Post by Vayle Cameo on May 2, 2019 4:34:24 GMT
“Everyone, get to your seats in view of this battle. This fight, which is viewed by twenty three members of Squad 7, shall be treated as an official match for the posting of twentieth seat. As the acceptable amount of squad members for the arrangement of twentieth seat have been gathered, with three signing as witnesses, the challenger, Vayle Cameo, may come forth.”
Vayle strode forward with an uneasy feeling in her stomach. She was standing in the squad 7 main barracks, where the normal equipment had been pushed away to allow for a proper arena for the fight to take place. Her arms felt numb and her legs felt like jelly, and she hoped for her own sake that the jackass holding twentieth seat was as nervous as she was. Certainly, the announcer friggin’ wasn’t, the bald, moustached form of Dokuro Rokano announcing like he seemingly always had for the events in squad seven.
Still, Vayle looked forward with purpose, squeezing her hands into a fist to shake away the nervousness that coated her form. If only there was a way to get rid of the sweat she felt running down her cheeks.
“Courage…” She whispered to herself. It was the ideal she fought for. The ideal squad seven was supposed to fight for. It was what their insignia represented, what the squad was meant to idealize, and why she’d decided on squad seven to begin with. Following that ideal was meant to be her life’s purpose, as part of squad seven.
How ironic that it had lead her to such dangerous choices -- that loss here, in pursuit of courage, would lead to her being expelled from the place that exemplified courage.
That if she’d just been a little more fearful, and kept her mouth shut, she would never have found herself in this position.
“Defending his position, Riku Moriya, the 20th seat talent who has made a name for himself as one of the fastest growing talents of the seventh division. This is the man who has lit people’s hearts aflame with the burning resolve and courage only a man’s man can have! Our very own zanjutsu expert with an eye on the lieutenant’s seat.”
Unlike Vayle’s announcement, the people surrounding her all cheered as a large man entered the area. A red-haired, well-muscled man, Riku Moriya’s chiselled features belied a funny, cheerful man who always had the loudest laugh and drank the most among the lower ranked officers (though everyone remembered, with amusement, the time where he’d foolishly challenged Iba to a drinking contest), and most people were eager to see his quick rise to the top. To most sitting by the arena, he was a role model to aspire to, or in a couple cases, a wonderful subordinate.
To Vayle…
Riku stepped forward with a grin, and Vayle stepped forward herself onto the arena floor. They took slow steps towards each other, and Riku took the moment to step a little more forward. “Let’s just have a good fight, okay?” The man added with a chuckle, putting what was meant to be a comforting hand on her shoulder. Vayle’s gaze was not so simplistic, not so happy, as she stared daggers through the man.
Riku leaned in close enough that Vayle could hear the hushed whisper he added next.
“Remember, if you don’t leave as promised when you lose, My boys will send you to the next part of the afterlife ourselves.” the 20th seat’s face didn’t change when he said this, still holding that pleasant, normal, smile of anticipation. Only Shale knew the truth behind it.
Vayle smirked in return. “I’ll do you one better.” She muttered, before pushing her superior away, causing murmurs and gasps to flow through the barracks, as Shale grasped her small Zanpakuto, a Kodachi, and raised it.
“Before we begin, I have a vow to make! As we have several seated members here, as well as more than enough trusted members of the squad, we’ve enough people to make any condition official, correct, announcer?”
Dokuro’s face almost shifted to show some semblance of emotion as he slowly nodded. Well, Vayle would like to think it almost shifted, at least.
“I, Vayle Cameo, stake not only my opportunity to become a seated officer on this fight, but my current position within squad seven!”
The look of surprise on Dokuro’s face was priceless. The fact that Vayle had just done this had pushed him into an interesting position. It lended weight to her challenge and her reasons for doing it, even if she hadn’t revealed those reasons yet. Still, she wasn’t done.
“Further, I stake my position as a shinigami on this fight! A loss here will not only be my resignation from squad seven, but my end as a shinigami. I will resign from my position and return to the Rukongai.”
Dokuro’s face was completely struck in surprise by this proclamation as he stepped back, for an instant. Then, the mask of a concerned, bothered senpai took its place. “Vayle… there’s no reason for you to go that far! Win or lose, you’re a credit to squad seven. Please… consider your actions.”
“I’ve completely considered them! There is no other path for me!” Vayle responded, causing many concerned murmurs and mumbles among the crowd. Some were wondering her reasons, while others were questioning her mental health, she was sure. She could’ve sworn she heard someone implying she had some sort of secret crush on Dokuro, and the idea made her want to vomit.
Dokuro’s response was very polite, very gentlemanly. “...Very well then, Vayle. I can’t claim to understand your reasons, but… it’s my duty as your upperclassmen, and in obligation to my respect for you as a fellow shinigami, to take your challenge at face value. If you’re determined, I will meet you head on!”
There were a number of claps from the audience at the ‘heartfelt’ statement, and Vayle took a deep breath. Before, if she’d lost, she could’ve tried playing it off, pretending she had no issue with Dokuro, and at most she’d have been taught her place in the pecking order and sent to do his bidding. Her choices were clear, though: If she had to choose between being a shinigami and deserving the title, she was just foolish enough to pick the latter.
Dokuro smiled in what was meant to be a teasing fashion to the audience, filled with ‘false’ bravado, before he added, “I’ll show you the strength of the one above stars”, then!”
“Above stars? Kick his ass, Vayle!” a cheerful voice replied, smooth and sing-song and utterly filled with mirth.
Vayle’s eyes snapped behind her in shock, as she heard the new voice come in clear as day. The voice came from… she was sure she’d heard it over her shoulder. It certainly didn’t sound like one of her squad members - there shouldn’t have been anyone on the mat with them anyways, and as Vayle searched behind her -
There wasn’t? Vayle looked back to open air. She turned to check the audience, but her attention was caught by the countdown.
