Summary/disclaimer: Time for another chapter of Hornet and Phantom. Enjoy the 2500-word chapter. I don't own Bleach, Tite Kubo and a few others do.

Riku dodged Sui-Feng's slash before taking a kick backwards, he hummed before retrieving his sword once more.

"Did you reflect on the question from before?" Sui-Feng questioned to which Riku hummed. "You are aware of which one I refer to," Sui added as Riku hummed and simply shrugged.

He spun his sword and deflected a strike that would have skewered his eye. He flipped backwards and looked at her with interest. Their blades shone in the dark as they circled the other, eager for their blood.

"You know there's no easy answer for something like that, Sui," Riku stated, locking blades with Sui. "What is a warrior without a battle to fight? Do you think either of us could persist without a duty to fight for? Something to strive for? I don't… With all due respect? I don't." Riku added, grabbing her foot and stopping it an inch from his face.

Riku pivoted, roundhouse kicking the captain backwards. Sui hummed and looked at the warrior. She had grown a respect for him. Riku looked at her with the caution and experience of someone who had fought her several times.

"You cannot picture a life without duty?" Sui-Feng asked, leaping into the air to launch another strike at Riku.

"Neither of us can, Sui," Riku stated to which Sui shrugged as he sidestepped the blade. "You know it's not a life we'd ever be granted. We'd be guilty over never getting to fight for what we believed in." Riku added, feeling a nick that cut into his robes with annoyance.

Riku looked at Sui-Feng who simply smiled as Riku shook his head. A small smirk parted his lips as he blocked the blade. He sliced her stomach, causing Sui to look at the cut in her robes.

"Now you can't get mad at mine having a cut in them," Riku said, throwing himself backwards as Sui threw her sword at him.

She quickly gained the sword back, continuing to slash at him once more. Riku either slowly parried the strikes or tried to dodge them, several of them cut into his skin and robes. He did know she was not trying to kill him, or she'd place more effort into the attacks.

Sui said nothing, it wasn't like the words were untrue… But she did often think about what life would be like outside the Soul Society. Riku stayed his hand despite the moment of hesitation she had, their fight had unspoken rules… But rules regardless.

Sui nodded at Riku who took a fighting stance once more. The duo spread their feet apart, swords at the ready once again.

"Thinking about what life would be like then?" Riku questioned and got a nod as he rushed forward. "It's good to think about something other than war. You shouldn't let your mind be crippled by indecision." Riku stated before Sui swung around, smashing her foot into his chin and sending him flipping to the ground.

"Ow…" Riku muttered as he turned to see his sword stuck in the ground. "Was that needed?" Riku questioned while retrieving his sword from the ground.

"Was because you weren't paying attention," Sui stated as she brushed off her sword. "And for destroying my robes," Sui added, a small smirk of her own.

Riku could only roll his eyes and turned to shake his sword. He cracked his jaw, the pain slowly brushing across his features.

"You know I'm not trying to kill you, yes?" Riku questioned, raising an eyebrow as he hummed. "I swear you could have broken my jaw, Sui. Then what would people say?" Riku questioned as he hummed and cracked his fingers.

Sui said nothing, simply pointing her sword at Riku who responded by readying his blade. He raised an eyebrow at her stance, however.

"That's my stance, you're doing it wrong, you know." Riku pointed out as he rolled his eyes. "Why would you try a move you've barely just seen?" Riku questioned as he prepared to fight once more.

"If you can master such a bestial pose, surely I can," Sui stated, gaining a raised eyebrow from Riku. "You are telling me I'm doing it incorrectly? You're not even holding the blade with both hands!" Sui stated to which Riku finally decided to teach.

"Because one, it's held in one hand to quickly switch to the other," Riku said as he slowly walked over. "Two? Your feet are too far apart and you're putting too much strain on your spine. Do you want me to show you?" Riku asked and put his sword onto the hip sheath once more.

