Summary/disclaimer: Time for another chapter of Hornet and Phantom. Enjoy the 4000-word chapter. I don't own Bleach, Tite Kubo and a few others do.
Riku was sent skidding back into the pool where Sui threw herself after him. She grinned as she threw her sword towards him as she flung her sword towards him. Sui sprinted towards him and flipped into a somersault before she kicked off his right shoulder and grabbed her sword. She landed in the chest-high water.
"Always forcing me to battle you in the water," Sui stated with a frown as she tilted her head. "Are you well enough to finish this battle?" Sui asked while she flipped her blade into her other hand.
"The fastest reaper vs someone with damaged ribs?" Riku asked before he flipped his sword into his other hand. "Didn't take the smarter option and fight the best we can? Use all advantages?" Riku questioned before he demonstrated said point.
Riku leaped into the air and kicked his sword down. Sui leaned to dodge it only for the blade to splash water in her face. She felt a hand wrap around her left leg before she was thrown into the water like a stone. It made her realize another reason he preferred to fight in the water and ditched his reaper robes.
'Damn trick. Using the water as a distraction and a way to limit my speed… If he wasn't trying to rile me up? I'd clap for his cunning. I'm starting to enjoy teaching a student.' Sui added mentally as she waited for a response from her friend as she waited to see what his next move was.
Riku grabbed his sword as he and her started to circle each other. She watched him move a hand towards his ribs as he seemed to wait for her move against him. There was as much a contest to see who was cocky enough to test their mettle as anything at the moment.
"I heard someone report the Hollows are still on the rise. Someone is riling them into a frenzy." Riku stated to which Sui frowned at this.
If their enemy was indeed gathering hollows into an army once more? Then they needed to be ready and strike them the second they were able to. She was well aware of the fact that her friend was probably waiting for her to do something before they continued the battle.
"If he shows again? I will deal with him." Sui said before she darted forwards towards her enemy. "The problem, however…" Sui added before a frown crossed her face.
"Is him being told to be brought in without being killed?" Riku asked with a frown of his own. "Yeah. That's an issue I will let the others deal with. Remember, I am but a lowly soldier in the corps." Riku said while his friend frowned at him.
"This comes from a student of one of the lords of the Soul Society," Sui stated before she dashed forwards and locked blades with him.
"Oh. I'm aware, Lady Sui." Riku said while he blocked her blade with his own. "I simply don't wish to base someone's reputation on their own merits. It isn't fair to put someone down because of their standing in life." Riku said while he rolled his eyes.
"I can slice your lips from your face," Siu stated with a frown as her friend nodded towards her as she held her blade into the air.
"Well aware at the moment," Riku said with a frown as he did so. "To be honest? It's nice when we aren't acting like a pair of soldiers trying to slay the other. I'd rather think one of those scars is from a friend rather than an elite soldier who doesn't want me as a partner which meant she's trying to be better." Riku said while he cleared his throat.
He didn't blame the woman for the amount of stress on her mind which made sense considering she was the head of an entire division compared to him. There was also the fact that she was a noble and he wasn't which meant a lot more to her than it did to him who hadn't the faintest clue why it mattered.
He was too busy with trying to stop these thoughts that he hadn't considered that she'd take full advance of it. She slammed into him with the force of a train. He said nothing as they slammed into the water with the force of a bullet. When it came down to it? She was a lot more brutal than she looked when it came down to it. it helped that she was a skilled warrior and that he was still a bit of a training bird that didn't know how best this went.
Sui slammed her sword through the leg of his robes which prevented her from doing something. She followed it up by leaping onto his shoulders which stopped him from doing anything more than struggling. She wrapped her legs around him while wrenching his arms to the side as he tried to force her off him.
She was dangerous and he knew it at the moment. He cursed as he tried to fling the woman off him which didn't do as much when it came down to it. He simply rolled his eyes at the fact she resorted to grappling with the student time and time again. It wasn't as entirely lethal and terrifying as she made it which almost made him pity the woman who was currently trying to crush his throat.