“3, 2, 1… Begin!”
Dokuro charged in with a burst of shunpo, disappearing from sight in a flash as he moved from the other side of the mat to right in front of Vayle, already swinging for a clean cut. The zanpakuto could be intentionally used with the blunt end to cause non-fatal damage, but training accidents happened, and after he’d already surprise her so much, Vayle wouldn’t be surprised if that cut to her right shoulder wouldn’t drop that arm if it hit.
Dokuro’s technique - of the simple, clean cut to the front with enough blinding speed to overwhelm foes, was known as the crescent cutter by the other members of the division. It was a popular one to demonstrate when the higher ups asked for a special kendo class for division members, and it epitomized courage in the eyes of the upper ranks: After all, it was a simplistic attack, putting all power into a single strike, bravely charging an opponent from the front, and crushing the enemy with your own strength.
Vayle had once thought the same, before she’d seen the true face of this sham of a man. In reality, it was Dokuro’s way to quickly cut down dissent and crush anyone who stood in the way of his villainy. It wasn’t courage, just the simplest method of deceit.
Luckily, Vayle knew far more complex and interesting methods of deceit.
One finger came up as Dokuro brought his blade down. “Hado Number one! Sho!”
A short burst of force shot from Vayle’s finger, and pushed Dokuro’s zanpakuto out of his hands with expert precision. The swordsmen reached up for his zanpakuto and managed to grab it quickly enough, But Vayle was already prepared. “Bakudo number four! Hainawa!”
Ropes of yellow light snaked along Riku’s legs, and he was pulled off his feet and sent sprawling. Vayle started to pant as she felt the repeated kidos take their toll. Even lower level kido could be dangerous to one’s health when repeated too quickly - at least to a low ranking division member like herself. She didn’t have the luxury of waiting on her stamina against a higher rank, though, as her hands sparked with electricity. The lightning was taking a little longer than usual to summon, but after a few words of incantation, She was able to stabilize her hands enough to fire the next kido.
“Hado four! Byakurai!”
A straight blast of electricity lanced from Vayle’s hands to the right of Dokuro’s chest, and smoke shot out from the burn she left there.
Vayle smiled, but it was suddenly taking all she had not to collapse. That was more effort than she was quite ready for, but it seemed she’d taken the guy down.
“Nnngh… not… not bad.”
“--Let me--”
Vayle heard the strange voice again, but she was a little more occupied with the image of Riku Moriya raising himself from the ground, as she held up her blade to defend from a swing. It wasn’t the man’s specialty swing, but the cut was still excellent, and he’d picked the perfect angle to send Vayle’s blade off-balance. The shinigami moved back using hoho, but the other shinigami wa behind her when she did so, and she was forced to roll forward to avoid another strike. The swordsman was quick to give chase, attacking with an onslaught of quick slashes and stab that left Vayle just barely dodging every hit.
Vayle knew she couldn’t keep this up forever. Her hoho was on par with her senpai - that had been confirmed - but he hadn’t used stamina on kido spells, and his zanjutsu skills were top-notch.
Vayle brought up her blade to block a strike, forced to rely on her meager swordsmanship to stop the strike. He’d definitely slowed down from the byakurai, but she’d spent too much stamina setting it up. At this rate, despite the flashy entrance, she was going to be pushed into problems.
“Come on, come on!”
“Hado 3--”
Before Vayle could finish her sentence, a nasty backhand came while Vayle was trying to push her opponent’s blade off of her own, and she was sent spiralling back onto the mat.
“Come on, Vayle! Show me your true potential!” Riku spouted, still committed to his image. Still, the look Vayle gave made his real intent clear:
‘Be crushed under my heel!’ was the real meaning of his words.
“Vayle! Vayle! Listen to him!”
The journeyman shinigami almost went cross-eyed as she heard the voice again. “I’m not sure who you--”
A strange feeling came over Vayle, and she stared at the zanpakuto in her hand. Was this…?
She was interrupted in her thoughts as a brutal cut came down on her Kodachi, and Vayle lifted her blade to stop the incoming attack. “U-urk…”
Vayle brought up a second hand to support her blade, but it was useless against the sheer raw strength of Riku Moriya, and the kido specialist fought not to scream as she felt the blade cut through the kodachi and continue to leave a cut along her arm.
The Shinigami stumbled back, a look of shock as the blow was absorbed. Riku, meanwhile, sliced once with his sword, the blood coming off with the single swipe. “...Surrender, Vayle. You fought well… but what can you do, with a broken blade?”
Vayle stumbled to the ground for a moment, and the count started, “1” “2”
“--You got it now, right?”
Vayle smiled “‘course I do.” She muttered.
Riku held a hand to his ear, clearly assuming what was said rather than actually hearing it. “Did you say you give up?” he asked.
“3, 4…”
Vayle started a small chuckle, before a louder one started coming out of her throat, and then, stumbling onto her feet before any time-out could be given, it became a proper laugh.
“I said, who’s blade is broken?”
The Shinigami’s face held a look of confusion, as Vayle picked up the broken fragment of her kodachi in one hand, and held the blade out with the other, squeezing hard as both began to emit a bright light.
“Dazzle, Mahoutsukai!”
A shining light beams from both as the entire area fills with rainbow colored lights. Vayle gave a grin as new power surged in her body as the area became blindingly bright. The two blades changed, the shape of a sword giving way to wisps of energy.
Vayle released the grip on both of them, and both sparked and changed. The broken tip of Vayle’s blade became flatter, larger, a hexagonal brick with a strap around it. The strap attached to the shinigami’s wrist firmly, and she knew it would never fall from her wrist by chance.
