Disclaimer: Always the same.
This is more like a filler chapter with just short fights between the "main" characters of this tournament. Sorry, and I promise that I'll update the next chapter as quickly as possible. Just to give you guys a "preview" of the chapter as a thanks for reading this boring chapter, it will be including Suigetsu's Zanpakuto release as well as Temari's and Gaara's. I don't think I'll be able to include all of the fights in one chapter, so it might be broken down into two.
Anyways, try and enjoy this chapter, and I'm very sorry if it bores you. I promise to make the fights for the final round as exciting as possible. Also, thank you for the reviews. Much appreciated.
Chapter 5: Semi-Final Rounds
You have the same eyes as I do… the eyes, filled with hatred and death, that long for strength… just like mine… your eyes tell me how badly you wish to kill the one who put you through the hell called loneliness.
- Gaara
"All of the semi-finalists, please enter the infirmary in a single file line and wait for your treatment! After that, please proceed to the waiting area where all of the non-participants will wait for the semi-final round to begin!"
... As Sasuke, Suigetsu, and the other twenty-two semi-finalists entered the infirmary, their eyes widened in surprise as they saw the person in front of their eyes. Even though Rangiku had told them that a real Gotei 13 captain would be here, she was still a sight to behold.
The captain was a very youthful woman with long black hair and gentle blue eyes. Her long hair was braided to fall in front of her body, covering her neck and the very front of her body. She wore the standard Shinigami Shihakushō with a white captain's haori over it, and her entire being radiated a calm and serene aura that automatically set a gentle atmosphere in the room.
Even Sasuke looked surprised at the power and authority that the woman seemed to radiate. So this a captain… Her level of reiatsu is completely different from that Shinigami vice-captain woman's and that Menma's…
"Hello everyone," said the captain in a kind and gentle tone. "I'm the yonbantai-taichou, Unohana Retsu. It's nice to meet you all." As she said this, she gave the group a kind yet seemingly dead smile. "I will be performing healing Kido on you all to get you all ready for the second round of the tournament. I hope that we can all get along for the short time that we will be seeing each other."
"Wow!" breathed Sakura. "She's amazing, and she's so young too! I wonder how a young woman like her ever managed to become a captain! She must be incredibly strong!"
Unohana seemed to hear this, and she turned to pink-haired girl and gave her a smile. "Why thank you very much, but I should warn you, I'm not as young as I look; in fact, I'm probably much, much older than you might guess that I am."
Sakura blinked, confused by the captain's statement. "Uh…"
"Ok," said Unohana as she turned her gaze to the rest of the group, "I will be taking one patient at a time, so please form a single orderly-fashioned line in front of the infirmary bed, and once I've finished with you, please make your way to the waiting area in the battle stage."
… Sasuke was the fifth in line, and after the captain had finished with him and Suigetsu, who was the fourth in line, they made their way to the waiting area, which was a neutral area built on an upper level in the battle arena made just for the tournament participants. There were benches for them to sit on, and there was also a rail built in to the edge so that they could lean on it as they watched the fights.
As they climbed up the staircase to the waiting area, Sasuke noticed Akihiro and Rangiku already standing in the middle of the giant battle platform as they discussed what was probably the match-ups for the second round.
Reaching the top of the staircase, Sasuke noticed a bench sitting in the back against the wall, but he ignored it and chose to instead lean against the railing of the waiting area as he watched the spectators. He noticed Rangiku turning to wave at him, and as he turned his gaze to face her, he simply blinked in response as he turned back to gaze as the sea of people. He saw Rangiku's head droop in disappointment out of the corner of his eyes, but he ignored this and instead focused on the remaining group of participants that were coming out of the infirmary.
Hm… So, as far as I know, the only people here who pose the smallest bit of threat are Suigetsu, Temari, Sakura, Gaara, and Menma… Suigetsu, who cares… Besides that Sakura girl, they all possess a Zanpakuto, so their Shikai could become annoying to deal with…
"The second round of the tournament will begin in approximetly one minute. Everyone, please make your way back to the battle stage if you have not done so already. Again, the second round of the tournament will begin in approximetly one minute. If anyone is not at the battle stage, please make your way there immediately. Thank you, and enjoy the second round of the Grand Divisional Tournament."
"The second round, huh?" Suigetsu stretched out his right arm and spun it in place, marveling at how much better it was. "Wow!" he laughed. "I'm surprised at how well these Shinigami can use healing Kido! I feel even better than I did before the tournament started!"
