Inquisition of Light and Darkness

The buildings of the filled Kusaka Kori's vision, preventing him from seeing the  that lay beyond. He didn't really know why he was here, in Soul Society. He awoke that morning and felt an urge to visit his old home, though he couldn't bring himself to walk through the gates into the Seireitei proper. So he wandered the districts instead, taking his time with a drink or two as he went; never staying long.

The weather was mixed, he noted dryly. Clouds promised rain later in the day, with the sun shining weakly though breaks in the black canopy the clouds formed. All in all it was a dank, depressing day with a slight chill to the wind. Sinking into a stool opposite a bar, Kusaka ordered another drink, emptying half its contents in one mouthful before taking his time with the remainder; intent on wasting the day away.

At that exact same moment, a young man with white porcelain skin like a bisque doll, beautiful hair, big bright magenta within blue eyes like diamonds, and a youthful and perfect body wandered down the streets of Rukongai. His knee-length hair whistling in the wind, his right eye obscured by his bangs, generally having a highly feminine air about him, this person emitted a slight reiatsu signature- one similar to that of the king of birds.

Yawning, the young man extended his snow-white and thin arms, stretching for a brief moment. Sensing a powerful reiatsu signature, the 'perfected' Mototsu had the spontaneous urge to follow this signature. While matters such as this were none of his concern now that he had repelled all dangers that could pose a threat to his loved ones, setting himself to a life of relaxation, something was definitely unique about this reiatsu. "...Gah. Stupid intuition." Cursing his own curiousness, Gai Nagareboshi slowly tracked the signature.

Kusaka remained only half focused on the other beings surrounding him, noting from beneath the mess of brown-colored hair obscuring the majority of his features from view just what he needed to determine if anyone meant him harm or not. Seated on a bar stool, the tail ends of his black jacket falling down past the raised circular seat; said jacket open at the chest to reveal a toned chest and physique, showcasing the beginning of burn scars beneath. A blade, as well as scythe, were visible at his waist and back respectively; causing any who did share the bar with him to give the armed stranger a wide berth.

Receiving a re-fill from the barmen, apparently at the behest of the young, blond-haired woman at the far end of the bar. Emptying his current drink and lifting the other, Kusaka stood and walked towards her; giving words to the barmen to give her another of whatever it was she was drinking. "Kireina can't kill me if she doesn't know where I am." He thought as he took the seat, introducing himself and striking up a pleasant conversation. Slim, tall, pretty and generally nice young woman, Kusaka and she hit it off quite quickly.

"Hey buddy. What you think your doing?" Said a fellow who arrived soon after Kusaka and the woman had began their talk. He followed the statement by draping his arm around her neck, which she didn't seem to like much at all.

"Talking. What's it to you?" He asked back, taking a slight slug of his drink. He'd need another at this rate. "One." He counted mentally, even as the fellow began his rant about stealing another guys girl. The count didn't even reach three when the fellow in question was sent halfway across the floor with a foot imprint in his chest. "Now, where were we?" Kusaka asked, re-taking his seat.

Meanwhile, in that exact same bar, a certain devil woman was observing these events unfold, all while keeping that incessant smile plastered upon her face. While she would feel obliged to scare that other female off by sheer craziness for a cheap laugh, Nika thought to herself, "Oho. This guy's reiatsu is certainly something~" No longer able to suppress the urge to cause a scene, being the head of Central 46, no-one would possibly apprehend her for such an action, Nika stood up and pulled a IMI Desert Eagle from her shirt. Aiming it into the air, Nika fired uncontrollably.

Turning his head at the sound of the gunfire - "wait. Gunfire?" Kusaka looked at this crazy woman, currently scaring the entire bars clientèle straight out the door with her mad gun display. Upon closer inspection, Kusaka noticed that she was quite the looker. The woman was quite tall with long, blond-colored hair that reached down past her waist to rest at her feet; with her bangs hanging down to her breasts. A red bow at the back of her hair and a barrette tied it up into a neat ponytail. Her eyes were blue and gleamed to Kusaka's eyes. But not with a soft light that he bet others saw. Kusaka caught the deceptive gleam hidden in their depths, smirking to himself soon after. "So that's her game, eh?" Sometimes it was pretty handy being perceptive of others.

Under any other circumstance he would've gone over, bought her a drink and struck up a conversation. But this wasn't a normal situation. How often was it that some crazy woman started firing bullets into the air? "For the first time in my life I'm at a lose for words." He thought, turning back towards the bar. "Give me another, eh? And her as well. Hopefully it'll give her something else to do than shot holes in your ceiling." But the barmen was crouching down behind the bar, covering his ears with his hands to attempt and block out the noise. "... Pathetic." Kusaka uttered, vaulting over the counter. Pouring himself another - plus an extra for the crazy woman - he vaulted back over and dropped coins on the top - plus a little extra to cover the costs of the damage.

When he turned and walked towards her, she was still shooting. Setting the drink on the table beside her, at the same time kicking the stool blocking his way clean across the room; Kusaka grasped the gun and twisted, bending the barrel, thus ceasing her racket. "Even you have to agree that thats only a racket." He then took a seat, handing her the offered drink.

Spacing off as usual, Nika replied to such a gesture with with her usual cat-like grin, before snatching the drink up from the table. Wordlessly, the supposed Arrancar gave a small look of acknowledgment to Kusaka, before beginning to drain the glass of all contents.

At that same moment, Gai Nagareboshi entered the bar, immediately guessing correctly that Nika had caused such a racket. Sighing and applying his palm to his forehead in exasperation, the Mototsu uttered, "Sorry 'bout that. ...Dammit, devil woman..."

This fellows strange reiatsu immediately caused Kusaka to turn in what could only be described as curiosity, the woman seemingly forgotten for now. But he kept his senses honed on her as well, because he really didn't like that cat-like grin she was pulling. The fellow in question though was rather feminine in his appearance, with blue-colored eyes. It was obvious that he wasn't a mere Shinigami. Just about anyone with half a mind and a sharp intuition could tell that. But it raised the question of what this guy was. Or more importantly. Who he was.

"Kusaka Kori," Kusaka stated, holding out his hand in friendly greeting. "If you know this woman, keep a reign on her or there will be probably be trouble down the line for her with someone." With the level of reiatsu she was giving off though he doubted she'd need the warning. Still, better to say. "Want a drink?" He asked further, noticing that he had since emptied his own just before the man had entered.