The hilt piece, on the other hand, lengthened and flattened out, growing from steel to gnarled wood, and taking the shape of a weapon of oak. Straw sprouted from behind the hilt, and a leaf sprouted from the top of the new weapon - a broomstick.
Vayle took a deep breath, clasping both weapons firmly in their grip. “Mahoutsukai?”
“Yes?”
Vayle looked up at the man she was fighting. “The fuck I do from here?”
“Star magic!”
“...How do I do that?”
The fact she was talking aloud suddenly dawned on Vayle as laughter erupted from all around her, including from her opponent.
“You surprised me, but you really should have trained with that shikai before fighting me.”
Riku responded with a grin.
“Just go all-out! It’s a natural thing.”
“So some sort of--”
“Vayle. Vayle! My power isn’t a magic tome. It’s not incantations or special timing. It’s that power you’ve had in you all along. Most importantly...
It’s out power. So for the love of kami, trust me on this one.”
Vayle smiled.
“You got it all wrong, Riku.”
The Shinigami woman held up the small furnace in her hands, and multi-coloured lights burned from the flame emitters. “...You’re just good enough to work as practice!”
A purple star, the size of a fist, blasted from the device and smacked a surprised Riku in the head, knocking him back.
“Mahoutsukai’s too good for the likes of you, after all.”
This got more confused murmurs and grunts from the crowd, before Riku pulled his head back up.
“...Is that your zanpakuto’s power? To fire little stars? You’re getting a little ahead of yourself. There was no power in that strike.”
Riku raised his blade.
“I think I need to end this, before you embarrass yourself further.”
“Stop readin’ my mind!”
Vayle let go of the tight hold she had on the miniature reactor, and an arsenal of stars in an array of colours spilled forth from the weapon, coating the area in stars and leaving damage all across the mat as she created a pattern of shots straight out of a bullet hell.
Riku’s cocky grin faded completely as he tried and failed to move away from the shots, but Vayle gave him no quarter. His shunpo brought him from one star to another, and his blade couldn’t possibly move fast enough to block the shots as the blasts came one after another.
“...Idiot!” Riku managed, as a few more stars struck through, hitting him in the arms and legs. “Even with an increased number…
“Sprint, Torakaze!”
Riku’s call blasted the stars away as a shockwave of Reishi formed around him. A shock of reishi gripped the people around him, and Vayle struggled to keep her own footing.
“What a blowhard that sword is!”
Vayle chuckled at the thoughts of her blade as Riku rushed forward, holding the scythe high. His shunpo was faster, and the spiritual pressure in his blade was incredibly high. This was the true form of his ultimate technique, then.
Riku’s call came in the form of a strike, and in an instant, the space Vayle occupied was cut completely in two, the mats, the ground underneath, the ceiling above.
“My Zanpakuto, Torakaze, Cuts in a crescent. Whether above or below, everything is severed.” Riku boasted with a confident tone. “You were a sterling challenger, Vayle Cameo--”
“See, I’m gonna hope you expected me to dodge that and just lose a re-attachable arm. The 4th division could manage that, ‘specially with how clean you cut, and it’s a lot easier to justify than ‘attempted murder.’”
Vayle smirked from behind and above Riku, holding onto the handle of the broomstick. The wooden stick was currently floating a dozen feet in the air, near the top of the hall, with Vayle holding onto the back of it. “But thanks for letting me know your Zanpakuto’s power. Now I know I can go wild with this…”
A pair of shinigami got up and immediately began creating barriers around the area covered in mats, sealing any damage the next strike would do. On Riku’s part, he turned around savagely and got ready to block the next strike.
“Magic sign: Stardust Reverie!” Vayle yelled, holding the reactor behind her as she jumped onto the broomstick and charged Riku Moriya head on.
Vayle wasn’t sure what was more satisfying in the next instant: the feeling of Riku’s nose breaking against the tip of her broomstick, or watching him get knocked into the air as Vayle’s form exploded into a cascade of stars in every direction. The surge of magic struck the barriers, smashed the shinigami off his feet, and covered him in a bunch of smoking explosions.
Vayle landed with a smile, standing above the shinigami with a smile, and holding up the reactor. “I know I’m totally not s’posed to kill ya, but given the stunt you just pulled… how about I send you to the 4th division barracks for a long while, Riku Moriya?”
The reactor charged and glowed white hot, not just the vents but the entire weapon, and Riku put up his hands with terror. “V… very well! I give! I give! Just don’t hurt me!”
Vayle smiles. “And there’s the honest Riku Moriya. Was that so hard to show?”
The red headed shinigami struggled to his knees, barely able to move, and yet the hatred on his face was just as clear as it was the last time the two had seen each other…
---
“You’re sure we won’t get caught, Moriya? This is a lot of stuff. Thank god no one’s awake at an hour like this?”
“Yeah, yeah, just move the stuff. This is Kerozin-13. I wouldn’t move something like this if I thought I’d get caught. This is the easiest way to get expelled out of soul society short of pointing a blade at the captain.”
“Hah! Have you looked at the higher ranks? I think they give commendations for that kind of balls nowadays.”
The howling of laughter covered up the disgust Vayle was feeling inside as she crouched behind the barrels, watching the squad member she’d looked up to all this time
Deal in life-threatening illegal drugs. The Shinigami thought of her options:
She could report him now, and have his wrong-doings uncovered, but Riku Moriya had a lot of pull in the 7th division. He could misattribute it or move it or outright deny it without gaining much suspicion if she just told someone about it. Relying on her captain was a gamble that might just get her expelled from the squad if her evidence didn’t hold up, or was changed…
Just defeating him wouldn’t stop the spread of drugs, either. He was a cancerous symptom, but not the cause. She’d just be helping it go back undercover with one less person to take a cut. None of those answers were acceptable to Vayle, not with what they were trafficking:
Kerozin-13 was a booster that allowed ordinary Rukon members to be filled with just a little reishi - not enough to be on par with a shinigami, but enough to be above the average powerless rukon resident with no spirit force. It also, invariably, killed it’s user after enough doses, or via horrific withdrawal symptoms. It was undoubtedly popular in the black market, and it was a leading cause of deaths in the rukon.
