A Final Look Back...(Delz)

The sound of sandals against unimproved dirt roads sounded as Tenju walked through the poorer districts of Rukongai. This was the area where he first arrived in seireitei and over the past 6 years he had been in the academy it didn't look like it changed a bit. In fact it almost felt as though he had gone back in time however the black and white uniform of a shinigami he wore was proof that he had succeeded in graduating from the academy. But now what was next? Join a squad of course but beyond that, why did Tenju become a shinigami?

He looked down at his zanapakutou as he walked until he found himself on the outskirts of the village near the forest where the occasional hollow might lurk. He would then look up from his weapon and gaze at his surroundings, clear weather and a small lot with patches of dry dirt and dying grass. Tenju would draw one of his zanpakutou with his right hand and gripped the hilt firmly as he took stance and slashed the naked air once. The balance, the weight, even the grip, everything about the sword seemed custom made to Tenju's preference as expected of a sword forged from within his own soul.

Tenju would simply stand there in silence as he marveled over his zanpakutou, he had it since 6 years ago when he barely survived hollowfication but until now he had never really looked at the blade or tried to understand the spirit sleeping within.

Gekkou let loose a long, sad sigh as he took a look around the sad, desolate world around him. He'd been positioned out here to stand guard, in case of hollow attacks. Or, at least, that's what he was thought he was told. Sometimes even he messed up on the translations. This place, so broken down and forsaken, reminded him far too much of his own position. Torn between two masters; the law and the lawless. Lacking one of the most essential things; communication. It was a poor and sad place, but thriving with life even still.

Around him children laughed and played, and adults worked their land or crafts to try and make it through another year. Each of them had a goal and a life, one void of hunger and danger like his own. Still, he did not envy them. No one person's life was any better or worse than another's; just different.

Up ahead of him Gekkou could see a man in a similar outfit to his own, swinging his blade around like it was brand new to him. He tilted his head in confusion, lightly shifting a youngling from his way as he took a few steps forward. The child looked up at him, and was met with a warm smile and a pat on the head.

"You're a shinigami?" The boy asked, and though Gekkou couldn't hear him he could make it out. He nodded, and moved on. Even several paces away he could feel the burning of that boy's gaze on his back.

As he approached his fellow shinigami, he lifted on hand to try and signal for the man to stop swinging his blade. "Hallo?" He called out.

Tenju was slowly becoming lost in the finely polished surface of his zanpakutou when suddenly the voice of another pulled him back to reality. His brows would raise in surprise a little as he turned to face the stranger seeing that it was a fellow shinigami. Tenju would slowly turn to face the stranger as he sheathed his zanpakutou in a swift motion, "Afternoon..." He replied bowing lightly to be polite. It was troublesome to have to interact with someone else way out here where he had thought he could have some privacy, Tenju met eyes with the stranger for a moment and got an uncomfortable feeling. The man was giving off a welcoming warm aura but it felt like he could see right through into Tenju's heart so he looked away quickly with sad eyes. He had gone on without making a single friend since the day a hollow slaughtered everyone at the temple, now wasn't a time to start making friends, "...Excuse me..." Tenju would say again bowing quickly this time as he started to walk off in an attempt to escape conversation.

Gekkou watched patiently as the boy sheathed his weapon. This was a good thing, as Gekkou was afraid he would startle the boy and get himself cut. He locked eyes with the boy for a while, before his apparent ally looked down. Gekkou briefly caught a glimpse of sorrow in his eyes; something he could do rather well since his hearing had gone away. Sharp eyes, dull ears, they said.

"You seemed fascinated by your blade. Are you new to it?" Gekkou called out as the boy turned to leave. He wasn't terribly desperate for company, but he was extremely intrigued. Not by the subject he offered, but by what the boy seemed to be hiding. Hopefully, Gekkou could convince him to spill that information. It would prove amusing, if nothing else.

As Tenju began walking away the other shinigami suddenly posed a question stopping him in his tracks. A slow hand moved to rest on the hilt of one of the twin zanpakutou as he turned his head to the left and replied, "Sort of...It saved me long ago, but until now I've never really taken notice of it." It had been so long ago since Tenju experienced that night he had all but forgotten the young man clad in exotic clothing. At that time he couldn't hear his name and since then he hadn't met him even once more. Tenju was taught jinzen in the academy but it bore no results for him, and while he didn't want to talk anymore with this person the chance that he might know something was there.