Shaking his head, Gai hesitantly replied, "N-No thanks. I don't drink." Slowly extending his hand, Gai Nagareboshi shook Kusaka's, before immediately retracting his own, feeling some kind of negative emotion that he himself could not clearly define, possibly the fear of physical contact, that he shared with his significant other. Before he attempted to delve into the reasoning for shaking this person's hand, Gai glared over at Nika, his radiant magenta within blue irises meeting her own sky-blue ones, eyes which were full of deceit.

"You know, devil woman...Can't you comprehend that you've got a metric ton of paperwork to do back at Central 46? You'd rather waste your time causing an unnecessary ruckus than fulfill your duties?" Nika could only silently nod cheerfully, to which Gai sighed, irritated at the immaturity that he had come to accept as part of her. "...Such misfortune."

Kusaka was silent for a time, not really sure on how to process the information that this woman, as beautiful and deceptive as she was, happened to be a member of the Central 46 of Soul Society. Thinking on it, it all seemed to fit. While it did happen from time to time, current rumors made it out that the Ryū Order were planning a rebellion against the Soul Society; something the Central 46 were adamant about believing.

Kusaka never re-took his seat, instead watching the display between these two people. This "devil woman" was obviously here simply to try and annoy people, getting under there skin and remaining safe from reprimand under her Central 46 cloak. The other man was more difficult to read. Those magenta blue eyes held a degree of intensity. It was obvious this man was a fighter, but of which race still baffled Kusaka. "... So, you don't drink?" He asked of the fellow. "Bet you don't gamble, either?" In an instant a pack of playing cards were in Kusaka's hands, his face and eyes betraying nothing of his intentions. "How about you?" He then asked of this "devil woman".

At that moment, Nika's pupils dilated, as a wily smile formed upon her face. Knowing this look, Gai immediately applied his palm to his forehead in exasperation- an action that was often repeated in Nika's presence. "You have no idea what you've done..." Attempting to dissuade Nika from forcing this man to lose all of his money, Gai continued, "Damn devil woman...After the scene you've made, I don't think you should gamble. It'll make others want to attempt to overthrow your rule." Not heeding Gai's words, Nika merely replied cheerfully, "Oh, don't worry~ What could possibly go wrong~?" Disturbed by this tone, Gai replied sarcastically, "When you talk like that, somethings bound to go wrong, you know that?"

Kusaka only re-took his seat then, as he shuffled the deck expertly. "So, why would a member of the Central 46 - the highest judicial authority within the entire Seireitei, I might add - be wasting their time in a bar like this?" He was intent on finding out the reason, repercussions be damned. "And that raises another question." Kusaka furthered, this time looking at the man who was continually speaking to this woman as though he had some authority over her. "Where do you fit into things?" He let the questions hang, still shuffling the cards. He cut the deck twice, shuffled again and then shuffled them one final time before setting the deck on the tabletop.

"Um..." Placing her pointer to her lip in thought, displaying that incessant clueless expression, Nika replied, "Maybe 'cause I feel like it~" Such reasoning could not be comprehended, as Nika could only continue to smile. "Doing all that paperwork is a pain~" Gai interjected, "Devil woman...You don't do any paperwork at all. You force Haruko to do it." Nika ignored these comments, all while planning to play what she believed was Go-Fish.

Kusaka made another remark about the game they were for playing before dealing the respective cards and looking at his own, face schooled to stillness. There wasn't even a ripple to be seen, nor a tell to exploit. His face was as still as an unmoving lake. "Any fours?" He asked finally, still betraying nothing of what he held. There were two fours sitting in his hand along with a set of Kings, though when someone played Kusaka at cards, it was rarely a fair game. He was the most crooked gambler within Horiwari, after all. "I'm not going to call you devil woman any more, so do you mind sharing your name with me?" Came his next question.

If he could play a few games and chat with this woman, as well as the man lingering off to the side of the table, then he'd be fit to better fit them both into events. Besides, a possible friend within the Central 46 could be a handy card to play if he were ever to be caught loitering around the Seireitei, especially with relations as strained between the Soul Society and the Order as they were recently. "... You sure you don't wanna play?" Kusaka asked of the the man, his free hand resting on the hilt of his sealed zanpakutō. He injected a degree of confidence into his posture, as well as a weighty look to his stare to see if this fellow bit the bait. "I'm still curious of what you are, my friend."

Still hesitant, Gai politely responded, "Uh...No thank you. Really, no, it's fine." Not one to gamble, especially after the poker night that Nika had hosted, despite believing that it was Go-Fish, she managed to wrest 10,000 yen out of all of them, Gai Nagareboshi looked away, disinterested in such matters as he crossed his arms.

Slightly amused at Gai's response, Nika giggled like a child. "Well, I'm Nika~" Immediately forcing herself to stay attentive of the game, the supposed Arrancar responded cluelessly and cheerfully, "Uh...go fish." At that moment, Gai applied his palm to his forehead in exasperation. "You don't know how to play poker correctly, do you devil woman?" Nika looked up at Gai, innocently, who was still unfazed. "No, I'm not helping you. Got that?"

"Nice to meet you, Nika," Kusaka bowed his head formally, drawing a card in the process. He then used Gai's words as a chance to make this game of cards into a proper game of chance. Kusaka then got to his feet somewhat quickly, a mask of false fury plastered across his face. If everything went according to plan, then he'd be fit to see just what this fellow was, racial-wise. "Then how about a quick sparring match, instead?" Kusaka asked directly of Gai. "I've been curious for a while, after all." His left hand was resting loosely on the hilt of his zanpakutō, his posture shouting that he was a mere hairsbreadth away from baring steel.

"Curious, huh...?" Gai slowly rose to his own two feet, and he quickly answered, "Fine." Responding to his declaration, Nika immediately transformed, morphing into a brilliant golden broadsword. Utilizing Kōshinho, Gai translocated himself outside quickly.

Kusaka rose an eyebrow in surprise at this development, at the same time noting Gai to be quite fast as well. "I don't think that was a Shunpo... Setup's similar, but the execution is different. That rules out Shinigami and Arrancar, then. And it sure wasn't Estremo Velocità, either." A half-smile crossed the face of the Kori clansmen as he, too, flash stepped outside as he finally concluded his inner thought. "On second though, the Rukongai's way too crowded for this. The area of Rukongai they were in, Hokutan of West Rukongai, was home to a mountain range often used for training by several individuals. "Follow me to Mt. Koifushi and we'll fight there." With that said, Kusaka began flash stepping into the distance at a quick pace.

