Twin Skills: Kidō Contest

Someone of Equal Footing
A young red-haired girl was walking through the hills, far outside the Rukongai. A light breeze was blowing, the sun was shining, everything in itself seemed peaceful. Aside from the fact that every step she took caused birds to fly from their nests like a snake was near.

"So this is the Soul Society?" She murmured. "Can't say I've been here too often, what with Kā-chan not wanting anything to do with the place anymore." She yawned. "I wonder if Chūnori is alright." As she walked, she stumbled across possibly the only thing that could mar the beautiful scenery. A dead tree. Although murdered might be a better term. It was charcoal black, and cut nearly in half, the tree leaning over.

"Not sure if there's any point to my action at all but..." She clicked her fingers, causing a yellow barrier to form around the tree. She held her hands over the barrier, causing the tree to straighten, the bark returned to normal color, the gash caused by whatever cut it sealed, and leaves formed again.

"There." She thought. "Beautiful again."

While the red-haired woman was examining the scenery around her, as if a poor girl would have entered a mansion for the first time, a green-haired woman sitting on a large tree was watching her, wondering whether to interfere in her happiness or leave her to experience and express emotions that she herself could not do. She thought to herself." I wonder... what was that Kidō she used just now." Midori, as she felt a small amount of curiosity, her spiritual power flickered for a moment, in the color green, hoping that she didn't interfere in the woman's affairs, Midori had quickly retreated from the area, leaving a cool and hasty wind to be formed just as she hid.

It didn't escape Akiko's notice however, and she turned just in time to see the woman's fleeting figure before it vanished. She frowned. "Now who was that?" She thought. "Doesn't matter I guess. I came here on a sightseeing trip! Not gonna let some possible stalker I could kill with no problem ruin it." She kept walking until she reached the Rukongai itself. She frowned. "Place really does looks like shit..." She sighed to herself as she kept walking, before the sound of a crying child caught her ears. She turned. Misery was to be expected in this place. The source of the crying was from a child, who had just fall onto what appeared to be a spiked branch, which was now impaled in his leg. The blood smelled good. She looked around. Everyone was ignoring the boy, no parents rushing to his aide. She walked over to him. "Stay still..."'' She said quietly, and she pulled the branch rather roughly from the boy's leg. Once again, she summoned the yellow barrier, this time to the leg, where she healed the cut. She picked the boy up. ''

"Where do you live?" She asked, and the boy pointed far down the dusty road. She carried him to his home, various dogs barking and cats hissing as she passed. "Crazy animals." She thought as she left the boy at the house, explaining to the adults what had happened. She was beginning to like the World of the Living more and more. could have at least warned her the Soul Society would be like this.

"You've nothing to worry about Ms. Kurosaki!" He had said, taking her money. "It's the afterlife right, what would possibly be wrong about it?" She was going to wring his neck and get a refund when she got back.

Midori saw this, and this time, decided to intervene, knowing if this continued to happen it wouldn't be good, not for her or Soul Society, and stepped down gently from a tree, forming a small circular tornado around her before it dissipated as her feet gently patted the ground, she greeted." Good evening, may I please ask who you are and where you are from. Your intentions seem......rather unusual." Midori said in the most polite way possible, before saying." I am Midori Jinkou, a standard shinigami in these parts." Midori lied about her identity, as she knew if a captain suddenly appeared before a....visored most likely, they would be rather intimidated, or perhaps even provoked.

"Hello stalker-san." Akiko said, smiling as she turned. "I'm Akiko Ichimaru, daughter of Kaemon and Asami Kurosaki." She coated the word's in sickening sweetness. "I'm here for sightseeing purposes, courtesy of ."

"That is quite impolite isn't it? No problem. May I ask you to call me by my given name, Ichimaru-san.... however, for what reason do you have the same name as a traitor?"

"By traitor, you mean that Gin Ichimaru?" Akiko asked. "Heard alot about him. He sounded fun. My name is Ichimaru because I am married to Echo Ichimaru."

" Echo Ichimaru? I see....no matter, although if you are here for sightseeing purposes, could you not interfere in the daily life of the Soul Society, I see you are using an unusual Kidō spell. I have heard rumors that utilises similar spells to those, may I ask if this is true?" Midori said, in such a voice that one couldn't tell if she was asking a question or just talking for no reason.

