Juego de Amor

Red and Green
Splash... Was the sound that was heard as the woman dipped a rag into the water. She moved it along her arm, humming gently to herself.

It was a calm day for Shunsatsu, as he walked down the grassy path of the afternoon sky. It was one of the moments where he could fully enjoy himself, without the need of Ahatake and Akiko around. They were busy doing other stuff after all.

Body so full of cheer, he whistled a random tune from his heart, and it sounded similar to a bird's chirping.

The young woman continued with her delicate washing and changed her tune slightly as felt a sudden treble in the air. "Spiritual Pressure. Rather calm too."

Immediately, Shunsatsu turned an abrupt right, deeper into the forest. He stopped his tune, however, as soon as he heard familiar humming coming from a slight distance away. A skeptical look crossed his face, and his curiousity got to him, as he stepped slowly, in order to insure his stealth.

"It's coming this way. I think I've felt this certain one before." She merely walked into the lake and resumed bathing, humming her cheerful tune.

Only one step away.

His hands slowly reached for the bushes that lay in his reach, gripping the leaves and pushing them aside. He narrowed his eyes, searching for the source that lay just so definite in front of him.

His eyes widened at what he saw.

A girl, standing in the depths of a large lake, bathing in a carefree manner and humming that oh-so-familiar tune. So far, she didn't seem to notice his prescence, her back turned to him. He silently cursed that fact, as he couldn't see her face enough for a good recognition.

Who was she?

Asuka turned around and saw him hiding but didn't act like it, and kept humming. "Cute boy..." She thought. "Wonder what his personality's like."

"Wait!"

His eyes widened a bit, as he saw a bit of her face turn in his view, but it immediately disappeared as soon as it came. Instinctively, he ducked behind the tree he was hiding behind, eyes widened and heart pounding a bit.

"Shit, she spotted me!"

"Shy as well." She thought. "Strange I think I know him." She got up of the water and reached for the towel to dry off. Then she put her clothes back on. "You can come out now."

Her tone...didn't seem angry. Nor did was it embarrassed. His heart relaxed a bit, and he let out a sigh of relief, the weight of stealth coming off of his shoulders. Putting on a small smile on his face, he twisted his feet, stepping out of his hiding spot coolly and carefully. "Tch... no point in hiding myself if you're just gonna sense me out either way..." He mused.

She smiled. "You don't do a good job of hiding your spiritual pressure. A infant could spot you."

"That so...?" Folding his arms across his chest, he walked forward, feet stepping lightly and crunching the grass below them. "Well, I could say the same for you. You should hide yourself better when using a lake as your bathtub."

"You have a point there." Asuka replied. "What's your name? I am Asuka Natsumi."

"Shunsatsu Kuroda." He did a short bow, out of courtesy. "Pleased to meet you, miss."

"The pleasure's all mine." She replied. "Your name...sounds familiar. Do I know you from somewhere?"

After standing straight, Shunsatsu put a hand to his chin, putting on a thoughtful look. "Hmmm.... let's see.... were you....." With a snap of his fingers, he pointed over towards Asuka in probably realization. "from the Shinigami Academy?"

"Yeah." Then her eyes lit up. "YOU were Shun-kun weren't you?"

Shunsatsu chuckled heartily. "Heh... my classmates always loved to tick me off with that one..." He replied, grinning lopsidedly.

"But I remember you. You weren't the most forward person around, but you were a genius. It'd be hard not to remember you."

"Tch..." Shunsatsu shrugged slightly, in an embarrassed sort of manner. "I'm no genius...I'm just the guy who was paying attention while everyone else threw spitballs."

"Not me." Asuka replied. "I paid attention. If you recall, I outdid even you in Kido."

Was that a challenging statement? Shunsatsu allowed himself to raise an eyebrow and smirk. "Outdid? That's a pretty harsh word...I mean, 'evened' or 'matched up to' would've been great.... but outdid?" He placed a hand on his heart, in mock sorrow. "That cuts me really deep, Asuka...."

"Sorry." She said and she genuinely sounded it. "But you know I did. I was the best in our class."

Shunsatsu raised his head up, grin growing even wider. "Well, I'm just glad that you managed to pass." His eyes held a bit of curiousity after that, as he stared at Asuka for a moment. "....you in a division?"

"Not anymore. I left the Soul Society awhile back."

"Oh? Mind if I ask why?"

"I just didn't like it there. I didn't consider it freeing. I like the World of the Living better."

Placing a hand on his neck, Shunsatsu moved his head around, feeling a bit of pain in a small spot. "Personally, I don't see much difference between Soul Society and the Human Realm." He admitted.

"In the World of the Living, I answer no one. In teh Soul Society there Oji-sama."

"Heh...." Shunsatsu's tone became a bit amused. "So you're the rebellious type, eh?"

"Yeah. I listen to NO ONE. And I'm also unpredictable. Is that something you like?"

"Depends on what kind of unpredictability it is...."

"It can be any kind of unpredictability you want. Besides my emotions. I can be nice and sweet like I am now, or evil and rough the next second."

"I want?" Shunsatsu cocked an eyebrow in surprise, putting his hands into his pockets. "Sounds like you're tryin' to come onto me...."

"And you said you not a genius." Asuka laughed.