"W-Wait, what...?" While this being was quickly dissapearing from his sight, Gai groaned. "Mt. Koifushi...? Wait, that's..." After a brief pause, Gai noticed that it appeared similar to the place where he first met Hizashi and befriended her, despite all odds. Putting such nostalgia aside, Gai's fear of heights kicked in, before Nika repreminded him, "You know, Gai Nagareboshi~Harden up and let's get down to brass tracks~If you keep looking back, then you can't move foward. It's just like before, when you were fighting Yuurei~" Despite her general air of ditziness, Nika was capable of providing sage-like advice when she wasn't spacing out.

"...R-Right." Gai slowly, but surely answered, before setting his sights on Kusaka and moving in a similar fashion to an inline skater towards his opponent, following him, tearing up the very earth beneath him, all while feeling the sensation of the wind blowing past him.

It didn't take long to reach Mt. Koifushi from their previous location, so in mere minutes for the three spiritual beings, a large mountain range devoid of people for miles in any direction loomed up before them as Kusaka touched down finally. He wore one of his usual little half-smiles, content for a moment simply to let the wind lull his senses. As he looked around he began to realize why he had fought so hard to protect the Rukongai from Averian's multiple assaults. It was because of the scenery and the peacefulness he felt when immersed in the countryside all around. And also because he had grown up here.

Those hadn't been the happiest of times. In fact, Kusaka had went day-after-day without laughing once, the sole thought of carving out an existence for he and his younger brother who, at that time, was too young to know that their parents had abandoned them for whatever reason. Shaking the remnants of those days away, Kusaka turned with that same half-smile still plastered across his face. "Let's get this party started, eh?" His words trailed off, but in their steed came the sound of steel scrapping against steel as the black-haired Kori clansmen drew his zanpakutō. It appeared almost broadsword-like in general appearance, with a stone-like hilt set with a large red gem in the pommel. Its blade was mostly black save for the white-colored line running up the center. Opting for a defensive stance, Kusaka placed the blades edge on the forearm of his left arm, which was risen just in-front of him.

Immediately nodding, Gai twirled the blade around his wrist, before gripping it. At that moment, golden, feather-like spiritual energy pulsed off of Arazomekanki, as Gai Nagareboshi's eyes narrowed. A cross-hairs appeared in his left eye, allowing him to focus on Kusaka clearly- and possibly guaranteeing a direct hit. As six, seraphic wings erupted out of his back, Gai bared his sharp incisors in anticipation. "Just what I was thinking." As his train of thought departed for a brief moment, Gai continued, "You know...I don't like fighting, not even training...But I see this as a oppertunity to rise even higher. So that I can protect them. Now...yatte yaruze, Kaku-" Nika abruptly interrupted, "Ahem~!" Realizing his folly, Gai corrected himself, "...Oh, yeah. Sorry, force of habit. Why don't you make the first move?"

Kusaka merely shifted his stance a little to the right-hand side, his left foot inching backwards so he could back up faster should a fast strike come his way. When it was clear it wasn't, the air around Kusaka's body shimmered momentarily before he discarded his jacket to the floor. Seconds following the movement pressurized Kidō formed around his shoulders and upper arms, colored white. "Shunkō," He whispered afterward, head down and eyes closed. The pressurized nature of the Kidō tore deep rivets in the earth which caused loose fragments of stone and dust to circle around the brown-haired Shinigami. "Then I guess were the complete opposite. You see, I'm known as Kusaka Kenpachi. I doubt you need to be told why?"

So Kusaka made the first move. His zanpakutō flashed through air towards Gai's face before Kusaka vanished, using the pressurized Kidō of his Shunkō state as a potent boost to all his physical powers. Banking hard to the right as he moved away, Kusaka was in the air with a leap where the Kidō energy surged around his whole body; making for a vibrant display of white currents dancing along his limbs. It wasn't just his back, now. His arms as well as zanpakutō were covered in that pressurized aura. "But I know your a skilled warrior regardless." Kusaka's voice sounded to Gai's back as he aimed a strike filled with his gathered momentum at his foes right shoulder-blade.

With Kusaka's Shunkō-enhanced speed being too much for Gai to initially comprehend, the Mototsu was sent flying into a rocky formation, his lithe body flailing across the ground. Surprised at this level of power, Gai staggered to his own two feet, gripping the hilt of his blade even tighter. "Already...? ...Tch! You're good..." Gai uttered under his breath, as light began to gather and roar on Arazomekanki's blade.

"Shining..." Gai's eyes sharpened, focusing on his opponent as the white feathers converged, before immediately hardening. "ONSLAUGHT!!" A loud *BOOM!* echoed throughout the air, as Gai unleashed a spinning, cross-shaped blast of feathers at Kusaka, which travelled through the air at astounding speeds, whirling like a deadly buzz-saw.

"Rei...!" Kusaka muttered under his breathe, his zanpakutō coming alive with pitch black spiritual energy that gave the impression of complete darkness emenating from the Kori clansmens' body. As Gai's own attack came closer, Kusaka brought his zanpakutō slashing down vertically, declaring aloud "Furashuu"! The energy peeled off his blade and shot forward with great power. The waves collided, but Gai's had gained momentum whilst Kusaka's had not, as Kusaka was closer to that clash. The resulting clash of powers resulted in a sizable explosion as the Shining Onslaught and the Rei Furashuu mixed and repulsed the other. The subsequent shockwave sent Kusaka hurtling through the air, where he impacted the ground three times before he managed to cease his rolling and land on his feet.

Blood was flowing from a wound above his left eye, with other superficial wounds spread across his body from the ground he had landed on. "Same to you," He replied, finally standing straight. "Shining Onslaught, you called that? Very similar to my own attack." It wasn't often he saw that outside the Kori Family and the grin he wore showed that fact well.

"Heh...The old bastard based this off Getsuga Tenshō." Gai uttered, while twirling Arazomekanki around his wrist once again. As his grip tightened, a voice sung from the blade, "Gai Nagareboshi~ I think you're winning~" Quickly leering down at his blade, Gai snapped, "You can't tell so soon, devil woman! The fight's just begun! Besides, by the looks of it so far, he's more skilled and powerful than me!" The only response from the sword was cheerful. "Oho~ But you never know~!"

