Chapter 13: The Long Awaited Rematch: Jaice's Hatred, Shindou's Pride

Jaice strode proudly away from the 4th Squad Medical tent. With his injuries healed and a recent victory under his belt, he was ready for whatever else the tournament could throw at him. Little did he realize however, that his previous actions had done more than bring him into the next round.

As he strode back towards and arena, where he was told his next fight would be assigned, Jaice noticed that other Shinigami seemed to give him a wide berth. Apparently, news of his horrific victory over Cren Fjorson had spread, and no one was willing to risk the wrath of this seemingly sadistic man. Jaice could barely force himself to repress his smiles when others stepped from his path and whispered, "Demon, monster, sadist," as he walked past. It was better to be feared than to be loved, or so he had once been told.

One of the referees had sent Jaice a message an hour earlier, telling him the time and location of his match as well as warning Jaice that if he showed any similar actions to his previous fight, he would be taken in as a criminal on charges of attempted murder. "The purpose of this tournament is to test the abilities of Shinigami and help them improve," the letter had read, "not to kill off one another."

Jaice, however, cared more about winning his upcoming fight. As he entered his assigned section of the arena, his eyes lit up and he licked his lips in anticipation. Standing before him, standing erect with his left hand on his sheathed sword, stood Shindou.

"Hello, Jaice, it has been awhile," Shindou pleasantly greeted him. "How have you..."

"Screw you," Jaice shot back, cutting off Shindou mid-sentence. "Don't call me Jaice like we're friends or anything. I've been waiting months for a chance to kick your ass. I'm much stronger than the last time we fought, and this time I'm not going to hold back one bit."

"I've heard about your last match, Gandaime-san," Shindou said, putting emphasis on the title Jaice preferred, "and I must say you do sound more powerful, though it seems you still don't possess much self control."

"I have enough control not to slash off your head right this instant!" Jaice growled, his hands straying towards Sangren.

"Yes, but I doubt it'd do you much good, especially considering your current situation," Shindou answered calmly.

"What the hell do you mean by that?" Jaice answered in a low voice, staring coldly at his 7th squad rival and opponent.

"I thought you'd have realized it by now," Shindou said. "After your performance against Cren Fjorson, do you think you wouldn't be placed under surveillance? Do you think Soul Society isn't taking action against you to prevent a future incident like that? Do you honestly believe it is pure coincidence that in only the second round of this tournament you were matched up against me, a Shinigami who has defeated you before, out of scores of competitors?"

"So this entire competition is a sham? A hoax just to keep tabs on me?"

"Gandaime-san, you're being far too conceited," Shindou replied. "No, the reasons for the tournament truly are to gage the ability of specific Shinigami in each squad to evaluate them for the purposes of promotion. If the potential members should die, however, it defeats the purpose of this venue, correct? Therefore, various methods were put in place to make sure that no one was gravely injured or killed during these bouts, and so I was pulled from a separate pool and placed against you. Soul Society wants you eliminated, you're too dangerous to have a high rank, at least until your temper cools."

Jaice broke out in laughter. "So my plan worked! I don't give a damn about promotions or rankings, those can wait until everyone here realizes my true power. All I want is to know I'm the best and to defeat strong opponents! I'm here for revenge, Shindou, revenge against you!"

Did he honestly plan this out or is he just spouting shit? Shindou wondered, stroking his brow with his right hand. No, he's just trying to psych me out. Given his reaction earlier, he's definitely still in the dark about most things. Oh well, I've beaten him before, and as my mission requires I'll do it again. Once I win, I'll be one step closer to the next round.

"Anyway, why would you tell me all this?" Jaice asked, his blood already boiling. His right hand closed around Sangren, closing the machete's handle in an iron grip.

"Oh, that's part of my mission as well," Shindou answered. "You seem to fight more dangerously when you're angry; the more annoyed you get, the better I can see and understand these strange abilities of yours."