"Not sure." Akiko replied rudely, shrugging. "And I'm not interfering. I consider what I am doing helping, which is a lot more than most Shinigami can give themselves credit for." It was well known that Shinigami did not typically come to the Rukongai.

" If shinigami did not come here, then what am I doing here. Am I an exception to this rule, or is what you are saying completely wrong. As for your healing....fine, but please realise that if you completely exhaust your spiritual energy because of this then you cannot blame us for that claim."

Akiko let out a. "Exhaust my spiritual energy? For minor things like this? Impossible."

" True, indeed your spiritual energy is quite high, I could sense it while you were walking around before. However, it seems you are highly skilled in Kidō, may I know who taught you?"

" Tsukabishi." She replied simply.

"Oh? So one of the Kidō Corps Commanders had taught you....no wonder your skill level is high enough to perform those feats...perhaps.." Midori stopped midway in thought once again, this time, not bothering to talk as she appointed a "thinking pose"

Akiko frowned. "Perhaps what?"

" Oh? Nothing, just wandering off in my trail of thought is all." Midori replied in an emotionless tone as usual.

Akiko frowned. This girl was slightly annoying, but she was cute. And her spiritual pressure felt strong. "Fight me." Akiko suggested.

Midori, although slightly surprised, didn't show any sign of any facial expression, and used her hands to raise her eyebrows in a questioning look, and asked." Why?"

Akiko pressed a hand to her face. She hated when people needed a reason to fight. "You feel strong. That's about it honestly."

" I feel strong? Wow....I never felt this feeling before, of strength, I guess that is the feeling that gives birth to arrogance. Maybe this is why I was toyed around with......all those years ago." Minako said, as she pulled her fingers across her mouth, forming a frown, before turning it into a smile, saying." I will fight you, but not here." She said, as her blunt expression came forward again before saying," You decide."

"The ocean." Akiko suggested. "Nothing beats fighting over the sea."

"Fine, shall we leave then?" Midori asked, although she started to move there already.

It didn't take long to make it to the shore and Akiko kept running, running across the run, and jumping into the air far away from land. They were now over open sea.

" You seem to be in a hurry? But as we are at sea, we can fight. No warnings are given." Midori said, as suddenly a large orb of flames was headed towards Akiko at great speed.

Akiko immediately shot herself down like a bullet towards the water, inhaling deeply before she was submerged. She began to swim around, thinking.

"Let's give this a whirl." She thought, swimming down just a bit deeper, keeping her mind concentrated on Midori's spiritual pressure. "Hadō number 13, Kirabi." Her hands began to glow a light golden. "Hadō number 33, Sōkatsui!" Her hands began to glow a light blue to pile on the golden and she shot the combined spell, which had the force of a Sōkatsui, but was released in many fast, small bullets like the Kirabi spell. She watched as the spell broke the surface of the water, waiting for feel for the impact.

The spells clashed, causing a brief explosion that Midori viewed from the shore, causing wind to blow past her, as it tickled her face, she just said." You are indeed skilled. You are lucky you were taught by that man, otherwise your spells wouldn't have been enough to even collide with mine."

Akiko, still underwater, didn't hear a word of this, thought she did feel an impact, but could feel it wasn't against flesh. She frowned and jumped out of the water, pointing her Zanpakutō at Midori.

"Jūgeki Byakurai!" She cried, sending a large red bolt of lightning towards Midori.

As she raised her hand, a barrier formed before Midori, redirecting the beam towards the ocean again, causing a large explosion in the water, as Midori said." Is that it?"

But Akiko was already moving towards Midori, her hands moving fast. "Bakudō 62, Hyapporankan. Hadō 11, Tsuzuri Raiden." She formed a rod of energy, which she gripped, charging it with electricty and threw it towards Midori. She kept her focus on the spell, and, once she thought it was near enough, allowed it to split numerous shorter rods, each charged equally with electricity.

"Bakudo no:9 Horin, Hado no:35 Akai hi Kire." Midori chanted, as she created multiple red laser tendrils which each had enough power to cause serious burns if they made contact. She directed these tendrils with her fingers to catch and incinerate the rods while she dodged the ones that the tendrils couldn't make contact with saying." You seem to favour combinations."

