The crowd buzzed excitedly as the extravagantly dressed arena announcer stood to his feet and rapped a ceremonial staff hard on the platform he stood upon. "Quiet please, ladies and gentlemen," he voiced, "We will now commence the Contest of Strength to determine the hand of her royal highness, Princess Umeko Kimushi."
~xXx~
Several weeks earlier
~xXx~
A Royal Courier kneeled on a cushion before the Commander General Shigekuni Yamamoto. The tiny receiving room was bare save for a mural of an elaborate crest and a few cushions. The two men were alone, facing each other with grave expressions. "So it's come to that," the First Division captain muttered darkly.
"Yes, my lord," the messenger said, "The royal family has increased their protections lately, in apprehension of another force trying to gain entry to their dimension. Her Royal Highness frequently disregards these measures taken for her safety and has thus angered her father, His Royal Majesty the Spirit King. He desires her to wed an eligible man and to be exiled to the Seireitei. Her husband is to be charged with her safety and wellbeing until His Majesty sees fit to return her to the Royal Palace. In short, the princess is in disgrace."
Captain Yamamoto's brow furrowed into a fierce expression. "The royal family has never contacted the Seireitei, much less with news of this weight. We may not be able to accommodate the lifestyle of a member of the royal family on such short notice. Also, there are many dangers even in the inner city. There is a risk of the princess being captured for information about the other dimension. It would only encourage the threats to the Royal family instead of relieving them."
The messenger bowed politely, the beads on his hat swaying. "My lord, all the arrangements have already been made. There is no need to worry about the comfort of the princess; all her needs will be provided for. However, it is His Majesty's wish for her to be treated as an ordinary citizen of the Seireitei. She is in exile. In addition, there are many protective spells that have been placed upon her mind for the protection of forbidden information. She is physically unable to speak or write about matters pertaining to the secrets of the other dimension." He produced a gilded scroll from inside the voluminous sleeve of his uniform. "Here is the official order my lord," the messenger said, "There is to be a Contest of Strength for the both the title of Greatest Warrior and the hand of Her Royal Highness. All details have been outlined in the scroll. Only seated officers, vice-captains, captains, and members of the noble families will be admitted to the contest."
Captain Yamamoto unrolled the scroll and studied it for a few moments. Scowl deepening, he growled, "Very well. This is indeed a direct order from the King. I will make the preparations and inform the people of this."
Bowing once again, the messenger said, "I will make sure the King knows of your will to comply. Good day, Commander Yamamoto." He closed his eyes and vanished, leaving nothing behind but the scroll and a slight dent in the cushion.
~xXx~
The crowd cheered wildly at the words of the announcer. He waited until there was once again silence in the arena to continue. "There will be a series of duels, chosen at random, to determine the winner of this Contest and so gain the title of Greatest Warrior. This is a momentous occasion…" In the crush of applicants on the arena floor, Captain of the Eleventh Division Kenpachi Zaraki was ignoring the announcer completely. He rolled his eyes, muttering, "Blah blah blah. Damn, he's a long winded old man. I wanna fight already!" Next to him, Eighth Division's captain, Shunsui Kyouraku, chuckled.
"You're getting impatient, Zaraki-san," he laughed, "You'll get your chance. Say, just out of friendly curiosity, which interests you more: the title or the princess?"
"Huh?" Kenpachi stared down at him with a scary wide-eyed grimace, "Princess? What the hell are you talking about? I'm taking the title of Greatest Warrior for myself." He gave Kyouraku a bloodthirsty grin. "Better watch out, pretty boy. I'll smash you if you get in my way."
Kyouraku just smiled, eyeing Kenpachi from under the brim of his hat. "Well, let's hope we don't run into each other then." Their conversation was interrupted by another wave of cheering from the stands as the arena announcer signaled the beginning of the contest.
"There are only two rules!" he yelled, "Stay inside the ring at all times, and do not kill your opponent! The breaking of these rules will result in immediate disqualification from the contest."
Kenpachi sighed in disappointment. "Don't kill them?" he growled, "how the hell am I supposed to promise something like that?"
Reverberations from a huge gong atop the platform rang out across the arena. The arena announcer pulled two scraps of paper from a red box by his elbow. "First pair!" he announced, "Division Eleven's Third Seat, Ikkaku Madarame versus Captain Kenpachi Zaraki, also of the Eleventh Division!"