Disclaimer: No I do not own Bleach.

Heart of Wind

Chapter 12: Storms and Lightning; Let the Tempest slash

"If you believe that, then let me tell you something." Kemura pulled his Soul Slayer out of the roof. "And that is the true nature of my Soul Slayer. All I have shown you so far is simply a meager portion of its, and my, real power. Here is my true strength…in the form of your doom." Suddenly he was surrounded four glowing balls of lightning, each the size of a basketball. "Are you prepared to face my ultimate technique, and my true ability?"

Takai glanced at each of the balls in turn, and then casually rested his Soul Slayer against his shoulder. "You need to ask me that? Are you preparing for something?"

"Preparing?" Kemura swung his sword once and the balls all scatter to the four corners of the rooftop, each one hovering a few feet above the overhang. "I do not need to prepare for this. Let us begin."

Kemura charged right at Takai, his speed suddenly much higher than it was before. "Shield yourself or die, Takai Ito!"

Takai lifted the blade of his Soul Slayer up in front of him, ready to block anything thrown his way. "Don't get cocky because you suddenly have an audience." His left eye twitched slightly and he turned on one heel, slapping away a small bolt of lightning that came from the ball closest to that corner. ("The lightning balls attack?") He realized his error and turned just in time to block Kemura's sword with his own. "This is your Soul Slayer's special ability? You intend to attack me from five sides at once?"

"No…" Kemura closed his eyes. "I intend to attack you from all directions at once."

Each of the balls of lightning suddenly unleashed a crackling rope of electricity towards each other, forming the outline of a square around the rooftop. Kemura's eyes opened, and he shouted, "Raikou Senkou!" (Lightning Flash)

Everything on the rooftop disappeared in an explosion of blue lightning, and when that lightning cleared it revealed that the entire rooftop had been hit by lightning…

"That is my Shikai, and that is its ultimate power." Kemura slowly lowered his sword, calmly watching as the blackened form of Takai collapsed to the rooftop. "I can flood the entire area those balls surround with lightning. No matter how much insight your Soul Slayer gives you, it isn't enough to win this battle against me. That is because my attack cannot be avoided and cannot be stopped…seeing through it only shows you your doom."

Takai's body twitched a couple of times, his Soul Slayer already returned to its sealed form.

"It's a shame really…that you were able to push me so far but not able to stand against my full power. But I suppose that is the truth behind our strengths…mine is amazing, and yours is rather lackluster." He scoffed and turned to walk away. "What kind of Shikai was that anyway…insight shouldn't need to be given through a Soul Slayer, it should be earned like any other strength."

"You're right…" Takai's eyes opened slightly, and he managed to stumble to his feet. "I should have planned better for such a thing…."

"Planning wouldn't have mattered at all, because no matter what you do, you cannot win. Your Soul Slayer can let you defeat any close-range opponent…but against me it is nearly useless." Kemura lifted his sword to point right at Takai's throat. "Now let me end your suffering."

Takai picked up his Soul Slayer, the no-longer clear blade reflecting in the light. "Sorry…Kemura…"

"There is no need to apologize. You gave it your best…but that simply was not enough. Now sleep, Takai Ito…knowing you got close…" Kemura's sword hummed as lightning crackled along its blade.

Takai smiled weakly. "That's not what I meant. I chose the wrong Shikai for this fight…"

"The Wind Princess' Shikai won't work either." Kemura frowned. "You cannot win, you understand…"

"What are you talking about, stupid?" Takai's entire body started to glow. "She and I are different people…I can't use her Shikai. When I was talking about having two Shikai…I was talking about my own two Shikai." His Soul Slayer's blade started to glow red. "The two-headed snake…has two brains. One is focus and calm…and the other…" All around him, the air started to violently blow. "…is rage and anger."

Kemura was forced back a step as a powerful burst of spiritual energy slammed against him. ("What was that?")

Takai's eyes no longer were calm. They reflected a powerful rage that seemed impossible on his face. It was as if the very rage of the gods was reflected in his eyes. ("Urahara-san said it himself. This power is something unique…a power reflected by the dual nature of my existence with that woman…a power that could one day be more powerful than any other. But all of that doesn't matter right now.") His eyes were locked onto Kemura. "Let's end this, Kemura Ushudan!"

Kemura felt that huge spiritual force swell up, and then it exploded to life around Takai's body as an aura of blood red flame. ("What is this power? There couldn't be a Soul Slayer with two separate Shikai, can there?")

