down. The freak made a comment about Ikkaku's bald head. Ikkaku sighed. He was very original in his jokes. Then he mumbled something about a mask. Like he hadn't heard that one before. Ikkaku raised an eyebrow as he jumped onto the ground. The arrancar wasn't such a hottie either. He was also very scary, but Ikkaku wasn't going to steep to his level and say takes an ugly bastard to know one. The stupidest move was the man jumping from the tree. He had a hieght advantage. He had camoflauge.
The leaves would have camoflauged with his green teeth. Ikkaku grabbed his sword. He wasn't about to wait for an introduction. Ikkaku sighed. This would be more like a crude joke contest rather than a fight. The arrancar wasn't very fast. He wielded a seven foot trident. A polearm, just like a spear. Ikkaku wondered if he could command the sea and become a dolphin.
"Never mind, with that big ass trident, your release must be a dolphin," Ikkaku smirked. The man hadn't even hit the floor when he said this. His eyes darted and a split second before he touched the ground Ikkaku seemingly disappeared. Before the man even said good afternoon Ikkaku was in slashign distance. He revealed his shining silver sword. At least the man said sir. Ikkaku pulled the sword to his shoulder.
The idiot then asked for Ikkaku's name. Ikkaku laughed as he thrusted the sword toward the dolphin, tarzan arrancar's stomach. He was still blabbing and trying to make a joke. The damn thing was smiling as Ikkaku was about to hit him. He must be one of those hollows who attack little girls because a human man could beat him. Ikkaku let his left hand drop and comitted with his right hand. His left hand reached for the sheath. Not pulling it out yet, he just settled his fingers on it.
"Baka, stop with the stupid jokes and fight," Ikkaku said with a slightly amused face. It was no grin. He would not tell this man his name untill Ikkaku was sure he was strong enough. He would have also told him his name moments before he killed the arrancar. In Ikkaku's mind the fight was over, but it was far from that. The brown hair was being pushed by the wind. Hair. Dammit, maybe he would kill the arrancar in one blow. Oh well, if he kept him alive, he wouldn't hear the end of his crude jokes.
Tarzan? Who the hell was Tarzan? Being an Arrancar, Xiin had no clue what human culture these days were. Arrancar didn't have the luxury of purchasing gigai and strutting about in the middle of the day to learn about humans.
"Eh?" Was the only thing he got out of his mouth, he supposed it was meant to be an insult. But an insult that fell on deaf ears was rather useless.
"Never mind, with that big ass trident, your release must be a dolphin."
Now he understood that one, and it caused him to start laughing. "You are too foolish, to believe you know someone by their weapon."
At that moment, he was almost impaled by a zanpakutou, only to bring his trident and catching it between the points, forcing both weapon tips to the ground. He growled and sneered at the man before him.
"Now that was too rude." He snapped, a malicious look spreading across his face. "Now to return the favor!" "Vine of the heart, bleed!"
At that moment, thick vine sprouted from the topside of his hand, growing at incredible speeds and shooting forward, rushing towards his close-quarters target at inhumane speeds. The vine was studded with thorns and lashed out towards the Shinigami's unprotected side. At this range, dodging was impossible, and blocking would be near an extremity of difficult.
"You're so eager to die, Shinigami!" He growled, using his trident to push the Shinigami's weapon away before thrusting forwards towards the man's torso. "But I won't let you! I'm going to kill you slowly, and bathe in your blood!"
Ikkaku realized the arrancar had no idea what Tarzan was. He sighed. Ikkaku was getting to wrapped up in this human culture. Its seemed to fall on deaf ears. Deaf becasue they would soon be cut off. The fight exilerated his body. The arrancar then muttered something about Ikkaku being a fool. Ikkaku was far from foolish. He wasn't the fool sendign leaves and rose thorns at his opponent. Ikkaku smirked on the inside.
