[BleachITP] Ep1: "Battle for the Captaincy! Cecilia's true power?"

[Prime32]

This is the first "episode" thread, for things people want to do without taking up space in one of the main threads, or which take place before the current events. I mean, BleachITP technically has equal status to ACRO/The Town, so why does it need to be so bottled up? :smalltongue:

This thread will conclude the battle between Shirubaru Reishiro and "Cecilia", which took place shortly before the death of Yen.

EDIT: By Zarah's request, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1KdovlP07g&fmt=18





Shirubaru runs backwards away from her, just out of reach.

Bit slower now, ain't ya? Also, your shikai seems a mite unstable, might want to get that seen to you.

Shirubaru then shimmies to one side, his serpentine Zanpaktou swiftly uncoiling from his torso and entangling itself around Cecilia's armoured legs. He rushes past her, pulling sharply, turning as he does so to see if he has succeeded in tripping her and she has fallen to the ground.
She collapses.

[H. Zee]

She collapses.

Shirubaru's serpentine Zanpaktou swiftly wraps itself around his torso once again and he moves forward, blade held in both hands and stabbing down towards Cecilia.

[Prime32]

As the blade strikes down two massive hands come together, trapping it (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BareHandedBladeBlock). Without leaving go she rolls to the side, attempting to bring Shirubaru with her.

[H. Zee]

As the blade strikes down two massive hands come together, trapping it (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BareHandedBladeBlock). Without leaving go she rolls to the side, attempting to bring Shirubaru with her.

Shirubaru rolls with Cecilia, letting himself get flung down to the ground, and the snake-head rearing up over his shoulder opens its mouth and shoots a thin but blinding beam of red light towards his opponent.

[Prime32]

Coming to her feet, Cecilia grunts as the beam blasts a chunk off her helmet, then delivers another charged punch straight down at Shirubaru.

[H. Zee]

Coming to her feet, Cecilia grunts as the beam blasts a chunk off her helmet, then delivers another charged punch straight down at Shirubaru.

Shirubaru lifts up his sword and blocks the punch with the flat of his blade, sliding the blow to one side so that it crashes into the ground instead.

He rolls away and vaults to his feet, his Zanpaktou already lashing out towards Cecilia like a whip, the tail-blade swinging down towards her while he holds onto the snake-head.

[Prime32]

Cecilia's punch splits the ground. As the tail-blade slashes out, Cecilia blocks it with her arm. It takes some damage, but the armour is thick there. With her other arm she grabs the tail and pulls hard.

[H. Zee]

Cecilia's punch splits the ground. As the tail-blade slashes out, Cecilia blocks it with her arm. It takes some damage, but the armour is thick there. With her other arm she grabs the tail and pulls hard.

Shirubaru is hauled through the air towards her, a massive grin on his face.

If Cecilia were to look down, she would see the Zanpaktou has wrapped itself tightly around her arm and, moving back and forth of its own accord, the blade slowing sawing through the armour.

Of course, Cecilia is probably concentrating more on doing something imminently horrible to the Kenpachi she has pulled towards her.

[Prime32]

FALCON PAUNCH!!!Filler

[H. Zee]

Falcon Paunch!!!

Shirubaru is smashed down into the ground, several teeth and a curving splatter of blood spinning through the sky in the wake of Cecilia's punch. He is still clutching onto his steadily-sawing Zanpaktou, however, and it has finally managed to saw through the metal until it is just barely brushing against flesh. Shirubaru whips down hard, sending a crack down the entire length of the snake's coils which abruptly shears off the whole of the top of the armour on Cecilia's arm. With nothing to support it, the bottom half should also collapse, leaving her arm bare.

Sometimes you need to learn how to take a punch, says Shirubaru. Well, it actually comes out more as "shumtims oo nid tch lrrn ho ta tik ah pnsh," but it's the thought that counts.

Shirubaru grins through his mashed-apart mouth, skidding backwards away from Cecilia.

{{Is this okay? Happy to Edit if not.}}

[Prime32]

Cecilia stares at her bare wrist for a moment before retorting "But how many more can you take?" She dashes at Shirubaru. At least, what qualifies for a dash in the armour. She leaps and there is a sudden blast of reiatsu from her feet, accelerating her through the air beyond even her unreleased speed. Her leg flies into a spinning kick.

{OOC: Deadtiming now}

[H. Zee]

Shirubaru ducks down instantly, still only just barely getting out of the way of the kick, and as Cecilia misses and her body swings around following her leg, he rushes forward and grabs her bare arm from behind in a complicated one-handed lock, pressing her bent arm up against her body.