Sasuke glanced at his companion out of the corner of his eyes before turning his gaze back to the battle platform. "Yea…" He narrowed his eyes as he watched Akihiro wave at the audience to get their attention. "Anyways… Get ready, Suigetsu… It's starting."
"Heh," chuckled Suigetsu as he rubbed his hands in anticipation. "This will be fun alright."
… As the crowd quieted down, Akihiro nodded to Rangiku, signaling her to begin. Rangiku gave him a quick grin in response as she turned to face the crowd. On the monitors that flickered to life, Rangiku's face came into view as the cameras turned their lenses onto her.
"Attention everyone!" began the vice-captain as she clapped her hands once. "We will now begin the second round- or rather, the semi-final round of the Grand Divisional Tournament! In the four monitors that you see mounted on the four corners of the battle stage, the twenty-four semi-finalists names will randomly appear on the screen in pairs to determine the match-up for the ten battles!" Having said this, she turned to the right monitor in the very front of the battle stage and gestured to it. "Now, let's see our first match-up for the semi-final round of the tournament!"
As the crowd roared in approval, the four monitors flickered to a blank green background where two names spun in a loop as it decided which two people would be the first two opponents. Rangiku narrowed her eyes as she stared hard at the screen. I wonder who Sasuke's opponent will be…
Everyone looked alert as the first two opponents showed up on the screen.
First match: Karin vs Kirin Doku
"Heh." Karin, whose team was one of the six to make it out, grinned in anticipation as she looked up at the giant screen. Flipping over the rail and jumping down to the giant battle platform below, Karin looked up and grinned at the group of participants above. "So, which one of you weaklings is Doku? Hurry up and get down here!"
"Alright, Doku, please get down here!" called out Akihiro as he cupped both hands around his mouth. "Let's hurry up and get on with the first match!"
"Understood." A figure standing in the shadows of the waiting area suddenly seemed to vanish in a whirlwind of leaves as he reappeared onstage with a determined look in his eyes. "Since you're so impatient to get this battle over with, I'll end it for you quickly."
Karin's eyes widened in mild surprise at her opponent's incredible speed. C-Crap… I might've spoken too soon.
Her opponent was a spiky brown-haired male with piercing hazel eyes and diamond-shaped sterling silver piercings on both ears. He wore a plain brown cut-off shirt with matching brown pants that were ripped on the ends. He also wore black gloves and matching combat boots.
Karin herself was wearing a plain zippered black cloak, and as she took it off with a flourish, she revealed herself wearing a bright red t-shirt which exposed her stomach and very short black shorts. She also had on a pair of black boots and bandages wrapped around her forearms and upper arms.
"Alright…" Akihiro clapped his hands once and motioned for Karin and Doku to step forward. "Now, shake hands and we can begin the first match."
After the two shook hands, Akihiro raised his arm and took a deep breath. "Now, the first match between Karin and Kirin Doku will begin in three… two… one! Begin!" And with that he brought down his arm, signaling for the match to begin.
As Karin leapt forward, she quickly spun around and swung her leg at her opponent in an attempt to catch him by the side. Doku, however, saw this coming and easily evaded the attack by sidestepping the attack. He quickly retaliated by grabbing her leg and throwing her across the platform, and Karin yelled out as she skid across the floor.
Speeding across the area and halting right in front of Karin, Doku spun on the ball of his foot and caught Karin in the side right as she stood up with his heel, causing her to cry out in pain as she went flying and skidding across the battle platform.
"Che! You've gotta be kidding me!" spat Doku as he sped towards his opponent. "You go and act all tough for the crowd, and this is all you can do?!" As he jumped into the air, he raised his leg and brought it down in an attempt to end this match instantly. Karin, however, rolled to the side just in time to dodge the attack. As his foot made contact with the ground, the force of Doku's attack caused a small spider web of cracks to streak across it.
Quickly jumping onto her feet, Karin spun around and pointed a hand at Doku before he could straighten up from his attack. "Hadō #4: Byakurai!" A bright streak of white-blue lightning shot out of her hand and sped towards her opponent.
Doku quickly looked up at the sound of the Kido spell, and caught by surprise, he was barely able to evade the attack as he flash stepped to the right; however, the attack still managed to clip his side, causing him to clumsily roll over on the ground multiple times before coming to a halt.