The arrancar said he would return the favor. Ikkaku grinned. Maybe this would be a fun fight after all. Ikkaku grinned even wider more when he heard the arrancar release. Vines arose from his filthy hands. Ikkaku noticed the sharp thorns and thick base. Ikkaku watched as the trident aimed to impale Ikkaku. He seemed to forget that Ikkaku was a duel wielder in a sense. Ikkaku gripped his sheath with his left hand ripping it out. His zanpakuto had been pushed away. Ikkaku smashed the sheath intot he gap between the two points on the right of the trident. This was not strong enough to block the blow but it gave him time. Time to bring his zanpakuto back and blcok the blow. Not only blocking it, but redirecting it into the ground. It slammed down stuck in the dirt. To reinforce the strength Ikkaku smashed the sheath and zanpakuto onto the trident, pushing it farther in the dirt. Both wielders would be unable to use their zanpakuto for now.
The arrancar then said that Ikkaku was eager to die. More like eager to kill. The next statement was kind of odd. Ikkaku heard him say, I won't let you until slowly you bathe. Ikkaku raised an eyebrow in confusion. He won't let me bathe. What a villian. Maybe Ikkaku's odor would kill the arrancar. It was evident that the thing was close to nature, he smelled horribly.
"Are you an arrancar or a tree?" Ikkaku smirked. as the vines passed him about to constrict. The thick vines wrapped around his body. The force was weak but it was effective. The thorns jabbed into Ikkaku's skin. A great sensation. Great and full of pain. Ikkau was unable to sue his limbs or zanpakuto. The opponent's weapon was deep within the dirt underground. Ikkaku put pressure on it, to make it stay that way. Two weapons are better for killing than one.
"How thick is your skull," Ikkaku said as he was immobilized. His head smashed into the head of the arrancar. It was desperate, even he admitted. It was useful though, and fun. It made a great noise. Not a bang nor a ring, but a loud thud. Dammit. He would use what he got. They were in close range. The more Ikkaku struggled, the more the thorns dug in his body. The sword play was a stalemate, and yet he seemed to be winning. Ikkaku was suprsingly calm amongst the clutches of the vines. Yumichika used vines that were stronger than these. Nothing special. Ikkaku grinned the same damn way he always does.
((Oi, Ikkaku would know about Yumi's vines rmbr?))
He winced and growled at the man's antics. Was he stupid, the man had a mask, while the baldy just had his... mask. This kid had to be retarded, because the Arrancar felt almost nothing from it.
"Peh, shut your trap." He growled as another vine sprouted from his wrist, growing and entangling itself about the Shinigami's weapon arm, immobolizing it as well. "And I thought this was going to be remotely fun, but you're just a wimp."
"Well, can't expect much from a Shinigami." The man sneered as the grip of his vines tightened about the bald one's form, thorns digging deeply into him. "A Fool's Folly, Embrace it!"[/color]
From the depths of his skin, tiny insects began to crawl out, running along the vines until reaching the Shinigami's vulnerable body. Once the insect got there, the bugs immediately buried their heads into the man's skin, gnawing away at his flesh and causing unimaginable pain.
"You really are an idiot." The Arrancar cackled, eyes dancing with malice. "I guess Shinigami are just known for being stupid."
(OOC: Say what? I mentioned Yumi's vines in my post, and yes he has seen them before.)
The headbutt was a mere distraction. He seemed to not notice for he commented on it being weak. As well as the fact, his head was not entirely covered by mask. It was not as pathetic under face value. Shut your trap? This arrancar talked more than he attacked. Whimp? Dammit, did he think Ikkaku was trying? While the vines wrapped around his weapon arm. It was quite pathetic. Mainly because Ikkaku has two weapon arms. Maybe he couldn't get it through his thick skull. Ikkaku grinned. The man said another phrase. Perhaps another resereccion attack? Good.
"Let's see what you got, bastard," Ikkaku yelled at close range. Deaf ears that would fall into, yeah right. The thorns were not going any deeper. Ikkaku used raw reiatsu to protect his body. Mere cuts where what they stood as. Little insects came upon the vines. The moment that Ikkaku noticed them, he was ready. The headbutt was a damn good distraction. The moment it hit and the arrancar began to talk for hours, Ikkaku pulled his sheath and sword together. Yes, revealing the trident. It was still stuck deep in the ground, however. Ikakku smashed the two together and a gust of wind concieved the two weapons. This was all done while he said his resereccion abilities name. He had no idea of the attack but he was ready.
