I do now own Bleach or any of the characters.
Ranking Up
Kurai walked over to the pair and they both stopped. They were the Third and Fifth seat officers of Squad Eleven of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads in the Soul Society: Ikkaku Madarame, the Third Seat, and Yumichika Ayasegawa, the Fifth Seat.
"Hello Kurai," Ikkaku greeted as both smiled. "What's up?"
"Yes, how could a beautiful person such as myself help you?" Yumichika questioned.
"You can't," Kurai stated simply. "Though I am going to make you very unhappy."
"How's that?" Yumichika questioned.
"You remember that one can skip rank by battling someone of a higher rank and winning don't you Ikkaku?" Kurai questioned.
"So you want to be Third Seat now huh?" Ikkaku smirked. "I take it Captain Zaraki agreed?"
"He did," Captain Zaraki nodded stepping around the corner. "And as I have to watch, you had better make this good."
"I'm surprised you're not going for Lieutenant," Ikkaku noted drawing his sword and holding his sheath in reverse grip in his right hand.
"I don't want to fight Yachiru," Kurai stated. "I don't like fighting anything that resembles a child. Especially when that child would likely kill me. Or Kenpachi would if I hurt her."
"Did you just call me Kenpachi?" Captain Zaraki snarled. "I thought my squad had respect."
"I apologize Captain," Kurai bowed. "Please forgive me."
"Very well," Captain Zaraki sighed. "I don't really care anyway as long as you don't waste my time with a pointless fight."
"Never Captain," Kurai promised. "Now then, Ikkaku, where were we?"
Ikkaku grinned and sprinted forward, slashing at Kurai who blocked it then ducked under the sheath, driving the hilt of his zanpakuto into Ikkaku's stomach then stepped past him and turned around. Ikkaku stood growling in frustration then charged forward, attacking Ichigo with both the zanpakuto and the sheath rapidly, Kurai deflecting them each time Ikkaku struck at him. Finally, they both jumped, throwing a kick. Their feet met and they pushed of each other, jumping away.
"Not bad," Ikkaku growled.
"Thank you," Kurai grinned. "I take the time to observe my opponents before battling them. Unfortunately, I've only ever seen you use that form. I would be honored to have you use your released form."
"Have it your way then," Ikkaku grinned holding his zanpakuto horizontally and driving the buttcap into the opening of the sheath. "Extend, Hozukimaru."
The sword and sheath glowed for a moment before forming a long staff with a red tassel on one end and a spear head on the other. Ikkaku darted forward, slashing at Kurai. He blocked it but the bladed end extended further, connected to the rest by a chain. It swung around at Kurai who threw himself away, landing on his feet and feeling something warm and wet run down his face, making him close his left eye.
"Damn," Kurai growled wiping it away and holding his thumb on the cut. "My depth perception is bad enough already."
"Even shallow cuts above the eye bleed profusely," Ikkaku grinned. "Wiping it away won't help. And keeping a hand on it isn't an option!"
He sprinted forward, driving the blade at Kurai, who stepped out of the way, closing his eye and moving his hand back to the grip of his own zanpakuto, blocking the blade as Ikkaku swung it around at him. Ikkaku spun the other way and the back end of the staff smashed into Kurai's back, throwing him into the wall opposite him. Kurai stood, groaning and stretching to see if his back was as broken as it felt. He sighed before spitting out some blood that had run into his mouth.
"Gross," Kurai growled. "Let me guess, it's a three part pole."
"Correct," Ikkaku grinned. "Shall we continue?"
"Of course," Kurai grinned.
He sprinted forward and slashed at Ikkaku, praying he was actually as far away as his shot depth perception was telling him how far away he was correctly. It wasn't. His sword barely nicked Ikkaku's robes as he stepped back before grinning and spinning Hozukimaru, the pole splitting into three sections, the back end smashing into the side of Kurai's face before the blade carved a channel in his abdomen. Kurai staggered past Ikkaku as he reconnected his staff and smashed the back into Kurai, launching him down the street.
"You really do have terrible Depth Perception," Ikkaku chuckled. "Shame. I was hoping for a good fight."
"So was I," Captain Zaraki sighed.
"Damn," Kurai sighed. "Guess I have no choice. I'll have to use it."
"Use what?" Ikkaku asked warily. "You've got no released form. Even if you are the Tenth Seat."
"Are you quite sure?" Kurai grinned turning to face him and grinning, holding his sword so the blade was pointed downward and his hand was upside down. "Let's see shall we?"