Takai's mouth slowly opened, that spiritual force expanding until it nearly covered the rooftop. "Rippuku no Tenshu, Kiratenrai!" (Divine Killer) That fire was suddenly sucked inwards, as his small sword swelled to the size of a normal katana. Its blade turned blood red, and its cross-guard and hilt spiked outwards, turning the entire Soul Slayer into a potential weapon.

Kemura's eyes widened and those crackling balls of lightning flared up. "You think you scare me now? Hah!" He launched in, following up the charges of his four balls.

Takai's eyes were now a glowing crimson red. "Come."

Kemura leapt in at flash-step speed, bringing the crackling edge of his blade down towards Takai's exposed chest.

Takai turned on one heel and blocked, red sparks coming from his blade. "Is that it?"

Kemura's eyes widened as he realized that one of the spikes of the cross-guard of Takai's Soul Slayer was burning red-hot, and he knew this because it was stabbing him in the hand. Biting back a cry of pain, he stumbled back right as one of his lightning balls came flying by to slam right into Takai's chest.

Takai narrowed his eyes and slashed through the attacking ball like it was moving in slow-motion. "I'm not in the mood for games anymore!" He took a single step back and stabbed the blade of his Soul Slayer into the rooftop. "This is the end, Kemura!"

The Ex-Vice-Captain realized that Takai was serious, and he formed a ball immediately too replaced the one he lost, while concentrating his power towards using the Raikou Senkou. ("I won't let you finish me off so easily!") "Raikou…"

"Jigen Kizu!" Takai screamed at the top of his lungs as he snapped his arm towards Kemura, tearing up the surrounding rooftop through the force of his pull. He slashed the air, but instead of the quiet howl of the normal attack, there was an immense and roaring red crescent that washed over Kemura, and then proceeded to tear a ten-foot wide slash through the next 500 feet of ground in its path. As that burning attack finally faded, the aftermath of its power was revealed.

Kemura stood, a crackling barrier of lightning between him and Takai. "What was that attack? Your attack was never that strong."

"That is the power of the Divine Killer." Takai snapped his Soul Slayer up calmly to point at Kemura through his barrier. "With it, my power is increased by about three times or so!" As if on cue, Kemura's barrier shuddered and exploded, as if it had been cut by a million swords from different directions. "Like I said, this is the end."

Kemura narrowed his eyes, his full power pooling itself into his sword. "Don't get too cocky, this fight is far from over!"

Takai didn't respond, he just charged in and clashed blades with Kemura, creating a shockwave that shook the school to its core.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Ryushin continued to let Homorue lean on him, sighing at how much the taller man seemed to weigh. "You really shouldn't have let them cut you like that."

The blond-haired Death God chuckled helplessly. "Yeah…I know…I got a little carried away." Then they both felt it. That burning power from before…when Takai had won in his fight against Urahara was back. Picking up speed, they hurried towards the rooftop of school. But when they reached the schoolyard, they ran into Asura, who was just looking up at the low-powered explosions of energy that were coming from just out of their range of sight on the rooftop.

"It's begun…so let's sit back and watch the show." The punk watched the fireworks overhead intently. "And let's see if Ito can kick this guy's ass."

-------------------------------------

Kemura stumbled back as another explosive blast of red spiritual energy pounded against the aura of electricity he had formed around himself to keep safe. ("He's getting stronger...")

"What's the matter, Kemura?" Takai brought his Soul Slayer crashing down against Kemura's Soul Slayer, both weapons releasing sparks of blue and red once more. "I can feel your energy slipping…what's the matter?" He shoved forward, pushing the Ex-Vice Captain back on his heels. "Am I too much for you?"

Kemura tried to block once more, this time the blow so violently strong that his whole body shook from the impact. ("What is this intense strength? This can't be something that a Soul Slayer can do…it can't be!") Feeling his strength renew itself by his mind's confidence, he roared out and let his spiritual force slam into Takai's, both clashing in the air and then breaking away. "I am not going to fall to your foolish rage! Die!" Lightning crashed down and slammed into Takai, sending the boy sliding back a few feet.

Takai's body loosened slightly, smoke rising from some of the cuts he had gotten as the wounds cauterized. "That…" His head snapped up, eyes still burning red. "…was it?" Then he stabbed his sword into the rooftop. "Jigen Kizu!" Another crescent of screaming death exploded from the blade when he swung it.

