Disclaimer: The ideas and concepts used in BLEACH belong to Tite Kubo, as well as any regular characters. Most of the characters in this story belong to me. Thank you.
Kinden's sword began kicking up torrential wind. The remaining fragile wood was peeled off from the stone of the wall underneath. His sword swung over his head at increasing velocity, his hands switching from place to place to distribute the maximum amount of force needed to get such an object at such speeds.
"How's this, assassin!?" Kinden shouted over the roar his sword made as it passed through the air.
"It's sloppy" Suichi said under his barely audible breath. "It's the same as his previous sword in terms of pressure density, it's just bigger. All he did was make it heavier and longer and wider...all offense and no strategy. I at least have some force behind my sword to counter his sterngth." Suichi took his sword in its summoning grip and jumped up. The wind pushed his weak frame slightly off the mark he aimed for but in the end he was still standing vertically on the wall with a chain around his arm. "Haganerensa!"
"The chain again" Kinden said. "How utterly weak!" Kinden sudden;y switched his grip and stabled his hands. His right hand was high up on the blade while his left hand gripped at the pommel.
This'll be big Suichi thought.
"KRYARGHKA!!!!" Kinden shouted. He brought his huge, heavy sword down and stopped the wind. Once the blade sliced straight through the floor and lodged itself into the stone foundation of the study the wind exploded back out, a huge jet of it, straight at Suichi. Suichi dodged it in anticipation and jumped onto one of the weak, creaking rafters. All the force, temperate and spiritual, had taken its collective toll on the wood that held the room together, and now the rafters all started to splinter and break in two. The ceiling began to cave in as well. Suichi looked on grimly while Kinden just smiled and wrenched his blade back out of the floor and onto his shoulder.
"Well well" Kinden said, watching the bricks fall from up above. Suichi jumped back down and hit the ground ready to attack. He took a hard stomp forward with his left foot and carried his arm through to shoot the chain straight at Kinden. With the sword on his shoulder Kinden couldn't bring the metal down to block in time, so he used the handle and caught the tip of the chain just between his two hands. "It looks like things are going in my favor."
"Wrap!" Suichi commanded. The chain extended even further and wrapped itself around Kinden's blade. Now Suichi controlled the middle region of the handle, effectively destroying whatever centric gravity control Kinden had before.
"Arg!" Kinden growled. "I didn't know you could do that!"
"It's a chain" Suichi said flatly. "It's supposed to do things like that." The sarcasm was a bit too much for Suichi, as he started coughing and crouched down with an arm wrapped around his gut. Damn. I'm bleeding internally. Now I remember why I don't use Fuyuhada more often, it kills me! All my organs are working at quadruple capacity and I'm hemorrhaging!
"Enough of this foolishness!" Kinden shouted. He yanked his sword back, pulling the unguarded Suichi in with it. Suichi managed to jump up and used the force of Kinden's pull to propel himself into the air. Kinden began twisting his whole body around to get his sword to move. Once Suichi saw the blade was close enough he spun in the air, wrapping his loose chain around him, and landed on the wide blunt edge of the blade. "HEH!? You can do that too!?"
"I can do lots of things" Suichi weakly said. He pulled on his chain and reeled his shoulder back as well, catching the rest of the chain with his body and increasing the force of his pull. Suichi flew forward, right into the unguarded area of Kinden's range, and delivered a powerful flying kick to his jaw. He's dazed now Suichi thought. I can attack all I want! Suichi landed on the floor finally and began his attack. His left arm was kept reaching to the back of his head so the chain didn't tangle itself on his chest while still staying wrapped around Kinden's handle.
"Now what?" Kinden lowed with a slacked jaw. Suichi let a slow, measured breath out that turned to visible vapor in the air and moved his right palm slowly forward. He placed it gently on Kinden's gut, then pulled it away and threw his knee into the armor on Kinden's belly. It shattered from forces unknown and exposed Kinden to further pain. Suichi brought his leg back down and slammed his right elbow into Kinden's gut. Then he pumped his fist up and hit directly under Kinden's ribcage. He pushed up and delivered a powerful, blood-spittle inducing uppercut to Kinden's diaphragm. Kinden made a sickly, painful grunt as he began to quickly black out. Suichi jumped away, keeping his chain wrapped around the sword just in case.