Halting himself from starting an argument with his archnemesis in the heat of battle, Gai blocked out Nika's ramblings, all while applying his palm to his forehead in exasparation while clicking his tongue. "...Tch. Sorry about that. She's...annoying. Extremely annoying." Shifting back to a fighting stance, Gai then rushed foward as Arazomekanki became immersed in a golden aura, which shone radiantly with tremendous brilliance. Focusing his gaze upon Kusaka, Gai shouted "Byakuya Senmetsuken!" as the light converged and formed into a giant white feather that replaced Arazomekanki's blade.

Kusaka took a defensive stance, his Shunkō aura flaring to live around him! It was flashing white, silver and grey in color, flicking through the colors at an alarming rate that shed its own brilliance. Those colors didn't stop dancing until his aura settled on an iridescent silver-colored hue around him. It wasn't just his shoulders or arms that were covered now. It was a full-body augmentation, coating his arms and legs, chest and stomach, head and even his feet. No part of Kusaka's body was left untouched. Even his eyes seemed to shine with that iridescent silver. "Warm-ups over. Ríndete. Porque los guantes vienen de. Eres mía." As the Spanish left his lips, Kusaka was moving.

His feet parted the rock beneath him, creating small craters in their wake. Banking hard to the right brought the Kori clansmen into a circular run around Gai's position, with Kusaka moving quickly enough to make afterimages of himself move just before and behind him. From his free hand came the sound of snapping fingers, as pressurized Kidō began to form within the boundaries of the circle Kusaka's movements drew out. That energy, given a few more seconds, would create explosions of pressurized Kidō wherever they lay!

"...Tch. Gah, how I abhor Shunkō. I mean, whenever someone uses it against me, it's like I can't land a hit on 'em." Remembering the results of his battle against Ayano Kisaragi and Yuuki Kaburagi, Gai clicked his tongue in irritation. Noticing Gai's anger, Nika replied to the Kori clansmen in Spanish, "Mi aerodeslizador está lleno de anguilas." Gripping Arazomekanki, golden wings erupted from Gai's back. The moment that the wings materialized, golden feathers scattered off of them, as Gai prepared to counter these pressurized Kidō.

With a single command, "Umōseiiki." The majestic wings immediately entered a defensive position, which were further reinforced by Gai and Nika's combined reiatsu signature being infused into them. With the enormous white feather still in the place of Arazomekanki's blade, Gai planted the Tenjōgekido into the ground for a brief second, further reinforcing the strength of his wings as golden reiatsu seeped into the air and was absorbed by the protrusions.

"Hovercraft? Eels?" Kusaka thought after translating the womans ramblings. The Kidō he had directed, while powerful, didn't have the edge to pierce Gai's defenses. It was simply too hard for that. Skidding to a halt, the dust from his continual circular motion hiding his movements, Kusaka directed his Shunkō aura onto the blade of Shagetsu, mixing the pressurized Kidō in with the forming energy of the Rei Furashuu. It made for a strange-colored variant. Completely black with ripples of silver light throughout, accompanied by a distinct purple outline.

"Rei Yarisazame!" Kusaka slashed upwards, releasing the energy into the heavens. "Amearare." It split into countless spear-like shapes of the same black and rippling silver color, its purple making it even more noticeable against the white of the clouds. At Kusaka's urging the energy fell towards the ground, countless spears piercing the heavens in descent. Each held their average power augmented by the pressurized Kidō coursing through them. Those spears fell, each and every one aimed directly for Gai's location!

Briefly glancing up at the spears of raven and silver, Gai's wings quickly unfurled, as the Mototsu gritted his teeth. With a snap of his fingers, the golden wings contracted, vanishing without a trace. Quickly ripping Arazomekanki out of the ground, Gai twirled it around his hand, before thrusting it in the direction of the spears. As Arazomekanki's tip pierced the air, Gai declared, "Reiraku Byakuya!" As the words left his mouth, white light amassed upon Arazomekanki's blade.

A sort of funnel of feathers erupted from the blade, swirling around the gleaming golden steel that it was constructed from. Releasing a powerful vacuum, Arazomekanki began to assimiliate Amearare. Consuming the countless spears, Arazomekanki's brilliant glow became brighter, as Gai attempted to keep a stable footing, finding the strain of absorbing this much reishi too much to bear, even upon transferring a considerable amount of his own reiryoku into the ability, which allowed him handle the strain slightly easier. After several seconds, Gai fell to one knee, quickly taking his hand off of his blade to clutch his chest. As his left hand slowly began to falter, Gai swung Arazomekanki in an arc, releasing those same spears at half their original strength at Kusaka. However, he neglected to notice one final spear, which struck his right arm, causing considerable pain. Quickly standing on his own two feet again, Gai, now panting heavily, focused his gaze upon Kusaka once again.

The build-up to the technique itself had caused its own level of strain, which, coupled with the surprise factor of Gai turning his own attack against him made for little chance for Kusaka dodging. So he sacrificed his offense for a time and huddled in on himself, much like a hedgehog might to protect itself from harm. At the final second he flared his Shunkō aura and wrapped the pressurized Kidō around his arms, chest and legs; focusing more of the current around his chest and vital areas.

The spears descended upon him like ravens upon a corpse, completely hiding him from view as a dust cloud made Kusaka fade into obscurity. Time passed after, with the wind currents blowing the dust cloud farther afield. The sound of clapping echoed as the Kori clansmen stepped forward, blood smears visible on both his bare-chest and trousers. Several lacerations from glancing strikes covered his body. Superficial wounds in thanks to his defensive aura around his chest and more deep wounds around his arms and legs where the protection wasn't as concentrated. "I was right," Kusaka maintained. "I was keeping tabs on your spiritual energy... Your no Shinigami, Gai. That leaves the question: what are you?" It was one of the reasons he had initiated this battle in the first place.

"...Tch." Gai clicked his tongue. "Well, if you must know, I'm-" Gai's explanation was cut off by Nika, who childishly answered for him, "Gai Nagareboshi here is a Mototsu~" Glaring down at Arazomekanki, Gai growled, "'Ay. I could've told 'im that, devil woman." Sighing before focusing on Kusaka once again, Gai declared, "...Huh. What's the reason for you wanting to know this, hm?"

Gripping Arazomekanki tighter, Gai poured his reiatsu into the blade, calling "Shining Breakthrough!", before slamming the blade into the ground. Underneath Kusaka, a small torrent of golden feathers formed, which were bound to erupt at any second.

