Chapter 4: Flower petals and surprises
Eve left the room with Rangiku now up to date. She didn't doubt Coal had what it takes to become a captain but still couldn't help but feel a little worried. They headed for the door but were stopped by Unohana to inspect whether Eve had healed properly. As they left the fourth squad barracks at a light sprint Eve wanted to run at full speed to see Coal. She knew this was pointless since Coal wouldn't be out of his captain's exam for some time and it seemed mean to leave Matsumoto behind anyways. As they darted through the seireitei she wondered what squad Coal would be given if he became captain. Mostly she was just glad he wasn't dead after an encounter with a captain whilst unable to use bankai.
They were nearing the 1st squad barracks now. As they turned a corner Eve felt it. Powerful reiatsu was waiting in the courtyard up ahead. Eve and Rangiku came to a halt before Captain Kuchiki. He spoke as if emotionless "I would like to have a word with you, Eve."
"About what?" Eve asked with the uncomfortable feeling she wouldn't like the answer.
"Why are you here?" He said this in the same cold voice.
"I think Coal already explained that."
"He did but you didn't."
"Meaning"
"Coal has convinced the other captains of his truthfulness but you have not explained your side of this at all."
"Well I was asleep and I must ask if this is really the only time we can do this?" She was beginning to get irritated.
"I think the sooner the better." Byakuya said unflinching.
"Well I can't say I have much interest in participating in this interrogation." Her muscles began to tense.
Rangiku interjected "You are talking to the captain of the 6th squad do you really think it wise to anger him like this."
Eve looked around having temporarily forgotten Rangiku was there. "I am aware of who I face. He is Kuchiki Byakuya, Captain of the 6th squad."
"Well if you have no respect for your superiors I suppose I will have to at least teach you to acknowledge us for our superior skill."
The kick hit before Byakuya could draw his sword forcing him to block with his right hand. To this he responded with drawing his sword with his left hand despite the fact that he was right handed. Eve pushed off his arm doing a back flip over his sword and disappeared into shunpo. Byakuya could follow her while she was using shunpo but he realized immediately that he couldn't keep up with her. Byakuya observed that she was faster than Coal as well which meant she was probably around Soifon's speed. Byakuya found this irritable though he showed no signs of it as he continued to deflect and counter her attacks. She now had her sword drawn and was continuing to come closer and closer to injuring Byakuya.
Matsumoto stood dumbstruck watching the battle. Were all the members of The Order of the Black Mask this insane? Eve didn't hesitate to fight a captain. Matsumoto backed slowly away from the fight until she quite suddenly ran into something. She turned to find to her great alarm Captain Zaraki. He spoke simply "I felt a fight going on but it seems there is no one here for me to fight." Matsumoto wasn't sure whether to be insulted or glad that she was apparently insignificant.
They stood facing each other once more. Byakuya sighed realizing he had no choice if he wished to subdue her. He held his sword vertically before him said" I shall show you but a glimpse of my true power……Chire (scatter)" His sword separated into pink petals and after a short pause Eve burst out laughing.
Byakuya was taken aback by this reaction. Eve attempted to regain her composer and said still shaking a little with laughter "I'm sorry, I'm sure you're zanpakto is very dangerous but I expected something a little scarier than pink flower petals. I mean you said it with such a somber expression as if you were going to unleash the black plague on me or something of that sort and then…….Cherry Blossoms!" At this point she once more succumbed to laughter. Byakuya seemed most annoyed at this. Matsumoto was trying not to laugh herself, scared Byakuya would kill her.
Byakuya swung the handle of his sword. The petals flew at Eve like a wall of nearly invisible daggers. She was forced to quickly yell "Way of Defense 39 Enkosen (Arc Shield)". The spinning yellow kido protected her from the attack not a moment too soon. She was now much more serious about the pink flower petals since they had tried to kill her. Realizing this was no time for games Eve yelled "Way of Chaos 1 Solvo! (Release)"
It appeared from nowhere to cover her face. Her mask seemed somewhere between human and cat. There were etchings on her forehead that looked like cat ears and marks on the left side of her mask the looked like whiskers. Her mask covered only her face and stop just below her nose save the left side of her mask which covered her left cheek as well.
"I see" said Byakuya calmly "so you are ready to really fight now."
"Not quite, just one more thing." Eve said with a smile. "Ostendo Sum Vestri Victoria Umbra (unveil thyself Victory's Shadow)" The outside of her blade seemed to tear away as if it were nothing more the cloth to reveal a blade made of pure crystal. The cutting edge of the blade was blue while the back of the blade was green. The 2 halves met in a complex design that words could not do justice to. She raised her sword in anticipation. Byakuya was right, the real fight started now.
Eve came like lightning but the petals blocked her way with an almost lazy swing of Byakuya's sword arm. His other hand gathered kido and responded to her attack with "Way of Binding 61 Rikujokoro (Six Rods Prison of Light)" Eve responds with "Way of Chaos 27 Atrox Ocis(repulse)" this caused a small explosion of chaos fire forming a sphere about 6'6" in diameter completely incinerating Byakuya's kido.