The snake-head of his Zanpaktou will attempt to swoop down and bite into Cecilia's arm.

{{OOC: Me too. G'night.}}

[Prime32]

"Get OFF of me!" Orange reiatsu blasts forth from her entire body, knocking Shiru back.


As the two fighters face each other again, Cecilia charges. Again she performs a reiatsu-boosted leap. However, this time she blurs into shunpo, vanishing. Shirubaru hears a whoosh behind his head...

Her attack pattern hadn't varied much - this is what he was expecting. He starts to turn around to meet her and-

...followed by another in front of him. Her zanpakuto slashes diagonally upwards, cutting deeply into Shirubaru's side.


{OOC: What? You saw her with her sword out while she was under that cloak. :smallamused: Now might be a good time to escalate.}

[H. Zee]

"Get OFF of me!" Orange reiatsu blasts forth from her entire body, knocking Shiru back.


As the two fighters face each other again, Cecilia charges. Again she performs a reiatsu-boosted leap. However, this time she blurs into shunpo, vanishing. Shirubaru hears a whoosh behind his head...

Her attack pattern hadn't varied much - this is what he was expecting. He starts to turn around to meet her and-

...followed by another in front of him. Her zanpakuto slashes diagonally upwards, cutting deeply into Shirubaru's side.


Heh.

Shirubaru's Zanpaktou coils itself around the blade buried in his side, the snake-head arching towards Cecilia. He coughs up a little spurt of blood, and then laughs quietly.

Tough break, kid, because that was a bad move.

Bankai.

With a whoosh of suddenly-displaced air and a noise like an express train screaming through a tunnel, the snake instantly and without warning increases in size to about four hundred feet long, the Zanpaktou now lost within its immense coils. Cecilia is knocked away from her sword, and the snake rears towards her, growing around its head a massive 'hood' of spikes. The spikes are fired all at once like missiles, a deadly copper swarm, crashing down on Cecilia and on ten feet around her in every direction in a deadly precise rain of blades.

Shirubaru calmly waits for the dust to clear. He is nestled deep within the protective barrier of his massive serpent's metal coils.

{{If Cecilia is still standing after this, she has a surprise in store for her.}}

[Prime32]

The dust fades, and Cecilia is still standing... but large portions of her armour are missing. Half of her helmet has been destroyed, allowing her long hair to peek out.

She coughs, and what remains of the armour's chest is stained red. "You think... this will stop... me?" Her visible eye narrows as a new sword appears in her hand and she charges once again. She pays no heed to the spikes still lodged in her armour.

Her zanpakuto meets the spike in Shirubaru's left hand. As the other spike comes up to slash at her it is blocked by a second zanpakuto which appears in her unarmoured hand.

[H. Zee]

No, but I think this will stop you, says Shirubaru calmly.

Every single spike in Cecilia's armour begins to writhe and twist, each turning into a long six-foot snake identical to the one which forms his Shikai.

With the unnatural speed, the many snakes all wrap tightly around Cecilia's body, trapping her limbs together, entangling her legs, wrapping around her face and blinding her, and generally constricting her. The accumulated weight of all the snakes is also incredibly heavy.

[Prime32]

"MmmMmmmmph!" Bursts of reiatsu begin to flare erratically from the armoured parts of her body, killing some of the snakes. More quickly move to replace them, but she is soon able to get her arm free and start hacking away.

[H. Zee]

As Cecilia struggles, Shirubaru takes one of his serpent's spikes in a hand and breaks it free. Holding the spike in his hand, he approaches Cecilia, using the other hand to hold shut the wound in his side dealt to him by Cecilia.

Get up, says Shirubaru tiredly. The snakes slither away from Cecilia. Get up and let's fight without all this trickery.

He grins.

And may the best man win.

[Prime32]

Cecilia grunts and lowers her stance. Taking her sword in both hands she charges to meet her opponent, as does Shirubaru (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SingleStrokeBattle).

They cross each other and all is silent for an impossibly long moment.

Then Shirubaru gasps and falls to one knee. Then Cecilia's armour shatters into light. She falls to the ground with unfocused eyes (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MindControlEyes) as it flows into her zanpakuto.

[H. Zee]

Pffflargh.

Shirubaru spits up some more blood. He stays down on one knee, not looking back.

If you're still on your feet I'm in trouble, he grunts, looking down at his bloodsoaked Shinigami garb.

He stands up, his legs wobbling, and turns around.

[Prime32]

"Uuurrrgh..."

[H. Zee]

Heh.

Shirubaru approaches Cecilia's prone form.

You alive? he asks, then sighs. And you know it's been a good fight when you've asked that question twice.

