Chapter 4: Psych; Saki's Power
"How'd I do?" Amina asked Saki, grinning. Saki peered at her sister through green eyes.
"You took fourteen minutes and forty-six seconds," Saki replied. Amina frowned.
"Stop counting time like that. It makes me envy you."
"My apologies." Saki turned her attention back to where Hanako and Renji were.
Counting time? Kyouraku focused his gaze on Saki. Could it be…?
Meanwhile, Hanako and Renji faced each other in the center of the stadium.
"It is nice to meet you, Lieutenant Abarai," Hanako bowed politely, "Thank you for agreeing to take my challenge."
"Yeah," Renji rubbed the back of his head, clearly at a loss for what to say, "Sorry, but I'm not going to go easy on you just because you're a girl."
Hanako smiled. "That's all right. I won't hold back either."
Renji drew his zanpakuto. "Howl, Zabimaru!"
Hanako copied his movements. "Anticipate, Maindorida*!" Her katana's outline wavered for a second. Then, the blade became like a giant needle.
Renji let out a battle cry and swung Zabimaru. The blade extended, lashing out at Hanako. Quickly, Hanako drew a square in the air using the point of Maindorida. The square solidified, creating a transparent barrier that deflected Zabimaru's attack.
"Nice move," Renji commented as Zabimaru retracted.
The barrier shattered. "Thank you, Lieutenant Abarai," Hanako smiled sweetly. Suddenly, her gaze turned blank and her smile disappeared.
Amina leaned forward in her seat. "Crap." She turned to Saki, "Are you gonna…?"
"Yeah. Looks like I'll have to," Saki answered.
"Huh? What's going on?" Ukitake asked, confused as to what was going on.
"It's nothing bad, but I'm going to have to ask Head Captain to pause the fight for a while," Saki explained indifferently. With that, she vanished from her seat.
Out on the field, Renji, oblivious to Hanako's sudden change in behavior, swung Zabimaru again. The extending blade shot forward, about to cut its unmoving target.
Then, Saki was standing in front of Hanako, her right hand extended. She stopped Zabimaru in its tracks by catching the blade. The rest of the zanpakuto piled up on itself.
"What….?" Renji was bewildered as to why someone was interfering with his fight.
Yamamoto looked annoyed. "Kuroichi Saki, what is the meaning of this?"
Saki released Zabimaru and bowed her head apologetically to the Head Captain. "My apologies, Head Captain, but Hanako's foresight ability has decided to show up at an inappropriate time."
"What do you mean?"
"Hanako has a psychic ability, called Foresight, which allows her to catch glimpses of the future. Unfortunately, she cannot control this ability, meaning that the visions come and go whenever they please. When that happens, her gaze becomes blank, and she has no idea of what's going on around her. Luckily, the visions usually don't last long, but it when she is most vulnerable," Saki explained.
"Is it possible to bring her out of a vision by force?" Yamamoto questioned.
"I could, but I usually don't, seeing as the vision might be important."
Just then, Hanako snapped out of her daze. "Ah, sorry!" she apologized, "I just had a vision."
"Was it important?" Saki inquired quietly.
"Umm, no, I don't think so. All I saw was this teenager with orange hair and a large zanpakuto."
"I see. You should finish up your match as soon as possible in case another vision comes," Saki suggested.
"I will," Hanako promised as Saki used Shunpo to return to her seat.
Hanako turned back to Renji and smiled. "I'm sorry about the interference, Lieutenant Abarai."
"Oh, uh, that's no problem," Renji replied.
Hanako kept up her smile. "I'm also sorry that I'll have to finish up this fight now."
Before Renji could react, Hanako teleported behind him and shoved her zanpakuto straight into his head.
Gasps and shouts of outrage and shock came from the spectators. Some of the captains even stood up as Hanako slowly took Maindorida out of Renji's head. The stadium fell silent again as everyone noticed that there no blood coming from the spot where Renji's skull was pierced. However, Renji just stood there, staring straight ahead with wide eyes.
"Kuroichi Hanako, what did you do?" Yamamoto asked curiously.
"Ah, yes. My zanpakuto, Maindorida, holds psychic powers. Whenever it pierces my opponent's head, it puts them under an illusion, rendering them helpless," Hanako explained.
"Does the illusion end on its own, or does it end when you choose?"
"It ends when I want it to end, Head Captain."
"I see," Yamamoto scrutinized Hanako for a while longer, "I believe I have seen enough. Will you please snap Lieutenant Abarai out of his daydreaming and return to your seat?"
"Y-Yes." Hanako turned back to Renji for a second, but then slumped forward. "I'm sorry. I can't bring myself to hit him."
"I'll do it," Saki sighed, appearing on the field for her match. Approaching Renji, she flicked his forehead with her pointer finger, sending him flying. He hit the wall of the stadium with a loud grunt.
"What the hell?" he shouted, "What was that for?"
"I just snapped you out of an illusion. Your match is over," Saki said coldly.
"Eh? It is?" Renji rubbed his head, looking around.