"That" Suichi said as he panted heavily "was a pain to do! I sprained my wrist punching his weirdly hard gut." Kinden fell with a thud to the floor and broke even more of the wooden paneling. The floor started to give way just as the ceiling, Kinden's weighty body creaking and breaking the wood. Then, Suichi looked up and saw a large chunk of the ceiling coming down on top of Kinden's body. "Well, that'll kill him, probably. I guess I've won..." Suichi watched as the rafters broke in the path of the boulder of stone and clay that came barreling towards Kinden's body. Time seemed to slow down, as if some predestined event was waiting to take place, and finally a hissing growl came into Suichi's mind.
If you don't save him thought a voice inside Suichi's head, Shin might scold you...
Like I care Suichi thought back about what Shin says. He's a warrior and I'm an assassin. I've committed plenty of dishonorable---
Save him! The voice demanded. What is the worst he could do in this state? Suichi realized his sword had a point. Kinden was a warrior above being a guard, obvious by the fact that even unconscious he clutched his sword firmly in his right hand. Suichi grimaced at himself, took in a deep breath, and pulled Kinden out of harm's way. The tumbling rock crashed straight through the floor and went into the dungeons below, crashing loudly as the rest of the room caved in and fell apart.
Kinden awoke with a biting pain at his gut and pushed himself up to his feet. His sword had returned to its normal form in his unconsciousness, and he sheathed it at his waist as he stood up.
"How strange" Kinden began. "All I can remember from that fight is getting hit in the gut. Then I passed out. These damn organs of mine are always holding me back, always crapping out in my old age! I'm sick of it! If I knew how to live without them I'd get rid of them outright!" Kinden now noticed that he was just outside the previous room, inside the long hallway where the dead bodies were piled and meshed together. The terrible stink of death clouded Kinden's senses and the old man nearly passed straight out when it all hit him. "UGH! What horror! Anyway, where is that assassin? Did he die in there?"
"Nope" Suichi groaned. Kinden turned around with shock to see Suichi laying on the floor with his arms out. "I'm right here. Unfortunately I can't move, so forgive me for not pulling you further when I rescued you...but..."
"Hold on" Kinden said. He marched over to Suichi and leaned in over him. Suichi's face was stained with blood and his teeth had a fresh coat of glistening red on them, apparently from coughing up blood. "You tried to save me? In such a state as yours!?"
"It seemed like a good idea" Suichi said "just before I started doing it. I completely regret it now though..." Suichi faded just barely out of consciousness, but kept himself awake out of a natural reflex he honed as an assassin. It was incredibly easy, he knew, for one assassin to kill another if the victim was sleeping.
"You" Kinden began with great disbelief "saved me from death? Me?...My head hurts..." Kinden rubbed his skull and ran a cold finger over the scars that decorated his bald top. The memories of his battles came flooding back, and each of them invoked the same feeling: honor! "You saved me!" Kinden shouted in admiration. "Mr. Assassin, Mr. Suichi, I thank you form the depths of my heart! You are a true warrior!"
"Eh?" Suichi grunted in confusion. Even that drained what little energy he had and made him cough a little. "What kind of warrior dignity is that exactly?"
"I am a respected citizen" Kinden said with a fist proudly on his chest "with a large array of local commendations. It would be a travesty for myself and my family if I were to die. I have far too many attachments in this world to truly be a warrior, and yet I face men like you as one day after day. I am a fool when it comes to fighting, but this is the first time I am able to see it from the other side, the first time I have lost and was able to see what all those dangerous men talked about in their dying breaths."