{{OOC: What are we doing about the Captain-Commander interfering and giving you a name? Is that retconned out of existence?}}

[Prime32]

Heh.

Shirubaru approaches Cecilia's prone form.

You alive? he asks, then sighs. And you know it's been a good fight when you've asked that question twice.Cecilia struggles to push herself up. As Shirubaru comes near, she suddenly comes to her feet, swinging her sealed zanpakuto shakily.


{{OOC: What are we doing about the Captain-Commander interfering and giving you a name? Is that retconned out of existence?}}
{OOC: Yes. Cecilia's a nicer name anyway. :smalltongue:}

[H. Zee]

Cecilia struggles to push herself up. As Shirubaru comes near, she suddenly comes to her feet, swinging her sealed zanpakuto shakily.


Shirubaru one-handedly parries the swing and forces the blade down, so that it buries itself in the earth. He then crouches down on his
haunches and looks into Cecilia's eyes.

Sorry, girl, he says, still pinning down her sword with his blade. You can't fight any more.

But it isn't like you've lost.

I'd say you've won, actually. An astounding victory, right here in front of everyone. And I'm not just humouring you. Ask the other Captains, I'm not polite enough to do anything but speak the truth.

{{Agreed on the name, Cecilia will forever be Cecilia in my head now I'm afraid.}}

[Prime32]

Cecila has this expression (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HiddenEyes), and this music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4ROg8JBD9M&fmt=18) is playing.

"Shut up. Just kill me." A drop of water falls and hits the ground below her as her hand clenches the earth. "I was too weak."

[H. Zee]

Don't ruin it by crying, says Shirubaru. Look at me. Look at me.

You came here to fight for a name, Cecilia. You got one. You earnt it in battle. I think that's a pretty big freaking win, myself.

And I'm not going to kill you. You haven't even got Bankai yet. When you do, come back and fight me again. And, if you lose again, perhaps then I'll kill you.

But somehow I doubt you'll lose. Shirubaru laughs. Now get up, don't lie in the dust like someone who's lost a battle. Stand up and hear the crowd cheer.

And, in the background, the crowd are cheering. All the 11th Squad members are pounding their feet and roaring one name, increasing steadily in volume, the name of the only person they've seen who's come close to defeating Shirubaru.

Ce-ci-li-a! Ce-ci-li-a! Ce-ci-li-a!

[Prime32]

Cecilia's stares blankly at the crowd.
"B-but I... I lost. Wh-what meaning is th-there..." Tears flow freely down her face now.

[H. Zee]

Fights aren't really about whether you win or lose. They're about the fight, says Shirubaru. There's no shame in getting knocked down if you put up a good fight. That's what we believe in 11th Division.

And Cecilia? That was one hell of a good fight.

[Prime32]

"But I- I- I..."
She finally falls unconscious.

{OOC: Such things as "kindness" and "mercy" are still new to her after all - it's all a little much to take in :smallwink:}

[H. Zee]

Shirubaru picks up Cecilia gently in his arms and shunpo's away to the 4th Division, leaving behind a crowd sitting around an empty arena.

When he reaches 4th Division, healers begin to crowd around him with the wounded girl in his arms.

Stand back! Shirubaru shouts, wading through the crowd and placing Cecilia in a bed. Make healing this woman your top priority! And when she wakes up, tell her she's a member of the 11th Squad. No questions asked. I don't know where we'll fit her in yet, but it'll be as near the top as possible.

"B-but captain -" says one 4th Division member timidly. "You are also hurt -"

I'm alright, says Shirubaru gruffly. I need to go and tell my men we have a new member.

He shunpo's back to the arena, only to find the Commander-General telling everyone about how Yen has been killed.

[Prime32]

She knows this place. She is walking down the streets of Zaraki. No, not Zaraki. This is that place... inside.

"I... lost. How could I lose?"
"Weren't you listening to that man?"

She turns around, startled, but there is no-one there.
"Mushini?"
"You don't need to live like that any more."
"I..."
"In Zaraki death lurked around every corner. You hid yourself away behind a mask of your own fear. But you don't need to do that any more. Now... you have a family."

She suddenly realises that one of the buildings is new. Far from the dirty shacks of Zaraki, this is pristine white. It's the first bulding she saw after she entered Seireitei. A little girl runs down the street, giggling.
"Daddy, daddy!"
Inside the building now, a man with straw-coloured hair and a scarred eye catches the girl and tosses her around, smiling.
"Did you have fun today Cecilia?"