"You're a damn fool, then!" Jaice laughed, drawing Sangren and rushing at Shindou. "The better I fight, the more likely it is that I'll win!" Shindou drew his sword with lightning speed, blocking Jaice's blow and forcing the 9th Squad member back with a mighty push. Jaice charged again, and their swords locked for a second time; this time, however, Jaice gained the upper hand and pushed Shindou back, nearly causing the 7th Squad Shinigami to lose his footing. Shindou rapidly regained his balance and took a fighting stance.

"I'm not going to waste time with your games! Shingai, Denkou-doki!" Bolts of electricity danced around Shindou's blade as the weapon itself began to elongate and become sharper.

"That's exactly what I wanted to see! Since we last fought, I've learned my shikai too! Bleed, Sangren!" Acid began to coat Jaice's sword as he and Shindou circled around one another, initial releases at the ready to strike the opposition. "Let's fight without holding anything back, Shindou! Let's see who's the better fighter!"

His blood is boiling now. I can only pray it clouds his judgment, Shindou mused before looking at Jaice's weapon. There's some kind of liquid on the blade. Judging by the searing sound and holes it makes in the arena floor when it falls, I'll assume it's some sort of corrosive acid. Nevertheless, it's still a good conductor, so if I can just force him to block one of my strikes he'll be shocked into submission just like the last time we fought. Still, it's best to stay on the defensive and react to his moves.

"Damn it, if you won't make the first move, then I guess I will!" Jaice stated proudly, rushing towards Shindou while wheeling Sangren around his head, sending blobs of acid flying across the arena. Shindou dodged most of the liquid, but a few drops hit him here and their, searing bits of his kimono and exposed skin.

It doesn't hurt too much, Shindou thought as he watched the greenish liquid eat through the epidermis on his right wrist. Then again, I was only touched by a bit, so it's best to assume that this stuff is dangerous. Shindou, however, did not have sufficient time to ponder Jaice's attacks any further as the machete came whizzing towards his head at an alarming speed. Shindou instinctively stepped backwards, increasing the time of impact while enabling himself to block Jaice's strike. "Prepare for the shock of your life!" Shindou laughed, the bad pun amusing him as he saw his plan come to fruition; yet, the instant before Jaice's sword connected with his own, the 9th Squad Shinigami twisted the blade and pulled backward, changing the attack to a stab and avoiding Shindou's block entirely. Shindou watched in horror as his opponent's weapon edged closer to his chest; the strike was too quick, there was no way to dodge...but that didn't mean he was out of options.

Jaice smiled as he watched Shindou sword glide in front of his weapon, realizing his plan had succeeded. Even if he tries to swing his sword back down to parry mine will already be buried in his chest. Nice try, Shindou, but I've been thinking about your style and weaknesses for weeks now.

The sound of sword-point burying itself in flesh seemed to echo across the arena, causing both men to look down at their chests. Jaice's machete had been into Shindou, yet the 7th Squad member, holding his sword awkwardly upward at a 45 degree angle, had also managed to implant his weapon in his rival's torso. A second passed and nothing seemed to happen and then, all at once, Jaice's body shook, electricity coursing through his body, while Shindou screamed in agony as the acid ran into his wound and down his skin. Both men leaped back, not wanting to suffer any more damage so early in the fight.

"Shit...how the hell did you do that?" Jaice spat, blood spewing both from the wound in his chest and his lips.

"As you moved...closer," Shindou strained, the words coming in gasps, "I had less than a second to make a choice. Had I...tried to block...you still...would have struck...me. Had I attempted to dodge...you merely could...have...changed the arc of your attack...and landed a blow. Thus...the only viable option...was...to...stab at you from above...where my sword ended up...after my failed...parry. My sword is...longer than yours...so I prevented you from making...too deep a wound."

"You're pretty damn lucky, then," Jaice growled, "because it looks like I ripped you open pretty well. Also, your little jab didn't do too much to me. The electric jolt was a bit of...a shock, shall we say? Anyway, enough with the terrible humor, time to end this, unless you'd like to surrender to avoid the slim chance that I kill you."