"And why would I require that?" Sui questioned before Riku looked at the captain. "Speak of this instance and I shall cut your tongue out myself," Sui added, awkwardly allowing Riku to nod and look at her.

The woman held the sword in her right hand with her left positioned below her. Her feet were paced oddly apart in a way that seemed similar to a spider. If the stance was done right? Sui-Feng would be ready to drop the blade into her waiting hand and slash him across the chest.

"The spider stance was designed so if you went to strike my sword hand?" Riku asked, grabbing the limb. "Then I would quickly drop the sword to my other hand and stab you in the chest… It's dependent on the enemy falling for the feint and being willing to strike a disarming blow." Riku said, setting her feet apart more.

"Can we just get back to fighting and you show me later?" Sui questioned, a faint blush crossing her face as she did so.

"Ok, just wanted to help." Riku pointed out, setting his stance up once more.

Riku dodged a kick before being sent being backwards which could have broken his ribs. He shook his head as he brought up his sword to block hers. Sui hummed as sparks danced from both of their blades.

"You don't want to use your Bankai?" Riku asked, bemused at her annoyance rather than anything else.

He threw himself backwards, knowing that Sui-Feng would overpower him given enough time. She might have not been built like a house, but she was certainly stronger than she looked… Something a smart warrior would have understood instantly.

Sui-Feng smirked as Riku put distance between him and her, she quickly closed the distance, knowing that she was faster than Riku.

"You know well what 2 stings mean, Riku." Sui put in as she dodged a slash at her hip before he grabbed her arm… And you mean zanpakuto. Unless you would like to be dodging missiles that could blow holes within you." Sui put in to which Riku cursed.

"Misses are far less dangerous than the idea of dodging you in direct combat, Sui," Riku stated and cracked his fingers. "Or do you forget that ALL of us are aware of that?" Riku said before Sui landed a kick upon the warrior, forcing him to leap to one of the pillars.

Sui chased after Riku, leaping onto one of the pillars as well. She leapt, he slashed. She leapt once more and sparks flew as the duo rushed up different beams, he flipped backwards to another beam and kicked off as Sui stabbed her blade into the pillar.

She felt blood spill from her right arm as she turned to see Riku rush up the pillar. She dug her blade into the stone to see the sword had shredded the right sleeve of her captain's Haori.

This caused her to smirk. If it was ONE thing that Riku could bring out of her? It was a desire for a fair contest. Riku gripped onto the beam and looked down at the captain.

"How are you still a mere grunt?" Sui questioned to which the Onmitsukido soldier simply shrugged. "You're fighting with all you have now, yes?" Sui asked and got a nod.

He knew the captain was eager for payback. Their dance of death across cold stone had barely even registered on their feet, they moved too fast to feel the cold winds. Still? Riku knew Sui Feng was more than a match for him in a fight.

"Do you wish for me to hold back?" Riku asked and got a shake of the head. "Do remember you said that you wouldn't blame me for cutting up your uniform… You said the same goes for me." Riku pointed out to which the captain nodded.

"You do realize I will not be holding back either…" Sui added as Riku nodded. "Good, continue. I wish to talk when the fight is concluded." Sui added before transforming her weapon into the stinger.

Riku sighed and dropped downwards. If he knew anything? It was that not only would Sui be dodging more since she couldn't rely upon her blade to block such weapons.

"This is going to be horrid, isn't it?" Riku asked himself aloud. "You may ask that question anyway; I doubt I won't have time to answer it. We are fighting to the death, are we not?" Riku questioned, eyebrow raised.

Sui nodded as they kicked off their pillars at the other, her finger extended like a bee. Riku was quick to twist around her, throwing himself off her to the other pillar as Sui discarded the torn sleeve.

Riku watched her grab the fabric, wrapping her feet around the pillar to keep her balance. He almost wanted to chuckle at the move before he simply threw himself back at her.

"If you do so enjoy fighting me so much? Why not ask during regular training?" Sui asked as she twisted around the side of the pillar. "You've asked to train with me more than the rest of the group," Sui stated before she leapt at Riku as he hummed.

