Chapter 2: Play Your Own Game

Everyone gathered in a large courtyard. Lilly looked at the crowd that had gathered and frowned as her heart started racing. She felt an overwhelming feeling of fear wash over her. "Yoruichi, what is this fight supposed to be about, and why are there so many people here?" Lilly questioned quietly as she looked around.

"This fight is going to test your battle skills. You are going to go up against the first few seats of squad ten. We are testing you in duration during battle, so just fight how you normally would and that will suffice. Don't worry so much, you'll be fine." Yoruichi calmly explained, trying to reassure Lilly with a smile.

"Alright, but I still don't like this." Lilly muttered, still uneasy about this fight.

"All right, go on." Yourichi gave her a slight push, smirking.

Lilly walked out to the middle of the circle of people, still glancing around and trying to control her breath. One of the soul reapers walked out and bowed to her, she looked confused for a second then realizing what he was doing bowed back.

He charged her, but Lilly was expecting it. So she grabbed the hilt of her sword then sidestepped quickly and as he was running past her, she side kicked him right in the gut and he collapsed to the ground. He got up again and came at her this time expecting her to sidestep, but she catapulted over him and roundhouse kicked him from behind, which knocked him to the ground again.

Lilly hadn't unsheathed her sword yet, and didn't seem like she was going to. She tried to assess the situation like she was trained to do, but the variables were changing almost too fast for her to process. She didn't like fighting in front of an audience and felt it going to her head. She miss judged his next attack and was nearly bisected as she was trying not to have a panic attack. "This isn't working! I don't want to hurt anyone! Why do I have to fight against them? Are they expecting me to kill them, is that how they are trying to test my skill? If that's true then I don't want to fight I'd rather run away, there has to be something different I could do." Lilly rapidly thought as she kept dodging attacks. Her fear was starting to show on her face.

"Lilly, snap out of it! Don't you get it, or are too stupid to realize what the test here is? Their trying to test your skill level right? That requires having to change the variables on you, you're going to have to face this sometime, now is the best time. Now listen, I know you hate crowds, but right now you are going to have to just ignore them and face your fear, I know you can do this. Block out everything else. They want you to fight, so then fight them your own way. Don't let them make you fight their way, play the game your way." Her sword stated calmly in her mind.

Lilly froze. Her eyes were closed and the wind was blowing slightly causing her bangs to move. She blocked out everything, the people, even the person she was fighting. She concentrated on the wind that was blowing in her face. That had always calmed her before. She felt her fear melting away, every worry blowing away with the wind.

She opened her eyes just as the soul reaper was going to cut her down. There was a new resolve in her eyes. She rolled to the side and kicked his feet out from under him. He corrected from falling and tried to slash at her but she had already moved. He tried to predict where she would come from next. She suddenly came straight at him; he looked confused. She hadn't unsheathed her sword yet, so he tried to slash at her but she stepped into his strike, hit him as hard as she could. He went flying backwards, and didn't get up. He was unconscious, or at least appeared to be.

Just then another soul reaper ran up behind her, and tried to slice her across the back. She used her sword sheath to block the attack, and pulled the sheath and sword off her back, blocking another attack. She jumped and rolled and ducked as the attacks quickened. By now the soul reaper was flash stepping for every move. Yet she was able to block every move, it was almost like she was watching every move and calculating where it was going to be.

She must have not hit the first soul reaper hard enough because he suddenly joined the fight. Now she was trapped and knew it, but she saw how they were coming. They must not have seen each other because they were coming from two directions, running fast. She waited until just the right moment, counting the seconds in her head. "Now." She thought, and rolled out of the way. Momentum did the rest. The two tried to get out of each other's way, but it was too late, and they crashed into each other falling to the ground cursing and cussing at each other.

She turned to face them and stretched out her arm, almost like she was pointing at them. "Ensuneru!" She yelled. The ground erupted around them. Roots were swirling around and pulling them to the ground, not hurting them but making it impossible to get up and fight. She seemed to look around like she was waiting for the next attack. She prepared by raising her sword a little closer to her chest, even though it was still in its sheath. She looked at it, then unsheathed it even thought it was against her better judgment. She still didn't want to hurt anyone. Just as she pulled it out the soul reaper attacked, she dropped her sheath and blocked. She pushed him back and jumped backward. He came back at her and she blocked again, he was obviously stronger than the other two.

He kept coming at her but he had the same attack pattern, like he only knew one. Lilly was analyzing this as she went, and was watching his feet. The next time he came at her she ducked under his strike and spun around behind him, hitting him as hard as she could with the hilt of her sword at the base of his head. He crumbled to the ground, out cold. Just to be sure she ensnared him as well.