I got about 500 words through the first version of this chapter before deciding I couldn't write from the character's perspective for that long and scrapped it. Hope this is a wee bit better.
-I am a line break, beginning the story-
It is such a pain training as a division when the lieutenant and captain of the division are too sick half the time to be there, Shibata Kasumi reflects. It really shouldn't fall to the fifth seat to be directing things.
Not her problem, though. Besides, it's more of a pain to deal with the Eleventh Division shouting insults at her. They just can't get it through their thick skulls that having a non-melee-type Zanpakuto doesn't make you weak, which is why they keep challenging her and losing badly. She doesn't let herself think that maybe it was a bad idea to reveal the nature of her sword by walking into the most crowded training hall and thrashing a bunch of them before announcing her transfer to the Ninth Division.
Kasumi grumbles as she adjusts the bandages covering a good part of her torso. These things can get very itchy, but they're very handy if you get in fights as much as she does.
"Hey, punk! You're supposed to be sparring, not fiddling with your clothes!" A male voice bellows from just behind her. Captain Muguruma, for once.
Kasumi whirls to find that he's practically bent double trying to glare directly into her eyes. She isn't sure if being short is a perk- you don't get to see such an intimidating man looking so ridiculous very often- or not, since pretty much everyone refuses to take her seriously unless she's belligerent. The tiny Shinigami hasn't been anything close to peaceful for a while, so that works out.
"And yer supposed to be restin'!" Kasumi howls back. "Aren't ya?!" She gives her best approximation of Kensei's death glare to the white-haired man.
Which, as it turns out, is not a match for the real thing, as he looks largely unmoved apart from taking a step or two back. If the movements were unusually stiff and measured, she pretends not to notice. "Don't be insubordinate! Get back to training and stop bothering me!" The tall man yells back.
Kasumi doesn't feel like arguing, so she grumbles and turns around to face her opponent, a dark-skinned man named Tosen Kaname. He's the fifth seat of the division, but there's talk of making him fourth seat because a mission a few months back killed the third and fourth seats. Personally, the belligerent Shinigami finds the man so reluctant to fight that she thinks she'd make a better choice than him.
The two Shinigami study each other for a few seconds, taking fighting stances silently. Then the two draw their Zanpakuto, Tosen doing so before his opponent, and release their swords.
"Cry, Cricket." The fifth seat intones firmly.
"Burn away all falsehoods, Heart of the Stars!" Kasumi calls, wakizashi transforming into two bladed war fans, gilded gold flashing brightly as blue fire runs down their lengths.
A high-pitched tone sings out from Tosen's Zanpakuto, sending her reeling. The momentary opening is enough for the blind man to dart in, sword moving to make a light incision across her chest.
The target he's chosen is a particularly bad choice, though, instincts bringing her fans swinging up to shove his blade away with a speed that only desperation brings.
"Tennin's Assault!" Kasumi yowls, slashing in an X pattern at Tosen's chest and snapping a side kick out at his stomach. Both fan strikes are dodged easily, and her reach isn't long enough for her kick to touch him.
The momentary confusion written over the fifth seat's face- named techniques have to do something- is erased as a blast of blue fire is projected at him, originating from a point just in front of the smaller Shinigami's foot.
Maybe the Second Division has something there with surprise, Kasumi thinks as she lunges forward through the ensuing smoke to press her advantage.
Of course, no one who actually knows her would be surprised by such an attack, and Tosen's ready to counter her, katana stopping the downwards swing of her fans.
"I believe you earned first blood. As such, this round of sparring comes to an end." He says distastefully.
Before Kasumi can try to go on- Tosen's actually an interesting foe for once-, she spots Captain Muguruma, white as paper, just about to collapse and steadying himself on the wall across the courtyard. Any further belligerence evaporates in favor of helping him, and the short Shinigami makes a flying leap over Tosen, using her very limited knowledge of flash-step to evade the sparring Shinigami as she dashes across the courtyard.
"Captain Muguruma!" Kasumi hisses urgently, trying not to draw attention in case it turns out he's fine. "Are you-"
"I should've stayed back there? You don't run my life, Hollow bastard. Get out." Kensei grunts, teeth gritted. Suddenly he notices her presence, eyes narrowing. "Don't go trying to play Fourth Division with me, punk. I'll ki- be fine. I'm heading back to division headquarters." A strange sort of shuddering growl invades the end of his words, and the Ninth Division's captain hacks a few times. "Go back to whatever you were doing."
Kensei straightens, walking with short, painful steps out of the courtyard. Kasumi doesn't notice the way he's gripping his Zanpakuto's hilt with white knuckles, caught up in scowling and muttering about ungrateful snowy-haired idiots.
She turns and starts back towards Tosen. Round one's over, huh? Time for round two to start...
-I am a line break, ending the story-
I may have dropped a few hints about Kasumi and her identity in other chapters and pointed to them with this one. Just maybe. Sorry for the short chapter length, too. Review anyway?