Vayle couldn’t stomach the thought of 7th division being a main contributor, so instead…
---
“Now tell them! Fulfill your side of this duel!” Vayle yelled with anger flowing through them. “Spin it however you want, as long as you give the full story.”
There were many murmurs among the shinigami, now, as Vayle held the reactor to the man’s face.
But that instant of hatred, even if many had caught it, shifted back to a mask quickly enough, one of honest confusion.
“Tell them? Vayle… I have no idea what you’re going on about. Are you… are you accusing me of something?”
Vayle’s gaze didn’t waver. “...I should have expected nothing less from a world-class worm willing to peddle death and plague for the sake of a few kan.”
Vayle looked to the rest of them. “This scum… this honorable shinigami has been peddling Kerozin-13 to the rukongai! Together with members of the 8th and 6th division.
Visible shock went across the crowd at the proclamation. Loud conversations were suddenly had throughout the crowd at the most surprising thing in a very surprising set of short events. Anger and confusion and distrust and swearing went throughout the crowd, but Riku Moriya sat on his knees, oddly silent at the proclamation.
Eventually, one voice rang up. “Proof! Show us proof!”
Vayle smiled. “You want proof? Then take these photographs!”
Reaching into her robes, she pulled a small bundle of what seemed to be small, traditional photographs and readied to throw them into the air.
At this, Riku Moriya’s stone face changed to a sly grin for just a fraction of a second, before he raised his hand, and a lance of light struck the photographs, burning them to ash with the force of an unspoken kid. Byakurai was not Riku’s favorite spell, but even incantation-less it could burn paper to ash.
Then, Riku stood back up with a very well-practiced look of righteous fury.
“That was your plot, then, Vayle?”
And at that, Riku Moriya pointed a finger at the young Cameo with a look of condemnation for his underclassmen.
“You invent a story about me doing drugs, pretend you don’t know your shikai to catch me by surprise, and then pull this story out of thin air, all to make sure you could set off a bunch of kido tags! I don’t know if this was a suicide bombing, or some other nefarious purpose, but I recognized the markings instantly!. What kind of cowardly trick are you trying to pull?!”
Riku Moriya’s story was ridiculous, terrible, inaccurate, but it was said with all the courage and strength of a man who seemed to fully believe what he was saying. The force of his charisma pushed past common sense, and got the murmurs of many about to condemn Riku to suddenly change sides. An argument was about to erupt, one which Vayle wouldn’t be capable of stopping without evidence.
Luckily…
“Good grief… I thought you’d pull something like this out of your hat, but so brazen… you were half-right.”
“I… what?”
“Announcer Dokuro? He went for the decoy photographs, like I implied before when I spoke to you. Please, pull the real evidence out for everyone to see.”
“Announcer Dokuro! They must be covered with foul…”
“With foul kido spells?” Vayle would ask. “Don’t start sounding like a corny manga character, now. Foul kido spells that got past one of the most sterling Kido analysts in Squad seven? A skill so great we frequently ask for him, specifically, to officiate matches, and prevent any signs of foul play?”
“Urk…” Riku grunted, realizing that for once, he didn’t have an answer.
The photographs started being distributed, of the Moriya clansmen handing out Kerozin, laughing with it’s dealers, moving the supply…
The murmurs went to straight condemnation, but this time not pointed at Vayle, but at Riku.
“This duel, you were meant to admit your failings on losing. For that reason, I put my existence as a shinigami on the line! But you… you have no honor whatsoever, do you, you son of a bitch?”
That last move was all that was needed to set Riku off, as Vayle looked away. He brought his blade up with every intention to stab straight through her heart.
Vayle didn’t bother to look as she activated the reactor still sitting in Riku’s face.
“Love Sign: Master Spark.”
The emitter flared to life with a whine, and the area was deafened with an echoing crescendo. A Rainbow-colored beam blasted from the reactor, refracting brilliant light in all directions, and when the energy had faded enough for everyone to see clearly, Riku Moriya was covered in burns from head to toe.
“Go sleep this off in the fourth division for a couple months, Moriya-san. And hope I never have to see your face again.”
A seat she never wanted. A shikai she only barely knew how to use. But…
Vayle sighed and smiled.
She’d just bask in that sweet glow of victory, for now.
“Hey, Vayle?”
Vayle smiled, as she let her zanpakuto take its normal shape of a Kodachi, sheathing the broken blade. She knew the weapon would heal with time. It would just take a little while for her reishi to properly fill it up in order to make up the damage again. Besides…
The damage to it’s sealed form was merely superficial compared to the true power of the zanpakuto behind it.
“Yes, Mahoutsukai?”
A light chuckle came from the zanpakuto. “I’m so glad you can finally hear me again, dummy.”
Vayle would laugh. “‘Course I can hear you, partner. Thanks for all the help back there.”
“...aaaand?”
Vayle sighed in exasperation. “Aaaand thanks for fighting by my side and protecting me, all this time, before I even knew your name.”
“Oh, I wasn’t even looking for thanks on that, but I’ll gladly accept the compliment all the same~”
Vayle’s eye twitched. “Youuu…”
“Are the best partner ever! I know! Isn’t it great?” Mahoutsukai replied cheerfully. “I hope you don’t think that’s all there is to me, though. I just showed you the basics of what I can do.”
Vayle exhaled. “Well then, I guess I’ll have to learn all about that.”