"Good for you" Suichi said with a cough. "I don't mean to impose...but I'm dying quite rapidly here. If you can get me to a cool, dry place with access to some fresh warm water I'll agree that you and I are even." Kinden scooped Suichi up in his arms and began running down the hall.
"Not good enough" Kinden said. "I need to make sure I understand everything about why I lost and how I can prevent further loss in the future! Mr. Assassin, please impart me with osm eof your wisdom on this 'kido' you use so that I may better understand it in combat!"
"Whatever" Suichi agreed. "As long as my skin doesn't fall off my bone I'll do whatever you want to call it even." And with that agreement a truce was formed, and Suichi was removed from the rest of the combat in the palace while he recovered in the servant's quarter's pantry.
Meanwhile, in the throne room...
"RRRREEYAH!!!" Shin roared. He spun his scythe over his head in a full circle, the center of the spin near the end of the shaft. Jayce jumped away and fired his loaded shot, the Violet Arrow. With a snap of the bow a blast of the violet arrows came roaring out. Twenty of them at least, all aimed in Shin's direction. Shin brought his scythe down and made a full-circle slash that blasted the arrows apart in the air. He looked up and saw Jayce coming in with his bow armed with a flaming Red Arrow.
"Haven't you had" Shin asked "enough of this foolishness yet? Come on!" Jayce fired the arrow straight at Shin's head, but the sweeping flash of black metal blew that bolt of flames into a wisp of nothing. "Face Death!!!"
He's terrifying! Jayce exclaimed internally. I'll need to use some more serious firepower to bring him down. Jayce stayed as distant as he could while Shin came in, scythe spinning in front of him in his Saishuu Serifu style that Jayce still hadn't figured out. "Yellow Arrow!" Jayce called. Shin stopped and swapped his scythe in mid-motion behind his back, then gripped it in its normal position, waiting to see what this new arrow would do.
Avoid eye contact Shin thought. Most likely, it's some kind of flash-bang projectile, and if I stare directly at it I'll be blinded and vulnerable.
Of course Shikei said sarcastically. Come now. Being blind won't stop you from blocking or killing him. It will just delay you slightly.
Maybe Shin admitted. Jayce fired the arrow at Shin. It was bright, but not glaring or blindingly so. Shin dodged it with a sideways-flip through the air, then slammed the end of his scythe shaft into the ground while landing in a crouch. The arrow was lodged in the ground, spreading a hot, burning yellow through everything around it. More poison? Shin assumed. He jumped away form it and into another Violet Arrow storm. He swept away the magical bolts with a powerful slash of his scythe. Jayce loaded a Red Arrow now, hoping the frantic action had worn Shin out, but he was gravely mistaken. The huge blast of pain to his abdomen confirmed that.
"Gaa-hah!" Jayce grunted. Shin had mercifully shoved the blunt edge of his scythe's blade into Jayce's stomach, holding his weapon like a spear.
"I still haven't seen Indigo" Shin said. "Isn't that a color on your rainbow of pain?"
"Monster" Jayce groaned. He pushed away from Shin's scythe and loaded up a blazing hot orange arrow. "I don't know what you're up to, but rest assured, as Regent Superior of Xierd Leek, I shall defend my honor and the honor of the people who trust me!" Shin took a step back, spinning his scythe over his his hands and wrists, then finally stopped it with his left arm higher than his right and the blade down near his feet facing forward. Both his hands faced the same way, thumbs pointing inward, and his face was covered at a distance by his left hand.
"Who cares" Shin said "about the people. I just want to fight." Such callous words, spoken so lightly to a man whose life was devoted entirely to the people.
"You're a bastard" Jayce said in a low tone. Shin raised his brows at his sudden, quiet outburst. Jayce covered his mouth and began frantically waving his arms in denial. "No. No, I apologize. Murderer or not, that was rude of me! You must have had a father at some point, so a bastard is not even a proper term. I shouldn't have snapped at you."