The golden feathers erupted where they were intended, along with a distinct purple-colored blast not unlike the Rei Furashuu. It was noticeably faster and less powerful overall however. "A Mototsu? Never heard of them." Came Kusaka's voice from Gai's back. He had used Utsusemi to leave behind an afterimage in order to escape quickly. "I have no intention of using your or anything like that," Kusaka went on, walking past Gai so he stood in front of him once again. "You could call it the curiosity of a man whose seen a lot of strange occurrences in his short life who just found another."

The aura surrounding the Kori Clansmen was still present, casting the area around him in a vibrant silver coloration. "I've never heard nor seen a Mototsu before today, so you can understand my curiosity. After all, your spiritual signature is unlike anything I've felt sin-..." He went silent then as he thought of his meeting with Shūhen Kōhai - a man who held an interesting orb that materialized ones inner desires. "Never mind that, though. Let's continue!"

Gai responded to such a statment coldly, "...Huh. Now, that's something you don't hear every day." Suddenly tightening his grip on his blade, Arazomekanki hardened Gai's reiatsu into the shape of a oversized blade, the entire weapon being as large as Gai himself, with explosively increased lethality. This blade was several meters long and thirty-five centimeters wide, and the blade was made from Gai's reiatsu, being a brilliant white in color. The tsuba and hilt were crimson, with the tsuba shaped like a diamond. Calling out the name of the form, "Hatsutenkō!" Gai spun the blade around his wrist, before pointing it at his opponent.

Pumping some of his reiatsu into Arazomekanki, the blade shot foward at excess of supersonic speeds in an instant. As the blade travelled through the air, golden feathers of flame scattered off of the blade.

"Rei Kawa," Was all Kusaka said. The Rei Furashuu surrounded his limbs and hardened, forming a suit of protective armor around his entire body; appearing very much like an Arrancar's Hierro or a Fōrun-juu's Custode skin. Coupled with the pressurized Kidō of his Shunkō aura, Kusaka had created an exceedingly powerful defensive utility that allowed him to stand up to the rapid extension of Gai's weapon. He was sent skidding backwards though, his back impacting one of the larger rocks scattered around their battlefield! The force of his impact caused him to split it in two clean down the center, but Kusaka didn't remain long in his rocky enclosing.

Blasting through the top caused the rock to fall in on itself, essentially trapping Gai's blade. Kusaka's enhanced skin was gone, revealing small lacerations to his back coupled with other superficial wounds scattered around his body; the worst of which were the burns on his chest which bleed. "Let's see how you handle this!" In place of his sword now rested two kusarigama, each with one sickle blade longer and more deadly than the other positioned behind it connected together via a long, durable chain. Spinning the weapons at either side, Kusaka finally released the right-most scythe from range, the sickle blade aimed directly for Gai's throat!

"...Tch." Clicking his tongue, Gai uttered, "Gattai." As he and Nika's spirits harmonized, the Mototsu acquired a faint magenta glow. With an invisible field of reiryoku forming around his entirity, allowing him to modify the vector values of anything he touched. As the right-most scythe came homing in upon Gai, Vectoriales' ability was immediately put to use- deflecting it with ease, saving Gai from a possibly fatal injury, though not before slicing him at the side of his neck.

"Gai Nagareboshi~ You can only manifest my power for three minutes, so be careful~!" Nika proclaimed, before continuing to serve her role as an endless barrel of exposition perfectly. "Remember, all physical attacks can be deflected~But most energy attacks will get through~!" Glaring down at his weapon, Gai spat angrily, "Argh...dammit, devil woman. Why'd you go ahead and tell him the vulnerabilities!?" Gritting his teeth, Gai thought to himself as he spun Arazomekanki around his wrist, "Damn...This makes things a lot harder." Using his feet that were supporting him on the ground, he stomped on it. A shockwave from below to above was unleashed on the hard surface. Gai Nagareboshi bent his body, and with his feet at the center, an enormous crack appeared in the ground, travelling towards Kusaka at an astounding rate, as the rock shattered, allowing Arazomekanki blade to contract, quickly returning to its original form. Gai crushed the cracked asphalt even further, and shot towards Kusaka like a rocket, aiming to strike him with a spinning roundhouse kick.

Kusaka's smile showed clearly as he dropped his twin scythes and drew his zanpakutō instead, though the scythes themselves came alive as though they had a life all of their own. "Telekinesis," Kusaka said simply. He sent his scythes flying towards Gai again, this time using the vector control revealed to him by Nika's words against its wielder. Both scythes were repelled to different sides pulling the connecting chain taught were Kusaka stopped his scythes mentally. He then brought the connecting chain up mentally to entwine around Gai's incoming foot; slowing it by quite a degree. That gave Kusaka enough time to raise his zanpakutō in defense as he flared his Shunkō aura!

A massive "BOOM" echoed throughout the area as Gai's foot struck the flat side of Kusaka's Shagetsu, though Kusaka hadn't fallen back or budged an inch. "Telekinesis lets me move a lot more than just my scythes." Right now he was concentrating solely on keeping his body in the one place with his mind so Gai's kick wouldn't put distance between them once again. "Tell me, how would that deflection technique of yours work at this range? I think its time I found out. Rei... Furashuu!" The energy came alive on Shagetsu's edge, threatening to spill forth and utterly consume its targets!

Rei Furashuu managed to send Gai's body flailing across the ground at an incredible velocity, his foot broke free from the chain; the Mototsu could only halt his movement by planting Arazomekanki into the ground quickly. His clothes charred and a portion of his skin suffering burns, three minutes had unexpectly expired, much to Gai's surprise. "W-What...already...!?" Nika interjected, "Well, you're not good with it as of yet, so I cancelled the union~!" His eyes widening in disbelief, Gai shouted at the woman, "Damn devil woman...!" Calming himself, Gai sighed, "Ah...well."

Staggering to his own two feet, Gai gripped Arazomekanki tighter. Slowly walking in Kusaka's direction, Gai's speed almost instantanously picked up, as he appeared in front of his foe and reared his blade back, declaring, "Phoenix Streiser!" Golden light amassed upon Arazomekanki's blade, and Gai unleashed an exceedingly powerful thrust of the blade towards his foe. This action gave the image of a phoenix rising from the ashes.

"No waiting around!?" The image cast as well as the speed Gai moved took Kusaka by complete surprise! There was little he could do that wasn't instinctual and even then he wouldn't come out lightly. His hand was moving before he was even truly aware of it, his Shunkō aura split to cover both his zanpakutō and left side.