"Extend, Houzukimaru, Demon Light," Ikkaku yelled at the same time the man said his resereccion ability. He was able to smash them together, because one they were right next to each other and two because the vines constriction wasn't bad once Ikkaku used some reiatsu to keep him from being choked.A burst of red aura streamed into the sky. As the bugs came at him at high speed the reiastu went in all directions. The red reiatsu itself pushed the bugs of the vines and cut them in half. A twisted grin on his face formes. A grin of a demon.
"Demon versus tree? Commen sense who'd win. Demon," Ikkaku screamned as he rasied his spear and in a split second seemed to be about to impale himself. Instead he lowered the poitn down and lowered it cutting the vines as it dropped. The point easily split the vines. Ikkaku still glowed red reiatsu. His body seemed to be lit on fire. His eyes certantaly showed that. Death in his eyes. After the split second of cutting leaves, he focused on the close range target.
"Shikai. Cut him to pieces, Houzukimaru," This was no attack but rather a command to zanpakuto. He was tellling him you'd better cut this bastard to paper. He stepped forward. They were at pathetci distance. In Ikkaku's sealed form, this beast had the advantage. However in Shikai, Ikkaku would have the advantage. The beast already showed his attacks, while Ikkaku still had some tricks up his sleave. His grin widened as he struck an overhead. a red reiatsu trailed the blow. This was a demonic strike, indeed. The barrage was not over. Far from it. The overhead was followed by a stab. Straight at the gut. Followed by a right slash and then a left slash, both aimed at the sides of the ribs. The end was an uppercut that seemed to be aimed to cut off his head. Each blow with red reiatsu to back it up.
You would think a spear is slow. Not for Ikkaku and Demon Light. It ahd power and split second speed. The barrage was followed by a common tactic. A commen tactic altered. He would repeat the barrage, but backwards. He pulled his spear back down and started the barrage over backwards. The arrancar may have figured it out by the end, but by then it was too late. The arrancar obviously had never killed a shinigami, while Ikkaku had killed an arrancar. The 13th arrancar, Edorad.
"Tell me what is your numero?" Ikkaku said imitating a mexican. "You speak mexican, no?" Ikkaku said smirking. Ikkaku said this during his second barrage. He was damn focused even with the chit chat. The final overhead was the strongest, with enough power to split a head. Ten strikes in split second timing and repeated succesion. Let's see what you got tree, Ikkaku thought to himself.
Eh? It seemed as if the Shinigami was holding back, well that was a good thing. But it really seemed far too soon in the game to release his Zanpakutou, that was okay though. It only meant that Xiin would know all the man's tricks while the Shinigami would know none of his.
He moved about as quickly as the Shinigami, using the length of his trident to block every blow. Parry, parry, dodge. Sure, the Shinigami was quick, but so was the Arrancar. His trident was not heavy, as one would think, it was lightweight and allowed him to move at comfortable speeds without having to strain himself in any way.
The Shinigami's attacks seemed to be much like his, with a long polearm-like Shikai. So their fighting styles seemed to match, drawing a stalemate.
However, one thing the Shinigami forgot to count in was that, aside form the tip of his spear, he had lost most of the length of his blade. It also meant that Xiin's vines could restrict his weapon without being cut.
As the man's weapon swung viciously down, the Arrancar made no attempt to move. The Shinigami would be wrong to say that he had never killed a Shinigami, that much was false. He had killed many Shinigami, not all at high caliber, but that mattered little to him. The weapon seemed to be a crash-course with the Arrancar's skull, not slowing at all. But, at the last moment, two vines shot up and wrapped along the Shikai's wooden handle, retricticting it from movement.
He smirked. "I am Xiin Rinthra, the 9th Espada. Pleased to meet you."