"How many triangle holds are you going to do?" Riku asked with a raised eyebrow towards her. "It isn't exactly as terrifying as you seem to think it is. There are not a lot of layers to this when I think about it. Almost feels like a hug." Riku said while he rolled his eyes as he slowly tried to force himself to his feet.
It didn't take a lot to stop her from crushing his throat while Sui was lithe and agile? She was not as bulky as him which allowed him to grip her legs and stop her from applying more pressure to his throat.
"As many as it takes," Sui said while she gazed at the sky with her robes flowing behind her. "This position seems rather awkward, doesn't it? It seems rather... Scandalous." Sui said while her friend rolled his eyes
"Was that a… Joke?" Riku asked while he rolled his eyes to himself. "It was rather interesting… Then again? It's rather weird. Still? Heh, funny all the same." Riku said before he sighed as he realized he wouldn't get out of this attack through sheer brute force.
He'd simply tear himself free before he shook his head. He wanted nothing more than to joke at her when they weren't brawling to the end of the day while he rolled his eyes.
"Sorry, Captain," Riku said while he rolled his eyes at her before he frowned to himself.
Before the woman was able to say anything? He threw himself backward which tore himself from the blade as well which ripped part of his rips as he sighed to himself. He was rather interested in himself and the progress before he rolled his eyes and looked at her with interest as he sighed and looked at his knee. He was rather interested when it came down to it.
There was more time for him to win when he crossed his arms before he raised an eyebrow towards her. He dusted his arms as he shook his head before he frowned to himself as he swung his arms and looked around.
"Damn it. I just fixed this robe." Riku said with a roll of his eyes before he simply looked at Sui with a smirk. "We going to end up facing off with hands I'm going to take a wild guess and say we aren't at the end of the day? No disrespect? I don't think it's so easy to simply roll into life with no problems at the end of the day." Riku stated to himself while he shook his head.
He smiled to himself before she nodded to herself. She wanted to fight him and he wasn't going to be back down from a battle with her when it came down to it.
He smiled and threw himself towards her with the strength of someone who hadn't been broken his ribs. He kicked her into the deeper water and tried to follow as well. He smirked to himself while he slowly started to pace back and forth. He had another pain that slowly spread to his back.
'B***** hurt my back a lot more than I thought he did. Damn it, the pain is spreading across my back like a spider. It hurts more than it did before. I'm not going to let something like that hamper m too much at the moment.
Still? He had to acknowledge the pain that was still within his body at the end of the day. He cleared his throat as he started to walk towards her while he started to think of how best to fight her.
"I almost wish I was allowed to kill that old man," Riku stated to himself while he frowned to himself. "He did a number on my ribs and it's starting to do a hell of a lot on my speed," Riku added with a lot of pain as he sighed and struggled to stand properly.
Damn that monster for doing this when he considered it. He'd live with it for now. He cleared his throat before he rolled his eyes.
"He stabs me in the chest again? I'm going to lose it on him when it comes down to it." Riku said while he grunted in pain and agony. "Then again? He did a number on me when it came down to it." Riku said while he cleared his throat and sighed to himself.
Then again? He was rather caught off guard at the end of the day. It helped that he was rather thrown off when it came down to it. He cleared his throat and rushed into combat with her once more as he shook his head. Riku knew he wanted to do more… And yet? He combated her as best as he was capable of.
"What do we do next?" Riku asked as he locked his blades into her while he frowned to himself. "There's plenty of things that we need to deal with. Telling the others what the best move is on combating this monster before he hurts someone else at the end of the day." Riku stated while he cleared his throat.
He was kicked into the water before she spiraled towards her friend which caused her blade to shine in the moonlight. She often wondered what life would be like if she had declined her friend's attempts to spar with her. Sui supposed it would be along the lines of her still being more uptight and not willing to admit that her friend had spurred some small part of her heart to care more about her soldiers rather than treat them as assets.
Then again? Many of her soldiers were similar to assets as all of them seemed to be rather at peace with their choices as reapers which didn't surprise her. They had all come to terms with the fact that existence for them was spent as reapers and expendable soldiers who had a duty greater than themselves.