“Mmm-hmm. Ready to be the strongest shinigami ever, Vayle?”
Vayle shrugged. “No idea, honestly, but… I’m willing to find out.”
“good.”
Vayle strode forward with an uneasy feeling in her stomach. She was standing in the squad 7 main barracks, where the normal equipment had been pushed away to allow for a proper arena for the fight to take place. Her arms felt numb and her legs felt like jelly, and she hoped for her own sake that the jackass holding twentieth seat was as nervous as she was. Certainly, the announcer friggin’ wasn’t, the bald, moustached form of Dokuro Rokano announcing like he seemingly always had for the events in squad seven.
Still, Vayle looked forward with purpose, squeezing her hands into a fist to shake away the nervousness that coated her form. If only there was a way to get rid of the sweat she felt running down her cheeks.
“Courage…” She whispered to herself. It was the ideal she fought for. The ideal squad seven was supposed to fight for. It was what their insignia represented, what the squad was meant to idealize, and why she’d decided on squad seven to begin with. Following that ideal was meant to be her life’s purpose, as part of squad seven.
How ironic that it had lead her to such dangerous choices -- that loss here, in pursuit of courage, would lead to her being expelled from the place that exemplified courage.
That if she’d just been a little more fearful, and kept her mouth shut, she would never have found herself in this position.
“Defending his position, Riku Moriya, the 20th seat talent who has made a name for himself as one of the fastest growing talents of the seventh division. This is the man who has lit people’s hearts aflame with the burning resolve and courage only a man’s man can have! Our very own zanjutsu expert with an eye on the lieutenant’s seat.”
Unlike Vayle’s announcement, the people surrounding her all cheered as a large man entered the area. A red-haired, well-muscled man, Riku Moriya’s chiselled features belied a funny, cheerful man who always had the loudest laugh and drank the most among the lower ranked officers (though everyone remembered, with amusement, the time where he’d foolishly challenged Iba to a drinking contest), and most people were eager to see his quick rise to the top. To most sitting by the arena, he was a role model to aspire to, or in a couple cases, a wonderful subordinate.
To Vayle…
Riku stepped forward with a grin, and Vayle stepped forward herself onto the arena floor. They took slow steps towards each other, and Riku took the moment to step a little more forward. “Let’s just have a good fight, okay?” The man added with a chuckle, putting what was meant to be a comforting hand on her shoulder. Vayle’s gaze was not so simplistic, not so happy, as she stared daggers through the man.
Riku leaned in close enough that Vayle could hear the hushed whisper he added next.
“Remember, if you don’t leave as promised when you lose, My boys will send you to the next part of the afterlife ourselves.” the 20th seat’s face didn’t change when he said this, still holding that pleasant, normal, smile of anticipation. Only Shale knew the truth behind it.
Vayle smirked in return. “I’ll do you one better.” She muttered, before pushing her superior away, causing murmurs and gasps to flow through the barracks, as Shale grasped her small Zanpakuto, a Kodachi, and raised it.
“Before we begin, I have a vow to make! As we have several seated members here, as well as more than enough trusted members of the squad, we’ve enough people to make any condition official, correct, announcer?”
Dokuro’s face almost shifted to show some semblance of emotion as he slowly nodded. Well, Vayle would like to think it almost shifted, at least.
“I, Vayle Cameo, stake not only my opportunity to become a seated officer on this fight, but my current position within squad seven!”
The look of surprise on Dokuro’s face was priceless. The fact that Vayle had just done this had pushed him into an interesting position. It lended weight to her challenge and her reasons for doing it, even if she hadn’t revealed those reasons yet. Still, she wasn’t done.
“Further, I stake my position as a shinigami on this fight! A loss here will not only be my resignation from squad seven, but my end as a shinigami. I will resign from my position and return to the Rukongai.”
Dokuro’s face was completely struck in surprise by this proclamation as he stepped back, for an instant. Then, the mask of a concerned, bothered senpai took its place. “Vayle… there’s no reason for you to go that far! Win or lose, you’re a credit to squad seven. Please… consider your actions.”
“I’ve completely considered them! There is no other path for me!” Vayle responded, causing many concerned murmurs and mumbles among the crowd. Some were wondering her reasons, while others were questioning her mental health, she was sure. She could’ve sworn she heard someone implying she had some sort of secret crush on Dokuro, and the idea made her want to vomit.
Dokuro’s response was very polite, very gentlemanly. “...Very well then, Vayle. I can’t claim to understand your reasons, but… it’s my duty as your upperclassmen, and in obligation to my respect for you as a fellow shinigami, to take your challenge at face value. If you’re determined, I will meet you head on!”
There were a number of claps from the audience at the ‘heartfelt’ statement, and Vayle took a deep breath. Before, if she’d lost, she could’ve tried playing it off, pretending she had no issue with Dokuro, and at most she’d have been taught her place in the pecking order and sent to do his bidding. Her choices were clear, though: If she had to choose between being a shinigami and deserving the title, she was just foolish enough to pick the latter.
Dokuro smiled in what was meant to be a teasing fashion to the audience, filled with ‘false’ bravado, before he added, “I’ll show you the strength of the one above stars”, then!”
“Above stars? Kick his ass, Vayle!” a cheerful voice replied, smooth and sing-song and utterly filled with mirth.
Vayle’s eyes snapped behind her in shock, as she heard the new voice come in clear as day. The voice came from… she was sure she’d heard it over her shoulder. It certainly didn’t sound like one of her squad members - there shouldn’t have been anyone on the mat with them anyways, and as Vayle searched behind her -
There wasn’t? Vayle looked back to open air. She turned to check the audience, but her attention was caught by the countdown.
“3, 2, 1… Begin!”