Shindou continued to pant heavily, barely able to remain standing as he listened to Jaice's speech. How the hell did he get so powerful and so clever in such a short space of time? No, that was just a trick, I was overconfident. If I just keep more calm and reserved, I know that I can beat him. I can't afford to lose now, I've come too far in my life for that to happen. I have no choice, I may have to use my hidden strength if I want to win after such damage.

"I decline, Gandaime-san," Shindou muttered, a new resolve appearing as his voice grew louder and his balance improved. "I've done too much to lose now. No matter how many times you stab me, no matter how much blood I lose, no matter how much I fall, I will never tire, I will never falter, I will never lose! That is my duty and my mission as both a warrior and a man. Now, face me and we'll see if you can repeat the action of hitting me."

How the hell is he managing to recover to quickly? Jaice wondered as he continued to watch blood pooling at Shindou's feet. Well, a few more strikes should put him in enough pain to defeat him. I've also figured out how to avoid his blocks and I should be able to dodge his strikes, so he won't be able to electrocute me unless I make a mistake.

Shindou planted his feet in a wide stance, twisting his torso so as to only expose his left side, his sword held perpendicular to the ground, ready to defend him from Jaice's onslaught. Jaice showed his teeth in anticipation and charge, weaving side to side at a rapid pace. Shindou maneuvered exquisitely, dodging most of Jaice's stabs and swings, yet he was unable to land a blow upon the his opponent who dodged seemingly just before Denkou-doki struck him. As Jaice dodged Shindou's tenth retaliation attack, however, Jaice drove Sangren into Shindou's right arm. Yet, Shindou did not recoil in pain, and instead kicked Jaice and slashed him with his own weapon before Jaice removed his sword and retreated temporarily.

"How am I not hurting you? That blow was far more painful than the last!" Jaice cried as he watched the stream of acid trickle across Shindou's right forelimb.

"Oh, did you think electrifying and lengthening my blade was all my Shikai did?" Shindou declared heartily as he watched the anguished Jaice rub at the slash wound on his back. "It also has an ability that I don't need to declare but need to silently call upon if I wish, though it does drain some reiatsu. My sword, Denkou-doki, allows me to run its own electric current through my body, forcefully disabling my nerves and effectively making me immune to pain. Sure, it's terrible to recover afterwards, since usually I take unnecessary blows and my nerves require a great deal of healing kidou, but for battles of attrition like this it puts me at a definite advantage and ensures my success."

As Shindou finished speaking, Jaice erupted into a spat of sadistic laughter, throwing his head back and clutching at his ribs with his free hand. "Oh that's rich. You think you can beat me in a duel of attrition? Unlike you, I experience pain the way a real man should, straight and unaltered. I've learned to cope with horrible pain, yet my instincts will still allow me to protect myself from too much damage. My innate ability is much better than that of your shikai."

Shindou shook his head. "Even so, my pain threshold will be higher than yours. And a real man knows how and when to use the advantages at his disposal. It's no different than the fact that every Shinigami possesses a different shikai and different specializations. Does it make our captains weaker because they can utilize Bankai against one who can't? Of course not, it only means they know how to best use every beneficial trait they have. I don't give a damn if you dislike or, most likely, are afraid of my abilities. Let's see whose words can back up his fighting prowess, eh?" But Jaice was already a step ahead of Shindou and was already within striking distance by the time the latter finished speaking.

Jaice slashed at Shindou's head, only to pull his sword back before it could be parried, with Shindou's weapon missing the machete by mere millimeters. Jaice replied by delivering a side-kick to his opponent's stomach, but Shindou did not even feel the pain and continued forward, slashing his weapon across Jaice's right shoulder, tearing both cloth and flesh. Jaice gritted his teeth to ignore the pain as an electric impulse coursed through his body and blood from his recent wound splattered across his face and the arena floor.

Shindou pulled back his sword as he looked over Jaice, who now was covered in blood and had his kimono ripped in over a dozen locations. Yet more interestingly, upon looking at Sangren, Shindou noticed something even more intriguing. Without another moment of hesistation, Shindou rushed at Jaice whose movements were now appreciably slower as a result of blood loss. Jaice, however, showed no signs of surrender as he continued to dodge and strike at Shindou, looking for an opening and ignoring the increased difficulty of raising a zanpakuto with partly ripped muscles.