She hears a series of thuds behind her, coming closer. Her armour is walking towards her. No, not her armour, it is something made up of the buildings of the slum.
"W-why are you showing me this, Mushini?"
As the golem continues to walk towards her, pieces fall away, until she stands before the little girl from before. Tears run down her face.
"Why are you crying?"
She touches her own cheek and realises it is wet.

[hr]

A member of the 4th squad makes his observations. "The subject has not regained consciousness since she was brought here. Neither have we been able to separate her from her zanpakuto." He glances at the the katana still gripped tightly in her hand. "At least we were able to slide the sheath over it, so she doesn't hurt anyone in her sleep." As the girl starts shifting, he darts over in alarm.

[H. Zee]

After taking a while to digest Daisuke's news, "attending" Yen's funeral from afar, and attending the Captains' meeting where the situation is explained, Shirubaru quietly shunpo's back to Cecilia's side.

How's she doing? he asks.

"Still unconscious, Captain," says the nearest 4th Squad member.

Hrm.

He moves over to her and looks down at her still body.

I'm going to have to go on a mission now, Cecilia, he says to her quietly. Rescuing some Quincy or something. I don't know... Something sinister is going on. A Vice-Captain has died. No-one felt anything. Turns out that hiding reiatsu trick might not be as unique as I first thought, heh.

When I'm back you'd better be awake, you hear me? We need someone as strong as you in times like these. Those Espada need a good arse-kicking from folks like us. So when you get up, put your kicking boots on, y'hear me? And we'll fight the bastards together.

And if I don't come back... Nukari will probably try and take over my position. I'm trusting you to show him who's boss, heh.

If you don't get better soon I'm going to be pissed off, 'kay? People like you are rare enough as it is.

Shirubaru waits briefly, to see if there's any response.

[Prime32]

Cecilia stirs. Her eyes half-open, and she wipes some of the moisture from her cheeks. "Ken...pachi?" she asks weakly.

{OOC: My Bount character also has above-average skill in concealing his reiatsu, and my shinigami can make his reaitsu blend with that of another person (not very useful for inflitration, but can conceal his presenve in a crowd) :smallwink:}

[H. Zee]

Yo, says Shirubaru awkwardly.

I can't believe I just said "yo," he thinks, half-amused.

Call me Shirubaru, kid. Shiru for short. That's what friends call me.

You alright?

[Prime32]

"I... will live." Steel creeps into her voice as she speaks those words, but was she... blushing?

[H. Zee]

There is a short, awkward pause, and then Shirubaru laughs, breaking the tension.

Glad to hear it, he says warmly. Did you catch anything of what I said just now while you were out?

[Prime32]

"I think so... Shirubaru-sama."

[H. Zee]

Shirubaru grins. Just Shiru, please, he says, 'cause it's already a bit of a mouthful and adding "sama" to it just makes it ridiculous.

He squeezes her hand.

See you when I get back, Cecilia, he says, winking, although the fact that he only has one eye means it's a bit of a failed endeavour. You're in charge while Nukari and I are away. You have to be thrown into the deep end if you want to learn how to swim! Take care of our little family!

He laughs and shunpo's away, back to the 1st Division Headquarters, where he leaps through the Garganta and into the Mortal World.

{{OOC: Is this okay, Prime?}}

[Prime32]

{{OOC: Is this okay, Prime?}}
{OOC: Wait, are you giving the 11th Division to Cecilia? She still needs to recover, and she wouldn't accept it so soon anyway. :smalleek:}

[H. Zee]

{OOC: Wait, are you giving the 11th Division to Cecilia? She still needs to recover, and she wouldn't accept it so soon anyway. :smalleek:}
{{Mwa ha ha ha ha!

:smalltongue: It's only for however long it takes until the Retrieval team return, and Shirubaru is a firm believer in setting people near-impossible challenges for the hell of it, especially people he sees as strong.

Go ahead. I'm sure it'll provide some interesting RPing to have Cecilia try to command the 11th Squad from her hospital bed despite barely even being able to stay conscious.

If you're not alright with it I'll Edit, but I thought it was an interesting idea. :smallbiggrin:}}

[Prime32]

Shirubaru grins. Just Shiru, please, he says, 'cause it's already a bit of a mouthful and adding "sama" to it just makes it ridiculous.

He squeezes her hand.

See you when I get back, Cecilia, he says, winking, although the fact that he only has one eye means it's a bit of a failed endeavour. You're in charge while Nukari and I are away. You have to be thrown into the deep end if you want to learn how to swim! Take care of our little family!

He laughs and shunpo's away, back to the 1st Division Headquarters, where he leaps through the Garganta and into the Mortal World."H-hold on a minute!" It's too late - Shrubaru is already gone. She flops back on to her bed, sighing, as the attendant returns.