Dokuro charged in with a burst of shunpo, disappearing from sight in a flash as he moved from the other side of the mat to right in front of Vayle, already swinging for a clean cut. The zanpakuto could be intentionally used with the blunt end to cause non-fatal damage, but training accidents happened, and after he’d already surprise her so much, Vayle wouldn’t be surprised if that cut to her right shoulder wouldn’t drop that arm if it hit.
Dokuro’s technique - of the simple, clean cut to the front with enough blinding speed to overwhelm foes, was known as the crescent cutter by the other members of the division. It was a popular one to demonstrate when the higher ups asked for a special kendo class for division members, and it epitomized courage in the eyes of the upper ranks: After all, it was a simplistic attack, putting all power into a single strike, bravely charging an opponent from the front, and crushing the enemy with your own strength.
Vayle had once thought the same, before she’d seen the true face of this sham of a man. In reality, it was Dokuro’s way to quickly cut down dissent and crush anyone who stood in the way of his villainy. It wasn’t courage, just the simplest method of deceit.
Luckily, Vayle knew far more complex and interesting methods of deceit.
One finger came up as Dokuro brought his blade down. “Hado Number one! Sho!”
A short burst of force shot from Vayle’s finger, and pushed Dokuro’s zanpakuto out of his hands with expert precision. The swordsmen reached up for his zanpakuto and managed to grab it quickly enough, But Vayle was already prepared. “Bakudo number four! Hainawa!”
Ropes of yellow light snaked along Riku’s legs, and he was pulled off his feet and sent sprawling. Vayle started to pant as she felt the repeated kidos take their toll. Even lower level kido could be dangerous to one’s health when repeated too quickly - at least to a low ranking division member like herself. She didn’t have the luxury of waiting on her stamina against a higher rank, though, as her hands sparked with electricity. The lightning was taking a little longer than usual to summon, but after a few words of incantation, She was able to stabilize her hands enough to fire the next kido.
“Hado four! Byakurai!”
A straight blast of electricity lanced from Vayle’s hands to the right of Dokuro’s chest, and smoke shot out from the burn she left there.
Vayle smiled, but it was suddenly taking all she had not to collapse. That was more effort than she was quite ready for, but it seemed she’d taken the guy down.
“Nnngh… not… not bad.”
“--Let me--”
Vayle heard the strange voice again, but she was a little more occupied with the image of Riku Moriya raising himself from the ground, as she held up her blade to defend from a swing. It wasn’t the man’s specialty swing, but the cut was still excellent, and he’d picked the perfect angle to send Vayle’s blade off-balance. The shinigami moved back using hoho, but the other shinigami wa behind her when she did so, and she was forced to roll forward to avoid another strike. The swordsman was quick to give chase, attacking with an onslaught of quick slashes and stab that left Vayle just barely dodging every hit.
Vayle knew she couldn’t keep this up forever. Her hoho was on par with her senpai - that had been confirmed - but he hadn’t used stamina on kido spells, and his zanjutsu skills were top-notch.
Vayle brought up her blade to block a strike, forced to rely on her meager swordsmanship to stop the strike. He’d definitely slowed down from the byakurai, but she’d spent too much stamina setting it up. At this rate, despite the flashy entrance, she was going to be pushed into problems.
“Come on, come on!”
“Hado 3--”
Before Vayle could finish her sentence, a nasty backhand came while Vayle was trying to push her opponent’s blade off of her own, and she was sent spiralling back onto the mat.
“Come on, Vayle! Show me your true potential!” Riku spouted, still committed to his image. Still, the look Vayle gave made his real intent clear:
‘Be crushed under my heel!’ was the real meaning of his words.
“Vayle! Vayle! Listen to him!”
The journeyman shinigami almost went cross-eyed as she heard the voice again. “I’m not sure who you--”
A strange feeling came over Vayle, and she stared at the zanpakuto in her hand. Was this…?
She was interrupted in her thoughts as a brutal cut came down on her Kodachi, and Vayle lifted her blade to stop the incoming attack. “U-urk…”
Vayle brought up a second hand to support her blade, but it was useless against the sheer raw strength of Riku Moriya, and the kido specialist fought not to scream as she felt the blade cut through the kodachi and continue to leave a cut along her arm.
The Shinigami stumbled back, a look of shock as the blow was absorbed. Riku, meanwhile, sliced once with his sword, the blood coming off with the single swipe. “...Surrender, Vayle. You fought well… but what can you do, with a broken blade?”
Vayle stumbled to the ground for a moment, and the count started, “1” “2”
“--You got it now, right?”
Vayle smiled “‘course I do.” She muttered.
Riku held a hand to his ear, clearly assuming what was said rather than actually hearing it. “Did you say you give up?” he asked.
“3, 4…”
Vayle started a small chuckle, before a louder one started coming out of her throat, and then, stumbling onto her feet before any time-out could be given, it became a proper laugh.
“I said, who’s blade is broken?”
The Shinigami’s face held a look of confusion, as Vayle picked up the broken fragment of her kodachi in one hand, and held the blade out with the other, squeezing hard as both began to emit a bright light.
“Dazzle, Mahoutsukai!”
A shining light beams from both as the entire area fills with rainbow colored lights. Vayle gave a grin as new power surged in her body as the area became blindingly bright. The two blades changed, the shape of a sword giving way to wisps of energy.
Vayle released the grip on both of them, and both sparked and changed. The broken tip of Vayle’s blade became flatter, larger, a hexagonal brick with a strap around it. The strap attached to the shinigami’s wrist firmly, and she knew it would never fall from her wrist by chance.
The hilt piece, on the other hand, lengthened and flattened out, growing from steel to gnarled wood, and taking the shape of a weapon of oak. Straw sprouted from behind the hilt, and a leaf sprouted from the top of the new weapon - a broomstick.