… From her position besides Akihiro, Rangiku narrowed her eyes as she watched the battle. I see… So I was right; he knows how to use flash step… It's very slow and sluggish, but it's better than what most unseated officers are capable of… This guy's more skilled than I thought…
Quickly recovering from the attack, Doku's head shot up as he braced himself for an attack, but to his surprise, none came. As he leapt onto his feet, he looked around to look for his opponent but was unable to find any signs of her. "What the… Where did she go?"
"Hadō #1: Shō!"
Doku's head snapped up to face the ceiling, and his eyes widened in shock as he saw Karin above him, her finger pointed straight at him. "Oh sh-!" He let out a yell as he was sent flying by the pulse of reiatsu that was shot straight at his face.
Landing on the ground below, a proud grin spread across her face as she stared at Doku smugly. "How was that?"
"You…" As Doku looked up at her, he growled as he touched the right side of his face which had a large red bruise that was starting to form. "So a Kido girl, huh? I see… You can't match my Hakuda skills, so you're relying on trickery, is that right?" Cracking his knuckles, Doku rolled his neck as he got to his feet. "Alright then, let's see how you like this."
Using flash step to get behind her, Doku used Karin's lack of speed to quickly drop to the ground and sweep his legs across the floor, tripping her. As she fell, he quickly got underneath her and slammed his legs into her back, causing her to cough up blood as she shot up into the air.
Flash stepping above her, Doku let out a roar as he brought his leg down on Karin. Oh shit! Karin's eyes widened as she brought up her arms into an "X" in order to soften the blow. I can't… block this completely…
THUD! A cloud of dust rose up from the battle platform as Karin crashed into the ground below. As Doku landed on the ground below, a satisfied grin appear on his face as he crossed in arms. The match is over…
Walking over to the middle of the platform, Akihiro and Rangiku both looked down at Karin's unconscious body and nodded simultaneously. Looking up, Akihiro turned his gaze to the crowd as he spoke.
"The winner of the first match is Kirin Doku!" he announced, and the crowd cheered for Doku as the winner of the first match walked towards the stairs that led to the waiting area.
Silence fell once again though as the names on the screen started to randomize again, the eyes of the semi-finalists intent and focused as they awaited the next pair for the second match.
Second Match: Temari vs Sony
Temari grinned from her position beside Sakura as she saw her name appear on the monitor. "Finally." Grabbing the hilt of her Zanpakuto that hung on her back, she leapt down from the railing and landed on the ground below in a crouched position. "Alright, let's get on with this fight!" she called out to the group of participants on the railing. "Who's Sony?"
On cue, a long black-haired male with dark brown eyes leapt down from the railing as well and landed five feet away from Temari. "Ok, let's go," he said in a quiet and moody voice. "It was a fight you wanted, right? Well, let's see if you can do better than that last girl who got her ass kicked."
Grinning in response, Temari simply took one step back as she took up a readied stance. "Ok proctor, call it!"
Sighing in exasperation, Akihiro rolled his eyes as he lifted his arm above his head. "Ok, let's do this. The second match between Temari and Sony… Begin!" And with that, the crowd cheered, signaling the start of the match.
Right away, Temari unsheathed her Zanpakuto and rushed at her opponent as she swung furiously at him. Sony seemed surprised by this, but he proved to be a worthy opponent as he skillfully evaded every stroke of the blade that came his way.
Dodging a horizontal swing from Temari, Sony grinned as he used this chance to swing his arm and tap her on the side of her ribcage. "Hadō #1: Shō!" As he released a burst of pressurized reiatsu from the edge of his hand, the force of the attack knocked Temari back over three feet away from him.
Everyone seemed surprised by this move, and Suigetsu whistled out loud as he clapped and cheered along with a majority of the audience. "Whoa, that guy's pretty good, huh, Sasuke?"
Sasuke didn't reply as he quietly watched the match with a blank look on his face, but he noticed Menma watching him out of the corner of his eyes.
As Temari went flying back, she bent her legs as she landed on the ground and, using the strength in her legs, she propelled herself off of the ground and flew towards Sony with her Zanpakuto held out in front of her.
… As the battle pushed on, although Sony was a skilled and intelligent opponent, he was finally defeated with a high-powered full incantation Sōkatsui. Finding an opportunity, Temari had temporarily stunned him with a blow to the back of the head with the hilt of her sword, and using this opportunity, she quickly held out her hands and blasted him square in the chest with Sōkatsui, effectively knocking him out of the match.