"What are you..." Ikkaku began but stopped as Kurai released his zanpakuto. "No way."
"Grow, Haruko," Kurai said as the sword passed into the ground, a circle of light spreading from the point of impact and covering the ground around Kurai in a one hundred foot radius, including the walls, before fading and leaving a circle of grass and flowers in its place with the periphery of the circle sill glowing white.
"Flowers?" Ikkaku blinked.
"That's...almost beautiful," Yumichika commended. "Coming from someone as average as you, I'm impressed."
"Just wait," Kurai grinned. "Look down, Ikkaku."
Ikkaku looked and noticed he was standing inside the circle. The moment he noticed, several blades of grass extended, wrapping around his feet and lower legs, holding him in place.
"What the..." Ikkaku gasped driving Hozukimaru into the ground and pulling at the grass, trying to break it with no success. "It's as hard as steel!"
More grass shot up, binding his wrist and Hozukimaru both. A few blades of grass wrapped up around Kurai's leg, winding their way around him until they reached the cut over his eye and the one on his stomach. They grass wrapped around both and Kurai bit back a curse as the grass glowed for a moment before retracting, leaving him healed.
"A hundred injuries and it still hurts," Kurai sighed. "Anyway, where were we, ah yes. Allow me to introduce Haruko. In shikai, she is a field of grass and flowers. Not the most exceedingly manly of abilities I grant, but in this form, Haruko controls the grass, it is not me binding your hand and feet right now. She is also capable of forming these."
He held his hand in front of himself and twisted over as if to pull a sword from the ground. Just as he did, several blades of grass below his hand began to grow together, most twisting together to form a grip and tsuba before a single blade of grass grew from inside of it, extending and forming the blade of a zanpakuto made of grass. Kurai took the grip and lifted, the blade of grass separating from the field and allowing Kurai to wield it freely.
"Light as a feather but as solid as any zanpakuto," Kurai smiled. "And I can form infinite of them. She can also simply generate and extend the blades, impaling anything that either I ask her to or she decides to. Now, please release him Haruko."
The grass released Ikkaku and Hozukimaru, allowing him to stand grabbing his weapon before staggering back, out of the circle of grass. Kurai smirked and took two steps forward, the circle of grass moving with him, the grass and flowers that left the circle shining white as they faded and new grass and flowers entered through the other side.
"That was a cheap trick," Ikkaku growled.
"I agree," Kurai nodded. "I apologize. I merely wanted to restore my vision to fight you. I'll tell you what. To make up for it. I'll let you have one free attack."
Ikkaku grinned and sprinted forward, driving the blade of his staff at Kurai. It embedded itself through Kurai's left shoulder, missing his heart by a centimeter. Kurai gripped it, pulling it back out slowly, careful not to hit anything vital, then held it still as Ikkaku tried to pull it back. Grass stretched up, binding his wound to slow the bleeding, then Kurai let go and Ikkaku stumbled back. He drove the pole at Kurai again but Kurai smacked it aside then darted forward, the circle of grass keeping pace perfectly, and slashed Ikkaku across the stomach, dropping him. Ikkaku rolled over and coughed, splattering blood across the ground and pushed himself up, gripping the back end of Hozukimaru and swinging at Kurai again. Kurai leapt over the pole and it swung around, hitting Ikkaku in the side of the head and slamming him into the wall where he blacked out and slid to the ground.
"Congratulations," Captain Zaraki congratulated. "You're now the Third Seat. There are about to be a lot of unhappy others. Now, I have things to do. I'll be heading back if you don't mind. And patch Ikkaku up while you're at it."
Kurai nodded as grass wrapped around both, reaching to their wounds and healing them both, Ikkaku screaming in surprise and pain while Kurai retrained a laugh. After a moment, the grass receded to the ground again and then shone as the circle of light shrunk back, Kurai's zanpakuto rising from the ground and into his waiting hand as it did.
"I take it I'm now the Fourth Seat?" Ikkaku guessed.
"That's right," Kurai grinned. I have a few things to take care of. What's my job as Third Seat?"
"You took my job without even knowing what you were supposed to do?" Ikkaku scoffed. "Don't tell me you like the looks of the number three too."
"Nope," Kurai grinned. "I just wanted to outrank you two."
Ikkaku rolled his eyes as Kurai left. Then, the other two both turned and continued on their way.
Read and review.