Skeleneko's Note: This isn't my story. I have permission from Twilight Countess (Amy) to repost this. If you like this story be sure to look out for her book "Eris"!
Senbonzakura
Chapter Seventeen: Hisana vs. Byakuya
Byakuya's P.O.V.
Byakuya shunpoed behind Hisana. She shunpoed away, stopping so there were facing one another again.
"She's gotten faster," thought Byakuya. He came toward Hisana, the zanpakutos meeting with a clash of steel. He attacked again but was blocked. Hisana faked aiming for the left and attacked to the right at the last moment. Byakuya parried it. Soon they were locked in an intense sword duel.
Gin's P.O.V.
Gin and Aizen made their way to the arena in the 6th Division. The audience was roaring and cheering. It wasn't every day that they saw a captain fight.
They took their seats and watched.
"So, whatcha gonna do now, Taicho?" asked Gin.
"Kuchiki-taicho only accepts the best," said Aizen. "Hisana has no power worthy of looking at. After this I will wash any ideas of leaving the 5th Squad from her mind."
Nearby, Gin saw a woman with strawberry blonde hair jumping up and down. "Go, Hisana, go! Show Kuchiki-taicho who's boss!"
Hisana's P.O.V.
Hisana dodged Kido spell Number 4. Byakuya shunpoed in front of her and she blocked his sword.
"Release your zanpakuto, Sayuri," Byakuya said.
"I'm sorry, Kuchiki-taicho, I don't feel the need," said Hisana evenly. She saw his eyes narrow.
"I see," he finally said. "Then I will simply have to make the need." Hisana's eyes widened as he raised his zanpakuto to his face.
"Chire, Senbonzakura."
Hisana had shunpoed to the other side of the arena. Thousands of pink blades were making their way towards her. She Sky stepped up and up, but they were gaining on her.
She looked at Byakuya. "Damn, he's not even using his hands…" Then she had and idea.
Hisana concentrated on all the spirit particles around her. Dozens of glowing squares were forming around her. Hisana looked at Byakuya and saw him try to keep his balance as one of her platforms raised him into the air. She made her squares hover in line in the form of a chess board. Byakuya was at her level, standing in the opposite corner.
"If you want to see my shikai, Kuchiki-taicho, you will have to solve my puzzle." She saw Byakuya looked at the squares. They weren't just blue; they were an assortment of red, orange, yellow, and all the other colors of the rainbow.
"The concept is simple. The object is to make it across the board to my side. But there are rules; you can only jump on a total of eight squares of the same color. But you better be careful, because some of my squares change color. Not only that, but there is only one color that consists of eight squares, the others are too few. Choose wisely."
Byakuya's P.O.V.
Byakuya scowled; how dare she try to make conditions.
"But that's what you love about her," echoed the voice of Senbonzakura around the arena for only him to hear. "She's always been a challenge."
Byakuya analyzed the platforms. Only one color had eight square. He only counted 5 green squares and only 6 yellow squares, purple looked promising. When he landed on the 4th purple one in the middle of the board it turned orange and gave way. He jumped to a nearby blue one.
"Oooo, now you'll have to start with blue," He looked up at her giggling form.
"I could send Senbonzakura at you if I wanted to," he said.
"But before that happens, all my squares would disappear and send you plummeting to the ground," said Hisana, smiling. He scowled again.
Gin's P.O.V.
Gin was enjoying himself immensely by watching Kuchiki-taicho be ordered around. He looked at Aizen to see him frowning slightly.
Hisana's P.O.V.
Byakuya finally realized that there were eight red squares and jumped to the edge of her side. She nodded and all but two platforms disappeared. She lowered Byakuya and herself to the ground. She said nothing until she unsheathed her katana once more.
"Sing, Takuaji!" She was surrounded by purple lightning as her sword morphed into a jet black, ten foot long whip.
"First Song: Minuet of Wind!" Hisana snapped her whip and a giant tornado erupted from the tip. Byakuya sent Senbonzakura flying at her. The tornado captured the petals in a swirl of pink. Byakuya tried to summon them back, but was shocked to find that he couldn't.
(A.N. Cut Bya-kun some slack, this is his first time fighting someone with a wind power)
"Finder's keeper," said Hisana. The twister shifted into an air current and sent
Senbonzakura right back at him. Byakuya was so surprised that he just shunpoed away in time. He starred at Hisana, his clothes shredded and cuts on his face.
"Second Song: Serenade of Storms," Hisana cracked her whip and a bolt of purple lightning shot out of it. Byakuya blocked it by gathering Senbonzakura's petals in front of his body.
Byakuya's P.O.V.
"I see," said Byakuya. "I must attack directly; whips are long range weapons, if I can get Senbonzakura close enough…"
He raised his hands and his zanpakuto flew toward Hisana. Hisana shunpoed and Sky stepped up. The petals were criss-crossing all around her.
"There is nothing they cannot capture," said Byakuya. Senbonzakura closed in on Hisana.
Byakuya heard a loud battle cry and saw lightning erupt in every single direction…
"Impossible…" said Byakuya. "She..she knocked them all down?"
Hisana shunpoed in front of Byakuya. "Senbonzakura is a technique that has a thousand blades dancing about, making it impossible to see them all," she said.
Byakuya did not respond.
"The blades reflect the light, making it look like countless flowers are scattered about. But…"
Hisana gestured to Takuaji. "My zanpakuto controls wind and lightning. He can capture your petals, rendering them useless to you, or use the speed of lightning to blast each one out of my way."
Byakuya let her words sink in. "Then I must shunpo close enough to Hisana with Senbonzakura sealed in order to corner her."
Senbonzakura's petals returned to it unreleased state and Byakuya came to Hisana. She shunpoed farther away and cracked her whip.
As if in slow motion, Takuaji wrapped around Senbonzakura's blade and ripped her from Byakuya's hands. His zanpakuto went flying in the air, and went clattering on the ground.
Then something long and cold wrapped around Byakuya's neck.
The audience gasped all together. Byakuya turned to see Hisana behind him.
"You and I are evenly matched at shikai, Byakuya," Hisana began, "…and your superior skill in demon magic counters my advance Sky steps, but if you'd had used bankai I would've been flattened like a pancake. That's why I won, not because I'm better than you, but because you're too proud to think that someone like me could challenge you."
Byakuya said nothing for a very long time. The audience waited with held breath.
"Welcome to the 6th Division, Sayuri-fukutaicho…"