Dragons Soaring Through the Willows: Nodoka Kumori VS Yashin Shiyōnin

Unintended Meeting, The Hidden Menace Revealed!
It was cold.

The cool, crisp feeling of winter bit on the skin of a pale complexioned man as he walked towards a lone grave. His breath exhaled thin clouds of vapor in front of him, confirming the freezing temperatures, but withdrew the breaths evenly. This man knew cold as well as hot, for the weather did not make him falter nor did it sway his desire of being where he was.

Kneeling down, the man took off his fedora black hat, revealing a long blue ponytail with slight spiky protrusions around his crown, as the angular and strong features of the grave's visitor showed a slight cheer in his features. Whether it was a sincere one or masked one mattered not, as he reached out to brush off the snow that had fallen on the text of the gravestone and reading off its name.

"Rest in peace. To the soul who knew no passage could be barred from his Will. The only thing he wished more was to know his true name and his true purpose in this life and his next one. Mathias Walker," the visitor spoke in a soothing reverence, bringing a slight frown as he read the name blinking a few times, "someday I'll understand your desires, young soul, and fulfill that wish as your essence is a part of me. I am sorry I have nothing to offer but this promise and my condolences you weren't able to be by my side to witness it."

Rising up, the visitor prepared to leave, as his long trenchcoat defined form touched the snow and covered the black suit jacket and tie underneath it, matching the black gloves that held his fedora momentarily before putting it back onto his head...just as he felt a presence sift in his direction...

"Hmmm?" The young man looked towards the direction he could accurately feel the entity's location, speaking aloud, "who's there? I'd rather not play hide & seek today, for I'm not in the right mood for it."

Nodoka walked out with a bouquet. "Just visiting a fallen comrade." He walked over to a grave some rows back, laid the bouquet there, and put his hands together to pray. Afterwards, he approached the grave where the visitor stood, and prayed for the fallen soul resting there. Aside from his communication in thought, Nodoka was completely silent.

"Then it is a small world," the mutual visitor spoke with a smile and a gentle tone, "he was once a good friend of mine as well. In fact, I was there with him during his last moments. Its such a shame he couldn't be here, with the two of us meeting and him introducing us to each other. Tragic..."

"I didn't know him," said Nodoka. "My boss tells me to go to this graveyard every day after a delivery of alcohol. He says that I should lay flowers on the first grave I see that has someone there. I don't get the point of it, but I guess it's good to know someone cares." He finished his prayer and stood. "I mean no disrespect. It's just that my boss does weird things for my and John's training. Ever since John lost to that Yonkō hunter, Hikaru has stepped up our regimen." Nodoka looked to the man next to him. The stranger at the grave stood almost a foot taller than him. "Pardon me, but would you mind having a battle?"

"I'm not in the mood for a-" the visitor spoke fluidly before he heard the phrase, Yonkō-Hunter, being mentioned in front of him. He could barely contain his humor at the irony of their unintended meeting, and the hilarity of the revelation he would reveal to the entity who spoke strangely enough through telepathy rather than voice. He turned with a dark smile, showing his strange red eye being different from his left, as its pupil had a kanji symbol at its center instead of a pupil, "Yonkō Hunter? Can you give me a description of this character, cause I believe I know whom you're speaking of..."

"I believe John said something along the lines of 'His Bankai made him look like a menacing Level 3 Akuma'." Nodoka paused. "His words, not mine."

"Ah, so that's who he fought," the visitor spoke with a enlightened tone, fist palming his left gloved hand with the other one, "I believe he didn't want to name him considering how pathetic of a Reaper he turned out to be. It was a shame he had to waste his effort in killing the stubborn fool..."

"John still lives," answered Nodoka. "Much to Mizu's chagrin." He straightened himself, never facing the visitor. "I agree with you; John is a pathetic Soul Reaper who simply got lucky in that last fight. Honestly, John's power is like a rough jewel. He has immense potential, but the strain of handling 4 Zanpakutō became too much for him. I don't blame him. Even the Yonkō would never do something that brash." Nodoka rubbed his back, and continued, "Now, John is losing contact with Akireiki. John of all people wouldn't say a thing, but I brought it to Hikaru." He stared directly into the stranger's eyes, revealing an unyielding resolve. "And he said that John's power is evolving."

"Thank you sharing that with me, Nodoka," the visitor spoke in a ominously knowing tone, without even having to ask for the man's name as he smiled devilishly as he moved to walk away, waving back nonchalantly to the entity, "you've been a great help...in giving me a clue in how to kill that boy...ta-ta!"

A large scythe blade stopped the visitor in his path. "Why fight a whipped dog when you have a feral wolf to deal with?" asked Nodoka. "If you defeat me, I will let you go to John. If I win, you and Level 3 wait until John's training is complete to fight him." Nodoka's eyes narrowed. "And the next time he fights Ryūketsu Ōtamu," Nodoka opened his mouth to speak, "He will win."

"I don't think you understand the gap between our powers, Nodoka," Yashin turned his gaze so his red eye side-glanced him with a menacing intent, "I could kill your precious brat anytime I want to. Its only on a whim that I spare him, as his opponent spared him. Fighting you would only agitate me...and I so loathe agitation..."

"That's a pretty poor excuse," answered Nodoka. He felt no fear whatsoever from the figure in front of him. The fears he experienced in his life far surpassed that which this person could exude. "If you could kill him at any time, why do I spend my afternoons kicking the crap out of my comrade? He certainly seems alive to me, as much as it pains me."

"I have far better things to do than argue the importance between mundane things as barbaric fights, then my plans for the universe," the visitor spoke, before grasping the flat end of the scythe behind him and forcefully lifting it over his head, overpowering the man's grip as he turned around to stare at him evenly with a unimpressed stare, "either go run to whatever hole you crawled of, man without words, or I will make you regret it. Understand?"

Nodoka regained balance in wielding his scythe. "I don't even want to attempt cracking wise like my master or his brother because smiling hurts my face. Moreover, I hate being polite. Just tell me your name so I can attack knowing that my prey has a semblance of humanity." He readied a battle stance. "Former 5th Seat of the 7th Division, Nodoka Kumori. Now tell me your name, or I will just attack you."

"My my, you poor soul. I'll tell you this much," the entity, Yashin, finally placed a hand over his face, dragging it down to show his bright, shining red eye shift Kanji shape, "I'm not human!"

WHOOSH-SNATCH!

With unparalleled speed that even Captains themselves could give pause to, Yashin moved within the span of a blink of an eye to crouch next to Nodoka's left side. With his hand already grasping for Nodoka's face, he intended to send him flying through the large tree behind the gravestone, if not continue to be flailed through the forestland by a projection of immense strength.

Nodoka crashed through the thick foliage, braking using his scythe. Black blood covered his left eye. "What a coincidence." Nodoka flash-stepped to appear in front of Yashin. The wounds Nodoka glowed with a peculiar green light. He stood at the ready, preparing to behead Yashin. "I'm not exactly a normal Shinigami."

"I wouldn't bother with you if you weren't," Yashin smiled, as he raised his black hand out in emphasis, surging a form of Dark Spiritual Energy that collected in a thick, ghastly smoke that went in two directions parallel to each other...

SSSSSSSHINK!

...before summoning what looked like a black handled, sleek trident that bore some red kanji letterings along the handle itself. He backed his foot into a fighting stance before grasping his trident appropiately as he narrowed his eyes at him, "ladies first."