"Chaos kido has a natural advantage over normal kido since it causes the structure of the kido to become unstable. With normal kido this results in it collapsing if it isn't strong enough. This makes Atrox Ocis an amazingly useful defense. "Eve explained. "Now it time for you to taste my power."
She jumped high and cut the air. As she did so the blue portion of her sword glowed leaving a black slash behind it. Byakuya brought his petals into a mass to block the attack but it didn't move. He suddenly saw Eve coming from the left he moved his petals to block her path but she simply cut the air leaving the dark cut once more he followed her with his petals as she continued to the left. Suddenly he heard the rush behind him he dodged right just in time to avoid the first slash. He understood now turning quickly to the second slash which had just begun to move. He knew what was coming and called out "Way of Destruction 4 Byakurai (white lightning). " his white kido intercepted the dark attack as he turned his attention to Eve's inevitable attack. She was nearly to him when he intercepted her with his swarm of petals she jumped back cutting a horizontal black cut at the top and as she fell leaving a vertical black slash. She circled right as Byakuya held his swarm between him and the slashes. She rocketed at him just as the first cut hit. He waited for the second cut as it would still leave plenty of time to block her way. The cut didn't come and Byakuya realized too late that the time between when she cut the air and when the attack hit must vary from slash to slash. He dodge back to avoid her first slash and caught the second with the hilt of his sword. She rose up and kicked him from the left he caught her foot with his hand only then to realize she was beginning to focus kido with her still free left hand. Only now did the second slash hit. He quick let go of her foot and said "Way of Destruction 1 Sho (thrust)" sending he flying away from him into the air. This caught her so off guard that her kido dissipated.
As Eve landed she smiled. "So what do you think of my Atrum Mirum (dark surprise). My zanpakto's attack hangs in the air for a while allowing me to reposition and attack at the same time as the slash. The more powerful the slash the longer it hangs in the air but I suppose you already surmised as much."
"Your zanpakto may be interesting but not particularly dangerous in my opinion. You may have come close but despite your speed advantage you are yet to hit me." Byakuya said casually.
"We'll see" Eve said as she launched another assault on Byakuya. As she let loose another Atrum Mirum Byakuya couldn't help but notice that this attack was easily avoidable by shunpo. Since the attack could not change direction once it was created it wasn't dangerous against a mobile opponent. He simply would use shunpo to move to the left a few feet. That's when it happened. As he used an attack from his small swarm to cover his movement and began to shunpo he was suddenly cut across his left arm. He hadn't even made it a foot how could she possibly have gotten around Senbonzakura(thousand Cherry Blossoms)(his sword) that fast. She was coming from his right now. He backed away while keeping his eyes locked on her to see if he could discern her technique. He was suddenly cut again from behind clean across his back. He didn't know where to counter-attack. Was the girl in front of him some kind of illusion? He had his Senbonzakura cover his back as he prepared to meet her head on in the front. He suddenly got an idea. He spun the hilt of his sword a single time in his hand. Her eye darted momentarily to the sword. He now knew this was no illusion. If it had been an illusion and she was really somewhere behind him she could not have seen the hilt spin due to his cherry blossoms and the illusion would not have looked at it. With a swing of his hilt he rushed his petals forward and to prevent her attack forcing her to use shunpo to escape.
Eve stood at odds with a confused Byakuya. "What did you just do?" Byakuya ask with clear angst in his voice.
At these words Kenpachi let out a bellow of laughter."I never thought I'd see the day when I caught on before you did Kuchiki Byakuya."
Byakuya turned and asked "Well are you going to explain?"
Kenpachi smiled broadly and stated" she leaves cuts hanging in the air whenever the green part of her blade glows."
"What!?"
"What you haven't noticed as she moves around the field she cuts the air at random while she runs. I didn't know what she was doing until you triggered one. "Kenpachi said with a maniacal smile.
Eve smiled "A good explanation indeed. The technique is called Mirum Proelium (Surprise attack)."
The full weight of the situation hit Byakuya now. She had been setting it up since she released her zanpakto. She had been creating traps all over the field as she went and now the entire battle field was potentially dangerous. She used Atrum Mirum to force him to move and run into her Mirum Proelium. The 2 moves worked together as 2 halves of her offense. He now realized continuing to fight her in this fashion could prove dangerous.
"You have convinced me of how dangerous you are so I shall show you my true power." His blade reformed before him and he slowly turned his blade upside down. Byakuya was about to let go when he appeared.
He stood calmly in a captain's haori with the number 9's symbol on its back. He stood with one of his legs lightly cut from Mirum Proelium. As he held Byakuya's sword hand closed tightly around Senbonzakura Coal stared Byakuya in the eye and asked "What exactly is going on here?" He said it with more than a little threat in his voice.