Kemura took another step back, his barrier forming just in time to prevent the wild blast from overtaking him. ("His attack is meant to cut, not consume. Therefore, it cannot be at full strength when he tries to use it like that. If he continues to expend such huge amounts of spiritual energy, then I will be able to win!")

Takai's shoulders slumped slightly, his eyes hidden behind his hair. "I…I'm getting tired of this game!" He suddenly snapped his eyes up again, charging in to strike at Kemura's barrier with all of his might. The barrier resisted for a moment, and then shattered.

Kemura used his sword to block the weakened attack, eyes slightly narrowed and a small smile on his face. "I can feel it…you're expending too much of your energy to hope to life through this fight. You'll never strike me down…"

"Shut up!" Takai tried to push in again, but felt his entire body groan in protest. Letting out a quiet growl, he managed to force his body to take a step back. ("What's the matter with me? Why I am so tired?") His eyes widened as he felt one of his knuckles crack itself. ("Damn it…this is too much for me. But it's too late…his Shikai counters Crystal Harmony…this is the only choice!")

Kemura stabbed his sword into the ground at his side, using its hilt to rest his hand on. "This is the curtain call, Takai Ito."

"Heh…don't get too cocky. I still can break down your defenses with a few well-placed strikes…" Takai suddenly heard it. The sound of lots of electricity at once. Turning his head to look behind him, he saw that the sky was filled with balls and ropes of lightning. He was surrounded.

"You made a huge mistake in this battle." Kemura was no longer smiling. His expression was deadly calm. "That mistake was your fear."

"Fear?" Takai snarled, the flaming aura around him swelling slightly. "What are you talking about? At no point in this fight did I act in a way that…"

"You became afraid because I used my Shikai and you thought that your first Shikai couldn't counter it." Kemura frowned. "You became too quick to change to a dangerous and apparently difficult technique that you can't even use for more than a minute."

"A minute…" Takai felt like their battle when he had activated Divine Killer had been a lifetime. "All that was only a minute?"

"Indeed it was. That is why I wasn't worried, despite that nearly invincible killing force that was aimed for my body." Kemura slowly pulled his sword out of the decimated roof. "It was because I could tell from the way you were shaking while using it…you cannot control that power, Takai Ito. And now you are near the end. Because you cancelled your insight, you have placed yourself in a position where I could easily set you up for defeat."

The ropes and balls of lightning all slowly began to close in on Takai from all sides, including directions in the air.

Kemura closed his eyes. "Die, Takai Ito." The attacks all crashed in at once, the noise not enough to drown out Takai's screams of pain. "And that is the end of you."

"Heh…" An explosion of wind came from within the dust cloud. "Not quite…little child." Takai came flying out of the cloud, his Soul Slayer back in its original form. "Gyou, Arashi Karyuudo!" (Storm Hunter) The sword disappeared, replaced by a chain made of bladed links.

Kemura's eyes widened and he leapt back just before the first link of that chain went through his eye. He stumbled back, scrambling to defend himself as hits almost faster than his perception came in at every side, the chain dancing around him and almost striking of its own accord. Finally, he found the second he needed to release a blast of lightning from his Soul Slayer that bought him a precious moment to break away from a skirmish that would have killed him. "Damn it…you must be the Wind Princess. I should have expected you…"

Takai smiled calmly, his emerald eyes glittering in the sunlight. "Sorry, I don't tend to give warnings."

Kemura knew he couldn't win against this type of opponent. ("However, he will be here shortly. He said he would come if she came out…") He lifted his sword up to defend himself. "In but three minutes, Tensutsu-sama will arrive. He will be a much better challenge for one of your caliber, Wind Princess."

Takai's sneering face frowned slightly. "So…Tensutsu is coming here huh?" He sighed. "Then sorry, I don't have time to play. And I don't have time to find a way past your annoying tricks and traps."

"You have no choice in the matter. Fight me, Wind Princess." Kemura prepared himself. ("I will hold against her at least that long…)

Takai closed his eyes. After a few moments, he smiled calmly. "Well I'll be damned…"

"So you feel my spiritual force now, don't you? And therefore, you think you can win easily…but you will be surprised when I…" Kemura went silent as Takai exploded into laughter. "I would watch your tongue…"

"Idiot." Takai met Kemura eye to eye. "I'm not laughing because of that. I'm laughing for a different reason."

Kemura couldn't help himself…he had to ask. "What is that?"

Takai continued to smile. "You'll be dead in exactly thirty seconds…" His Soul Slayer suddenly disappeared, its body simply dissipating into mist. "Bankai."

To be continued…