His blade came in, reinforced with both the Shunkō aura and the forming energy of the Rei Furashuu, which succeeded in parrying the strike away from vitals; though the blade now flew towards his side. The pressurized protection offered by the Shunkō aura seemed to screech before Gai's blade ran Kusaka through. Blood trickled down from the wound, though their contact wasn't long. Kusaka impacted his own body with a telekinetic burst which forced him back, as well as removing the blade from his body. "Not bad... not bad at all!" Now that there was nothing to stem the blood flow, that trickle began to speed up until a small puddle was forming at Kusaka's feet.

The moment Gai's small feet touched the ground after leaping back to create some distance between the two, the Mototsu bared his sharp incisors at Kusaka. "...Tch. It seems that I've dealt more damage than I meant to." As Gai's grasp upon Arazomekanki loosened, the radiant hue that the blade was constantly immersed in shone brilliantly, the symbols engraved upon the sword became illuminated as this process occured. "...I own the damn blade, but I do wonder; why does it shine so much? I mean, it could function as a flashlight..." As Gai complained about his weapon to no-one in particular, he thought to himself, "...Ah. Talking to myself. Dammit, I must be picking up devil woman's traits." Smirking at her partner's thoughts, Nika responded, "Aha~I'm contagious~"

Growling, Gai forced himself to vent his irritation at Nika elsewhere. Questioning, "Alright...Can you still dodge this?" Light began to gather and roar on Arazomekanki's blade, as Gai uttered, "Shining..." The Mototsu's eyes sharpened, focusing on the Kori clansman as the golden feathers converged, before immediately hardening. "ONSLAUGHT!!" A sonic boom resounded throughout the air, as Gai released a spinning, cross-shaped blast of feathers from Arazomekanki at his foe, which moved through the air at astounding speeds, devouring the surroundings with ease.

"Wake up," Kusaka stated simply, with that phrase surrounding his entire body in a vibrant display of red-colored reiatsu. From his shroud blasted forth a Rei Furashuu he had charged earlier to partially divert Gai's strike; though in addition to the darkened purple outline laced with splashes of silver, the wave now bore a noticeable dark red outline that smashed into the Shining Onslaught with enough force to create quite the large crater. The edges of that new hole stretched to each combatants feet.

As the smoke cleared and the shroud which covered him vanished, Kusaka emerged with slight changes to his physical form. He wasn't bare-chest anymore for one, having been fitted with a V-necked short-sleeved purple shirt with bronze-colored holdings at the chest area. Light purple bandages entwined his left forearm as well as wrist. "This little thing?" He asked in regards to the wound, the blood stain beginning to show through his new outfit. "I've taken worse." The various scars, as well as burn marks showed that well. "But let me introduce you to the first form of my Seishin Kama." The scythe which had been floating nearby was no longer visible, having seemingly disappeared.

With his transformation assumed, Kusaka leapt backwards and then upwards. As he did so he drew his free hand back and sheathed the fist in his spiritual energy, giving the forming energy the appearance of a red-colored bullet. "Sutoroboban," With a punching motion Kusaka released that "bullet" towards Gai, which moved faster than even an Arrancar's Bala!

The Sutoroboban struck Gai's chest with tremendous force, sending the Mototsu careening across the landscape, his lithe body flailing across the ground. Plunging Arazomekanki into the ground, Gai skidded to a halt. Standing to his own two feet, Gai ripped his blade from the ground, before grasping it with both hands. "...Tch. You've released, eh? I've got two more. I can spare." As Gai uttered these words, Arazomekanki became illuminated in a radiant golden shimmer.

"Byōtenkō." With a singular command, Arazomekanki was integrated into Gai's body. Artificial appearing constructs formed around his being, as they converged, transforming into a glistening white armor. Gai's facial features became accented by depressions that not only surrounded each eye, but continued downwards from the center with a straight line. Three prominent spikes extended from his back and shoulders, which concealed a long flowing transparent cape underneath. His lower legs contained numerous ornate designs, such as phoenix wings and feathers, and there were multiple appearances of a symbol consisting of three tomoe. Gai's right iris became gold, and he had red scelera and pupils in his right eye.

Thrusting his left arm out, Gai summoned a gigantic golden broadsword. Through sheer pressure, the Mototsu launched a crescent wave of air towards Kusaka at tremendous speed. The air blade tore up the landscape as it traveled in his foe's direction.

Kusaka arched an eyebrow before he turned in a quick circle, completely engulfing his position with the Rei Furashuu that followed his spinning motion. When the wave of air pressure struck his location the energy surrounding the Kori clansmen was blasted away, revealing him with a solidified suit of energy bearing the same color of the Rei Furashuu that fitted tightly to the contours of his body. Nothing was spared from the armored encasing. Head, eyes, feet, arms, chest. Everything was covered ensuring complete protection.

As soon as it appeared however, the suit vanished; revealing Kusaka underneath without a scratch on his body. "Air pressure?" He inquired as he slowly descended to ground-level once again. "But this isn't so much of a 'release'." He began explaining. "Think of it more as a coming together of two spiritual entities. You see the scythe I wielded before? It held the soul of a being called Okita, though it is not a zanpakutō. When initiated, my power and his intermingle and become one for a time."

"...Huh. A fusion?" The calmer voice uttered from the knight. "Hihihihihi~So it's like Gai and I, then~?"A crazier voice shrieked from the armour. Nonchalantly applying its palm to its forehead in exasperation, the armour almost performed a face fault. "...Tch. If you must know, your 'release' is similar to my Byōtenkō state in execution. Both of us have synchronized with our weapon~" The stunning magenta within blue eyes of the knight focused upon it's target. "In a way, we're two in one; made all the easier by being two sides of the same coin. Nika's a part of me...And Gai's a part of me~ And together, we're going to take the win. So get ready, Kusaka. Our true fight starts now."

Light began to gather and roar on the radiant blade, as Gai and Nika uttered in unison, "Shining..." The knight's eyes sharpened as the golden feathers converged, before immediately hardening. "ONSLAUGHT!!" A sonic boom resounded throughout the air, as Gai and Nika released a spinning, cross-shaped blast of feathers from the blade towards Kusaka, as the knight instantly translocated, appearing a few centimeters behind Kusaka, as light began to gather and roar on the radiant blade once again, before unleashing a second Shining Onslaught towards the Kori clansman. Both attacks threatened to strike him from his front and back.