Vayle took a deep breath, clasping both weapons firmly in their grip. “Mahoutsukai?”
“Yes?”
Vayle looked up at the man she was fighting. “The fuck I do from here?”
“Star magic!”
“...How do I do that?”
The fact she was talking aloud suddenly dawned on Vayle as laughter erupted from all around her, including from her opponent.
“You surprised me, but you really should have trained with that shikai before fighting me.”
Riku responded with a grin.
“Just go all-out! It’s a natural thing.”
“So some sort of--”
“Vayle. Vayle! My power isn’t a magic tome. It’s not incantations or special timing. It’s that power you’ve had in you all along. Most importantly...
It’s out power. So for the love of kami, trust me on this one.”
Vayle smiled.
“You got it all wrong, Riku.”
The Shinigami woman held up the small furnace in her hands, and multi-coloured lights burned from the flame emitters. “...You’re just good enough to work as practice!”
A purple star, the size of a fist, blasted from the device and smacked a surprised Riku in the head, knocking him back.
“Mahoutsukai’s too good for the likes of you, after all.”
This got more confused murmurs and grunts from the crowd, before Riku pulled his head back up.
“...Is that your zanpakuto’s power? To fire little stars? You’re getting a little ahead of yourself. There was no power in that strike.”
Riku raised his blade.
“I think I need to end this, before you embarrass yourself further.”
“Stop readin’ my mind!”
Vayle let go of the tight hold she had on the miniature reactor, and an arsenal of stars in an array of colours spilled forth from the weapon, coating the area in stars and leaving damage all across the mat as she created a pattern of shots straight out of a bullet hell.
Riku’s cocky grin faded completely as he tried and failed to move away from the shots, but Vayle gave him no quarter. His shunpo brought him from one star to another, and his blade couldn’t possibly move fast enough to block the shots as the blasts came one after another.
“...Idiot!” Riku managed, as a few more stars struck through, hitting him in the arms and legs. “Even with an increased number…
“Sprint, Torakaze!”
Riku’s call blasted the stars away as a shockwave of Reishi formed around him. A shock of reishi gripped the people around him, and Vayle struggled to keep her own footing.
“What a blowhard that sword is!”
Vayle chuckled at the thoughts of her blade as Riku rushed forward, holding the scythe high. His shunpo was faster, and the spiritual pressure in his blade was incredibly high. This was the true form of his ultimate technique, then.
Riku’s call came in the form of a strike, and in an instant, the space Vayle occupied was cut completely in two, the mats, the ground underneath, the ceiling above.
“My Zanpakuto, Torakaze, Cuts in a crescent. Whether above or below, everything is severed.” Riku boasted with a confident tone. “You were a sterling challenger, Vayle Cameo--”
“See, I’m gonna hope you expected me to dodge that and just lose a re-attachable arm. The 4th division could manage that, ‘specially with how clean you cut, and it’s a lot easier to justify than ‘attempted murder.’”
Vayle smirked from behind and above Riku, holding onto the handle of the broomstick. The wooden stick was currently floating a dozen feet in the air, near the top of the hall, with Vayle holding onto the back of it. “But thanks for letting me know your Zanpakuto’s power. Now I know I can go wild with this…”
A pair of shinigami got up and immediately began creating barriers around the area covered in mats, sealing any damage the next strike would do. On Riku’s part, he turned around savagely and got ready to block the next strike.
“Magic sign: Stardust Reverie!” Vayle yelled, holding the reactor behind her as she jumped onto the broomstick and charged Riku Moriya head on.
Vayle wasn’t sure what was more satisfying in the next instant: the feeling of Riku’s nose breaking against the tip of her broomstick, or watching him get knocked into the air as Vayle’s form exploded into a cascade of stars in every direction. The surge of magic struck the barriers, smashed the shinigami off his feet, and covered him in a bunch of smoking explosions.
Vayle landed with a smile, standing above the shinigami with a smile, and holding up the reactor. “I know I’m totally not s’posed to kill ya, but given the stunt you just pulled… how about I send you to the 4th division barracks for a long while, Riku Moriya?”
The reactor charged and glowed white hot, not just the vents but the entire weapon, and Riku put up his hands with terror. “V… very well! I give! I give! Just don’t hurt me!”
Vayle smiles. “And there’s the honest Riku Moriya. Was that so hard to show?”
The red headed shinigami struggled to his knees, barely able to move, and yet the hatred on his face was just as clear as it was the last time the two had seen each other…
---
“You’re sure we won’t get caught, Moriya? This is a lot of stuff. Thank god no one’s awake at an hour like this?”
“Yeah, yeah, just move the stuff. This is Kerozin-13. I wouldn’t move something like this if I thought I’d get caught. This is the easiest way to get expelled out of soul society short of pointing a blade at the captain.”
“Hah! Have you looked at the higher ranks? I think they give commendations for that kind of balls nowadays.”
The howling of laughter covered up the disgust Vayle was feeling inside as she crouched behind the barrels, watching the squad member she’d looked up to all this time
Deal in life-threatening illegal drugs. The Shinigami thought of her options:
She could report him now, and have his wrong-doings uncovered, but Riku Moriya had a lot of pull in the 7th division. He could misattribute it or move it or outright deny it without gaining much suspicion if she just told someone about it. Relying on her captain was a gamble that might just get her expelled from the squad if her evidence didn’t hold up, or was changed…
Just defeating him wouldn’t stop the spread of drugs, either. He was a cancerous symptom, but not the cause. She’d just be helping it go back undercover with one less person to take a cut. None of those answers were acceptable to Vayle, not with what they were trafficking:
Kerozin-13 was a booster that allowed ordinary Rukon members to be filled with just a little reishi - not enough to be on par with a shinigami, but enough to be above the average powerless rukon resident with no spirit force. It also, invariably, killed it’s user after enough doses, or via horrific withdrawal symptoms. It was undoubtedly popular in the black market, and it was a leading cause of deaths in the rukon.