My movements are getting slower, Jaice thought, flipping backwards to dodge one of Shindou's stabs, feeling warmth from Denkou-deki's electricity only inches from his forehead. Damn him, he's damaged my shoulder to hinder my fighting abilities. Obviously, he wants to cripple me enough so that I can't continue fighting no matter how much I want to. I have to admit, for my normal style his strategy is nearly flawless. Nearly...

Shindou leaped sideways and landed next to Jaice, before kicking the 9th squad member in the jaw. Jaice reeled back, spat up blood, but then charged again at Shindou, Sangren extended in front of him. "I won't surrender, Shindou, not ever. I need to defeat you, even if it kills me!" Shindou smiled to himself and raised his weapon to block the strike; Jaice anticipated this move, and twisted his sword back, so as to avoid the parry, yet Shindou had foreseen this as well and drove his weapon through Jaice's stomach; yet, despite the damage and the copious amounts of blood flowing from Jaice's body, the 9th Squad Shinigami continued to move forward, jamming his sword into the wound he had ripped open on Shindou earlier in the battle.

"I've...won..." Jaice painted, blood running from the sides of his mouth. "Soon, the acid will flow deeper into your wound and start destroying your internal organs. If you want to survive, you'll need to admit defeat."

Shindou shook his head and pointed at Jaice's zanpakuto with his right hand. "Wrong, there isn't enough acid left to do anything." Jaice looked in horror to see little more than a trickle of acid on his blade, a sharp contrast to the liquid that normally coated Sangren's released form.

"N...no! Damn...how...is...that...possible?" Jaice grunted, twisting his machete in a vague attempt to damage Shindou.

"You see," Shindou stated, punching Jaice in the forehead, sending his opponent flying across the arena floor, only to slam into a wall while still clutching Sangren, "I was informed that your sword secretes acid which cannot damage you because it is composed partly of your own blood. As we fought, I noticed that the more you bled, the less acid was on your sword. Though you can control when the acid flows and does not, your body must cut off the supply at a certain volume in order to maintain a level of blood that can keep you alive. Even if you wanted to, it seems that you are limited to how much acid you can produce. I will admit, however, that it took quite a bit of blood loss to see any sufficient decrease, so you needn't fear this weakness in shorter battles."

"Well...interesting...that you could...figure that out," a barely conscious Jaice rasped, "but...why tell me...all of this?"

"You said so yourself, Gandaime-san, we're rivals," Shindou pointed out. "This was a difficult fight for me; I barely won. Next time, perhaps you'll be the victor, but for now it's over. I doubt you can even stand, which is lucky, seeing as I need medical treatment almost as much as you do."

"Damn...you..." Jaice muttered, "I...can't...fail..." the world went black for Jaice as he watched the referee arrive to declare Shindou the victor. When the 4th Squad medics arrived, they were surprised to see Jaice, a man who had caused so much damage in the previous round, in such a horrid condition.

As Jaice and Shindou were borne away on stretchers, a Hell Butterfly floated onto Shindou's wounded fingers. "Congratulations," was all it said before flying away.

Character Profile: Shindou, last name Unknown

Age: Unknown (appears 25 in human years)

Height: 180.34 cm (5 feet 11 inches)

Affiliation: Member of the 7th Squad

Rank: 4th Seat

Hobbies: Reading, writing, training, computer repair/customization

Zanpakuto: Denkou-deki (Lightning-Wrath)

Shikai: Shindou can release his zanpakuto by declaring Shingai, the Japanese word for Shock! Denkou-deki's blade then lengthens, becoming several inches longer. The blade also becomes wreathed in electricity, allowing strikes from the blade hurt more and making opponents less likely or unable to block strikes, as the sword will send a current through the other blade when they contact, shocking the enemy. Shindou's sword also allows him to run electricity through his own body, disabling pain-impulses from his nerves and allowing him to fight through periods of protracted pain. This second ability, however, means that Shindou's recovery time after such a battle is sufficiently longer than normal.