Kusaka pooled reishi particles to his feet as though preparing for high-speed movement, though that energy soon formed into the armor he had demonstrated not a minute ago. Though instead of full body protection it only covered his feet and ankles. With that accomplished, the Kori clansmen uttered "Rei Kasui". A near instantaneous surge of energy erupted beneath Kusaka, shooting him clear of the incoming blasts and into the air.

Using his telekineses skills to twist himself around without the need for Shunpo, Kusaka watched as both Shining Onslaught began to draw closer to one another. "You're standing in a bad place, Gai!" Releasing his Rei Furashuu at full power, Kusaka aimed to overload the incoming Rei Furashuu and catch Gai in the ensuing explosion!

The explosion engulfed Gai, sending the Mototsu careeing a fair distance. Planting the gigantic Arazomekanki into the ground, Gai halted his movement in an instant. The moment his feet touched the ground, the blade became illuminated in light once again. However, dents and cracks littered the armour, showing signs of wear from the battle. Refusing to succumb to his wounds, Gai gritted his teeth before declaring, "I'm not going to end here, you hear me?"

Raising Arazomekanki to the sky, the blade began to glow, as it gathered and collected reiatsu throughout the area. All the while, Gai gathered forces of wind and heat, converging them into a single concentrated point, as the Mototsu whirled around, shouting "Hōōyokutenshō!" and redirecting the reiatsu to back where it came from in the form of dozens of gigantic orbs of golden flame released in a spiraling formation from his body towards Kusaka.

Kusaka's eyes narrowed as he gauged the attack, filed away its initial firing sequence and came to understand its energy. He was a man with amazing powers of perception after all. But it wasn't enough. Kusaka employed various aerial acrobatics to dodge the initial orbs, though he noted their range to be quite large. It was so large that he couldn't avoid them all. Three of those dancing orbs finally touched his body, igniting in a breathtaking display of fiery embers that all but hid Kusaka from view amidst rising plumes of smoke.

Unleashing an attack of such magnitude began to take its toll upon Gai's reiatsu, slowly draining it away. However, forcing himself to ignore his spiritual energy being syphoned away, the Mototsu gripped the illuminated blade of Arazomekanki tighter. Still, he remained unsure if he could continue fighting in this manner- bombarding Kusaka with his most powerful attacks constantly. Not hesitating, unwilling to allow Kusaka to recover, Gai leapt forward.

As Gai bounded into the air, the blade of Arazomekanki became wreathed in dazzling golden flames, which began to scatter off the sword and rise into the air. With a cry of "Hōōjumyō Tsusenzan!", Gai Nagareboshi attempted to slam down upon his foe with tremendous force.

But to Gai's surprise he'd find that the man he was hoping to strike was no longer there. "Remind me to thank a certain Shiba." Sounded Kusaka's voice from the sky above. The Kori clansmen was burned and brusied, slashed and cut. The force of the orbs detonation had sent him tumbling across rocky ground at such speed the rocks cut into his arms and legs, chest and stomach. He was a bleeding mess of wounds and injuries, though none of that explained how he had avoided Gai's following strike.

"I used Utsusemi," He finally revealed. "It lets me move at incredibly high-speed while leaving a tangible clone behind briefly." But regardless of the front he was presenting, the tole of using the Rei Furashuu in as many variants as he had was taking its toll, as was the measures he had taken to avoid or counter Gai's onslaught. "I can safely add this to one of the things I wasn't expecting to do today." He finally uttered with a grin.

Growling, Gai asked, "Utsusemi? Never seen that before. Interesting. Reminds me to pester Giri about teaching me some more Kōshinho abilities...Though I know he'll refuse...That's not the point right now." Gripping his shoulder, Gai planted Arazomekanki into the ground for a brief moment. Mustering one last ounce of strength, flames gathered around his person. These flames galloped and roared, converging around his entire body; before spreading out in the form of six wings of fire- similar to that of a Seraph. These golden holy flames only appear when Gai is at his limit- the Flames of Emotion. While they did nothing offensive or effect-wise, they were truly a sight to behold; they were merely Gai Nagareboshi's true reiatsu aura.

Quickly uprooting Arazomekanki from the ground, flames gathered and roared around the blade, before solidifying; unlike Shining Onslaught, Gai was about to unleash his strongest attack thus far. Declaring, "This could possibly be my last attack. Amakakeru Hōō no Hirameki!!" The flames fanned out in a spiral-like formation, before converging once again into the form of a sphere. This sphere absorbed the stray reishi into its core; this attack is at its strongest at this moment, as the area around Kusaka and Gai is saturated with excess energy from their attacks. Recycling the reishi just used and spread over the battlefield, Gai sliced the sphere with Arazomekanki, releasing it as a titanic wave of golden flame that travelled towards the Kori clansman with tremendous speed and force.

It was obvious to Kusaka that this could be the deciding moment of this battle. With that in mind the Kori clansmen hunched in on himself like a hedgehog might when in danger. And like a hedgehog whose spikes protruded to protect it, Kusaka's Shunkō flared to life around him. Many knew him as Kusaka Kenpachi for his skillful swordsmanship, while many knew him as a fun-loving idiot. There were the select few however that knew him as Kusaka of the Shunkō. He had mastered the art to its fullest level, intimized himself with every working and kink of the power that now raged through him like a river whose banks had long since burst. That energy bunched around his limbs and body, forming beautiful and intricate weaves of pulsating silver energy that danced around Kusaka. Hanki was a technique long associated with Shunkō. And while the energy gathered from the battlefield to give birth to Gai's offensive wasn't born from Kidō usage, Kusaka knew his own powers. The Rei Furashuu he used was more aligned with Kidō than it was simple spiritual energy.

His goal was clear. As the wave approached him, Kusaka released his Hanki blast with the sole purpose of nullifying the remnant energy of his own multiple Rei Furashuu's. It was a straining process, but when that wave struck him, it struck with only the might of Gai's own reiatsu. The Kori clansmen was hurled bodily across the face of their summit battlefield, were he eventually struck the side of that very mountain and lodged in the stone. "Gah!" His breathing was labored and his body badly injured, yet Kusaka managed to push himself free and descend slowly to the ground below. "Not... bad at... all. Guard, Shagetsu!" The release was initiated solely to benefit from Shagetsu's passive power - that which closed fatal wounds. Injuries which Shagetsu deemed fatal closed instantly. In place of the sword he had been wielding up til this point was a scythe of a black coloration attached to a crescent moon blade via a long chain.