"You're obnoxiously nice" Shin said. He was instantly too close for Jayce's comfort once again. "Nice guys die fast." Shin had stepped out of his flash-step with only one foot on the ground. The other was wound up straight behind him which he used to deliver a huge kick to Jayce's chest. Jayce flew into a wall, then bounced off as Shin made a leaping dash with his scythe following in his hands like a shadow. Jayce was upside-down, heading for the ground at the time, but still raised up his weapon to block. Shin attacked with a downward, horizontal swipe. Jayce blocked it and then pushed against Shin's scythe, forcing himself back to a straight-standing position in the air. His legs kicked out freely and he brought Shin back into his sights.
Point blank range with a seathing-hot blade loaded in a ballistic crossbow. Shin saw death in all directions. Jayce's face was warped with an honest, villainous furrow and frown. He looked honestly serious about killing Shin, an emotion that Shin enthusiastically embraced and smiled at with a thin grin and narrow eyes. Everything seemed well in terms of Shin dying for just a flash moment, then the air exploded
"HHHHRRRRRRYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"
The air became heavy, too heavy, and far too loud with some indistinguishable spiritual pressure. Shin felt burning, freezing, sharp, dull, light, heavy, dry, wet, stinging, soothing; every aura he knew and didn't know, all bombarding him at once. It turned his grin into a growling sneer as he was dropped quickly to the ground. He landed on his toes and his hands, like a growling animal, with his scythe tight in his fist.
How obnoxious Shikei said. Some inconsiderate monster has interrupted your parting moments of this world. Are you going to let that go unpunished?
Talk later! Shin roared internally. He looked over and saw Jayce face-deep in a cracking crater of stone. He was out cold, the pressure knocking the very sense out of his head. Shin struggled to stand up, forgetting his own pressure for just a moment. When he remembered he countered the dense, sepia-toned air with his own black-and-white field. His hair began floating in its short, tangled spikes from the clashing forces in the air, making his head look like it had a timid, black fire raging on top of it.
"Who is that?" Shin asked. From behind the thrones, behind the wall out of a slender dark corner, a smiling man with sharp features came out with his hands folded behind his back.
"Well well" that man said. "What have we here? Such an infamous man as you, wreaking such purposeless havoc on a small town like Xierd Leek. And all this effort for a wayward bastard child, I hear."
"You" Shin said in a booming, hollow roar from his pressure "must be the mercenary captain. Yeah. All that red on your hands and the stains all over your ugly face make that clear. No, that runt is Suichi's job. I just want to kill you." Shin pointed Shikei at him, unaware that a giant loomed just around the corner.
"Ah yes" Guy said. He squared his shoulders with Shin's and looked at him down the straight bridge of his nose. A leg came stomping out form the darkness, followed by the body of a man two full feet taller than the six-something Guy. Shin looked with a curious worry behind Guy as that slenderly built giant slouched as if in pain behind the captain. "Somehow, I thought you were a deeper man, but in reality you just abhor 'professional' killing."
"Exactly" Shin agreed, getting his scythe into proper position. "I hate it when people think killing can be a profession."
"What?" Guy nasally groaned. "That doesn't make sense. Of course it's a profession! Anything can be made a profession!" Guy shook off the unnecessary anger and pinched the bridge of his nose, then looked at Shin with an arrogant, evil sneer. "I suppose you deserve to hear this, as you've even killed poor young Jayce to get my attention. I know just where that orphan boy is...and now, so do you."
The man behind Guy with a head of short, almost woolen blood-red hair with five equal spikes drooping over his sad-looking face, arced its back and threw its head straight back, breathing heavily. The pressure lifted, and Shin lifted his. That man, extremely tall and menacing looking with a torso full of expertly carved and toned muscles, lowered his head like it was barely attached and lurched forward in no particular direction, flexing his fingers and raising his forearms up while the rest of his body fell forward. His feet stopped him from falling over completely, making him look even more manic than he sounded when he opened his mouth and let out a terrible, madness inducing roar!
"RRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!"
Rei? Shin thought, enduring the pressure while getting pushed away by the wind. This thing...how is this a helpless orphan? He's a monster!!!
