Sorry about the wait you guys! I've been testing and reading the Ranger's Apprentice. HINT FOR NEXT FANFIC MAYBE! Enjoy


Chapter 7- The Real Battle Begins Part 1

"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

Makuso charged right at Captain Renji Abarai.

"COME ON KID!"

Renji used his sword like an expert, as expected of a Captain. Blocking and parrying every single move that Makuso threw at him; Makuso began to get frustrated.

"COME ON! GIVE IN!"

Just then, a huge gust of wind came out from behind Makuso and blew Renji back at least 30 or 40 feet.

'Here's my opening!'

Another huge wind kicked up and under the wind, Makuso said calmly,

"Send the universe flying in the wind, Eien no Kaze."

His two katana transformed into the thin, but sturdy blades that he has learned to love.

'What the hell is this? How does he have a Shikai? He's only a first-year...or...was a first-year. Maybe he came to school with his Zanpakuto along with his brother. Whatever reason, he's strong. I need to watch out. Speaking of which... WOAH!'

What happened next was all a blur to Renji. He saw Makuso fly by and felt three new cuts on his right side.

'What the...'

The gashes opened as the minimal amount of blood spewed out from the wounds. Renji sank down to one knee and gasped for air, knowing that one cut had sliced clean through his ribcage and had almost pierced a lung.

"Huh. Looks like I missed. I was hoping to finish this in one slash."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU MISSED?! YOU COULD HAVE KILLED ME WITH THAT ATTACK!"

"Well, that was the whole point of it. I wanted to test the strength of a Captain. Apparently, it isn't very high."

"HOW DARE YOU! ROAR! ZABIMARU!" Renji yelled in rage as his blade turned into the segmented whip-like blade that most senior Soul Reapers had learned to fear and respect. 'So that's what Zabimaru looks like released. It seems powerful enough. Let's see what it can do...'

"Come at me Renji. I'm ready."

"I WILL!"

Renji whipped Zabimaru back and shot the extended blade at Makuso. He wasn't fazed by it the least bit. Makuso was actually expecting this sort of attack. He leapt into the air and used a quick Flash Step to pop up behind Renji.

"Really? You're underestimating me, Captain. Why? Is it because of my former rank as a student? Well then you're sorely mistaken."

Renji turned around, only to see Makuso bring up his sword and slash his back. Renji fell due to the shock of the slash and the sudden loss of blood.

"How...did you...?"

"Let's face it, Renji. You underestimated me. You let your guard down and I slipped through. You fell victim of my blades. That was your fault, and yours only. I wish you your best in the future, Captain Renji Abarai."

"You talk as if you've won."

"Have I not? You've been cut down, your spiritual pressure, drained. Did you notice that? My cuts made you slower and me faster. My blades not only help me manipulate air, but also drain my opponents' spiritual pressure to make up for the lack of brute force."

'Damn... I wish I took heed of that earlier... I thought it was because I was getting rusty... Well, I always have one last resort.'

"BAN-" Renji began.

"NO!"

Makuso was just a fraction of a second too late as Renji released his blade to its fullest potential.

"-KAI!"

A pinkish-red tornado formed in the area where Makuso had just jumped from.

"HIHIO! ZABIMARU!"

Renji was suddenly cloaked in the same pinkish-red colored fur as the color in the tornado. He held in his hand, a bone handle with spinal segments running all the way to a giant, bone-white snake skull with a red mane, in contrast to the yellowy bone that made up the backbone of the enormous creature.

"This is my Bankai, Hihio Zabimaru. Learn it, respect it, fear it."

The only thing Makuso could do was stare in awe at the monstrous nightmare that was coiled around Renji in front of him.

'How...am I going to deal with that?! It's huge!'

Ryoku's words echoed in his head from back before the Soul Reaper Academy.

'Don't let size fool you, Makuso. If it has a weakness, then find it, exploit it, and take advantage of it.'

Ryoku was right. Makuso needed to find a weakness, and quick.

"GO ZABIMARU! HEADS UP KID!"

Makuso snapped back into focus when Renji launched the huge, bony snake at him. He dodged just in the nick of time as the head of Renji's Bankai collided with the ground. The force alone was enough to send Makuso flying.

In midair, he regained his footing, using the strange technique that he and his brother saw Soul Reapers use. He gathered his own spiritual pressure and that of his surrounding area to keep him standing aloft. This surprised Renji.

'Kid's obviously been considering becoming a Soul Reaper for a while before this. There's no way a trainee student could use such advanced techniques.'

"PAY ATTENTION!"

It was Renji's turn to snap back into focus. But Renji however, was too late to dodge and failed to remember Eien no Kaze's draining ability. He was slashed across his right shoulder as Makuso came down on him like lightning to a metal kite.

Makuso then turned back around to then slash Renji's back again.

"THAT WON'T WORK TWICE!"

Renji also failed to notice that Makuso had already Flash Stepped out of danger and that he was slashing in the wrong direction. Makuso made an opposite slash on his back, making an X.