She was no different than them at the end of the day. Both were interested in battle and they were rather happy when it came down to it. She still had a duty to the rest of the world and one which seemed to extend beyond her men. Sui was extendable towards her.
She watched him smirk as she slowly started to slash and cut at him with anger and energy that filled her. It made both of them interested as they started to duel once more. They were happy before they were battling as both sighed before he backpedaled into the water with her hot on his heels.
There was a smirk on both of their faces as they dialed back their combative nature. This had come from being a rather personal training match to a spar between friends who simply hurled petty insults at the other.
"I swear I should kill you," Sui said while a snake-like smirk that seemed warmer and more personal. "If it didn't amuse me so to do it when it came down to it," Sui added with a smirk that crossed her face.
She watched as he passed his sword to his other hand while he raised his eyebrow at her. Another clash of their blades sent both backward with the force of a tank. She stampeded after him with the speed of a cheetah which made him chuckle.
She was taking this battle as seriously as possible and it made him wonder if it was possible to draw this type of behavior out more often. The woman was wound more tightly than a snake and it showed when it came to their topics.
"I'm not going to be that easy to kill someone like me," Riku added to which he frowned to himself. "If it was? He'd have killed me easily when it came down to simple combat." Riku stated while he spun his blade and prepared for more combat with her.
It was rather a fun idea when he considered doing with this battle when it came to their battling while he rolled his eyes. he was rather happy to be combating her as they rolled his eyes and started the battle anew.
Their feet collided which had thrown them both further back and into the ocean. They were both aware of what happened if either showed any signs of weakness which showed in the way they conducted themselves. It helped take a weight off his shoulders and it seemed to take a weight off his shoulders. When he considered it? He also believed it had taken a weight off hers as well. The fact that she didn't once seem to retreat or be annoyed by his beckoning showed that she wanted this 'dance' as often as he did. It showed a lot when they did so with an ease that showed they had been around the other enough time to become comfortable around the other in battle despite their best efforts to stay detached so they weren't used to the other's topics.
How they battled was akin to dancing when either battled the other. She was rather happy to battle him as he didn't treat her as a monster and more as a woman when it came down to it. He was rather interested in what he did next.
"We're going to be doing this over and over." Sui heard as her friend started to think of what to do. "If one of us goes too far? These battles might be found out. What to do then?" Sui hard as her friend seemed to frown.
She hadn't the clue of what to do next. It was rather odd for her to be presented with a question as this when it came down to it. The more time she pondered it in her mind when she reflected on the idea? It felt as if was fun to her when it came down to it. They were both interested in what to do next as they rushed the other with practiced ease like a pair of spiders scuttling around in their web. They danced around the other with their blades clashing a dozen more times with sparks that flew from their weapons as they did so.
He flipped backward and dodged another stab at the nape of his neck before she slammed her foot into his chest. He was kicked into the water by her as they separated once more. He retreated towards the pillars from before and kicked off one and into the higher limits of the area.
He raised an eyebrow at her as she smirked and pursed him with a glint of steel showing her blade as they danced again. It made both rather eager to see their fight continue as they went dance spun into the clouds above their heads as they did so.
She sprinted after him as he flipped to the next pillar at the last second. He cleared his throat and sighed to himself before he finally threw himself to the top of one such pillar.
"This tactic again?" Sui questioned with a smirk as she reached a similar point on her pillar and stared at him. "I'm starting to think a decent idea would be to tie weights to your legs and see how long it takes for you to do it properly," Sui stated while she frowned towards him with a smile as she did so.
The more time she tried to advert this? The more time she had fun toying with her friend at the end of the day. This was rather interesting with the more they had to press themselves to exceed what they had been before.
She felt all the gusts of wind. All the strikes that she had blocked or dodged that had been throwing her backward. She was rather interested in how hard she'd need to press herself to entirely keep up with him. He had placed a lot of effort into battling her and it showed on his face that he was taking this fight more seriously than he had been before. He wasn't to throw himself into this battle, yet he was rather interested in how this ended.