"Yes, it was over the moment Hanako put you in an illusion."
"What? When?"
"Right after she said she was going to have to end the match, she put her zanpakuto into your head," Rukia, who had just arrived on the field, informed him.
"Really?" Renji laughed, "I guess I lost then."
"Renji," A cool, calculating voice said. The four in the field looked up in the direction of the Sixth Division. The captain, KUchiki Byakuya, looked at them coldly.
"Your match is finished. Get off the field so the next one can begin," Byakuya ordered his lieutenant.
"Yes, Captain," Renji quickly flash-stepped next to his captain. Hanako also returned to her seat, where she congratulated by Kyouraku, Ukitake, and Amina. Soon, everyone quieted down to watch the last lieutenant match.
Ukitake sat on the edge of his seat. Kyouraku glanced at him amusedly. "Cheering on your lieutenant, huh?"
"Yeah," Ukitake answered.
On the field, Rukia had drawn her sword. "I won't hold back," she told Saki.
Saki still looked indifferent. "I wouldn't want you to."
Rukia ran at Saki. The latter stood there, watching her approach. The moment the young lieutenant was within striking distance, Saki angled her body so that Rukia's sword passed by harmlessly on the right. Then, Saki seized Rukia by the wrist and threw her into the ground. Recovering quickly, Rukia jumped to her feet and attacked Saki again. This time, Saki dodged every single assault. Without warning, she kicked Rukia in the stomach, sending her flying through the air.
Gasping slightly, Rukia raised her zanpakuto and cried, "Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!" Her zanpakuto turned white, and a ribbon appeared at the end.
"Some no Mai: Tsuki Shiro!" she commanded. A white circle appeared under Saki's feet. A tower of ice rose from the circle, encasing Saki completely. After a few moments, the tower shattered. She went down that easily? Rukia thought with disbelief.
"Interesting," Saki said from behind Rukia, causing the latter to gasp in surprise and spin around. "You didn't think I'd go down that easily, did you?"
"A clone?" Rukia sputtered, "When?"
"Why ask when…" Saki narrowed her eyes, "…if you can't use that technique anymore?"
"Huh?"
"I don't believe I stuttered."
"What do you mean I can't use that technique anymore?"
"Why don't you try using it to find out?"
Rukia frowned, but sensing that it wasn't a trick, raised Sode no Shirayuki again and shouted, "Some no Mai: Tsuki Shiro!"
Nothing happened.
"What the…?"
"Do you get it now?" Saki asked, "I've sealed that technique. You can no longer use it in this fight."
Rukia gritted her teeth. She can seal techniques? That's not good. I'd better not use Hakuren in case she seals it as well. I need a strategy. I need to create an opening where I can strike her down with one blow. When that opening happens, I'll use Hakuren to render her immobile.
"Are you done coming up with a strategy?" Saki asked. Rukia glared at her black-haired opponent.
"Hey, Saki!" Amina suddenly shouted from the audience.
"What?"
"Use your Shikai!"
"…why?"
"Awww, come on! Give the audience something interesting to see!" Amina whined, "Besides, the fight will end quicker if you use your zanpakuto. It's nearly lunchtime, and I'm hungry!"
Saki stared at Amina for a few seconds before sighing. "You're so noisy." Amina smiled.
Saki turned back to Rukia and reached for her hair, which was tied in a braid. She untied it, revealing that the thing in her hair was a bladeless sword. Everyone stared at it incredulously, all thinking: That's her zanpakuto?
"This is the unreleased form of my zanpakuto," Saki informed the spectators. She then placed her hand at the spot where the blade was supposed to be. "Materialize, Jikan to Kuukan*!" Sliding her hand down, a silver blade appeared, changing the zanpakuto's form into a dagger.
Gripping the handle with both hands, Saki lifted her left hand and lowered her right, exposing the fact that her zanpakuto was actually two daggers connected at the tsuba. She then proceeded to take them apart. The one in her left hand had a blue grip and was surrounded by a blue aura. The one in her right had a pink grip and was surrounded by a pink aura.
"Aren't you going to attack?" Saki asked Rukia. When Rukia didn't move, Saki closed her eyes and said, "Very well."
The next thing everybody heard was a loud clang as Saki knocked Sode no Shirayuki out of Rukia's hands. The white sword went spinning through the air and landed in the ground a few yards away. Everyone, except Amina and Hanako, sat there dumbstruck.
I didn't even see her move! Ukitake thought, thoroughly shocked.
My, my. What a dangerous Shinigami. Kyouraku pulled the edge of his sakkat over his eyes.
Yamamoto spoke up. "That concludes the matches against the lieutenants. We will take a short break where you may go eat and heal any injuries you might have sustained. Everyone, come back here in one hour."
*Mind Reader
*Time and Space
For those of you who are disappointed about not getting to read about Saki's zanpakuto's abilities, you'll get to read about Jikan and Kuukan in a few chapters, when Saki fights against a captain.
Reviews are greatly appreciated!