"You're finished."

Makuso thrust his right hand sword into the center of the X and just like that, the battle was over. In the end, Makuso was just too quick for Renji.

"H-h-hooww?" Renji said weakly from his knees.

"Like I said before, Captain Abarai. You underestimated me. You left your guard wide open and I slipped through. Your Bankai is powerful, I will give you that, but it's way too big and bulky for close Hakuda. Farewell, Captain Renji Abarai."

Makuso began to walk away, his Shikai never fading. Makuso knew better than to let his guard down, even after the battle was over.

"W-w-wait... I have one more trick up my sleeve kid!"

Makuso was the one who turned around too late this time.

"HIKOTSU TAIHO!"

Makuso was about 50 feet away from Renji when the blast was fired. His Bankai extended, this was a point-blank for Renji. The snake extended as it hissed loudly and deathly and it opened its mouth. I huge, red, burst-style beam spewed forth from the snake's bony and fanged mouth.

Makuso barely had enough time to throw up his cross-block. If his blades had reverted to their normal form, the effort would have been in vain. In Shikai, Eien no Kaze was wider and more able to deflect attacks.

'U-u-urgh... Come on... DON'T GIVE IN ON ME NOW!'

In a final gambit to win the seemingly one-sided battle between former student and Captain, he turned both his blades sideways from which they were already positioned.

"RRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The battle cry of Makuso was heard by his brother, who was on the opposite position on him in the Seireitei.

'That battle must be getting intense... But I need to focus on my battle now.'

Ryoku went back to his battle with Captain Izuru Kira as Makuso bravely fought for his life and possibly the life of another person, Jenna Rinku.

He kept all of this in mind as the blades that he were holding released all of the anger and resent he kept within him to form a solidified spiritual slash in the same X formation that his blades were in. The green light leaked from his blades like a dam that had been shot with a missile.

'What is he doing?! This kid is just full of surprises! Wait... That energy... Could it be a Getsuga Tensho?'

Renji was too focused on his current thought to remember about his attack. The X form Getsuga pierced right through his Hikotsu Taiho and was a direct hit on Renji. He lost grip of his Zanpakuto and flew back into the nearest wall behind him. Renji knew that it was over before he fired his Hikotsu Taiho.

Truthfully, Renji just wanted to test the young soon-to-be Soul Reaper

'He is just as strong as the rumors. Even more than I had expected or anticipated. Thank you for this battle, Makuso Iwakaze.'

After his final attack of the battle, Makuso fell unconscious.

When he awoke, he remembered nothing. His swords were ext to him in Shikai form. His mock shihakusho was almost in tatters and his arms were bloody from the shoulders down. Then it came to him. He had defeated Captain Renji Abarai, of Squad 6. He looked around for his opponent and saw all of the damage done to his surroundings. There was a huge dent in the wall about 75 to 100 feet away with the imprint of an X on it.

'I did it... But where's Renji?'

He looked at the dent again. Makuso then picked up his swords and began to walk away, as if nothing happened.

'His body isn't there. I didn't kill him, but he should be here. Maybe someone came to pick him up, but didn't notice me. Or maybe they left me here by his request? I don't know. I do know however, that I need some shelter. Maybe a storage shed or something...'

Makuso walked around the Seireitei in search of his shelter for the night. He never did figure out what happened to Renji, but he was grateful for whatever did happen.

AFTER THE BATTLE

"CAPTAIN ABARAI!"

Lieutenant Rikichi ran up to his Captain in shock of the state he was in.

Bloody, covered in plaster and rock with his clothes ripped to shreds. His Bankai was lost and in the ground about 10 feet away from the wall that Renji was suspended on.

"Oh hello Lieutenant." Renji said meekly.

"Save your strength Captain. I need to call Squad 4..."

"No need, Rikichi."

"What do you mean sir?"

"Just carry me to the Squad 4 Barracks. It'll be faster that way."

"But what about your Bankai?I won't be able to carry that."

"Zabimaru and I will revert to normal form any second now. When that happens, take my sword and sheath it. Got it?"

"Yes sir."

Within seconds of Renji's explanation, he nodded off into unconsciousness.

"What happened here Captain?"

Rikichi went to retrieve the Captain's blade and he heard an uneasy silence.

"Captain?" He turned around to his unconscious Captain and grabbed his blade.

"CAPTAIN!"

He ran to his Captain, sheathed his blade and then lifted the unconscious Captain onto his back, as he carried the Captain to the Squad 4 Barracks.


How was it? Was it worth the wait? I hope it was. I stayed up until 1:00 AM writing this for you guys. You be glad! Don't forget to R&R. These next couple of weeks are going to be hell for me, so don't blame me for the lateness of new chapters. See ya

Zabimaru- Snake Tail

Hihio Zabimaru- King Baboon Snake Tail

Hikotsu Taiho- Baboon Bone Cannon