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Bleach: Derailed

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I mean, winning the fight itself doesn't necessarily need to be the goal of the encounter. But everything I know about hollow Zangetsu tells me he is a beserker who really just enjoys fighting that much.
 
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    • [60] Try to win the test
    -[38] Put a priority on attacking instead of defending yourself from attacks.

    You could talk this out, bring up a few good points that you just thought of off the top of your head about how this is entirely inappropriate, but you know what? You're not going to. You're going to meet your zanpakuto's challenge, and you're going to win.

    When he leaps at you, sword held high in both hands, you catch his downward cut on your own sword. Maybe it's your resolve not to fail, or maybe it's just that you're properly braced and the spirit is hanging in the air, but when you shove back, the white-garbed man goes tumbling back.

    Immediately you're on the attack, charging after him and thrusting your sword at his gut, but he thrusts his blade into the floor and flips to the side of your strike by mere inches. You feel the hem of his shirt catch for a moment, before it flutters to the ground.

    "Well, that's unexpected." The sword's spirit says.

    You swing at him, but he catches your sword with his and twists, guiding it over his head with apparent ease. "I've gotta say, you get full marks for bravery, but this isn't a percentile-based course. It's more pass/fail, if you know what I mean."

    "I need shikai to become a soul reaper in the shortest time possible, and I need to pass your test to get it. If I cut you then it doesn't matter if you cut me too. I won't go down first." You say, outlining your reasoning. It's not exactly complex, but then neither is your situation. Difficult, maybe. Complex? No.

    "I don't quite think you get it." The spirit says. "You're the one with an unreleased sword. This is my shikai, and you think that you can hurt me faster than I can cut you to pieces, with that piece of junk in your hands. So let me show you just how wrong you are."

    He plays out the cloth wrapping attached to the handle and starts to spin the two meter-long sword off to the side, at an angle. You look at it, map it out, and figure that the blade is actually turning wildly inside the barrier, instead of turning neatly edge-first like a sawblade. Then you're charging again! The white spirit jerks his arm forward, sending his zanpakuto straight at you. It impacts your sword. Black steel meets brightly polished blade, digs in-

    But will you stop here? No!

    -but deflects away to the side! "No, let me!" You cry, and your attack opens up a line of bright crimson from the spirit's waist to his shoulder.

    He doesn't stagger. He just stands there, looking down at his own chest. Gingerly, he reaches down and touches the sticky red liquid, then shakes his head.

    Something is wrong.

    "That's it?" He asks you. "That's all you can get out of an all-out attack? Throwing caution to the wayside, striking out with all you have, and you still barely even make me bleed?"

    "I made you stop." You say.

    He shakes his head, eyes shaded under the fringe of his hair. "Ichigo, Ichigo, Ichigo. You can't stop a truck by denting it. You've got to RUIN IT BEFORE IT CRUSHES YOU, OR YOU REFUSE TO DIE! There are no other options!"

    The sword spirit bashes aside your attack and plants the handle of his zanpakuto in your gut, letting your own force work to bend you over like a folded napkin.

    "If you're going to fight somebody you have to end that fight! I have a released zanpakuto in my hand and you don't! I know every inch of how to wield me! You've got two weeks of training and some karate lessons! Go! For! The! Kill!" He screams the last few words, each one paired with a savage, bone-jarring attack that you barely counter in time with your own swings. Metal smashes against metal, and neither of you yield, but you still find yourself being pushed back step by step until your heel touches empty air.

    "Try again next time, king!" Your zanpakuto quips, and then he kicks you in the chest and sends you flying into the void below.


    Ejected from your own inner world, you blink around at the empty courtyard park. The only person left is the zanjutsu instructor, who's sitting and watching you. "Did you get it?" He asks, simply.

    "No. I... think I made the wrong choice. He's impressed." You pat your sword's hilt. "...But not impressed enough."

    "Good progress."

    And that's that.

    You think you'll give it another week before you go back to visit Kukaku. Being able to surprise her with shikai would be nice, and... you'd be happy if you could get confirmation that your dad's her uncle the moment you go back, so that if you're right, then you can sit down and talk about... things.

    The book of the noble families sits on the desk, the lone furniture besides a closet and bed in your dorm room. You leaf through it a little, but you're thinking about your friends. You never made up with Tatsuki, and that hurts. Chad... you hope your other friends treat him right. They should, and he can protect them like you protected him. He'd like that, you guess. Keigo, Mizuiro- those guys will miss you, but you're not central in their lives.

    Somehow, word both gets out that you went on a tour of the fourth division headquarters, but that you were also being scouted by one of their officers. Maybe your teacher brags, but more students in the hall look at you with recognition in their eyes, and evaluation.

    Someone takes an interest in your abnormal capabilities, and the speed at which (most of your studies) improve.
    [] A stoic woman
    [] A blustering man
    [] A dour man
    [] A little girl
     
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    • [X] A little girl

    The stoic woman is most likely Nanao Ise, while the blustering man is likely to be Marechiyo. That is, if we're talking about lieutenants.

    The little girl is almost certainly Yachiru, aka Nozarashi.
     
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    Stoic woman might be Soi Fong. We do have +connections for the 2nd division, but then again, a captain showing up is kinda a big deal.

    Then again, blustering man sounds like Omeda. Who else blusters? Which would imply the Stoic woman isn't Soi Fong
     
    [] A stoic woman
    Soi fon or Nanao?
    [] A blustering man
    Might be Kyoraku...personally sounds more like Omaeda
    [] A dour man
    Well shoot. Let's see; Kuchiki, Tosen, Tosen's lieutenant, Gin's lieutenant, whats-is-name the First division lieutenant....
    Dour pretty much fits all the non-whacky Soul reapers.
    [] A little girl
    Yachiru, no questions about it. Wonder if she'd press his Little Sister button since he doesn't start off knowing Kenpachi
     
    Finagle007 said:
    [X] A little girl

    The stoic woman is most likely Nanao Ise, while the blustering man is likely to be Marechiyo. That is, if we're talking about lieutenants.

    The little girl is almost certainly Yachiru, aka Nozarashi.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    I forgot about Nanao! That's more likely. That's not a bad division, and it's also close to the 13th in terms of connections. Good catch!

    Nanao also has that god killing weapon thingy.

    [X] A stoic woman
     
    I dunno if the little girl would be Yachiru. I don't doubt that the 11th hears a lot of stuff out of the 4th given how often they're around but does someone being scouted for the 4th actually make any of them give a damn?

    Eh, if it ain't Yachiru it's a mystery box and I like those so fuck it why not?
    [X] A little girl
     
    I do have the humorous image of fourth division finding out that Ichigo is a good fighter and the seated officers having a conference over how to get him in their division to... entertain guests from 11th. And drag them back to bed.

    Because fourth really needs a few more good fighters since they can't really depend on the other divisions having their back.
     
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