Without waiting for the Shinigami to respond, another vine shot from his forearm, instantly wrapping itself about the Shinigami's neck. The Espada growled and lifted his sleeve, revealing his number.
And with that done, the Arrancar thrust his trident forward towards the man's vulnerable abdomen.
(OOC: Reads number one rule for veterans. On that note, How did Xiin read Ikkaku's mind about him never killing a shinigami. =D)
Ikkaku watched as the arrancar made typical movements. Parry, parry, dodge. The man and Ikkaku reached a stalemate. Then Ikkaku delivered his final blow. Two vines wrapped themselves, as if invited, around Ikkaku's spear handle. Ikkaku could not move his spear. Typical coward. Can't block the blow. Ikkaku mumbled a curse and then watched as the vine wrapped around his kneck and the man attempted to spear Ikkaku. Useless excuse for a release. Makes plants attack you. Ikkaku smirked. The vines were around his kneck but weren't constricting the kneck yet.
"Split Houzukimaru," Ikkaku yelled ripping his zanpakuto apart. The spear was now in three pieces connected by one chain. He coudl now move each part no matter that his handle was full of vines. Ikkaku let go of the bottom piece. His right hand grabbed the middle section and his left hand grabbed the top section with the spear. With his left hand he easily cut the vine reaching for his kneck. The spear was aimed straight at his stomach. No problem. Ikkaku wrapped the middle section and chains around the polearm. He pulled the chain to the right. The polearm was directed right and glanced past Ikkaku's skin. Not even a scratch. If it had been a mere inch more left it would have impaled him. Ikkakur unwrapped the chains. He didn't want to be bounded by tree man over here. The middle section was untangled. While he was untangling he cut the vines holding the bottom section with the top section. Ikkaku jumped backwards. He used shunpo to get a distance of 60 feet. He kept his spear in peices.
"I am Xiin Rinthra, the 9th Espada. Pleased to meet you." Then it hit him.
Ikkaku had never fought an espada one to one. An espada was the elite force among the arrancar. He had killed the 13th arrancar, but never anyone under 10. Ikkaku looked forward to killing him. A wide grin formed.
"The nueva espada?" Ikkaku smirked. Joy and rage mixed together to make a new emotion unamed. The fight would pump his blood up.
"My name is not of any concern of yours. You have not proven yourself," Ikkaku said making a go away gesture. Hoping to fuel the blood of his opponent as well. Ikkaku lowered his right hand to the bottom section. The middle section dangled in between the two. A solid chain connecting the three sections. Ikkaku readied himself for the arrancar's next move or crud joke...whatever came first.
((Lol yea it's a good rule. But I was playing from a 3rd person's perspective, and not actually writing what my character was thinking.))
He was rather gleefully surprised to see that the man was able to avoid his simple attacks, seeing as how the man seemed to have a couple tricks up his sleeves. Xiin Rinthra; however, was not really a man to be underestimated himself.
A smile played on the Arrancar's lips. "Haven't earned the right? Now now, what is it the Shinigami say that think they're tough...? Oh yes, giving their opponent the honor of knowing their name so that they know who killed them..."
"... Or do you think you are too weak to kill me?"
He cackled maliciously before using his own form of Sonido, appearing in front of the bald fighter. It was true, his Sonido was not of the best caliber, but from what he could tell, neither was the Shinigami's.
Without warning, all three vines shot out, each wrapping them around a respective section of the man's unleashed Zanpakutou before restraining and immobilizing them.
His eyes glistened with glee. If the fighter had noticed, grappling and limiting an opponent was his foremost ability, allowing the Arrancar to take time when killing someone. If he were not good at these abilities, he would have to kill quickly, and that was not exactly what he wanted.
Xiin let out a bloodcurdling cackled before unleashing another vine, this time from his elbow and wrapping it around the man's torso in an attempt to constrict him.
"Quit playing around Shinigami..." He scoffed, "Or you may not live to show off your full potential!"
With that, he thrust his massive weapon at the vulnerable and exposed chest of the bald shinigami.