"You sure that's a good idea?" An unseen glint came across Shunsatsu's eye,. "After all...to just say this so bluntly might get me thinkin' the wrong way..."

"What do you mean?"

"Like this..."

WHOOSH!

It took a second to cover the cap between him and Asuka.

The next, he was right behind her, arms around her shoulders, and head right beside hers. "Get it now?" He cooed, breath tingling her ear as he spoke.

Her face turned red. "I don't mind.." She replied.

He grinned. "Good. Now... we both might have a bit of free time on our hands... I definitely do. If you're the same... I was thinkin' we could go out sometime."

"Alright." She agreed, her eyes lighting up. "When?"

"Sometime tonight."

"Alright. I have all the time in the world." She said and she sounded happy.

"Great!" His arms slowly unwrapped themselves around her. "In that case, I'll be going." He walked around her, hands in his pockets in a casual manner, but it was only a few steps away when he craned his head towards her.

"Unless, you wish for me to stay...."

"That would be nice." She said and she put her arms around him, her lip's against his...

MEANWHILE!!!!!

"C'mon, gimme a show!"

That was Tereya's fierce and taunting shout, even as she unleashed torrent upon torrent of spiritual wind upon Akiko's direction. The tip of her blade was humming with her own aura, clearly gleaming for blood.

"You asked for it." The Hollowfied girl replied. "HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" She swung her sword creating a massive shockwave.

Ahatake and Smirnov were watching the display.

Smirnov sat casually on the ground, observing Tereya's movements carefully, while still looking amused at the battle display. "Who're you betting on, Ahatake?" He asked, looking over at the other man.

"My sister. She's a demon."

Smirnov shrugged. "There are many kinds of demons in this world. Tereya is also what I consider to be one of them." He pointed out.

"True." Ahatake replied. "I'm going to enjoy watching this match."

"Ditto."

''CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!''

Tereya skidded back in a crouching position, head lowered, and her hand gripping the ground. Her sword was pointed upwards in a fronthand position, in order to steady herself from falling to the ground.

Akiko was still on the move and jumped up. "Have some 'o this!" She cried swing her blade and firing an Aka Shouten.

Gripping the hilt of her sword with both hands, she lunged forward, swinging the blade of her Zanpakuto straight into the blast. Flow redirected, energy disrupted, and the attack was sent straight back at its creator.

Akiko sliced her neck and watched the blood soak. "GYAKUTEN!" She cried swinging the blade and watching her attach reflect back upon the reflector.

It was now a game of chicken, as Tereya performed the same maneuver as before, reflecting it back once more. Unless there was some other method, Akiko would probably have to keep damaging herself in order to reflect it, while Tereya could use her control of spiritual energy in order to keep going. It was only a matter of time...

Unfortunately for Tereya, Akiko's neck blood was still on her blade and she reflected the attack yet again. Dummy!"

Tapping the finger of her Zanpakuto, Tereya narrowed her eyes in thought for a moment, before she swung once more, as if they were playing a game of baseball.

Akiko made an uppercut swing cutting her attack in half. "Done!" She said firing a cero at her opponent.

"Yes, you are."

A chilling voice sounded behind Akiko, and before she could even turn, the sound of metal cutting deep into flesh was deeply heard. It was her opponent's blade, slicing deep into her body, along with the spraying of blood behind her. "Oh my!" whispered Tereya's amused voice, as she watched the nearly cut-in-half opponent fall to the ground. "Don't fall apart... I wouldn't have anyone to spar with anymore!"

Akiko got up and placed a hand towards her wound and it began to heal. "As if you could beat me with something like that." She replied laughing as she removed her mask, and she had Tereya's playful expression on her face. "Don't make me laugh!"

"That's more like it..." Tereya whispered eagerly, settling into another fighting stance. "'Cause the next blow is aimin' for your spine."

"You won't land another blow, Tereya-chan!" Akiko replied. "I'm ending it here!" She sliced her thigh. "Kongōseki!" She cried swing her sword and expelling massive blood-red diamonds from her blade.

Tereya's eyes glazed over in surprise, taking a step back as the diamond bullets fired at her. They seemed to gleam intensely, possibly affected by the intensity of the assault itself, and it seemed to paralyze her body. She didn't move, but remained like an ice cube: still.

Then, she acted.

Crouching on her legs, she pushed herself into the air to backflip over the torrental assault. Her spiritual energy began to glow around her sword once more...

Akiko kept her sword in it's "slash" down position. "You can't deflect them!" Akiko said. "You'll have to dodge...But can you?"

"....Shit."

Tereya gritted her teeth, narrowed eyes glancing over her shoulder.

The bullets were coming around!

There was no way in hell she was going to be tricked like last time.

Still in an upside-down position in the air, she rocketed herself toward the ground, flipping on her feet and once again narrowly avoiding those deadly diamonds.

The diamonds collided with a nearby tree demolishing it completely.

Akiko's mask broke. "Seems my mask is at the end of it's tether."

Raising back up to a standing position, an amused smirk came across Tereya's face. "Well.... I can't really say that doesn't suck...." She commented, flourishing the sword with a bit of blade twirling. "Unless, you can still keep up with me without it..."

"What kinda weakling do you take me for?" Akiko asked with a mock hurt expression.