There was the fact that he still smirked which showed her that he had been trying his best and still trying to be funny. He was working on both accounts if his plan was this.
"This is almost like a dance of death and spiderwebs if I'm 100 honest," Riku stated while he started to climb higher and glance at her with interest as he sighed to himself. "There's too little noise for this to be done quietly if it comes down to it. It's fun if I'm not lying at the end of the day." Riku said before he simply started to throw himself to another pillar.
He glanced at her with an interest in his eyes. She threw herself towards her with interest as he flipped downwards to another pillar.
"This fun is being sliced in 2?" Sui questioned with a raised eyebrow. "We both are aware of what happens if I pin you down and stop you from running around in this place. This has to end before it comes down to the others find out what happens next." Sui stated while she smiled to herself.
He rolled his eyes before he started to think of what to do next. He nodded to himself while she smiled to herself before she glanced at her with interest. He happened to throw her back for a second before he sliced at her. He smiled to himself and started to climb a bit higher as he sighed to himself. She glanced at him before he nodded her once more. He was rather interested in what came next before he smiled to himself.
"We both are going to be doing this dance 1000 times as it comes to it. I don't need to throw soldiers away if this is what I can expect." Sui said with another smirk crossed her face.
"This is going to end with someone being killed before something honestly happens if I'm not lying," Riku said before he rolled his eyes at his friend and started to battle her anew. "C'mon. Let's finish this before the night ends at the time. I'm not going to throw you into the ceiling when it comes down to it. I'm not the type to slice someone down and yet and when it happens to be someone like you?" Riku said while he tapped on the pillar once more.
He smiled to himself before he deflected another one of her blades which almost caught her. He was rather happy to be in a battle with his friend once more. They were more ready to end this battle. Yet? She was far too happy to simply continue the battle as of now. they both wanted this battle and anything else wasn't an option. The two reapers wanted nothing more than to clash again and again and anything else wasn't at all on the table as of now. He frowned yet he glanced at her as he threw himself and tapped on the pillar next to him.
"This will end before we do anything." Sui heard while she frowned to herself. "We aren't exactly going to do anything," Riku said as he flipped onto a ledge before he planned what to do next.
He was well aware of what happened if he failed as of the moment. Yet he wasn't aware of what to do next of what happened when it came down to it. He wasn't once to prepare for the woman to slash at him. She rolled onto the platform and glanced at him. He wasn't surprised that she easily followed him. She matched him entirely in speed and other traits and it wasn't as if he was surprised by it.
They clashed again as she tried to catch him in the head with an ick which he dodged. It hadn't surprised him as he managed to catch it and throw her down while he simply managed to catch it and throw her at the wall before she kicked off it and tried to throw them off the tower. He managed to catch her strike on the tip of his blade and smiled as he tried to throw her off him.
"Heh," Riku said before he smiled to himself and started to slash at her once more.
He dodged a strike that almost decapitated him. her blade stabbed into stone near him with a far more interesting smile that showed that as seriously as he appeared to take this battle there was still a little amusement in his steps. He threw himself to the side while he tried to swipe at her with his blade which she deflected with a flick of her blade. It reminded him that she was still as deadly as he cared for her to be.
The two friends clashed with a bloodied fury which was only matched by the fact that their lee honestly seemed almost insatiable. Both were not once to submit in their hellish battle and it seemed as if both found some sort of interest in how the other battle.
They seemed almost entirely happy to battle the other in their clash of blades and they smiled as they slammed their blades into the other.
"Please tell me this isn't at all the effort I can expect from my student," Sui stated with a smile which her friend only matched by her friend.
"Only warming up. It's still going to be a while before I can match you in a real battle." Sui stated to which her friend raised an eyebrow at her.
He was honestly ready to collapse. Yet he needed to rip into her as this went down to it.
Author Notes
Phew. Another chapter is done! I want to point out that the next chapter will be longer when it comes down to it? The next chapter will be 900-6500 words and will be in 2-10 months and will show more of the clash and Sui and Riku bonding and such. The next chapter might be delayed as of now. The next chapter will be a bit longer maybe. Until then, Lighting wolf out!