He dodged the stab, trying to aim at her hands to dislodge her from the pillar.

"You know for a fact why I state this," Riku stated as he dodged for a moment.

It was then Sui flung the sleeve around his right arm. She stabbed her blade into his upper right chest, leaving a single mark while also tearing into his robes which made Riku growl as Sui wrapped her legs around him, pinning the duo to the pillar.

Riku raised an eyebrow as Sui-Feng transformed her sword back into its sealed form. Riku said nothing as he deflected the hit while he kicked off, putting some space between the duo once more. He knew she was trying to pin him down once more.

"Your well aware your faster than me, yes?" Riku questioned, trying to undo the torn sleeve which bound his arm to the pillar.

"Your quite skilled when I look at you," Sui said, stabbing at Riku who blocked it as she continued to try and stab the warrior.

Riku paused her sword inches from his face before planting his feet on the pillar and pushing outwards, this propped them from the pillar. Sui fought to keep them anchored for if Riku managed to get free? He would escape.

However? He did, pushing her feet from the pillar the leaping to the other one, tearing his sleeve off to escape the binding. He twisted away from the captain who was left only with the ripped fabric of Riku's sleeve and part of the chest of the robe.

Riku leapt at the captain, slashing her back as he kicked off the pillar to a lower section. Sui pursed him; blade raised. They bounced back and forth between pillars, sparks lighting up the sky like dancing stars. He looked at Sui-Feng, one of his sword's flicks cut into the ankles of her robes, another of her strikes left a cut on his cheek as it parted the rest of the robe on his chest. A third final slash cut off her other sleeve and part of the sash and her robe.

"You pinned me to get a clear shot… Yet you didn't take it." Riku stated, pausing to try and shake any exhaustion he had at the moment. "You know, I was heavily scared of being killed… It's interesting from so high up here, isn't it?" Riku questioned, looking down upon the city below.

Sui paused her fighting to look upon the Soul Society. These pillars came from a construction project long abandoned, a lookout in case the Soul Society was ever attacked.

Sui often thought the idea nonsensical and ridiculous. The Soul Society had army upon army ready to defend it if need be. Why would you need such a precaution if you had no end to the supply of warriors?

"The Soul Society looks quite small from here," Riku stated as he pulled himself to a small perch.

Riku looked at the various small cuts on him. Sui Feng leapt to the pillar, perching upon it like a small spider. He looked at the slightly wounded warrior. Their wounds were quite treatable.

"You know we will have words over this damage to our attire," Sui stated which got Riku to nod. "But yes, I assume it does. These pillars are quite high off the ground. I believe the other captains would have noticed it." Sui stated as Riku shrugged and shook his head.

"I could only assume they DON'T," Riku stated, crossing his arms. "How do you think they care? I'm just a regular soldier and you are a captain. They'd be more curious about why this happened." Riku stated as he hummed once more.

Sui Feng looked at Riku who looked at peace despite the cuts despite himself. Riku could only wonder what came next.

"This is nice, isn't it?" Riku asked, questioning what would come next to it.

Sui nodded, allowing herself a small smile which caused her to believe that something would be interesting.

"Do you want to talk about it tomorrow?" Sui questioned to which Riku nodded as he hummed.

"I know why your so standoffish towards the rest of us, Sui," Riku said and clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. "Isolation doesn't help someone, not when they need to know someone supports them." Sui heard from Riku as he cracked his knuckles.

Sui-Feng said nothing, preferring to simply savour the moment. It was peaceful.

They didn't know a figure watching them, wishing to kill the duo where they stood… And would try soon enough.

Author Notes

Phew. Another chapter is done! I want to point out they didn't cut themselves badly, it's like Samurai Jack cuts. The next chapter will hopefully be in 2-12 weeks and will feature a talk and more bonding. I might set up fights, but I don't know if people like them. Until then, Lighting Wolf out!

P.S: Next chapter is 1500 words… Also, thanks for the reviewer at the moment!