"Do you know your zanpakutou's name?" Tenju would ask turning more fully staring with an intense gaze through the strands of hair that fell around his face. It was obvious a nerve was struck as Tenju became a little frustrated with himself for speaking with this person and his inability to contact his inner spirit.

Gekkou drew his own blade, strangely happy for the company. He hadn't quite caught everything the man had said; it was a little hard with only have of his mouth exposed, but he got the gist of it, which was good enough. For a short while, he just stared into the mirror-like surface of his blade, taking in the details of his eyes. He thought over his answer for a while, though he knew it well; it was a little difficult to admit to it.

"Even after so long, I don't think I have. I can't hear anything, and sometimes I fear I wouldn't be able to hear he, she, or it." Gekkou said softly, though he imagined it would be loud enough for the man to hear him. He didn't exactly have much control over the volume of his voice. "I gather that you don't know yours either?"

Obviously, Gekkou was hopeful that the response would come back the same as his own. It would be nice to not be alone, at least on this mark. Who knows, maybe they could fix their mutual problem together? But that was getting a little too hopeful.

Tenju closed his eyes figuring he should have known better than to get his hopes up and decided to just leave when a sudden pulse of reiatsu that was ever so faint emanated from his swords. Tenju would pause and look down at the twin zanpakutou before looking back to the draw zanpakutou of his fellow shinigami. Tenju did not know the meaning of this message however it was obviously the zanpakutou spirit trying to convey something.

Tenju having not picked up the subtle hint that this stranger was deaf drew one of his zanpakutou as well and introduced himself, "Ichiken, Tenju...Squad 6 recruit..." It was his first time using his title as a shinigami and it felt awkward however there was all the confidence in the world behind each word as he bowed once more, "Would you please have a match with me?..." Not want to sound odd explaining the small pulse likely only he could feel Tenju instead requested a spar. Unaware of his spirits intentions behind it's actions he resorted to the only thing he really knew, fighting.

Gekkou gripped his own blade just a little bit tighter as the man drew his own. He had feared this might happen, but he still wasn't completely expecting it. However, instead of turning on him, as Gekkou's pessimistic nature had led him to assume, the shinigami before him bowed deeply as a sign of respect, and introduced himself. Gekkou raised an eyebrow as he read the man's request.

Shrugging, he followed suit, bowing and introducing himself, "Gekkou Kohei, unseated in the 8th Squad. Former Kido Corps."

He shifted his left leg behind him, twisting his torso so that his right shoulder faced his opponent. Gripping the handle of his blade in both hands, he placed it at groin-level, angled just a little up from being parallel to the ground. Flashing a confident smile, he invited his opponent to begin.

"You can make the first move."

Tenju sliced his zanpakutou through the air allowing his reiatsu to increase causing a fairly large cloud of dust and debris to be kicked up at his side. A display of power of sorts as Tenju condensed his released energy around his zanpakutou and his legs. In a sudden close range dash Tenju would take the first move as offered side stepping to the left towards Gekkou's back as he poured his frustration and emotions into his zanpakutou. Tenju's desire for strength was strong in the attach but it also held subtle signs of shame for not being able to protect his loved ones as well as fear that his zanpakutou deemed him unworthy. With all these feelings wrapped around his sword Tenju swiftly executed a one handed slash upwards from the ground aiming at Gekkou's thigh. A disabling attack that would not be fatal if it connected.

Gekkou watched with the deliberate, stone-like patience that he developed during his hundreds of years studying kido. He waited, watching his opponent's movements as he progressed from displays of strength to a sly attack. Crouching low to the ground, his opponent aimed for Gekkou's blind side. That was a smart move.

A smile broke out across his face at this though. He instantly realized that this would be far more amusing than he originally thought. Hopping forward, he landed and spun on the ball of his front foot, placing himself out of the range of the swing, as well as placing him directly between his opponent's blade and the ground. Gekkou made a swift slash at his opponent's ribs as his opponent finished the upward swing, pointing the blunted edge of his zanpakuto at his opponent so as to trade cuts for bruises.