As she walked back up to the waiting area, Sakura gave her an acknowledging nod and smile as she reached her former group. "That was well done, Temari-san," she congratulated. "I never knew that you were so skilled with the sword!"
"Heh, thanks," grinned Temari as she sheathed her katana. "Still, he was a pretty good… for a weakling that is."
The whole entire audience fell silent once again as the names on the monitors spun randomly, quietly awaiting the third pair for the match. As the two that were matched for the third fight suddenly appeared on the screens, they walked down to the battle stage and shook each other hands before the fight ensued on.
… The next eight matches passed by in a blur. Most of them were weak opponents who had just happened to be grouped with fairly strong people, which is the only reason why they were able to advance to the second round. When Sakura's turn came up, she proved herself to be much more skilled than she had made herself out to be back in the first round, and she used her surprising brute strength to knock her opponent over five feet up into the air with an uppercut to the jaw.
When Menma's turn came up, however, he was paired with one of his former group members. In his match, he proved himself to be cruel and merciless opponent by easily dispatching of the nervous opponent with a bone-shattering elbow to the face, completely breaking his nose as well as shattering his cheekbone. This caused the proctors as well as the audience and applicants to fall deathly quiet as his opponent fell on the ground face-flat, unconscious as blood poured from his nose and mouth.
At the end, there were only four people left- Sasuke, Suigetsu, and two other unknown people. Luckily, Sasuke wasn't paired with Suigetsu- instead, he was paired with a brown-haired male with blue eyes. As he walked down to the stage, he saw Rangiku giving him a flirty wink. Frowning, he ignored this and instead concentrated on studying his opponent.
The way he carries himself and his body type… He definitely favors speed over strength, but still… As he shook hands with his opponent, he allowed a small grin to tug at the corner of his lips.
… This match will be over in ten seconds.
Akihiro raised his arm as he glanced at both opponents. "Ok, and three… two… one… fight!"
As soon as he said the word "fight," Sasuke quickly drew his chokutō from its sheath and flash stepped behind his opponent, catching him by surprise. As he spun around with a surprised look on his face, Sasuke twirled his sword in his hand so that he was holding it in reverse grip and slammed the end of the hilt into his opponent's stomach, causing him to double over in pain.
Using this opportunity, Sasuke jumped up into the air and locked his opponent's neck with his legs and threw him onto the ground, and, leaping back a step, he executed a front flip and slammed the heel of his foot into his stomach, causing his eyes to widen as he coughed up a large amount of blood. His head then dropped on the ground, blacking out.
…
As he walked back to the waiting area, he noticed all of the winners watching him quietly with a slightly amazed look on their faces. "Whoa, that Sasuke… He's pretty good," whispered Sakura quietly. "He defeated his opponent is less than a minute."
"Try less than five seconds," corrected Temari with a scoff. "That Uchiha Sasuke… He's obviously a favorite for the final rounds. Just look at the audience cheering and screaming for him. He's a ladies man as well." She suddenly stopped talking as Sasuke reached the two and Suigetsu. "Congratulations, Sasuke," said Temari as she winked as him.
Remaining quiet, Sasuke simply acknowledged her with a nod in thanks. As he leaned against the railing, Suigetsu, who was next to him, gave him a big grin. "Well, nice performance, Sasuke. Still, don't you think that you were showing off a little bit?"
…
"Hahaha, just kidding! Just kidding!" Suigetsu laughed out loud as he rolled his neck. "Well, it looks like my match is the last one! Wish me luck!" And with that, he bent his legs and side-jumped over the railing.
As he landed on the ground, he grinned as he walked up to the stage and faced his opponent. His opponent was a male with an unappealing face and a crooked nose. He had beady black eyes, and he had three scratches that stretched from below his eyes to below the side of his chin. "Heh." Suigetsu chuckled softly to himself as he shook his opponent's hand. "Nice to meet you."
His opponent remained silent, and Suigetsu turned his head and scoffed. Che! What a party killer… He then cracked his neck with his hands and took up a fighting stance with slightly bent knees as Rangiku raised her hand. "Ok, are you two ready? Ready… fight!"
"Hah!" Crouching even lower, Suigetsu leapt into the air, and, still keeping his katana sheathed, swung at his opponent in an attempt to catch him on the side of his head. His opponent, however, quickly ducked and avoiding the attack. As he ducked, he placed his hands on the ground and kicked up with both of his legs to try and get him by the stomach.
Suigetsu, however, saw this and twisted over to the side in mid-air, narrowly avoiding the attack. As he landed on the ground, he released his grip on his sheathed katana and sped forward with surprising speed.