Vayle couldn’t stomach the thought of 7th division being a main contributor, so instead…
---
“Now tell them! Fulfill your side of this duel!” Vayle yelled with anger flowing through them. “Spin it however you want, as long as you give the full story.”
There were many murmurs among the shinigami, now, as Vayle held the reactor to the man’s face.
But that instant of hatred, even if many had caught it, shifted back to a mask quickly enough, one of honest confusion.
“Tell them? Vayle… I have no idea what you’re going on about. Are you… are you accusing me of something?”
Vayle’s gaze didn’t waver. “...I should have expected nothing less from a world-class worm willing to peddle death and plague for the sake of a few kan.”
Vayle looked to the rest of them. “This scum… this honorable shinigami has been peddling Kerozin-13 to the rukongai! Together with members of the 8th and 6th division.
Visible shock went across the crowd at the proclamation. Loud conversations were suddenly had throughout the crowd at the most surprising thing in a very surprising set of short events. Anger and confusion and distrust and swearing went throughout the crowd, but Riku Moriya sat on his knees, oddly silent at the proclamation.
Eventually, one voice rang up. “Proof! Show us proof!”
Vayle smiled. “You want proof? Then take these photographs!”
Reaching into her robes, she pulled a small bundle of what seemed to be small, traditional photographs and readied to throw them into the air.
At this, Riku Moriya’s stone face changed to a sly grin for just a fraction of a second, before he raised his hand, and a lance of light struck the photographs, burning them to ash with the force of an unspoken kid. Byakurai was not Riku’s favorite spell, but even incantation-less it could burn paper to ash.
Then, Riku stood back up with a very well-practiced look of righteous fury.
“That was your plot, then, Vayle?”
And at that, Riku Moriya pointed a finger at the young Cameo with a look of condemnation for his underclassmen.
“You invent a story about me doing drugs, pretend you don’t know your shikai to catch me by surprise, and then pull this story out of thin air, all to make sure you could set off a bunch of kido tags! I don’t know if this was a suicide bombing, or some other nefarious purpose, but I recognized the markings instantly!. What kind of cowardly trick are you trying to pull?!”
Riku Moriya’s story was ridiculous, terrible, inaccurate, but it was said with all the courage and strength of a man who seemed to fully believe what he was saying. The force of his charisma pushed past common sense, and got the murmurs of many about to condemn Riku to suddenly change sides. An argument was about to erupt, one which Vayle wouldn’t be capable of stopping without evidence.
Luckily…
“Good grief… I thought you’d pull something like this out of your hat, but so brazen… you were half-right.”
“I… what?”
“Announcer Dokuro? He went for the decoy photographs, like I implied before when I spoke to you. Please, pull the real evidence out for everyone to see.”
“Announcer Dokuro! They must be covered with foul…”
“With foul kido spells?” Vayle would ask. “Don’t start sounding like a corny manga character, now. Foul kido spells that got past one of the most sterling Kido analysts in Squad seven? A skill so great we frequently ask for him, specifically, to officiate matches, and prevent any signs of foul play?”
“Urk…” Riku grunted, realizing that for once, he didn’t have an answer.
The photographs started being distributed, of the Moriya clansmen handing out Kerozin, laughing with it’s dealers, moving the supply…
The murmurs went to straight condemnation, but this time not pointed at Vayle, but at Riku.
“This duel, you were meant to admit your failings on losing. For that reason, I put my existence as a shinigami on the line! But you… you have no honor whatsoever, do you, you son of a bitch?”
That last move was all that was needed to set Riku off, as Vayle looked away. He brought his blade up with every intention to stab straight through her heart.
Vayle didn’t bother to look as she activated the reactor still sitting in Riku’s face.
“Love Sign: Master Spark.”
The emitter flared to life with a whine, and the area was deafened with an echoing crescendo. A Rainbow-colored beam blasted from the reactor, refracting brilliant light in all directions, and when the energy had faded enough for everyone to see clearly, Riku Moriya was covered in burns from head to toe.
“Go sleep this off in the fourth division for a couple months, Moriya-san. And hope I never have to see your face again.”
A seat she never wanted. A shikai she only barely knew how to use. But…
Vayle sighed and smiled.
She’d just bask in that sweet glow of victory, for now.
“Hey, Vayle?”
Vayle smiled, as she let her zanpakuto take its normal shape of a Kodachi, sheathing the broken blade. She knew the weapon would heal with time. It would just take a little while for her reishi to properly fill it up in order to make up the damage again. Besides…
The damage to it’s sealed form was merely superficial compared to the true power of the zanpakuto behind it.
“Yes, Mahoutsukai?”
A light chuckle came from the zanpakuto. “I’m so glad you can finally hear me again, dummy.”
Vayle would laugh. “‘Course I can hear you, partner. Thanks for all the help back there.”
“...aaaand?”
Vayle sighed in exasperation. “Aaaand thanks for fighting by my side and protecting me, all this time, before I even knew your name.”
“Oh, I wasn’t even looking for thanks on that, but I’ll gladly accept the compliment all the same~”
Vayle’s eye twitched. “Youuu…”
“Are the best partner ever! I know! Isn’t it great?” Mahoutsukai replied cheerfully. “I hope you don’t think that’s all there is to me, though. I just showed you the basics of what I can do.”
Vayle exhaled. “Well then, I guess I’ll have to learn all about that.”
“Mmm-hmm. Ready to be the strongest shinigami ever, Vayle?”
Vayle shrugged. “No idea, honestly, but… I’m willing to find out.”
“good.”