Tenju watched as his opponent dodged his initial attack leaving his blade to catch little more than the air in it's path. Instead of stopping he would continue his sprint running at first away for 3 meters. This would make him out of range for the horizontal counter slash as he planted his foot in the ground and turned sharply wielding his zanpakutou in both hands now as he moved in for another charge, this time slashing downwards heavily looking to clash swords with Gekkou. What kind of man was he? What kind of zanpakutou did he have? These thoughts passed through Tenju's mind as he poured the very answers to those questions about himself into his own attack.

Often times, artists and craftsmen have claimed a moment of pure ecstasy in the midst of their passion. A moment in time where everything slows, a trance of sorts. Gekkou often felt this same feeling as he conjured something from nothing using the Shinigami arts known as Kido. This, Gekkou felt, was the true purpose of combat. He raised one hand from the hilt of his sword, commanding his reishi in a circle.

"Bakudo number Eight, Seki!" He called out as his opponent brought his blade down. Now his reishi was visible, a translucent blue formed just a few inches above his outstretched hand. The blade would clash down on this shield, and be repelled by the mystical effects of the kido. His own hand, still wrapped around his zanpakuto, would carry the blade in an upward swing, slashing at his opponent's left arm.

Tenju's slash blown back by Gekkou's technique was a disappointment however it would give him the momentum needed to step back and avoid the follow-up slash to his arm. Seki was a bakudo Tenju rarely used however he suddenly had a spark of inspiration and decided to make use of it in a rather unorthodox manner, "Bakudo no hachi, seki!" Tenju would shout as he held his left arm at chest level as the small shield formed. Tenju would charge forwards trying to ram the bakudo into Gekkou as he flipped his zanpakutou around now holding it in a reverse manner with the blades tip pointing behind him. From behind his shield of reiatsu Tenju would extend two fingers from his zanpakutou hilt and chant, "Hadou no yon, Byakurai!" He would cancel his shield almost simultaneous to firing off the blue bolt of reiatsu aimed for Gekkou's shoulder just above his heart in a non vital area.

[[I gotta give you props for that one, it was clever. Potentially lethal, if this were a fight to the death, too xD]]

Gekkou's blade slashed through air, twisting his torso slightly as the momentum of the swing carried him. His opponent had taken a step back, and moved in much too quickly for Gekkou to react properly. As his opponent recited the same incantation as his own, Gekkou was caught off-guard by a similar circle of pure energy. The barrier made Gekkou jump, a bit, and stumble back. He caught his heel on a stone and began to stumble.

Taking three steps back, and swinging his arms a bit to find his balance, he nearly tumbled to the ground. As he slowed his fall to an awkward position leaning a little too far back, he felt a burst of heat cut deep into his skin. While not deep enough to be lethal, the burning sensation impacted somewhere below his mipple and bore straight up past his shoulder. He righted himself, glancing down to see a vertical line of burnt skin on his left pectoral.

"Nice shot." Gekkou admitted, re-adjusting his stance so that he could fight properly using only his right arm to swing; his left arm would be useless with a sword as long as he carried that injury. It didn't necessarily damage his arm in any way, but swinging would pull at it, and that would sting like a hitch.

Deciding on a more defensive strategy, Gekkou let his left arm hang at his side, his right arm holding his blade at the ready in front of him, and began to cast about in the vault of memories he had in his arsenal, trying to find a kido or tactic he had read about that might apply properly to the situation.

Tenju stopped as he received the compliment and examined Gekkou's condition, he had an injury and adjusted his stance to compensate however continuing the fight any further might cause excessive strain on his body. Not able to bring himself to fight any more Tenju took a deep breath and relaxed his stance as he sheathed his zanpakutou. It seemed as though he wasn't going to find what he was looking for and spoke slightly disappointed, "This should be far enough, you should go get that treated before it gets worse..." Tenju would then turn to leave the lot closing his eyes wondering just what Mugen no Ryu was trying to tell him earlier.

Gekkou grew tense as he opponent released a long breath. In his defense, it could have been a tell-tale sign of any number of attacks. Gekkou had often run into those who believed that controlled breathing was a very large part of combat. However, it turned out that his tension was unwarranted. His opponent replaced the blade in its sheath where it belonged.

Gekkou smiled and bowed to his opponent as he turned to leave, not terribly interested in stopping him. In his readings Gekkou had come across many different kinds of duels and spars. His favorite, by far, was the Gentleman's duel. First blood was a good place to end it, and Gekkou had lost this one.

"Best of luck, to you." Gekkou called to his former opponent, and turned to restart his guard route.