Upon releasing Amakakeru Hōō no Hirameki, Gai noticed that Kusaka had mostly rejuvinated from his wounds. "...Gah! Is...Is he serious? Oh, come on. That was my best attack...I was aiming to defeat you there and then, or at least obtain a draw..." Gritting his teeth in annoyance, Gai clicked his tongue in irritation. "Ohohohohoho~ Gai Nagareboshi...You tend to get irritated easily, despite your supposed calmness~" Growling, "Shut up, devil woman..." Gai gripped Arazomekanki once again.

Raising the illustrious blade to the sky, golden pyres amassed around the blade. The pyres crackled, as they quickly spiraled down the blade, immersing Arazomekanki in flames. Instantly, he slammed the blade into the ground, as a golden hexagram formed on the ground underneath him, seething flames from the seal. A pillar of fire erupted from the seal, engulfing Gai Nagareboshi for a brief moment. Gai's hair elongated, now reaching down to his ankles. Gai now wore a large black kimono, which only reached up to his mid-torso. He also wore a hakama of similar design with pheonix patterns along the legs, but it flails out into ragged and tattered ends, similar to Ichigo Kurosaki's Tensa Zangetsu. Gai also became barefooted. This was the "Shinka Saiteki Senshi" (進化最適戦士, "Evolved Perfect Warrior")- representing the perfect union between Gai Nagareboshi and Nika Kazoraem- Kanzenkudō. Quickly thrusting Arazomekanki in the ground, Gai focused all of his energy into one point.

Gai screamed to the point of blood coming out from his throat, he disorderly swung his blade about that was buried in the ground. Bringing together and controlling all the vectors, a thunderous roar echoed throughout the air. In that instant, the Soul Society's rotation slowed down by about 5 minutes. Gai's eyes sharpened as the golden flames converged, before immediately hardening. "Vector Shining..." His blade, having took away the enormous energy of the planet's rotation, converted it via vector control into a single demonic attack; "ONSLAUGHT!!" A sonic boom resounded throughout the air, as Gai and Nika released a truly enormous, cross-shaped blast of flames from Arazomekanki at a horrifying velocity towards Kusaka. Instantly after releasing this tremendous attack, everything dissipated- Gai's current attire faded, as he returned to his normal state in extreme fatigue.

This no longer came down to quick actions in order to put off bleeding to death. This came to down to pure survival! Kusaka had only caught a small portion of what it was Gai was intending, but the energy build-up around his zanpakutō was monstrous enough for Kusaka to hazard a guess that whatever it was that was coming, wasn't going to be pretty. It would probably kill him in fact. When he had initiated his Shikai before he had done so with the sole intention of stopping the worst of his wounds bleeding profusely - he hadn't intended to continue fighting. But as things were now... he had little choice in the matter. It was this or die.

As Gai's own energy built, Kusaka ignored his protesting muscles and all their pained objections. "Bankai...!" Feathers fell around Kusaka's person, only this time not a result of Gai's actions. From the Kori clansmens back shot two large, white-colored wings that appeared to belong to an angel rather than an agent of death. His hair turned snow-white along with his uniform, which was fully repaired and more form-fitting than before. Much like Gai's dress, Kusaka's Shihakushō flared out also, only his was in four strips that ended in ragged edges. On each wrist was a bracelet that shone with an angelic light. "Ameno Shagetsu!"

With his maximum power tapped, Kusaka knew his time would be short. After this he'd be so exhausted he truly doubted his ability to stand up afterwards. All Kusaka's spiritual energy went into the light now circling his zanpakutō. "Hakuseki Rei Furashuu!" He roared. The energy flew forward and impacted Gai's Shining Onslaught for what would surely be the final time in this confrontation. The two waves pushed with neither giving the other a moments hesitation: much like how the battle between the waves respective owners had fought one another. But their warring nature was quickly silenced. Each wave collapsed upon the other, wrapping around each before finally detonating violently! Kusaka was hurled bodily - his Bankai form broken in a mass of feathers that cushioned his impact with the mountainside somewhat before he released the form to conserve whatever life energy remained.

Falling to his knees, Gai clutched his chest as Nika skipped out of her blade form, leaving Gai Nagareboshi to collapse. Wandering over to Kusaka, Nika placed her palm upon his chest, and shifted the vectors in her arms to the front, applying a healing syrum to the Kori clansman, while uttering, "Don't worry~you should be on your feet in a few moments, Kusaka Kori~"

Giving Gai a mere aside glance, Nika focused upon healing her former opponent, stating to him, "Well, while Gai Nagareboshi wouldn't want me saying this, I do believe that you're the victor~"

"Hardly," Kusaka said, still a little breathless. With a groan he just about stifled before it left his lips, Kusaka struggled to his feet. He was using the wall of the mountainside he had been hurled into as much as he was his own legs. "We're both battered and bruised and knackered besides." Staggering backwards, Kusaka leaned against the earthen wall and looked to the heavens finally. A group of clouds were moving past to let the suns light reach them. "... Now I know why Maki lived out here so long..." It was more of a whisper than anything else. "Well as fun as this has been," Kusaka began. "I really should be getting back. Sadly my works never done and I've a war to fight." He dropped a hanfdul of coins into Nika's hand and winked. "That'll buy you a drink or three." As for Gai, Kusaka walked towards him and dragged him to his feet. "You're built tough," Kusaka said as he offered his hand in friendship.

"Oho~War?" Nika inquired, somewhat interested as her restrained lust for obliterating an army slowly seeped forth, hoping to jump at the chance. Calming herself for a brief moment, Nika asked, "Kusaka Kori, since any progress in a war could be significantly boosted with extra numbers, how would you like a helping hand? I'll take nothing less than three thousand Yen and she's yours~" Nika was not the kind of person who was below selling her companions into slavery.

Regaining his sense of balance, Gai clutched his head in disorientation for a brief moment, as thoughts raced through his mind. "Wait, wait did I just do...? Did I fully merge with Nika for that brief moment?" Shaking these oddities from his train of thought, Gai glanced away for a brief moment, before extending his hand out to grasp Kusaka's, as a sign of a newly-forged bond of friendship.

"A tad expensive," Kusaka said with more of a thought towards the poor sap Nika was trying to sell than the impact it would have on his pocket. Beside, Kireina and Ino would kill and if he managed to survive them then Kenji and Rosuto would finish him. But he was surer on his feet as he released Gai's hand and walked towards the edge of the mountain. "Now... to find a Senkaimon." With a two-fingered saulute that echoed Kenji, Kusaka fell backwards and vanished.

End.