"Gives me a chance to show off." Akiko explained, grinning.

" If that is the case, try this. Bakudo no 12:Fushibi." Midori chanted, creating a large "net which entrapped the entire area in it's path, and then chanted." Hado no 2:Supakku." As she clicked her fingers, a spark formed on the Fushibi net, as the flames travelled through the net, exploding at every second and heading towards Akiko.

"El Escudo!" She cried, forming a barrier in front of herself, then shaping it around it until it complete protected her. As the explosion reached her, she felt it force itself against the barrier, but it found no purchase against her protection. It did, however, crack and crumble after the explosion ceased. "Jūgeki Byakurai! Raikōhō!" She raised threw her hand outward, forming a red sphere at the tip of her finger, which then melded with a yellow light, firing an orange bolt of lighting towards Midoriko.

Knowing that this spell would be very powerful, she chanted."Danku." Without any hand gestures, a transparent rectangular wall appeared before her, as the spell collided with the wall, the power of the spell distributed evenly among the barrier as it separated causing damage to the surrounding environment while keeping Midori intact and uninjured.

"Oh she's good." Akiko thought, witnessing the powerful Danku spell the girl had cast so easily like it was nobodies business. "But can she handle a triple spell?" She extended her hands out once again.

"Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, sprinkled on the bones of the beast! Sharp tower, red crystal, steel ring. Flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Move and become the wind, stop and become the calm. The sound of warring spears fills the empty castle! Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south! On the wall of blue flame, inscribe a twin lotus. In the abyss of conflagration, wait at the far heavens." Her hands began to glow blue, red, and yellow, each blending perfectly. "Hadō #73. Sōren Sōkatsui! Hadō #63. Raikōhō! Hadō #31. Shakkahō!" The beam she fired from her hand was truly massive, causing quite a bit of the ocean to turn up as the beam shot towards Midori.

" So, she's planning on a triple spell. I won't hold back either then." Midori said, before she started chanting." I am a being of Heaven and Earth, of thunder and lightning. Sprinkled on the bones of the beast. To die from illusion, Rise my swords. Take my hand and stab all eternity!" Midori chanted as suddenly immense lightning formed around her body, as it took the form of countless spear like weapons with lightning crackling causing an immense screaching sound, she then chanted." Hado #53:Inyou Raikoushiden, Hado #41 Yariame, Hado #42 Sakkaku Ken." She chanted, doing the same and now the countless lightning spears crackling with immense lightning surrounding them were charging at the blast that Akiko had launched, knowing that side effects would be disastrous, she formed a barrier to make sure she hadn't been injured too badly from the presumed upcoming explosion.

Akiko quickly donned her mask, and called out the name for another Kidō spell. "Hako Okuri." The flash of light and the explosion suddenly vanished. "Squandering energy like this...the mask is necessary now."

" Another spell? Her skills are far more than I anticipated, I must stay cautious." Midori thought to herself, as she chanted." Hado no 26:Hibashira." As she chanted, the world itself seemed as if it was about to erupt, as suddenly pillars of flames were rising from everywhere, above Akiko, behind her and everywhere else, forming an omnidirectional attack that trapped her briefly before Midori started chanting." I pray to the lords that watch us from above, grant us the power of just one fulfilled desire, and let the shooting star that watches us from afar, annihilate our obstacles!." As she begun to chant this spell, many shuriken had started forming, surrounding Midori as she was chanting, in a manner similar to a prayer.

During this, Akiko began to form hand signs, her face serious now. She hated to lose, and this spell would ensure her victory. As she formed the last seal, she parted her hands, a whirling orb appearing. "Shōryochi." She threw the orb into the air with great force, where it expanded into a much larger circle, and began to descend upon them.

"I hope you enjoy this, Midori." She said, smirking under her mask. "I'm taking this fight (and most of this ocean) to my world now."

Midori, although not visibly, was quite intimidated at the moment, this spell seemed to be very powerful, and although the spell about to be casted from herself wouldn't stop her from moving into that world, she could atleast prevent any injuries, she chanted."Soubyō" As a cube of transparent energy surrounded her, she was unaffected by the large currents of water that were attempting to smash her as her barrier removed them all from her own existence, for a limited amount of time atleast.