Although his opponent was taken by surprise, he still managed to fall back in order to dodge a quick front jab from Suigetsu. As he fell on his butt, Suigetsu punched down at the ground with surprising strength, and as the opponent rolled over on the ground, the impact of the punch caused the ground to slightly crack.
Leaping onto his feet, the opponent yelled out and rushed at him, executing a series of fast but sluggish punches, jabs, and round kicks. Suigetsu was easy able to evade all of these attacks, and this went on for another minute or so before he grew tired of it and swung his leg at him. His foot clipped his opponent on the side of his head, and he was instantly knocked out.
As he fell on the ground with a soft thud, Suigetsu walked over to his katana and picked it up. Akihiro walked over to Suigetsu's fallen opponent and checked his pulse; after that, he raised his hand for attention. "And the winner of the final semi-final match is Suigetsu!"
As the crowd cheered in approval, Suigetsu walked up to the waiting area and gave everyone waiting for him a wide grin. "Heh, looks like the semi-final rounds are over."
"Yea…" Sasuke frowned as he caught Menma glancing at him from the very right of the waiting area. "It looks like the proctors are going to explain it to us."
… A few minutes after the final match ended, Sasuke and all of the other finalists walked down to the middle of the battle stage as the proctors waved at them to come down. As they reached them, Rangiku, who was holding a box with a bunch of folded slips of paper inside of it, walked over to each of the applicants and let them pick out a slip each.
As Sasuke picked out of slip of paper, he unfolded it and saw the number "5" on it. Suigetsu, who had the number "10," grinned as he looked at Sasuke's number. "Number five, huh?"
"Ok!" Akihiro clapped his hands for the group's attention; once he got it, he motioned for Rangiku to step forward. "Now, Rangiku-san will be explaining the final round of the tournament."
"Hey everyone," said Rangiku as she glanced at each and every member of the group. "Now, the slip of paper will be deciding who your opponent is for the final round. Now, since there are twelve finalists, there will be six separate matches for the first tier of the final rounds." Saying this, she held up a piece of paper that she had been writing on while talking. "Now, look over this piece of paper and see who your opponent the final round is going to be."
This is what the paper said:
Match 1: Temari vs Doku - - Match 2: Halo vs Yadomaru
Match 3: Sasuke vs Gaara - - Match 4: Suigetsu vs Buzz
Match 5: Sakura vs Talon - - Match 6: Menma vs Blitz
So… Sasuke narrowed his eyes as he saw his name. Gaara is my first opponent… How fitting.
Suigetsu, after studying the paper with the match-ups, grinned widely as he glanced at Sasuke out of the corner of his eyes. So, according to the match-ups, if I defeat my opponent, my next opponent is Sasuke… Well, this will be interesting…
"Now, is everybody clear on the match-ups?" asked Rangiku as she rolled up the piece of paper. "Match 1 and Match 2 are paired up as well as Match 3 and Match 4. The winners of Matches 1 and 2 will face off with each other, and the same goes for Match 3 or 4. After that, the final battle will be between the winner of those two matches."
"So I understand how the final rounds work, but when exactly is it, Matsumoto-san?" asked Sakura curiously. "I can tell that we won't be going into it right away, but with the time and everything…"
"That's a good question," said Rangiku as she gave Sakura a smile. "Well, the final rounds will be exactly one week from now. We have individual rooms for all of you, so while you're here, train hard and figure out strategies to use against your opponents as you now know who you'll be facing in the final rounds." Having said this, she glanced at all of the finalists and frowned. "Well, it doesn't look like anyone is seriously injured, so it looks like you'll be able to heal your wounds naturally. Ok, everyone head up to your rooms, which the workers and attendants will show you to, and rest up for today. The final rounds will be in exactly one week from now, so work hard, and Akihiro and I will be checking up on you all daily."
And with that, the finalists of the tournament left the battle stage and headed up to their individual rooms, each of them tired yet eager for the final rounds that would be taking place one week from now.
Sorry for the crappy ending, and I'm not expecting much reviews for this chapter since it might have been pretty boring, so if you guys have any suggestions or found anything that you didn't like at all about this chapter, feel free to leave a review explaining just that.
Also, if any of you guys have a suggestion for Gaara's Zanpakuto's Shikai, let me know through a review or a PM. I'm having a hard time thinking of it. I have an idea for it, but it might not be as good as you guys are expecting it to be.